Homebrew Session Notes 2: The Battle of Betrayal
My goal for this mini-campaign is so have sufficient charts and random tables to facilitate a sandbox play-style, play out 5 or 6 sessions, and see if some kind of inertia or trajectory emerges. See if something fascinates the players or some kind of complex situation with its own internal logic comes about. Something like that. Play out 5 or 6 sessions and see if the world starts to feel bigger than my prep. (And if the first 5 or 6 sessions feel utterly disconnected be OK with that.)
Prep for this session was the creation of about 5 random dungeons, some with multiple floors. Partly this was to have locations ready, party this was to give myself practice creating dungeons on the fly.
Right! I made random dungeons and dungeons-on-the-fly procedures. They need work, but the missing ingredient so far are random tables tables for interesting traps / obstacles / special features, etc. I have these kinds of things in my dungeons, but I want tables for more variety and to build up caches of creativity for those moments when my brain doesn't have ideas.
The idea was to have as few preconceptions going into this game as possible, so I decided the last part of my prep I would perform about 10 minutes before the game was scheduled to run. This would be to roll on the table "What is the situation for this group of mutant tribes, scavengers, or hermits?"
Why? Well, last session the players worked out a deal with the sentient fungus creatures they encountered in a cave. They would secure 4 lizard men bodies and the fungi would give up 2 vats. (Note to self, I need better rules for bargaining.) I figured there would be a high probability the players would head to the jungle to the south (following the river, through the scarlet grass, into the jungle) and try to bag some lizard men. I also knew one of the players would probably declare a connection to the lizard men tribes so I stated up a band of lizard men and their leader, N'claws, who stacks rocks artistically. (We later decided this is generally how lizard men mark their territory.)
The players were a different crew this time around. The ranger (scavenger-fighter) and biomancer-scavenger-fighter weren't here so but we did have a scout (scavenger-rogue-fighter). So the scout claimed the connection to N'claws rather than the ranger. No big deal. (These connections are a one-time thing to get the game going. The fighter, who is a pure combat, has a strong connection to his sword-master, gladiatorial school, or military unit, etc. - he hasn't declared it yet. The elementalist-fighter has a tepid connection to his arcane master, with whom, having only 2 rather than 3 build points in wizarding, he never finished his apprenticeship.)
So I rolled from the tables.
What is the situation for this group of mutant tribes, scavengers, or hermits?
Answer: The tribes are moving into recently discovered or vacated area.
I concluded it had to be the shard land (an area where space, time, cause and effect operate outside normal parameters) just to the west.
Why?
I didn't quite have the right chart, but I do have some dungeon history tables, so I rolled. Result: magical process. OK, the shard land is receding for some reason.
Why?
[A cascade of secret information the players aren't aware of yet and I won't reveal here, but trust me, it came from more tables and linked several locations in expected ways.]
So, my prep concluded, the players were ready, I reviewed the key events from last session and asked what they'd like to do.
The players initially decided to trade with the lizard men (maybe trade some trinkets for enemy bodies), make the deal with the fungi, get the vats, and get paid from the artificers (or just nab the lizard men, oddly similar to another campaign I'm in). They traveled south to the edge of the jungle without incident. The scout forayed into the jungle by himself to see what he could see. He was expecting to find N'claws much farther to the west because that is N'claws' usual territory. I knew, however, that N'claws would be much further to the east for various cascading reasons alluded to above.] The scout was also looking for a safe route through the thick jungle to take the wagon, trying to avoid threats, and find some stacked rocks belonging to N'claws.
This was a situation I didn't quite have the rules for so I improvised. First I rolled for a random encounter to see if one would occur: no. Then I rolled 3 more random encounters on the random monster table. I figured a successfully evaded encounter would entitle the scout to have some idea what was in the vicinity. From these results I concluded there was suitable trail west for the wagon but it was blocked by a plant behemoth, some wild game if he cared to catch it, and... I rolled, totally randomly, some mutant men. I knew N'claws was here so I figured the scout found the stacked rocks.
The scout set snares for the giant gopher, avoided the plant behemoth and came up with a plan to track down N'claws and his band. I can't remember all the details, but it was too good to fail. A lot of circling, checking likely avenues of travel, etc. And since he already scouted the area, and the only creatures were mostly harmless game or a giant, nearly immobile plant behemoth, he was safe from ambush for a day or two. I rolled simply to see how many hours it would take.
It took 1 hour. Good job, scout!
