Fight Missions for Conflict + Animated Objects + One Distinctive Factor for NPCs

The way to ship the celebration on decisive missions that flip the tide of conflict

From Tony Medeiros

Ever battle with how your PCs could make a distinction in conflict campaigns whereas the battle rages on throughout them? I’ve the answer for you at the moment: make them conflict heroes. Ship your celebration on elite strike drive missions to show the tide of conflict.

First, work out the present state of the conflict. Then ship the celebration on three particular Conflict-Successful Missions. The celebration strikes on the missions’ essential targets and influences the conflict’s path – however whether or not that’s in the direction of victory or defeat is as much as you to play out.

What’s the Present Conflict State?

Is the PCs’ aspect at present successful or dropping the conflict? When you’re unclear on how they sympathize, ask them. It may additionally be a stalemate, neither aspect budging or gaining floor. On this case, ask which aspect the celebration would most like to assist.

Why is figuring out the present conflict state essential?

Units the tone of epic warfare because the central theme – a bigger-than-the-party occasion
Provides the PCs a sense of company once they go on particular conflict tide-changing missions
Identifies the variety of essential missions wanted for the celebration to alter the tide of conflict

Every conflict state has a unique really feel within the bigger scale of conflict. Quite a few main battles stay within the background (i.e., the PCs don’t take part in mass fight), however the particular variety of conflict tide-turning goals for the PC celebration is set by conflict state.

There are three present conflict states:

In a successful conflict state, the conflict is nearing a constructive conclusion for the aspect the celebration helps. On a bigger scale one or few main battles stay. From the celebration’s perspective, finishing one essential mission will deal a last blow to the opposition and finish the conflict in victory.

In victory, you might resolve to fittingly finish your conflict marketing campaign. You would even have time move to introduce a brand new conflict. A brand new world order formed by the celebration is in place, setting the stage for brand spanking new conflicts.

In a stalemate, the conflict hangs within the steadiness. Neither aspect has managed to make headway in the direction of victory. Either side have gained and misplaced an identical variety of main battles. The celebration has extra work to do to swing the conflict to their aspect’s benefit, and should efficiently undertake two essential missions to first transfer right into a successful conflict state after which win the conflict.

Lastly, a dropping conflict state means the celebration’s aspect has taken heavy losses in a number of main battles and is on the point of dropping the conflict. The celebration has its work lower out for it and should full three essential missions to swing the conflict again of their aspect’s favor, shifting into the stalemate and successful states earlier than lastly attaining victory in a 3rd and last mission. Mission failure whereas within the dropping conflict state means the conflict does finish – however with the PCs and their aspect because the losers. And this explicit new world order may not be to their liking.

In defeat, you resolve whether or not to finish your conflict marketing campaign. Nevertheless, a chance to stand up and battle once more after some months or years have handed is highly effective motivation for the celebration. Could they be victorious within the subsequent conflict!

What are the Occasion’s Conflict Missions?

Resolve what conflict missions the celebration will go on. One wonderful manner to do that is to have a notable allied NPC (e.g., a key officer or influential noble) counsel or assign missions to the celebration.

Wars are gained when the celebration captures or eliminates mission essential targets. There are as much as three essential conflict missions your PC celebration should undertake to attain victory. The entire quantity is determined by the present conflict state:

Conflict State	# of Missions for Victory
Successful	1
Stalemate	2
Dropping	3

These tide-turning missions characteristic notable NPCs, important provides, and strategic places. Skim by your notes or the journey and determine the names and places of those in your journey or marketing campaign. For every mission, present the celebration with a minimum of one choice in coping with the essential goal:

Essential Goal: Eradicate NPC

Essential Goal: Disrupt Provides

Essential Goal: Seize Strategic Location

Within the Eradicate NPC mission, the celebration should seize or kill a significant enemy persona within the conflict. Select an NPC chief within the conflict efforts, on the battlefield, or in monetary circles. These influential individuals encourage troopers and sympathizers, sustaining conflict efforts for days, months or years. Eradicating this particular person from the conflict turns the tide, a stroke that earns the celebration nice recognition and respect.

