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How to make an encounter with falling great distances interesting and dangerous, but not deadly?
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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7532582" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>Good question. There are a couple reasons:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Illustrating that the location is quite hard to reach, thus explaining why it's sustained itself as such a rare sanctuary amidst an increasingly hostile and undead-filled jungle.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Illustrating the isolated/watchful nature of the aarakocra – they're not cruel or militant in repelling potential guests, but they are cautious of outsiders, so they don't help the PCs ascend, they <em>want</em> to see the PCs succeed on their own, to prove themselves worthy of being in the presence of a living saint. Useful for the PCs to know in their dealings with the aarakocra.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Setting up an attack on the aarakocra monastery when the PCs make a return trip there. In the adventure, they have a strong motivation to get a ritual McGuffin at another location so the presiding aarakocra saint can bestow them with flight. When they return, (foreshadowed) gargoyles strike. And the party would face the ascent with the time pressure of combat happening up above (and the ascent would likely be simplified/changed, so as not to just be a repeat of the same).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">And lastly... this part isn't in the book's presentation of Kir Sabal... I'd like to weave an exploration narrative into their ascent. Like when I ran a pit trap and the pit's floor collapsed, dropping the PCs into an elven ruin they could explore & uncover the mysteries of. I'd like for falling to potentially (depending on reaction chosen by players) reveal lore about the monastery, the aarakocra's place in the setting, prophecies, foreshadowing, etc. Make falling not just soaking up some damage, but falling <em>into</em> something of interest or potentially complication.</li> </ol><p></p><p>As for the "let the players narrate it" advice, while appreciated, I'm not sure that it suits the majority of players in my group. One loves it. But another really hasn't grasped the non-gamist side of D&D. Another cracks jokes about abusing narrative free reign when I've tried similar things in the past. Another is a fellow DM who just wants to enjoy playing. Another's military schedule is so intense, he doesn't have the bandwidth for that by the time he's at the table. No fault of their own. I think it's good advice, generally, I may have to try again... Previously, in our second session, I did a flashback sequence in which the players narrated the story of their first dungeon to a NPC, using cards I made with leading prompts like "At the climax of the dungeon we confronted _______." Several commented that it was fun, but jarring, wished they knew it was coming in advance, and that they liked the prompts I made which seemed to help them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 7532582, member: 20323"] Good question. There are a couple reasons: [list=1][*]Illustrating that the location is quite hard to reach, thus explaining why it's sustained itself as such a rare sanctuary amidst an increasingly hostile and undead-filled jungle. [*]Illustrating the isolated/watchful nature of the aarakocra – they're not cruel or militant in repelling potential guests, but they are cautious of outsiders, so they don't help the PCs ascend, they [I]want[/I] to see the PCs succeed on their own, to prove themselves worthy of being in the presence of a living saint. Useful for the PCs to know in their dealings with the aarakocra. [*]Setting up an attack on the aarakocra monastery when the PCs make a return trip there. In the adventure, they have a strong motivation to get a ritual McGuffin at another location so the presiding aarakocra saint can bestow them with flight. When they return, (foreshadowed) gargoyles strike. And the party would face the ascent with the time pressure of combat happening up above (and the ascent would likely be simplified/changed, so as not to just be a repeat of the same). [*]And lastly... this part isn't in the book's presentation of Kir Sabal... I'd like to weave an exploration narrative into their ascent. Like when I ran a pit trap and the pit's floor collapsed, dropping the PCs into an elven ruin they could explore & uncover the mysteries of. I'd like for falling to potentially (depending on reaction chosen by players) reveal lore about the monastery, the aarakocra's place in the setting, prophecies, foreshadowing, etc. Make falling not just soaking up some damage, but falling [I]into[/I] something of interest or potentially complication.[/list] As for the "let the players narrate it" advice, while appreciated, I'm not sure that it suits the majority of players in my group. One loves it. But another really hasn't grasped the non-gamist side of D&D. Another cracks jokes about abusing narrative free reign when I've tried similar things in the past. Another is a fellow DM who just wants to enjoy playing. Another's military schedule is so intense, he doesn't have the bandwidth for that by the time he's at the table. No fault of their own. I think it's good advice, generally, I may have to try again... Previously, in our second session, I did a flashback sequence in which the players narrated the story of their first dungeon to a NPC, using cards I made with leading prompts like "At the climax of the dungeon we confronted _______." Several commented that it was fun, but jarring, wished they knew it was coming in advance, and that they liked the prompts I made which seemed to help them. [/QUOTE]
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