D&D 4E JamesonCourage's First 4e Session
- Thread starter JamesonCourage
- Start date
JamesonCourage
Adventurer
Thanks
If you do, let me know what you do. They're tricky to run, I think. I've never used them before, really.
Thanks. I try to make it connected, or more importantly coherent. I think that gets easier as time goes on (and there are more past in-play hooks for me to use), but having strongly-themed PCs helped a lot (the exiled dwarf Fighter, the Warpriest of The Raven Queen who had already been raised once and now serves her unquestioningly, the wilden Scout that hates the Far Realm but has some sort of connection to it, etc.). Also, the fact that I bribe my players into cooperating (with minor quests) helps me prep, and now letting them pick major quests helps a lot, too.
At any rate, I think the entire game will retain more or less the same feel. Which is good, since I like it. Now, to go read and comment on your Bag of Holding thread!
Scrivener of Doom
Adventurer
Whew! After nobody replied to the last update, and then a delay for this update, I was starting to wonder. I'll keep updating if people like seeing it, which seems to be the case
Funnily enough, when I saw the email notifying me of an update to the thread I immediately thought, "Oh
, I forgot to post a comment last time!" That's an indirect way of saying how much I do appreciate these session write-ups. It's always good to see another DM at work plus it's a real reminder of how good 4E can be.I hope you keep posting... and I hope I don't miss commenting again.
JamesonCourage
Adventurer
Alright, I had another session this past Saturday, but due to a new friendship, my time has been whittled down. So, writing up the session late (we played for about five hours). Sorry!
[sblock]Alrighty. We left off with the PCs in the dwarven city, after having delivered the prince's body to the king and then the dwarf working himself into Kord Clan. As of this point, I've weaned the players are off having a minor quest each session, as I've finally gotten to the point where there are a lot of hooks established in play (as well as at character creation). On top of that, the players have been groomed to cooperate when I offer these hooks (which I pick carefully based on their interests), so I don't need to dangle the mechanical carrot anymore. I've trained my players well; mwa ha ha ha!
So, on to the session! The PCs took a few days to wait for the king of the dwarves (of the Hammerheart clan) to consult with his treasurer so that he could lowball them. In the meantime, the PCs engaged in different activities: The dwarven Fighter did a lot of drinking and talking with other dwarves who now treated him as one of them. The mul (surface dwarf in my campaign) Warpriest spent some time drinking, but also a lot of time studying the strange mark on his skeletal warhorse (he determined that the mark was just as natural as life and death, and somehow tied to the cycle, but wasn't sure of anything more than that). He also spent some time meditating and praying (which is normal for him) to the Raven Queen, and he gained some new power (multi-class Invoker at level 8). The wilden Scout wanted to check out the entire city (this was the second city he'd ever seen, and it was much different from the festival-filled Ashenport from the session before). He picked up some trinkets, poked around, etc. The half-elf Sorceress mostly kept to herself, waiting for the king.
Eventually, they were called to the throne room. The king announced that he had chosen three different prices to offer, but wanted to know their capabilities before making his decision. As it turns out, it is tradition in Kord Clan to have new members challenged by those that initiate them. Gortha, the female dwarf that brought the Fighter into the clan, offered to fight the four of them. The PCs expressed surprise that she would fight all four of them, and she said that she could handle all four of them at once. They agreed (after establishing that they could rest before being sent out), deciding that they could go all out against her and prove their worth (and get the best offer from the king).
The combat took place in the throne room, which was mostly even save for some very large pillars that didn't come into play into late in the fight. Gortha was a level 7 solo soldier (vs the four level 8 PCs). The biggest factor in the fight was her aura, which started at 1 and grew by 1 each round (and she increased it a couple of times with a power during the fight). Each creature that started its turn in the aura took X damage and was slid X squares, where X = the aura's value minus 1 for each square out they were. (Basically, a creature 1 square took 6 damage and slid 6 squares when the aura was 6, and a creature 3 squares away only took 4 damage and slid 4 squares.)
