I've had an idea for a while now to have my players fight an enemy that is so large that weapons and spells by themselves cannot deal enough damage to bring the thing down. Essentially giving the creature, which is supposed to be a Construct, the Damage Threshold rule from page 247 in the DMG which is usually reserved for large enough objects, such as Castle Walls. Now, using this rule they could brute force the fight and just hit the damn thing until it works, but I'm hoping that the party, for once, goes along with what I've planned.
In case it matters at all, the size of the Construct enemy is supposed to be that of a small island which the PCs could stand and walk around on and, more interestingly, in as well. Now, I do have my own ideas on how to do a fight like this - There is of course always the classic video game-y way of creating a bunch of guarded, glowing weak points around the entire thing that the Party has to locate and smash to bits - but I've always found it useful to come here and ask around for more ideas, inputs and even possible concerns with such an encounter that I might have overlooked.
If you have access, look at the Warforged Colossus in Eberron RFTLW. There is both a “creature” version (statblock) and a “dungeon” version (in the Mournland chapter) that may give you some ideas.
The party will never go along with what you planned. They are mean like that.
If you are looking for non combat solutions, there’s always a magic ritual where they have to be on the things back chanting the magic words. I’d bet the creature has cultivated some symbiotic smaller creatures who live on its back full time. Maybe they siphon off a small amount of its energy and in exchange fight off interlopers who would damage the main creature. You could do a dungeon crawl/Fantastic Voyage type thing. (Fantastic voyage was an old movie where a team of scientists are put on a submarine and shrunken down then injected into a person to go fight an infection.) So the dungeon tunnels and rooms are the veins and organs of the creature, and they need to get to its heart or brain or something to destroy it. Then the creature’s antibodies are fighting off an infection of PCs. And after the PCs win, they still need to get out somehow — I think in the movie they used tear ducts or something.
And if you really want to make a go of it, the ritual is they way they get in to do the dungeon crawl.
You could do a dungeon crawl/Fantastic Voyage type thing. (Fantastic voyage was an old movie where a team of scientists are put on a submarine and shrunken down then injected into a person to go fight an infection.) So the dungeon tunnels and rooms are the veins and organs of the creature, and they need to get to its heart or brain or something to destroy it. Then the creature’s antibodies are fighting off an infection of PCs. And after the PCs win, they still need to get out somehow — I think in the movie they used tear ducts or something.
This is a really good idea. They were going to go break up a blood clot deep in the patients brain with a laser ( since the clot was inoperable ), and they did get out through the eye/tear ducts. Not a terribly good movie - but Issac Asimov wrote the screenplay adaptation, and tried to fix some of the plot issues ( in the movie, they were under a deadline before they de-miniaturized , and they left the submarine behind - oops! ).
Definitely an opportunity to introduce novel monsters ( symbiotic organisms with the creature, as well as the creature's own immune response ), say nothing of interesting terrain and obstacles.
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I’d say do something kinda like the divine beasts from Breath of the Wild. You gotta eliminate the things defenses on the outside, then go inside the thing, and do some stuff in there. Maybe though unlike BOTW, there could be a timer in which the players have to complete the mission before the defense systems restart and the players are doomed inside the construct. I agree with the brain idea. Maybe the brain could be a boss arena inside of it, where they have to fight a boss inside, who could manipulate the arena to its will making for a fun, but tough fight.
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I've had an idea for a while now to have my players fight an enemy that is so large that weapons and spells by themselves cannot deal enough damage to bring the thing down. Essentially giving the creature, which is supposed to be a Construct, the Damage Threshold rule from page 247 in the DMG which is usually reserved for large enough objects, such as Castle Walls. Now, using this rule they could brute force the fight and just hit the damn thing until it works, but I'm hoping that the party, for once, goes along with what I've planned.
In case it matters at all, the size of the Construct enemy is supposed to be that of a small island which the PCs could stand and walk around on and, more interestingly, in as well. Now, I do have my own ideas on how to do a fight like this - There is of course always the classic video game-y way of creating a bunch of guarded, glowing weak points around the entire thing that the Party has to locate and smash to bits - but I've always found it useful to come here and ask around for more ideas, inputs and even possible concerns with such an encounter that I might have overlooked.
If you have access, look at the Warforged Colossus in Eberron RFTLW. There is both a “creature” version (statblock) and a “dungeon” version (in the Mournland chapter) that may give you some ideas.
The party will never go along with what you planned. They are mean like that.
If you are looking for non combat solutions, there’s always a magic ritual where they have to be on the things back chanting the magic words. I’d bet the creature has cultivated some symbiotic smaller creatures who live on its back full time. Maybe they siphon off a small amount of its energy and in exchange fight off interlopers who would damage the main creature.
You could do a dungeon crawl/Fantastic Voyage type thing. (Fantastic voyage was an old movie where a team of scientists are put on a submarine and shrunken down then injected into a person to go fight an infection.) So the dungeon tunnels and rooms are the veins and organs of the creature, and they need to get to its heart or brain or something to destroy it. Then the creature’s antibodies are fighting off an infection of PCs. And after the PCs win, they still need to get out somehow — I think in the movie they used tear ducts or something.
And if you really want to make a go of it, the ritual is they way they get in to do the dungeon crawl.
This is a really good idea. They were going to go break up a blood clot deep in the patients brain with a laser ( since the clot was inoperable ), and they did get out through the eye/tear ducts. Not a terribly good movie - but Issac Asimov wrote the screenplay adaptation, and tried to fix some of the plot issues ( in the movie, they were under a deadline before they de-miniaturized , and they left the submarine behind - oops! ).
Definitely an opportunity to introduce novel monsters ( symbiotic organisms with the creature, as well as the creature's own immune response ), say nothing of interesting terrain and obstacles.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
A blood clot. That’s it. Thank you, that was bothering me, but not enough to google it.
I’d say do something kinda like the divine beasts from Breath of the Wild. You gotta eliminate the things defenses on the outside, then go inside the thing, and do some stuff in there. Maybe though unlike BOTW, there could be a timer in which the players have to complete the mission before the defense systems restart and the players are doomed inside the construct. I agree with the brain idea. Maybe the brain could be a boss arena inside of it, where they have to fight a boss inside, who could manipulate the arena to its will making for a fun, but tough fight.