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I don't think that flag is actually appropriate. The content of the post is asking for advice about running the game, not about homevrew rules modifications.
Now, I dont think the plan here is great. If a PC can get a lucky roll and save versus this sleep, then you still need to have some plan for what happens next. And I don't think that trying to stick too firmly to the plot railroad, instead of having a passible idea of what's going on in the meantime, in case the players jump the railroad tracks, is the best policy. Specifically using a "technically there's a save, but anything under a nat 20 will fail" is also the sort if thing that will make the players FEEL railroaded. (The opposite of the subtle railroad, where the thing you need to happen gets adjusted a little and happens in the different place that the players decide to go).
If you do have enough of a backup plan that you can account for some of the party saving successfully. There's no reason that you can only use published poisons to do it, instead of making a new one, still with long duration, but a more reasonable DC. Maybe make it Rare, but let them get their hands on a dose or two later, so that things don't seem perpetually stacked against them.
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If you're railroading (which you are) then you should admit it to your players and narrate them through the action. Giving them semblances of choice and chance can only backfire if there's really no choice and ultimately no chance.
"Yay! A nat 20."
"You're unconscious anyway."
"So...why did you have us roll?"
"Good question."
It reminds me of an AP where the PCs start after having been drugged in a scene narrated to the party. I believe the AP made a point of letting the players know it's backstory to launch the campaign, not a portion they are playing through.
Sure enough, one GM thought it'd be cool to roleplay the scene, especially because a lot of the NPCs showed up later. Of course one of the PCs rolled a 20 on their save (sound familiar?) and derailed the situation. What had legitimately held the potential for some cool (though mostly irrelevant) roleplaying soured the launch of an exciting campaign.
And now I'm reminded of a campaign I left when I realized the publisher (not Paizo) didn't care what course the PCs took, the story would occur the same anyway (and the GM lacked the wherewithal to adjust matters).
I don't mind being railroaded so much if I know it's a railroad, then I can play within those boundaries. I do mind bouncing up against invisible walls or plots that don't require my PC's participation.
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I agree with Castilliano here. Probably the best way to run it is to start the session with the PC's already waking up from their drugging - the next few scenes would be piecing together what exactly happened and what they're going to do about that.
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I agree with Castilliano here. Probably the best way to run it is to start the session with the PC's already waking up from their drugging - the next few scenes would be piecing together what exactly happened and what they're going to do about that.
I was going to suggest simply making it part of the plot (i.e. railroading them) then saw Castilliano's and Archnofiend's post, so just want to add that I agree with them.
You might want to go as far as telling them in advance that for adventure setup and plot reasons, they're going to be knocked out. I suspect, as long as they don't think you're going to steal all their stuff, they'll be ok with it as long as you don't over do it (over and over).
Reminds me of the start of the Strange Aeons Adventure Path. The GM didn't really warn us, but our group is made up of 40+ year old players, so we rolled with it (especially once we got the hint that our equipment was stored away). I got lucky on that one as I was playing a monk... didn't really need equipment!
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Here is an option, if you want to roleplay the situation... introduce them to the game by letting them know they are waking up from the drugging and then you can offer them the chance to role-play a flashback to gather some potential other information.
In that sense, they players can then 'buy-in' to advancing the given plot by playing their characters into the situation they know they are already in. Limiting their meta-knowledge to getting them to where they know they are.
Yes this requires the players buying in (and not taking the opinion, I'll try to rail-road the situation outside of the current situation to ruin the established situation so they can advocate for changing it) But again, if part of roleplaying the flashback was 'accepting' the current situation, the player should know that will only cause irritation.
If the players don't all agree to do the flashback, you have planned a generic set of information/story you tell them instead. Otherwise, they would have the opportunity to pick up a number of potentially useful clues/allies from the flashback situation.
Being honest about (we need you into the following situation) normally with those I've played with, will normally get you a better result than out of the blue having the players forced into a corner they didn't feel they would have gone into based on the situation as presented.
For instance, if the situation calls for a group of city guards to storm a warehouse before their backup arrives. Forcing that on the players arbitrarily may result in the players feeling their characters were doing something they wouldn't, because they are all, perhaps sticklers for the rules/procedures. However, if they know that is how the story starts. One of they players may volunteer, that if they heard a child scream, that could prompt them to move in right away, and two other guards might refuse to leave their companion entering alone in such a circumstance, leaving the squad leader no option but to move in as well, for instance.
So with the prompting and participation of the players, you add nosy child had been looking in a window and spotted and grabbed, being brought into the ware-house, and you've generated a situation where the team enters ahead of their backup which is coming, allowing them to get surprised and knocked out, but the players had some narrative buy-in and effect on the story.
Obviously, this depends on your players being willing to work with you on getting the story kicked off. (But lets be honest, if you can't count on that, you're going to likely have issues anyway)
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Flagging to move to Homebrew forum
Just wanted to say this type of comment is unwelcoming and frankly a bit rude.
Now to the OP, I also like the idea of the party starting the session after being drugged and trying to piece together what happened Hangover style
