I'm planning a massive Fourthcore dungeon. I'll be running it over Maptools, and challenging teams of players to see how far they can get. Players will be encouraged to create optimized (but not broken) characters, and they'll be allowed to discuss tactics OOC (to a reasonable extent). Characters will start at level 11, but they'll also be asked to make a level 12 "back-up character" for when their first guy (inevitably) dies. I'm also considering being really generous with their starting gear, letting them buy lots of uncommons. They'll need the extra edge, if I design these encounters right.
Combat encounters will be brutal, but also hopefully fun, tactically interesting, and spliced with wacky traps and skill challenges to make the dungeon seem like more than a giant meat grinder. I want to use this thread for brainstorming ideas for tactically interesting, exciting, and above all, EXTREMELY difficult encounters. This is not your typical dungeon, where narrative, fairness, and giving the heroes a chance to shine is a huge priority. This is the bleak, brutal world of Fourthcore. The fun isn't in seeing if you win (you won't), but in how long you last.
Help me bring out my evil, antagonistic DM, and design new tortures for my foolhardy players.
Combat encounters will be brutal, but also hopefully fun, tactically interesting, and spliced with wacky traps and skill challenges to make the dungeon seem like more than a giant meat grinder. I want to use this thread for brainstorming ideas for tactically interesting, exciting, and above all, EXTREMELY difficult encounters. This is not your typical dungeon, where narrative, fairness, and giving the heroes a chance to shine is a huge priority. This is the bleak, brutal world of Fourthcore. The fun isn't in seeing if you win (you won't), but in how long you last.
Help me bring out my evil, antagonistic DM, and design new tortures for my foolhardy players.
***
This is one of the earliest ideas for an encounter that I had. The brutal, very-nearly-hopeless nature of the medusa's almost-unstoppable petrification just screams "Fourthcore" to me. The encounter consists of:
3 Green Arcanians, leveled up to 11
1 Medusa Venom Arrow, level 12
1 Quasit, level up to 10
1 Medusa Venom Arrow, level 12
1 Quasit, level up to 10
This battle takes place in an area of the dungeon known as "The Garden of Melted Stone," for reasons that should be obvious. Since the medusa and her undead, acid-slinging attendants are the most famous denizens of this particular stretch of the dungeon, some successful History or Streetwise checks on the part of the PCs might give them some prior warning and some knowledge of the monsters' backstories.
Obviously, the mechanical centerpiece of this encounter is the medusa's gaze inflicting the threat of petrification on the players, and then the Green Arcanians using their "Orb of Denial" power to turn successful saves into failures, resulting in speedy and inevitable petrification for (hopefully) at least one player.
I haven't yet figured out terrain. As artillery, I want the arcanians protected. I initially just thought about throwing them up on pedestals, pillars, or ledges, but that seems a bit dull. I think I might have one or two out of (immediate) reach, but at least one will be standing in a pool of acid. Their resistance will protect them, and melee PCs are free to engage... at the cost of burning their ankles to the tune of 10 acid damage per turn.
Major problems I'm anticipating:
It'll be way too easy to alpha-strike the medusa into oblivion, thus ruining the encounter: The medusa is an artillery creature, but her big threat powers for this encounter (the gaze and the save-penalty-inducing Snaky Hair) all require her to be at melee range. She'll need to be somehow in the thick of things, and be able to survive a few rounds with Paragon-level PCs who will (in all likelihood) prioritize her as a target. How can you get a high-priority target artillery monster to walk up to a Fighter... and live?
Possible solutions: The simplest solution I can think of is to simply take out the quasit and introduce a second medusa. As much as I like the quasit's at-will invisibility and save penalty aura, I need to make sure that gaze attack lands for that to even matter. I was attracted to the idea of the medusa is a big, singular, iconic threat, however. I might consider homebrewing her... changing her to an Elite Soldier or Elite Brute. But I'm trying to avoid homebrewing monsters as much as possible for reasons I'll outline in a future post.
Also, Fourthcore means huge risk, but also huge rewards. I'm seriously considering giving the medusa some sort of magical item that will aid her survival, most likely some very strong armor. This helps her survivability, and also rewards the PCs if they manage to overcome what I hope is to be a very difficult challenge. If I go this route, I'll likely have to homebrew something to get the power level I desire. Definitely a 'rare' item. Acid resistance 10 is a no-brainer, as it'll let her traverse the acid pools with her arcanian allies. I need something else, though, something that'll stop an alpha-strike in its tracks while simultaneously not being too huge of a boon in the hands of a player. I'm thinking a Daily power immediate interrupt that dazes a melee attacker in response to getting hit.
It'll be way too easy to alpha-strike the medusa into oblivion, thus ruining the encounter: The medusa is an artillery creature, but her big threat powers for this encounter (the gaze and the save-penalty-inducing Snaky Hair) all require her to be at melee range. She'll need to be somehow in the thick of things, and be able to survive a few rounds with Paragon-level PCs who will (in all likelihood) prioritize her as a target. How can you get a high-priority target artillery monster to walk up to a Fighter... and live?
Possible solutions: The simplest solution I can think of is to simply take out the quasit and introduce a second medusa. As much as I like the quasit's at-will invisibility and save penalty aura, I need to make sure that gaze attack lands for that to even matter. I was attracted to the idea of the medusa is a big, singular, iconic threat, however. I might consider homebrewing her... changing her to an Elite Soldier or Elite Brute. But I'm trying to avoid homebrewing monsters as much as possible for reasons I'll outline in a future post.
Also, Fourthcore means huge risk, but also huge rewards. I'm seriously considering giving the medusa some sort of magical item that will aid her survival, most likely some very strong armor. This helps her survivability, and also rewards the PCs if they manage to overcome what I hope is to be a very difficult challenge. If I go this route, I'll likely have to homebrew something to get the power level I desire. Definitely a 'rare' item. Acid resistance 10 is a no-brainer, as it'll let her traverse the acid pools with her arcanian allies. I need something else, though, something that'll stop an alpha-strike in its tracks while simultaneously not being too huge of a boon in the hands of a player. I'm thinking a Daily power immediate interrupt that dazes a melee attacker in response to getting hit.
Save-granting powers mess this encounter up bad: Sacred Flame makes medusas cry. There was eratta (I believe) that stated that if you fail a save granted by an ally, that doesn't make cascading effects (like a medusa's petrification) worse.
This is a weakness of the encounter that I think I'm pretty okay with. The Green Arcanians can still use Orb of Denial to nullify these granted saves, and heavy save penalties from Snaky Hair and the quasit's aura means that the threat of petrification is always there. I'm willing to live with this weakness.
Please post comments, suggestions, ideas, flaming condemnations, cries of "Have you no decency, sir?" here.
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