DM Almost Loses Player After Hermit Trades Away a Staff of Power During Lost Caverns Run

A Dungeon Master temporarily removed players’ powerful magic items during a short follow-up game, which led to a private complaint and nearly cost the group a player; the conflict was later resolved when the party recovered the gear from the antagonist.

– A DM ran a level‑9 module, The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, for a party already at level 11.
– The DM increased an early Blue Dragon’s power and had a hermit trade the players’ magic items to the dragon, including a Staff of Power.
– One player expressed frustration in private, and the situation almost ended that player’s participation.
– The group later recovered the items by confronting the dragon, and the incident ended without a permanent split.

What happened during the session

The group had finished an 18‑month campaign and played a short follow‑up using the 5th‑edition adaptation of The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Since the module is aimed at level 9 and their characters were level 11, the DM increased the Blue Dragon’s age and threat level to make the early wilderness encounters more challenging. Consequently, while the party rested in a hermit’s shack, the hermit traded their most powerful magic items to the dragon in exchange for their safety. The items taken included a Staff of Power that belonged to one player’s character.

Immediate consequences

One player contacted the DM privately and expressed frustration about losing the item. The complaint centered on the loss of a long‑earned and mechanically significant treasure. After the DM declined to immediately undo the story change, the disagreement escalated, and at one point the player nearly left the group.

How the conflict was resolved

Ultimately, the group confronted the upgraded Blue Dragon inside the caverns and recovered the traded items after a climactic encounter. Therefore, the short‑term story change was reversed in play through the party’s actions. The session concluded with the party regaining their possessions and the group continuing to play together.

Image credit: Ekaterina Burmak /Paizo Publishing

Notable facts

– The module used was an adaptation of Gary Gygax’s classic, adjusted for 5th edition.
– The decision to upgrade the dragon and remove items was a DM‑led change to increase difficulty.
– The dispute reached private communication between a player and the DM, and the party later resolved the issue in play.

Practical takeaway

Communication was the decisive factor. After the incident, the group’s later actions restored the lost gear, and the episode ended without a permanent breakup. In addition, the case shows that removing player possessions can affect player satisfaction, especially when items were earned over a long campaign.