[5e] Spell & Crossbones

[Queenie]

Kat's got a good chance of avoiding the damage if she sets it off deliberately.

Also thought about blasting the chest with those cannons but we'd need the materials.

Kat could attempt the lock and then if that doesn't set it off see if it's light enough for unseen servant to open it...


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[Jago]

Nobody has a Mage Hand or the like, perhaps, to set off the trap from a distance?

If Kat has the Dex Save, that might work, but you're also deliberately opening yourself up to a world of hurt if you happen to fail.

 

[Quickleaf]

Well, no one's gotten this far yet. Between the kelpies and the other critters. Those wards haven't been triggered yet, and as far as we know there's no one able to reset them.

I'll read the spell description real quick, but it may be someone will just have to bite the bullet and risk triggering them. Who's got the most hit points right now?

I'm pretty sure Etienne does

So here's the glyph of warding spell, which Old Zef knows the details of. I'm fine with you assuming that becomes shared group knowledge.

 

[Fenris]

I believe Zef has the most HP. Not a great chance of the dex save, but carpe captionem

 

[Quickleaf]

Bold moves Before I narrate what happens, [MENTION=6787234]peterka99[/MENTION] wanted to either cast blade ward on Old Zef, or use mage hand to Help open a lock from a distance. These are both "breaking the rules" in that blade ward has a range of Self, and the move with mage hand is an awful lot like something from the Arcane Trickster.

Generally, how do people feel about allowing these sorts of breaking the rule situations?

Do you dislike them because they can tread on the toes of other PCs' abilities?
Are you OK with them if a resource (like Inspiration or Lives) are spent to twist the rules?
Are you totally fine with them?

Please sound off everyone [MENTION=2820]Fenris[/MENTION] [MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] [MENTION=20005]Matthan[/MENTION] [MENTION=48394]pathfinderq1[/MENTION] [MENTION=6787234]peterka99[/MENTION] Thanks! I'll go with whatever the group's consensus is, and adopt that as my policy going forward.

 

[Shayuri]

I feel like:

A) As long as the exception being requested can't be gained via another character's abilities (unless said character is unable to fulfill these duties due to being unconscious/dead/stunned/etc), and

B) If there is some kind of expendable resource used to accomplish this, in addition to any resources required by a normal use of that action. This could be Inspiration, or maybe using a leveled spell slot (Mage Hand lacks the power as a cantrip, but use a 1st or 2nd spell slot and it has new potential!), or some other class or character resource that is a good thematic fit, and is expended and therefore unavailable later.

The idea being that someone who isn't an Arcane Trickster might be able to imitate an Arcane Trickster, but they're not better at it THAN an Arcane Trickster. It's difficult, and unreliable, and that's why Arcane Tricksters have special training to master it.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] I really like that idea of expending a 1st level spell slot to use mage hand to do something like Help remotely open a lock.

Or a 1st level spell slot to cast blade ward on an ally.

Would that ruling for now work for you [MENTION=6787234]peterka99[/MENTION] so I don't hold up the action?

 

[pathfinderq1]

That idea works pretty well for me too. Use a resource (of some kind), don't step on the toes of a fellow pirate/crewmate/party member, and help the story move forward.

 

[peterka99]

A 1st level slot is fine to me. Better blade ward than mage hand.

 

[Matthan]

That feels like a pretty elegant solution all things considered.