OK RagnarokCzD. I'm sorry to offend you. Truly am. Many times I'm on my phone or I can't see your name or the spell check changes it to something weird. I didn't know it would upset you to mistype it. I hope that we can stop being opposed to one another in these threads. I'd like to have friendly conversations, working together to improve this game. I really don't want to argue endlessly with people about something Larian may or may not implement.
Right now, we are focusing too much on the owlbear situation, which I've admitted I was wrong about. I've also admitted that it is actually an example of how Larian has already done exactly what I am posting about here. So I was wrong. The owlbear scene is good.
But since we ARE stuck on the owlbear, let's use it as a case in point from a positive perspective about what I've been trying to say all along. In the situation of the owlbear, players are rewarded for GOOD roleplaying; decisions that makes sense from a story perspective and the player is acting according to their character. A druid or good cleric or good person period, who is supposed to be a hero, would kill the owlbear so no one else is victimized by it. An evil character would also likely kill it just because they feel like it or for the loot. So bad roleplaying would be to allow the thing to live and go about your business. Good roleplaying would be to kill it.
So, good roleplaying, killing the owlbear, brings rewards. Yay! This is my point. That's wonderful. Bad roleplaying, letting the owlbear live, brings no rewards. Again, this is my point. If you cheat, which is to sneak and steal the magic item, etc., you may still get a reward, but that, again, is good roleplaying because if you have a rogue who is good enough to sneak up and steal it then you should get the prize. So, this is a case in point of exactly what I'd like to see more of. THAT is the WHOLE point of this entire thread. Shoot! Even letting the baby owlbear live and such is good roleplaying depending on the personality you are creating for your character.
So now let's forget the owlbear. In the rest of the game, what we are currently getting is a lot of situations where I am rewarded for roleplaying in a way that doesn't make sense from a story perspective and/or is not in character. If I, for example, am a good cleric of Tyr, can you honestly tell me that it makes sense to you that my good cleric of Tyr confronts the hag in her home, she escapes with Mayrina, he fights some Red Caps and makes his way down to her lair, fights some masked adventurers and then decides to call it a day, head back to his camp, chill there for the remainder of the day, get 8 hours of sleep, head back to the hag's lair where he left off and then enter her inner domain and fight her? It doesn't make sense to me or to many others who agree with what I'm saying.
BUT, if I don't play this way, I have a REALLY hard time beating the hag. Shoot! I just played the Red Cap battle today and quit. Gonna have to reload. Full health, fresh slots, and played it with the intent to save my slots and such because I'm trying to manage my spells wisely and so forth so I can get to the hag with slots to spare. In other words, I was trying to play it in a way where I wouldn't need to Long Rest prior to facing her.
The Red Caps kicked my butt. Ethel poisoned me, giving me disadvantage on all rolls, and without using spells I was dying real fast.
So I'm forced to play in a way where I have to expend all my spell slots and such killing the Red Caps because it's a tough fight and then Long Rest some time between that fight and the hag's lair or I'll never beat the hag. Thus, my good cleric of Tyr is forced to go against his character. He is forced to use all his spells, and the spells of the rest of the party, just to get to the hag, then spend the remainder of the day chilling at camp, sleep 8 hours and return to face her as if it was no big deal to do so.
Please note: I did not say all this because I want advice on how to play the game. People tend to think that helps. It doesn't. I'm using this as a case in point. I'm pointing out that if I'm a new player, this entire side quest is immersion breaking. I will likely die unless I spend all my spells and take a Long Rest. When a hag has just kidnapped someone, there is a sense of urgency - or at least there should be if this was a real life scenario. Roleplaying is about putting yourself in their shoes. Can you honestly tell me that if a hag had just kidnapped someone you wouldn't be urged to push forward to try to save her if you were a good cleric of Tyr?
So, again, I'm punished unless I spend all my spell slots and Long Rest, which goes against my character. I HAVE to Long Rest, or I'm going to get my butt kicked and struggle getting to the end of the scenario. That is punishment to me and others who agree with me no matter what way you look at it. If I push on without long resting, the entire side quest is impossible or nearly impossible. If I rest, I break the immersion. That's how it was for me the first time I played it, and that's how it still is for me no matter what way I try to play it.
So my WHOLE point is that I want Larian to do things that make sense from a story perspective first. Then balance the game to match. Roleplaying is about story first. Then mechanics. That's why Wizards says it's okay to implement house rules.
They want players to enjoy the game and have fun adventures without the rules getting in the way. I have no problem with Larian implementing house rules to make the game more fun, but not at the expense of the story and character development. Story/character development first. The mechanics MUST compliment the story and character development. Don't make me do things that don't make sense from a story/character perspective just so I can beat a boss villain.
And, if the Red Cap fight, with all my characters at Level 4 (just leveled up beforehand) is difficult at best and impossible at worse, and I'm struggling to beat it unless I expend all my spell slots and so forth, or I know some clever tricks to the game, that is not good from a story perspective. The DM, Larian, has just put me in a VERY bad situation. There's no way I'm going to beat the hag now. I might as well pray to the gods to save Mayrina cause I sure won't be able to unless I use everything I've got for every battle and Long Rest a lot. Makes no logical sense.
ALL this being said, for you who think all I'm doing is complaining and trying to change the system, I've even thought of a way Larian COULD explain allowing a Long Rest or two during this scenario so they don't even have to change the system. Ethel, just before the Red Cap fight, says, "Let's have a bit of fun." So she indicates that she's playing with you. Therefore, she waits for you however long it takes because she's having a bit of fun with you. It's a game to her, AND she wants that tadpole. This, however, is never clearly explained.
SO, my suggestion now for this scene in particular, if Larian doesn't want to restrict Long Rests for story immersion purposes, is to have the hag at various points taunt you as you are making your way into her lair, like she does when you are examining different trophies in her sanctum. Heck! She taunts you from start to finish, so adding a few more taunts would only add to the flavor of the side quest. The taunting could be something like, "Take as much time as you need, Deary. I'm enjoying our little game. You sure you don't need to rest? Don't worry. I'll wait for you. The prize is well worth the wait." Once you are getting close to her lair, have her taunt again by saying something like, "You sure you want to face me right now, Pet? You're looking a bit worse for wear. Maybe you should get some rest first. Take the rest of the day off. I won't go anywhere. Promise. I want you at your best when I CRACK YOUR SKULL OPEN AND RIP THAT WIGGLER FROM YOUR POMPOUS LITTLE BRAIN!!!"
THIS tells players, especially new ones, that Long Resting might not only be okay but it is recommended. Then, from a story perspective, players get a full understanding that Ethel is totally enjoying this and is playing a game with you and she's going to wait as long as it takes for you to get there. THIS emphasizes to players that what she really wants is your tadpole. She'll even wait days if it means you'll bring it to her.
THAT is the kind of thing I'm looking for. If they are going to make the boss super tough, and you will likely need to Long Rest before facing him/her/it, then at least explain it from a story perspective. Don't make it so that I feel like I'm cheating by Long Resting.
And PLEASE untie dialogues from rest. I want my character development without having to End Day all the time. That breaks immersion SO much for me and others, which is why so many bring it up. I don't even care anymore if you put time limits on certain events like the gobbos attacking (which again I'd love to see). I just want it so that I don't have to Long Rest when I'm full health and full spell slots and so forth and it makes no sense to Long Rest just so I can trigger some dialogue or other.
