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Advice: A less hectic workday for my D&D characters
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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7405234" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>I'll chime in here to disagree that Deadly (using DMG parameters) = fight for survival = boring.</p><p></p><p>Here's an anecdote from my last Tomb of Annihilation session which contradicts that...</p><p></p><p>My party was effectively 7 PCs of 3rd level:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Two CR 1 tabaxi hunter guides who are effectively 3rd-level PCs in combat</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Human Ranger (gloom stalker)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lizardfolk Rogue (swashbuckler)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tabaxi Monk (drunken master)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grung Druid (circle of land)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Human Bard (college of lore)</li> </ul><p></p><p>I pre-rolled for random encounters, getting one encounter in the morning, two encounters in the afternoon (I use a system that deviates from ToA where a '1' is a sanctuary and a '20' indicates two-in-one encounters), and none in the evening. A stegosaurus in the morning. A yellow musk creeper with 14 yellow musk creeper zombies & 12 cannibal tribal warriors in the afternoon.</p><p></p><p>The stegosaurus had human-hand-sized claw marks over its face and flank, and was generally agitated – foreshadowing zombies.</p><p></p><p>They came to a point where following up river bank would require climbing. As they had pack dinosaurs, they opted to delve briefly into jungle, but sent Rogue & Ranger to scout ahead as they were alert to zombie presence (thanks to Ranger's Primeval Awareness). They found an elven treehouse village overrun with yellow flowers & vine-covered zombies... after reporting back, the party decided to investigate, hoping they'd find lore about the Death Curse and/or treasure among elven ruins.</p><p></p><p>I had the yellow musk creeper overgrowing the ruins of an old elven treehouse village now occupied by cannibals... outer treehouses used as sleeping quarters for couples & larger central treehouse used by elderly shaman, children, and uncoupled singles. The zombies milled about on the ground below, mostly unable to use the stairs (and deterred by anti-zombie traps). Up in the treehouses was the cannibal tribe, though they only ate zombies, preferring yellow musk zombies because they acted like cannibal wine...in essence, they treated the yellow musk creeper how a vintner might a (dangerous) grape orchard.</p><p></p><p>The encounter began when the curious PCs ascending stairs up treehouse (passing by the yellow musk creeper) failed their group Stealth check. Thus, the creeper & zombies began as hostile, but the cannibals were more afraid/curious/reclusive (initially).</p><p></p><p>It was, by the numbers, a Deadly encounter (3,450 adjusted XP – not counting tribal warriors). Yes it played out as frightening. No, it was not boring. Here's what I did...</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Pit traps were set up around the treehouse by cannibals to catch zombies. Once players became aware of these (by narrowly succeeding a Perception check), one player used them intelligently to lure many of the Intelligence 1 zombies into pits.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If more than 2 medium-sized PCs or 3 zombies fell into a pit (yep), then the pit's floor would fall away, revealing stone ruins of an underground elven shrine.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cannibals would not become hostile unless PCs "killed" yellow musk creeper or attacked it with fire. That happened, but PCs immediately began a sort of "confuse the cannibals" skill challenge of their own accord. It worked long enough for them to beat a hasty retreat.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Outer unoccupied/less-occupied treehouses (which some PCs decided to stealth into even while retreating) had minor treasuree & elvish runes hinting at a "waterway map" left behind for missing relatives to find them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Central treehouse – which PCs didn't explore – had more significant clues about sanctuaries within the jungles of Chult (the "waterway map"). Also the cannibals, who at this point weren't very happy with PCs, had assembled here.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">They "killed" the yellow musk creeper, but not really because it regenerates unless killed with fire radiant, or necrotic damage. Instead of having it regenerate immediately once reduced to 0 HP, I had it lose control of any zombies while it entered a dormant phase until it absorbed a day's worth of sunlight. PCs haven't realized this yet...which could make for an interesting complication next session.</li> </ul><p></p><p>It was a very tense and interesting session. Druid used most spell slots, all PCs with expendable-use powers used them a lot, and there were several times both players & I thought "so-and-so is probably a goner now," only for some fortuitous turn of the dice or clever thinking to get them out of the jam. After retreating to their camp, they made a plan to sneak into the underground elven ruins before dawn.