For instance, a soldier of rank (an officer equivalent to a significant) is a superb essential goal for the celebration to find and seize or get rid of. Alternatively, a rich noble or service provider who offers the enemy aspect with troopers from her non-public military is a high-quality goal.

Within the Disrupt Provides mission, the celebration should lower off or seize a significant cargo of provides for the enemy military. Wars are costly, and feeding massive armies in order that they have the energy to battle is its best expense. Thus, disrupting provides offers a crippling blow to a military’s capability to battle nicely whereas dealing a significant monetary loss to the enemy aspect as nicely. Select main cities or organizations to obtain or maintain these provides.

For instance, have the celebration intercept a significant caravan or journey to a big provide retailer. The celebration prevents the caravan from making a well timed supply to a big military or seizes the provides for his or her aspect’s armies.

Within the Seize Strategic Location mission, the celebration takes management of or destroys an essential location that serves as a superb defensive base or related bottleneck. Enemies are funneled or restricted in effectiveness on this setting. The situation enormously enhances the flexibility of the controlling aspect’s capability to battle. The strategic location primarily counts as a military by itself.

For instance, select castles with excessive partitions, mountain passes, a plateau or valley, or towers constructed into mountains. The celebration should infiltrate and take over or tear down these strategic places.

Discretion and Isolation are Key

The celebration doesn’t want an entire military at its again to attain mission goals. Main battles are background taste or function distractions for the celebration’s missions. Keep in mind, the celebration is a small, elite strike drive. This tight-knit group has particular abilities past the rank and file that swing the pendulum of conflict.

For strike forces to attain their goals, discretion and goal isolation are key. Like every particular strike drive (or adventuring celebration), they’re sometimes sensible, fast, and quiet. If they have to battle, they achieve this briefly and decisively.

If the celebration is detected, raises an alarm, or just breaks down the door at each flip, mission failure is the outcome. The celebration is overwhelmed, captured, or killed, and the conflict tide strikes a minimum of one step in an unfavorable path. For instance, a stalemate conflict state shifts to a dropping one when the celebration fails to seize or execute an enemy conflict hero.

Check Your Would possibly

Right here is an instance conflict situation, described within the journal writings of Kreel, a soldier within the Queen’s military. Learn the journal entry and reply two questions:

Are you able to determine the present conflict state?
What essential mission(s) would possibly the PC celebration undertake to attain victory for the soldier’s aspect?

Your instance missions should embrace a minimum of one campaign-specific named particular person, location, or merchandise from Kreel’s journal entry. My solutions are posted beneath the journal excerpt.

Kreel’s Journal Excerpt: A Conflict Story

“The 9 Lives Conflict has been brutal, and its battles solely develop extra expensive as winter coats these crimson lands in ice and snow.

Far to the north, we gained the Battle of Tor’Laen Tower someway, although their champion, Vrolg the half-dragon, managed to outlive and withdraw to his close by allied airship fleet. These gnome fools needs to be serving to us, not them!

Nonetheless, victories have been few on either side. In spite of everything, we misplaced Tor’Laen’s sister tower – Ur’Mahr – throughout the valley a month prior. Now solely a handful of enemy troopers and the ghosts of the drowned hang-out it.

And right here we are actually only a week later defending Giants’ Go with the southern military with all our sapping energy. The place are these provides from the merchant-city of Logdrin? The snowfall have to be delaying them.

Nonetheless, the enemy hasn’t breached any of our southern mountain fortresses or passes but, simply as we’ve but to take any of their close by walled cities.

Gods, I develop drained and hungry, and miss my spouse and little ones dearly. Maybe what we do right here on the Battle of Giants’ Go will lastly push The 9 Lives Conflict ahead – in some way.”

My Solutions

The present conflict state is stalemate. Victories have been uncommon on either side, and Kreel finishes by suggesting the battle he’s about to battle would possibly lastly transfer the needle on who’s successful the conflict.

Little does he know a small band of adventurers is about to just do that! A stalemate conflict state means the PC celebration should undertake any two of the essential conflict missions to attain victory for his or her aspect within the conflict.

