• Eufalconimorph@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    41
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    8 months ago

    Pretty much how I DM.

    Bosses have prep time. Glyph of warding can be cast on a page in a book, with trigger conditions specified by the caster. E.g. when a good-aligned creature with ≥8 int comes within 10ft of it.

    Explosive runes are 5d8 damage (dex save for half) per glyph.

    Nothing says it can’t be cast on more than one page.

    A 50 page book with a glyph on every page means 100 dex saves for 5d8 each. Evasion is nice but you’ll fail a save eventually.

    Your “friendly” neighborhood lich has had time to prepare dozens of these. That tempting library full of magical books might just be a TPK.

    As a “consolation prize” at least the player gets to roll 100 d20s at once! Multiple times if they survive the first book.

    • ysjet@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      48
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      8 months ago

      That just sounds annoying and exhausting. You should probably take care to remember that the point of a DM is making sure everyone has fun- the point is NOT ‘winning’ against your players.

      • crawley@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        23
        ·
        8 months ago

        Yeah, imagine that DM leads you to the BBEG lair and you try sneaking through the library and suddenly they say “ok so 1,200 explosive glyphs just went off, roll 1,200d20 to see how many you save for half damage, and then roll 3,600d8 for damage.”

      • Square Singer@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        17
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        It depends a lot on the type of game that dude is running.

        It’s certainly not the type I’d be running, but I can see the appeal to some, to run a tough campaign with lots of dice and close calls/dead characters.

        But it really needs to be aligned that all people in the party like that.

        For example, I did run a few games of Dread, and it’s really fun precisely because the characters can die quite easily and in very dramatic ways.

        But of course, if you prefer to build and develop your characters over a long time, then this is not the style of game that fits you.

        (Though I’d really recommend giving Dread a try. It’s amazing for thrilling, immersive one-off sessions)

      • Eufalconimorph@discuss.tchncs.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        15
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        Oh, I’d only do that if the players are similarly powergaming. If they’re not it’s unfair, if they are the base game balance becomes koring. The challenge should scale to the party!

    • Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      22
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      8 months ago

      As a player if I managed to survive the first book, I think I’d immediately go for another. I mean what are the odds he did it to every book? I must know for science