Edena_of_Neith
First Post
(I believe this is the right Forum for this thread. If not, my apologies. Please take it to where it should be. Edena.)
I wanted to showcase some examples of teamwork and lack of teamwork, and how they might affect a hypothetical D&D scenario.
All these scenarios are based on 2nd Edition AD&D, since that is the system I am familiar with, but an extrapolation to 3rd Edition D&D and 3.5 D&D is easily done by those who know those systems.
The example of a lack of cooperation, with realistic results (scenario #1) is based on my thinking of how such an encounter would go.
The example of cooperation (scenario #2), is my idea of one way in which a party could work together to win the scenario in question.
THE PARTY
Let us say we have a party of adventurers.
Valiante the Valorous is a 7th level fighter. His strengths are enormous hit points, + 5 plate armor, a + 5 bastard sword, and a + 3 short sword. He has a Girdle of Giant Strength (Strength 23, + 4 to hit, + 10 to damage)
Mira the Magistress is a 7th level fighter. She has the following spells readied: Regenerate (1st), Regenerate (1st), Magic Missile (1st), Shield (1st), Gemidon's Paralytic Missile (2nd), Gemidon's Paralytic Missile (2nd), Web (2nd), Fireball (3rd), Spectral Force (3rd), Shadow Monsters (4th). She has a Wand of Lightning, and both a cloak and ring of protection.
Grimbold the Guardian is a 7th level cleric. He has the following spells readied: Command (1st), Command (1st), Light (1st), Protection from Evil (1st), Detect Magic (1st), Detect Poison (1st), Augury (2nd), Hold Person (2nd), Hold Person (2nd), Resist Fire (2nd), Silence 15 Foot Radius (2nd), Negative Plane Protection (3rd), Negative Plane Protection (3rd), Summon Insects (3rd), Poison (4th), Neutralize Poison (4th) He has a scroll containing 3 Cure Serious Wound spells, and a scroll containing 4 Cure Light Wound spells. He has a mace + 3.
The Rat is a 7th level Rogue. He has typical rogue abilities, including backstabbing. He has a Cloak of Displacement, Boots of Elvenkind, a + 4 dagger that is always poisoned, and a brace of 12 throwing knives with lethal poison. He also has a Ring of Vampiric Regeneration, and several bottles of acid rigged to break when thrown. (Let's hope he does not fall down ...)
Harold the Hardy is the second party fighter, 7th level. He is an elf, and wears elven chain + 4. He wields twin elven long swords, + 2 and + 3, and he has a Rapid Firing Bow, + 3, with a dozen + 2 arrows enchanted to never break upon hitting. He wears a Cloak of Elvenkind, Boots of Striding and Springing, and the party's Bag of Holding.
Leopold the Lazy is the third party fighter, 7th level. He is a dwarf, with incredible hit points due to a magically enhanced Constitution (23), + 4 plate armor, a + 5 battle axe, and Gauntlets of Ogre Power. He carries a large number of Continual Light stones, quite a number of Holy Water vials, and he has a special enchanted Holy Symbol that damages undead massively if it strikes them (in addition to it's turning powers, which are normal if a non-cleric carries it, tripled if a cleric carries it.)
Clawtooth the Clammy is the other party mage. He is 7th level also. He has readied Color Spray (1st level), Chromatic Orb (1st level), Sleep (1st level), Unseen Servant (1st level), Stinking Cloud (2nd level), Tasha's Laughter (2nd level), Rope Trick (2nd level), Haste (3rd level), Lightning Bolt (3rd level), and Stoneskin (4th level). He has ... no ... magical items except a Bag of Holding and Cloak of Poison. (in the Bag of Holding.)
THE OPPONENTS
This party is walking down a dungeon hallway.
At the end of this hallway is a door, and beyond that is a room filled with magical constructs, and beyond that is a room filled with monsters.
There are three stone golems ready to activate. There are glyphs of lightning on the floor (which will not affect the stone golems.) There is a banshee at rest on a bier in the middle of the room, meditating on her sorrows in a trance state.
There are eight gargoyles in niches in the walls, inactive at the moment.
The door to the room itself is enchanted with a special contingency that activates a Death Spell if opened.
