Aethulred:
So if one of the Non-IT characters goes over and smashes the crap out of the skull, what happens?
I'm undecided.
Idea 1: It removes the "It" condition. (I'm favoring this idea.)
Pro: I believe that would seem most intuitive.
Con: I'm not sure this is exactly a con, but the skull doesn't have much of a way to fight back.
-Part of the challenge could be being able to attack the skull (which can fly and move quickly).
-I've considered giving the skull a weak secondary attack. It would be a ranged attack which doesn't inflict damage, but is an annoyance in some way. I was thinking
dbl knockback modifier, with the idea being that the skull just tries to avoid contact.
Idea 2: The skull is dead and the "It" condition cannot recharge, but the target remains marked as "It" until the condition is transferred to someone else or the zombies are killed.
Pro: Possibly more challenging.
Con: I feel as though this is counter-intuitive from an in-game problem-solving perspective. My gut feeling is that it would be unfun for a player to do what seems logical and to have it not work without explanation.
Other things I've considered as optional details for encounters
-If the skull is attached to a specific room, smashing the skull releases a psychic scream and the room begins to do a cliche 80s movie crumble. (This would be made intentionally very obvious, with plenty of time to safely leave.)
-Given the party theme, a secret (lore) way to deactivate the skull might be to offer a gift or sing a festive song associated with whatever occasion for which the skull and zombies are dressed.