5 points of auto-damage at heroic is pretty tasty for a minor, IMHO. I don't know hexblades very well, but barbarians don't generally have much to do with a minor action. Shaman are a little more iffy - depends on whether healing is needed or if they need to summon their SC.
At their level, they only have one utility from 2nd level, and only the dragonborn has a minor action racial that's worthwhile. So 5 points of autodamage is pretty nice.
My biggest recommendation is to find a way to communicate the terrain powers clearly. I do face to face gaming, so I would make crib sheets or cards for the players. I believe you do mostly online, so maybe their tokens can have mouseover text or something....I don't know the interface that well, but you get the idea.
The reason I say that is that terrain powers are always new to players, since they change on an encounter basis in general, so they don't think to use them unless its right in front of their face.
If you want the players to use the terrain powers, don't require a roll at all. Just let them expend a minor action to do the thing.
Once you require a roll, you want to have some interesting consequences for failure (otherwise why bother asking for a roll?). And "interesting" has to mean something other than a penalty (like the PC falling prone or dazing himself), or you're right back to the players not wanting to risk using the terrain power.
I had considered originally doing "relative success" skill checks DW style, i.e. high roll is success, middling roll is success with a cost, low roll is succeed or fail with cost. But I thought it just might be confusing.
I'm going to have to give this some thought. For reasons I can't explain at the moment, I feel like there should be a check of some kind. My philosophy is if I can't explain my "feeling" about something, it needs further examination.
My biggest recommendation is to find a way to communicate the terrain powers clearly. I do face to face gaming, so I would make crib sheets or cards for the players. I believe you do mostly online, so maybe their tokens can have mouseover text or something....I don't know the interface that well, but you get the idea.
Yeah, they'll have this available in text format, clearly spelled out prior to the game. I tend to be very transparent about a lot of stuff I do.
No amount of tips, tricks, or gimmicks will ever be better than simply talking directly to your fellow players to resolve your issues. Reduce DM Prep & Increase Player Engagement:Don't Prep the Plot | Structure First, Story Last | Collaborative Roleplay | "Yes, and..." | Prep Tips Games I'm Running on Roll20: Island of the Frog | Vanguard of Dis | Star*Juice | Tesseract | The Crucible | Fimbulvetr | The Delve | Draj, City of the Moon Follow me on Twitter:@is3rith
Pick a different goal for the Wart Mother than fighting to the death. Eating any mobile zombie, maybe.
Her motivation as I have it written is: To consume.
I was entering design mode with the mindset of Lair Assault, perhaps not so much in terms of "gamebreaking" but in terms of going for broke. I'm not married to the notion though. Ideas?
Looks fun. Looks like a lot to keep track of though and, honestly, if the monsters in that encounter are not massively overpowered then I would bet that the characters wouldn't use those terrain powers at all. Even if the monsters are, they might not think to use them until it's too late. What are your plans for failure?
Thanks. I bet the monsters are just overpowered enough for this group. They aren't great at dealing with minions, even when I clump. Dargan's shotgun is about the most controllerish thing they got as far as dealing with minions. Although, we do have one more player joining the group:
"Ok boys...say hello to Sapo, first mate of the Crapaud, a bullywug hunter/seeker/outlaw who has a hunting rifle (superior crossbow) strung across his back, a whip at his side(for maintaining order on the ship) and a dagger in his boot."
As it's a one-shot and in light of other stuff, my hope is that it wraps this session. So if it ends in the bottom of the Wart Mother's stomach - then it were a cautionary tale of unbridled greed gone horribly wrong, I tells ya. But I'm definitely open to suggestions.
