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Kol Korran
2013-03-15, 05:04 PM
Hey there! I've been slowly working on a future adventure for my group, when I return to DM, and I'm having some problems with a particular special location, and adversary. Since the play ground ideas have helped me before, I'm appealing for your help again. :smallsmile:

I'm not asking for system specific or rules/ mechanics, mostly looking for inspiration, but if it matters- The system is D&D 3.5, the general theme of the campaign is pirating, and the level range is about 4-5.

The jist of it/ TL;DR up front
The party enters a magical garden which was once a sort of natural winter palace for strong fey where they played their games, but is long abandoned, now guarded by a mischevious joker/ gardener fey (called Chi-ga-si!) and its magical plants (as well as a few other stuff.

I'm looking for ideas on a sort of special chess game in the garden, potential interesting magical plants, abilities of the gardener that makes it more fey like and intriguing (not necessarily powerful) and also... rhyming speak for the fey. suggestions?

A bit more in depth?

Background
The island of Koom-Das ("winter's seat") was once a long time ago a place where fey of the court beyond worlds came to play their strange and cruel games as winter was in full blown in their plane. one special game was a sort of weird chess game- on the White side there were many relatively weak pieces, led by the White King, made into a more powerful force by his leadership, on the black side there were fewer pieces, but stronger, given powerful options by the magic of the Black Queen. (An idea partly inspired by Terry Pratchet's book "Thud!").

for some unknown reason, the garden was abandoned a long time ago, but a few simple guardians (most likely pets) still remain, as well as the special fey known as Chi-ga-si (each syllable pronounced alone, enthusiastically, possibly with a slight maniacal delighted laughter) A gardener spirit in the fey world is an important figure, and doubles as a sort o a joker/ king's adviser... the spirit was left alone to care for the garden, perhap till it's master got back?

Chi-ga-si was bound to the garden, could not live (possibly by actions of another race, see later), but it continued to refine it's art of producing special and magical kind of plants, as well as refining it's strange and depraved sense of cruel and sadistic alien humor (a typical fey in that regard).

a special creation of his are the po-ta-toes, and creating the strange vod-ka from them. only some of these are not exactly like the real world counterparts...

enter the PCs and current day complications
If you wish to learn of the setup for this part of the adventure, you can check this post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14715372&postcount=20). however, it is not needed. Suffice to say that Chi-ga-si tried to play a trick on new comers to the island, infecting one leader with a "sort of" a spirit of the White King (from the game), and another a spirit of the Black Queen. these two have been secretly warring through partly possessed "agents/ pieces of the board", and for whatever their reason at this point, the PCs are trying to put an end to this.

One of the PCs may be affected by the spirit of The White King or Black Queen at this point (having them affect their character, but not dominate it. some actions may require a test of will for example).

The PCs are:
1- a beguiler (caster with mind influencing powers) who is very secretive, prone to conspiration thoughts, thinks the worst of people. highly resourceful.
2- a sort of a scoundrel fellow, (think Jack Sparrow) easy going, quite clever and smart, also resourceful.
3- a slightly crazed partly gardener, partly speaks to plants, animal and dead people, partly a very old school (no anesthetic) surgeon wielding a... katana (character is all over the place).
4- not yet sure (died when we last ended the game) but probably a fire based blasty sorcerer.

What I need help with!
1. Chi-ga-si's concept and abilities: I want to make Chi-ga-si quite fey like if at all possible- strange, alien, nature and wild themed, but I'd also like to emphasize his role as a joker/ king's adviser. This is especially true if one of the PCs is affected by a spirit from the game, since Chi-ga-si, in it's part maddened mind sees this character as one of the old fey, and wishes to please it, but is also used to it's own role as court manipulator, and wishes to subvert his decisions.

physicality:
I'd like Chi-ga-si to feel like a spirit, but not incorporeal. I'd like him to move fluidly, with great agility, bone structure is... optional, sort of. I want him to feel alien, but not as abnormal as most aberrations. If it makes any sense, I want him to feel "fey"... A great inspiration to the way this character acts physically is Aku, the shape shifting menace from Samurai Jack:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/meir_8/238968-144116-aku_super_zps7818379b.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/meir_8/AKU_zps4a1d8d25.png
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/meir_8/aku_by_cyberplague1_zps10466fea.jpg
I also wishes him to be able to take a limited and set number of alternate forms, (again, drawing inspiration from Aku. this is where the resemblance ends though) possibly ones helpful to groom the garden, but also ones quite useful for fighting, and impressively interesting.

