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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 5803006" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 20</strong></p><p></p><p>A real mixed bag this session, and lots to think about for DMs:</p><p></p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">The unit trudged up Cauldron Hill, bickering as they went. Half the group thought that Macbannin was the real culprit; half thought that Creed was using Macbannin.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">Tremors shook the hill as they went.<br /> </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">On the way through an unusually empty Nettles, they came across a familiar figure. Waiting for them halfway up the hill was Agent Doran, otherwise known as Saaladoor Saan. He didn't like the idea of leaving a man behind, he said, and as the only party member to survive the Creepy Warehouse encounter had come to find out what had happened to El Perro.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">He'd done some asking around and discovered from his spymasters that Macbannin's butler - Cillian Creed - was a veteran of espionage.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">The unit entered the manor and met Macbannin in his gardens. Macbannin told them that Creed had left his service the day before, and offered to give them Creed's address. They mentioned evidence that implicated Macbannin and he laughed it off with a melodramatic speech.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">Suddenly, the ground shook and half the manor collapsed.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">Macbannin issued an order to Creed and an old servant who had shown the party into the garden revealed himself as the 'shadow man' and fled the scene. Macbannin gave orders for his staff to attack the unit.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">A hard-fought combat ensued, but Macbannin was eventually felled.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">The unit cuffed him and dragged him to his invisible shed.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">Leaving Macbannin behind (!) they headed inside looking for Creed.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">Down a flight of warded stairs they found a laboratory and tangled with some flayed jaguars that badly wounded Uru.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">Leon got his arm sliced off by a trap; and promptly stitched back on by a captive Von Recklinghausen.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: DarkOrange">The party headed further down, opened a whole bunch of doors, and discovered an overflowing witchoil laboratory, guarded by none other than a zombified El Perro!</span></li> </ul><p>Most of what follows applies to our game only, but this first tip is much more general, I think. Because I have 6 players, I made Macbannin elite. But even if I had 5 I would be tempted to do so because the party won initative, focused fire, and reduced him to less than 30 hit points before he had even fired a shot! </p><p></p><p>Still, an elite Macbannin made this a very difficult encounter and most of the party spent at least a round or two on the ground. The curses worked a treat (with the executioner assassin picking up the doppelganger hex), but I thinned out the manor staff by having them run away or plunge into sinkholes, because the fight began to turn into a grind. (Macbannin's aura making it tough for the party to drop his allies. An unintended consequence of his increased longevity.)</p><p></p><p>Rumdoom was dropped right next to Macbannin and used a benny to fire off 'The Icy End of the Earth' from beyond the grave (or below 0hp, strictly speaking), which in turn dropped Macbannin.</p><p></p><p>My players then went on to make three idiotic mistakes:</p><p></p><p>1) They left Macbannin behind - guarded by Uru clockwork mechanism.</p><p>2) Uru dashed past two jaguars, provoking OAs and getting himself killed.</p><p>3) Leon stuck his arm into the rather obvious trap.</p><p></p><p>Mistake 2 was the most annoying because it was caused by a series of unforced errors on the player's part. This guy really is a great roleplayer with only a slender grasp on the mechanics of the game. So he builds this great character, only to waste him by provoking two OAs for absolutely no reason, when already reduced to 15hp, and continuing with the move even when warned, hoping they wouldn’t land.</p><p></p><p>Now you may think I am soft, but story must come first and the story would not be served by Uru dying because his player isn’t tactically oriented. So I ruled that he was terribly injured, but (once healed) could play on with a death penalty imposed as a warning for his rash behaviour. (He didn't even have a good reason for provoking the OAs; or even realise he was provokling them.) I'm worried I'm going to seem like a softy now. Still - Uru now has a ghostly grim reaper hovering over him at all times. If I think of a great story-driven reason to off him later in the campaign, I shall show no remorse - you just watch! </p><p></p><p>That this was followed up by the normally cautious Leon getting his arm chopped off (and promptly stitched back on) was priceless. I almost regretted the fact that there were surgery tools in the next room. Now I must think of some cool side-effect of the arm being healed by Wolfgang. Maybe it can make a basic attack on its own when the character is at 0hp? Or will be recognised as dead by the Voice of Rot?