Quickleaf
Legend
My party is about to fight a village of eblis (evil giant magical stork creatures). It began as trade negotiations, but the gushing description of the party's wealth and display of magic items caused the eblis chieftain's avaricious nature to overwhelm his good sense and the party was betrayed!
One aspect of this encounter is that the chieftain wears several magic items/jewelry including a ring of delusion which I've converted from AD&D. At the comical level, this ring convinces the chieftain that he can cast magic missile & suggestion at will (e.g. he'd wave it like a hypnotic pendulum and say "I suggest you lay down your arms" in a soothing voice...or he'd raise up his taloned foot with the ring and make "schooo-schooo" sounds as if the ring were recoiling...and nothing would happen).
However, I'm also making the ring of delusion have a sort of aura or regional effect encompassing the village: It makes visitors to the village overconfident...and all the eblis are already subtly mad (whether this is due to the ring or not). Because the players don't yet realize this, I want to preserve the mystery and let it be something they discover through play. Here's the tricky part:
I let the players level up to 6th-level at the end of our last session, just as initiative is about to be rolled. Even though it's almost time for them to level, this move surprised several of my players. "Before the fight?" they asked quizzically. "Yes," I answered with a smile. See, I want to treat their 6th-level class features – for the purpose of this fight only – as delusions. In other words, due to the malign influence of the ring of delusion, they only *think* they can do these things, when in reality they cannot yet. This is pretty "meta" and outside of how the game usually works, so I want to make sure I handle it well.
Any pitfalls to watch out for or suggestions for pulling this off successfully?
[SBLOCK=More details]My party of five 5th-level PCs pursued an invitation to a "trading" village of 15 eblis (CR 1 wacky evil giant magical storks) where they enjoyed a feast (despite the many poisonous foods) and began negotiating. When the goblin PC over-hyped all the loot the party had to trade, the eblis chieftain's (CR 3) greedy nature overcame him and betrayed the party (3 fell into a pit trap full of 10 zombies, 2 were hypnotized by hypnotic pattern). Now, the chieftain wears several magic items including a ring of delusion, a cursed item I adapted from older editions. My interpretation of this ring is that the chieftain is convinced he can cast suggestion and magic missile at will using the ring – in reality, nothing happens, he just raises a taloned foot and makes a "schoo-schoo" sound from his beak as if shooting magic missiles...but nothing happens. It's a comical bit that's meant to distract my experienced players from figuring out the delusion "regional effect" emanating from the ring immediately (not quite an aura, more of a blanket effect covering the entire village): Guests to the village feel overconfident in their abilities.
Now, last session my players have unwittingly played right into that delusion effect through their choices, behavior, and a string of failed Insight checks. We ended the session about to jump into a combat, and I asked them to level up to 6th-level. We've been leveling about every 5 sessions, and this was the 15th session so it wasn't entirely unexpected, even if the timing of leveling right before a fight was unusual.
I want to use this as an opportunity to drive home the delusion "regional effect", and I'd love feedback on how I'm thinking of handling this. At 6th-level, each PC gains new class features they've never used before. For example, the bard PC gains Countercharm & Additional Magical Secrets (2 spells from any list), while the goblin PC who is taking a level in Wild Magic Sorcerer gains Wild Magic Surge & Tides of Chaos. What I'm considering is that in actuality none of the PCs have their 6th-level class features yet...it's a delusion caused by the ring of delusion's "regional effect." They'll gain those new class features after the encounter (if they survive). I'd jot these delusional class features down on a notecard hung on my side of the DM screen for easy reference. Of course, PCs may take an action to make a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw to realize what’s going on. This delusion effect also ends if they destroy the ring of delusion, remove it from the chieftain's talon, or kill the chieftain.
Now, I was a bit "meta" with this last session in order to sell the eblis' deceit, and my players have realized it now. For example, one player had been saying how badly they needed to offload some items and could really use a trading town...at first he thought I was just introducing a "throw away" trading opportunity. Another example, one player said during the poisonous feast the quirky eblis brought out that "either these birds are the stupidest monsters we've ever met or they're secret geniuses." And I've hinted that I was being misleading on multiple levels throughout the session, so they are well warned that things aren't entirely as they appear for this fight.
