I've recently been playing CoS again and my players just went to confront the hags inside old bonegrinder. Since I don't want to kill my players just yet though, I've been playing with the idea of ripping off puffin forest and have the hags let the party survive, in exchange for them selling their pastries inside Vallaki. As Vallaki normally doesn't let outsiders in, thus barring the hags from going there themselves, the fact that the players are a rare exception to that rule is a golden oppurtunity for the hags to spread their influence through the players. However, they obviously can't just take the players word that they will do it. Thus they need to make sure they actually follow through with their part of the bargaining, so that's where the pact comes into place. I know I could just homebrew something among those lines, but I was wondering if there were some official rules on making pacts with otherworldly beings.
As always, thx for your reading and the best of days to you.
So, they're specifically planning on getting into a fight? Because the hags would probably just try to sell them pastries unless they got aggressive first. I don't know of any standard rules, but a reasonable default is to just let them cast geas.
So, they're specifically planning on getting into a fight? Because the hags would probably just try to sell them pastries unless they got aggressive first. I don't know of any standard rules, but a reasonable default is to just let them cast geas.
Yeah, they were already pretty on guard against anything in Barovia, ever since the Death House. It didn't help that - with a little additional nudging from me - they remembered the whole windmill imagery from that place, so they were already pretty suspicious going in. They are also somewhat familiar with the game, so when they learned about Mad Mary's missing child and several old women living together in the middle of nowhere, they were already going "hags" in the back of their mind. And, to put the final nail into the coffin, they also managed to roll a high enough perception to pick up on the captured children on one of the higher levels. After that they literally kicked in the door and we're gonna pick up from there next time.
Anyways, I looked around a little and there is the "Diabolic Deals" mechanic from Descent Into Avernus. Sure, that one's more about making deals with devils, but I figure it could rather easily be reworked to work with fey instead. So I might just go with that. Thx for the input though.
Maybe the pcs earn a supernatural gift for working for the hags, but the gift comes with the possibility of a curse if the hags are screwed over. The hags could, if attacked, beat them to within an inch of their lives and then offer them the deal.
i haven't run CoS but i have seen disney's Brave and so i know that witches aren't always home. maybe they've stepped out and left their cauldron simmering.
perhaps a glance inside the bubbling boil might reveal a glimpse movement. if a player opts to look closer, they observe that it's a remote viewing of some far away place as seen over one of the hag's shoulders. they roll perception... but it's treated secretly as a wisdom save. upon a low roll the DM hands that player a slip of paper: "the old woman turns, her eye fills your view. you're compelled to direct the others to look into the cauldron as well." everyone who peeks in must roll and, upon failure, is transfixed. when all (or enough) of the characters are watching you slap them with the previously mentioned geas (and maybe a warning about absorbing lessons in the old ways of hospitality before an unintended slip of decorum should find them in hot water... soup, even).
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unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: providefeedback!
i haven't run CoS but i have seen disney's Brave and so i know that witches aren't always home. maybe they've stepped out and left their cauldron simmering.
perhaps a glance inside the bubbling boil might reveal a glimpse movement. if a player opts to look closer, they observe that it's a remote viewing of some far away place as seen over one of the hag's shoulders. they roll perception... but it's treated secretly as a wisdom save. upon a low roll the DM hands that player a slip of paper: "the old woman turns, her eye fills your view. you're compelled to direct the others to look into the cauldron as well." everyone who peeks in must roll and, upon failure, is transfixed. when all (or enough) of the characters are watching you slap them with the previously mentioned geas (and maybe a warning about absorbing lessons in the old ways of hospitality before an unintended slip of decorum should find them in hot water... soup, even).
While I like that idea, they are already in open combat with the two hags present in the room and the third isn't far off either. So, while I like the idea, probably not gonna happen. But I might steal this for a future game.
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No, I'm not talking about the warlock.
I've recently been playing CoS again and my players just went to confront the hags inside old bonegrinder. Since I don't want to kill my players just yet though, I've been playing with the idea of ripping off puffin forest and have the hags let the party survive, in exchange for them selling their pastries inside Vallaki. As Vallaki normally doesn't let outsiders in, thus barring the hags from going there themselves, the fact that the players are a rare exception to that rule is a golden oppurtunity for the hags to spread their influence through the players. However, they obviously can't just take the players word that they will do it. Thus they need to make sure they actually follow through with their part of the bargaining, so that's where the pact comes into place. I know I could just homebrew something among those lines, but I was wondering if there were some official rules on making pacts with otherworldly beings.
As always, thx for your reading and the best of days to you.
So, they're specifically planning on getting into a fight? Because the hags would probably just try to sell them pastries unless they got aggressive first. I don't know of any standard rules, but a reasonable default is to just let them cast geas.
Yeah, they were already pretty on guard against anything in Barovia, ever since the Death House. It didn't help that - with a little additional nudging from me - they remembered the whole windmill imagery from that place, so they were already pretty suspicious going in.
They are also somewhat familiar with the game, so when they learned about Mad Mary's missing child and several old women living together in the middle of nowhere, they were already going "hags" in the back of their mind.
And, to put the final nail into the coffin, they also managed to roll a high enough perception to pick up on the captured children on one of the higher levels.
After that they literally kicked in the door and we're gonna pick up from there next time.
Anyways, I looked around a little and there is the "Diabolic Deals" mechanic from Descent Into Avernus. Sure, that one's more about making deals with devils, but I figure it could rather easily be reworked to work with fey instead. So I might just go with that. Thx for the input though.
Time to learn that kicking in doors doesn't always go well in Barovia I guess.
Maybe the pcs earn a supernatural gift for working for the hags, but the gift comes with the possibility of a curse if the hags are screwed over. The hags could, if attacked, beat them to within an inch of their lives and then offer them the deal.
i haven't run CoS but i have seen disney's Brave and so i know that witches aren't always home. maybe they've stepped out and left their cauldron simmering.
perhaps a glance inside the bubbling boil might reveal a glimpse movement. if a player opts to look closer, they observe that it's a remote viewing of some far away place as seen over one of the hag's shoulders. they roll perception... but it's treated secretly as a wisdom save. upon a low roll the DM hands that player a slip of paper: "the old woman turns, her eye fills your view. you're compelled to direct the others to look into the cauldron as well." everyone who peeks in must roll and, upon failure, is transfixed. when all (or enough) of the characters are watching you slap them with the previously mentioned geas (and maybe a warning about absorbing lessons in the old ways of hospitality before an unintended slip of decorum should find them in hot water... soup, even).
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!
While I like that idea, they are already in open combat with the two hags present in the room and the third isn't far off either. So, while I like the idea, probably not gonna happen. But I might steal this for a future game.