ForceUser
Explorer
Teflon Billy said:I've pretty much given up on having my Arch Villains follow the Dr. Evil mold. Whenever my baddies begin to talk, my players begin to "Soup up" for combat or just outright attack.
They make Scott Evil look like ditherer.
I actually instituted a rule in my Super Hero campaign that while anyone was doing a soliloquy, time effectively "stopped". There is a lot of precedence for this in comics
This resulted in certain of my players, during villainous soliloquy, gathering up dice and asking "is he done yet"?
Heh heh heh. I feel your pain brother. That's why I instituted the following:
[THE DRAMATIC OPENING MOMENT]
"I am Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
"Strike me down with all your hatred, and your journey to the Dark Side will be complete!"
"Go back! You shall not pass!"
The Dramatic Opening Moment is the calm before the storm. Combat is inevitable - mere moments away! - yet there is something you must say to your foe before you send him to Hell. On the first round of combat, provided all sides of the conflict are aware of each other and nobody is surprised, you can make a short speech after initiative is rolled but before any actions are resolved. Each player character has an opportunity to say something dramatically appropriate to the scene, and so do their foes. Once all characters who wish to say something have done so, the action starts. You may use this moment to deliver tactical information, provided you say it in a dramatically appropriate way ("Woo! Look out, he's got a demon in his pocket!"), but you may not use the moment to attempt any action that requires a die roll to resolve, nor can you use it to activate a magic item or cast a spell. The Dramatic Opening Moment exists solely to pause the action long enough for you and your foe to trade insults or boast, just like in the movies. When you speak in the Dramatic Opening Moment, remember that you're about to fight! Talk agressively, be brazenly loud or deathly quiet. Ham it up! Pretend you're the action star in your own kung fu movie! Ask yourself: what would Jackie Chan or Tom Cruise say?
[THE CINEMATIC FREE ACTION]
"Shadow kick!"
"Impressive...most impressive."
"By the Power of Greyskull!"
The Cinematic Free Action is the funny quip or bit of tough-guy dialogue you spout off during a fight. Maybe you're trying to provoke your opponent or maybe you're just activating a magic item. Whatever the case, the Cinematic Free Action allows your character to say something cool during a fight without worrying about whether he could talk, run, swing a weapon, and cast a spell in the same round. Of course you can! This is an action movie! Every character gets one Cinematic Free Action per round in addition to whatever actions they normally get. You resolve the Cinematic Free Action on your turn, and you don't have to use it if you don't want to. Like the Dramatic Opening Moment, you can use your Cinematic Free Action to shout tactical information to your allies if you want ("Hien! Vinh needs healing or he will die!"), you can use it to harass your foes ("You call that a fireball? I will show you a fireball!"), or you can use it to activate a magic item in an appropriately dramatic way ("Lotus petals on water!" when activating Boots of Water Walking, perhaps). This ability exists to allow you more freedom to roleplay during a combat encounter - whether you take a Cinematic Free Action or not is usually up to you. In the interest of fun, however, it is not always up to you.
[Cinematic Free Actions to activate magic items] Some magic items you might find or have made during the course of the campaign might require a cinematic free action to activate - a dramatically appropriate phrase of power.
[Cinematic Free Actions for use-activated feats] Some use-activated feats (feats that the player designates he's using as opposed to feats that are always in effect) may require a Cinematic Free Action to initiate. You can choose when to say your accompanying phrase, either just before, during, or right after you use your feat. Also, you don't have to say it more than once per session unless you want to, but you must always say it the FIRST time you use your cool feat in a session. The following list of use-activated feats from the Player's Handbook will require a Cinematic Free Action to use:
Blind-fight
Expertise
Great Cleave
Improved Disarm
Improved Trip
Power Attack
Spring Attack
Stunning Fist
Sunder
Whirlwind Attack
So, for instance, when using a Whirlwind Attack, your character might cry out "Four winds seek the Void!" before proceeding to slice and dice her foes. Or a monk using Stunning Attack might strike his enemy and exclaim "Dragon fist!" If you have one of these feats, or similar feats from other books, feel free to come up with cool phrases to deliver when using them!
My only goal by inserting these house rules is to make combat more lively, entertaining, and dramatically cinematic, just like in kung fu movies and Hong Kong action flicks. I think it will be fun!
ON TOPIC: I have a couple Dr. Evils and a few Scott Evils. It's important to make sure your Dr. Evils always have a backup plan or an escape plan, or they won't be long for the campaign.
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