The PCs started out unloading on her pretty heavily, but the fight dragged on, with her pushing the Fighter farther away each round (she also had a push attack as a move action, where she pushed equal to her current aura number). She quickly took out the Scout's owlbear companion (Fey Beast Tamer theme), and the Warpriest had to send his skeletal warhorse away. The Fighter definitely fared the best, though this was in large part due to his new artifact armor (the Invulnerable Coat of Arnd), which allowed him to reduce her lightning and thunder damage by 5. By the end of the fight, her aura had reached 11 (a few rounds from reaching the king), multiple PCs had dropped (two gained a death strike), and her aura had almost reached the point where it would all but eliminate the Fighter from combat (by pushing him away and behind some pillars).
But, luckily for the PCs, they dropped her, knocking her unconscious. The aura immediately collapsed in on her in a loud thunderclap, and she gasped as she woke up. Warpriest used a Cure Light Wounds spell on her to help heal her (he'd already used both Healing Words and a Cure Serious Wounds during the fight), and she thanked him. The party moved to face the king, and the Warpriest and Fighter removed their helmets. The Fighter had a new symbol shining through his beard, which was identified as a Mark of Storm (the player just took the feat for his PC between sessions), which is a blessing given out by the storm deities (most notably Kord or Melora). The Fighter took this as a sign of approval from Kord.
The king acknowledged the party's ferociousness, and offered the middle amount. He offered them a "not insignificant" 1,000 gold pieces (the Warpriest was not happy that this was a "total" and not a "per PC" offer). However, the king also offered to send two Runepriests to their stronghold across the sea, where they would craft a permanent teleportation circle. He also offered to teach the Sorceress the Linked Portal ritual, as well as give the party access to the dwarven city's teleportation circle. The PCs knew this was worth another 4,000 gold pieces (the teleportation circle to be built was 2x2 squares). They thought this was a good deal (teleportation back to base, instant transportation across the sea), but they wanted the 3x3 teleportation circle, though, and knew that this would be the time to ask about it. They decided to have the Sorceress to ask the king (with her Diplomacy), offering to pay for half the difference themselves. One natural 20 later, and the king agreed. The party was happy, and was now determined to complete his task and win this reward.
The PCs took an extended rest, excited to leave to find the mind flayers in the morning. The Scout woke up in the middle of the night to his owlbear (which he had summoned back before sleeping) waking him up by shaking him. Its eyes were glowing green, and a Nature check revealed that it was being possessed. He asked it what was happening, and the owlbear used telepathy to communicate. It told the Scout not to worry who it was, but that its master, Corellon, wanted it to make contact. Corellon had many enemies nearby (who the Scout identified as drow), and it wanted him to deal with them. Corellon also knew that the Scout had been blessed by Melora (Melora's Storm Blessing, Alternative Reward), but the god wanted the Scout's full devotion. The owlbear blessed the Scout's belt as a sign from Corellon, and then the presence left the owlbear (which was then very confused). The belt was a Healer's Sash, which the player of the Scout was very happy with. (He has expressed hope that the gods, along with the other gods he worships, will get in a sort of "bidding war" to win his devotion.)
The PCs set off deeper into the caverns, with the Scout guiding them via Dungeoneering. They were only about a day out from the dwarves when the Scout spotted a humanoid hiding ahead (at a bend in the cramped rock hallway). They stopped to discuss things, and the voice called out, calling for the Warpriest. It offered to reward him beyond his imagination if he turned his allegiance over to the "Keeper of Secrets", who wanted the First Truth. The Warpriest declared his undying loyalty to the Raven Queen. The Scout projected his vision (psionic ability he gained with a feat), getting a better look at the creature, identifying it as a vampire (the players cursed). The creature called for help, and we rolled initiative.
