I'm fairly new to D&D and quite new to being a DM but am attempting to run the Rime of the Frost Maiden adventure for a group that includes a very experienced player who will call me on it if I don't make sure everything follows RAW. I'm trying to make sure I think through things in each encounter before play starts to hopefully avoid my prep getting entirely upended by a rule issue. In the adventure on Page 121 it states "The ice mephits descend from the darkened sky to provide aerial support, using their fog cloud spells to engulf enemy spellcasters or to obscure the approaching coldlight walkers". When I read the rules for fog cloud spell and heavily obscured it's pretty clear that dark vision won't let a creature see in the fog cloud spell. The coldlight walkers have dark vision, not blindsight. If they are obscured by the spell while approaching, they are in it while walking and are walking around randomly because they can't see. If that's the case why write that the ice mephits use the spell to obscure them while approaching? Am I missing something? Should I just edit the coldlight walkers' stat block to include blindsight and move on? Thanks!
I don't think it's that big a problem, honestly. Fog Cloud is a 20' sphere, meaning a 40' deep fog bank to a person walking across the ground through it. You can keep going roughly straight for 40 feet with your vision obscured. And anyway, maybe coldlight walkers are attracted to the characters' body heat, and even if they weave around a little in the fog, they still know roughly where they're going,
The more important thing, in my unasked-for opinion, is describing these mysterious search beams lancing through the thick fog rolling in towards the characters. If you've done the first half of Black Cabin right, the characters are having a taxing day. What are those lights? Should we stay and get ready for a siege or run out into the cold? I know! We'll hide and then ambush them if they come in! And then you get to describe the blinding light casting dramatic shadows all over the cabin. When one of them sneaks a peak, they may see an anthropomorphic shadow lurching stiffly underneath a head that seems to shine like a cold star. You can sneak in a lot of fun stuff in between rules arguments.
I think you're doing all the right things to be successful. Have a great game!
I have been wanting to start a Rime of the Frostmaiden support thread...TimCurtan you seem like you would have a lot of good advice. But if I can piggy back on this post, my party has a druid who communicated with the Polar Bears from the "Foaming Mugs" sidequest. She rolled pretty good Animal handling and the party is now in possession of the War Wagon. I figured I would tell the party the polar bears are hungry often. I did a little Polar Bear research and found out 1 seal for 7 days maintains its body weight. I figured a good opportunity to convince the party they need to provide a regular amount of Knucklehead trout. Does this sound good? I would also love to know how many characters could long rest inside and how fast it is. It looks like it could haul 9 Goblins easily. If anyone has any ideas about it let me know. They might use it often...thanks!
My party also have a Nature Cleric, and she communicate with the polar bears as well. Now they have a little zoo with goats and sheeps collected from "the mead must flow" and those bears haha
I have been wanting to start a Rime of the Frostmaiden support thread...TimCurtan you seem like you would have a lot of good advice. But if I can piggy back on this post, my party has a druid who communicated with the Polar Bears from the "Foaming Mugs" sidequest. She rolled pretty good Animal handling and the party is now in possession of the War Wagon. I figured I would tell the party the polar bears are hungry often. I did a little Polar Bear research and found out 1 seal for 7 days maintains its body weight. I figured a good opportunity to convince the party they need to provide a regular amount of Knucklehead trout. Does this sound good? I would also love to know how many characters could long rest inside and how fast it is. It looks like it could haul 9 Goblins easily. If anyone has any ideas about it let me know. They might use it often...thanks!
Yes on both of those. We’re running through it now, and the DM thinks it’s much slower than a dog sled. I disagree, but I’m not going against it. I’d think it would probably run 2mph. 4 if they were really going for it. I may rule that way when I run it. As for how many folks could long rest inside it...it’s got enough room to be crewed by 8-9 goblins, so 4ish? Our DM isn’t overthinking it, so he says it’s huge and everybody fits. (5 plus a passenger)
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I'm fairly new to D&D and quite new to being a DM but am attempting to run the Rime of the Frost Maiden adventure for a group that includes a very experienced player who will call me on it if I don't make sure everything follows RAW. I'm trying to make sure I think through things in each encounter before play starts to hopefully avoid my prep getting entirely upended by a rule issue. In the adventure on Page 121 it states "The ice mephits descend from the darkened sky to provide aerial support, using their fog cloud spells to engulf enemy spellcasters or to obscure the approaching coldlight walkers". When I read the rules for fog cloud spell and heavily obscured it's pretty clear that dark vision won't let a creature see in the fog cloud spell. The coldlight walkers have dark vision, not blindsight. If they are obscured by the spell while approaching, they are in it while walking and are walking around randomly because they can't see. If that's the case why write that the ice mephits use the spell to obscure them while approaching? Am I missing something? Should I just edit the coldlight walkers' stat block to include blindsight and move on? Thanks!
I don't think it's that big a problem, honestly. Fog Cloud is a 20' sphere, meaning a 40' deep fog bank to a person walking across the ground through it. You can keep going roughly straight for 40 feet with your vision obscured. And anyway, maybe coldlight walkers are attracted to the characters' body heat, and even if they weave around a little in the fog, they still know roughly where they're going,
The more important thing, in my unasked-for opinion, is describing these mysterious search beams lancing through the thick fog rolling in towards the characters. If you've done the first half of Black Cabin right, the characters are having a taxing day. What are those lights? Should we stay and get ready for a siege or run out into the cold? I know! We'll hide and then ambush them if they come in! And then you get to describe the blinding light casting dramatic shadows all over the cabin. When one of them sneaks a peak, they may see an anthropomorphic shadow lurching stiffly underneath a head that seems to shine like a cold star. You can sneak in a lot of fun stuff in between rules arguments.
I think you're doing all the right things to be successful. Have a great game!
I have been wanting to start a Rime of the Frostmaiden support thread...TimCurtan you seem like you would have a lot of good advice. But if I can piggy back on this post, my party has a druid who communicated with the Polar Bears from the "Foaming Mugs" sidequest. She rolled pretty good Animal handling and the party is now in possession of the War Wagon. I figured I would tell the party the polar bears are hungry often. I did a little Polar Bear research and found out 1 seal for 7 days maintains its body weight. I figured a good opportunity to convince the party they need to provide a regular amount of Knucklehead trout. Does this sound good? I would also love to know how many characters could long rest inside and how fast it is. It looks like it could haul 9 Goblins easily. If anyone has any ideas about it let me know. They might use it often...thanks!
My players hated the death by box text. Aka the damage from the device.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
My party also have a Nature Cleric, and she communicate with the polar bears as well.
Now they have a little zoo with goats and sheeps collected from "the mead must flow" and those bears haha
Yes on both of those. We’re running through it now, and the DM thinks it’s much slower than a dog sled. I disagree, but I’m not going against it. I’d think it would probably run 2mph. 4 if they were really going for it. I may rule that way when I run it. As for how many folks could long rest inside it...it’s got enough room to be crewed by 8-9 goblins, so 4ish? Our DM isn’t overthinking it, so he says it’s huge and everybody fits. (5 plus a passenger)