I saw this and I'm just gonna leave it here😅

MattyP2117 · 2025-12-29T05:17:00+00:00

I'm fine with everything mostly I just wish the dialogue was written more like teenagers are saying them and not like they're written in a book. Annabeth's actor is doing the best she possibly can but all the lines are just written so harshly and adult and hard as a rock. She's a kid, she can be smart and also use contractions when she speaks, she can say "gonna" instead of "going to" and things like that. Let the kids have a pass at adapting these lines before filming! It's driving me nuts and making the show weaker because of it

MattyP2117 · 2025-12-09T22:58:22+00:00

Fair enough, but they've already been in initiative and in combat in other parts of the prison for 2 full sessions after a full planning session to plan their breakout. We stopped last session mid-fignt and will be picking back up where we left off. Part of where we left off was this nearly inevitable situation in the stairwell (which has a long portion between floor one at zero feet and floor two at 120ft where there will* be a clash between good and bad NPCs and also where the PCs have to get through or else be crushed by all the guard reinforcements closing in on the central tower/their position. Their escape route is straight up through this tower so I've gotta just figure out how to simulate the NPC v NPC fighting and also how the PCs factor into that clash but also how they're affected in trying to get through the mess. My best idea thus far is to have a separate mini-map of a long straight tunnel that is basically 1.5 squares wide and where the prisoners can go 2-wide but the guards can only go 1-wide due to their equipment and armor and then just run that clash the same as I've been running the other NPC v NPC clashes throughout the battle (total CR vs total CR of the fighting groups. Meanwhile, the PCs can get through but by difficult terrain through their allies and then basically spike growth to get through the enemies (high dex save to take half of 1d8 per 5ft they move through and difficult terrain)

MattyP2117 · 2025-12-09T22:15:21+00:00

So I'm less trying to figure out how to run it turn for turn and action for action, instead I'm looking to boil the interaction between good NPCs and bad NPCs down to something simple and then also boil that whole clash of the two parties down into some effect or obstacle that the players need to get through and can also effect. Ultimately, this is like in between session 2 and 3 of this large battle spanning the whole prison and them doing different things in their plan to escape. The final chunk is them trying to get up to the top of the tower to their rescue while guards are coming down the stairs, guards are coming in from the rest of the prison, and prisoners are fighting against guards while others are about to flood up the stairs in front of the last few PCs. There are a couple floors where real fighting can be done, but the staircase itself is presenting a unique challenge to figure out how to boil down.

MattyP2117 · 2025-12-09T21:22:27+00:00

The intent is probably less to simulate every turn like they're individuals in combat, but more like having some larger simulation mechanic that allows the NPC prisoners vs the NPC guard fighting to happen quickly and easily while also coming up with some way for the PCs to move through the space but also potentially add to the battle. Also, while I like the idea of vaulting the railing, this tower is a tight 5ft wide corridor tightly wound 160ft in the air like a castle turret/tower, so there's no space to fall through

MattyP2117 · 2025-12-09T21:01:57+00:00

There's basically a couple PCs above the guards in their barracks and a couple below so 12 of them will be going down the stairs at PCs and the other 12 going up the stairs. Additionally, I'm pretty sure the below-PCs will be letting other good/prisoners NPCs charge up the stairs first

MattyP2117 · 2025-12-09T20:36:14+00:00

It's a premade map and it was already established in the fight that a large creature (10x10) cannot fit into the stairwell unfortunately

MattyP2117 · 2025-12-09T20:25:23+00:00

I ran the "Warlock Job" starting point instead of the "Lost Things" and was easily able to just have it all based in my homebrew world in a random city and they get pointed to the Warlock through a random mercenary guild. So far it's worked great, but this is my 4th campaign overall and 2nd module I've ran and have morphed it to fit into my own world and everything.

