The Premise: The PCs, a group of survivors washed ashore following an unfortunate incident involving ships loaded down with black powder and a haphazardly-thrown burning match, have done well for themselves. Weighted down with the wealth of many kingdoms, they have made a deal with the leader of the sole remaining ship, Captain Burrp of The Crapaud, and his bullywug pirate lackeys. In exchange for rescuing his "daughter" - a human girl named Hansa - and offering up riches a toad like Burrp could only dream of, the PCs and the bullywug pirates have a tenuous alliance. Incensed by his sudden turn, the Oracle of Ribbit - the emissary of the tiny frog warriors known as grippli - tried to threaten Burrp into keeping his new alliance with the grippli against the PCs, who had slaughtered a grippli hunting party in the jungle. Hostilities broke out as Burrp sided with the PCs... and then that's when the Wart Mother made her presence known.
The Map:Link. The Wart Mother and 5 grippli are just beyond the treeline in the southwest corner of the map. Features of the Area as follows Spoiler:Show
Bushes, Campfire, Jungle, Rubble, Seaweed: Difficult terrain. Bushes provide cover to creatures in that square. If a creature ends its turn in the campfire, it takes 5 fire damage. If it ends its turn on seaweed, it falls into the water. The jungle is considered heavily obscured terrain. A creature has total concealment when it is in a heavily obscured square, although it has only partial concealment against an enemy adjacent to it. Foxhole: Creatures in a fox hole gain superior cover. It can fit 2 Medium-sized creatures. Pond: 10 feet deep fresh water. It’s a DC 10 to swim. Skiff: Each of these skiffs provides cover and can hold up to 6 passengers. Four creatures are required to move them when on land. Tents: Blocking terrain. A tent can be knocked down with a DC 10 Strength check. Trees: Trees are as tall as they are wide and require a DC 15 Athletics check to climb. Trees provide cover. Water: Two squares from the shore, the water is shallow for a Medium-sized creature and is difficult terrain. Beyond that point, creatures are swimming which requires a DC 15 Athletics check.
The Monsters (9th-level encounter): The Wart Mother, The Oracle of Ribbit, and at least 15 grippli hunters. Stat blocks link. General tactics Spoiler:Show
will be to hold The Wart Mother back a bit until it's particularly advantageous for her to enter the camp. Until then, she's going to generate and send waves of grippli hunters in to soften up the PCs and threaten their new allies (see below). The Oracle of Ribbit, poorly placed sod that he is, will do his best not to die in the first round. The Wart Mother isn't terribly bright and might fight to the death in pursuit of tasty morsels. The grippli might not let that happen though if they can get her to leave. Escape route would likely be via the water.
The PCs (5th-level): Kittra (halfling hexblade), Dargan (dragonborn barbarian), James Malicky and Berovice (pixie shaman and his spirit), and one more PC tbd.
The Allies: I wanted to try something a little different here, so this is the main area where I'm seeking advice (though please comment, critique, or add to anything else as well). Given the complexity of the situation the players set up through shared storytelling, there are a lot of dudes on the map. I'm certainly not up for playing all those different monsters and in so great a number during the fight. It'll just make things longer and more ponderous. So I've grouped the allies into four - all the juju zombie musketeers, all the bullywug pirates, Captain Burrp by himself, and Hansa by herself - and made them into "terrain powers." They are represented as pogs on the map (minis), but they aren't "creatures" in any mechanical sense, except where a power might make sense to apply. We can handle that on a case-by-base.
Each of these "terrain power pogs" can take three hits or "strikes" before they are removed from play. A strike will happen if at the end of the round any enemy is adjacent to the terrain power pog. There is no effect if they have one strike. When they get to two strikes, there is a complication (see below). So here are the "terrain powers":
DISTRACTING CROAK (Bullywug Pirates) The belches and croaks of the bullywugs drive frog-creatures to distraction. Variable Action* Check: Bluff, Intimidate, Nature (DC 22 – minor, DC 19 – move, DC 15 – standard) Special: This power can only be used once per round. You must be adjacent to the bullywug pirates. Success: The bullywug pirates distract the target with a cacophony of croaking. Target: All enemies in a close burst 5 Effect: The target grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn. The bullywug pirates can slide 2 squares before or after the attack.
INCOMING! (Captain Burrp) After Burrp belches loudly, you try to signal The Crapaud to fire at targets on the beach. Variable Action* Check: Acrobatics, Arcana, Perception (DC 22 – minor, DC 19 – move, DC 15 – standard) Special: This power can only be used once per round. You must be adjacent Captain Burrp and to the shoreline. Success:The Crapaud fires its cannons! Target: Each creature in an area burst 1 centered anywhere on the map Attack: +8 vs. Reflex Hit: 2d6 + 12 fire damage and the target is pushed to a square outside of the burst and knocked prone. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Captain Burrp can slide 2 squares before or after the attack.
INNOCENCE OF YOUTH (Hansa) The sweet presence of Hansa is enough to remind you what you’re fighting for. Oh, and loot. Trigger: You start your turn next to Hansa Target: Personal Effect: You can spend a healing surge. Hansa can slide 2 squares. Special: This power can only be used once per round.
MAKE READY! (Juju Zombie Musketeers) With a fervent command, you order the juju zombie musketeers to focus fire on an area. Variable Action* Check: Diplomacy, History, or Intimidate (DC 22 – minor, DC 19 – move, DC 15 – standard) Special: This power can only be used once per round. You must be adjacent to the juju zombies. Success: The juju zombie musketeers fire a volley as you command. Target: Each creature in an area burst 1 within 10 Attack: +8 vs. Reflex Hit: 2d6 + 9 damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: The juju zombies can slide 2 squares before or after the attack.
