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Fire and Water: Designing themed dungeons
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<blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7191843" data-attributes="member: 6801286"><p><span style="color: red"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">4 - Boss Battles</span></strong></span></p><p></p><p>In this next session of the dungeon we're going to throw a mid-boss battle at the players. The players won't be expecting a tough fight this early in the dungeon, but I suspect that my players will spend enough time in the first section that this feels about right. We've also introduced various concepts in the previous section that we can now put into practice.</p><p></p><p>The mid-boss here is the avatar of Teehlyian'tara, who has possessed the body of an npc. The avatar will grant the npc vastly increased powers, vermin-traits and special abilities that the npc wouldn't normally have. The npc will have a bonus to their armor class due to the swarm of insects surrounding the npc, along with a high regeneration, and a permanent swarm-aura that harms adjacent enemies. The npc will also have a whole lot of evil spells that will really hurt the players. On top of that, the boss has Leech Walker minions as well. The players could very well die here, so it will all be up to how they play. No more playing mister nice-DM.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH]86978[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><strong>A - Flooded room</strong></p><p>The players arrive in the bottom right corner, an area connected to the last room in the previous section. The room is flooded, and the water is deep enough to swim in. This will severely reduce the movement speed of the players, plus monsters can easily lie in wait below the murky surface. There's a corridor to the left that has collapsed. Using spells the players may be able to tunnel their way through, but it is unlikely they will do that. The collapsed corridor is mostly there because it makes sense for there to be a direct connection to the main boiler room (D and E), but I blocked it off because I want the path to twist and turn a bit. There's a secret sewage pipe that also leads directly to room D, if the players are willing to swim through such a tight space. Players often consider swimming sections a big risk, because they don't know when they'll be able to come up for air. But that's what makes it an interesting choice. There's a staircase up to an upper level, but the floodgate at the top is closed, and a high strength check is required to turn the valve. Higher ground offers an obvious advantage here. To the north is a partially closed gate (the gate will be stuck on something), which the players can swim underneath to reach the next room. </p><p></p><p><strong>B - Pump room</strong></p><p>I really like the aesthetic of this curved walkway overlooking a large room. It also is a perfect spot to place ranged enemies. The room is a dead end if the players came in through the water, but they can easily climb up to the balcony if they choose. There are also pump controls here that allow the players to drain the water from the dungeon. This would take the movement penalty out of the equation.</p><p></p><p><strong>C - Pipe room</strong></p><p>This room connects two walkways via two doors, with some pipes in the middle for cover. Hot steam flows through these pipes, and I was thinking of having a monster take a swipe at the pipes to spray hot steam into the room. This would be a clever way to let the players know that they can do the same. Since this room has two normal doors, the players can listen in on the conversations going on in room E, and learn what the plans of the villain are. This also gives them time to prepare for a big fight.</p><p></p><p><strong>D - Boiler room corner</strong></p><p>The players can sneak into this corner of the boiler room via the secret sewer pipe in room A, but they can also reach it from the walkway from room C (but then they'll be in full view of the villain in the middle of room E). There are a set of valves here in the corner, that the players could use to overload the boiler, if they have knowledge of engineering. This would do a lot of damage to the bad guys, and make the fight a bit easier.</p><p></p><p><strong>E - Boiler room</strong></p><p>This large room is where the mid-boss battle will take place (we're saving those siege crabs for later!). The avatar of Teehlyian'tara is commanding her minions to smash the protective magical Oarsmen runes on the wall with pickaxes. Once the enemies are aware of the players, they will all turn their attention to them instead. The players may be able to surprise the villains depending on their approach. The boiler and all of the pipes in this room, are all possible targets for destruction. The boiler will explode if enough damage is done to it (or if the valves in room D are used). All of the pipes in this room will spray hot steam when struck by attacks, which is a danger to both the players and the monsters. The boss is not going to stay in front of the boiler, so the players will need to exploit the moment, or face a tough fight.</p><p></p><p><strong>F - Exit to harbor</strong></p><p>This corridor continues into the third and last section of the dungeon, which we'll discuss later.