I'm still happy that (pre-partywipe) I was able to have the 'oooh shit' moment of someone from my second Shadowrun session returning with a gang of badasses to fuck up the party for murdering his coworkers
Granted, he failed that time, and he's gone now because everyone he had a grudge against is dead now
[QUOTE=Nerts;50166753]Last session of my SR game wasn't too eventful, highlights include the pistol adept taking on a ganger with a pistol, ganger shot him and did 1 stun, he shot back and blew the guy's face off while the melee adept spent about 4 turns slapping around a sniper they ambushed. And an entirely unnecessary "oh shit" moment when they ran into an opposing mage but knocked him out before he could really do anything :v:
Also Elo's mage has no concept of collateral damage and used a machine gun and a fireball on the apartment building they were clearing, and the shooty adept insisted they should probably not let the building burn down and got the decker to help fix the sprinkler system.[/QUOTE]
In my defense I had no idea subdual damage was so piddly unless you had troll arms.
[QUOTE=UzumakaiPatch;50167334]In my defense I had no idea subdual damage was so piddly unless you had troll arms.[/QUOTE]
The damage sucks, but if someone has lower physical stats than you they have nearly no hope of breaking out.
[QUOTE=Seiteki;50166921]Gnome Illusionists are small enough to conceal themselves in a minor illusion.
The DM is also a fan of fuckery of various kinds apparently. Really likes prestidigitation. I'm not going to use that, but I will use illusions.[/QUOTE]
Remember that as an Illusionist you can make Minor Illusion make both sound AND a visual effect. I'm always super wary of gnomes since they generally attract a similar shitty crowd as Kender, but gnome illusionist is a classic.
So my players have three boss battles coming up. I'm not sure how to swing each of them.
The first is inspired heavily by the spider mastermind from Doom, and is essentially the last-ditch effort by an archfiend to hinder their quest. He's been after them the whole game, and they've entered a dungeon he cannot follow them into; so, he sends his most dangerous servant. This thing is going to show up towards the end, and is supposed to tempt them into wasting a shot of the one weapon they have to kill the Dragon they've been after (it has two).
The second is the aforementioned blue Dragon, who got his claws on a tesseract that insulates him from deities and other cosmic forces (it's implied he made a deal with something otherworldly, and since went back on it.) He's this petty, manipulative creature that cares only for its own hide, and is indifferent to the ruinous effect that the tesseract is having on the prime material plane, inadvertently shifting it between worlds. The party stole a railgun from their brief trip forward in time, and intend on using it to kill him.
I'm not sure whether or not I should play the fight straight or not if they miss their shot, simply because one use of his breath weapon could probably barbecue the whole party.
The final boss is a terrifying cosmic horror, kind of similar to Azathoth of the Cthulhu Mythos.
[quote]"A monstrous nuclear chaos beyond angled space"[/quote]
It's been in the background this whole time, subtly manipulating events towards accelerating entropy and chaos, hoping to eventually consume and obliterate all that exists, ever has, or ever will.
It shows up after they kill the Dragon, as they'll discover the tesseract was a prison holding the only being that could stop said cosmic horror - and it's now too weak to do anything.
I've left a couple clues as to how they need to fight it, but my hope is they'll figure it out. It's obviously far beyond their ability, but if they enter the mysterious Plane of Forms they can perceive it, and destroy the very concept of it.
My hope is at least one of these will be the pitched, memorable kind of encounter that comfortably ties up a campaign. The only problem is, I'm not terribly good at creating these kinds of encounters. Every challenging creature I've pitted the party against so far, they've been able to surpass surprisingly easily. Basically the D&D equivalent of circle-strafing an old FPS boss.
However, I'm afraid of making the creature too difficult lest they all just die horribly, leaving a bitter anti-climax. Suggestions? These have some distance between one another, but it's likely two of them could show up in the same session, and I don't want to wear the players out.
[QUOTE=AtomicWaffle;50168767]So my players have three boss battles coming up. I'm not sure how to swing each of them.
The first is inspired heavily by the spider mastermind from Doom, and is essentially the last-ditch effort by an archfiend to hinder their quest. He's been after them the whole game, and they've entered a dungeon he cannot follow them into; so, he sends his most dangerous servant. This thing is going to show up towards the end, and is supposed to tempt them into wasting a shot of the one weapon they have to kill the Dragon they've been after (it has two).
The second is the aforementioned blue Dragon, who got his claws on a tesseract that insulates him from deities and other cosmic forces (it's implied he made a deal with something otherworldly, and since went back on it.) He's this petty, manipulative creature that cares only for its own hide, and is indifferent to the ruinous effect that the tesseract is having on the prime material plane, inadvertently shifting it between worlds. The party stole a railgun from their brief trip forward in time, and intend on using it to kill him.
I'm not sure whether or not I should play the fight straight or not if they miss their shot, simply because one use of his breath weapon could probably barbecue the whole party.
