CRKrueger
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Since Endless Flight has some questions about Conan 2d20, I'll repost a playtest.
WARNING: THIS IS A LONG POST
So, I ran the Conan Quickstart adventure last night. I didn’t slow down to keep track of everything, die roll by die roll, it would have been a mechanics test, not an adventure.
We had Edric, Adelstan and Amala (the people who ran those in the Combat Example tests decided to keep those characters), the two new characters were Maeve and Othwald.
The Drums of Doom
The characters started off South of Bramble Creek, West of the Bridge Road. Hearing the drums across the river, the PCs were deciding what to do when Othwald used Lore and Linguistics (his background states he’s experienced in the Pictish Wilderness) to determine that this was not the normal nightly drumming, but something much larger. The PCs set off toward Bramble Bridge when the first Pict attack occurred.
The First Attack
Since there are 5 PCs, they are attacked by 6 Picts. I played it according to the module and had them represented by Minions, 2 3-Minion Mobs. I did not choose to spend Doom to upgrade any to Elites. The PCs defeated the Picts, and realizing the Picts are over the river, moved quickly to the Bridge.
The Bridge on Bramble Creek
The PCs arrive at the Bridge, hearing the chopping sounds of the Picts in the river, not detecting the Pict hiding on the bank. Deciding the PCs need a challenge at this point I upgrade all three Picts (half the PCs rounded up) to Elites and throw full 3 Doom into the ambush shot of the Elite. Othwald, who is in front, takes 8 Vigor and a Wound. The PCs charge, the Picts come up out of the river to surprise the PCs on their flanks, and it’s a tough fight due to surprise and me spending more Doom then the players buy. Adelstan takes a Wound.
I also decided to give the Picts a War Whoop, similar to Steely Glare, but 3* (* is Combat Dice) since it is nighttime and the "Picts Are Over the River". So a couple of players lose some Resolve but no Trauma.
The PCs bind their Wounds successfully (meaning they still have them but will take no penalties from them until they are Wounded again, opening the Wounds up) and rest a few minutes to decide what to do (recovering all Vigor and Resolve). Othwald uses Lore to find out that the Picts cutting the Bridge are of a different clan then the ones from Gwawela (the main Pictish village closest to Fort Tuscelan). With the Picts over the Black River, more than one clan involved and apparently having a strategic plan, the PCs decide the Fort already knows there’s an attack occurring, and decide to tell the settlers and see if the Picts have gotten as far as Scalp Creek (not on the adventure map for some reason, Scalp Creek marks the western border of the settlements in Conajohara.)
Worse than Water Moccasins
This encounter was supposed to occur if the PCs didn’t save the bridge or at some point they decide to ford a river at a deep point. Instead, I placed the encounter at Scalp Creek as the PCs head into the settlements. There are 4 Picts (PCs minus one) and I upgrade one to an Elite, so we have an Elite and a 3-Minion Mob. The PCs detect the Picts this time and lay into them. Adelstan goes after the leader, spending a Fortune Point (which guarantees him 2 successes) and giving me 3 Doom to get a total of 5d20 to roll. The urgency of the players is apparent at this point, they really want to get to the settlers. Adelstan doesn’t have the best melee skill, but his Aquilonian Knight’s Broadsword he inherited from his father is a deadly weapon, and he cleaves the Pict leader with one mighty blow (at this point I give him a free Steely Glare attack representing a Morale attack on the Mob) one breaks and runs, getting an arrow through the back from Maeve, and Amala and Edric cleave down the other Picts. No PC injury, I didn’t spend Doom to have the Picts go first.
