The “What the dm planned/what the players do” meme reminded me of this instance from a few months back while I one-shotted in a campaign break.
Hands down my favorite one shot to run but yeah… Getting them to listen to the sheep initially is always the hardest. Doesn’t help that Finethir is a bit of a dick.
I’ve found that getting super animated and having a small prop scroll while physically baaaaaaaaaa-ing in peoples face while shaking the scroll gets them to take it really quick. Also sets a tone for the rest of the one shot!
I DM online and without cameras so thats a bit harder to do unfortunately lol
I could never run that with any of my usual players.
A few years ago, I had a flash of genius for my home brew world for a plug n play campaign. Demons were possessing things. Not standard d&d demons/devils, my own version in a d&d style setting/world.
Multiple groups encountered the same thing during some one shot sessions, they’d be going somewhere and hear baa-ing in the distance. Never near farms. If they investigated, they’d find the now demonic goats before the demons are really settled in, and be much easier to handle.
None of them did, so they got goat piled (which is like being dog piled, but hornier) just after finishing off the “surprisingly” easy one shot boss. Total mayhem ensued in each case.
Ever since then, I’ll add in baaing in the distance as a description of the surroundings and to hear anyone that was involved groan and over prepare for a fight.
If some sheep came up to these players acting possessed like that, they’d kill it lol.
I don’t remember if this is still the case, but for most of D&D’s history, killing a polymorph to target with force it to revert immediately back to its original form. This can be illustrated by reciting to you in old story I read once, as best I can remember it, from back during the AD&D 2e days.
Their once was a gnome illusionist in the party who finally got to high enough level to cast polymorph. So one day they encountered a hill giant, at which point gnomey busts out his new spell, trying to polymorph the giant into the least dangerous thing he could think of - a grape. The giant failed his saving throw, after which he was turned into a grape. The gnome cheerfully picked up the grape, saying “I like grapes!” and popping it into his mouth to bite down on.
Kersplort.
Player Wizard: “I just can’t believe that an evil wizard managed to permanently polymorph you and six other wizards into sheep, all at the same time!”
NPC: “If the Ranger had been any hungrier it would have been seven.”
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divulgâche
Now the patrol wants to contratulate you personnally at the treehouse. If you mention the scroll, he goes paranoid and tries to turn you and your team. It goes from there on.
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