DND Group Complains About Easy Encounters and Learns a Lesson | Narrated D&D Story

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Credits
Story Source: Reddit
Video Editor: Shawn Kadian
Editors: Lonny Foran ([e-mail])
Narration: Lonny Foran
Thumbnail Art & Channel Artwork: NalaFontaine (Twitter/@nala_fontaine)
#dndstories #dnd #dungeonsanddragons

[@admiralpepper6933]

"Fuck around and find out" was _STRONG_ in this party of idiots

[@BadassHater1]

Also how adorable it is how high and mighty they are when they steamroll everything but the moment things stop going according to plan - "WAAAAH! THAT'S UNFAAAAAAAAAAAIR!!"

[@CooperAATE]

That party is absolutely TRAAAAASH. That dungeon was literally what they asked for, and they regretted it.

[@chrisramsteck5866]

Nah, the DM was fine in this, especially with giving the players an continuation after the possible TPK. Players got mad they failed at the boss of a dungeon after continually mocking the DM for easy combat? Lmao consequences are wild sometimes.

[@Hysube]

This is how one meets an alchemical golem at lvl 1

[@jacksonlai7590]

Dm: “I’m sorry, it’s just what the mountain would do.” Players: 😡

[@FoolsGil]

To the original DM, imho it sounds like you had a crap party. You even told them you were going to hit them as hard as you could and they said 'bet.'

[@Varkas108]

Yikes, that party was terrible, especially the Cleric. The rest of the party not letting the DM get a word in edgewise afterward shows that they were just as bad with a slight cushion of tact.

[@BadassHater1]

Maybe them refusing to keep playing was a blessing in the end

[@tylergoza]

Yeah...gotta agree with everyone else on this one. DM did what the player dared him to do. "We're gods and you can't throw anything at us to challenge us in a fight" Players should have expected something like this.

[@TexMeta]

You’d think knowing the batshit things that exist in DnD, especially Tomb of Horrors, players wouldn’t dare challenge their DM’s on difficulty.

[@angramainyu4599]

Honestly I don't see the DM as an asshole. He was issued a challenge, accomplished his goal and had a contingency in case the party got wiped out in the process.

[@Mr.Wigglesworth]

Who’s editing the audio? Bro need to cut out second takes and breaths in between lines. Don’t let your quality drop now

[@asilnorahc8910]

After the myriad of comments on previous vidéos accusing him of using AI voice, i kinda hear those mistakes as a proof that there is a living person behind this content.

[@krilous2755]

@@asilnorahc8910 They were AI before, it's recently that they got someone to actually VA the stories.

[@Listrynne]

​@@krilous2755 it was AI? It was really good quality if it was. I still liked it better.

[@asilnorahc8910]

@@krilous2755 which is odd, because the AI comments started popping up when the new voice arrived. Irony.

[@CotaViking]

Is this AI simulating these mistakes? That's just sad...

[@michaeldennis8310]

My favorite way of dealing with players feeling invincible, is having one or two NPCs casually display feats of strength they can't pull off to remind them they aren't gods yet. When one person did pull the, you're too easy, my response was. "My combats are only easy because I know dying isn't fun. If you want challenging or to experience my homebrew machinations, we can discuss that, but I will not be accountable for your survival."

[@benkayvfalsifier3817]

*This* is how you get the point across. 😈

[@joeyfish5]

I disagree alittle. always be wary of dmpc vibes

[@michaeldennis8310]

@joeyfish5 By random NPCs, I mean like, shopkeepers, tradesman, or the occasional tavern goer. Never people that travel with the party.

[@FlyingDominion]

"As dusk is falling, you hear the sound of battle as you round the corner of the cliff. You see a warrior clad in heavy armor emblazoned with a god's iconography, wielding a mace. Three injured trolls climb up from a fissure in the ground, surrounding her. She then raises a hand, calling out to her god, and fire erupts all around her. The scorched bodies of the trolls fall atop the corpses of orcs and goblins. "She notices you and calls out. 'Oh, good, some civilized adventurers who can keep a look out. I haven't slept for a day and a half. I'm just off to save my son who got himself eaten by a dragon, so I'm happy to split any gold these monsters had on them with you. You can have whatever else there is.' "She then opens her backpack and starts setting up a tent."

