65 lines
2.6 KiB
HTML
65 lines
2.6 KiB
HTML
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/book-page.css" />
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/book-page.css" />
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<h2>CHAPTER CONFLICT ABILITIES</h2>
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<p>
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When you create an antagonist, consider how they will behave during conflicts.
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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Each Villain has one or more preferred conflict types: some might favor
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social occasions; others may prefer to engage the heroes in battle. The most
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obnoxious antagonists are the ones that avoid conflict scenes at all costs —
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but even then, Ultima Points aren't an infinite resource.
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</li>
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<li>
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To properly challenge the heroes, Villains should be elites or champions
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(see page 295) or be accompanied by some allies: this is to ensure they can
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perform multiple actions during each conflict round.
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</li>
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<li>
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Because of their importance, a battle against a Villain should be treated as
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a <strong>boss fight</strong> (see page 300 for details on how to design
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one).
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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Powerful antagonists might also be protected by a “plot armor” that prevents
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Player Characters from fighting them unless they have a specific item, spell,
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or other assets at their disposal. Generally you don’t want to overdo this —
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one or two such “tricks” over the course of the entire campaign are more than
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enough.
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</p>
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<h2>AND FINALLY, A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE</h2>
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<p>
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A Villain’s entrance should be an intense moment that sets the tone for their
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role in the story. Think of it as a video game cutscene: you get a few seconds
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to show your audience what this Villain looks like and hint at the kind of
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forces and weapons at their disposal — soldiers, forgotten technology,
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powerful magic, or a healthy dose of supernatural strength.
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</p>
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<p>
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During your preparation stage before a session, it may be helpful to focus on
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the reveals key moments — you have to condense everything important in a
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couple of sentences. It should be something like this:
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</p>
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<p>
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Approaching with heavy footfalls, the figure rests a hand on a sword the likes
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of which you’ve never seen... a delicate gesture, but her grip is steady.
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</p>
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<p>
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“It appears we are here for the same reason,” she says. “Unfortunately, I
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cannot let you have that which I need. Stand back, and no one shall be
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injured.”
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</p>
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<p>
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With a few words, you have communicated that this is likely a proud and
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honorable adversary who is also very determined. That sword of hers? That’s
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bad news!
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</p>
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<p>
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"When you chose to fight not to protect your people, but to prove them
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wrong... that is what made you a villain."
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</p>
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