Chris1234 wrote:Going back into the dungeon single handed seems problematic , as a heads-up for you to think about, maybe the woman (in whatever tavern) might allow him to recruit a replacement.
You can always ask.
==========
Okay, here's what I got:
Title and Theme
The title and theme of this chapter, 'Consequences,' was pretty self-explanatory. There are always consequences for any actions, and they aren't always good. Nor are they always expected.
Arulia's Mistake
This is one of those things where as a DM, I constantly second-guess yourself. Should I have told DJHyland that Arulia had the time wrong? Should I have dropped more hints when that time came and went (it happened while Arulia and Grubnick were with Haahqae, Miriam and Jaymes)? Was this why DJHyland quit my games? (He was butting heads with an NPC in my other game, so it might have been that instead. Or maybe it was both.)
Knowing what I do now, if I could do it again, I probably would have pointed out the mistake. But it wouldn't have really mattered, either. Arulia just assumed the dwarf Yvette and Xyleena was searching for was Shima. (It was, in fact, Delharn.) So if she showed up offering to turn him in, they would have dismissed her for wasting their time anyway.
Maybe the whole thing was doomed from the start. Arulia's plan was very poorly thought out, and I kept having NPCs (like Miriam and Jaymes) point out the flaws in it. Was she planning on assaulting/torturing Yvette and Xyleena? What was stopping them from reporting this to the guard immediately afterward? Was she planning on killing them? I don't think Paladine would approve of murder. And since Takhisian clerics can use 'Speak with Dead,' even if she got away with it, the guard would find the bodies and interrogate their spirits, and thus arrest her (and Grubnick and Haahqae if they aided) with murder.
Probably the best version of the plan was to just have Haahqae tail them afterward. But that presented problems, too. Once you found out where they lived, then what? Break and enter? How would they get into the noble district in the first place? The whole thing was pretty messy.
Rescue Attempt
I really didn't think Grubnick's attempt to rescue Delharn had any real chance of success. But I was surprised by how close he came to it. Had Haahqae warned Delharn what he was about to do or just handed him the potion and said something like, "I'm a friend, drink this if you want to escape!" it probably would have worked. Delharn would have been invisible and could have fled. Haahqae, already invisible, could do likewise. The real problem was Grubnick himself escaping. The baaz were faster than him, and while they had a hell of a time actually hitting him (even more so when he was tumbling), they would have, eventually, worn him down. His plan to try and turn the goblins against the baaz was a good idea, but I think Tristen forgot he dumped CHA. Grubnick would have a hard time convincing a kender go on an adventure.
Having one of the dragons destroy the tavern was the only way out I could see for him, but only if he made it out in time (even his fire resistance would not have saved him, unless I rolled really low on damage). He did, the army believes he's dead now, and we got to see just how powerful the dragons in the city really are.
Challenge Rating
The last two parts lead me to this one. The odds really are stacked against the PCs. They always have been. But that was the point of the game. This isn't a story about heroes who overthrow an evil government and bring peace to the world--that's the Heroes of the Lance. The PCs are just average citizens (well, as average as adventurers can be, I mean) fighting to stay alive under an oppressive regime. When I set up a challenge, I don't take into account the party level or how many people are in the party. I just go with what is realistic, based on the resources the army has and what their expectations of resistance might be.
For instance, I didn't use any magical traps or magical detection in the old fort when Haahqae broke in, because I felt like the army wouldn't consider the possibility. Instead, I had the vault protected by a masterwork (but otherwise mundane) lock and a sleeping dragon that could easily have been awakened. However, the army learns from their mistakes. Were Haahqae to try and break into the vault a second time, he would find it considerably more difficult now.
On the other hand, Magus' shop is protected by magical traps and wards. And since Magnus is high level (compared to the party), they are potent ones. Which is why I was nervous about Haahqae trying to break into it. He would almost certainly be killed in the attempt.
I guess what I'm saying is, it's best to assume that things will not be at a proper 'challenge level' (to borrow a 3E term) in this game. Don't assume, for instance, if you try and, say, break into the temple or the prefect's mansion, you'll only encounter level appropriate resistance. This isn't to say such feats are impossible. I thought Haahqae breaking into the vault was impossible, but he did it. I thought Grubnick freeing Delharn from over a dozen guards would be impossible, but he came surprisingly close. A good plan, good strategy and a lot of luck can make the seemingly impossible possible.
But one thing I would encourage is to always consider the consequences, even if you do succeed. Even if you pull off a crime, and there is no way to trace it back to you, it doesn't mean someone else won't be punished instead. Or some new oppressive law won't be enacted to make things harder for everyone. (For those of you who only read your own parts of the game and not the others, it's become a running gag that Kendra is desperately trying to tone down the prefect's paranoia and oppressiveness, but Haahqae, Grubnick, Gregeddin, etc., keep doing stuff that makes him even more paranoid and oppressive.)
I realize that this all goes against the idea of 'heroic fantasy' which is what D&D is at its core. I also realize that some of you entered this game not fully understanding that. (In my Gontoria game, I went through great effort to specify in a large post everything that was different about it from a normal game, in order to avoid this happening again; turns out most players don't bother reading it anyway
). That's why I was willing to just end it if everyone was really unhappy with it.
I think after years and years of running games, now I'm always looking to do something different. I'm still learning what works and what doesn't work, though. That's part of why I always ask for feedback on things. There's also the problem that over time, players drop and new players join and eventually the original party (of Kynaston, Haahqae, Kendra, Khush, Gregeddin and Coroccoco, only two of the originals are still here!), can cause a game to lose focus as objectives and agendas change. Plus, I seriously underestimated how long this game would be (I figured around 3 years; we're now approaching our 4th year and haven't even reached winter yet, never mind spring!).
I don't know if this game will last to its natural endpoint or not. But I have started working on my next Dragonlance game, just in case this one does fall apart. (It's not about wars or occupations, don't worry.) But as long as you all are willing to continue on, so am I.
Divine Favor Updates
I gave Kendra a point in Sirrion for having an affair on her husband and Grubnick a point in Sirrion for trying to free Delharn on the fly. Grubnick is pretty close to reaching tier 2 now in Sirrion, which means he'll get a free henchmen.
