D&D 5E DM Advice: Running a "Climactic" Combat

[GwaihirAgain]

IMC, the PCs have tracked a traitor of the summer court through the feywild and back to the Summer Court, where she intends, along with a Winter aligned NPC, kill Titiana the summer queen.
One of the PCS, who had previously visited the Winter court had the ability to one time Summon Mab, the winter queen. Which he did.

Once Mab arrived, the traitor NPC, who turned because she has the Eye of Vecna (PCs do not know this), Summoned Vecna. So now I have Mab & Titiana on one side and Vecna and traitor and one winter dude on the other.

This is all leading up to my PCs starting the Eve of Ruin (Modified) campaign, in short, I want Vecna to win (causing the Feywild and shadowdark to merge =Feydark) and the PCS to survive.

Question, how do I run this combat? Im thinking Ill have Vecna and the queens duke it out "Offscreen" while the PCs fight it our with The Traitor and her Winter comrade.

Thoughts please.

G

 

[aco175]

You might have to separate them for that to work. Maybe one of them casts a spell and the land under them rises 60ft in the air like an earth node and creates an area of difficult terrain where it was and leaves the smaller bad guys on one side and the PCs on the other. Summon in some more bad guys to help deal with the PCs. Narrate a few explosions and such from up above, but be aware of players wanting to go help and having a way to do so at that level. Allow for PC actions to help the game along and try to not railroad the players with obvious means to get what want in the end.

 

[Stalker0]

Question, how do I run this combat? Im thinking Ill have Vecna and the queens duke it out "Offscreen" while the PCs fight it our with The Traitor and her Winter comrade.

Thoughts please.

G

This is 100% what you should do if you want a specific outcome. If PCs are involved in the fight, than you need to accept their actions messing with your plan. But if you do it off screen, you can prearrange the results of that conflict, while the party's win or lost dictates another portion of the story.

 

[billd91]

Question, how do I run this combat? Im thinking Ill have Vecna and the queens duke it out "Offscreen" while the PCs fight it our with The Traitor and her Winter comrade.

Yes, I think this is an important thing to do - the PCs fight what the PCs can fight.
But, assuming they win in their fight but their patron loses, they're going to feel pretty low if there isn't something they gain from it. If their fight has no impact on the large one between the Titania and Vecna, or at least preserves some legacy of the Queen of the Summer Court, they're going to feel that their fight was useless and not worthwhile. So I'd recommend making sure they get something out of it other than survival or a thirst for revenge.

 

[Deset Gled]

Question, how do I run this combat? Im thinking Ill have Vecna and the queens duke it out "Offscreen" while the PCs fight it our with The Traitor and her Winter comrade.

I think you should consider not running this as a combat at all. Find an excuse to disable the PCs (and the traitor), and just describe the Vecna/Queen battle as a cinematic scene. I've played in a number of combats where the PCs were just there to "help" in a battle between bigger players. Sometimes it works out, but lots of times it feels like there's barely any point to having the smaller combat. It can just be a long time with a lot of rounds where not much that the PCs do makes a difference.

Then, have the PCs battle the traitor after the main fight is done. I would be tempted to engineer it into part of an "escape sequence" where the party is running away from the Summer Court as the Feywild violently merges with the Shadowdark. The traitor makes their escape difficult (blocking an exit, for example) and the part gets to decide if they focus on running or killing first.

 

[Stalker0]

Yes, I think this is an important thing to do - the PCs fight what the PCs can fight.
But, assuming they win in their fight but their patron loses, they're going to feel pretty low if there isn't something they gain from it. If their fight has no impact on the large one between the Titania and Vecna, or at least preserves some legacy of the Queen of the Summer Court, they're going to feel that their fight was useless and not worthwhile. So I'd recommend making sure they get something out of it other than survival or a thirst for revenge.

yeah like if they win they find some crystal or something that holds the soul of the summer queen after her defeat....so she could be brought back. but if they lose she is dead dead as one spit ball.

