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How to make an encounter with falling great distances interesting and dangerous, but not deadly?
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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 7533197" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>[MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]</p><p></p><p>If you’re interested in treating it like a Basic Dungeon Crawl with Fail Forward, I suggest the following:</p><p></p><p>1) Scale the Exploration Turn/Movement Rate to your liking for the climb. I would have 3 rates though (Fast + Disadvantage on a Check/save to deal with an obstacle, Medium with no penalty, Slow and Advantage). This will create an interesting decision-point for the players (that hooks into the Wandering Monster/RandomEncpunter clock check at 2/3/4, your discretion, Turn intervals).</p><p></p><p>2) Map and Key it like you would a dungeon. I know they have a route planned, but they can have small, subtle decision-points in the course of it that are similar to branching corridors. Instead of the knee-deep path that smells musty and ancient vs the well-worn path that is dry but from which ominous sounds are eminating, you have a section that is completely collapsed and must be free climbed via a webbed rig that spans it which was thoughtfully put together vs a stable, yet precarious rope bridge that turns a blind corner...from which an ominous noise can be heard...</p><p></p><p>Maybe both passages are fine...but maybe the WM/RE dice come up 17-20 or the fail (Forward) on an action resolution attempt and they have to deal with something appropriate for either branch.</p><p></p><p>I would say something like 10-12 meaningful Decision-Points. That’s a lot of opportunity for interesting stuff to happen.</p><p></p><p>Look to Dungeon World to help you with your complications:</p><p></p><p>* Use a monster, danger, or location move</p><p></p><p>- They stumble upon a Peryton Nest filled with hungry hatchlings...mom and dad are returning on what looks to be a failed hunt...</p><p></p><p>* Reveal an unwelcome truth</p><p></p><p>- The monks may not be who we thought they were...</p><p></p><p>* Show signs of an approaching threat</p><p></p><p>- The weather turns abruptly...a chill, biting updraft, a hailstone...then a bigger one smashes into the climbing infrastructure ahead...splintering it.</p><p></p><p>* Deal damage</p><p></p><p>- Save vs Exhaustion or some environmental effect; maybe burning fumes ventilate from the face...</p><p></p><p>* Use up their resources</p><p></p><p>- (this one is difficult because it depends on equipment loadout being a pressure point) Climbing gear, backpack gets snagged and a potion falls to the bottom, shattering in a million pieces...quiver upends and you’re down to just a few arrows...wizardly spell components...coin purse...</p><p></p><p>* Turn their move back on them</p><p></p><p>- What appeared to be a thoughtful web of lines is an easily tangled mess...they’re stuck and have to spend turns getting unstuck (time being a currency here because of the WM/RE clock ticking).</p><p></p><p>* Separate them</p><p></p><p>- Bob the Fighter falls, but catches himself on the face x number of moves (in feet) below. The infrastructure back to the group has collapsed, so he needs to figure out another way up.</p><p></p><p>* Offer an opportunity, with or without cost</p><p>* Put someone in a spot</p><p>* Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask</p><p></p><p>Etc etc.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 7533197, member: 6696971"] [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION] If you’re interested in treating it like a Basic Dungeon Crawl with Fail Forward, I suggest the following: 1) Scale the Exploration Turn/Movement Rate to your liking for the climb. I would have 3 rates though (Fast + Disadvantage on a Check/save to deal with an obstacle, Medium with no penalty, Slow and Advantage). This will create an interesting decision-point for the players (that hooks into the Wandering Monster/RandomEncpunter clock check at 2/3/4, your discretion, Turn intervals). 2) Map and Key it like you would a dungeon. I know they have a route planned, but they can have small, subtle decision-points in the course of it that are similar to branching corridors. Instead of the knee-deep path that smells musty and ancient vs the well-worn path that is dry but from which ominous sounds are eminating, you have a section that is completely collapsed and must be free climbed via a webbed rig that spans it which was thoughtfully put together vs a stable, yet precarious rope bridge that turns a blind corner...from which an ominous noise can be heard... Maybe both passages are fine...but maybe the WM/RE dice come up 17-20 or the fail (Forward) on an action resolution attempt and they have to deal with something appropriate for either branch. I would say something like 10-12 meaningful Decision-Points. That’s a lot of opportunity for interesting stuff to happen. Look to Dungeon World to help you with your complications: * Use a monster, danger, or location move - They stumble upon a Peryton Nest filled with hungry hatchlings...mom and dad are returning on what looks to be a failed hunt... * Reveal an unwelcome truth - The monks may not be who we thought they were... * Show signs of an approaching threat - The weather turns abruptly...a chill, biting updraft, a hailstone...then a bigger one smashes into the climbing infrastructure ahead...splintering it. * Deal damage - Save vs Exhaustion or some environmental effect; maybe burning fumes ventilate from the face... * Use up their resources - (this one is difficult because it depends on equipment loadout being a pressure point) Climbing gear, backpack gets snagged and a potion falls to the bottom, shattering in a million pieces...quiver upends and you’re down to just a few arrows...wizardly spell components...coin purse... * Turn their move back on them - What appeared to be a thoughtful web of lines is an easily tangled mess...they’re stuck and have to spend turns getting unstuck (time being a currency here because of the WM/RE clock ticking). * Separate them - Bob the Fighter falls, but catches himself on the face x number of moves (in feet) below. The infrastructure back to the group has collapsed, so he needs to figure out another way up. * Offer an opportunity, with or without cost * Put someone in a spot * Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask Etc etc. [/QUOTE]
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How to make an encounter with falling great distances interesting and dangerous, but not deadly?
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