Instance 1: Essential Goal: Eradicate Vrolg

The half-dragon at present hiding out on a gnomish airship is a key enemy conflict determine: he’s a “champion” who survived the Battle of Tor’Laen Tower.

Instance 2: Essential Goal: Disrupt Logdrin’s Provides to Giants’ Go

The merchant-city of Logdrin despatched wanted provides to Kreel’s forces at Giants’ Go, however they’re late due to the snowfall.

Instance 3: Essential Goal: Re-Seize Ur’Mahr Tower

The Tor’Laen and Ur’Mahr towers are described as vital battle places. A skeleton military – and apparently precise undead, too – now guard the place. An ideal place for the PC celebration to infiltrate and filter out!

Did you give you completely different essential conflict missions for the celebration? Why did you select them? Tell us.

A Few Good Adventurers

You’re now able to ship your events to conflict. You’ve discovered the best way to determine a conflict’s present state and the best way to GM essential conflict missions that flip the tide of conflict – in the direction of victory.

GMing Monsters Half 2: Animated Objects

From Jesse C. Cohoon

Animated objects have been round endlessly with the flying rugs, levitating rope methods, swords that swing themselves, and the Golem portrayed in Jewish mythology. Extra just lately, there have been the story of Frankenstein’s monster, varied self-animated robots, and the citadel employees in Disney’s “Magnificence and the Beast.”

Principally, these have been portrayed as rampaging monsters or performed off for comedy. But they are often a lot extra by giving them a persona, again story, and targets; superior techniques, teamwork, and up to date powers; and giving them fascinating places.

Earlier than we start with the GM ideas, let’s outline an animated object as a synthetic creation that strikes by itself accord by religious, magical, or mechanical means. Nice, let’s proceed.

Animated Objects Lack Persona, Again Story & Objectives

Portraying animated objects is troublesome. Most instances they’re traps, mendacity in wait till triggered. They’re just a few type of materials animated to do the proprietor’s bidding. However there are methods of including persona, again story and targets to them, given a bit of thought.

Persona is the best of the three to supply. Give the principally silent objects some quirk that helps determine them from the remainder. It might be one thing so simple as a design characteristic – completely different stones for eyes in a golem, a rope that at all times ties its victims a bit of too tight, or a motor mouth that gained’t cease.

Perhaps it’s a squeaky wheel on an animated wagon, a sword that swings itself in a sure combating model, or joints that momentarily stick on a golem. Maybe it has a sure odor it leaves behind, a crawling sensation on one’s pores and skin when it’s close by, or motion in a rhythmic sample like a pair of sneakers faucet dancing.

Background’s a bit trickier, as a result of it needs to be proven by exposition, clues laying round, or not often, by the animated object talking. In deciding whether or not an animated object must have a background, ask your self the next questions:

Who made it?

A spellcaster or mystic of some ability
A musician, bard, or entertainer of some stripe
A very smart monster with the suitable spell
An historic civilization or misplaced race mixed their talents to make it
An inventor or group of inventors
An individual decided to “keep alive” by any means

Beneath what circumstances was it made or animated?

It was meant to be a bodyguard or defend an space
It was designed to assist out with chores
It was at their demise by the particular person’s will
It was struck by lightning or one other excessive power supply
It might be the remnants of a navy operation
It was programmed to return alive (trendy robots)
It has inside gears that make it transfer
It was made by chance: a spell gone mistaken or a chemical spill
It was the results of a few years of evil build up

How does it transfer?

The soul of an individual or animal is in there. Or an additional planar entity is certain to it. It is perhaps there willingly or not.
By mechanical (i.e., gears), chemical, or electrical means
Animating magic (i.e., a curse), navy sort magic, or perhaps a world-changing occasion magic

What are its traits?

