Opportuntity Actions: Tarrasque Workshop #2 – Retooling

 
We’ve explored the concept of playing the Tarrasque at its proper size. Now it’s time to play with it’s stat block. People know the Tarrasque; they know it’s capabilities, its strengths and weaknesses, and what it can do to the unwary. This is where DMs step in, turning over expectations, keeping players always on their toes.

We are going to discuss some of the ways a Tarrasque can be altered to make it more accessable, just a little more unfamiliar, quite a bit scarier, and generally a menace in your campaign.  Hopefully, you can take these ideas, work them into your campaign, or, even better, come up with some ideas of your own to make good old “Rasque-o P. Cole-Tarra” (hey, they can’t *all* be brilliant euphemisms) even more the stuff of legend.

*Important Note: Keep some of these in mind. Later, I’ll be working a campaign arc and encounters featuring some of these variations.

The Stat Block

I mentioned in the last post that the stat block needn’t be fooled with in order to boost The Tarrasque’s size. This is true, but the whole thing does work a lot better if you do.  For starters, distances for many things can be increased.  For any of its powers, I doubled the range.  This may seem heavy, and may run the risk of breaking encounters, but if a 70 foot tall creature can only swing its tail 15 feet, we’re looking at a sorry monster.  After that, mess with his aura so that the distance is 70 feet.

After that, before we fiddle with the creature, we need a base to work from. This base profile will be the model after which all these alternate versions are made. Turn to the DMG, page 185, where we’ll strip the Tarrasque down to a basic Brute, and mess with it. Go backwards through the directions for Solos, and we’ll have our base:

1. Fury of the Tarrasque: eliminate the bite, and split it into two attacks. The two powers are then just standard recharge 5s.
2. Trample becomes an encounter power.
3. Frenzy becomes a recharge 5 as it is intended to replace Fury of the Tarrasque.
4. Get rid of its Action Points.
5. Remove the saving throw bonus.
6. Adjust Defenses down.
7. Adjust HP to 346.

There. A basic, non-solo Tarrasque at level 30. Now we can start having fun with it…

The Rasqueling

Ever wonder what a baby Tarrasque might be like? I imagine it would be a nasty critter to face off against, most importantly because I imagine defeating it would actually be the last thing anyone would want.

Let me explain. Perhaps the Tarrasque is a creature that goes through several growth stages. Among them is the immature Tarrasque, or the Rasqueling. Not nearly as powerful as a full-grown Tarrasque, because it’s learning. Learning how to hunt, how to kill, etc. When it’s defeated, it burrows into the ground, causing a sudden and devastating earthquake. It is here, powered by the heat of the deep Earth (or wherever), fed by the bodies of those it has consumed (or maybe it burrows into a cemetery… Maybe THAT started the custom of burying the dead to keep it away… Oh, great, I’m getting ahead of myself again), that it develops into a true Tarrasque, as none could forsee.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Lower its level to 15, and make it an Elite. We want it at mid-paragon, so the PCs can easily defeat it, and we can field it with additional monsters for a more dynamic encounter. Adjust HP, Defenses, Action Points, etc. accordingly.
2. Remove Rending Bite. Of the two recharge powers, I think Tail Slap is just going to make for a more entertaining encounter.
3. Add a little edit to Eternal Slumber:  This is just a fun little FU to the PCs that take it down, and connect it to a story element. When the Rasqueling hits 0 HP, it lets out an earthquake that’s close burst 20, +16 v. Ref, for 4d6+6, and target is knocked prone. This could have a couple of unfortunate results:
   • One or more casualties.  It’ll suck, but at levels where this stuff happens, there’s usually an out for the victim. Maybe they can be revived, or this can give them an opportunity to go for that rebuild they’ve been wanting to try.
   • Total Party Kill. If they get incredibly unlucky, this could be a wipe. Standard rules apply.

So, there’s your Rasqueling.  Have fun!

The Pyrasque

Just when your PCs thought things couldn’t get any worse, a gigantic pillar of flame burst up from the ground, scorching everything in sight. If they look closely enough, they may just discover that there’s something inside all that. A beast consumed by the flames, and yet not itself burning is stomping around within this massive inferno. It is the dreaded Pyrasque.

This critter is based on one of the basic concepts of storytelling: Chase your hero up a tree, then throw rocks at him. In this case, we’re setting that tree (and subsequently, the village) on fire.

The How-To

1. Grab the basic Tarrasque (see above).
2. Open your trusty DMG to the section on Templates.
3. (Monster Builder does not currently support Templates.  That’s fine. Just follow the rules in the DMG for adding templates, ans the math will work out.)
4. We’re going to apply the Scion of the Flame template, making the Tarrasque a creature of Fire. (Alternatively, you can use the Frost Adept to make, say, a Cryorasque, or just change keywords to skin it any way you want.)
5. Now it’s an Elite, so follow the p.185 rules to jack it up to a Solo.

If you want your players to question you’re sanity, you need go no further than the Pyrasque. Well, there is one more move you can make to ensure they know your unhinged…

The Doubler Tarrasque

When Demogorgon wants to break things (which is often), he/she/it/whatever doesn’t do it small. Enter the Doubler Tarrasque. The picture here is disgusting. Two heads, each ready to lay waste, along with an attitude that picks up when things go south.

You really don’t need too much description here. It’s a two-headed Tarrasque that’s not only a destructive force, but also a bit insane(er?).

If you really want it, here’s what you do:

The “Mysterious Boulder”

The Tarrasque, as we know, is covered in a hard, bony shell. Perhaps one of the earliest stages of Tarrasque development is a giant egg with a chitinous shell. When it hatches, the eggshell becomes a part of the creature, extremely tough, but the Tarrasque itself is just newly born. This could be more a plot device than an actual combat, but the idea of something that appears to be a giant rock unexpextedly emerging in the center of a town or somewhere nearby is a great hook. It could kick off an entire campaign (which it will, as we’ll see).

Conclusions

So there you have it.  Four new brands of Tarrasque, each bringing their own flavor to the game. I’d love to hear what you think.  Let me know!

 Links (Updated 11/4/10)

• Tarrasque Workshop #1 – How Big is the Tarrasque?
• Tarrasque Workshop #3 – Campaign Design
• SlyFlourish has has posted a great examination of the Tarrasque over at his site. Check out “Pimp My Tarrasque“!