D&D 5E Brainstorming voltron-like concept

[fba827]

I’m just kicking around an idea for something... And I’m fishing around for ideas or obstacles that I might not be considering.

for the purpose of explaining I’m going to use a close approximation of the situation for the sake of simplifying

(imagine voltron or power rangers or such)
The PCs will each have a device to control a golem and those golems can combine to be a massive golem. And have to coordinate their individual to get the massive golem to work

again I’m over simplifying but that is the gist.

considerations

• I have to balance hp and damage output for the number of characters and adjust enemy damage and hp accordingly
• I have to balance action economy for number of characters and can adjust enemy action economy accordingly
• as this will just be a ‘gimmick’ for a couple sessions, I don’t want to over complicated the rules
• the purpose here is about getting PCs to coordinate together to function the creature
• I want to plan as 5 PCs for controlling the combined creature but also if I do it 2 PCs per combined creature
• I want to try and get all involved players to feel they are doing something meaningful in controlling the bigger golem

One way I could do this is simply break down action types and divide it up.....
(Using a 2 pc scenario) one of controlling the main action, the second controlling the movement and reaction.
(Using a 5 pc scenario). One for movement, one for action, one for reaction, one for bonus action, one for ..?

Though for the purpose of each player feeling that they do something meaningful being stuck with ‘I pick movement’ might not be very thrilling,
To address that maybe each round, the person controlling things shifts so you’re not doing just movement every round?


or I could increase the action economy giving more actions
(Using a 2 pc scenario) each controlling half the movement and each controlling one action and higher initiative gets to control the reaction
(Using a 5 pc scenario) each controlling one quarter of the movement rate on their turn, and each controls one action

Anyway. I don’t know. It’s an idea just being kicked around but tossing it out there in case someone had a good idea , or at least if someone had something I hadn’t necessarily considered yet.

Thoughts?


thanks in advance.

 

[Stormonu]

You could give each character a special reaction ability (or 2-3), when things happen. Their reaction only kicks in when specific things happen. The "golem" gets Legendary Actions (say 3/turn) that can only be used as reactions

Likewise, it might be that only certain characters can perform specific actions or bonus actions (for example, only the "leg" characters can activate Dash). It may be best that each character gets a list of 2-3 special actions they utilize, generally as a bonus action, perhaps limited by # of times = proficiency modifier so no one player is stealing the spotlight every time.

Also, you might want to consider "power meter" stunts - characters who don't take direct action might contribute to the golem's power meter in some way ("Adjusting reactor power after that last hit") that can augment regular actions or help to build up to ultimate attacks and combos.

With these huge golems and assuming a 4-5 player group controlling it, I'd suggest perhaps the following action economy:

General Bonus action: Any one of the PCs can activate a single bonus action
Mutual Action: Requires group concensus, the "torso/heart/brain" character breaks ties; special offensive attacks ("Voltron Ultimate Slash!") may also fall here.
Move Action: Transform movement into an action and individual PCs can trigger special actions ranging from leap attacks, combat rolls, charges, flight, burrowing, tripping, etc.
Reaction (x3?): used during the enemy's turn in response to specific actions taken by the enemy.

You might want to limit it that each character can only do one of the above each round; this should hopefully give everyone something to do each round and require some teamwork to get the best results.

An example Golem:

Position: Head/Torso
Special Actions: Direct (allows reroll of Ability checks), Resist (Reroll save to remove condition)
Ultimate: Takedown (Requires 4 power points; critical hit and target prone), Overcome (Requires 4 power points; removes condition)
Reflex: Resist (Advantage on Wisdom save), Push On (Regain 1d10 hit points)

Position: Right Arm
Special Actions: Quick Strike (cantrip-level/base attack), Power strike (-5 hit/+10 damage on attacks)
Ultimate: Form Sword (Requires 4 power points; creates flaming Two-handed sword)
Reflex: Strike Now (counterattack after hit), Disarm (disarm attempt after enemy miss)

Position: Left Arm
Special Actions: Analyze (reveal one enemy statistic), Defensive (add 2 to AC)
Ultimate: Power Blast (Requires 4 power points; Spell Ranged attack), Force Field (Requires 4 power points; creates a barrier)
Reflex: Roll With Blow (Reduce damage by 1d10), Interposing Shield (+2 to AC vs. attack)

Position: Right Leg
Ultimate: Leap Kick (Requires 4 power points; Move then attack)
Special Actions: Dash (take Dash action), Leap (Jump up to movement rate)
Reflex: Flip Away (Jump after opponent misses)

Position: Left Leg
Ultimate: Vanish (Requires 4 power points; become invisible)
Special Action: Dodge (take Dodge action),
Reflex: Reposition (Move after enemy attack)

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The constructs have got a look based in animal or creatures because they are animated by totem spirits.

