Cobwebbed Dragon wrote:
Once in the pentacle, you can still act, but are powerless to leave the pentacle. Whilst the spell description is not clear on this point, I would argue that anyone trapped within is unable to affect anyone outside the pentacle. As it can affect 2d6 people, you could easily find the whole party trapped in the pentacle...
Text says that it will only entrap the first two characters, so I guess he got unlucky and rolled a 2! That might give the others a chance...
Cobwebbed Dragon wrote:
Don't forget the comment about Rimfax in the text - that might be a powerful motivator to stay and fight. However, I prefer to ignore that advice and create a recurring villain to harry the characters throughout their adventuring career. Darian will have a lot on his hands just avoiding the wrath of Rimfax (which the PCs may be able to use to help them finally defeat him when they've had enough of his interventions), so he won't crop up often, but he's unlikely to forget the role they played in his downfall.
We'll see how it plays out. If he doesn't die then the PC with the Sword of Damacles hanging over then might get a sore neck... He would make a great recurring villain though. Off to stay with Lord Valdyne's vamps.
Cobwebbed Dragon wrote:
NickDaniel wrote:
5. Can the doppelganger talk?
The spell description would have you believe not - the doppelganger has no knowledge skills (presumably that includes language), reason (so would not know how to respond in a conversation) or volition (so even if it could speak, it would not choose to). The doppelganger will, however, obey its creator's commands, so if the creator ordered the doppelganger to deliver a verbal message, because it is a physical copy of the caster and, presumably, therefore has the capability to speak, it could then talk. But for the reasons above, I would not expect the doppelganger to be able to hold its own in a conversation.
Interesting, the text says that Darian lurks "in the northeast tower, communicating only through his doppelganger." That implies some capacity to speak, but you are right, it probable only relays messages or repeats speeches it is told to.
Cobwebbed Dragon wrote:
I like the idea of a narrative encounter, but don't deprive the characters of a chance to be involved in the dramatic denoeument, as they may feel cheated if they're not involved in Darian's final downfall. Consider giving the spear the power to deflect some of Darian's spells (or at least reduce the damage) to give the wielder a chance to get close to Darian to strike the killing blow. Maybe the wielder of the spear is immune to the pentacle of entrapment, etc. - that kinda thing that gives the character a 'reward' for having the spear, but still keeps them involved in the exciting finale!
That is a great idea Lee! I'll probably make it give the holder a spell shield, or let it blast away the pentacle, or a bonus to magical defence against the duke. I can't find much in the way of spells that protect against indirect attack spells though.