The Rogue and the Medusa

We’ve got two more classes to play test, but I’m thinking I might start a solo campaign with a paladin using the solitaire framework exclusively to build the campaign. I’m actually looking forward to that… so let’s play test the new and improved rogue and see how it goes. Let’s put him against a difficult adversay - a Medusa.

Neshin Ruh, Fabled Human Rogue (Renown 3)

Attack 3 | Defend 3 | Focus 4 | Resolve 4

Relics: Gauntlets of Haste (permanent haste)

Dagger of Repudiation (Attack +1, Defense +1)

Cloak of the Phantoms (Invisibility 3x per day)

Potions: Healing (x2)

As a rogue, Neshin may leverage a variety of skills including moving with stealth, picking locks, and climbing walls. He always wins initiative; he starts every round with a Focus check (DT 13); if successful; he receives advantage on either Attack or Defend for that entire round (player choice).

Medusa Handmaiden

(Fabled 3) Attack 10 | Defend 12 | Focus 11 | Resolve 7

Bow Attack; Poison; Petrify (see below)

The medusa attacks at range with a bow or in melee with her snake hair or dagger; if she hits, attempt a Defend check 10 or suffer +1 poison damage. Every round, check Focus (CR 11) on your action, before you attack. If failed, you suffer 1 damage as you edge closer to looking at the Medusa. When you reach Resolve 0, you make eye contact and are turned to stone. Use the solitaire framework to determine if you are ever freed; at least 1D6 years will pass (if ever) before another hero slays this Medusa, and your statue may have been broken by then.

Having heard that the Medusa was in possession of a powerful artifact, Neshin uses his cloak to sneak into her lair. However, as he finds the relic, and ancient jewel, he realizes this is a trap; the Medusa is behind him, ready to strike. Let’s see if he’s surprised; he attempts a Focus check against the Medusa’s Focus 11. He rolls 14, and is not surprised; he expected she might be lingering about.

Okay. First, Neshin checks Focus, getting 12. Poop. He does not get to take advantage to anything, but attacks twice. Well, he would, but the Medusa is like 30’ away, so he has to run instead and close the distance. He also has to check Focus to keep from looking in her direction as he runs; he gets 12, so he’s solid. Haste allows him to travel to medium range and still attack, so he still takes his two attacks. He rolls 12 and 10 against her Defend of 12, so he hits once. I’m going to have him hold back on his 3 points from Renown. She attacks with her bow and he rolls 7, so he gets hit for 1 point. He must check Defend against CR 10, and he rolls 7. Drat. He is hit by an arrow, and the poison gets into his bloodstream. He is now at Resolve 2 and she is at Resolve 6.  

Round 2. Neshin checks Focus, getting 15. That is more like it! Get to test out my rules for potions!. Neshin would drink a potion of healing this round. I am toying with the idea of just allowing you to drink one potion a round in addition to everything else with no penalty, but it makes more sense that you have to drink a potion before you act, and your following action is at disadvantage (since you took part of your fighty time to do drinky time). Okay, he’s going to drink a potion of healing (getting him back to Resolve 4), and then use his advantage on attack to cancel the disadvantage he’s about to suffer from drinking the potion. Whew. That said, he attacks twice with his trusty dagger, rolling 9 and … a natural 2. UGH. He suffers disadvantage on his next check (which will be to defend against her snake hair and dagger). However, he still has that advantage in place from his Focus check, and any advantage cancels any number of disadvantages! Nice. He still gets to take a standard Defend check against her attack, and gets 13 against her Attack 10. Whew. He’s up to Resolve 4, and she’s still at Resolve 6.

Round 3. Neshin can finally go full battle mode (I hope). He checks Focus and gets 11, so no advantage to claim (sad face emoji). He also has to check Focus to make sure he doesn’t look at her, and gets 11, so he’s good. He attacks twice, getting 13 and 12… he actually rolled really well! He hits twice, and she is down to Resolve 4. She attacks with her hair and dagger, but he rolls 10 to Defend, narrowly evading her.

