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Surprise Lizard Theater presents Tyranny of Dragons!
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<blockquote data-quote="jayoungr" data-source="post: 6853109" data-attributes="member: 6702445"><p>Thanks! I've heard of more than one group adding a ballista; there was one podcast I listened to (possibly the Escapist?) where they made it quite elaborate, requiring a PC's magical energy to be focused into the ballista bolt after it was repaired in order for it to injure the dragon. </p><p></p><p> </p><p> Having the cultists in robes and masks was borrowed from Hack and Slash, as was the drunken cultist encounter. The author of that blog was really into differentiating the various branches of the Cult of the Dragon, and he had elaborate descriptions of the differences in appearance and philosophy between the blues, greens, reds, etc. I had not decided at that point how much I was going to use from the blog, but I also didn't see any major gain from keeping the cult's involvement secret, so I went ahead and revealed that aspect. It did allow me to use several of the less gruesome cultist encounters, plus the lightning stun-sticks the blue cultists carried. </p><p></p><p> </p><p> No, but it was a happy side effect. When I decided to use that detail, I didn't know what sort of characters the players would be building. They turned out to have a group without a real "face" character, so the masks and costumes gave them more confidence to try bluffing. </p><p></p><p> </p><p> Yes, that tactic surprised me too! I had vaguely decided in the back of my mind that it was a trap for city guards, since the cultists didn't know yet that any "heroes" were in town, but I had to improvise some details rather quickly. </p><p></p><p> </p><p> Well--not having a TPK in chapter one is a good outcome, so sending some guards with them was probably a good idea. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> Even if it made combat slower, that doesn't make much difference at level one. Did you run all the guards, or did your players run them?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jayoungr, post: 6853109, member: 6702445"] Thanks! I've heard of more than one group adding a ballista; there was one podcast I listened to (possibly the Escapist?) where they made it quite elaborate, requiring a PC's magical energy to be focused into the ballista bolt after it was repaired in order for it to injure the dragon. Having the cultists in robes and masks was borrowed from Hack and Slash, as was the drunken cultist encounter. The author of that blog was really into differentiating the various branches of the Cult of the Dragon, and he had elaborate descriptions of the differences in appearance and philosophy between the blues, greens, reds, etc. I had not decided at that point how much I was going to use from the blog, but I also didn't see any major gain from keeping the cult's involvement secret, so I went ahead and revealed that aspect. It did allow me to use several of the less gruesome cultist encounters, plus the lightning stun-sticks the blue cultists carried. No, but it was a happy side effect. When I decided to use that detail, I didn't know what sort of characters the players would be building. They turned out to have a group without a real "face" character, so the masks and costumes gave them more confidence to try bluffing. Yes, that tactic surprised me too! I had vaguely decided in the back of my mind that it was a trap for city guards, since the cultists didn't know yet that any "heroes" were in town, but I had to improvise some details rather quickly. Well--not having a TPK in chapter one is a good outcome, so sending some guards with them was probably a good idea. :) Even if it made combat slower, that doesn't make much difference at level one. Did you run all the guards, or did your players run them? [/QUOTE]
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