Devil's Den 26 - Bearing the Straights

[StyrofoamKing]

Okay, this idea was inspired by a friend and former member of our group, who successfully merged Man o' War and Mordheim together... and don't worry, it doesn't involve boats or pirates.

YOUR CHALLENGE, if you choose to accept it, is to create Exploration events based on people who roll STRAIGHTS instead of doubles and triples when searching for wyrdstone.

Brief example:  a roll of "1-2-3" might find a Dying Dwarf prospector, who gives you a special key. It grants the one-time bonus of... (yadda yadda yadda)

THE SETTING/FLAVOR:  The dark alleys and back corners of a city or town.  Think Empire in Flames, Mousillon, or Araby.  If playing the Mordheim City setting, think of it as events that take place just OUTSIDE of the ruins, in the slightly more inhabited sea of tents that surround the cursed gates.   You can make it more good events, 'uh-oh'-roll bad events, something in between, whatever you feel like.

THE REQUIREMENTS: Each player will create 4 events: One 'Three in a Row' Event, One 'Four in a Row' Event'. One 'Five in a Row' Event' , and One 'Six in a Row' Event'.  The entries will be judged by the total worth of their entries and creativity.

THREE IN A ROW (pick one)
123
234
345
456

FOUR IN A ROW (pick one)
1234
2345
3456

FIVE IN A ROW (pick one)
12345
23456

SIX IN A ROW (pick one... duh)
123456

DEADLINE: June 6th.

GO TO!

[Master]

Hi, I'll post my four in four seperate posts as I get the ideas for them.

Three in a row:

1 - 2 - 3

3 - 2 - 1 Dance!
Your warriors have come across a rare exotic tent. Inside, the most beautiful of dancers are dancing, the rumour goes that the dancers are really fiends of some chaos god that wishes to lure your warriors into submission. You may send a hero into the tent, roll a leadership test for that hero, if succesful he gains a tremendous insight by staying in the tent, and may immediately learn one academic skill, it was probably just an evil rumour anyway. If the test if failed, the hero is lured by the dancers, and wakes up several hours later, without his equipment.

[Ethlorien]

Interesting...  I like this idea.  I'll try and come up with an entry later on.  Hmm...

Edit: Okay, here goes...

1-2-3 Lucky Break
While exploring the ruins in and around Mordheim, you come across a very luck find.

If this roll also resulted in any doubles, you may double the monetary bonus of that entry.  If you rolled a consecutive 1-2-3 but no double (or the double entry does not yield gold crowns), you simple stumble upon 1d6+3 gold crowns.

1-2-3-4 Shrine of Sigmar
While wandering through the ruins and hovels around Mordheim, you comes across a small, worn shrine – dedicated to Sigmar himself.

A Hero who finds this shrine may do one of two things: Pray or Desecrate.  If a Hero prays at the shrine, then any Prayer caster in their warband gains a +1 to their next casting roll during the next game.  If the Hero desecrates the shrine, any Spell caster in their warband will gain a +1 to their next casting roll during the next game.

A Hero may donate 5 gold crowns for a +1 bonus to their next 1d6 Prayer rolls during the next game (in addition to the +1 they already get).  Reversely, a Hero may steal 1d6 gold crowns scattered around the shrine.


1-2-3-4-5 Champion of Lost Causes
Your time in and around Mordheim has brought you great fame / infamy.  As you scour the lands, searching for gold and blood, beggars, mutants, the lost and the hopeless flock to you.  The beneficial master or the cruel warlord, you welcome these wretched beings with open arms.

Roll a d6 – this is the number of beggars, mutants, and the like that have flocked to your cause.  They see in you hope for a brighter future, or are simply drawn to your iron will of cruelty.  Either way, the end result is the same.

These followers surround your warband leader and protect him during battle.  They need not be physically represented on the battlefield.  Each time you are hit with an attack (but before damage is determined), close combat, ranged, or spell, simply subtract one from the number of your followers (as a sacrifice) and ignore the attack.

Note: this effect occurs automatically when successfully hit; you do not determine when you use these sacrifices.


1-2-3-4-5-6 The Fates Aligned
Your time in Mordheim has led you to this one moment.  You have scoured its ruins, searched under ever cobble, delved into its deepest pits all for this one moment.  Fate has brought you here; there can be no other explanation.  A thin shaft of moonlight, angled just so, casts its light upon a overgrown bush.  Upon further investigation, you notice it is but an alcove, leading into a small grotto, far removed from the more densely populated areas of this wretched city.  The winding pathway leads you to a simple well, where upon every brick is etched the words ‘draw from this well that which you need most’.