Round 4. He checks Focus twice, getting 14 on the first roll (on double 6s)... since he would get advantage on his next attack, I’m going to have him put the advantage on Defend this round, so he attacks once with advantage and defends with advantage. Against her gaze, he rolls double 6’s again! Hm. He should also get advantage on that other attack; so he has advantage on everything this round; he attacks twice, getting 11 and 10. Her Defend of 12 is really tough to get past. That might be overpowered… He Defends against her bite/dagger combo, and gets 13, so he’s fine and dandy.

Round 5. He checks Focus twice, getting 12 (no advantage) and 10 (barely avoids eye contact this time). He attacks twice, getting 6 and 7. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh. He Defends with a 10, so he is okay.

Round 6. Two Focus checks, 11 (no bonus) and 12 (no petrification). He uses his points from being Fabled (that’s +3 y’all) to increase his check to 14 so he gets to take advantage on his two attacks; he attacks twice, getting 14 and 11. He hits once, dealing 1 point. He defends with a 10, so he’s okay again. She is at Resolve 3.

Round 7. More Focus checking time. He gets 13 (yes!) and 11 (yes again!). He will take the advantage on attacks, getting 12 and 14. He hits twice, dealing 2 points. He rolls 10 on his Defense (he keeps barely evading her attacks). She is at Resolve 1.

Round 8. Two Focus checks, and I get 13 (so advantage on attacks) and 10 (again) to prevent gazing at her directly. Neshin attacks twice, getting 9 and 13, so he hits once. This is enough to finish her, putting her at Resolve 0. He feints one direction, and as she leans forward, he deftly slashes her throat. Silver blood pours out as she collapses to the floor of her great hall. Neshin turns towards the ruby that will fetch a fine price at market. 

Analysis:

Okay, that was the longest combat I’ve run, and also the most number intensive. Both the hero and the monster had a number of different triggered abilities, so every round required multiple checks and moving numbers around. It was a little too much (but I am tired today, so that isn’t helping - I forgot he had the haste gloves and had him drink a haste potion in round one… then after I had finished round two, I realized he had the gloves and never would have drank that potion, so I had to re-test rounds 1 and 2… don’t play test when sleepy, kids). All that said, this is the most trigger-happy class against the most trigger-happy monster I have so far, so this is the limit of how far the game might go in terms of tracking lots of fiddly bits. It’s still not BAD, but it was a bit much for me. What should be a strategic choice (where to put that advantage bonus) wasn’t because of the foe; her Defend being two points higher than her Attack, and the fact that he had two attacks per round but only had to Defend once, meant that it was obvious where that advantage should go. I would expect that in a combat where things are going south, or where there are multiple foes attacking at once, you’d be more inclined to beef up Defend for a round or two as you get your bearings and bought time. 

Her attack of 10 and his Defend of +3 means that a natural roll of 7 (the most likely outcome) will defend; so he has pretty good odds of defending without advantage. Conversely, her Defend of 12 against his attack of +3 means that he needs a 9 on the die to hit; that two point difference is HUGE. I think I am going to bump her Defend down to 11 in the rules. It’s still formidable, but not quite as overwhelming as it is now.

That said, I like the rogue's ability, and it's a bit different, but it's not the class I'd want to play as my main. Then again, I've never really gravitated to rogues/assassins/thieves anyway, so that's nothing new.

Finally, the Medusa's gaze works well enough. I don't love it; I think that maybe if you botch your Focus check, then you are turned to stone immediately; again, it's an instant kill that I'm trying to avoid with this game, but she is a flippin' medusa after all. I'll mull that one over a bit, but as is the ability works.

