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Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw
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<blockquote data-quote="jelmore" data-source="post: 5874583" data-attributes="member: 56412"><p>I got to DM it for the first time today, and everything was fine...</p><p></p><p>...until a PC pulled out a Pixie Music Box on round 2. I was completely caught off-balance by it. It's not technically a magic item, so it doesn't fall under the limitations on consumable items. I did look at the character sheet at the start but it's just a line item under Equipment; there's not even an item card for it. (As it turned out, he had 3 of them.)</p><p></p><p>I adapted as best as I could: the PC had actually set the PMB down at his feet and he was at the base of one of the walls, so it didn't cover the entire map. I ruled that if he left the square without taking the box, I could target it separately. (As a Tiny item, it would have AC 10, Fort 10, and Reflex 5; I would rule it is fragile, which gives it only 1 HP.)</p><p></p><p>One of the players had DMed it before and had encountered the PMB; they had ruled that the dinosaurs didn't have to leave the area but could not attack, so I went with that. I also decided that crates could be attacked freely. Afterwards, I grabbed a copy of Heroes of the Feywild to look at the item in context, and probably would have had the dinosaurs move at best speed to the perimeter of the effect.</p><p></p><p>I was unable to destroy the box before the 5th round. To make matters worse, the small crates were all stacked around Hyacinth; when she grew and pushed the boxes away from her, it built a little cage which she had to poke enough holes in to squeeze her way through in order to get away. On the plus side, it also meant that the PCs couldn't slide her into the adjacent tar field.</p><p></p><p>This is annoying because now I have to assume that any PC in future sessions could have one or more Pixie Music Box, completely nullifying the dinosaurs. I could say that they can't take them, but on what grounds? Given that it is official Organized Play, I feel there's a limit to how far out of the box I can step when making rulings. The rules of Lair Assault specifically state that ANYTHING in ANY official 4e source is fair game, and the game is aimed at CharOp fanatics and min-maxers. So congrats! You reprogrammed the Kobayashi Maru!</p><p></p><p>(At the same time, there's some satisfaction as a DM of beating the PCs with one hand tied behind my back. I will be putting a LOT more thought the order and placement of my NPCs.)</p><p></p><p>There is probably little chance of WotC issuing errata for the Pixie Music Box—at least before the season ends—but if they DO decide to change it, make it so the box has to be used as part of an extended rest (which the item description implies is the intended use). That should close up the exploit.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jelmore, post: 5874583, member: 56412"] I got to DM it for the first time today, and everything was fine... ...until a PC pulled out a Pixie Music Box on round 2. I was completely caught off-balance by it. It's not technically a magic item, so it doesn't fall under the limitations on consumable items. I did look at the character sheet at the start but it's just a line item under Equipment; there's not even an item card for it. (As it turned out, he had 3 of them.) I adapted as best as I could: the PC had actually set the PMB down at his feet and he was at the base of one of the walls, so it didn't cover the entire map. I ruled that if he left the square without taking the box, I could target it separately. (As a Tiny item, it would have AC 10, Fort 10, and Reflex 5; I would rule it is fragile, which gives it only 1 HP.) One of the players had DMed it before and had encountered the PMB; they had ruled that the dinosaurs didn't have to leave the area but could not attack, so I went with that. I also decided that crates could be attacked freely. Afterwards, I grabbed a copy of Heroes of the Feywild to look at the item in context, and probably would have had the dinosaurs move at best speed to the perimeter of the effect. I was unable to destroy the box before the 5th round. To make matters worse, the small crates were all stacked around Hyacinth; when she grew and pushed the boxes away from her, it built a little cage which she had to poke enough holes in to squeeze her way through in order to get away. On the plus side, it also meant that the PCs couldn't slide her into the adjacent tar field. This is annoying because now I have to assume that any PC in future sessions could have one or more Pixie Music Box, completely nullifying the dinosaurs. I could say that they can't take them, but on what grounds? Given that it is official Organized Play, I feel there's a limit to how far out of the box I can step when making rulings. The rules of Lair Assault specifically state that ANYTHING in ANY official 4e source is fair game, and the game is aimed at CharOp fanatics and min-maxers. So congrats! You reprogrammed the Kobayashi Maru! (At the same time, there's some satisfaction as a DM of beating the PCs with one hand tied behind my back. I will be putting a LOT more thought the order and placement of my NPCs.) There is probably little chance of WotC issuing errata for the Pixie Music Box—at least before the season ends—but if they DO decide to change it, make it so the box has to be used as part of an extended rest (which the item description implies is the intended use). That should close up the exploit. [/QUOTE]
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