Wait, Godzilla is following you and destroying all the evidence?
Golden opportunity to turn evil and do everything you've always wanted to do in a role-playing game. This sounds like a fabulous opportunity, especially since the world will generally be blaming you for Godzilla wrecking everything once somebody notices and survives.
I would say theres less than a 1% chance a group of level 2 pcs could kill a CR20+ monster, which is what u described.. I would ask the gm to stop with somthing u cannot possible hope to combat and actually make the game fun for u guys.. How about have it go dormant till yall are high enough 18th+ level or so..
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Paladin in our group. Most of the rest of the group is "good" aligned as well.
Honestly, your GM is out of bounds on this one. I enjoy placing the occasional critter that the PCs have to run away from, but I don't make it a central pillar of the campaign.
That said, if you can convince the paladin (in-character) that this thing is an avatar sent to see the wicked punished, if only he'd lead it to the deserving, you could have some fun with that.
If it were me, I'd just say "Stop. We're going to fight it here. And we're going to die. If the GM doesn't want us to play, then let's get it over with because I've got better things to do."
Now, if you really want to kill it . . . lead it to the biggest, most powerful city around. Get rooms at an inn in the center of the city. Wait. Once the critter appears on the horizon, the city and all its powerful inhabitants are going to respond. Or the GM is going to have to trash his campaign world one city at a time.
Paladin in our group. Most of the rest of the group is "good" aligned as well.Honestly, your GM is out of bounds on this one. I enjoy placing the occasional critter that the PCs have to run away from, but I don't make it a central pillar of the campaign.
That said, if you can convince the paladin (in-character) that this thing is an avatar sent to see the wicked punished, if only he'd lead it to the deserving, you could have some fun with that.
If it were me, I'd just say "Stop. We're going to fight it here. And we're going to die. If the GM doesn't want us to play, then let's get it over with because I've got better things to do."
Now, if you really want to kill it . . . lead it to the biggest, most powerful city around. Get rooms at an inn in the center of the city. Wait. Once the critter appears on the horizon, the city and all its powerful in habitants are going to respond. Or the GM is going to have to trash is campaign world one city at a time.
Ditto, ditto, and ditto.
I could see being hounded as fun if done right.
I would probably see where he is taking us. What class are you?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You could try to trap it by using its colossal size against it. Essentially, trap it by getting it to follow you into a place it can get into, but not out of.
I don't think the "large city" idea is going to work. It already showed no fear of annihilating a city of 40,000 people.
And there was no one in the city capable of launching an arrow at it? Seriously? If, in a city with 40000 people, there wasn't one person capable of at least slowing it down, your characters have absolutely no chance.
Your GM is being a jerk. Maybe he thinks he's being challenging. Maybe he's just using it to make himself feel better because you can't figure a way around his plot device. Maybe he's just not a good GM. Either way, tell him to stop. And if he doesn't, your paladin should stand his ground, draw his sword, and die proudly. Think 300-esque, where the end is already written, there's nothing you can do to change the outcome. But you can die bravely, instead of fleeing like rats from a sinking ship.
Step 1) Form an alliance of the remaining Cities.
Step 2) Set up an ambush far from the Cities in a Fort.
Step 3) Lead the Beasty into said ambush.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
If it is slow, use that to your advantage.
Get horses, fire arrows. If you suck at firing from a horse, ride on ahead a few hundred feet, dismount, fire a few volleys, re-mount and ride away to do it again before it gets into melee range. Do it in a light forest area so the creature can't charge you.
Hire some local hunters to join your posse. A few silver, and the fame that comes with slaying such a beast is their reward, for little risk.
If the creature has damage reduction, learn (by experimenting) what it is weak to (i.e. buy a few arrows of each kind of material/alignment and fire away until one of the arrows sinks in like a hot knife in butter.
If you are defeated (either because the creature is too powerful, or your DM refuses to let it die), take that in stride. Learn from your mistakes, and recruit more allies to take it down.
Cheers
I could see being hounded as fun if done right...
Agreed. Think of all the fantasy movies you've seen where the villain trounces the hero in the first/ second act. It's all part of the buildup to the third act where the hero finally bests the villain. The more times you get smacked down by the BBEG, the more gratifying it feels to finally beat the thing.
