Calamitus Castle

[nialldubh]

Still one must be able to endure a Deathtrap and most would just use a Dwarf...

I fought a swarm of Gulli-bulls MR 42 as my first fight and Elf dropped from CON 10 to 7. If each fight the same, he be spited to death by 3 to 4 rooms. Still I might convert to Explode/implode rules and continue, but as it a kinda playtest for dT&T rules also, I probably stay with spite damage till escape or death. Still he got 10 lesser cure potions (that 1 hit cure each) and hoping for some respite. I held back on the TTYF spell he got, but no more, no more I tell ya!!!

Edit: Noted rule for over zealous bird for spite damage, so rolled and failed each SR and he now at CON 10 to 4.

Not sure if this a bit brutal, as it low level stuff...

Also in theory he left room and entered a bedroom with one door and servant, so had to leave room and enter dovecote again. By rules it is roll for an encounter again, but no chance. Kind of GMing own game and secured dovecote with help of servant to allow no entrance from outside by anything bigger than a pigeon.

[nialldubh]

Eh, question Houndle:

So just chit-chatted with a servant. Got Knowledge Points...

So, question when I use a knowledge Points does it disappear?

Edit: As seen in last post, Rurath the Elf Rogues is badly wounded.

So I using healing I devised for BC. Roll Talent Healer got total of 26, granting a L2 effect and he 2nd-level due to DEX 25. 

So he heals his level multiplied by level of SR, 4 hits; up to 8, and he carrying 10 lesser healing potions that grant 1 hit each. Think that was a Zanshin idea I saw in one post and back to his original 10 CON. 

So ways around it, but only if players use rules to suit self?!

[darrght]

Jun 1, 2022 6:34:49 GMT -5 houndle said:

8. Combat - a further thought
While I'm on the subject of combat, I'd like to reference Sid Orpin's article on "Random Stunting" in Trollszine 12. A really useful idea, though given my inability to pass saving rolls my preference is to use open ended saving rolls (using the outcomes in Sid's article) and randomise the attribute against which the SR is taken before deciding whether to perform the stunt, e.g.

D6
1:  Strength
2:  Constitution
3:  Dexterity or Speed (choose)
4:  Intelligence
5:  Luck
6: Wild Card: any desired attribute (including one of the above)

I have finally managed to find time to read all of the Calamitus Castle material houndle . I must say it really is very good stuff

I just highlighted this bit to say thank you for calling the little piece I did in Trollszine 12 "an article". Really it was just a quick example of the sort of thing stunting could be used to achieve. So, cheers my friend

[houndle]

Jun 13, 2022 16:44:24 GMT -5 nialldubh said:

Still one must be able to endure a Deathtrap and most would just use a Dwarf...

I fought a swarm of Gulli-bulls MR 42 as my first fight and Elf dropped from CON 10 to 7. If each fight the same, he be spited to death by 3 to 4 rooms. Still I might convert to Explode/implode rules and continue, but as it a kinda playtest for dT&T rules also, I probably stay with spite damage till escape or death. Still he got 10 lesser cure potions (that 1 hit cure each) and hoping for some respite. I held back on the TTYF spell he got, but no more, no more I tell ya!!!

Edit: Noted rule for over zealous bird for spite damage, so rolled and failed each SR and he now at CON 10 to 4.

Not sure if this a bit brutal, as it low level stuff...

Also in theory he left room and entered a bedroom with one door and servant, so had to leave room and enter dovecote again. By rules it is roll for an encounter again, but no chance. Kind of GMing own game and secured dovecote with help of servant to allow no entrance from outside by anything bigger than a pigeon.

I think you are right. Some of the MR values need adjusting. I've fallen into a trap caused by the cliff edge where a couple of points difference can have a big impact. The scale is probably too big as well; I based it on the "plus or minus 5" I found in a guide to writing solos, but on reflection that makes the cliff edge more likely. Thanks for the feedback, it's really helpful.

 not sure what happened with the bedroom / dovecote, did the table not give an option to go back the way you came?

[houndle]

Jun 17, 2022 11:19:00 GMT -5 nialldubh said:

Eh, question Houndle:

So just chit-chatted with a servant. Got Knowledge Points...

So, question when I use a knowledge Points does it disappear?

Edit: As seen in last post, Rurath the Elf Rogues is badly wounded.

