Forum

Legendary monsters
I'm thinking of adding a chapter to the Gamemaster's booklet in Reforged Power with ways to spice up monster fights.
Here are some I could think of, but there are probably a lot more.
Do you think that would be good? Do you have any cool ideas to add? Or comments about my entries? I am sure that most of them could be better fleshed out.. some removed or changed. All feedback is appreciated!

Note that while using the term monster, these could be applied to non-monster "NPC bosses" as well, at least if they they have come across of some form of superhuman power, or maybe from being possessed or so? It could maybe even be applied to lowly NPC monsters. Like a group of skeletons, could perhaps keep fighting after being reduced to zero Strength through the "Swarm host" ability, having their upper and lower bodies or the likes continuing the battle.

My thoughts were that these could be good to apply to epic boss fights. If something threatens a settlement, or you need a boss at the end of a dungeon, then perhaps?
Especially after your PCs are starting to decimate monsters in mere rounds, making most monsters pose no to little challenge. You should probably still not apply legendary monsters everywhere though, I would first up their regular monsters amount of initiative cards to at least 2 per round (you should probably do this already from the start), and secondarily introduce a monster companion so that they face "2 Gray bears" instead of one and so on. Making all monsters legendary will probably not be that great. And also note that PCs are often happy when they can decimate some previously dangerous monsters rapidly. As making them feel powerful can be fun, but a legendary monster could at the same time then perhaps make then rethink that there are things in the world that still pose a threat.


1. Protective crystals
The monster is covered with Strength amount of crystal shards.
Each time the Monster is hit and would take 3+ (or more than its remaining Strength) amount of damage before armor, one crystal on its body instead shatters and saves the monster from all the damage.
A PC within ARM'S LENGTH can as a slow action try to remove 1 crystal per [sword] on a successful SLEIGHT OF HANDS roll.

2. Ablative armor
The monster begins with an armor rating equal to its Strength and each armor [sword] removes 2 damage or 3 if it was armored to begin with.
However its armor is not considered natural armor, it is instead considered fragile, making all [skulls] remove an armor point, even if the armor absorbs all the damage.
To remove swingy-ness from bad rolls, consider making each rolled [sword] instead of every [skull] damage its own armor.

3. Swarm
The monster on closer inspection is make up of thousand individual parts.
A single attack on a swarm can never inflict more than one point of damage.

4. Swarm host
When the target is reduced to zero hit points, it splits into new smaller versions.
- A gigant spider, could turn into multiple spider swarms as its egg sack ruptures on death.
- A hollow knight, could turn into multiple swarms of bats.
- An ooze could turn into two new oozes, in effect doubling its attacks per round. Give them a -1 base die reduction each to represent their reduced size.

5. Horde possession
The monster fights with an horde of at least equal Strength to itself.
Whenever it is defeated, its spirit just possesses one of its "teammates". Effectively replacing that minion with a copy of itself, with a Strength equal to that of that minion.

6. Boom
A monster that fights with other minions or monsters.
When the monster is defeated, it explodes in a wave of guck or dark energy.
This "explosion" reduces all PCs Strength to 1 and heals all remaining and defeated minions/monsters for half their lost Strength. If they where defeated the lose their entire next round, by getting up and ready.

7. Unnatural reflexes
The monster has no initiative cards.
Instead it focuses on at least 2 PCs during the begining of each initiative round (possibly on all PCs). This focus should be announced.
Before each focused PC round, the monster first makes a "hidden combination" and it always goes first. The PC must determine both its actions. The monster then rolls 1d6, if it needs to it first spends a move (its first card) before the attack. It will cheat and pick another target if it happens to be unable to get into range, such target can dodge and so as normal.
If the PC is wounded it loses that action. Nothing happens if the monster is wounded.

8. Master illusionist
The monster will after each initiative look like an a random ally, and have a 50% of swapping positions.
The monster will focus on its lookalike and then swap during each initiative.
Anyone except their ally must roll an INSIGHT roll on all actions aimed at a duplicate, on a failure they will have targeted the wrong version. Pushing the INSIGHT rolls should be ok.