 

[Tonguez]

Not off screen, run The Fey Queens vs Vecna battle as the Lair in which the PCs find themselves.
The encounter takes place in the Court of Endless Summer, now unraveling as the Shadowdark merges with Feywild. The Area includes the Throne of Titania, 5 x The Summer Fey Orbs, A Mirror-gate - later Shadow Rifts, Ritual Sigil Circle and 3 - 5 Tethers

Lair Effect: Dynamic Zones - Every round, certain areas of the battlefield shift between:

• Summer Bloom (Fey): Bright, healing energies. giving 1d4 healing/round and advantage on Wisdom saves.
• Shadow Blight (Vecna’s Corruption): Necrotic decay. causes 1d4 necrotic/round and disadvantage on saving throws against fear and charm.
• Twilight Verge (Transitional): Magic surges. Casting a spell here causes a Wild Magic Surge (or roll on a Feywild surge table).

Phase 1
"Mab is locked in a dazzling aerial sword-dance with the traitor, their strikes sending ripples through the Feywild. A ley node anchoring the Summer Court sputters behind you "protect the Orbs" Titania commands indicating the five crystalline spheres suspended around her throne "if they are destroyed the entire Court will collapse!"

1. Mab confronts the Winter Traitor NPC who then summons Vecna
2. A shadow rifts opens and undead minions pour into assault Queen Titania (Vecna still offscreen)
3. Titania calls the PCs to protect the Heart of the Court as she deals with a powerful minion
4. Titania uses her epic powers but is immediately countered by the Shadow Rift

PC Role:

• Hold the line against Vecnas minions pouring in through shadow rifts
• Close the Shadow rift(s)
• Protect the Orbs and stabilise a collapsing leyline nodes

Phase 2: The Summoning of Vecna
4 more Shadow Rifts open and Tethers of Shadow energy drops in to merge witht eh Summer Court, Vecna manifests dramatically and begins the Ritual to fuse the Summer Court with the Plane of Shadow.

Mab/Titania push through the to attack Vecna but he had bodyguards to pushback. Vecna focuses on finishing a ritual to merge Feywild and Shadowfell.

PC Role:
PCs should try and disrupt the Ritual by destroying Vecna’s Shadow Tethers —3 to 5 shadow energy columns that tie the two planes, all of them protected by minions

Fight Vecna's Lieutenants and Minions - enhanced Winter Fey corrupted by shadow

Survive environmental hazards (Vecna Lair Actions) = “Shadow Eclipses”

PCs can also Invoke Lair Actions in the form of blessing from the Fey Queens (provided the Orbs are protected)

Phase 3: Vecna Ascends
The traitor sacrifices herself to give Vecna the final piece (Vecna reclaims his Eye).

Mab and Titania try to stop Vecna —and fail, Titania is vaporized while Mab falls injured to the ground.

The ritual completes and the whole Summer Court collapses as the Feywild begins to merge with the Shadowdark.

The PCs need to use a fey Mirror-Gate to escape the collapsing court,. If the Mirror-Gate is broken a PC might even have to make a pact with Mab, to fix it.
*If one of the Orbs is saved and taken by a PC, Titania's 'essence' will be absorbed in to it, and may be revived later

NOTE: Titania, Mab and Vecna are Event triggers and 'Lair Actions' not part of the PCs combat

The PCs can invoke Legendary Blessing however

• Mab blocks a lethal hit once for a PC.
• Titania releases a shower of radiance that knocks back shadow minions
• The Orbs have a healing aura
• Vecna’s sigil strips a PC of magic for 1 round.

If a PC does try to tackle Vecna directly turn it into a Skill challenge or have a Minion intervene

At some point in the combat Vecna should “mark” a PC with "You will be my vessel. I will come for you soon." foreshadowing future conflict

 

[Shadowdweller00]

I would avoid both offscreen battles and at least the appearance of making the climatic battle between Vecna and the fey Queens being unalterable by the PCs. From a narrative standpoint, you want to make the PCs feel like they are an active part of the events going on in your game world, not as hapless bystanders. Offscreen battles will not do that.

One thing you CAN do is set sub-goals that do not change Vecna's ultimate victory, but maybe still provide some benefit to the Fey Queens. Tonguez's idea is one way to go about this, but seems maybe a little complicated overall?

You can narrate the battle in the background and have the Fey Queens request aid in various ways. "Adventurer, deal with those gates!" as undead monstrosities pour forth from planar rifts, for example. You can even provide rewards. Maybe Mab or Titania entrust the PCs with a shard of their power if they're protected sufficiently when Vecna finally wins. It's also not difficult to have Vecna react to a fireball thrown by a PC; or counterattack temporarily if slashed with a sword without significantly altering the final outcome.