I want his powers to be tied to the guarden, directly. one obvious power is to make plants animate more, but I also want the PCs to be able to weaken Chi-ga-si by harming particular aspects of the garden (either plants, maybe sculptures, tools and the like). I'm not quite sure how to handle this. This is not a simple option as this place might become a home base for the PCs, and anything they destroy might not be easily brought back to function. Also, one of the PCs is a sort of a zen gardener, so he might quite like to keep whatever plants he can alive and functioning...

Chi-ga-si should have ways of moving quickly about the garden, harassing the PCs, but retreating quickly (perhaps to heal at some place deeper inside?). Not sure...

I'm picturing Chi-ga-si fighting them using his alternate forms, taunting them and playing with them (mostly with an afflicted-with-a-spirit character mostly), but getting to it's original form in the final battle, which is similar to that of Aku, only of a different color and no flaming eyebrows (:smalltongue:). I imagine him fighting with a long, very thin, very sharp, very painful knife... (it might be a special exotic weapon in the campaign) that has some sort of magical abilities...

Chi-ga-si might try and surrender when defeated (and tear a portal through time... no, not really) and offer to take care of the place for the PCs while they adventure, and maybe offer guidance from a by gone age. but that is left to be seen...

questions:
- How to make it more "fey"?
- what other abilities (that are not over powered and in theme) do you think could complement him well?

2. The garden grounds:This is a fey garden, and as such it is well kept, groomed, and MASSIVE... I plan that from the outside the place is supposed to be a small grove on a little hill, but once inside... well, it looks BIGGER. what sort of creatures, plants, things of beauty (or in fey tastes also cruelty) might you find inside?

do you have any ideas for exotic plants? exotic "pets"? anything unsuual and interesting? it doesn't have to be a battle or a trap or something potentially deadly, but something to add atmosphere to the place? I'd especially welcome things that the characters might later use, (most likely the part gardener character).
Some ideas I got so far:
The shadow hounds: big Mastiff like creatures, with no eyes, that I want to sense the world through some... very unconventional method (sense blood? a bit boring. exceptional hearing? sense certain kind of thoughts? maybe mimic thoughts and emotions?) I imagine them looking cumbersome and ungainly, but in fact moving incredibly fast, possibly with the powers of blink dogs, but also attacking numerous times in a round.

special potatoes: Chi-ga-si has been using potatoes for a wide range of experiments. I want the party to face swarms of potatoes that unroot themselves, roll over to the party and... explode? exhude poison? grow miniature limbs and sharp fangs and attack them? I just find the image hillarious. sort of mine swarm bombing/ frenzied eating potatoes. :smallbiggrin: best incorporated in a battle with other creatures as a surprise.

The invisible stealer: a bird or such like that is naturally invisble (or close enough to that that it's quite hard to spot), the comes to the party, possibly at fights, and takes something, flying off quickly. only the object does not become invisible, so the party sees it flies away. they may need to find a way to deal with this bird/ stealer, or find it's nest lest quite a few of their objects get stolen.

the grasping trees: trees that once you tocuh them (or you're pushed to them) open their trunk and try to swallow you in, and then... digest you. (trees with a swallow whole ability)

other ideas? i'm a bit short here...

