Dragonbane general thread [+]

[overgeeked]

The pillar shoots the person up into the air. They have to roll to avoid falling off. A success means they’re atop the pillar.

If the ceiling is low, they have to roll to avoid being squished. A success means they’re off the pillar. I’d put them in an adjacent space.

It’s just badly worded.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Yesterday, one of the players asked how does the Pillar spell work. We discussed it somewhat at length, but we remained a bit puzzled. Here's the text of the spell:

The spell raises a pillar, three meters high and one meter wide, from the ground or a stone floor. If someone is standing in that spot, the victim must make an ACROBATICS roll (not an action) to avoid falling off the pillar. If the pillar is created under a low ceiling and the roll fails, the victim takes 2D6 bludgeoning damage instead. For each additional power level, the height of the pillar increases by three meters, which can mean falling damage to anyone who falls off.

If someone is on the targeted spot, they make an acrobatics roll. If they succeed, they remain on top of the pillar. Is that correct? (The spells lasts one shift, i.e. 6 hours).

If instead the ceiling is too low, the "victim" has to roll to avoid the 2d6 damage. If they succeed where are they? Do they avoid the pillar altogether? What happens to someone who fails? Do they also take falling damage from the height of the ceiling? Are they instead pinned against the ceiling? Something else?

For a successful roll, I’d allow the target to choose… ride the pillar up or step to the side just in time. Or randomly roll to see which situation they end up in. In some cases it might be advantageous to be up higher out of reach. Once the pillar is in place, they can get down with an Acrobatics roll at a Boon, since they can lower themselves part of the way and hold on while they slide down.

For a failed roll, I kind of envision the pillar coming up so quickly the target is thrown up into the air. For simplicity, I’d have the falling damage be 2d6, 3d6 and 4d6 for casting at power levels 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

Indoors, pinning them seems like it gives the spell a powerful rider effect it’s not intended to have. Either the pillar stops short if a living thing is on top, and momentum causes them to smack against the ceiling, or the top crumbles after briefly crushing them. I’d have the damage scale the same as falling damage outdoors. Either way they’re still on top with a few inches to wriggle out. It’s more awkward than outdoors, so no Boon on the Acrobatics role to get down.

 

[Sir Brennen]

If the ceiling is low, they have to roll to avoid being squished. A success means they’re off the pillar. I’d put them in an adjacent space.

I think the main question is… squished, and then what? 2d6 damage isn’t likely to kill most characters

 

[overgeeked]

I think the main question is… squished, and then what? 2d6 damage isn’t likely to kill most characters

If it’s powerful enough to squish you, it’s powerful enough to hold you there. No idea on the “strength” of that, what it would take to break free, etc. I tend to come at these kinda things from an in-world POV rather than game mechanics.

 

[overgeeked]

Mike Shea does an extended review of Dragonbane.

 

[overgeeked]

Hey, @SlyFlourish

I don't know if this'll help you with improvised monsters, but this is what I was using for a bit.

Pick a column for the main stats, ferocity through damage, or mix and match. Then build attacks. As you mentioned, monsters typically have: 1. fear attack; 2. ranged attack; 3. melee AOE or multi attack; 4: prone/thrown/condition attack; 5-6. two thematic, fun ones. There's a lot of two-stage attacks and swallow attacks. Either reduce the die type or number of dice for AOE/multi attacks.

The numbers are taken from the core, bestiary, and adventures. I basically did a MM on a Business Card breakdown of the stats. The averages tend to cluster in those columns.

 

[stormwriter]

Hey, @SlyFlourish

I don't know if this'll help you with improvised monsters, but this is what I was using for a bit.

Pick a column for the main stats, ferocity through damage, or mix and match. Then build attacks. As you mentioned, monsters typically have: 1. fear attack; 2. ranged attack; 3. melee AOE or multi attack; 4: prone/thrown/condition attack; 5-6. two thematic, fun ones. There's a lot of two-stage attacks and swallow attacks. Either reduce the die type or number of dice for AOE/multi attacks.

The numbers are taken from the core, bestiary, and adventures. I basically did a MM on a Business Card breakdown of the stats. The averages tend to cluster in those columns.

View attachment 433024

Very interesting table. I saw some people using things like the Sea Serpent or the dragons from the bestiary as a base. Sea Serpent has 3 different sizes that goes like:
Size: Normal/Large/Huge
Ferocity: 2/2/2
Mov: 18/18/18
Armor: 1/3/5
HP: 40/56/72
Damage: 2d6,2d4 aoe / 2d8,2d6 aoe / 2d10,2d8 aoe