So: Just ran the first session of the first part, and someone died. Rather unexpectedly, too.
Party consists of a goblin alchemist, an elven fighter, a human wizard, and a halfling monk... who for whatever reason decided to disguise herself as a goblin the entire time, and even had the actual goblin fooled.
First encounter with the ooze when pretty cleanly. The ooze got the jump on the party, but it's 5 AC meant that everyone got to get hits in (and in the power attacking fighter's case, the ooze was very glad to be immune to crits). Overall a very fun fight, especially with it's filth wave ability.
Second fight against the goblins, the party got the drop on them this time. The alchemist snuck a bit closer, then the fighter called them out. Two of the goblins charged the fighter - planning to use their free step ability to set up flanking - but didn't plan for the fighter's attack of opportunity, which killed one of them straight off. The other two goblins rain arrows on the fighter, only for the alchemist to respond with alchemists fire and bottle lightning. Combined with a telekinetic projectile from the wizard and some swipes from the fighter the goblins were quickly dispatched. The monk provided morale support... by which we mean couldn't roll above a 5 the entire fight. Flurry of blows meant that she got to roll a LOT of those misses, though. :P
Then the party heads to the idol room. Noticing the black water, the goblin dares the "other goblin" to drink it. Not wanting to ruin her disguise, she accepts... and almost crit fails the fortitude save, winding up sick 2 for an hour. This would turn out to be a fatal mistake.
The fighter pokes around in the water and notices the idol. Not trusting it, he uses a ten-foot-pole and some fishing wire (you should have seen the fighter's equipment list, I was so proud of him) to drag it out of the water. The monk makes a really good religion role. "Guys, I know what this is!" she says, snatching it up. "It's a depiction of Lamashtu the mother of..." And the idol breaks open and releases the quasits.
The monk wins initiative and decides she wants to see how the grapple rules work. So she spends all three of her actions failing to grapple the quasits. They go next. First, they try fear on the "two" goblins. The real goblin makes his save, the monk fails her save but doesn't care because it doesn't stack with sick. Then the quasits make melee attacks. The monk takes a crit, but it turns out to be only 6 damage (max damage, lol)... unfortunately she also fails her save against the poison, and is now poisoned.
The alchemist point blank bombards the quasits with bombs, hurting them pretty badly but also dealing splash damage to the whole party. The wizard and the fighter take one of them down. The monk, coming up on her turn, makes an attack roll... And her first successful attack roll the entire session is a natural 20, resulting in a dragon stance crit for 18 damage that evaporates the other quasit. At that point it is the end of the monks turn, and I have her save against the poison. She fails, and takes 4 damage. Monk player casually says "Oh, I'm at -3."
*blink blink* Oh, that's fine, the party has plenty of potions you can just...
"I'm sick. I can't keep potions down."
It was at this point we realized the monk was probably dead.
Counting sick, monk's fort bonus is a flat +0.
Monk rolls DC 16 to stabilize, fails. Dying 2.
Monk rolls DC 15 against poison, fails. Dying 3.
Monk rolls DC 18 to stabilize, fails. Dead.
Fighter hefts the monk up on his shoulder. "Well, one more goblin to bury down here..." Finally makes the Perception check. "Wait, this isn't a goblin!?"
And that's where we ended the first session. Much fun was had by all, and so far only good things to say about the system... Although I suspect the alchemist will have strong words to say about Resonance once he runs out of that. But we'll see.
Ouch. Sick denying healing.
The other PCs coukd have attempted Medicine checks to stabilize the monk.
I can believe that none of the goblin alchemist, the human wizard or the elven fighter had a decent wisdom or training in the medicine skill though.
Not a single one of them had Medicine trained, and the monk was the only character with a Wisdom above 10.
Partly their own fault, for sure - as a very experienced group of roleplayers, they all came up with characters and then built those characters, instead of trying to create a cohesive party or optimizing at all. None of them were entirely surprised when someone died.
Sick blocking potions is rough though, that definitely caught them off guard. Especially since the party had six healing potions between them, which they figured would be plenty to manage without a cleric.
The other PCs coukd have attempted Medicine checks to stabilize the monk.
Part of the problem was the poison doing damage every round. Every time it did damage, it increased the Dying condition by 1 (ruining any stabilization). So administer first aid alone couldn't help.
With the errata that came out today, admin first aid would have stopped the Dying condition, which I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. So technically the party could continue administering first aid until the poison ran it course or the monk made a save.
First Aid is fairly likely to speed the recipient on their way to the grave, instead of saving them.
Yep. Most of the rest of the party had a -1 in Medicine (Wis 10, untrained); the goblin actually had a -2. So that's a pretty high chance to add a dying level instead of stabilizing.
Was an interesting look at what a party without reliable healing looks like, though. Although, again, they did stock up on potions, and the alchemist had elixirs of life... those just all became useless thanks to sick.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Don't apply a tourniquet to the neck!"
"Don't apply a tourniquet to the neck!"