No amount of tips, tricks, or gimmicks will ever be better than simply talking directly to your fellow players to resolve your issues. Reduce DM Prep & Increase Player Engagement:Don't Prep the Plot | Structure First, Story Last | Collaborative Roleplay | "Yes, and..." | Prep Tips Games I'm Running on Roll20: Island of the Frog | Vanguard of Dis | Star*Juice | Tesseract | The Crucible | Fimbulvetr | The Delve | Draj, City of the Moon Follow me on Twitter:@is3rith
If you want the players to use the terrain powers, don't require a roll at all. Just let them expend a minor action to do the thing.
Once you require a roll, you want to have some interesting consequences for failure (otherwise why bother asking for a roll?). And "interesting" has to mean something other than a penalty (like the PC falling prone or dazing himself), or you're right back to the players not wanting to risk using the terrain power.
Given that your PCs are 5th level (not sure where I got 9th) I might downgrade the auto-damage to 5. But 5 is psychologically not very sex (even though it kills minions). 10 is a lot sexier because of the double digits.
Dammit. Your post has me thinking. I know these are niggling details in the grand scheme, but there's always that need to get the most elegant mechanic possible, right? (For me at least, sometimes. Too much time on my hands tonight.)
If I'm going to break down my goals, it would include encouraging the players to play with the terrain powers. I figure the strike-two complications are going to cause the PCs to interact with the terrain power "pogs" one way or another, so that's taken care of. I gather my other goals are to provide a good excuse to make skill checks and to make the transaction as simple as possible.
So I think I'm going to go with minor action with a skill check, no attack rolls, static damage. I think it will be 5 damage for Make Ready and 10 damage for Incoming. Then I'll make the munitions tent explosion like 20 damage or a roll. Thoughts?
EDIT: I am still unsettled by having a skill check with no interesting failure though. Those are already built into the game enough IMO. I'm just not sure I need or want the additional complexity unless somebody has some nifty ideas.
No amount of tips, tricks, or gimmicks will ever be better than simply talking directly to your fellow players to resolve your issues. Reduce DM Prep & Increase Player Engagement:Don't Prep the Plot | Structure First, Story Last | Collaborative Roleplay | "Yes, and..." | Prep Tips Games I'm Running on Roll20: Island of the Frog | Vanguard of Dis | Star*Juice | Tesseract | The Crucible | Fimbulvetr | The Delve | Draj, City of the Moon Follow me on Twitter:@is3rith
While it probably doesn't mean much in the long run, you could shorten the mechanical instructions of the Swallow attack for the Wart Mother by removing the stunned condition and replace it with the removed from game condition. The condition was properly defined in the Rules Compendium, and more or less does the same thing for the attack as the stunned condition and the targeting clause.
Aside from that, very nice on all the monsters. Well thought out and cohesive mechanics all around
I am still unsettled by having a skill check with no interesting failure though. Those are already built into the game enough IMO. I'm just not sure I need or want the additional complexity unless somebody has some nifty ideas.
The loss of an action is sometimes bad enough, and complicating it further may disuade PCs from using it more than once or so without reason for a better result. Minor actions at level 5 are often better spent on utilities or secondary effects for a daily and the like (or in the case of the Shaman, callin' the spirit companion out).
Stick with keeping it a single minor action use, but I'd also keep the idea of varying difficulty degree, with a hard DC affording a better results or better damage than a normal or easy DC check would. The loss of an action is bad enough on a miss, but I might give the terrain powers a sort of miss line that still lets the PCs get something out of it. I probably wouldn't make them do damage in the case of the two that do, but maybe a minor effect that's just as helpful, such as the area around or neer the musketeers being lightly obscured by smoke from their rifles for a moment or two on a miss. A PC could at least try to use that partial concealment to their advantage, and their action wouldn't be so wasted even if they don't hit their target. Perhaps work these sorts of effects into some of the success degrees of the terrain powers themselves so as to offer full usage options. Vanilla CA or area damage is nice, but sweeten the deal with a bit more and the PCs would probably love using those things.
Also, just a nitpick, but there's really no usage difference with the Musketeers from the ship cannon both being area bursts. Try a multi target ranged attack or a close blast for the musketeers to make their use different from the cannon for something besides the damage they output.
