(Animated) The deadliest thing in D&D.

Brought to you by:
thedeckofmany.com
/ zeebashew
The Forge Of Fury Module we played: (3rd Edition)
www.dmsguild.com/product/3737/...
Music:
Arabian Sand by: E's Jammy Jams
Under Cover by: Wayne Jones

[@zeebashew]

As usual I gotta use my pin to correct something! There was slippery moss on the sides of the water, and the jump may have been a littlee longer (I don't remember) But the DM is one of the very best I've played with. So to everyone bagging on the DM it's my mistake in the retelling, he's a rockstar, and this was a great game. (edit:Even more corrections :))

[@GoresVire]

Having just checked the module myself, the stream is exactly 5ft across and moss is not mentioned anywhere in any edition of the module. While it is certainly likely that your DM may have added these as changes to their own adventure, your video is very misleading, especially from a ruling standpoint as - with a 20ft running jump - a check to clear 5ft isn't even required.

[@zeebashew]

Yeah I must have gotten it mixed up with the moss in one of the other caverns. Anyway it was slippery in our run. Why did you buy multiple editions of the module?

[@GoresVire]

It's a great module. Both the 3e and 5e editions of it are great dungeon crawls when modified to fit the playstyle of a group, and it serves well as an introductory module just like the Sunless Citadel.

[@foureye7058]

Sounds like your DM needs a happy medium for his jubilant small.

[@Balin93]

He rolled a 5. It could have been a DC 10 and he still failed.

[@Xerethane]

Ah the water. Having once DM'd myself I recognized its danger immediately as my companions rented a boat to cross the bay to the Lighthouse that was our destination. My dwarf hated swimming and refused to get in the boat unless he had a life vest, he was wearing full plate and didn't want to die falling in. The DM and other players mocked both me and my dwarf and I was given "floaties (water wings) and to rub it in, an extra one for my warhammer." Some hours later in a sea cave our boat was pushed over by a monster and all of us had to swim. The DM smiled. "You're wearing plate armor right?" His grin was malicious. I grinned back, confident in my character's choices. "FLOATIES" I cried! Everyone lived that day.

[@braeden9015]

“Crit fail; he threw the rope, but he threw the whole thing.” That kind of interaction is why I play dnd

[@statelyelms]

"I'd been rolling hot all night-" > 5 > crit fail (by Greenbeard) > crit fail (by Gideon) > crit fail (by Johann) It's like Fate heard you.

[@android19willpwn]

if Dark Souls has taught me anything, it's that there is no foe more fearsome than gravity

[@Femaiden]

Android 19 heh, i was playing dark souls and got invaded by a cheater, the cheater had made themself invulnerable, no matter what I did, none of my attacks could damage this cheater. we fought for an hour, rolling and dodging and we inched our way closer and closer to the edge of a cliff. the cheater tried to roll dodge my attack and , fell off the cliff. remember kids, winners never cheat and cheaters never win *the more you know* *ding*

[@somegoodsoup7008]

falls down 2 feet *YOU DIED*

[@peepock7796]

Blood borne is the almost the opposite. If you can’t see the floor, you’ll die, I’d you can, it’s probably an intended thing.

[@sandrobot809]

@@Femaiden yep the only way to kill them. nice work!

[@spazzofspeed]

bed of chaos flashbacks.....

[@RealFeytey]

"I haven't rolled a one all night, I'll be fine" -Anyone, 5 seconds before tearing up their favorite character sheet.

[@temkin9298]

To be fair as long as you don't get nat 1. Your chance of failure increases. So lucky people are people who don't roll a important dice after being successful consecutively.

[@MsScarletwings]

@@temkin9298 your chances actually don’t increase or decrease at all no matter how many times you roll well or badly. It’s always a 1/20 chance on every roll. That’s just how odds work. Gambler’s fallacy.

[@temkin9298]

@@MsScarletwings but consecutive rolls have different chances. For example 1/4 chance to roll desirable outcome 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/256 Chance

[@user-kx8pu6ys5i]

You're both correct

[@temkin9298]

@@user-kx8pu6ys5i diplomacy +1

[@TheRealDerohneNick]

"35ft." "one turn" Oh no, he's going to jump.

[@soysaucerb]

Everybody knows that the deadliest thing in D&D is a scheduling conflict. One of those can kill the whole campaign.

[@giaxo1739]

Whole world's left to rot because SOMEONE forgot what day we meet! EVEN THOUGH ITS THE SAME DAY EVERY TIME, KEVIN!

