Giving everyone a chance to shine

[tsadkiel]

So I'm using 3.5 as an excuse to start up a new game, and I'm using that new game as an excuse to play around with narrative tools and adventure structure. Specifically, I want to start the first session with a bit of unrelated action, as the PCs complete their mission, off the BBEG, and return home (where the actual plot picks up.)

What I want to do with this early sub-adventure is work in a series of four mini-encounters which give each player a chance to say, "Hey! My character's pretty cool!" For example, I know one of the PCs will be a tank-style fighter. I'm thinking of sticking in a golem encounter - the other players will eb able to help somewhat, but I think it will be the fighter who does most of the work and gets most of the glory. (And the "I'm cool!" moment.)

Anybody tried something like this before? How'd it work out?

And does anyone have suggestions for possible challenges for the characters? The PCs will be:

(All 15th level, for dark reasons of my own)

A sorcerer, focused mainly on Evocation.
The aforementioned tank style fighter.
A mystic (from the Dragonlance book) focused on divination and healing.
And either a monk, a rogue, or some combination of the two, focused on stealth, rather than trap removal. (Though I suspect she's have great Spot and Listen bonuses.)

 

[mythusmage]

One bit of advice, don't force anything on them. Give them opportunities, but don't make them think it's something they must handle. Saving somebody from a villain is one thing, having to battle the villain because he's supposed to be battled is another.

Second bit of advice, don't obviously tailor the encounters to individual characters. A bit of misdirection provides a greater challenge in the long run.

last bit. People tend not to suspect an elderly grandmother elf.

 

[coyote6]

The golem's a good choice for the tank to shine -- golems are big, tough, immune to sneak attacks, and immune to most evocations.

If the sorcerer has lots of area effect evocations, then a horde (20+) of critters might be good. Put 'em at the far end of a hallway, and the sorcerer can clean up. Just make sure they have horrible Ref saves, and absolutely no Evasion.

An enemy wizard might be a good choice for the monk/rogue to shine; try to set it up so that the wizard can't be reached easily by the fighter (this can be as simple as hammering the fighter with some Will save spell that takes him mostly out of the fight) or the sorcerer (globe of invulnerability or feeblemind the sorcerer), but can be reached by the stealthy guy. Sneak attacks can tear up a wizard (those poor low hps), but a monk is perhaps king -- good saves all around, bonuses to resist Enchantments, SR, improved evasion, and Stunning Attack. Improved Trip, whack -- stunned wizard. Hammer him with flurry of blows (at +4 'cause he's on the ground), then stun him next round again. A monk rogue could conceivably have the best of both worlds (stunned wizard + flurry of blows = lots of sneak attacks).

Mystics, I don't know so much about, having only skimmed the DL preview. They don't seem to have any special ability vs. undead, which is a place where clerics can really shine. And Healing and Divination are hard to feature in a fight. Perhaps invisible attackers? That only really works if the others don't have a means to see invisible, and if the rogue has great Spot & Listen, she might not need anything beyond those skills.

If they could channel positive energy, you could set up a deadly trap that could be stopped by channeling energy into it. But . . .

Edit: It actually might be easier to do it all at once -- a golem or three (flesh, naturally) attack from one side, a horde of minotaurs or the like attack from another, while the wizard floats above a balcony, cackling madly.

OTOH, that would be nearly impossible to pull off the way you want; the wizard would end up facing down a pair of golems while the monk/rogue tries to stop the minotaurs and the fighter and sorcerer fly at the wizard.

 

[tsadkiel]

Good advice. Thanks, guys!

And the mystic isn't too much of a priority, since he's actually my character. (Yeah, I know. But we've got a small group and rotating DMs. Since I run the game more often than anyone else, I deliberately designed him as more of a support character.)

 

[Stone Angel]

I think that is a great idea, if there isn't something for everybody then they really those characters just lose there normal appeal. Tank fighters are usaully easy to accomodate. For the monk/rogue make something stealthy for him to do. Have a small area big enough for one person where he can sneak into and here an ambush that the BBeG's are planning. He can't take them on by himself or is prevented physically from pressing an attack, but he does learn of an ambush they are talking about which allows the wizard to approach from the opposite direction and annhilate the main force of there ambush.

The Mystic I am not familiar with either perhaps a great riddle or something that causes a little divine assistance, or puzzle that requires a massive amount of healing spells all the while doing small points of damage nickel and diming them but they can't waste the healing spells on the party because the traps and such reset every eight hours.

Hope that this helps a little. Good luck let us know how it turns out.

The Seraph of Earth and Stone

 

[Steverooo]

And does anyone have suggestions for possible challenges for the characters? The PCs will be:

(All 15th level, for dark reasons of my own)

1) A sorcerer, focused mainly on Evocation.
2) The aforementioned tank style fighter.
3) A mystic (from the Dragonlance book) focused on divination and healing.
4) And either a monk, a rogue, or some combination of the two, focused on stealth, rather than trap removal. (Though I suspect she's have great Spot and Listen bonuses.)

1) A powerful Elemental (maybe Air?) which is immune to the party's weapons.
2) Something with a lot of Energy Resistance, immune to Backstabs.
3) A situation requiring information.
4) Either something unstoppable which must be avoided, or (if Monk) they are taken captive, imprisoned, and must escape sans weapons and equipment...

 

[Grishnak]

I personally think you shouldnt cater to 1 party member as certain things tend to happen at critical moments and pc's end up dead.
Using your golem example, if the warrior is in there pretty much alone then a critical or 2 off the golem could change the I'm cool to the I'm dead. I've almost had it happen to me the other week where I was facing a hill giant and 2 guards and was pasted down in 3 rnds. And then the following week I fought an upgraded ettin and hit it for a crit of 132 hp's killing it in 1 blow. Dice rolls are killers in the game! You get your critical hits when not really needed (Usually creature is almost dead in my case) but the critical failures always comes out on the main bad guy or the saving throws vs big damage spells etc.

 

[DaveStebbins]

I agree with Grishnak. Trying to tailor encounters to showcase specific PCs can backfire far too easily. It depends upon them using specific abilities (because that's what makes everyone different) when you want them to (when they "should"). If the dice go bad, or if they just don't consider that particular course of action, it can get ugly. It can almost feel like railroading.

One of our DMs tried to do that and even go a little further with a one-off where each PC had to lead the group for a while. Well, he didn't realize that some players just don't like doing that. He expected everyone to be as excited about as he was, and a couple members of our group absolutely hated being in charge.

If you do try it, just be careful and flexible and don't depend on specific courses of action by the players. IMC, I try to stick to creating hooks, situations, events and encounters. Everyone gets a chance to shine on their own, eventually.

-Dave
Hope that sounded helpful and not harsh, I had good intentions.

[edit - typos. durn slow fingers!]