The Shoot Out At Tumbledown - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Shoot Out At Tumbledown

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
sptjanly
Jan 15, 2008 22:56:41 I love the stories of the old western shoot outs between the posse of lawmen and the ruthless gang of outlaws. RL isn't quite to that area yet, but I would imagine there was some epic shoot-outs in our history at the dawn of firearm technology with the same cast of adversaries minus the six shooter, repeating rifle and the shotgun.

I was looking over the Gazetteer III in the Mordent chapter on page 80 and found the perfect setting for such a battle. The town of Tumbledown is an excellent spot for outlaws when they want to be in a environment where people just doesn't ask questions.

To set the stage for such an adventure you would have to make sure your players are up for a fast paced world where the gun is beginning to replace the sword and the foes they will face are deadly shots that will tear down any that stand against them with out a second thought. In addition magic will never be pushed into the background of the gun and they go together like a hand and glove (A wizard or sorcerer/fighter,rogue or ranger gunman is just sick.) These factors will make these smoke filled (Yes, smokeless gun powder hasn't been invented. The battlefield will be covered in a thick cloud after a few shots.), very loud and completely chaotic fights something of legend for the years to come in RL.

You might ask, why not just use MotRD to satisfy such a need for a genre styled combat? You could and have a lot more fun with with all the toys that RL lacks, but since there is a shift in warfare styles on the horizon in the northwest section of the core it could be an exciting change of pace to the shining plate wearing and sword swinging classic styles of D and D.

This is what I had in mind.

The players could get involved with a posse being rounded up by Sir Samuel Cosse human male Ftr6/Rog2/Lpl 9, who is the head of the famous Mordent Lamplighters and his most trusted man and his friend Sheriff Own Finhallen human male Ftr9/Lpl or they could join the ranks of the Grave Shot Gang headed by the infamous couple Isaac "Gut Shot" Laydon human male Ftr7/Pis10 and Lady Abigail Houlgrave human female Rog8/Ftr7.

Both sides know this encounter will more than likely be the final showdown and have spared nothing in preparation. The posse is in possession of a cannon, but are outnumbered by the Grave Shot gang 2-3 to 1 (As you see fit due to the possibility of militias being called in. They could always be late in arrival on account of harassment in route by the gang's members outside of Tumbledown. The calvary doesn't always come sometimes when the good guys are pinned down.) This isn't meant to be the place where the outlaws ride out in a daring escape, but where they are finally gunned down for all the wrongs they have committed and they know this well. Lord Jules Weathermay has forgone the wanted capture of these villains long ago and wants them dead. To many good men have died in attempts to capture them alive and the recent attempt by the gang to kidnap the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins have been more than enough reason to demand them wanted dead. With this in mind they are going to take down as many people as possible, so the chance for PC death is high.

This could be a build up encounter that has spanned for 2 years while the Grave Shot Gang has rode through the Mordent country side on a spree of murder, robbery, kidnapping, ****, and massive destruction of property. In times past they have occasionally crossed the border into neighboring Invidia to hide out. Some of the members are half-vistani and due to the recent insurrection of the Dukkar Malocchio Aderre, this is no longer an option. The Dukkar's thugs have taken to the policy of crossing into Mordent to hunt vistani blood and now the gang, who is loyal to their vistani members, must keep one step ahead of the these death squads as well as the Mordent local authorities. Malocchio's men have discreetly passed word to Sir Samuel Cosse that they will aid in the capture of the Grave Shot Gang for so called crimes they have committed in Invidia, but he has declined over what he has heard of their extermination practices and has ordered Lamplighters to the border to help refugee vistani come safely into Mordent and combat Aderre's men that hound them.