3. the "chess" game:A central piece of this part of the adventure- the party reaches a massive board where the old fey played a game that may have or not have mirrored some events in the real world or the fey world. Despite drawing some inspiration from chess, and from other games, I want the characters to have to deal with some sort of a puzzle/ special battle/ puzzle battle here, in order to solve the problem of the possessing spirits of the White King and the Black Queen. the kin'gs pieces are more numerous, but individually weaker, and have some power coming from working together. the black pieces are individually more powerful in some way, and are supposed to represent a more feral, wild and magical aspect.

If one of the PCs is influenced by a spirit, I want this to have an effect that can both help the PC or harm them, depending if they figure their role right.

I don't want this to have a clear cut answer, or one path to solution, but sort of a dynamic and multi optional kind of puzzle, to see what the PCs come up with.

Oh, and I want it to be active, the PCs need to think on their feet. the pieces need to be a danger of a sort (the most obvious part is for them to be animated in some way, but creative ideas are welcomed).

this should be an important piece. It should reflect the games the fey play with mortals, possibly the games between the pirate culture and the Empiricist colonial force, and possibly conflicts between the players and so on. the main thing is that it's about a GAME, that it's LETHAL, and that the fey don't much CARE.

I'm not sure what Chi-ga-si's part in this is going to be, but I imagine it to be quite minimal- this is where the fey wanted to play without interuptions. he may come in and add his opinions, but not intervene much (I think). The game is it's own piece.

4. Rhymes of Chi-ga-si!I keep imagining Chi-ga-si speaking in rhymes all the time. not especially good ones, (bad broken English is in character) but still a distinguishing way of speech (sorta), all with a great smile, agile movements, and great enthusiasm. (multiple exclamation marks). I wish to make myself quite a few "common use" rhymes before game, so I can whip them out quickly. So far came with but a few:
- "come play with me! play with Chi-ga-si!"
- "you come to play? play with the fey?"
- "this knife slices! also dices! if you're not nices!"
- "you make a pyre?!? you bring here fire? just made things dire!"
- "Chi-ga-si whole garden make? now you come and try to break?"
- "blood flow! trees grow! Chi-ga-si is happy so!"
- "come for game? come to tame? or come for the name?"

any ideas for more?

thanks for any and all help!

Rabidmuskrat
2013-03-17, 09:59 AM
So nobody else is willing to step up to the plate? Alright, I'll take a crack at it.

Chi-ga-si
I'm seeing a character that makes extensive use of reach. A possible combat style would be to make him a dex fighter with low strength and weapon finesse (basic fey), so he hits often but not very hard. To further enhance the idea of slipperiness, give him the ability to move 15ft whenever a melee attack misses him. This, along with a 60ft movespeed and 15ft reach makes him a perfect hit and run attacker.

For his alternate forms I'm thinking:
-One that he uses when he wants to interact peacefully without showing his true form, so something relatively harmless. Perhaps an elf or one of the weaker fey.
-One that he uses to travel across the garden and keep an eye on everything. Can be weak, but must be flying/burrowing/teleporting. Eagle comes to mind, but seems a bit... mundane. Perhaps a will-o-wisp?
-One that he only uses to fight people who use fire in his garden. Think Smokey the Bear with an attitude. As such it could be slightly silly, but extremely powerful. Should be something with resistance/immunity to fire. Pyrohydra with a hat would have been nice, except it breathes fire (kinda counterproductive). Perhaps a modified one?

I'll try my hand at the other things another time.

nedz
2013-03-17, 10:14 PM
Some random ideas

1.
Make Chi-ga-si two-dimensional. He can bend like paper to do his work. He can turn sideways to hide/become invisible. I was thinking he should have a form like a rubber sheet so he can stretch to change shape and size; alternatively he can be origami.

2a.
Flowers whose scent causes a number of effects

Hallucinations — Illusions, but from a plants point of view
Sleep
Madness
Inversion of Ethics — fun one this. If the PCs succumb: Beguiler would be trusting and prefer melee, rogue would be simple, honest and straightforward, etc. You have to leave the interpretation up to the players. Note: this is NOT an alignment change.
Movement compulsion — effected characters cannot stop moving.


