Should I CDG them?

[Willtell]

In the next adventure my group will encounter 3 mummies, each mummy has a supernatural ability which causes anyone viewing them to make a DC 15 Will save or stand paralyised for 1d4 rounds.

1. Do the characters need to make one save per mummy or one save for seeing the group?. None of the characters have even a 50% chance of making all of the saves.

2. Should the mummies (int 6, wis 14) try and cdg anyone who fails a will save?. I thank thay are smart enough try and if they try the pc will most likely die.

 

[Crothian]

The PCs need to make a save for each mummy.

CDG is a full round actio that does provoke a AoO. As to if the Mummies would do this, I imagine it would depend on the situation. No reason they wouldn't, but you might want the mummy to grab and drag the PC away first, to give the PCs a round to respond.

 

[darkbard]

if you're feeling particularly nasty, give the mummies a level of fighter [or another class] and the death blow feat from sword and fist [coup de grace as a standard action].

edited for poor spelling.

 

[clark411]

If you want, make it depend on the history of the mummies involved.

If one of the mummies was a belligerent ruler who falls into any range of types from bully to sociopathic sacrificer of innocents- I could easily imagine the mummy shambling to the first PC and strangling him or her. Alternatively, if the mummies are an honor guard, I could see them spending any time they are given to arrange themselves better for combat. If they are the latter- give them a few props to make the rounds effective (one charge gems of desecrate or aid, etc). Then again, if undead in your campaign are simply hate-filled killing machines that seek to distinguish any life they see... CDGs sound appropriate. Same goes for them being as efficient as possible- the 6 int's sufficient for them to figure a CDG is best.

 

[christm]

You could make them mummy priests. The mummy's show up, paralyze some of the group, then proceed to try to drag the paralyzed group members back into another room to sacrifice/embalm/mummify them alive on an alter. If one pc is paralyzed then one mummy grabs him and takes off, the other two stay and try to subdue the group. If two are paralyzed then two grab pc's and take off, leaving one mummy for the weakened group to defeat to save their companions.

This would have the added effect that even if all the group were to fail their saves then the mummy's would only have time to drag one to the altar and disembowel him, allowing the rest time to recover while the other two wait their turns at the altar. Besides, a coupe de gras with a hooked wire up the nose is just to grusome to pass up.

The point of DND is to challenge the players and allow every body to have a good time. Paralyzing the group with fear and the slaughtering them will just ruin the night for everybody, and could result in a flipped table. (an obscure reference for all you KotDT fans)

 

[danzig138]

Depends

If the party had the option to paralyze a group of enemies and CDG them, would they do it? I know mine would, so I say, see how it plays out, and if the opportunity arises, kill 'em...kill 'em all Of course, they might get lucky and all save...

 

[retan]

I would say that this would depend on how many of the players were paralyzed. When I DM, the monsters usually concentrate on the threats that are active and ignore paralyzed opponents (who cannot hurt them) until the active ones are down. If everyone is either paralyzed or down, then the monsters would perform CDGs on paralyzed foes.

-- Retan

 

[wolff96]

Intelligence doesn't figure into whether or not the mummies CAN Coup de Grace; even an animal will go for the throat if it is trying to kill.

However, intelligence does figure into the tactics of a Coup de Grace. The mummies are smart enough to know that killing an opponent means that they will have to face one less opponent. Thus, if they can make a Coup de Grace against one party member without any of the other party members being able to interfere, I would say they will.

The paralysis only lasts 1d4 rounds. Since it's not ghoul or ghast paralysis and works visually, I would say that after they have to save once they don't have to save again against these mummies for 24 hours. Even worst case, the mummies will only get the chance to kill one character at most. And that's IF they fail their Fort Save against the Coup de Grace -- attack the fighter, cleric, or druid if you want the whole group to survive.

 

[AuraSeer]

Since it's not ghoul or ghast paralysis and works visually, I would say that after they have to save once they don't have to save again against these mummies for 24 hours.

That's how it works already, by the book.

 

[wolff96]

That's how it works already, by the book.

Didn't look up mummies before responding. I was thinking that the effect was something special cooked up for this fight.

Nice to see that my thinking is following along the same lines as those that wrote the MMs...