The four level 8 PCs fought two level 9 elite vampires (one a skirmisher, one a brute), and a level 12 hill giant (standard monster). The skirmisher liked dominating PCs and getting into flanking positions, and the hill giant opened up with two rock throws in a row that damaged the closely-clustered PCs (and dazed them). The brute moved about, dealing a lot of damage quickly, but he was mostly ignored. The PCs took down the hill giant after about four rounds, and the skirmisher a couple rounds later. (The skirmisher tried turning into a mist to run away, but a Smite Undead and then the Fighter's Power Strike both immobilized him, and they finished him off.) The brute took a while, and he kept applying a bleeding power (10 ongoing damage), taking down the Scout and the Fighter multiple times each (the Scout only lived due to the Sorceress' daily healing power from Bard multi-class), as well as the Warpriest once. Eventually, he was put down, too, though not before most dailies and encounter powers had been used.
They searched the bodies, and found an amulet (of Deferred Death), with an inscription for the Warpriest saying that this was just a token of what he might gain if he swapped sides. The Warpriest debated whether or not he should use it, but since it wasn't directly divine, he opted to take it (for pragmatic reasons). The PCs risked taking an extended rest, and I rolled d% to see if anything happened... and got a 99! After rolling again (to see if it was positive or negative), I told the Warpriest that he awoke to his own chain belt falling off. He immediately thought this was a bad omen from his goddess, but a Religion (and inspection) revealed this not to be the case. The belt was now magical (a Girdle of Skulls), with an inscription saying simply "for loyalty" on it. The Warpriest was very happy, and looks forward to summoning skeletons to do his bidding in battle. (All the players were pretty awed with the stats of the skeleton.)
With that, we called the session.[/sblock]
All told, a really solid session, though not as fast-paced as some of the last few. More time was spent talking to NPCs or one another, thinking about what they could do with the teleportation circle (or other ways to improve their stronghold), etc.
(Also, I don't have time now, but I wanted to ask a question. I'll get to that later, but for now, I must gym!)
[sblock]Alrighty. We left off with the PCs in the dwarven city, after having delivered the prince's body to the king and then the dwarf working himself into Kord Clan. As of this point, I've weaned the players are off having a minor quest each session, as I've finally gotten to the point where there are a lot of hooks established in play (as well as at character creation). On top of that, the players have been groomed to cooperate when I offer these hooks (which I pick carefully based on their interests), so I don't need to dangle the mechanical carrot anymore. I've trained my players well; mwa ha ha ha!
So, on to the session! The PCs took a few days to wait for the king of the dwarves (of the Hammerheart clan) to consult with his treasurer so that he could lowball them. In the meantime, the PCs engaged in different activities: The dwarven Fighter did a lot of drinking and talking with other dwarves who now treated him as one of them. The mul (surface dwarf in my campaign) Warpriest spent some time drinking, but also a lot of time studying the strange mark on his skeletal warhorse (he determined that the mark was just as natural as life and death, and somehow tied to the cycle, but wasn't sure of anything more than that). He also spent some time meditating and praying (which is normal for him) to the Raven Queen, and he gained some new power (multi-class Invoker at level 8). The wilden Scout wanted to check out the entire city (this was the second city he'd ever seen, and it was much different from the festival-filled Ashenport from the session before). He picked up some trinkets, poked around, etc. The half-elf Sorceress mostly kept to herself, waiting for the king.
Eventually, they were called to the throne room. The king announced that he had chosen three different prices to offer, but wanted to know their capabilities before making his decision. As it turns out, it is tradition in Kord Clan to have new members challenged by those that initiate them. Gortha, the female dwarf that brought the Fighter into the clan, offered to fight the four of them. The PCs expressed surprise that she would fight all four of them, and she said that she could handle all four of them at once. They agreed (after establishing that they could rest before being sent out), deciding that they could go all out against her and prove their worth (and get the best offer from the king).
