I've seen a number of posts about how many characters have gotten whacked by the randomly generated will o' wisp and I'm wondering how this encounter can be made more interesting rather than just a frustrating combat encounter for the players.
Some of the descriptions I've seen have been right on the money in terms of the classic will o' wisp - trick the players into following the light into some dangerous area and then feed on their terror. Others seem to be more along the lines of "You see a will o' wisp. Roll initiative."
Sticking with the classic methodology of luring PC's into situations likely to evoke the fear and terror on which the wisp feeds, what kinds of scenarios might the wisp lead the PC's into?
- Quicksand (or slurpy bog mud equivalent)
- Nearby lair of some other creature
- Ravine
- Fast-moving river
What kinds of other scenarios do you envision a wily wisp luring your PCs into?
Having had 3 show up so far over the course of my campaign that have killed at least 3 characters all told, I find myself asking many of these same questions, especially since they've been lucky enough to kill them the latter two times.
Here are the guidelines I've been using:
Competing Perception checks to set the range for the encounter and give big fat hints that maybe, just maybe, they might not want to go that way when they see some weird light off in the distance (they never seem to learn, but I try).
Target one person and drop him to dying, then go invisible while feeding (darn those pesky healers - and darn those fragile 1st levelers that drop far too quickly).
At one point the party was stuck camping in the middle of a thunderstorm, and a Wisp snuck up on them pretending to be ball-lightning.
Another made crying noises while invisible to lure them into a pit-trap.
This last time they thought it might be either a Wisp, or a bandit campfire. Hint: if the party sends some characters to scout ahead, discourage any tagalongs that DON'T have exceptional stealth skills.
Evil ideas that I've had that I have yet to implement:
Wisp uses cries, flashes of light and other teasers to lead the party towards a band of Mites (another wandering monster, or lair). Mite "Doom" + Wisp = good odds of at least one shaken PC and a well-fed/fast healing Wisp.
Wisp "adopts" the party, following them around and feeding off their kills. Not a particularly "good" partnership, especially as the Wisp is just as likely to turn on them some time down the road if it finds something better.
It's only a DC 16 K. Dungeoneering to recognize a strange glowing bobbing slightly malevolent light as a will-o'-wisp. The wisps are also described as using their shock ability only as a last resort. I'm kind of surprised so many combat have actually occurred with them.
Now the Shambling Mound on the other hand is a beast.
My group figured out what they were during their first encounter (not that it helped them much). Hasn't stopped them from stumbling into them or falling for their tricks (and Wisps are all about being tricky). Being easily mistaken for other kinds of light sources at a distance, or manipulate the nature of the light (or noise) they create makes identifying them particularly problematic if they aren't being obvious.
And violent? Can't speak for others, but yeah, I have been playing them as being considerably more aggressive then their description might otherwise imply. Why this thread intrigues me. I've been thinking I need a subtler approach for their evil (their impulsive, alien, crazy evil).
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My players found a Will-o'-wisp, one character correctly identified it, another character rolled a one.
The character who rolled the 1 was told: "Will-O'-Wisps are tricky creatures, but are often known to lead adventurers to treasure."
The character who correctly identified it was told: "Will-O'-Wisps are tricky little monsters that feed off fear and dying breaths."
The character who rolled the 1 has a charisma of 20. The character who successfully I.D'd the will-o'-wisp had a charisma of low. Now my players are intent on chasing Will-o'-Wisps in the hopes they'll lead them to treasure!
I don't know if I'm an evil GM, but I do love that my players will happily role-play despite knowing the results of the rolls. (My will-o-wisp lead a pair of kobolds into the PCs camp in the hopes of eating some dying breaths. It managed to eat some kobold fear and was sated).
The trap door spider near Bokken's.
What better place for a creature that feeds off of fear. I mean that spider has been seriously busy with all those bones around there, lots of primal terror for the wisp to feast upon. All it has to do is trick people into getting to close to the spider.
First I had the wisp look like a dieing torch on the far side of the bones hoping to lure some of the PC's straight through. Doing this to try and trick them into thinking someone might be trapped and alive. However a couple went around instead, finding out there was nothing there. The wisp can fly fast enough while invisible to make it towards the center of the field and begin emulating cries for help. I don't think they even have an inkling of what's going on so far.
My players found a Will-o'-wisp, one character correctly identified it, another character rolled a one.
The character who rolled the 1 was told: "Will-O'-Wisps are tricky creatures, but are often known to lead adventurers to treasure."
The character who correctly identified it was told: "Will-O'-Wisps are tricky little monsters that feed off fear and dying breaths."
The character who rolled the 1 has a charisma of 20. The character who successfully I.D'd the will-o'-wisp had a charisma of low. Now my players are intent on chasing Will-o'-Wisps in the hopes they'll lead them to treasure!
I don't know if I'm an evil GM, but I do love that my players will happily role-play despite knowing the results of the rolls. (My will-o-wisp lead a pair of kobolds into the PCs camp in the hopes of eating some dying breaths. It managed to eat some kobold fear and was sated).
That is hilarious.
im thinking, some time after they have meet one.....
"you see two glowing balls of light chasing a large dog, who despite good pace is unable to escape as the balls fly over the difficult terrain!"
a particularly evil combination might be a will-o-wisp who happens to be nearby when a shambling mound stumbles upon the party...
a particularly evil combination might be a will-o-wisp who happens to be nearby when a shambling mound stumbles upon the party...
My group ran into a Wisp right after fleeing from a Shambler. The Oracle hit it with her eldritch bolt and rolled the suggestion crit card... and told it to go fight the Shambler instead.
They later ran into the two after they had buddied up, with the Wisp both empowering the Shambler with its shocks and feeding off the fear of its kills. Nearly killed the Samurai and Barbarian in my party before they managed to kill them both off.
We just ran into a single one who was stuck inside a lantern than was sitting on a rock on the far side of the Shrike river.
The lantern was left "on" and just sitting there.
It detected as magic, and the paladin detected evil.
It was "captured" by the lantern so once the lantern was destroyed it was freed and it fled.