Pens and Papers

[Hajjhowe]

Yeah I think a PC death can be used to create storylines for sure. If they want to come back there are a ton of fun stories you can run, let that person try out another character and maybe they'll like them so much that they will choose to not even rez the original by the end.

I've never been in a campaign long enough to actually die as a PC but I've killed a couple as a DM. I find it's almost always newer players to eat it or if it's a one shot where players will be far more reckless. I think PC death helps add stakes though and there's just so much you can do off that, especially if the PC had a connection to a diety or a Warlock pact or anything like that.

[Ruki]

Writing homebrew is way harder than throwing in homebrew elements to pre-written module. It's annoying. I have all the ideas, I just don't want to write them down.

[GhostMachine]

Has anyone ever been in a game where a character (NOT an NPC, but doesn't have to be your character) died a more or less humiliating death? Or had a humiliating situation.

(Toe's post about failing a Climb check pretty much qualifies....)

I haven't had any deaths like that, but I had a pretty much humiliating situation in a Living Grayhawk game years ago where my character ended up drunk for the majority of the adventure (I had to fail random Constitution checks to vomit and sober up....but kept making the checks), but made up for it by being the only one to figure out how to disarm a particular trap a few minutes after he finally puked. (I was playing a Halfling Rogue with Brewing skill, and sampled a brew that happened to be magical at the inn we got our mission from.) 

*edited to add* The trap:

Opened a visible trap door, which had a black substance a couple of feet down inside it. The trap door was the only way out of the particular area. 

How I disarmed it:

Spoiler

Busted out the Oil of Acid Resistance that was in my starting equipment (these were partially pre-generated characters; we got to flesh out their skills), and had my character spread it over his arms. Then reached under the Black Pudding, and opened the other trap door right underneath, which caused it to fall out the other side so we could exit. The BP slinked off, so we didn't have to fight it after climbing down. (I'm the only one who recognized it was a BP, believe it or not!)

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by GhostMachine

[Ruki]

Humiliating deaths are boring and lame and make nobody feel great (unless it's a meat grinder one shot where it's expected). 

[Ruki]

First session of call of the Netherdeep! And one of my players is doing notes + drawings!

 

 

[Toe]

I'm planning to start up a Curse Of Strahd campaign, and one of my players wants to play as a Warforged. 

What happens if they get bitten and killed by a vampire? I don't think anything in the rules prevents it, but I'm just wondering how I would actually present that to the players. 

[Ruki]

25 minutes ago, Toe said:

I'm planning to start up a Curse Of Strahd campaign, and one of my players wants to play as a Warforged. 

What happens if they get bitten and killed by a vampire? I don't think anything in the rules prevents it, but I'm just wondering how I would actually present that to the players. 

Bite and suck the soul outta them? Could say they don't rise again as they are immune to disease. 

 

We are playing CoS... we TPK'd at the wind mill. Fade to black, wake up in the castle.

[Ruki]

Session 2... an unlucky crit kills a PC outright. Ooops.

[Toe]

On 03/04/2022 at 02:26, Ruki Returns said:

Session 2... an unlucky crit kills a PC outright. Ooops.

Yikes! What level were they?

[Ruki]

Just now, Toe said:

Yikes! What level were they?

Level 3! But that shark didn't mess around. The crit was 6d10+6. Thankfully reinforcements arrived in round 3, and the PC got better... by sacrificing their winnings + selling their shop to pay for the diamond.

[Toe]

Just now, Ruki Returns said:

Level 3! But that shark didn't mess around. The crit was 6d10+6. Thankfully reinforcements arrived in round 3, and the PC got better... by sacrificing their winnings + selling their shop to pay for the diamond.

I love that. Last Thursday, I got to finally roll ALL THE DICE when I landed a critical hit with my level 9 Oath Of Vengeance Paladin. 2d8+8 from my axe plus 2d6 from Hunter's Mark and 8d8 from a 3rd level Divine Smite. This is an online game using a VTT, so my screen was just completely full of dice.

[Ruki]

That feeling when both your D&D games are cancelled in a weekend... and then you know that the next weekend is already cancelled too

 

I have an addiction, they can't do this to me!

[Toe]

We start our Curse Of Strahd campaign (with me as DM) this Saturday. Anyone who has run it or played in it - any tips, tricks, or things to avoid?

[Ruki]

Be ready to kill PCs or fudge some dice. Because oh boy there are hard encounters. 

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

21 minutes ago, Toe said:

We start our Curse Of Strahd campaign (with me as DM) this Saturday. Anyone who has run it or played in it - any tips, tricks, or things to avoid?

The module is really great on it's own but there is a really active sub-reddit that has some great things in terms of what you can add to enhance the story. Definitely worth checking out.

Oh, start them at Level 3, even if you run Death House.

[Ruki]

Yeah, starting at level 3 would be a nice boon and make Death House much more survivable. 

[K]

* puts on my robe and wizard hat *

[OctoberRaven]

It's not *technically* pen and paper, but Vampire: The Masquerade: Night Roads on Steam plays like a solo WoD campaign.

[Toe]

Session One of Curse Of Strahd is in the books! I had the party enter Barovia in different ways - one received the fake letter asking him to come, while the others started in Daggerford and left with the Vistani.

They met up on the road at the gates, where they were attacked by dire wolves. The combat was pretty fun, with the newest player in the group doing a ton of damage with his Circle Of Spores Druid. I also had the sorceror down to 1 hp remaining, but his allies were able to pull them clear. 

The group seemed to actually like the Vistani... until they met Ismark. Once he told them what he knew of them, the party became very suspicious. The players have been asking a lot of lore questions about Barovia and it's people, and it's been fun seeing them respond to the different answers given by the Vistani and by everyone else. 

The group helped Ismark and Ireena bury their father, and I was going to have them finally see Strahd there... but we were running out of time so I just had everything get extra spooky as they began to leave town.

[Ruki]

We also helped the father burial... fought the vampire spawn in the basement. That was a tough fight, because we were also only trying to incapacitate it.