</p><p></p><p>Overall, I was happy with how it went, and several players shared how much fun they had.</p><p></p><p>My only complaint would be that the encounter (before the delve) took about 2 hours to play through - longer than I'd intended - but if we're all having fun, who cares?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 7405234, member: 20323"] I'll chime in here to disagree that Deadly (using DMG parameters) = fight for survival = boring. Here's an anecdote from my last Tomb of Annihilation session which contradicts that... My party was effectively 7 PCs of 3rd level: [list][*]Two CR 1 tabaxi hunter guides who are effectively 3rd-level PCs in combat [*]Human Ranger (gloom stalker) [*]Lizardfolk Rogue (swashbuckler) [*]Tabaxi Monk (drunken master) [*]Grung Druid (circle of land) [*]Human Bard (college of lore)[/list] I pre-rolled for random encounters, getting one encounter in the morning, two encounters in the afternoon (I use a system that deviates from ToA where a '1' is a sanctuary and a '20' indicates two-in-one encounters), and none in the evening. A stegosaurus in the morning. A yellow musk creeper with 14 yellow musk creeper zombies & 12 cannibal tribal warriors in the afternoon. The stegosaurus had human-hand-sized claw marks over its face and flank, and was generally agitated – foreshadowing zombies. They came to a point where following up river bank would require climbing. As they had pack dinosaurs, they opted to delve briefly into jungle, but sent Rogue & Ranger to scout ahead as they were alert to zombie presence (thanks to Ranger's Primeval Awareness). They found an elven treehouse village overrun with yellow flowers & vine-covered zombies... after reporting back, the party decided to investigate, hoping they'd find lore about the Death Curse and/or treasure among elven ruins. I had the yellow musk creeper overgrowing the ruins of an old elven treehouse village now occupied by cannibals... outer treehouses used as sleeping quarters for couples & larger central treehouse used by elderly shaman, children, and uncoupled singles. The zombies milled about on the ground below, mostly unable to use the stairs (and deterred by anti-zombie traps). Up in the treehouses was the cannibal tribe, though they only ate zombies, preferring yellow musk zombies because they acted like cannibal wine...in essence, they treated the yellow musk creeper how a vintner might a (dangerous) grape orchard. The encounter began when the curious PCs ascending stairs up treehouse (passing by the yellow musk creeper) failed their group Stealth check. Thus, the creeper & zombies began as hostile, but the cannibals were more afraid/curious/reclusive (initially). It was, by the numbers, a Deadly encounter (3,450 adjusted XP – not counting tribal warriors). Yes it played out as frightening. No, it was not boring. Here's what I did... [list][*]Pit traps were set up around the treehouse by cannibals to catch zombies. Once players became aware of these (by narrowly succeeding a Perception check), one player used them intelligently to lure many of the Intelligence 1 zombies into pits. [*]If more than 2 medium-sized PCs or 3 zombies fell into a pit (yep), then the pit's floor would fall away, revealing stone ruins of an underground elven shrine. [*]Cannibals would not become hostile unless PCs "killed" yellow musk creeper or attacked it with fire. That happened, but PCs immediately began a sort of "confuse the cannibals" skill challenge of their own accord. It worked long enough for them to beat a hasty retreat. [*]Outer unoccupied/less-occupied treehouses (which some PCs decided to stealth into even while retreating) had minor treasuree & elvish runes hinting at a "waterway map" left behind for missing relatives to find them. [*]Central treehouse – which PCs didn't explore – had more significant clues about sanctuaries within the jungles of Chult (the "waterway map"). Also the cannibals, who at this point weren't very happy with PCs, had assembled here. [*]They "killed" the yellow musk creeper, but not really because it regenerates unless killed with fire radiant, or necrotic damage. Instead of having it regenerate immediately once reduced to 0 HP, I had it lose control of any zombies while it entered a dormant phase until it absorbed a day's worth of sunlight. PCs haven't realized this yet...which could make for an interesting complication next session.[/list] It was a very tense and interesting session. Druid used most spell slots, all PCs with expendable-use powers used them a lot, and there were several times both players & I thought "so-and-so is probably a goner now," only for some fortuitous turn of the dice or clever thinking to get them out of the jam. After retreating to their camp, they made a plan to sneak into the underground elven ruins before dawn. Overall, I was happy with how it went, and several players shared how much fun they had. My only complaint would be that the encounter (before the delve) took about 2 hours to play through - longer than I'd intended - but if we're all having fun, who cares? [/QUOTE]
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