Combat Plan

🎭 DM RUN GUIDE — Ritual of Returning Breath

🧭 Core Principles (Read This First)

This encounter works if you prioritise:

• Clarity over complexity → players always know what matters
• Pressure over damage → threat comes from failure, not death
• Emotion over optimisation → reward meaningful roleplay

If players are asking “what should I do?” → clarify

If players are asking “can I say/do something meaningful?” → encourage

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⏱️ SESSION FLOW (REAL-TIME PACING)

1. Arrival & Setup (20–40 mins)

• Describe the chamber
• Deliver Venrieth’s guidance
• Let players discuss roles

👉 Do not rush this. This is where emotional investment forms.

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2. Ritual Begins (60–90 mins)

You are now running a looped structure.

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🔁 ROUND STRUCTURE (Your Turn Order Cheat Sheet)

Run each round in this exact order:

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1. 🎤 Prompt the Ritual

Give the narrative cue:

• Round 1 → “Name them.”
• Round 2 → “Give them something real.”
• Round 3 → “Give them something that will be.”

👉 Look at a player and ask directly:

Let them roleplay first. THEN call for a roll.

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2. 🎲 Resolve Skill Check

• Default DC: 14
• Track:
  • ✅ Success
  • ❌ Failure

👉 Important:

• If roleplay is strong → give advantage
• If weak / rushed → no penalty, just neutral

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3. 👁️ Spawn / Run Echoes

• Spawn 1 Echo per round
• Max 3 active

On their turns:

• Move toward the child
• Attack whoever blocks them
• End near the child → trigger Soul Pull

👉 Your priority is NOT damage.

Your priority is:

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4. 🌀 Trigger Environmental Effect

Escalate tension each round:

• Round 1 → minor (whispers, disadvantage)
• Round 2 → moderate (restraints)
• Round 3+ → severe (light falters, harder checks)

👉 Keep it fast. One sentence, one roll.

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5. 🖤 Apply Aasimar Pressure (If Needed)

Use only when:

• A failure happens
• Players hesitate
• Momentum drops

Speak quietly:

👉 Don’t overuse. 1–2 lines per round max.

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6. 📊 Check End Condition

• 3 successes → move to final check
• 3 failures → ritual collapses

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🎯 WHAT PLAYERS SHOULD BE DOING

If things are working well, players will naturally split into roles:

🛡️ Defender

• Keeps Echoes away from the child

🎤 Speaker

• Handles ritual checks

⚡ Disruptor

• Interrupts Soul Pull (uses reactions)

🧠 Support

• Buffs, heals, assists checks

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If they’re not doing this, guide them subtly:

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⚖️ DIFFICULTY CONTROL (LIVE ADJUSTMENTS)

If Too Hard:

• Reduce Echo HP mid-fight (quietly)
• “The roots hold one in place” (skip a turn)
• Ignore one Soul Pull

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If Too Easy:

• Spawn 2 Echoes in a round
• Increase Soul Pull range to 15 ft
• Target the ritual speaker more aggressively

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🎬 YOUR TONE CONTROL

This encounter lives or dies on delivery.

Speak:

• Slowly
• Clearly
• With pauses

Use silence:

After a player speaks a memory or promise → pause before rolling

Let it land.

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⚠️ COMMON PITFALLS

❌ Running it like normal combat

→ Fix: Keep asking “what do you say?”

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❌ Over-explaining mechanics

→ Fix: Reveal only what matters

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❌ Letting combat dominate

→ Fix: Echoes move toward the child, not players

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❌ Rushing the ritual prompts

→ Fix: This is the encounter

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🌒 FINAL CHECK MOMENT

Slow everything down.

Ask: "who completes the ritual"

Let them choose.

This should feel like responsibility, not mechanics.

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🎭 ENDING DELIVERY

Regardless of outcome:

• Lower your voice
• Slow your pace
• Let silence sit between lines

👉 This is where players remember the session.

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🧠 QUICK REFERENCE (PRINT THIS)

Each Round:

1. Prompt roleplay
2. Roll (DC 14)
3. Spawn Echo
4. Run Echo turns
5. Environmental effect
6. Optional whisper
7. Check success/failure