Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Radijs 04-04-06, 06:35 PM	Next week I'm going to run a one-shot campaign with a trio of lvl 14 PC's and I was thinking of doing a bit of an aliens themed scenario. Now the BoVD has the Kythons which are close enough to the original Alien species as far as I'm concerned. But I want to add a bit of a horror-esque feeling. The basic idea so far is that they will be sent on an errand to investigate reports, or rather lack of reports from a stronghold. This stronghold is next to a nation with which there is a bit of a cold war. Once there they find the castle completely deserted. A few signs of struggle, overturned furniture, some weapons scattered about but thats it. This stronghold normally sends reports about once a month, or more often when there's bad news so the Kythons will have had plenty of time to dig a hive below ground for the players to explore. But what I'd really like to do is scare my players. Most of the time they tend to approach every situation with the dry sarcasm of a player who either knows that they are going to live or that they have a reserve character already lying in wait.
club2bash 04-04-06, 07:30 PM	If the characters haven't metioned dopplegangers they could make good aliens or you could use ethereal dopplegangers.
KirkBb 04-04-06, 07:32 PM	Use the Kaorti (sp?) their from the FF I think, and they have always been one of the most alienesque monsters in my opinion.
Radijs 04-04-06, 07:34 PM	I mean these aliens: http://ewancient.lysator.liu.se/pic/fanq/k/k/kkimb8/xenomorph_drone.jpg A friend of mine has tipped me on doing an Aliens versus predator scenario. The game not the movie of course. And thats also a very tempting prospect. A high-energy magic building hovering over a volcano and held in place by some serious immovable rods. They are experimenting on the critters and all hell breaks loose because of some kind of interplanar hunter who wants a challenge.
Bruunwald 04-04-06, 07:45 PM	I have a future invasion-from-space thing planned, myself. In fact, my whole current campaign is leading up to it. To that end, I am reserving the more disturbing and gross aberrations for use as alien overlords and tougher aberrations such as chuul for underground "moon creatures." Mine will also begin with a deserted walled city, but I'm going for an approach more similar to The Thing, with a gigantic chaos beast. That will be my first wave, leading up through ranks of more and more slimy things until the big boss (whom they have to travel to the moon to face). As for Aliens-like aliens, those psionic demon things... uh... geez, I forgot what they were called. In both the old and new Psionics Handbooks? Anyone? Anyone? They're actually demonic outsiders. Anyway, those strike me as somewhat (barely) Aliens-like. For those of us who paint minis, Reaper has creatures called slithe in their catalogue, some of which are almost identical to the Alien Queen. You could always pick one up and stat it appropriately.
Bruunwald 04-04-06, 07:53 PM	I mean these aliens: http://ewancient.lysator.liu.se/pic/fanq/k/k/kkimb8/xenomorph_drone.jpg Statting your basic drone ought not be too hard. We know a lot about these creatures after all the movies and comic books. They don't have a lot of hit points, but they're very fast and somewhat strong and have resistance (but not immunity) to most energy types. They're Medium sized. Exoskeleton gives them a good +8 Natural bonus to AC. They have improved grab but instead of constricting they attack automatically with an extra bite. They can use their tails as a weapon, but we usually only see their claws being used to grapple. Primary weapon: the bite. They have ranks in Move Silently and Hide, and a plus to hiding while in the hive. The have the Blindsight quality. Oh, and anyone making a successful melee attack against them must make a Reflex save or get sprayed with acid.
Radijs 04-04-06, 07:59 PM	Sorry if I set any kind of misunderstanding. But I'm not looking for stats. The Book of Vile Darkness has a raceset of abberations called Kythons. They resemble Gigers aliens in many diffrent ways and for game purposes they are close enough. I'm looking for some tips on making the setting sound and feel horrorlike so that my players will maybe start to feel scared about this.
monkeyintux 04-04-06, 09:34 PM	I'm looking for some tips on making the setting sound and feel horrorlike so that my players will maybe start to feel scared about this. Do it with the description you give them as they explore the empty fortress. Have signs of a large fight through out the interior, claw marks in the masonry, broken weapons and such. Have them find a closet where they find the body of someone who locked themselves into the room then slit their own throat rather than face whatever attacked the complex. Copious amounts of dried blood. Not one animal is in sight, all the stables are empty, dog houses vacant and bird cages swingy silently in the breeze. Have the trackers find weird clawed footprints leading into the castle, but not out..........