Resolute Class Roundup

 Here's what I have so far... I decided to toss the idea of 'balance' out the window in terms of classes; there are three classes for Attack, but only two each for Defense and Focus, for seven total classes; I was trying to get to three each, but the third in each one ended up being pretty lame, and overlapping with another. So, I have accepted that seven it might be

For Attack (Attack as the tagged trait)

¨      Archer. When your Attack result is 13+ with a ranged weapon, you immediately attempt another Attack on the same action. That second attack cannot trigger this effect again.

¨      Mercenary. Any time your Attack result is 13+ with a melee attack, you deal 2 damage instead of 1.

¨      Savage. At will, add +1 to the damage you deal on a successful melee attack. There is a 3 in 6 chance you also suffer 1 damage.

I have play-tested all three, and all three are a lot of fun (IMHO). The Mercenary is your meat-and-potatoes fighter, while the other two are nifty alternate fighter types.

For Defense (Defense as the tagged trait)

¨      Guardian. On a Defend result of 13+ in combat, you receive a free Attack attempt against that foe.

¨      Paladin. On a Defend result of 13+ in combat, you can choose to either recover 1 Resolve point or receive advantage on your next Attack. 

I have play tested the Guardian, but not the Paladin. That is actually the class I am most interested in trying... I know that the Paladin might kill things slowly, but I also see that the Paladin is the hardest to kill. That is the one that would be the game on 'easy mode'... yeah, it might take a while to kill stuff, but you are going to have a way to continually rebuild your Resolve over the course of a battle. You're still not getting the heavy hits of the archer, savage, or mercenary, but you are really, really durable. Plus, I like the tactical options the class has built in. My first draft had a healer class (a la Cleric), but once I changed to a solo game system, that class didn't really fit. Its primary thing is in support - healing and buffing others; when there's nobody else to heal, there's no need for a dedicated team healer. There would be NPC healers, but as a PC? Meh.

For Focus (Focus as the tagged trait)

¨      Mage. As a mage, you are able to cast magical spells. See page 7.

That one is solid. I like the magic system, and I keep adding new spells to the list; I'm up to 15 spells. I'm going for high utility as much as possible. I've also added an option for a wizard's blade; you carry a specially-enchanted blade that attacks using Focus instead of casting an arcane or elemental dart spell; this allows for the elfin champion class I wanted. You don't get to cast the basic 'magic missile' spell every round, but you do get a nifty little sword you swing around instead, so that's something. I almost think that Galdalf would be a wizard's blade sort; he ends up swinging that sword as much as casting spells.

And for the final class... Ugh. Here are some options:

¨      Assassin. You are able to leverage a variety of skills including moving with stealth, picking locks, and climbing walls. When you attempt surprise (next page), attack with Focus in place of Attack; deal 2 damage as a base, 3 damage if your Focus result is 13+.

¨      Hunter. You can interact with the natural world in deep and significant ways. You can forage for food, hunt creatures, follow trails, identify plants and animals, and intuit direction in the wild. You always win initiative.

¨      Rogue. You are able to leverage a variety of skills including moving with stealth, picking locks, and climbing walls. As a rogue, you attempt two actions per round in combat. With your first, attempt Focus against any ability other than Resolve; if successful, you force -1 to that ability for the rest of the turn. The effect is cumulative. You then attempt a second action, a standard attack with your primary weapon. Note: If hasted, you get a second Attack, but do not attempt a second Focus check. An enemy will surrender or flee if any ability other than Resolve reaches 0.   

So, the Hunter is pretty clearly the weakest of the three options; in addition, it doesn't thematically fit as well; you need a rogue or assassin class (some sneaky dude who can pick locks and stuff)... but I don't want to get into the 'just use Focus in place of Attack' for every action, because then it's just attack under a different label. It's not any different; it's just a shell game. The assassin gets a nice hit to start combat (only if surprise works) and then is pretty mediocre for the rest of combat. Against weaker foes, that is going to be a good ability; once a foe has Resolve 6+, it's going to get more difficult to sustain a fight because you have no tactical options left... the Rogue is more interesting (you are actually doing 'damage' to things other than Resolve) but it's basically going to make combat last a long, long time... maybe simplify it a little. How about this?

