Settings using Infernal War Machines?

[werescythe]

So I've been going back and working on an old Post Apocalyptic setting for DnD that I created a while back and as I was pushing out some inquiries among my friends when one of them brought up the Infernal War Machines from Baldur's Gate: Descent to Avernus. After looking through the section, I have to say that I do find it to be pretty interesting.

The idea of a post apocalyptic almost Mad Max like setting with magic does intrigue me.

Thus I wanted to ask, how many of you DMs have run games using these machines and what alterations did you make for your games? Have you added or removed things from your machines in order to make things work better either for gameplay or your setting?

[1Pirate]

So I ran BG: DiA. I didn't really make that many alterations to the rules(with the exception that I treated Threshold damage as damage reduction, otherwise certain PCs would've been able to smash the vehicles apart too easily).

The other would be how much resource management you want with them. My PCs seemed pretty interested in traveling around Avernus, so I set up a heist encounter where they could get enough soul coins to take themselves around Avernus.

One suggestion I would make for any combat encounters is have one map with a larger scale to represent the vehicles' movement and another standard scale map to represent movement on/within the vehicles(or Theater of Mind it).

[werescythe]

So I ran BG: DiA. I didn't really make that many alterations to the rules(with the exception that I treated Threshold damage as damage reduction, otherwise certain PCs would've been able to smash the vehicles apart too easily).

The other would be how much resource management you want with them. My PCs seemed pretty interested in traveling around Avernus, so I set up a heist encounter where they could get enough soul coins to take themselves around Avernus.

One suggestion I would make for any combat encounters is have one map with a larger scale to represent the vehicles' movement and another standard scale map to represent movement on/within the vehicles(or Theater of Mind it).

Fascinating. Did you ever create any custom weapons/features for any of the Infernal Warmachines?

Also for a setting that doesn't use Soul Coins, is there some other resource that could be used? Maybe spell slots?

[Theodoxus]

Wow, I was trying to replicate 'power armor' in my game, and having not played or run Avernus (though I own the book), didn't know these existed. But man, this is what I was trying to emulate - with some changes, obviously. But Devil's Ride modified from a bike to a mobile suit is perfect.

@Werescythe, my idea was to power the armor using spell slots. Basically, 1 hour of run time per slot, but allowing for magic items with charges to be used as well. I mean, I wasn't basing my PA on demonic machines at the time... but I think it still works.

However, after watching Warrior Nun, I was also thinking maybe using incorporeal fiends; heck maybe even something akin to the halo - I can see magi opening a portal, yanking some divine being through, hacking off their divine essence and using that to power mechanical armor... Maybe mix and match different concepts for different armor abilities.

[1Pirate]

Fascinating. Did you ever create any custom weapons/features for any of the Infernal Warmachines?

Also for a setting that doesn't use Soul Coins, is there some other resource that could be used? Maybe spell slots?
It started as an Adventurers League campaign so I wasn't in the habit of making custom things.

As for not using Soul Coins, it's kind of a question of how much you want resource management to play into things. Do you want to have the vehicles powered by something the party already has so they need to manage that more closely? Or do you want it to be some McGuffin style thing, where they may need to stop and acquire those things? How would it affect the world at large?(using your spell slot example, casters would be at a premium in this world).

[PhoenixPhyre]

Suggestion: instead of spell slots, which only some people have and can make the provider feel like a glorified taxi driver who can't actually contribute beyond transport, use hit dice. Everyone's got them, it conceptually maps really well (powering it with your soul energy), and it doesn't directly interfere with normal operations.

[Sparky McDibben]

Suggestion: instead of spell slots, which only some people have and can make the provider feel like a glorified taxi driver who can't actually contribute beyond transport, use hit dice. Everyone's got them, it conceptually maps really well (powering it with your soul energy), and it doesn't directly interfere with normal operations.

You could also go 3.5 with it and use XP.

[PhoenixPhyre]

You could also go 3.5 with it and use XP.

Heaven forfend. That just gets messy. You have no prompt effect at all...until you hit an arbitrary threshold and then bad things happen. Instead of HD which come back at a regular interval (but not every day) and have an immediate "oh crap, it's an actual tradeoff between distance covered and staying power" aspect.

[werescythe]

Suggestion: instead of spell slots, which only some people have and can make the provider feel like a glorified taxi driver who can't actually contribute beyond transport, use hit dice. Everyone's got them, it conceptually maps really well (powering it with your soul energy), and it doesn't directly interfere with normal operations.

Yes, I suppose hit dice would make sense. Like every hit dice used (maybe a max of 3), acts as a charge on a Soul Coin. This would also allow the use of a sometimes under utilized resource.

Maybe rolling above a certain number on the hit dice could function like applying demon ichor to the engine. Not sure if I want it to be max though as that would reward low hit dice characters like Wizards while making it tricker for higher hit dice class like Barbs and Fighters to apply the ichor bonuses.