Arakim 04-04-06, 10:26 PM	They have to be attached to these characters to be afraid of losing them, so what's the hook for the players? Once they want their characters to live, then the really dark stuff begins. I wouldn't put anything distinguishable as claw or bite marks in the early descriptions. Don't answer many questions about the dead fortress in your early descriptions. Your descriptions should leave tons of questions to answer. Make the creatures counter-track, so a Ranger can't easily figure out the whole thing. Have them find someone alive who has completely lost his marbles. This would be a good campaign for optional sanity rules as well.
Lord Gwydion 04-05-06, 12:35 AM	The secret to a good horror movie like Alien is that they barely show what the "alien" is. Aliens showed more, but then the vast numbers and high pace of the action lent it more of a thriller feel than actual horror. So do you want to scare your players, or just get their adrenaline pumping? If you want to scare them, make it really hard for them to figure out what they're up against. They only see glimpses of the beasts, or hear them in the near distance. People disappear when they aren't looking (assuming some NPCs are around). The monsters don't act in predictable ways. When the PCs make a plan, metagame a bit and have the creatures "outsmart" the best laid plans of the group. Get them into a mindset where they are on the defensive, and likely headed toward a TPK (whether they are or not). The ELs of individual challenges don't have to be so high, but as long as the players are in the dark, their own imaginations will make them think the encounters are more challenging than they really are (if you get them in the right mindset). If you want a more thrilling adventure, use the above at the beginning, but let them figure out what they're up against partway through, then just keep throwing more and more challenges at them. Don't give them time to stop and rest up to heal or reprepare spells. Make sure there is some sort of "time bomb" (a plot device limiting their time, not an actual explosive) to increase the tension. Keep the challenges coming, and make a fair number of them just a bit tougher than average.
FriendoftheDork 04-05-06, 01:06 AM	The secret to a good horror movie like Alien is that they barely show what the "alien" is. Aliens showed more, but then the vast numbers and high pace of the action lent it more of a thriller feel than actual horror. So do you want to scare your players, or just get their adrenaline pumping? If you want to scare them, make it really hard for them to figure out what they're up against. They only see glimpses of the beasts, or hear them in the near distance. People disappear when they aren't looking (assuming some NPCs are around). The monsters don't act in predictable ways. When the PCs make a plan, metagame a bit and have the creatures "outsmart" the best laid plans of the group. Get them into a mindset where they are on the defensive, and likely headed toward a TPK (whether they are or not). The ELs of individual challenges don't have to be so high, but as long as the players are in the dark, their own imaginations will make them think the encounters are more challenging than they really are (if you get them in the right mindset). If you want a more thrilling adventure, use the above at the beginning, but let them figure out what they're up against partway through, then just keep throwing more and more challenges at them. Don't give them time to stop and rest up to heal or reprepare spells. Make sure there is some sort of "time bomb" (a plot device limiting their time, not an actual explosive) to increase the tension. Keep the challenges coming, and make a fair number of them just a bit tougher than average. Aye you beat me to it. People fear the unknown. Have them roll a bunch of spot/listen checks, and if they succeed on any they almost see or hear something at some inaccessible place. This worked well in a city game I ran, where the PCs heard something from the rooftop, yet couln't just get up there and confront it. Try to seperate the PCs for some reason, say the glowing power rods must be inserted at 4 different areas at roughly the same time... then confront each PC with something stalking them. Don't attack them en masse until they are all together though... and save the climax to the end.
