Friendship is Dragons
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Page 1131 - Timed Bomb
Author Notes:
Newbiespud
18th Oct 2018, 6:00 AM
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34 Comments:
Monologueing is nice and all, but it tends to leave one open to attacks.
Anyone here ever took that open chance.
Anyone here ever took that open chance.
Ego Trip, HAH! Says the heroes of their own little universe, that basically can get away with anything they want!
Making the players understand that it's not true is important (unless it's a campaign where it's true, in which case they should be informed it is).
Now if they want to RP their PCs like that anyway, it's up to them.
Now if they want to RP their PCs like that anyway, it's up to them.
The PC party infiltrated the "evil fortress" and found the BBEG giving a speech to his minions on the next phase of his plan. The party hides off in the back behind a door as they listened to this plan. They study it for weak spots to exploit. At one point in the monologue the BBEG held up a book that contained important notes on a summoning ritual to bring forth an aspect of Tiamat into the world.
The party looked at each other and whispered a debate on the seriousness of this plan, then took more notes on what to do to stop this summoning. But then the wallflower cleric, who had been very quiet in the background up to this point, grabs her d20 and says "I shoot the book."
This caught me by surprise in the middle of the monologue as much as it did the party! So the cleric rolled to fire her crossbow and nat-20s her shot.
The table was silent for a moment. I stood up, picked up my notebook with all my DM notes and held it up in the pose that the BBEG did. I spoke the next line of the monologue, but interrupted myself with an action of a crossbow bolt knocking the notebook out of my hand. The notebook fell to the floor and several pages fell out.
I sit down, pointed to the mess on the floor and said, "Okay, so the cleric did that to the BBEG's ultimate plan. What's the next step?"
The party made one heck of a hasty retreat through several fights to escape with their lives, but I was laughing and enjoying just how brilliant the cleric stuck a size 12 wrench into the BBEG's size 6 gears of the plan. I awarded extra experience points that night.
Monologuing is a free action, but when he drew the book that was a move action that the players could respond to.
Personally, I feel like that ruins some of the fun. If the villain wants to take the time to explain themselves, might as well open the discussion. Let them have their turn, then give them that neat little rebuttal you've been waiting all campaign to make. The lines are drawn, and the inevitable showdown is that much more interesting for it.
Unless the GM actually wants you to interrupt, I suppose. Depends on where they're going with it.
Unless the GM actually wants you to interrupt, I suppose. Depends on where they're going with it.
In the superhero game BASH, Interrupting A Villian Monologue will actually give said Villian a bonus of half of his hit points. Not advised.
Constant screaming? You mean a single, unending action? Sounds even more orderly and predicable than a monologue right there.
Only if the scheming is internally consistent. They might be tossing or foiling many of their own plans with whatever their current whims are. Motion, even continuous, is less orderly than stillness and inactivity.
Not a form of useful order, though. I'd call it the conversational equivalent of heat death, but I suppose that would be more of a low, monotonous hum.
Still, that's the thing about extreme order and chaos. They eventually meet each other as they increase without bound.
Still, that's the thing about extreme order and chaos. They eventually meet each other as they increase without bound.
Alternate dialog:
DISCORD: "Just one ever-changing, never ending amusement park!"
TWILIGHT: "Where the hot dogs taste like newspaper."
DISCORD: "Just one ever-changing, never ending amusement park!"
TWILIGHT: "Where the hot dogs taste like newspaper."
My favorite flavor of newspaper of course.
The Canterlot Stock Market.
The Canterlot Stock Market.
Speaking of stock, did you know honeybees are classified as livestock? I wonder how they survive the branding iron.
No, actually they use a q-tip with paint on it. Really.
albedoequals1: "It's a veeeeeery small branding iron. :P"
Hahaha, okay that made me laugh way too hard. ^_^
Hahaha, okay that made me laugh way too hard. ^_^
You mean he actually DOES the Q flash-vanish thing?? I've been making up my own effects all this time for nothing????
Discord always has. The character was based on Q, that's why they asked John De Lancie to voice him.
I know... I've been making so many visual gags about that in my comic, but I didn't know they actually did the flash effect on the show. I spent ages matching the look of the Star Trek effect when I could have just yoinked it from this frame :(
Ah crap...this definitly seems like Discord is trying to start a RL fight. Dash will talk about calling his bluff, the other more 'professional' players will get all on her flank and then Dash's player will leave angrily not wanting to stay while everyone lectures and scolds her.
The regular DM getting in on the light switch antic is a nice touch.
Oh, this is hilarious... and now the bomb gets dropped regarding Cloudsdale... oh, this is definitely hitting newfound levels of challenge for the team.
Again: still waiting to see what happens. Discord GM is supposed to be a brilliant GM, according to Main GM. So... let's see what his end goal is.
(remember: Discord GM's end goal is NOT going to be the same as Discord NPC's end goal)
Again: still waiting to see what happens. Discord GM is supposed to be a brilliant GM, according to Main GM. So... let's see what his end goal is.
(remember: Discord GM's end goal is NOT going to be the same as Discord NPC's end goal)
I feel like there was really no way for Dash to win. If she had taken the bait and left to save the city, then everyone auto loses and are mad at Dash. Dash refuses and lets Cloudsdale be destroyed or whatever, and everyone is mad at her for not playing along possibly.