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[Tawmis]

Just curious: did they pass the Perception check? 'Cos if they failed, that means they thought the Hell Hound took 2 damage, even though it didn't.

So had they failed their perception they would not have seen that the fire did no damage to the Hell Hound.
So creatures that have resistances (where they take half damage) or immunity (take no damage), when someone uses that attack - and hit - I make them roll perception (if they fail, I say OK), if they pass I explain "The monster took no damage from your attack!" or "You didn't do as much damage as you think you should have!"

I can just imagine the hound mocking the wizard (a la The Rude Frenchman in Monty Python's "Holy Grail"). "Thank you for strengthening me, stupid human! I deride your pathetic, useless magic, and call it silly thing!"
I'd love to see that. A stereotype-French Hell-Hound. What's next, an incompetent (and not-very-powerful) fire imp? "Welcome to my lair, insignificant one! I am a DEMON of heck, and I am here to torment you! FEEL my power, as I now RUIN your lovely cheese-and-ham sandwich by breathing FIRE upon it! Ah rats, I didn't mean to turn it into a PIZZA! QUIT LAUGHING, YOU PUNY MORTAL!!!"

Heh, most of my campaigns are of the serious nature - I let the comedy play out usually through dice rolls or people's ideas.

[Rath Darkblade]

Fair enough ... but doesn't the DM get to do silly (or dramatic/serious) voices and mannerisms for the NPCs? I thought he/she did. Or am I out of date?

You know the kind of thing. The Heroes burst into the Evil Wizard's chambers (or whatever) and he stands up and either gives them a serious telling off for disrupting his concentration (or similar) in a low, menacing (or booming) voice ... or else adopts a silly high-pitched voice and squeaks about how they killed his servants, and they'd better say sorry! (And mean it!)

Does that happen at all in your campaigns?

[Tawmis]

Fair enough ... but doesn't the DM get to do silly (or dramatic/serious) voices and mannerisms for the NPCs? I thought he/she did. Or am I out of date?

You know the kind of thing. The Heroes burst into the Evil Wizard's chambers (or whatever) and he stands up and either gives them a serious telling off for disrupting his concentration (or similar) in a low, menacing (or booming) voice ... or else adopts a silly high-pitched voice and squeaks about how they killed his servants, and they'd better say sorry! (And mean it!)

Does that happen at all in your campaigns?

Oh for sure the DM gets to do fun voices.
I think I mentioned before, in what I call the "Off Week" game - where it is very heavy on the RP of characters (as they tend to often talk their way out of fights) - I made an NPC to help out (because one of the players had left the game, leaving it down to two players who were desperate to continue the game - so I made a fighter, since the current party was a druid and a rogue) - and as a joke, the first time he spoke, since he was all STR and CON, so low INT, I just spoke like Arnold Schwarzenegger... and now that's his voice.

And of course, players can also talk in voices too. And DMs can give NPCs a quirky personality. For example for the off week there's an undead floating skull with green fire around (it was originally a monster) - who is an undead wizard. It was supposed to be a battle, but the session turned out funner by befriending him; and now he travels with with them always asking if there's a body he can possess and take over forever, so he can cast spells again, since he can't cast without fingers.

So there are for sure opportunities. But again, there's those who try to be funny, and it doesn't work. One guy named his character Dick Poop (because that was a name he used for his online games), so I always just referred to his character as "Dick", and then the other guy named his character "Elon Dusk".... so, this is why I am not a fan of "forced" humor, and rather allow it to flow naturally.

[Rath Darkblade]

Fair enough ... but doesn't the DM get to do silly (or dramatic/serious) voices and mannerisms for the NPCs? I thought he/she did. Or am I out of date?

You know the kind of thing. The Heroes burst into the Evil Wizard's chambers (or whatever) and he stands up and either gives them a serious telling off for disrupting his concentration (or similar) in a low, menacing (or booming) voice ... or else adopts a silly high-pitched voice and squeaks about how they killed his servants, and they'd better say sorry! (And mean it!)

Does that happen at all in your campaigns?

