DMing CoS, my PCs are going to be facing a too-strong foe tonight (Baba Lysaga), and I'm worried they're walking into their deaths. I don't mind killing one or two characters, but I'd rather not kill them all.
Should I just play the enemy weaker than written, try to distract them away, bring in some support, or just go ahead and let them for knowing I did my best to warn them of the danger? Other cool ideas?
Don't know Baba Jaga or your group, but a few ideas how to do it.
Baba Jaga 1 shot kills one if them, and offers them a deal in exchange for the body and soul of the dead one.
Baba Jaga instead of killing them stuns/paralyses them. Again a deal can be made for their freedom.
Let them watch how Baba Jaga deals with a high lvl NPC to telegraph the danger. (dead bodies staked outside her house, monsters or humans, diesn't matter)
Course of Strahd is about despair and hopelessness, so i would never downgrade a bossmonster.
Does your group have a somewhat strong melee fighter and a spellcaster who can cast Silence?
If they do, a combination of Silence and Grapple should be able to lock down Baba Lysaga almost completely, except for her Summon Swarm, Quarterstaff and Shapechange. And if she uses the latter to turn into a 22 HP CR 1/2 creature the fighter should be able to finish her with a single attack of opportunity.
DMing CoS, my PCs are going to be facing a too-strong foe tonight (Baba Lysaga), and I'm worried they're walking into their deaths. I don't mind killing one or two characters, but I'd rather not kill them all.
Should I just play the enemy weaker than written, try to distract them away, bring in some support, or just go ahead and let them for knowing I did my best to warm them of the danger? Other cool ideas?
This might be too heavy of plot armor for you but, Strahd is suggested to show up at the most inopportune times. Maybe in this case, he makes a show of force and domination. After all, aren't the PCs HIS playthings?
If your group is "dice falls everyone dies" go for it. IF they are 'Stars of the show", take Bhuraelea advice and give them some warning. Or she is not at home.
First, you might be surprised. Second, her personal power list isn't actually very good at preventing people from running away (I would be tempted to convert her into a druid of the same level, not that that really makes her easier).
Baba Yaga is spelled with a “Y” not a “J” (she’s Eastern European, not Spanish) and this is Baba Lysaga, not Baba Yaga.
Actually Ба́ба-Яга́ in Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belorussian, Baba Jaga in Polish, Czech, Slowakian, Serbocroatian, Баба Јага in kyrillic Serbocroation and Macedonian, Jaga baba in Slowenian... this goes on and on, the Yaga version is also only a romanized version used in English and French, in Germany it is mostly also Jaga...
Baba Yaga is spelled with a “Y” not a “J” (she’s Eastern European, not Spanish) and this is Baba Lysaga, not Baba Yaga.
Actually Ба́ба-Яга́ in Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belorussian, Baba Jaga in Polish, Czech, Slowakian, Serbocroatian, Баба Јага in kyrillic Serbocroation and Macedonian, Jaga baba in Slowenian... this goes on and on, the Yaga version is also only a romanized version used in English and French, in Germany it is mostly also Jaga...
just saying.... ;)
Learn something new every day. I have never seen it spelled that way before.
I am not very familiar with this campaign, I would suggest having some lackeys that they have to fight while the boss watches, making it tough but not impossible. when they succeed, have he/her disappears deep into a dungeon that to clear and get to they get strong enough to take her on. That way they get the same fight with stronger abilities :)
What level are your characters? How big is the group? How do your players like to play the game? Depending on the party, the hut could be a bigger threat than Baba Lysaga.
In the end I had Baba Lysaga not at home when they arrived. They dealt with some crawling claws and scarecrows and disabled the hut before she arrived. They cast silence and knocked her prone, which really saved the day for them. She only killed one person (who was revivified), knocked another unconscious twice, and ended with a gigantic fireball!
All in all, maybe not the greatest boss fight, but I think the session as a whole was varied, interesting, and scary. Success!
I'm just going to throw this out as something I stumbled across in Storm King's Thunder campaign. This may be too rudimentary than what you were looking for in the OP but it still some good advice.
Note: The text comes from SKT so the reference is to that campaign but the theory could be applied here
Deadly Encounters Many of the encounters in this adventure are deadly by design. They test the players’ ability to make smart, informed decisions under pressure. A deadly encounter might be the only encounter the characters have on a given day (and assumes the party is at full strength), or it might be so overwhelming that the characters are expected to avoid combat at all costs.