Behind the scenes Lord Wilfred Godefory, the Dread Lord of Mordent, has made himself the secret patron of the Grave Shot Gang under the guise of a deposed noble. He uses the unknowing Mayor Danniel Foxgrove to pass messages to Isaac and Abigail. The DL's objectives with this gang is to bring lawlessness to the once sleepy Mordent and bring doubt to the rulership of Lord Jules Weathermay. His plan was to have the gang kidnap the twins to draw out Jules into confrontation on his terms, since the ghost has learned of the aging ruler of Mordent's intent to bring down the DL once and for all. Godefory used Lady Houlgraves ambition to rectify the shame that has been brought onto her family's house through her actions by suggesting that the twins could be ransomed for gold, power, and eventually the destruction of the Weathermay house to elevate the Houlgraves in their place. Since the kidnapping attempt has failed, his patience has grown thin with the gang to do the simplest task of abducting the "spoiled little brats" with all the resources he has provided them. He awaits them to be pulled to him soon as ghosts after their now sealed fate and has stayed his hand in protecting the gang any longer from the Lamplighters. Also, while chaos swept through the domain the DL is sweeping up the ghosts of the fallen to serve him in the House on Gryphon Hill.

How the Lamplights have come upon knowledge that the Grave Shot Gang have taken over the small hamlet of Tumble is through the an informant by the name of Langley Westmoore, male half-elf Brd5, who is a journalist for the Mordentshire Sentry (Mordent's first official newspaper.) He has been covering the story of the Gang for two years and has been captured or in the opinion of the gang "become their publicist." They have made sure all he writes about them now includes no indication of their whereabouts and sends the edited work secretly to the newspaper's offices. While no one was watching he worked a spell of sending to the Lamplights and requested his rescue and the location of their current position. If he lives through this encounter he will be on his way to becoming one of the most renowned journalist in the core with the story of this shoot out and his rescue; in addition to adding to the fame of the Lamplighters organization.

The battle itself is confined to such a small community surrounded by swamp, it is a perfect spot for ambushes all the way into the center of of the hamlet. Explosives buried in the muck line the roads and are set off by pressure plates when stepped on. Unmanned and out of control wagons filled with kegs of gun powder and lit fuses are aimed into the posse with reckless intent on take scores of men when they explode. Sharp shooters line the tree, rooftops, and hiding behind windows peppering the lawmen with constant gunfire. Both sides have brought spellcasters to make this already hellish battle even worse with spells flying everwhere. Innocent bystanders have already evacuated the area with word of the coming posse, so all buildings are free game for utter annihilation and room to room battles leaving the floors covered in blood and charred bodies. Most of the buildings have been filled with explosive traps to bring them down on the lawmen when they sweep the houses after the battle has concluded and if the gang looses the upper hand. Hand to hand combat should ensue when combatant's guns fail to fire or are caught loading their firearms. All of the posse are armed with bayonets and are trained to deadly precision on how to use them. Don't be be afraid to take such struggles to kill the opponent through windows, walls, off roofs, brought under heavy crossfire and at the center of spells aimed recklessly. Line of sight and hearing will be heavily impaired the entire time making friendly fire a constant hazzard.

The romance of Isaac and Abigal is a sadistic fantasy where at times it seemed to the couple nothing else exists but each other. They both die a violent end, but in the arms of one another and with their dying breath their passion for one another was true. Two madly in love monsters brought so much destruction to Mordent it defies all logic in the question of why. Isaac leaves a little surprise beneath the floor boards of the house where they make their last stand. Anyone in room will find a note on the floor that reads,

"Death is boundless with our love."

Also, for anyone in the room can make a listen check to hear a faint ticking. Enough explosives connected to a timer line the bottom of the house to take it down and the surrounding ones.

If the party survives they may also be clued into who was actually pulling the strings of the Grave Shot Gang, the conspiracy to overthrow the rulership of Mordent, and eventually the ignorant traitor that among the Weathermay house. This could possibly lead to Danniel Foxgrove being tried and hung as a traitor. In addition to his lands and wealth being seized. Bringing further spotting to the house's already rocky past. All of these pieces will finally bring together the truth about who truly rules the land in Lord Jules Weathermay's mind and he will no longer be able to resist the pull toward the House on Gryphon Hill to fulfill his final destiny and will gladly except the player's help on this final showdown to save not only his dead daughter Alice's soul, but the domain itself.
#2
kwdblade
Jan 16, 2008 18:03:48 That sounds amazing, sPt. I do believe I will use this in my next game, as I have two players who are gunslingers.
#3
highpriestmikhal
Jan 16, 2008 19:11:06 Isaac and Abigail wouldn't happen to be based on Bonnie and Clyde, would they? The story sounds just like theirs.
#4
sptjanly
Jan 17, 2008 3:47:37 Definite influence, but not so much based on. Bonnie Parker was an interesting woman in the prohibition gangster era due to her weapon of choice: the Browning Automatic 30.06 cal. Rifle, in addition to armor piercing bullets. Literally this tiny lady struck fear into the hearts of men she leveled this monster at and was known widely for it.