The combat took place in the throne room, which was mostly even save for some very large pillars that didn't come into play into late in the fight. Gortha was a level 7 solo soldier (vs the four level 8 PCs). The biggest factor in the fight was her aura, which started at 1 and grew by 1 each round (and she increased it a couple of times with a power during the fight). Each creature that started its turn in the aura took X damage and was slid X squares, where X = the aura's value minus 1 for each square out they were. (Basically, a creature 1 square took 6 damage and slid 6 squares when the aura was 6, and a creature 3 squares away only took 4 damage and slid 4 squares.)
The PCs started out unloading on her pretty heavily, but the fight dragged on, with her pushing the Fighter farther away each round (she also had a push attack as a move action, where she pushed equal to her current aura number). She quickly took out the Scout's owlbear companion (Fey Beast Tamer theme), and the Warpriest had to send his skeletal warhorse away. The Fighter definitely fared the best, though this was in large part due to his new artifact armor (the Invulnerable Coat of Arnd), which allowed him to reduce her lightning and thunder damage by 5. By the end of the fight, her aura had reached 11 (a few rounds from reaching the king), multiple PCs had dropped (two gained a death strike), and her aura had almost reached the point where it would all but eliminate the Fighter from combat (by pushing him away and behind some pillars).
But, luckily for the PCs, they dropped her, knocking her unconscious. The aura immediately collapsed in on her in a loud thunderclap, and she gasped as she woke up. Warpriest used a Cure Light Wounds spell on her to help heal her (he'd already used both Healing Words and a Cure Serious Wounds during the fight), and she thanked him. The party moved to face the king, and the Warpriest and Fighter removed their helmets. The Fighter had a new symbol shining through his beard, which was identified as a Mark of Storm (the player just took the feat for his PC between sessions), which is a blessing given out by the storm deities (most notably Kord or Melora). The Fighter took this as a sign of approval from Kord.
The king acknowledged the party's ferociousness, and offered the middle amount. He offered them a "not insignificant" 1,000 gold pieces (the Warpriest was not happy that this was a "total" and not a "per PC" offer). However, the king also offered to send two Runepriests to their stronghold across the sea, where they would craft a permanent teleportation circle. He also offered to teach the Sorceress the Linked Portal ritual, as well as give the party access to the dwarven city's teleportation circle. The PCs knew this was worth another 4,000 gold pieces (the teleportation circle to be built was 2x2 squares). They thought this was a good deal (teleportation back to base, instant transportation across the sea), but they wanted the 3x3 teleportation circle, though, and knew that this would be the time to ask about it. They decided to have the Sorceress to ask the king (with her Diplomacy), offering to pay for half the difference themselves. One natural 20 later, and the king agreed. The party was happy, and was now determined to complete his task and win this reward.
The PCs took an extended rest, excited to leave to find the mind flayers in the morning. The Scout woke up in the middle of the night to his owlbear (which he had summoned back before sleeping) waking him up by shaking him. Its eyes were glowing green, and a Nature check revealed that it was being possessed. He asked it what was happening, and the owlbear used telepathy to communicate. It told the Scout not to worry who it was, but that its master, Corellon, wanted it to make contact. Corellon had many enemies nearby (who the Scout identified as drow), and it wanted him to deal with them. Corellon also knew that the Scout had been blessed by Melora (Melora's Storm Blessing, Alternative Reward), but the god wanted the Scout's full devotion. The owlbear blessed the Scout's belt as a sign from Corellon, and then the presence left the owlbear (which was then very confused). The belt was a Healer's Sash, which the player of the Scout was very happy with. (He has expressed hope that the gods, along with the other gods he worships, will get in a sort of "bidding war" to win his devotion.)
