My AD&D campaign has a greatly fluctuating group of players; I run it weekly, but some players play fortnightly, and illnesses have also been playing havoc with the group. So, four characters (two magic-users, one thief and one cleric) headed into the dungeon without any fighters...
...and ran into two owlbears. The fight was tough, and the group weren't doing that well - most of the MU spells (levitate, sleep) were useless, and both magic missiles prepared were used before the first owlbear was slain - with a lot of the party badly damaged. The other owlbear failed its morale roll, and ran to the corner of the room and tried to hide under some hay.
At this point, an intelligent group would have retired from the fray. Not this group - making them fairly typical D&D-ers - they attacked the remaining owlbear. Who responded by hugging the thief, dropping him into the negatives. (I play with the fairly common house rule that he doesn't die until -10.) At this point, they forced a healing potion down his throat and ran for it, one MU and the cleric dragging the thief with them, the other MU "playing dead".
Much chaos ensued.
I was feeling kind, so I let them escape. Well, the owlbear pursued those dragging the thief, and they dragged him through a door and barricaded it (mainly with their bodies) against the owlbear. The playing-dead magic-user, without a map in a rather confusing dungeon layout, was somehow able to get back to the entrance perfectly and left the dungeon for the nearby village, wondering if he'd ever see his friends again.
Eventually the owlbear got bored and went away, and the remaining PCs (after resting the night) returned home... after going the wrong way first and finally working out where they were on their map. (They couldn't use the map when running away, so they were quite lost...)
For the rest of the session, they occasionally sighted the owlbear roaming the corridors, and they'd very, very quickly head in the opposite direction.
I love D&D!
(Next session, the vorpal sword-wielding fighter will be back, so the owlbear's days may be numbered. Or the fighter's. We'll see!)
Cheers!
...and ran into two owlbears. The fight was tough, and the group weren't doing that well - most of the MU spells (levitate, sleep) were useless, and both magic missiles prepared were used before the first owlbear was slain - with a lot of the party badly damaged. The other owlbear failed its morale roll, and ran to the corner of the room and tried to hide under some hay.
At this point, an intelligent group would have retired from the fray. Not this group - making them fairly typical D&D-ers - they attacked the remaining owlbear. Who responded by hugging the thief, dropping him into the negatives. (I play with the fairly common house rule that he doesn't die until -10.) At this point, they forced a healing potion down his throat and ran for it, one MU and the cleric dragging the thief with them, the other MU "playing dead".
Much chaos ensued.
I was feeling kind, so I let them escape. Well, the owlbear pursued those dragging the thief, and they dragged him through a door and barricaded it (mainly with their bodies) against the owlbear. The playing-dead magic-user, without a map in a rather confusing dungeon layout, was somehow able to get back to the entrance perfectly and left the dungeon for the nearby village, wondering if he'd ever see his friends again.
Eventually the owlbear got bored and went away, and the remaining PCs (after resting the night) returned home... after going the wrong way first and finally working out where they were on their map. (They couldn't use the map when running away, so they were quite lost...)
For the rest of the session, they occasionally sighted the owlbear roaming the corridors, and they'd very, very quickly head in the opposite direction.
I love D&D!
(Next session, the vorpal sword-wielding fighter will be back, so the owlbear's days may be numbered. Or the fighter's. We'll see!)
Cheers!