[@tomaszskowronski1406]

As one druid said before leaping to her death from a 1000ft cliff and turning herself into a goldfish moments before hitting the rocks at the bottom instead of water (Like that would help)- "It's fine, We're gods"

[@VidGamer123]

RIP Keyleth

[@jadesapphira4325]

Should have turned into a swarm of insects, Bludgeoning resistance

[@dsoul1305]

Gravity is death's right hand. The powerful shit only have to exists and wait.

[@ihil4620]

I fell of a 1000ft cliff and survived by raging and wildshaping before I hit, dice were nice and my tank of a druid barbarian survived

[@jackbright2125]

Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.

[@jaminius]

I fear no man. But that... THING.... *looks at puddle of water* It scares me.

[@GlacialScion]

This is literal in my game, as one of my players is being hunted by someone who keeps sending Slithering Trackers after them. They check for puddles literally everywhere the party goes.

[@legomaniac213]

2:02 "Uh oh" "Don't tell me, we're about to go over a huge waterfall." "Yep." "Sharp rocks at the bottom?" "Most likely." "...Bring it on."

[@strategossable1366]

"overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer"

[@thedamnguy2896]

in this case it’s a fast one

[@AegixDrakan]

And waterfalls are a FAST and spectacular killer. :P

[@Porkey798]

Damn now I want Wayne June's Ancestor to narrate my dnd sessions

[@Jerickjv]

I remember one game I was running where the players had just entered a new dungeon. Now I'm a fan of show don't tell in my dungeon designs so one of the first rooms the PCs came across existed solely to make it clear to them that this was a trap heavy dungeon. It consisted of an open pitfall trap with no spikes at the bottom that is so obvious it didn't require a check to see, some torch brackets on the walls and nothing else. This room resulted in a total party wipe. You see there was one other thing I had yet to mention, the reason the pitfall was open was that it had been triggered and there was a dead body at the bottom of this very deep pit. PCs being PCs decided to go down there and loot it despite my telling them that its equipment looked inferior to what they where using. This only served to encourage them. Deciding that the torch brackets couldn't hold the weight the teams fighter handed one end of his rope to the barbarian and tried to descend down to get the goods. The barbarian rolled a strength check and rolled a nat 1. The rope slipped from his hands and the fighter slammed into the bottom of the pit taking enough fall damage to put him below 0. Now that the teams fighter was bleeding out they had to figure out a way to get down there but alas they had only brought one rope which was now at the bottom of the pit. Before anyone else could react the rogue announced "I jump into the pit and use my acrobatics check to negate the fall damage" His view it seemed was it was best to get down there as quickly as possible to get aid to his friend and he had faith that he could negate some of the damage and tank the rest. He rolled a 2. Now with two party members dying at the bottom of a pit the remaining ones really needed to get down there. The Golaith barbarian had a backstory as a member of a savage mountain tribe and had put a decent number of ranks into climbing as a result. To everyone's surprise he rolled well and managed to descend the smooth walls of the pitfall trap well. He was able to stabilize his two friends and then attempted to throw the rope up to the cleric. This however did not go well. After about twelve failed attempts he gave up and decided to climb up with the rope (but not before tying it around the fighter so he'd be able to pull him up once he reached the top). This time he did not roll well. He slipped and fell off the wall repeatedly. He was taking small amounts of fall damage here and there but he was a barbarian so he powered through. Eventually he got to the top of the pit and cleric healed his wounds and they both attempted to pull the fighter up. Keyword here being attempted, they both rolled nat 1s and again the rope slipped from their grasp and was at the bottom of the pit with two unconscious PCs. The fighter hadn't taken any extra fall damage as they hadn't managed to lift him any. It was at this point they decided that having the cleric ride piggy back on the golaith as he climbed down would probably work. There was some concern about not having anyone at the top of the pit to help them get out but it was ignored in favor of getting the players at the bottom up and functioning again. They rolled and it was the fourth nat 1 of the day. The golaith landed back first crushing the cleric beneath him. The cleric was killed outright. After a few more failed attempts to get out of the pit injuring himself in the process the party called it. The golaith never escaped from that pit, he died slowly surrounded by the bodies of his friends. Afterwards open pitfall traps become a running meme in our games, regardless who was running them an open pit fall trap would often show up some where and the party would be more wary of it than facing down dragons. It also serves as a reminder to always bring health potions and lots of rope.

[@0ctopusComp1etely]

...The PC's absolutely insisting on looting a corpse, in the middle of a trap, that is clearly just meant to serve as a "warning", is the most true introduction to a DnD story I've ever heard.