It might be a “normal mannequin” of its sort
It might be higher made than regular (having extra hit factors, higher immunities, armor, abilities)
They might be smaller variations of the usual mannequin, however many extra, working on swarm techniques
It might be new or previous. Newer fashions is perhaps shinier, stealthier, and cleaner. Older would possibly imply it might be in worse situation with components half falling off, rusty, and soiled. The animated object would possibly even appear like it’s being held collectively by “chewing gum and wire.”
It might be product of a strong, liquid, plasma, or fuel

Was its creation location essential? If that’s the case, how?

If an individual falls right into a pool of lava, ice, inexperienced ooze their will is perhaps sturdy sufficient to bind it collectively to create a golem of the identical sort of fabric
If many individuals have been tortured and killed in an evil temple, their stays would possibly animate not as an undead however as an animated object
If an individual died by falling to demise, their spirit would possibly animate a rug to trigger others to do the identical or enable them to fly so they don’t undergo the identical destiny

How might it add curiosity to the story?

If it might give one other plot line for the characters to observe, a greater probability of defeating an upcoming enemy, or an ethical dilemma for them to unravel, go forward and put a couple of minutes of labor into doing it. Even when they don’t uncover the knowledge straight away, don’t throw it out – work out the best way to make it related.

How would the gamers discover out?

If owned by a personality, it might give them nightmares or nice goals.
Letters scattered across the location in journals, books, and information
A matter of historical past: magic, navy, or of a particular enemy, and with the suitable talents, the characters might discover out
The character proudly owning it might get a bizarre crawling sense and by following the sensations unwrap the thriller
Revelations by the animated object itself if it might communicate or write

Objectives

Objectives are difficult to supply an animated object as a result of they’re seen as senseless issues. If it as soon as had a thoughts, then it has been subsumed by the method of being made into an object. The answer? Give the animated object a thoughts.

The next listing is an efficient begin to creating targets for clever animated objects.

D20 Sentient Animated Object Objectives

Escaping enslavement, manipulation, or to have free will
Escaping demise or dismemberment
Equal remedy or alternative
To be helpful or to know one’s goal
To know significant work as an alternative of menial labor or as a conflict machine
Subjugation of organics or all different animated objects
Its personal destruction, demise, or nonexistence
Creation of others prefer it
Destruction of a sure sort of creature
To collect buddies or soul mates
To create, and have interaction others in creating, nice inventive expressions
To change into authentic, not only a “copy” of others prefer it
To be the strongest, quickest, smartest, or most charming attainable
Exploration or journey
Creation of a homeland for others prefer it
Revenge for mistaken(s) completed (perceived or actual)
To be close to or defend a sure particular person, group, or trigger due to love or loyalty.
Convey discover of the plight of animated objects to the general public
To serve others in the way in which they have been designed
To carry peace to the land

Placing It All Collectively

A cursed animated sword accommodates the spirit of well-known swordsman Phillip Cross who owned it some centuries in the past. He was betrayed and murdered by considered one of his buddies.

Within the second of his demise, so sturdy was the will to get revenge on his assassin, he possessed his sword to satisfy that job. He by no means did discover the accountable celebration.

Sadly, as time went on his senses turned muddied and he assaults anybody of the identical race as the unique assassin. Anybody who owns the sword will get nightmares concerning the explicit race of his buddy who betrayed him and, in time, will begin to have a unfavourable response in the direction of them.

Superior Techniques, Teamwork and Up to date Powers

Another excuse portraying animated objects is troublesome is as a result of they’re easy of their programming, which consists of primary statements equivalent to “Keep right here. Don’t let something move, however don’t pursue exterior of those boundaries.” Or, “Guard me.”

The issue with most of these simplified instructions is that they don’t make the most of the animated object’s many immunities.

Immunities

If animated objects are resistant to most odd magic (besides these particular to its nature), why ought to they take injury from regular kinds of injury equivalent to falling, fireplace, water, fuel? In some circumstances, sure “odd” injury would possibly truly find yourself therapeutic it.

As an example, a golem would possibly get healed (or hasted) by fireplace or fireplace based mostly magic. If the hall it’s patrolling has a entice that continually shoots jets of fireplace, gamers that encounter this case have to fret about not solely the injury from the hearth, however from combating a powered up golem. It might even be the hallway doesn’t have the hearth except triggered by trespassers, which might be a part of its programming. Such switches might be activated by reflection of sunshine, assault, or the golem’s mere presence.

