Jordimandus encounter conditions

[Achilles]

Someone is going to to point out that a very pendantic reading of the card = this isn’t a bug, however I’m hoping that a developer realizes that the spirit of the wording is being violated and makes a change.

 

Encounter J-dude

Spawns a Muck Graul (you see where this is going right?)

Succeed the check, but fail to “defeat” the monster because the attack lacks the Fire trait...

 

So, I did all the things that I was ostensibly supposed to do but am denied the Diplomacy check because ****ing Muck Grauls

 

I call shenanigans.

[Ethics Gradient]

I call shenanigans.

 

Muck Grauls themselves are the bug.  Man, there's almost no encounter they can't derp up.

 

As far as the actual encounter goes, here's some of the tabletop lore behind it:

 

Jordimandus is the last remaining Warden of Sloth.  A legit lazy dude, he's pretty much been sitting in the same chair for the last 9000 years.  However, he did have a productive spell early on, and he made a pact with the demon Jubilex and scored himself a new heart that effectively makes him immortal... as long he doesn't leave the room (it's that black spidery thing visible in the middle of his chest).

 

During the encounter, he summons monsters to engage the players, and doesn't do an awful lot unless directly threatened.  As you get close to beating him, he'll beg for his life and offer up the secrets of the Runeforge in return.

 

Anyways, that's how the villain card turned into the wierd abstraction of: "summon monster to fight player, and if bested, negotiate with the player if they are willing to lay down their weapons."

[heroic]

You failed to defeat the summoned monster, ergo, you don't get to threaten him with your words.

[Jenceslav]

I think this situation is bad, but according to rules. Muck Graul is ugly, but the same result would be from a much tamer monster, the Troll. No Fire, no death.

At least you can kill Jordimandus with Combat - which is usually much easier for me than Diplomacy. Harsk with his 1d4 or, well, every person other than Seelah, Seoni, Valeros and maybe Lini has a big trouble with straight Diplomacy checks. Blast him for 30+ damage? Usually easy.

[Achilles]

Thank you, Ethics Gradient, for not taking the easy path that I knew others would find so tempting.