D&D Nov-19-2002
Nov. 20th, 2002 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ralphmeltonI would call this a barely adequate session. I don't think it was actually bad... but I was seriously underprepared, and it fell far short of being great.
It started with a combat, with the party against a water elemental and an ochre jelly. The water elemental was between the large water elemental and the huge water elemental in general ferocity--and further handicapped by being unable to leave its pool.
The PCs managed to do well in the combat by taking one opponent at a time. There were some cool bits:
- at one point Kyle was engulfed by the ooze, and pulled out by Turok just before going unconscious.
- Three weapon attacks on the ochre jelly had split it into four oozes... and then Larissa cast a fireball that eliminated all of them at once.
- When they had finally killed the water elemental, Larissa managed to reach out with a mage hand and catch one of the pearls that were its eyes.
After the combat, there was just treasure-looting and moving on to the next destination. I'd expected folks to want to talk to Ferella or to the greatclub, but I didn't see much interest in that and/or I didn't make those an interesting enough opportunity. I also had intended to start some interaction at one of the roadside taverns (in part to make another safe tavern experience), but that didn't work out either.
Some more things I wish had been better:
- Prolix didn't really have anything to do in the combat. Oops. I had put in the ooze to give folks without +2 weapons something to do, but that didn't work well enough to give him something to do. I should give him a chance to be in the spotlight soon.
- I may have been too subtle about one thing... but I shouldn't say more. In particular, I shouldn't say more if I'm trying to put this together with my previous complaint.
I'm pleased to report that I'm not beating myself up about having a less-than-ideal session, though. Sometimes these things happen--and I would still give this session a passing grade, even if not a very high passing grade.
It started with a combat, with the party against a water elemental and an ochre jelly. The water elemental was between the large water elemental and the huge water elemental in general ferocity--and further handicapped by being unable to leave its pool.
The PCs managed to do well in the combat by taking one opponent at a time. There were some cool bits:
- at one point Kyle was engulfed by the ooze, and pulled out by Turok just before going unconscious.
- Three weapon attacks on the ochre jelly had split it into four oozes... and then Larissa cast a fireball that eliminated all of them at once.
- When they had finally killed the water elemental, Larissa managed to reach out with a mage hand and catch one of the pearls that were its eyes.
After the combat, there was just treasure-looting and moving on to the next destination. I'd expected folks to want to talk to Ferella or to the greatclub, but I didn't see much interest in that and/or I didn't make those an interesting enough opportunity. I also had intended to start some interaction at one of the roadside taverns (in part to make another safe tavern experience), but that didn't work out either.
Some more things I wish had been better:
- Prolix didn't really have anything to do in the combat. Oops. I had put in the ooze to give folks without +2 weapons something to do, but that didn't work well enough to give him something to do. I should give him a chance to be in the spotlight soon.
- I may have been too subtle about one thing... but I shouldn't say more. In particular, I shouldn't say more if I'm trying to put this together with my previous complaint.
I'm pleased to report that I'm not beating myself up about having a less-than-ideal session, though. Sometimes these things happen--and I would still give this session a passing grade, even if not a very high passing grade.
no subject
Date: 2002-11-21 07:19 am (UTC)- at one point Kyle was engulfed by the ooze, and pulled out by Turok just before going unconscious.
The sound effects really made this moment.
- When they had finally killed the water elemental, Larissa managed to reach out with a mage hand and catch one of the pearls that were its eyes.
Definitely cool (and unexpected, but she had to try).
Prolix didn't really have anything to do in the combat. Oops.
Prolix didn't try, which struck me as odd (and, I believe, has to have struck Larissa as somewhat hostile). He could have shot at the ooze, which would have revealed a few rounds earlier that this would split it. (I had been assuming that bladed weapons would and puncturing and bludgeoning weapons wouldn't.) He could have shot at the elemental, which would have demonstrated earlier that that wouldn't work. And we do not know that the elemental wouldn't have been distracted by illusions, so he could have done stuff there.
So I agree that there wasn't a lot for him to do in this fight, but he also wasn't even trying to participate, so it is not entirely your fault that he twiddled his thumbs.