May 2009 Entry: Escape from Winter Mountain

[Ascension]

Don't forget, dead guys open a portal to the material plane of blood so there should be a few extra gallons of that stuff

[MysticMagellan]

Here is the second tile for the sled race. I think it is a little more clear than the first, and possibly more fun since it has a jump shortcut, indicated by the sled tracks that take a quick left and vanish at the edge of the snowbank and reappear below.

MAP NOTES: no cliffs now, but plenty of tight turns with walls to hit. As the players enter from the right they are at a height that allows them to see the layout, including the jump.

RACE NOTES: Speed control DCs are the same as before. If the players want to take the jump, they need to make two DC 20 checks - one to make the turn into the jump at high speed, plus another to land safely. Failure equals 30 foot falling damage and a reflex save vs DC 20 to stay on the sled).

ADDITIONAL NOTE: I think I'll make a time limit to each tile, but I haven't decided what it should be yet. Perhaps 2 rounds per tile to keep ahead of the avalanche.

### Latest WIP ###

[Redrobes]

Wow this is really cool. Making snow look right is hard and this looks just great. I like the dungeon a lot too. Your gonna do well and rep is heading your way already. I gotta fix up the entry thumbnails as they are out of date a bit.

[MysticMagellan]

Here are three tiles lined up for the sled chase. Start is top right, end is bottom left. I'd still like to do one more tile as a better finish point, but time is catching up with me.

[MysticMagellan]

Final images for both the stronghold and sled chase.

Stronghold notes: added title, compass, and sled tracks

Sled Race notes: two paths to take in order to cross the bridge and escape the avalanche.

### Winner ###

[Map Vandal]

Amazing work. I love it all.

[guyanonymous]

And here I hadn't clicked on this thread because I thought it was a map of "Witch Mountain" based on the old Disney film...

This is a stunning creation! Thank you!

[jfrazierjr]

Final images for both the stronghold and sled chase.

Stronghold notes: added title, compass, and sled tracks

Sled Race notes: two paths to take in order to cross the bridge and escape the avalanche.

Very nice stuff indeed. On that last tile with the bridge, I would probably make the DC to cross the bridge and avoid the hole different based on which of the two routes they took. It would be much harder to make the turn onto the bridge and miss the hole if the players took the right most fork (coming from above, the side with the crashed sled) vs the other route.

Based on your mentioning of checks, was your thought to do checks a certain number of times per map OR were you thinking of hazard waypoints on the map where a check would be required? I think the later would be much more intense for any players, being able to know what points on the map required checks to get around which hazards.

[MysticMagellan]

The number and difficulty of control checks for sleds build as the players progress along the route.

TIME LIMIT = 9 rounds

There are two types of sleds to choose from. A normal sled for medium sized creatures, or one of the large sized sleds for ogres. 2 players can ride one medium sled, or 4 can ride one large. DCs are 1 higher for large sleds controlled by medium creatures, but are more sturdy and allow a second player to assist the primary pilot (assisting requires a DC 10 check by the second player, which grants +2 to the primary if successful).

Medium sled = Hardness 5 HP 20
Large sled = Hardness 8, HP 25

First off, the players must declare how fast they intend to go. Then they need to roll speed control checks.
DC 10 = Slow speed (three rounds to cross one map)
DC 14 = Medium speed (two rounds to cross one map)
DC 16 = Fast Speed (one round to cross map)
*Speed checks failed by less than 5 means uncontrolled speed (roll d20 - 1-10 = slower speed than intended. 11-20 = faster speed than intended). Uncontrolled speeds require an immediate check vs the DC of the new speed to avoid mishap.
*Speed checks failed by more than 5 means the players lose control of their sled for a round. Roll for uncontrolled speed as well as 1d6 for direction deviation (1= hard left, 2=45 degrees left, 3=straight ahead, 4=45 degrees right, 5=hard right, 6=sled turns over and takes a round to recover). If players on a sled go off a cliff or hit a wall, apply damage to both players and sled as if they were falling 1d6x10 feet. Any player on a sled heading for disaster can roll a reflex save vs DC 18 to bail out beforehand.

Secondly, they need to roll control checks for events or encounters.
First map = avalanche starts, setting the pace for the race. Other sledders fleeing the stronghold crowd the path, jockeying for position. Players roll a control check vs DC 14 or lose a round in escape time as they avoid collisions or pileups.

Second map = a sledder fell off his sled and tries to jump aboard with the players. Players must roll a control check VS DC 14 to avoid or have future DCs increased by 2 for added weight.

Third map = normal DCs for speed, but also the opportunity to gain a round of escape time by taking the jump (speed must be at medium or high). Jump DC is 20.

Fourth map = two paths are available for the players, but the eastern path offers a better approach to the crumbling bridge. A control check vs DC 12 is necessary to steer into the desired path. Avoiding the gap in the bridge requires a DC check of 16 if coming from the west path or 14 if approached from the east path.

***

Ok, I think that covers the chase. Any other suggestions or ideas from anyone?