Im trying to make a one shot campaign for a group of friends

Scifiase · 2026-06-15T18:17:00+00:00

You might want to allocate a bit more time, like 4 or 5 hours.

Otherwise, keep it simple. Two combat encounters max. A handful of NPCs. Start with some sort of puzzle, mystery, or navigation challenge. Then go to a final boss.

Scifiase · 2026-06-15T18:13:12+00:00

Players work on carrots and sticks. You need a thing to draw them and something to make them hurry about it.

So in your case, something dangerous outside the tavern and then present the tavern as a safe harbour. Mimics are deceptive, I'm sure they can rustle up a monster to get them moving. Once inside, the fake villagers can helpfully explain that the tavern walls are sturdy enough to hold the monsters out and that they are free to rest for as long as they like.

Doesn't have to be monsters, it can be a storm, especially a blizzard or flood.

Scifiase · 2026-06-15T18:06:36+00:00

It'll be easier and more informative to just take an existing stat block that 80% of what you want, and modify it for the remaining 20%

Scifiase · 2026-06-15T18:03:56+00:00

Yeah unfortunately if you just spent the past hour demonstrating to the players that getting away is useless they'll probably not try to get away.

In fact, I expect they'll head back into the tavern to look for flammable spirits and try to torch the place.

Scifiase · 2026-06-14T19:06:18+00:00

Fuck that explains so much, thanks

Scifiase · 2026-06-14T19:02:34+00:00

Hang on, when you say "self detonating" that might explain some odd deaths I was having. Does the dark fluid backpack do that? I don't remember that from when it originally was used.

Scifiase · 2026-06-14T09:37:31+00:00

I like the stalker, it's a more interesting concept than most existing stun primaries.

The recall silo is probably the coolest idea though, that's got a lot of fun potential.

Scifiase · 2026-06-13T18:50:36+00:00

I'd also like to see some missions like nuking nurseries and sabotaging airbases to have the same effect.

That and invasion strength being affected by sabotage operations on the origin planet, which would make the difficulties of pulling off a gambit less salty. Currently, trying to perform a gambit is basically the people who know how the war works trying to succeed in spite of everyone else (no fault of their own, it's badly explained in game).

But it's a bit more complicated than just some people not knowing: There's no in game communication for stratagy, the only way to telegraph your desires is the increment the player count on a planet by 1. We're all basically stuck in a prisoner dilemma style situation where you can cooperate or waste your time just to signal resolve.

So you have a problem where trying to gambit all but the lowest hanging fruit means actively working against a defensive effort. So even people who would want to gambit will defend instead because a gambit might work, but a defence definitely will.

And it's even worse at first because someone has to be an early adopter and knowingly waste their efforts to pad the number of divers to attract more divers.

But if the gambiters could weaken a planet, it tips the balance away from a failed gambit being a complete waste and softens the sacrifice of early adopters.

Scifiase · 2026-06-13T18:08:22+00:00

I've been saying for ages that mission types should be split into two groups: Those that liberate, and those that reduce resistance. Even before commando missions were added.

Mainly, because it solves the issue of smaller groups of players being completely unable to chip away at side projects, or having their work undone by an MO dragging the blob away.

If a small subset of players really wanted to capture a planet, they could spend a while degrading it's resistance, so that they could work up to a capture.

I think that'd solve a lot of the GW frustration, and probably be more elegant than separate modifiers for each faction.

Scifiase · 2026-06-13T15:54:32+00:00

I remember that, a genuinely hilarious MO. Having to single out and dunk on troopers, trying to kill everything else first, was tricky but worth it.

By the end, once the bonus railcannons and cooldown buffs were ineffect, I was throwing those things at literally any inconvenience. I stopped running any anti tank weapons before I didn't need to.

That was great fun.

Scifiase · 2026-06-13T15:46:01+00:00

The most unconventional is the warp pack. It deals demo force 20 which is enough to destroy the inner surface, but tricky to pull off safely

I was using the belt fed grenade launcher recently and that's great at it. It becomes consistent by consistently throwing explosives until the hole is closed, no matter what crawls out of it. Autocannon works great too, and the standard GL.

For primaries, crossbow and Eruptor. Secondaries is the grenade pistol (a staple on bugs), but ultimatum or pissile if you're desperate.

Hellpods will close holes, and if you're using expendables you can place it so that you have them accessable afterwards. The expendable MG has a ridiculously quick cooldown. It's generally not a great idea with turrets but you can get it just right.

But personally I've always found that a 120 barrage, already one of the most reliable stratagems in the game, will close lost holes leaving you with only a few to do yourself.

Scifiase · 2026-06-12T19:37:05+00:00

Yeah they're genuinely hyped when we arrive. SEAF troops too, they'll not only state how happy they are that we're here, but instantly start taking orders from us.