The scout tried working out a deal with N'claws to see if... actually I can't remember what his opening pitch was. He also had a plausible reason to show up announced in lizard men territory, which I am also shaky on the details now. Anyway, the reaction roll with N'claws was good, so the lizard band leader explained his situation, which was that although the shard land to the west was opening up and new territory was available, he smelled a rat, and if this time was anything like times before, war was coming, so he was looking for weapons, shelter, and fortification.
****record stop****
Did you say, fortification, Mr. Lizard? Why yes, we have a cave for you. Safely out of the jungle. All you have to do a clear out some fungus creatures and its all yours.
So the players devise a win-win. If the lizards die horribly, the fungi get their bodies, and they get the vats. If the fungi die, they can grab the vats. N'claws decides to think it over. He doesn't have to fight to the death. He can just poke at the cave and see what he sees.
The scout and band of lizards prepare to leave the jungle to head toward the players' wagon. At the very least, they can trade trinkets and talk shop. I rolled on random encounters: jungle table for the journey back.
Sentient fungi. Naturally its the fungi from the cave. 7 (out of 10) of them. I roll to see if the scouting/screening lizard men avoid the encounter. They blunder, meaning the scouting element is hung out to dry with no help from the main body.
One screaming lizard man runs back to the main body to report the other scout lizard was ambushed and struck down by fungus creatures. N'claws cuts his losses and allows the Scout player to lead a wide arc around the presumed location of the fungus creature back to the wagon.
N'claws can hardly contain his men, so he agrees to the proposed invasion of the fungus cave. This is where is gets interesting, because the players are still, presumably, on good terms with fungi, so they don't want to be in the front of the battle. Lots of negotiating, and a compromise is reached: the players will step in if the battle is going badly, but this is a lizard men fight, not theirs. Their just... facilitators.
I was not expecting to break out my mass combat rules on session 2. In fact, they're not even part of the main rule book. I request the players' patience while I dig out my home brew, 20 page tomb on battle rules.
I calculate the relative strengths of the monsters. Lucky for the lizard men, they were catching the fungi when most of them weren't home. So, 10 9 lizard men, level 3 (total battle rating 3 x 9 = 27) versus 3 fungi, level 5 (3 x 5 = 15.) In this game, monster level equals monster hit points, so these approximations are quite accurate. The ratio between battle ratings gives the lizards 1 victory point before the battle begins. The fungus, however, are defending a cave, which would normally give a 4 victory points at the start of battle. I ruled that 3 fungi defending a cave with 4 exits are only getting 2 victory points. The side that achieves a 4 point lead routs the other side, unless they fight to exhaustion, or a side decides to withdraw.
The mercenary asshole "facilitators" players look on the battle as N'claws commands his men at a safe distance. The first pulse of battle, 10 minute of fighting, goes in their favor. They secure the tunnels and provide a safe path out so the fungi aren't motivated to fight to the death. The score is even now, 2 VP to 2 VP. I roll for the second pulse. A runner comes back to N'claws, acting as general, and reports that progress at one of the entrances is not going all that well.
I ask the players if they'd like to get involved. The scout begins a long-winded explanation that maybe the N'claws should order his men to withdraw. The warrior and the elementalist-mage jump into action and this encourages the lizard commander.
Now, the players are in a delicate situation because once they show their faces the ruse is over, and they will be firmly committed to team lizard. I consult my battle rules, and based on what I rolled the players can turn this battle in their favor by severely wounding 1 fungus creature.
So, they go into battle. I forget some of the details. The fungus creatures strikes one lizard man and paralyzes it with its poison. The elementalist can't shoot arrows into melee without friendly fire risk so he conjures an enervating mist to exhaust the monster. The warrior gets a good hit with his giant two-handed sword. The fungus monster is eventually cut down, and the pulse of battle goes to team lizard.
I roll one more pulse, which also goes in favor of the lizards (50/50 chance on these rolls). The fungi are down by 2 victory points and decide to withdraw. They have a 1-in-6 chance of routing. I roll, no rout.
But, now the players get involved, because the last thing they want to do let the fungi get back to their friends and inform them of the betrayal. The scout and the warrior pepper the fungi with arrows at safe distances using stealth rules. At this point I can say I didn't play the fungi as effectively as I could have. I figured they would be focused on withdrawal then shooting their thorns at the players, which might have been an error. If I was a slow fungus I would shoot my thorns. Whoops! Anyway, one fungus goes down to arrows and the other barricades himself in a wall of magically conjured fungal trees. The warrior starts a prairie fire (high summer) to burn it out, the fungi casts camouflage on itself but blunders the stealth roll, and just gets cut when it tries to sneak away.