robertliguori 04-05-06, 09:26 AM	Xenomorph Medium Aberration (Augmented Dragon) Hit Dice: 3d12+6, hp 25 Massive Damage Threshold: 15 Initiative: +0 Speed: 60 ft., swim 60 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 30 ft. Defense: 23, touch 15, flat-footed 18 (+8 natural, +5 Dex) Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+7 Attack: +7 melee (1d8+4, 19-20/x3, bite) or +7 melee (1d6+4, claw) or +8 ranged touch (3d8 acid, spit acid) Full Attack: +7 melee (1d6+4, 2 claws), +5 melee (1d8+2, 19-20/x3, bite), +5 melee (1d4+2 plus poison, sting) Fighting Space/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with tail) Special Qualities: acidic blood (Ref DC 13 half, 3d8 acid), augmented critical, blindsight 60 ft., improved grab, leap, pounce, scent, secrete resin, spit acid (range increment 20 ft., 3d8 points of acid damage), vulnerability to fire, xenomorph acid, immunities, darkvision 60 ft. Saves: Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5 Action Points: 0 Reputation: +0 Allegiances: hive, evil Abilities: Str 18, Dex 20, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 10 Skills: Climb[6] +18, Hide[6] +13 (+21 in hive), Jump[6] +52, Move Silently[6] +13 (+21 in hive) Feats: Stealthy, Multiattack Possessions: None Acidic Blood (Ex): Whenever a xenomorph takes damage from a physical attack, it deals 3d8 acid damage to all adjacent creatures. A Reflex DC 15 save halves this damage. Creatures that strike a xenomorph with their natural weapons take a -5 penalty on their save. The wielder of a melee weapon may also make an additional save (with the -5 penalty) to keep their weapon from taking full acid damage. Augmented Critical (Ex): A xenomorph's bite threatens a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 19-20, dealing triple damage on a successful critical hit. Blindsight (Ex): A xenomorph can ascertain creatures by nonvisual means within 60 feet. Leap (Ex): Xenomorphs are natural jumpers. They gain a +30 bonus on Jump checks, and can always take ten on Jump checks, even when rushed or threatened. Pounce (Ex): If a xenomorph leaps upon a foe during the first round of combat, it can make a full attack even if it has already taken a move action. Rend (Ex): To use this ability, a xenomorph must hit with both claw attacks. If it gets a hold, it latches onto the opponent's body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d6+6 points of damage. Scent (Ex): This ability allows a wyrm to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. See Special Qualities for more information. Secrete Resin (Ex): Xenomorphs can create sheets of resin up to eight times a day; this process takes one minute. Each sheet covers a 10-foot square. Xenomorphs often create resin around unconscious or paralyzed creatures to secure them for later. A creature so secured needs to make a DC 35 Escape Artist check to slip free. Breaking the resin requires a DC 28 strength check. Spit Acid (Ex): A xenomorph may spit a narrow spray of acid three times a day. This spray of acid requires a ranged touch attack to hit, has a maximum range of 20 feet, and deals 3d8 points of acid damage. Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): A xenomorph takes double damage from fire. Xenomorphs take a -5 penalty on saves to avoid catching on fire. Xenomorph Acid (Su): Xenomorph acid is horrifically effective against objects. Objects take maximum damage from xenomorph acid. In addition, xenomorph acid retains its potency against objects for 1d4 rounds. Immunities (Ex): Xenomorphs are immune to acid, sleep, hold, and paralysis effects. Skill Bonus: Xenomorphs gain a +8 species bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks while in xenomorph resin. Xenomorphs have a +8 species bonus on climb checks, and can always choose to take 10 on a climb check, even when rushed or threatened. Did this up myself. Most of the abilities were pulled from d20 modern books.
Sulaco 04-05-06, 09:40 AM	Best advice is don't send them after the Aliens (I abhor the term "xenomorph" incorrectly applied to them). Send them after some very powerful creature or group of creatures. When they arrive they find said creatures have been completely decimated by something else which they now find themselves facing. I good way to handle it is to have the players think thay must fight their way into someplace through said creatures, inly to find their path unfettered and open. They reach the "core" of the location and find the remains of the creatures. Now they must find their way back out through the Aliens. Since they have no escape route and no chance to withdraw mortality should become a much more pressing concern.