One other instance can be a rickety bridge product of animated ropes. After testing it, the celebration is fairly certain it’s secure sufficient to allow them to cross in the event that they achieve this rigorously and in a single file line, being cautious to not shake it. Once they get to the center of the bridge, it might unravel and drop them right into a pit.

Equally, if there are movable platforms the animated object can activate and deactivate by standing on or attacking them, it could actually actually form the battlefield. The platforms make the terrain an ever-shifting maze of strong platform and sudden gaps.

Inventive Powers

Animated objects can even use their powers in sudden methods. An animated rope might be designed to “clothesline” or journey as an alternative of tying up their victims. Some golems have bursts of some type of energy in a sure radius. The phrase radius additionally applies to the middle of spheres, during which the golem is on the heart level, permitting it to focus on flying foes. Apply the identical concept to concentrating on enemies with rays and cones.

Teamwork

Teamwork additionally helps. Have two animated objects working collectively to perform the identical job, equivalent to an animated rope and an animated pair of shackles restraining a person. Each bit strengthens the efforts of the opposite.

Teamwork can present up in different methods as nicely. Maybe sure monsters are resistant to a particular animated objects’ assault and are capable of coordinate with it to face extra fearsome enemies.

For instance, a juggernaut (a sort of awesomely highly effective rock sort golem) might mix with a maedar (a male medusa) to change into a single creature. Equally, a pair of golems might have assaults that heal each other, and their assault patterns at all times trigger the opposite to get hit.

State

Animated objects’ powers can be up to date to offer gamers extra of a problem. If the thing would profit from one other state, and it is smart in context, add the ability.

As an example, an ice based mostly golem might have the flexibility to soften down right into a puddle and reform, as Glacius does in “Killer Intuition”, spiking the participant on a pure essential hit. Whereas at floor stage it’s practically not possible to wreck him. Equally, the identical golem might additionally change into a vapor or steam during which to journey by pipes or vents to entry areas it usually couldn’t.

Standing Results

One other manner animated objects powers will be up to date is to alter up their powers, immunities, and vulnerabilities. In case your recreation makes use of completely different standing results, change them up.

As an example, as an alternative of hasting or slowing a golem by fireplace magic, contemplate altering to “ice and water,” “thunder and sonic,” or “earth” magic for a unique impact. Within the case of a bio-organic animated object, even poisons would possibly have an effect on it indirectly.

Places

Whereas animated objects can present up in a dungeon, they will additionally present up in a wide range of different places. Contemplate the next listing:

D20 Uncommon locations to seek out animated objects

A complete transport automobile might be animated to journey to varied stops with no conductors vital
In a kitchen as cooking implements or at a restaurant serving meals
In a temple performing varied duties related to the religion
In a greenhouse or fancy backyard as gardening instruments
In a coaching facility (the X-Males’s hazard room or the holo-deck with the protection turned off)
In a physician’s workplace or hospital serving to to supply medical diagnoses and remedy
In a manufacturing facility serving to meeting or in a forge serving to to make weapons and armor
In a warehouse gathering supplies to be shipped out
Working to assist put out a hearth in a burning constructing
On a development web site to assist construct
In a spa taking good care of the visitor’s each want
As a maid or butler taking good care of family chores
Pretending to be an unanimated swimsuit of armor or weapon on a shelf in a museum or corridor of weapons
As part of an act with a touring leisure troupe or a part of an orchestra
In a tinker’s cart. When bought it steals from the individuals it was bought to and returns.
In a king’s treasury to guard the property held inside
Preventing alongside troopers in a conflict
Serving to to carry out highway upkeep
On an enemy giving the advantages of varied completely different magical results
In a villain’s lair blocking the PCs whereas shopping for time for the villain

Subsequent time you GM an animated object, spruce them up a bit with sentience, targets, and techniques. Additionally, discover fascinating methods to incorporate them in different areas of your marketing campaign so they don’t seem to be pigeonholed as dungeon fodder.

