The Silkfather - need help with encounter

On a meta level, when PCs are getting a bit too murdersticky I have few qualms about (T)PK - especially if you have an outlet like the one you mentioned.

This is because of a concept in literature and philosophy called "agency" - the ability for any member of the narrative to act in their own perceived best interest. While the Silkfather is technically neutral evil, that really just means it looks out for its own needs, period. He cares for his flock, has an interest in magical items, and has assisted the PCs in the past. For his good graces, he gets slaughtered? Ettercaps have Intelligence 7 - not the brightest, and probably not making the best use of the items, but certainly smart enough to know the PCs mean to burn his flock out. Of course, being CR2 with a bunch of CR 1/2 spiders is going to make it difficult to defend that. As for the game of wits, the Int 7 / Wis 12 makes that unrealistic.

But you're exactly right - the Silkfather will want to set up this encounter to be as difficult as possible against the PCs, while not actually committing to battle. (In nature, this happens all the time, and is called stotting in deer, gazelle, and the like.)

How do you achieve this with your encounter? Probably exactly what you're going with - make it creepy as hell. Think Mirkwood in The Hobbit (book or movie). From a narrative standpoint, describe what /u/darksier mentions - hanging sacks of humanoids, unconscious but still breathing wrapped in silk. Webbing everywhere. No sight of the sky. Rustling noises, all around. Whispers through the leaves. Then, start asking for wisdom or charisma saves. Use the "Madness" table, page 259 of the DMG - it includes things like "vivid hallucinations, has disadvantage", "is frightened", or "attacks nearest creature". Depending on how hard you want to make it, anywhere from DC15 to 25; one to three saves and they're immune for the rest of the encounter. (If you don't have that table, the Frightened status is great, as are the effects of the Confusion spell (PHB p225).)

Anyway, sounds like a lot of fun - hope it goes well!

/r/DnDBehindTheScreen Thread