Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by Zirunel

BTW I am not suggesting thats what would happen or should happen. It's frickin' alien vegetation, it'll do what you say it does. Just saying you can turn your PCs bright idea into a complication. If you want to.

Dear Sweet Mother of Ghod, he's channeling Perfect Mikey! Bakula was always, and I do mean always, good for helpful suggestions like this at critical moments, and Phil would (as was his want) grab them with both hands and run with them. We'd think about murder, but it was too much fun to stay angry.

Originally Posted by AsenRG

Well, the current plan would be to use spells to traverse the moat, along with a very small group of specially trained assassins.

Complications are good, I just don't want to introduce them unless they make sense. I leave the logic of "introduce complications so there's enough challenge" to other Referees.
OTOH, I also don't want to skip complications that would make sense, so by all means, keep them coming!

BTW, the fire itself is a distraction, and we're going to try and negotiate a legion staying relatively nearby. This way, the Ssu would know who is responsible. With some luck, they wouldn't look for the attackers under their own frontal orifices until it's too late. In the best case scenario, they would be out before the alarms has been sounded.

Did I mention it's a rescue mission, and that there might be Shunned Ones inside that no PC knows anything about?

"Sounds like a plan", as we used to say. Let us know what happens, eh?

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

I think they'd be really, really upset.

I mean, they use it for both food and as an obstacle, so I think they'd react pretty violently.

So, them pouring out to attack the warriors isn't out of the question, especially if they're disrupting their efforts to extinguish the peat? Excellent, that's exactly what the plan is!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

"Sounds like a plan", as we used to say. Let us know what happens, eh?

I certainly shall, Uncle, once we play it out!

Originally Posted by DavetheLost

Consider what happens when someone is foolish enough to burn poison ivy... The toxic oils will vaporize and can cause poison ivy reactions inside the lungs and airways, as well as in the eyes, onskin and mucus membranes exposed to the smoke...

Be sure to take into account which way the wind is blowing.

Not introducing a complication for the sake of complication, or screwing over the players. Just considering the natural consequences of their actions. I am a great believer in the power of natural (unintended) consequences.

Oh, and of course, our friends the Ssu (and the Shunned Ones) might not suffer any ill effects from the smoke.

Good point, but a PC whose player has gone on national-level chemistry olympiads already made sure to specify "we wear wet cloth masks around our faces". So I figure they'd have at least some time before the smoke affects them, though I'm trying to research how much.

And burning peat is burning peat, so at least that part will screw, to a degree, any oxygen-breathing specie, with the Ssu very much included there.

Originally Posted by AsenRG

Good point, but a PC whose player has gone on national-level chemistry olympiads already made sure to specify "we wear wet cloth masks around our faces".

"It's the Festival Week of Zuk'ubuss, the 173rd aspect of Hryhyal, and by Imperial law the wearing of wet cloth masks is forbidden this week."

Now you have a week to think of something else.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

"It's the Festival Week of Zuk'ubuss, the 173rd aspect of Hryhyal, and by Imperial law the wearing of wet cloth masks is forbidden this week."

Now you have a week to think of something else.

But why would I have changed the world in such a wayy, if it wasn't already in my plans?

And the same PC managed to procure, well, six masks for work with hazardeous materials, so no amount of smoke would have been a problem. Sometimes being summoned to another Pocket Universe helps. You can ask Chirine who bought that iron, way back when.
Bottom line from tonight session is, five people went in, five went out. One of them remained behind, dead. And now they know they have problems...
Like, real problems, of the kind and magnitude that normal dethdrugs-selling inimical races wouldn't have been able to cause.
That's despite the rescue operation having been a success!

Spoiler:

So, they managed to get in, managed to orient themselves in the labyrinth of the Red Ssu (yes, there is a reason the ones from Nyemesel's Isles have come). And they found that those Ssu have better technology than they have ever seen in Grey Ssu.
Namely, it seems those Ssu have been vat-growing humans. They have also been teaching them to kill, and to follow any and all instructions of anyone holding a certain ring.
I expected they would have died in the fight next to the vat, unless they really use tactics. Instead, my very first roll for a Ssu sorcerer was a botch, rolled in the open, as always. Of course it was an offensive spell, too!
After I rolled for effect of the botch, the Ssu sorcerer killed quite a few of his own. Then the rescue team only lost one man in the cramped fight.
Of course, they trashed the place, and mostly avoided the Shunned One "project consultants" on their way out, though they aren't out yet.

I'm almost beginning to wonder whether I'm going too easy on them.

Originally Posted by Greentongue

"I'm almost beginning to wonder whether I'm going too easy on them."

If they think it is easy, they will likely get sloppy. Self correcting.
=

I think that I might be going too easy on them. The players are starting to wonder whether I'm trying to achieve a TPK.

I'm not, but I'm fine with it happening.