D&D 5E Next session a character might die. Am I being a jerk?

[Theo R Cwithin]

This situation doesn't doesn't sound unfair to me at all. I mean, that's what revenants are for.

It could be a great recurring headache for the party for a while -- especially if it shows up not every night, but only at inopportune times wearing different bodies.
If you're really concerned about it, you could always provide a way for the killer to somehow offer amends and lay the revenant to rest, perhaps with the help of its colleagues.

 

[Nebulous]

This situation doesn't doesn't sound unfair to me at all. I mean, that's what revenants are for.

It could be a great recurring headache for the party for a while -- especially if it shows up not every night, but only at inopportune times wearing different bodies.
If you're really concerned about it, you could always provide a way for the killer to somehow offer amends and lay the revenant to rest, perhaps with the help of its colleagues.

Yeah, revenants always have been designed to BREAK the rules PCs are used to. So I think you're fine man

 

[Nebulous]

Probably over 25 years ago, I had run Tallow's Deep for my brother and one of his high school friends 3 years younger than me. You old farts remember Tallow's Deep from the magazine, and the goblins chanting "Grishog! Grishog!" Anyway, first timer had his first PC ever die at the conclusion of Tallow's Deep, speared to death by every direction as he valiantly jumped to a table. Fast forward a few months they had forgotten about the defeated Grishog king who came seeking revenge. Back then the revenant choked your character for ungodly damage every round. They were so terrified when he dropped that they hacked every piece up and burned them and dropped Grishog's ashes into the sea.

 

[Flamestrike]

The Wizard is Evilly aligned right?

 

[Todd Roybark]

As for encounter CR, it is fine.

Thematically I wonder is it appropriate? Revenants are typically moved by a hate that will not be denied. From the description provided, it sounded as if something else had brought the acolytes low, rather than the party.

How does the NG God of Light/Life feel about undead? Lathander from the Forgotten Realms, as an example, hates undead. If the god from the OP, feels similarly about undead as Lathander, the acolyte is literally rejecting their life’s work and eternal salvation to come back from the grave to find their unknown killer...whom in essence performed a coup de grace against them when dying.

I agree with others that hyping the horror elements is key. If you want to go this way.

1) Have the party awaken to find scrawled, in the blood of a dismembered animal, on the tiny hut: “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID”.

2) Have the party find tracks leading back to the grave, that presumably they dug for the acolyte.
The earth on the grave appears disturbed, and freshly applied, but still a burial mound.
If the party exhumes the grave, the body is still there, with blood on it’s fingers.

3) Have the Revenant, stalk the party..appearing to other party mates and demanding the necromancer be submitted to the justice of the aforementioned god, or they share the doom of the necromancer.

4) Have the Revenant leave an exact illustration of the person the Necromancer loves most,(besides themselves), with the words: “A life for a life..”

The natural setup seems too good to just use as a late night ambush.

 

[akr71]

Revenant is CR 5. Party will be at full strength.
the odds are in favor of the party, and probably without any death.

I forgot to add that the rest of the party may not come to the necromancer's aid, but there is little I can do about that. If that happens the wizard will likely die a quick death.

You might want to consider some option of atonement for this, because attacking every night is going to be boring.

Of course if this happened to my players they'd just knock the revenant unconscious and bury it or otherwise trap it.

Yes. Likely it won't attack every night, but I can certainly keep it in my back pocket for when the party seems complacent.

The atonement angle is good. Gotta work on that... recover a relic for the acolyte's former temple... take a level as Celestial Warlock and devote her life to the deity ... search out your necromancer father and kill him...

The Wizard is Evilly aligned right?

LOL - when the murder happened, my wife looked across the table and said "What is your alignment?" The necromancer's player replies chaotic good. My wife laughed and said "I don't think so." She has been playing lawful evil as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Krachek]

I forgot to add that the rest of the party may not come to the necromancer's aid, but there is little I can do about that. If that happens the wizard will likely die a quick death.

so it seem that he got a fair trial, then apply the sentence.

