| TatsumakiKara |
My players are going to get to do the "Chase the Assassin through the populated city" chase. Maybe it's a little cliche, but i know one of my players definitely wants to do a chase scene (he almost begged ^o^) and it fits so well with the plot right now, so I do believe it is called for.
But... I've never built a chase scene before, and even looking at the rules, I am unsure if i made it not terrible. I also don't have enough checks to fill 10 spaces, but i will list what i have and their DCs, so I ask for help filling those as well. The chase takes place just after the Assassin tries to murder the Queen they work under, as the sun sets, and as they are returning from another mission/adventuring day (so they may be weakened a little too :)) The Assassin starts on card 3, and the PCs are Lv7 Mythic 3, Human Rogue (Trickster), Ifrit Ranger (Trickster/Champion), Dwarf Fighter (Guardian), Human Monk (odd case, Fluid path, but seems to prefer Marshal), and Fetchling Sorcerer (Archmage), along with an NPC Half-Elf Bard/Dragon Disciple (Archmage and Marshal).
Card 2: Possibly having to try and spot him in the crowd unless this should be Card 1, then blank. Perception DC 18, as at this point, he can't try to actively stealth without being suspicious looking. I don't have a second obstacle here.
Card 3: Here, the Assassin knocks over a barrel of oil and drops an alchemist fire, igniting it and making a wall of flames to cover his retreat. DC 20 Reflex to jump through the fire without catching fire (catching fire =1d4 fire damage per round and being unable to chase until the flames are put out) or making a simple DC 10 Perception check to find a way around. At this point, what i have also splits into two chase paths.
Card 4: Assuming they passed through the fire, they chase the Assassin down a seemingly empty road, but as they hit an intersection, a food cart pops out from the corner. DC 25 Reflex (or Acrobatics?) (maybe 20, but 25 if they choose to try and run faster?) to avoid the cart. Failure means they crash into the food cart and lose their turn (and get to listen to the cart owner cry over his lost cabbages ^o^)[this will only happen once, success or failure, after encountered, this no longer is relevant to the chase]. Down the other path around, there is a locked gate, DC 15 Disable Device to open, DC 20 Acrobatics to vault over, or DC 10 Strength check to plow through it.
Card 5: At this point, the Assassin tries to scale a wall to reach the rooftops to get away. Just like the PCs, he will have to make a DC 15 climb check, or get stuck/be slowed while climbing (though +13 to climb means he will not fail unless i roll a 1). Those who went through the gate find themselves in a shaded, hidden garden filled with poisonous flowers and must make a DC 15 Fort save or get nauseated/poisoned.
Card 6: Here there is a simple DC 10 Acrobatics check to jump from roof to roof. Failure lands you in an alleyway and you get stuck until next round, take 2d6 (maybe 3d6) fall damage and have to pick up the chase from the ground (which puts you on card 7's second route). Whether or not they make the Fort save, the owner of said poison garden happens to be heading toward the garden and to not be spotted and chased/attacked requires a DC 18 Perception check (may be higher if i go with the attack route as that means i need to make a combat encounter with someone at least Lv6-7). The PC will retain the option to resume chase chase, albeit with an angry NPC following them/trying to kill them. If they choose, they can drop out of the chase completely to try and fend off (in their case, most likely kill) the NPC (to be handled after the chase is resolved, but then i need a way to bring them back to the rest of the party).
Card 7: Across the gap in the rooftops, the roof is covered in slightly damp laundry hanging from wires. Passing through takes a DC 20 Reflex save, and failure means being blinded and/or entangled for a round. Upon falling from the roof, evading the garden owner, or being caught by the garden owner and choosing to run, the PC must make a DC 15 Acrobatics check to hop the fence and continue the chase. (Failure from falling to the alleyway means you're stuck, but failure from the garden leads to either instantly being spotted or needing to make a new DC 23 Stealth check (to denote the garden owner looking more carefully for an intruder).
Card 8: After the towels, there is another DC 15 Acrobatics check to get to the next rooftop. Failure finds the person in a body of water where children are playing and a DC 15 Will save to not get forced to play with them via begging and pleading. The player then picks up on Card 9 after losing a round (and fall damage). If they are already on the road, they must get past a farmer bringing his sheep for an annual shearing with a DC 20 Acrobatics check. Failure causes them to trip on a sheep.
Card 9: At this point, if they are nowhere near the Assassin, he enters a secret passage without being seen after intentionally dropping from the rooftops. If they are within one card, they must make a DC 29 Perception check to see exactly where he was before disappearing, giving them a +5 or +10 bonus on finding the hidden passage he used.
