[DF] One shot- Crevan Brokenhands Last Rest

[Stripe]

He looks great. With berserk and unkillable, he's going to be one tough mutha. Add his shield skill to his skill list and he'll be ready for play test, I'd say.

Now, I need to stop commenting on other people's work and hurry up and finish my own! XD

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

This may be straying off topic, but this reminds me of the difference in dungeon design between Daggerfall and the later Elder Scrolls games, particularly Skyrim. Daggerfall had these massive, randomly-generated labyrinths that were kinda fun at first, but eventually just a pain to navigate. In Skyrim, the majority of dungeons are a straight line through to the end room, often with a shortcut from there directly back to the exit. Sometimes I like wandering through a sprawling complex, but for tabletop gaming the simpler design is probably best.

Well, keep in mind that in video games, most dungeons are quest-related (somehow) and finishing the main plot is important. So it's frustrating to have to explore big sprawling dungeons for hours to find something you need in order to finish the quest. I'd scream if I needed to dig around in every nook and cranny of some giant dungeon until I found the Whatzit of Whozit that King Questmore needs to get before you can continue the game.

In tabletop gaming, a non-plot based game (your typical sandbox, say), you don't need to have a linear adventure. The big sprawling dungeon can be the whole point, and you've got a lot more resources as the GM and as the player to find out where the Whatzit is, if it becomes important. The fun keeps going even if you don't find the plot item, because the plot item isn't play-critical, really.

[Mateus]

This looks great! I will definily run it for my group as their next adventure.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Toadkiller_Dog

Well, keep in mind that in video games, most dungeons are quest-related (somehow) and finishing the main plot is important. So it's frustrating to have to explore big sprawling dungeons for hours to find something you need in order to finish the quest. I'd scream if I needed to dig around in every nook and cranny of some giant dungeon until I found the Whatzit of Whozit that King Questmore needs to get before you can continue the game.

The interesting thing is that, in Skyrim, in one sense the vast majority of the "dungeons" have absolutely nothing to do with the main plot, and for many any "quests" related to them are nearly always either picked up in and around the dungeon, or are "add-on" quests generated by the random quest generation system, incidental to the dungeon and possibly even added on to it after you went in.

Skyrim dungeons are frequently just for "messing around" in, and they've got pretty darn good design for that. They aren't randomly generated dungeons though - some very very patient designers have hand crafted each one (which impresses me to no end, because you can't go more than about 100 feet without tripping over another dungeon, and the world map is huuuuuuge). They range from bandits taking shelter in and around a cliff overhang through through one-room caves with animals or trolls in residence through smallish 4-6 room things with tunnels and a second exit to huge spiraling things that keep doubling back on themselves. The really big ones might have two or three entrances and exits, or just one and use the trick of depositing you back at the entrance pretty liberally to save on walking time.

I've been taking lots of notes from Skyrim on "one path dungeon design" because they've done some really clever stuff with the concept. It's also interesting going through a dungeon and seeing the places where GURPS PCs might make an alternate route (various cave-ins and windows through to other dungeon sections), or would use the greater flexibility a table-top RPG gives you to shortcut to what Skyrim has as the "end" - by climbing or flying, for example. . . IF they spot the shortcut at all, which is pretty difficult for me sometimes.

[PseudoFenton]

Hey, I've just posted my experiences with this dungeon over on this other thread if you were interested in how my group has handled it so far.

Its not entirely a shining review, but there were a number of other teething problems the group has had thanks to the situation which bought it to the table. If you're interested in more details I'll be happy to answer any queries (although the write up is quite detailed already).

[Ego Archive]

That is fantastic feedback! I hadn't noticed that thread before, I will have to check it out.

I appreciate your impressions of the combat types, regard variety and I can see where your coming from. I will keep that in mind, with the expanded version I am writing up.

The power levels and experiences of the various encounters is useful information, I would love to hear what other people experience with that, and compare it to what I experience.

Thank you for stopping back and letting me know what hurdles and insights you found.

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

Hey, I've just posted my experiences with this dungeon over on this other thread if you were interested in how my group has handled it so far.