 

[Stormdale]

My only issue with the whole situation is the DM feeling they need to telegraph how they want to party to resolve the situation. Maybe the necromancer has already shown a tendency to disregard other life so killing the helpless acolytes is a fair and reasonable action for them to do (from the characters perspective).

Quote:
"These were supposed to be npc's that they were to rescue, not murder. The party was a little suspicious of the whole thing, thinking the acolytes were evil somehow. Obviously, I should have done a better job telegraphing who these unfortunate victims were."

My number #1 rule of Dming I simple- No adventure/encounter will go the way you expect it to so just let go, relax and just adjudicate what happens. Don’t try to pre-guess or predetermine what the pcs will do cos the only truth in D&D is it will not be what you expected!.

The adventure occurs when the players (via their pcs) interact with the set up, your job then is to sort out the outcomes and consequences.

So they didn't react you expected, that there is the adventure- hoe they decided to deal with the set up. The paladin could have stepped in before the necromancer did their thing but didn’t- so what is the consequence of the paladin? Anything? Having troubled dreams, nightmares?

My #2 rule of Dming: For every action there shalt be a reaction

Now they are about to learn the consequences of their actions. Will they die? Who knows till dice are rolled but in my experience players can be pretty damn resourceful and overcome all kinds of things I expect to be end of their characters.


So for now a little side encounter IS the adventure! And that is the magic of D&D Nothing is predetermined (something most module writers still need to learn).

Good luck with it, I don’t see your response as being unreasonable and whatever happens will be an interesting session.


Stormdale

 

[akr71]

As for encounter CR, it is fine.

Thematically I wonder is it appropriate? Revenants are typically moved by a hate that will not be denied. From the description provided, it sounded as if something else had brought the acolytes low, rather than the party.

How does the NG God of Light/Life feel about undead? Lathander from the Forgotten Realms, as an example, hates undead. If the god from the OP, feels similarly about undead as Lathander, the acolyte is literally rejecting their life’s work and eternal salvation to come back from the grave to find their unknown killer...whom in essence performed a coup de grace against them when dying.

I agree with others that hyping the horror elements is key. If you want to go this way.

1) Have the party awaken to find scrawled, in the blood of a dismembered animal, on the tiny hut: “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID”.

2) Have the party find tracks leading back to the grave, that presumably they dug for the acolyte.
The earth on the grave appears disturbed, and freshly applied, but still a burial mound.
If the party exhumes the grave, the body is still there, with blood on it’s fingers.

3) Have the Revenant, stalk the party..appearing to other party mates and demanding the necromancer be submitted to the justice of the aforementioned god, or they share the doom of the necromancer.

4) Have the Revenant leave an exact illustration of the person the Necromancer loves most,(besides themselves), with the words: “A life for a life..”

The natural setup seems too good to just use as a late night ambush.

Hmm... They are acolytes of Lathander. The dialogue I wrote for him alludes to his soul being offered revenge while awaiting his judgement in the afterlife. Who or what offered it, he doesn't know. He took the opportunity.

I really like the encounter, but I fear the player - and possibly the rest of the group - might feel I've unfairly targeted this one player. However, I didn't make them murder an unconscious human. I've had this encounter set to go for a while now, but the player hasn't shown up for several sessions. We moved to a virtual setting (global pandemic) and the player hasn't bothered to join. I really don't feel right about killing a PC without the player present, so I keep putting it off.

I might just suggest that the necromancer wanders off to pursue other interests. If the player comes back when the real world has returned to a more normal situation, I'll ask her to create a new, less controversial character.

 

[Flamestrike]

LOL - when the murder happened, my wife looked across the table and said "What is your alignment?" The necromancer's player replies chaotic good.

Chaotic Good! WTF?

Have you explained to the player that... you know... murder, is evil?

And if so, any reason you haven't changed their alignment?