Meanwhile, the lizards begin fortifying the caves with the materials on hand. Covered pits, barriers, etc. The elementalist helps out. The broken psi-mech is a good barrier, but - problem - the massive vats are even better for barriers! The elementalist negotiates for half, and the players load up the wagon half 1000 gp of vats and power supply worth 1000 gp the lizards had no interest it.
Because of the bluffs further up the river, the players cannot return the way they came. The scouts eats, rest for an hour and blazes a trail back to Imbaru, leaving markers. The other two players decide to spend the night and follow the trail back in the morning.
I make the various random encounter and navigation rolls for the scout. No wandering monsters, but he does get slightly lost on the second day of travel through the barren rock wasteland and hits the road to Imbaru slightly from the west. No big deal.
I ask where the other two players sleep. In their wagon, or in the cave. They choose the wagon. They discuss watches and get ready to settle in for the night when... at around 9:00 the rest of the fungus creatures slowly make their way back from the southern jungle. It's high summer so I figure they are barely at the edge of vision. I ask what they'd like to do. They inform the lizard men of the threat and then leave.
A more encounter check. A giant rock snake, level 11, around 4:00 in the morning. They dissuade its curiosity (mm... those Golden Axe mounts look tasty) with arrows. They get back to Imbaru following the scout's markers.
Then they have a conversation debating whether to sell or keep the phosphorescent… entropy… locator and I am treated to the thoughts of a former nuke mechanic / lifelong anime fan on entropy detection. They want more information. Range, they ask? 150 feet (30 spaces) I say. Then I tell them to imagine what a phosphorescent entropy detector would do in the He-Man cartoon. They keep it.
GM reflections: I spent too much time looking up my own rules. A large part of my prep for the next session will be memorizing my own rules and creating a real "GM screen" for the commonly used tables. I need to spend more time considering how to play my monsters. Also, whoops! - there's a ruin right where the jungle meets the river. There's no way the scout didn't find that. I'll let him know next session.
Designer reflections: Need to create tables / procedures for faction equilibrium strength / capacity, motivations, negotiation, and mission rewards. Enervating Mist is poorly written and needs to be revised - too much book-keeping. Need better rules for sprinting to allow melee characters to close the gap at the cost of stamina points. The rule that scavengers get xp when they return to a safe camp is way too confusing in mixed parties. I will revise, and say that a party composed of 51% scavengers gets treasure xp when they return to a safe camp.) For now I don't mind that player advancement is fast because I'm trying to see different areas of the game quickly.
Players
(Also tracking proficiency use. Players who use actions tied to proficiencies in play don't have to pay for training for them when they level.)
The fighter (combat 3), who pretends to be dumb but isn't. 1130 xp. (used nature, conditioning: strength, conditioning: agility)
The elementalist-fighter (combat 1, wizarding 2) 1130 xp. (used savvy, influence, signature spell: enervating mist, conditioning: agility)
Prefab Scout (combat 1, roguery 1, scavenging 1) 867 xp. (Player seems very tickled by the name.) (used influence, tracking, navigation, scouting, conditioning: agility)
Bougalous (Combat 1, wizarding 1, scavenging 1): 263 from last session (nature)
Ranger (combat 2, scavenging 1): 263 xp from last session
Total Treasure: 1000 gp for half the vats; 1000 gp for a power supply, 50 gp in a sack, 1000 gp worth of scrap converted to 3050 total for the party.
XP awarded: 2000 gp for treasure, 600 for killing 3 sentient fungi.
Magic items: phosphorescent entropy locator, worth 400 gp. (once activated, for 1 hour will glow if an unusual source of entropy is within 150 feet). No one has asked what condition its in, so I haven't rolled yet.
Time passed: 6 days. Next session begins in the morning on the 7th day.
Arrangements:-Wagon returned to vat-farmers; vats sold; relationship solidified
Established NPCs:
-Vat farmers, relationship solidified
-The fighter’s sword master
-N’claws, the lizard man tribal chief who stacks rocks, who now has a fortified cave for his band, weary of the shard land in the west, thinks something is afoot and the broader lizard men effort to expand there is deeply misguided
-Some group of settlers that secured a place “at the edge of the jungle”
-A giant plant behemoth near the area where the river meets the jungle, in a clearing that blocks a trail west
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