D&D Borderlands Stuff?

[Deth Muncher]

Hey, so just to preface this, this is in reference to the game Borderlands, by Gearbox. Not any other version of the word "borderlands" you might be thinking of.

So, Borderlands. Great, solid game. It's just what every gamer loves - senseless violence against ridiculous monsters and insane bandits. Naturally, my brainmeats be a-spinning with ways to incorporate this into D&D. And then, it dawned on me - Eberron. The Mournland. No, the Bandits probably wouldn't work, but the Spiderants (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://epicbattleaxe.com/wp-content/gallery/borderlands/spiderant_horde_1080.jpg&imgrefurl=http://epicbattleaxe.com/image-galleries/borderlands/&usg=__q3UgJGt2byrejvBrRmwN-3VGaV0=&h=689&w=1224&sz=638&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=T5sXsJqoERzSnM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=219&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBorderlands%2BSpiderant%26um%3D1%26hl %3Den%26rlz%3D1C1CHMY_enUS401US401%26biw%3D1280%26 bih%3D685%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=559&vpy=141&dur=976&hovh=168&hovw=299&tx=195&ty=97&ei=csO3TL65JoLGlQfi98GJCQ&oei=csO3TL65JoLGlQfi98GJCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0) and Rakks (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.neoseeker.com/ca/borderlands_conceptart_Wkb2v.jpg&imgrefurl=http://img.neoseeker.com/v_concept_art.php%3Fcaid%3D15195&usg=__SsW70X46cJfva_0qvM29M0ZdK0k=&h=473&w=800&sz=84&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=4-M4HLA_03O5sM:&tbnh=153&tbnw=258&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dborderlands%2Brakk%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den %26sa%3DX%26rlz%3D1C1CHMY_enUS401US401%26biw%3D128 0%26bih%3D685%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=348&ei=8MO3TNuGE8H_lge4-JSWCQ&oei=o8O3TIXcG8P_lge9ppmNCQ&esq=20&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=174&ty=30) and Skags (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.neoseeker.com/ca/borderlands_conceptart_488LU.jpg&imgrefurl=http://img.neoseeker.com/v_concept_art.php%3Fcaid%3D15199&usg=__HyRtKUWVF1XiMrjbmE_DRU44BuI=&h=520&w=800&sz=74&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=purXpTXxFetQVM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=189&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dborderlands%2Bskag%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den %26rlz%3D1C1CHMY_enUS401US401%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3 D685%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=1248&ei=EMS3TNaBJYT6lwfexKWLCQ&oei=EMS3TNaBJYT6lwfexKWLCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=122&ty=62) and Scythids (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100222002509/borderlands/images/b/bb/Scythid2.png&imgrefurl=http://borderlands.wikia.com/wiki/File:Scythid2.png&usg=__4yhAMQenIQOQlBswWl5JKpw6Ads=&h=600&w=600&sz=684&hl=en&start=0&zoom=0&tbnid=dVQOFrU21H0bCM:&tbnh=131&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dborderlands%2Bscythids%26um%3D1%26hl% 3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1C1CHMY_enUS401US401%26biw%3 D1280%26bih%3D685%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1079&vpy=389&dur=976&hovh=135&hovw=135&tx=76&ty=74&ei=D8W3TMe3NoK8lQemx5yMCQ&oei=D8W3TMe3NoK8lQemx5yMCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0) definitely fit the "WHAT HATH SCIENCE MAGIC WROUGHT" feel that the Mournland gives off. Plus, Pandora is a fairly unforgiving place anyway - if the characters in Borderlands actually had to eat and sleep instead of injecting themselves with Health Vials, I feel like it'd be a pretty tough place.

So. What I'm wondering is - has anyone attempted a Borderlands campaign, or has anyone statted up Borderlands monsters? If not, I will and link it back here.

[ericgrau]

Even the health vials can become an expensive way to live. I learned to always get some kind of health regeneration on my characters, via shields or a special ability.

As for statting up the monsters, haven't seen it. Would be more fun to get a group together and play on the computer I think. Meet up online if it allows it or have people carry their computers over and plug in to the same router. Start at level 1 together.

[FuryOfMetal]

I was actually playing Borderlands just now :smalltongue:

The Scythid should have lowish health but DR5/Slashing or Bluddeoning as punching them is like insta kill in game.

I don't know if incorporating the Spiderant's fail of an abdomen for easy criticals. You could do more damage whilst behind them, which would favor more mobile fighters i guess. Or whilst behind them your attacks are only touch attacks as they have no armor back there.

Skags can just be based off of Horrid animals from Eberron, it's a template so putting it on any quadraped animal would fit.