One Distinctive Factor to your NPCs

From Liz C.

We’ve all received them. The random NPCs we simply threw in for gamers to get some info from. They’ve completely nothing to do with the plot, but the gamers mechanically latch on to them. Typically, I really feel a way of panicked bewilderment when this occurs. A sense of, what did I do? Did I elevate my eyebrow one too many instances? Was it my fault for giving this man a reputation? However I give everybody names!

I’ll settle for this now not! Purple Cube Diaries made a very nice Youtube video about creating one distinctive factor to your participant character. The essential concept being, add one thing to your character that units them aside from everybody else, however doesn’t aid you mechanically.

I’ve created a listing of ‘One Distinctive Issues’ for my supernatural/fantasy marketing campaign NPCs. So when my PCs, sinking into my convoluted grasp plot, resolve some random poor schmuck has depth of character, he can have depth of character!

I’ve made loads of them, so in case you like surprises like I do, roll 1d100 and divide by 2 and use the one distinctive factor that pertains to the quantity:

d50 NPC Traits

Buried alive and survived
Isn’t in his personal physique and must get again
Saved in a closet for half his life (I prefer to name this one the Potter)
As a baby the NPC had an invisible buddy and nonetheless sees it generally
Survived a close to demise expertise and now he can see ghosts
Half of the NPC’s physique is horribly burnt
The NPC kicked an dependancy and struggles with it each day
He escaped a cult (thanks John)
Unpaid playing money owed
Somebody by chance died due to him
The NPC has a stalker
Mother and father died when the NPC was a baby and he was raised by a merciless aunt or uncle
The NPC’s lover is caught in a death-like sleep
He sees individuals as skeletons and zombies, the world is terrifying
Survived a mass homicide of his household, waking up coated in blood with our bodies throughout
Possessed by a ghost making an attempt to take full management
Was once a member of a cult, however escaped
The NPC’s pores and skin reacts to water like acid (the depraved witch)
The NPC has a second eye rising out of their neck, at evening he swears it opens
Tormented by tiny goblins who play depraved methods at evening
Has horrible nightmares of how he’ll die
In any reflective floor the NPC appears to be like like a skeleton
Being hunted by a supernatural creature for stealing its younger
The NPC is aware of somebody from one of many characters’ previous, however doesn’t wish to reveal it
He’s from one other time interval
The NPC has shaped a creepy fan membership for one of many characters and can present up randomly making an attempt to insert himself into the PC’s life
Kidnapped as a baby and nonetheless dwell with their captors
The character tends to interrupt issues by mistake
Technically a royal inheritor
Canine hate him, cats love him
If somebody says a sure set off phrase the NPC goes insane and can’t be calmed till he’s knocked out
The NPC has a big doll assortment that whispers to him at evening. One morning he awakened bathed & wearing high-quality clothes.
Rooms he’s in are at all times exactly 1 diploma colder than the environment
Member of a gang
The NPC is a similar twin and generally he finds it exhausting to tell apart between his ideas and his sibling’s
Tried an odd dish whereas eating out one evening and now he hungers for human flesh
A selkie who has misplaced its pores and skin
Casts no shadow
The NPC is a results of a genetic experiment and due to gene splicing he’s half wolf (instincts, feelings)
Although an grownup, he can regress shortly into being a baby
Owns a hoop they will by no means take off. At evening it whispers, “kill….”
There’s a tattoo of an offended fish on his physique that strikes to a brand new place when touched, which he acquired after getting an all-time excessive rating on a Pachinko
As a substitute of burping he says issues in a demonic language, however doesn’t know what it means
He was granted three needs by a genie and solely made one want earlier than dropping it. The one want was to at all times have excellent hair
A baby prodigy who fell brief in grownup life
His fingernail clippings will slowly develop a brand new model of the NPC with no reminiscence
The NPC’s most prized possession is a ball assortment and he’ll go to any lengths to realize a brand new addition
His finger acts like a mini Tesla coil when flicked
As a baby he was cursed by an evil fairy to be unfortunate in love
The character owns two pet ravens named Hugh and Monty

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