(Dex or Con based character or Mike) is in a coma and is Dreaming up a “Gamma world” And can’t wake up from the coma until he defeats the virus that is in the dream world of his, it is an overlord named Pestilence. But if he realizes he is in a fake reality in any way then the world will vanish and he will never be able to wake up. Lucky for him that his friend (CHA or INT based Character or Joe) was an inventor who has a device that allows him to enter other peoples dreams and he decided to come into his friend’s dream world to guide and help him defeat the overlord. And while the inventor is trying to figure out who the virus is that they need to defeat to heal his friend. The mayor calls a town meeting and says “As you all know there is an overlord ravaging this land called pestilence and I need volunteers who are willing to go and put a stop to his reign of terror?” several men step forward including a man (STR or WIS based Character or Tim) who says “I will be the guide, for I know the best way to get there.” And though it was a figment of the dreamer’s subconscious, it is actually sentient and wants to stop them from defeating the overlord so that he and his world aren't swept away into nothingness when he wakes up from the coma. And the Mayor then says “Good you can all leave in the morning.”
2 encounters and the Tar Horror skill challenge till they get to the boss battle, maybe dabber skill challenge. 5 Horl Choo stingers (making them lvl 2), Skill Challenge, 2 tar horrors (only if succeeds skill challenge, then it will make them lvl 3), 5 Herd Zombies 5 Russet Spawns 5 Gallus Minnun (only if they fail skill challenge, then it will make them lvl 3), Boss fight: 4 Manarl slime spitter (making them lvl 4)
Skill challenge: level 3, complexity 2, if succeeds 300 exp; M dc: 15, H dc 19, 5 m and 1 h to complete, for each failed rolls deal 1d6 damage, each player makes a perception check and an acrobatics check. If succeeds fight the tar horrors, if they fail enter sewers and fight the 15 minions who are waiting for them.
Pestilence is a good name for a bad-guy. And he will have three friends whose names you can drop.
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What does the Dream layer bring to the game? Is it just a way of setting an end point to the adventure?
Pestilence is a good name for a bad-guy. And he will have three friends whose names you can drop.
Well, I know the players and I know they will like it, plus a dream world can be crazy and which kind of works for Gamma World, and I can do things with him not being able to know he is in a dream world. And probably what really motivated me to do this is that Gamma world towns and the like are in ruins and you can't really find a good town with houses or hotels or even bars.
And as for Pestilence I was planning to have that not be the virus or at least not the only one, if they wanted to continue with me being a DM for a little while longer.
I don't really know what i am doing but I wanted to make my own adventure since i need it to be a one shot thing just as a practice round either way, this is what I have so far:
I'm not sure what you're saying here; are you saying you've never GMed before, or you're not sure how to work with Gamma World? I'm going to try to figure this out.
(Dex or Con based character or Mike) is in a coma and is Dreaming up a “Gamma world” And can’t wake up from the coma until he defeats the virus that is in the dream world of his, it is an overlord named Pestilence.
Okay, this makes me think this is going to be an offshoot from an existing D&D or some other RPG campaign - a little "dream sequence" type session, which could be a lot of fun, and would allow you to hand out characters and have a more linear game.
But if he realizes he is in a fake reality in any way then the world will vanish and he will never be able to wake up. Lucky for him that his friend (CHA or INT based Character or Joe) was an inventor who has a device that allows him to enter other peoples dreams and he decided to come into his friend’s dream world to guide and help him defeat the overlord. And while the inventor is trying to figure out who the virus is that they need to defeat to heal his friend. The mayor calls a town meeting and says “As you all know there is an overlord ravaging this land called pestilence and I need volunteers who are willing to go and put a stop to his reign of terror?” several men step forward including a man (STR or WIS based Character or Tim) who says “I will be the guide, for I know the best way to get there.” And though it was a figment of the dreamer’s subconscious, it is actually sentient and wants to stop them from defeating the overlord so that he and his world aren't swept away into nothingness when he wakes up from the coma. And the Mayor then says “Good you can all leave in the morning.”
Okay, this is VERY railroady, and assumes a lot on the part of the players. Some characters are okay with a roller coaster game, where they don't really control the course and pace of the adventure, but others chafe under that kind of rigid structure. Be careful not to disengage your players from the very beginning by dictating to them what is happening, rather than allowing them to set the pace.