You're only second level. You have 18 more levels to gain the power you need. Don't be so hasty to spoil the big finale.
The real issue I see here is that the monster seems to be showing up a little too frequently. You describe it as following you everywhere as though it's always right on your heels; the campaign has become one long chase scene. Rather than trying to outwit your GM (which won't end well, trust me) suggest that maybe the monster spend a little extra time chewing up the previous city- enough to give you some breathing room.
I don't see the issue with having it pursue you. Basically, it is the BBEG, and you're going to need to progress to be able to take it on. Sounds like that's the overarching story here.
Honestly, if that's the story he's running, why are you bent out of shape about it? Sure, your characters can lament that they do not have a way to stop it yet, but think of it this way:
What if you were playing a campaign where the ultimate goal was killing a lich? Would you say, at level 2, "Well, I'm sick of this guy. How can we kill the lich right now?" You're skipping to the end. If the GM is planning a story based on this creature, why would you go out of your way to ruin it?
Although, if I were to run a campaign this way, I would get the ok from my players in the first place and make it part of the opening of the campaign setting. It sounds to me like you weren't expecting this to be the driving force of the story.
If your DM watches a lot of Godzilla movies, don't bother with siege weapons or conventional tactics. They won't work and they'll only make it stronger in the end. Planar banishment or imprisonment-type situations are pretty choice, if you can manage it, but are heavily reliant on MacGuffins and DMs leading you on long wild goose chases.
Really deep mine shafts are also choice. Spread a big net across, weight the ends, and bait it with something. You won't kill it with 20 dice of falling, but it probably will be stuck at the bottom. Push a bunch of boulders or flammables in after it if you want to be really sure.
If that is beyond your means, try exploiting its biological weaknesses. Does it breathe water? You could lure it onto a big barge or ship, cast it out to sea, then sink the barge and drown the monster in the deeps.
You could also stock up on supplies and lure it into an trackless barren desert. Use endure elements on yourselves, then lure it in as far as your supplies hold out. Let the thing die of starvation and exposure. If you find a hopeless place hotter than 110 degrees Fahrenheit, living creatures start making cumulative saves against nonlethal heat damage every ten minutes.
Or if you are feeling subversive, scamper to the nearest ubervillain's Dark Fortress of Doom and surrender to the mercy of its dark master. When the monster follows you, sit serenely in the crumbling jail and regard it as a divine gift in the crusade against evil.
|
|
Good on your GM. The attitude of my character is level X so therefore the GM must only use CR X encounters is short-sighted. You have a foe you will 'grow into' and the GM has an ongoing adventure hook. From an in game point of view I would say you need information. Go looking for sages and wise-persons or arcane tomes for origins, strengths/weaknesses etc. Many a TV series has this idea, little adventures tied together by a larger story (that sometimes isn't what the characters thought it was at the start).
I do agree with Lurk3r. The GM wants to not play the monster card every session DIRECTLY. One thing that can be a powerful story driver is foreshadowing or 'off camera' events. Off-camera is an interesting way to introduce important NPC's before the PC's even know where the NPC's are. Also applies to villains. Remember there are the characters, but behind the characters are the players. It is completely fine for the players to know more than their characters. Sets up a feeling of foreboding much better than just saying 'roll for surprise'.
Slightly jealous of your game,
S.
PS: If the thing can kill 40,000 people then at 2nd level just plain old smarts ain't going to cut it. What you need in smarts and many more levels... :)
I would have a group of "NPCs" say level 15 if the thing is CR20+ and have the PCs run them to give them some more information on the beast.
Say while their group is camping or resting the NPCs ride out to slay the Beast and become Heroes of Legend. Their choices determine if the NPCs survive or not.
Man, I have heard of Railroading GMs before but I think this one wins Pathfinder.
If I were in this campaign I'd probably face off against the beast and just let it trample the hell out of my character.
If I had some compelling reason to continue playing in this campaign, I certainly would not go to any town. I'd lead the beast to the most desolate wilderness I could possibly find and THEN let it trample the hell out of my character.
I doubt I would stay involved in a campaign with this sort of activity more than a session or two.
|
|
I would have a group of "NPCs" say level 15 if the thing is CR20+ and have the PCs run them to give them some more information on the beast.