2b.
Riddling cabbages — the riddles don't have to make sense

2c.
Statues which move when you aren't looking. Completely harmless until the PCs have let their guard down, and then they become dangerous.
Perhaps they just get in the way, but attack if one is damaged by the PCs, even accidentally.

3.
Sorry - I've no idea here

4.
"You silly cabbages"
"cababble, cababble"
"That's just cabbage talk"

Rabidmuskrat
2013-03-18, 02:39 AM
Haha, two dimensional Chi-ga-si sounds interesting.

Chess
Think whether you want a simple game where a piece's victory over another is determined only by whether it attacks (moves into its square) or whether a piece has a chance to defend itself. The latter fits better into a dnd universe where PCs might be pieces and different pieces have different levels of strength.
Now think of a way how these different levels of strength would manifest. I suspect simply higher/lower CR monsters would work. Of course, these monsters would have to be custom to be chess pieces but no reason you cannot rip off some other monster and just make little changes.
To follow your idea of one side being stronger individually and the other being stronger in groups, let the black side have higher CR units, possibly with supernatural and spell-like abilities (think whether you want aoe or not). The other side, on the other hand, has abilities like Inspire courage, Shield other, etc. each with minimal ranges.
The board itself, instead of being a simple garden chess board, could be huge, with each square an area of its own. Not that it needs to consist of squares, interesting shapes might be the order of the day. Chi-ga-si's only contribution can be in providing information about the game and informing the players what is happening in the other parts of the game.
Finally, I suggest both sides cheat like mad. Perhaps some rules are ignored, maybe they switch pieces or put pieces back. This is very much in character for fey and could help explain how the party manages to enter the game: they get cheated in.

If dominated: the character would constantly be assailed (telepathically) by pieces asking for orders or giving advice. This could be both extremely distracting and leave his pieces leaderless should he choose not to respond. On the other hand, if he does respond, he can control the pieces more intelligently than if it was controlled by the NPC, simply due to a difference in goals. The players would want to beat the game (kill the opposing king/queen) while the fey would be trying everything BUT killing the opposing king/queen, because then the game would be over and that is boring.

General themes you can consider for the 'pieces':
Plants vs animals
Human(oid) vs Monsters
Dwarves vs Trolls (go full ripoff!)
Smaller and bigger chess pieces with no specific shape.
What appears to be petrified specimens of the creatures (the fey petrified them to use in game). They are still animated.
Humans vs Elementals
Adventurers vs Monsters
etc.

avr
2013-03-18, 02:56 AM
Aren't potatoes related to the tobacco plant? Magically altered potato plants could have poisonous or other interesting effects in their smoke if the fire-blasty sorcerer is prompted to blast thru a wall of them. Or if there's a monster which might set them on fire likewise (I'm thinking kobolds here).

About the spirit in the chess game; it might alter the PCs perceptions to make them target its most hated enemy, but it might also show them a way to bypass the game entirely once that's done. Of course, they might not trust the affected PCs perceptions by then.

Kol Korran
2013-03-23, 11:28 AM
Strange... I keep forgetting my own threads. :smallconfused:
So nobody else is willing to step up to the plate? Alright, I'll take a crack at it.

Chi-ga-si
I'm seeing a character that makes extensive use of reach. A possible combat style would be to make him a dex fighter with low strength and weapon finesse (basic fey), so he hits often but not very hard. To further enhance the idea of slipperiness, give him the ability to move 15ft whenever a melee attack misses him. This, along with a 60ft movespeed and 15ft reach makes him a perfect hit and run attacker.
I like the image of how he fights, I think I'll follow your advice- high movement speed, attack on the run, and high acrobatics to tumble past them. I need to think on this a bit more. I intend to give him a bleeding weapon, so though the knife's direct damage isn't great, the complications are serious.


