openclaw/notes/vesalius-3player-balance.md

name, created, updated, source, players, original-players

name	created	updated	source	players	original-players
vesalius-3player-balance	2026-02-28T15:00:41Z	2026-02-28T15:00:41Z	Operation VESALIUS GM Pack	3	6

Operation VESALIUS — 3-Player Balance Guide

Denne fil er et supplement til det originale GM Pack. Alle møder er genafbalanceret til præcis 3 spillere (originalen antager 6). Flavor text er på dansk. Mekaniske noter er på engelsk.

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Rebalancing Philosophy

Deathwatch Space Marines are individually extraordinary. With 3 players instead of 6:

• Action economy is halved — the group takes half as many actions per round.
• Mooks are reduced ~50% to prevent action economy death spirals where enemies overwhelm before players can act.
• Elites/bosses keep their teeth but shed ~25% wounds — they remain dangerous but won't drag into slog territory.
• XP per player is adjusted upward to compensate for the smaller group; total group XP drops, but individual gain stays meaningful.
• RP is restructured so each player gets meaningful rewards without the GM needing to split 14 RP six ways.

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Session 0 — Rewards Recap (Adjusted)

Category	Original (6 players)	Adjusted (3 players)
Group XP	900	450
Per player XP	150	150 (unchanged — already per-player)
Group RP	14	7
Per player RP	2 (suggested split)	2 (unchanged — already per-player)
GM pool RP	2	1

Note: If Session 0 rewards were already distributed per-player, no change is needed. If they were distributed as a group total to divide, halve the group total.

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Scene 1 — Approach & Boarding

Original

No direct combat. 2 skill checks (Silent Move, Tech-Use). Alarm failure adds +1 patrol in Scene 2.

Adjusted (3 players)

No change needed — this is a pure skill scene. However:

• Alarm consequence tightened: Failure adds +1 patrol in Scene 2 as before, but that patrol is now 2 cultists (not 4), since the group is smaller and a 4-cultist ambush mid-infiltration would be punishing before the real fights.
• Skill check difficulties remain identical — 3 Space Marines are just as capable as 6 at bypassing a sensor grid.

Why it works narratively

Tre Space Marines bevæger sig som én organisme — tre krigere, der handler med en enkelt fælles vilje, er faktisk sværere at opdage end seks.

XP / RP — Scene 1

Category	Original (per player)	Adjusted (per player)
XP	+25	+35
RP (stealth)	+1	+1

Reasoning: Small bump (+10 XP) to compensate for the group having fewer bodies to absorb future consequences from a failed alarm.

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Scene 2 — Laboratory Deck

Original Enemies

• 2× Gland Hounds (active, fast melee)
• 2× Dormant Mutant Servitors (watching cooling)

Adjusted Enemies (3 players)

Enemy	Original	Adjusted
Gland Hounds	2	2 (unchanged — they are fast skirmishers; 2 is already tight for 3 players)
Dormant Mutant Servitors	2	1 (only one wakes if alarmed)

Stat changes — Gland Hound: No changes. At W18 and Ag50 they are already dangerous at 1:1 ratio with players.

Stat changes — Mutant Servitor (if you use one): Use standard Servitor profile (W20 → W15, AR3). Reduce to single attack per round. It is a guardian, not a fighter.

Dormant trigger: Servitors only activate if players fail a Tech-Use check or fire a weapon in the cooling corridor. With 3 players, a single Servitor waking is already a meaningful threat.

Why it works narratively

Laboratoriet var bemandet til at modstå en fuld søgningsstyrke. Tre ubudne gæster bevæger sig anderledes — de har ikke brug for dækning for hinanden på samme måde, og de sætter ikke alarmen i gang med rene skridt.

XP / RP — Scene 2

Category	Original (per player)	Adjusted (per player)
XP	+100	+120
RP (silent data extract)	+2	+2

Reasoning: +20 XP bump. The scene is harder per-capita with fewer players to handle split threats (one on Hounds, one on scanner, one on traps).

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Scene 3 — Clone Chamber & Skirmish

Original Enemies

• 1× Surgeon Acolyte (elite)
• 6× Chaos Cultists (mooks)

Adjusted Enemies (3 players)

Enemy	Original	Adjusted
Surgeon Acolyte	1	1
Chaos Cultists	6	3

Stat changes — Surgeon Acolyte:

Stat	Original	Adjusted
Wounds	28	21 (−25%)
WS / BS / combat stats	Unchanged	Unchanged
Combat drugs	Unchanged	Unchanged
Fear (1)	Unchanged	Unchanged

Rationale: The Acolyte must still feel dangerous and take multiple rounds to bring down. Reducing wounds to 21 keeps the fight from dragging past 4–5 rounds with 3 players. She still hits hard and uses bridges/high-ground freely.

