Woot! It’s game week again!
Since this week’s game is the 3rd session in and around a Tomb dungeon, and since the adventure is pretty much prepped since last week, I was thinking of skipping this week’s prep article in order to focus on the campaign’s next chapter (Where Planescape meets Ptolus).
But then I realized that my game is at a particular stage where a DM has to think about how to treat the dungeon’s dynamics in regards to the party’s current resources. It brought to my mind sufficient ideas to make a post of of it.
I have had this conundrum trust onto my lap plenty of time and have had to fight against my very strong sense of logic and the urge to ‘do what makes sense’.
After having had 5 combat encounters and facing 3 traps, my player’s resources are pretty low now. Spells slots are used up, reserve points pools (Cixi’s) have been tapped and healing magic is nearing the ‘E’ line.
But here’s the thing.
You remember those Children of Sehan I talked about in the last 3 or 4 sessions? You know, those ill-designed, quasi-omnipotent Humanoid plant things that have been the interactive MacGuffins of this adventure arc? Well it so happens that on top of all the abilities they already had (Calm Emotion Gaze, 3d6 charisma draining poisoned claws, Wisdom Bonus to AC, Unflankable, Uncrittable…) they also share their awareness with any or all Sehan-touched creatures within 25 miles. Including Sehan and its thralls.
Aside: Sehan is that Lovecraftian thing sitting at the bottom of the dungeon, and it’s got the players a bit worried
So both Sehan and his Mini-Bosses know that the PCs are in the Dungeon and that they killed all of the remaining children of Sehan. The logical thing to do now that the PCs are down on their resources would be to have the baddies burst out of one of the yet unopened doors and attack to kill them
The thing is… much like making a Coup de Grace on a fallen PC, what makes sense and what fosters fun for your players are two completely different things. That is, unless your players are dedicated Killer DM fans and will take umbrage at you NOT killing them (Don’t smirk, I had a player like that for quite some time).
Bottom line, when logic and fun collide… I prefer to let fun win, everytime.
So here’s what’s going to happen (you reading this guys)?
Sehan is a patient entity….. All its thralls will most likely die but it doesn’t really feel threatened. Heck, its neighbor is a 20th level Druid that still hasn’t made a move on him…. what’s a quintet of 9th levelers going to do that’s worse?
However, most of that group has already been touched by it. Aravar, Nogard (who accepted its gift) and Crueger have had some of it in their veins. That opens all kind of nice Evil DM stuff that can make players squirm and creates quite an incentive to deal with this menace from the Far Realm.
The point is that Sehan will not send its thralls out yet, it’ll take a defensive wait-and-see position to gauge if the players will make better servants than the ones it’s about to lose… That’ll enable the PCs to rest and come back to finish the job at their leisure, keeping a sense of control of their environment (a very satisfying feeling in the world of unknowns that his being a RPG player instead of a Gamemaster).
I’m really curious to see what kind of devious plans the guys will come up with to deal with that pool of Green Glowing Slime… (‘Cuz I sure have quite a few lined up for them).
As usual this all sounds good, hope you have a blast.
I played this game once on the megadrive. Streets of rage, you play a cop hunting down a gang boss.
After defeating all his minions you get the choice to fight or join him, if you choose to join him and the second player refuses then you two duke it out. Winner takes all as it were.
The cop who defeated an army is now working for the bad guys and had to kill his best friend to do that, it’s an awesome set up in some of these campaigns. Switching sides half way and playing as an evil team. It’s always an option in my mind now when i write “Well why not take up that offer to join the Big Bad”.
Such twists are perfect for ‘end-of-season’ games where as a whole, the group want something new and at least one player wouldn’t care to see his character go down for the sake of the plot twist.
I can honestly say that my current posse of players would stand for no such things…
Although I do sense that a change of venue would be welcome. Fantasy gaming (7 years running) has started to run it’s course.
Math told me that if it weren’t for us choosing such wacky character classes and doing the rampant re-engineering we did, the group would have burnt out…
That’s why I think I’ll start organizing our summer game soon… Maybe some sort of d20 modern/McWod Steampunk based on the world Yan built….
I can already see fights on Zepplins and mechanical tanks based on the Bullette!
OH! That would be great. It would give a second life to all this material(a 45 pages long .doc file). 😉
Yan that stuff was awesome… I’d love to revisit this by co-DMing something with you…. We could probably learn a lot from our respective styles You with improv and world building skills and me with Table Psychology and scene-driven pacing.
I’ve co-DM once in the past with one of my friend for a special BBS driven event… Wow do I feel old… 😉
It was not an easy experience with my approach to spin the game axis on the fly, based on the players decision. I kind of lost my friend since I (the DM) went out of the railroad myself… Hehe!
We did manage to hit a compromise with him doing the adversary (playing the monster in combat).
That being said we did not have a laid down strategy on who should do what, being inexperienced ourselves with co-DMing and where under prepared for it.