No real second obstacle.
Card 10: End card. Once in the area he disappeared at, they can search for a secret door DC 20 or 25 Perception to find. If they saw him vanish from a square away, they have the aforementioned bonus. If they happen to be in the same square, they automatically see him enter the secret door and do not need a check to find it (though they may choose to wait for the rest of the party. Which they should, as this is obviously leading to a fight with the Assassin.
Any help, tips, or constructive critiques are greatly appreciated.
| MechE_ |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I ran a very successful chase in my Shattered Star campaign a few sessions back. It started in a building, moved into the streets, then ended in a hotel. Feel free to use as little or as much of this as you want. If nothing else, it should help with inspiration.
| TatsumakiKara |
I ran a very successful chase in my Shattered Star campaign a few sessions back. It started in a building, moved into the streets, then ended in a hotel. Feel free to use as little or as much of this as you want. If nothing else, it should help with inspiration.
This is awesome, and it will definitely help me with those cards i haven't finished yet. Thanks!
It looks really good. Maybe the chase scene should continue a little with traps and such if they find the secret passage. A certain sequence of traps to time everything to see if he gets away or something like that.
I was just gonna have it be a corridor that leads to an open area in the sewers where the Assassin and what's left of his group (they originally planned an ambush that failed because the PCs were there instead of just the Queen's Bodyguards). Having it trapped would make it more dangerous, and maybe I'll actually challenge them for once (they tend to stomp everything i throw at them, even when it's APL +3-4). What kinds of traps would fit?
Midnight Mauler
I've never worked with an AP before, so it will be fun to see what they have. Thank you for pointing this out to me!
| JakNephilim |
I was just gonna have it be a corridor that leads to an open area in the sewers where the Assassin and what's left of his group (they originally planned an ambush that failed because the PCs were there instead of just the Queen's Bodyguards). Having it trapped would make it more dangerous, and maybe I'll actually challenge them for once (they tend to stomp everything i throw at them, even when it's APL +3-4). What kinds of traps would fit?
Well, since the party's powerful, and stomps what you throw at them, show little mercy. I recommend basic arrows and blades, for the feel of it. Some explosions, to alert the assassin's group, and other things like that. Assuming there's a wizard in the assassin's group, triggered summoning spells summoning high powered angels/demons, and doors that high power golems (flesh) coming out of to wear the party down for the boss fight. A few pitfalls also wouldn't hurt.
| TatsumakiKara |
I was just gonna have it be a corridor that leads to an open area in the sewers where the Assassin and what's left of his group (they originally planned an ambush that failed because the PCs were there instead of just the Queen's Bodyguards). Having it trapped would make it more dangerous, and maybe I'll actually challenge them for once (they tend to stomp everything i throw at them, even when it's APL +3-4). What kinds of traps would fit?
Well, since the party's powerful, and stomps what you throw at them, show little mercy. I recommend basic arrows and blades, for the feel of it. Some explosions, to alert the assassin's group, and other things like that. Assuming there's a wizard in the assassin's group, triggered summoning spells summoning high powered angels/demons, and doors that high power golems (flesh) coming out of to wear the party down for the boss fight. A few pitfalls also wouldn't hurt.
I was gonna have the Assassin's party be himself, Ranger 6/Assassin 5, Lycanthrope template (for bonus fun), a Fighter6/Wizard1/Arcane Archer3, a Ninja10, and a Wizard (Transmutation-Enhancement, opposing schools Illusion and Abjuration), and a Bard, both at Lv8. They all also have the advanced template for better stats.
Even so, I feel like my PCs will still crush them. The Ranger is a melee beast (+9 Str because of Mythic and an error in char development i didn't catch until 3 sessions in), the Fighter got the party to help him get Adamantine FullPlate (and he's an Armor Master, so DR6/-) and draws attacks to him and laughs when they miss/do less damage, the Rogue uses his hand crossbow, but because of his backstory, i let him get MageBane as an enchantment (and 3 of the 5 of them are arcane casters, i should maybe change 1), the Sorceress has haste (as she should) and high DCs, and the monk can get 6-7 attacks per round(i have not found evidence ki point attacks don't stack with haste, so i allowed it), and the way the Bard is built, she can do decent melee damage while buffing the party. I'm only just learning how to build effective encounters, so they usually manage to end most battles in 3-4 rounds. I was gonna have them all be pre-buffed before the battle starts to save that first turn for positioning, but beyond that.....