First Steps 1: In Service to Lore question (spoiler)

[Trent Varva]

Hi all,

I could use some advice from more experienced GMs.

This was my first time GMing a PFS game, and I only have a few months experience DMing at all.

I chose to run "In service to Lore" for the first game. It was fairly straight forward, and I didn't run into many instances where I had to make rulings that weren't already in the scenario or that seemed fairly intuitive.

However, when they were completing Act 4: A Promise of Dominance, trying to secure the artifact from the rampaging Imp. The Bard in the party succeeded in using diplomacy to convince the Imp they wanted to try and help open the box, and followed up with a successful fascination. Following the text for fascination I ruled that the Imp would calmly allow for the parties rouge to try and open the box. All PC's exited the room other than the bard and the rouge, at which point the rouge snatched the box. I decided that the imp would consider this a threatening action, thus breaking the fascination, and that they should roll initiative. Both the Bard and the Rouge rolled higher on their checks and were able to withdraw from the room and close the door before the Imp could act.

I just wanted some feedback from some more experienced GMs on if this would have been a good "creative solution" by the PCs or if I simply didn't play the situation correctly. Thanks in advance!

[Nebten]

This is an excellent example of a creative solution. I would give positive reinforcement when ever your players have great ideas such as these. Sadly, too many other parties just go into the room and murderize the little imp.

[Andreas Forster]

I also think it was a good way to handle that situation.
Once, I chose a social approach to this, too (but instead of being friendly, I bullied the imp, a bit like stealing his lunch money *lol*). Also, I already GMed this scenario for players who tried talking the imp into just handing the box over.

And I must say, I like social solutions to this situation better than just rushing in and beating the poor imp.

[Fromper]

The only problem I see is that the bard probably should have rolled bluff instead of diplomacy, since he knew the whole thing was a ruse, and they weren't actually trying to help the imp open the box.

[SteelDraco]

Sounds like you ran it perfectly well, and that sounds like what I would have done too. I agree with Fromper on Bluff vs Diplomacy, though - that sounds more like a Bluff roll to me.

When I ran it recently, the party's ninja disarmed the imp of the box with a whip and then ran with it, leaving the rest of the PCs to deal with it. They all got out of the room and slammed the door quite quickly, though not without the party fighter getting a suggestion to bring the box back and smash it open.

It did almost get the ninja killed, though, as he was running toward the final encounter by himself.

[Trent Varva]

The diplomacy vs bluff check was completely my fault. I didn't understand what the player was telling me that his character was going to do (he bluffed me pretty good actually haha). In hindsight bluff would have definitely been more appropriate.

I'm glad to see I didn't mess it up too bad though. Immediately after the encounter I was sitting there wondering if I had botched the whole thing, but I just had to swallow my nerves and keep going. Onward and upward.