Welcome to Thursday Night Showdown, where I create two monsters and then they fight in the arena face to face. For simplicity sake I'll be using the cypher system, because I know it pretty well by now and it's pretty neat. Monsters are inspired by, well, whatever I want! Let's get started.
Today entering the ring are two abnormal horrors. One is a creature so loud and unintelligible it drives creatures to madness. The other, a demon from the lowest ranks of hell. Of course The Wailing Spell Crusher is much more powerful than a single Abyssal Minions... but Abyssal Minions never come alone. Instead the Spell Crusher will be facing a small horde of creatures.
Let's start with the stats!
The Wailing Spell Crusher (Level 5)
A monstrosity created in labs of people who really, really hate spell casters. They just absolutely loath them and want to see all spell casters dead and banished from reality. From out of the lab it slithers, a mass of flesh with a dozen mouths, each complete with pointed teeth and forked tongues. From each mouth it gibbers arcane secrets that would make sense if they didn't all blend together into an incredible screeching sound of total madness.
In addition to it's aura of madness, The Wailing Spell Crusher comes complete with the possibility of straight up negating spells that are cast on it, and the ability to shred through it's opponents Intellect with its flesh rending teeth.
HP: 15
Damage Inflicted: 4 to Might, 2 to Intellect
Movement: Short
Aura of Gibbering Madnesss: Any creature in short range must make an Intellect defense roll or be confused during their next turn. Any creature that fails the attack rolls a d8 to determine what it does on it's next turn.
- 1-4: The creature is stunned for it's turn and takes no actions. Its defense rolls are hindered.
- 5-6: The creature is terrified of the Wailing Spell Crusher and uses its turn to move as far away as possible from it.
- 7-8: The creature makes an attack on any creature within range using a mundane weapon.
Spell Resistance: Any spell like abilities used on the Wailing Spell Crusher are hindered by two steps.
Gm Intrusion: Mind Shredding Feast: The Wailing Spell Crusher latches onto a creature with one of it's mouths. The target makes a speed defense roll hindered by two steps. A failure results in taking 6 points of intellect damage and being held in place with the Spell Crusher's teeth. A successful speed defense roll let's the creature escape. If it doesn't escape it takes 6 points of intellect damage at the end of each round it remains held.
The Abyssal Minion (Level 1)
Born in the lowest depth of hell, an Abyssal Minion always serves the purposes of larger and bigger creatures. Most often those other creatures are demons using the Abyssal Minions as the front (disposable) lines in an invading force. Finding a single Abyssal Minion almost never happens, instead they attack in uncoordinated swarms. Abyssal Minions have thick leathery skin, and black metal spikes grow out of their spines and protrude from their body with wicked points.
HP: 3
Damage Inflicted: 2
Movement: Short
Swarm: An Abyssal Minion can swarm with any other abyssal minions in immediate range. Instead of making individual attacks, they attack in an uncoordinated fury straight from hell. Add the total level of all the minions that are part of the swarm, they make a single attack that deals 2 points of damage per minion.
Gm Intrusion: Spiked Tips: An Abyssal Minion scrapes it's metallic spikes across a creature, shredding it for 4 damage if it fails a speed defense check.
Running a Combat
Running a combat between two monsters in cypher doesn't really work without hacking the system a bit. The reason is that in Cypher the story teller never actually rolls the dice, so monsters are missing half their stat blocks. Instead things like AC and such are simply built on their level.
I am going to run things like this. Defenders make rolls. No one is trained in defense, but there are objects scattered around the arena that can provide training. I will determine item bonuses ahead of time, and each side of the arena has identical items.
Each side gets 1 free GM Intrusion in addition to any natural ones that are rolled. This first combat might be a bit weird while I figure things out.
For the fun of having some visuals to share, I will take screenshots of the fight as it happens. The arena map is called The Glaivestone Arena, and it was created by a map maker named Eldryll. Go check out their maps here: https://www.patreon.com/Eledryll.
For tokens I'm grabbing things off the free roll20 tokens.
Setting up the Arena
1 Wailing Spell Crusher vs 10 Abyssal Minions
Objects:
- 2 Defense Orbs. Claiming an orb takes 1 turn and provides 1 asset to defense rolls until the end of the encounter.
Thursday Night Showdown... Fight!
It Begins!
The Wailing Spell Crusher lumbers onto the field, dragging it's bulbous body onto the sand. It's mouths scream magical secrets that could each change a life, but they are so scrambled that it's just an insane gibbering screech of pure sound.
Meanwhile ten Abyssal Minions scramble into the arena, leading over each other and scrambling for footing. They each see the Wailing Spell Crusher across the arena, and they let loose a hellish battle cry.
Both teams ignore defense bonuses and rush to the center of the arena, ready to spill blood on the sand.
As the Abyssal Minion's sprint over the field, they face their first obstacle: The Spell Crusher's maddening howl. Each one must make a difficulty 5 defense check.