For his alternate forms I'm thinking:
-One that he uses when he wants to interact peacefully without showing his true form, so something relatively harmless. Perhaps an elf or one of the weaker fey.
-One that he uses to travel across the garden and keep an eye on everything. Can be weak, but must be flying/burrowing/teleporting. Eagle comes to mind, but seems a bit... mundane. Perhaps a will-o-wisp?
-One that he only uses to fight people who use fire in his garden. Think Smokey the Bear with an attitude. As such it could be slightly silly, but extremely powerful. Should be something with resistance/immunity to fire. Pyrohydra with a hat would have been nice, except it breathes fire (kinda counterproductive). Perhaps a modified one?
I'm thinking of a big (tiny size still) butterfly as a fast moving and dazzling form, perhaps black and white, with potential for color spray and similar affects.

I'm not sure he can much have an "innocent" form that won't be directly attacked by the party, but I think he might have a mostly invisible form? like the Cheshire cat? the party might need a very high spot check to notice him? or he could use simple illusions combined with ventriloquism to appear as if talking from rocks, flowers, and such?

still looking for interesting battle forms (just keep thinking of a huge jumping spider, that spews... something). the idea for a "fight fire" form is intriguing, but i'm looking for something more fey like than a hydra, perhaps a sort of a water serpent? that has some sort of a water/ gel like breath, similar to that of mephits?


Think whether you want a simple game where a piece's victory over another is determined only by whether it attacks (moves into its square) or whether a piece has a chance to defend itself. The latter fits better into a dnd universe where PCs might be pieces and different pieces have different levels of strength. I want there to be a chess BOARD, not sure how much of a GAME I want there to be. the fey that played the game are looooong gone, and what powers remain in the pieces is fading. I don't want a full game since that will be a mini game inside the game that the party will have to learn on the fly, and might not appeal to the players much. I want there to be the hints of a greater game, some dangers from the pieces, and some sort of puzzle here, though not one they have to solve (it might just give them an advantage against Chi-ga-si.)

Now think of a way how these different levels of strength would manifest. I suspect simply higher/lower CR monsters would work. Of course, these monsters would have to be custom to be chess pieces but no reason you cannot rip off some other monster and just make little changes.
To follow your idea of one side being stronger individually and the other being stronger in groups, let the black side have higher CR units, possibly with supernatural and spell-like abilities (think whether you want aoe or not). The other side, on the other hand, has abilities like Inspire courage, Shield other, etc. each with minimal ranges. This is quite similar to how I was thinking of doing it.

The board itself, instead of being a simple garden chess board, could be huge, with each square an area of its own. this is an intriguing idea. Originally I was thinking of having the entire board on one battle grid, and have one complex encounter/ puzzle with what pieces remain, but possibly spreading the board over many areas might add grandeur and interest to the game


Finally, I suggest both sides cheat like mad. there are no side to speak of exactly, as the playing fey are gone. only the board and Chi-ga-si remain. but i wish the puzzle to look insolvable, and require some cheating in creative ways by the PCs... pirate campaign after all, and a fey's game.


General themes you can consider for the 'pieces':
Plants vs animals
Human(oid) vs Monsters
Dwarves vs Trolls (go full ripoff!)
Smaller and bigger chess pieces with no specific shape.
What appears to be petrified specimens of the creatures (the fey petrified them to use in game). They are still animated.
Humans vs Elementals
Adventurers vs Monsters
etc. I came to think about it, and I think Id love to portray this as fiends vs angels (angels being weaker but more organized). this can have several overtones to my campaign, including the struggle between the island nations (fiends) and the colonial Empire (angels)



Some random ideas

1.
Make Chi-ga-si two-dimensional. He can bend like paper to do his work. He can turn sideways to hide/become invisible. I was thinking he should have a form like a rubber sheet so he can stretch to change shape and size; alternatively he can be origami.
though i like the image a two dimensional Chi ga si might be hard to implement in game- PCs take several positions, so some might see them- does he get cover/ concelment, it's a bit too complicated I think for the game.