The PCs set off deeper into the caverns, with the Scout guiding them via Dungeoneering. They were only about a day out from the dwarves when the Scout spotted a humanoid hiding ahead (at a bend in the cramped rock hallway). They stopped to discuss things, and the voice called out, calling for the Warpriest. It offered to reward him beyond his imagination if he turned his allegiance over to the "Keeper of Secrets", who wanted the First Truth. The Warpriest declared his undying loyalty to the Raven Queen. The Scout projected his vision (psionic ability he gained with a feat), getting a better look at the creature, identifying it as a vampire (the players cursed). The creature called for help, and we rolled initiative.
The four level 8 PCs fought two level 9 elite vampires (one a skirmisher, one a brute), and a level 12 hill giant (standard monster). The skirmisher liked dominating PCs and getting into flanking positions, and the hill giant opened up with two rock throws in a row that damaged the closely-clustered PCs (and dazed them). The brute moved about, dealing a lot of damage quickly, but he was mostly ignored. The PCs took down the hill giant after about four rounds, and the skirmisher a couple rounds later. (The skirmisher tried turning into a mist to run away, but a Smite Undead and then the Fighter's Power Strike both immobilized him, and they finished him off.) The brute took a while, and he kept applying a bleeding power (10 ongoing damage), taking down the Scout and the Fighter multiple times each (the Scout only lived due to the Sorceress' daily healing power from Bard multi-class), as well as the Warpriest once. Eventually, he was put down, too, though not before most dailies and encounter powers had been used.
They searched the bodies, and found an amulet (of Deferred Death), with an inscription for the Warpriest saying that this was just a token of what he might gain if he swapped sides. The Warpriest debated whether or not he should use it, but since it wasn't directly divine, he opted to take it (for pragmatic reasons). The PCs risked taking an extended rest, and I rolled d% to see if anything happened... and got a 99! After rolling again (to see if it was positive or negative), I told the Warpriest that he awoke to his own chain belt falling off. He immediately thought this was a bad omen from his goddess, but a Religion (and inspection) revealed this not to be the case. The belt was now magical (a Girdle of Skulls), with an inscription saying simply "for loyalty" on it. The Warpriest was very happy, and looks forward to summoning skeletons to do his bidding in battle. (All the players were pretty awed with the stats of the skeleton.)
With that, we called the session.[/sblock]
All told, a really solid session, though not as fast-paced as some of the last few. More time was spent talking to NPCs or one another, thinking about what they could do with the teleportation circle (or other ways to improve their stronghold), etc.
(Also, I don't have time now, but I wanted to ask a question. I'll get to that later, but for now, I must gym!)
Last edited:
JamesonCourage
Adventurer
Okay, my questions. Sometimes, the PCs have an effect that gives out temporary hit points (most notably the Fighter's Inspiring Fortitude power, and the Sorceress' Bolstering Speech power).
Narratively, I'm at a loss at how to describe these extra hit points once the PC is dropped. As far as I can tell, PCs retain temporary hit points even while unconscious, but both of these effects are basically inspirational effects. I can't narrate the PCs as being semi-conscious and reducing damage without some other implications, so I'm kind of in a pickle when this type of thing comes up (as it did multiple times in the fight with the vampires this last session). My one long-time player started to bring it up, but I brushed past it for pacing reasons, though I also felt I had no good response.
I was going to bring this up in the "fix PF" thread when talk of magic Martial powers was still ongoing (since Bolstering Speech is a Martial power, and Inspiring Fortitude seems like it's in the same vein, though not labeled as one). However, I didn't want to make it sound like I'm attacking the powers. I like them. They work well in play, and they make for interesting narratives (the powers both kept PCs from dropping when they otherwise would in the vampire fight, which means that they only stayed up due to being inspired by the dwarven Fighter's resilience or by the inspiring words of the Sorceress). So, I'm honestly not attacking them (which is why I'm bringing it up here and not that thread).
Any ideas? [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION]? [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION]? [MENTION=16586]Campbell[/MENTION]?
