AtwasAwamps
2010-04-01, 10:50 AM
One of the things I have done for a 3.5 campaign I’m running is enable the use of the “Badass Universal Substitution Level” (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6527724). I thought it was funny and since every once in a while, something awesome happens in games, definitely worthwhile. Some of my players reacted favorably, some ambivalent, and one is just kind of meh about the idea (he runs a lower-powered game than mine and is a little grumpy that my game is a little more accelerated…though that feeling usually evaporates when he gets to blow things up that he wants to blow up).
But one particular player…ohhhh how he wants it. He wants it bad. At least once a session, he is hunting…HUNTING…for that badass vote. All the players (and on occasion, myself!) are rooting for him. But last night, he did something so wonderously dumb and ingenious that I want to share it. He was…so…very…close.
The party was facing off against an adult Kython. This was the basic adult Kython, with some minor psion support (there was a psion behind it, throwing down a little crowd control and blocking places off with energy walls). The party was level five and consisted of a fighter, an in-your-face style cleric, a healbot/buffbot cleric, dread necro, psion, ranger, and our resident badass-in-waiting, our rogue.
The cleric, fighter, and dread necro were trading blows with the Kython. This was probably there most lethal opponent yet, especially considering this unoptimized group. It was supposed to be a bit of a introduction fight, as the melee cleric and the ranger were new. I figured there enormous action advantage would grant them a pretty solid win, but there were some scary moments there (Bite/Claw/Claw/Claw/Claw is rather a nasty attack routine when its 3d6+3/1d8+1/1d8+1/1d8+1/1d8+1, and that poison was helping nobody. I’d actually rolled it as having a Phase Organ originally and had them reroll, as that would have gone really…really badly). They were doing fairly well, with the battle cleric settling in nicely and getting solid hits in and all that jazz.
Then…our rogue had an idea. An idea that would have netted him one hell of a badass credit if it worked.
Taking a running start, he used his nimble and agile frame to use the armored battle cleric as a ramp (Tumble DC15), and then leap off his shoulders towards the giant Kython (Jump DC 20). Flying through the air, he makes a grapple attempt to stab both his blades into the Kython’s face and ride that sucker like a rodeo bull (opposed grapple check).
He rolls a 19. With his high strength score thank to buffs, he nailed a 29. I roll the opposed grapple for the Kython. The entire table winces in terror as the die spins. It stops. I do some math.
…Kython nails a 30.
As the rogue is snatched out of the air by the Kython’s deadly jaws and tossed aside, prone to the ground next to the beast and poisoned, the player slumped back into his chair, visibly heartbroken that he had come so close. I gave him some damage as his weapons scraped the beast, because it was such a valiant effort.
Even though the effort was a failure, it was agreed that that might have been one of the very coolest things anyone has tried to do in the game so far. The Kython was splattered a few rounds afterwards (the heavily battered rogue actually got himself the killing blow by staggering forward into flanking position and slamming his rapier into the beast’s chest…it was the least stealthy sneak attack ever).
It was really satisfying to watch my players during this. They all had their fingers crossed and they all wanted to see this happen. Even I did. But I can’t make it that easy for them! Badass has to be earned legitimately, and I’m sticking to it. I play by rule of cool and let a lot slide, but when those dice hit the table…you play it where it lies.
Just wanted to share a really fun story and ask you folks if you had any of your own!
But one particular player…ohhhh how he wants it. He wants it bad. At least once a session, he is hunting…HUNTING…for that badass vote. All the players (and on occasion, myself!) are rooting for him. But last night, he did something so wonderously dumb and ingenious that I want to share it. He was…so…very…close.
The party was facing off against an adult Kython. This was the basic adult Kython, with some minor psion support (there was a psion behind it, throwing down a little crowd control and blocking places off with energy walls). The party was level five and consisted of a fighter, an in-your-face style cleric, a healbot/buffbot cleric, dread necro, psion, ranger, and our resident badass-in-waiting, our rogue.
The cleric, fighter, and dread necro were trading blows with the Kython. This was probably there most lethal opponent yet, especially considering this unoptimized group. It was supposed to be a bit of a introduction fight, as the melee cleric and the ranger were new. I figured there enormous action advantage would grant them a pretty solid win, but there were some scary moments there (Bite/Claw/Claw/Claw/Claw is rather a nasty attack routine when its 3d6+3/1d8+1/1d8+1/1d8+1/1d8+1, and that poison was helping nobody. I’d actually rolled it as having a Phase Organ originally and had them reroll, as that would have gone really…really badly). They were doing fairly well, with the battle cleric settling in nicely and getting solid hits in and all that jazz.
Then…our rogue had an idea. An idea that would have netted him one hell of a badass credit if it worked.
Taking a running start, he used his nimble and agile frame to use the armored battle cleric as a ramp (Tumble DC15), and then leap off his shoulders towards the giant Kython (Jump DC 20). Flying through the air, he makes a grapple attempt to stab both his blades into the Kython’s face and ride that sucker like a rodeo bull (opposed grapple check).
He rolls a 19. With his high strength score thank to buffs, he nailed a 29. I roll the opposed grapple for the Kython. The entire table winces in terror as the die spins. It stops. I do some math.
…Kython nails a 30.
As the rogue is snatched out of the air by the Kython’s deadly jaws and tossed aside, prone to the ground next to the beast and poisoned, the player slumped back into his chair, visibly heartbroken that he had come so close. I gave him some damage as his weapons scraped the beast, because it was such a valiant effort.
Even though the effort was a failure, it was agreed that that might have been one of the very coolest things anyone has tried to do in the game so far. The Kython was splattered a few rounds afterwards (the heavily battered rogue actually got himself the killing blow by staggering forward into flanking position and slamming his rapier into the beast’s chest…it was the least stealthy sneak attack ever).
It was really satisfying to watch my players during this. They all had their fingers crossed and they all wanted to see this happen. Even I did. But I can’t make it that easy for them! Badass has to be earned legitimately, and I’m sticking to it. I play by rule of cool and let a lot slide, but when those dice hit the table…you play it where it lies.
Just wanted to share a really fun story and ask you folks if you had any of your own!