Originally posted by Bloodscythe:
I've run the HotDQ a few times now with different groups and Cyanwrath was handled differently in all three games:
1) Cyanwrath dropped the PC to 0 hp and hit another time, causing two failed death saves. The released NPC woman stabilized her savior.
After realizing that the TWO failed death saves is in the PHB but isn't in the module, I assumed the original writing predated the rule in the PHB, so...
2) Cyanwrath dropped the PC to 0 hp but doesn't do the extra cheap shot to cause 2 death save failures. Cyanwrath isn't threatened by the characters at all so since they're not a threat, he is just toying with them. Perhaps Cyanwrath is a sadist... he wants the character to survive and live with the beatdown they just received. This gives the PCs time to save their friend.
3) I spoke with the player who was playing an oath of devotion paladin separately. I described the encounter and they elected to die at the hands of Cyanwrath. I knew they had created two characters and were torn between the two... they really liked how both of them turned out. However, the moment they announced they were playing a paladin to the rest of the group, two of the other players complained about how lawful good goodie-two-shoes paladins ruin the "fun" the roguish characters can have. This gave the player an opportunity to switch characters in a very dramatic way, play their paladin briefly and in a very memorable way, and still allow the entire group of fun. This also established a very personal reason for the party to pursue and twart the plans of the cult of the dragon, or to at least hunt Cyanwrath down. The beheading was quite a shock to the rest of the group who didn't know it was coming.
Originally posted by Lady_Auralla:
I ran Cyanwrath as an evil warrior and cult devotee that had his own complex code of honor and once he defeated the party Paladin who honored his challenge he withdrew his forces as he said he would. The Paladin won their next fight later on and refused to kill him as to honor Cyanwrath's act of honor despite being evil claiming that there was hope for change in him.
Originally posted by BRJN:
Originally posted by Ninja_Ferret:
Did anyone else notice the mistake with Roadside Hospitality?
Says there are two doppelgangers but if you kill one of them the other two flee. Was there supose to be 3 or was there just a math mistake on WoTC?
Originally posted by AaronOfBarbaria:
However, it wouldn't be a mistake by WotC since it was Kobold Press that wrote the adventure.
I've run the HotDQ a few times now with different groups and Cyanwrath was handled differently in all three games:
1) Cyanwrath dropped the PC to 0 hp and hit another time, causing two failed death saves. The released NPC woman stabilized her savior.
After realizing that the TWO failed death saves is in the PHB but isn't in the module, I assumed the original writing predated the rule in the PHB, so...
2) Cyanwrath dropped the PC to 0 hp but doesn't do the extra cheap shot to cause 2 death save failures. Cyanwrath isn't threatened by the characters at all so since they're not a threat, he is just toying with them. Perhaps Cyanwrath is a sadist... he wants the character to survive and live with the beatdown they just received. This gives the PCs time to save their friend.
3) I spoke with the player who was playing an oath of devotion paladin separately. I described the encounter and they elected to die at the hands of Cyanwrath. I knew they had created two characters and were torn between the two... they really liked how both of them turned out. However, the moment they announced they were playing a paladin to the rest of the group, two of the other players complained about how lawful good goodie-two-shoes paladins ruin the "fun" the roguish characters can have. This gave the player an opportunity to switch characters in a very dramatic way, play their paladin briefly and in a very memorable way, and still allow the entire group of fun. This also established a very personal reason for the party to pursue and twart the plans of the cult of the dragon, or to at least hunt Cyanwrath down. The beheading was quite a shock to the rest of the group who didn't know it was coming.
Originally posted by Lady_Auralla:
I ran Cyanwrath as an evil warrior and cult devotee that had his own complex code of honor and once he defeated the party Paladin who honored his challenge he withdrew his forces as he said he would. The Paladin won their next fight later on and refused to kill him as to honor Cyanwrath's act of honor despite being evil claiming that there was hope for change in him.
Originally posted by BRJN:
If the PCs are really messing up the Cult's plans, Cyanwrath can come forward and use the personal challenge as a mechanism to buy the other Cult members time to load the wagons with loot and escape. In this case, he wants to take a while about it and will drag out the combat (maybe taking a full minute) before completing his 'kill' / 'counting coup'. Let the PCs deduce that he has some sort of Size Up Foe power that gives him bonuses on his subsequent Attack.
Originally posted by Ninja_Ferret:
Did anyone else notice the mistake with Roadside Hospitality?
Says there are two doppelgangers but if you kill one of them the other two flee. Was there supose to be 3 or was there just a math mistake on WoTC?
Originally posted by AaronOfBarbaria:
Could have been an error the author made, adjusting the encounter and forgetting to correct both places the number of creatures were mentioned, or simply typing out the wrong number and not catching it.
However, it wouldn't be a mistake by WotC since it was Kobold Press that wrote the adventure.
