The Dungeon Reality Show, Part 5: The rest!

Last time we covered the scene where our brave PC contestants played the first half of a Bloodbowl game.

Now it’s time to throw the PCs a curveball…

Scene 3 – The Half Time Show

Scene goals

• Perform a Skill challenge that simulates a stage show
• Introduce combat elements to the challenge if a skill check is missed.
• Allow players to find creative uses for their skills.

Once the time or score limit of the Bloodbowl game of the previous scene has been reached a siren sounds and the following announcement is heard throughout the stadium:

“Attention all personnel and participants, clear the field, I repeat, clear the field.  Prepare for conjuration of Stage in 10 second”

While slowly counting down out loud, ask what the PCs are doing. Feel free to stretch the moment as much as you think your players can handle.  If they ask, tell them that the remaining kobold players are running off the filed like their lives depended on it. It is assumed that players have also gotten out of the way.

At the end of the 10 seconds, a huge stage (take a 4X8 and a 2X8 dungeon tile to create a 6X8 ‘stage’) materializes 5′ over the middle of the field and drops noisily, crushing whatever you decided to leave there.  The Stage is 5′ high and can be climbed with a DC15 Athletics check.  Add a set of stairs to allow PCs (and monsters, see below) to climb on it more easily.

The announcer will come to the PCs and announce that their next task will be to continue to entertain the crowd as the performers of the half-time show. If asked what they have to do, the announcer will shrug, saying “You’re the stars, you decide!  As long as you are on this stage in 10 minutes, anything else is in your capable hands”.

The Half-time show is a free-form Skill challenge where the PCs must think of ways to impress a crowd of several thousands.  While setting up, ask your players for any props they would like to have onstage  (or near it) to help them.  Be generous and help them if they have a hard time thinking of something. When I ran the adventure, I had paper lanterns that could be burst with fire arrows.  I also had a Goblin Zeppelin (which was also blown up by overzealous PCs).

Once they are ready, start the Challenge.

Here we are now, Entertain us!

Your task is to provide entertainment, in any form, for a crowd of several thousand cheering fans. You must keep the energy level high or you’ll face the wrath of some grouchy Necromancers.

Complexity 4 Skill challenge, get 10 successes before 3 failures.

Primary Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Bluff, Diplomacy, etc (let Player be as creative as they feel like)

All Skill checks are Standard Actions and must beat a base DC  of 15 (moderate difficulty).

Success:  The crowd goes wild! You can either add a success to your total, or cancel a failure.  If a PC beats DC 20 the PC is granted a free standard action by the show’s Chronomancers (limit one free action per PC per round).

10 Successes: The crowd makes a standing ovation, all undead monsters are destroyed and the PCs gain a new Sponsored item Action Point.  High Five your group, it’s well deserved!

Failure: For each failure, an irate Necromancer stands up and heckles the PCs and something rises from the field.  Place an undead (or 4 minions) of level 1-4 (roll a d4)  on the field.  They’ll try to climb the stairs and attack the PCs.

Once monsters appear, roll initiative (if not already done) and proceed with both the skill challenge and combat encounter.  Attacking a monster does not count as an attempt to gain a success in the skill challenge (unless you feel generous or if your players give you a great description).

Once combat starts, if no PCs attempt to gain a success in the skill challenge for one full round (i.e. they focus on combat exclusively), describe how the crowd’s mood is turning ugly. Add another undead at the start of the next round.

3 Failures: After the third failure, the whole crowd boos energetically and are clamoring for the PC’s removal from the stage.  All remaining monsters are fully healed and more are raised to create a level 3 combat encounter (adjust downward if players were badly hurt during challenge).  No more undead will appear.  The crowd will actually start cheering again if the PCs win the fight.

Once the challenge is completed, the PCs can take a few short rests and must then get ready for the second half of the game.

Scene 4 – The Zomboni strikes!

Scene Goals:

• Provide another occasion to play some more Bloodbowl
• Introduce the Final challenge of the Session: The Zomboni!

Depending on how much fun you and the players have had playing Bloodbowl, feel free to actually play the second half of the game.  If/when everyone has had enough, have the player and kobold set up and then have the following announcement thunder over the playing field.

“Oh no, we’re running out of time!  The game is over and cleanup will start!  Will our heroes survive the ZOMBONI?”

Roll initiative, all remaining kobolds are instantly killed by bolts of lightning coming from the sky (Those darn produceamancers) and rise as Rotting Zombies who attack immediately, the Zomboni also materializes on one end of the field and attacks everything!

Tactics: The Zomboni will fire it’s skull canon while advancing toward the largest group of creature. Once close, it will fire its ghoulish blast and the try to ‘eat’  as many creatures as possible.  It will summon it’s “cleaning crew” to recharge its blast.

If PCs try to leave the field, they meet an invisible force barrier that prevents escape (including by teleportation).  The barrier diseappears when the Zomboni (or the PCs) is(are) destroyed.

Scene 5 – Roll Credits

Survivors of the last scene, if there are any, are cheered by the whole stadium.

The announcer comes and presents the PCs with a large trophy made of precious metal and gemstones (it’s worth the value of a magic item 4 levels over the party’s level). They are also offered two choices:  They can chose to put an end to their contractual obligations to the Dungeon Reality Show and return home or they can decide to become regulars of the show and sign for a full season (that usually means leaving the PC’s current campaign).

After that, the PCs are told that they can keep their sponsored items and are returned to their home plane (if that’s what they wanted).

Roll Credits…

Oh man, I can’t believe I finally managed to do the whole thing!  What started as a 24 hour challenge  about playing Bloodbowl with 4e has finally become a series of post detailing how to play the scenario (and do other similar adventures).  I’m really happy to have done it!  I guess being crazy does have its perks!