Sereno 04-05-06, 10:15 AM	Sorry if I set any kind of misunderstanding. But I'm not looking for stats. The Book of Vile Darkness has a raceset of abberations called Kythons. They resemble Gigers aliens in many diffrent ways and for game purposes they are close enough. I'm looking for some tips on making the setting sound and feel horrorlike so that my players will maybe start to feel scared about this. Doing real horror in DnD is tough. The biggest problem with scaring PCs is that they're *supposed* to be heros. They're used to meeting danger with sword and spell and, eventually, the adventure will devolve into a "bug hunt." The trick will be to scare them BEFORE they realize what they're up against. Do whatever you need to set a good spooky mood; darken the room, play by candlelight, play spooky Midnight Syndicate music in the background, play random sound effects like breathing or heartbeats. Make sure your descriptions are both rich yet leave questions the players must speculate about. Make sure a lot of unexplained things are found, and happen with no way for the PCs to be sure of the reason. Have some things happen that the PCs can't do anything about; a NPC gets dragged into a hole in the ceiling and comes "back" as a shower of blood and bones but when the PCs investigate (even if they move to rescue the NPC immediately) they find no trace of the killer.... Avoid ANYTHING that directly smacks of "Alien" or "Aliens" as LONG as possible. As soon as the PCs find the acid-burned hole in the floor, they'll know what's going on and won't be "scared" any more. They might be worried about their chances of survival, but that's not the same as horror or dread.
Radijs 04-05-06, 11:18 AM	Ah blast. I had AvP1. And the second CD was full of background music that was used in the game. It was unnerving, eerie and unpleasant. I lost it :( well I still have some midnight syndicate. The plan as its currently shaped in my head: The adventurers will be recruited by an arcane order who has recently lost contact with a high-energy research facility. Its floating over a lake of lava on the elemental plane of fire, anchored with immovable rods and a dimensional anchor on it and several wards that prevent any scrying of or in the structure. All as security measures so nothing can get in or out. The last reports should have arrived about 2 weeks ago and all prior efforts to establish contact with the facility have been fruitless and people sent to investigate have never reported back. An airship, the Oscula* will dock with the facility and they will be dropped there along with 2 or 3 parties of adventurers who will eventually be turned into hamburgers or driven insane. Their instructions will be to: a. Find out what happened and report back. b. Provide assistance. I was planning the initial description to be something like this: The powerful scent of sulfur fades as you walk from the pier into the main structure. Weak orange light reveals the stone corridor. Along the corridors there are several doors spaced out evenly. One door is open and a chair is lying in the doorway. In the distance you think you hear something but the noise dissapears almost immediately. As the players proceed deeper into the facility there will be a few spot checks here and there to catch glimpses of 'something', probably Kythons with the ethereal gland. Would it be a good idea to give the party something like a radio, so they can stay in contact with the other adventuring parties so they can hear the screams start? and end of course. *:Oscula is an Anagram of Sulaco the name of the ship that was to travel to LV-426 in the movie Aliens
SiouLubb 04-05-06, 11:32 AM	Agreed. Avoid the acid and the claw marks. Avoid anything that will give them an idea of where to relate the creature in their experience. (Ie, is this an abberation, an alien, an undead...etc.). Break the original templates and hit them with something they haven't seen before when at all possible. Have the creatures do things that the Players know to be impossible in-game. Spend a little time looking at Aliens rip-offs too. Why didn't they work as well? What were they missing? You want to terrify players? Here's a few game mechanics suggestions The creatures do ability drain/damage only, no hit points The creatures can destroy magic with a touch, much like a rust monster Creature destroys class features "Okay fighter, you no longer have your second and third attacks. Your BAB is unchanged, but you simply no longer have the extra attacks. Sorcerer, you just lost 4 of your level 5 spell slots. " By doing things like this, it steps out of their "usual" combat experience of taking HP damage, minuses to saves, etc. Oh, and if you can get ahold of the Aliens soundtrack, it is just an awesome piece of music for any game. I had the AVP game too. Just fantasticly creepy playing it for the first time in a dark room at 1am. The second soundtrack disc was awesome too. Another thing to do is to make the armour class/attack system a bit more random. Why? Because little takes the magic out of a monster more than the players figuring out exactly what number they need in order to hit it. Perhaps the creatures have an AC of 15+1d10, rolled (quietly) against each attack. Don't let the players know what you're doing, but do reassure them that there is a reason that one attack hits and another doesn't. Oh, and have the creatures posess something to nerf magic missile. Agains these things, the missile simply refuses to lock. The first time the PC casts the MMs, they simply shoot off randomly. The second time, the PC can try a ranged touch attack roll.
