So I resently gave my level 8 player a iron flask with a planetar in it. Now I'm still new to DMing and don't know how to balance anything yet. My player does understand that it does understand that this item is broken and is welling not to constantly use it.
To other DMs, new and old out there, when did you accidentally break your own campaign; and how did you rectify it?
Giving legendary magic items to low/mid level parties (with the exception of Vestiges of Divergence) is how I broke several campaigns when I first started DMing.
Believing that I owned the story, and the players were just around for the ride was another mistake I made early on.
Homebrewing anything before I understood the balance of the game was another way I broke my early campaigns.
Being a bad DM.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Giving legendary magic items to low/mid level parties (with the exception of Vestiges of Divergence) is how I broke several campaigns when I first started DMing.
Believing that I owned the story, and the players were just around for the ride was another mistake I made early on.
Homebrewing anything before I understood the balance of the game was another way I broke my early campaigns.
Being a bad DM.
That’s not being a bad DM. That’s just making mistakes. Not learning from them is being a bad DM.
So I resently gave my level 8 player a iron flask with a planetar in it. Now I'm still new to DMing and don't know how to balance anything yet. My player does understand that it does understand that this item is broken and is welling not to constantly use it.
To other DMs, new and old out there, when did you accidentally break your own campaign; and how did you rectify it?
Too many times to list. Some I rectified in different ways, some never got rectified. 🤷♂️ I can’t tell you what you should do, but I can tell you one way that I might try to go about fixing this if I needed to.
With my current experience level, if faced with your situation, I would find a way to take the item away, but turn it into either an ongoing quest for the party, or an ongoing side quest for the character. Something like new evildoer arriving to the narrative with a dastardly plot. They heard about the item because the character used it, so they steal it from the party. Now it’s out of their hands, but instead of feeling like the DM took their toy, they feel like “That evildoer took their toy, and they gonna go get it back!” Then just as they get geared up to go for it...
I would drop another immediate adventure with a ticking clock on the party so they have a tough choice. I would make it tougher be making the new quest “the moral thing to do” like saving an entire village or something. The hero’s can mop up that new threat in two or three days, but that could take the players months. That buys you time to figure out what that other evildoer who stole the bottle is up to.
By the time they gat back to the bottle thief, they will have leveled up and gotten new gear (because of the adventure to save that village or whatever), so this next quest can be tougher and longer with a 3 act plot and everything. By the time they beat the bad guy and recovered the bottle, they will have leveled up further, so it won’t be so out of balance. Or, that evildoer who stole the bottle maybe releases the planetar, so now the heroes get to save the world!!! That could take you all the way to level 20. And it will look like you planned it the entire time. 😉
The bottle is powerful, but I wouldn't call it game breaking. The planetar is definitely very strong for their level, but after the first time they release it, it's doubtful it's going back in. (+11 WIS save w/ advantage vs DC17)
Basically, they get a nuke for one combat. After that, they have something that can catch creatures, but they're only going to catch what you throw at them.
The bottle is powerful, but I wouldn't call it game breaking. The planetar is definitely very strong for their level, but after the first time they release it, it's doubtful it's going back in. (+11 WIS save w/ advantage vs DC17)
Basically, they get a nuke for one combat. After that, they have something that can catch creatures, but they're only going to catch what you throw at them.
That’s true. You wait and see they’ll just hold on to that sucker waiting for the “perfect” time to use it and end up never actually using it until the end of the campaign anyway.
I would still turn it into some version of a MacGuffin.
The way I decided to nerf my player from using it. 4 to 5 points of exhaustion a bit extreme, but it might give him incentive to use it If things going very south.
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So I resently gave my level 8 player a iron flask with a planetar in it. Now I'm still new to DMing and don't know how to balance anything yet. My player does understand that it does understand that this item is broken and is welling not to constantly use it.
To other DMs, new and old out there, when did you accidentally break your own campaign; and how did you rectify it?
Giving legendary magic items to low/mid level parties (with the exception of Vestiges of Divergence) is how I broke several campaigns when I first started DMing.
Believing that I owned the story, and the players were just around for the ride was another mistake I made early on.
Homebrewing anything before I understood the balance of the game was another way I broke my early campaigns.
Being a bad DM.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
That’s not being a bad DM. That’s just making mistakes. Not learning from them is being a bad DM.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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It is being a bad DM, it is a terrible DM that repeats those mistakes.
I have since learned from those mistakes, but I do regret the mistakes I made before.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Then that’s being a good DM.
Too many times to list. Some I rectified in different ways, some never got rectified. 🤷♂️ I can’t tell you what you should do, but I can tell you one way that I might try to go about fixing this if I needed to.
With my current experience level, if faced with your situation, I would find a way to take the item away, but turn it into either an ongoing quest for the party, or an ongoing side quest for the character. Something like new evildoer arriving to the narrative with a dastardly plot. They heard about the item because the character used it, so they steal it from the party. Now it’s out of their hands, but instead of feeling like the DM took their toy, they feel like “That evildoer took their toy, and they gonna go get it back!” Then just as they get geared up to go for it...
I would drop another immediate adventure with a ticking clock on the party so they have a tough choice. I would make it tougher be making the new quest “the moral thing to do” like saving an entire village or something. The hero’s can mop up that new threat in two or three days, but that could take the players months. That buys you time to figure out what that other evildoer who stole the bottle is up to.
By the time they gat back to the bottle thief, they will have leveled up and gotten new gear (because of the adventure to save that village or whatever), so this next quest can be tougher and longer with a 3 act plot and everything. By the time they beat the bad guy and recovered the bottle, they will have leveled up further, so it won’t be so out of balance. Or, that evildoer who stole the bottle maybe releases the planetar, so now the heroes get to save the world!!! That could take you all the way to level 20. And it will look like you planned it the entire time. 😉
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
what are those?
Enjoy my magic items, spells, monsters, my race, and a few feats. And GIVE ME FEEDBACK... or else.
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⬐ Just press this little guy right here.
The bottle is powerful, but I wouldn't call it game breaking. The planetar is definitely very strong for their level, but after the first time they release it, it's doubtful it's going back in. (+11 WIS save w/ advantage vs DC17)
Basically, they get a nuke for one combat. After that, they have something that can catch creatures, but they're only going to catch what you throw at them.
You might also consider that whoever originally had that thing might want it back...
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
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That’s true. You wait and see they’ll just hold on to that sucker waiting for the “perfect” time to use it and end up never actually using it until the end of the campaign anyway.
I would still turn it into some version of a MacGuffin.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
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The way I decided to nerf my player from using it. 4 to 5 points of exhaustion a bit extreme, but it might give him incentive to use it If things going very south.