D&D (2024) Messed Up an Encounter. Level 8 PCs.

[Zardnaar]

Brain was turning to mush due to daylight saving ending and I woke up at 5am new time.

I planned an encounter. 5 level 8 pcs cs 5 DM special vampire spawn and a night bringer vampire.

Myrkul buffed the basic spawn. They gained flight and basic class abilities. Cleric, fighter, wizard, rogue and Sorcerer.

Basic idea was they gain the classes saving throw proficiency and 18 prime ability, fighter and rogue extra HP and slight boost to AC.

My sleep deprived brain forgot about most of that part, 17 prime and basic abilities using MM only. 2 pages of notes brain switched off derp.
Vampire Spawn MM were.
1. Cleric. Based off npc mage but casts Cleric spells instead.

2. Fighter. Action surge refreshes on a 5/6, weapons abd armor.

3. Rogue. Bonus action stuff as thief. 5d6 sneak attack 3 short sword attacks.

4. Sorcerer. As NPC Mage more or less. 9 Sorcery points twin and heighten spell.

5. Wizard. More or less NPC mage with invoker sculpt spell ability.

Of course I ran then AC 16 and 2024 NM stats forgetting the "templates". They were flying and I thought a decent encounter turned into a cake walk. Messed up and daylight wrecks them. PCs cast daylight dispel magic failed and I messed up the encounter starting distance.

"Accidentally" clumped them tofather so 3/4 could be hit with AoE but far enough apart to avoid all of them.

I can write them off as mooks and redo the encounter tweaked as they weren't the named "elite" ones.

Any suggestions on a part 2 I guesstimate the elite spawn as CR 6 or 7.

And what sort of encounter is this for level 8 PCs? The crescendo for it is a carnival of souls battle. The carnival is a refluffed rakdos one from Ravnica, buffed random NPCs, performers from new MM. Fireworks, pillars of fire, floating narcotic haze. The carnival of souls is also a fiendish scam to collect souls via private performances so devils could get in on it.

This week's session was pure roleplaying almost 1 encounter. The carnival might take 2 sessions.

Rough outline/plan.

Session 1. This week mostly social and RP.

Session 2. Circus starts, 4 major acts, several sideshow.

Session 3. Carnival of souls starts. Combat breaks out.

Session 4. More Combat and social leasing up to big reveal.

Session 5. Bosses make an appearance if defeated an avatar of Myrkul appears. Defeat Avatar hit level 9.

Carnival can be R16 or 18. Inspirations Rakdos from Ravnica, Lost Boys and Blade 2 movies, Sharess Kiss and Cazador elements of BG3. Narcotics and booze also fine to use. One PC already drunk blood wine DM special.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

You didn’t screw up. they just turn to mist and fled only to return newly buffed and informed of the PCs abilities. Right? Right?

Ps: I didn’t think daylight was true sunlight. Did that change in dnd2024?

Edit. I just read the new version. Vampires are kind of screwed.

 

[Zardnaar]

You didn’t screw up. they just turn to mist and fled only to return newly buffed and informed of the PCs abilities. Right? Right?

Ps: I didn’t think daylight was true sunlight. Did that change in dnd2024?

Edit. I just read the new version. Vampires are kind of screwed.

Screwed old version as well. To a lesser extent.

Dispel magic failed along with counterspell yay.

Light Cleric, Celestial Warlock in party.

Daylight hoses Cazador in BG3 along with ottos irrestible dance.

Encounter was designed conceptually 2014 rules got new MM 2 weeks ago.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Daylight as sunlight makes so much sense but it really does hose vampires. Despite buffing them. Darkness cast at 3rd level should automatically counter daylight, no?

“If any of this spell's area overlaps with an area of Darkness created by a spell of level 3 or lower, that other spell is dispelled.” So no need for a dispel or counterspell check.

Ps. There are no darkness spells higher than level 2. In previous editions, there was an equivalent light/dark spell for each level. So daylight used to have its level 3 darkness equivalent. (I think it was called deeper darkness)

They should precast an upcast darkness on objects and have them in their pockets (so it doesn’t blind them). If sunlight is cast, take out the objects and it will dispel those sections of daylight.

Also, simply covering an object stops daylight. So if they cast it on an item, you should have some mooks who are unaffected by daylight to try to cover the object or steal it.

 

[jgsugden]

Might I suggest the use of Hunger of Hadar by that (Aberrant) Sorcerer. The important line in the spell is "No light, magical or otherwise, can illuminate the area, and creatures fully within it have the Blinded condition."

Yes, your spawn are taking damage from cold and acid - and are blind - but so are the foes. The spawn may also be able to use magic or other abilities to offset those challenges (fighter has 10' of blindsight, cleric casts resistances in advance, etc...)

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Okay, I just confirmed that upcasting changes the effective level of the spell. So an upcast darkness spell is considered 3rd level if cast from a 3rd level slot.

It will, therefore, automatically dispel daylight in that area.

It’s a very easy and reliable defense. You have at least two casters with the potential to cast darkness and it lasts 10mins.

So two castings precast and then covered up until needed. (It’s concentration). Then cast as needed during the combat.

Hell, maybe have a wand of upcast darkness that lower level mook can use. It makes sense they’d have some kind of defense against that.

 

[Zardnaar]

Okay, I just confirmed that upcasting changes the effective level of the spell. So an upcast darkness spell is considered 3rd level if cast from a 3rd level slot.

It will, therefore, automatically dispel daylight in that area.

It’s a very easy and reliable defense. You have at least two casters with the potential to cast darkness and it lasts 10mins.

So two castings precast and then covered up until needed. (It’s concentration). Then cast as needed during the combat.

Hell, maybe have a wand of upcast darkness that lower level mook can use. It makes sense they’d have some kind of defense against that.

That works. Daylight doesn't require concentration lol.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

That works. Daylight doesn't require concentration lol.

Yeah, shouldn’t matter. From the description it just gets rid of the sections where it overlaps. So you’ll have the half crescents of daylight where the darkness neutralized it. Which I think persists even after darkness goes away?? The description says that section of the daylight is dispelled

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, shouldn’t matter. From the description it just gets rid of the sections where it overlaps. So you’ll have the half crescents of daylight where the darkness neutralized it. Which I think persists even after darkness goes away?? The description says that section of the daylight is dispelled

Not sure if it's outright duspellef. The darkness spell can bee interrupted and woukd have to be upcast to 4th level iirc.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Not sure if it's outright duspellef. The darkness spell can bee interrupted and woukd have to be upcast to 4th level iirc.

Here is the text from daylight:

“If any of this spell's area overlaps with an area of Darkness created by a spell of level 3 or lower, that other spell is dispelled.”

So it is dispelled. But now that I read it, it says the OTHER spell is dispelled.

darkness: If any of this spell’s area overlaps with an area of Bright Light or Dim Light created by a spell of level 2 or lower, that other spell is dispelled.

So this seems like a weird thing where they made Daylight a combat spell and failed to include its counterpart. You’re right that it probably has to be cast at 4th level if you rule it can dispel daylight. Unless you rule that the second spell always dispels the first spell. In previous editions, they countered each other and both were dispelled