The Last Stand of Balthus and Slasher(my addition, not in the module)
As the PCs hurry east along the Settler’s Road, they see dead Picts in the road and one laying across a tangle of fallen logs beside the trail. As they carefully circle the scene, they see the results of a great battle, as a man and warhound, with their backs to the logs, killed several Picts with arrows before the savages charged over the breastworks. Checking quickly over the tangled corpses of man, dog, and 6 Picts, the PCs recognize Balthus and Slasher (even the newest PCs have been there a week or three). All of the PCs took Resolve loss, from the shocking event (I beefed it with Doom), but Adelstan actually took a point of Trauma (a mental Wound, enough of those and you go insane, or something similar). Amala attempted to Counsel young Adelstan, but he denied the attempt and set off down the road. (I gave him a Fortune Point for roleplaying his character, even though not accepting the Counsel meant he was now taking a 1 Difficulty penalty from the Trauma, his Wound was bandaged, so not penalizing him)
The First House
The PCs, running full out now, despite the danger of ambush, arrive at the first house along the Settler’s Road. A horrific scene awaits them, as all the settler’s animals have been slaughtered and inside the house, Canaeus, Iphisa and their four children lie strewn about the cabin cut to pieces. The PCs realize their eldest daughter Rowena is missing. Taking a minute to gather their Resolve (they all took Resolve damage from that shock since I spent Doom to amp the effect) while they do a quick search for Rowena outside, Maeve fires the hut “so the filthy Picts won’t decorate themselves with these people’s scalps and hides”. (I gave her a Fortune for that one) The PCs run on down the Settler’s road. (Ok now my players are pissed.)
The Second House
A quarter-mile later, the families come to the house of Ulgram, son of Eald and his wife Friede, Bossonian settlers originally from the Marches across Thunder River. Edric and Adelstan were in the lead (due to them having the highest Athletics scores, I didn’t bother rolling), and I had them make a D3 Observation test (due to them running). They both spent a Fortune Point to make it count and bought dice through Doom. (I used those Doom unbeknownst to them to boost the encounter.) They hear a battle ahead, and slow down a bit so they can assess the situation. They see 8 Picts (2 Elites with a 3-minion Mob each) trying to break in the cabin.
Since they weren’t running headlong, they surprise the Picts and get the first attack. Edric, who generated a Cromload of Momentum in the Observation and Exploit Tests, cuts the head right off an Elite Pict, while Adelstan cleaves into one Mob, killing two Picts, losing his sword in the melee and finishing off the third with a massive shield bash. (The PCs are throwing everything in, the Momentum is flowing.) I throw the Doom right back at them (interrupting PC initiative so the Picts can respond before the rest of the PCs get there) Wounding Edric with the last Elite and taking off a bunch of Adelstan’s Vigor with the second Mob. For the PCs coming up I have them attack in order of arrival, again based on Athletics score. Othwald drops his spear and charges the Elite with his Battleaxe, showing the brutality of the weapon. (It doesn’t have Reach compared to the spear, and doesn’t have the Parrying Quality like Swords do, but it has Vicious 1, and Intense as Qualities. Vicious 1 means an Effect on the Combat die lets you add a point of damage per effect, and Intense means that if you cause one Wound, an effect used through Intense makes it two Wounds which kills Elites.) Othwald makes use of those effects by invoking Vicious to score a Wound, and invoking Intense to make it two Wounds, coming into the Pict with a midline sideways chop that cuts the Elite through to the spine, spilling entrails onto the ground. Amala and Maeve both fire their War Bows into the unengaged Mob of Picts, using Volley to kill all three in a hail of arrows, although in her Cimmerian Fury, Maeve snaps the string on her War Bow. (Double Complication)
Edric tosses Maeve his War Bow, knowing she’s the better archer by far. The Bossonians come out of the house, and help the PCs recover their Vigor and Resolve (Adelstan finally lets himself be Counseled, removing the penalty from his Trauma.) The PCs get the settler’s horses quickly hitched up to their wagon, and the Bossonians head east along the road, going to warn everyone, while the PCs guard the rear and see if they can hold off the Picts and possibly find traces of Rowena, the missing daughter..
WARNING: THIS IS A LONG POST
So, I ran the Conan Quickstart adventure last night. I didn’t slow down to keep track of everything, die roll by die roll, it would have been a mechanics test, not an adventure.
We had Edric, Adelstan and Amala (the people who ran those in the Combat Example tests decided to keep those characters), the two new characters were Maeve and Othwald.
