Hi all. I'm running a game for a party who are all brand new to D&D (including myself as the DM) and I know they have an encounter coming up in the next few sessions with a dragon that is twice the CR of their level (the dragon in LMoP) and I was thinking of setting up a magical check point for them before the fight but not telling them.
I was going to do it by having them all look into a magical mirror as they were walking through a room that would secretly take a snapshot of them, then if they die the mirror will turn into liquid and reform as their characters.
Is this a good idea or do you think it takes away from the Risk-Reward dynamic of the game too much?
The dragon is a good example of not always wanting to fight everything you see right away. If they take it on too early or they use poor tactics it's a good way to teach them to be more careful with their new characters. Better to learn now than at level 12 or something.
Sometimes, characters do something that gets them killed.
As they are new to D&D, you may want to make it clear that attacking the dragon at their current level would be ill-advised. If you don't want to do it directly, then have a bard in a tavern singing a song about a brave and powerful knight. Each verse is a deed of the knight and they detail how the knight faced so many deadly monsters and won, until the dragon. In the song, that dragon crushes the knight with ease. After singing, the bard would be willing to talk about the tale and verify that it's very much true and dragons are not to be taken lightly.
If they don't listen, let them attack. If they die, then they die.
Many thanks for the replies Kaynadin and Leezard71! I think I'll skip the idea of the "checkpoint" now as you are both absolutely right and the team will need to learn to 1) learn to not fight everything and use alternative means to complete quests 2) learn to listen and research quests via NPC's and take note of less obvious details. 3) Learn to deal with character death.
Absolutely agree with the others – the beauty of D&D is that it is genuinely immersive - and, unlike video games, the world doesn't play by 'fair' rules. If your plucky band of low level adventurers decide to take on a monstrous, acid breathing dragon – then there's no safety net to save them.
It's a double edged sword - when there are genuine consequences to dying, your players will begin to really care about them. The longer they spend 'as' them, the more they'll care about their decisions. And the more they'll be heartbroken if and when they die.
But of course, you're all new, and you want don't want to stop the fun because they didn't realise 'testing the water' by seeing 'what would happen' if they stuck the dragon with a sword would probably get them killed. Plus the problem is compounded by one of the pre-gen characters (the fighter) with the objective to 'drive off the dragon', and instructions to have the dragon flee when he reaches half-hp in the campaign book.
It's great you're thinking of solutions, but a checkpoint shouldn't be it. Instead, you have the benefit of knowing how powerful Venomfang is. Your players don't. So if you want to get that across, it's your job to lay seeds for your players.
Fortunately, you have plenty of opportunities in the lead up. Why not have the druid in Thundertree ham up the danger of the dragon - go into great detail about the dead giant spiders surrounding the tower. The plumes of acrid smoke causing your party to splutter and choke as they approach. Get your narration going, emphasise how dangerous and large this dragon is. It'll set the scene and provide suitable red flags.
If their curiosity is insatiable, and they venture on, perhaps start with some dialogue with the dragon, rather than a straight up 'You walk into the tower – and into poison breath'. Perhaps the dragon is asleep? Giving the party time to set up a trap or ambush? Maybe the dragon is vain and proud, and the party can sweet talk him with honeyed words. Reward creativity with some inspiration or advantage.
Ultimately, a fight might just be the inevitable course for your characters, and you'll have to decide whether this is the encounter where they learn the consequences to fighting dragons before level 5 - or if you want to give them at least a sporting chance.
As a side note, I've seen Venomfang defeated – but only when he was handicapped. I've often seen the DM keep the dragon on the ground, not take out strategic characters first, etc. If a fight breaks out, perhaps you could consider that, as Venomfang is a young dragon, he might be arrogant or inexperienced. In all likeliness, Venomfang should just be able to fly up, rain down acid breath (which can lead to a TPK in one round), or pick up a character, fly high above Thundertree, and just let go.
Regardless of how it goes, your players should learn something from the encounter. Good luck!