2a.
Flowers whose scent causes a number of effects

Hallucinations — Illusions, but from a plants point of view
Sleep
Madness
Inversion of Ethics — fun one this. If the PCs succumb: Beguiler would be trusting and prefer melee, rogue would be simple, honest and straightforward, etc. You have to leave the interpretation up to the players. Note: this is NOT an alignment change.
Movement compulsion — effected characters cannot stop moving.

interesting ideas, i'll try to see if i can use them without them becoming abusable (sincwe later the party basically gets the garden)

2b.
Riddling cabbages — the riddles don't have to make sense ooooh! love that! possibly the cabbages can have beards, and they may be watered with tea?


2c.
Statues which move when you aren't looking. Completely harmless until the PCs have let their guard down, and then they become dangerous.
Perhaps they just get in the way, but attack if one is damaged by the PCs, even accidentally. hhmmmm, feels too much like Dr. Who's weeping angels. at least one player knows about them, they might become too distracting

4.
"You silly cabbages"
"cababble, cababble"
"That's just cabbage talk"
My focus was potatoes, why do you focus on cabbages? i'm quite intrigued now...

Aren't potatoes related to the tobacco plant? Magically altered potato plants could have poisonous or other interesting effects in their smoke if the fire-blasty sorcerer is prompted to blast thru a wall of them. Or if there's a monster which might set them on fire likewise (I'm thinking kobolds here).
some of the potatoes are poisonous, and one idea is that they get close to a target and then emit poisonous gas.


About the spirit in the chess game; it might alter the PCs perceptions to make them target its most hated enemy, but it might also show them a way to bypass the game entirely once that's done. Of course, they might not trust the affected PCs perceptions by then. I'm not following you here, what do you mean? :smallconfused:

-----------------------------------------------------------
thanks all for the help, much appreciated! keep em coming! :smalltongue:

nedz
2013-03-23, 07:10 PM
My focus was potatoes, why do you focus on cabbages? i'm quite intrigued now...

some of the potatoes are poisonous, and one idea is that they get close to a target and then emit poisonous gas.


Meat and two veg.
Also Cabbages are funny.
Why would you not have several types of plants in a garden ?

Also: Potatoes and Tomatoes are closely related, I'm not sure why I mentioned this ? Maybe because Potato tomatoes are poisonous, as are Tomato potatoes — if you know what I mean ?
Potatoes produce fruits which are just like green tomatoes, and vice versa.

ClockShock
2013-03-23, 07:44 PM
Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time?

There were some descriptions of the garden, and although I can't remember them all I did find a couple:
- a tilting bridge, which throws you into the carp pool
- little daisies that spray you with venomous pollen

There was also a path of clocks (or similar). Different flowers opened and closed at different times, so walking down the path one could tell the time by seeing which flowers were open and which were closed.

tbok1992
2013-03-23, 08:11 PM
What about having the idea of Chi-Ga-Si as a large game piece himself, basically looking like something built out of the world's largest Warhammer bitz box, able to telekinetically control and swap out his limbs from a distance?

nedz
2013-03-23, 09:53 PM
What about having the idea of Chi-Ga-Si as a large game piece himself, basically looking like something built out of the world's largest Warhammer bitz box, able to telekinetically control and swap out his limbs from a distance?

I like this, but how about an animated giant jenga set. The top and bottom pieces can unwind in a double helix spiral to make arms and legs.

Bucky
2013-03-23, 10:10 PM
I want there to be a chess BOARD, not sure how much of a GAME I want there to be. the fey that played the game are looooong gone, and what powers remain in the pieces is fading. I don't want a full game since that will be a mini game inside the game that the party will have to learn on the fly, and might not appeal to the players much. I want there to be the hints of a greater game, some dangers from the pieces, and some sort of puzzle here, though not one they have to solve (it might just give them an advantage against Chi-ga-si.)

Hmm... How about some subset of the following
*The party's goal is to reach the Black Queen's Throne, which is protected by several of black pieces. This may just be so that they can safely retrieve an item like a crown from one of the black pieces

*The White King's Throne, located in the opposite corner, is unguarded, and a PC can walk up and sit on it. While sitting, they can command white pieces to make legal moves (but not to take other actions). As long as a PC is on the throne, the white pieces will tolerate the PCs.

