COLOSSAL ADVERSARIES

“Colossus” is a special adversary type that uses multiple adversary stat blocks called segments to represent the body parts of an extremely large creature. Information and features that apply to the colossus in its entirety are contained in a separate stat block called the framework:

  • Name
  • Tier
  • Description
  • Motives & Tactics
  • Size
  • Segments
  • Damage Thresholds
  • Stress
  • Experiences
  • Features that apply to all segments

Each segment of a colossus has its own stat block, which lists the following:

  • Name of segment
  • Adjacent segments
  • Difficulty
  • HP
  • Standard attack
  • Features

Some segments can be Broken. A Broken segment can’t use actions or reactions until the condition is cleared. When a segment marks its last Hit Point, it’s considered Destroyed.

A Destroyed segment can’t use any of its features. A colossus is defeated when all its segments are Destroyed, however a colossus’s stat block often details alternative ways to defeat it. By default, a Destroyed segment is not gone or detached, it’s simply non-working.

For example Colossus adversaries and Colossus features, see the “Colossus of the Drylands” campaign frame.

SEGMENT VS. COLOSSUS EFFECTS

When a feature refers to a segment’s name, such as “the Head,” it refers only to that specific part of the colossus. For example, the Head might be immune to physical attacks or more difficult to climb. When a feature refers to the colossus’s name, it applies to the adversary as a whole. For example, a reaction feature might trigger an attack after the colossus marks 2 or more Hit Points from a single attack. This would mean that when any segment marks 2 or more Hit Points from a single attack, the reaction is triggered.

ADJACENT SEGMENTS

A colossus’s stat blocks should indicate which segments are adjacent to one another. By default, a PC can move from one segment to another only if those segments are adjacent (see the upcoming “Moving PCs Around a Colossus” section).

RUNNING COLOSSUS FIGHTS

Battles against colossi have unique rules.

SCALE

Unlike normal range in Daggerheart, we use a standard form of measurement when talking about a colossus’s scale. (In our case, we use feet—but you should use whatever you find easiest.) Normal range bands still apply when taking actions and are at GM discretion as usual, but expressing the height or width of a creature through recognizable sizes helps the table to understand the scale of the colossus they’re facing.

MOVING PCS AROUND A COLOSSUS

During an encounter with a colossus, use the following movement mechanics:

  • A PC can climb onto a colossus segment unless its stat block indicates otherwise.
  • Once on a segment, a PC can usually move around and within it without making additional rolls.
  • To move to an adjacent segment, a PC must make an appropriate action roll (usually Agility or Strength) to leap onto it.

TEAMWORK

While fighting a colossus, a PC can initiate any number of Tag Team Rolls in a single session.

USING A COLOSSUS IN BATTLE

Treat each segment of a colossus as a separate adversary when moving the spotlight. You can spotlight a segment as a GM move, then spend a Fear to spotlight an additional segment as you would during a fight with regular adversaries. Some colossi also have actions in their colossus framework; you can spotlight the framework to use this action as you would spotlight a segment, but you should highlight the colossus as a whole in the narrative. You can still spotlight additional segments on your turn.

While a PC is on a segment of the colossus:

  • They have advantage on attacks targeting that segment.
  • The segment’s standard attack cannot be used on that PC.

Any features that would pull or push normal adversaries can’t move a colossus; instead, the feature pulls or pushes the PC making the attack. For example, using a grappler against a colossus can’t pull it toward you, but instead pulls you toward them.

When an effect targets a specific segment, use the Difficulty of that segment. If an effect targets a colossus as a whole, use the highest Difficulty amongst all the segments. If a PC’s feature targets multiple adversaries, it can target multiple segments.

If your table uses maps and minis for combat encounters, you can use notecards to represent the basic shape of a colossus and the layout of its segments. When a PC climbs onto a segment of the colossus, place their miniature directly on the notecard.

LEVELING UP

By default, the PCs levels up when they defeat a colossus. After defeating nine colossi, the party will be at level 10 and ready to take on a Final Colossus. The power of the final colossus is partially determined by the number of rests the party takes throughout the campaign.

During the campaign, track the increasing power of the final colossus with a d10 Siphoning Die that starts at 1 and a d100 Power Die that starts at 0. Tick the Power Die up by one when the PCs take a short rest and by two when they take a long rest. When the party defeats a colossus, roll a number of d12s equal to the value of the Siphon Die, and tick up the Power Die by the highest rolled result, then reset the Siphon Die to 1.

Once nine colossi have been defeated or the Power Die reaches 100, the final colossus reveals itself. Build it as a Colossus adversary with a Severe threshold equal to the value of Power Die and a Major threshold equal to half that value (rounded up).