Thoughts, comments?

Should I collate the whole thing  in one file, tweak it and offer it as a PDF?

Let me know.

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The Dungeon Reality Show, Part 4: Let's Play!

Okay so I busted my deadline for posting the whole thing in one week.  However I am going through with the project!

Part 1 and part 2 of this series introduced the Dungeon Reality Show.

Part 3 was where I started to describe an example of DRS based on Blood Bowl and presented the 1st scene of the Bloodbowl 4e adventure.

Today I’m tackling scene 2, which covers the actual game.

Scene 2 – Play Da Game!

Goals

• PCs must play and survive a game of Bloodbowl
• Explore creative ways to use 4e combat rules
• Try to pull a few fast ones on the Ref!

Place the Bloodbowl game board on the table (or place/draw another appropriate battle map).

The opposing team is composed of:

• 2 Kobold Hurlers (Replace Stealth with Atheltics+5)
• 3 Kobolds Dragonshields (Replace Stealth with Athletics +8)

Feel free to modify the composition of the team to reflect the party’s level and your personal preferences.

The Ball is a Kruthik Hatchling affected with a permanent slow effect.  Take note that it deals 2 points of damage whenever a player finishes its turn adjacent to it (or when it’s being carried).

Place a referee on the board (non-combatant, 1 hp, move 6, initiative+5) near the middle line.  During play it stays out of the way but remains on the board.

Flip a coin, the loser starts as defense and sets up on the board first.  All players of a team must be placed on the same side of the board, behind the middle line. Once the defensive team is deployed, the offense sets up.

Roll initiative for all individual players (including monsters), the ball and the referee.

The goal of the game is to score the most points within one hour of  real time playing or scoring 3 more goals than the opposite team. A point is scored when a player crosses the goal line with the ball in hands or catches the ball when standing behind the goal line.

The game is played like a combat encounter with a few variants.  Here are the various game-related action that players can do during their turns.

Picking up the ball = Minor Action, Dexterity or Strength attack vs Reflex of the ball (15).

Running with the ball: Move Action. No rolls necessary,  ignore the “drag a grabbed creature” rule.

Passing the ball (i.e. landing it in the targeted square): Std Action,  Acrobatics/Dex check vs DC equal to distance thrown squares.  On a miss, ball lands in a random (1d8) square adjacent to target, roll again if square is occupied.

Kicking the ball: Std Action, Athletics/Str check vs DC equal to distance thrown squares. On a miss, ball lands in a random (1d8) square adjacent to target, roll again if square is occupied.

Catching the ball = Immediate Reaction: Dex attack vs ball’s reflex defense (15), on a miss, ball tumbles in a random (1d8) adjacent square, roll again if square is occupied.

Intercepting an in-flight ball = Same as catching except: must be in path of ball and have immediate action available.

Dropping the ball: Free Action.  When a ball drops, it tumbles in a random (1d8) adjacent square, roll again if square is occupied.  A carrier automatically drops the ball whenever it is immobilized, Knocked Prone, Stunned and Dazed.

Opportunity Tackle: Whenever a player could make an attack of opportunity, a tackle attack (Str vs Fort, Hit: Target falls prone) can be made instead.

Running Tackle: Like a Bull Rush, except that tackler has the choice of pushing target 1 square or knocking it prone.

The Ball: On its initiative, the ball will attack its carrier.  If free, the ball will move (max 2, it is slowed) toward the center of the field.

When a goal is scored, the scoring team gets 1 point, becomes the Defensive team and sets up as described above.

Also, the scoring team chooses one of the following scoring bonuses:

• One player spends a Healing Surge
• One player recovers an Encounter Power
• Star Power! One Player gains a +1 bonus to all d20 rolls until another goal is scored or the game ends

While armour, weapons and implements are allowed on the field, using an attack or a power against an opponent is not allowed during the game…

…unless you can manage to slip one past the ref!

Whenever a player decides to make use any attack powers (including any basic attacks), the Referee spots the attack and calls for a penalty (see below) unless the attack roll is higher than 15 (including  all rolls of an Area effect, those are hard to hide).  The use of ‘aid another’ is a good way to help a teammate land a good one on an opponent without getting spotted.

The Referee can also be distracted with a Bluff check or any creative use of other skills (DC 15).  When distracted, the Ref will ignore fouls until the end of the distractor’s next turn.

If a penalty is called on a player, that player is instantly teleported off the field and appears on the sidelines.   The player is allowed to talk to teammates, argue with the ref, spot fouls from the opposing team, etc.    However the player can’t return to the field (the chronomancers freeze the player in place if need be) until the end of his next turn. At that point, the player is teleported back on its original square (or an adjacent one if occupied).

Killing the Ref sends the offending player off the field as described above except that the effect is ended by a saving Throw.  The referee is instantly replaced.  The next ref’s perceptions are sharper so DC to sneak a foul play becomes 17 (each successive Ref have a DC that’s 2 higher than the last one) .

Feel free to invent your own fiendish penalties.

K.O. or killed players are not replaced.

After one hour of play, or when one team takes a 3 point lead, the first half of the game ends. Move on to the next scene.

Designer’s Notes

Initially the Bloodbowl game allowed attacks.  While my players spent a lot of time playing the game, it rapidly became evident that it was more efficient to just get rid of players than play around them to score points.

Making attacks forbidden (but with a way to cheat) makes the encounter into something more than just a combat with football elements.  It creates a mini-game that’s interesting and showcases how strong 4e can be as a task resolution engine.

If you have any suggestions or comments I would appreciate it.  I’m thinking of packaging the whole thing into one big blog post over at Chatty Studios (yeah, it’s still there) and possibly start practicing my PDF-fu by creating one and hosting it.

Up next: The Dreaded Half-Time Show Skill Challenge!

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