New Rules in Firetop Mountain, Part One

Which is Part of the Siege on Firetop Mountain Which You May Join 

Firetop Mountain is changing. Combat is untested, but likely very deadly to most characters. Starting equipment is randomized and more diverse. Each day, an adventurer enters Firetop Mountain. Leave a comment here or message basilisk*#7419 on Discord for an invitation.

Gameplay

Each day, a new player chooses one of the Common or Rich adventurers waiting their turn in the town of Woodrow or an existing player returns with a Rich or Powerful adventurer of their own. Once they enter the Mountain, they must meet at least one of the current Win Conditions for their character type and escape or they are disgraced and out of play. Kill the Warlock and be celebrated, replace the Warlock and **win**.

Characters

Characters are either Common, Rich, or Powerful.

Common

These are 0-level DCC RPG characters. They have stopped in Woodrow after long travel, ready to take on the Warlock and never spend another night shoveling poop. They have the easiest win conditions--fighting a few monsters and escaping with a decent trophy, primarily--but will almost certainly die anyway. Depending on feats performed, winning makes them Rich or Powerful.

Rich

No tougher than Commoners, but much better equipped. Each begins with one minor magical item as well as a Potion of Healing. They seek to command the respect of their Rich peers through deeds of bravery in Firetop Mountain. They have more difficult win conditions than commoners, usually needing to escape with a valuable artifact or trophy cut from a particular monster.

Powerful

Level 1+ DCC RPG characters. They've been to the Mountain already. Win conditions vary by level but are always more difficult

Win Conditions

  • Kill the Warlock!
  • Replace the Warlock!

Common

  • Kill 5 creatures, then convincingly brag about doing so back in Woodrow.
  • Return to Woodrow with at least 20 gold pieces' worth of loot.
  • Return to Woodrow with three pieces of valuable information and spread them around.
  • Learn a Spell. 
  • Possess a magic item.
  • Doctor Gorrd has asked for a sample of the various gases used by the Warlock and is willing to pay for them.

Rich

  • Kill something at least twice as big as yourself.
  • Return a valuable item to Woodrow that another Rich character had lost.
  • Rescue a valuable prisoner from the Mountain.

Powerful

(TBD, depends on level and class)

Dispositions

Players pick a default Disposition, thought they can override it as desired as long as they aren't being actively chased.

  • Careful: more wandering encounters. listen, smell at each doorknob and intersection. notice traps more often
  • Quick: more likely to fall for traps, less wandering encounters.
  • Being Chased: Quick, but more wandering encounters.

Lost

If the player feels lost, or has no information to help them decide which way to go, they may trust to their luck. This is a Luck Check that costs 1 Luck point. If they succeed, they are moved to the nearest new place of interest within the Mountain. If they fail, they encounter a wandering monster.

The Warlock

The Warlock increases in Power each day. That Power is used each day to repair, reinforce, and expand the Mountain. The Warlock has a ranked set of priorities used when determining how each day's power is spent. The initial Warlock ranks them this way:

  1. Replace Casualties: The Warlock has a minimum number of certain creatures that they wish to maintain. 1 point of Power may replace the equivalent of an Orc. If the Warlock does not have enough Power to replace the creature the wish to, they must wait until they do so. (The Dragon takes 10 Power to replace, so the Warlock may not replace it until they have been in power for 10 days at least.)
  2. Reset Traps: 1 point of Power per trap, 2 points per door.
  3. Clean: 1 point removes signs of violence and tracks. 1 point removes a graffito by an adventurer or other signage.
  4. Train Creature: n points give a single creature with +(n-1) to hit +n to hit. (So 3 points would give a creature that already had +2 to hit +3 to hit.) Likewise with other statistics. The Warlock may train themself.
  5. Expand the Mountain: Every 10 points expended here adds a room or corridor to the Mountain.
  6. Enhance the Mountain: 2 points to add a trap. 5 points to add a feature or treasure to a room.
  7. Retrieve Lost Treasures: Each point of Power expended here gives a 5% chance that a lost treasure's location becomes known to the Warlock. The Warlock teleports to it and attempts to retrieve it. This may even happen within the Mountain.
  8. False Rumors: Spread false rumors in Woodrow, 1 point per Rumor.

Replacing the Warlock

When replaced, the player of the new Warlock expends the old Warlock's Power in a dramatic fashion that guides how the new Warlock will rule. The player gets a budget of 10xPower to spend as they see fit, immediately.

The player of the Warlock has **won** and will be feared for generations.



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