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First: thanks to everyone who has viewed, commented and used the worldbreaker cooncept in your games. It’s always awesome when one can develop something that inspires with both practical and creative matters. There’s been a ton of great stuff that I’ve seen using the Worldbreaker rules and probably even greater stuff that I haven’t seen. Thanks again! Your help allows this concept to develop into something even cooler than it started as.

I want to specifically thank Thadeous Cooper, Evan Bailey, and our very own Jeff Greiner for shaaring specific playtest info with me. Each has given great and specific playtest  demonstrating the promise and flaws of the system. thanks to Sly Flourish for the Brutal Shakeoff ability of his that I incorporated into the design. Thanks everyone for your help!

On to business.

Design Notes

Players need some better way to fight back or react against the worldbreaker mechanic. The transformation of the worked was generally well-received. “Cool!” players would say. “What do we get do?”

“well, you’re blinded.”

“….”

“and Bilfaaz has disappeared…”

“…”

Players want an opportunity to fight back, to counter this huge event that occurs around them. Worldbreakers need more interaction, so I created an opening sequence. The opening sequence introduces the wordlbreaker effect, and also presents a mini skill challenge where characters can make skill checks or use abilities to ready themselves against the worldbreaker solo’s ability.

Here’s an example with Bilfaaz:  On the opening of Winter’s Fury the players can now make skill checks that give them bonus against the white dragon’s abilities,reducing the sight penalties or supplying bonuses against his minions. In general, each worldbreaker should have at least 3-4 skill checks that players can make in the first round after it triggers.

The next huge big issue is timing. People interpreted the timing differently than I meant, which meant I need to use more strict language. The intention is to have the timer start after the power deactivated, but reads, I realize now, as the timer starts at the same time the power triggers.

It’s important that there be a predictable rhythm, If players know that every three turns that worldbreaker can come out, You better believe that they are going to do some crazy stuff during the countdown. You can also set up triggers and conditions in the fight that let them delay the timer, so they can get more control over it if they want.

These are the two big issues that came up and I have addressed. The revised template awaits below. Tell me what you think!

Worldbreakers

A Worldbreaker Solo has powers with the worldbreaker keyword.

Worldbreaker

Whenever a power with that Keyword is used, all negative status effects and cownditions that require a save are removed. A creature with a worldbreaker power can always spend an action to trigger a worldbreaker power, even if they could not otherwise take an action. During a worldbreaker, the activating creature can remove any effect that a save can end by taking damage equal to 5 + half the creature’s level as a free action.

The numbers that appear in ‘x/y’ format after a worldbreaker power represents how many rounds until the power can be activated (‘x’) and how long the worldbreaker effect lasts after it triggers (‘y’) . The activation timer does not begin until the the round following the last duration round. A solo with a Worldbreaker 2/3 power cannot activate the power until the third round of the combat. The power will last until the fifth turn and at the start of the sixth the timer will start. The power cannot be activated until the eighth round.

Each worldbreaker has an opening and an effect. The opening lists skills that player characters can use as immediate reactions to the triggering of the power. Successful skill checks grant bonuses to the character until the worldbreaker effect ends.

The effect of the worldbreaker power affects the entire map unless stated otherwise and lasts for the duration of the power.

Worldbreaker attacks and worldbreaker summons can only be activated during a worldbreaker.

Worldbreaker Creatures Revisited

Bilfaaz

Bilfaaz has seen many tweaks: Winter’s fury has been muted so that it provides superior cover rather than blindness.  The opening of Winter’s Fury gives the PCs a chance to react and blunt some of the effects of  blizzard.  It’s still a pretty solid effect, but can now be planned for and mitigated.  One thing to mention is that I can’t give every possible skill that could be used in the statblock.  I encourage you and your players to get creative at the opening of Winter’s Fury.  Do you have a fire mage?  What if he expends a fire-based encounter or daily too lower the duration of Winter’s Fury?  There are a lot of possibilites that can’t make it into that statblock, but stay flexible!

I’ve decided to give Thrune the boot and focus on Bilfaaz right now.  Focusing on one model allows me to focus and redesign faster than focusing on multiple monsters.  Once I solidify and test Bilfaaz, expect  many more worldbreaker solos to fly out the pipe!

Here he goes!

What do you think of Bilfaaz 2.0? And yes, the statblock is huge.

Calling all Worldbreakers

There are great worldbreaker creations out there!    I want to create an index of all the worldbreaker creations people have made.  Interested?  Either use our contact form, or contact me on Twitter with a link to your work and some sort of description.

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