Narratively, I'm at a loss at how to describe these extra hit points once the PC is dropped. As far as I can tell, PCs retain temporary hit points even while unconscious, but both of these effects are basically inspirational effects. I can't narrate the PCs as being semi-conscious and reducing damage without some other implications, so I'm kind of in a pickle when this type of thing comes up (as it did multiple times in the fight with the vampires this last session). My one long-time player started to bring it up, but I brushed past it for pacing reasons, though I also felt I had no good response.
I was going to bring this up in the "fix PF" thread when talk of magic Martial powers was still ongoing (since Bolstering Speech is a Martial power, and Inspiring Fortitude seems like it's in the same vein, though not labeled as one). However, I didn't want to make it sound like I'm attacking the powers. I like them. They work well in play, and they make for interesting narratives (the powers both kept PCs from dropping when they otherwise would in the vampire fight, which means that they only stayed up due to being inspired by the dwarven Fighter's resilience or by the inspiring words of the Sorceress). So, I'm honestly not attacking them (which is why I'm bringing it up here and not that thread).
Any ideas? [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION]? [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION]? [MENTION=16586]Campbell[/MENTION]?
Balesir
Adventurer
It took me a while to understand the issue, but I think I see where you're coming from - if this answer doesn't make much sense I apologise for not seeing it as well as I thought I did!
Bear in mind, firstly, that THPs don't stop the character being unconscious or dying. They still have 0 HP or less if they received THPs after going down (and if the THPs come before they drop, the THPs should go before the last HPs so it won't be an issue). This means that the problem only arises if THPs were added after the creature became unconscious and the creature takes further damage while they are down. The only time this will become relevant is if it stops the creature reaching minus bloodied HPs (and thus dying). If the creature is healed from dying, they gain the applicable healing starting from 0 HP anyway, so any difference in the number of negative HPs they had at that stage is not relevant (so, if 3 THPs meant they were at -12 instead of -15 HP, for example, they will still heal to the exact same amount either way, so the THPs had no effect unless -15 HP would have taken them to minus their bloodied value or lower).
The only other instance where the THPs come in is if they are healed with the THPs still intact. This is the only circumstance where the creature with the THPs will actually be consciously aware of the THP effect at all.
So - two cases: (i) avoided dying outright at minus bloodied due to THPs or (ii) healed with "mysterious" (to the character) THPs.
The way I would personally deal with both of these is that the creature with THPs' subconscious is 'aware' of the bolstering they have received and either keeps the blood pumping just that little bit more determinedly (case i) or comes around feeling a little bit perked and inspired (for reasons that are not entirely clear to the newly aroused character - feeling a bit disorientated as you "snap back" is pretty understandable - case ii).
Other than those cases (i.e. where the THPs are received and lost while unconscious) I think the THPs can just be viewed as having had no noticeable effect, although the character's subconscious was arguably bolstered up until it took the damage that removed the THPs.
Bear in mind, firstly, that THPs don't stop the character being unconscious or dying. They still have 0 HP or less if they received THPs after going down (and if the THPs come before they drop, the THPs should go before the last HPs so it won't be an issue). This means that the problem only arises if THPs were added after the creature became unconscious and the creature takes further damage while they are down. The only time this will become relevant is if it stops the creature reaching minus bloodied HPs (and thus dying). If the creature is healed from dying, they gain the applicable healing starting from 0 HP anyway, so any difference in the number of negative HPs they had at that stage is not relevant (so, if 3 THPs meant they were at -12 instead of -15 HP, for example, they will still heal to the exact same amount either way, so the THPs had no effect unless -15 HP would have taken them to minus their bloodied value or lower).
The only other instance where the THPs come in is if they are healed with the THPs still intact. This is the only circumstance where the creature with the THPs will actually be consciously aware of the THP effect at all.
So - two cases: (i) avoided dying outright at minus bloodied due to THPs or (ii) healed with "mysterious" (to the character) THPs.