*The black pieces are enemies; they won't move out of turn, but take Attacks of Opportunity against the PCs if they enter their threatened area.
*The black pieces will move according to simple rules (like a loop) after white moves. However, they will move offensively if 'forced' to, where 'forced' basically means threatened by a white piece or the PCs. This may include trying to 'capture' a PC.
**One move in the loop involves firing off an offensive SLA! Make sure it doesn't hit the PCs the first time, but hits a pre-defined empty area. The purpose of this is to let the PCs know that yes, those black pieces are serious threats.
*In true D&D style, most white pieces can capture black pieces only by flanking them. (They have sneak attack)
*White needs to sacrifice its own pieces to kill black pieces that way and doesn't have enough material for a frontal assault. The PCs need to use themselves as extra pieces without exposing themselves to danger (e.g. moving out-of-turn to provide a flank)
*Certain squares have magical traps on them that reset every turn. Or just an acid pit. Black pieces can be baited into the trap to make them easier to defeat.

And most importantly:
*By some powerful fairy magic, the pieces' abilities don't use dice. They 'take 10' on everything, including taking 3 on 1d6 damage rolls. This is important to keep the scenerio puzzly.

Kol Korran
2013-03-26, 10:10 AM
What about having the idea of Chi-Ga-Si as a large game piece himself, basically looking like something built out of the world's largest Warhammer bitz box, able to telekinetically control and swap out his limbs from a distance?

Hmmmm, while I don't see it fitting Chi-ga-si itself (I wish to have it more of the tall, thin, flighty &whimsical type of fey, extremely mobile), it may fit well with some of the pieces on the board, sort of a weird "catapult" piece, where they throw their arms, head to attack pieces. thanks!


Hmm... How about some subset of the following
*The party's goal is to reach the Black Queen's Throne, which is protected by several of black pieces. This may just be so that they can safely retrieve an item like a crown from one of the black pieces

*The White King's Throne, located in the opposite corner, is unguarded, and a PC can walk up and sit on it. While sitting, they can command white pieces to make legal moves (but not to take other actions). As long as a PC is on the throne, the white pieces will tolerate the PCs.

*The black pieces are enemies; they won't move out of turn, but take Attacks of Opportunity against the PCs if they enter their threatened area.
*The black pieces will move according to simple rules (like a loop) after white moves. However, they will move offensively if 'forced' to, where 'forced' basically means threatened by a white piece or the PCs. This may include trying to 'capture' a PC.
**One move in the loop involves firing off an offensive SLA! Make sure it doesn't hit the PCs the first time, but hits a pre-defined empty area. The purpose of this is to let the PCs know that yes, those black pieces are serious threats.
*In true D&D style, most white pieces can capture black pieces only by flanking them. (They have sneak attack)
*White needs to sacrifice its own pieces to kill black pieces that way and doesn't have enough material for a frontal assault. The PCs need to use themselves as extra pieces without exposing themselves to danger (e.g. moving out-of-turn to provide a flank)
*Certain squares have magical traps on them that reset every turn. Or just an acid pit. Black pieces can be baited into the trap to make them easier to defeat.
interesting ideas, I think they might serve as the basis for what will be the final design, thanks! The party might be possesded by the Black Queen instead, and then need to defeat the White King, but that can be worked out.


And most importantly:
*By some powerful fairy magic, the pieces' abilities don't use dice. They 'take 10' on everything, including taking 3 on 1d6 damage rolls. This is important to keep the scenerio puzzly.
um.... why would it keep the scenerio puzzly? it removes a random element which I like in my game, this will make everything way more calculated, while I'd like there to be some sort of risk...

Bucky
2013-03-26, 11:13 AM
um.... why would it keep the scenerio puzzly? it removes a random element which I like in my game, this will make everything way more calculated, while I'd like there to be some sort of risk...

Because the less random the puzzle is, the farther your players can plan ahead. With no randomness in the puzzle, it becomes possible to operate a single master plan from the start without the contingency tree branching out of control.