During the encounter, I'll be introducing a series of clues:
[SBLOCK=The PCs and their 6th level class features]
The players are still leveling their PCs, but here's what I know so far...
[SBLOCK=Encounter Building notes]
The basic premise comes from the Tomb of Annihilation Companion with the Raptor's Roost eblis village and the floor of the hollow tree that disappears if the command word "Papazotl" is spoken, dropping creatures into a pit with zombies. I added the whole poison feast & Ring of Delusion bits, and have role-played the wacky eblis by drawing inspiration directly from Gygax's The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (EX2) where eblis first appeared as a monster.
Good Guys
Five 6th-level PCs (Bard & Ranger are hypnotized; Druid, Rogue, and Paladin are prone and -15 hp, Paladin is also intoxicated, Druid down a couple spells)
NPC CR 2 Lizardfolk Shaman (~equiv. 4th-level PC), intoxicated & down a couple spells
NPC CR 5 Dragonbait (~equiv. 9th-level PC); full health
All PCs have Inspiration
Bad Guys
15 eblis (CR 1)
Wamalāl, eblis chieftain (CR 3), subject to Potion Miscibility rules
10 zombies (CR 1/8, these zombies are weaker because they don't have hit points, instead use Undead Fortitude to determine whether an attack destroys a zombie; this is due to a McGuffin ritual the PCs pulled off)
A 40-ft pit trap (dealt 15 damage to 3 PCs)
A ~CR 1/2 gas spore re-skinned as a "bird guano spore bomb"
Lair Actions for the tribe & Ring of Delusion effect
Adjusted Encounter XP: 12,150
Deadly (deadly range for this party & NPCs is purportedly 9,900+ XP)
Adventuring Day XP "Budget" for this party & NPCs is purportedly 29,200 XP
Quick Eblis Stats
CR 1; AC 13, hp 26; two beak attacks +3 to hit, 5(1d4+3) damage; spellcasting (1/day each: blur, hypnotic pattern, minor illusion)
Lair Actions (of the entire eblis village)
On initiative count 20, the eblis tribe may take one of the following lair actions, but never the same one consecutively:
One aspect of this encounter is that the chieftain wears several magic items/jewelry including a ring of delusion which I've converted from AD&D. At the comical level, this ring convinces the chieftain that he can cast magic missile & suggestion at will (e.g. he'd wave it like a hypnotic pendulum and say "I suggest you lay down your arms" in a soothing voice...or he'd raise up his taloned foot with the ring and make "schooo-schooo" sounds as if the ring were recoiling...and nothing would happen).
However, I'm also making the ring of delusion have a sort of aura or regional effect encompassing the village: It makes visitors to the village overconfident...and all the eblis are already subtly mad (whether this is due to the ring or not). Because the players don't yet realize this, I want to preserve the mystery and let it be something they discover through play. Here's the tricky part:
I let the players level up to 6th-level at the end of our last session, just as initiative is about to be rolled. Even though it's almost time for them to level, this move surprised several of my players. "Before the fight?" they asked quizzically. "Yes," I answered with a smile. See, I want to treat their 6th-level class features – for the purpose of this fight only – as delusions. In other words, due to the malign influence of the ring of delusion, they only *think* they can do these things, when in reality they cannot yet. This is pretty "meta" and outside of how the game usually works, so I want to make sure I handle it well.
Any pitfalls to watch out for or suggestions for pulling this off successfully?