[@johnphillips5288]

Barbarian shouldve raged and continuously bit himself to maintain rage

[@elrusito5034]

Those were anti-loaded dice, you can't change my mind

[@tylermucha9281]

I don't think I would've required that many checks. I'm assuming the barbarian was pretty strong, why require a roll for every single time he uses his strength? He's even a goliath, meaning that he has powerful build which specifically mentions how good they are at lifting things. Sure he has to make checks for climbing and things like that, but I wouldn't have made him roll to lift his friends out of the hole. There's no way they were close to his carry weight, especially as a goliath. It would be like asking Dwayne the Rock Johnson to roll for picking up a 100lb dumbbell. Sure it's heavy, but he can absolutely do it because he's simply that strong. Checks are used to determine the results of something challenging or uncertain. When you start making people roll for everything any game will quickly devolve into a comedy of errors where the party fails really basic things like holding onto a rope.

[@dustinbrueggemann1875]

@@tylermucha9281 If the rope is in any sort of sub-optimal condition, I'd say it warrants a check. lifting an unconscious person by rope with an improvised system will be non-trivially challenging, and thus warrants a skill check. Granted, the DC should not be high. Pulling up a shifting load on a cheap rope is fucking difficult. I've tried to lift my climbing partner before, and even with good gear, in an optimal setting, it's fucking HARD to lift someone without dedicated mechanical assistance.

[@TigerKirby215]

As the saying goes: "When the DM smiles it's already too late."

[@gamingman2720]

I have a shirt with this on it

[@connorjohnson8590]

1 Crit fail: Dangerous but not usually fatal. 2 Crit fails in a row: You are going to need some serious recovery after this if you are not already dead. 3 Crit fails in a row: If fate is shutting you down so hard you Crit fail THREE TIMES IN A ROW, it's safe to chalk up your ill fate to destiny.

[@carlosfred8673]

If you roll three crit fails in a row then i'm sorry, the universe wants your character dead.

[@leyrua]

We had this happen on the second session of a campaign. I gave the players a choice: we could start over, play it through (with terrible yet _interesting_ consequences)... ...or we could decide that these events happened to an entirely different group of adventurers who just happened to resemble their group a lot, and their story would officially begin with them witnessing the massive fireball rising into the sky a mile away.

[@aganaom1712]

if anything the moral of this story is "the dice giveth, and the dice taketh away"

[@jammyfilms8884]

The number of times he said crit fail is the true tragedy of the entire story.

[@DeathxStrike18]

The deadlist thing in dnd is the DM saying "are you sure"

[@Sturmjaeger]

"You can certainly try"

[@AquaticLotus7552]

No, its his biggest warning sign to new (or stupid) players

[@whale21100]

Most experienced players know that that statement means death is ahead. The deadliest DMs just let their players go for it with no comment before

[@rogerb181]

THIS

[@toadstoolsiscool6060]

You know you have angered the DnD gods when you triple crit-fail

[@jeffwillsea6757]

I have done that. I have bad luck with dice (dosent matter who's) and regurally roll Nat ones. My triple crit started by trying to go use an outhouse. Getting shot (1)by a jet of water, sending me flying into a nearby pond (2) where the locals got pissed and screamed at me. I tried to swear in infernal, something they didn't know. But my DM was laughing so hard he had me roll for that too. Yet another crit fail. Thus a portal to hell opened up and out came an Imp named Frank. I took advantage of this and convinced him to set up and run a shop for me. :D

[@toadstoolsiscool6060]

@@jeffwillsea6757 woah, usually Im pretty lucky with dice, and when people ask I say that I spend my free time practicing rolling dice and thats how Im so lucky

[@MrZega000]

Bro I'm running a naval campaign... Beware the water indeed.

[@Melfs_acid_flashback3604]

When your players start naming their characters "Johann von Generico," or Krelthin preceeds Krelthin the II, Krelthin III, the IV etc., or the infamous stream of ill-fated Bob the Fighters, your dungeons may have developed a reputation for lethality.

[@genericprofile2381]

Ah, the classic killer in every game. "I can totally make that jump."

[@gannok]

My group ran this dungeon. We used massive charisma skills to actually befriend the orcs. After a single fight, we became the leaders of the tribe. We then proceeded to clear out the rest of the dungeon, though duergar we also befriended (sort of), and we've been living in the dungeon ever since. We've also built upon it. We now have a small town outside of the dungeon, called Stone's Foot. It has been several in game years now, and Stone's Tooth is now the seat of a new kingdom in the game. It has been awesome.

[@alibouk227]

This is why I love dnd. And tabletop games in general. Your choices really do matter.

[@tristan9602]

Is there a slime?

[@gannok]

@@tristan9602 I don't recall there being any slimes or molds in our run. But our DM may have forgotten it, removed it, or there aren't any.

[@tristan9602]

Christopher Breazeale I was making a reference to an anime, as your story is essentially the plot. A sentient slime befriends various monsters and creates a benevolent kingdom of monsters.