[Lhurgyof]

Can't forget about Mad Moxie's arena. That should be fun.

The only thing that I don't like about borderlands is the theme song (which people conveniently started liking after the game came out), and the fact if you build your character a certain way you're nigh-invulnerable.

[Seatbelt]

But its the same thing in D&D. In Borderlands there are good builds and bad builds and then there are broken builds. And then there is the Siren who just breaks the game in half and then kicks it in the nads.

[ericgrau]

... until second runthrough you fight 2 badmotha turrets on hills, surrounded by tough mobs that you can't walk to, behind buildings so you can't snipe, and oh that instakill you with rockets. I chose to quit for the day there b/c I was already fighting enemies a bit above my level and leveling would be a PITA. Likewise an air boss was annoying. Really I think all the classes can pwn until that one kind of encounter throws you for a loop. For example I've rapidly dropped everything including bosses with soldier purely by ability to absorb hits and thus take advantage of the point blank range to billion headshot with an uzi. Spray but no pray.

Spiderant's weakness from behind instantly reminded me of backstab. I'd say give them high AC and/or DR unless denied their dex bonus to AC. Perhaps +4 natural armor. Losing that + dex will make a big difference. Ya a few monsters have interesting weaknesses to be implemented.

[Deth Muncher]

After seeing your responses, I feel like...

-Scythids should take extra damage from bludgeoning.
-I like the Touch attack deal for the Spiderants. So if you attack from behind, you get Touch attacks instead of armored. Likewise, I think they should have Natural Armor in the front.
-Skags have a similar issue with the front-armor (or the bigger ones do anyway), but also the strange headshot weakness. I feel like they should have some sort of roar attack, and in any turn they perform a roar attack they can take extra damage from criticals. Or, if they use their tongue attack or spit attack.
-Regular Rakk probably are just strange flying things with Flyby attack. The elemental ones will be stranger to address though.

[Zieu]

-I like the Touch attack deal for the Spiderants. So if you attack from behind, you get Touch attacks instead of armored. Likewise, I think they should have Natural Armor in the front.

I'd say they should also get DR in the front as well from basically all types, since as I remember, shooting them in the front with basically any weapon yielded fairly low (if not single digit) damage.


-Skags have a similar issue with the front-armor (or the bigger ones do anyway), but also the strange headshot weakness. I feel like they should have some sort of roar attack, and in any turn they perform a roar attack they can take extra damage from criticals. Or, if they use their tongue attack or spit attack.

Yeah, once again DR for their frontal armor. Also, maybe their Spit/Roar attack should be a 2-round action: Turn 1) Open mouth [gather spit]/[roar]; Turn 2) Spit/Pounce. Between turns, they might have a -4 to AC because they are stationary and vulnerable. Maybe crits get an extra multiplier (x2-->x3, x3-->x4) on them as well during that time? Dunno, just a thought.



-Regular Rakk probably are just strange flying things with Flyby attack. The elemental ones will be stranger to address though.

I feel like these could be treated like bat swarms from 3.5, although I'm beginning to think that Rakk aren't what I remember them to be. They aren't just a cluster of massive numbers of bats, are they? It's like 10-20 quite large bats, right? So maybe a Dire template, plus Elemental for the advanced ones?

[Dsurion]

I think Rakks would be more like Arrowhawks without the electricity ray, rather than bats.

The idea for touch attacks behind spiderants is solid, but remember too, it didn't take long to kill them once you hit the soft spot, so I don't know how you'd work that mechanically aside of low health.

[ericgrau]

Ya low health overall would do it, and then from the front they take less damage. Another way around the front armor is to use spread or area attacks (shot gun, smg, rocket launcher). They do more from the back ya but you can still brute force them with enough shots from the front. Maybe represent this by taking half damage from frontal area attacks.

[Soren Hero]

love borderlands..awesome game



I think Rakks would be more like Arrowhawks without the electricity ray, rather than bats.

The idea for touch attacks behind spiderants is solid, but remember too, it didn't take long to kill them once you hit the soft spot, so I don't know how you'd work that mechanically aside of low health.

I think the Arrowhawks would work for Rakks, and maybe for anything elemental/elemental badass (scythids, rakks, skaggs and spiderants) you could use half-elemental templates for, with the appropriate elemental subtype. this makes them tougher, gives them special attacks appropriate to their subtype, makes them immune to elemental damage from said subtype and gives them some flavor.

[Thrawn183]

I dunno, warforged working for the lord of blades feels like it would fit right into mournderlands.

[Deth Muncher]

I dunno, warforged working for the lord of blades feels like it would fit right into mournderlands.

Mmm, maybe. I feel like while Warforged bandits would make sense on one level, on another it wouldn't because they'd have no one to raid from.

