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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 4564881" data-attributes="member: 18363">I sort of have a different look upon the situation. Why not presume the Ogre mage has a meta-magic feat that allows his cone of cold to deal non-lethal damage? No one gets killed, and now the three are prisoners. The other two and work to try to free them while those imprisoned attempt a prison break from within. The Ogre mage occationally leaves - perhaps there is a pattern (every full moon leaves for three days, leaves every fourth day to scout his territory, etc). The items he initially stole from them - perhaps he is carrying one or two of them and the rest are hidden in the cavern. They can retrieve them when they escape or are rescued (or both). If afterwards they cannot leave via the cave entrance or the chimney for some reason, perhaps there is a hidden door leading into the underworld / underdark / whatever your campaign calls it. They may wander around there for a few weeks before finding their way back to the surface. Perhaps the ogre mage has a 'pet' guardian living in the water that he does not wish to injure with a cone of cold. It may attack in the next round or two or the next time the PCs enter the water. Or maybe the Ogre mage will hold off on using his cone of cold. After all, if he is flying and invisible perhaps the wizard is as well and just waiting for the ogre mage to reveal his position by attacking. The ogre mage likely does not know their 'level' as it were, after all. For all he knows they may be just high enough to use such a tactic. And sacrificing a lower level comrad is just the type of thing the ogre mage would do - and so something he may suspect the PCs might be willing to consider doing. Granted, considering their level, I'm inclined to let them die - at least if you level them at the typical rate of advancement. If you require double the exp per level gained (as some DMs I know do) then you should try to keep them alive. Lastly, consider having the Ogre Mage charm one of them. It is also a once a day ability, and if he charms a weak willed member (the ranger or rogue comes to mind), the others will have to scatter to escape potential attacks - thus making the cone of cold unworkable. Perhaps combine this with the pet in the water idea?</blockquote>

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