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: red"><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>5 - Designing a boss room</strong></span></span></p><p></p><p>When designing a boss room, you always want to be weary of having too much symmetry. If the room is a perfect mirror image on both sides, then visually that is rather boring. So what I did here is only add symmetry to the middle podium. The lower right of the room continues into a side room, while the walkways cover only the upper right corner of the room. </p><p></p><p>Another thing to pay attention to, is to provide enough angles of attack and space for the players and enemies to move around in. How wide do you make the walkways? If they are 5ft. wide, then the players and monsters are forced to move in a line. But if you make it 10ft. wide, then two characters can stand side by side to defend it. Multiple entry points into the boss room are also more interesting than a single entrance, as long as there are notable differences between them. In this case, one provides higher ground, while another provides stealth and close proximity to the boiler controls.</p><p></p><p>Having a large room for a boss fight is a given, but by adding staircases and places of cover, you are giving the players an opportunity to form a strategy. I've decided to also make most of this room flooded with water, as I did with the rest of this section of the dungeon. This means that the choice of the players to drain (or not drain) the water in room B will also seriously affect the boss fight.</p><p></p><p>Lastly there's several interactive elements. The boiler room is a central strategic element that the players can exploit to do damage to the boss and her minions. Various pipes provide minor cover, and can spray steam on the players or on the monsters if damaged. Interactive elements aren't a requirement for a good boss fight, but they certainly make your battle environment more interesting. Just be careful not to make them required to beating the boss, that would be railroading. The players will feel rewarded if they figure out these clever tricks by themselves.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: red"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">6 - Player boss strategies</span></strong></span></p><p></p><p>Since we already introduced hot steam and steam pressure, it makes sense to provide the players with a destructable environment that encourages clever use of said steam. But like I said, these are just options. I don't want to push my players into any specific strategy, that is all up to them. A good boss fight gives the players lots of options to form their own plan with. That is why there are walkways in the room that allow the players to funnel some of the melee enemies and limit the angles of attack against them. There's also plenty of cover, which is important against a spellcasting opponent. Various pipes in the room are positioned in such a way that the players could hit them on purpose to spray their enemies with steam.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: red"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">7 - Boss behavior</span></strong></span></p><p></p><p>The boss has a couple of minions to prevent the players from easily getting into close combat with her. I'll probably also throw in some of the exploding variants of the Leechwalker, to keep the players at bay. The avatar is primarily a spellcaster, so she really doesn't want to get into close combat with the players. Her insect swarm aura automatically subjects adjacent enemies to the effects of a swarm, to discourage them from getting close.</p><p></p><p><strong>Attacks and spells</strong></p><p>Her attacks consist mainly of evil spells (some of which death spells, and some protective spells as well), and a fear ability that can stun her enemies. If the boss is already aware of the players before they enter the room, it makes sense for her to have precasted several of her protective spells already (which the players will want to dispell). If the players use stealth however, she probably has not casted those spells yet, and they can fight her without those protections in place.</p><p></p><p><strong>Lair actions / Legendary actions</strong></p><p>For a boss like this, it makes sense to also give her a lair-action and/or legendary actions; a cool special ability that makes sense for the creature or its environment. Legendary actions are specifically meant to make a boss a tough and scary opponent. You can take inspiration from existing monsters in the Monster Manual, and copy or adapt the Legendary Actions they have. Given that this boss is the avatar of a vermin goddess, she can probably dematerialize into a swarm of insects, and rematerialize somewhere else. This also supports her inclination to avoid close combat.</p><p></p><p><strong>When the fight seems lost</strong></p><p>The boss knows that she could get backup at any time, so if it seems that she is fighting a losing battle, she will attempt to flee to get backup. She may be overconfident, but she is not stupid. She can try to dematerialize into insects and escape through corridor F by crawling underneath the gate without opening it. But just because she tries, does not mean she is guaranteed to succeed. As a DM you want to be careful not to script some sort of inevitable escape for your villains. Thats railroading, and negates your players choices. Never pit your players against a villain, unless you are prepared to let that villain die. In the case of this boss, she is totally expendable, but she will make a decent attempt to save her own skin.