Help¡ I am running the last battle for my months long Campaign and would like some help making it special.

Help¡ I am running the last battle for my months long Campaign and would like some help making it special.

Help¡ I am running the last battle for my months long Campaign and would like some help making it special. The bbeg Tiamat is finally coming to town. Please help me with moves and any boss mechanics that will really make this session powerful for my youth club kids.

Thanks

46 thoughts on “Help¡ I am running the last battle for my months long Campaign and would like some help making it special.”

  2. Oh man. That’s great advice.

    I read the Angry DMs advice about running some boss fights in stages like a video game (Ala Mass Effect, etc.) Has anyone done that or is it not applicable for DW?

  4. Andrew Huffaker it’s not, except at the highest, most basic level. If you want a boss that, I dunno, shrugs off its skin and yells “now behold my true power!” Then just do that. You don’t need any fancy techniques or advice.

  10. One move could be:

    * Lash out with poison tipped tail.

    While it can do damage (See Ray Otus’ excellent thread about Monster Moves: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RayOtus/posts/gproVum5D3A), I think it leaves the GM a lot more options.

    The tail doesn’t have to do damage:

    * It could be used to knock characters around

    * It could contain a poison that adds some interesting dynamics to the rest of the battle (see the Poisons section of the Dungeon World rulebook for ideas, Bloodweed is a good jumping off point or even doing the opposite of Serpent’s Tears, roll two damage dice and take the worst).

    * It could knock a weapon away

    * If it looks like the battle is too easy, it could knock out a stone column that is holding up the cave or area that the battle is in, causing the characters to have to deal with that as well.

    plus.google.com – When you write up a new monster, roll+INT. If you fail, write a move that’s j…

  11. Absolutely. A list of half a dozen cool moves that add options that aren’t already obvious in the stat block seems essential to me. Also an instinct that is honed to the particular dragon/situation/hoard. My upcoming zine is all about dragons and their base instincts when it comes to hoarding/defending treasure. I add a mind control move for their gaze/speech that boils down to this: Defy Danger INT to resist control. On a 10+ you’re good. On a 7-9 GM holds 1. On a 6- GM holds 3. GM may spend 1 hold to suggest a course of action. If the character takes the suggestion, the player marks XP. (And they almost always do!)

    Moves might be like: fill a room with smoke, tail sweep!, turn an impenetrable flank toward “the tank,” mind-lock the wizard, offer the thief a divisive deal, etc.

    Tactics that, when the players roll 7-9, you can take instead of Do Damage. (On a 6- Do Damage AND a tactical move or two.)

    This stuff really helps you avoid the HP slogfest. It makes your dragon more animated, wilier, and the combat more visual/dynamic.

  12. For the White Dragon head:

    * Turn everything to ice

    (Now your players have to deal with everything being slippery)

    * Freeze a foe in place.

    (Good luck chipping the fighter out of his ice boots before he gets attacked again)

    * Put up an ice wall

    (This is a good way to separate the party)

  14. Ray Otus Oh yeah, “Turn everything to ice” and then “Lash out with poison tail” to bring it all down on top of the party.

    I’m still thinking of what the other heads could do, but this could be a really tough and fun encounter.

  15. Thanks guys! For some background on where the party will be fighting, it’s their hometown. Very small and beautiful like Hameau de la reine. There is an outside defense wall like in Walking dead and also a center defense tower. I’d love to hear more.

  19. Aw man, is it just me, or is the prospect of the black dragon head squirting acid completely terrifying in DW?

    Lightning from the blue head, fire from the red head, cold from the white head… even the poisonous cholorine gas from the green head doesn’t scare me as much as that stream of black dragon acid.

  23. You guys are making me want to do a Tiamat style dragon as an extra page for this Plundergrounds. The idea of writing moves for each head is fun!

  26. I’d love to have something like a mini Doomsday clock. Everytime they roll either a 6 or want to not take a negative on 7-9, tick down the Doomsday clock. Once it goes off, all 5 heads do an apocalyptic ultra move that pushes story in a way. Or Maybe once all heads have had a chance to go off, the Hydragon’s Portal of the 5 Antipathies unleashes the Harbingers, etc.

  27. That’s brilliant Andrew Huffaker. I love push-your-luck mechanics. I would just automatically tick down the clock on a 6-, in addition to whatever else I’m doing to them. On a 7-9 I would give them the option of ticking it down in place of taking damage. This keeps them in the fight longer, but it means if the clock goes off, everyone is equally screwed. If you give them the option on 6-, BTW, they will push the clock to 1 and leave it there. No tension. That’s why you need an auto-tick on a 6-. And instead of killing them, I would have the dragon’s combined blast throw them through time and space to land naked in another (horrible) dimension. Maybe have some evil lizard dudes or yeti-like things come and take them as prisoner immediately. (Like, they land in the middle of a tribal ritual.) This way they survive and you get an ultra-villain to motivate them with – for them, it’s now all about getting back to the prime plane and killing that bastard dragon. Don’t tell them ahead of time, though, let them think the final blast is going to wipe them all out.