While it probably doesn't mean much in the long run, you could shorten the mechanical instructions of the Swallow attack for the Wart Mother by removing the stunned condition and replace it with the removed from game condition. The condition was properly defined in the Rules Compendium, and more or less does the same thing for the attack as the stunned condition and the targeting clause.
I like that and will change it. I was a little angsty over the stunned/OG 10 on that. One failed save probably means way bloodied and with no actions to be able to do anything to mitigate, it could go badly in an unsatisfying way. Maybe I'll stick 10 damage on the "back end" as an aftereffect that follows a successful save against the removed from play condition.
The loss of an action is sometimes bad enough, and complicating it further may disuade PCs from using it more than once or so without reason for a better result. Minor actions at level 5 are often better spent on utilities or secondary effects for a daily and the like (or in the case of the Shaman, callin' the spirit companion out).
Stick with keeping it a single minor action use, but I'd also keep the idea of varying difficulty degree, with a hard DC affording a better results or better damage than a normal or easy DC check would. The loss of an action is bad enough on a miss, but I might give the terrain powers a sort of miss line that still lets the PCs get something out of it. I probably wouldn't make them do damage in the case of the two that do, but maybe a minor effect that's just as helpful, such as the area around or neer the musketeers being lightly obscured by smoke from their rifles for a moment or two on a miss. A PC could at least try to use that partial concealment to their advantage, and their action wouldn't be so wasted even if they don't hit their target. Perhaps work these sorts of effects into some of the success degrees of the terrain powers themselves so as to offer full usage options. Vanilla CA or area damage is nice, but sweeten the deal with a bit more and the PCs would probably love using those things.
Good ideas. Perhaps minor to activate with a low to mod DC and a bump in efficacy if they roll high. I like that. I have it written already that the terrain power pogs can slide after the "attack" or "effect" so perhaps you get that even if you fail. Keeping the terrain power pogs non-adjacent to enemies would be a goal so even if you don't get the damage, that's helpful in avoiding complications.
Also, just a nitpick, but there's really no usage difference with the Musketeers from the ship cannon both being area bursts. Try a multi target ranged attack or a close blast for the musketeers to make their use different from the cannon for something besides the damage they output.
True. How about musketeers target "one, two, or three enemies within 10" and the ship stays an area burst?
No amount of tips, tricks, or gimmicks will ever be better than simply talking directly to your fellow players to resolve your issues. Reduce DM Prep & Increase Player Engagement:Don't Prep the Plot | Structure First, Story Last | Collaborative Roleplay | "Yes, and..." | Prep Tips Games I'm Running on Roll20: Island of the Frog | Vanguard of Dis | Star*Juice | Tesseract | The Crucible | Fimbulvetr | The Delve | Draj, City of the Moon Follow me on Twitter:@is3rith
While it probably doesn't mean much in the long run, you could shorten the mechanical instructions of the Swallow attack for the Wart Mother by removing the stunned condition and replace it with the removed from game condition. The condition was properly defined in the Rules Compendium, and more or less does the same thing for the attack as the stunned condition and the targeting clause.
I like that and will change it. I was a little angsty over the stunned/OG 10 on that. One failed save probably means way bloodied and with no actions to be able to do anything to mitigate, it could go badly in an unsatisfying way. Maybe I'll stick 10 damage on the "back end" as an aftereffect that follows a successful save against the removed from play condition.
The damage isn't too bad as part of the effect. Other monsters do similar things. If the damage still seems a bit much for ya, reduce it to ongoing 5. That should be enough. Though, taking a second look at the power, it should be a recharge power instead of an at will. Make the recharge clause "when no creature is removed from play by this power". An at will minor that removes PCs from play is just silly XD
Also, just a nitpick, but there's really no usage difference with the Musketeers from the ship cannon both being area bursts. Try a multi target ranged attack or a close blast for the musketeers to make their use different from the cannon for something besides the damage they output.