Bruunwald 04-05-06, 12:02 PM	As many have stated, the unknown is scary, as is realizing what you're up against after you're in the middle of it with no chance for a quick escape. Here's what I have planned for my own "Thing-From-Space" scenario. See if it appeals at all: The party will arrive at a walled city, where they are supposed to drop off a shipment of goods. They'll find the city gate open. This whole huge place is deserted. It's raining, and here and there they find damage to ceilings and walls, letting water in, but almost no real evidence of what happened. One of the town's guardian golems is activated, wandering about, as if following some order it can't complete. I plan to let the party investigate for a good long time before meeting anything else at all. Meanwhile, bells toll across the city, in the cathedral. Of course when they get there, they find nobody, until they come across a single body. I'm a big fan of Silent Hill, so there will be a lot of bells tolling and other things that draw them (manipulate them, really) to a location, only to find the place deserted. Finally, when they can't take it anymore, they'll find themselves quickly surrounded by creepy human-things coming out of the shadows. My hope is to overwhelm them and force them to run. I have a few extra tricks to help this happen. Hopefully the metagamer in the group will not stick around thinking that the "DM won't kill us; he's a nice guy." But even if they don't run, I have another trick up my sleeve. That is to cultivate relationships with NPCs who are essentially doomed. I like to create little shocks that I can pull off anywhere. One of them is this NPC whom they will have the opportunity to protect. But wherever they end up, once they think they are safe, I plan to have the baddies crash through the wall and pull this guy away to his sudden and certain doom right when he's in the middle of explaining to the party what he's seen. By doing this, by removing the usual "safe" monologue of an NPC witness, I hope to keep them off guard, forcing them to go longer with doubt and anxiety. Now, all of this will probably work for me because I know my players so well. I know them well enough to know that they will try to protect the NPCs and that they will be more at ease the more they know. Doing the opposite will make them anxious. That's probably the most important thing. Think about what you know your players expect from your adventures and do the opposite, but do it suddenly and severely. Also, if you spend time with them outside the game, try to remember what movies freaked them out most and see if you can incorporate some of those themes or devices.