The final boss is a terrifying cosmic horror, kind of similar to Azathoth of the Cthulhu Mythos.
It's been in the background this whole time, subtly manipulating events towards accelerating entropy and chaos, hoping to eventually consume and obliterate all that exists, ever has, or ever will.
It shows up after they kill the Dragon, as they'll discover the tesseract was a prison holding the only being that could stop said cosmic horror - and it's now too weak to do anything.
I've left a couple clues as to how they need to fight it, but my hope is they'll figure it out. It's obviously far beyond their ability, but if they enter the mysterious Plane of Forms they can perceive it, and destroy the very concept of it.
My hope is at least one of these will be the pitched, memorable kind of encounter that comfortably ties up a campaign. The only problem is, I'm not terribly good at creating these kinds of encounters. Every challenging creature I've pitted the party against so far, they've been able to surpass surprisingly easily. Basically the D&D equivalent of circle-strafing an old FPS boss.
However, I'm afraid of making the creature too difficult lest they all just die horribly, leaving a bitter anti-climax. Suggestions? These have some distance between one another, but it's likely two of them could show up in the same session, and I don't want to wear the players out.[/QUOTE]
Remember how in some games you can literally taste the boss fight before it happens? How it showers you in items, the music suddenly stops, and you see before you something that looks a little too much like a boss arena?
This isn't just your game sense, it was done on purpose, do this to your players.
Hint to them that something MUCH worse than the dragon is waiting in the wings, give them time to worry about it and prepare for whatever god awful creature is waiting for them. Then when the curtain comes up and the eldritch horror of madness greets your party, throw on the epic music and roll fair.
Whether your party leaves dead or alive, making the fight, and more importantly the build-up climactic is all you have to do, if they die then they die.
Its the thing thats been harassing and controlling everything from the beginning, it needs to be DIFFICULT but smart, so I suggest a two-phase fight. Phase one would be your typical boss that they've easily slain before, but as they get used to that and think they've won, shift into phase two and SURPRISE YOUR TACTICS DONT WORK ANYMORE.
This is literally an eldritch horror from another plane of existence that has time to prepare for the party, if you find its too easy then very visibly break the rules of the universe and put the players on their toes, like the thing literally reaching into their memories and pulling out their most harrowing events and forcing them to fight through it again, only altered to be far worse.
Today on 3.5: Party (all level 2) prepares to fight a Roc that's been sighted in front of a caravan for 40 minutes. It's attention rolls however make it ignore the party and it leaves.
[QUOTE=Chronische;50167832]Remember that as an Illusionist you can make Minor Illusion make both sound AND a visual effect. I'm always super wary of gnomes since they generally attract a similar shitty crowd as Kender, but gnome illusionist is a classic.[/QUOTE]
It's a game a coworker invited me to, and said coworker and I bullshit a lot at work, grab lunch together, etc cetera. I'm not gonna be an idiot about it.
Just a flashy illusionist that also happens to sing, play music, and has a name oddly close to Elton John. And yeah, I do remember I can do visual and auditory at the same time, so that'll be fun.
[editline]20th April 2016[/editline]
My biggest dilemma is that I've never had a chance to play a wizard or 5e. I have access to 5 cantrips because of forest gnome illusionist, one being minor illusion. I'm thinking mending and message, maybe mage hand. Some kind of damage cantrip, just in case?
"I've been thinking about rolling up a Dragonborn Bard for this one off, and naming him Drake."
[I]That'd be pretty cool.[/I]
"My strengths pretty high, so I guess I might as well chose College of Valor."
[I]Good choice![/I]
"Might as well be proficient in Athletics because of how high my strength is."
[I]I can't see the harm in it.[/I]
"And If I combine these two feats, my AC goes up to 17. And then I can use a reaction to push it further up to 21!"
[I]Awesome, have you chosen your spells yet?[/I]
"My what?"
The DM for my group only assigns XP for combat and we don't fight too often. Just finished our 30th session and we're still midway through level 4. Should I be yelling at him more?
[QUOTE=Hashmere;50173342]The DM for my group only assigns XP for combat and we don't fight too often. Just finished our 30th session and we're still midway through level 4. Should I be yelling at him more?[/QUOTE]
Always yell more at your GM.
[QUOTE=Hashmere;50173342]The DM for my group only assigns XP for combat and we don't fight too often. Just finished our 30th session and we're still midway through level 4. Should I be yelling at him more?[/QUOTE]
Yeah, XP is an abstraction of experience after all, lots of things besides combat would make you more experienced.
[editline]21st April 2016[/editline]
[QUOTE=elowin;50173490]Always yell more at your GM.[/QUOTE]
Except in Shadowrun.
