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<blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 9041516" data-attributes="member: 2209"><p><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/describe-your-last-rpg-session-in-5-words.679952/page-126#post-9041498" target="_blank">AI Monster Truck Finale Fight</a></p><p></p><p>So this is the climax fight of module two of the Iron Gods Adventure path, a CR 8 AI robot boss for a level 6 party. I am running this in 5e and reskinned a One-Headed Clockwork Dragon from Kobold Press's Creature Codex. It had lots of things I wanted, the right CR, lots of attacks, some combat specials that were easy to reskin to the demonic Monster Truck theme.</p><p></p><p>My group of now level six marauders has been working the Mad Max fantasy city of Scrapwall for about a year now smashing their way up the gang hierarchies to take down the various minions of the insane demigod AI housed in a Monster Truck.</p><p></p><p>I had a new player to the game, everybody knew from past games. We got him set up, he's going to play the orcish personal mechanic of the Monster Truck who the AI has finally turned on in his insanity and alternately praising and offering power to, then turning on him, chaining him up and torturing him. Mechanically a half orc barbarian with a custom mechanic background. Magic fire resistant Mad Max half plate and a two handed wrench +1 (maul).</p><p></p><p>I have had great luck with reskinning Kobold Press monsters for my conversion game and I thought this one was perfect, a CR 2 above the party's level should be good to go. Normally I trust the mechanics enough to just fly at the party and go full throttle.</p><p></p><p>Here I hit on a bad enough overwhelming spike of damage that I ended up quick call retconning that attack amount.</p><p></p><p>The monster can spray oil on a cone to make people vulnerable to fire until after its next attack.</p><p></p><p>I had three PCs and a homunculus in a 10 foot wide corridor so the truck drew an opportunity attack from the mechanic to pin the four at the corridor bottleneck with a portcullis trap behind them. Round 1 I do the multiattack spray oil and three big bludgeoning attacks with a d6 fire damage on the two front liners, all four fail the DC 16 dex save and are covered in oil. Second round I did the recharge 6 fire breath.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]287268[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>DC 16 dex saves again, none of them are dexy characters and again all four fail. 10d6 fire damage rolls 30, with vulnerability that is 60 damage each, 240 for the four of them. The PC's max hp with aid were 38, 62, 69, and the two tougher ones had taken about fifteen each from bludgeoning so all four gone, gone, gone.</p><p></p><p>One shot taking out three out of the four members of the party. Round 2. The monster still had about 150 hp to go after taking 20 so far and the new guy the only one left.</p><p></p><p>Not the drawn out back and forth climax fight I wanted. I did not want a TPK round 3. Damnit straight combat is usually fun, but I do not want to just TPK the group and be done an hour into the game. 5e is normally fine to just unload, as knocking down one PC can be fine, they will live and interesting decisions on healing or attacking for everyone else and multiple rounds of death saves. But if most everyone goes down it is usually game over and new PCs if not new game. Occasionally there can be captured scenario where the party wakes up prisoners instead of dead, but that is a bit hard to work, particularly on the spot instead of as a slaver module plot point.</p><p></p><p>Executive decision, that spike is too much mechanically for what is supposed to be a doable APL +2 CR, so 60 damage to the party divided four ways, not 60 damage to each. Homunculus taken out, cleric bloodied and concentration blown round two, artificer and hexblade hurt bad. We then proceed to do out a full on multiround combat using multiple powers and fun narrative stuff. The monster truck spins and attacks with rear wheels then rams ahead with its fiery grill. Great back and forth repartee between the Monster Truck and the now former mechanic, plot points uncovered in the mad AI's rantings, party cool points get highlighted, the monster truck does several on point reversals (robot artificer PC adware psychic damage attacks versus AI psychic damage immunity virus protection).</p><p></p><p>I hated pulling the punches on the flame breath, but the campaign dynamic I want is action movie fight, not save or die casual death TPK based on rolls.</p><p></p><p>It was fun, but I have a bad taste in my mouth from the round 2 TPK situation. We've been building up to this for months and I feel let down by the mechanics.