As a rogue, you always win initiative (so that's nice). Start every round with a Focus check (DT 13); if successful; you may have advantage on either Attack or Defend for that entire round (your choice). This is tactical (you choose where to be more aggressive or safe each round you are successful); I really like the IDEA of wearing down something other than Resolve, but the practicality of wearing down multiple traits over time just seems like a bit of a slog and could become a book keeping chore (okay... first hobgoblin has lost 2 Attack, the second has lost 1 point of Defense and 1 Focus, and the third has lost 2 Resolve)...   

 

One More Play Test: The Stoutling and the Ogre

I’m curious about a hobbit type against a big ogre… so let’s do that!

Roderick the Notable Stoutfellow Guardian (Renown 1)

Attack +4 | Defense +4 | Focus +0 | Resolve 4

Relic: The Dagger of Amu Sing (+1 to Attack and Defense)

On a Defense of 13+ in combat, Roderick receives a free immediate attack.

Ogre Brute

(Dire 2) Attack 11 | Defend 8 | Focus 7 | Resolve 10

On a Defense result of 6 or less (or a natural 2), an Ogre’s club deals 2 damage. It has no ranged attack.

This 10’ giant-kin can take a beating! 

Okay… I have put my little fellow up against an ogre that is one level higher, so he SHOULD lose this fight… but I really like his ability, and I think it might be the game-changer. Let’s see!

Roderick happens upon the lair of a hungry ogre as he wanders an ancient ruin. His offer to make the Ogre dinner is rejected, and the Ogre decides that Roderick himself would make a nice dinner. It’s initiative!

Roderick rolls 7 against the Ogre’s 7! Hah. Take that you big brute! Okay.. Roderick tries to poke it with his dagger, getting 11. He hits for 1 damage, and the Ogre is at Resolve 9. The Ogre attacks, but Roderick gets 14, triggering his ability; on his free attack, he gets 11, dealing 1 more point of damage, leaving the Ogre at Resolve 8. The Ogre is angry that this little creature keeps poking him.

Round 2. Roderick attacks again, getting 11, so he hits for 1. The Ogre attacks, and Roderick rolls 12, so he dodges (barely) but does not get a free attack. The Ogre is at Resolve 7, and several stones have been broken by his mighty swings, but the little Stoutfellow is unaffected.

Round 3. Roderick attacks, getting a natural 2. Ugh. He has disadvantage on his next check, so this cancels out his advantage on his Defense, which doth much sucketh. On his defense, he rolls 7, which really really really stinks. But not as bad as a 6… Roderick suffers 1 damage, and is at Resolve 3.

Round 4 - More pokey poke. He attacks and gets 10. That hits for 1 damage. He attempts to dodge the Ogre’s strike, and rolls 13, which triggers his ability; he hits with a 10, dealing another point of damage. The Ogre is at Resolve 5.

Round 5. Roderick will stab the Ogre… because that’s what he does. He rolls 9 and deals 1 wound. The Ogre attacks, and Roderick rolls 8. He gets smacked with the side of the club, and is at Resolve 2. The Ogre is at Resolve 4.

Round 6. Roderick stabs again, getting 11, so he hits. To Defend, he rolls 15, triggering his ability; he attacks again and gets 15, so he deals another point of damage; Roderick and the Ogre are both at Resolve 2.

Round 7. Roderick pokes away, getting 11, so he deals 1 wound. To defend, he rolls 11 as well, so does not trigger his ability. He still has his 1 point of renown, but that would not be enough to bump this up, so he accepts that he has dealt 1 wound, and the Ogre is at Resolve 1.

Round 8. Roderick really stabs good this time, or at least tries, but gets an 8. That is enough to drop the Ogre to Resolve 0; the Ogre collapses from a thousand papercuts, falling backward into a pile of brush.

