I admit the color spray is ridiculous, then again it's the spell's, not the encounter's, fault.
If the author deliberately puts a spellcaster with Color Spray in the encounter, I don't know how you can say that it's ridiculous but not the encounter's fault.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Just ran this today. I found the sexual bedroom odd for the very first PFS introductory scenerio. I'm no prude and such references have a long history in this game we love (DnD/PF). However, putting this in a scenerio targeted for new players is a bad idea.
Just my 2 cents.
Yeah, I read off the description of the St. Andrew's cross before I caught what it was. I did have fun with the over the top flirtiness and Paladin taunting though.
*offers the Paladin the silver letter opener with the symbol of Asmodaeus on it.*
"You might need this."
"Um, no thanks."
"Come on, take it..."
"I will be fine ma'am."
"It's a free gift." *smiles* "The first one is always free."
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I have seen that color spray TPK more than one table.
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It actually goes a very long way toward explaining the Cheliax faction missions that players get. Frankly, without this introduction, one might be very confused as to why a player's faction head is calling them a "Sweet little morsel" and promising to share the pleasure of the lash.However, with that said, I have definitely tamed that scene down for younger audiences (and ramped it up for my home group to meet their quota of innuendo and lasciviousness).
Vallid point about nature of Cheliax. I had my 10 year old son at the table, so I had to be creative about my word choice. The adults at the table got the general idea. And yes, roll playing Zarta was a great deal of fun.
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Yeah, I read off the description of the St. Andrew's cross before I caught what it was. I did have fun with the over the top flirtiness and Paladin taunting though.
That cross became important in the game I ran. My players didn't recognize the significance of the silver letter opener, so they decided that grappling the imp was the best strategy (it probably was). Once they had him, they strapped him down to the cross. Then they just walked out with the McGuffin while he cursed at them. :)
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The best that I have seen is a half-orc paladin getting charged by Ledford in the surprise round and knocked down to negatives. On his turn he uses his ferocity, declares smite and annihilates Ledford with a crit from a greataxe, overkilling him by like half again.
The table got real quiet when the paladin got hit then started cheering wildly when the halfling's head went flying across the map.
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I was TPKed in the mission by that color spray. Now I'm about to GM it, and I looked at the tactics on the wizard in the module. It says that she's supposed to hang back and acid splash! My GM had her run up and color spray the heck out of everyone. The tactics of the wizard are to only use color spray if people charge her. I think when I run it that way when I run the game, it will not be a TPK. Let me know if I'm wrong on my analysis of the tactics of that group.
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As always, we should stick with the Tactics written in the scenario. Its acceptable to change them if the party does something unexpected of course (after all, an intelligent enemy will adapt).
In my experience of GMing this part, every group had a different experience - some walked all over it (even a newbie group!) some were squashed and robbed at the end (including a very experienced group).
So I'd definitely encourage you to stick with the written, at least 'til you gauge what the party is going to do. Usually, the charging halfling will wither drop one front line PC or get dropped and that will show you what to do next.
After round 2-3, all bets are off anyway ;)
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I was TPKed in the mission by that color spray. Now I'm about to GM it, and I looked at the tactics on the wizard in the module. It says that she's supposed to hang back and acid splash! My GM had her run up and color spray the heck out of everyone. The tactics of the wizard are to only use color spray if people charge her. I think when I run it that way when I run the game, it will not be a TPK. Let me know if I'm wrong on my analysis of the tactics of that group.
If you use the map exactly as given, it's such a chokepoint that the PCs almost can't help triggering her "into melee" clause. Also, thanks to the Obscuring Mist, it's highly possible that she will be unable to pick out an Acid Splash target at all if she hangs too far back, so this might also draw her into melee.
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I was TPKed in the mission by that color spray. Now I'm about to GM it, and I looked at the tactics on the wizard in the module. It says that she's supposed to hang back and acid splash! My GM had her run up and color spray the heck out of everyone. The tactics of the wizard are to only use color spray if people charge her. I think when I run it that way when I run the game, it will not be a TPK. Let me know if I'm wrong on my analysis of the tactics of that group.If you use the map exactly as given, it's such a chokepoint that the PCs almost can't help triggering her "into melee" clause. Also, thanks to the Obscuring Mist, it's highly possible that she will be unable to pick out an Acid Splash target at all if she hangs too far back, so this might also draw her into melee.** spoiler omitted **
I once had a near TPK that started out well for the PCs--they managed to fight their way through part of the front rank (I think they dropped Ledford) and one of the PCs made it right up to Hallie. It turned out that the other PCs were close enough behind that front PC that they were all hit by a single Color Spray, which the frightened Hallie fired off, not realizing how many would be hit. It dropped 3 out of 4 PCs, but the sole Ezren left standing managed to take a chokepoint to block off most of his unconscious allies from nonlethal coup de graces and take total defenses, waving his staff and shouting "You shall not pass!" With Ledford down, Larkin crippled in the mist, and Deandre not very accurate to begin with, this strategy actually managed to last long enough for the unconscious PCs to rejoin the fight and win it.
Other than that, when I've run it the PCs have resoundingly won. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way to the players though, which can add to the tension and the fun. For instance, last night I played First Steps 1 and we had two PCs down but Ledford and Hallie were down. This was basically a near-guaranteed win at that point, since a Hallie Color Spray catastrophe and Ledford's axe are really the two threatening bits in the encounter, but the other two players were frightened because the numbers were even, so the fight seemed 'close'.