D&D 5E New Vecna Battle (Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE!!!) - CONCLUDED

[Stalker0]

Option 2 then. That will be a majority and we'll move forward with it. Flanking will only grant advantage on directly opposite spacing.

4.2.12 (Ezabard) You begin to chant your overchanneled fireball when a piercing pain echoes in your head (you take 16 psychic damage as your spell is interrupted). The two shadows (green and yellow) are still engaged against You can go up to 30 feet with misty step, which space (1-10) would you like to teleport to?

View attachment 252925

I would assume 7-10 someplace?

10

 

[DND_Reborn]

10

OK. Thanks!

4.2.12 (Ezabard Con't) You misty step past the shattered doorway, when a loud, grating noise comes from the hallway behind you! You have barely moments to act, but you think you can make it back to the others before you are shut off (successful roll 8+8 vs DC 15 DEX save).

Do you want to use your speed to move back into the hall, or trust the others and call for them to push forward?

What you see depends on if you want to stay in the room or move back into the hall. Time is of the essence here so you won't really have time to scan the room in any detail if you want to turn around and run back into the hall....

Truesight will reveal some things if you stay and the result of your Wisdom (Perception) check.

EDIT: Calling it a night. I'll try to check in the morning before work to finish Ezabard's turn at least. If not, I'll do it when I get home from work.

 

[Stalker0]

I guess the big question is, what is that pillar of darkness in the middle of the room? Is it literally a column of utter darkness?

 

[Stalker0]

This is a call out to my fellow players, I'm trying to utilize my 20 int to figure out why I'm not seeing Vecna.

(though I don't know this in character, I'm assuming it for the discussion, again this is my 20 int brain just going through the possibilities). Assuming Vecna's counterspell needs line of sight, I should have seen him when he did his counterspell ability, even if he had been hiding before. I have truesight to counter darkness, illusions, and invisibility (is there anything that blocks truesight other than actual fog?). So I'm trying to think how else could Vecna be throwing down the whammy without me getting a glimpse of him?

 

[DorkForge]

Given that you have 20 Int and Truesight, I would encourage you to stop thinking about it as a D&D problem, and wonder why you couldn't see someone in real life

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I think we need to figure out how he can see you while you can't see him. Otherwise I'd say that it's because he's behind something.

I'm having trouble figuring out what's going on here myself. I can't imagine how I set off a trap, so I can only assume that Vecna cast a petrify spell on me while I was working on the trap. So he's somewhere within range of that.

Probably in that black font in the middle, but I don't know why truesight can't see in there.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I guess the big question is, what is that pillar of darkness in the middle of the room? Is it literally a column of utter darkness?

This was covered a few pages ago:

EZABARD (ONLY): In the magical darkness, Ezabard sees a tower of stone with what appears to be arrow slits (bold added). (RED ARROW)

Again, NO OTHER PC SEES THIS: all the rest just see the pillar of dark-flame.

Answer: Ezabard sees a stone tower with arrow slits within the column of darkness (which is magical and preventing the others from seeing the stone tower). Your truesight reveals this much.

Assuming Vecna's counterspell needs line of sight, I should have seen him when he did his counterspell ability, even if he had been hiding before. I have truesight to counter darkness, illusions, and invisibility (is there anything that blocks truesight other than actual fog?). So I'm trying to think how else could Vecna be throwing down the whammy without me getting a glimpse of him?

What truesight does NOT reveal are creatures obscured or hidden from sight, nor does it allow you to see through solid objects (such as the stone tower). IOW, Vecna is hidden from you, i.e. his Dexterity (Stealth) beat your passive perception (18). Until he attacks or casts a spell again, or you use your Action to try to see him within the tower and beat his Dexterity (Stealth) roll, he remains hidden. Truesight also does not reveal mechanical traps, secret doors, etc. unless they are also magical in some manner.

So, Ezabard would realize a few possibilities: Vecna is hidden from you, scrying you, or has assistance. However, since you know scrying is concentration, and so is flesh to stone, you think he must be hidden (probably within the tower to have Line of Sight) or has assistance.

Now, once you decide if Ezabard will run back into the hallway before the wall closes it off OR call for the others to join you, I can describe what you see briefly (if you run back) or in detail (if you are staying there and have a few moments to process what you see). The image I posted shows a LARGE room with the tower/darkness in the middle, the rest you can discern from the image as a player as you want, but what your character gets (in additional detail) must wait until you decide what Ezabard is doing in response to the closing trap.

This is what I am waiting on, so I can finish your turn depending on your choice.

Given that you have 20 Int and Truesight, I would encourage you to stop thinking about it as a D&D problem, and wonder why you couldn't see someone in real life

This is my preference as well. I am running this as an encounter, so I prefer players to react from the information given without me having to explain the mechanics/rulings behind it. But for the sake of moving things along...

I'm having trouble figuring out what's going on here myself. I can't imagine how I set off a trap

You didn't.

so I can only assume that Vecna cast a petrify spell on me while I was working on the trap

Vecna or an ally of his would be a reasonable assumption for Pyre.

So he's somewhere within range of that.

Probably in that black font in the middle, but I don't know why truesight can't see in there.

Because it is a stone tower and truesight cannot see through walls.

 

[Helldritch]

You should not give that much info.
Or at least, put it into spoiler format!


Pffft... revealing too much spoils the fun.

 

[Stalker0]

My issue though is this:

1) I was watching around the corner and able to see the stone pillar while pylim worked on the symbol. I even mentioned that I was “looking for anything suspicious with my true sight”. So if Vecna was casting a spell through an arrow slit, he should not have remained hidden from me.

2) this is more debatable, but I would rule that if Vecna did counterspell me through an arrow slit, that would reveal him as well. It seems against the spirit of the hide rules to be able to do an offensive action and remain hidden, as that normally requires special feats like skulker.

Now if Vecna is not hidden behind the wall or is able to cast not through arrow slits but through the wall itself somehow than my objections are mute, but otherwise I really should have seen him by now.

Ok so my rulesawyering done, to keep things moving I’ll assume I still see nothing, and post my move in the next post

 

[Stalker0]

Ezabard has only a split second to make a decision, but with a mind like his, it’s an eternity. He calculates the infinite possibilities in meer moments, and considers his options.

At the end, something is clearly here, whether Vecna, a minion perhaps, or some other magical effect. If that effect is not stopped, the fight ends here…and Ezabard will not allow that.

He surges forward, moving behind the altar or rock (whatever that thing is on the map right ahead of me that looks like some kind of small structure) and will duck down behind it to gain cover.