Analysis:

This went rather as expected; the little, quick guy who is good at dodging was able to dodge a lot. That he can turn defense into attack is a pretty nifty ability; he does not win fights quickly (as you can see), but he’s a very efficient character. I think that a guardian is the ‘safe’ character to play; you are going to have high survivability. It’s not particularly glamorous, but it’s a solid character build. Most importantly from my point of view, the play experience has been quite different between the four characters I’ve tested so far. Each has a different fundamental vibe. This felt like a little hobbit ducking between the knees of an Ogre and poking at his calves as he runs by.

By the way, I keep play testing in large part because it's fun to stat up characters. Character creation takes about three minutes, but you have a few decisions with point allocation, and that's it. However, I like that I keep getting different builds, and part of the fun is interpreting how the stats 'look' in a living character. What does that Defense +4 mean for THIS guy?

Also by the way, players characters are often going to have potions or scrolls at hand that will make significant changes to play, so I expect that player characters are going to be a bit more powerful than the samples have been; if Roderick popped a potion of heroism (granting advantage on all combat checks) or decided to quaff a potion of healing (restoring 2 wounds) - or went with a potion that gave the haste that I've been testing a lot - this fight would have been over much sooner.

Teothas the Archer vs. Some Hobgoblins

Let’s try a different play test just to see how it goes… I may as well stat up this elf, since he seems pretty cool.

Teothas, Heroic Frost Elf Archer (Renown 2)

Attack +4 | Defend +3 | Focus +2 | Resolve 3

Relics: 

Gauntlets of Quickness (permanent haste)

Bow of the Scout Captain (+1 Attack and +1 Focus)

As an archer, Teothas may attempt an immediate second attack on an attack result of 13+.

Hobgoblin Mercenary

(Rabble 0) Attack 8 | Defend 8 | Focus 8 | Resolve 3

If you roll 4 or less on your attack roll, the hobgoblin gets a free sneak attack against you. Attempt an immediate Defend against attack 8 or you suffer 1 damage. They attack with an axe (in melee) or a longbow (to medium range).

These larger, meaner goblins often lead groups of goblins into combat.

Teothas has some trouble afoot; a patrol of hobgoblins is moving through his lands, and he decides to engage them; there are five of them. This should be a tough battle, but he does bear the gauntlets of quickness and the bow of the scout captain… we’ll see… I think he would easily cut through lots of goblins (since they have Resolve 1), but the hobgoblins are going to be much tougher… he won’t be one-shotting these.

Initiative. Teothas rolls 10, so he gets initiative. He attacks twice, getting 10 and 13, so he triggers a bonus attack, getting 14. He fires three arrows into the lead hobgoblin, killing him. Four remain. The four hobgoblins engage. Two are in melee range with axes, and two are attacking with bows. He has to Defend against four attacks at 8. He rolls 7, 9, 9, and 12. He gets hit once, and is down to Resolve 2. I didn’t put any extra points there (he started with 3 as an elf), so he’s extra special squishy. 

Round 2. Teothas attacks twice, getting 12 and 11. Drat. He hits twice, but doesn’t trigger his ability with either attack. He tries to evade four hobgoblin attacks, and gets 11, 9, 6 (ugh) and 8 (whew). He suffers another hit, and would be down to Resolve 1. He’s going to use his 2 points here from Renown 2 to bump that 6 to an 8, so he evades all four. Four hobgoblins remain, and one is at Resolve 1.

Round 3. Teo attacks twice, getting a natural 12 on the first die (sweeeet) and 13 on the second. He deals 3 damage, and triggers his ability twice. For the second set of attacks, he rolls 14 and 13. He sadly cannot trigger that ability again with the free attacks (or he’d just be peppering with arrows all day), but as is he has dealt 5 wounds in one round; he finishes the hobgoblin he had injured, kills another, and wounds a third; there are now only two hobgoblins remaining, and one has Resolve 2. The two hobgoblins attack, but Teothas rolls 11 and 8 (hah!), dodging both attacks. 

