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Old 10-12-2019, 03:51 PM   #1
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Unkillable enemies [Horror]

One of the staples of horror stories is the idea of an unkillable enemy. While Supernatural Durability is one way to represent this, Unkillable with any combination of Damage Resistance, Injury Tolerance and/or Regeneration is also an adequate representation. Either way, the result is usually an enemy the protagonists cannot kill or, at the very least, is very difficult to kill without the appropriate weapons.

How have you used unkillable enemies in your games? Are they annoying monsters-of-the-week or are they central enemies? How have your players responded when they have encountered unkillable enemies? How have you responded when you found yourself in a game with unkillable enemies?
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Old 10-12-2019, 04:19 PM   #2
Sunrunners_Fire
 
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Default Re: Unkillable enemies [Horror]

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
How have you used unkillable enemies in your games?
Yes.

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Are they annoying monsters-of-the-week or are they central enemies?
BBEG. Unkillable mooks rapidly become tiresome to deal with.

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How have your players responded when they have encountered unkillable enemies?
Changed tactics once they realized what was going on, from the path of royalty to some combination of negotiation and containment.
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Old 10-13-2019, 12:34 PM   #3
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Unkillable enemies [Horror]

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Unkillable mooks rapidly become tiresome to deal with.
A small army of Unkillable 2/3 soldiers would be interesting, particularly if their leader was able to conceal their Unkillable nature in some way. Face-concealing helmets/masks, combined with some way to avoid posthumous identification (or capture), could probably keep the charade going and possibly cause opponents to wonder where all the soldiers are coming from. Probably wouldn’t help as much long-term as one might suspect, as they still need to be kept supplied, and re-equipped each time they die (unless you can recover their gear). Advantages that eliminate those upkeep issues - like Doesn’t Eat/Drink and Natural Weapons - could lead to a functionally unstoppable army that can nonetheless be held back long enough for some plucky heroes to figure out a more permanent solution. Could certainly be an interesting campaign premise.
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Old 10-13-2019, 01:00 PM   #4
NineDaysDead
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Default Re: Unkillable enemies [Horror]

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Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
A small army of Unkillable 2/3 soldiers would be interesting, particularly if their leader was able to conceal their Unkillable nature in some way. Face-concealing helmets/masks, combined with some way to avoid posthumous identification (or capture), could probably keep the charade going and possibly cause opponents to wonder where all the soldiers are coming from. Probably wouldn’t help as much long-term as one might suspect, as they still need to be kept supplied, and re-equipped each time they die (unless you can recover their gear). Advantages that eliminate those upkeep issues - like Doesn’t Eat/Drink and Natural Weapons - could lead to a functionally unstoppable army that can nonetheless be held back long enough for some plucky heroes to figure out a more permanent solution. Could certainly be an interesting campaign premise.
Without a decent level Regeneration they'll be out of action for quite a while. Still, they probably won't have too much issue with "suicide" missions.
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Old 10-13-2019, 01:05 PM   #5
Aldric
 
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Default Re: Unkillable enemies [Horror]

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Without a decent level Regeneration they'll be out of action for quite a while. Still, they probably won't have too much issue with "suicide" missions.
As long as they don't leave anyone behind. But after the first enemy that comes back, my players would quickly adopt the "Double Tap" strategy. Or triple, or whatever is needed. So it wouldn't work for long
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Old 10-13-2019, 01:18 PM   #6
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Default Re: Unkillable enemies [Horror]

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As long as they don't leave anyone behind. But after the first enemy that comes back, my players would quickly adopt the "Double Tap" strategy. Or triple, or whatever is needed. So it wouldn't work for long
If they have Unkillable 2/3 as specified, then no amount of taps will stop them coming back.
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Old 10-13-2019, 04:40 PM   #7
Varyon
 
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Default Re: Unkillable enemies [Horror]

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Without a decent level Regeneration they'll be out of action for quite a while. Still, they probably won't have too much issue with "suicide" missions.
Such a group could do worse than taking inspiration from the stories and myths of Hassan-i Sabbah’s Asasiyun/hashishi/Assassins - willingly throwing themselves to their deaths, attacking with no regard for their own survival, and so forth could unnerve many opponents. They’re also unlikely to rout and can fight to the last man in any engagement, undoubtedly inflicting casualties well in excess of what their force “should” be capable of.

But, yes, without regeneration they’ll be out for a while. I’m assuming Unkillable with the Mortal Limitation (so they appear to die like normal people). If we assume any that die need to come back from -10xHP (I’m generally more lenient when Mortal is involved), a typical HT 10 character will take around 220 days to come back, while one with HT 12 would take around 150 (and one with HT 16+ would take around 112). Fast Healing cuts these times in half. Slow Regeneration would restore the character in 55 days on its own, a bit faster when combined with natural healing (44 days with HT 10 alone, 28 days with HT 16+ and Fast Healing). Normal Regeneration would restore the character in 110 hours on its own (natural healing is an afterthought), Fast in 110 minutes, Very Fast in 110 seconds, and Extreme in only 11 seconds. Natural healing means the Undying Army can probably only invade once a year, and will largely fight like a more traditional army, albeit less likely to route (and the commander having the option of having them fight to the last for maximum damage to the enemy). Slow regen isn’t a lot better, although those that fall near the beginning of the campaign become available again near the end, and the Undying Army can probably mount more than one invasion a year. Normal regen is the sweet spot IMO, as the Undying Army can likely fight like demons every battle and have their full force likely recovered by the next battle, yet it’s still possible to maintain the secret. They can invade whenever conditions permit. For Fast regen and above, they can’t really keep the secret, but can readily maintain their invasion force within enemy lands, attacking incessantly (the soldiers can even fall multiple times in the same battle). Note with the secret out, the enemy will likely change tactics to better combat the Undying Army - with UK2 they’ll likely bind corpses to the ground or otherwise restrain them, while with UK3 they may favor capturing the Undying alive (and preventing them from suiciding). They’ll likely try to figure out some way to kill or restrain your army permanently, so if they have a Hindrance or Achilles Heel, chances are good the enemy will figure it out eventually.
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