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<blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 8384123" data-attributes="member: 11"><p style="text-align: center"><u><strong>Iron DM 2021: Round 2 Match 1, Wicht vs. el-remmen</strong></u></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p><strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong></p><p>Slippery Slope</p><p>Morale Check</p><p>Limbless Beast</p><p>Heavy Crown</p><p>Subpar Hero</p><p>Vanished Behemoth</p><p>Tomorrow’s Match</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">“Don’t Have a Cow, Man?”</span></strong><span style="font-size: 22px"> (A D&D3e mini-campaign of kaiju and politics)</span></p><p></p><p>Long ago the gods decreed that the City-States of the Continent of Plarnth would be ruled by the Beast Masters, men and women chosen by the gods to wear the heavy crown and control great guardian beasts that would do battle with each other for control of territory and resources. Each city has its own Guardian Behemoth—essentially a kaiju. The rules for these combats are obscurant, reinforced as religious doctrine, and to be respected without compromise, lest the world fall back into chaos, and men are forced to fight their own wars.</p><p></p><p>When the adventure begins, the Beastmaster Xovorax has been overthrown by his people. His city, Kopak, is now “free.” Despite generations of oppression, including the sacrifice of any promising young people to the city’s behemoth, the subpar heroes that remained, were finally able to rise up and lop off the head that wore the heavy crown. Unfortunately, with this flagrant violation of the will of the gods, the city’s <strong>behemoth vanished</strong>—as it was the manifestation of the favor of the gods for keeping to the system they devised.</p><p></p><p>Kopak’s behemoth is a gorgon-like aurochs with massive horns, iron-clad hooves that shake and crack the earth, and a petrifying breath. It normally exists in the ethereal plane and must be summoned by its Beast Master.</p><p></p><p>For the two weeks leading up to the coup, Xovorax had led the City-State into a fruitless war against the people of Chirops, whose <strong>limbless beast</strong> is feared throughout the continent. The ancient laws say that the behemoths must win two out of three falls (they can be hurt but cannot die permanently unless their city is destroyed), and so far, each side has won one match, tomorrow is the final match and without a guardian, the Limbless Beast is bound to destroy Kopak and everyone in it.</p><p></p><p>There are those among the rebels that welcome this. Throughout the centuries the poorest people—essentially a class of serfs and woodsmen—have borne the brunt of these immense monsters fighting at the whim of the Beast Masters. The cities have walls and the gods’ laws maintain they must remain inviolate while their Behemoths live, thus the privileged class are safe inside, while the breadbasket of all the realms is torn up and countless die. Of course, the gods aren’t completely heartless, in places where the monsters tear up the earth or burn down whole villages, nature’s bounty returns the next spring more bountiful than before, the land more fertile, the fruit more plentiful, the wildlife abundant. Nations thrive while common people suffer. And while some people see this as a necessary compromise to have children who are never hungry, “Let the cities burn” is a mantra among the scorched earth sects. This could lead to a conflict among the rebels.</p><p></p><p>The adventure begins at a crossroads for Kopak and this world. The PCs are part of the <strong>subpar heroes</strong> who helped to free the city (anyone who might’ve surpassed the bar for “hero” one day has been systematically sacrificed in youth).They now stand in the blood-drenched throne room of the dead Beast Master and are being looked to for guidance and leadership of what to do next since <strong>tomorrow’s match</strong> is eminent.</p><p></p><p><strong>Pre-Gens:</strong> The characters for this adventure should be purposefully sub-optimal. They are all 4th level humans characters built using the substandard array: 13, 11, 10, 10, 9, 7 for stats and using only NPC classes (warrior, adept, commoner, or expert - none may be an aristocrat). Their first level starting hit points is average rounded down and they <em>must</em> take this amount for the subsequent levels. Finally, each character should roll randomly for one magical item. If they roll an item worth over 25000 gps, they get a cursed item instead.