Some other fictional characters Isaac and Abigail are influenced by are as follows:

Mickey and Mallory from Natural Born Killers

Yolanda and Pumpkin from Pulp Fiction

RL takes a lot of archetypes from popular fiction and history and I noticed there was a lack of rampaging lovers, so I produced Isaac and Abigail.
#5
highpriestmikhal
Jan 17, 2008 13:23:03 Ah, yes. The BAR; the same weapon that ultimately played a role in her and Clyde's demise. That raises another question: how do these folks operate? Are they using single-shot muzzle-loading pistols and muskets once and then going in blades drawn? Or do they carry multiple guns at once?
#6
sptjanly
Jan 18, 2008 15:45:09 People have to get innovative with the problem of single shot firearms. I have a few suggestions.

Use the modern d-20 gun rules making every shot count and deadlier.

Utilize the feat Rapid Reload out of the PHB 3.5 on pg. 99. Since this will reduce the load time to a move action.

Use the ranged weapon enchant Quick-Loading, which acts like the feat mentioned above with the addition of the weapon holding up to 100 shots. This can be found in Magic of Faerun on pg. 140 and is a +2 bonus.

Use spells like Arrow Split which is a Rng3/Asn 3 spell and Doublestrike Arrow which is a
ranger 4 spell. Both of these can be found in Forgotten Realms Champions of Ruin. Modify the spell Unseen Servant which is a Sor/Wiz 1 spell found in the PHB and Mass Unseen servant ( I do not have access to this spell) to load weapons.

Firing lines can be organized to have those in the front shoot and those in the back reload. Switch after each volley.

Modifying fire arms to make double barreled pistols/muskets and even extravagant mechanisms that act as a firing line without the men.

Blunderbusses or as Ash would put it, "Boomstick"

Loot the bodies! Pick up guns as you go from the fallen, they won't need them.

My personal favorite: Gloves of storing that are modified to reload pistols when they are returned to inside of the gloves.

The whole object of the game is to be quick and not dead. I am sure there are more ideas I haven't come up with and your players/ DM will come up with many more things if you put some thought to it.
#7
kwdblade
Jan 18, 2008 16:09:55 My homebrew campaign uses early-era firearms as well, and I use a number of feats from (strangely enough) World of Warcraft. Here are the ones I use.

Close Shot (General)
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Base
Attack Bonus +4
Benefit: While in melee combat, you may fire a ranged weapon without
provoking an attack of opportunity.
Special: Fighters may select Close Shot as a fighter feat.

Lightning Reload (General)
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms)
Benefit: You can reload firearms much faster than normal. You can reload
a firearm that normally takes a standard action with a move action, a
move action with a free action, and a firearm that takes more than 1
round in half that time.
Special: Fighters may select Lightning Reload as a fighter feat.

Pistol Whip (General)
Benefit: You are proficient at using firearms in melee without
damaging them. A firearm used in this fashion deals bludgeoning damage.

Light - Dmg(S)1d3 - Dmg(M) 1d4
One Handed - Dmg(S)1d4 - Dmg(M) 1d6
Two Handed - Dmg(S)1d6 - Dmg(M) 1d8

Special: A fighter may select Pistol Whip as a fighter feat.

Sniper Shot (General)
Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Base Attack Bonus +4
Benefit: You can take a sniper shot as a full round action with any
ranged weapon. The attack's range increases by half, and the weapon
deals an additional +1d6 damage. If you score a critical hit, this
damage is not multiplied.
Special: A fighter may select Sniper Shot as a fighter feat.