[SBLOCK=More details]My party of five 5th-level PCs pursued an invitation to a "trading" village of 15 eblis (CR 1 wacky evil giant magical storks) where they enjoyed a feast (despite the many poisonous foods) and began negotiating. When the goblin PC over-hyped all the loot the party had to trade, the eblis chieftain's (CR 3) greedy nature overcame him and betrayed the party (3 fell into a pit trap full of 10 zombies, 2 were hypnotized by hypnotic pattern). Now, the chieftain wears several magic items including a ring of delusion, a cursed item I adapted from older editions. My interpretation of this ring is that the chieftain is convinced he can cast suggestion and magic missile at will using the ring – in reality, nothing happens, he just raises a taloned foot and makes a "schoo-schoo" sound from his beak as if shooting magic missiles...but nothing happens. It's a comical bit that's meant to distract my experienced players from figuring out the delusion "regional effect" emanating from the ring immediately (not quite an aura, more of a blanket effect covering the entire village): Guests to the village feel overconfident in their abilities.
Now, last session my players have unwittingly played right into that delusion effect through their choices, behavior, and a string of failed Insight checks. We ended the session about to jump into a combat, and I asked them to level up to 6th-level. We've been leveling about every 5 sessions, and this was the 15th session so it wasn't entirely unexpected, even if the timing of leveling right before a fight was unusual.
I want to use this as an opportunity to drive home the delusion "regional effect", and I'd love feedback on how I'm thinking of handling this. At 6th-level, each PC gains new class features they've never used before. For example, the bard PC gains Countercharm & Additional Magical Secrets (2 spells from any list), while the goblin PC who is taking a level in Wild Magic Sorcerer gains Wild Magic Surge & Tides of Chaos. What I'm considering is that in actuality none of the PCs have their 6th-level class features yet...it's a delusion caused by the ring of delusion's "regional effect." They'll gain those new class features after the encounter (if they survive). I'd jot these delusional class features down on a notecard hung on my side of the DM screen for easy reference. Of course, PCs may take an action to make a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw to realize what’s going on. This delusion effect also ends if they destroy the ring of delusion, remove it from the chieftain's talon, or kill the chieftain.
Now, I was a bit "meta" with this last session in order to sell the eblis' deceit, and my players have realized it now. For example, one player had been saying how badly they needed to offload some items and could really use a trading town...at first he thought I was just introducing a "throw away" trading opportunity. Another example, one player said during the poisonous feast the quirky eblis brought out that "either these birds are the stupidest monsters we've ever met or they're secret geniuses." And I've hinted that I was being misleading on multiple levels throughout the session, so they are well warned that things aren't entirely as they appear for this fight.
During the encounter, I'll be introducing a series of clues:
- Chieftain using ring to cast "magic missile", vocalizing a "schooh-schooh" sound and he gestures with the ring like he's shooting, and...nothing happens.
- Describe the sense of unusual confidence creeping in, despite their desperate circumstances, maybe calling out small details like in the pit there's a skeleton that seems to have fallen into a position where it's giving you a thumbs up - clearly a sign that you'll be victorious.
- Have other eblis cast disparaging comments from the canopy above, with an emphasis on belaboring their cleverness...yet twist the phrases so that they're strange or contrary, such as the chieftain calling out "off with their heads – bring them their crowns!"
- One of their NPC allies adopt poor tactics, overestimating their own abilities. For example, instead of shaking the hypnotized ranger & bard PCs out of their trance, the inebriated lizardfolk shaman NPC might cast plant growth to wreck the hut open (when the player want to use the huts as cover to avoid being swarmed by enemies).
- When/if the chieftain consumes his potion of growth, the ring emits a magical distortion as it grows along with the chieftain.
- When 6th-level class features are "used", play up how overconfident the PC is of its use. For example, if the grung druid tries to use Land's Stride to move through jungle difficult terrain, instead mention how they're inhibited by the difficult terrain as normal but move like a spy between cover, somersaulting and ducking as if they're some kind of a ninja...such that the effect is the difficult terrain functions as normal. Another example: the bard thinks he has cast one of his spells from Additional Magical Secrets, but I ask him to instead pick another spell he has that feels kinda similar and that spell is cast in the other's place.
- Finally, a PC can make a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw as an action to realize that they (and their companions) are under a charm effect. A detect magic will notice enchantment affecting all creatures – themselves, their NPC allies, and the eblis – in the village, as well as strong enchantment radiating from the chieftain's ring.