Hi all. I'm running a game for a party who are all brand new to D&D (including myself as the DM) and I know they have an encounter coming up in the next few sessions with a dragon that is twice the CR of their level (the dragon in LMoP) and I was thinking of setting up a magical check point for them before the fight but not telling them.
I was going to do it by having them all look into a magical mirror as they were walking through a room that would secretly take a snapshot of them, then if they die the mirror will turn into liquid and reform as their characters.
Is this a good idea or do you think it takes away from the Risk-Reward dynamic of the game too much?
The dragon is a good example of not always wanting to fight everything you see right away. If they take it on too early or they use poor tactics it's a good way to teach them to be more careful with their new characters. Better to learn now than at level 12 or something.
Sometimes, characters do something that gets them killed.
As they are new to D&D, you may want to make it clear that attacking the dragon at their current level would be ill-advised. If you don't want to do it directly, then have a bard in a tavern singing a song about a brave and powerful knight. Each verse is a deed of the knight and they detail how the knight faced so many deadly monsters and won, until the dragon. In the song, that dragon crushes the knight with ease. After singing, the bard would be willing to talk about the tale and verify that it's very much true and dragons are not to be taken lightly.
If they don't listen, let them attack. If they die, then they die.
DM Tip #42: If they split up, giggle insanely!!
Past and Current Homebrew RPG Projects
Many thanks for the replies Kaynadin and Leezard71! I think I'll skip the idea of the "checkpoint" now as you are both absolutely right and the team will need to learn to 1) learn to not fight everything and use alternative means to complete quests 2) learn to listen and research quests via NPC's and take note of less obvious details. 3) Learn to deal with character death.
Absolutely agree with the others – the beauty of D&D is that it is genuinely immersive - and, unlike video games, the world doesn't play by 'fair' rules. If your plucky band of low level adventurers decide to take on a monstrous, acid breathing dragon – then there's no safety net to save them.
It's a double edged sword - when there are genuine consequences to dying, your players will begin to really care about them. The longer they spend 'as' them, the more they'll care about their decisions. And the more they'll be heartbroken if and when they die.
But of course, you're all new, and you want don't want to stop the fun because they didn't realise 'testing the water' by seeing 'what would happen' if they stuck the dragon with a sword would probably get them killed. Plus the problem is compounded by one of the pre-gen characters (the fighter) with the objective to 'drive off the dragon', and instructions to have the dragon flee when he reaches half-hp in the campaign book.
It's great you're thinking of solutions, but a checkpoint shouldn't be it. Instead, you have the benefit of knowing how powerful Venomfang is. Your players don't. So if you want to get that across, it's your job to lay seeds for your players.
Fortunately, you have plenty of opportunities in the lead up. Why not have the druid in Thundertree ham up the danger of the dragon - go into great detail about the dead giant spiders surrounding the tower. The plumes of acrid smoke causing your party to splutter and choke as they approach. Get your narration going, emphasise how dangerous and large this dragon is. It'll set the scene and provide suitable red flags.
If their curiosity is insatiable, and they venture on, perhaps start with some dialogue with the dragon, rather than a straight up 'You walk into the tower – and into poison breath'. Perhaps the dragon is asleep? Giving the party time to set up a trap or ambush? Maybe the dragon is vain and proud, and the party can sweet talk him with honeyed words. Reward creativity with some inspiration or advantage.
Ultimately, a fight might just be the inevitable course for your characters, and you'll have to decide whether this is the encounter where they learn the consequences to fighting dragons before level 5 - or if you want to give them at least a sporting chance.
As a side note, I've seen Venomfang defeated – but only when he was handicapped. I've often seen the DM keep the dragon on the ground, not take out strategic characters first, etc. If a fight breaks out, perhaps you could consider that, as Venomfang is a young dragon, he might be arrogant or inexperienced. In all likeliness, Venomfang should just be able to fly up, rain down acid breath (which can lead to a TPK in one round), or pick up a character, fly high above Thundertree, and just let go.
Regardless of how it goes, your players should learn something from the encounter. Good luck!