Oh for sure the DM gets to do fun voices.
I think I mentioned before, in what I call the "Off Week" game - where it is very heavy on the RP of characters (as they tend to often talk their way out of fights) - I made an NPC to help out (because one of the players had left the game, leaving it down to two players who were desperate to continue the game - so I made a fighter, since the current party was a druid and a rogue) - and as a joke, the first time he spoke, since he was all STR and CON, so low INT, I just spoke like Arnold Schwarzenegger... and now that's his voice.

And of course, players can also talk in voices too. And DMs can give NPCs a quirky personality. For example for the off week there's an undead floating skull with green fire around (it was originally a monster) - who is an undead wizard. It was supposed to be a battle, but the session turned out funner by befriending him; and now he travels with with them always asking if there's a body he can possess and take over forever, so he can cast spells again, since he can't cast without fingers.

So there are for sure opportunities. But again, there's those who try to be funny, and it doesn't work. One guy named his character Dick Poop (because that was a name he used for his online games), so I always just referred to his character as "Dick", and then the other guy named his character "Elon Dusk".... so, this is why I am not a fan of "forced" humor, and rather allow it to flow naturally.

Um, an "undead floating skull with green fire around it" ... wouldn't that be a demilich? Run away! RUN AWAY!

Yes, making friends with a demilich sounds a lot more fun than fighting it. I just hope it doesn't stab them in the back ... or, since it doesn't have fingers, I hope it doesn't bite them in the you-know-where.

I agree, making up immature humour like "Dick Poop" isn't funny. Naming your character after a well-known business or political figure ... isn't funny. That's why there aren't any wizards called Jeff Bezos, or druids called Bill Gates, or paladins called George W. Bush.

On the other hand, subverting what your PCs expect ...? A fire imp is supposed to be evil. If the worst it can do is threaten me ineffectually, and turn my sandwich into a pizza ... maybe I can make friends with it (like your PCs made friends with the floating skull). Or, maybe if I try to make friends with it, it'll turn around and flame me. (What? It's an evil, deceitful creature. It's not supposed to be Captain Helpful).

[Tawmis]

Um, an "undead floating skull with green fire around it" ... wouldn't that be a demilich? Run away! RUN AWAY!
Yes, making friends with a demilich sounds a lot more fun than fighting it. I just hope it doesn't stab them in the back ... or, since it doesn't have fingers, I hope it doesn't bite them in the you-know-where.
I agree, making up immature humour like "Dick Poop" isn't funny. Naming your character after a well-known business or political figure ... isn't funny. That's why there aren't any wizards called Jeff Bezos, or druids called Bill Gates, or paladins called George W. Bush.
On the other hand, subverting what your PCs expect ...? A fire imp is supposed to be evil. If the worst it can do is threaten me ineffectually, and turn my sandwich into a pizza ... maybe I can make friends with it (like your PCs made friends with the floating skull). Or, maybe if I try to make friends with it, it'll turn around and flame me. (What? It's an evil, deceitful creature. It's not supposed to be Captain Helpful).

For the flaming skull... not a demilich or even a lich. D&D has a monster called "Flamingskull" which is a vengeful undead wizard... looks like this:

So... there is a magic item called "Immovable Rod" - imagine it as a magical climbing tool. You can hold it in the air - click it - and it magically stays there. So if you had two of them - you could literally just create a ladder, by climbing one over the other. That looks like this:

So Darko's story is that he was a wizard that was betrayed - someone murdered him from behind (while he was working for the main bad guy) - then proceeded to shove an Immovable Rod through his head. Darko has been staring at the ground, reborn undead, as his body decayed, unable to move - just face down in the dirt for who knows how long - until the party found him and actually befriended him.

I made a custom image, using the above to create Darko's current appearance:

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm. Would it be possible for the party to remove the Immovable Rod from Darko's head? It's a valuable magical artifact.

Of course, if they removed it, Darko might be able to do who knows what to them, if he's truly evil. Maybe they should wait until he experiences and alignment shift. Maybe he could even become good?

[Tawmis]

Hmm. Would it be possible for the party to remove the Immovable Rod from Darko's head? It's a valuable magical artifact.

Of course, if they removed it, Darko might be able to do who knows what to them, if he's truly evil. Maybe they should wait until he experiences and alignment shift. Maybe he could even become good?

They can remove it - they have not so far.