[@reggien4165]

My players near unstoppable masters of destruction. I put an underground tunnel filled with water and almost killed the whole party by mistake.

[@koopaking6148]

What's the worst that could happen.... Said every dead player in DND...

[@fang4223]

Is the titular “deadliest thing” the water? No. Is it gravity? Getting there, but not quite. Is it physics? Bingo.

[@EvilPaladin11]

The first, and only animated sword.

[@dirk9406]

DC 18 check for a 5ft running jump. Damn.

[@CadenceOfLife]

It's funny, as you were describing the way up the path I thought "This sounds familiar" and they you got to the bridges and I'm like "Oh... he's going in the water... and down the waterfall..."

[@ThePCguy17]

Roll hot all night, crit fail when it really matters. Yep, that sounds like a typical game of D&D.

[@InsanoRider777]

My rule of thumb for any game with physics is: the moment gravity becomes a factor to survival, someone will invariably fall prey to it, often in the dumbest way possible.

[@jasonsherman-brown4817]

The dice are never with you. You're either rolling badly, or about to start rolling badly

[@christunnell2377]

If Johan had survived, we may not have gotten the handsome necromancer, Skenk McGenk... Just think about that!

[@thatpedanticcommenter5847]

If you were to list the biggest causes of character death in DnD, it wouldn't be a Tarrasque, or a dragon, or any kind of murderous monster at the number one spot. It would very likely be gravity.

[@iwin1221]

Yeaahhhh.....my dwarf alchemist was a creature that gravity hated. Weakened floor boards oh looks like your going though, need to climb onto the back of a horse? Well that's a shame you keep falling off till your knocked out. How about jumping a puddle. Nahhhh. Got so bad I just kept feather fall potions on hand all the time.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

In the last 35 years, I have killed and maimed more adventurers with gravity (and object under the effect of gravity) than ALL spells, weapons, and breath attacks, combined.

[@DodacLA]

"Remind yourself that Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer." - The Ancestor

[@links-gut-versifftergrunme1809]

Before I even started watching the actual video I answerd the question to myself: party members

[@LadyMeiun]

It teaches new players two things actually: Beware the water, and fear the luck streak. Both usually end, and usually they end very badly for the players.

[@MegaAniLinkFan]

*the laughter of monks are heard in the distance*

[@ephemispriest8069]

No one wants to be a monk. Until they wish they had slow fall. To a lesser extent fast movement or evasion.

[@MegaAniLinkFan]

@@ephemispriest8069 I've consistently played a monk. You should try it, especially as a Kalashtar, we can talk use telepathy as we punch the crap out of you

[@jacobwiens659]

@@ephemispriest8069 I thought he meant using Step of the Wind, which grants extra jump distance.

[@anonymousangel1064]

I, too, have a horror story about water. Me and a handful of other players were playing a fairly simple campaign, and were doing Itpretty well. By this point, we were all very close to getting to level 2, and I think one of us may have already reached level 2? Regardless, we got to a bridge that we needed to cross in order to progress, only to encounter an ogre guarding it. The battle on the bridge began. Our party consisted of a dwarf paladin, a gnome warlock (me), a half-orc fighter, a ?? (I forgot their race) thief, and a dragonborn bard. The battle went smoothly, until I used a spell and pushed the ogre into the river, really not a big deal honestly. I only did it for the rule of cool, only..the ogre kept failing checks to get out. It managed to get out eventually, after being pelted by attacks for a few rounds, and in retaliation, smacked some of us into the river. The players still on the bridge managed to kill us, so now, it was as simple as fishing everyone out. We folks in the river continued failing checks, so the others tried to swim into the river, and pull us ashore. They also failed. Several rounds of panic later, we were all alive, on dry land, but almost every single one of us was unconscious, except for the dwarf paladin, who had to fish everybody out.

[@ManoredRed]

This is really common in games of all sorts. Dark Souls protagonist: slays literal gods, can't kick down a rickety old wooden door, dies if he falls down a height of three floors. Megaman: can withstand plasma blasts, dies if he touches blunt metal spikes.

[@adt4864]

I mean Darks Souls characters look as though they're constantly carrying the weight of six cars to me, so I'd believe it

[@DearlyDepartedDaz]

And yet so many players look at me like I'm crazy for taking the Feather Fall spell.

[@anonymouse2675]

The thing with Feather Fall is that, while it might only come into play once in a campaign, that one time makes it worth it... People look at me like I`m crazy for taking Wall of Stone...

[@DearlyDepartedDaz]

@@anonymouse2675 yep. I recently had a group convince me not to take it. First fight one of them gets thrown off a cliff. Stone wall is so handy though.....

[@mohammedalshirawi7584]

Generally depends on the kind of gm you have. Or the adventure you are playing. Some games truly reward utility while others focus on optimising damage and such. I prefer the former.