Say while their group is camping or resting the NPCs ride out to slay the Beast and become Heroes of Legend. Their choices determine if the NPCs survive or not.
In a one off style 'adventure' perhaps a good way out of the plot but in a campaign I don't see that as required.
Which then begs the question to the OP - is this an ongoing campaign or just a couple of one-off's?
S
|
Anyone here ever play Resident Evil 3 or Prince of Persia 2? How about watched the original The Thing? Being hounded by a godless killing machine can be intense and a lot of fun. And in the end if you do get to take it down it'll be that much sweeter. And as for the "GM being out of bounds" or a "jerk", that seems a little extreme.
Back to Defeating the thing. I'd be willing to bet that if it does happen it'll eventually get back up and start hunting again.
Now to actually beat it down I'm going to suggest the Peasant Rail Gun and/or the Peasant Machine Gun or some sort of massive chasm or Lava...lots of lava!
PoP: Warrior Within's Dahaka was sweet!
But I was just Posting a way for the GM to make it less obtrusive in the Game. And give the Players a little aside so they don't get bored with the massive hounding.
APs might have a set story but the GM can always add in side missions and such.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
It's the GM's prerogative to run the campaign the way he wants so all of the rest of you peanut gallery talkers need to realize that this isn't YOUR game and whining and moaning about how you'd quit if it was isn't a help in any way, shape, or form. The OP asks for ideas on how to try to take this thing out with their lower level party members, stick to that. Don't cry about how you'd quit because you don't like the way the OP's GM is running this game or call that GM a jerk. As long as the OP and their party are having fun just back the heck off. /end of rant
If it was me in this game, I'd be high-tailing it out of there too. Things I'd try:
1) Researching references of this beast in history or stories.
2) Find out if one ever existed before and HOW it was dealt with.
3) Find out if it has a mission to fulfill that includes eating your PC's or maybe you have something it wants.
4) Find out if it's weak against certain things (fire/acid/poison/etc).
5) Find out if there's a way to throw it off your scent/trail
6) Try to communicate with it somehow - maybe you can see if you can make it loyal to your party somehow.
7) Find out if it is really out to kill you or is it after something you have possession of?
8) Find out if you can trap it somehow, maybe some kind of stasis or large hole in the ground.
9) Find powerful allies (dragons/wizard/other powerful beasts) who can help you.
There are lots of different possibilities and variables involved here, so try a bunch of different things until you figure out what works.
I also vote in favor of the 'split the party' idea, so you can narrow down who it is really after.
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
|
I think you're on the right track in trying to figure out a way to stop it, but I'd approach the problem in a more in-character way. Assuming your GM isn't just a railroading jerk, he probably has a way for you to fight/escape/stop the monster in mind. I would recommend trying to find a sage (preferably one in an out of the way location to avoid damage to the area) to see if they have any advice - maybe the monster has a weak spot you can target. The underdark might be another consideration - the creature won't be able to reach you, and you might be able to travel underground and avoid the thing.
Another tact would be to try and figure out how/why it is following your party. Do you have something on you? Is there any way you can get some magic to protect you from divination/scrying?
Personally, I think this sounds like an awesome and innovative campaign. There's a puzzle here, and it's great that you're trying to solve it, but I think you need to broaden your search.
That said, if your GM is just a railroading jerk, I doubt defeating the monster is an option.
You can move *very* heavy weights a long way using just basic labor, wheels, rope, and a block and tackle. The block and tackle is a simple machine that basically trades off distance pulled for weight pulled - if you pull your side of the cable 100 feet with 500 lbs of force, the load will move only 10 feet, but you will exert 5,000 pounds of force to do it. They've been used in construction for many centuries. It does require strong livestock or large teams of grunt workers, so it might help to find a local faction leader willing to pitch in for an end to the menace or a share of the glory.
Once you can move the rocks, building the boulder trap itself is easy - just move them into position, build a sturdy speedbump against its front, and jam a log under the other side. When the Moment comes, pull down on the log and lever the rock over the bump.
In terms of pit size, a colossal critter like a tarrasque has a 30-foot-wide space. It'll take looking, but it's not too unreasonable for the crazy sorts of dungeonmines that seem to litter the landscape of most RPG campaigns.
