So, I am struggling with how to resolve my next session. The party has been tracking an artificer wanted for crimes against the empire. The party tracked him to a puzzle dungeon that they breezed through and found his secret hideout. My problem comes with what to do next.
This guy is not a fighter and would definitely dimension door away as soon as he got the chance. I feel that the party thinks they are heading into a big fight this coming session, but I just don't think this guy would fight. He would only fight long enough to get away, but I don't want it to feel unsatisfying for the players. There are things they don't know about his situation because they didn't ask questions when agreeing to this bounty.
How do I stick to what the character would do versus what is satisfying to my players?
Perhaps the villain was never really there at the end of the puzzle dungeon.
The last room could be another trap or misdirection where an image of the villain gloats for a moment. Of course, perhaps they ported out just before the party entered the final room... so may have left in a rush, perhaps leaving a clue as to their next location etc.... or even something valuable.
Of course there would be construct adds etc so there could be a "final fight" if that's what your players enjoy.
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"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
He could always tell the party about what is going on. Perhaps there is someone who kidnapped his daughter and he doesn't have the skill set to hunt them down and kill them. As such, he has done the things that he as been doing in order to find a way to save her. Or whatever sounds right for your campaign. This could lead to a confrontation with the kidnapper to free the daughter (or whatever plot point you decide to go with) which will allow the party to retrieve anything that is still retrievable and allow the artificer to repent of his villainous activity.
He most likely knows he won't handle himself well in a fight (hence the puzzle dungeon), so is he skilled enough to have constructed a bodyguard? Homebrew monsters like the clockwork golem would fit really well for a boss fight and allow the artificer to attempt escape whilst giving the party something big to deal with.
Or, a Non-Homebrewed alternative, a Shield Guardian, a more powerful and realistic foe. He knows he can’t fight, so teleports away. This can be a boss where you talk him down using your action to make a persuasion check or the likes, or maybe a time trail, where you have to skip past/defeat the guardians before Mr.BBEG sets off the ritual to... mechanize the world or something? I don’t know, whatever you want.
Yup, minions sounds like the way to go here - you can construct a pretty dangerous fight using just constructs.
If you're concerned that they will just ignore the constructs and take down the artificer, then you can have them linked in some way - maybe damage done to him is instead channeled to a golem or something? As BoboBoombang mentions, shield guardians kinda work that way a bit.
If you feel that you need a fight for the confrontation to be fulfilling to your players, then give them a fight! :)
Imply heavily before the big fight that this guy is a runner. If they already have that in their heads before the fight, they will be less likely to be annoyed.
If your players got through the dungeon easily then it would make sense for your Artificer to be as surprised and impressed as you are. There's already been some great suggestions for how to turn this into the fight your players might want, but give your Artificer a chance to bargain with your party. "You've proven yourself very resourceful and intelligent, instead of fighting might I offer you a truce and barter?" The Artificer could have been watching your PCs the whole time, so they might know exactly what items/information your party would be willing to take in exchange for his life. Have them parlay!
You could also take the opportunity to turn the "crimes against the empire" into less of a black and white issue. Maybe there's two sides to this story and the Artificer can convince your party to hear him out as he explains how he was wronged!
So, I am struggling with how to resolve my next session. The party has been tracking an artificer wanted for crimes against the empire. The party tracked him to a puzzle dungeon that they breezed through and found his secret hideout. My problem comes with what to do next.
This guy is not a fighter and would definitely dimension door away as soon as he got the chance. I feel that the party thinks they are heading into a big fight this coming session, but I just don't think this guy would fight. He would only fight long enough to get away, but I don't want it to feel unsatisfying for the players. There are things they don't know about his situation because they didn't ask questions when agreeing to this bounty.
How do I stick to what the character would do versus what is satisfying to my players?
Perhaps the villain was never really there at the end of the puzzle dungeon.
The last room could be another trap or misdirection where an image of the villain gloats for a moment. Of course, perhaps they ported out just before the party entered the final room... so may have left in a rush, perhaps leaving a clue as to their next location etc.... or even something valuable.
Of course there would be construct adds etc so there could be a "final fight" if that's what your players enjoy.
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
He could always tell the party about what is going on. Perhaps there is someone who kidnapped his daughter and he doesn't have the skill set to hunt them down and kill them. As such, he has done the things that he as been doing in order to find a way to save her. Or whatever sounds right for your campaign. This could lead to a confrontation with the kidnapper to free the daughter (or whatever plot point you decide to go with) which will allow the party to retrieve anything that is still retrievable and allow the artificer to repent of his villainous activity.
He most likely knows he won't handle himself well in a fight (hence the puzzle dungeon), so is he skilled enough to have constructed a bodyguard? Homebrew monsters like the clockwork golem would fit really well for a boss fight and allow the artificer to attempt escape whilst giving the party something big to deal with.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/35497-clockwork-golem
Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1!
Never tell me the DC.
Or, a Non-Homebrewed alternative, a Shield Guardian, a more powerful and realistic foe. He knows he can’t fight, so teleports away. This can be a boss where you talk him down using your action to make a persuasion check or the likes, or maybe a time trail, where you have to skip past/defeat the guardians before Mr.BBEG sets off the ritual to... mechanize the world or something? I don’t know, whatever you want.
Extended Signature! Yay! https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/3153-extended-signature-thread?page=2#c21
Haven’t used this account in forever. Still a big fan of crawling claws.
Yup, minions sounds like the way to go here - you can construct a pretty dangerous fight using just constructs.
If you're concerned that they will just ignore the constructs and take down the artificer, then you can have them linked in some way - maybe damage done to him is instead channeled to a golem or something? As BoboBoombang mentions, shield guardians kinda work that way a bit.
If you feel that you need a fight for the confrontation to be fulfilling to your players, then give them a fight! :)
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"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
After they take him down they notice his blood is black, and soon a few sparks fly out of his joints, then his eyeball pops out in a spring...
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Imply heavily before the big fight that this guy is a runner. If they already have that in their heads before the fight, they will be less likely to be annoyed.
If your players got through the dungeon easily then it would make sense for your Artificer to be as surprised and impressed as you are. There's already been some great suggestions for how to turn this into the fight your players might want, but give your Artificer a chance to bargain with your party. "You've proven yourself very resourceful and intelligent, instead of fighting might I offer you a truce and barter?" The Artificer could have been watching your PCs the whole time, so they might know exactly what items/information your party would be willing to take in exchange for his life. Have them parlay!
You could also take the opportunity to turn the "crimes against the empire" into less of a black and white issue. Maybe there's two sides to this story and the Artificer can convince your party to hear him out as he explains how he was wronged!
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
^ That's a great suggestion. The party has passed the test, now he knows he can hire them for the REAL job.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
It would be interesting if all of his crimes were only reported to the players, because then it could be revealed that they hadn't happened at all.