Hail, fellow roleplayers! How are you doing today?
I bring you a funny story about a party doing their best not to explore the boss' weakness!
The Boss was a customized Drider who was vulnerable to daylight (being a drow) and positive energy (because she became part of the haunt). She had some rather powerful abilities for her CR (including DR 10, Regeneration, SR 22 and a few spell like abiltiies). She also made it so the very ground tried to attack and entangle anyone who moved. Then she became invisibile and had some fun shooting balls of negative energy!
But all of that could be temporarily shut down with positive energy. And her spells and spell-like abilities had reduced duration in daylight.
The PCs even found an imprisioned spirit who told them that those were the priestess' weaknesses. But the players didn't bother to write it down. So at the time of the next game session, two weeks later, they had forgotten about it. And it was pretty hilarious to see both the Cleric and the Paladin go out of their way to actually avoid channeling energy around the priestess out of fear of healing her!
I was trying my best not to LOL at the table... heh...
I suppose I could have told them... After all, even though the game session was 2 weeks later, it was just few minutes for the characters, but I decided that if someone tells you the weakness of the BBEG right to your face, you better remember it or face the consequences!
In the end, they managed to defeat her the hard way, mostly thanks to Smite Evil and the timely return of the Fighter's courage, and the Cleric finally succeeding its Int check to remember her vulnerability.
This little funny moment of our group inspired me to create this thread!
What about you?
Share your stories about some of the more interesting and unusual encounters you faced or threw at your players!
- A boss with weird weaknesses and/or powers?
- A trap with a creative effect and/or disarming method?
- An enemy with odd tactics or abilities?
How did you figure it out how to defeat it? Or did you do it the old-fashioned way like my players? Did your GM give you clues? Did you have to gather info before facing it?
Tell us!
tl;dr: Share some of the more interesting and unusual challenges your party has faced!
I think the haunt rules allow you to make a haunt that is vulnerable to negative energy and it makes the challenge rating go down but this seems more munchkin and I have not used it.
I have done archers on a roof to break from usual melee and had a ladder in the back.
I think the haunt rules allow you to make a haunt that is vulnerable to negative energy and it makes the challenge rating go down but this seems more munchkin and I have not used it.
I have done archers on a roof to break from usual melee and had a ladder in the back.
A haunt vulneerable to negative energy... That's odd, but interesting. I don't think it'd be unfair as long as you gave your players some clues about it before they actually face the haunt.
Maybe the local priest telling them he couldn't defeat her with his blessings, and that it behaved almost like a living creature.
Discovering the weakness of the enemy you are about to face can be just as fun and interesting as actually facing it. Sometimes even more!