[QUOTE=Nerts;50173492]Except in Shadowrun.[/QUOTE]
[i]Especially[/i] in Shadowrun :cat:
[QUOTE=Hashmere;50173342]The DM for my group only assigns XP for combat and we don't fight too often. Just finished our 30th session and we're still midway through level 4. Should I be yelling at him more?[/QUOTE]
frantically checked your flag and steam page in terror because my players are level 4 and i'm terrible at giving XP for anything other than slaying mooks
[QUOTE=Hashmere;50173342]The DM for my group only assigns XP for combat and we don't fight too often. Just finished our 30th session and we're still midway through level 4. Should I be yelling at him more?[/QUOTE]
Start solving every encounter in a non-combat way until GM gets annoyed of having to keep encounters low-level.
Some of the cantrips and first level spells seem like traps. They sound good, but I imagine they're really not useful in almost any regard. At least, that's how it looks to me, I really don't have experience with playing a wizard in D&D. I have everything pretty much decided though, just a couple spells to pick. Also, need to go "shopping" with the gold I got from rolling. Fun stuff, and I have until Sunday.
Exploit Friends to have people get angry at you, then kill them in self-defense.
[QUOTE=Seiteki;50176767]Some of the cantrips and first level spells seem like traps. They sound good, but I imagine they're really not useful in almost any regard. At least, that's how it looks to me, I really don't have experience with playing a wizard in D&D. I have everything pretty much decided though, just a couple spells to pick. Also, need to go "shopping" with the gold I got from rolling. Fun stuff, and I have until Sunday.[/QUOTE]
They are infinite use, and most of them ARE really useful. Minor illusion, firebolt, mold earth, prestidigitation? Those are all great. It's really up to you how useful you make it, but they aren't meant to be on the same level of power or utility as actual spells that consume slots.
[QUOTE=Chronische;50177028]They are infinite use, and most of them ARE really useful. Minor illusion, firebolt, mold earth, prestidigitation? Those are all great. It's really up to you how useful you make it, but they aren't meant to be on the same level of power or utility as actual spells that consume slots.[/QUOTE]
OH, yeah, I know they're not going to be the best or anything. Just some seem like they'd never be useful, like, Blade Ward or something. Definitely liking minor illusion, thinking shocking grasp could be nice for those "oh shot, have to get away" moments, message would be useful. I'm just being indecisive about them, keeping adding and removing things from the character sheet, at least until things start on Sunday.
[QUOTE=Seiteki;50177146]OH, yeah, I know they're not going to be the best or anything. Just some seem like they'd never be useful, like, Blade Ward or something. Definitely liking minor illusion, thinking shocking grasp could be nice for those "oh shot, have to get away" moments, message would be useful. I'm just being indecisive about them, keeping adding and removing things from the character sheet, at least until things start on Sunday.[/QUOTE]
Blade Ward is more of an Eldritch Knight spell, really. Same with Greenflame and Booming Blade from the SCAG.
Some really aren't that great though, like True Strike or Dancing Lights. For the rest, a bit of creativity is how you are meant to use them. Mending, for instance, has a ton of use. Message COULD be useful in theory, but not in most campaigns.
[QUOTE=Chronische;50177528]Blade Ward is more of an Eldritch Knight spell, really. Same with Greenflame and Booming Blade from the SCAG.
Some really aren't that great though, like True Strike or Dancing Lights. For the rest, a bit of creativity is how you are meant to use them. Mending, for instance, has a ton of use. Message COULD be useful in theory, but not in most campaigns.[/QUOTE]
I played a one shot yesterday where I was a Bard who communicated through Message to save his voice for his songs.
I mean, he got one shotted and died in the last fight but that had nothing to do with Message.
I got rid of one of my curses today! Woo!
Honestly all you need to do is poison a city's water supply to level up quickly
[QUOTE=RearAdmiral;50177832]Honestly all you need to do is poison a city's water supply to level up quickly[/QUOTE]
Strictly speaking most level 1 commoner NPCs are only worth like 10 xp apiece.
[QUOTE=Oliolio;50177846]Strictly speaking most level 1 commoner NPCs are only worth like 10 xp apiece.[/QUOTE]
Poison multiple water supplies then
[QUOTE=RearAdmiral;50177832]Honestly all you need to do is poison a city's water supply to level up quickly[/QUOTE]
Know what we're doing in your campaign now
[QUOTE=Mellowbloom;50177683]I got rid of one of my curses today! Woo![/QUOTE]
"one of"
geez you should try not to get cursed so much mellow-sempai
[QUOTE=elowin;50178179]"one of"
geez you should try not to get cursed so much mellow-sempai[/QUOTE]
hey it's cool that was the dangerous one
and it technically wasn't a curse
[QUOTE=Mellowbloom;50178209]hey it's cool that was the dangerous one
and it technically wasn't a curse[/QUOTE]
so you were LYING
i'll never forgive you bloom-kun
[QUOTE=elowin;50178229]so you were LYING
i'll never forgive you bloom-kun[/QUOTE]
hey it was geas
those suck
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