Armour Dilemma: Am I Wrong Here?

[Aaron2]

However, let's look at this for a second from the perspective of a player. You mentioned that your group is 10-12th level. Which usually means that a great deal of their protective gear is their armor or should I say Magical Armor. In addition, you mentioned that they've been fighting this group of Vampires for a while. Vampires drain levels - bad stuff. They can drain levels when they hit you. If they're ability to hit you is increased, because you have no armor, then the situation is worse. So the choice you gave your players was simple. Go save hundreds of lives and become a vampire in the process or worse yet - lose a crapload of levels. I think that many players would weigh their odds and decide to don the armor. After all where is the heroism in dying vainly, which is the most possible outcome of this situation.

I'm not buying this. Characters this experienced should have plenty of Restoration spells around. Esp. if they have been fighting Vampire's recently. The players IMC are 8th level and are loaded down with the things.


Aaron

 

[D'karr]

I'm not buying this. Characters this experienced should have plenty of Restoration spells around. Esp. if they have been fighting Vampire's recently. The players IMC are 8th level and are loaded down with the things.


Aaron

Emphasis added mine

Good Point. Just as characters this experienced should sleep with lighter armor or have magic vestment prepared or a hundred other changes to the situation; None of which are relevant.

The fact of the matter is that it appears they didn't have the same resources your 8th level party had.

The player's in your campaign were obviously better suited for this encounter...

 

[Numion]

Can some people point out to me what was gained by putting up this "armors or the lives of innocents" dilemma? Because IMO the encounter would've lost nothing if the DM had just said "ok you suit up really quickly and arrive at the same time with others on the scene" when he noticed trouble brewing. Actually I think the encounter would've been better, and wouldn't have made to the ENBoards at all.

Having said that the one player who threw a hissy fit was just immature, and he should've backed off. But you know, even us DMs can back down sometimes

 

[Tiefling]

Good Point. Just as characters this experienced should sleep with lighter armor or have magic vestment prepared or a hundred other changes to the situation; None of which are relevant.

The fact of the matter is that it appears they didn't have the same resources your 8th level party had.

It doesn't seem like we know much about their available resources. We just know that whatever resources they had were not put towards a few scrolls of restoration, which, as mentioned, would be a really good idea if they're fighting vampires.

Perhaps fusangite could tell us about the power level of his campaign?

Can some people point out to me what was gained by putting up this "armors or the lives of innocents" dilemma?

Realism, I guess.

 

[barsoomcore]

even us DMs can back down sometimes

Bite your tongue!

DMs back down? Admit they were wrong? Allow players input into their finely-crafted campaigns?

Heathen. Apostate. Heretic. As if.

DMs are by nature infallible. We are the very essence of perfection. We define, just by our very existence, the supreme attainment of nirvana.

Back down. That's for sissies.

 

[MasterLich]

I think the player who threw a hissy fit should be taken aside and talked to.

I personnaly believe that you weren't at fault. From what i read you had them fighting vampires. They SHOULD know that vampires only come out in the DARK!! Thus they should be sleeping in the daytime and not at night, just in case. And yer cleric staying to put on his armor?? Not very cleric like IMHO.

IMC our DM enforces the donning of armor rule. My cleric gets a bunch of people to help him out putting his armor on. He sleeps at the church when in town and there are always pages and squires around to use. I never go anywhere now without putting my armor on, just the way it is in our campaign. When not in the city and are attacked at night, I play my charac totally different than when i do with armor. I have a bunch or searing light spells that i can use i case of emergency. We haven't faced any vamps yet cause we know that the DM is gonna send a lvl15 wiz Vamp at us and we will all die if attacked now.

PCs have gotta prepare fer the unexpected or expect the expected when fighting the same things fer awhile now.

 

[Numion]

Realism, I guess.

And what was gained by that in this instance?

 

[Tiefling]

And what was gained by that in this instance?

Well, the less you let your players rely on you to bend reality in order to make an encounter easier, the more likely they are to think intelligently. This might be more fun in the long run.

 

[Numion]

Well, the less you let your players rely on you to bend reality in order to make an encounter easier, the more likely they are to think intelligently. This might be more fun in the long run.

Hmm.. I guess you're right. The plan just backfired in this case.

 

[noretoc]

I think it was a great idea. The pc who stood back putting on thier armor should have missed out. The armor donning rules are there just for things like this in my opinion. Also the circustances were there for it to happen. I know if my group were hunting vamps, the only time they would have been sleeping at night, was if they were trying to invade the next morning, other wise they would be wide awake with weapons in hand during the dark, and catching cat naps during the day.

PCs have to learn that things do not always go the way they want. If it did, what would be the risk? The fun? Also, for the proper suspension of disbelief you have to show them that not everything is planned for them to overcome. I have a feeling the same people who say you should not have done this, are thoes who would argue that you should never put in an opponent that the PCs have to flee.