True. How about musketeers target "one, two, or three enemies within 10" and the ship stays an area burst?
The damage isn't too bad as part of the effect. Other monsters do similar things. If the damage still seems a bit much for ya, reduce it to ongoing 5. That should be enough. Though, taking a second look at the power, it should be a recharge power instead of an at will. Make the recharge clause "when no creature is removed from play by this power". An at will minor that removes PCs from play is just silly XD
OG 5 would make me feel better, but I'm okay with no additional damage at all. I'd note that the Wart Mother needs to have had immobilized the target before she can swallow, so it's not like she can do that all the time. (Basically have to hit with bite first as a standard.)
No amount of tips, tricks, or gimmicks will ever be better than simply talking directly to your fellow players to resolve your issues. Reduce DM Prep & Increase Player Engagement:Don't Prep the Plot | Structure First, Story Last | Collaborative Roleplay | "Yes, and..." | Prep Tips Games I'm Running on Roll20: Island of the Frog | Vanguard of Dis | Star*Juice | Tesseract | The Crucible | Fimbulvetr | The Delve | Draj, City of the Moon Follow me on Twitter:@is3rith
The damage isn't too bad as part of the effect. Other monsters do similar things. If the damage still seems a bit much for ya, reduce it to ongoing 5. That should be enough. Though, taking a second look at the power, it should be a recharge power instead of an at will. Make the recharge clause "when no creature is removed from play by this power". An at will minor that removes PCs from play is just silly XD
OG 5 would make me feel better, but I'm okay with no additional damage at all. I'd note that the Wart Mother needs to have had immobilized the target before she can swallow, so it's not like she can do that all the time. (Basically have to hit with bite first as a standard.)
This encounter looks great and it's in my player's level range. Swiping it for an appropriate moment :D Two things I would change myself to make the Wart mother more effective/interesting:
1) Instead of making the target of Swallow be stunned or removed from play, I would use the following: "Hit: The target is swallowed by the Wart Mother (save ends). While swallowed, the target takes 10 damage at the start of his or her turn and does not have line of sight or effect to anything else besides the Wart Mother." This allows the player to still attack and be effective (and potentially create some kind of awesome Wart Mother vomiting and/or exploding), while still making sure noone else can attack him or help him (with the normal use of powers and/or abilities; being creative with Standard Action skills is of course highly encouraged). Alternatively, because sometimes character make too many saves or are able to save too efficiently, you could use the 'escape DC 19' condition instead of 'save ends', allowing the player to make an Athletics or Acrobatics check as a move action to escape. I like this better because it's more thematic.
2) At the moment, only the Wart Mother can immobilize targets. It's a minor action, so maybe this is less necessary, but it could leave her without targets for swallow very quickly. Consider allowing the minions to immobilize as well, if two or more minions hit the same target in the same round with their poison attack. It's not as nasty as a per-hit immobilize, but it's thematic (more poison slows you down more) and gives the minions some more synergy with the Wart Mother. It would make sense that they would not only defend their mother, but also prepare her supper for her.
1) Instead of making the target of Swallow be stunned or removed from play, I would use the following: "Hit: The target is swallowed by the Wart Mother (save ends). While swallowed, the target takes 10 damage at the start of his or her turn and does not have line of sight or effect to anything else besides the Wart Mother." This allows the player to still attack and be effective (and potentially create some kind of awesome Wart Mother vomiting and/or exploding), while still making sure noone else can attack him or help him (with the normal use of powers and/or abilities; being creative with Standard Action skills is of course highly encouraged).
Alternatively, because sometimes character make too many saves or are able to save too efficiently, you could use the 'escape DC 19' condition instead of 'save ends', allowing the player to make an Athletics or Acrobatics check as a move action to escape. I like this better because it's more thematic.
I like these ideas better myself. Kudos to you good sir
