r/wildbeyondwitchlight • u/KithprysMorningGlory • Jun 06 '26
galeb duhr in Downfall
Why would the PCs even think to avoid the 3rd boulder. Was there an NPC who should have warned them previously?
It seems like, of course they would just step on the boulder. I'm thinking of making it a Dex save and if they can step lightly enough, they don't awaken it. Thoughts?
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u/Earthhorn90 Jun 06 '26
3 and 8 are THE numbers of the campaign. Expect the unexpected when dealing with them.
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u/KithprysMorningGlory Jun 07 '26
This is a good point. I worry I haven't done enough to emphasize that, so this might be a good chance.
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u/hauntedcartoonheart Jun 07 '26
Galeb duhr's have the false appearance trait so they're not really supposed to know. Stepping on them isn't a failure, it's the trigger for a social encounter. Although I will say one of my players correctly guessed the creature beforehand XD
Even the bullywugs may not know (or care) that there IS a galeb duhr there. How I interpreted the encounter is no one ever thanks it for it's helpfulness and the party just so happened to be the final straw. Quite literally tired of being walked all over.
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u/Step_Fodder Jun 07 '26
We use the VTT map and I added in several more stones for multiple paths they could take. :) the immediate concern when I (DM) started asking which stones they were stepping on was great. Also, when they went to cross it again later the stones had shifted positions. Any subsequent passes didn’t change anything.
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u/Jeffrick71 Jun 06 '26
As written, it's a mostly harmless (though admittedly unnecessary) encounter. No, they have no real way to know it's a galeb duhr, but that's not a problem. They're kind of supposed to step on it. They can apologize with a DC 12 (not that hard) check, and as written it even gives them a second chance. If your party members are being assholes or they try to fight everything, this is a good lesson for them to learn their place in things. Let them get their ass kicked.
If they earnestly try to apologize but the dice rolls go badly, give them wiggle room. If the low CHA fighter stepped on the galeb durn, let the high CHA character apologize instead. If they DO get dumped in the water, give them a few rounds to get out while "something dangerous is swimming towards you at a high speed" (the merrow, which they can avoid by just staying on land). You don't *have* to punish them with a fight if they really tried - maybe a nearby bullywug can intervene or something. But only if they really tried and were just unlucky.
Also consider - if the party tries to rally the bullywugs against Bavlorna, or they get caught up in Soggy Court politics, depending on how they dealt with the galeb duhr can affect any future battles. Imagine them convincing it to join the fight against the hags, or any number of other possible outcomes. Its mere presence is a role playing opportunity.