I think the Long Pattern is the most fundamentally iconic encounter in the Doomvault-and it is very Runehammer. It tests the creativity and resourcefulness of the players and the characters they have brought to the dungeon, and it chews up time and resources in a way that presents aspects of guardian, puzzle, and setback encounters all at the same time. The best part is that, if/when the party gets past the Invincibles, their role isn’t over...
I tried twice to put Invincibles in my own homebrew dungeons... and i forgot to make them "Invincible". They didnt have hit points, so they werent killable... but both times my players found ways to knock off limbs, and make fools out of the nerfed Invincibles. Once i reread the actual dungeon and stat block, i realized my problem 😆 Great video! It really does help to see things laid out so clearly and completely.
I only faced the invincibles once, and due to a crying baby, didn't ever see the end of the encounter, nor how the rest of the party perished in the doomvault after that. Playing a defender warrior, I didn't feel like I had a lot to contribute to the encounter, for the part it I saw, and my rolls that night were terrible, so I even failed to drag an ogdru monk who had already been knocked down. It was a frustrating night in and out of the game, and now it's hard to dissect those feelings from the mechanics of the encounter. Now, it feels like you are either lucky enough to have the right person or item in the party to make getting past them pretty easy, or you don't, and you're left searching the spartan environment for some kind of "lever" to move the guardians with. I guess that I have to get over the bad taste that night left me with, and being hard is sorta the point of the doomvault, but I'm really temped to give the invincibles something they want, or need, or that can attract their attention to make them more "playable".
I think the Long Pattern is the most fundamentally iconic encounter in the Doomvault-and it is very Runehammer. It tests the creativity and resourcefulness of the players and the characters they have brought to the dungeon, and it chews up time and resources in a way that presents aspects of guardian, puzzle, and setback encounters all at the same time. The best part is that, if/when the party gets past the Invincibles, their role isn’t over...
the mention of penance... the real use of the pattern... best part :)
I tried twice to put Invincibles in my own homebrew dungeons... and i forgot to make them "Invincible". They didnt have hit points, so they werent killable... but both times my players found ways to knock off limbs, and make fools out of the nerfed Invincibles. Once i reread the actual dungeon and stat block, i realized my problem 😆
Great video! It really does help to see things laid out so clearly and completely.
I hope to run the Vault in C&S, eventually.
I only faced the invincibles once, and due to a crying baby, didn't ever see the end of the encounter, nor how the rest of the party perished in the doomvault after that. Playing a defender warrior, I didn't feel like I had a lot to contribute to the encounter, for the part it I saw, and my rolls that night were terrible, so I even failed to drag an ogdru monk who had already been knocked down. It was a frustrating night in and out of the game, and now it's hard to dissect those feelings from the mechanics of the encounter. Now, it feels like you are either lucky enough to have the right person or item in the party to make getting past them pretty easy, or you don't, and you're left searching the spartan environment for some kind of "lever" to move the guardians with. I guess that I have to get over the bad taste that night left me with, and being hard is sorta the point of the doomvault, but I'm really temped to give the invincibles something they want, or need, or that can attract their attention to make them more "playable".