D&D 5E Methods to split the party

[AriochQ]

Just wanting to pick brains for a bit...

My group (lvl 5-6) is about to try to take down a necromancer type, but rather than let them have a straight up fight I am thinking I want to build tension by slowly peeling party members off as they work their way toward his lair. They will then be reunited in a prison and do the standard bust out, grab our gear, kick a$$.

The setting is a fortified castle, they have already gained entry to an empty room and know the rough direction of the necromancer, but will have to sneakily traverse passages and rooms to actually get to him.

A couple thoughts I have had so far:
Paralyze, or stone, one of them.
Drop one in a pit who then is immobilized through a spell and thrown in a cell.

Any other interesting ways to peel off party members one by one? The key is that the character either has to be removed or rendered useless until they are reunited in the prison cell.

Looking forward to hearing people's suggestions!

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

I would urge that you design your traps so that there is a fair chance for the party to deal with them. It takes the fun out for players when they realize that they were victim to an unwinnable situation. They should be able to make decisions so that they ultimately control their fate. So for each trap, have some sort of saving mechanic and ensure that the traps are detectable if the PCs decide to search the area that they are in.

That said, there are a number of ways to do this:
- Monster wise ghouls can excel at this kind of tactic. They can inflict paralysis on a hit and can then drag off incapacitated PCs.
- You can have pit traps, with slides that lead to unknown chambers below (this is even fun if you leave the pit open after triggered so that other PCs follow into the dark).
- Magical portals that open and close at random intervals or close when someone steps through them.
- Grasping vines that hang from the ceiling and grab anything that tries to brush them aside.
- Rooms where the doors are sealed off if a pressure plate on the other side of a door is triggered

 

[Nebulous]

what Monkeez said. To add, i also agree that if they CAN'T possibly escape a trap, if one by one they are separated, it will seem like they had no choice in the matter and that they're being *forced* to escape from a predetermined jail scenario. And that takes some of the fun away.

I've had great success in past just separating one or two characters and then having them try to reunite with the others through a dangerous complex, that's quite a bit of fun.

 

[AriochQ]

what Monkeez said. To add, i also agree that if they CAN'T possibly escape a trap, if one by one they are separated, it will seem like they had no choice in the matter and that they're being *forced* to escape from a predetermined jail scenario. And that takes some of the fun away.

I've had great success in past just separating one or two characters and then having them try to reunite with the others through a dangerous complex, that's quite a bit of fun.

I run a VERY sandbox campaign, so what I plan and what actually occurs rarely match up lol. They would most likely avoid some, but not all, of the traps. I do like the idea of splitting the party into two groups, maybe with some magical barrier. Then I could have them meet via a circuitous route through the castle.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Any other interesting ways to peel off party members one by one? The key is that the character either has to be removed or rendered useless until they are reunited in the prison cell.

At my table, all it takes to split the party is a four-way intersection: one direction for each PC!

*sigh* Somehow they're still alive.

 

[Nebulous]

This one worked well for me recently in a sewer complex. I deliberately targeted the dwarf cleric with the lowest Dex save in hopes that he'd fail. He did. A platform jettisoned him into a slick chute that led to a whirlpool that sucked him down and he had to make saves for 3 rounds or start drowning, and he eventually surfaced in another part of the complex covered with filth and sees some alligator thing (it was vampiric actually) swimming away from him.

It didn't too long to reunite the others, but I could have just as easily placed in on the far side of the map out of earshot, or even put some locked doors or walls between them.

 

[Sunseeker]

The best way to force a party split is to give them choices. Unwinnable situations and inevitable capture are poor ways to accomplish pretty much anything. Worse, you might end up peeling off party members you didn't plan on (as a group, each unique member keeps the group balanced, on their own, each party member has defined strengths and weaknesses).

Suggestion: a gate needs to be unlocked, but the switch for the gate is a pressure switch, so someone has to stand on it (or some weight of a certain amount has to be applied to it). So Bob has to stay behind in order to let the party through the gate.

Personally, I don't like the sound of your setup, for claiming to run a sandbox game, you sound like you're looking for a very structured and pre-rendered scenario (party gets whittled down until they are all captured and then have to break out of prison).

 

[Crothian]

what Monkeez said. To add, i also agree that if they CAN'T possibly escape a trap, if one by one they are separated, it will seem like they had no choice in the matter and that they're being *forced* to escape from a predetermined jail scenario. And that takes some of the fun away.

The reason it takes the fun away is it feels unfair to the players and it is. So, tell them what might happen before the session and just tell them to go with it. I have found that players are willing to occasionally go down a predetermined path if there is good payoff. Also, if they know they are supposed to be divided then you don't have to create some half ass solutions the players will do it themselves in ways that fit the narrative better.

 

[AriochQ]

The best way to force a party split is to give them choices. Unwinnable situations and inevitable capture are poor ways to accomplish pretty much anything. Worse, you might end up peeling off party members you didn't plan on (as a group, each unique member keeps the group balanced, on their own, each party member has defined strengths and weaknesses).

Suggestion: a gate needs to be unlocked, but the switch for the gate is a pressure switch, so someone has to stand on it (or some weight of a certain amount has to be applied to it). So Bob has to stay behind in order to let the party through the gate.

Personally, I don't like the sound of your setup, for claiming to run a sandbox game, you sound like you're looking for a very structured and pre-rendered scenario (party gets whittled down until they are all captured and then have to break out of prison).

I don't see an issue with having an rough idea of how I expect the adventure to go, but not being tied to it turning out that way. That is my definition of sandbox. After 38 years of running D&D games, I think it works best to have a rough outline and then some plans for expected twists the adventure could take. While 'seat of the pants' DMing will almost always be needed in a sandbox, IMHO the adventure experience is much better if you can pre-plan for foreseeable contingencies whenever possible. A meaningful co-construction of reality is the ultimate goal. That is rewarding on several levels.

 

[AriochQ]

I think many are missing the point. The outcome is not predetermined. The Necromancer could pick from a myriad of options to protect himself. In this case, I am considering a divide and conquer strategy. It might work, it might not. It depends entirely on the actions of the party. My original post was just asking for options in such a scenario.