A total-party kill (“TPK”) need not herald the end of the campaign. Giants and other intelligent creatures are fond of taking prisoners. The first time a TPK occurs, you can have the characters miraculously awaken as prisoners with 1 hit point each. Give them every chance to escape their captors. If necessary, use NPCs such as Zephyros, the cloud giant wizard in chapter 1, to help them get out of tight spots. With luck, the players will take the hint and be wary of repeating the experience.
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DMing CoS, my PCs are going to be facing a too-strong foe tonight (Baba Lysaga), and I'm worried they're walking into their deaths. I don't mind killing one or two characters, but I'd rather not kill them all.
Should I just play the enemy weaker than written, try to distract them away, bring in some support, or just go ahead and let them for knowing I did my best to warn them of the danger? Other cool ideas?
Don’t warn them, that kills it for Players when the DM warms them.
Remember, if they die you didn’t kill them, Baba Lysaga killed them.
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Don't know Baba Jaga or your group, but a few ideas how to do it.
Baba Jaga 1 shot kills one if them, and offers them a deal in exchange for the body and soul of the dead one.
Baba Jaga instead of killing them stuns/paralyses them. Again a deal can be made for their freedom.
Let them watch how Baba Jaga deals with a high lvl NPC to telegraph the danger. (dead bodies staked outside her house, monsters or humans, diesn't matter)
Course of Strahd is about despair and hopelessness, so i would never downgrade a bossmonster.
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]Baba Yaga is spelled with a “Y” not a “J” (she’s Eastern European, not Spanish) andthis is Baba Lysaga, not Baba Yaga.Edit: I was wrong.
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Does your group have a somewhat strong melee fighter and a spellcaster who can cast Silence?
If they do, a combination of Silence and Grapple should be able to lock down Baba Lysaga almost completely, except for her Summon Swarm, Quarterstaff and Shapechange. And if she uses the latter to turn into a 22 HP CR 1/2 creature the fighter should be able to finish her with a single attack of opportunity.
This might be too heavy of plot armor for you but, Strahd is suggested to show up at the most inopportune times. Maybe in this case, he makes a show of force and domination. After all, aren't the PCs HIS playthings?
If your group is "dice falls everyone dies" go for it. IF they are 'Stars of the show", take Bhuraelea advice and give them some warning. Or she is not at home.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
First, you might be surprised. Second, her personal power list isn't actually very good at preventing people from running away (I would be tempted to convert her into a druid of the same level, not that that really makes her easier).
Right, I didn't explicitly warn them that she could kill them, just had a couple NPCs insinuate that she was basically legendarily scary.
I like the ideas to kill one or have Strahd turn up at an opportune time. Plot twist!
I would love to be surprised and have my PCs pull out silence, or do something totally unexpected and awesome (which they are prone to doing).
That’s okay then. It wasn’t the DM who warned them, it was the NPCs.
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Actually Ба́ба-Яга́ in Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belorussian, Baba Jaga in Polish, Czech, Slowakian, Serbocroatian, Баба Јага in kyrillic Serbocroation and Macedonian, Jaga baba in Slowenian... this goes on and on, the Yaga version is also only a romanized version used in English and French, in Germany it is mostly also Jaga...
just saying.... ;)
Learn something new every day. I have never seen it spelled that way before.
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You could also just fudge your rolls every now and then. Pretend you didn't roll well every now and then to make it a little easier.
Bazinga
I am not very familiar with this campaign, I would suggest having some lackeys that they have to fight while the boss watches, making it tough but not impossible. when they succeed, have he/her disappears deep into a dungeon that to clear and get to they get strong enough to take her on. That way they get the same fight with stronger abilities :)
Have they met any Wereravens? If yes then maybe have them join in for a bit and then disappear unless the party shows them great ability.
Are they in a situation where the PCs can run away?
If Baba doesn't insta-kill a PC but inflicts a lot of damage, maybe the PCs will take the hint and leave.
What level are your characters? How big is the group? How do your players like to play the game? Depending on the party, the hut could be a bigger threat than Baba Lysaga.
In the end I had Baba Lysaga not at home when they arrived. They dealt with some crawling claws and scarecrows and disabled the hut before she arrived. They cast silence and knocked her prone, which really saved the day for them. She only killed one person (who was revivified), knocked another unconscious twice, and ended with a gigantic fireball!
All in all, maybe not the greatest boss fight, but I think the session as a whole was varied, interesting, and scary. Success!
Who knows, maybe I'll have her return as a clone or simulacrum situation....
I'm just going to throw this out as something I stumbled across in Storm King's Thunder campaign. This may be too rudimentary than what you were looking for in the OP but it still some good advice.
Note: The text comes from SKT so the reference is to that campaign but the theory could be applied here