Its not entirely a shining review, but there were a number of other teething problems the group has had thanks to the situation which bought it to the table. If you're interested in more details I'll be happy to answer any queries (although the write up is quite detailed already).

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Stripe

Area 7: FOUR golem-armor swordsmen!? With more as reinforcements even?! Wowza! I've not yet ran a DF game being new to the expansion, but I was under the impression that these are heavy hitters approaching boss-level power. No?

Depends. The Golem Armor Swordsman's DR and active defenses (until it goes Berserk and starts taking 4-6 Telegraphic hits to the Skull/round) are very good, but, like most golems, it's Fragile (Unnatural) and, unlike most golems, it has full vulnerability to everything except bleeding after that. It has a Brain and Vitals. A party with an eye-shooting Scout and some meatshields should make short work of them if they don't charge up the hallway and get surrounded, and most Swashbucklers should be able to do the same or go through chinks in the armor. With a Move of only 2, the party should be able to choose the battlefield, including potential chokepoints, if they play it smart. The GAS also has a Willpower of only 10, so a lot of magic spells are going to take them down easily.

[PseudoFenton]

I felt the need to make a few tweaks to the end boss fight to make it a little more racy and dangerous - but also to potentially cover the PCs choosing to just flee upfront (due to the proximity of the cramped fight before section 8 and the ability for PCs to just rush ahead into the open room beyond it without finishing that fight). I mostly felt the need to make him more of an annoyance against a group of foes, despite only being one guy, as so to prevent everyone just mobbing him without much care.

I also removed a few of the bits of DF 6 loot which were seeded into previous parts of the dungeon, so wanted to add more to the big boss fight and reward a few unique items to make it stand out against other loot my group has encountered before (I've played lots of DF). I therefore chose to change his equipment to include more loot, but also to help explain how Crevan was so hard to kill, giving him overall much better protection and defences. As such this is my version of Crevan (next post) [And yes, I changed his name in my run of the dungeon, just overlook it].


He's a lot more of a handful than the last one listed here, the extra attack and better equipment make him a lot more dangerous to a group. Overall his lack of weapon skill should allow PCs to not focus overly on defensive play, as he's not really able to make great deceptive attacks to overcome their defences. Although the ghostly bindings will keep them from being too mobile, and his amour divisor and high damage will force them to retreat often if they rely on dodges.

The PCs will have to work out how to get past his awesome Block and Parry, and then his heavy armour... and huge pool of HP - all the while being disarmed and pushed back into poor fighting positions.

The fight should be a bit of a ranging grind, the PCs attempting to retreat away from attacks or fall back to maintain range or recover disarmed weapons, whilst Crevan constantly closes the distance with Shield Rushes and high Move. Hopefully this will make it more engaging and tactical in PC placement and optimising when and where to attack to best put an end to his tenacious fighting.

I'll be running it this next weekend in all likelihood, so I'll let you know how it goes.

[PseudoFenton]

Crevan Shatterhand

ST: 25 HP: 35 Speed: 8
DX: 14 Will: 12 Move: 9
IQ: 10 Per: 10
HT: 18 FP: N/A SM: +1
Dodge: 12 (16 with shield, +1 against skull)
Parry: 13 (17 with shield, +1 against skull)
Block: 12 (18 with shield, +1 against skull)
DR: Torso+Legs DR 11 (10 Vs Cr); Skull DR 15; Feet DR 5 (4 Vs Imp); Right Hand DR 7; Other DR 3

Attacks (Two attacks a turn, each with a different weapon):