An exosuit practically works as a mindless construct mount (or monster ally). This means the challenging rating has to be recaculated. Now let's imagine the same encounters within heavy-metal mechas. Has anybody faced a B.R.U.T.E mecha playing Fortnite: Battle Royal? You can notice the level of challenge.

Some class features could become useless when the PC is within a mecha, for example spellcasting or stealth movement. Could a druid use a metalic mecha or exosuit or is it as metalic armour?

If the PC can kill a dinosaur, megafaun, kaiju or a giant with only one hit, how should be the XPs reward?




But I could bet Hasbro would thank very much if you tell some good idea for a D&D version of Zoids.

 

[aco175]

Would the plan be that the PCs are inside controlling it, like the cartoons or have the golems as pets like horses and it forms under the command of the PCs? I'm trying to see past the point of the player in the leg saying he will walk this turn and give him more to do. I like the legendary actions but does the 'Voltron' count as one monster now or as 5 if the PCs are all in there? If it is one, giant golem vs. King Kong then there is only one other turn to use the bonus actions.

I was thinking of having the giant golem only tie up a couple PCs and not the whole group. Maybe the giant lion mounts of the PCs become mecha-shark with one PC inside with cool powers that can help the others PCs. I can see some players not liking or getting bored with this. May be cool for a story arc though. The 5 lions are kept in hidden citadels of Magic-coloring temples. The PCs need to find and gain the power of the lion to join forces to defeat the uber-Godzilla BBEG where all the lions explode in the end showering the world with coolness and the PCs saving the day.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

A group of PC controlling a mecha would be like in a naval combat, or each PC with her own squad in the siege of a castle, as defenders or attackers.

Other question is about metagame. If all the PCs are "in the same ship"... who takes decisiones about strategy? The "leader" could order to cast certain spell in some time, but then one player would face all the responsibility while the other are passive watchers, only spending some spell slot when they are asked. Even in the most of TTRPGs with mechas there is only a pilot for each mecha.

In a modern tank there is the driver, the gunner, the captain and the loader (but when the loading is automatic).

If the crew are together in one cabin...do everybody suffer the same damage when the mecha is hurt? what happen when the captain from the head is KO but not the pilots on the other body parts?

If two members of the mecha are in the arms, then they could feel dizzy easily when the mecha was boxing against kaijus or other mechas.

What if one of the PCs is too injuried in the moment of mecha fusion? Then the mecha could suffer some penalty, for example limp.

My advice is the first step to test is "mechas" are construct versions of monster allies, and when they appear in the battlefield then it is as one player controlling two PCs, and then the distribution of XPs will be different, avoiding a break of power balance.

* Disclaimer: NO, NO, NO AND NO! Transformer kiss players never was real! No fool idea about a fantasy Cybertronian kissers!! As if the bards weren't enough...!

 

[jmartkdr2]

The tough nut to crack is making sure every pc gets to make interesting decisions - not just that they all get to roll dice. I've never seen it pulled off well with rules, but if you look at co-op board games you might find some answers.

One alternative: just make it so that the party needs to agree on the combined golem's actions or it doesn't do anything. You might get quarterbacking (ie one player becoming the leader and telling everyone else what to do), but that's a table dynamic issue. If it isn't normally a problem, it's not super-likely to suddenly show up.

 

[billd91]

Just hope that you're not the PC assigned to either green or blue in Guntron.

Guntron

The Perry Bible Fellowship

pbfcomics.com

 

[fba827]

Original poster here..
Thanks so far. To answer a question that popped up a couple times above...

in my specific scenario the players would basically be external to the golems using control rods. (Though I’m not against them being inside them if it aligns with whatever I decide to do with this)

 

[hopeless]

Hmm how do they find these Golems?
Do they like the series stumble across one and one of them figures out how to activate it?
Maybe the area is attacked and they're forced to flee aboard their airborne Golem whose onboard warforged sentience locks onto the nearest safest place heading to whats now an enemy held fortress but in the process they stumble across another Golem resulting in another of the group figuring out how to pilot it.
Then they find the enemy have their own version but they're vastly less powerful.
Perhaps have a storyline set up to explain all this stuff perhaps a ready made villain whose taking over their world and he/she/it needs the Golems or at least one of them to locate the floating Palace that's home to the command override allowing them to seize power over ALL of the Golems let alone whatever else is out there...

 

[Stalker0]

I feel like the most dirt simple way to do this is you give the golem 5 legendary actions (assuming 5 parts), and each PC gets to run one of the legendries (or maybe 4 legendary actions and the head runs the main action). But no restriction on what part runs which types of actions, just let everyone be equal.

That's a nice KISS approach.