Round 4. Teothas rolls 11 and 13, so he triggers his ability once; he gets 11 with that attack. He deals 3 wounds, so he kills the fresh hobgoblin; only a wounded archer remains, and they are shooting at each other from (rolls dice) 40’ apart. The hobgoblin fires and arrow, and Teo rolls 12, dodging quite easily.

Round 5. Teothas attacks twice, getting 13 and 15, so he triggers his ability twice; for the second attack, he rolls 11 and 13. He hits four times, for 4 points of damage. He decides to use these attacks to disarm the hobgoblin and pin him to a tree… as Teothas steps over the dead bodies of his friends (who are riddled with arrows), he starts to ask who keeps sending them into elfin lands… and why…

Analysis

Buh dang. I instinctively felt like this was a good challenge (two characters of one renown are equal to one character of the next renown up, so four hobgoblins would have been an ‘even’ fight; five was a little tough on paper). It turned out to be. Again, my hero was down to Resolve 1 at the end of the fight. For some context, I would expect he’d have similar results against about 8-10 burrow goblins. He’d be trying to evade attacks of 7, meaning that he’d need a 4 or better on the dice to evade; he’d have about a 90% chance of evading each attack, and he’d be killing at least two per round (often 3 or 4) because they have Resolve 1... so he’d do well.

This FELT like Legolas vs. a bunch of Orcs. He’s firing mad numbers of arrows, and I keep hoping his ability will trigger; that round where he rolled a natural 12 and triggered his ability was pretty sweet; he basically puts an arrow through the head of one hobgoblin, and then peppers two more. That’s totally Legolas.  

The three heroes I’ve played so far all ‘feel’ different. They provide a different play experience and mechanically have interesting things happening.

Barbarian vs. Sorcerer Play Test

Gordak the Barbarian has finally hunted down the False Philosopher King, who has been building an army by claiming he is one of the Philosopher Kings of old returned from the beyond. This is not going to help Gordak's trust issues with sorcerers...

Gordak the Barbarian (Human Legendary Savage 4)

Attack +6 | Defense +3 | Focus +1 | Resolve 9

As a savage, Gordak can elect to add 1 point of damage to any attack; there is a 3 in 6 chance he also sustains 1 wound.

Wields the following artifacts:

The Axe of Carnage (deals 2 base damage)

The Cloak of Vigilance (+1 to both Defense and Focus)

The Gauntlets of Uk Anok (+1 to Attack and Resolve)

The Girdle of the Stone Giant Jarl (+1 to Attack and Defense)

False Philosopher King (Human Legendary Foe 4)

Attack 10 | Defense 13 | Focus 13 | Resolve 10 

In the first round, he will cast Haste

Each round thereafter, he attacks with a necrotic dart with his first action, and one of these spells with his second (Roll 1D6). He has four uses of special spells before he uses the necrotic dart exclusively throughout the combat.

1-4 Necrotic Bolt (Deals 2 damage; 3 on a Defense check of 7 or less)

5-6 Stun (lose 1 round on a failed Defense check CR 13)

Gordak has infiltrated the False King’s inner circle; he reveals himself during a ritual, throwing off his cloak. The King’s minions flee, recognizing Gordak’s Axe and cowering at his name. The False Philosopher King laughs, welcoming this opportunity to let the world know that his power is unparalleled. Gordak rolls 8 for initiative (ouch) and loses. In round 1, the False King activates haste while Gordak charges across the chamber. 

Round 2. FPK (I’ll use that as his abbreviation for now) uses his necrotic dart and necrotic bolt. Against these Gordy rolls 14 and 12, respectively; he suffers 2 wounds from the bolt, and is down to Resolve 7. Gordak swings his mighty axe, getting 15 and dealing 2 damage. He will add a point to get to 3, leaving the FPK at Resolve 7. Gord rolls a 3, and sustains 1 point himself, down to Resolve 6.

