My group didn't have an "easy" time with Auril. I ended up allowing them to destroy the third form with a single hit - which was hard enough to do and had the entire party feeling like they spent every resource. They barely scraped by with that victory. The other choice I had was a TPK and a table of frustrated players.
D&D 5E Is Rime of the Frostmaiden the deadliest 5e campaign (probable spoilers)?
Paul Farquhar
Legend
It does call it an ice crystal in the description.
Sacrosanct
Legend
Can't find a potion of Fire Breath, but that's not really the point. Just because a magic item exists in an adventure is no reason to assume the PCs will have it. Many magic items are never discovered for a number of reasons. For alchemist's fire, assuming the town even has it, it's costly, requires an improvised attack roll, and only does 1d4 damage. So that's not exactly a way to quickly free a PC who is frozen. Assuming the other PCs carry them and forgo the other options they have and know that only fire can damage the small crystal. Which all of those things aligning is unlikely and improbable.
You're confusing what is in the written description, and what is described to the PCs. The players do not see the written description. It's a gem-sized ice crystal in the book, but to the players, it could be a diamond, quartz, or any other crystal-like object. An object that is gem-sized, and easily not even noticed when it's created in the heat of battle. If it is noticed, and if it is put together by the PCs that it's the cause of their friend being frozen, then the most probable action is to attack it with the most effective attack the PC has. That's not going to be a 1d4 alchemist's fire. Not until they realize it's immune to everything else first. For example, if you have an ice cube and need to destroy it, are you going to smash it with a hammer, or use a lighter first to melt it?
Paul Farquhar
Legend
It's the DMs job to describe it. If the DM doesn't describe it as an ice crystal, then, frankly, the DM is cheating.
Anyone should be able to tell the difference between those and ice.
Even with a cheaty DM, what else would you expect an ice deity to make stuff out of?
It doesn't say it requires a perception check, so it is the DM's job to describe it.
Sacrosanct
Legend
Is this ice, a diamond, glass, or another type of crystal? Also, from 30 feet away in the heat of battle and it's an inch wide? Sorry, I don't buy it when you say anyone should be able to tell the difference or the DM is cheating. The DM describes the visual characteristics of an object. They don't, and shouldn't, give away additional information. That's not cheating. That's being impartial.
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him)
I'm not unsympathetic to the concerns in the OP. Published adventures have to tread a line between too easy for PCs with a perfect setup to counter every challenge vs parties that aren't. Plus there's the implementation at the table - for example, whether or not the crystals are described as ice crystals, or whether PCs aggressively adapt for the events of the campaign vs stick to their initial concept, or even whether the DM appropriately passes on the published adventure's attempt to telegraph information such as
But I think there's also a difference between concluding that the adventure is bad or killer based on a personal bad experience without also analyzing how or why things went badly and recognizing that people have honest, different perspectives. For example, I'm pretty stumped why the DM didn't call the crystal an ice crystal - not saying that strikes me as unnecessarily vague, maybe not the point of cheating, per se, but of being so vague that the DM unwittingly sets the players up to fail because a relatively obvious solution is obscured.
the keyed encounter with the chardalyn berserkers outside the cave where they can't benefit from the frost maiden's fire
But I think there's also a difference between concluding that the adventure is bad or killer based on a personal bad experience without also analyzing how or why things went badly and recognizing that people have honest, different perspectives. For example, I'm pretty stumped why the DM didn't call the crystal an ice crystal - not saying that strikes me as unnecessarily vague, maybe not the point of cheating, per se, but of being so vague that the DM unwittingly sets the players up to fail because a relatively obvious solution is obscured.
Paul Farquhar
Legend
It's leaded glass. Ice crystals look like this:
Crystal shapes are very distinctive. And colour, ice is pale blue.
But it's the DM's job to give players all relevant information. there is nothing in that ability text to imply that players do not see what happened.
Sacrosanct
Legend
Nope. It's ice. I think the point has been proven. Also, "gem sized ice crystal" is a basically a fancy ice cube, just like this:
Paul Farquhar
Legend
Then it is not a crystal:
Something formed in a mould is not a crystal. The shape of ice crystals is determined by the 104.5 degree angle of the water molecule.
Helldritch
Hero
I have seen ice cube as crystalline as pure crystals. I have seen ice sickles so clear that you were able to see through them.
Is it so hard to believe that magic would create perfect ice crystals that looks like... well crystals?
Is it so hard to believe that magic would create perfect ice crystals that looks like... well crystals?
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