HYPERBOREA / Rope as Weapon

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 7/21/2014 11:57 am

My players got in waaaaay over their heads--a first- and second-level party with one magic item against four wights! Ah, the rewards of nonlinear adventures! Actually, some bears were helping them out to honor the fallen shaman, but still. At any rate, with only the one magic weapon and having used up the few spells they had, they were at a loss as to how to attack. One of them decided to fashion a lasso and at least try to entangle the wights until someone more capable could get to them. I decided this could work--the rope wouldn't damage the wight, and there were rules in place for dealing with the situation: the whip.

I basically used the whip rules but gave the PC -2 to hit (I would have increased this dramatically for nonfighters and non-fighter-subclass PCs) and then gave the targets an additional +2 on their Avoidance saves. The dice were with them, though, and the warlock death soldier now goes by the epithet "the Wight Lyncher (You Have to See It Written Down)."

**Posted by Yora** 7/21/2014 12:59 pm

As to get the lassos on the weights, that seems appropriate. But I wouldn't treat them as securely tied up just like that.
Somebody would still have to go in close and bind their arms and legs before they get the ropes off. During that time, I probably would have the weights make their attacks only at -2 or -4. Good idea when you have no weapons to harm them, but there's still that nasty life draining at 2nd level.

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 7/21/2014 2:51 pm

Yora wrote:
As to get the lassos on the weights, that seems appropriate. But I wouldn't treat them as securely tied up just like that.
Somebody would still have to go in close and bind their arms and legs before they get the ropes off. During that time, I probably would have the weights make their attacks only at -2 or -4. Good idea when you have no weapons to harm them, but there's still that nasty life draining at 2nd level.

Actually, the other end of the rope was tossed over a statue's arm, and the wights were hauled up like food at a campsite. Since this required a feat of STR, they were able to attack or try to break free of the ropes until the roll was successful.

**Posted by NAJones** 7/21/2014 7:11 pm

I love smart players. This is perfect

**Posted by Ghul** 7/21/2014 8:16 pm

This thread is excellent.

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 7/22/2014 7:49 am

Ghul wrote:
This thread is excellent.

I could believe neither that they got into that battle nor that they got out of it! But because they had thought to take the fallen shaman's bearskin totem and had offered it to a random-encounter bear, the next set of random bears actually accompanied them to the tomb, basically a suicide mission. The bears tried to overbear and keep the wights pinned while the PCs did whatever they could. And pushed to the wall, this is the sort of awesome they came up with.

**Posted by Ghul** 7/22/2014 12:54 pm

Handy Haversack wrote:
Ghul wrote:
This thread is excellent.
I could believe neither that they got into that battle nor that they got out of it! But because they had thought to take the fallen shaman's bearskin totem and had offered it to a random-encounter bear, the next set of random bears actually accompanied them to the tomb, basically a suicide mission. The bears tried to overbear and keep the wights pinned while the PCs did whatever they could. And pushed to the wall, this is the sort of awesome they came up with.

That sounds like a game session your crew will never forget! I certainly wouldn't. Thanks for sharing, Handy!

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 7/22/2014 11:23 pm

Ghul wrote:
Handy Haversack wrote:
Ghul wrote:
This thread is excellent.
I could believe neither that they got into that battle nor that they got out of it! But because they had thought to take the fallen shaman's bearskin totem and had offered it to a random-encounter bear, the next set of random bears actually accompanied them to the tomb, basically a suicide mission. The bears tried to overbear and keep the wights pinned while the PCs did whatever they could. And pushed to the wall, this is the sort of awesome they came up with.

That sounds like a game session your crew will never forget! I certainly wouldn't. Thanks for sharing, Handy!

I might even have the necromancer who has been behind a lot of the machinations for his own petty (really; let's face facts) purposes offer to raise one or two of the fallen (out of five for the session). With horrible, awful consequences, obviously. But good play should be rewarded!

**Posted by francisca** 7/24/2014 1:20 pm

Casino Royale.

That's all I'm saying.