Playtest: Owlbear Rodeo VTT for Combat

[Wizard of the Coat]

I'm here!

Looking for the pregen PCs (rogue, ranger, wizard?) so I can choose between them, but I'm having difficulty finding them. Or are we picking a class and then you build the pregen PC?

Doh! Never mind, I guess I missed the links in the email you sent. It's all good now.

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Wizard of the Coat (see edit history)

[Wizard of the Coat]

I'll take the cute little halfing rogue!

[jokomaisu]

@SMARTAgentKC Thank you! Please also send an amulet of health 🙏

[jokomaisu]

I just posted a new thread for the encounter HERE ⬅️

The thread is locked for now. I'll open it once the encounter starts.

I added some background for the encounter. If your character needs to prepare spells, please let me know which spells you choose after reading through the background.

Feel free to also discuss the upcoming encounter with the other players here - this thread will function as an OOC thread for the encounter.

Please welcome Wizard of the Coat and @Morphling (who still needs to choose either to play the ranger or the wizard and to join the Owlbear Rodeo Room HERE). I'm still working on getting us one more player.

[Morphling]

I would love to play the ranger. Now let's see about joining the room.

[jokomaisu]

@Morphling I granted you access 👍

[jokomaisu]

Here are some combat rules we will be using for this encounter. I added them to the first post of the encounter thread as well.

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Block Initiative

Creatures working together can take their turn in any order before any opposing creature or the end of the round.

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Escalating Combat Rounds

• All attack rolls receive a positive modifier equal to the round of combat.
• All saving throws receive a negative modifier equal to the round of combat.
• Surprise rounds do not include this modifier (they are treated as round 0).

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Basic Combat Maneuvers

The Basic Combat Maneuvers can be used in this encounter.

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Minions
A minion is a weak foe. However, minions still make threatening foes. Killing a minion still requires penetrating their defenses, and characters can’t just shrug off damage from minion attacks.

Every minion has the Minion trait, which affects the creature in the following ways:

• If the minion takes any damage from an attack or as the result of a failed saving throw, their hit points are reduced to 0.
• If the minion takes damage from another effect, they die if the damage equals or exceeds their hit point maximum; otherwise, they take no damage.

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Overkill Attacks
Powerful weapon attacks can kill more than one minion in a single maneuver called an overkill attack.

When a weapon attack’s damage does exceed the target minion’s hit point maximum, the attack becomes an overkill attack and the damage dealt beyond the minion’s hit point maximum becomes overkill damage.

Overkill damage can be applied to a second minion who has the same stat block as the target and is in overkill range (see below). Damage against the second minion is counted as if you made a weapon attack against them; since it only takes 1 point of weapon damage to reduce a minion to 0 hit points, any amount of overkill damage immediately knocks them out. But wait, it gets better—if the initial attack’s overkill damage exceeds the second minion’s hit point maximum, the leftover overkill damage can roll over to a third minion, and so on! In other words, for each time the overkill damage exceeds the new target’s hit point maximum, the attacker can choose an additional minion to reduce to 0 hit points.

For example, when a weapon attack deals 18 damage to a minion with a hit point maximum of 5, the overkill damage is 13. If there are three additional minions of the same stat block in overkill range, they can all three be immediately reduced to 0 hit points, since the overkill damage exceeded the target’s hit point maximum more than twice over.

Overkill attacks can’t be made as part of an opportunity attack.

Overkill Range
Minions must be within a certain range to qualify for an overkill attack, determined by whether the attack is a melee or ranged attack.

Melee Overkill Attacks. When a creature hits a minion with a melee weapon attack, other minions within reach of the attack are in overkill range and can be chosen as additional targets for an overkill attack. The overkill attack can’t target minions outside the weapon attack’s reach.

Ranged Overkill Attacks. When a creature hits a minion with a ranged weapon attack, other minions in a line originating from the creature in the direction of the target, to a distance equal to the weapon’s short range, are in overkill range and can be chosen as additional targets for an overkill attack. The overkill attack can’t target minions outside the line or beyond the weapon’s short range.

[Shocker]

Escalating combat rounds sounds like something that can turn nasty really fast.
 

Question for clarification, are rounds counted since beginning of the battle or when engaging with a specific foe. I assume it is the former, meaning the longer a battle goes the harder major opponents will hit.

[jokomaisu]

Great question!

Rounds start when initiative is rolled. If an encounter is a two-parter, like it starts off with several enemies, but then a boss shows up (or a second wave of enemies) then I would probably reset the rounds when the new enemies join the encounter.

Remember that all creatures in the encounter are affected by escalating rounds - PCs and enemies alike.

I developed escalating combat rounds as a way to speed up combat.

Edited October 2, 2023 by jokomaisu (see edit history)

[Shocker]

I do see the benefits, it just becomes a question of tactics.

[Wizard of the Coat]

I'm curious about the second part of the Minion trait:

If the minion takes damage from another effect, they die if the damage equals or exceeds their hit point maximum; otherwise, they take no damage.

I'm not expert enough with 5e combat to understand the significance and need for this distinction. For example, why would damage from a spell that provides a saving throw kill the minion (if they fail their save and take damage), but comparable damage from a spell that does not require a saving throw possibly leave the minion alive?

Edited October 2, 2023 by Wizard of the Coat (see edit history)

[jokomaisu]

Another great question!

Minions should be easy to kill, but not too easy to kill. The Minion trait as a whole keeps minions dying fast but still allows them to be challenging.

Effects that apply automatic damage would instantly kill minions. There are not many spells that don't require an attack or save that deal damage, but they would make killing minions too easy (I'm looking at you magic missile). Without this part of the Minion trait, spellcasters would outshine the non-spellcasters against minions. Spellcasters have plenty of area effect spells that deal damage and that includes spells that deal half damage on a save, which could still kill a minion if it equals or exceeds their hit point maximum.

This is where Overkill comes in. It balances the playing field by giving non-spellcasters a chance to take out multiple minions with one action like their spellcasting allies.

[jokomaisu]

@SMARTAgentKC @Merbak Please let me know which 6 spells your character prepares before the encounter. We will start the encounter once that is completed 👍

[SMARTAgentKC]

I'll take, Healing Word, Create and Destroy Water, Shield of Faith, Guiding Bolt, Inflict Wounds, and Aid,

[jokomaisu]

Okay, the encounter is ready to start.

I will play as the Wizard until we hear from Merbak or maybe even guitarist.

Please use the Draw/Marker tool to show me your proposed path with a dashed red line into one of the dashed red circles provided for everyone. As an example of what I mean, I've plotted out 30 feet of movement for the Wizard.

Until initiative is rolled, you do not have to limit your movement to your speed. As your character moves, more of the map will be revealed. If they spot something while moving, I will stop them at the point they first see whatever that is, so you can decide what they do next.

Make sure to click on the Encounter spoiler because I added Environment Details about the map.

Before you post in the Encounter thread, please put your character token in one of the spaces in the red rectangle in the bottom left corner of the map.

We will use this thread as an OOC thread for the Encounter.

Feel free to post here to discuss with the other players how you think you should approach the keep or you can do it IC in the Encounter thread (this discussion would have occurred before you got to your starting point on the map, so no need to feel rushed).

Make sure you have looked at your character's inventory because I provided each one with magic items/potions.

I'm going to go unlock the Encounter thread now.

Let me know if you have any questions!