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Message: <blockquote data-quote="buddhafrog" data-source="post: 5384192" data-attributes="member: 86605">Yeah, this can work, or it can fail.I did my first dream sequence recently and it worked really well.  Here are some points that I would recommend to make it work rather than fail, and an example how I tried to do this in my recent attempt:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make it believable- I told one PC to "roll a dice check, but I can't tell you what it's for yet - but it's pretty hard."  This gave me enough wiggle room.  The group thought he failed.  I then asked the others to roll perception dice checks.  Anyone that succeeded, I told them they woke up suddenly, saw a lot of swirling mist... but the first PC was no where to be seen.  They awoke the other PC's immediately of course - and entered their group dream. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Run the encounter differently - Soon the group was fighting against a familiar version of a very deadly battle they had just the day before, including some zombies of recently killed monsters and the ghost of an important enemy they had just killed and whose magic sword they had just taken, plus one living sorcerer BBEG that had been hunting them.  However, after a few rounds, I then cut to the one PC who "disappeared" and had him roleplay his situation.  Then I jumped back and forth between both situations each turn.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make it surreal - but not immediately as to not give any hints that it could be a dream too early.  I had one enemy start to morph after a few rounds, getting stronger each time (PC was freaked out about what he had gotten into).  When a PC used his 2nd wind, I rolled, then told him he regained only 2 HP.  One PC's fey step made him re-appear in a random location.  Like a real nightmare where you just can't seem to run fast for an unknown reason, I took away a small PC reliable to put them in unease.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make it somewhat quick - I played the monsters real fast and required the players to do so as well - it worked b/c they felt hastened b/c of the missing PC's situation.  Near the end, after one PC was dead, one was out, and the other knew his fate was near, I ended the sequence. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">How will you end it?  After I jumped away from the dying party, I role-played with the missing PC for several turns, during which it became more obvious that this was possibly dream.  I ended with this first PC waking up finding his party turning, sweating, mumbling in their sleep.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Why are they having this dream?  This is probably the most crucial.  If you don't have this, it's sort of forced.  The missing PC was a wizard who was sent on this quest by his powerful, beloved mentor who had whispered fears of danger and utmost secrecy.  The party hadn't heard from this mentor since that day.  The PC wizard woke up from his sleep.  I told him that he saw his party sleeping, and that he started walking up the mountainside they were camping under (I didn't give him any option here).  He saw what he believed was the mentor's familiar and I gave him the choice of what to do.  He followed it, of course.  He felt groggy and thus took -5 to skill checks (made PC's believe it more - was he tranced, etc?).  They were cursing the wizard PC - "it's a trap!"  Eventually, the PC was lead to the mentor who was standing on a cliff.  This is when I ended the other party's TPK and roleplayed the PC wizard with his mentor.  The mentor said a few short but important things, smiled lovingly and said "Don't be afraid, I believe in you", and then jumped off the cliff - dead.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Leave them with "what the F was that?" - Afterwards, they knew it was a dream of course - but why/what?  They believed the mentor had really died, but did he - one PC steadfastly refused to believe it.  Were the mentors words true?  Most believed so.  Probably.  A few encounters later they confirmed this as true, met the mentor's killer who was the sorcerer in their dream, got righteous revenge, and eventually tied all their loose ends.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Play up their fears - During the TPK sequence, I tried to play up the PC's fears.  One PC has a fear of failing his party by not being able to protect them (like he failed with his past merchant boss who was ambushed and killed).  I had him the last to survive after seeing the rest of his party go down.  I even had one of the zombies start eating one of the dying PC's, stop and turn to the fighter, and hackle with delight while blood flowed down his chin.  Another has fear of undead, guess which PC was the one being eaten by the zombie? <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devil.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":devil:" title="Devil    :devil:" data-shortname=":devil:" />  I also gave the party less healing surges that night because of the toll of their dream (our house rule - a full night's rest results in 1~5 surges depending upon the quality of the rest - makes for a grittier game)</li> </ul>This encounter took more planning than normal, especially in how it would relate to the plot as a whole.  But it went brilliantly and even better, really propelled the campaign plot towards the next phase of the story and gave the PC's an even sweater revenge in the end.</blockquote>

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