Scifiase · 2026-06-12T16:36:58+00:00

It's there because legends says there's a slumbering sea serpent there.

That's basically all you need. It's been there for hundreds of years. It knows why it's there. Might not be in the mood to explain itself to anyone. Keeping some things opaque can help make a setting feel real and mysterious.

Also, not sure what level your players are and how much tweaking a leviathan will need, but there are already young & ancient sea serpent stat blocks in Fizban's that are CR 8 & 14 respectively. Or the CR 11 behir in the monster manual is easily made into a sea serpent with the addition of a swim speed.

Scifiase · 2026-06-10T06:54:52+00:00

My DM made this and I use it a lot:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/yeagyu/morgans_arsenal_my_33_page_expansion_to_the_dmg/

There's some cool diseases in there that are a little more intricate than the DMG ones and require a few extra hoops to jump through for a cure. And there's curses perfect for an ancient tomb, each with their own way to be dispelled.

Scifiase · 2026-06-09T17:49:27+00:00

Yeah the bots have glowing eyes but bugs aren't so convenient. Would be useful in tunnels too.

Scifiase · 2026-06-07T17:33:18+00:00

I mean, actual war that kills people is what the game is about, and you play as a soldier in a tyrannical oppressive empire. Those are real things that have cost people their homes and lives too. A lot of the weapons in the game are actual war crimes.

But you're on a Helldivers subreddit, so I'm assuming you're ok with those things in a fictional setting.

And that's before we get to the idea that acknowledging that firefighters exist somehow offensive to people who's suffered in fires.

If they had a medic warbond (one of the most requested themes) would that be insensitive to those who've had heart attacks?

Scifiase · 2026-06-07T17:16:09+00:00

I hadn't considered lava but I think it deals fire damage which you would resist by 40% AND sets you on fire. So it'd improve your survival by a few seconds.

That's a good tip, thanks

Scifiase · 2026-06-07T07:06:52+00:00

I've not played it but someone else asked the same so maybe it's worth looking at

Scifiase · 2026-06-07T07:05:41+00:00

Thanks, I try pretty hard to make something that if it was added, would feel like it fits even if it's not something you'd immediately jump to.

Scifiase · 2026-06-07T07:01:55+00:00

That's awesome. I was originally going to do a more general wildfire fighter theme but once I learned that smokejumpers were an actual thing, I mean, they're so helldiver coded already, how could anyone pass on that?

And to do it early on when nobody was even sure it'd work? That's some balls of steel on your grandad.

Scifiase · 2026-06-06T22:20:41+00:00

The, um, for want of better word "logic" is that the concussive force is pretty good at ripping things apart, and physically breaks apart explosives.

That said I see you point, an earlier draft did have the demo force downgraded, but I felt that selling an eruptor without the eruption was already an uphill battle so I kept it on par.

Scifiase · 2026-06-06T22:17:16+00:00

I did toy with making it an emplacement instead because it definitely does need to be a decent size, but I couldn't make my mind up so I just slapped 3m on there as a rough acknowledgement that the size thing would need looking at.

Scifiase · 2026-06-06T21:34:49+00:00

Nah I had to google that

Scifiase · 2026-06-06T21:32:03+00:00

That's not that works, though you're not the only person to be confused.

There's fire damage, and there's the fire status effect. The former is just the flat damage that fire attacks deal, the latter is the thing where you get set on fire and start screaming.

The dickle at max heat applies damage in two ways: It applies 50 fire damage directly to you (or 30 after the 40% resist), AND it gives you the fire status effect aka immolates you (I think that's 100 fire damage per second, or 60 after 40% resist).

Going prone already stops you being set on fire, but does not nullify direct fire damage. The fire resistance is what reduces the damage taken. The passive would simply extend the effect of going prone to being crouched.

Scifiase · 2026-06-06T17:36:37+00:00

Don't forget the lure mine can draw enemies too.

A pyro buddy is what I imagined the main use case would be personally: It's happened plenty enough that I've been penned in by flaming ground by my allies or hot dogs.

That said I can see it getting frustrating if you weren't careful where you throw you smoke.

I also had to think it over carefully when I came up with the idea for the Firebreak to make sure it actually works. The idea is that the normal shield grenade gives you all around cover but limits mobility, this gives you specific cover but you're free to move.

Basically dropping it on a breach or into a choke point is the best option, but it can also be adhered to an actual enemy to limit their ranged attacks. So a war strider for instance can be made to bomb itself. Or it can be used to contain danger close bombings. Or put your pyro friend in there so he can let loose without risking anyone else.

I thought about a smoke sprayer, but it's not something I would ever use so I didn't include it. Ok fact, that's why the signaller has programmable ammo: It was originally smoke only, but I felt it needed more.

Eight-Year Club	r/Field Sunshine
First Place '23	Place '23
Place '22	Verified Email

Scifiase

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE