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My PCs are a fun bunch. Last session they encounter a room with a Staff of Power in it. The staff is protected by a web of invisible mono-filament. After the wizard nearly cuts off his own head trying to reach the thing (seriously - it was a high DC reflex save and he almost missed it, and the random limb rolled was his HEAD), true seeing is applied and they find that there is a barely navigable path to the staff.
First, though - they try cutting the mono-filament. They nearly lose a magic dagger in the process, and the snapping filament comes close to severing the arm off the bard.
Eventually, one of them tries to navigate the dangerous path with the aid of true seeing. A few reflex saves later, the inquisitor is standing in a small space surrounded by dangerous filament, but the staff is within reach. All he has to do is take it. Seriously - that's the end of the encounter as far as I've planned it. All he has to do is take the staff and survive crawling back out.
However, he professes that it's too easy. He suspects that the moment he tries to take the staff, some mechanism or spell is going to try to push him into the filament web, and he'll die. So he makes his way back out of the web, taking damage from a failed save, but leaving the staff there, and the party tries several other futile methods of reaching it.
Eventually the bard decides to try to find the specific harmonic frequency of the filaments with his voice, snapping them with vibrations like an opera singer cracks wine glasses. I follow the rule of cool, so I give him a shot. He makes an excellent perform roll and all of the filaments snap at once.
Of course, the lashing threads not only damage the bard, but they manage to destroy the staff, and the resulting retributive strike destroys most of the room.
This is not the first time something like this has happened, and that's why I love my players so much.
that sounds really cool. What's the mechanic you used for the monofiliment?
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I was pretty loosey-goosey on the rules. Here's my notes for the room:
12. Danger Room. This room is lined with columns. Strung between the columns and the walls is a network of invisible filaments that will cut a person to ribbons as they try to move through the room. Does 1d4 DEX and STR damage and Loss of extremity (permanent unless immediately restored via restoration) Roll 1d6 to determine extremity, 6 means you only take damage 1 is left leg, 2 right leg, 3 left arm, 4 right arm, 5 head. Roll again: 1-2 whole limb, 3-4 partial limb or sense organ, 5-6 fingers/toes or else horrible scarring.
Attempts to cut the filaments result in Fort save for weapon involved, DC 15. Failure means the weapon is cut in half by the filament. Success means filament snaps, lashing out and doing a nasty 3d8 gash to whoever is standing within 10 ft (reflex save for half) After it snaps, the filament becomes visible and useless.
The only way across the room is to use some kind of “See invisibility” or true seeing effect to see the “Safe way” across. Still requires a DC 20 reflex save or take 3d4 damage in minor cuts.
At far end of the room is a Staff of Power floating in a shaft of blue light.
When I secretly rolled the Head result for loss of limb on the wizard, I decided to be kind and gave him a DC 20 reflex save to avoid decapitation and only took a chunk out of his shoulder. :P
Well obviously a staff of power wouldn't be protected by just one trap. It was destined to be destroyed the moment someone touched it anyway, so this kept the inquisitor from being killed.
Obviously.
Poor wizard. I figure he considered his head to a fair trade for a staff of power.
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To quote the wizard: "It was probably cursed anyway." :P
Spoken like truly jaded adventurers.
P.S. I want to play in one of your high level games.
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My PC's do similar things. NPC doesn't give exactly the information you need?
"I don't trust this guy."
Room is totally empty for atmosphere?
"Probably full of traps."
NPC seems friendly and supportive.
"I dunno. That's kinda suspicious. Better murder him in his sleep, just to be sure."
Every time.
The one game I had that high, I probably didn't do myself any favors in that regard by having their financial backer from way back at 3rd level or so turn out to be the villain's Nyarlathotep expy....
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Your description of the players made me laugh. It's funny what people will do when they think there is more to something than there really is. My group ran into the opposite problem a few weeks ago.
We were investigating some ruins and all but one of the characters was looking at this metal bowl that was in the ground. The mystic theurge in the group stepped in and passed his WILL save then told everyone not to touch it and to move on that it was magical.
My character hadn't heard the first part that it was dangerous and walked around the corner when he heard the last part of the conversation about it being magical. He is a big barbarian fighter and decided to pull out his earth breaker and see what was under the metal bowl. *We called it the moon well*
As he was swinging the MT noticed what he was doing and shouted out for him to stop, but it was too late. The hammer connected and my PC promptly failed his WILL save (go figure!), fell face first to the ground and slid into the well unconscious. So the MT thought he could jump in and save my character having passed his save a moment before, but he promptly fails his save and falls unconscious as well, sliding down to the bottom of the well.
The other characters found out that anything that touched the well was subject to the WILL save no matter the material (they tried ropes and weapons and nearly fell themselves). It took the oracle a while to figure out that he could use levitate on the downed PC's to get them out, but by this time the MT had become a dessicated corpse (having rolled horribly and failed 3 saves in a row) and my PC was near death as he had failed his latest saving throw. The well sucked the very life out of anyone who got trapped in it.
Moral of the story: be paranoid, be very paranoid, even the simplest thing could turn into a near TPK for a party of adventurers!
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Player Paranoia is my favorite part of being a GM.
In a previous room last session, the PCs found a large stone chest full of mithril coins - something on the order of 80,000 gp worth of mithril coins, just sitting unguarded in the middle of a room...
...a room labeled with the elven rune of "Danger". Also, the chest was surrounded by wolf totems. Also also, the chest radiated very faint magic and a very faint evil and had portentous carvings on it.
But no Monsters, no traps, and nothing to stop the players just filling their pockets and leaving.
The party refused to touch it and moved on. The ranger muttered something along the lines of "This is the first Pirates of the Carribean Movie all over again."
The truth of it:
Player Paranoia is my favorite part of being a GM.
In a previous room last session, the PCs found a large stone chest full of mithril coins - something on the order of 80,000 gp worth of mithril coins, just sitting unguarded in the middle of a room...
...a room labeled with the elven rune of "Danger". Also, the chest was surrounded by wolf totems. Also also, the chest radiated very faint magic and a very faint evil and had portentous carvings on it.
But no Monsters, no traps, and nothing to stop the players just filling their pockets and leaving.
The party refused to touch it and moved on. The ranger muttered something along the lines of "This is the first Pirates of the Carribean Movie all over again."
The truth of it:
** spoiler omitted **
Haha! That's awesome! I guess it's good that your players are that paranoid of your games, they probably learned the hard way over many years of trail and error. No wonder they didn't trust the staff to be uncursed or have more traps on it!
Any PC that gets to 12th level becomes incurably paranoid.
Fortunatly I didnt have the ability to be paranoid with my first 12th level character. He ended up being my highest level character. Got all the way to Level 26 (3.5, started at 1st, 3 year game). I played a Frenzied Berserker(Barb 4/Sorc1/Dragon Disiple 10/Frienzied Berserker 11). We had a 3 strike rule. First 2 times you died you really just stabalized at -1. 3rd time you died for real.
I was the only character in the group with 1 strike or less. As the Frenzied Berserker no less. I never waited or planned for anything. I charged first and asked for healing later lol. Was great fun.
Player paranoia is only fun if it hinders them.
Whenever I introduce a super helpful or kind NPC, I have absolutely no intention of harming the PCs in any way. In fact, I'm a REALLY nice DM... or I would be, if my players didn't make things harder on themselves :P.
I totally agree with you Davor. It can in fact bog down a game when people start to over-think things and then don't come to a conclusion on what to do. It depends on their past experiences I feel, if the DM is known to toss in a lot of dangerous things or crazy scenarios then the players will become more timid. As a player I like to take chances and see how it plays out even at the cost of the character's life, the danger is half the fun of the adventure for me.
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Player Paranoia is my favorite part of being a GM.
In a previous room last session, the PCs found a large stone chest full of mithril coins - something on the order of 80,000 gp worth of mithril coins, just sitting unguarded in the middle of a room...