</p><p></p><p><strong>Options:</strong> While the PCs are free to choose whatever course of action they deem best, these are some of the basic options:</p><p></p><p><strong>#1 Sabotage:</strong> The PCs may attempt to infiltrate Chirops and the lair of the Limbless Beast to deal with the monster before it is released. The limbless beast of Chirops is really a blue dragon who has had its wings and legs burned off. It is the last dragon - as in the ancient times all great monsters were destroyed by the gods or bound to service to the cities in punishment for hubris. Once a magnificent being of legendary renown, it offended the gods and was maimed and bound to the city-state as a punishment. Furthermore, since among the arcane rules binding the battle of the Behemoths is that none of them may have the power to fly (that kind of air superiority would leave the cities vulnerable to attack), this dragon crawls on its belly like a snake. In order to be transformed into a kaiju-sized beast, it must pass through a magical archway dedicated to the goddess of snakes and giants.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">PCs might find a way to destroy the archway, thus ensuring that Chirops’ Behemoth cannot battle in the traditional way (though it would still be a challenge beyond the sub-par heroes in normal form).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">They might find a way to circumvent the will of the gods and heal the dragon’s wings, disqualifying it and letting it escape. It could become their ally against the gods and other Beast Masters!</li> </ul><p><strong>#2 The Morale Heist</strong>: As part of a network of rebels seeking to undermine the system of Beast Masters, the PCs are in contact with other cells of commoners working against <em>their</em> City-State overlords. As such, it is known that the people who live outside of Chirops receive what many people refer to as “the Morale Check” before each of the great Behemoth battles. These are small runestones that can be turned in for cash should you survive the battle. Since most people survive (even if their homes are destroyed) they support the system, cashing their “checks” and keeping their morale up and even cheering on their local monster as wagering is also common.</p><p></p><p>The PCs could attempt to intercept the wagons of the runestones to be distributed and cause a lapse in the morale of Chirops in hopes of people rising up as they did in Kopak. This is much more in line of what the PCs might be able to accomplish, since while the wagons are guarded, they aren’t guarded by monsters. This would successful check the morale of the Chiropsians.</p><p></p><p><strong>Problems: </strong>The problem with both of the above approaches is the <strong>slippery slope</strong> of undermining the current system. Chances are that if behemoths are freed or destroyed, old fashioned war will arise again, leading to as much (if not more) carnage and chaos. The first option would lead to a counter assault by hastily gathered forces of Chirops to systematically destroy Kopak territory (as opposed to the random acts of behemoth) burning crops and villages, killing people indiscriminately, and taking children into bondage as they once did for the giant snake goddess in ancient times. The second option might lead to an uprising by the people but will lead to other City-States potentially releasing their Behemoths to destroy both, as their Beast Masters see this as a threat to their control and an affront against the gods.</p><p></p><p><strong>Option #3:</strong> One of the PCs could try to take the role of a Beast Master by putting on the <strong>heavy crown </strong>and re-summoning Kopak’s behemoth to finish up the fight against the Limbless Beast. The magical crown is designed so that whoever wears it needs to be strong of mind and body and spirit. It is so heavy that actually wearing it is exhausting. While subpar, the PCs might try to figure out who among their number might try to use it. It requires the wearer to make Strength-based FORT saves to keep it on, Con-based FORT saves to not get tired while keeping it on, Int-based reflex saves to force the behemoth to take specific actions (or Wisdom-based ones to refrain from specific actions) at other times it just “fights,” and Cha-based WILL saves to keep from being subsumed in the monster’s consciousness, their body becoming a husk and the monster goes on a mindless rampage before disappearing again.</p><p></p><p>As one or more PCs attempt to work the monster to defend the city (or violate the protocols and attack Chirops directly), others could be out in the field, working to save people in the path of the marauding monsters (having a sense of where the fight will happen).