[Deth Muncher]

Okay, so I've been rethinking it, and these are things I would need to address to make a "Mournderlands" setting/adventure-y thing:

-So first we have all the monster types: Skags, Rakk, Crabworms, Scythids, Spiderants, and the indigenous birds of Pandora, as well as the elemental "Guardians". Most, if not all of these, would need to be homebrewed.
-Then we have human(oid) enemies: Bandits (the sundry kinds of), and the Crimson Lance (the sundry kinds of). IF we were to say that these were Warforged, it actually begins to work out kind of well - the several "regular" bandits could just be Warforged with varying amounts of skill, the Midget Psychos could be the Scout-class Warforged, and the Bruisers could be Juggernauts (or whichever one is also in the MM with the Scout Warforged).
-One of the major points of Borderlands is, of course, the phat lewtz. D&D generally covers loot pretty well, but we have the added abundance of elemental weapons - this is easily coverable by having the PCs either find weapons with embedded Augment Crystals (i.e. they can't take them out, and the weapon is stuck with the upgrade it has), or have them find Augment Crystals in caves (and then they truly go Diablo on this, by being able to customize their weapons).
-Another issue, this time with the Mournland, is that healing doesn't work normally. There needs to be ways to circumvent this - Borderlands has Dr. Ned's Health Potions. As I recall, the only healing potion that functions in the Mournland is Goodberry wine - so this needs to be addressed. Thoughts?
-Another possibility for the bad guys - Renegade Mastermakers. They're described in the book as crazy, so maybe as psychos?


Also, as an added note: Are there any creatures you think that would form a good basis for any of the creatures presented? I'm not as savvy as I know some of you are, and I know one of you might think suddenly "Oh yeah, in Complete X, there's the monster McBlargenflargen on page Eleventy-twelve that's just like a scythid!" Or what have you.
Other added note: Are there existing templates that would serve the function of the templates needed for Borderlands monsters? (That is to say, there's electric-based, acid-based, fire based, exploding, and also the "Badass" versions of most of the enemies.)

[Soren Hero]

Okay, so I've been rethinking it, and these are things I would need to address to make a "Mournderlands" setting/adventure-y thing:

-So first we have all the monster types: Skags, Rakk, Crabworms, Scythids, Spiderants, and the indigenous birds of Pandora, as well as the elemental "Guardians". Most, if not all of these, would need to be homebrewed.
-Then we have human(oid) enemies: Bandits (the sundry kinds of), and the Crimson Lance (the sundry kinds of). IF we were to say that these were Warforged, it actually begins to work out kind of well - the several "regular" bandits could just be Warforged with varying amounts of skill, the Midget Psychos could be the Scout-class Warforged, and the Bruisers could be Juggernauts (or whichever one is also in the MM with the Scout Warforged).
-One of the major points of Borderlands is, of course, the phat lewtz. D&D generally covers loot pretty well, but we have the added abundance of elemental weapons - this is easily coverable by having the PCs either find weapons with embedded Augment Crystals (i.e. they can't take them out, and the weapon is stuck with the upgrade it has), or have them find Augment Crystals in caves (and then they truly go Diablo on this, by being able to customize their weapons).
-Another issue, this time with the Mournland, is that healing doesn't work normally. There needs to be ways to circumvent this - Borderlands has Dr. Ned's Health Potions. As I recall, the only healing potion that functions in the Mournland is Goodberry wine - so this needs to be addressed. Thoughts?
-Another possibility for the bad guys - Renegade Mastermakers. They're described in the book as crazy, so maybe as psychos?


Also, as an added note: Are there any creatures you think that would form a good basis for any of the creatures presented? I'm not as savvy as I know some of you are, and I know one of you might think suddenly "Oh yeah, in Complete X, there's the monster McBlargenflargen on page Eleventy-twelve that's just like a scythid!" Or what have you.
Other added note: Are there existing templates that would serve the function of the templates needed for Borderlands monsters? (That is to say, there's electric-based, acid-based, fire based, exploding, and also the "Badass" versions of most of the enemies.)

As I suggested earlier, the half-elemental templates might work for the elemental creatures. it gives them elemental qualities and extra abilities (like the attacks that elemental monsters use, like fireballs, acid spit, etc...)

[Deth Muncher]

As I suggested earlier, the half-elemental templates might work for the elemental creatures. it gives them elemental qualities and extra abilities (like the attacks that elemental monsters use, like fireballs, acid spit, etc...)

Where is this Half-Elemental template from? I know I've seen it, I just don't recall where.

[Soren Hero]

Half Elemental is from Manual of the Planes (I think)..i use a handy online pdf of templates for reference...http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Templates.pdf