First time posted and relatively new DM in need of some help!
My players have just finished playing through the starting adventure of tides of retribution and I need some help on how to proceed.
They have come to the conclusion the artifact, Rod of Retribution is more powerful than the item actually is and think it is a weapon of mass destruction.
"When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you damages you while you are holding this rod, you can use your reaction to expend 1 of the rod’s charges to force the creature to make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 2d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one."
Now most of them are first time players, no one can identify, and I am not going to tell them "no you're wrong." They plan to be at the exchange and to kill or steal from the buyer the item after the sale is made.
They are likely headed to Darktow, the pirate settlement of the Revelry, where literally the only rules are don't steal from or kill fellow pirates and is punishable by death, They will be newcomers not trusted individuals as well. I was thinking about maybe sending them to another city to make the exchange where they'd have a better chance of escaping if they need to, but I'm not sure.
Feedback is appreciated and please be kind, I'm still learning :)
If they have a deceptive party member, they could trick Darktow 'law enforcement' into thinking that the rod was stolen from them ,and they were taking back their property, which makes murder justified in Darktow, by my understanding.
It's possible that laying out some of the more obvious challenges may cause your players to reevaluate their plan.
"Hey team, just to be clear, your plan is to sneak into a city filled with pirates, thieves, and professional murderers, try to Ocean's 11 an arms sale and steal the prize, and break one or more very rigid town laws against stealing and killing, punishable by execution if any part of your plan goes wrong and you are caught. That's the plan right?"
Just tossing it out there might be enough to give them pause and reconsider.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Anyone can identify. A character just needs to spend a short rest studying the item, and they'll know what it is and how to use it, by RAW. Unless you are using the variant which forces them to use an identify spell.
Per the DMG "Alternatively, a character can focus on one magic item during a short rest, while being in physical contact with the item. At the end of the rest, the character learns the item’s properties, as well as how to use them. "
The person that asked them to procure the item has locked it away per what the guide said she would do after getting it, otherwise I would have had them do that. Thank you for the suggestion! :)
That might be a good idea, one of the characters is familiar with how the pirate faction works, so I can give her this information in game too! Thank you!
Hilariously my players immediately double-crossed Captain 3 Earrings. As soon as the Sahaugin Warlock fell one the characters snatched up the rod and convinced the others to just take it and run. Because Captain 3 earrings had declined to join them in the underwater attack they just swam under water to the main land and took off with it.
Anyone can identify. A character just needs to spend a short rest studying the item, and they'll know what it is and how to use it, by RAW. Unless you are using the variant which forces them to use an identify spell.
Per the DMG "Alternatively, a character can focus on one magic item during a short rest, while being in physical contact with the item. At the end of the rest, the character learns the item’s properties, as well as how to use them. "
Unless you're using the alternate rule that requires someone cast identify.
Anyone can identify. A character just needs to spend a short rest studying the item, and they'll know what it is and how to use it, by RAW. Unless you are using the variant which forces them to use an identify spell.
Per the DMG "Alternatively, a character can focus on one magic item during a short rest, while being in physical contact with the item. At the end of the rest, the character learns the item’s properties, as well as how to use them. "
Unless you're using the alternate rule that requires someone cast identify.
Which is literally what I said in the first paragraph.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
First time posted and relatively new DM in need of some help!
My players have just finished playing through the starting adventure of tides of retribution and I need some help on how to proceed.
They have come to the conclusion the artifact, Rod of Retribution is more powerful than the item actually is and think it is a weapon of mass destruction.
"When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you damages you while you are holding this rod, you can use your reaction to expend 1 of the rod’s charges to force the creature to make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 2d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one."
Now most of them are first time players, no one can identify, and I am not going to tell them "no you're wrong." They plan to be at the exchange and to kill or steal from the buyer the item after the sale is made.
They are likely headed to Darktow, the pirate settlement of the Revelry, where literally the only rules are don't steal from or kill fellow pirates and is punishable by death, They will be newcomers not trusted individuals as well. I was thinking about maybe sending them to another city to make the exchange where they'd have a better chance of escaping if they need to, but I'm not sure.
Feedback is appreciated and please be kind, I'm still learning :)
If they have a deceptive party member, they could trick Darktow 'law enforcement' into thinking that the rod was stolen from them ,and they were taking back their property, which makes murder justified in Darktow, by my understanding.
It's possible that laying out some of the more obvious challenges may cause your players to reevaluate their plan.
"Hey team, just to be clear, your plan is to sneak into a city filled with pirates, thieves, and professional murderers, try to Ocean's 11 an arms sale and steal the prize, and break one or more very rigid town laws against stealing and killing, punishable by execution if any part of your plan goes wrong and you are caught. That's the plan right?"
Just tossing it out there might be enough to give them pause and reconsider.
Anyone can identify. A character just needs to spend a short rest studying the item, and they'll know what it is and how to use it, by RAW. Unless you are using the variant which forces them to use an identify spell.
Per the DMG "Alternatively, a character can focus on one magic item during a short rest, while being in physical contact with the item. At the end of the rest, the character learns the item’s properties, as well as how to use them. "
The person that asked them to procure the item has locked it away per what the guide said she would do after getting it, otherwise I would have had them do that. Thank you for the suggestion! :)
That might be a good idea, one of the characters is familiar with how the pirate faction works, so I can give her this information in game too! Thank you!
That might work. They have a sneaky rogue and a paladin who is not afraid to lie, and is very good at it.
Hilariously my players immediately double-crossed Captain 3 Earrings. As soon as the Sahaugin Warlock fell one the characters snatched up the rod and convinced the others to just take it and run. Because Captain 3 earrings had declined to join them in the underwater attack they just swam under water to the main land and took off with it.
Unless you're using the alternate rule that requires someone cast identify.
Which is literally what I said in the first paragraph.