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D&D 5E Phandelver Nothic
- Thread starter Werebat
- Start date
halfling rogue
Explorer
The nothic was weird. It didn't feel like it belonged in the hideout, despite the background info they gave. It felt like it was just plunked in there and it didn't have the best effect in my game. Maybe I played it wrong. And maybe my noob is showing but I've never even heard of a nothic until this adventure.
It's creepy, sure. And actually, in my game it was a memorable fight, but not because of anything nothic-y. An orc, or Redbrand, or anything would have probably done the same in my game. I do wonder if they wanted the players to try to roleplay with it a bit. But it was so creepy looking and it was just so out there that none of my players even considered talking to it. Even when it knew secrets. They were like, "this thing is in my head. KILL IT!"
It's creepy, sure. And actually, in my game it was a memorable fight, but not because of anything nothic-y. An orc, or Redbrand, or anything would have probably done the same in my game. I do wonder if they wanted the players to try to roleplay with it a bit. But it was so creepy looking and it was just so out there that none of my players even considered talking to it. Even when it knew secrets. They were like, "this thing is in my head. KILL IT!"
Werebat
First Post
My players just walked right past it, even as it tried to talk to them about personal trauma from their pasts that it should have had no way of knowing anything about.
They were like: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13Xk5TqyWE
They were like: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13Xk5TqyWE
My players named the nothic frank. oh we finished phandelver and my party had an interesting relationship with frank. They talked to frank and got him to be neutrel in their fight against glass staff as they were going to feed glass staff to him. This blew up in their faces when they lost in their fight against glassstaff (they gave him time to prepare and he used his scroll of fireball on them). When they tried to retreat frank stood in their way... the got frank to leave them alone by telling them where the prisoners were... Frank ate the little boy.
The awesome thing about frank is latter in the adventure they made their way back to the hideout and finally killed him off. But frank is not gone. when he died his blood scorched a symbol into the stone. The warlock of the party took a rest at the marking and received a vision of frank. Frank had been a mortal wizard in life and while in his nothic form he remembered none of his magic, but his spirit lived on. The warlock made a deal with him and allowed frank to survive in his own mind. and now "Frank" lives in him whispering eldritch secrets and deeper power...
The awesome thing about frank is latter in the adventure they made their way back to the hideout and finally killed him off. But frank is not gone. when he died his blood scorched a symbol into the stone. The warlock of the party took a rest at the marking and received a vision of frank. Frank had been a mortal wizard in life and while in his nothic form he remembered none of his magic, but his spirit lived on. The warlock made a deal with him and allowed frank to survive in his own mind. and now "Frank" lives in him whispering eldritch secrets and deeper power...
doctorhook
Adventurer
I played up the nothic as a gibbering horror, who showed you images of your own past when it stared at you with its creepy eye. My n00b players ate it right up; they still talk about that nothic.
ExploderWizard
Hero
Your party actually got to know nothic!
You know nothic Jon Snow!
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothic.
Lancelot
Adventurer
I loved the nothic. I adopted stream-of-consciousness creepy statements coming out of the shadows, references to it being able to taste the PCs' emotions, vague glimpses of its form in the darkness. I didn't bother rolling for its Weird Insight - it automatically knew all their secrets. Fun.
I thought it was an inspired choice for the module. It's a little-used creature, and not well-known to many players. My 20-year-veterans genuinely had no idea what the heck it was (they've never encountered one before), and were completely freaked out by it. They had no idea if it was a "level-appropriate" fight, so were immediately running scared (attempting diplomacy, hiding in the shadows, begging for mercy). When a fight finally erupted, every PC's first action was to make sure they weren't the person in the front of the party... which of course didn't help them against Rotting Gaze...
I thought it was an inspired choice for the module. It's a little-used creature, and not well-known to many players. My 20-year-veterans genuinely had no idea what the heck it was (they've never encountered one before), and were completely freaked out by it. They had no idea if it was a "level-appropriate" fight, so were immediately running scared (attempting diplomacy, hiding in the shadows, begging for mercy). When a fight finally erupted, every PC's first action was to make sure they weren't the person in the front of the party... which of course didn't help them against Rotting Gaze...
Michael Kermon
First Post
HAHAHAHA That's great!!
Lowlin
Villager
I did the Gollum voice. Offering secrets about the hideout for bodies or valuables. One body or 30GP for a small secret(like location of undiscovered enemies) and 3 bodies or 100GP for a big secret(secret door to Glasstaff)
"Strangers give tasssty flessshies or shinies. Put in crevasse for secrets." When they discovered the chest under the bridge it became mad and threatened attack. "NO! My shiniesss. No touch!"