• Ghostly Bindings (15) -1 per distance over 3 yards, HT resisted, target suffers -2 Move and Dodge for 1 min. Must either point sword at target instead of an attack with it, or have struck target successfully with it this turn.
• Broadsword Swing (18) does 5d+4(2) cutting at reach 1.
• Broadsword Stab (18) does 2d+7(4) impaling at reach 1-3.
• Broadsword Disarm (16) +1 if blocked weapon with shield last turn. Will use ST based skill contest of 29 (See B401)
• Shield Bash (16) does 2d+3 crushing.
• Sheild Rush (16)does (velocity/4)d+4 crushing damage, has chance to knockdown foe and self (see B371).
• Shield Disarm (19) +1 if blocked weapon with shield last turn. Will use ST based skill contest of 32!
• Head Butt (17) does 2d+4 crushing at Range C (If parried damage applies to face)
• Offhand Punch (14) does 2d+3 crushing at Range C.
• Offhand Kick (12) does 2d+5 cr at Range C-1. (Misses require DX roll to avoid falling)

Traits: Bad Smell; Bad Temper (12); Bloodlust (6); Combat Reflexes; Damage Resistance 3 (Tough Skin); Dark Vision; Dependency (Rest in own tomb 1/3 of the time; Daily); Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Extra Attack; Frightens Animals; Hidebound; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity to Mind Control; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood); Intolerance (Living); Unkillable 1 (Achilles Heel:Urla-skul's Spear); Single-Minded; Temperature Tolerance 10 (-40°F to 165°F); Unhealing (Total); Vulnerability (Fire x2).

Skills: Brawling-18; Intimidation-13(18); Sword-18; Shield-16; Shield (Disarm)-21; Wrestling-14.
Class: Undead.
Notes: All worn equipment (see spoiler) is factored into above stats, 3 of DR is Tough skin. Also see Combat Guide below for more details on how he should fight.

Equipment: (loot)

Spoiler:  

Crevans Bulwark (SM+1 Medium Shield) - DB 4, Block +2, Damage thr+2 cr, 7 lbs, $42,835
This shield is made of a single piece of iron, with a raised conical boss, disarming spikes around the edge and extensive relief across its surface detailing the ramparts of a stone castle. The shield is enchanted with Lighten (50%), Deflect 2 and Defending Shield 2, making it an impressive magical item.

Blade of the Shattered Hand (SM+1 Longsword) - 10lbs, Approx $50k - $Priceless

Damage sw+5(2) cut, Reach 1, Parry 0, ST 23 [1] or
Damage thr+5(4) imp, Reach 1-3, Parry 0, ST 23 [1]
[1] Due to being bound to the wielders hand it *cannot* be used two-handedly.

This finely pointed longsword appears completely ordinary apart from its craftsmanship and stature. It does not register as a magical or cursed item when analysed or contain any obvious markings to distinguish its history.

As soon as it is held in one handed and used to strike, even at the air, its true nature becomes apparent. Chains and cloth wraps weave their way out of the hilt and around the hand of the wielder, fixing itself in place indefinitely. This grants DR 4 to the hand, cumulative with any other armour that was being worn there at the time, and prevents any attempts to disarm or let go of the sword. A Remove Curse spell or extensive surgery (which deals 1d damage even if successful) may be used to part the sword from the wielders hand, but using the sword again will instantly binds it once more.

Once bound to the hand, the wielder can point or touch the sword against a person and cause ghostly wrappings and chains to materialise and bind them, slowing and hindering their movement. Roll against 15 with a penalty of -1 per yard to the target over 3 yards, if you are successful they must make a HT check or become instantly bound, reducing their Move and Dodge by 2 for 1 minute (this does not stack if used more than once). This can be done as part of a successful attack, at no range penalty.

Barbarian Mail (SM+1 Heavy Combined Mail, Torso + Legs) - DR 8 (7 Vs Cr), 19 lbs + 19lbs, $38,500 + $38,500
Heavy mail and plate of expert quality and craftsmanship this armour is both light and tough. It has been further lightened and fortified through magic, making the armour half the weight when worn and granting +2 DR in anywhere but a no-mana zone. In addition anyone attempting to target chinks in the armour do so at an additional -1.

