TaranTheWanderer
Legend
2 TPKs.
I don't get it. Am I playing the enemies too hard/smart?
Greenest: they try to rescue the people from the church. They attack the kobolds and cultists. One of the cultists gets hurt to 1hp so I make him retreat to get help. I give the group 10 rounds before reinforcements come. They rescue the people from the church but the Goliath goes down, no-one is strong enough to move him and they all get dropped defending him.
- should I not have my enemies run to get help? The fight seemed way too hard for a 1st level adventure. Maybe they were 2nd.
I started the next session with them captured at the enemy camp.
Next:
Hatchery: They wipe the whole dungeon, including Cyanwrath and leave Fruluum and the 10 guards/cultists for last. They were all in single digit hps and out of spells and abilities before that fight and they didn't take a long rest. I gave them a second short rest AND let them level to 4th (no new spells but added hps and hit dice, new abilities and spell slots). That felt like the best compromise because taking a long rest after slaughtering everyone didn't seem prudent. Fruluum just wiped the floor with them. It was a drawn out battle and they killed everyone but one cultist and one guard but hardly touched the Boss. She just stood back, surrounded by guards with Spirit Guardian up and Sanctuary. If anyone got close(which only happened once) she smacked them with her Halberd and recast sanctuary. I used mooks to block up the narrow passageways to prevent more than one or two PCs getting into the room at once and to gang up on anyone who got in the room. I never made all the cultists attack. I always made one do the help action (to flank or whatever)and the second attack at advantage.
The adventure just seems so hard. And now what? They all made their death saves so they're unconcious but I find it hard to suspend disbelief by making them prisoners AGAIN....time for new characters? Is the whole module like this? I hate the idea of new characters because the adventure is a bit rail-roady and I'd spent a great deal of time making hooks for the characters.
My idea is to have the one survivor - a player who wasn't at the game last night and is disguised as a guard - to run back and find a new group of adventurers to help him finish off the cult at the hatchery.
I don't get it. Am I playing the enemies too hard/smart?
Greenest: they try to rescue the people from the church. They attack the kobolds and cultists. One of the cultists gets hurt to 1hp so I make him retreat to get help. I give the group 10 rounds before reinforcements come. They rescue the people from the church but the Goliath goes down, no-one is strong enough to move him and they all get dropped defending him.
- should I not have my enemies run to get help? The fight seemed way too hard for a 1st level adventure. Maybe they were 2nd.
I started the next session with them captured at the enemy camp.
Next:
Hatchery: They wipe the whole dungeon, including Cyanwrath and leave Fruluum and the 10 guards/cultists for last. They were all in single digit hps and out of spells and abilities before that fight and they didn't take a long rest. I gave them a second short rest AND let them level to 4th (no new spells but added hps and hit dice, new abilities and spell slots). That felt like the best compromise because taking a long rest after slaughtering everyone didn't seem prudent. Fruluum just wiped the floor with them. It was a drawn out battle and they killed everyone but one cultist and one guard but hardly touched the Boss. She just stood back, surrounded by guards with Spirit Guardian up and Sanctuary. If anyone got close(which only happened once) she smacked them with her Halberd and recast sanctuary. I used mooks to block up the narrow passageways to prevent more than one or two PCs getting into the room at once and to gang up on anyone who got in the room. I never made all the cultists attack. I always made one do the help action (to flank or whatever)and the second attack at advantage.
The adventure just seems so hard. And now what? They all made their death saves so they're unconcious but I find it hard to suspend disbelief by making them prisoners AGAIN....time for new characters? Is the whole module like this? I hate the idea of new characters because the adventure is a bit rail-roady and I'd spent a great deal of time making hooks for the characters.
My idea is to have the one survivor - a player who wasn't at the game last night and is disguised as a guard - to run back and find a new group of adventurers to help him finish off the cult at the hatchery.