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Imaculata, post: 7191843, member: 6801286"] [COLOR=red][B][SIZE=5]4 - Boss Battles[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR] In this next session of the dungeon we're going to throw a mid-boss battle at the players. The players won't be expecting a tough fight this early in the dungeon, but I suspect that my players will spend enough time in the first section that this feels about right. We've also introduced various concepts in the previous section that we can now put into practice. The mid-boss here is the avatar of Teehlyian'tara, who has possessed the body of an npc. The avatar will grant the npc vastly increased powers, vermin-traits and special abilities that the npc wouldn't normally have. The npc will have a bonus to their armor class due to the swarm of insects surrounding the npc, along with a high regeneration, and a permanent swarm-aura that harms adjacent enemies. The npc will also have a whole lot of evil spells that will really hurt the players. On top of that, the boss has Leech Walker minions as well. The players could very well die here, so it will all be up to how they play. No more playing mister nice-DM. [ATTACH=CONFIG]86978._xfImport[/ATTACH] [B]A - Flooded room[/B] The players arrive in the bottom right corner, an area connected to the last room in the previous section. The room is flooded, and the water is deep enough to swim in. This will severely reduce the movement speed of the players, plus monsters can easily lie in wait below the murky surface. There's a corridor to the left that has collapsed. Using spells the players may be able to tunnel their way through, but it is unlikely they will do that. The collapsed corridor is mostly there because it makes sense for there to be a direct connection to the main boiler room (D and E), but I blocked it off because I want the path to twist and turn a bit. There's a secret sewage pipe that also leads directly to room D, if the players are willing to swim through such a tight space. Players often consider swimming sections a big risk, because they don't know when they'll be able to come up for air. But that's what makes it an interesting choice. There's a staircase up to an upper level, but the floodgate at the top is closed, and a high strength check is required to turn the valve. Higher ground offers an obvious advantage here. To the north is a partially closed gate (the gate will be stuck on something), which the players can swim underneath to reach the next room. [B]B - Pump room[/B] I really like the aesthetic of this curved walkway overlooking a large room. It also is a perfect spot to place ranged enemies. The room is a dead end if the players came in through the water, but they can easily climb up to the balcony if they choose. There are also pump controls here that allow the players to drain the water from the dungeon. This would take the movement penalty out of the equation. [B]C - Pipe room[/B] This room connects two walkways via two doors, with some pipes in the middle for cover. Hot steam flows through these pipes, and I was thinking of having a monster take a swipe at the pipes to spray hot steam into the room. This would be a clever way to let the players know that they can do the same. Since this room has two normal doors, the players can listen in on the conversations going on in room E, and learn what the plans of the villain are. This also gives them time to prepare for a big fight. [B]D - Boiler room corner[/B] The players can sneak into this corner of the boiler room via the secret sewer pipe in room A, but they can also reach it from the walkway from room C (but then they'll be in full view of the villain in the middle of room E). There are a set of valves here in the corner, that the players could use to overload the boiler, if they have knowledge of engineering. This would do a lot of damage to the bad guys, and make the fight a bit easier. [B]E - Boiler room[/B] This large room is where the mid-boss battle will take place (we're saving those siege crabs for later!). The avatar of Teehlyian'tara is commanding her minions to smash the protective magical Oarsmen runes on the wall with pickaxes. Once the enemies are aware of the players, they will all turn their attention to them instead. The players may be able to surprise the villains depending on their approach. The boiler and all of the pipes in this room, are all possible targets for destruction. The boiler will explode if enough damage is done to it (or if the valves in room D are used). All of the pipes in this room will spray hot steam when struck by attacks, which is a danger to both the players and the monsters. The boss is not going to stay in front of the boiler, so the players will need to exploit the moment, or face a tough fight. [B]F - Exit to harbor[/B] This corridor continues into the third and last section of the dungeon, which we'll discuss later. [COLOR=red][SIZE=5][B]5 - Designing