9. Soul linked twin
There are two monsters, with two initiative cards each. On their last initiative cards they will forgo the D6 roll to instead look at their twin and copy their health (heal themselves) if the twin is alive.
If the other twin is dead, they instead enrage and gets +50% dice to all actions.

10. Possessed
After being reduced to zero Strength. It transforms in a burst of demonic energy.
Either replace the monster with a demon, or make it more demonic in nature, fully heal it and add +50% dice to all its attacks.

11. Pain reflection
Those that hurt the monster suffers the same damage in return, reduced with an INSIGHT roll.
After the initial reflection, some PCs might want to reduce their outgoing damage if they want to. So you might need to come up with something for that.
PCs that reduces themselves to zero hit points, falls to the ground in pain, but suffers no critical injuries.

12. Radiation
If one ends their turn ARM'S LENGTH away from the monster they start feeling affected by the radiation and feel like they want to step back. If one ends not adjacent they immediatley feel fine.
If one remains at the end of a turn while feeling affected from the former round they:
- Start burning, taking 1 fire damage immediately + 1 at the end of every upcoming round until they spend a SLOW action and succeed a MOVE roll to stop burning.
- Freeze, becoming COLD, immediately taking 1 damage to Strength and Agility. Straight out killing you if it happens again?
- Become poisoned, etc?
You could also make this into some kind of saves, like roll ENDURANCE with a +2 bonus if not affected, roll with a stacking -4 penalty for each round in a row you had to roll. However ENDURANCE could be a bad skill though, as some Strength damage will quickly turn the table against the PCs.
Remember that PCs that moves away from ARM'S LENGTH needs to roll MOVE, or they will get attacked. the Monster will always try to move into ARM'S LENGTH with its target during its attacks.

13. Wards
The monster have placed PC number of wards in the area.
The closest person to each ward takes 2 Strength damage each round, resist with a skill roll.
If the monster is closest it instead heals 3 Strength per Ward.
The wards:
- The wards could have a high Strength and armor.
- They could be hard to find, requiring successful SCOUTING rolls. But should then probably not do anything actively, and maybe not heal, instead just hindering the monster from going below 1 Strength.
- They could require a skill roll, like LORE to deactivate them?
- Wards could also instead make it completely invulnerable.
- Another version could be that it constantly spawns new "wards". But this could turn into a race, and having some team members constantly go after wards while others do damage, seems not that great? So such a version might be a fallacy. Perhaps then start with some and only spawn a new on a single specific number on its D6 action list.

14. Darkness
Each player that wants to do something must succeed a SCOUTING roll.
The darkness could be magical? the monster could just snuff out light sources during its initiative, perhaps even affecting magical lights for a couple of rounds or so?
The monster is itself immune to the darkness.

15. Otherworldly stare
An alternative to darkness, could be that you must close your eyes or suffer 1 Strength or 2 damage to another attribute (select when you create the monster) from looking at the Monster. The first PC that attacks the monster should perhaps just take the damage and you should tell them that "looking at the beast hurts your very mind, all parts of your body want to direct your gaze away from it".
Perhaps instead of closing ones eyes and rolling SCOUTING as in darkness, some players just want to hold one arm just in front of them enough to cover the beasts face? If so perhaps have them roll SLEIGHT OF HAND to do it successfully, failures deal the damage.

16. Water
The fight takes place in water.
Players might have to roll to swim and especially if in metal armor they might need to spend extra actions to avoid drowning.
Cannot use slash attacks (i.e. non pointed weapons are almost useless), and almost all actions are at -2.

17. Environmental damage
Lava-vents, moving ground, grasping hands, or something else might require the PCs to succeed MOVE rolls each round or suffer some consequence. Perhaps they can spend FAST actions to gain a bonus to the rolls?

Here's my top of mind feedback. I'm known to be wrong.
Feedback point of view: I'm the GM, posing and threatening my players with these monster traits.

1. Protective crystals
Comes off as video-gamie. Not that it's bad, but it's so specific I feel that only one specific dwarven construct would have it.

2. Ablative armor
Like it! Feels applicable to a lot of monsters. Self-explanatory during a fight. I don't get the last sentance.

