D&D 5E Need advice on how to rationalize terms of surrender to a beholder...

[pming]

Hiya!

Let them go, then next time they try and take him out have Xazax say "Really? Again? You do realize that the eye you gave me was actually the Eye of Vecna, right? You aren't so stupid and naive to think a simple floating eye would be enough, right? Do you think it looks good on me? [waves an eyestalk at the PC's] As I could wipe you all out without blinking, but I'll let you go if you drop all your weapons immediately and leave, seeing as we have such 'history' with each other. You have 10 seconds to comply. 10...9...8...7...".

If the PC's do anything other than drop their weapons and flee, I'd show them no mercy as Xazax, going for quick deaths to all.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Klaudius Rex]

Since half the PCs were killed, and the Beholder failed that perception check, I'd say let it go for now. The PCs pulled off a scam, came up with a clever solution, but it cost them the lives of three of their comrades.

I'd let them have this victory. But Xazax will eventually realize that he has been duped, and that will come back to haunt them.

Thanks. Defnitely the best advice so far, and that's what i was originally leaning to as well. I was just worried that the players might find it absurd to have Xazax the Eyemonger be duped by an eyeball from his own lair.

Either way, i really didn't want a total TPK and didnt know how else to stop them from getting their ass kicked without some sort of "Get out of Jail" card.... I just seemed like a stretch of the imagination, and i didnt know what else Xazax would really want.

The group fought him once before and almost TPKed, but he let them go, demanding that they return with the eyestalks from a friendly beholder they knew. To let the players go a second time was hard for me to allow, unless they had some even small remote chance of appeasing him (like a random eye from his lair, along with a good roll of the deception dice!)

Either way, i do plan on having Xazax come back as a recurring villian later when they level up. If your familiar with out of the Abyss, he will be the beholder (Karazikar) looking for the (one-eyed) monodrone in the chapter 13 The Wormwrithings of Out of the Abyss. After all, Xazax is "the Eyemonger"!

 

[Klaudius Rex]

Hiya!

Let them go, then next time they try and take him out have Xazax say "Really? Again? You do realize that the eye you gave me was actually the Eye of Vecna, right? You aren't so stupid and naive to think a simple floating eye would be enough, right? Do you think it looks good on me? [waves an eyestalk at the PC's] As I could wipe you all out without blinking, but I'll let you go if you drop all your weapons immediately and leave, seeing as we have such 'history' with each other. You have 10 seconds to comply. 10...9...8...7...".

If the PC's do anything other than drop their weapons and flee, I'd show them no mercy as Xazax, going for quick deaths to all.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

LMFAO!!
LOVE IT!!

I think that's exactly how things should go down next time they encounter him!!

 

[Lidgar]

I was just worried that the players might find it absurd to have Xazax the Eyemonger be duped by an eyeball from his own lair.

I may have hinted to the PC's that they could have also tried a Disguise check on the eyeball. You know, truss it up with dried blood and such to make it look like it came from a beholder. One could reason the bluff check took this strategy into account.

But yeah, definitely have Xazax realize the ruse in short order, and have him respond accordingly, with the viciousness and efficiency that beholders are known for.

 

[Derren]

I do not see any reason why he would leave them live. The PCs already attacked him twice and have shown that they are willing to double cross him. So letting them leave now would only mean a 3rd attack.

 

[Lanliss]

Alternatively, have him start to get attached to the adventurers. Maybe he beats them, and enslaves them next time they come around, but soon finds that things just aren't the same without them trying to kill him. So he releases them, and they are now all frenemies, who constantly try to kill each other, but still sit down just to have a chat every now and then.

Bonus points if later they beat him and do the same thing, releasing him back out into the world.

 

[Klaudius Rex]

I must admit, it was fun seeing them scramble, though!

 

[Klaudius Rex]

I do not see any reason why he would leave them live. The PCs already attacked him twice and have shown that they are willing to double cross him. So letting them leave now would only mean a 3rd attack.

Good point.

I just didnt want a TPK which could have very well happened. This is only a side quest really, but the players were pretty insistent on facing him a second time. ..and he only let them go because they gave him "something" (the eye) and had a good deceit roll. I didnt know what else to do short of killing them all, or nerfing the beholder.

It was bad enough that he killed 3 players, as DM i felt like i had to let the rest of the players throw in the towel and escape.

 

[Klaudius Rex]

Anyways, i giuess i was just being self conscious about this, but screw it...id rather have a flimsy excuse or a surrender than a total party kill.

So, im also considering having the characters fight the friendly beholder after all. Again, I'm DM-ing Out of the Abyss, and a lot of people are affected by madness. This beholder, Lorthuun, who is friendly to the party, is no different.

When the party gets back to him, he will confront them about the rumors he's heard (madness), rumors that the group wants to kill him, and take his eye stalks.

let me know what you think....

 

[Lanliss]

Anyways, i giuess i was just being self conscious about this, but screw it...id rather have a flimsy excuse or a surrender than a total party kill.

So, im also considering having the characters fight the friendly beholder after all. Again, I'm DM-ing Out of the Abyss, and a lot of people are affected by madness. This beholder, Lorthuun, who is friendly to the party, is no different.

When the party gets back to him, he will confront them about the rumors he's heard (madness), rumors that the group wants to kill him, and take his eye stalks.

let me know what you think....

Does the party have any warning that their friend might be going mad? If you didn't drop any hints before they left, I'd recommend you do so before springing this on them.