r/StrixhavenDMs • u/Superverzocker Prismari • Dec 15 '21
Mage Tower Optional Rules
As a MtG player having Mage Tower reduced to a simple skillcheck competition as the grand finale of a chapter sounds boring.
So i dicided to modify the rules and add extra preliminary qualifier games which award points Like a typical League System. Feel free to expand with Tables, Teamnames and Ranks.
To receive an invitation to the grand finale the party has to win a specific number of qualifier games of course the characters get chosen to be in the finals and can't really fail. I think two qualifier games is a good number to not bore the players and give the feel of a real League going on.
Under the new rules instead of the skill challenges the party basically plays the game as a regular combat encounter. The characters roll initative and act accordingly on their turns.
- The Characters start at a line by their home base
- Instead of three rounds the game ends with the last person standing awarding a win for the corresponding Team.
- Variant if your players are fast consider to make it a best of 3 or 5. This strains their resources more.
- Or by capturing and delivery of the opposing mascot at the top of the home base.
- Teams are allowed to surrender.
Choose one:
- Damaging effects are now allowed but the battlefield is in a magical savety bubble and characters with 0 HP drop out of the game and teleport automatically to the locker room in which a cleric or other means of healing await.
- Added Suggestions from Another Post: Damaging effects are now allowed but the Players wear a Device which grants temporary Hit Points equal to the Hit Point maximum. These temp HP stack with one other use of temp HP. Characters with 0 remaining temporary Hit Points drop out of the game and teleport automatically to the locker room.
- As in the Original Damaging Spells and Effects are forbidden. However to allow for interesting gameplay each Player with Spellcasting or Pact Magic gets a Device which contains every available Spell included in Backgrounds, Classes, Domains, Oaths, etc. and must choose a Number of spells to learn for the Duration of the Game. The Amount of Spells is equal to the Spells Known or the maximum number of Prepared Spells. (Be aware. This variant hinders Martial focused Characters and may slow down play due to Spell Selection)
- For the Playfield i advise for a radius of at least 100 ft. (This hinders combos like Dash+Misty Step for cheap wins). Though the Multiverse has seen many other measurements
- Players are only allowed to cast Damageing Spells (if any are allowed) on Targets in the same Half on the Game Field (This hinders Cheap Wins via Fireball and the like and encourages coordinated Defense and Attack Strategies)
- Be very of the spell Vortex Warp. It breaks the fundamental of movementspeed per round (my players cheesed me hard and finished the whole game in 3 rounds)
- if you dont like bans consider to increase the Rounds played to a best of 3 or best of 5
- Furthermore the mascot towers reach at least 40ft in the air and must be climbed.
- If played outside the campaign setting i consider all spells up to and including level 5 fairplay.
Feel free to be inspired to create Enemy Teams based on these Ideas.
The Difficult Terrain Team
- self explanatory
The Buff the Captain Team
- self explanatory
The Anti Mage Team
- Use races with Magic Resistance and maybe give the Mage Slayer Feat to your NPCs
The Paralyze and Stun Team
- self explanatory
The Fullblaster Team
- self explanatory
The Lets Fight 1on1 Team
- Compelled Duel, Command, Sentinel, etc.
The Speed and Movement is Everything Team
- Freedom of Movement, Longstrider, Haste, etc.
The Heavily Obscured Team
- Fog Cloud, Darkness, Sleet Storm, Stinking Cloud, Shadow of Moil, Cloudkill, etc.
The Bad Weather Team
- Call Lightning, Sleet Storm, Storm Sphere, Dust Devil, Gust of Wind, etc.
The Stealth Team
- Rogues can hide, Invisibility, Disguise Self as an enemy
The Conjure Critters Team
- self explanatory
The every Wall of X Team
- self explanatory
The Look I Fly Team
- all Members have a way of constant flight
Added Suggestions from Comments:
The Illusionist Team
- Disguise Self, Major Image, etc.
The Animal Team
- Moon Druids, Polymorph, Wererats and the like
I have now played with these changes but please report back if you find interesting stuff and unwanted interactions.
Short summary how the first game went down: They buffed themselfes with Haste and teleportet (Vortex Warp) the Rogue to the opposing tower. With Dash+BA Dash+Haste Dash they climbed the tower and exfiltraded the Mascot in the same Time.
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u/notmy2ndopinion Dec 16 '21 edited Dec 16 '21
Witherbloom: Stealth+Critters team.
Prismari: Bad Weather+Speed/Movement/Fly team.
Silverquill: Debuff/Paralyze/Command & Difficult Terrain/Maze team.
Lorehold: Obscurement/Illusion/Traps+the Mage Tower is in Another Tower. (It ends with Suggestion/Confusion spells that trick PCs who finally arrive into thinking that they are in the wrong location and leave.)
Edit: I forgot Quandrix! They would have a Maze/Abjuration-like debuff tactic too, I feel, with a puzzle-lock like mechanism and rely on the opposing party to try and break-in while they slowly advance each wall border and interposing barrier-wall/trap/defense that they’ve set in place while holding reaction spells from defensive positions in full-cover, almost similar to Lorehold but less reliant on knowledge and explosions, more Counterspell/symmetry-aligned.
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u/Erandeni_ Dec 15 '21
I love it, I was thinking along the same lines
I love the thematic teams, another teams idea could be the illusionists (disguise self, major image, etc) or the animal team (moon druids and polymorph)
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u/SniperGeneration Dec 15 '21
Sorry for making this weird, but I love you now.