[@GM-lx7ji]

Honestly the DM wasn’t the AH, Cleric gets smug and challenges DM’s capabilities, and then gets angry when they have to eat their character sheet.

[@EvilPoet]

Nah, ask and you shall receive. DM was right, they were just hurt they couldn't mock him for another easy dungeon, I love the concept of a mimic island btw.

[@flxwarden4201]

Dm did just fine, cleric player declared them and their party basically gods in the campaign due to how easy they could overcome challenges, they never thought that perhaps the gods would come together and devise a test to prove such a claim

[@TexMeta]

Gonna repeat like everyone else: party was in the wrong, DM sounds nice, especially since they were even prepared for TPK comeback. Hell of a lenient DM. But no one’s asking the real question: did cleric eat his character sheet?

[@kcollier2192]

"Be careful what you wish for- you just might get it." 😆

[@Caboose3769]

It sounded like they could have ran away at the end, and came back later

[@Dineheart]

I remember fellow campaigners complaining a little that they felt they could read where the story was going. Some wizard behind the scenes manipulating everything . They'd been half right. The setting did have a mastermind but said character was mostly neutral unless it's ambitions had been threatened, and it was technically a wizard. The DM used a homebrew creature with a twist, an Elder False Hydra named Al'Zhut. The thing sang it's melody, effectively disappearing from the memory of the party before steamrolling the party with area of effect spells; the first of which the party couldn't even defend against. Fun timesb

[@arkham7033]

DM should not be sorry about this at all. They made claims about your campaign not being fun so you tried to do something to make it fun. And you were completely open during the encounter? Hats off. I find their words to be a lot like bullying. “I was just doing it as a joke”. Ok, but here are the consequences of the party’s joking comments. AND you had a continuation planned? Sounds great to me and I’d loved to have played.

[@notusingmyname4791]

players: "this is too easy.. we want challenge waaaa" also players: "you never told us a tpk was possible.. waaa"

[@TheNeoVid]

Mimic Mountain, also known as Find Out Mountain.

[@DanSolo41]

I love when the trash takes itself out.

[@GehennaDreams13]

Nah that party is too butthurt for what sounds like was well deserved lesson.

[@Castor586]

I would have set out a bottle of BBQ sauce at the beginning of the game session and delivered an ultimatum: "You can either keep your word, or continue with the story. It won't end tonight."

[@Castor586]

I wish to point out that I wasn't posting this comment to be a jerk, but rather from a standpoint of having to be an a-hole to my party a few times. As is often the case, the party usually gets into sticky situations because of their antics, and every DM will have to learn how to put their foot down. As annoying as it is, this often involves shifting the direction of the story entirely. If you've built up a strong relationship with the party then they should know that you aren't simply trying to kill them off for giggles and kicks. I know we don't have the complete story from the campaign, but I'd place a bet on the DM providing too much of a safety net for the players in that their objectives and goals were not at risk of being lost. In my personal experience, it's this environment that fosters player audacity to disrespect the DM in this manner.

[@karsonkammerzell6955]

Nothing to apologize for and don't apologize to the players either. DM had a plan in place for a TPK; they didn't need to discuss it because they TRIED to discuss it and the players cut them off. They wanted to whine about difficulty, f***ed around, and found out; done. Lol.

[@shadenox8164]

While the party were awful, the TPK thing is definitely something you discuss in advance if you're making something like that, not mention afterwards.

