In my one-person Hero System game, the villagers have retreated to a nearby Monastery - Which is also under attack by Undead. This being a Monastery in a fantasy game, my brother's Paladin character is up and about in a couple days. So, after getting an idea of the situation, he heads to the wall to help out against the attack.

I sent a Ghoul against him. A 100-point Ghoul (Same points as his character), complete with a deadly claw attack and a 1d6 STR drain (His character has 13 STR). This would obviously be an awesome, epic fight...

...The Ghoul hits him twice, sending his Strength down to about 7 and nearly knocking him out with Stun damage. *He* misses twice, then on the third hit, with a -3 OCV (To-Hit) penalty on 3d6...Hits. And rolls exactly enough Body damage to kill the Ghoul instantly. (I'm not bothering with "Dead at -Body" for monsters. It would have been unconscious, anyway).

So, two parts epic fight, one part farce.

What have you got?

A real gaming group. Not just one lone player.

Quote from: Narf the Mouse;387875...The Ghoul hits him twice, sending his Strength down to about 7 and nearly knocking him out with Stun damage. *He* misses twice, then on the third hit, with a -3 OCV (To-Hit) penalty on 3d6...Hits. And rolls exactly enough Body damage to kill the Ghoul instantly. (I'm not bothering with "Dead at -Body" for monsters. It would have been unconscious, anyway).

So, two parts epic fight, one part farce.

What have you got?

Not sure, that I'd say that--he was struggling with dwindling strength, lacking his might the swords weight was tiresome and difficult in his hands, yet with a careful surge of will he smashed the monster down.



As for my own games, hrms.  I'm not sure, I try and focus on the good stuff being created.  My memory is bad, and the bad stuff makes it less memorable.  


As for dramatic--in a long ago 2E game a PC dwarf was fighting a corrupted Dwarf King, a monstrous things they had just revealed. He fought the king alone, with axe in one hand and hammer in the other. He was down to negative hit points, but not below his Con bonus yet. Plus I'd given him a chance to stay standing with a Con roll. HE scored two 20's, back to back with the hammer and the axe. So rare was this that it became a huge thing. "The axes whistles and cleaves his chest, bone crunches but it sticks, the hammer strikes with a thunderous roar of all those you've aided voices in triumphant battlecry, and the king is thrown back into the wall where the stone itself gives way leaving him embedded in a crater, quite dead..."


Another time, in a different game (High Valor.) The players faced a dragon--who was a lesser foe than most they'd faced, except she'd twisted things in such a way to be caught between the realm of death, and life. Standing in a place of the corrupted Bright Lands of the elves. Unable to reach her as his ghostly form assailed them, only the archer managed to strike, each arrow also phantasmal catching in her spirit--flesh, but none deadly. The great and powerful warrior who'd spend most his time smashing things, though he was good leader and thinker in a pinch, raises his hand, and forges a spell. No talent, no skill, just pure will let him shape magics to his command. The spell struck and destroyed the dragon, sundering her link to the between world she'd claimed, but the price was terrible. I asked him what he'd be willing to do for it to work as he commanded--and he said even death would be a price he would pay..and that was it--the greatest warrior of the valley before the long and terrible night, fell  as he asked and magic answered, destroying a foe who'd out planned them for so long, and who they finally managed to face head to head.

Quote from: Phantom Black;387900A real gaming group. Not just one lone player.

That's just mean.

I LOL'ed, though, so I suppose it all balances out in the end.

2FT 1930s Detective game:
Investigator for the League of Nations unexpectedly comes across the love of her life - a man who had seduced her and broken her heart six years before - and after her initial confusion (she still loves him) tells him to get lost. He persists, trying to seduce her again - and she punches him and knocks him out cold and stalks from the crowded room! [She later gives in to her old flame, then discovers that he is dirty, and finally half-drowns and shoots him before handing him over to Hoover - a tough babe!]

FUDGE Victorian Spy Game:
One of Mycroft Holmes agents confronts a Chinese kingpin in his office in a Limehouse opium den. The villain operates the trapdoor pitching the agent into the Thames, but (thanks to an incredible couple of dice rolls) the agent plugs the crime boss right between the eyes - as he falls through the trapdoor! [He goes on to shoot a henchman who sticks his head through the trapdoor, rescue two colleagues who were already in the drink, and confront and arrest the chief villain - it was a busy night.]

Quote from: Phantom Black;387900A real gaming group. Not just one lone player.

There's always one...

...*Gets a sniper rifle*.

Quote from: Narf the Mouse;387875In my one-person Hero System game, the villagers have retreated to a nearby Monastery - Which is also under attack by Undead. This being a Monastery in a fantasy game, my brother's Paladin character is up and about in a couple days. So, after getting an idea of the situation, he heads to the wall to help out against the attack.

I sent a Ghoul against him. A 100-point Ghoul (Same points as his character), complete with a deadly claw attack and a 1d6 STR drain (His character has 13 STR). This would obviously be an awesome, epic fight...

...The Ghoul hits him twice, sending his Strength down to about 7 and nearly knocking him out with Stun damage. *He* misses twice, then on the third hit, with a -3 OCV (To-Hit) penalty on 3d6...Hits. And rolls exactly enough Body damage to kill the Ghoul instantly. (I'm not bothering with "Dead at -Body" for monsters. It would have been unconscious, anyway).

So, two parts epic fight, one part farce.

What have you got?

I find this a completely epic battle. I don't think that a battle has to be long-winded and last for hours to be epic.

Damn right!

Quote from: Imperator;388060I find this a completely epic battle. I don't think that a battle has to be long-winded and last for hours to be epic.

Last of the Mohicans agrees with you.

Chingachgook vs Magua

It's less than a minute of the climax, yet so badass. Eat shit, Magua!

Quote from: Imperator;388060I find this a completely epic battle. I don't think that a battle has to be long-winded and last for hours to be epic.

Eh, maybe I was just posting off of both of us bursting into laughter at the second roll. Guess it was one of those "You had to be there" things.

Quote from: Kaz;388122Last of the Mohicans agrees with you.

Chingachgook vs Magua

It's less than a minute of the climax, yet so badass. Eat shit, Magua!

Dude, Magua was cool!

Quote from: Narf the Mouse;388124Eh, maybe I was just posting off of both of us bursting into laughter at the second roll. Guess it was one of those "You had to be there" things.

Yeah, from the description sounds like an epic battle.  The Ghoul hits him, drains his strength practically down to nothing, misses wildly, seems like the fight is over, then he hits and kills the Ghoul in one shot.  By itself totally epic.

Quote from: Drohem;388128Dude, Magua was cool!

Indeed. But you can't kill Russell Means' son and expect to survive.

Quote from: Kaz;388133Indeed. But you can't kill Russell Means' son and expect to survive.

Yeah, Magua's death did the character justice.

Quote from: CRKrueger;388130Yeah, from the description sounds like an epic battle.  The Ghoul hits him, drains his strength practically down to nothing, misses wildly, seems like the fight is over, then he hits and kills the Ghoul in one shot.  By itself totally epic.

Yeah, I get the point, I totally do. Lots of epic potential.

But *We* looked at each other and burst out laughing. I related *Our* reaction at the time.

I don't need another person telling us how we should have reacted. At this point, it's at trolling levels. "No, it was epic!", "No, it was epic!", "No, it was epic!".

Moving on?