DM saving his Doomed PCs!!

[RiTz21]

Looks like it could be used for some very handy plot threads later on, too.

That's true... This could open up a new chapter for the Adventuring party...! (What if they are looking for an Item that THIS summonner HAS, but they only see him while they fight for him.. and then they are back to their world... !! It would be awesome for them to try to find this Summoner again.. hehe lots of adventuring possibilities here!

RiTz21

 

[Mystery Man]

While the idea works, they'll expect you to do this every time. They'll start throwing themselves into danger knowing you'll just summon them somewhere else. And then if you don't they'll get all pissy. Let 'em die!

 

[pokedigimaniac]

THen don't make it one. Explain the wizard, set him up before hand and have him joke that he may summon them without their knowledge ahead of tim. And after its over continue the plot with the wizard.

This is an excellent idea. If it's set up beforehand, I'm all for it. I just disagreed with it being used without any lead-in.

 

[Crothian]

This is an excellent idea. If it's set up beforehand, I'm all for it. I just disagreed with it being used without any lead-in.

Well, if done right and if the PCs had no reason to talk to the mage before hand its okay. PCs have choices, so its possible they just didn't meet the mage in question. Really, the main issue with this is trust of the DM. If the players feel that thier DM does this and it will promote the story and make the game better its fine, but if the DM does it more hap hazardly the players will feel like its not so good.

 

[Xombie Master]

as they will (at the end of combat) all return to their starting point, PLUS the experience for that fight !!

I wouldn't award them XP for the "summoned" fight unless there was some risk involved. If not death, than turmoil on said plane leading to trouble on their homeworld at least!

All together not a bad idea if played right. If played wrong, as it has been said, your players will take it for granted.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I use this occasionally as way to account for missing players.
I don't like NPCing them, or have them vanish with no reasons given, or making them a generic "amorphous blob" that follows the party around. So this is a one of a number of thin excuses that I use for getting PCs out of the way. I try and tailor it to the PC -

In the last case the player was a Thamaturge - so it made a lot of sense that he was called off to perform a service for the higher planes.

The elf with a 6 Con always gets sick, and can't adventure.
The sorcerer with a robe of useful items/pockets of holding - gets sucked into his own pockets.
this has happened 3 times, twice he pulled in others with him. Another PC is deathily afraid of his robe and flinches each time he pulls something odd out of them.

 

[Xombie Master]

I use this occasionally as way to account for missing players.

Ah the ever present threat of a player absence.
I have this player who has a rotating work schedule and can't make it one or two weeks per month. I'm toying with the idea of have his character be in the middle of a "trial" for a crime he may or may not have committed. During the game, he may be unerringly summoned back to speak before the jury, making him "unavailable" for adventuring. Later of course I would work in a way for the rest of the party, now familiar with his heroism, to speak on his behalf at the final hearing. This way his absence makes for a decent side story arc.
I guess such a summons could be used to save a party from destruction.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Your PC's are about to loose the Epic battle ?
Here is an Idea to save their butts!

It's still a deus ex machina and thus is MORE undesireable to me than a TPK.