I had decided to let Lucina use her Sorcery to defend others against Anavenagar. Basically as a reaction, she could use Sorcery with a D1 test, giving any Momentum to the PC resisting the spell. The idea was since she knew some Hedge Witch tricks, it would be like throwing a Hoodoo sign against the Evil Eye (or something similar). I also decided that her being a shepherd, her minor use of magic might involve animals and let her try and interrupt the Command Mighty Beast spell (which, BTW is BRUTAL when used on the Chakan and the Panther). Possibly a little overpowered considering her background, but she was born in Conajohara and lived her whole life in a land wilder than most, a land that remembers. (Kudos if you know what that means.) As it turns out, she was needed after all.
The Drums of Doom
The characters started off South of Bramble Creek, West of the Bridge Road. Hearing the drums across the river, the PCs were deciding what to do when Othwald used Lore and Linguistics (his background states he’s experienced in the Pictish Wilderness) to determine that this was not the normal nightly drumming, but something much larger. The PCs set off toward Bramble Bridge when the first Pict attack occurred.
The First Attack
Since there are 5 PCs, they are attacked by 6 Picts. I played it according to the module and had them represented by Minions, 2 3-Minion Mobs. I did not choose to spend Doom to upgrade any to Elites. The PCs defeated the Picts, and realizing the Picts are over the river, moved quickly to the Bridge.
Since in my playtest, 3 PCs went through 8 Picts like shit through a goose, I didn’t expect 6 Picts for 5 PCs to be anything more than a speedbump, and I was right, they vaporized the Picts, not even taking any Vigor loss, despite me tossing Doom into everything the Minions did.
The Bridge on Bramble Creek
The PCs arrive at the Bridge, hearing the chopping sounds of the Picts in the river, not detecting the Pict hiding on the bank. Deciding the PCs need a challenge at this point I upgrade all three Picts (half the PCs rounded up) to Elites and throw full 3 Doom into the ambush shot of the Elite. Othwald, who is in front, takes 8 Vigor and a Wound. The PCs charge, the Picts come up out of the river to surprise the PCs on their flanks, and it’s a tough fight due to surprise and me spending more Doom then the players buy. Adelstan takes a Wound.
I also decided to give the Picts a War Whoop, similar to Steely Glare, but 3* (* is Combat Dice) since it is nighttime and the "Picts Are Over the River". So a couple of players lose some Resolve but no Trauma.
The PCs bind their Wounds successfully (meaning they still have them but will take no penalties from them until they are Wounded again, opening the Wounds up) and rest a few minutes to decide what to do (recovering all Vigor and Resolve). Othwald uses Lore to find out that the Picts cutting the Bridge are of a different clan then the ones from Gwawela (the main Pictish village closest to Fort Tuscelan). With the Picts over the Black River, more than one clan involved and apparently having a strategic plan, the PCs decide the Fort already knows there’s an attack occurring, and decide to tell the settlers and see if the Picts have gotten as far as Scalp Creek (not on the adventure map for some reason, Scalp Creek marks the western border of the settlements in Conajohara.)
Worse than Water Moccasins
This encounter was supposed to occur if the PCs didn’t save the bridge or at some point they decide to ford a river at a deep point. Instead, I placed the encounter at Scalp Creek as the PCs head into the settlements. There are 4 Picts (PCs minus one) and I upgrade one to an Elite, so we have an Elite and a 3-Minion Mob. The PCs detect the Picts this time and lay into them. Adelstan goes after the leader, spending a Fortune Point (which guarantees him 2 successes) and giving me 3 Doom to get a total of 5d20 to roll. The urgency of the players is apparent at this point, they really want to get to the settlers. Adelstan doesn’t have the best melee skill, but his Aquilonian Knight’s Broadsword he inherited from his father is a deadly weapon, and he cleaves the Pict leader with one mighty blow (at this point I give him a free Steely Glare attack representing a Morale attack on the Mob) one breaks and runs, getting an arrow through the back from Maeve, and Amala and Edric cleave down the other Picts. No PC injury, I didn’t spend Doom to have the Picts go first.