Intimidating Horned Helm (SM+1 Medium Plate Pot Helm) - DR 10, 9.5lbs, $450 + $Priceless
This is actually a cheap and slightly rusted pot helm for an SM+1 individual, however it has been enchanted with the Horns of Intimidation.
When both horns are attached to a helm, they grant the wearer +5 to Intimidation and cause a Fright Check at -5 against any foe who can see the wearer whenever they knock-out or kill a foe. In addition they also double the base DR of the helmet they are attached to (before all other enchantments) and provide +1 DB to any attack against the Skull.
The horns cannot be removed from their current helmet except by the person who slain the previous wearer of that helm - as such swapping them to a new helmet can be tricky. When freshly attached to a new helmet the horns can take on a new appearance, matching that of any animals horns as willed by the new owner, but they always add 0.5lbs to the weight of the helm and provide no other benefits than the ones listed above.

Leather Boots (SM+1) - DR 2 (1 vs Imp), 7 lbs, $180

Golden Torc (SM+1) inlaid with two large onyx - 3.5lbs, $73,275

Heavy Fur Mantle - $14,605 4.5lbs
This short cape is made from the pelt of an albino cave bear, with its head still attached sitting over the left shoulder. Its eyes have been replaced with two large rubies ($4900 each if removed) and its teeth with finely cut Moonstones ($170 each if removed, 28 in total).

Combat Guide:
Crevan was an accomplished fighter before his demise, and as such will fight tactically and competently. Use the following points to help work out how he will act during the fight.

Note that Crevan's will open with an Intimidation check, attempting to convince/scare the PCs out of his tomb. If the PCs agree to leave but have managed to get to section 8 without killing all foes up to that point, Crevan will order his men to let the PCs leave - on the condition that the PCs leave everything they've taken plus extra gold/loot (Nx$1000 worth of gear or coins) - if the PCs refuse or fight anything on the way out he will engage in combat as below with all extra foes.

• To start with Crevan will aim to hit as many PCs with Ghostly Bindings before being engaged in melee combat. If any PCs keep distance and attack with ranged he will specifically target them first, Binding them and shield rushing them to close the distance. He will then attempt to disarm/disable them or position himself so they are cornered and cannot keep distance on him.
• Once in melee combat he will always aim to disarm anyone carrying Urla-skul's spear first and foremost. A successful Tactics roll will reveal this to the PCs after his first attempt.
• When fighting he will attempt to keep at least two fighters busy at once, hitting different PCs with each of his attacks until one shows signs of weakening (1/3HP, stunning or retreat) - at which point he will close on them and use all of his attacks in an attempt to finish them off. He will make use of thrusting attacks (often to vitals) with his sword when unable to fully close distance, but will generally use swing attacks. Crevan will *always* attack once more after any PC fall unconscious/dies, just to make sure.
• Crevan will generally use his block first followed by parries, he will avoid dodging and retreating so long as his defences are high and he keeps his shield - aiming to keep up close and corner the PCs so that he can hack them to death.
• If any PC is able to evade his defences (likely with deceptive attacks due to how high they are) or deal significant damage to him, Crevan will attempt to disarm them - often waiting to use his block against that PC to aid in disarming next round.
• Crevan has two attacks a turn, and will *always* use both of them, even if it means punching due to losing his shield. If he somehow "loses" his sword (due to having his arm crippled/severed, as he cannot be disarmed) he will resort to using head butts, or kicks if he needs range (although due to the low skill he will generally avoid kicking where possible).
• Whenever Crevan knocks out or kills a PC all others suffer a Fright Check at -5, if this causes them to flee Crevan will follow them until they leave the tomb - even if this means ignoring other PCs who did not flee.
• Crevan can be angered due to bad temper, allowing the PCs to goad him into attacking them - this wont stop him from attacking a fallen foe, but may distract him from attacking a retreating/weakened one long enough for that PC to get away/heal.
• Unlike usual Draugr, Crevan is immune to mind control and doesn't suffer from Berserk (so will never go into a mindless fury). He does still lack Injury Tolerance (Unliving) so will take normal damage from piercing and impaling attacks and has target-able vitals etc.

[Mateus]

NOW I am affraid of Crevan =). And his loot now is exactly in the details that I like. I alwyas put decorations on my itens, so my players rarely encounter a "simple" broadsword. Even orcs shilds I normaly put a dorwing simbol on them.