Eaten by a Shark

[SunTzuWarmaster]

In the last session, I actually had my first primary (I had a named NPC under my control in 2nd ed die) character die. I think that this probably exemplifies the 3.5 unfairness, as this encounter is from a boxed module.

A shark has rammed the submarine we are travelling in, and it needs to surface. When it surfaces, it is caught in a sahugin net. <Characters> ARe need to fend off the shark or cut the submersible free.

Round 1: 2 Characters leave the submersible, decide to try to distract/fend off shark.
Round 2: My character is eaten by a shark (3/4 health gone, the rest to be removed on the digestion round), other characters are trying to swim and cut the net.
-----------------------------
Round 12: 9 characters have been eaten (The DM is being nice and choosing gnome NPCs rather than PCs).

Seriously.

[Username17]

That exemplifies how shitty melee is in 3.5.

Why not stand back and shoot arrows?

Cut it loose when it is dead.

-Username17

[Koumei]

[fbmf]

Game On,
fbmf

[Juton]

It happens. Sometimes that great axe crits, some times you get eaten. Color spray might have saved your bacon, but if you where a Druid you could have used wild empathy and have the shark leave.

So I guess the morale of the story is be a Druid.

[Koumei]

if you where a Druid you could have used wild empathy and have the shark leave JOIN FORCES WITH YOU AS A SHARKBRO.

So I guess the morale of the story is be a Druid.

Fixed it for you.

[PhaedrusXY]

In the last session, I actually had my first primary (I had a named NPC under my control in 2nd ed die) character die. I think that this probably exemplifies the 3.5 unfairness, as this encounter is from a boxed module.

A shark has rammed the submarine we are travelling in, and it needs to surface. When it surfaces, it is caught in a sahugin net. <Characters> ARe need to fend off the shark or cut the submersible free.

Round 1: 2 Characters leave the submersible, decide to try to distract/fend off shark.
Round 2: My character is eaten by a shark (3/4 health gone, the rest to be removed on the digestion round), other characters are trying to swim and cut the net.
-----------------------------
Round 12: 9 characters have been eaten (The DM is being nice and choosing gnome NPCs rather than PCs).

Seriously.

So wait... wait... Your character died for the first time in D&D, and you've been playing since 2nd edition, and therefore you think D&D is unfair? Did you go off your meds or something? Go play through the original Tome of Horrors, and then you'll know unfair. Until then, stop whining.

[Koumei]

And since when does Sun Tzu manage to get eaten by a shark? Does that mean the shark outsmarted him? Win, then go to battle.

[Cynic]

Phaedrus: I think you missed the point. it isn't that his character was eaten for the first time that's the problem. It's the idiocy of the Shark!

Although, I still don't understand why you went into melee with it?

[PhaedrusXY]

Phaedrus: I think you missed the point. it isn't that his character was eaten for the first time that's the problem. It's the idiocy of the Shark!

Although, I still don't understand why you went into melee with it?

So... the shark is the stupid one here?

And it doesn't even have swallow whole. So how was he eaten when he was at 25% hit points?

[Cynic]

the idea of a Shark fight is stupid because of the lopsidedness of it.

Really a shark fight is a puzzle fight. just plink and spell 'em.

So, I'll just so, ya, okay, why are you complaining?

[Jilocasin]

And it doesn't even have swallow whole. So how was he eaten when he was at 25% hit points

Maybe it was a dire shark?

The only time I can recall ever dealing with a dire shark (or any shark) was when I was running a game and the players caught the damn thing with an improvised hook and line (I think it was a chain and maybe an anchor...) and latter on made sharkfin soup.

[Dominicius]

Those must have been some pretty dangerous waters if they had dire sharks in them.

[PhaedrusXY]

And it doesn't even have swallow whole. So how was he eaten when he was at 25% hit points

Maybe it was a dire shark?

The only time I can recall ever dealing with a dire shark (or any shark) was when I was running a game and the players caught the damn thing with an improvised hook and line (I think it was a chain and maybe an anchor...) and latter on made sharkfin soup.

He was facing a CR 9 monster and 2d8+9 took out 75% of his hit points? Did he have a negative con mod on a melee character or something? Or was it a lucky crit?

There are plenty of monsters that are very nasty in melee, and that you're better off just plinking as you fly above their heads. This shouldn't be news to someone who's been playing the game since 2nd edition... Of course, back in 2nd edition fighters actually had more hit points than just about everything, including dragons, and they had awesome saving throws.

I don't think the dire shark even looks that nasty for its CR. There are a lot worse things. Like... most of the other CR 9 core monsters.

The only kind of shark I've ever faced in a game was a megaladon. I was playing a cleric and readied an action to hit it with a Plane Shift when it came into touch range. It failed the save and was gone before it even bit anyone. It was a bit anti-climactic. I did have a character get eaten by a giant catfish once, though.

[Jilocasin]

He was facing a CR 9 monster and 2d8+9 took out 75% of his hit points? Did he have a negative con mod on a melee character or something? Or was it a lucky crit?

Heh, man I don't know. Maybe he wasn't at full health to begin with, maybe it was a crit, maybe any number of other things. All I know is either it was a regular-ish shark and the dm decided it had swallow whole, or it was a dire shark.

[Cynic]

one of my earliest 3e battles was 6 bulettes at the same time as a level 9 party of two.

[Koumei]

One of my characters was raised by Landsharks, that count?

[Count Arioch the 28th]

One time I used a bulette to recreate the Jaws 2 SNL skit out of genre.

[PhaedrusXY]

Candygram!

[JigokuBosatsu]

Isn't the "halfling-falls-out-of-canoe-and-is-eaten-by-giant-pike" trope at work here?