Best Laid Plans....

[Sound of Azure]

Hello All,

After an experience at my last game session, I was wondering if anyone here has had excellent plans that have gone Horribly, Horribly Wrong (tm), due to bad luck, miscommunication betwen players, or anything like that?


Here's what happened to my PC:

My character, Father Osman and his young protege Mallik, Mellick the guild thief, and the Guild Wizard Zellyr were delving into an underground complex searching for the spellbook of an important wizard named Yinthross. Not far in, we encountered some Red Wizards of Thay who were looking for the same thing.
After a close battle we'd defeated two of the wizards, sorely pressed as they had several magic wands and scrolls. Mallik and Mellick donned the robes of the two wizards to try and disguise themselves, while Father Osman and Zellyr went invisible.

After some scouting and judicious use of Clairvoyance, we discovered some more Red Wizards nearby, who were coming to investigate the apparent disappearance of two of their brethren on patrol. We hatched a plan to lure them into the room, while Father Osman stole his way down the hall to take care of their leader down the hall. The others would take care of the two Underwizards.

Things didn't quite work out.

The DM's dice were hot, and the lead wizard succeeded on his saves against Hold Person and Clutch of Orcus, and he rolled high on his damage with his retaliatory Magic Missile, leaving Father Osman hurt badly. Then, the clincher. My protege Mallik had gone down the hall after me, and successfully bluffed the Red Wizrd into believing he was truly one of his brethren. Mallik then pointed his wand of Lightning bolt at Father Osman, further adding to the ruse.

Thinking quickly, Father Osman made a bluff of his own, faking a casting of Dominate Person on my protege, proclaiming "You are under my power, Peon! Attack your master with the wand and strike him down!", trusting Mallik to help me out. Apparently not. He said 'No! I resist your power!" and let loose with a lightning bolt right through the Father!
Osman made the save, but since he was already hurt, he went unconscious (at -3 HP). The Red Wizard, then sneered and ordered Mallik to accompany him to assist the other Wizards in their search for the missing patrol.

Luckily, the Thief Mellick had also broke with the plan and helped Father Osman (he asked for a favour later) by administering a healing potion.

We crept up the hall to discover a full on magical battle between the Guild Mage Zellyr and 2 Red Wizards, their Leader, and our supposed comrade!

Talk about a screwed up plan! We managed to succeed, thanks to a well-rolled Fireball, and a judicious use of Wrack on the Leader, thus taking him out of the fight.

We actually spared my protege after talking firmly to his Player. Mallik is even more a slave to my PC than he was before. Should create an interesting dynamic next session.

So, anyone got any interesting stories of Plans Gone Wrong?

 

[The Forsaken One]

Well concerning one of my players...

Everything that involved a jump check somewhere along the way -.-.

(Cool story btw )

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

In a 3.0 campaign, a priest, seeking to concoct a draught that would numb the pain a lizardman prisoner was experiencing due to severe interrogation (with no ranks in brew, alchemy, anything), bungles the roll and the lizardman dies a frothing, twitching death.

In a 2e game: The party is in a featureless chamber, save for a coffin on a dais and a candle on a tall stand. After searching in real time for an HOUR, the party thief declares he cannot find a way into the sealed coffin. My character nonchalantly snuffs the candle, dousing the room in complete darkness. We hear the coffin creak open, and get our butts handed to us by the vampire inside.

After spending weeks preparing a game where the PC's are to battle a cult of evil humanoids trying to summon the physical manifestation of their god, the BBEG is killed with one throwing axe and a double zero on the Good Hits and Bad Misses crit/fumble charts.

I have more. Lots more.

 

[WampusCat43]

Last night my players were attacked while they slept by a drow priestess on nightmare-back, who blew a hole in the wall of their second-floor room at the inn. While a spell duel raged, the impetuous fighter climbed up some convenient stairs to the roof and attempted to leap off onto the drow, sword-first. A nicely-rolled one on the Jump check ensued, and his friends were treated to the sight of a butt-naked beefcake sailing by and landing like a pogo stick on the ground.

"Stupid male," she said, as the nightmare dived on him with its flaming hooves...

 

[Lord Zardoz]

I have posted this story before...

Back in a 2nd edition Birthright game, an Orog warlord by the name of Rourc had come to power and seized power in the kingdom of Ghoere. The players encountered a patrol of humanoids and defeated them. It was at this point that the players came up with a great plan.

They tied a bugbear to a tree, beat it nearly to death, knocking all its teeth out, and wrote a message that they tied to his neck. The note was a challenge to the Orog to an 'honorable' 4 on 1 duel. They kept an eye on the tree, and in a few days, a 2nd patrol found the remains of the first, untied the Bugbear, and left. A day or two later, the patrol returned and posted a response on that tree, accepting the challenge.

The players follwed the directions on that note, and made way to the encampment of the Orog Warlords army. The humanoids were hostile, but did not throw anything worse than harsh language at the players. They met the Orog lord, who was large and imposing, but polite. He welcomed the players, and told them to prepare themselves, donning armor, etc. A fateful exchange of dialog ensued:

Rourc: "Why are you not donning armor. Are you a mage?"
Elven Wizard: "You will find out."
Rourc: "You will die first."

Combat began, and Rourc was true to his word. In the first round, he dropped the mage to zero. In the 2nd round, he dropped another player. The players were becoming worried at this point. The next character in line to die was the party tank, who had plenty lf HP and a very high AC. The party Rogue started trying called shots to his eyes. He finally manged to score a hit, and when he was knocked down, the pulled off his breastplate and carved his chest to ribbons.

The players were cheering at this point, and it took me a while to get their attention to tell them the following.

"As your tearing out his intestines and he lays bleeding, he is laughing." The players stopped cheering not understanding what was coming. "As he is laughing, he fades away, but you still hear the laughing. Rourc steps out of his tent, laughing, accompanied by a short older man. 'That was fun. This is my personal illusionist. Just what kind of fool do you think I am? My god you are stupid. You challenge ME to on honorable 4 on 1 duel? I am an Orog warlord. I did not get to this position of power by being honorable.' He gestures to the eager looking soldiers that encircle you, 'kill them'."

At this point, I was chased out of the apartment, and had to hop out a window (apartment was on the first floor) to avoid impending bodily harm at the hands of my players. Once thigns settled down, the fight started again, and the 'slain' players had to make system shock rolls or die from the illusion as per 2nd Edition rules. The wizard stayed dead. Rourc plus his army then pulled a TPK on the party, but left them alive with his symbol carved into his chest.

END COMMUNICATION