A benefit of the Horde and Boss Generator is one can play OVA solo with this. As an example and a playtest, I ran a quick one shot, using
Malekai as a player character. I rolled a 1d6 to see how many Hordes Malekai would encounter (3), how many members where in each horde (1st Horde had 10 members, 2nd Horde had 10 members, and 3rd Horde had 6 members). I also rolled for a random boss, getting a 1 for Health (50 base), 3 for Roll (4d6), and 1 for DX (bit of a pathetic boss, to be honest, but that was the way the dice rolled). Since Malekai's transformed form was Monstrous level 3, that would be the level for the Hordes and Boss. I decided to let the first Horde be level 2 to warm up Malekai.
Lonely was the path of the ultimate darkness. The traveler was five days out from the nearest village, moving east by foot. The girl at the tavern whispered stories to him in bed, telling of a demonic army infesting the land. Malekai could sense the truth in her words, the demonic taint hanging heavily in the air. He left the next morning, trusting his senses in guiding him to the evil horde.
Malekai crested over the hill, stepping out from the forest. Red light bathed from the demonic portal, set in the ruins of a desecrated temple. The wind blew across the temple. Malekai could smell the stink from his position. There were demons here. Black flames flickered around Malekai's body, his skin turning into a white carapace of infernal armor, gold horns and cape adorning his frame. Ready, Malekai approached the portal.
Monstrous screams greeted Malekai. From the shadows, red demons rushed out at him, giant claws leaping from digitigrade legs and giant black eyes of pure rage. Malekai blocked a dozen blows with his armored arms. He could sense the demons were not on the same level as him. The claws of his right hand stretched out, before slashing into the horde. Five pairs of heads flew separated from their bodies, green ichorous blood raining down. The remaining five demons screeched and pounced Malekai. Malekai felt the onslaught overwhelm him, two of the demons managing to pierce his exoskeleton. Such a blow would have struck down a normal warrior, but Malekai was far from normal. Thrusting his arms out to his sides, his claws punched through a pair of demons' chests. Lifting up the impaled monsters, Malekai crashed the other three demons between them. Their infernal bodies exploded into mist. Flicking gore from his fingers, Malekai turned towards the flickering portal.
The first horde had 10 members, so their stats were Health 1000, Roll 5d6, and DX x100. Rolling 5d6 for Initiative, the Horde got a result of 5. Not having Quick, Malekai only has 2d6 for Initative, and got a mere 2.
The horde goes first, and rolls a 6 to Attack. Malekai rolls a 6 for defense, negating the attack. Malekai then uses his Claw attack, and rolls a 10, while the Horde rolls a 6 for defense. Malekai inflicts 4x125=500 damage, which defeats half of the horde in one strike. The horde now has 5 members, Health 500, Roll 3d6, and DX x50. The horde attacks again, rolling a 6 and Malekai rolls a 4 for defense. Normally the horde would have inflected 2x50 damage, but thanks to Malekai's Armored 2 form, the horde only inflicts 2x30, or 60 damage. This would probably have defeated any normal player (Malekai only has 50 Health in human form, after all), but is a mere scratch against his beefy 1250 Health. Using the Claw attack again, Malekai rolls an impressive 12, while the horde manages a 5 for defense, and Malekai inflicts 7x125=875, easily defeating the remaining horde.
The portal's energy trickled over Malekai's demonic form as he stepped into the demonic realm. The ghastly red light covered the realm, and the ground was like black bones. The demonic army was on him before he could react, possibly alerted by his fight against the previous army. And they were much stronger than the ones he had fought before. The next thing he knew, Malekai was laying unconscious outside the portal, back in his human form. His eyes snapped out, staring at the moon hanging overhead. Rolling over, Malekai punched the ground in anger. Taking a deep breath, he rose from the ground, teeth bared. He reached into the power of his Darkness, once again transforming into his demonic form. The power of that small demonic force was easily more than an army of 100 men, and a more sensible warrior would have ran away. Malekai stepped once more into the breach.
The demons were surprised to see his return. Malekia leaped into the air, his right fist bursting into dark purple fire. He would not be taken out as easily this time! Landing in the middle of the group, his fist explodes against the black ground, raising flames to engulf three of the demons. Their shrieks filled the air as they faded away. The remaining demons, raging at the impudent creature that had returned, slashed talons against Malekai, a pair of strikes battering through his defenses. Malekai began to laugh at the pain, the Ultimate Darkness inside him flaring. His fist struck out again, pounding into the chest of a demon. Purple flames burst through the demon, cut through a second demon, and destroyed a third. Only four demons remained. They were nervous, chittering in fear, and struck weakly at Malekai, who brushed the attacks off, walking slowly towards a demon. His claw snapped out, swiping at a demon who survived only by falling on it's rear. The other three demons pounced onto Malekai's exposed back, but their attack was weak. As a force, the demons were an incredible threat, but as Malekai whittled them down, the demons became nothing to him. Malekai swung his leg around, the claws on his demonic foot arcing behind him, and the three demons paid for their attack with their lives. The final demon made a last desperate attack against Malekai, claws extended towards him. Malekai's right claw snapped up, catching the skull of the demon in his palm. Malekai glanced at the final demon before crushing it's skull between his fingers.
The second horde is level 3 and with 10 members, so it starts with Health 2500, Rolls 5d6, and a DX of x250. Their 5d6 Initiative results in 6, barely beating Malekai's decent 5 roll. The horde also rolls a 12 for their first attack, with Malekai getting a 5 for defense. Despite Malekai's armor lowering the horde's DX from x250 to x200, that still results in 7x200=1400 damage, yeeting Malekai out of the demon dimension. Angry and overconfident, Malekai recovers and returns. Surprisingly, Malekai wins Initiative for once, with a 6 over the horde's 5. Deciding he needs a better attack than just his claws, Malekai hits with his Ankokuken (Accurate and Effective, with elaborate gestures, for 5 EN, going down to 35 Endurance), with a deadly roll of 12 and the horde defends with a roll of 8, and Malekai inflicts 4x150=600 damage. The horde goes down to 1900 Health, losing three members, and has Rolls of 4d6 and a DX of x175. The horde launches a counterattack, scoring a 6 for an attack and Malekai gets a 4 for defense. Malekai's armor lowers the horde's DX to x125, so take 2x125=250 damage, lowering his health to 1000. Feeling good about the first Ankokuken, Malekai launches a second Ankokuken (lowering his Endurance to 30), with an attack roll of 12 again against the horde's defense of 6, inflicting 900 damage, lowering the horde to four members with 1000 Health, 2d6 Rolls, and a DX of x100. The horde tries a feeble attack but only gets a 2 which Malekai easily blocks with a 6. Malekai resumes using his Claw attacks, rolling a 5 but the horde successfully defends with a roll of 6. The horde tries again to attack, getting a 5 and Malekai loses with a defense roll of 3. However, again Malekai's armor works in his favor, and the horde only has a DX of x50, and hits for 2x50=100 damage, and Malekai is down to 900 health. With another Claw attack, Malekai scores a 10 versus the horde's 4 defense, dealing out 6x125=750, defeating another three members of the horde, leaving a single member remaining, who gives a good attempt with an attack roll of 5, but Malekai completely shuts it down with a defense roll of 10. One last Claw attack with a roll of 8 against the last member's defense of 4, and destroys the final member with 4x125=500 damage.
The demon lord's throne floated high above the ground, tethered by four chain. Six demonic guards prowled under the throne. They could not believe a single warrior, especially one from the mortal realm, would have been able to defeat their forces. 20 demons would have overwhelmed a whole continent, and yet this one defeated them all alone.
Malekai finally reached the throne area of the realm. He was able to see the floating throne from a distance, and went that away after defeating the last of the demon army. The six guards rushed around Malekai, then lunged with their hook-tipped tongues. Malekai punched the nearest tongue, and blocked a few other with his forearm. Giving a glance to the demons, Malekai drew up his fist, once more drawing upon the darkness. The guards reared back as Malekai swung his fist, missing a direct hit and only the flames of his fist licking the demons. The tongues snapped out again, and Malekai continued to punch them away, but the demons also remained out of reach of his claws. They continued this dance, weaving between claws and tongue. Growling in anger, Malekai rushed into the demons, his claws flashing. Green blood splashed behind him, and the guards fell one by one in disgusting pieces.
