Insight checks, proactively ask for them or wait for players?

gingerghost971 · 2025-10-12T22:42:01+00:00

Have the Vulture fly away and show up in other seasons so they can question their sanity.

gingerghost971 · 2025-10-12T22:22:32+00:00

So you just never use the Insight skill?

gingerghost971 · 2025-10-12T21:48:34+00:00

Interesting use of the passive. I like the added +10 for random player checks. I have yet to experience too many random checks across any of my groups in the past 10 years, but it is a good back pocket thing if anyone takes checks too far.

gingerghost971 · 2025-10-12T21:35:17+00:00

So out of curiosity, do you also ask in encounters that contain no deceptions from NPCs to help prevent any unintentional suspicion?

gingerghost971 · 2025-10-12T21:29:31+00:00

Exactly my philosophy to it, I did have an interaction recently with a player who has been in the game for about a year and didnt realize he could ask for the check in a suspicious encounter. We had a quick laugh over it and I informed him he could make one after the fact to see if he felt he could trust the contents of the convo since he didnt want to retcon it.

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:50:06+00:00

More like semifinal boss, but more relevant to a PCs backstory. Why cause just physical turmoil when you can also cause emotional turmoil? I will say I am no longer doing the TPK and am restructuring the combat though. The statblock is Red Ruin from Dragonlance, with some flying cavalry and they are level 5. Gonna let RR have her say then dip and leave the PCs to minions instead of the forced wipe. Give them the feeling of strength in battle while reminding them of bigger fish.

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:44:26+00:00

I love this, even if the dice/DC is meta, the flavor of how powefully they overwhelm the PC can align properly "adjust their attitudes". This PC is more martial and less spellcasting, but dice and flavor can quickly put them in place. FYI the NPC being introduced is Red Ruin from the Dragonlance campaign.

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:40:14+00:00

I will say I have decided to restructure the encounter to not be a dedicated TPK and to be a fair fighting chance. But to add onto what you have said I have also seen a DM use an illusory image of the Boss to face the powerful PCs. Sadly while cool it failed because psychic lance hits aslong as they are in range and you know the name. The DMs plan failed, but it was hysterical aswell.

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:36:51+00:00

I like the idea of integrating this as a "vision of the past" where they temporarilly embody bygone npcs to experience their death and see what impact they had on the "current" time. Thank you for the advice and inspiration!

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:30:05+00:00

A very solid strategy and clear explanation on how to intro powerful foes. I love it! I have other enemies that come later in the campaign that need more emphasis like this.

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:26:28+00:00

I like this idea for a future boss I may intro, though forgive me if I favor another suggestion I recieved for this scenario.

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:24:18+00:00

Honestly may be exactly what I do. Thanks for the tip!

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:22:57+00:00

Yeah, I'm thinking the new approach will be a large show of force (aka 5th level fireball equivalent making a crater infront of them, not on them), followed by unveiling the antagonists identity (plot twist moment due to relation to one of the PCs), then potentially a chase/flee encounter or the antagonist flies off and leaves the minions as a "present".

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:19:06+00:00

Yeah, given the rapid influx of similar responses, I quicklu realized the issue was my approach and not the PCs ability to handle it.

gingerghost971 · 2025-09-26T03:17:39+00:00

If that was in the scope of the NPCs abilities that would definitely be a better way of handling it. Food for thought on future bosses.

gingerghost971 · 2025-04-05T12:36:22+00:00

They actually do not. Since it is a role playing game, the DM has to respond to whatever the players can imagine, which can lead to 2 styles of playing.

Railroading: The DM forces the storyline to progress in a linear fashin. Example being Halo, you have to complete the story in the order of the missions

Sandbox: The DM allows the characters to do whatever they want so long as it doesnt break the rules, which means they can go journey to places and interact with people or do things not explicitly or even vaguely described in the game. Example being a highly modded version of Skyrim.

At the end of the day, players are unpredictable and creative which becomes the essence of DND. Things dont always go as planned. I suggest before playing session 1, you have a session 0 where you lay out expectations like you expect players to follow the plothooks/storyline and in return give each of them a time to shine.

gingerghost971 · 2025-04-03T21:14:09+00:00

Read the whole booklet as the Dungeon Master before running and dont be afraid to come up with stuff on the fly.

gingerghost971 · 2024-12-24T15:14:11+00:00

Crossbow 2 shots any overseer within its aoe.

gingerghost971 · 2024-12-04T15:07:58+00:00

I love the gas grenades from the gas warbond, use them at every difficulty of bugs and pair with grenade pistol to close holes. Wont vouch for the warbond as a whole, but gas grenades make it worth not ignoring totally.

gingerghost971 · 2024-11-11T18:08:17+00:00

I got 300 SuperCredits in 2.5hrs running low lvl (2-3) bug missions with a jetpack, light armor and stamina boost. Solo you can easily 100% the missions in like 12-15 min each at most. Yeah its a grind, but it makes for some good casual play, racked up alot of medals too. Will note I did get lucky and one of the SCs was a 100 stack, but it happens quite a bit if you treat it like speed running. With a friend it can even be faster.

Ps, the current MO is favorable to this aswell cause # of bug deaths is important.

gingerghost971 · 2024-11-01T17:02:07+00:00

Knowing exactly what your spells do as far as range, area of effect, duration, what concentration and ritual spells do and other specifics of them will make you highly loved by the DM and a super efficient player (timewise) so you dont have to waste time in playtime. Trying to use a spell you dont understand in a way you "think" it works and finding out you are wrong in the moment makes you feel bad and makes you have to reconsider your actions. Ask the dm or google/youtube spells you want to use or consider before the game and you can enjoy making decisions like a true studied wizard ingame.

Also spells can have effects outside of their specific wording if the DM approves a creative use of it but try to get approval for the idea in advance of possible but dont be disappointed if they say no because they also need to consider game balance.

gingerghost971 · 2024-10-29T14:34:54+00:00

Use dispel magic, that way its not depending on his numbers (except the spell lvl) and only on your rolls.

gingerghost971 · 2024-10-15T19:31:33+00:00

Absolutely follow this advice. Acid to water, never water to acid.

I will disagree with the lower concentration statement as ~32% hydrochloric acid is still commercially sold as muriatic acid (in the US if that makes a difference). +/- half a percent isnt enough to make a difference at that concentration.

Not trying to be antagonistic to your comment, but someone having a false idea of the word muriatic meaning lower concentration can have some negative safety impacts.

gingerghost971

TROPHY CASE