[@Porkey798]

Has saved my ass and party more times than I can count

[@Crestlinger2]

You called out luck! She leaves when identified by name.

[@Trafoder]

I remember a time when my DM tried to threaten my party with a waterfall. My paladin, having the lowest Dex in the party, fell into the water right near the falls. He then narrated my fall over the edge and rolled the 20d6 fall damage right before I said "Wait, how can I be swept downstream while wearing 65 pounds of plate armor?" My paladin was saved by the magic of detail.

[@Lucifer_Nihilum]

You were in more danger of drowning than actually being thrown of the waterfall.

[@Lucifer_Nihilum]

@AeonReign fair point. I agree.

[@Trafoder]

@AeonReign Meat floats, steel sinks. You specifically can’t swim in Heavy Armor but can walk across the bottom in it. Rules as written.

[@johnphillips5288]

@@Trafoder 65 pounds of steel doesn't sink in water being acted upon by gravity

[@KrigareAvHallarna]

Did they drown? And also, rivers move logs and rocks, 65 pounds + character weight could get pushed. But maybe allow opportunity for more than one ability check at least.

[@leviphipps2462]

So you're saying... don't go chasin' waterfalls. I'm... I apologize.

[@JenoPaciano]

That isn't beware the water, it's beware the dice. Every experienced player knows that the best abilities are the ones you don't have to roll for.

[@TechnologicalWalrus]

Just like solving the problem of not being able to hit enemies, just use Fireball to nuke your party and the enemies.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

You like rolling lots of dice? Well you could throw fireballs around, but ya know what else makes you roll lots of dice? Falling damage.

[@otakon17]

"Huh, delivery." That Black Dragon most likely see Johans tenderized corpse hit the floor of its den.

[@tatethegoodwin]

I think it's hallarious that he uses soft jazz as a background for this adventure story

[@timwoods2852]

It fits the theme of unpredictability.

[@cheeselord3655]

@@timwoods2852 That, and it's a nice calm tone, very reminiscient of the good times.

[@kalonin5451]

As soon as you described the scene with the stream, I thought you were going to make mention to my old group's deadliest weapon: Punt the Halfling.

[@brodyschrepfer7989]

Gotta say...as the halfling it’s rather fun too

[@spritemon98]

I gotta hear that story 🤣

[@kalonin5451]

@@spritemon98 Our barbarian punted our halfling rogue up a wall. Halfling gets a surprise round against the group of guards we didn't know was up there, and he managed to kill them before they alerted their fellows. He then snuck around to the gate and let us in. It sort of became our go to tactic for entering strongholds and crossing narrow canyons and rivers. And it was great to see the look on a new player's face when we would pull this. Good times.

[@1tomdmot1]

@@kalonin5451 Did you have to take damage or anything?

[@kalonin5451]

@@1tomdmot1 Yep. Untrained unarmed for a medium sized creature, and then an amount based on how far he had to travel, based on fall damage for a similar distance cut in half.

[@kekero540]

Flowing water is one of those things you should never underestimate. Especially IRL.

[@_underscore_9271]

Oh yeah, seriously, I've been pulled under and swept away by a river that "doesn't look like it's going too fast" before, I fortunately had somebody to fish me out, elsewise I might not have it out of that one. They're definitely no joke

[@inakimendiberri2226]

Yeah, you don't get to roll a new character IRL.

[@badideagenerator2315]

It's very difficult to judge the depth and speed of a moving body of water. In fact the deadliest body of water in the world, is an unassuming stream in yorkshire called the strid, it has a 100% mortality rate, everyone who has ever fallen into it drowned.

[@WexMajor82]

"We are basically gods" One half elf druid, jumping from a cliff.

[@Takapon218]

WexMajor82 G O L D E N G O D S -> goldfish

[@JengaCube]

Imagine regaining composure after trying to help your friend only see him swan dive off of a waterfall

[@dogf421]

i like how dnd can tend to be a lot more like real life than movies with this kinda thing. movies and tv shows have people saved from fast running water towards a waterfall like its no big deal but just a few things going wrong means instant death and in real life more often than not something goes wrong

[@roboninja565]

"outrunning team funsize is a fool's errand" My sides need a cure wounds, stat

[@KaiTenSatsuma]

It is never a good sign when the DM smiles. Or asks you if you're "Sure you want to do that"

[@Femaiden]

Marcin Mazurek the worst (best?) is when the players asks the DM something like “is the door unlocked?” and the DM’s eyes light up and their voice raises an octave “You’re opening the door?!” and the player is like “no! no! I was just asking if the door is locked” and now they have the metaknowledge from reading the DM’s body language that the DM obviously wanted them to open the door without checking it first. so, then, i’m not even sure how to continue there without metagaming...