From above, the demon lord looked languidly down.
The third horde is also at level 3, but with only 6 members, so the horde starts with Health 1500, Rolls 3d6, and DX x150. The horde again managed to win Initiative with a roll of 6 against Malekai's 5. However, the weaker horde proves to be no match against Malekai. The horde begins with their attack roll of 5, and Malekai successfully defends with a roll of 8. Malekai goes back to the extremely useful Ankokuken attack (lowering his Endurance to 25) from the previous encounter, but only gets a 6 versus the horde's defense of 5, so only inflicts 1x150=150 damage. The horde resumes their attack, having only received a scratch from Malekai, but unsuccessfully attacks Malekai with their attack roll of 5 and Malekai's defense of 6. The draw continues with Malekai, who decides to conserve Endurance by using his Claw attacks but scores a 6 against the horde's defense of 10. The horde fails again with another roll of 5 and Malekai defending with a 6. But then Malekai OHKO with a massive 18 attack roll, and the horde defends with a laughingly low 2 defense, resulting in a 16x125=2000 damage. The trickiest part was trying to figure out how to work that into the narrative!
The demon lord leaped off his throne, landing on cloven feet before Malekai. The demon towered over Malekai, who only stood to the demon's broad red chest, streaked with silver sigil lines. "I can smell your blood, half-breed," the demon lord said. "Where it not for you impressive display, I would have struck you down the moment you entered my realm. But I confess... You have impressed me." He extended a long, thing hand, black talons stretched out. "I command legions in the infernal realm. This was a paltry force, which should have been more than enough to take over your realm. So do not think you have won. However, there is a way for you to win." The demon smiled like a snake, a blue tongue slithering between his lips. "Normally a half-breed mutt like yourself would be worthless in your realm or in mine. But if you swear fealty to me, I will take you into my house, let you lead my forces, and together we can seize the demon realm! Join me, and everything you could desire will be you-"
Malekai answered with his fist, not even allowing the demon to finish his pitch. The demon looked down at Malekai, his yellow eyes burning. "You're going to have to do better than that..." he chided at Malekai. The demon swelled his chest and unleashed a burst of energy, pushing Malekai back. Despite the lord's threat, Malekai didn't feel much force behind the demon. Despite that, the demon was like a wall before him, and Malekai acknowledged that he was indeed going to need to do better. Malekai curled his claws before him, pooling his darkness into a sphere of purple energy between his palms. The demon lord continued his attack, sending out shockwaves at Malekai, who barely dodged the attack. The sphere exploded with an intense force, and Malekai thrusted his palms at the demon lord, unleashing the powerful wave of darkness towards the demon. The purple energy roared as the demon lord tried to dodge, but it was too intense, too big, and the demon lord's cries joined with the roar of the energy wave.
When the energy faded away, the demon lord stood smoking, unsteady on his cloven feet. He turned his baleful glare at Malekai. "Damn you!" the demon screamed, rushing back into the fight, punching haphazardly. Malekai responded with his own punch, and their fists met in the middle, blocking each other. The demon lord opened his mouth and breathed fire onto Malekai, but the flames barely tickled against his armored form. The two broke away from each other.
Now! During his fight, Malekai had been gathering his dark power, and he could feel it settle, ready to be unleashed. Malekai leaped into the air, darkness misting off his body. His energy held him suspended for a moment, then exploded as his right leg extended, his foot a missile aimed at the demon lord. The demon lord could only watch in mute horror as the half-breed unleashed the ultimate darkness, cutting through the demon lord until Malekai landed behind the demon. Purple flames once more engulfed the ripped apart body of the demon lord. He screamed louder, echoing throughout the minor realm. Malekai guessed this was a pocket dimension, and the demon lord a minor one looking to expand his power. The realm began to shake, fissures breaking across the black sepulchral ground. Malekai released his demon form, becoming human again beside the white demon tattoo on his forehead. He made a run towards the portal. Behind him, the realm cracked, lifting into the void before becoming dust and whirling back to the other demon realm. He stumbled a few times, but quickly came across the portal. The energy hurt this time as he pushed through the portal, but Malekai wasn't going to wait for the ground underneath him to crumble.