Take Aim (General)
Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Base Attack Bonus +8, Sniper Shot
Benefit: In addition to the normal benefits of sniper shot, your
critical threat increases by 4. For example, a human fighter using
take aim with a light crossbow would increase the threat range from
19-20 to 15-20.
Special: A fighter may take Take Aim as a fighter feat.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 sptjanly Jan 15, 2008 22:56:41	I love the stories of the old western shoot outs between the posse of lawmen and the ruthless gang of outlaws. RL isn't quite to that area yet, but I would imagine there was some epic shoot-outs in our history at the dawn of firearm technology with the same cast of adversaries minus the six shooter, repeating rifle and the shotgun. I was looking over the Gazetteer III in the Mordent chapter on page 80 and found the perfect setting for such a battle. The town of Tumbledown is an excellent spot for outlaws when they want to be in a environment where people just doesn't ask questions. To set the stage for such an adventure you would have to make sure your players are up for a fast paced world where the gun is beginning to replace the sword and the foes they will face are deadly shots that will tear down any that stand against them with out a second thought. In addition magic will never be pushed into the background of the gun and they go together like a hand and glove (A wizard or sorcerer/fighter,rogue or ranger gunman is just sick.) These factors will make these smoke filled (Yes, smokeless gun powder hasn't been invented. The battlefield will be covered in a thick cloud after a few shots.), very loud and completely chaotic fights something of legend for the years to come in RL. You might ask, why not just use MotRD to satisfy such a need for a genre styled combat? You could and have a lot more fun with with all the toys that RL lacks, but since there is a shift in warfare styles on the horizon in the northwest section of the core it could be an exciting change of pace to the shining plate wearing and sword swinging classic styles of D and D. This is what I had in mind. The players could get involved with a posse being rounded up by Sir Samuel Cosse human male Ftr6/Rog2/Lpl 9, who is the head of the famous Mordent Lamplighters and his most trusted man and his friend Sheriff Own Finhallen human male Ftr9/Lpl or they could join the ranks of the Grave Shot Gang headed by the infamous couple Isaac "Gut Shot" Laydon human male Ftr7/Pis10 and Lady Abigail Houlgrave human female Rog8/Ftr7. Both sides know this encounter will more than likely be the final showdown and have spared nothing in preparation. The posse is in possession of a cannon, but are outnumbered by the Grave Shot gang 2-3 to 1 (As you see fit due to the possibility of militias being called in. They could always be late in arrival on account of harassment in route by the gang's members outside of Tumbledown. The calvary doesn't always come sometimes when the good guys are pinned down.) This isn't meant to be the place where the outlaws ride out in a daring escape, but where they are finally gunned down for all the wrongs they have committed and they know this well. Lord Jules Weathermay has forgone the wanted capture of these villains long ago and wants them dead. To many good men have died in attempts to capture them alive and the recent attempt by the gang to kidnap the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins have been more than enough reason to demand them wanted dead. With this in mind they are going to take down as many people as possible, so the chance for PC death is high. This could be a build up encounter that has spanned for 2 years while the Grave Shot Gang has rode through the Mordent country side on a spree of murder, robbery, kidnapping, ****, and massive destruction of property. In times past they have occasionally crossed the border into neighboring Invidia to hide out. Some of the members are half-vistani and due to the recent insurrection of the Dukkar Malocchio Aderre, this is no longer an option. The Dukkar's thugs have taken to the policy of crossing into Mordent to hunt vistani blood and now the gang, who is loyal to their vistani members, must keep one step ahead of the these death squads as well as the Mordent local authorities. Malocchio's men have discreetly passed word to Sir Samuel Cosse that they will aid in the capture of the Grave Shot Gang for so called crimes they have committed in Invidia, but he has declined over what he has heard of their extermination practices and has ordered Lamplighters to the border to help refugee vistani come safely into Mordent and combat Aderre's men that hound them. Behind the scenes Lord Wilfred Godefory, the Dread Lord of Mordent, has made himself the secret patron of the Grave Shot Gang under the guise of a deposed noble. He uses the unknowing Mayor Danniel Foxgrove to pass messages to Isaac and