Sulaco 04-05-06, 12:06 PM	*:Oscula is an Anagram of Sulaco the name of the ship that was to travel to LV-426 in the movie Aliens You don't say... ;)
Epicweaver 04-05-06, 12:47 PM	Agreed. Avoid the acid and the claw marks. Avoid anything that will give them an idea of where to relate the creature in their experience. (Ie, is this an abberation, an alien, an undead...etc.). Break the original templates and hit them with something they haven't seen before when at all possible. Have the creatures do things that the Players know to be impossible in-game. Spend a little time looking at Aliens rip-offs too. Why didn't they work as well? What were they missing? You want to terrify players? Here's a few game mechanics suggestions The creatures do ability drain/damage only, no hit points The creatures can destroy magic with a touch, much like a rust monster Creature destroys class features "Okay fighter, you no longer have your second and third attacks. Your BAB is unchanged, but you simply no longer have the extra attacks. Sorcerer, you just lost 4 of your level 5 spell slots. " By doing things like this, it steps out of their "usual" combat experience of taking HP damage, minuses to saves, etc. Oh, and if you can get ahold of the Aliens soundtrack, it is just an awesome piece of music for any game. I had the AVP game too. Just fantasticly creepy playing it for the first time in a dark room at 1am. The second soundtrack disc was awesome too. Another thing to do is to make the armour class/attack system a bit more random. Why? Because little takes the magic out of a monster more than the players figuring out exactly what number they need in order to hit it. Perhaps the creatures have an AC of 15+1d10, rolled (quietly) against each attack. Don't let the players know what you're doing, but do reassure them that there is a reason that one attack hits and another doesn't. Oh, and have the creatures posess something to nerf magic missile. Agains these things, the missile simply refuses to lock. The first time the PC casts the MMs, they simply shoot off randomly. The second time, the PC can try a ranged touch attack roll. I feel that this is a bad approach (at least from my perspective and my group)... Rearranging the combat/class system into a bunch of arbitrary random chance to hit, lose class features, and take ability drain just seems too chaotic and it would take a lot for a group like mine to take it seriously. I do like this thread tho, it's given me a perfect idea of how to destroy the main city in my campaign... :evillaugh
Sereno 04-05-06, 01:05 PM	That is to cultivate relationships with NPCs who are essentially doomed. I like to create little shocks that I can pull off anywhere. One of them is this NPC whom they will have the opportunity to protect. But wherever they end up, once they think they are safe, I plan to have the baddies crash through the wall and pull this guy away to his sudden and certain doom right when he's in the middle of explaining to the party what he's seen. By doing this, by removing the usual "safe" monologue of an NPC witness, I hope to keep them off guard, forcing them to go longer with doubt and anxiety. Just be careful, and watch out for the "redshirt phenomenon" when it becomes clear that the people they meet are going to be subject to horrible sudden death that for some reason avoids the PCs. This is just as bad as "Oh, we're safe ... the DM would never put us up against a TPK encounter!" One solution is to involve the PCs in the shock-action. If monsters are going to break through the walls and drag the NPC off, they should also drag off (at least) one PC. The PC is tougher than the NPC and will survive enough to escape and the NPC does not. It's up to the DM to make sure that happens. You also have to make it look real. If the NPC and PC are fighting being dragged off, make sure that the creatures turn their attention from the more successful PC and concentrate on finishing off the NPC before withdrawing. They came looking for an easy meal and don't feel like dealing with prey that wants to fight back ... for now. That will also give the PCs a (temporary) false sense of security that they CAN fight the beasts off. It may lead them to speculate as to the reason why they escaped when their friend didn't (magic? silver? mithril? what was the difference...).
SiouLubb 04-05-06, 01:58 PM	I feel that this is a bad approach (at least from my perspective and my group)... Rearranging the combat/class system into a bunch of arbitrary random chance to hit, lose class features, and take ability drain just seems too chaotic and it would take a lot for a group like mine to take it seriously. I do like this thread tho, it's given me a perfect idea of how to destroy the main city in my campaign... :evillaugh I can understand you concern, but what I'm saying is all about putting the players in a position where they experience uncertainty and they can no longer rely on their previous experiences to guide them. Allowing players to determine the creature's stats destroys the fear of the unknown just as fast as making the creature something out of the MM which the players are familliar with. Hell, I wouldn't even give the creatures a name. That prevents the inadvertent DM slip of the tongue "Okay, the Shadow Gaunt swings at you and misses.." "So that's what they are! A shadow gaunt, eh? Now we have an idea of what they are...." I had an experience with an "Aliens" scenario in a Mekton game years ago. It was actually terrifying. the creature was a biological defense organism of this space battleship we were salvaging. We hunted it down in the guts of the ship. First round, my character levels a laser cannon at it, which did enough damage to paste most small vehicles and mecha (we were not in mecha and the creature was man-sized). The beam hit the creature and left a small smoking divot in it's torso. The sudden dawning "OMG" feeling over the group was fantastic (in retrospective). We immediately turned and ran, losing 2 NPCs in the process. We only defeated the thing by finding another one in stasis, reprogramming it and sending it after the first one.
