Have the faeries (or, more likely, their masters) kidnap the wizard as punishment for interfering. That way, you can establish a long term goal for the PC's: rescue their friend. It can span several adventures, thus allowing the PC's to level up; by the time they free the wizard, they could be close to, if not equal to, his level.
Help I introduced a too powerful NPC
- Thread starter MichaelK
- Start date
the Jester
Legend
He's an old man. When they aren't teleporting, he totally slows the party down. He needs frequent rests, and after each battle he clutches his chest for longer, wheezes harder and shows more signs of his impending death by exertion. If the pcs keep him with them, he eventually has a heart attack during a combat and dies.
Alternatively, a stroke could wipe out his intellect in a single moment, leaving him incapable of spellcasting. This could also give them a long term quest: find a cleric who can restore him, and get enough money for him to do it!
Alternatively, a stroke could wipe out his intellect in a single moment, leaving him incapable of spellcasting. This could also give them a long term quest: find a cleric who can restore him, and get enough money for him to do it!
Lord Xtheth
Explorer
He watches the fight, silently smiling from beginning to end, seemingly un-noticed by the baddies.
"Verry good, yes verry good indeed, you will shape up to be wonderful heroes some day that's for certain!"
"Why didn't you help?"
"It didn't seem you needed it"
Or, one of my old favorites (As a DM to the players) "Oh, I actually forgot he was there, sorry"
"Verry good, yes verry good indeed, you will shape up to be wonderful heroes some day that's for certain!"
"Why didn't you help?"
"It didn't seem you needed it"
Or, one of my old favorites (As a DM to the players) "Oh, I actually forgot he was there, sorry"
Ulrick
First Post
Let's see, how would a TV series handle this?
--A blow to the head causes temporary amnesia for the rest of the adventure. He doesn't know who he is, nor does he remember any spells.
--His evil twin shows up and he has to go fight him.
--Somebody poisons him, effectively taking him out of the action. Perhaps the cure can be found among the faeries.
--After witnessing the wizards powers the first time, the faeries unleash the wizard's kryptonite (whatever that might be), rendering him useless.
-----
OR
He uses teleport again for whatever reason, but only on himself. Too bad you rolled "Off Target." He spends the remaining adventure trying to make his way back to the PCs.
--A blow to the head causes temporary amnesia for the rest of the adventure. He doesn't know who he is, nor does he remember any spells.
--His evil twin shows up and he has to go fight him.
--Somebody poisons him, effectively taking him out of the action. Perhaps the cure can be found among the faeries.
--After witnessing the wizards powers the first time, the faeries unleash the wizard's kryptonite (whatever that might be), rendering him useless.
-----
OR
He uses teleport again for whatever reason, but only on himself. Too bad you rolled "Off Target." He spends the remaining adventure trying to make his way back to the PCs.
The Ghost
Explorer
Solution: Create an encounter that forces he party to split up. (Meaning the wizard goes one way and the party continues down another path.)
Example: Perhaps during the next combat the PCs face have a couple of them receive Sending spells informing them that the town is under attack by some fey. The wizard can then inform the party of what is happening and Teleport there to help them while the rest of the party stays here to finish this combat. You can then have the wizard stay in contact with the party but have him handle parts of the adventure off-camera, so to speak, while the party handles events on camera.
Example: Perhaps during the next combat the PCs face have a couple of them receive Sending spells informing them that the town is under attack by some fey. The wizard can then inform the party of what is happening and Teleport there to help them while the rest of the party stays here to finish this combat. You can then have the wizard stay in contact with the party but have him handle parts of the adventure off-camera, so to speak, while the party handles events on camera.
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
When the wizard is alone for some time, make him simply vanish. There are some burn marks in the grass, and there are some splatters of ichor whose origin they cannot identify, and which will dissipate in the sunlight.
The fate of the children should drive the PCs onward without pausing to stop and investigate this mystery. But the fate of the mentor should provide the PCs additional adventure hooks, if they chose to chase them. When they investigate his past, the PC wizard learns that there is a lot his mentor didn't tell him, and dark secrets are lying in wait. Nobody wants to talk to them openly about him, and the local authorities of the kingdom try to warn the PCs not to investigate this further (and if that doesn't motivate them, what will?). The hints they find should be ambiguous - was he truly good, or did he hide a more sinister agenda?
In any case, they shouldn't see him again until they have reached his level. Besides, isn't it a standard part of the Hero's Journey to have the mentor disappear in some fashion?
The fate of the children should drive the PCs onward without pausing to stop and investigate this mystery. But the fate of the mentor should provide the PCs additional adventure hooks, if they chose to chase them. When they investigate his past, the PC wizard learns that there is a lot his mentor didn't tell him, and dark secrets are lying in wait. Nobody wants to talk to them openly about him, and the local authorities of the kingdom try to warn the PCs not to investigate this further (and if that doesn't motivate them, what will?). The hints they find should be ambiguous - was he truly good, or did he hide a more sinister agenda?
In any case, they shouldn't see him again until they have reached his level. Besides, isn't it a standard part of the Hero's Journey to have the mentor disappear in some fashion?
Darkness
Hand and Eye of Piratecat [Moderator]
A few ideas:
Hit him with a spell/poison/monster attack/whatever that drains so much of his Int (or of his levels) that he can't cast anything too powerful for the duration of the adventure (or even longer).
Drain his lowest ability score to zero. (Well, his lowest that isn't Con, if you want him to stay alive.)
Maybe he has a rival/former mentor/evil twin who's a lich. Then just have the lich touch him, paralyzing him permanently.
Similarly, maybe he has powerful enemies and decides to leave before those enemies show up and endanger the PCs and children.
Have him cast nothing but buff spells - on the PCs, that is.
Hit him with a spell/poison/monster attack/whatever that drains so much of his Int (or of his levels) that he can't cast anything too powerful for the duration of the adventure (or even longer).
Drain his lowest ability score to zero. (Well, his lowest that isn't Con, if you want him to stay alive.
)Maybe he has a rival/former mentor/evil twin who's a lich. Then just have the lich touch him, paralyzing him permanently.
Similarly, maybe he has powerful enemies and decides to leave before those enemies show up and endanger the PCs and children.
Have him cast nothing but buff spells - on the PCs, that is.
Having the NPC simply leave to attend to matters reinforces the "I'm more important than you" problem.
Likewise killing him or seperate fights likewise emphasizes the level distinction and the second class status of the lower level PCs.
Therefore the wizard leaving should be as a result of the PCs' actions, and preferably not in a "You're stepping on our turf" way.
Two suggestions that would require the PCs to argue for sending him back would be to have the mentored PC receive sending messages from a party known to both him and the NPC stating that the NPC is needed elsewhere but has been ignoring the messages or having a PC become aware of the fact the party is being scryed or watched by enemies of the wizard, and that however much help he is, his presence is endangering the mission and the children.
Likewise killing him or seperate fights likewise emphasizes the level distinction and the second class status of the lower level PCs.
Therefore the wizard leaving should be as a result of the PCs' actions, and preferably not in a "You're stepping on our turf" way.
Two suggestions that would require the PCs to argue for sending him back would be to have the mentored PC receive sending messages from a party known to both him and the NPC stating that the NPC is needed elsewhere but has been ignoring the messages or having a PC become aware of the fact the party is being scryed or watched by enemies of the wizard, and that however much help he is, his presence is endangering the mission and the children.