Making it back to the mortal realm, Malekai fell into the grass, breathing heavily. He rolled onto his back, just as the moon slipped behind the mountain. Dawn would arrive soon. He needed to rest... Rest before he travelled once more, looking for a challenge to his fist.
Lonely was the path of the ultimate darkness.
Finally, we get to the boss of the area. Despite getting low rolls (two 1s and a 3), the boss still had a minimum of Health equal to the maximum of a Horde encounter (and twice the Health of Malekai), with stats of Health 2500, Rolls: 4d6, and DX x25. That low DX really didn't make the boss a threat, though, just more of a wall to chip at. Both the boss and Malekai rolled 6s for Initiative. I decided to let Malekai go first.
Since Malekai had been using mostly Claw attacks and the occasional Ankokuken, I'd change things up and start with a Punch (Accurate, Stunning, Elaborate Gestures, Ineffective 2) attack, maybe get a strong enough hit to activate the Stunning effect. Malekai got a 10 to hit, and the boss only a 4, but that Ineffective 2 only inflicted 6x75=450 (a good hit, but needed to hit over 625 damage to activate the Stunning effect), dropping the boss to 2050 Health. Malekai thought about negating the damage to let the Stunning effect go off, but decided he was better with the damage inflicted. The boss strikes back with a Roll of 6 and Malekai gets a roll of 4. However, this is where combat gets a bit funky. The boss has effectively a DX of 1 in normal rules, so with Malekai's Armor, it would be 1/2 DX, so 12.5. The boss's successful attack does 2x12.5, so 25 damage, practically nothing on Malekai. He was right to forego the Stunning effect to leave the damage. Malekai decides to pull out one of his big attacks, the Messatsu Ankoku Hadouken (Effective 5, Ranged, Activation, Elaborate Gestures). So he spends his turn Activating the attack, letting the boss have another attack. The boss rolls a 5, fortunately Activation still allows defense rolls, so Malekai gets a 6. Now that it's back to him, Malekai unleashes his Messatsu Ankoku Hadoken, which costs 10 EN, dropping his Endurance to 15, but rolls a 10. The boss rolls a 6 for defense, so the damage becomes 4x200=800 damage, lowering the Boss to 1250. The boss tries for another attack and gets an 8, but Malekai scores a 10 for defense. Malekai, seeing it's turn 4 and knows that one turn 5 he can use his ultimate attack, decides to use a Punch attack, but both Malekai and the Boss rolls a 6, so they negate each other. The boss rolls a 6 for his next attack, and Malekai gets a 5, so Malekai takes 1x12.5=12 or 13 points. Barely even worth noting. But now it's turn 5, so Malekai uses his final attack, the KyuKyoku Ankokugiri (Accurate 2, Effective 5, Build Up 5, Elaborate Gestures, EN 5; lowering Malekai's Endurance to 10), and rolls a 9. The boss rolls a 4, so Malekai inflicts 5x250=1250, just the right amount to finally kill the boss. After that, it's just a matter of getting out of there as the realm falls apart and Malekai survives a mini adventure defeating a small army of 27 demons.
For this experiment, I rolled everything, so no fudging the dice for narrative purposes (that first roll by the second horde, yikes!). The boss was... interesting, with the (relatively) low health and stupidly low DX, which could be explained as him being a minor demon lord who doesn't have enough power to physically kick butt, however when you are Monstrous Level 3, he probably was arrogant enough to think his weak strength was still more than a match for anything on the mortal realm. I will have to try out a different boss.
All in all, I liked the results for the Horde Generator, the Boss Generator, and the Monstrous Abilities. Hopefully someone else sees this and finds it useful.