Abigail. The DL's objectives with this gang is to bring lawlessness to the once sleepy Mordent and bring doubt to the rulership of Lord Jules Weathermay. His plan was to have the gang kidnap the twins to draw out Jules into confrontation on his terms, since the ghost has learned of the aging ruler of Mordent's intent to bring down the DL once and for all. Godefory used Lady Houlgraves ambition to rectify the shame that has been brought onto her family's house through her actions by suggesting that the twins could be ransomed for gold, power, and eventually the destruction of the Weathermay house to elevate the Houlgraves in their place. Since the kidnapping attempt has failed, his patience has grown thin with the gang to do the simplest task of abducting the "spoiled little brats" with all the resources he has provided them. He awaits them to be pulled to him soon as ghosts after their now sealed fate and has stayed his hand in protecting the gang any longer from the Lamplighters. Also, while chaos swept through the domain the DL is sweeping up the ghosts of the fallen to serve him in the House on Gryphon Hill. How the Lamplights have come upon knowledge that the Grave Shot Gang have taken over the small hamlet of Tumble is through the an informant by the name of Langley Westmoore, male half-elf Brd5, who is a journalist for the Mordentshire Sentry (Mordent's first official newspaper.) He has been covering the story of the Gang for two years and has been captured or in the opinion of the gang "become their publicist." They have made sure all he writes about them now includes no indication of their whereabouts and sends the edited work secretly to the newspaper's offices. While no one was watching he worked a spell of sending to the Lamplights and requested his rescue and the location of their current position. If he lives through this encounter he will be on his way to becoming one of the most renowned journalist in the core with the story of this shoot out and his rescue; in addition to adding to the fame of the Lamplighters organization. The battle itself is confined to such a small community surrounded by swamp, it is a perfect spot for ambushes all the way into the center of of the hamlet. Explosives buried in the muck line the roads and are set off by pressure plates when stepped on. Unmanned and out of control wagons filled with kegs of gun powder and lit fuses are aimed into the posse with reckless intent on take scores of men when they explode. Sharp shooters line the tree, rooftops, and hiding behind windows peppering the lawmen with constant gunfire. Both sides have brought spellcasters to make this already hellish battle even worse with spells flying everwhere. Innocent bystanders have already evacuated the area with word of the coming posse, so all buildings are free game for utter annihilation and room to room battles leaving the floors covered in blood and charred bodies. Most of the buildings have been filled with explosive traps to bring them down on the lawmen when they sweep the houses after the battle has concluded and if the gang looses the upper hand. Hand to hand combat should ensue when combatant's guns fail to fire or are caught loading their firearms. All of the posse are armed with bayonets and are trained to deadly precision on how to use them. Don't be be afraid to take such struggles to kill the opponent through windows, walls, off roofs, brought under heavy crossfire and at the center of spells aimed recklessly. Line of sight and hearing will be heavily impaired the entire time making friendly fire a constant hazzard. The romance of Isaac and Abigal is a sadistic fantasy where at times it seemed to the couple nothing else exists but each other. They both die a violent end, but in the arms of one another and with their dying breath their passion for one another was true. Two madly in love monsters brought so much destruction to Mordent it defies all logic in the question of why. Isaac leaves a little surprise beneath the floor boards of the house where they make their last stand. Anyone in room will find a note on the floor that reads, "Death is boundless with our love." Also, for anyone in the room can make a listen check to hear a faint ticking. Enough explosives connected to a timer line the bottom of the house to take it down and the surrounding ones. If the party survives they may also be clued into who was actually pulling the strings of the Grave Shot Gang, the conspiracy to overthrow the rulership of Mordent, and eventually the ignorant traitor that among the Weathermay house. This could possibly lead to Danniel Foxgrove being tried and hung as a traitor. In addition to his lands and wealth being seized. Bringing further spotting to the house's already rocky past. All of these pieces will finally bring together the truth about who truly rules the land in Lord Jules Weathermay's mind and he will no longer be able to resist the pull toward the House on Gryphon Hill to fulfill his final destiny and will gladly except the player's help on this final showdown to save not only his dead daughter Alice's soul, but the domain itself.
