Pandemonium!

[Saagael]

So my players just got to Pandemonium for the first time, hoping to trail some bad guys back to their hideout. Having never used this plane before, I had fun with some altered gravity antics, and decided to do a thoroughly complex encounter based on altering gravity.

The idea is that the players got to a hideout used by some pretty nasty cultists, who just kidnapped a rather important religious figure. Infiltrating the complex will be a stealth-based skill challenge, which isn't too hard. What is complex will be the encounter. Here's the location:

A huge cylindrical cavern, hundreds of feet across, and endlessly deep. In the middle of this cylindrical pit is a square metal platform where the bad guys are keeping the kidnapee. When the players get out to this platform, the villains, depending on the success or failure of the stealth skill challenge, will either be waiting or surprised.

Combat starts with the metal platform breaking apart, and forming a giant cube of metal, with the players on the inside of it. Gravity will be altered by an artifact in the very center. There will also be floating pieces of metal that move around randomly within the square.

If that wasn't mind-boggling enough, I'm tempted to make gravity shift directions every other round, randomly decided by a d6. This means players would be scrambling as the artifact begins shifting gravity so they don't fall flat on their faces. Gravity will always be pulling in the direction of one of the cube's inner faces.

Some of the characters can fly, and this would be way to showcase those that can fly/jump/climb and whatnot. It also helps that all of the PCs are melee characters, and they'll be facing flying artillery and skirmishers.

Any thoughts on this sort of fight? I use Maptools, so mapping it will be a challenge, and any ideas on that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks EnWorlders!

 

[Riastlin]

Can't help you with the maptools aspect, but I love the idea. I will be doing something similar in the early stages of the Epic Tier in my campaign when the party ends up on the Dream Plane. Cool thing about dreams being that the dreamer can easily alter them should they want to.

As for ideas on the encounter itself, depending on what level your party is at, I would be a little careful with how often you shift the gravity (depending in particular on how big the cube is). Perhaps make it a recharge ability. Of course, if they are high enough into Epic (which is possible considering they are going to Pandemonium), then have at it and don't worry about pulling your punches. I only say be careful because you do run the risk of merely frustrating your players if the gravity shift is too frequent and causes too much damage -- though I do love the idea of rewarding the players with flight abilities, not the type of thing you want to do often, but good to throw in there once in a while to let them feel good about their character choices.

 

[Saagael]

Can't help you with the maptools aspect, but I love the idea. I will be doing something similar in the early stages of the Epic Tier in my campaign when the party ends up on the Dream Plane. Cool thing about dreams being that the dreamer can easily alter them should they want to.

As for ideas on the encounter itself, depending on what level your party is at, I would be a little careful with how often you shift the gravity (depending in particular on how big the cube is). Perhaps make it a recharge ability. Of course, if they are high enough into Epic (which is possible considering they are going to Pandemonium), then have at it and don't worry about pulling your punches. I only say be careful because you do run the risk of merely frustrating your players if the gravity shift is too frequent and causes too much damage -- though I do love the idea of rewarding the players with flight abilities, not the type of thing you want to do often, but good to throw in there once in a while to let them feel good about their character choices.

They're level 21, fresh into epic tier. This will be the first big battle they've had thus far, and its all the culmination of letting a person get kidnapped and then failing to rescue them for 3 encounters.

The gravity change will be every other round. Odd numbered rounds will have a warning that will allow perceptive characters to see how the gravity will shift, then on the following round, the gravity will change. So players can move to the appropriate wall, or climb on the side of the moving platforms to prepare for said change. These characters are also pretty boss, so I'm not too worried about falling damage (Dwarf, flying dragonborn, monk with super high acrobatics, flying deva, and some other acrobatic characters), just the threat that they might get pushed out of position real easily.

For monsters, I'm thinking some artillery that hang out on the shifting platforms the whole time, a flying skirmisher or two for harassment, then a big brute that jumps between platforms, grabs players, and then falls to the opposite side of the cube when gravity shifts. Along with the gravity altering artifact that can be disabled as a skill challenge.

 

[wedgeski]

For monsters, I'm thinking some artillery that hang out on the shifting platforms the whole time, a flying skirmisher or two for harassment, then a big brute that jumps between platforms, grabs players, and then falls to the opposite side of the cube when gravity shifts. Along with the gravity altering artifact that can be disabled as a skill challenge.

I have actually run such an encounter (albeit in 3E). The challenges to the PC's were almost exactly as you describe. I ran it on a battle-mat in the shape of an exploded cube, which made it very easy to track PC positions as they fell about the place.

If I was going to do it in 4E, the only change I would make to my scenario would be the addition of a quick Skill Challenge or terrain power allowing PC's to either take control of or influence the gravity shifts.

 

[OnlineDM]

For the MapTool side of things, it will probably help to keep track of all characters' altitudes with numeric states (so you can see that PC A is 3 squares above the "ground" and PC B is 5 squares above the "ground"). The way I implemented this for my own game is here: MapTool macros: Numbers on tokens – elevation, etc. Online Dungeon Master

 

[Saagael]

I have actually run such an encounter (albeit in 3E). The challenges to the PC's were almost exactly as you describe. I ran it on a battle-mat in the shape of an exploded cube, which made it very easy to track PC positions as they fell about the place.

If I was going to do it in 4E, the only change I would make to my scenario would be the addition of a quick Skill Challenge or terrain power allowing PC's to either take control of or influence the gravity shifts.

An exploded cube might be the way to go with this map; much cleaner than my original idea which was "use your imagination". Also, I love the idea for influencing gravity shifts. Did your players like dealing with the extra dimensions of this kind of fight?

For the MapTool side of things, it will probably help to keep track of all characters' altitudes with numeric states (so you can see that PC A is 3 squares above the "ground" and PC B is 5 squares above the "ground"). The way I implemented this for my own game is here: MapTool macros: Numbers on tokens – elevation, etc. Online Dungeon Master

I usually put altitude in their label, this is looks quicker and more noticeable. I can't test it now, but I'm using DeviantNull's framework; do you know if it'll mesh with that?

 

[OnlineDM]

I usually put altitude in their label, this is looks quicker and more noticeable. I can't test it now, but I'm using DeviantNull's framework; do you know if it'll mesh with that?

I don't have much experience with the established frameworks (I use a home brew framework that's far less fancy), but I doubt if adding these states would break anything. It's worth a try!

 

[wedgeski]

An exploded cube might be the way to go with this map; much cleaner than my original idea which was "use your imagination". Also, I love the idea for influencing gravity shifts. Did your players like dealing with the extra dimensions of this kind of fight?

Judging by the comedy sound effects they were dubbing over themselves as they fell from wall to wall, and the real-time animation of their mini's tumbling through the air, I would have to say... yes.