[@karsonkammerzell6955]

​@@shadenox8164 A DM should never plan a TPK, but that isn't what I see this DM doing. I see this DM made a dangerous dungeon, had all the dangers spelled out throughout the dungeon, and the player hubris led them to their deaths which the DM had a solution for that the players gave them no opportunity to even explain. DMing is all about narrating consequences, outcomes, and paths forward. This DM was not expecting a TPK; this DM was expecting them to find it dangerous and play accordingly. They chose to ego check it. Remember, at one point they all made it out, and then MADE the choice to go BACK in despite all of that danger. Not consolidate and regroup; just run back in. And they died for it. DM didn't need to explain a TPK in advance because it was the party that created the TPK. What the DM needed to do was explain the aftermath of their conscious choice to go back in half dead and the path forward; which they tried but the players refused to listen. If I craft a dangerous encounter with a dragon and my players choose to dive face first into it half dead and die, I didn't need to explain a TPK before hand, lol. I need to explain what they, as players, do next now that they got the stick they chose to draw, lol.

[@DimGolGary7263]

I agree with the reader. Party got what they wanted. Maybe the DM could have given a better warning, regardless though the DM was not an asshole.

[@igglyjack6850]

fair play. You gave a warning Your players didn't listen. I've warned my players. I keep at adult red dragon stats on reserve if they want to get spacey.

[@ShadowC14]

The only way the DM would be in the wrong here is if A) the party didnt ask for this challenge and B) the party didnt have a reasonable way to win let alone escape. A TTK for a party that finally met a challenge that wasn't a steamroll, then getting mad about it is just bs. Sure the DM could have warned em there is a backup plan if any of em die, but they asked for this and it sounds like they didn't like losing

[@rabbitsatoe5372]

Might have to borrow a version of this

[@donald9377]

Mimic dunegon sound like it come from a older edition of D&D for how lethal dungeon and monsters can be . This dungeon sound like it would of been fun to play in. As what is strong for one paty may be weak for another party for what they bring to the game from my experience as a gm.

[@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim]

DM did nothing wrong here. Players asked for a more difficult encounter, and they got it. Actions have consequences.

[@nekodachi-]

Can someone explain to the narrator that their audio can be edited before it is published? There's no need to keep every flub, restart, and cough.

[@1Kapuchu100]

First time I've noticed a video that kept these. So I think this one just slipped through the cracks.

[@CraZZyZEONmONSTER]

I agree, ive watched this channel for years, and i think this one slipped a tad. Unless you paying money, honestly, a few slip ups as a human is perfectly normal.

[@marb5027]

Nah those player where wrong , the type to be both bad whiner and bad loser

[@allisonseamiller]

You usually edit better than this. There were several flubs where you had to start over and you left them in.

[@kuronanestimare]

Notably a LOT of breathing between sentences, but also some audio bugs.

[@Effel87]

Kept waiting for the ahole moment the op kept talking about but I must have missed it. 😂 also you aren't perma dead unless the dm says you are sucks they didn't get to see the twist after death.

[@MrSkaDan]

Where is the quality control on the audio?

[@jasonhowell4093]

Everyone complaining about the edit. I think the story was interesting and the edit was realistic. It doesn't sound like scripted ai bs. I hope to hear more audio "edits" like this

[@samjohnson3124]

I think that was a perfect plan, to explore the realm of death seems perfect, the players were just too sore, and didnt forsee such a game. I thought you might have an adventuring party come along and save the party or something, or perhaps have the party spawn in as the new adventuring party to save the first party.

[@Kiwipai]

By the players collective reaction, I'd guess the details are a bit different from the players perspective. It's more likely that OP isn't the most social butterfly and misinterpreted some stuff, rather than a whole group of people bailing and cutting contact on the spot for what seems relatively minor.

[@benjaminelstone1219]

Players and dms always seem to forget that an encounter is determined by the dice, if one side rolls well then the result is obvious that side is going to win, hell something awesome you want to do can become lame because you missed or rolled minimum damage.

[@laggybum3218]

I would have loved it! I don't mind my characters dying. I might have preferred some variety in the monsters though.