The way I would personally deal with both of these is that the creature with THPs' subconscious is 'aware' of the bolstering they have received and either keeps the blood pumping just that little bit more determinedly (case i) or comes around feeling a little bit perked and inspired (for reasons that are not entirely clear to the newly aroused character - feeling a bit disorientated as you "snap back" is pretty understandable - case ii).
Other than those cases (i.e. where the THPs are received and lost while unconscious) I think the THPs can just be viewed as having had no noticeable effect, although the character's subconscious was arguably bolstered up until it took the damage that removed the THPs.
Last edited:
I think [MENTION=27160]Balesir[/MENTION] has covered most of this. All I would add is - if the PC comes around and still has temp hp resulting from the fighter or sorcerer's inspiration, it seems to me that this part of the explanation of why s/he recovered - how could s/he go off to the light with work still undone and these allies and their causes still to fight for!
(If the temp hp stop the PC dying at negative bloodied - something of a corner case but certainly possible - then in at least some cases you can look at it as the enemy being slightly put off his/her game as the PC's ally calls out some stirring or threatening words - like when Eowyn warns the Witch-King off Théoden.)
JamesonCourage
Adventurer
At one point, the 14 THP granted by the Fighter to the downed Scout did stop him from reaching negative bloodied. So this has indeed happened in my game.
Also, I'm not sure how to use THP once they're down. Even if the PC gained the THP while conscious, when they then take damage while unconscious, I'm not sure how to narrate this THP protecting them. Why not push them further into the negatives? How is this inspiration aiding them if they're unconscious? That's the part I'm struggling with.
Also, I'm not sure how to use THP once they're down. Even if the PC gained the THP while conscious, when they then take damage while unconscious, I'm not sure how to narrate this THP protecting them. Why not push them further into the negatives? How is this inspiration aiding them if they're unconscious? That's the part I'm struggling with.
Manbearcat
Legend
[MENTION=6668292]JamesonCourage[/MENTION] , I don't have time to look for the paper, but there is a bit of science coming out now about the unconscious mind still registering external sensory information and responding to it; specifically with the death experience.
Family members gathered around a deathbed, apparently, can have an impact on whether someone "slips away" or "fights on". When a family member emotes strongly that they want/need the party to stay, the loved one may stay alive. When the family member relinquishes their grip (such as blessing the passing or telling them its ok to go), the loved one may pass on.
I think leveraging this, or something like it, is the way to go. The unconscious party registers the sensory information in some kind of vague way and responds with the limited autonomy it has available to it (or its body responds automotonically). I have a personal anecdote I can relay here that is supportive of the hypothesis, but I don't have time to relay it.
Have a good day!
Family members gathered around a deathbed, apparently, can have an impact on whether someone "slips away" or "fights on". When a family member emotes strongly that they want/need the party to stay, the loved one may stay alive. When the family member relinquishes their grip (such as blessing the passing or telling them its ok to go), the loved one may pass on.
I think leveraging this, or something like it, is the way to go. The unconscious party registers the sensory information in some kind of vague way and responds with the limited autonomy it has available to it (or its body responds automotonically). I have a personal anecdote I can relay here that is supportive of the hypothesis, but I don't have time to relay it.
Have a good day!
I made one suggestion - the presence of the inspiring ally is putting the attacking enemy of his/her game, as happened with Eowyn, the Witch-King and Théoden.
If the inspiring ally has left the room already, then it gets a little more remote - the enemy recalls the inspiring ally and, concerned at the possibility of vengeance, holds back somewhat at the last moment of the swordstroke.
If the inspiring ally has left the room and the enemy does not know that the inspiring ally is even implicated in the situation, then personally I would just go with luck. Unless that particular scenario - temp hp stopping an unconscious PC going to -ve bloodied from an attack from an enemy who neither knows of nor can see the inspiring ally - is going to come up more than once per tier, I think that would be OK.
Similar Threads