Special openings in the walls of the room will fire darts coated with poison (sleep poison, for the banshee loves to interrogate prisoners) twice, and there are ten such openings.
In the room beyond awaits a contingent force put there to protect the banshee (the Lady of the Manor, as it were.) A Death Knight, High Commander in Service to the banshee, leads a force of three skeletal warriors, two wraiths (elven ladies in waiting to the banshee), fifteen zombies, and lastly ... a high level human mage under a domination effect. This mage has spells up to 6th level memorized, but has no magical items on his person.
There is, of course, a VERY LARGE magical treasure to be won, if the party can overcome all these opponents.
The party reaches the door, considers what to do, and ...
EXAMPLE #1 (Party disorganized, players squabble and fight for dominance, no history of cooperation.)
The party reaches the door ...
The Rat quietly siddles back to the shadows, not wishing to risk himself in testing the door. There is no party leader, so certainly he cannot be commanded to do so ... and the fighters think breaking the door in is the best way anyway. And the fighters tend to get their way, in this group.
Mira knows the fighters will win the battle, if there is a battle, without her help. The last time she threw a Fireball for the fighters, and it killed all the opponents, they got MAD at her for stealing their glory, and browbeat her until she promised to 'work with them' more. Mira, therefore, decides to see how the fighters fare before doing anything.
Clawtooth is only interested in what magical treasure he's gonna get out of this. He knows the fighters usually pick up all the good stuff, but perhaps something will come his way. Not that him actually DOING something to help the party win will matter ... no matter whether he helps or not, the party tends to pass him over for any of the good stuff. After all, he is just a mage. He sidles back and waits.
Grimbold the cleric decides against checking with his Augury, Detect Poison, or any other spell. He thinks the fighters are tough enough to deal with any real threat. He DOES, however, protect his own butt ... he throws Negative Plane Protection on himself, and asks for a Stoneskin from Clawtooth (who immediately refuses the request.)
Valiante, being the Valorous, insists on opening the door (there is a fight between him, Harold, and Leopold over who will get the honor.)
Then Harold and Leopold ready their weapons, everyone else gets back, and Valiante opens the door.
In other words, the group playing these characters IRL is bored, their attention is not on the game (perhaps it is on the latest Matrix film?), they are unaccostomed to any kind of tactics and strategy, and they are quite casual about the whole dungeon affair. They know the DM won't kill their characters or permanently damage them (they would get up and leave if he did) and this is just another treasure hunt ... or treasure pick-up, rather.
The door opens ... and Valiante is killed by the Death Spell.
The banshee, alerted by the opened door, awakens from her trance. The golems and gargolyes active. In the room beyond, those present do nothing ... the banshee has not summoned them.
The party wins initiative. It is their action. (the player who plays Valiante is now furiously berating the DM and his fellow players, which is aggravating the DM most seriously.)
Harold and Leopold charge the banshee. Mira fires her Gemidon's Missile at the banshee. Clawtooth fires a lightning bolt at the Banshee. Grimbold fires Silence at the banshee (a smart move.) The Rat, fires several poisoned missiles at the banshee.
The banshee is paralyzed, then blasted by lightning, then silenced, then hit with several poisoned daggers. Her cry of pain (from the lightning) and the blast of lightning, makes the Death Knight and his group decide to charge out to help her. The banshee is not dead, but she is out of the fight (alpha strikes, common in D&D, do tend to work ...)
Harold and Leopold charge through the room, taking several serious blasts from the Lightning Glyphs, taking fire from the poisoned darts (but few hit, and they make all saves) then delivering the Coup de Grace on the banshee.
Initiative is rolled again, for this is the first round the gargolyes and golems can act. The Death Knight and his entourage come charging into the room, and they can also act.
The party wins initiative.
Harold and Leopold both go after the Death Knight.
Grimbold attempts to Turn the Death Knight (he never bothered to ask Leopold for that special holy symbol, and Leopold never offered to loan it to him.)
Mira decides to Fireball the Death Knight and his entire entourage - the whole of the room the Death Knight came from. However, she changes her mind because IRL the party objects stormily, stating a Fireball would destroy the treasure and probably hit the fighters as well. Mira, in a fluster, decides to throw a Web to entrap the oncoming undead.