[@Valoruchiha]

Audio bug at 1:50-2:00

[@denverarnold6210]

I agree with basically the rest of the comments. The ONLY thing you did wrong, imo, is not warn of potentially TPK. Even the grueling dungeon and massive boss are fine, because you you didn't intend to brush off their characters; too often, in fantasy, do people think death means the end. Also shows how little trust they had in you as a DM, and they too easily quit.

[@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim]

I wouldn't say they did _anything_ wrong here. Every fight has the chance at death, and that means that, if luck is not with you, every fight can potentially be a TPK

[@masonguthrie1257]

Personally I think he did when he accepted the gauntlet the players themselves threw down.

[@n0vabubble867]

@@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim it didn't sound like they acknowledged the green dragons fight was easy because better luck on rolls, but really believed they were by default good at the game.

[@andylee6022]

Players threw down the gauntlet and could not handle it. Dm not at fault.

[@PersonAliveYes]

The parallels between the players in this story and people in these content sections is funny. People kept complaining about the ai voice, now they want to complain about hearing a real person. They left the edits in so you, the comment section, would know it's a human voicing this. Sheesh.

[@neock]

getting some audio glitch. sounds like a mic going out, tho i tested and its not on my end

[@CotaViking]

Sounds like trying to fake a real audio with AI

[@bravebird99]

New voice scared me haven’t been on here in a while and got me out of no where

[@demonzero677]

it's hilarious I} once had a character who was terrified of mimics, to the point that a town with automatic magical law enforcement systems was labeled as a mimic by him, and yet he never found a dungeon like this. He'd have had THE most shit eating grin on his face as he told the party "Told ya" the whole trip. XD

[@jatsantsa]

They asked for it, you delivered. OK I love your reflection, you could comunicate this better, still they wanted to get higher diffuculty and they get it and whey were suprised by it. LOL

[@Valoruchiha]

First thing I think is that hes not running dragons how I would. Did any of those ancients grab the rogue or cleric and fly 160' into the air? Hit and run tactics+Lair actions of 2 ancients+legendary resist should be fine, they're CR22, adults are CR16 for a reason. Shit son have the dragon dive bomb onto the party or go scorched earth. Action econ alone would demolish that party. This is a stupid fucking story, this party got exactly what they asked for even if everything being a mimic is a little lazy. And they're all clearly assholes especially at the end reactions from all of them.

[@grantmeyer6097]

DM didn't go far enough

[@shadowpsykie]

Naw. That’s the pasty’s fault. The DM even had an in game way for them to come back. But they wouldn’t listen. That’s them.

[@dannycorrea6773]

I dont think the dm was in the wrong at all. He was challenged and stepped up to it. He had contingencies just in case he went to far.

[@benwil6048]

Play stupid games, win stupid prices. Mt. mimic is exactly what they asked for, they literally challenged him to do it

[@necrosylum.l3013]

. . . Mimic mountain sounds like the Mimic Colony that was introduced in Tasha's Calderon of Everything. Other then that the players should have expected when they were acting like they were impossible to kill that literally telling the technical god of gods to the world they are playing in that the encounters were "too easy" was going to lead to a near impossible fight. That's like yelling at Zeus that he doesn't have the balls to strike you with lightning, You're going to end up getting a Bolt of the most powerful lightning shoved down your throat. They asked for it and they got it. Then they throw a fit without letting the person who had a plan to keep things going talk. Nah they deserved what they got here and their PC's died permanently rather then temporarily because of them, not the DM. I've made mistakes as a DM before but the players here were at fault. They were being cocky and got a cold hard slap to the face when reality decided they deserved it. D&D is a game where the players are held to their actions and Consequences exist for those actions. Maybe they should have learned from that little lesson. Also to all DM's out there please make sure to plan for TPK's. They happen, sometimes without any warning. It's always prudent to prepare for them.

[@luigidreemurr6034]

Ok. But imagine if they had won? That would have been far worse!