#2 kwdblade Jan 16, 2008 18:03:48	That sounds amazing, sPt. I do believe I will use this in my next game, as I have two players who are gunslingers.
#3 highpriestmikhal Jan 16, 2008 19:11:06	Isaac and Abigail wouldn't happen to be based on Bonnie and Clyde, would they? The story sounds just like theirs.
#4 sptjanly Jan 17, 2008 3:47:37	Definite influence, but not so much based on. Bonnie Parker was an interesting woman in the prohibition gangster era due to her weapon of choice: the Browning Automatic 30.06 cal. Rifle, in addition to armor piercing bullets. Literally this tiny lady struck fear into the hearts of men she leveled this monster at and was known widely for it. Some other fictional characters Isaac and Abigail are influenced by are as follows: Mickey and Mallory from Natural Born Killers Yolanda and Pumpkin from Pulp Fiction RL takes a lot of archetypes from popular fiction and history and I noticed there was a lack of rampaging lovers, so I produced Isaac and Abigail.
#5 highpriestmikhal Jan 17, 2008 13:23:03	Ah, yes. The BAR; the same weapon that ultimately played a role in her and Clyde's demise. That raises another question: how do these folks operate? Are they using single-shot muzzle-loading pistols and muskets once and then going in blades drawn? Or do they carry multiple guns at once?
#6 sptjanly Jan 18, 2008 15:45:09	People have to get innovative with the problem of single shot firearms. I have a few suggestions. Use the modern d-20 gun rules making every shot count and deadlier. Utilize the feat Rapid Reload out of the PHB 3.5 on pg. 99. Since this will reduce the load time to a move action. Use the ranged weapon enchant Quick-Loading, which acts like the feat mentioned above with the addition of the weapon holding up to 100 shots. This can be found in Magic of Faerun on pg. 140 and is a +2 bonus. Use spells like Arrow Split which is a Rng3/Asn 3 spell and Doublestrike Arrow which is a ranger 4 spell. Both of these can be found in Forgotten Realms Champions of Ruin. Modify the spell Unseen Servant which is a Sor/Wiz 1 spell found in the PHB and Mass Unseen servant ( I do not have access to this spell) to load weapons. Firing lines can be organized to have those in the front shoot and those in the back reload. Switch after each volley. Modifying fire arms to make double barreled pistols/muskets and even extravagant mechanisms that act as a firing line without the men. Blunderbusses or as Ash would put it, "Boomstick" Loot the bodies! Pick up guns as you go from the fallen, they won't need them. My personal favorite: Gloves of storing that are modified to reload pistols when they are returned to inside of the gloves. The whole object of the game is to be quick and not dead. I am sure there are more ideas I haven't come up with and your players/ DM will come up with many more things if you put some thought to it.
#7 kwdblade Jan 18, 2008 16:09:55	My homebrew campaign uses early-era firearms as well, and I use a number of feats from (strangely enough) World of Warcraft. Here are the ones I use. Close Shot (General) Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Base Attack Bonus +4 Benefit: While in melee combat, you may fire a ranged weapon without provoking an attack of opportunity. Special: Fighters may select Close Shot as a fighter feat. Lightning Reload (General) Prerequisites: Dex 13, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms) Benefit: You can reload firearms much faster than normal. You can reload a firearm that normally takes a standard action with a move action, a move action with a free action, and a firearm that takes more than 1 round in half that time. Special: Fighters may select Lightning Reload as a fighter feat. Pistol Whip (General) Benefit: You are proficient at using firearms in melee without damaging them. A firearm used in this fashion deals bludgeoning damage. Light - Dmg(S)1d3 - Dmg(M) 1d4 One Handed - Dmg(S)1d4 - Dmg(M) 1d6 Two Handed - Dmg(S)1d6 - Dmg(M) 1d8 Special: A fighter may select Pistol Whip as a fighter feat. Sniper Shot (General) Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Base Attack Bonus +4 Benefit: You can take a sniper shot as a full round action with any ranged weapon. The attack's range increases by half, and the weapon deals an additional +1d6 damage. If you score a critical hit, this damage is not multiplied. Special: A fighter may select Sniper Shot as a fighter feat. Take Aim (General) Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Base Attack Bonus +8, Sniper Shot Benefit: In addition to the normal benefits of sniper shot, your critical threat increases by 4. For example, a human fighter using take aim with a light crossbow would increase the threat range from 19-20 to 15-20. Special: A fighter may take Take Aim as a fighter feat.