  28. I didn’t communicate well, but Ray Otus​ you described exactly what I was thinking, mechanically. In this fight, I have pulled everyone from their pasts, ala Hobbit: 5 armies style. Battalions and enemy factions working together. The Hydragon’s is going to be deleting things that the PCs care about at an alarming rate.

  30. Jim Jones actually, the only weapon that can kill the dragon is with death. The players have to narratively kill themselves and travel down to the gates and strike a deal with death (in my game, death is a sphinx who speaks through a red crow). Death collects souls and Tiamats is a toy he would very much like to play with

  32. I feel like I should share my custom move to use at your leisure.

    Giant Monster Combat

    When your group takes a course of action against a monster far larger than reason, tell the GM what your party’s plan is. If the GM agrees your plan could work, then you may roll+STAT and describe what you do to make that plan happen. On a 10+, choose 2. On a 7-9, choose 1:

    – You hinder the monster in some way, temporarily disable one of its moves, slow it down, distract it, etc.

    – You set a piece of the plan into motion to bring the creature down, gain 1 hold.

    – You avoid causing any collateral damage.

    – You are not severely injured in your attempt.

    On a 6- lose one hold in addition to whatever the GM says. Hold that you gain is communal. Anytime another player gains hold they are combined together. You can spend spend 1 hold at any time to injure one of its body parts, preventing it from using that body part to perform any of its moves, as well as anything else it would be prevented from doing by the fiction. You can use 3 hold at any time to cause your grand plan to come to a close, bringing about your initial desired outcome.

  33. Scott Selvidge AHHHHHH. That is really great! This definitely plays into making the monster into a boss fight ala Mass Effect type final fight scenes. This is exactly what I wanted.

    In the past, I would have someone have to defeat the Boss in waves, such that the Boss would have some kind of shield that needed to be taken down before it would be in a position to take damage (Dragon Cultists doing a protection ritual while the dragon threw pot shots at the party). Then, I would have the party over come some proximal obstacle (Dragon is high up on a dais or some ceremonial ledge, or activate 3 runes, etc). Lastly, was the toe to toe fight.

    I think Scott’s way makes it feel much more organic and allows the players to work together via the communal Hold. I will try this out at the game and see how it goes.

    Thanks,

  34. Also, I have some ideas for moves to give each of the heads for their “Doom Move”.

    Red – Cause a volcanic eruption.

    Green – Fill the area with a poisonous cloud of gas.

    Blue – Summon a lightning storm.

    Black – Summon acid rain.

    White – Flash freeze everything around it.

  35. Andrew Huffaker glad you like it! Also, if they are ever on Tiamat herself, think about using cultists or elementals as smaller enemies for them to face on the gigantic boss’s scaley terrain!

  36. Last word? (Compiling ideas)

    KhyruTPKoraX the Hydragon

    Solitary, huge, hoarder, terrifying, magical, ancient and noteworthy, ancient mind, elemental blood, wings, five heads! Instinct: to rule over other dragons.

    Moves: Turn a heavily-armored flank toward a “tank,” mind-lock a spellcaster, offer a rogue a divisive deal, bowl them over with a tail sweep, (also see heads below).

    Bite (b[2d12]+6, 4 piercing, reach, messy)

    Breath (d12, near, forceful, white: cold, blue: electrical, black: acid, red: fire, green: poison)

    30 HP, 6 Armor

    Moves by head

    White: cover everything in ice, freeze a foe in place, fill the place with fog

    Blue: stun with electricity, deafen with a thunderclap

    Black: dissolve a weapon or item, create a pool of acid

    Red: burn it down, create a wall of flame, drive them back with fire

    Green: belch out a poisonous cloud, suddenly enlarge flora and/or fauna

  39. Oh, and since some of the moves specifically target class-types, add: undermine a faithful’s religion with a historical truth bomb. Can you imagine a dragon who has lived a thousand years? He’d be like “I knew [insert prophet’s name], dude couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

  42. Mostly stuff I stole from you and the other posters here Jim Jones. But thanks! I’m going to put it in the “extra pages” for issue 3 of Plundergrounds. Meaning pages that didn’t make the zine but will be released separately as a supplement.

  43. Does anyone have an ideas as to what a move would look like for:

    When the Hydragon takes flight with an adventure in it’s grasps, 10+ choose 2. On a 7-9, choose 1:

    ?

    ?

    -?

  44. 12+ Nope! The dragon is tied to the earth and humbled! You are awesome enough to master it. The Hydragon literally BOWS to you. YOU say what happens next and you take all the accolades. From henceforth everyone shall know your name and expect great things from you.

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