Round 3. FPK uses necrotic dart and bolt again. Gordy rolls 10 and 13. He only gets hit by the dart for 1 point, leaving him at Resolve 5. He swings his axe again, getting 17 and dealing 2 wounds. He again adds a wound, leaving the FPK at Resolve 4. Gord again suffers 1 wound, leaving him at Resolve 4. 

Round 4. FPK uses stun this time, so goes stun first, then dart; against the stun, Gord rolls 11, so he uses his +4 from being a legend (that status pays off) to shrug off the stun. Against the dart, he rolls 8. He suffers 1 wound, and is at Resolve 3. He swings his axe, getting 17 again (he’s rolling well), and deals 2 damage, leaving the FPK at Resolve 2. He is going to hold back on the Savage gift, since that has a 50/50 chance of leaving him woefully unprepared for the next round…

Round 5. FPK is out of special spells (that might be the difference here), and uses 2 necrotic darts. If he could stun, he would win… as is? Gordy rolls two Defenses, getting 11 and 12; he gets hit twice, and is down to Resolve 1. Glad he didn’t use that ability… he’d be defeated right now if he rolled poorly. Gord gets to attack, rolling 12 and 14. FPK has a defense of 12, so he only hits once! Dang… he deals 2 wounds, leaving the FPK at Resolve 1. Okay… if he waits until the end of next round, there’s a good chance that he has suffered the final wound and is defeated; if he goes for it now with his special ability, there is a 50/50 chance they both fall. He goes for it, adding 1 point and lopping the head off of the False Philosopher King. He rolls and gets a 6! He falls to his knees, exhausted, with Resolve 1 remaining, and the warm blood of the fallen False Philosopher King pools at his knees.

Analysis

Again, this was a good fight that went down to the wire. The numbers still scale nicely; it feels like the dice matter, and a few points in either direction make the difference. 

Building an NPC is different from a hero… for example, the False Philosopher King’s Focus would be +6 as a hero, which is the equivalent of 12… however, he would also have advantage, so bumping it to 13 seemed to be a reasonable compromise on that. I feel like a few points were wasted on attack, since he would never invest those points as a hero, but I also need to distribute points somewhere, and 13 seems pretty good. Resolve of 10 is huge, and I cannot justify going any higher than that with him.

Creative Problem Solving

The way that the Resolve ability has been re-framed as a broader sense of health, spirit, willpower, and overall 'fight' you have left has given me more wiggle room to use it mechanically. Furthermore, the knowledge that the game is built for solo play means that I have to work on some monster abilities to make them more appropriate. For example, let's look at a Medusa's glare.

Normally, this is a one-roll thing; you fail your check, you are turned to stone. However, that's no fun in a solo game, and it's not really that simple - every round, the medusa wears down your resolve and willpower, tempting you to look into her eyes; every time her voice gets into your head a little bit, you lose a point of Resolve. If you get to Resolve 0, you make eye contact with her - just for a second - and are turned to stone. It fundamentally changes the way that an encounter looks and feels with the medusa.

By the way, that's the big thing I'm working on with monsters - each one has one ability that makes combat with that creature different from others. Battling an ogre and a cyclops should feel different, even though both are big, strong, dumb brutes that live in the hills. 

Here's the draft of how the Medusa's glare works in the rules:

Every round, you must check Focus (CR 11) on your action, before you attack. If failed, you suffer 1 damage as you edge closer to looking at the Medusa. When you reach Resolve 0, you make eye contact with the Medusa and are turned to stone. Use the solitaire framework to determine whether or not you are ever freed; it will be at least 1D6 years (if ever) before another hero slays this Medusa, and there is no guarantee that your statue form will remain unbroken at that time. 

Spot Art: An Elfin Archer

I want to play this character. 

That is all.