Profecy of Priestess new blog entry

[vagabundo]

And I thought sticking too powerful monsters on PC's was a bad thing. Something only matched by the use of Deus Ex Machinas.

As always, if your going to break this rule of thumb, you have to be very careful to ensure the PCs are the main players. These kinds of encounters are the encounters that table legends are made of.

 

[el-remmen]

after Valinae had gone through about five times her max hp

It is that kind of thing that doesn't sit right with me. Too much easy access to healing mid-fight. . . .

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

It is that kind of thing that doesn't sit right with me. Too much easy access to healing mid-fight. . . .

What? This is way below what I'd be able to heal as my cleric in 3.5e. I can cast Heal 7 times per day. Each time, it essentially restores one character from empty to full.

And that's before I start using Cure Crits, Mass Cure Lights, and so on.

 

[Shieldhaven]

el-remmen, I'll point out that that kind of thing can happen just as easily in 3.x if you have a paladin and an adjacent healer. Between the paladin's Lay On Hands and the healer's Cure Critical Wounds and so forth on down (hey, he did say they're 8th level), this kind of thing can happen - it's just that both the paladin and the healer are thoroughly drained thereafter. He does say that they ran out of daily and encounter powers...

Haven

 

[EATherrian]

Noob DM. Player characters never run away, ever.

My characters often run before the battle even begins. They're smart that way.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I guess it depends on how the rest of the campaign was being run. As a player I wouldn't be particularly happy with a DM throwing an unbeatable encounter at us then having an ally defeat it. If this was somehow a plot device to get the characters indebted to the priestess and then have to do some adventure to pay off the debt then maybe, even then I would end up resentful about the means of establishing the plot hook.

 

[Midknightsun]

On occassion, I see nothing wrong with a little duex ex machina for the PCs. A little. Though it can easily get overdone, I agree. Honestly, it makes sense now and then that the PCs are going to come up against things that are out of their league and need to beat a hasty retreat, or hope for help. Just like they sometimes come across cake encounters that barely make them break a sweat. The campaign sounds really cool, the way it was described, so I'd have no problem playing in it.

 

[Deadstop]

I guess it depends on how the rest of the campaign was being run. As a player I wouldn't be particularly happy with a DM throwing an unbeatable encounter at us then having an ally defeat it. If this was somehow a plot device to get the characters indebted to the priestess and then have to do some adventure to pay off the debt then maybe, even then I would end up resentful about the means of establishing the plot hook.

I reacted the same way at first. But the report doesn't indicate that the priestess-monster has beaten the angel yet. The session ended when she entered combat.

Also, it was still the players who earned those NPC allies, and even the players' actions that influenced the priestess-monster to take their side (imagine if they'd attacked her too!).

Sounds like the plan for his next session is an ongoing battle against the angel, with the PCs now supported by allies and perhaps having a chance to win.

Overall, this doesn't seem to be quite the same thing as "Haha! Watch my awesome NPC fight the monster you couldn't beat!" More like "Holy crud, they're still fighting it. Not looking for a TPK here, better throw in a powerful ally to give them a chance."


Deadstop

 

[Lacyon]

I guess it depends on how the rest of the campaign was being run. As a player I wouldn't be particularly happy with a DM throwing an unbeatable encounter at us then having an ally defeat it. If this was somehow a plot device to get the characters indebted to the priestess and then have to do some adventure to pay off the debt then maybe, even then I would end up resentful about the means of establishing the plot hook.

As long as the DM gives and takes it seems fine. I mean, today we almost get our butts handed to us, and someone we've had experience with in the past comes to help. Tomorrow, we find some of our old friends getting clobbered by monsters, and we jump in to save them.

I find that such things, when done well (and somewhat sparingly), do a lot to make the world feel bigger. They also encourage PCs to try to make friends, because you never know whose help you might need down the line.

 

[Michele Carter]

*laughs* Maybe I can expand on this a little. Interesting encounter--to me, it really highlighted the defender role and the worth of the paladin as a damage-sink. I knew it before, but seeing it in full action was impressive.

(It was, BTW, Gerhart who did most of the aforementioned ****ing off. Valenae tried to keep him out of trouble, but failed; by this point, she has determined that she is no longer responsible for his actions. Will fight beside him, yes, but she is not going to sacrifice herself for his troublemaking again. Even a paladin has limits.)

But they wouldn't @#%%#@$ retreat! (Although, to be honest, when the thing showed up Valenae didn't really think there was any chance of escape anyway. What, an *angel* is going to be deterred if we jumped out a window?) It was clear very quickly that we could barely hit the thing, much less damage it, and Valenae was all set to cover the retreat...which kept. Being. DELAYED because people wouldn't leave. Went "through about five times her max hp"--yep, and used every healing resource I had, and those of the party, to do so. I think she's got a handful of healing surges left, but no way to access them, so tonight's game should be interesting. Still, I *liked* the fact that I could soak up that much damage and keep the rest of the party from harm.

"the paladin threw down her sword"-- desperation move. We saw the priestess's form in the sky, and Valenae knew that she was at the end of her rope...and if the angel started hitting other party members, they were dead. In my head, it was more elegant than described: she turned toward the creature, bowed, laid her sword down on the ground in front of it as a sign of peace and allegiance, and turned back to engage the still-challenged angel with only her shield and her fists.

Like I said, she's out of healing options and down to at-will powers (that aren't hitting anyway), so tonight we'll see how long Valenae lasts....