D&D 5E Sometimes, the dice gods let one roll determine the outcome of an entire campaign

[Sacrosanct]

Spoilers for Descent into Avernus to follow****

After several months of this campaign, we finally had confronted Zariel. We were 11th level (so slightly behind recommendations), and fairly low on resources since we had just had a battle. Deciding that there is no way we could survive a conflict with her, we decided to try to redeem her.

Make a persuasion check.

the fighter swallowed, did a brief prayer to the dice gods, and rolled.

A nat 20.

And that's how the campaign ended.

The good: Having a campaign come down to a single die roll, which was a nat 20, was pretty epic.

The bad: Designing a game so that the final end game, after months of playing, comes down to a single roll that either means you "won", or you TPK, is bad game design in my opinion. If that die roll failed, and we got wiped out, I'd be disappointed.

 

[commandercrud]

Faulty logic. If you had failed that and had combat, there would have been probably dozens of more rolls. The final roll that killed them or TPKed you would have then been the final roll. All campaigns have a "final" die roll.

 

[ccs]

Thats it? Thats all it takes to "win" this adventure?? A single persuasion roll? Whats the DC?
Step 1) Make it to BBEG
Step 2) roll high on a single persuasion roll (role playing optional - i mean how often have we heard players say something like "i try & persuade them", or "I search"?)

So this adventure has just as a ridiculous end game as it does a starting premise (low lv adventurers sent into Hell on an absurd rescue mission).

Were I a player in this id feel so cheated.

 

[jasper]

WHAT? You had pcs who actually wanted to talk to the Duchess? I see your point. But part of the book was the travels you did.

 

[Charlaquin]

 

[Torquar]

Thats it? Thats all it takes to "win" this adventure?? A single persuasion roll? Whats the DC?
Step 1) Make it to BBEG
Step 2) roll high on a single persuasion roll (role playing optional - i mean how often have we heard players say something like "i try & persuade them", or "I search"?)

So this adventure has just as a ridiculous end game as it does a starting premise (low lv adventurers sent into Hell on an absurd rescue mission).

Were I a player in this id feel so cheated.

Spoiler

25, you can get up to a +10 bonus depending on certain npc's

 

[Charlaquin]

Step 2) roll high on a single persuasion roll (role playing optional - i mean how often have we heard players say something like "i try & persuade them", or "I search"?)

Maybe in your games it’s optional. At my table, an action requires a clear and reasonably specific declaration of both a goal and an approach.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Faulty logic. If you had failed that and had combat, there would have been probably dozens of more rolls. The final roll that killed them or TPKed you would have then been the final roll. All campaigns have a "final" die roll.

For practical purposes, it was a final roll, because anything after that if combat started would have been moot and had zero impact to the final result (which would have been a TPK). A group of 11th level PCs with little spells remaining, low HP, and most other resources already spent, wouldn't have a chance against Zariel. So call it "final roll that mattered" if you want.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Maybe in your games it’s optional. At my table, an action requires a clear and reasonably specific declaration of both a goal and an approach.

Yep, same here. We don't just roll, we role-play it out. To paraphrase, we said something along the lines of how she shouldn't forget who she was and what she was meant for, and how Lulu went through many trials and struggles to get her best friend back, etc, etc, etc.

 

[ccs]

Maybe in your games it’s optional. At my table, an action requires a clear and reasonably specific declaration of both a goal and an approach.

No, not in mine. In mine even "I search the room (rolls)" doesn't work. Let alone the persuasion roll to end the whole campaign....