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!

Bonegrinder Zomboni Level 5 Elite Brute Large Natural Animate XP 400
Initiative +3 Senses Perception +3, tremorsense 5
HP 156; Bloodied 78
AC 17; Fortitude 18, Reflex 18, Will 16 (Can be targeted by Turn Undead effects)
Immune Gaze
Saving Throws +2
Speed
Action Points 1
R Skull Cannon (Standard; at-will)
Ranged 10/20; +8 vs AC; 1d10+4 damage plus 5 ongoing necrotic damage (save ends)
m Bonegrind Engulf (Standard; at-will)
The Bonegrinder Zamboni attacks one or two Medium or smaller targets; +6 vs Reflex (automatically hits an immobilized creature); Hit: 3d8+4 damage, the target is grabbed and pulled into the Zamboni’s space; the target is dazed and takes ongoing 5 damage until it escapes the grab. A creature that escapes the grab shifts to a square of its choosing adjacent to the Zomboni. The Zomboni can move normally while creatures are engulfed within it.
c Ghoulish Blast (Standard; encounter) ? Necrotic
Close Blast 5; +6 vs. Reflex; 2d6+4 Necrotic Damage and the target is immobilized (Save Ends) Recharges when an engulfed creature dies.
c Raise Cleaning Crew (Standard; encounter)
Burst 4. Place 4 Zombie Rotters and 4 Decrepit Skeleton in empty squares within the burst.
Alignment Unaligned Languages
Str 14 (+4) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 12 (+3) Con 18 (+6) Int 10 (+2) Cha 8 (+1)

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.