D&D 5E (OOC) Rise of the Dracolich (Full)

[FitzTheRuke]

I think that "oh you sail poorly so you have to take shelter in a bad area" is a reasonable consequence of a failed roll. "you hit rocks and drown, make new characters" would.... well I know damn well *you* wouldn't do that, but some people...

Anyway, still astounded how *close* it was.

Always fun when every roll matters!

I've taught DM's workshops where I try to teach what I call "the Illusion of Disaster". You'll have seen it with things like when the CR23 Dracolich was searching for your level 7 characters while they were trying not to drown to get across the river. He could have found you, had you done ALL the wrong things (not just bad rolls, but also bad decisions) but it was not likely. You had teleported and he couldn't possibly know where to look. On top of that, he was searching by air and there were other people (the Beast Boys) fleeing on foot by the road - much easier to spot! But I sure as heck described it as he's coming around the mountain, about to dive down and kill you all.

The illusion of disaster is fun. Actual disaster is not. Still, actual disaster has to be possible to have a sense of accomplishment. It should just only result from a series of unfortunate events, not one bad roll and its all over. Especially not in what is otherwise an unimportant cut-scene!

That's how I see it, anyway.

 

[tglassy]

Oh absolutely. Bad rolls make interesting games. I just hate feeling as if everything I try fails and the bad guys always make their saves. Of course, all it really does is push me to find new ways to be effective, like illusions and using the Help Action and the like. Bards are good for that.

 

[gargoyleking]

Btw, unless the dagger has a special exemption, Mord needs to ritual cast Animate Dead every day to keep control of the Mordguard. He'd prefer to do it in private so as not to freak the crew out. (Even more)

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Right. To make matters worse than I described, there's almost no privacy on a Longship. It's not something they cared about. I'll post something to the effect.

 

[Ancalagon]

Will Mord inform the rest of the party about the crew's mutterings? Because that's no way to treat passengers.

 

[gargoyleking]

Mord isn't directly aware of what they're saying, though he can probably guess and also doesn't care enough to make it an issue. He feels that he can any potential trouble makers enough to keep them at bay. Loklafd is the one who is likely informing the group as a whole.

If need be, and he thinks Lofladl won't flip our at the news, Mord might explain what he's doing and why?

 

[gargoyleking]

Either that, or he could say he's casting a daily protection spell on himself and his bodyguards. One he can only cast in so many at a time.

 

[Ancalagon]

Unless the sailors have knowledge arcana, or the ritual is particularly ghastly, how would they know it's necromancy?

Kalorn could have a captain to captain talk - he can be convincing.

They already know there is at least one magic user on board - Kalorn has been using prestidigitation to keep the salt off his armor.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

They definitely don't know it's necromancy. All they know is they don't like the creepy weirdos. They're not bad folk, though, so I think it would not be hard to at least talk them out of throwing them overboard. It's probably not a serious suggestion, anyway. Feel free to give it a shot.

 

[Ancalagon]

Kalorn can't do so until Mord decides what to do - the ball is in his court Besides, Mord is probably just as good as doing the talking, the only thing Kalorn has that Mord doesn't is his "military creds".