"Strangers give tasssty flessshies or shinies. Put in crevasse for secrets." When they discovered the chest under the bridge it became mad and threatened attack. "NO! My shiniesss. No touch!"
Lowlin
Villager
But I agree with people saying that the Nothic i strangely place. It can gain insight into players secrets. But since my players were new to D&D.. they had not had the time to "become" or symphatise with their characters enough for them to fear the Nothic revealing their secrets.
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Democratus
Explorer
jgsugden
Legend
I built a tool a ways back. It is an excel spreadsheet. It has columns for:
Name
Source
Intelligence
Charisma
Wisdom
Sanity
Honor
Confidence
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Extravertness
Openness
Stress Tolerance
Melodrama
I treat these like ability scores (ranked 3 to 30). When I see a TV, movie, etc... character I enjoy, I drop them on this sheet and assign them scores for some or all of these categories. I really only use 3, 7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25 and 30 on the chart. I am trying to remember where all the categories came from, but I can't for the life of me.
Then, when I need an NPC personality and nothing jumps out at me, I filter it down to the right range for the most relevant categories for the NPC and select one to use. I then do my best impression of the character, which is usually unrecognizable, but reminiscent from a style perspective. When writing the adventure, I can just drop in the name in brackets next to the NPC in the notes and I have an instant personality all ready to go.
It has about a thousand characters on it now from Buffy, Marvel, GoT, Gilmore Girls, Critical Role, 1980s Cartoons, Die Hard, the Sopranos ... anything I've seen, and in some case read.
Name
Source
Intelligence
Charisma
Wisdom
Sanity
Honor
Confidence
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Extravertness
Openness
Stress Tolerance
Melodrama
I treat these like ability scores (ranked 3 to 30). When I see a TV, movie, etc... character I enjoy, I drop them on this sheet and assign them scores for some or all of these categories. I really only use 3, 7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25 and 30 on the chart. I am trying to remember where all the categories came from, but I can't for the life of me.
Then, when I need an NPC personality and nothing jumps out at me, I filter it down to the right range for the most relevant categories for the NPC and select one to use. I then do my best impression of the character, which is usually unrecognizable, but reminiscent from a style perspective. When writing the adventure, I can just drop in the name in brackets next to the NPC in the notes and I have an instant personality all ready to go.
It has about a thousand characters on it now from Buffy, Marvel, GoT, Gilmore Girls, Critical Role, 1980s Cartoons, Die Hard, the Sopranos ... anything I've seen, and in some case read.
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Mull Ponders
Explorer
My players came in through the tunnel and the Nothic contacted them (one spoke undercommon). He had a grievance against Glassstaff, who had not been feeding him "fresh" meat. The Nothic told them about the roast chicken they had for dinner, then it threw out an arm and made it boil with necrotic damage as "proof" that Glassstaff was reneging on his deal. The Nothic mostly stayed hidden, they would get the occasional glimpse of a strange green limb or a gigantic eye. In the end they made a deal, it told them of the secret door. In exchange, they would give it Glassstaffs body, then it would give them the sword it owned, which it had no use for.
I played it as alternately enraged and insane with moments of lucidity and supernatural knowledge due to Truesight and it's Weird Insight ability.
I played it as alternately enraged and insane with moments of lucidity and supernatural knowledge due to Truesight and it's Weird Insight ability.
Rhenny
Adventurer
In my campaign, I had the nothic telepathically speak with the Dwarven cleric in the party. He would say how disappointed Moradin was with his performance and such. It creeped the player out. Then, the nothic tried to get the cleric to jump off the cliff to show his faith. The player was really thinking about it. He asked me over and over if he had to roll for anything. I just told him to do what he thought was right. It was one of the most powerful and memorable roleplaying moments that had nothing to do with game mechanics or rules. It was priceless.
Eventually the player decided to have his pc ponder, but then a bunch of Red Brands attacked and the nothic snuck up and tried to take the cleric down. The cleric and the party prevailed in the end.
Eventually the player decided to have his pc ponder, but then a bunch of Red Brands attacked and the nothic snuck up and tried to take the cleric down. The cleric and the party prevailed in the end.
Charlaquin
Goblin Queen
The Nothic in the redbrand hideout is up there with the mimic in Death House in terms of most out-of-place enemies of all time.
Democratus
Explorer
I liked having the Nothic there. It served as a reminder that the world below their feet was strange and unsettling.
Anything underground is always in danger of intersecting with the Mythic Underworld. Enter any dungeon at your peril.
Anything underground is always in danger of intersecting with the Mythic Underworld. Enter any dungeon at your peril.