D&D 3E/3.5 I hate it when this happens. Important Characters without stats...

[Ukko the Scribe]

Regarding the Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Setting known as "Slaine - A-Role-Playing-Game of Celtic-Heroes" and the first part of the first book from it's Adventure Module called " The Invulnerable King - Teeth of the Moonsow"

Theses are the book covers...

On the pages shown and beyond them there is mention of an important character (A Arch-Druid...) named Fachdannan and that's it. Aside from that, there are no stats or description for him and there-fore now real guide lines for him. In case, I was really meant to stat him myself or play him as being way too powerful to stat and impossible to kill incase that crosses the minds of my players.

Please Advise????

 

[Daraniya]

sounds like Fachdannan is the 'elminster'... too powerful to stat... +1000 plot armor, instant kill anything in their way... if you think they have it, they do

 

[GMMichael]

Regarding the Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Setting known as "Slaine - A-Role-Playing-Game of Celtic-Heroes" and the first part of the first book from it's Adventure Module called " The Invulnerable King - Teeth of the Moonsow"

Theses are the book covers...

View attachment 375185View attachment 375187View attachment 375188

On the pages shown and beyond them there is mention of an important character (A Arch-Druid...) named Fachdannan and that's it. Aside from that, there are no stats or description for him and there-fore now real guide lines for him. In case, I was really meant to stat him myself or play him as being way too powerful to stat and impossible to kill incase that crosses the minds of my players.

Please Advise????

Given the level of Railroad in that intro scene, I'd say that the PCs aren't allowed to fight him, thus, you need no stats. And he (?) can do anything an "arch-druid" could do. In my game, that means he can turn into an ancient tree and attack enemies by shooting kinetic acorns at them.

 

[Ukko the Scribe]

sounds like Fachdannan is the 'elminster'... too powerful to stat... +1000 plot armor, instant kill anything in their way... if you think they have it, they do

You could be correct there as I have hinted earlier. However, the only Elminster or Gandalf like character in Slaine might be this fellow...

He's actually the Merlin Wylt of Slaine's world of Tir-Nan-Og (Land of the Young) and he's Half-Cythron (Demons from another time and space...) and Half-Atlantean (Where some of the survivors of Atlantis became the first human inhabitants of Land of the Young (Ireland, Scotland and Britain) and I would make it impossible to stat and there fore. Hard to kill this fellow. Who's a very powerful Sorceror and Arch-Druid in his own right. That other may not be stated for reasons... Who knows...

 

[Theory of Games]

Why do you need stats for a social encounter? The druid is the king's right hand. If the PCs attack him, roll credits (because the king will have them executed right quick). As GM I would tell the players just that.

 

[Ukko the Scribe]

Given the level of Railroad in that intro scene, I'd say that the PCs aren't allowed to fight him, thus, you need no stats. And he (?) can do anything an "arch-druid" could do. In my game, that means he can turn into an ancient tree and attack enemies by shooting kinetic acorns at them.

Another worthy consideration, however, I am just starting out as Game-Master. This would be my very first game and in my experiences as a player for many years, I am well aware of the unpredictability of players. Even when railroaded...

 

[Ukko the Scribe]

Why do you need stats for a social encounter? The druid is the king's right hand. If the PCs attack him, roll credits (because the king will have them executed right quick). As GM I would tell the players just that.

Good idea...

 

[Ukko the Scribe]

Given the level of Railroad in that intro scene, I'd say that the PCs aren't allowed to fight him, thus, you need no stats. And he (?) can do anything an "arch-druid" could do. In my game, that means he can turn into an ancient tree and attack enemies by shooting kinetic acorns at them.

Of the Arch-Druid and Druids in General that belong to the World of Tir-Nan-Og. There is a considerable the gap between them and Druids from other realms and later editions. However. they can still spell cast. Not sure about the Treant Slinging Acorns.

Ask me more and I will tell you...

 

[GMMichael]

Another worthy consideration, however, I am just starting out as Game-Master. . .

Welcome to the club! Allow me to mention two of my favorite techniques:

• Don't over-prepare. You could burn yourself out if you're not careful.
• Just fake it. PCs want to fight a non-combatant? Roll some dice behind the screen, and remember the women's deodorant slogan: never let them see you sweat.

 

[Li Shenron]

I am never afraid to openly warn the players "this foe is beyond any of you" when they face anything with CR much higher than theirs but still beatable. I don't mean to just give them hints or make them roll a check to understand this, I mean to flat-out tell them that their characters have the inequivocable feeling that they have no chance. Think of it as not different from someone asking if they can try to go over a mountain in one jump.

If they still don't get it and choose to fight it anyway, you don't need stats but you can make them up if you really want to or use for example some deity stats, but I don't believe you should surrender to players' requests that everything must have stats, no game ruleset actually require that. Keep in mind that if you ever give stats to something, then theoretically it can be beaten in combat. You still have workarounds anyway, for instance a deity-like character might never really die permanently.