Beale Knight
First Post
I ran the latest session of my D&D campaign last night. We've just had a major shift in players - of the four original players, 1 moved to go to school three weeks ago, two others (a married couple) have just moved for job demands. We knew it was coming and recruited four other players; last night was the first session with the new line-up.
In pre-session e-mails I'd been drawing all the PCs into the same place, going the same direction, after the same target, and with some reason to trust each other. The hook had been one "Zom the Terrible Troll (c)", who'd been rampaging across the countryside and caused various powers to set out after him. By the time we gathered for the first session all the PCs but one were together going after Zom, and we quickly drew in player 5. The chase was now in full swing and the game was on.
All this time I'd been building up Zom as a properly terrify engine of destruction, leaving heaps of burning destruction in his wake and so forth. When finally the PCs confronted him he was wrapping up the slaughter of a nest of troglodytes (this for a potential plot point, but also to weaken the troll in order to prevent a TPK). When a new player's fighter closed to attack Zom, he delivered a solid 10 pts damage, but Zom had lots of fight left in him.
When it came around to Zom's attack I dramatically described how he raised his massive two handed axe high and readied the blow. I then handed the fighter's player 4d6 saying, "you might need these in a minute." Everything I could do to be intimidating (and prepare them for a very possible PC death). Zom hits for 3d6+a bunch damage. I take the 3d6. I roll them in my hand for about thirty seconds and then finally let them loose. Openly.
Three ones.
Zom the Terrible Troll had just done as little damage as he possilbly could. It was still a bunch for a 2nd level PC, but the drama had been broken. Everyone of us - me included, could only laugh. They went on to kill him after delivering 63 points or so of damage in the next few rounds, and no PC died - apparently a decree by the luck gods watching over them.
In pre-session e-mails I'd been drawing all the PCs into the same place, going the same direction, after the same target, and with some reason to trust each other. The hook had been one "Zom the Terrible Troll (c)", who'd been rampaging across the countryside and caused various powers to set out after him. By the time we gathered for the first session all the PCs but one were together going after Zom, and we quickly drew in player 5. The chase was now in full swing and the game was on.
All this time I'd been building up Zom as a properly terrify engine of destruction, leaving heaps of burning destruction in his wake and so forth. When finally the PCs confronted him he was wrapping up the slaughter of a nest of troglodytes (this for a potential plot point, but also to weaken the troll in order to prevent a TPK). When a new player's fighter closed to attack Zom, he delivered a solid 10 pts damage, but Zom had lots of fight left in him.
When it came around to Zom's attack I dramatically described how he raised his massive two handed axe high and readied the blow. I then handed the fighter's player 4d6 saying, "you might need these in a minute." Everything I could do to be intimidating (and prepare them for a very possible PC death). Zom hits for 3d6+a bunch damage. I take the 3d6. I roll them in my hand for about thirty seconds and then finally let them loose. Openly.
Three ones.
Zom the Terrible Troll had just done as little damage as he possilbly could. It was still a bunch for a 2nd level PC, but the drama had been broken. Everyone of us - me included, could only laugh. They went on to kill him after delivering 63 points or so of damage in the next few rounds, and no PC died - apparently a decree by the luck gods watching over them.