</p><p></p><p><strong>Problem: </strong>While not the same kind of slippery political slope as the first two options, this option may lead to the dissolution of the rebellion, as one of the PCs will eventually become the new Beast Master with some reforms that probably do little to change the basic monster system without drawing the ire of the other leaders and their behemoths.</p><p></p><p>All the behemoths should be gargantuan monsters of recognizable type with addition tarrasque-like powers.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="el-remmen, post: 8384123, member: 11"] [CENTER][U][B]Iron DM 2021: Round 2 Match 1, Wicht vs. el-remmen[/B][/U][B][/B] [/CENTER] [B][U]Ingredients[/U][/B] Slippery Slope Morale Check Limbless Beast Heavy Crown Subpar Hero Vanished Behemoth Tomorrow’s Match [B][SIZE=6]“Don’t Have a Cow, Man?”[/SIZE][/B][SIZE=6] (A D&D3e mini-campaign of kaiju and politics)[/SIZE] Long ago the gods decreed that the City-States of the Continent of Plarnth would be ruled by the Beast Masters, men and women chosen by the gods to wear the heavy crown and control great guardian beasts that would do battle with each other for control of territory and resources. Each city has its own Guardian Behemoth—essentially a kaiju. The rules for these combats are obscurant, reinforced as religious doctrine, and to be respected without compromise, lest the world fall back into chaos, and men are forced to fight their own wars. When the adventure begins, the Beastmaster Xovorax has been overthrown by his people. His city, Kopak, is now “free.” Despite generations of oppression, including the sacrifice of any promising young people to the city’s behemoth, the subpar heroes that remained, were finally able to rise up and lop off the head that wore the heavy crown. Unfortunately, with this flagrant violation of the will of the gods, the city’s [B]behemoth vanished[/B]—as it was the manifestation of the favor of the gods for keeping to the system they devised. Kopak’s behemoth is a gorgon-like aurochs with massive horns, iron-clad hooves that shake and crack the earth, and a petrifying breath. It normally exists in the ethereal plane and must be summoned by its Beast Master. For the two weeks leading up to the coup, Xovorax had led the City-State into a fruitless war against the people of Chirops, whose [B]limbless beast[/B] is feared throughout the continent. The ancient laws say that the behemoths must win two out of three falls (they can be hurt but cannot die permanently unless their city is destroyed), and so far, each side has won one match, tomorrow is the final match and without a guardian, the Limbless Beast is bound to destroy Kopak and everyone in it. There are those among the rebels that welcome this. Throughout the centuries the poorest people—essentially a class of serfs and woodsmen—have borne the brunt of these immense monsters fighting at the whim of the Beast Masters. The cities have walls and the gods’ laws maintain they must remain inviolate while their Behemoths live, thus the privileged class are safe inside, while the breadbasket of all the realms is torn up and countless die. Of course, the gods aren’t completely heartless, in places where the monsters tear up the earth or burn down whole villages, nature’s bounty returns the next spring more bountiful than before, the land more fertile, the fruit more plentiful, the wildlife abundant. Nations thrive while common people suffer. And while some people see this as a necessary compromise to have children who are never hungry, “Let the cities burn” is a mantra among the scorched earth sects. This could lead to a conflict among the rebels. The adventure begins at a crossroads for Kopak and this world. The PCs are part of the [B]subpar heroes[/B] who helped to free the city (anyone who might’ve surpassed the bar for “hero” one day has been systematically sacrificed in youth).They now stand in the blood-drenched throne room of the dead Beast Master and are being looked to for guidance and leadership of what to do next since [B]tomorrow’s match[/B] is eminent. [B]Pre-Gens:[/B] The characters for this adventure should be purposefully sub-optimal. They are all 4th level humans characters built using the substandard array: 13, 11, 10, 10, 9, 7 for stats and using only NPC classes (warrior, adept, commoner, or expert - none may be an aristocrat). Their first level starting hit points is average rounded down and they [I]must[/I] take this amount for the subsequent levels. Finally, each character should roll randomly for one magical item. If they roll an item worth over 25000 gps, they get a cursed item instead. [B]Options:[/B] While the PCs are free to choose whatever course of action they deem best, these are some of the basic options: [B]#1 Sabotage:[/B] The PCs may attempt to infiltrate Chirops and the lair of the Limbless Beast to deal with the monster before it is released. The limbless