I’m looking for some DM input on an encounter I’m planning for this weekend. The characters will be lead by a good aligned triton mummy out of a cave city by ascending the towers in the city. The idea is once they climb the stairs into the tallest tower that should pierce the surface, the mummy opens a door/window that I’m hoping the players expect open onto ground or above it, but it opens underwater. The Triton mummy will turn into a water elemental as soon as it touches the water and the room will rapidly flood.
Once they get out of the “tower” it’s an easy swim to the surface, but I’m hoping to capitalizing on the terror of fighting a water elemental thy grapples and swims three times as fast as they do while they don’t know how long the swim is outside.
So I’m looking for advice on what players might do or any mechanics I could use to try and maintain that feeling of the timer going off right before Sonic drowns.
The party is 6 level 5 characters. As it stands, I only have plans for one elemental. I don’t want the fight itself to be deadly, just panic inducing. Anybody have suggestions on balancing that? Is one elemental enough? Or should I try to add other aquatic monsters?
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I’m looking for some DM input on an encounter I’m planning for this weekend. The characters will be lead by a good aligned triton mummy out of a cave city by ascending the towers in the city. The idea is once they climb the stairs into the tallest tower that should pierce the surface, the mummy opens a door/window that I’m hoping the players expect open onto ground or above it, but it opens underwater.
The Triton mummy will turn into a water elemental as soon as it touches the water and the room will rapidly flood.
Once they get out of the “tower” it’s an easy swim to the surface, but I’m hoping to capitalizing on the terror of fighting a water elemental thy grapples and swims three times as fast as they do while they don’t know how long the swim is outside.
So I’m looking for advice on what players might do or any mechanics I could use to try and maintain that feeling of the timer going off right before Sonic drowns.
I'd suggest you emphasis the difficulties and limitations of underwater combat.
Details are found here> https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#UnderwaterCombat.
Oh yeah, definitely.
The party is 6 level 5 characters. As it stands, I only have plans for one elemental. I don’t want the fight itself to be deadly, just panic inducing. Anybody have suggestions on balancing that? Is one elemental enough? Or should I try to add other aquatic monsters?