Shemeska
Adventurer
This is ever so somewhat a rules question, but more than that it ties into when your players come up with a solution to a tough situation that frankly, you as DM, hadn't thought of a solution for.
The situation is this, I usually toss situations at my players in my current Planescape game that require a good bit of thought, never just simple hack and slash. Heck there's a flowchart I have for my current plot(s) and the players are starting their own to keep track of the various ones in the campaign. I also don't always give them situations they can realistically overcome, there's times to fight and times to realize you're in over your head and flee to fight another day.
So my players have spent the last few months of gaming tracking down a pair of Rakshasa who have apparently been mining, or otherwise doing something to a number of godisles in the Astral plane. They killed the male of the pair, the least powerful one of the two, two times, and he apparently was the first time anyways, brought back to life by his partner. The PC's have gradually come to the realization that neither of the pair are what they appear or claim to be.
Doing some investigation, the PC's find out the pair has obtained a device know as the Divinity Leach, created by an insane mortal spellcaster known as Ghyris Vast. They track down Vast in the prison of Pitiless upon the Astral, and he's all too happy to talk to them, in between insane babbling and ranting about random things. But he's clearly a genius underneath it all. He also claims to have had help, but thats a bit of information neither the Rakshasas know apparently, or that they PC's have fully grasped the implications of as of yet.
They eventually track down the location of the Divinity Leach along with the female of the Rakshasa pair. Upon comfronting her, they find out that she's not a Rakshasa as they expected, but rather a female Arcanoloth, Shylara Akt'Atarm, both lover and protege of the current Oinoloth and mistress of the Tower of Incarnate Pain in Carceri. She and the PC's come to blows, and one round into the conflict she's taken a few hits, doesn't appear to be that concerned, but has dropped two or three of the PC's. They end up killing her, and are rather surprised they managed to do so, until 5 minutes later she steps out of thin air and applauds them with a smirk on her face, and then hurls a meteor swarm.
Her trick was this: she's astrally projecting from the first layer of Carceri, and while on the Astral she steps through a color pool that leads to the demiplane the PC's have encountered her on. This act forms an astral body on the demiplane, and if she's killed while there she simply wakes up back on Carceri, none the worse for wear. I've also, mostly as a house rule so the PC's don't get slaughtered in one or two rounds, severely reduced her abilities while in an astral body. Halved her HP, reduced spell saves, reduced spell selection, etc.
One of the PC's now that she's back for round two, five minutes later, has asked me out of game what happens if he manages to hit her in said form, with a flesh to stone. Does she awaken back on Carceri with the spell ending, or does she lapse into some sort of arcane coma with her spirit trapped within the astral form, unable to return to the lower planes. I havn't given her any contingencies that would deal with this, and its a sweet idea on his part to try, I won't change what she has mid game to make her survive the effect. I rather enjoy the character, but I won't pull a fast one to save her bacon from an enterprising prime mage.
So here's my question, what's everyones opinion here, assuming she fails a save here and he breaches her SR, is she back on Carceri and prepping for round 3 more or less, or is she down for the count and incapacitated until one of her underlings either helps her back on Carceri, or more likely she's assassinated while in a vulnerable state?
The situation is this, I usually toss situations at my players in my current Planescape game that require a good bit of thought, never just simple hack and slash. Heck there's a flowchart I have for my current plot(s) and the players are starting their own to keep track of the various ones in the campaign. I also don't always give them situations they can realistically overcome, there's times to fight and times to realize you're in over your head and flee to fight another day.
So my players have spent the last few months of gaming tracking down a pair of Rakshasa who have apparently been mining, or otherwise doing something to a number of godisles in the Astral plane. They killed the male of the pair, the least powerful one of the two, two times, and he apparently was the first time anyways, brought back to life by his partner. The PC's have gradually come to the realization that neither of the pair are what they appear or claim to be.
Doing some investigation, the PC's find out the pair has obtained a device know as the Divinity Leach, created by an insane mortal spellcaster known as Ghyris Vast. They track down Vast in the prison of Pitiless upon the Astral, and he's all too happy to talk to them, in between insane babbling and ranting about random things. But he's clearly a genius underneath it all. He also claims to have had help, but thats a bit of information neither the Rakshasas know apparently, or that they PC's have fully grasped the implications of as of yet.
They eventually track down the location of the Divinity Leach along with the female of the Rakshasa pair. Upon comfronting her, they find out that she's not a Rakshasa as they expected, but rather a female Arcanoloth, Shylara Akt'Atarm, both lover and protege of the current Oinoloth and mistress of the Tower of Incarnate Pain in Carceri. She and the PC's come to blows, and one round into the conflict she's taken a few hits, doesn't appear to be that concerned, but has dropped two or three of the PC's. They end up killing her, and are rather surprised they managed to do so, until 5 minutes later she steps out of thin air and applauds them with a smirk on her face, and then hurls a meteor swarm.
Her trick was this: she's astrally projecting from the first layer of Carceri, and while on the Astral she steps through a color pool that leads to the demiplane the PC's have encountered her on. This act forms an astral body on the demiplane, and if she's killed while there she simply wakes up back on Carceri, none the worse for wear. I've also, mostly as a house rule so the PC's don't get slaughtered in one or two rounds, severely reduced her abilities while in an astral body. Halved her HP, reduced spell saves, reduced spell selection, etc.
One of the PC's now that she's back for round two, five minutes later, has asked me out of game what happens if he manages to hit her in said form, with a flesh to stone. Does she awaken back on Carceri with the spell ending, or does she lapse into some sort of arcane coma with her spirit trapped within the astral form, unable to return to the lower planes. I havn't given her any contingencies that would deal with this, and its a sweet idea on his part to try, I won't change what she has mid game to make her survive the effect. I rather enjoy the character, but I won't pull a fast one to save her bacon from an enterprising prime mage.
So here's my question, what's everyones opinion here, assuming she fails a save here and he breaches her SR, is she back on Carceri and prepping for round 3 more or less, or is she down for the count and incapacitated until one of her underlings either helps her back on Carceri, or more likely she's assassinated while in a vulnerable state?
