| RavanPyreloft |
I just completed a session with some players and one friend of mine, also a GM, gave me some friendly critic which I shall confess was not taken well due to the fact I feel I did not do anything wrong with the mechanics of the encounter with a Crystal Hydra.
Group is level 5, so pretty low level to be fighting a Hydra, more so if it has 16 heads. Obviously I down powered it due to the fact it was a Hydra made from a magic mirror. It was a guardian of the chamber.
In the chamber before there was an intense solar beam being focused in the next room, they shut it down to enter. A perception check revealed the light was still captured in the wall.
So anyways, the Crystal Hydra, has a mirror reflected surface body and the room they are in has mirrors for walls and a mirror for a ceiling. The only part not mirrored was the ground. It was moss and grass that also had mirror weapons and shields littering the ground. So the party tried looking into the mirrors to try and spot differences. They tried their own weapons to break the mirrors and then the mirror weapons to do so. One person scored a critical on the wall mirror but bounced back (Like the mirror in the other room, it was magically enchanted which they tried to break before this room but found that out) Out Gunslinger shot the mirror at the ceiling and critical hit it too to find his bullet bounced. Finally they started digging it up, when one set of eyes were revealed they glowed and the thing emerged, ready to kill the intruders. Some players went before it, one player grabbed their weapon and slammed the wall, actually critical hitting it too but his weapon bounced off the wall. Their exit became blocked by the intense solar energy captured in the wall. When it became the Hydra's turn it roared loud and aggressively, cracking part of the mirror above as solar energy burst down, hitting the ground. Some players tried attacking it, to find it was not impacted back blows just like the wall. One player caught on right away and grabbed their shield and deflected the light back at the Hydra that showered from above. Upon a successful touch attack (proving you are aiming the ray of light at moving Hydra Heads) it would hit the Hydra and destroy the head completely, no regen. These pillars of solar energy lasted for 3 turns. If the energy hit a ground with moss, it lite the moss on fire, making it impossible to use the energy without first taking a turn to use dirt to put them out, which the party figured out. This Hydra, also deleveled, still hit hard. The character with a high ac went face to face with it, keeping a full round defense to try and soak up attacks until the party could kill it. Another thing to do, is you can throw your weapon or shoot something at the ceiling to break the glass to force more light down, (had to do at least 5 damage or the mirror did not break)
Here is the issue at hand, my other DM friend says the mechanics were poorly thought out and said there were no hints that the ceiling could be broken at all and that they thought only the Hydra capable of breaking it due to roaring every turn. That I should have hinted more that the ceiling could not be broken by players as well. Ravan, normally my player but not NPC for that one session because I was running it, (I rolled to decide if Ravan would attack the ceiling because in game I believe that is what I would have tried) so when he tried, and failed, everyone else realized the ceiling could be broken even though I failed to do. Obviously the rule being, if the DM character tried to do it, then it must be possible now.
Here is the issue, finally I am betting, so my friend as I stated accused my mechanics of being flawed and poorly thought out and that I had to hold their hand to lead them to the source. He said I should have at least let the mirror being crackable before the Hydra roared to show that they can be broken now. So we got into this huge debate, me, obviously defending my mechanic and him stating how poorly executed it was from one DM to another.
Overall, I told him to try and defend myself, the fact that the Hydra is now breaking it when he just roars shows the magic on the ceiling has weakened. His counter is he says that only makes the party think he is capable of breaking it and they cannot do it.
His added, is how come the mirror could not be broken on the ceiling before so why should that change now. My defense is due to the Hydra leaving the mirror on the floor, he draws energy from the mirror to make him impervious to damage both normal and magical in nature. Normal bouncing off and magical being deflected harmlessly. So thus the energy from the room, is strong enough to kill him since it powers him.
He debated how I should have given more signs it was breakable by letting him break the mirror on the wall, if even just a crack to prove it can be broken now that the Hydra is out. My response is that the wall mirrors would still hold their power to prevent adventures from escaping the room from the Hydra which was there to bring the demise of invaders. That my hint was the fact a roar now cracks the glass up top.
The fact that my character threw a weapon at the glass above was argued to be holding the players hand and thus the sign of a bad DM, while I honestly believe I may have tried that and rolled to even consider if my NPC character would or would not try. I pointed out my attempt failed anyways and he claims it does not matter because now that the players saw me do it...they then knew. Which I should never have to show them.
Overall, I am just asking people here because you all do not know me and are very free to tell me that I did indeed mess up the mechanics or if you feel I may have not done anything wrong.
I still believe I did nothing to screw up the encounter, so we just agreed to disagree but now I am curious.
I personally thought it was a good encounter, creative and I thought it was well thought out. They hand to ranged touch attack the Hydra (while staying away from him) with the beams of light 16 times to kill it. If it got dealt enough damage (which was negated still) then they stunned the Hydra 1d?, changed to according to how much damage was done. In my mind personally, did not explain it because they players are not really interested why it could be stunned and not damaged, was the strike or blast was hard enough to make the energy vibrate inside him and stun it till the energy naturally left it's body.
All and all, sorry for the long post...thoughts?