Too good to be coincidence?

[Moff_Tarkin]

I had a little argument with my DM. I said he was making stuff up, he said it just worked out that way. I want some outside opinions.

Our party has been having problems with this nilbog, if you don’t know what that is just consider it a nasty goblin. Anyway, we were traveling when our druid (in bird form) spots a large group of goblins coming toward us. Before they arrive I cast invisibility and use my wings of flying to fly 90 feet strait up. The first round of combat I cast fireball from 90 feet up, and on his turn, the invisible nilbog appears above me as he trows a net of snaring over me, toppling me to the ground (I survived by the way)

I thought this attack was too perfect to be coincidence. The party has faced the nilbog many times before and he as never demonstrated the ability to fly. He just happened to be flying 90 feet above the combat. He just happened to be close enough to me to get above me and attack all on the first round. He just happened to have the perfect magical item to send a winged wizard to his doom. BTW, this net was an item he said he had taken out of an old book; he said that he couldn’t remember what it did exactly so he was making up the rules for it. I challenged him to show me the sheet with the nilbogs equipment, there is none, he is just winging it.

Maybe I’m just seeing things, but this seems to fit into place a bit to perfectly, I think the DM was making up a cheesy way to get the flying wizard. Now I know a DM can say and do whatever he wants, but that’s not the issue here. I just want to know how other people view this scenario.

 

[Grondmar]

Although everything that happened is possible, I would still say your DM screwed you...but as the DM he can just make stuff up if he wants to make an encounter interesting...it's still crap in my opinion.

Grondmar

 

[MorganKiller]

As a Dm I'm used to play some monsters cheating a bit, but still I'm confused about this nilbog popping out of nowhere right above a previously invisible foe...


well techincally it's not impossible (an item to fly and another to see invisibility and a potion of invisibility...), just very difficult...
I think that your Dm feared that this encounter would turn up too easy... Let him make a bit more of experience, in my times I did mistakes too...

 

[jayaint]

An 8th level wizard surviving a 9d6 fall? I dont think your DM scr*wed you, I think he was merciful and helpful, maybe fudging his die rolls to keep you alive.

Even with a 15 CON (+2) you would still be roughly one d6 behind that falling damage. Seems like maybe he did you a favor. Or maybe he did the party a favor and kept the winged-abjurer from flying off and leaving the party to face their foes without any magical support?

 

[Moff_Tarkin]

yes, with a 15 con i would be toast, but its a good thing I was playing a gnome with a 20 con.

We got so many points to place and i manage to get a 18 con, (20 with racial) 18 int, and low in everything else. Con is always my number 1 concern after INT when playing a wizard. My ac is never going to be good enough to avoid the stuff coming after me so i would rather have the ability to take the damage.

 

[James McMurray]

Perhaps he's just gotten tired of the invisible flying wizard of doom. The Nilbog has fought you before and presumably knows your tactics and would kno to go get an item of flt and see invis (potions probably). It was definitely too perfect to be coincidence, but instead of calling it DM BS call it preparation by your nilbog opponent.

Part of being a DM is winging it. You won't always have everything prepared, or sometimes something you forgot to account for (such as invisible flying wizards) is going to make what would otherwise have been a fun battle into a boring nukefest.

 

[Moff_Tarkin]

a few notes

I came after the game had been going a while. This battle was the first time the nilbog had met me. None of our other players had used the power of flight against the nilbog, i dont know if he has seen anyone go invis or not, probally not since the only other arcane caster doesnt cast invis much. This was for sure the first time he saw a flying, invisible, wizard of doom.

 

[Moff_Tarkin]

oh, and dont give too much credit to the flying wizard, the sorcerer on the ground shot a lightning bolt that killed twice the goblins my fireball did. we also had 2 fighter that were cleaving 3 a hit. I know you naturally assume that the flying wizard is the most powerful and most desirable target, but somtimes when you really look at it there are people on the ground who pose a much greater threat.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I take it, then, that the group handily defeated the nilbog and goblins? The only reason I could think of for your DM to bother fudging this was that he intended the encounter to go a specific way, like leading to the group's capture or something. It's still railroading, but sometimes the DM just wants the plot to follow his own, narrow flow-chart...

 

[James McMurray]

And sometimes DMs get annoyed at characters who are designed to be untouchable. The DM needs to have fun too, and part of that fun involves challenging all of the PCs, not just the ones who focus on engaging in combat rather than avoiding it.