3. Swarm
Like it conceptually. I haven't gotten used to running swarms in the game. I feel like what is missing is different types of vulnerabilities for different swarms. Which is not feedback to this trait but swarms in FBL in general. "Yes, it's a swarm, but your lore roll makes your rember that [x] could be helpful". Insert fire, smoke, blunt damage, bowling balls...

4. Swarm host
Amazing, I like it. As I did with the bee swarm covered skeletons in Mellified Mage, and this is even one step easier to run. I'd love if monsters with this trait has some kind of foreshadowing in their (ability) descriptions.

5. Horde possession
Interesting. As it's quite specific, it sounds more like one specific monster rather than applicable to multiple.

6. Boom
I'm not a fan of abilities that reduces Str with 1 that offer no opposing rolls (or have I overseen such abilities?). Maybe I'd conceptually buy it if the dark energy ate Wisdom, and converted it to life. Like some lovecraftian santiy munching monster. As above, it sounds like a trait for a specific monster. Unless, it's a host of monsters from the same demonic dimension. Also a bit video-gamie. Which doesn't have to be negative, unless it happens in multiple encounters.

7. Unnatural reflexes
Sorry, to complicated for me, I'd probably not run such monster.

8. Master illusionist
Like it. Demon vibes.

9. Soul linked twin
Like it. Also nice demon vibes.

10. Possessed
Absolutely. Spot on. That this isn't in the game already is an oversight.

11. Pain reflection
Mmm. It's a maybe from me. These can be painful to run. Pun intended.

12. Radiation
Makes sense! Wild and useful. I like it, Krasylla and really menecing monsters would do good with this. Input: the freeze radiation would be cool (hehe) with a freezing critical damage table, instead of straight out killing you.
Besides fire, frost and poison, other random ideas are wind (suffocation), plague (decease), demon sickness (the stuff that leads to mutations/missgrowness), dream aura (makes weird sh*t happen), otherwordlyness (terror/fear), spacetime rapture (teleport - could be close, could be far..), grief (empathy damage), rage (...), ...

13. Wards
Video-gamie. But sure, interesting for a specific monster in a specific adventure site.

14. Darkness
Cool! It could eat / feed on fire or light. But also be damaged by too much light, like sunlight.

15. Otherworldly stare
Mmm, maybe. It feels to me abit roundabout mechanically. I've never come to terms on how to GM a fight against a medusa type of monster. But maybe this is the one that makes it happen.

16. Water
Cool. Environment fights backed up with clear mechanics are missing. Like it. This could be a full set of "how to" for different environments. That are applicable to all sorts of fights.

17. Environmental damage
Mmm, maybe.

I agree, I was actually thinking a lot of video games as I wrote it.
I just wanted more ways than adding a really large health pool for more rememberable fights.. and adding some fights where fighting is not the only thing you do, like perhaps making use of Sleight of hands (making a thief feel useful in a fight) or solving some arcane secrets during the fight in order to make it more beatable.
But this is good input, entries should not feel video-gamey.

I might be able to salvage some ideas by making them feel a lot less like that.

Edit. Some more input to your comments.
- The last sentence on 2: When the boss only has a few dice left, luck will start to impact the rolls a lot more, and you might end up with a lot of 1 [sword] and 0 [skulls] rolls, making the last part a bit more luck based. If the dice effects are combined so that [skulls] have no effect, and [swords] both reduces armor and protects, then bad luck will never feel bad. That said, that feels a bit strange and not in coherence with the other rules.. so that nightly thought I had should definitely be scrapped!
- Boom: Maybe an INSIGHT roll, it can be pushed. Then set Strength to the amount of X you rolled? Just to create some chaos when the PC thought they won. It might still not be that great though.
- Unnatural reflexes: Agree, will see if I can think of something else, or I'll just scrap it completely.
- Pain reflection. This could help a make a fight not run too quickly... and it would add a lot of emphasis on healing. So that PCs ideally would spend a lot of actions using the healing skill and so. To reduce deadliness, you could even reduce its initiative down to 1 card/turn.