Sulaco 04-05-06, 04:16 PM	The one problem I see is isolating the facility. If you place it in a more mundae location yout put the PCs, once the horror has worn off and the fighting begins, in the position of preventing the creatures from escaping and wreaking havoc on the local city/populace. Bascially you could segue from Alien into Aliens. You could use a gate, of course, but then you run the risk of it being more like the DOOM movie than Aliens...and nobody wants that. ;)
Zombie Carl 04-05-06, 04:37 PM	I think I may have to incorporate some of these ideas into my own campaign, although at an average level 18 party it's a little hard to actually generate that kind of atmosphere. Back in the day, we used to play Aliens Cyberpunk. Trust me, that was the ****.
Radijs 04-05-06, 06:13 PM	Thank you thank you for all your replies. Sulaco: I have placed the facility remotely for a special reason. At this level the party will have access to teleportation spells and fly spells that can get them out of the facility very quickly and back again. I've got another plan for this. The baddies will want off this place and will eventually attempt to destroy the immovable rods anchoring the thing in place allowing it to float to the gate that connects to the material plane. Epicweaver & SiouLubb: Its a good idea to take away things they can rely on. But I agree with epicweaver that its not a good idea to randomize the combat system in that way. I've already heard some of the builds they are going for. One guy is making some kind of invisible dragon thing. Fat load of good that will do him. Sereno: Another good point. An encounter like that could work really well. And it does put the sense of danger in it for the players. I'm probably going to give them some kind of research wizard that they will need to open a few doors before dying horribly horribly.
Lord Gwydion 04-05-06, 11:07 PM	Just for a bit of reference, here is the thread devoted to a d20 Future Aliens/Predator game I ran last year. Although it's been a year since the game ended, my group still talks about it with fondness. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=372165 It may give you a few ideas you can use.
Sereno 04-06-06, 02:39 PM	Sereno: Another good point. An encounter like that could work really well. And it does put the sense of danger in it for the players. I'm probably going to give them some kind of research wizard that they will need to open a few doors before dying horribly horribly. Also fun is to have a couple of remaining defenders. They can be scared catatonic, or gung-ho -- "Yeah, we'll go in with you, we want some payback!" -- make sure they die first. :evillaugh And, horribly. :evillaugh :evillaugh It's a really good part of the XBox game "Halo" when you run into that soldier who's gone nuts from seeing the full effect of The Flood and is screaming and shooting wildly. Very unnerving. You could have something similar, and put the PCs into a moral quandary; heal him, mercy kill him, let him alone....
Radijs 04-09-06, 05:00 PM	One of the players is my roommate and he's been thinking of his character and he wants to select "Flee the scene" for one of his warlock's invocations and a load of teleportation items & contingent spells. I can see now that this is going to take away a lot of the players wealth. Would it be a good idea to warn everyone beforehand that a large part of the scenario will take place in an environment thats warded against interdimensional travel? Or should I adapt the ward so that teleportation from and to the fortress is impossible.
Radijs 04-10-06, 05:28 AM	:bump: & also I'm looking to make this facility really huge Is there a handy way to draw it as a map without having to resort to using 1000 pages of paper?
Lord Gwydion 04-10-06, 08:00 PM	Yeah, draw a larger scale map on a normal piece of graph paper (4 or 5 squares to the inch), and only draw out 1" square maps for areas that you know will involve encounters where the terrain will matter. For a standard corridor or room with not much in it, just make a rough sketch on scrap paper. For the battle over the narrow walkway with a 100' drop to the lava below, with catwalks overhead and suspension wires here and there, prepare a map of that area in advance.
Gedrin 04-11-06, 04:27 AM	Shouldn't the Aliens be a templat applied to the host/incubation creature?