So I using healing I devised for BC. Roll Talent Healer got total of 26, granting a L2 effect and he 2nd-level due to DEX 25. 

So he heals his level multiplied by level of SR, 4 hits; up to 8, and he carrying 10 lesser healing potions that grant 1 hit each. Think that was a Zanshin idea I saw in one post and back to his original 10 CON. 

So ways around it, but only if players use rules to suit self?!

My intention would that they would be spent and disappear to encourage the character to keep interacting, but the other way would help speed things up.
In an earlier version, I had a fixed range of numbers for encountering personalities which worked separately to the random table. Such that for example you could encounter G'Argul once you had 10 points, Leigh with 15 points and so on. That would work with a cumulative system whereby the points stayed in the bank. The only reason I removed it was that it seemed to require get more record keeping.

I do struggle sometimes with getting the right balance of risk and reward in an adventure. Years ago everything was ridiculously dangerous but with massive rewards at the end, these days I seem to do safe but stingy. So the amount of treasure (particularly magic treasure) might seem ungenerous. 

[houndle]

I'll always try to give credit where it's due darrght. Trollszine has given me a lot of inspiration and pleasure.

[nialldubh]

Just do a List:

1: Sorted brutal flying things!!!

2: That what we here for; a bit of help!

3: Well, it states bedchamber 1 door and before in text above:

Doors: The number of doors leading off the room (including the one you just used to enter it).
 
** You have place a chance of another exit, with 4+ chance, but I roll a 2 or somethings, so no chance of any other exit?!

4: Knowledge Points: I thought it might deplete with use, but it was not mentioned (not that I saw?), sorted!

5: Playtesting man, it just fun, just kind of doing it slowly with bloody life getting in the way of me having fun!!!

6: Well to quote Ugly Carver from UUU, "It is my firm conviction that for the low level characters, treasure should take a back seat to experience.”

[houndle]

Buried somewhere in the text there should be a note that it you run out of doors, you can "find" another one providing it is located in a logical place, i.e. even Calamitus isn't crazy enough to put multiple doors in his dungeon.

The original draft had some additional options, e.g. allowing you to go directly from the well to Calamitus' bedroom on account of his having an en-suite privy but that started to get complicated...

[nialldubh]

Jun 19, 2022 8:39:29 GMT -5 houndle said:

Buried somewhere in the text there should be a note that it you run out of doors, you can "find" another one providing it is located in a logical place, i.e. even Calamitus isn't crazy enough to put multiple doors in his dungeon.

The original draft had some additional options, e.g. allowing you to go directly from the well to Calamitus' bedroom on account of his having an en-suite privy but that started to get complicated...

Yes, I remember reading something, will have a look later. Braindead after a bath at moment and ready to fall asleep!

[trolletgunnar]

May 23, 2022 11:58:54 GMT -5 houndle said:

This is an idea I've been fooling with for a while, though I doubt it's particularly novel. A "semi random" adventure. The idea being that much of the adventure is generated randomly, but there are certain key events that will always happen sooner or later and that eventually come together to form a vaguely coherent whole. Key design parameters include:

   Random generation to give a slightly different experience each time.
   Specific goals which still give a variety of outcomes.
   Some genuine player choices and opportunities to influence outcomes.
   A credible (-ish) setting.
   A balance between the effort involved in setting up the game and the enjoyment of playing it.

Whether I succeeded in doing any of this is in the eye of the beholder of course. There are some aspects which undoubtedly need improvement. What I'll be doing in this thread is describing the adventure in (what I hope is) a series of logical sections. Eventually the sections should comprise the full adventure,  with opportunities for commentary and feedback. I hope it proves worthwhile.

God job so far!

Have you gathered all the tables I one document? It would be fun to test run your dungeon!

Cheers!

[houndle]

I haven't got to it yet trolletgunnar. Keep meaning to, but distracted by other projects. I want to revise some parts of it and at the moment my thoughts are elsewhere. I'll get back to it sooner or later.

[trolletgunnar]

Keep up the good work!

[nialldubh]

Well, this is not finished as it a prototype PDF of CC:

As Houndle still working at it, I still working at it..., but...


www.mediafire.com/file/auh2qe1dkni13m6/Calamitus_Castle_solo_v2.pdf/file

[houndle]

Good grief. Proper formatting 'n picshures 'n things. The nialldubh rewrite makes it look as though I knew what I was doing 

[nialldubh]

lol