If a Hero reaches into the water, they may choose to acquire one of the following:
-A pouch of 75+5d6 gold crown
-An artefact of their choice
-A memento of value to a Dramatis Personae (automatically find a DP of your choice and gain their services for free for 1d3 games – even if normal rules state they stay for only one round / wouldn’t join your warband etc…)

Note: A warband may only ever find this secret well but once per campaign.  Further rolls of 1-2-3-4-5-6 will lead a Hero to an old, ruined courtyard with naught but simple well, dry and crumbled.

[StyrofoamKing]

Nice.  You guys have inspired me to write an unofficial entry.

2-3-4  Dark Fountain
The inside is swirling with vile energy, rippling from pebbles not yet thrown, and mirroring faces not yet born.  Any evil or neutral warband may peer in and roll +1 Exploration dice next post game, and discard any one dice.  (for example, for three heroes, roll 4 dice and pick 3.)  Any good warband may have a hero purify the fountain, gaining 1 exp for that hero.

2-3-4-5 Loan Shark
You may decide to add immediately to your treasury up to 50gc of gold.  If you do, you must pay the Loan Shark back the borrowed amount +10gc after the next exploration phase next game (may sell wyrdstone first.)  If you do not pay next game, roll one random injury for one warrior on your warband that wasn't taken out of action (and on top of the injury, you still owe the money.)  The money will increase +10gc each game until you can pay it off, or until the debt reaches 100gc and you cannot pay.  If you do not pay the 100gc, the loan shark will kill a random experience-learning member of your warband and cancel the debt.

2-3-4-5-6  Training School
You stumble upon a training school, led by the wisest and strictest of teachers. You may choose to enlist any hero in your warband that was not injured this last game; he cannot search for rare items and misses next game.  After the next game, he returns to you, having learned 1D6 experience.  You must pay 10gc for each experience gained in this fashion, selling items if necessary to make the difference.


1-2-3-4-5-6 Second Sight
The leader of your warband starts mumbling to himself about seeing 'the pattern', and cackles maniacally.  At the start of every game, set 6 'Vision' D6s in front of you, one dice for each number (one dice saying 1, one saying 2, one saying 3, so on.)  At any time, your hero may decide that, instead of a particular die, he will replace one of his dice rolls with one of the 6 'Vision' d6s laid aside at the beginning of the game.   Each Vision dice may only be used once each game, and cannot be used on a dice roll that has been rerolled. Any leftover Vision dice may be used when Exploring, but only the dice roll belonging to the Leader.  The Leader may only affect his dice rolls and Rout checks. (Ex. you have Magister leader, and set aside the 6 Vision die, a 1, a 2, a 3, a 4, a 5, and 6.  Before taking a Difficulty roll, you decide to replace one of the two D6s with the '6' vision dice.  He rolls a 5, which, combined with the vision '6', equals 11.  He now has a 1-2-3-4 & 5 remaining of his vision dice for this game.)

[StyrofoamKing]

Hmm. Another contest deadline has come by, and yet no large turn out. On the inside, I'm crying.

Well, while it's past the due date, I'll give it Master a few days to finish the rest of his results.  That way, he and Ethlor have a fair fight.  Anyone else want to squeeze in?

[Master]

Oh sorry, I forgot about this:

1-2-3-4-5-6
Fountain of Shallya
Your warband has come across a magical fountain, enchanting in it's beauty, and on it's piedestal these words appear:
"The fountain of divinity,
By Shallyas mercy, brings us peace,
Makes our minds young and bodies fresh."
This was an ancient fountain feeding a group of Shallyan high priests living in Mordheim prior to the comet, but after the comet all that remains is their divine fountain.
Evil warbands drink from this fountain in an evil rite of desecration while good warbands consider it a blessing from Shallya.
One warrior with 70 or more experience may drink from the fountain if so roll a dice on the following table:
1 - Divine Call: The warrior is immediately called away, if he is a good character assume that he has been called to the heavens to aid Shallya in her divine misson.
If he is an evil character he is immediately burned to dust. If he is neither the water is probably poisonous.
Either way, the warrior is removed from the roster sheet, all his possessions are left behind though.
2 - Blessing of Prosperity: The warrior is blessed with an enourmous amount of luck, from now on when rolling for exploration, do not roll for this hero,
instead after all other rolls have been made, you may duplicate one of the dice you have already rolled. (If this warrior would give you your only dice, he simply gives you a natural 6.)
3 - Blind Truth: As soon as the warrior drinks from the fountain he is blinded by light, thinking it will go away he rests by the fountain, alas this blinding doesn't go away and it seems he is blinded forever.
However, instead he now has something much more potent, a sixth sense that gives him the power of foresight,
he immediately halves his weapon skill and ballistic skill, however he may re-roll all dice he rolls from now on (once) and he may re-roll one dice on the exploration table.
4-6 - A mind reborn: The warrior immediately sees the truth of it all, note his current experience level, then erase his experience bar, he will start over from start earning experience as if he has started over, he will however add this number plus the experience he used to have to your warband rating (he retains all advancements).