</p><p></p><p>Anyway, I am proud of the fact that the session ended with Saaladoor bursting into the reservoir and being taken down by a rifle shot from the zombified El Perro. A great cliffhanger!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 5803006, member: 79141"] [b]Session 20[/b] A real mixed bag this session, and lots to think about for DMs: [LIST] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]The unit trudged up Cauldron Hill, bickering as they went. Half the group thought that Macbannin was the real culprit; half thought that Creed was using Macbannin.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]Tremors shook the hill as they went. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]On the way through an unusually empty Nettles, they came across a familiar figure. Waiting for them halfway up the hill was Agent Doran, otherwise known as Saaladoor Saan. He didn't like the idea of leaving a man behind, he said, and as the only party member to survive the Creepy Warehouse encounter had come to find out what had happened to El Perro.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]He'd done some asking around and discovered from his spymasters that Macbannin's butler - Cillian Creed - was a veteran of espionage.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]The unit entered the manor and met Macbannin in his gardens. Macbannin told them that Creed had left his service the day before, and offered to give them Creed's address. They mentioned evidence that implicated Macbannin and he laughed it off with a melodramatic speech.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]Suddenly, the ground shook and half the manor collapsed.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]Macbannin issued an order to Creed and an old servant who had shown the party into the garden revealed himself as the 'shadow man' and fled the scene. Macbannin gave orders for his staff to attack the unit.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]A hard-fought combat ensued, but Macbannin was eventually felled.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]The unit cuffed him and dragged him to his invisible shed.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]Leaving Macbannin behind (!) they headed inside looking for Creed.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]Down a flight of warded stairs they found a laboratory and tangled with some flayed jaguars that badly wounded Uru.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]Leon got his arm sliced off by a trap; and promptly stitched back on by a captive Von Recklinghausen.[/COLOR] [*][COLOR=DarkOrange]The party headed further down, opened a whole bunch of doors, and discovered an overflowing witchoil laboratory, guarded by none other than a zombified El Perro![/COLOR] [/LIST] Most of what follows applies to our game only, but this first tip is much more general, I think. Because I have 6 players, I made Macbannin elite. But even if I had 5 I would be tempted to do so because the party won initative, focused fire, and reduced him to less than 30 hit points before he had even fired a shot! Still, an elite Macbannin made this a very difficult encounter and most of the party spent at least a round or two on the ground. The curses worked a treat (with the executioner assassin picking up the doppelganger hex), but I thinned out the manor staff by having them run away or plunge into sinkholes, because the fight began to turn into a grind. (Macbannin's aura making it tough for the party to drop his allies. An unintended consequence of his increased longevity.) Rumdoom was dropped right next to Macbannin and used a benny to fire off 'The Icy End of the Earth' from beyond the grave (or below 0hp, strictly speaking), which in turn dropped Macbannin. My players then went on to make three idiotic mistakes: 1) They left Macbannin behind - guarded by Uru clockwork mechanism. 2) Uru dashed past two jaguars, provoking OAs and getting himself killed. 3) Leon stuck his arm into the rather obvious trap. Mistake 2 was the most annoying because it was caused by a series of unforced errors on the player's part. This guy really is a great roleplayer with only a slender grasp on the mechanics of the game. So he builds this great character, only to waste him by provoking two OAs for absolutely no reason, when already reduced to 15hp, and continuing with the move even when warned, hoping they wouldn’t land. Now you may think I am soft, but story must come first and the story would not be served by Uru dying because his player isn’t tactically oriented. So I ruled that he was terribly injured, but (once healed) could play on with a death penalty imposed as a warning for his rash behaviour. (He didn't even have a good reason for provoking the OAs; or even realise he was provokling them.) I'm worried I'm going to seem like a softy now. Still - Uru now has a ghostly grim reaper hovering over him at all times. If I think of a great story-driven reason to off him later in the campaign, I shall show no remorse - you just watch! That this was followed up by the normally cautious Leon getting his arm chopped off (and promptly stitched back on) was priceless. I almost regretted the fact that there were surgery tools in the next room. Now I must think of some cool side-effect of the arm being healed by Wolfgang. Maybe it can make a basic attack on its own when the character is at 0hp? Or will be recognised as dead by the Voice of Rot? Anyway, I am proud of the fact that the session ended with Saaladoor bursting into the reservoir and being taken down by a rifle shot from the zombified El Perro. A great cliffhanger! [/QUOTE]
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