2 encounters and the Tar Horror skill challenge till they get to the boss battle, maybe dabber skill challenge. 5 Horl Choo stingers (making them lvl 2), Skill Challenge, 2 tar horrors (only if succeeds skill challenge, then it will make them lvl 3), 5 Herd Zombies 5 Russet Spawns 5 Gallus Minnun (only if they fail skill challenge, then it will make them lvl 3), Boss fight: 4 Manarl slime spitter (making them lvl 4)
Not sure what's going on here - paragraphs would help make things much easier to read. I see the following:
Encounter 1: 5 Horl Choo Stingers
This encounter looks okay, but with all that artillery, the monsters will get maybe one or two effective rounds before they're locked up in melee combat, and lose almost all their effectiveness. I'd suggest 2 Tumblers and 2 Stingers, to make the combat a bit more dynamic; the Tumblers can move in and out of melee in a harassing maneuver.
Encounter 2: Skill Challenge
Skill challenge: level 3, complexity 2, if succeeds 300 exp; M dc: 15, H dc 19, 5 m and 1 h to complete, for each failed rolls deal 1d6 damage, each player makes a perception check and an acrobatics check. If succeeds fight the tar horrors, if they fail enter sewers and fight the 15 minions who are waiting for them.
The skill challenge looks pretty good, but I don't think the damage for failed checks is worthwhile. Most likely, there sill be time for a short rest after the Skill Challenge, during which any damage will be healed, and with failure hinging on only 3 failures, you're only handing out 3d6 damage. Th only reason to cause the damage is if you intend the skill challenge to be immediately followed by a combat encounter with no chance for a short rest.
Encounter 3a: 2 Tar Horrors (Skill Challenge Success)
This looks good; Elites are strong enemies that can be very versatile in combat. I'd suggest making sure there is terrain that the Tar Horrors can take advantage of - darkness, water, and small openings for it to squeeze through to gain tactical advantage.
Encounter 3b: 5 Herd Zombies, 5 Russet Spawns, 5 Gallus Minnun (Skill Challenge Failure)
All-minion encounters rarely work out the way you think they will. If your party has a Controller-type, with lots of area attacks, the minions will quickly disappear. On the other hand, if your party has very little in the way of Area attacks, they could very quickly get overwhelmed by superior numbers.
I'd suggest adding in one or two brutes or soldiers as the main focus, with minions coming in as waves of reinforcements every few rounds.
If you're married to the idea of 15 minions, be sure to give the PCs some options to limit their ability to get surrounded - small areas and corners, or narrow corridors where they can try to control the onslaught.
I'd also recommend switching the Skill Challenge success and failure encounters. 15 minions could potentially be a cakewalk for a party that has Area attacks, while the Tar Horrors will be a challenge with the proper terrain.
A final alternative is to combine the two encounters - one Tar Horror supported by waves of minions. Success in the skill challenge will give the players a surprise round, as well as reduce the number and/or frequency of the minion waves.
Encounter 4: Manarl Slime Spitter
This is another monster that could get shut down quickly by getting into melee. I'd suggest reskinning a Mantrap (Lvl 4 solo controller, Famine in Fargo) to match what you want the creature to be, because a Solo is designed to hold its own against 5 characters. A normal monster is designed to do its job - in this case, control the battlefield and allow other monsters to be more effective. With no other monsters around, the fight will quickly bog down into 5 PC attacks versus the monster's one attack, and won't be much fun.
Now, terrain can always make a big difference - if the Slime Spitter is in a secure location, where it can limit the number of PCs attacking it, it may be a more interesting fight. But I'd still recommend switching to the Solo monster.
In all, it looks like a good idea, and a compelling and interesting story. A few tweaks here and there ought to get this into good shape.
Good Luck!
I have never been a GM and have only played gamma world a little, I am going to try to make it so the players are mostly in control of what happens depending on what they do i will change my idea's to fit what their doing.
if they fail the skill challenge, I don't think i'll give them time for a short rest, and hows: 5 Herd Zombies; 5 Russet Spawns; 1 tar horror (if fails) in a sewer type area, if succeeds they just fight 2 tar horrors and in a swampy grassland area?
I like the idea of the Short rest being at stake in the challenge, and so the damage definitely sounds like a fun idea. And I think you'll have a better encounter by swapping 5 minions for the Tar Horror.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!