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Running a player controlled godling (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by sbv@sh.itjust.works to c/dnd@lemmy.world

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I'd like to give my party the ability to control an unstable godling in combat. Do you have any suggestions on how to make this fun?

I have four party members. I'm thinking that on the godlings turn, each party member will be able to declare a target enemy and an ability to activate. If more than half of the party members declare the same target, then the target is selected, ditto for the attack. If they fail to meet that bar, something random will happen to a random target (including the party).

They'll probably be fighting 7ish clerics and cultists, and the godling will probably have two-ish attacks.

Edit: Any suggestions on how to make the control more fun for the players? I want a strong element of chaos, but more than half of the attacks should be controlled by the party.

Here's the context: My party has gotten involved with an almost-extinct god that has been revived. It's an unstable bundle of power that throws off random miracles. It has manifested a set of curse/boons for each party member. The godling had a portfolio of growth, but it'll probably get rebirth/reincarnation.

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[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dice are a really good choice for simplifying the interaction.

I'm going back and forth on requiring something more than dice. On one hand, I want a fun encounter with a novel mechanic that makes them think a bit differently, but on the other, I worry that it'll be too gameable or complex.

[–] Iunnrais@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

If you want to make them think a little differently, try a blackjack-esq dc. Set a RANGE they have to hit with their collective skill checks (that add together). If they roll below the range, or above it, either way the control doesn’t quite work— maybe a different consequence for too low or too high. Let them also choose whether to increase the sum or decrease it with their skill check, in the case of overshooting.

And make a variety of skills they can use to control the godling, so that they can strategically try to use the most appropriate bonus to get them where they need. Maybe using certain skills requires doing something on the battlefield too, like standing in a certain spot relative to the godling or some such. Or perhaps doing that sort of tactical movement can let you manipulate the roll or take 10.

That’ll get them thinking different! But if you make it fiddly like this you’ll need to make the payoff for successful control powerful enough to make it worth it.