[@christopherfloyd8028]

Once a friend of mine had the opportunity to gracefully dolphin dive into a large body of water but sadly jumped the equivalent of 2 inches and smashed into the shallow part of the water effectively killing himself for nothing, luckily the dm was a little more gracious with that one because it was based on stupidity

[@FirstLast-cg2nk]

The deadliest thing in D&D? *OVERCONFIDENCE.* The Monte Carlo Fallacy and Hot Hand Fallacy have claimed more player characters than every dragon, demon, and god combined. Just because you've been rolling hot or crap all night means nothing on the next roll. Every roll of a D20 has a 1 in 20 chance of coming up a 1, just as it has a 1 in 20 chance of coming up a 20. The dice don't care how important the roll is, they will crit or fail at will, without warning or mercy.

[@chevtothemax]

Its the reason we role dice

[@user-jl2ec2ko4v]

Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer...

[@skittlesilly]

Yup, I was feeling pretty confident in my new totem warrior hitting level 5 so I shouted "I'm basically immortal" the next session, the DM threw an adult blue dracolich at us I lived by a thread, it taught me not to tempt fate.

[@Galaxy613]

Not if you train your dice properly.

[@lagg1e]

@@user-jl2ec2ko4v In D&D overconfidence is a quick and merciless killer. The dice can kill you in 6 seconds.

[@curts7801]

I also advise not to roll Natural 1’s on acrobatics checks near lava.

[@Wence42]

Never played with a DM who uses critfails on ability checks or saving throws, since you can't crit with them (thus immovable rod is truly immovable without incredibly high str).

[@Parodox306]

Ah, gravity. My old nemesis.

[@gavinmaretzki6675]

Fall damage: you may be a force to be reckoned with, but your ankles would disagree.

[@Eddie42023]

THREE CRIT FAILS IN THREE ROLLS!?!?! That is regression to the mean (rolling hot all night) with a vengeance.

[@michaelgerow3161]

Johan von generico is the best name since the rare material unobtainium.

[@godqueenbidoof]

My version of this involved Casks of wine instead. My party and I were tied together with a magical invisible chain which didn't get in our way but kept us from wandering apart more than a handful of meters, we were in a castle's wine cellar and I had decided I was bored (My character got bored easily) so I donned the cloak of invisibility and began to prank my team-mate. Our dwarf warrior lost patience and tried to stun me with the flat of his axe, critical fail, the axe missed my invisible form and instead struck a massive cask of wine unleashing a torrent of fermented brew which struck me with full force, I failed my roll to keep my footing and was swept away failing another save and knocking myself out in the process, my body sank downstream of the grapey wave tugging at the chain, the first to roll was the dwarf who had unleashed it who failed, then came our paladin who failed as well and finally our cleric who also failed, the entire party was swept to the other side of the room along with barrels which shattered unleashing more wine drenching us all in it meanwhile I laid unconcious, my face bellow the level of the liquid pooling in the chamber, slowly drowning. The party wanted to rush to find me before their thief drowned, as much of a pain as I was, only to keep on slipping on the now comically slippery stones while also having to repeatedly roll against drunkeness as every dip in the drink had them gulp some down not to mention the vapors. In the end one of them managed to stand up and force the door open the wine pushing us all outside with it's force and sweeping the cloak off my body so the team could find me, dead, to then need to drag me around until we could be helped by "Deus-Ex Machinus" The NPC who had freed us and kept on saving us in that castle as it was our tutorial area.

[@Jackhammer892]

I'm a newer DM and I threw a version of this at my players, boss room had a fast moving body of water running through it, leading towards a grate loaded with a number of spikes, 5d6 piercing on a failed dex save, they ended up using it to kill a group of goblins

[@thechubbycreeperplays2350]

(p2) "I throw the rope!" (crit fail) (p3) "I catch the end!" (crit fail) (p1) "I DONT fall." (crit fail) (dm) "p1 falls and dies." That'll teach 'em.

[@camrynsmith7631]

The most dangerous thing in DnD, the DM. Even worse, an angry DM. Even more worser, a bored DM.

[@yamahadrag69]

I mean is it really the water's fault? Kinda sounds like RNGesus just turned on you guys at the last minute with 4 consecutive crit fails between 3 players. XD

[@Just_som_Ottur]

True, and it brings into question: what about those rare DnD characters who revolve around water “builds?”

[@QueenTheCossackTongued]

Beware the water my arse, those dice rolls would have gotten you killed 3v1ing kobolds

[@vp21ct]

I mean, the Kobolds would probably use a water trap, too.

