BoVD woes

[Ogrork the Mighty]

It all depends on what the DM's intent is. Sounds to me like this is some kind of plot device. If it's not but is just a "Mwa-ha-ha, I just wiped out your village!" thing then, yeah, it's time to start looking for a new DM.

But when you ask how he did it and whether it was legit, that's something he doesn't have to tell you until your characters have a way of knowing. And maybe you'll never know. But to destroy something the PCs have worked hard for in such a simple and routine manner is something that a good DM won't do lightly and will have a good explanation for (which you'll usually have to adventure to find out).

 

[kayn99]

Hmmmmm, It is interesting to me, but I think your DM has given your high level group a reason to come out of retirment. Usually when campiagns get to the point of PC's build kindoms, there is not enough things to get them to come out on a long term campaign. A massive all out attack, would be reason for them to go out stomping with a good purpose behind the characters. Now none of us were there, and can or can not say that the DM was fair or had given you warnings. Most of the time, from my experience, Dms do give hints to the actions that are going to happen.


Kayn

 

[frankthedm]

What kind of divintations were the party using to keep track of thier holdings and thier BBEG? That is an important thiing.

 

[kayn99]

Divinations is only part of it... was the thief connected to the underground? Was the cleric close with the church higher ups? The same could be asked of the Mage. Where there rumors of a stolen artifacts? Does the party have any enimies that they left and did not take care of? Did they stomp on a lich's home ground and not take care of him?

Lots of things could be an answer.

Kayn

 

[Deset Gled]

Hmmmmm, It is interesting to me, but I think your DM has given your high level group a reason to come out of retirment.

Exactly what I was thinking. Sounds to me like your campaign is pretty much over. You run your own kingdom. You won D+D.

At this point, the DM basically has 3 options: Start over with new PCs, switch to playing SimCity, or force you guys to go adventuring again. It looks to me like he went with option 3. Now, the method that he used might not seem like the best to you guys, but you have to admit that you know have an amazingly good reason to go out and hunt down the evil caster.

 

[Kheti sa-Menik]

Personally I think the DM made a mistake by telling you what exactly happened, what book it was from. I would have described the consequences and then said what do you do?

Now you have to figure out what happened, who done it, why, and where to find them for a little payback or (god forbid) he uses it again on another portion of your PCs' land (if it wasn't all devastated by the first casting).

It would have been interesting if while searching through the debris you found the body of the caster with the ruined artifact and a book with just enough text to know it was him that cast it and died in it. Now you have to figure who this dead guy is and why he had such a hate-on for you that he was willing to give his own life to gain some vengeance.

 

[Shadeydm]

Was any of this accounted for in your game? From the tone of your post, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it probably wasn't. Was there any warning? Did the caster take the damage, con damage, wis damage, and wis drain all and not die or lapse into a coma from which there is no recovery? What artifact did they use... or did they just convienantly happen to have one already on hand?

That you think the players are entitled to this information saddens me to no end.

 

[Shadeydm]

Personally I think the DM made a mistake by telling you what exactly happened, what book it was from. I would have described the consequences and then said what do you do?

Now you have to figure out what happened, who done it, why, and where to find them for a little payback or (god forbid) he uses it again on another portion of your PCs' land (if it wasn't all devastated by the first casting).

It would have been interesting if while searching through the debris you found the body of the caster with the ruined artifact and a book with just enough text to know it was him that cast it and died in it. Now you have to figure who this dead guy is and why he had such a hate-on for you that he was willing to give his own life to gain some vengeance.

QFT

 

[DreamChaser]

So once the BBEG gets lichified he's casting it every friggin' day!

Actually, the ability damage is part of the Corruption component for the spell; in order to cast a spell, a caster must provide all of the components (or find a way of substituting them, like with a Metamagic feat). I would argue that if a creature cannot pay the component cost, they cannot cast the spell. As undead are immune to ability drain and damage, they cannot provide a critical component for this spell, and thus, cannot cast it.

DC

 

[Sejs]

That you think the players are entitled to this information saddens me to no end.

Stop, you're breakin' my heart.

The long and short of it comes down to accountability. Players are limited to what resources they are known to have; a PC without an artifact cannot cast the spell, and he is fully subject to the effects because he's under scrutiny. A DM isn't - he can just say ...uh, yeah, of course he has this, and this, and this, because I say so.

Had there been any artifacts in the game before this event took place? If not, the DM is being at least somewhat arbitrary in how this situation came about. The elimination of fun without checks and balances is not good DMing.