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN! (Bullywug Pirates): The bullywug pirates slide to a square adjacent to the treasure (marked on map). On the next round, they slide to a square adjacent to a skiff (marked on the map). On the next round, they are gone. During this complication, the bullywug pirates treat all creatures (including other terrain powers) as enemies.
DANGER CLOSE! (Captain Burrp): Captain Burrp accidentally signals The Crapaud which fires and hits the munitions tent. Attack/damage as per "Incoming!" but a close burst 3 from the munitions tent.
FLY, LITTLE BIRD! (Hansa): Hansa flees. She slides to the edge of the jungle. If there are no allies next to her by the end of the following round, she escapes and hides in the jungle.
FRIENDLY FIRE! (Juju Zombie Musketeers): Oops - while trying to fend off grippli attacks, the juju zombie muskteers fire a volley (Make Ready!), centered on the nearest PC in range.
What do you think? Fun? Challenging? What changes would you make?
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
For terrain powers that require a skill check, I would change them to not also require an attack roll. Downgrade the damage if necessary to account for the "auto-hit" (ish) nature.
Reason -- as a PC, I really hate when I go out of my way to do something cool, i.e. make a Skill Check to use a Terrain power, and then I have to make attack rolls and the dice hate me and make me miss. That causes me to feel like I wasted my turn and should have just used my own attack power.
For terrain powers that require a skill check, I would change them to not also require an attack roll. Downgrade the damage if necessary to account for the "auto-hit" (ish) nature.
Reason -- as a PC, I really hate when I go out of my way to do something cool, i.e. make a Skill Check to use a Terrain power, and then I have to make attack rolls and the dice hate me and make me miss. That causes me to feel like I wasted my turn and should have just used my own attack power.
Thanks. You know, I thought about that for the same reasons. I thought the sliding scale on action cost would balance that out since you can make it a move or minor, albeit with a higher DC. Not enough?
If I go with "auto-hit," what would you set the damage at? Because I'm thinking it might be even more expedient if it's static damage since it's likely the PCs will be using them to kill minions more than anything.
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
In my experience, players hate using their actions to do anything other than use their PCs' powers.
You could have the coolest terrain power in the world, but unless you've got the right sort of players, it's going to be ignored.
So I would just make the terrain powers into minor actions, Move actions at most, that deal static damage. I would set it to whatever the appropriate minion damage is for this level (so, level 9 --> half of 9+8 = about 8 damage, maybe round up to 10).
A minor action that automatically does 10 damage is probably sexy enough to get the PCs to use it.
Might as well specify fire damage for the fire, obvious though it is.
Characters who enter a foxhole square must immediately choose and declare a deity to worship, unless they do already. They worship that deity at least until they exit the foxhole square.
What kind of action to knock over a tent?
I like that rule of thumb for tree height. I wonder how closely it follows, or what the formula is for other kinds of trees.
Pick a different goal for the Wart Mother than fighting to the death. Eating any mobile zombie, maybe.
Specify where the burst for INCOMING! can be centered.
I like that the power pogs "slide," during the complications.
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?
[N]o difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions. - L. Tolstoy
In my experience, players hate using their actions to do anything other than use their PCs' powers.
You could have the coolest terrain power in the world, but unless you've got the right sort of players, it's going to be ignored.
So I would just make the terrain powers into minor actions, Move actions at most, that deal static damage. I would set it to whatever the appropriate minion damage is for this level (so, level 9 --> half of 9+8 = about 8 damage, maybe round up to 10).
A minor action that automatically does 10 damage is probably sexy enough to get the PCs to use it.
Yeah, I was thinking 10 damage was fair and incentive enough. I so want to use that sliding action cost mechanic since seeing it on these forums, too. I think it's clever.
But you're right, I don't really know these particular players all that well, so I can't say if they'd be inclined to use the terrain powers at all. It wouldn't bother me if they didn't since I still get my fun complications if they completely ignore them. Still, it's be nice to see them made useful.
I'm inclined to change the powers as you say unless anyone can convince me otherwise, so I'll hold off on that edit until I get some other commentary.
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
Characters who enter a foxhole square must immediately choose and declare a deity to worship, unless they do already. They worship that deity at least until they exit the foxhole square.
Oh man, that's one of the funniest things I've read in a long while.
Characters who enter a foxhole square must immediately choose and declare a deity to worship, unless they do already. They worship that deity at least until they exit the foxhole square.
Oh man, that's one of the funniest things I've read in a long while.
Hilarious. In my actual "Features of the Area," I have it written, "You see no atheists here." (I post Features of the Area in text chat for reference during the game.) I took it out in case it was offensive here on the forums, but whatever. People get offended at all kinds of things I say regardless of topic.
Funny to see we were thinking the same thing, heh. Thanks for the additional edits. I will address the easy stuff and think about the hard stuff and post later.
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
In my experience, players hate using their actions to do anything other than use their PCs' powers.
You could have the coolest terrain power in the world, but unless you've got the right sort of players, it's going to be ignored.
So I would just make the terrain powers into minor actions, Move actions at most, that deal static damage. I would set it to whatever the appropriate minion damage is for this level (so, level 9 --> half of 9+8 = about 8 damage, maybe round up to 10).
A minor action that automatically does 10 damage is probably sexy enough to get the PCs to use it.
Where would you set the DC for these terrain powers, assuming minor action, no roll to hit, and static damage as we've discussed? DCs I have listed in the powers are exactly high, medium, low for 5th-level (for reference).
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.
