Modeling strength drain

[Havrik Stoneskimmer]

I'm adapting an old 1e module - C3 The Lost Island of Castanamir - and trying to decide on the best way to model one of the unique creatures from the module. They are called gingwatzim and are balls of raw spirit energy from the Ethereal Plane. Their attack is an automatic loss of strength points when a creature contacts them. More powerful gingwatzim drain more strength points per round than weaker ones. In the original module, if you lose all of your strength points, you fall unconscious. Strength points return at one point per day, but "routine healing spells" return strength to normal all in one go.

I am thinking maybe a combination of weakened and loss of healing surges, with a creature falling unconscious if it is hit and has no surges left? Something like an attack vs. Fortitude, on a hit the target is weakened and loses a healing surge. The original module says "once the strength drain has begun, the victim is paralyzed and unable to defend itself" so maybe consecutive attacks automatically hit? Sustain minor: the gingwatzim automatically hits with the attack? I think "paralyzed and unable to defend itself" is too harsh for 4e, so I don't want it to stun its victims.

This doesn't really capture the incremental strength drain (although the loss of healing surges kind of does). Maybe instead of weakened, have it give the target a cumulative -2 penalty to attacks until the target takes an extended rest? Giving the strength back at one point a day is ridiculous by modern standards, although these things are obviously not to be trifled with.

Any thoughts for this monster specifically, or more broadly, how to model progressive strength drain effects in general?

 

[Mr. Teapot]

Weakened and grants combat advantage (save ends both) now, plus a disease track after the combat. The disease track includes a penalty to hit that grows worse as you progress along the disease track.

Possibly make the track based on Arcana or Religion or whatever instead of Heal (let it keep Endurance as is, since diseases are the only place Endurance gets any love).

Or something along those lines.

 

[Havrik Stoneskimmer]

Weakened and grants combat advantage (save ends both) now, plus a disease track after the combat. The disease track includes a penalty to hit that grows worse as you progress along the disease track.

Well, the effect only continues to worsen as long as you are in contact with the gingwatzim.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

One thing I've been experimenting with is attacks that inflict "tokens." In this case each token might represent a -1 penalty to damage rolls, and when you reach a certain number of tokens you fall unconscious.

 

[LostSoul]

Well, the effect only continues to worsen as long as you are in contact with the gingwatzim.

That's fine. Instead of failed checks moving you along the track, more contact does.

The attack is vs Fort, some damage + Weakened and Restrained (save ends). At the end of the encounter make another attack vs Fort to see if they pick up the disease or move down the track.

My guess is -2 attack / Weakened / Unconscious.

Rituals should be the way to get rid of it: Remove Affliction and/or Cure Disease. Delay Affliction would also be helpful. Since rituals ruin 4E's economy, either put some ritual scrolls of Delay Affliction or increase the amount of loot by whatever figure you think is enough to offset the cost.

*

This is assuming that there will be multiple encounters with these guys. If there's only one or two encounters you will probably want to do something different.

 

[mudlock]

An attack that weakens and grabs, and a different attack that only can target weakened characters that it has grabbed? (Perhaps one that drains surges, or just that does big damage?) No need to do it all at once...

 

[Dedekind]

I like one power makes the target weakened and another power allows it to steal healing surges from weakened characters.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Or you could have a progressive save track, where if you are hit when suffering from an effect, it worsens it:

1 hit -> slowed (save ends)
2 hit -> slowed + weakened (save ends)
3 hit -> immobilized + weakened (save ends)
additional hits -> lose a surge.

Whenever you make a save, it lowers you one on the chart (so, from immobilized + weakened to slowed + weakened, for an example).