Clawtooth, decides this battle is not for him, casts Rope Trick, and climbs up into it. Incredibly, the party does not object - they state the fighters and cleric can handle this.
The Rat, starts hurling acid bottles at the undead and enchanted enemy mage.
The Death Knight is seriously injured by the attacks of Harold and Leopold.
Grimbold's effort to turn the death knight fails, but it destroys the enemy zombies. It does not affect the wraiths or skeletal warriors, by unfortunate chance.
The web entraps the enemy mage, but not the skeletal warriors, whose magic resistance shrugs it off. Obviously, the two wraiths are not affected.
The acid bottles of the Rat hit the entrapped enemy mage, and start frying him. Trapped in the web, he was an easy target (and the Rat recognized him for a mage, and thus a powerful enemy.) He can do nothing but sizzle for the moment.
The Death Knight attacks Leopold, because of that darned holy symbol.
The gargolyes attack Harold in a flurry.
The golems stomp up towards Mira, Grimbold, and the Rat (who hastily retreats behind Mira and Grimbold.)
The Death Knight's Power Word Kill downs Leopold.
The gargolyes seriously wound Harold.
The golems, seriously wound Mira and Grimbold.
Initiative is rolled, and the party wins for the third time.
Harold continues his valiant attack on the Death Knight, gargoyles not withstanding.
Mira grabs her Wand of Lightning, and open fires on the golems.
Grimbold finds his spells are generally useless against these opponents, and fights with his mace.
Clawtooth opens the Rope Trick, forming a little hole, sticks his finger out, and fires Lightning Bolt at point blank range - and then immediately withdraws his finger and slams the opening closed.
The Rat attempts to Hide In Shadows (he is successful), and attempts to move behind the Golems (he is successful), and attempts to Backstab one of the Golems (and again, he is successful.)
The Death Knight goes down, from mighty blows from Harold.
One of the golems is blown to pieces by first Mira's lightning bolt, then by the one from Clawtooth.
The other golem is badly damaged by the Backstab, plus damage from Grimbold's mace hits.
The two wraiths attack Harold. More poisoned darts fire at Harold, and at the Rat (who is in the room.)
Three of the gargolyes continue to attack Harold. The other five move to attack Mira, the Rat, and Grimbold.
The remaining two golems attack Mira and Grimbold.
The enemy mage in the Web continues to sizzle, vowing horrific vengeance when he gets free.
Harold loses one level from a wraith hit, makes several successful saves against poison, and is wounded further by the gargoyles.
Mira, the Rat, and Grimbold are all wounded again by golem attacks, and the gargolyes tear into the Rat.
Initiative is rolled ... and the party wins again.
Ultimately, all the opponents are defeated.
Harold is down three levels and is at 5 remaining hit points.
The Rat is dead (killed by the gargolyes.)
Grimbold and Mira are both at low hit points.
Clawtooth is unscratched (and the player is chuckling)
Valiante and Leopold are dead.
The party claim the enormous treasure hoard, and divide it up among the survivors - and leave out enough to pay for three resurrections.
The party heads back to town to recover and resurrect the fallen.
Was this a victory for the party?
(Special notes: The 2nd level Gemidon's Paralytic Missile automatically paralyzes a foe who does not have magic resistance. The save is for half duration (1 round/level), NOT to annul the paralyzation. Blame the Waterdeep Boxed Set for this spell.
The 1st level Regenerate acts as per a Ring of Regeneration, and lasts for 10 hours after casting. Blame Polyhedron and the RPGA for this spell, for that's where it comes from.
The enemy mage is 12th level. He has no items, but he has an appropriate roster of attack spells. Because of the Domination, there is a 50% chance of his spells misfiring and doing nothing at all, when cast.
All other items, spells, etc. are as per 2nd edition. Remember that in 2nd Edition, rounds lasted ONE MINUTE, not 6 seconds.)
- - -
SCENARIO # 2 (The party works closely as friends, have a long history of teamwork, are always on their guard and always prepared, have contingencies and plans ready, and always expect the worst.)
Well, ok, I'm NOT going to immediately write out this scenario, because ...
