|
Author
|
Comment
|
Grumgarr
Here for a while
(1/6/03 8:25:15 am)
Reply
|
Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
For anyone who's wondering about using the Corrupted Tyrannosaurs posted in the BoVD BoB thread...they're killers. Any TRex is, and the Half-Dragons would be too, but here's my experience of these beasts:
Okay, my group were low on resources having cleared various bits of the Outer Fane, then got through the Blasted Yard to the Door...with a few negative levels courtesy of the Dark Wights, but still on good hp and (for some reason) expecting no trouble in the Black Spike...I think they expected to waltz in, find the Tourbillion and use it to get to Hommlet, all without any further fighting.
...they get to the door (dressed in Purple Robes) and it asks (startling them) who they are as it doesn't recognise them...they try to convince it to open (it manages a Detect Thoughts and knows at least one gave his real name) and it won't...though it will still open for a Master Key..but they don't know this.
...so they fuss around for a while...and eventually, having assembled a Master Key, they approach and the Door lets them pass.
Now the Door was suspicious enough of them to alert the TRexes, whose roar wasn't heard (low rolls) by those outside the Door, though Tychon came down to buff them for trouble...each got an Empowered Bull's Strength (7 each, ouch) and Spell Resistance (23)
Then the Door let them in, telling the TRexes 'down boy', but when the door opened and the beasts were spotted, the party went ballistic.
The Fighter, seeing the DoomDreamery miniature perched on the stairs whipped out his bow and Varachan's Arrow of Slaying, but decided not to shoot just yet due to stair cover (this PC afraid of TRex as he's previously been killed by one in another adventure).
Next the Wiz hastes the Cleric (real fear here - I used plastic dinosaurs as miniatures just about to scale - from Early Learning Centre for those in the UK- they're big beasties - and no-one wanted to be first in).
Cleric is next and (a little low on spells) tries an Order's Wrath (domain spell - hoping for a round's stun if they're Chaotic - they're not) - rolls awful SR checks and does no damage - at this point it would have been prudent to retreat from these massive, deadly and, oh dear, spell-resistant beasts but...she goes for the big guns (oh dear again) and decides to try the old Slay Living coupled with a move and (free) touch...needless to say the TRex grabbed her (I allowed her touch as its attack landed - you try holding a charge when you're hit for 66 damage, yes 66 damage) - her Slay Living slid cleanly off its SR and she got grabbed by its meaty jaws...survived the Massive Damage save but guess who was next in initiative order...
Yep - the TRexes respond to being attacked (okay they're dumb and hadn't suffered any harm yet but someone cast an area effect spell at them).
The Cleric gets swallowed (and killed outright by the BBBBite damage in the process).
The other steps forward, dips its meaty jaw down and grabs the Fighter - inflicting around 60 damage and grabbing him.
He's next and (yes, I may have fudged the roll, I'm not saying I did, but I might have) he managed to escape with an opposed grapple check and retreat (there's no AoO from the grappler after escaping a grapple, right?)
Then the Psychic Warrior got his mojo on (Inertial Barrier) and DRed-up charged!!
Got bitten (52 through the DR) and grabbed - got his hit off with a claw nonetheless and discovered its DR - inflicted 6 damage through DR and got some hps back as a result.
Next up Tychon aims a Blast of Force at the Wizarogue and knocks him way off the bridge - he hits the far side of the Wound hard but makes a great climb roll arresting his fall about 10' short of a swim in the lava.
Next round was a PC rout - the Psychic Warrior got swallowed and everyone else beat feet.
Swallowed boy (on Very Low hp) got a hand to a Refuge stick and got out on his turn, but the group thought him dead.
Some stat stuff:
Ignoring for now the SR (didn't really come into play - some hp damage wouldn't have made ANY difference, and Slay Living's a Fort save) and the Fast Healing 9!!! these beasts are simply deadly because of the damage they inflict and the pretty much automatic grab.
STR 39 (this with an extra 7 from an Empowered Bull's Strength) +14 Str bonus, BAB +13, Size -2 for...
Bite +25 (10d6 + 21 + 9 Vile) plus Improved Grab (+35!!!)
And the same damage from the Swallow, but an opposed roll vs. +35?? = no chance of escape - you're a meal.
