Help! Players have avoided encounter - need an alternate.

[Mistah J]

Hey all,

So a quick break down: The PCs are on one side of a river and they must get across. The problem is that due to the current hurricane-like weather conditions, the local authorities have closed the bridge down to all traffic.

I had originally planned for a neat encounter where the PCs have to sneak/bluff their way past the guards at their end and then try to cross the bridge while avoiding flying debris and strong winds trying to push them off.

The problem is that one of my players said "Hey! We can just use my Quaal's Feather Token: Swan Boat to sail across the water.

Now, I don't want to just stomp my foot down and say "No! You can't use the boat - the river is too stormy for a boat to handle, or guards stop you.." or whatever. On the other hand, I also do not want to just hand wave the whole thing and say "You sail across no problem"

So, I'm hoping people here can help me come up with a different "cross-the-river" encounter, using the boat.

In case it is useful, the party is 3rd level (using the Pathfinder RPG) and made up of:
A monk
A rogue
A sorcerer
A druid
A Paladin/Monk

The original bridge encounter was around CR 4. This swan boat encounter can be around CR 3 since I don't mind giving the party a break since they did happen to be clever enough to have and use the right tool for the job.

Thanks.

 

[Gilladian]

Well, for myself, I suspect that a small boat like the swan boat WOULD bed too dangerous to use on a river in hurricane conditions. They'd have to be skilled boaters to avoid being swamped, overturned, sent into a dangerous rapids, or otherwise seriously at risk.

The boat description says nothing about how easy the boat is to control or navigate, and gives no piloting skill. It doesn't even actually specify whether it is a sailboat or a rowboat. I'd say probably rowed, but still...

Try finding some youtube videos of small boats in the water under storm conditions, and see if your PCs really want to attempt it.

Otherwise, if they insist, perhaps some creature in the water (river fey?) could give them a warning, or offer to help them, for a bribe. Or maybe someone ashore could give them some advice "I'd not enter the river today, not unless the river-maiden gave me a blessing".

 

[Hand of Evil]

Kill them - Hell, hurricane like condintions, my players would not dare leave a tavern.

Basicly nothing has changed, just move the encounter to getting out of their current location, if a tavern or lords keep. As far as the river, 1 foot of water moving 10 miles an hour has force to take down a man, this river will pick up their boat and impale it on a tree.

1) Roaring of the wind and water - players will not be able to hear and movement is down to nothing
2) Rain - 3 to 4 inches and hour, flood from getting 36 inches during the storm, this water has to go somewhere and water looks for the low ground.
3) Trash and debris, if it floats it is now a weapon - that boat is going to take a lot of damage - don't forget items take damage too!

If you don't kill them, strip them of their goods and pound them with area of effect spells; gust of wind, entanglement, blast of water, etc.

I agree, sit down and look for some videos on the subject, nature is not to be messed with.

 

[fba827]

I understand your hesitance on stopping them from using the boat, and I do agree that it -seems- like you are being mean by not letting the players do this "thing" - under normal weather circumstances you should let them do that thing. But you basically have two core situations here
a) bridge is closed
b) hurricane-like weather

The PC's boat idea bypasses "a" (in a perfectly legitamate way) but they still need to deal with "b"

if there is a storm, then the storm effects should be present -- make sure it is described appropriatly ("When you walk outside, the rain soaks through your clothes within a minute, the strong hurricane force winds toss debris and small trees about ..."). They may simply be underestimating the force of what they are dealing with.

And if they still get out the boat, point out how difficult it is just getting the boat to stay still long enough for you to board it as the winds swat the device around unforgivingly.

If they still try and use the boat despite the weather, I would honestly think the boat capsizes within a round causing a very difficult 'swimming' situation while the storm makes the waters choppy and difficult. (For that reason, you may want to be nice and have a guardsman or something who is passing by with some people going to shelter from the storm commenting that "the boat won't last a minute in this storm are you crazy?!")


As a minor alteration -- if they really are not in the mood to fight with the guards to let them pass -- perhaps they try and wait out the storm and then use the boat across when the storm passes. In that case, have a cave/abandoned house/something nearby if you can , depending on the terrain. Of course, there could be someone or something else in the shelter that either doesn't want the PCs there/doesnt want to share supplies/isn't enough room/or just plain and simple some sort of animal, thus, there is a fight inside the shelter while the storm rages on outside ...

 

[Amaroq]

Let 'em try.

Set up skill challenge with four possible outcomes:

1. They make it across, but well downstream (very difficult)

2. They make it safely BACK to the shore they started from, well downstream (moderate if they give up early, difficult if they stick with the plan for a while)

3. They give up trying to cross, and shift to a white-water-rafting type of thing, accepting getting taken miles downstream in exchange for lowered chance of capsize.