I want YOU to write it out. Tell me how it's done, the right way. Tell me how real D&Ders do it. Tell me now, tell me how.
I wanted to showcase some examples of teamwork and lack of teamwork, and how they might affect a hypothetical D&D scenario.
All these scenarios are based on 2nd Edition AD&D, since that is the system I am familiar with, but an extrapolation to 3rd Edition D&D and 3.5 D&D is easily done by those who know those systems.
The example of a lack of cooperation, with realistic results (scenario #1) is based on my thinking of how such an encounter would go.
The example of cooperation (scenario #2), is my idea of one way in which a party could work together to win the scenario in question.
THE PARTY
Let us say we have a party of adventurers.
Valiante the Valorous is a 7th level fighter. His strengths are enormous hit points, + 5 plate armor, a + 5 bastard sword, and a + 3 short sword. He has a Girdle of Giant Strength (Strength 23, + 4 to hit, + 10 to damage)
Mira the Magistress is a 7th level fighter. She has the following spells readied: Regenerate (1st), Regenerate (1st), Magic Missile (1st), Shield (1st), Gemidon's Paralytic Missile (2nd), Gemidon's Paralytic Missile (2nd), Web (2nd), Fireball (3rd), Spectral Force (3rd), Shadow Monsters (4th). She has a Wand of Lightning, and both a cloak and ring of protection.
Grimbold the Guardian is a 7th level cleric. He has the following spells readied: Command (1st), Command (1st), Light (1st), Protection from Evil (1st), Detect Magic (1st), Detect Poison (1st), Augury (2nd), Hold Person (2nd), Hold Person (2nd), Resist Fire (2nd), Silence 15 Foot Radius (2nd), Negative Plane Protection (3rd), Negative Plane Protection (3rd), Summon Insects (3rd), Poison (4th), Neutralize Poison (4th) He has a scroll containing 3 Cure Serious Wound spells, and a scroll containing 4 Cure Light Wound spells. He has a mace + 3.
The Rat is a 7th level Rogue. He has typical rogue abilities, including backstabbing. He has a Cloak of Displacement, Boots of Elvenkind, a + 4 dagger that is always poisoned, and a brace of 12 throwing knives with lethal poison. He also has a Ring of Vampiric Regeneration, and several bottles of acid rigged to break when thrown. (Let's hope he does not fall down ...)
Harold the Hardy is the second party fighter, 7th level. He is an elf, and wears elven chain + 4. He wields twin elven long swords, + 2 and + 3, and he has a Rapid Firing Bow, + 3, with a dozen + 2 arrows enchanted to never break upon hitting. He wears a Cloak of Elvenkind, Boots of Striding and Springing, and the party's Bag of Holding.
Leopold the Lazy is the third party fighter, 7th level. He is a dwarf, with incredible hit points due to a magically enhanced Constitution (23), + 4 plate armor, a + 5 battle axe, and Gauntlets of Ogre Power. He carries a large number of Continual Light stones, quite a number of Holy Water vials, and he has a special enchanted Holy Symbol that damages undead massively if it strikes them (in addition to it's turning powers, which are normal if a non-cleric carries it, tripled if a cleric carries it.)
Clawtooth the Clammy is the other party mage. He is 7th level also. He has readied Color Spray (1st level), Chromatic Orb (1st level), Sleep (1st level), Unseen Servant (1st level), Stinking Cloud (2nd level), Tasha's Laughter (2nd level), Rope Trick (2nd level), Haste (3rd level), Lightning Bolt (3rd level), and Stoneskin (4th level). He has ... no ... magical items except a Bag of Holding and Cloak of Poison. (in the Bag of Holding.)
THE OPPONENTS
This party is walking down a dungeon hallway.
At the end of this hallway is a door, and beyond that is a room filled with magical constructs, and beyond that is a room filled with monsters.
There are three stone golems ready to activate. There are glyphs of lightning on the floor (which will not affect the stone golems.) There is a banshee at rest on a bier in the middle of the room, meditating on her sorrows in a trance state.
There are eight gargoyles in niches in the walls, inactive at the moment.
The door to the room itself is enchanted with a special contingency that activates a Death Spell if opened.
Special openings in the walls of the room will fire darts coated with poison (sleep poison, for the banshee loves to interrogate prisoners) twice, and there are ten such openings.