Okay the non-boosted version gets only +22 to hit and does 6 less damage per bite, but at around 60 a pop, it's no massive difference.
Plus I entirely forgot the Aid spell from the Unhallow (+1 to hit and a few extra hps).
On full strength and ready for them my group could have taken them on - maybe, but that fast heal 9 and 200 hps each never came into play, so maybe not, plus the way to kill them is to inflict loads of damage (not an option with spells once that SR is up) so the tanks are the way to do it and unfortunately they can't - they're snacks.
I wish I'd given my group more warning of them...they were freaked out...but they need to learn to retreat from a nasty-looking fight rather than just charging in - and a half-way bluff won't do - they got past the door, and it called off its pets, but then the PCs just freaked out and went ahead and attacked the Rexes...
...not the best of sessions
Bluff your way in / Fight your way in
Grumgarr - who wishes the PCs would pick one
Edited by: Grumgarr at: 1/6/03 8:35:38 am
|
 Infiniti2000
Here for a while
(1/6/03 8:41:13 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
"He's next and (yes, I may have fudged the roll, I'm not saying I did, but I might have) he managed to escape with an opposed grapple check and retreat (there's no AoO from the grappler after escaping a grapple, right?)"
No AoO for leaving the grapple, but there would be an AoO for moving out of the T-Rex's reach. Otoh, given the circumstances, perhaps the T-Rex was too busy to take his AoO, on account of the nasty flavor from the Fighter's armor - it was spitting and making "ug" sounds, right? 
Sounds like a real nasty fight. Kudos to you for avoiding a TPK. The cleric is a small price to pay. I don't envy Tychon trying to obtain what's left of the cleric's magical items from the corrupted poo. 
Have the players realized that the worst thing about the encounter is now the Inner Fane will be aware of their presence?
Edit: spelling makes a difference when you actually use the wrong word (envy not even)
Edited by: Infiniti2000 at: 1/6/03 8:52:33 am
|
Grumgarr
Here for a while
(1/6/03 8:50:41 am)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
>Have the players realized that the worst thing about the encounter is now the Inner Fane will be aware of their presence?
Hedrack retreated to the Inner Fane already (his forces being entirely hosed) and is awaiting midnight for some spellpower to go hunting the PCs, with a Hezrou...so they already know about the PCs - though they didn't know the Door would let the PCs in.
I've decided that the Door, although intelligent, is pretty automaton-like - it will open for a Master Key regardless of other factors.
Still the First may instruct it to attack these folk if they return... a nice Wall of Fire at the far side of the Bridge, facing IN, plus another right in front of the Door, facing OUT, bwa-ha-haaaa.
I think they might just high-tail it to Hommlet to go try to stop what's going on in the TOEE though. They crapped their pants big-time.
|
Andorax
Still here? Wow.
(1/6/03 9:58:14 am)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
I hope that the PCs don't count it against you. It's fairly close in power level to the original half-dragons, and even grunt-standard-ordinary T-Rex have very brutal swallow whole ability. Still, it's good to know how nasty these critters are.
Having used them, do you wish you'd stuck with the original Half-Dragons?
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Infiniti2000
Here for a while
(1/6/03 10:18:27 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
Another question is did the players realize/understand the flavor/concept of the corrupted T-Rexes? I think they would not realize the difference given the half-dragon template. Maybe if one just used corrupted T-Rexes (advanced possibly) instead of half-dragon + corrupted...
|
Andorax
Still here? Wow.
(1/6/03 12:41:47 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
Infiniti2000, the version presented in the BOB BoVD section has Corrupted replacing the Half-Dragon template. Although I do reinterate your question in a different way...did the PCs realize that these were not *normal* Tyranosaurus, and if so, how did you present them?
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Siobharek 
Still here? Wow.
(1/7/03 12:38:52 am)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
FYI, I've just added a note in the BoB that the Corrupted T-Rexes take away the half-dragon template before adding the Corrupted ditto.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Grumgarr
Here for a while
(1/7/03 6:22:59 am)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
Andorax - I don't think I'd have preferred the half-dragons really...the Corrupted template is far more flavourful, and the half dragons are every bit as nasty I reckon...well, maybe except for the Fast Healing - I'm still not sure how much of an impact this will have. Of course, breath weapons are nasty too, even if their damage dice aren't high. It's an area effect attack - the TRex is a killer, but it's one PC per round
I think Monte used the half-dragon template because it nastied these beasts up and made them 'unnatural' - if he'd already written the Corrupted template, I think we'd have seen Corrupted TRexes here 'officially'.