The Last Stand of Balthus and Slasher(my addition, not in the module)
As the PCs hurry east along the Settler’s Road, they see dead Picts in the road and one laying across a tangle of fallen logs beside the trail. As they carefully circle the scene, they see the results of a great battle, as a man and warhound, with their backs to the logs, killed several Picts with arrows before the savages charged over the breastworks. Checking quickly over the tangled corpses of man, dog, and 6 Picts, the PCs recognize Balthus and Slasher (even the newest PCs have been there a week or three). All of the PCs took Resolve loss, from the shocking event (I beefed it with Doom), but Adelstan actually took a point of Trauma (a mental Wound, enough of those and you go insane, or something similar). Amala attempted to Counsel young Adelstan, but he denied the attempt and set off down the road. (I gave him a Fortune Point for roleplaying his character, even though not accepting the Counsel meant he was now taking a 1 Difficulty penalty from the Trauma, his Wound was bandaged, so not penalizing him)
The First House
The PCs, running full out now, despite the danger of ambush, arrive at the first house along the Settler’s Road. A horrific scene awaits them, as all the settler’s animals have been slaughtered and inside the house, Canaeus, Iphisa and their four children lie strewn about the cabin cut to pieces. The PCs realize their eldest daughter Rowena is missing. Taking a minute to gather their Resolve (they all took Resolve damage from that shock since I spent Doom to amp the effect) while they do a quick search for Rowena outside, Maeve fires the hut “so the filthy Picts won’t decorate themselves with these people’s scalps and hides”. (I gave her a Fortune for that one) The PCs run on down the Settler’s road. (Ok now my players are pissed.)
The Second House
A quarter-mile later, the families come to the house of Ulgram, son of Eald and his wife Friede, Bossonian settlers originally from the Marches across Thunder River. Edric and Adelstan were in the lead (due to them having the highest Athletics scores, I didn’t bother rolling), and I had them make a D3 Observation test (due to them running). They both spent a Fortune Point to make it count and bought dice through Doom. (I used those Doom unbeknownst to them to boost the encounter.) They hear a battle ahead, and slow down a bit so they can assess the situation. They see 8 Picts (2 Elites with a 3-minion Mob each) trying to break in the cabin.
Since they weren’t running headlong, they surprise the Picts and get the first attack. Edric, who generated a Cromload of Momentum in the Observation and Exploit Tests, cuts the head right off an Elite Pict, while Adelstan cleaves into one Mob, killing two Picts, losing his sword in the melee and finishing off the third with a massive shield bash. (The PCs are throwing everything in, the Momentum is flowing.) I throw the Doom right back at them (interrupting PC initiative so the Picts can respond before the rest of the PCs get there) Wounding Edric with the last Elite and taking off a bunch of Adelstan’s Vigor with the second Mob. For the PCs coming up I have them attack in order of arrival, again based on Athletics score. Othwald drops his spear and charges the Elite with his Battleaxe, showing the brutality of the weapon. (It doesn’t have Reach compared to the spear, and doesn’t have the Parrying Quality like Swords do, but it has Vicious 1, and Intense as Qualities. Vicious 1 means an Effect on the Combat die lets you add a point of damage per effect, and Intense means that if you cause one Wound, an effect used through Intense makes it two Wounds which kills Elites.) Othwald makes use of those effects by invoking Vicious to score a Wound, and invoking Intense to make it two Wounds, coming into the Pict with a midline sideways chop that cuts the Elite through to the spine, spilling entrails onto the ground. Amala and Maeve both fire their War Bows into the unengaged Mob of Picts, using Volley to kill all three in a hail of arrows, although in her Cimmerian Fury, Maeve snaps the string on her War Bow. (Double Complication)
Edric tosses Maeve his War Bow, knowing she’s the better archer by far. The Bossonians come out of the house, and help the PCs recover their Vigor and Resolve (Adelstan finally lets himself be Counseled, removing the penalty from his Trauma.) The PCs get the settler’s horses quickly hitched up to their wagon, and the Bossonians head east along the road, going to warn everyone, while the PCs guard the rear and see if they can hold off the Picts and possibly find traces of Rowena, the missing daughter..