Find the nearest biggest, baddest dragon. Lead the monster to the dragon. If the monster beats the dragon...take the dragon's horde. If the dragon beats the monster, thank the dragon from a safe distance away and carry on as normal level 2 adventurers. *grin*
I really don't have any good advice other than talk to your DM about whether you are having fun or not. Good luck!
You could try to trap it by using its colossal size against it. Essentially, trap it by getting it to follow you into a place it can get into, but not out of.What kind of place would that be?
I don't think the "large city" idea is going to work. It already showed no fear of annihilating a city of 40,000 people.
Your are being chased by a plot element, there is no way of killing it. That city of 40,000 should have killed it if it is vulnerable to normal or even magical weapons. 10,000 bow shots will result in 500 hits of which 25 will be crits (assuming everyone needs a 20 to hit). And a city that size would get off that many shots, or enough to kill it easily.
Thoughts on how to make this better?
I think the wind of the fall is pretty likely to blow out the torch. Flask of alchemist's fire would be safer, probably. If your campaign has explosives you could also drop the cave walls down on the monster's head.
Beyond that, I'm not sure what more you could do besides drop more boulders. Huge bunches of guys with crossbows is probably out because the beast'll have ridiculous DR. If you have a truly absurd amount of labor and the mine was somewhere in the lowlands, you could maybe dig a trench between a large body of water into the pit, then drain the water into the pit after the fire burns out. That would take months, though, and I'm not sure the payoff would really be worth it.
|
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
|
Whatever happens, if you manage to kill it, make sure to post here and tell us about it! The discouraging element is the fact that your GM handwaived away the encounter with the 40k city - it might just be that he wasn't prepared for that, but it is also consistent with the idea that this is purely a plot device, not subject to the actual rules of the game. A city of that size should've been much more than a speedbump, either attracting level-appropriate heroes or otherwise creating such an imbalance in the status quo that someone in the game world would take notice and move to act.
Have you tried splitting up? It can only follow one of you, and the others could appeal to whatever are the local Powers That Be for help.
So how much information has been gathered on the monster in terms of not only what it is, but why it is after your group in particular and what its motivations are?
The thing only moves about 30 feet a round and we've all just been able to run away every time it comes at us ...
If this thing is that slow, then buy some horses, bows and arrows. USe the horses to totally out maneuver the thing and shoot it to death with the arrows.
You indicate that you have shot it before successfully so I assume the AC cannot be too huge and it's SR is nonexistant of a level 2 mage type can magic missle it.
Buy some tanglefoot bags to further reduce it's mobility and alchemists fire to counter the regen.
You can try this and see how it goes. If it moves only 30 and has no range then you should be able to easily hit and run the thing to death.
Yeah, Definitely sounds like some cautious experimentation is in order, followed by a visit to a priestly library. You can't predict where to set your ambush if you don't understand what it does and why it does it.
Lead it into a narrow canyon. Cause avalanche.
Get on a ship, lead it into the water, spear it with the prow.
Hey, it worked in Jaws 4.
One character draws a short straw, loads himself up with the most potent combination of poison known. Rolls around in garlic butter to make himself irresitable. Sure, someone gets swallowed, but that's why you make sure you don't get the short straw. Throw in some delayed-blast fireballs for good effect.
But it's a plot device, so you won't be able to kill it. If you don't care, then go with the flow.
Draw straws for who get to be the bait. Maybe it is just a little hungry.
Why would an alchemists fire prevent regeneration? (sorry, I am not very familiar with the rules of this game)
With very few exceptions, monsters with the Regeneration ability have something that negates the regeneration - if they take damage that round from the damage type that bypasses it, their regeneration is turned off that round and, if brought below the death threshold, they die. Fire's a pretty common one - it and Acid turn off Troll regen - so it's generally a good place to start unless you already know it won't do the job.
The Tarrasque is one of the few critters whose regen has no negating element or damage type.
Also, we have a level 2 alchemist. Is there any way he could create some kind of crazy fire oil bombs?
His own Bombs (unless he took an archetype like Vivisectionist that gets rid of them) should deal Fire damage by default, but yeah no reason he couldn't cook something better up given decent Craft (Alchemy) rolls and suitable supplies, though that would be a call on your GM's part.