...a room labeled with the elven rune of "Danger". Also, the chest was surrounded by wolf totems. Also also, the chest radiated very faint magic and a very faint evil and had portentous carvings on it.
But no Monsters, no traps, and nothing to stop the players just filling their pockets and leaving.
The party refused to touch it and moved on. The ranger muttered something along the lines of "This is the first Pirates of the Carribean Movie all over again."
The truth of it:
** spoiler omitted **
You're whats wrong with the world. ;-)
I had a bit of the opposite problem, in terms of being paranoid (or rather, not).
The situation: We were in an old dwarf stronghold trying to get this minor magic gem for the person who hired us. We had just navigated a bunch of traps (swinging axe traps, dart traps, etc). Well, having the highest HP and AC of all the party members, I was elected to go first through every door, stand on every pressure plate, etc. I only, through 2 hours of almost no combat and lots of traps, took 8 damage, which the cleric promptly healed, no problem. However, in the room right before the boss and his small hoard of minions (and the minor magic gem), there was a hallway.
Now, by this time, I obviously hadn't gotten the hint that dwarves like traps. Well, I went down the hallway, and gave the all clear. Another party member steps into the hallway, and boom, two solid walls of pure stone cut off both ends of the hallway. (I punched one, out of frustration, and thought "Eh, it would be funny if the wall broke. Let's roll for it." Natural 1. Took 4 points of damage and broke my hand.) Well, the room then filled with lethal gas.
Well, so you don't worry about my character, I'll post the conclusion of the story as well. Purely for theme, my character pulled his scarf around his nose and mouth, to keep the gas out. The GM ruled that this gave a round without a save needed. The other party member did the same with his cloak, and rolled a Perception check to see a pressure plate at the other end of the hallway that would release the walls, freeing us.
TL:DR
Stuff happened, became careless, got gassed.
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My players think everything is a mimic. I've never put a mimic anywhere.
I have two players who are veterans from my very first campaign who become quite paranoid in hallways and courtyards. They remember the many, many traps and ingenious death machines I made back then in ancient ruins and fallen temples.
Their paranoia worsens when I tell them they see no traps, no matter how high their Perception check.
For the record, my current campaigns have very few traps.
My players think everything is a mimic. I've never put a mimic anywhere.
You need to put a few mimics in your game then!
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Friend told me about the first time he used Arcane Eye.
His game was one that spanned years of in-game time. From day one they worked for this NPC which we shall name Bob. The party's career was based around helping Bob out. They did missions for Bob and he gave them rewards. As they gained in power, so did he, but it was all reasonable and good-seeming; take down the evil bad guys, kill the corrupt duke, etc.
Then, during a fight one day, he cast Arcane Eye to find some greater invisibility-ed monster. His DM hands him a note:
"In Bob's place stands a elder Black Dragon. It smirks and winks at you."
The entire campaign was doing things to help this evil Black Dragon achieve his evil ends and gain power in this kingdom. The DM was some kind of genius because the players never expected it but the reveal made a whole lot of sense after the fact; answered a bunch of questions about odd events.
My players think everything is a mimic. I've never put a mimic anywhere.You need to put a few mimics in your game then!
Or just ONE REALLY BIG mimic.
Like, the caravan wagon they're traveling in.
Or the Inn they're staying at.
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Friend told me about the first time he used Arcane Eye.
His game was one that spanned years of in-game time. From day one they worked for this NPC which we shall name Bob. The party's career was based around helping Bob out. They did missions for Bob and he gave them rewards. As they gained in power, so did he, but it was all reasonable and good-seeming; take down the evil bad guys, kill the corrupt duke, etc.
Then, during a fight one day, he cast Arcane Eye to find some greater invisibility-ed monster. His DM hands him a note:
"In Bob's place stands a elder Black Dragon. It smirks and winks at you."
The entire campaign was doing things to help this evil Black Dragon achieve his evil ends and gain power in this kingdom. The DM was some kind of genius because the players never expected it but the reveal made a whole lot of sense after the fact; answered a bunch of questions about odd events.
That's absolutely brilliant!
Good stuff, dotting.
