Frostmarrow
First Post
Just serve them the encounter and let the dice fall where they may. Plot is not written in advance. Plot is what you've had when you look back. If 100 groups play a certain scenario, there will have been 100 plots.
D20 'philosophy' cramping my style
- Thread starter Drifter Bob
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Drifter Bob
First Post
I don't want to comment on the general responses in the thread yet, I think it's very interesting seeing how this is playing out, how many wildly different types of reaction my original post got.
For now, I will only add a bit more information about the adventure under discussion, since some people seem to be making a few false assumptions.
It is not just a single module, this is one in a series of mini adventures which take place in a rather large campaign setting that also includes several large scale adventures. Like all the other ones popular these days. This one takes place in a large isolated mountain valley with one decent sized town and several small rural villages, and a forest populated by you guessed it, elves.
The encounter in question is actually intended for what will probably be mostly second level players. They are in a sort of committee, as representatives of various local interests, which is investigating problems taking place that threaten to destabilize the political situation in the valley. Up until this adventure, most of the encounters the party have faced have been fairly mundane, a lot of 'domestic disturbances' if you will. The situation with this massacre is a surprise and the party is not likely to be prepared for or expecting anything really freaky to be going on. This is where "cops" turns into "X-files" for the party.
Having said that, this little adventure does NOT depend on the party believing the Imp, it just helps the story along. The Imp is going to retreat to this conjurers house, where it will make a stand. If the party follows the creature, it will lead them there. Otherwise they will have to search for it over a fairly large area of wilderness. If they attack the Imp immediately for any reason, then it will probably simply turn invisible and fly back to the house, where it will regenerate from any wounds while awaiting the arrival of the party. So as usual, like most DM "cheating", this is basically just intended to make everything work smoother, for the players and the DM.
The imp is incidentally pretty tough for a 2nd level party to face. Using invisibility, regeneration, it's ability to fly, it's alternate form and it's sting, it can be pretty effective with hit and run attacks, especially when it takes cunning advantage of the layout of the building it plans to hold out in, to do things like seperate the party....
DB
For now, I will only add a bit more information about the adventure under discussion, since some people seem to be making a few false assumptions.
It is not just a single module, this is one in a series of mini adventures which take place in a rather large campaign setting that also includes several large scale adventures. Like all the other ones popular these days. This one takes place in a large isolated mountain valley with one decent sized town and several small rural villages, and a forest populated by you guessed it, elves.
The encounter in question is actually intended for what will probably be mostly second level players. They are in a sort of committee, as representatives of various local interests, which is investigating problems taking place that threaten to destabilize the political situation in the valley. Up until this adventure, most of the encounters the party have faced have been fairly mundane, a lot of 'domestic disturbances' if you will. The situation with this massacre is a surprise and the party is not likely to be prepared for or expecting anything really freaky to be going on. This is where "cops" turns into "X-files" for the party.
Having said that, this little adventure does NOT depend on the party believing the Imp, it just helps the story along. The Imp is going to retreat to this conjurers house, where it will make a stand. If the party follows the creature, it will lead them there. Otherwise they will have to search for it over a fairly large area of wilderness. If they attack the Imp immediately for any reason, then it will probably simply turn invisible and fly back to the house, where it will regenerate from any wounds while awaiting the arrival of the party. So as usual, like most DM "cheating", this is basically just intended to make everything work smoother, for the players and the DM.
The imp is incidentally pretty tough for a 2nd level party to face. Using invisibility, regeneration, it's ability to fly, it's alternate form and it's sting, it can be pretty effective with hit and run attacks, especially when it takes cunning advantage of the layout of the building it plans to hold out in, to do things like seperate the party....
DB
Frostmarrow
First Post
That's kind of backwards, if you don't mind me saying so. If the players expose the imp they should get the reward. In this case the reward is getting to the conjurer's house faster. If they don't then the imp should force them to look for it themselves.
PCs have abilities and when they are used correctly it should make life easier for them. If a paladin senses the 'girl' is evil then it should, somehow, lead them to the conjurer.
The imp wants to keep the conjurer secret from the party. He disguises himself into a little girl. As the girl the imp asks to be escorted back to town. If the girl is revealed to be an imp, the imp flees - back to the conjurers house. See what I mean?
PCs have abilities and when they are used correctly it should make life easier for them. If a paladin senses the 'girl' is evil then it should, somehow, lead them to the conjurer.
The imp wants to keep the conjurer secret from the party. He disguises himself into a little girl. As the girl the imp asks to be escorted back to town. If the girl is revealed to be an imp, the imp flees - back to the conjurers house. See what I mean?
Drifter Bob
First Post
Frostmarrow said:
actually the conjurer is dead, because he made a mistake while attempting to bind the imp, and it got away and killed him, and then went on to massacre the villagers.
The point is though, this isn't a card game or even an xbox game. It's basically a story. This is what is supposed to have happened. When armed investigators show up, the Imp, which isn't a really big thinker, and has been winging it up to this point, decides to return to the manse.
I don't buy the philosophy that I have to reward the players every single time they use a skill or a spell successfully. It does often work out that way, but not automatically, that is babyish to me. I'm more interested in achieving at some degree of verisimilitude, which I believe makes the whole gaming experience feel more immersive.
The point of this whole thread is that this mentality, which I think is encouraged by the rules set, is tending to push storytellers away from writing material for the game, and people who are rules lawyers into it.
DB
DB
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Drifter Bob
First Post
incidentally, the entire campaign is not reccomended for paladins, or barbarians for that matter. Another horrible cheat!
DB
DB
Frostmarrow
First Post
I'm looking forward to the result. Fresh thinking is always welcome. It won't hurt to have a sidebar that explains your point of view, though.
Taneel BrightBlade
First Post
use a demon instead of an honorable devil and have it be a little and very annoying boy of ten to early teen.
Taneel BrightBlade
First Post
least wise it works in real life. No one ever (seriously expects me to murder them)
Why stat it as an "Imp?" Why not just stat it as "Lenny*, the Imp?" There's only one, right? So it makes sense that a *named* Imp might have some unique skills uncommon to his sword-fodder Imp bretheren.
Should solve the problem rather easily.
*you can of course, use an impish name.
Should solve the problem rather easily.
*you can of course, use an impish name.
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