Stat changes — Chaos Cultists:

Stat	Original	Adjusted
Count	6	3
Individual stats	Unchanged	Unchanged

Rationale: 3 cultists at W12 each means players face 1 cultist per marine on average — enough to soak suppressive fire and screen the Acolyte without overwhelming action economy.

Encounter structure adjustment: With only 3 cultists, give them better positioning — have them hold the bridges between tanks rather than rushing. This keeps pressure up without numbers.

Tech-Use challenge: Keep at ×3 rolls (Challenging +0). With 3 players this is harder to delegate — only 1 player can work the panel while 2 fight. That is the intended tension.

Exploding clone trigger: Keep. With fewer players, a misfire that hits 1d10+5 E hits a larger proportion of the group — warn players once via environment clues.

Why it works narratively

Kirurgens kult er udtyndet. Bile har trukket på sine bedste tropper andre steder ombord — kun et skelet af fanatikere beskytter kloningskammeret nu. Men kirurgen selv er uændret: kaldblodig, metodisk og farlig.

XP / RP — Scene 3

Category	Original (per player)	Adjusted (per player)
XP	+150	+175
RP (prisoners saved)	+2	+2

Reasoning: +25 XP. Harder action economy per player — 2 players fighting while 1 works the console is a meaningful split.

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Scene 4 — Core Research Chamber

Original Enemies

• 1× Thaddius Bile (avatar, boss)
• 1× Chaos Spawn

Adjusted Enemies (3 players)

Enemy	Original	Adjusted
Thaddius Bile (avatar)	1	1
Chaos Spawn	1	1

No reduction in enemy count — this is the climax. The encounter must feel appropriately terrifying.

Stat changes — Thaddius Bile (avatar):

Stat	Original	Adjusted
Wounds	(use standard Heretic Astartes avatar ~35)	28 (−20%)
Damage output	Unchanged	Unchanged
Teleport trigger	End of Round 5	End of Round 4

Rationale: Bile teleports one round earlier. With 3 players, if they cannot defeat him in 4 rounds, they almost certainly cannot in 5 either. The earlier trigger creates urgency without dragging. Reducing wounds slightly means the fight resolves more cleanly if players are focused.

Stat changes — Chaos Spawn:

Stat	Original	Adjusted
Wounds	40	30 (−25%)
Regeneration	2 per round	2 per round (unchanged)
Fear (2)	Unchanged	Unchanged
Multiple Arms (extra attack)	Unchanged	Unchanged

Rationale: The Spawn at W40 with Regeneration 2 and Fear (2) against 3 players is a potential fight-ender alone. At W30 it still takes 5–6 good hits to drop and regenerates 2 wounds per round — it forces a dedicated player to engage it while 2 handle Bile.

Spawn goes berserk trigger: If Bile teleports (escapes), Spawn still goes berserk as written. With 3 players this is a genuine threat — they may need to run rather than fight.

Tech Route / Sabotage Route: Keep both. The tech challenge (5 successes before 3 failures) is actually easier for a small focused group — 3 players can cooperate cleanly. Keep as-is.

Why it works narratively

Bile har ikke svækket sin kerneforsvaring. Kammeret er hans helligdom — Spawnet er ikke vagt, det er et instrument. Bile er ikke større eller mindre for kun at møde tre modstandere. Han er den han er.

XP / RP — Scene 4

Category	Original (per player)	Adjusted (per player)
XP (Sample secured/destroyed)	+200	+250
RP (Bile driven off, no losses)	+3	+3

Reasoning: +50 XP. This is the hardest encounter in the mission. 3 players splitting attention between Bile and the Spawn with a tight 4-round timer is genuinely punishing.

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Scene 5 — Escape

Original Pressure

• 5-round countdown
• 2–3 small gene-mods harrying the retreat
• 3 obstacle checkpoints

Adjusted (3 players)

Element	Original	Adjusted
Countdown	5 rounds	5 rounds (unchanged — time pressure is time pressure)
Gene-mod pursuers	2–3	1–2
Obstacle checkpoints	3	3 (unchanged — this is a skill challenge, not a fight)

Gene-mod pursuers: Reduce to 1–2. With 3 players, even 2 fast melee pursuers chasing during a timed skill gauntlet can cause cascade failures (fail Athletics → lose a round → pursuers catch up → lose another round). 1 is the baseline, 2 if players had a loud run.

Fail penalty: Keep at 1d10+4 I + lose 1 round. Space Marines are tough — this is flavor, not death.