[@velocibadger9304]

This guy did nothing wrong. The party did nothing to listen to the gm at the end, the dm was prepared for a tpk.

[@LandshipScorpios]

Is... part of the charm, now, that it is unedited or a little unedited and has "bloopers" caked in? I can't help but notice a lot of the newer videos keep having left-in... bloopers and restarts. It's fine, happens to the best of us, but some of them make me wonder if they are intentional or if a proof read (watch) was outright skipped to make deadlines. Also..... I feel this DM is obviously not the Ass hole. Those jerks asked for it, and got it, and if they let you explain they would know a plan was in motion. There's spiteful, sure, but they went above and beyond simple "we gave you feedback and you retaliated". Like... this was clearly "we called you out, played chicken, and lost".

[@juderivera3538]

Don't ask for things you don't want

[@kilowhiskyforge4337]

Nah the DM did good, the players just wanted to stay OP

[@russdarracott395]

Agreed, the dm inta.

[@craigtucker1290]

This highlights the difference between WotC D&D and the original TSR D&D. A party of four, 14 level characters would be lucky to survive one old green dragon in the original editions, let alone multiple dragons. Sounds like dragons were either nerfed or the DM ran them wrong, not sure which...

[@TheNeoVid]

Gygax hated third edition, because he found it so hard to kill characters that it felt more like a superhero game to him than D&D. It might be for the best that he didn't get to see 5th ed.

[@craigtucker1290]

​@@TheNeoVidWotC editions not only did that, nerf the deadliness out of the game, but introduced power gaming as a core mechanic while at the same time began the process of coddling player grievances by removing any negative consequences/choices. Just look at what passes for the paladin these days and how easy it is to be one.

[@KhaoticKiNG]

Nya, cleric and party wrote a check they ass couldn't cash. R.i.p bozos

[@TheLionsGuild]

So… did they eat their character sheets?

[@TehWrongGuy]

Does anyone know the OP of the story on Reddit?

[@kingolegos]

Are you alright? Seemed to be pausing and sniffing a fair bit.

[@darkbright99]

They should have been careful of what they ask for.

[@D_Ry17]

What happened to the original voice for this channel?

[@dennisthornton4434]

Does the reader sound different than the original one.

[@the_multus]

Gotta say, that you should clean up the voice track

[@davidhanson1099]

Still gonna be honest I'm only watching the old videos now cause the other voice was so much better plz bring him back

[@krilous2755]

I find it idiotic their hubris brought them into this mess, and they have the NERVE to say it was the DMs fault. If you have the stones to challenge the one in CONTROL of your world... expect the world itself to collapse around you. Don't get butthurt because you tried playing a god before meeting an actual challenge. I say this DM did the right thing putting them back into their place and I hope those players don't get a good session again until they learn their own ego was what was their downfall. Had they actually been skilled and not had a DM leaving the kiddy gloves on I'm sure they wouldn't have lasted until then to begin with.

[@kilowhiskyforge4337]

Jeepers what happened here?

[@ccarrl1257]

honestly this dm was right

[@anonyme4881]

Honestly if everything was a mimic I would have double checked the whole dungeon to not get eaten. And when fighting encounrer turn bad I would have used the secret joestar technic. The dm was great, he warned everyone that it will be hard and the party didnt respected it. Who would fight a fcking mountain without a plan ?

[@Nyghtking]

Lets be real, I would be fine playing in a game where the combat might be too easy, because i'm a story person myself, if the story's good I don't care much about the combat.

[@luisgabrielnazario7949]

I don't think the DM is an asshole nor the bad guy here he basically did what the party dared him to do and then they have the gull to say he went to far? I mean what were you expecting?! I really hate players like this. In my games I tend to make things evenly matched even help my players when they try to take on fights they can't win however I always make the point of reminding them they aren't gods nor invincible I have way more powerful enemies and monsters if you want to try and fight them that's fine but I will not be held responsible nor accountable if you end up getting killed.