These are the bouncers at the only door into the Dark Cult's headquarters - they'd better be nasty - and they are. I don't regret using this version, but did want to warn fellow DMs - a little foreshadowing - hear the roaring of a great beast, no...two great beasts, from outside the door, a hint or outright warning from Varachan.
Most groups would want to be on full strength before entering the Inner Fane - mine weren't and they paid.
The players recognised the 'miniatures' immediately, but I described them as follows, more or less:
'As the Door slides down into the ground, the echoing roar of some huge reptilian beast fills your ears, then is joined by another equally strident call - this is a howl to make every natural creature flee in terror. (I gave my best deep-throated feral roar here, causing heads to jerk up around the table - the PCs had one round to do as they pleased here as the door opened and, typically, they geared up for a fight).
As the Door opens completely your gaze is drawn inexorably to the largest creatures yet encountered in this foul place.
Two huge lizards, standing over twenty feet high and fully fifty feet long from nose to tail - their man-length jaws turning from side to side on long meaty necks. Boney spurs jut through their thick blackish hides distorting the smooth lines of their flanks and backs - their eyes hold a bloodthirsty, feral red glow and their killing jaws are lined, shark-like, with row upon overlapping row of ripping teeth, oversized even for so huge a beast. Tiny vestigial forelimbs hang curled by their sides, claws clenching and clenching as if in anticipation...
One of the PCs had seen dinosaurs including a TRex up-close-and-personal before and he knew immediately that these were not 'normal' TRexes.
Hell, I think even one 'normal' TRex would have scared them half to death though - two eerie black TRexes?? eeeoouuuuuu!
I only wish they'd fled while they could escape unscathed.
Grumgarr
|
Andorax
Still here? Wow.
(1/7/03 7:29:49 am)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
Siobharek, could you also add Grumgarr's wonderful visual descriptive to the Corrupted 'rexes too? That paragraph is good stuff!
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Siobharek
Still here? Wow.
(1/7/03 7:42:17 am)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
Done!
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Grumgarr
Here for a while
(1/7/03 10:02:04 am)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
Cheers Siob!
One thing - the 'clenching and clenching' thing at the end was intentional - to give the feeling of restless, repeated, eagerness 
Grumgarr - who's a little more at ease with these beasties having done some damage-capacity math about the fighters in his party.
Edited by: Grumgarr at: 1/7/03 10:04:23 am
|
Siobharek
Still here? Wow.
(1/7/03 1:59:15 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
I'm awfully sorry - really. Thought it was a typo. Corrected immediately. 
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
The guy from Belgium
Here for a while
(1/7/03 2:06:39 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
is the template of the half dragons the standard module version? or have there been modifications on these boards?
the one from BoB is now gone... is there a backup on the boards somewhere?
|
Andorax
Still here? Wow.
(1/7/03 2:15:45 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
As presented in the module (see the NPC stat appendix, Outer/Inner Fane section), the creatures are a Half-Blue and Half-Black Dragon Tyrannosaurus, respectively.
The Best of the Boards thread, which *does* still have the stats in question, has a replacement version of the Tyrannosaurus as Corrupted, rather than Half-Dragon, Tyrannosaurus. I was the one who posted the initial idea and version of them in part because I wanted something that would qwell the ongoing complaints of those who have said there's way too much dragon-stuff in RttToEE.
To my knowledge, nobody has ever posted a version that is BOTH Half-Dragon AND Corrupted, but it's easy enough to do. It probably wouldn't be worth the full +5 CR, as some of the template benefits overlap one another.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
The guy from Belgium
Here for a while
(1/7/03 2:24:12 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Corrupted Tyrannosaurs - eek!
"ongoing complaints of those who have said there's way too much dragon-stuff in RttToEE"
now there's a truth...
a blue, a green, a red, possibly a white (Random encounter)
and two half dragon T-rexes... lotsa dragons, but i like dragons, so i'm not complaining...
but my players might 
|
|
Okay -- Your Turn
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands