Springing surprise tricks in the game.
- Thread starter Quasqueton
- Start date
Last campaign, we had been beaten at every corner by the BBEG's second in command, and his ethereal cloak. Second to last session, he sets another trap for us. My druid is checking a back room when he materializes through a wall and stabs me in the back. My druid turns and casts Drown (Magic of Faerun). Bad Guy fails save and is down and dying. Just in case he made his save, I use my move action to direct the Creeping Doom I had following me around. No more bad guy.
Quasqueton
First Post
I know. That was sort of the point of my post. Most surprise tricks that Players pull on a DM aren't actually rules-legal.
I remember hearing one about a AD&D2 psionicist using dimension door to teleport a dragon's head (and head only) six feet away from the dragon's neck. Not legal, but the Player apparently thought he was exceptionally clever, and his character terribly powerful.
Quasqueton
The Grackle
First Post
I played in a Middle Earth campaign (using GURPS) and our party was exploring some dungeon near Dol Guldur. The GM had "fiendishly" set up a 100ft hallway with arrow slits along the walls and a locked door at the other end.
me "how high off the ground are the arrow slits?"
GM "about 5 feet."
me "how high up is the door's lock?"
GM "about 3 feet."
me "didn't you say their were tables in that last room?"
So our very heroic and noble party of elves and dunedain carried a picnic-table on their backs down the hallway while the orcs pelted it w/arrows. We picked the lock and proceeded on our way.
Not exactly a page out of Tolkien.
me "how high off the ground are the arrow slits?"
GM "about 5 feet."
me "how high up is the door's lock?"
GM "about 3 feet."
me "didn't you say their were tables in that last room?"
So our very heroic and noble party of elves and dunedain carried a picnic-table on their backs down the hallway while the orcs pelted it w/arrows. We picked the lock and proceeded on our way.
Not exactly a page out of Tolkien.
BlackMoria
First Post
I was a player for once in a campaign run by another DM. The situation was our group got surprised by a purple worm. The beastie attacked me and hit.
DM: You can do a opposed grappled check to avoid from getting scarfed down this round.
Me: I will not oppose it. It would likely win and I want to save my action for something else.
DM: Ok. You ride the gullet highway. Welcome to the stomach. You take X damage from constriction and Y damage from stomach acid.
....
DM: Ok. It is is your turn in initative. Going to cut yourself out, I assume.
Me: Nope. I'm getting out, but doing it in style.
DM: ???
Me: I activate my Daern's Instant Fortress....
DM: [stunned silence]
Me: Since the fortress dimensions are nearly as large as the worm itself, I imagine the results are going to be pretty spectacular....
DM: &^%$#&*!
The DM adjudicated that the fortress did max damage (100hp) and ruptured the worm in half. He assigned some value for additional damage (can't recall what it was) due to extreme rending. The result - one very dead purple worm.
I noticed for the rest of that campaign that 'swallowed whole' creatures seemed to never attack me....
DM: You can do a opposed grappled check to avoid from getting scarfed down this round.
Me: I will not oppose it. It would likely win and I want to save my action for something else.
DM: Ok. You ride the gullet highway. Welcome to the stomach. You take X damage from constriction and Y damage from stomach acid.
....
DM: Ok. It is is your turn in initative. Going to cut yourself out, I assume.
Me: Nope. I'm getting out, but doing it in style.
DM: ???
Me: I activate my Daern's Instant Fortress....
DM: [stunned silence]
Me: Since the fortress dimensions are nearly as large as the worm itself, I imagine the results are going to be pretty spectacular....
DM: &^%$#&*!
The DM adjudicated that the fortress did max damage (100hp) and ruptured the worm in half. He assigned some value for additional damage (can't recall what it was) due to extreme rending. The result - one very dead purple worm.
I noticed for the rest of that campaign that 'swallowed whole' creatures seemed to never attack me....
BSF
Explorer
Yeah, I have seen player tricks that were well conceived, except for one minor misunderstanding of the rules. I attribute it to wishful thinking and selective reading comprehension. When the tricks are well thought out and rules legal, I enjoy them greatly.
As a player, when I come up with something that might be open for debate, I give my DM a heads up beforehand so we can hash out the potential issues ahead of time.
As a player, when I come up with something that might be open for debate, I give my DM a heads up beforehand so we can hash out the potential issues ahead of time.
In my last 3E campaign, we PCs found ourselves attacked by a high-level monk wielding a flaming kukri. Then he threw it at the wizard. ("Oh dang, he has a throwing flaming kukri," someone said.) And the wizard's head came off. ("Crap, he has a throwing flaming vorpal kukri.") And then for his next attack, he threw it at somebody else, who didn't get decapitated but did start bleeding. ("Holy crapweasels, he has a throwing returning flaming wounding vorpal kukri!")
That is the only time in my D&D career I have ever used the Snatch Arrows feat, but it was SO worth it.
That is the only time in my D&D career I have ever used the Snatch Arrows feat, but it was SO worth it.