- Abyssal Minion 1: 4
- Abyssal Minion 2: 7
- Abyssal Minion 3: 15
- Abyssal Minion 4: 8
- Abyssal Minion 5: 20
- Abyssal Minion 6: 18
- Abyssal Minion 7: 18
- Abyssal Minion 8: 6
- Abyssal Minion 9: 7
- Abyssal Minion 10: 13
Abyssal Minions 3, 5, 6, and 7 all pass their defense checks. Abyssal Minion 5 rolled a 20 which counts as a major effect in cypher and so it gets to do something cool. It's major effect is going to deal damage to one of the minions that failed its defense check. The pain will allow the minion to pass, but it will take 2 points of damage. (2 points of damage to Abyssal Minion 1, which now passes)
It is now time for initiative. This is simple, the creature with the highest level goes first.
The Wailing Spell Crusher rushes forward and slams into minion 2.
- Minion 2 defense roll, Difficulty 5: 8.
The Abyssal Minion fails to defend. It takes 4 points of might damage and 2 points of intellect damage (so 6 damage total) and it is torn to shreds. The Wailing Spell Crusher chews it's head off and spits out the jagged spines.
But now the Abyssal Minions get to act. But first we have to resolve the confusion. Minions 4, 6, 9. and 10 each roll a d8 to determine what happens.
- Minion 4: 1 (stunned)
- Minion 6: 1 (stunned)
- Minion 9: 4 (stunned)
- Minion 10: 6 (terrified)
Three of the Abyssal Minions hold their hands to their ears, unable to handle the gibbering madness coming from the Wailing Spell Crusher. One of the Minions scurries backwards. The remaining four form a swarm and attack as a level four creature.
The Wailing Spell Crusher makes a defense roll difficulty 4, so it needs to roll a 12 or higher. It rolls a 12 and manages to ward the attacking demons away.
End of Round Summary
Wailing Spell Crusher: 15 hp
Abyssal Minion 1: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 2: Dead
Abyssal Minion 3: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 4: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 5: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 6: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 7: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 8: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 9: 3 hp
Abyssal Minion 10: 3 hp
Round 2 - Fight!
The Wailing Spell Crusher lashes out with one of its tongues, attempting to wrap it around one of the demons. Abyssal Minion 5 makes a difficulty 5 defense roll.
- Abyssal Minion Defense Roll: 20
Critical Success! Abyssal Minion 5 is on a roll. As the Wailing Spell Crusher lashes out with its tongue, the demon ducks, and then arches its back to cut off the Spell Crusher's tongue. A natural twenty allows a major effect, in this case dealing 4 points of damage to the Spell Crusher. It's also going to counter with a GM Intrusion, forcing the Wailing Spell Crusher to make a difficulty 1 defense roll.
- Wailing Spell Crusher Defense roll: 3
Incredibly, the Abyssal Minion nearly lands a hit with its razor sharp back spikes. But just in time the Wailing Spell Crusher dodges to the side. It is now the Abyssal Minions turn.
We're going to start by rolling defense checks to check for insanity. I'm ruling that if you have passed a save earlier you are unaffected for the rest of the fight. That's something I'll probably have to add into the stat block later. In the mean time that means that minions 4, 6, 9, and 10 need to make difficulty 5 saves.
- Minion 4: 14
- Minion 6: 20
- Minion 9: 8
- Minion 10: 13
Minion 6 gets a major effect, which again is going to be used to attack one of it's allies to make it pass this save. So both minions 4 and 6 are now free.
That means that there are now six Abyssal Minions ready to swarm. Which is... terrifying. A difficulty 6 defense check means you have to roll an 18 or higher to succeed (difficulties are always multiplied by 3 in Cypher). And if the Wailing Spell Crusher fails here it is going to take 12 points of damage. I bet it wishes it had picked up one of those defense orbs right about now!
- Wailing Spell Crusher Defense Roll: 11
Bam! The demons swarm over the mage hating aberration slicing and shredding at it's bulbous flesh and dealing 12 points of damage. Adding in the previous 4 points of damage it took, the aberration is downed.
As The Wailing Spell Crusher's gibbering madness begins to fade the demons swarm over it. Once again hell has won the day.
Finishing Thoughts
First of all, this was a lot of fun. But a couple things need to change. First of all, the Abyssal Minions are dealing with the old Shocker Lizards from 3.5. They are just too strong if they swarm too much. I'm going to edit their stat block a bit, giving the Swarm 4 meaning that only four of them can join a single swarm.
The Abyssal Minion (Level 1)
Born
in the lowest depth of hell, an Abyssal Minion always serves the
purposes of larger and bigger creatures. Most often those other
creatures are demons using the Abyssal Minions as the front (disposable)
lines in an invading force. Finding a single Abyssal Minion almost
never happens, instead they attack in uncoordinated swarms. Abyssal
Minions have thick leathery skin, and black metal spikes grow out of
their spines and protrude from their body with wicked points.
HP: 3
Damage Inflicted: 2
Movement: Short
Swarm 4:
An Abyssal Minion can swarm with up to four other abyssal minions in immediate
range. Instead of making individual attacks, they attack in an
uncoordinated fury straight from hell. Add the total level of all the
minions that are part of the swarm, they make a single attack at that level that deals
2 points of damage per level.
Gm Intrusion: Spiked Tips: An Abyssal Minion scrapes it's metallic spikes across a creature, shredding it for 4 damage if it fails a speed defense check.
The End?
And that's it, at least for now. This was a fun little project for me, but it resulted in a very long post. If any of you are still around... thanks for reading!
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