In the room beyond awaits a contingent force put there to protect the banshee (the Lady of the Manor, as it were.) A Death Knight, High Commander in Service to the banshee, leads a force of three skeletal warriors, two wraiths (elven ladies in waiting to the banshee), fifteen zombies, and lastly ... a high level human mage under a domination effect. This mage has spells up to 6th level memorized, but has no magical items on his person.
There is, of course, a VERY LARGE magical treasure to be won, if the party can overcome all these opponents.
The party reaches the door, considers what to do, and ...
EXAMPLE #1 (Party disorganized, players squabble and fight for dominance, no history of cooperation.)
The party reaches the door ...
The Rat quietly siddles back to the shadows, not wishing to risk himself in testing the door. There is no party leader, so certainly he cannot be commanded to do so ... and the fighters think breaking the door in is the best way anyway. And the fighters tend to get their way, in this group.
Mira knows the fighters will win the battle, if there is a battle, without her help. The last time she threw a Fireball for the fighters, and it killed all the opponents, they got MAD at her for stealing their glory, and browbeat her until she promised to 'work with them' more. Mira, therefore, decides to see how the fighters fare before doing anything.
Clawtooth is only interested in what magical treasure he's gonna get out of this. He knows the fighters usually pick up all the good stuff, but perhaps something will come his way. Not that him actually DOING something to help the party win will matter ... no matter whether he helps or not, the party tends to pass him over for any of the good stuff. After all, he is just a mage. He sidles back and waits.
Grimbold the cleric decides against checking with his Augury, Detect Poison, or any other spell. He thinks the fighters are tough enough to deal with any real threat. He DOES, however, protect his own butt ... he throws Negative Plane Protection on himself, and asks for a Stoneskin from Clawtooth (who immediately refuses the request.)
Valiante, being the Valorous, insists on opening the door (there is a fight between him, Harold, and Leopold over who will get the honor.)
Then Harold and Leopold ready their weapons, everyone else gets back, and Valiante opens the door.
In other words, the group playing these characters IRL is bored, their attention is not on the game (perhaps it is on the latest Matrix film?), they are unaccostomed to any kind of tactics and strategy, and they are quite casual about the whole dungeon affair. They know the DM won't kill their characters or permanently damage them (they would get up and leave if he did) and this is just another treasure hunt ... or treasure pick-up, rather.
The door opens ... and Valiante is killed by the Death Spell.
The banshee, alerted by the opened door, awakens from her trance. The golems and gargolyes active. In the room beyond, those present do nothing ... the banshee has not summoned them.
The party wins initiative. It is their action. (the player who plays Valiante is now furiously berating the DM and his fellow players, which is aggravating the DM most seriously.)
Harold and Leopold charge the banshee. Mira fires her Gemidon's Missile at the banshee. Clawtooth fires a lightning bolt at the Banshee. Grimbold fires Silence at the banshee (a smart move.) The Rat, fires several poisoned missiles at the banshee.
The banshee is paralyzed, then blasted by lightning, then silenced, then hit with several poisoned daggers. Her cry of pain (from the lightning) and the blast of lightning, makes the Death Knight and his group decide to charge out to help her. The banshee is not dead, but she is out of the fight (alpha strikes, common in D&D, do tend to work ...)
Harold and Leopold charge through the room, taking several serious blasts from the Lightning Glyphs, taking fire from the poisoned darts (but few hit, and they make all saves) then delivering the Coup de Grace on the banshee.
Initiative is rolled again, for this is the first round the gargolyes and golems can act. The Death Knight and his entourage come charging into the room, and they can also act.
The party wins initiative.
Harold and Leopold both go after the Death Knight.
Grimbold attempts to Turn the Death Knight (he never bothered to ask Leopold for that special holy symbol, and Leopold never offered to loan it to him.)
Mira decides to Fireball the Death Knight and his entire entourage - the whole of the room the Death Knight came from. However, she changes her mind because IRL the party objects stormily, stating a Fireball would destroy the treasure and probably hit the fighters as well. Mira, in a fluster, decides to throw a Web to entrap the oncoming undead.