Why it works narratively

Skibet dør — det er nok. Tre marines på flugt behøver ikke en hær i hælene. Skibet selv er fjenden nu.

XP / RP — Scene 5

Category	Original (per player)	Adjusted (per player)
XP	+50	+60
RP (no one left behind)	+1	+1

Reasoning: +10 XP. Small bump — this is an action-resolution scene, not a grind.

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Scene 6 — Debrief

No mechanical changes needed.

The debrief is roleplay and hooks. With 3 players, each player has more spotlight time — lean into this. Ask each marine individually what they felt during the Sample decision.

XP / RP — Scene 6

Category	Original (per player)	Adjusted (per player)
XP	+50	+50
RP (inspiring report)	+1	+1

No change. Roleplay rewards scale with player engagement, not headcount.

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Adjusted XP / RP Summary Table (3 Players)

Scene / Action	Original XP (per player)	Adjusted XP (per player)	RP (per player)	Notes
Session 0 carry-over	150	150	2	Unchanged
Scene 1 — Stealth boarding	25	35	1	+10 XP bump
Scene 2 — Lab infiltration	100	120	2	+20 XP bump
Scene 3 — Clone Chamber	150	175	2	+25 XP bump; 3 cultists
Scene 4 — Core Chamber	200	250	3	+50 XP bump; Bile escapes R4
Scene 5 — Escape	50	60	1	+10 XP bump
Scene 6 — Debrief	50	50	1	Unchanged
Total (all bonuses hit)	725	840	12	Per player

Total group XP (3 players, all bonuses): 2,520 XP Total group XP (6 players, all bonuses, original): 4,350 XP

The per-player XP increase (~16% above original) compensates for the group being unable to chain secondary objectives as efficiently and for the harder per-capita action economy in fights.

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Adjusted Adversary Quick Reference (3-Player)

Surgeon Acolyte (Scene 3)

WS45 BS40 S40 TB4 Ag35 Int45 Per40 WP40 Fel30 | W 21 | AR 5 all

• Skills, Talents, Weapons, Gear: unchanged
• Fear (1), Unnat. Int (×2): unchanged

Chaos Cultist (Scene 3 — 3× instead of 6×)

WS35 BS30 S35 TB3 Ag30 Int25 Per30 WP30 Fel25 | W 12 | AR 3

• Unchanged stats; reduced count only
• Position on bridges for maximum nuisance

Gland Hound (Scene 2 — 2× unchanged)

WS40 Ag50 S40 TB4 Int10 Per40 WP20 | W 18 | AR 2

• Unchanged — already appropriate for 3 players at this count

Chaos Spawn (Scene 4)

WS45 S50 TB5 Ag35 Per35 WP35 | W 30 | AR 4 (chitin)

• Fear (2), Multiple Arms, Unnat. Str (×2), Regeneration (2): unchanged
• Claws 1d10+8 R Pen4; Tentacle Slam 1d10+6 I Pen2 Concussive (1): unchanged

Thaddius Bile Avatar (Scene 4)

Use standard Heretic Astartes profile adjusted: | W 28 |

• All other stats unchanged
• Teleport trigger: end of Round 4 (was Round 5)

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Difficulty Dials (Updated for 3 Players)

Situation	Original dial	3-Player adjustment
Stealthy team	Reduce patrols; alarms add +10 TN	Same — but Scene 2 patrol is 1 cultist (not 2) if alarm triggers
Loud team	+1 patrol S2; +1 unstable clone trigger S3	Same, but cap patrol at 2 cultists total in S2 to avoid pre-boss attrition
Low gear / rookie	Change Hard to Challenging; Spawn arrives 1 round late	Also: Acolyte does not use combat drugs; reduce Spawn W to 24
Veteran / gear-rich	Add environmental hazards; Bile teleports R4	Bile teleports R3 instead; Spawn has Regeneration 3

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GM Notes — 3-Player Session Pacing

• Scenes 1–2 will feel tight but manageable. Let players feel competent.
• Scene 3 is the pressure point. The console-while-fighting split is the real challenge. Do not let the Acolyte rush — she is methodical.
• Scene 4 is the climax. Make Bile verbal. He taunts. The Spawn is not smart — it attacks whoever is closest.
• Scene 5 is cathartic. Call the countdown out loud: "Fem... fire... tre...". Players should feel the ship dying.
• Scene 6 — with 3 players, each marine gets a full scene moment. Do not rush it.

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Justeret til 3 spillere. Alle originalscener, musik, og hooks er uændrede. Kun modstanderantal, wounds og XP-belønninger er tilpasset.