beast of Chirops is really a blue dragon who has had its wings and legs burned off. It is the last dragon - as in the ancient times all great monsters were destroyed by the gods or bound to service to the cities in punishment for hubris. Once a magnificent being of legendary renown, it offended the gods and was maimed and bound to the city-state as a punishment. Furthermore, since among the arcane rules binding the battle of the Behemoths is that none of them may have the power to fly (that kind of air superiority would leave the cities vulnerable to attack), this dragon crawls on its belly like a snake. In order to be transformed into a kaiju-sized beast, it must pass through a magical archway dedicated to the goddess of snakes and giants. [LIST] [*]PCs might find a way to destroy the archway, thus ensuring that Chirops’ Behemoth cannot battle in the traditional way (though it would still be a challenge beyond the sub-par heroes in normal form). [*]They might find a way to circumvent the will of the gods and heal the dragon’s wings, disqualifying it and letting it escape. It could become their ally against the gods and other Beast Masters! [/LIST] [B]#2 The Morale Heist[/B]: As part of a network of rebels seeking to undermine the system of Beast Masters, the PCs are in contact with other cells of commoners working against [I]their[/I] City-State overlords. As such, it is known that the people who live outside of Chirops receive what many people refer to as “the Morale Check” before each of the great Behemoth battles. These are small runestones that can be turned in for cash should you survive the battle. Since most people survive (even if their homes are destroyed) they support the system, cashing their “checks” and keeping their morale up and even cheering on their local monster as wagering is also common. The PCs could attempt to intercept the wagons of the runestones to be distributed and cause a lapse in the morale of Chirops in hopes of people rising up as they did in Kopak. This is much more in line of what the PCs might be able to accomplish, since while the wagons are guarded, they aren’t guarded by monsters. This would successful check the morale of the Chiropsians. [B]Problems: [/B]The problem with both of the above approaches is the [B]slippery slope[/B] of undermining the current system. Chances are that if behemoths are freed or destroyed, old fashioned war will arise again, leading to as much (if not more) carnage and chaos. The first option would lead to a counter assault by hastily gathered forces of Chirops to systematically destroy Kopak territory (as opposed to the random acts of behemoth) burning crops and villages, killing people indiscriminately, and taking children into bondage as they once did for the giant snake goddess in ancient times. The second option might lead to an uprising by the people but will lead to other City-States potentially releasing their Behemoths to destroy both, as their Beast Masters see this as a threat to their control and an affront against the gods. [B]Option #3:[/B] One of the PCs could try to take the role of a Beast Master by putting on the [B]heavy crown [/B]and re-summoning Kopak’s behemoth to finish up the fight against the Limbless Beast. The magical crown is designed so that whoever wears it needs to be strong of mind and body and spirit. It is so heavy that actually wearing it is exhausting. While subpar, the PCs might try to figure out who among their number might try to use it. It requires the wearer to make Strength-based FORT saves to keep it on, Con-based FORT saves to not get tired while keeping it on, Int-based reflex saves to force the behemoth to take specific actions (or Wisdom-based ones to refrain from specific actions) at other times it just “fights,” and Cha-based WILL saves to keep from being subsumed in the monster’s consciousness, their body becoming a husk and the monster goes on a mindless rampage before disappearing again. As one or more PCs attempt to work the monster to defend the city (or violate the protocols and attack Chirops directly), others could be out in the field, working to save people in the path of the marauding monsters (having a sense of where the fight will happen). [B]Problem: [/B]While not the same kind of slippery political slope as the first two options, this option may lead to the dissolution of the rebellion, as one of the PCs will eventually become the new Beast Master with some reforms that probably do little to change the basic monster system without drawing the ire of the other leaders and their behemoths. All the behemoths should be gargantuan monsters of recognizable type with addition tarrasque-like powers. [/QUOTE]
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