The Plain People of Gaming: The Broken Princess

The upcoming Book of Ages describes dozens of potential ancient Icons, the heroes and villains of past Ages of the Dragon Empire, from the Enchantress to the Explorer to the Steel Colossus and the Zealot. These Icons once bestrode the world. Some vanished when the wheel of history turned and their power faded; some endured or changed, becoming the Icons of the present Age we know. Others may return in Ages to come.

And some fell.

The 13thAge Bestiary 2 presents the concept of the Fallen Icon, a once-great icon now diminished and ruined, but still a campaign-ending threat. Each Fallen Icon lists a bunch of campaign victories that the player characters can pursue to weaken their foe before facing the Icon in a final battle. As guided by the Sagely Wisdom of Twitter, here’s one of the Book of Ages Icons in all her fallen glory.

 

The Princess of Cogs and Wheels

When all that’s left is the plan. No meaning, no choice, no life, just cold design.

In Ages past, before the fall of the Dwarven Underhome, the Princess of Cogs and Wheels was the Dwarf King’s ambassador to the surface world. As a diplomat, she pitted factions and armies against one another, using the fabulous wealth and influence at her command to put intricate schemes into motion. As an inventor and patron of the arts, she built machines of astonishing complexity, especially clocks and automata. Wild rumours spun around her – that she could foresee the future or even travel through time, that she was the head of various secret societies and conspiracies, that she had a hand in every catastrophe or unexpected victor.

 

Origin Stories

What became of the Princess? How might she return to trouble the heroes of the 13thAge?

  • Dwarven Civil War: The Princess was cast down by the Dwarf King when he moved his throne to Forge. Did the Princess try to stop the Dwarf King from claiming his kingdom near the surface? Was she involved in the destruction of Underhome by the dark elves? (Maybe she deliberately betrayed Underhome to its enemies, believing that the Dwarf King would be killed and she would become Queen.) In this interpretation, the Princess has survived as a secret conspirator in Forge, plotting against the Dwarf King – a mistress and patron of derro and evil dwarves.
  • Time Traveller: One Age was not enough to contain the ambition of the Princess. She built a machine of cogs and sorcery that could travel forwards in time, leaping from one Age to the next. She intended to use this machine to shepherd the Dragon Empire through history, interceding when necessary to keep events on course. However, travelling through time is perilous, and long exposure to the howling chaos-winds in the spaces between has corroded the Princess, body and soul.
  • Preserved by Machinery: Determined to ward off the ravages of time, the Princess turned to various bizarre methods of preserving her youth. When alchemy, sorcery and necromancy failed, she began to replace failing organs and limbs with clockwork, until only the machine remained.
  • The Secret Icon: The Princess has never gone away. She’s been the secret icon behind the scenes, more elusive than the Prince of Shadows, manipulating the Empire. Oh, the original Princess died many Ages ago, but another took on her mask and mantle, and another and another and another. Individuals may perish, but the conspiracy is eternal.

 

Wheel Knight Defender

The sworn defenders of the Princess, implacable and unyielding in their devotion.

10thlevel defender [HUMANOID]

Initiative: +18

Whirling Sword +15 vs. AC – 40 damage

Whirlwind of Steel +16 vs. AC (two attacks) – 40 damage, usable only if at least one other Wheel Knight Defender is engaged with the same enemy.

R: Deadly Archery +16 vs. AC (one nearby enemy, or one far away enemy at a -2 penalty) – 50 damage

Perfect Timing:  Wheel Knight Defenders gain a +4 bonus to opportunity attacks. A moving foe struck by a Wheel Knight Defender’s opportunity attack must stop moving.

Perfect Defenders: A Wheel Knight may automatically pop free of an engaged foes to intercept an enemy who is moving to attack the Princess.

(1/battle) Perfect Devotion: If an attack would reduce the Princess to 50 hit points or less, and the Wheel Knight Defender is nearby, the Wheel Knight Defender may throw itself in the path of the blow. The Defender takes the damage itself and is destroyed.

Fanatic: Immune to fear and confusion.

AC 26

PD 20   HP 250

MD 24

 

The Princess of Cogs and Wheels

You’re one microscopic cog in her catastrophic plan…

Triple-strength 10thlevel leader [HUMANOID]

Initiative: +20

 Axe of Necessity +15 vs. AC – 175 damage

Natural 18+: The target is also Weakened (hard save, 16+ ends)

C: Spinning Buzzsaw +15 vs. AC (up to four attacks, no more than one attack on any single target) –100 damage

Natural even hit: If the target remains engaged with the Princess until the start of her next turn, she automatically hits with a free Spinning Buzzsaw attack on that target.

Critical Hit: The victim’s hand, limb or head gets severed.

Machinations of the Princess: At the end of any turn in which the Princess is not hit by an attack, she steals the escalation die until the end of the next turn. She and her allies gain the benefits of the escalation die in the next turn.

Timeshift: As a free action, the Princess of Cogs and Wheels vanishes from the battlefield. At the start of her next turn, she may reappear anywhere on the battlefield. She gains a +2 bonus to her attack rolls on the round she reappears. Alternatively, she may choose to retreat from the battle entirely. Limited use:2/battle

Now, Spring The Trap! Add a number of Wheel Knight Defenders to the battle equal to the value of the Escalation Die. Limited Use: 1/battle

Interfere and you shall suffer: If an attack would stagger or kill the Princess, she may threaten to inflict a campaign loss on the player characters, even if they are victorious in this battle. The players must describe the nature of the campaign loss, and it should be a painful one. The attacking character may choose to accept this campaign loss and strike the Princess, or voluntarily miss instead.

You Are Divided! As a quick action, pick a player character. For each Conflicted Relationship Die that player character possesses, the player must choose: either turn that die Negative, or the Princess gains 250hp or adds another Wheel Knight Defender Limited use: 1/battle. A character may only be targeted with this ability once per campaign.

You Shall Be Betrayed! As a quick action, pick a player character. That player must choose one Positive Icon Relationship they possess. That relationship becomes Negative instead. Limited use: 1/battle. A character may only be targeted with this ability once per campaign.

 All Your Foes, Arrayed Against You! At the start of the battle, All player characters roll their Negative Relationship Die. For each die that rolls a 5 or 6, add a monster or give the Princess an advantage of some sort connected to that icon. Limited Use: 1/campaign

AC 27

PD 20   HP 750

MD 24

 

Campaign Impact

Even Fallen, the Princess is a relatively subtle Icon. Unlike the shambling Forest that Walks or Great Ghoul (Bestiary II), she operates behind the scenes, plotting and conspiring. An epic-level group can defeat her – if they can find her.

A returned Princess might try to:

  • Overthrow the Emperor and install a puppet in his place
  • Become the secret vizier manipulating the Blue
  • Foment conflict between the High Druid and the Empire
  • Conspire against the Archmage so he stops interfering with her time travel experiments
  • Frame rival Icons (say, the Elf Queen) as demon-worshippers so the Crusader attacks them

Countering the Princess

For each campaign victory the player characters achieve, they cancel one of the Princess’ abilities in the following order.

First PC Campaign Victory: Remove her Machinations of the Princess ability

Second PC Campaign Victory: Player’s choice  -remove either Interfere and You Shall Sufferor All Your Foes, Arrayed Against You!

Third PC Campaign Victory: Remove Timeshift

Campaign Victories

A few possible campaign victories against the Princess:

  • Discovering the location of her ancient fortress and learning her secrets
  • Finding a way to foresee the future
  • Gaining the blessing of the Dwarf King
  • Finding relics connected to the Princess in Underhome
  • Infiltrating the Princess’ cult

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