4. They capsize - turning it into a different, very difficult "every man for himself to avoid drowning" skill challenge.

. . .

If you're liking that concept, you can even build out thestream terrain: where there are rocks, where there's a waterfall, where there's a calmer section, etc., and put some encounters on it (storm monsters maybe more than water monsters, certainly nothing humanoid unless its a water-breather) ...

Jump through some of the hoops from a players' mindset, and think what awesome things they may try: using an action point to get an extra skill check, using "Speak with Spirits" to get a +5 on something .. but you could certainly add something the Spirits say in response, ... whatever your PCs have at their disposal, expect them to try.

They key here is not to say "No", and ideally not to kill them, while making them realize that it may have been easier to cross that durn bridge.

 

[Mistah J]

Looking over the great ideas here, I fully plan on letting them attempt to sail across the river.

The problem that I have here is that the Swan Boat of the feather token has a distinct lack of details.

I know it can carry 32 Medium creatures or 8 horses. I know it can go 60ft in a round. But that is it.

60ft? how? does it sail? does it have oars? who rows? does it magically steer itself? How good of a pilot is it?

So, if you'll allow me a second question: How exactly do you envision the Swan Boat?

Thanks!

 

[Amaroq]

Never! One question per poster, sir!

60ft? how? does it sail? does it have oars? who rows? does it magically steer itself? How good of a pilot is it?

How exactly do you envision the Swan Boat?

Mmm... viking-esque longboat, with magical oars but no magical steering/piloting?

One PC must pilot the boat, and in these conditions that's going to be some form of strength check to maintain control of the tiller against the raging current. "Aid Another" might be a good idea, but perhaps only two people can reach the tiller easily.

"60 ft" refers to its use in good conditions; if you have a raging current and a hurricane and all that, its not going to make anywhere near as much ground. Or you can do some Pythagorean math, calculating a current downstream, forcing them to angle upstream, and then figuring how much ground they make across stream. E.g., conditions reduce the boat's distance to 50'; there's a 40' per round downstream current, so they're only making it 30' across the stream if they try to fight the current .. or they could make it 50' across and 40' downstream .. whatever.

I think you need one PC in the prow watching for rocks, snags, etc, making Perception, Nature, etc, checks to try and keep them away from trouble.

You may need one PC taking care of any mounts, etc.

Describe conditions as so treacherous, it may be worth lashing the weak Wizard to something so he doesn't go overboard.

Obviously any sort of wind based powers can be used to help.

Others may be able to join in on the oars to try and provide additional stronger-than-magic rowing help: Strength check to provide additional distance traveled this check.

By the time they're halfway across, they're hitting a lot of Endurance checks to man the tiller, oars, etc - maybe they need to succeed at an Endurance check to have a shot at making the other checks to contribute a success?

 

[Hand of Evil]

I would put in the class of a small Keelboat along the lines that Lewis & Clark used; single mast and six pole/ores. There should be stats in the DM's guide.

In the conditions the sail would be ripped apart. Ores could snap, causing injury to rowers.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I'd have to agree with the others...hurricane force winds are not to be trifled with. Take it from someone in Florida.

On the other hand, there are varying levels of "hurricanes" and 75mph is not so big a deal. Of course, you don't go out in it.

Let them do it. Don't really discourage them. Just make it very difficult OR cause significant damage to the boat. Don't overly punish them though. Certainly, youtube videos would help, especially at the gaming table right before they undertake the challenge and right AFTER they've committed to it. "Okay, folks, here's a little video to get y'all in the mood, so to speak. Just imagine that the boat flying end over end and up above the palm trees is your little magical swan boat."

Anyway, after all this, please enlighten us as to why they feel pressed to do this NOW rather than after the hurrican has passed.

 

[Mistah J]

I would put in the class of a small Keelboat along the lines that Lewis & Clark used; single mast and six pole/ores. There should be stats in the DM's guide.

Thanks! This, plus the rules in Stormwrack for ships and storms should be enough for me to work something out.

Anyway, after all this, please enlighten us as to why they feel pressed to do this NOW rather than after the hurrican has passed.

Heh, I didn't mention it because I thought it irrelevant to the topic at hand but since you asked (and I'm glad you did!):

They have come to the conclusion (and rightly so) that the storm is not going to end - it is being caused by something magical and if it doesn't get stopped the city is going to be destroyed as the storm grows into a full-fledged hurricane. Sadly, they are on the wrong side of the river.

Also, the idea of having YouTube playing hurricane vids in the background during game is just downright awesome! I think I am totally going to do that...