[SBLOCK=The PCs and their 6th level class features]
The players are still leveling their PCs, but here's what I know so far...
- Human Bard (College of Lore) 6: Countercharm, Additional Magical Secrets (2 spells of player's choice from any class; when cast I'd have the player choose a different but similar spell he prepared instead)
- Human Ranger (Gloom Stalker) 5 / Fighter 1: Fighting Style (player's choice), Second Wind (I would need to track PC's actual hp)
- Grung Druid (Circle of the Land) 6: Land’s Stride
- Lizardfolk Rogue (Swashbuckler) 4 or 5 / Warlock (Raven Queen) 1 or 2: Uncanny Dodge (I would need to track PC's actual hp) or Eldritch Invocations (2 of player's choice)
- Goblin Paladin (Oathbreaker) 5, Sorcerer (Wild Magic) 1: Wild Magic Surge, Tides of Chaos
[SBLOCK=Encounter Building notes]
The basic premise comes from the Tomb of Annihilation Companion with the Raptor's Roost eblis village and the floor of the hollow tree that disappears if the command word "Papazotl" is spoken, dropping creatures into a pit with zombies. I added the whole poison feast & Ring of Delusion bits, and have role-played the wacky eblis by drawing inspiration directly from Gygax's The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (EX2) where eblis first appeared as a monster.
Good Guys
Five 6th-level PCs (Bard & Ranger are hypnotized; Druid, Rogue, and Paladin are prone and -15 hp, Paladin is also intoxicated, Druid down a couple spells)
NPC CR 2 Lizardfolk Shaman (~equiv. 4th-level PC), intoxicated & down a couple spells
NPC CR 5 Dragonbait (~equiv. 9th-level PC); full health
All PCs have Inspiration
Bad Guys
15 eblis (CR 1)
Wamalāl, eblis chieftain (CR 3), subject to Potion Miscibility rules
10 zombies (CR 1/8, these zombies are weaker because they don't have hit points, instead use Undead Fortitude to determine whether an attack destroys a zombie; this is due to a McGuffin ritual the PCs pulled off)
A 40-ft pit trap (dealt 15 damage to 3 PCs)
A ~CR 1/2 gas spore re-skinned as a "bird guano spore bomb"
Lair Actions for the tribe & Ring of Delusion effect
Adjusted Encounter XP: 12,150
Deadly (deadly range for this party & NPCs is purportedly 9,900+ XP)
Adventuring Day XP "Budget" for this party & NPCs is purportedly 29,200 XP
Quick Eblis Stats
CR 1; AC 13, hp 26; two beak attacks +3 to hit, 5(1d4+3) damage; spellcasting (1/day each: blur, hypnotic pattern, minor illusion)
Lair Actions (of the entire eblis village)
On initiative count 20, the eblis tribe may take one of the following lair actions, but never the same one consecutively:
- Cooperative Spellcasting: Three eblis begin bobbing & weaving, and may use their next actions to collectively cast one of these spells at 3rd level: calm emotions (20-ft-radius-sphere; DC 11 Charisma or become non-hostile until it takes damage or it witnesses a friend being harmed; Concentration), cause fear (3 creatures w/in 60-ft; DC 11 Wisdom or frightened; Concentration), or fog cloud (60-ft-radius-sphere; heavy concealment; Concentration). The three share concentration, requiring all 3 of the eblis’ concentrations be broken to end the spell.
- Feasting Folly: When eating food they serve, the eblis seem to gobble all of it, even the most poisonous of dishes. This is actually a subtle illusion which can be seen through using an action to make a DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check; in fact, the eblis are highly selective eaters.
- Secret Communication: Until initiative count 20, all eblis in the tribe can communicate with one another via chirps, whistles, and deep-throated hoots that no other creature can understand, not even with magic. This communication can also be magically carried on the winds up to 40 miles away.
- Thieving Beaks: Any eblis within 5 feet of a creature that is incapacitated (e.g. by hypnotic pattern) may pilfer an item from the incapacitated creature (e.g. belt pouch, potion, scroll, or trinket).
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