2-3-4-5-6:
The test of the mark:
After the warband has returned to their camp, downtrodden because they didn't find anything searching the ruins, a man in a dark robe enters the camp, he speaks of a challenge.
Any hero may accept his challenge. They must survive 4 games without going out of action, at the beginning of each of these games, it must be announced which warrior bears the mark, and how many games he has left.
If the warrior survives all the games without going out of action, he immediately attains 10 experience points! If the victim goes out of action in any of these 4 games he will have to roll twice on the serious injury table and apply both results.

2-3-4-5:
Blackmail
Your warband has cut a "deal" with a hired sword from one of the other warbands. Choose one hired sword from any other warband, he immediately leaves that warband.

[Ram Rock Ed First]

1-2-3: Had an accident whilst searching the ruins. 1 randomly selected hero rolls on the injury chart.

1-2-3-4: Stumbles across a hidden entrance to the under-city. 1 Randomly determined warrior rolls a Ld test. If he passes he may move into the entrance. If he fails, curiosity gets the better of him and he moves into the entrance. Roll 1 D3. on a 1, nothing happens. On a 2, the warrior gets lost and rejoins the warband D3 games later. On a 3, the Warrior encounters a Black Skaven working away on a bound prisoner. Immediately fight a combat against the Black Skaven (base stats from the rulebook, witha pair of Fighting Claws and Art of Silent Death), rolling off for who charges. If the warrior loses, he is never seen again - remove him from your warband. If the warrior wins, he gains +2 experience for slaying the ratman and also gains a Master-Mordheim map from the bound figure who promptly dies of his wounds.

1-2-3-4-5: Earthquake. Roll a D6 for everybody in your warband. On the roll of a 1, they must roll on the injury chart immediately. On a roll of a 2-5, they survive the quake and nothing untowards happens. On a roll of a 6, they gain +1 experience and find 2D6 gc's worth of items that the quake has revealed.

1-2-3-4-5-6: Singled out for glorious sacrifice to the Lord of the City. A roving band of Possessed randomly captures a warband member in stealth. Remove the warrior and all his equipment from the warband roster immediately.

Ram.

[StyrofoamKing]

Awesome, guys.  And thanks for posting, Luke, it means a lot to me.

I'll post the winner tomorrow. And, winner or loser, I'm going to arrange the results into a complete 'Straights' chart, able to be used in any campaign.

[Ram Rock Ed First]

Awesome, guys.  And thanks for posting, Luke, it means a lot to me.

No worries Dave, I usually don't touch the Devil's Den challenges as I don't usually care to sit around and dream up rules right off the bat but for once I went what the hey and posted whatever came into my head.

One thing you could do with your chart is to do a straights result in conjunction with doubles and triples results. ie, Doubles, and a 1-2-3-4 would get a result, and triples and a 1-2-3 (2-3-4; 3-4-5; 4-5-6) would get differing results also. You could in this instance make a rather large chart detailing:

1,1 2,3,4
1,1 3,4,5
1,1 4,5,6
1,1, 2,3,4,5
1,1 3,4,5,6

Rinse and repeat for 2,2; 3,3; 4,4; 5,5; 6,6

And also the triples results:

1,1,1 2,3,4
1,1,1 3,4,5
1,1,1 4,5,6

Rinse and repeat for the 2,2,2; 3,3,3; 4,4,4; 5,5,5; 6,6,6 also.

Perhaps you could do something as simple as make the runs on a doubles and triples run effect the result on a random selection, eg: 3,3 1,2,3,4 would give a -1 to the roll for the Corpse, whereas a 3,3 2,3,4,5 would give a +1 to the result of what you find on the corpse.

Any runs of 3 could instead be handled in this case for doubles and a run of 3 numbers as either increasing your warband numbers for selling wrydstone that battle by 1 category or reducing it by 1 category.
e.g. 3,3 1,2 = +1 warband size category. 3,3 4,5 = no effect. 3,3 5,6 = -1 warband size category.

In this way you'd have differing events for income based off of a full 6 dice rolled for exploration (either 6 heroes survive the game or you win and have 6 dice in exploration), as well as bonus's/extra events for warbands that roll 4 or 5 dice in exploration. The lesser numbers having a lesser effect.

What do you think?

Luke.

[StyrofoamKing]

Competin': not sure why, it's a great little game, and many a brilliant result has come from it.

Every combination:  wuh. That'd... be intense. Not sure if that's a devil's den-sized project, though.  It'd be, what, 46,656 results? (before repetitions, of course.)  Would make a D66 chart look like a walk in the park. I think it could work, though, if we wnat to mix the two. Hmm.

Great job, guys, but I think the winner of this one is....










ME! (just kidding. It's Ethlorien by a nose. Well done all.)

The compiled list will have to wait till another day.