Pretty much this. I mean, yes, definitely have people try to hit the person who cast banishment, since it's concentration duration and thus can be disrupted, but... your players used a spell cleverly and did well. Sounds good!
D&D 5E Again the Banishment spell ruined my game !
Pretty much this. I mean, yes, definitely have people try to hit the person who cast banishment, since it's concentration duration and thus can be disrupted, but... your players used a spell cleverly and did well. Sounds good!
ExploderWizard
Hero
A spell is a resource available to both PCs and NPCs. Bad guys can use the spell too! No reason the party wizard can't get banished once in awhile.
A good point here. Figure out what makes you happy as a DM and use that to guide your decisions.
For me making my players happy isn't enough (necessary but not sufficient). It needs to be fun for me too.
It didn't sound very clever to me. Effective but not necessarily clever.
Skyscraper
Explorer
Yeah, one of the best and most epic fights in a D&D game I DMed, was when the PCs travelled back in time to get an item that was owned by a marilith. After an entire adventure, the confrontation with the marilith ended on the first attack, as the fighter with an axe of sharpness won initiative, rolled a 20 on his d20 which meant he cut a limb off; and then rolled a 10 on his d10 to randomly determine which among the arms, the tail and the head was cut off.
Players are still talking about that one 20 years later.
Skyscraper
Explorer
This said, I think that "sulfur" is probably not distasteful to most people. I think that to use banishment on a cleric, one would need to either find something that is personally distasteful to that cleric (e.g. through prior investigation); or to find something that is clearly distasteful to that cleric's religious beliefs, say a holy relic of life for an evil cleric.
DMZ2112
Chaotic Looseleaf
So many potential angry responses to posters in this thread. But this is really what it all boils down to.
Even you storygaming player apologists must realize that this material component is an opportunity to provide challenge and an opportunity for roleplaying to your players. Shame on you for falling over yourselves to make the game so easy for the players that they don't even have to think anymore.
I'd guess that, say, any opposing holy symbol would be adequate for an evil cleric. It's not supposed to be super horrible and unique, just something that would repel them.
This has nothing to do with "making the game easy for the players", because the material component rules would affect NPC casters the same way.
This has nothing to do with "making the game easy for the players", because the material component rules would affect NPC casters the same way.
SilverfireSage
Explorer
That's the thing. For me, making players happy is my definition of fun. Sure, there may be differing reasons for people to play D&D, but when it comes down to it, we all play it to have fun one way or another. Finding a way to have and give fun in all situations is a hallmark of a good DM.