[@WexMajor82]

"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer"

[@timwoods2852]

Or quite fast and merciless depending on the power of the foe/obstacle the overconfident fool is facing.

[@WexMajor82]

@@timwoods2852 Eh, it took the whole day to kill Generico

[@timwoods2852]

@@WexMajor82 But there are others.

[@turtleburger7480]

A man of culture I see

[@averynaiveoddish7052]

Nice stolen joke

[@KingDevyn]

I don't think it's water that's the culprit. I think it's gravity. I've killed probably a third of my players' characters with falling damage.

[@leyrua]

As a DM, the most deadly encounter I ever created for my _Level 15_ players involved a Roper (CR 4 monster) suspended inside an _Anti-Magic Field_ over a spiked pit. Normally they wouldn't have had any problem killing this mere _CR 4_ monster, even without their magic. Except... they quickly realized that its tentacles were the only thing keeping the players it had already grabbed ALIVE. It made for a pretty high-stakes puzzle trap.

[@NinjaGerbil98]

I really wanna know how this turned out. Excellent trap/monster combo!

[@leyrua]

@@NinjaGerbil98 Their solution involved the creative use of rope and a collapsible rod wedged into the entryway of the cavern. The paladin kept the creature distracted while the rest of the party tossed the fighter (who was the only one still outside the field) all of their rope. Since the entrance was 40 ft away and nearly level with them, they would be swinging downward at a pretty steep angle, so he doubled the rope up so that it would take their combined weight for _juuuust_ long enough to swing them sharply out of the field, where their various means of flight would reactivate. The wizard still had one divination left for the day, which they used to *ensure* that the rope wouldn't break when it snapped taut. When everything was ready, the paladin struck the final blow to kill the Roper. _"YEEEEAAAAAGH-_ Oh hey we're still alive!"

[@moekitsune]

@@leyrua Damn that's clever

[@Trick.Sparrow]

I think the REAL deadliest thing in D&D that this video demonstrates is bad luck - three crit fails in a row could turn a kitten with a bit of string into a TPK if you're not careful

[@maxwhitworth9178]

I had a 20th level Moon Druid, veteran of quite a lot and big player in a years-long campaign finally bite the dust due to drowning.

[@octapusxft]

out of shapeshift slots?

[@maxwhitworth9178]

Anti magic field, iron cage, dropped into an underground lake

[@octapusxft]

@@maxwhitworth9178 That was really nasty

[@maxwhitworth9178]

@@octapusxft Brother, my man fell for an easy trap and then told the perpetrator he’d rather die than serve him

[@octapusxft]

@@maxwhitworth9178 So it was sort of self inflicted I guess?

[@Toolgirl64209]

Remember kids, never let the DM grin.

[@inc0mingr0flc0pter]

This may have been addressed or simply not 5e, but pg. 182 of the PHB gives you a Long Jump up to your Strength score if you move at least 10 feet. If anyone in the future is going to try this, remember that knowing the PHB backwards and forwards will give you a bunch of options!

[@Terezar]

I ran this module for a group many many years ago, and they too lost party members to that damn waterfall lol

[@Lorgar64]

I thought the deadliest thing was "I'm rolling so well! Surely my luck will hold!"

[@keatonbash2217]

Or “I’m rolling poorly. Surely this will turn around!”

[@jeffwillsea6757]

@@keatonbash2217 my luck never turns around!! XD my party finds it funny tbh. And so the DM dosent totally kill me for each Nat one I get .... I had to rebuild my character meant to fight close up, and adjust him to mostly do AOE spells so that I wasn't rolling to hit, the enemies would roll to see how much damage they took. DM allowed it because otherwise I was usally flopping on the ground with a ton of health but no damage output. XD

[@ManoredRed]

I have never played D&D but find this hilarious. Environmental damage is OP in games. In Darksouls you slay literal gods but die if you fall three floors.

[@nehukybis]

My players became obsessed with the idea that the natural limestone cavern at the base of a hill was the secret entrance to a fort on top of the hill (it wasn't). Three PCs entered the cave and found a fast running stream that ran down into rock with >no> headroom. First player decides to swim underwater to see how far it goes (and has no magical or innate ability to breathe underwater). (Never, never do that in real life). I warned him it was EXTREMELY dangerous. He decided to jump in anyway. He drowned. Next PC jumped in to save him. He drowned, somewhere far downstream. Final PC decided NOT to try to save the other two, preventing a TPK from a freaking natural stream. The player who decided not to do it grew up in the same town I did, which has a limestone cave. The two other players were from out of town. Wonder if they just didn't grasp how crazy it is to enter a fast moving stream in a cave, especially when you have no idea where it leads.

