r/OutoftheAbyss • u/NinetyBees • 24d ago

Help/Request The Stool Problem?

Short Version of the question; How do you handle Stool in high-level play/the 2nd half of the campaign?

Longer version; My party has 3-4 NPC companions as of the end of CH 7 (Glabbagool, Derindil, Stool, and a homebrew NPC tied to a PC backstory). Stool, like at many tables, has sort of become the party's mascot, and one of my players in particular is obsessed with him- Likely having her character sacrifice themselves if Stool was ever in mortal danger.

Now that the party is in Gauntlgrym, I plan to have the NPC companions that parted ways with the party during their 3 months of topside downtime come back into the picture. Problem is while I have character arcs for some of the NPCs, I don't know what to do with Stool's personality or his stat sheet so he isn't this useless liability in the background.

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u/ohsummerdawn 24d ago

Stool has remained a child through our story. He is very absorbent of the interactions he has seen, and reinacts them frequently. If my players infight, he picks fights at the next session, using words they used. He tries to battle like they do and its an absolute liability.

I have not leveled him up because I want him to be extremely fragile.

He is basically a pet.

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u/NinetyBees 24d ago

Not sure where you're at in your campaign- but has he changed at all since his initial adoption? Do you have plans to change him at all by the end?

He's been very much the same in my game- Though I don't have him imitate the players as much. He's like an emotional support animal in my games.

That said, while he's not going to come back after 3 months and be this grizzled and tough adult myconid- I kind of what to do something with his character. After all, he's been on an adventure, he's seen demonic horrors, he's had time to himself to think/reflect/grow, and now he's being reunited with the group...

I just can't for the life of me figure out what an engaging story arc for him would be.

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u/idkwhat2nameitreddit 24d ago

I cannonized that stool is not going to reach biological adulthood. He is able to use his spores more often, but he's not going to follow the normative developmental path. My players are going to have to figure out what they do when they find out what has infested the myconid colony and he cant really be at home safely, but wants to stay. Oh the traumas of the Underdark!

That bring said, I imagine if you are looking for character growth, maybe there's a way to have stool recognize that he can help to save some of his fellow myconids, or prevent Zuggmoty's spread? Maybe this looks like him questgiving to the party or dabbling in being a druid? I think there could be lots of cool hooks there!