Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="General Barron" data-source="post: 2782582" data-attributes="member: 32468">It is more railroading than I'd prefer, but it is a required plot hook. Without it, the following adventure can not occur. If possible I'd like the encounter to feel 'fair' (i.e. the players might have been able to stop it), but it absolutely has to end with the above conditions met. "The wizard and the duke walk up to the book. Standing over it, the wizard begins the incantation to safely remove it from its pedestal. Suddenly, he falls backwards, as if unconcious. As the duke steps forward to catch him, the wizard grabs the duke, lightning seething from his hands. Roll for initiative."It makes perfect sense to me to let the wizard act before anyone else. What would the PC's do, if they beat the wizard on initiative for this first round, anyway? The wizard wouldn't have done anything at that point yet, so it would make no sense to move into a combat round.If you want to be completely literal about it, then read the first line of "surprise" (PHB pg 137): "...if you are not aware of your opponents and they are aware of you, you're surprised". The PC's do not know the wizard is their opponent, until he attacks the duke. The wizard knows the duke is his opponent. Therefore, the wizard surprises the duke and the PC's.If a PC had spellcraft skill, asked and succeeded in identifying the spell cast (shocking grasp), and decided something wasn't right, then I would allow them to go on the surprise round.That is essentially what I'm planning. Surprise round -> wizard kills duke -> roll for initiative. I guess I should have made that more clear, that the duke won't really be fighting. Let me try a different approach...The encounter does spotlight the players, just not in terms of combat.The wizard is framing the PC's for the murder of the duke, the guards, and himself. The entire adventure is about the PC's proving their innocence, while being fugatives from the law. This is how they get themselves into that situation. If the PC's weren't there, the wizard would have no one to frame for the murder; therefore, the PC's are a vital part of the plot. Later on they will get their revenge against the wizard, but that is a long ways away. This is just the start of the adventure/campaign.</blockquote>

Verification