[@madhippy3]

It was a bold move on their part. Some Nature rolls might have helped save their lives, but not likely. You already warned them of the risks and they ignored it.

[@WildBluntHickok]

Even if the water were stationary it would be a bad plan (because it's hard to tell when you're at the halfway point of your air supply / turn-around point). But running water? Even if the tunnel ends after 10 feet how sure are you that you can make any headway AT ALL when you turn back?

[@lauravturner]

Yeah, my first campaign gave us a pit. We were murder hobos, destroying everything, mostly because I was a Barbarian and Early-game-barbs are epic. We slayed countless goblins and wolves. An Ogre went down in 2 rounds. But that pit. That fucking pit. We just kept falling in, taking damage, climbing up, failing, falling in, taking more damage. We, a party that slayed an ogre in 2 rounds, almost died from a 10ft hole in the ground. Never underestimate pits and water.

[@bc9245]

Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer

[@PedroVictorBr]

Darkest Dungeon Quote. Instant Like.

[@kyoukishi7153]

SLAY.THEM.ALL!

[@airagog]

My players have PTSD from water. It's always a portal or trap.

[@Diurdii]

Before watching: "It's gonna be water" Called it.

[@theman6422]

Tarrasque: I’m the most powerful monster in the multiverse! *sees a puddle* Tarrasque: I PRAISE YOU OH EVIL ONE

[@DragoSonicMile]

Oh gosh dang it. *facepalm* An Aboleth charmed the Tarrasque. We're all doomed!

[@logankelly4794]

As soon as I saw that Mountain, I couldn't help but smile. This was my first adventure as a player! I remember playing as a Ranger running across the rope bridge at the beginning of the dungeon and the bard and cleric fell to their deaths behind me. I was fortunate enough to find two men wrestling naked in a makeshift prison in the next room that just so happened to be a cleric and bard

[@tajdyson1369]

How convenient!

[@ObservingLibertarian]

I think we know - the deadliest thing in D&D is when the rogue does something stupid and the DM starts smiling...

[@anthonykafka42]

or bard, or wizard, the difference is what the stupid was rouges stab,bards get STDs wizards blow themselves up

[@ObservingLibertarian]

@@anthonykafka42 Oddly enough I've never had a character *die* as a result of any of _those_ hings: I've had 3 characters die as a result of a rogue being very rogue'esque. Twice by traps and once by trying to conduct illegal deals behind the party's back, and then tried to double cross the person with whom he was dealing: who then ambushed us and managed to kill my character. . So if the topic is *"deadliest things"* in D&D, in my experience - the deadliest thing in D&D is when the rogue does something stupid and the DM starts smiling.

[@elitemook4234]

'The DM smiles' is the scariest thing in DND

[@WildBluntHickok]

Followed closely by "which party member is in the lead" when entering a room, or "which hand do you use" when reaching for a doorknob.

[@AnotherDM]

Also, "What's the Marching Order?" and the eponymous raised eyebrow....

[@funnyblog100]

This is why I keep shape water handy as a cantrip.

[@Xiuhtec]

The deadliest thing in D&D isn't really the water... but the dice.

[@psyko2666]

*Looks at cup of water* I'm on to you...

[@michaeladams3762]

as your staring at it a tentacle starts to come out of it

[@TheTuneAce]

More like "rolling 3 or 4 crit fails in a row is the deadliest thing in dnd"

[@foxboy64]

several crit fails are always bad, but there are few situations where those fails are frequently deadly. water and heights will turn those bad rolls into a new character real fast. just about the only place where its worse to roll consecutive fails than around water or heights, are during death saves.

[@morrigancollins2092]

The highest DC enemy the players will ever encounter is the "1" side of their D20

[@sinnison23]

Yep, now every character I make in every edition learns to swim. The ones that didn't, all drowned. Except one, a gnomish tinker that was eaten whole by a giant fish, but same ballpark. XD

[@FoulOne]

The deadliest thing in D&D. The dice...

[@overlordmadness1548]

And don’t get cocky. Just because you got good rolls before doesn’t mean you always will. Luck is a fickle mistress.

[@OspreyKnight]

1st level, my compatriots decide to go for a swim in a lake at first level. The first one goes in, proceeds to fail swim check, barely makes it out alive. Second one tries it and again fails the swim check. The first one goes in after them, heroically failing a swim check for a second time in placid water with no monsters. My Gnoll monk calmly walks in the 3 foot deep water and pulls them both out. Since that day we don't go into the water.

[@Black_Blossom]

Johan von Generico has gotta be the best goddamn name ever. Period. I wish I saw this back when made this.

[@rook8822]

“that’s when it started raining arrows” dude predicted November of 2020

[@irok1]

11 likes for 11/11

[@KydroxHD]

i dont get it