a boss room[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] When designing a boss room, you always want to be weary of having too much symmetry. If the room is a perfect mirror image on both sides, then visually that is rather boring. So what I did here is only add symmetry to the middle podium. The lower right of the room continues into a side room, while the walkways cover only the upper right corner of the room. Another thing to pay attention to, is to provide enough angles of attack and space for the players and enemies to move around in. How wide do you make the walkways? If they are 5ft. wide, then the players and monsters are forced to move in a line. But if you make it 10ft. wide, then two characters can stand side by side to defend it. Multiple entry points into the boss room are also more interesting than a single entrance, as long as there are notable differences between them. In this case, one provides higher ground, while another provides stealth and close proximity to the boiler controls. Having a large room for a boss fight is a given, but by adding staircases and places of cover, you are giving the players an opportunity to form a strategy. I've decided to also make most of this room flooded with water, as I did with the rest of this section of the dungeon. This means that the choice of the players to drain (or not drain) the water in room B will also seriously affect the boss fight. Lastly there's several interactive elements. The boiler room is a central strategic element that the players can exploit to do damage to the boss and her minions. Various pipes provide minor cover, and can spray steam on the players or on the monsters if damaged. Interactive elements aren't a requirement for a good boss fight, but they certainly make your battle environment more interesting. Just be careful not to make them required to beating the boss, that would be railroading. The players will feel rewarded if they figure out these clever tricks by themselves. [COLOR=red][B][SIZE=5]6 - Player boss strategies[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR] Since we already introduced hot steam and steam pressure, it makes sense to provide the players with a destructable environment that encourages clever use of said steam. But like I said, these are just options. I don't want to push my players into any specific strategy, that is all up to them. A good boss fight gives the players lots of options to form their own plan with. That is why there are walkways in the room that allow the players to funnel some of the melee enemies and limit the angles of attack against them. There's also plenty of cover, which is important against a spellcasting opponent. Various pipes in the room are positioned in such a way that the players could hit them on purpose to spray their enemies with steam. [COLOR=red][B][SIZE=5]7 - Boss behavior[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR] The boss has a couple of minions to prevent the players from easily getting into close combat with her. I'll probably also throw in some of the exploding variants of the Leechwalker, to keep the players at bay. The avatar is primarily a spellcaster, so she really doesn't want to get into close combat with the players. Her insect swarm aura automatically subjects adjacent enemies to the effects of a swarm, to discourage them from getting close. [B]Attacks and spells[/B] Her attacks consist mainly of evil spells (some of which death spells, and some protective spells as well), and a fear ability that can stun her enemies. If the boss is already aware of the players before they enter the room, it makes sense for her to have precasted several of her protective spells already (which the players will want to dispell). If the players use stealth however, she probably has not casted those spells yet, and they can fight her without those protections in place. [B]Lair actions / Legendary actions[/B] For a boss like this, it makes sense to also give her a lair-action and/or legendary actions; a cool special ability that makes sense for the creature or its environment. Legendary actions are specifically meant to make a boss a tough and scary opponent. You can take inspiration from existing monsters in the Monster Manual, and copy or adapt the Legendary Actions they have. Given that this boss is the avatar of a vermin goddess, she can probably dematerialize into a swarm of insects, and rematerialize somewhere else. This also supports her inclination to avoid close combat. [B]When the fight seems lost[/B] The boss knows that she could get backup at any time, so if it seems that she is fighting a losing battle, she will attempt to flee to get backup. She may be overconfident, but she is not stupid. She can try to dematerialize into insects and escape through corridor F by crawling underneath the gate without opening it. But just because she tries, does not mean she is guaranteed to succeed. As a DM you want to be careful not to script some sort of inevitable escape for your villains. Thats railroading, and negates your players choices. Never pit your players against a villain, unless you are prepared to let that villain die. In the case of this boss, she is totally expendable, but she will make a decent attempt to save her own skin. [/QUOTE]
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