Age of Worms - Deadly

[Steel_Wind]

We started the WC a few weeks back. It's been tough, but no character deaths so far.

Highlights:

...Seeing as how he wa all alone, the water elemental attacked. A crit took care of it, but it could have been much worse.

Too late now - but for future reference, an elemental has no vital organs and - like an undead - is immune to crits.

 

[Pierce]

Oh, and I started all the characters off with minimum gold.

 

[Pierce]

Too late now - but for future reference, an elemental has no vital organs and - like an undead - is immune to crits.

True. I misspoke - he didn't crit; rather he rolled max damage. Still enough to get rid of the beastie.

 

[scourger]

Well another idea is this:

Take the XP the dead PCs earned, add half of that to their new characters. That way, they still get good XP with their new characters. Think of it as a karamic reward.

Another option, (this only works if you have four players mind you) each controls two PCs. This way you get 8 anyway.

I did both for The Shackled City. 1/2 xp worked well. 2 PCs per player slowed things down too much.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Oh, and I started all the characters off with minimum gold.

A dastardly fiend after my own heart!

Woe, for Birmingham is so far from here.

--fje

 

[scourger]

Anyone, especially somone from the staff of Dungeon, have any read on how the Age of Worms might be playable as a conversion to Omega World? I allow mutant humans in my Shackled City game, which has worked quite well. My subscription expires soon, but I am considering continuing it for the conversion possibility--a no-magic game with lots of foes simply described as human, mutant, hairy, scaly or clicky (with many of their powers removed to balance against the player characters).

 

[James Jacobs]

Anyone, especially somone from the staff of Dungeon, have any read on how the Age of Worms might be playable as a conversion to Omega World?

Hmmmm... interesting idea. It'd take a lot of work to convert over, especailly since magic and undead and the like are such key parts of the Age of Worms. Of course, you can explain the magic by saying it's just super-advanced technology, and undead fit fine in post-apocalyptic settings as they are as long as you have a good explanation behind them, be it radiation or weird parasites or nanites or whatever animating them.

Long story short: Age of Worms is pretty much classic D&D. If you think the standard D&D adventure can be run as an Omega World adventure, you can run Age of Worms as an Omega World adventure. I'd certainly be curious to hear how it works out if you do!

 

[Nightfall]

James,

That makes two of us. (Not that I'd want to. But still...)

I'm more curious if you could do Age of Worms in other campaign settings outside WotC Core. Midnight, AU/AE, Thieves World, and/or Iron Heroes might be pretty sweet.

I also will say just because the DMG says something doesn't mean it should be taken as manditory rules. The mechanics of running a game, I'd agree with. But something like how to run encounters, I think that kind of thing SHOULD be DM perogative. If your players are vets, then certainly run the encounters as shown in the Path. Non-vets, you might lose a monster or trap. But I feel you might do your players a disservice by not running as written.
But that's your choice.

Scourger,

Well I'm more in favor of the first idea than the second one. I only offer that other option because perhaps not every DM would be that willing to do so.

 

[wingsandsword]

I'm more curious if you could do Age of Worms in other campaign settings outside WotC Core. Midnight, AU/AE, Thieves World, and/or Iron Heroes might be pretty sweet.

Well, I'm in an Iron Heroes Age of Worms campaign right now, now about halfway into module 2 (we're in the Shrine of Vecna).

It's been going pretty well, although some encounters are a little rougher without any kind of magic, against creatures that it is clearly meant that you have magic to encounter.

Iron Heroes is meant to be balanced without magic items and spellcasting against the same threats D&D characters are, and from what I've seen so far that is generally true, but things like swarms and incorporeal undead, which D&D characters could overcome with one spell (or turning attempt) are much more serious threats to IH parties, since at best it's hard for them to hurt them with melee attacks.

 

[scourger]

Hmmmm... interesting idea. It'd take a lot of work to convert over, especailly since magic and undead and the like are such key parts of the Age of Worms. Of course, you can explain the magic by saying it's just super-advanced technology, and undead fit fine in post-apocalyptic settings as they are as long as you have a good explanation behind them, be it radiation or weird parasites or nanites or whatever animating them.

Long story short: Age of Worms is pretty much classic D&D. If you think the standard D&D adventure can be run as an Omega World adventure, you can run Age of Worms as an Omega World adventure. I'd certainly be curious to hear how it works out if you do!

Thanks! Perhaps I'll post it if it ever comes to pass. I would probably eliminate almost all of the magic and do exactly what you suggest with the little that remained--explain it away as super science. Otherwise, there wouldn't be much conversion. Most of the foes would remain largely as written, but the mooks would be really weakened and drop in 1 shot (hopefully). I'm just tired of tracking everyhting for d20 (hit points, spells, magical effects, etc., etc.), and I would like to make it a bit more like Savage Worlds without converting to another system altogether. I find Omega World characters compelling because each one is really different and has a few powers balanced by a few drawbacks. Perhaps I could allow non-spellcasting D&D classes in my Omega World Age of Worms game (Omega Worms) to keep some of the classic D&D feel without all the magic getting in the way...