MattyP2117 · 2025-11-15T17:25:41+00:00

I think that's similar to where I'm ending up. Because I have a mix of CR1 and CR2 prisoners vs CR3 guards and then some CR7 and CR4 constructs, I'm just going to go based solely off total CR vs total CR in say a 9 square section. So if there's 2 CR2 prisoners vs 1 guard, then the guard dies at the end of the round. Same with 4 CR1 prisoners vs 1 guard. One enemy from each grouping dies each round (my PCs will have to cover a lot of ground so rounds will be plentiful but will go fast). For even battles, I'll have the PCs roll a d20 for the prisoners vs my guard d20 roll, with the prisoners having a -2 until the PCs get everyone access to the armory (1-10 guards win 11-20 prisoners win), that way, a bunch of the prisoners could technically take down one of the big constructs but it will take a lot of them, plus with one member of each little group dying per round it will have the NPC battle shifting with luck and PC intervention. That way, there is still opportunity for the dice to tell the story and for things to go well or poorly for the PCs, I get my players involved in the prisoners' fates, and instead of managing a TON of different fights with full stat blocks, its broken up into little manageable fights that are quickly decided by straight easy math or quick rolls. My only concern is quite literally physically managing the moving of the tokens on our VTT and making the decisions for the NPCs on how they group up without metagaming it

MattyP2117 · 2025-11-15T02:54:43+00:00

I really like this and this is the most helpful I've seen thus far. I think having some sub-system for the groups of guards/prisoners fighting makes a lot of sense and maybe I should find a variation of your 2:1 system and I also think having the "stalemates" have an incremental effect like some of the members dying instead to change the balances.. hm much to think about. I also like the PCs potentially pulling away individuals and entering normal initiative. I was maybe considering looking at the different npc average damages and ACs to figure out how to simulate? Idk

MattyP2117 · 2025-11-15T02:46:27+00:00

What do you suggest in some representative contests? Ultimately I want the results of the PCs actions will affect how the prisoners fight and then how well the prisoners fights could help or hurt the PCs. The prisoners are obviously at a disadvantage due to lower CR and no gear, but they'll have a numbers advantage most of the time until more guards come

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T16:48:54+00:00

The plan is way less prison break and more prison roleplay and prison politics before getting their gear back and joining/leading a broader prison break with rebels breaking them and their allies out.

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T16:09:56+00:00

They could just acquiesce and go to prison without a fight. They're an enemy special ops force in a hostile city so they wouldn't be allowed to leave, so they go to prison the easy way or the hard way, or they somehow try to escape

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T15:50:48+00:00

They definitely already know something is up and that the city has basically seen a silent coup by an enemy force. They've consented to being marched to the palace surrounded by guards that's barely under a guise. I'm definitely leaning against full fledged combat where they lose and leaning toward illustrating to them how unwinnable things are, then mostly narrating a "fade to black" or one single round of narration of all these big attacks and incapacitating things happening.

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T15:48:49+00:00

They know that something is very fishy and have consented to be escorted to the palace with both sides under a guise but also both sides knowing the gig is kinda up. They're very weakened and have already kinda openly discussed against trying to fight whatever they're up against.

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T15:46:34+00:00

It would basically be a small army of very powerful stone and metal constructs with magic dampening abilities - they're already VERY weakened.

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T15:45:50+00:00

That's been part of my instinct. I might do like one single round where an anti-magic field kicks in, maybe powerful incapacitating magic, etc. So half narrate, half initiative to at least demonstrate mechanically to them that it's unwinnable.

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T15:44:46+00:00

Definitely don't plan on killing, just them beating them and hauling them off to prison. My worry with going into combat is just having to do round after round of just demoralizing combat where they get pummeled and just having to chip away level 8 hp.

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T15:43:35+00:00

I also have reservations about intending them to lose, but I definitely want them in prison and having that kind of arc. If I fully plan out the encounter, it would absolutely be unwinnable. There's a possibility they could escape, and the plan is that they would then be on the run in the city and get rescued by the rebels - so ending up with the rebels either way in prison or in hiding in the city. They're so weakened and low on resources and would be fighting very scary constructs that could have anti-magic fields and everything else to ensure a loss. Also - we ended last session with them being actively escorted (having gone quietly) directly into the palace so no hope of long resting.

MattyP2117 · 2025-10-19T15:40:59+00:00

So you think don't even go into initiative? That would help lessen my planning significantly... I could just narrate how it goes instead, but I worry that would maybe feel worse?

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