</p><p></p><p>We did end with them dismantling the monster truck, "I wouldn't put it past you to activate a "Gravedigger" monster truck special ability where it comes back." </p><p></p><p>Which yes, I had thought about. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Voadam, post: 9041516, member: 2209"] [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/describe-your-last-rpg-session-in-5-words.679952/page-126#post-9041498']AI Monster Truck Finale Fight[/URL] So this is the climax fight of module two of the Iron Gods Adventure path, a CR 8 AI robot boss for a level 6 party. I am running this in 5e and reskinned a One-Headed Clockwork Dragon from Kobold Press's Creature Codex. It had lots of things I wanted, the right CR, lots of attacks, some combat specials that were easy to reskin to the demonic Monster Truck theme. My group of now level six marauders has been working the Mad Max fantasy city of Scrapwall for about a year now smashing their way up the gang hierarchies to take down the various minions of the insane demigod AI housed in a Monster Truck. I had a new player to the game, everybody knew from past games. We got him set up, he's going to play the orcish personal mechanic of the Monster Truck who the AI has finally turned on in his insanity and alternately praising and offering power to, then turning on him, chaining him up and torturing him. Mechanically a half orc barbarian with a custom mechanic background. Magic fire resistant Mad Max half plate and a two handed wrench +1 (maul). I have had great luck with reskinning Kobold Press monsters for my conversion game and I thought this one was perfect, a CR 2 above the party's level should be good to go. Normally I trust the mechanics enough to just fly at the party and go full throttle. Here I hit on a bad enough overwhelming spike of damage that I ended up quick call retconning that attack amount. The monster can spray oil on a cone to make people vulnerable to fire until after its next attack. I had three PCs and a homunculus in a 10 foot wide corridor so the truck drew an opportunity attack from the mechanic to pin the four at the corridor bottleneck with a portcullis trap behind them. Round 1 I do the multiattack spray oil and three big bludgeoning attacks with a d6 fire damage on the two front liners, all four fail the DC 16 dex save and are covered in oil. Second round I did the recharge 6 fire breath. [ATTACH type="full" alt="1686370298645.png"]287268[/ATTACH] DC 16 dex saves again, none of them are dexy characters and again all four fail. 10d6 fire damage rolls 30, with vulnerability that is 60 damage each, 240 for the four of them. The PC's max hp with aid were 38, 62, 69, and the two tougher ones had taken about fifteen each from bludgeoning so all four gone, gone, gone. One shot taking out three out of the four members of the party. Round 2. The monster still had about 150 hp to go after taking 20 so far and the new guy the only one left. Not the drawn out back and forth climax fight I wanted. I did not want a TPK round 3. Damnit straight combat is usually fun, but I do not want to just TPK the group and be done an hour into the game. 5e is normally fine to just unload, as knocking down one PC can be fine, they will live and interesting decisions on healing or attacking for everyone else and multiple rounds of death saves. But if most everyone goes down it is usually game over and new PCs if not new game. Occasionally there can be captured scenario where the party wakes up prisoners instead of dead, but that is a bit hard to work, particularly on the spot instead of as a slaver module plot point. Executive decision, that spike is too much mechanically for what is supposed to be a doable APL +2 CR, so 60 damage to the party divided four ways, not 60 damage to each. Homunculus taken out, cleric bloodied and concentration blown round two, artificer and hexblade hurt bad. We then proceed to do out a full on multiround combat using multiple powers and fun narrative stuff. The monster truck spins and attacks with rear wheels then rams ahead with its fiery grill. Great back and forth repartee between the Monster Truck and the now former mechanic, plot points uncovered in the mad AI's rantings, party cool points get highlighted, the monster truck does several on point reversals (robot artificer PC adware psychic damage attacks versus AI psychic damage immunity virus protection). I hated pulling the punches on the flame breath, but the campaign dynamic I want is action movie fight, not save or die casual death TPK based on rolls. It was fun, but I have a bad taste in my mouth from the round 2 TPK situation. We've been building up to this for months and I feel let down by the mechanics. We did end with them dismantling the monster truck, "I wouldn't put it past you to activate a "Gravedigger" monster truck special ability where it comes back." Which yes, I had thought about. :) [/QUOTE]
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