You would be really really surprised how many people don't know you can't tourniquet the neck or torso. OR to not pack the chest cavity or the neck.
First Aid is fairly likely to speed the recipient on their way to the grave, instead of saving them.
With the original play test rules yes. Two PCs in my playtest died from it actually.
Using the new errata rules that came out Monday, no, you cannot die or make the condition worse from administer first aid. You guys should really check it out.
|
Using the new errata rules that came out Monday, no, you cannot die or make the condition worse from administer first aid. You guys should really check it out.
I'm not seeing this; can you point me towards the relevant text?
Critical Failure The creature with 0 Hit Points has its dying condition increased by 1. A creature with persistent bleed damage takes damage equal to the amount of its persistent bleed damage.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
ADMINISTER FIRST AID
Requirements You must have healer’s tools (see page 186).
You perform first aid on an adjacent creature that is at 0 Hit Points
in an attempt to stabilize it. You can also perform first aid on an adjacent creature that is taking persistent bleed damage. To stabilize a dying creature, the DC is equal to the creature’s recovery save DC; to stem blood loss, the DC is 15. If a creature is both dying and bleeding, choose which effect you’re trying to treat each time you roll. You can Administer First Aid again to attempt to remedy the other effect.
Success The creature at 0 Hit Points loses the dying condition (but remains unconscious), or you end the persistent bleed damage (see page 323).
Critical Failure The creature with 0 Hit Points has its dying condition increased by 1. A creature with persistent bleed damage takes
damage equal to the amount of its persistent bleed damage.
You're right PCScipio, I read it wrong.
Now that the DC of admin first aid is even higher, this is a disaster.
I'm guessing someone read all those website stories about rendering improper first aid leading to seriously injuring people. :-)
I need to ask my EMT friend if it's believable that a critical fail on a medicine check with basic first aid techniques could lead to possibly killing someone...
In my Lost Star playtest, 2 PCs already died because of crit failed administer first aid checks, and that was with a DC 15 check. So now the DC would have been DC 19, an even bigger chance to crit fail.
I'm not sure why they'd make this change. How terrible is it when people fear you "helping" Not having a PC death is a good thing?
It just makes it even clearer than magic healing is needed, natural healing just doesn't cut it, in any circumstance.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ouch. Sick denying healing.
Actually, I just now looked up the Sick condition, and it says you can’t WILLINGLY ingest anything while sick. If you’re unconscious, this doesn’t preclude being force-fed a potion (page 376).
"Don't apply a tourniquet to the neck!"You would be really really surprised how many people don't know you can't tourniquet the neck or torso. OR to not pack the chest cavity or the neck.
We are talking medieval man. They are hitting you in the head with rocks and applying leeches to stop the bleeding. Frankly if you did save someone I'd be surprised XD
Actually, I just now looked up the Sick condition, and it says you can’t WILLINGLY ingest anything while sick. If you’re unconscious, this doesn’t preclude being force-fed a potion (page 376).
That's interesting. Doesn't make complete sense but it would have saved that PC.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Actually, I just now looked up the Sick condition, and it says you can’t WILLINGLY ingest anything while sick. If you’re unconscious, this doesn’t preclude being force-fed a potion (page 376).Ouch. Sick denying healing.
Oh, that's interesting, I didn't catch that bit. Seems a bit odd. "I can't possibly drink this potion but if you pour it down my throat I'll be able to keep it down somehow". XD
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
^ I've felt that sick before.
Wait -- so being poisoned means you have TWO checks to possible fail per round?
And what about persistent damage?
Wait -- so being poisoned means you have TWO checks to possible fail per round?
And what about persistent damage?
You need to make a recovery roll at the start of your turn.
You then need to make a poison fort check or get hurt again, sending you back into Dying 1. (Previously it would have increased your dying condition by 1).
Poison doesn't follow the persistent damage rules, it uses the Affliction rules, because it has stages.
Wait -- so being poisoned means you have TWO checks to possible fail per round?
And what about persistent damage?
You need to make a recovery roll at the start of your turn.
You then need to make a poison fort check or get hurt again, sending you back into Dying 1. (Previously it would have increased your dying condition by 1).
Poison doesn't follow the persistent damage rules, it uses the Affliction rules, because it has stages.
I believe that the intent of the new dying rules is to increase your dying stage if you take damage while dying, and the wording that leads to RAW being "reset to dying 1 every time you take damage" is in error, but we'll see what future errata brings.
In the getting knocked out section, they removed the text that says Dying increases.
If the attack was lethal, you gain the dying 1 condition. If you already had the dying condition, instead increase your dying condition by 1. If the attack was a critical hit, you gain the dying 2 condition (or increase your dying condition by 2).
If the damage came from a lethal source, you gain the dying 1 condition. If the effect that knocked you out was a critical success from the attacker or the result of your critical failure, you gain the dying 2 condition instead. If the damage came from a nonlethal attack or effect, you don’t gain the dying condition, but you are still unconscious with 0 Hit Points.
I don't know what their intent is, but I assume they are quite literal.
They really need to speak up more.