I'm DMing Lost Mine of Phandelver and my players just bolted from the great hall through the Smelter Cavern towards the easternmost area. They
took massive damage from the flameskull and are being pursued by zombies, but they've gotten through and are just outside the Forge of Spells.
Given that, according to the module text,
the zombies only pursue intruders near the Smelter Cavern and quit when the latter have departed that place, and that the flameskull is sworn to prevent intruders from "passing through" this place.
I'm puzzling over how to proceed, and thank the gods our session ended mid-battle.
I'm hoping someone can provide the right interpretation; mine is as follows:
the zombies are assigned to the Smelter Cavern and will return there rather than chase intruders anywhere (including to the East), and the flameskull is assigned to prevent intruders from getting through the Smelter Cavern (presumably to the East), since that is where the Forge of Spells and the boss of the undead (Mormesk) are.
Thus the zombies will turn back, having strayed too far from their "home base", but the flameskull will pursue the intruders, being unable to accept their having "passed through" the place that no one was to pass through.
Is this correct? Not correct? Or maybe there's no correct answer?
Best Answer
I'm going through the same module with my group. If they end up in the same situation I would have the zombies AND the flameskull not go more than 15 feet (arbitrary distance) beyond the Smelter Cavern in any direction. I would probably have the flameskull engage them earlier, and the zombies chase them farther - but only by a little bit.
I'm thinking the flameskull is motivated by preventing passage through, but has no.... object permanence I guess? It something isn't actively trying to pass through the area that the flameskull is trying to prevent passage through, it doesn't care. If they try to go back through the area though, it would likely re-engage them.
I'm 100% for running away from the flameskull being something that works in the party's favor.
I don't have the module in front of me right now, (I'm going off memory) so if I've put something in here that is contradictory to the text, please feel free to point it out.