[@Groundlord]

Sometimes players need to learn the hard way not to challenge the DM. And you especially don't do so by being a jerk. I can understand complaining about it being too easy, but when you start belittling the DM over it? Yeah... thr gloves come off. You asked for this.

[@danielslack4078]

You are not the bad guy. They literally asked no begged you to kill them. They didn't ask you to challenge them. They asked you to kill them. They even insulted you and you GMing skills. Then when defeated they packed up, insulted you more for giving them exactly what they wanted, and went home crying to their mommies. You said these were college friends but they sound more like kindergarten. Be thankful these fake trash"friends" are gone from your life. Better off without them. Death is always a possibility so getting butt hurt when it happens is childish. 1 is a game 2 plenty of ways to come back from the dead (its a temporary condition most of the time 3 always have a back up ready. 4 play smarter. Why didn't they retreat, rest, and come back ready for a boss fight? Lol

[@requiemshade1558]

New voice?

[@MarkIITrooper]

definitely immature players there, claim its too easy and the dm sucks, dm makes it harder, they complain that it's too hard and blame the dm lol. DM sounds awesome and is the protagonist in this story

[@vanielhammonds9812]

Nah dm is in the right

[@ddunfuh9239]

The dm was absolutely fine, the party asked for a challeng and they got one furthermore the dm planned story for after a TPK just in case

[@YoungDoug13]

Why submit a recording that messed up? To not edit and fix your coughs, long sighs ect... is lazy.

[@darkmyth30]

What happened to the original narrator?

[@SouPNaZi316]

what happened to the original narrator?

[@jeydomo]

Deserved. Screw those players lol

[@kluckyd]

FAFO

[@michaeljebbett160]

They were arrogant pricks and sore losers. DM probably did go a bit over board, but DnD is a game of chance to a point, and sometimes the dice don't favor you. Hopefully, they never play again, so they won't ruin any other games

[@blackshard641]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[@R3GARnator]

DND is horribly balanced after level 12. That's why Baldur's Gate 3 caps there. Not the DM's fault the game doesn't scale well.

[@mkjj66]

Yeah, parties fault NOT the Dm. He even had a side route planned that made sense, just in case. I'd LOVE to play this campaign

[@leejohnson3270]

So basically they asked for a harder encounter because they got lucky fighting dragons and didn't realize the open rolls were bad rolls and when they got a harder fight and got unlucky they die. Basically the only thing the DM could do at that point to save it was fake lower rolls and decrease the damage being dealt but with him being too honest, the players got annoyed at their waste of resources and blamed it on the dm? also idk what spell slots they had by the end but its almost always acceptable to take a short or long rest to reset it (to the point were in one of my games we basically raided raiders and took a long rest right outside of their front door with nothing happening, DM got slightly annoyed with how many long rests we took and talked to us about limiting them but I just pointed out how unrealistic it was for that, of course it could also be turned the other way another time when a player took a skull from a ghostly flying skull monster after we defeated it only for it to come back mid-rest with in my opinion the hardest and most entertaining fight we had for the month (1 game per week). I don't really see how the DM messed up especially because the players were given actual days to set up, maybe he should have pointed out an abundance of mimics and given them something like a detected life and worded it in a way to only hint that they were inside of a mimic, idk the players seemed to be kinda childish at the end

[@Mercadian]

Nope, GM did nothing wrong here. Party is trash.

[@davidaustin4354]

Sounds fake

[@gergosoos4652]

You as DM can change your mind about an encounter any time. If you feel everything is going bad, you can end things there and then. For every other reason: you talk it through clear-headed and do a wisdom roll

[@Eric4bz]

The narration here honestly feels weak. Is the narrator okay?

[@thomaschristison5445]

It sounds like he held everyone's hands a little bit, then changed gears and wiped out a bunch of whiners - sometimes the game does kill your character. Death is also a part of the game.