Sky Joust! The stairs ascend to a decked room with long scuff marks along the floor. A metal door is on the other side. Nearby, a large lever in the wall is pushed to its up position. The entire ceiling is comprised of two copper doors.
RoomDCC 72 · p.28
Open source p.28Area 6 – Sky Joust! The stairs ascend to a decked room with long scuff marks along the floor. A metal door is on the other side. Nearby, a large lever in the wall is pushed to its up position. The entire ceiling is comprised of two copper doors.
If the PCs pull the lever down, the doors in the ship’s roof open. Read the following.
The ceiling’s doors open, revealing a sky filled with orangeskinned warriors. Some fly with large metallic wings, others straddle handled flying vehicles. All have brass-tubed devices pointed at you. An authoritative-looking man swoops down, followed by a wingless younger woman riding one of the flying machines. The man says, “I am Nazyd. You are trespassing on one of our vessels. Since you arrived before we, sky-pirate law dictates that either my army fights yours, or we each choose a champion to joust for the rights to the wreckage. I choose my daughter, Nedra, who will certainly earn her wings by defeating you. You may, of course, surrender.”
These Tahlmohlian sky-pirates are investigating their comrades’ distress beacon. It should be obvious to the PCs that they have no hope of defeating the army that vastly outnumbers and outguns them (literally!). Consequently, stat blocks for the sky-pirates are not provided. If the party chooses to flee, the pirate’s gunmen wait one round, then target and kill 1 PC (choose randomly); they let the others escape. The best choice for the party is to joust for rights to the wreckage. Nazyd allows the party’s elected champion to use a spare skycycle (“handled flying vehicle”). He provides a laser-lance, and a shield if the champion lacks one. The skycycle follows telepathic commands and is easy for the PC to operate. However, Nazyd can mentally override the skycycle, should the champion use it beyond the contest’s scope.
Nedra: Init ; Atk laser-lance + melee (+deed); AC 16; HD ; hp 20; MV 30’; Act ; SP deed die for Sky Joust Deed table, crits use /III; SV Fort , Ref , Will ; AL L.
Sky Joust Rules: Use the following rules to run a sky joust against the sky-pirates.
• Contestants perform successive passes until someone yields, falls unconscious, or dies.
• Initiative is rolled for each pass.
• Damage for the laser-lances is .
• Those trained with the lance or spear make a attack per pass, with a bonus to hit for each additional action die beyond the first, excluding off-hand attacks. Those untrained (thieves, wizards, etc.) use a (merciful judges may increase this to a for parties lacking someone with training).
• Dwarves may shield bash during the same pass as their lance attack.
• A skycycle flies with MV 60’, but can “charge” at MV 120’. A charging contestant must declare intent to charge at the beginning of the pass. He gains to hit and does double damage, but his opponent gains +2d to hit him for that pass, regardless of initiative order.
• The judge is encouraged to use the Sky Joust Mighty Deed table (see following page).
• A contestant may cast a spell only during a pass, but suffers a -2d spell check penalty due to having to fly the skycycle.
• Although assisting a contestant is forbidden, a halfling’s Luck sharing is undetectable.
• (Optional): If three consecutive passes have no hits, then Nazyd “amplifies” laser-lances to provide a +1d attack bonus for both contestants.
If Nedra loses, Nazyd gives the champion the metallic wings she would have won. If the PCs have acted honorably, the leader warns them that wing self-installation can be fatal for those with weak constitutions. If the wings are placed against a shirtless PC’s back, they install themselves over three rounds. Each round, the PC must make a Fortitude save or take damage.
Round 1: DC 12 or damage
Round 2: DC 14 or damage
Round 3: DC 16 or damage
A cleric assisting a round’s “surgery” bestows a +1d bonus to the PC’s saving throws, though that particular cleric may not do anything else (like lay on hands) for that round. Metallic wings are permanently attached. The PC’s backside is AC 11, but she may not wear any armor that covers her back. She flies at MV 20’, and may carry up to 300 pounds of additional weight at half speed.
If the party is victorious, then sky-pirate law dictates that Nazyd must relinquish the ship’s wreckage to them; he and his army leave the party to their looting. However, PCs may ask him questions about the vessel; he truthfully answers what he can (judge’s discretion). If the party’s champion is defeated, then Nazyd allows the PCs to leave in peace, as long as they immediately disembark and surrender any of the ship’s loot they’ve plundered. Alternatively, the victorious Nedra may demand that the party serve her for a certain period of time; this allows the judge to transport the party to new realms, devise “escape” adventures, etc.