Clawtooth, decides this battle is not for him, casts Rope Trick, and climbs up into it. Incredibly, the party does not object - they state the fighters and cleric can handle this.
The Rat, starts hurling acid bottles at the undead and enchanted enemy mage.
The Death Knight is seriously injured by the attacks of Harold and Leopold.
Grimbold's effort to turn the death knight fails, but it destroys the enemy zombies. It does not affect the wraiths or skeletal warriors, by unfortunate chance.
The web entraps the enemy mage, but not the skeletal warriors, whose magic resistance shrugs it off. Obviously, the two wraiths are not affected.
The acid bottles of the Rat hit the entrapped enemy mage, and start frying him. Trapped in the web, he was an easy target (and the Rat recognized him for a mage, and thus a powerful enemy.) He can do nothing but sizzle for the moment.
The Death Knight attacks Leopold, because of that darned holy symbol.
The gargolyes attack Harold in a flurry.
The golems stomp up towards Mira, Grimbold, and the Rat (who hastily retreats behind Mira and Grimbold.)
The Death Knight's Power Word Kill downs Leopold.
The gargolyes seriously wound Harold.
The golems, seriously wound Mira and Grimbold.
Initiative is rolled, and the party wins for the third time.
Harold continues his valiant attack on the Death Knight, gargoyles not withstanding.
Mira grabs her Wand of Lightning, and open fires on the golems.
Grimbold finds his spells are generally useless against these opponents, and fights with his mace.
Clawtooth opens the Rope Trick, forming a little hole, sticks his finger out, and fires Lightning Bolt at point blank range - and then immediately withdraws his finger and slams the opening closed.
The Rat attempts to Hide In Shadows (he is successful), and attempts to move behind the Golems (he is successful), and attempts to Backstab one of the Golems (and again, he is successful.)
The Death Knight goes down, from mighty blows from Harold.
One of the golems is blown to pieces by first Mira's lightning bolt, then by the one from Clawtooth.
The other golem is badly damaged by the Backstab, plus damage from Grimbold's mace hits.
The two wraiths attack Harold. More poisoned darts fire at Harold, and at the Rat (who is in the room.)
Three of the gargolyes continue to attack Harold. The other five move to attack Mira, the Rat, and Grimbold.
The remaining two golems attack Mira and Grimbold.
The enemy mage in the Web continues to sizzle, vowing horrific vengeance when he gets free.
Harold loses one level from a wraith hit, makes several successful saves against poison, and is wounded further by the gargoyles.
Mira, the Rat, and Grimbold are all wounded again by golem attacks, and the gargolyes tear into the Rat.
Initiative is rolled ... and the party wins again.
Ultimately, all the opponents are defeated.
Harold is down three levels and is at 5 remaining hit points.
The Rat is dead (killed by the gargolyes.)
Grimbold and Mira are both at low hit points.
Clawtooth is unscratched (and the player is chuckling)
Valiante and Leopold are dead.
The party claim the enormous treasure hoard, and divide it up among the survivors - and leave out enough to pay for three resurrections.
The party heads back to town to recover and resurrect the fallen.
Was this a victory for the party?
(Special notes: The 2nd level Gemidon's Paralytic Missile automatically paralyzes a foe who does not have magic resistance. The save is for half duration (1 round/level), NOT to annul the paralyzation. Blame the Waterdeep Boxed Set for this spell.
The 1st level Regenerate acts as per a Ring of Regeneration, and lasts for 10 hours after casting. Blame Polyhedron and the RPGA for this spell, for that's where it comes from.
The enemy mage is 12th level. He has no items, but he has an appropriate roster of attack spells. Because of the Domination, there is a 50% chance of his spells misfiring and doing nothing at all, when cast.
All other items, spells, etc. are as per 2nd edition. Remember that in 2nd Edition, rounds lasted ONE MINUTE, not 6 seconds.)
- - -
SCENARIO # 2 (The party works closely as friends, have a long history of teamwork, are always on their guard and always prepared, have contingencies and plans ready, and always expect the worst.)
Well, ok, I'm NOT going to immediately write out this scenario, because ...
I want YOU to write it out. Tell me how it's done, the right way. Tell me how real D&Ders do it. Tell me now, tell me how.
