This one's a bit unfair, yeah? I get the natural theme of choosing amongst elementals and plants, but the two things offer quite a range, and it becomes hard to choose. And so, I'm going to cheat on this point and choose one from each category!
Representing the elementals, I think I have to go with the classic earth elemental. This guy combines great movement ability with staying power in the form of high hit points, as well as the physical might to stand toe to toe with some fighter types when damage is concerned.
A summoned earth elemental is a great boon in holding passages or harrying spellcasters that cannot fly, or making them grapple said spellcasters to prevent them from flying. Earth elementals, however, are just as fun and useful to utilize for the GM as they are the players, especially if their earth glide special ability comes into play.
In the plant's corner, we have the assassin vine. I admittedly do not use many plants (though I tend to roll for shambling mounds often enough in my Wilderlands campaign), but one that I have used over the years to measured success is the assassin vine.
This is a nice "trap beast" to use for parties who like to retreat from the dungeon every 15 minutes, camping in the woods between forays into the deeps. If only they had been more attentive, they would have noticed the creepers trailing up the trees nearby were deadly flora.
The assassin vine is also easily scalable, meaning it can be a threat even when the PCs start ranging into mid-levels.
As a final note, there aren't really any super neat images of either of these things on the net, but there was an earth elemental on some person's blog that reminded me of an old Rock Lords Go-Bots.
11.18.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 18 - Favorite Monster (Immortal/Outsider)
Today's point on the 30 Day Challenge list asks me to pick a favorite Immortal or Outsider, and I think the most solid choice one could make here is the Marut. As the Monster Manual says, the Marut (see Inevitable) represents the certainty of death, which can put them in opposition with PCs a number of ways.The Marut may come after the party after they drink potions that may extend their lives, or if they abuse the recurrence of life that spells such as raise dead or resurrection bring. Otherwise, they may run afoul of the Inevitable as it tries to bring an end to the party's enemy, like a lich who has cheated death for centuries through its undead state, or a powerful cult who sacrifice virgins and bathe in their blood to prolong their life.
Not only is their mission dire, but the Marut are completely unflagging. As constructs, they never need to rest, and would search planes for eons before they find their quarry...assuming one lived that long.
This is not to mention that they just look ready to bring eternal rest to those who seek to cheat death. From their fists, crackling with powerful energy to their elaborate bronze armor covering their jet black bodies, the question of if these enforcers of universal truths come in peace or seeking to mete punishment is moot.
11.17.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 17 - Favorite Animal/Vermin
This one seems an odd choice to put in a list of questions about a hobby normally steeped in fantasy or science fiction. I do understand that interesting fauna can be found in the various milieu presented by the world-builders of our hobby, even Khardtha has some, but today's topic kinda has me on the back foot.
I suppose my answer would be the badger. My friend Eric's wizard, Hazeem, was reincarnated as a badger once, and a few of the druids and rangers I recall over the years have had badger animal companions.
Past that, I really have no other reason for choosing the animal.
Oh, unless these are good reasons....
I suppose my answer would be the badger. My friend Eric's wizard, Hazeem, was reincarnated as a badger once, and a few of the druids and rangers I recall over the years have had badger animal companions.
Past that, I really have no other reason for choosing the animal.
Oh, unless these are good reasons....
11.16.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 16 - Favorite Monster (Aberration)
While the undead category of this line of questioning was more difficult, with various nuances guiding my opinion over the years, my favorite aberration came to mind with no question.
The grick is usually one of the first aberrations most Dungeons & Dragons parties face in their careers, and usually represent a challenge that most PCs have not encountered up until they meet one for the first time... Damage Reduction.
Though gricks usually don't have many hit points and their attack is relatively weak, that one defensive ability of DR 10/magic means that the rogue and cleric are usually useless against the thing and the fighter types will not be doing much with their attacks, barring the fact that someone has a magical weapon (or one of the spellcasters has cast magic weapon.
This means that the grick might have to be dealt with by an offensive caster, meaning that it drains resources, making it a very useful creature for attrition in campaigns where your players tend toward the "10 minute adventuring day" style of play.
Besides, this thing looks awesome. All barbed tentacles and snapping beak on the business end of an overgrown snakeworm body. Fun stuff.
The grick is usually one of the first aberrations most Dungeons & Dragons parties face in their careers, and usually represent a challenge that most PCs have not encountered up until they meet one for the first time... Damage Reduction.
Though gricks usually don't have many hit points and their attack is relatively weak, that one defensive ability of DR 10/magic means that the rogue and cleric are usually useless against the thing and the fighter types will not be doing much with their attacks, barring the fact that someone has a magical weapon (or one of the spellcasters has cast magic weapon.
This means that the grick might have to be dealt with by an offensive caster, meaning that it drains resources, making it a very useful creature for attrition in campaigns where your players tend toward the "10 minute adventuring day" style of play.
11.15.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 15 - Favorite Monster (Undead)
Undead are, by far, my favorite supertype of monster of all time, and for good reason. As I mentioned a few posts back, my mom used to take me to horror movie marathons when I was a kid, and the most prominent villain in those were the undead, and not just the standard fare of zombies and vampires, but also mummies (Karloff was the best!) and skeletons and ghouls.
All of these monsters captured my imagination and kept me going to the library looking for horror books as well as filling some of my first sketchbooks with vampires and such. This, of course, had continued on into my GM style with preference for enemies.
Nothing fills most people with dread more than a shock of mortality in the form of seeing a dead person, and to up that feeling by having said post-living attacking them speaks to our most basic fears of death. Though it might not come through at the game table as an existential moment, there usually is a sense of dread amongst players when the undead arrive.
My favorite amongst those who used to walk among us? Ghosts.
A zombie or a skeleton is, more often than not in rpgs, presented as a corpse merely animated with dark energies, and not possessing a true sense of motivation other than a drive to stop the living from living. Even more frightening are ghouls, vampires, and liches, who have that drive and goals, and an intelligence with which to achieve them.
A ghost has that drive, that intelligence - but also a sense of the unknowable. It becomes scarier than the bodily dead because you know that it literally is a manifestation of one's soul, their spirit, which holds them here for some reason. It's almost impossible to know what keeps a ghost anchored to the mortal coil, or even if they are present, since their natural state is an invisible and silent one.
Though technically a subclassification of ghost, the poltergeist has been a particular favorite since I saw the eponymous movie as a young child. A malevolent spirit deep-rooted to a location who manipulates its surroundings to drive those it feels does not belong away, or simply to kill them makes for an engaging enemy, and one hard to quell for any would-be hero.
Sadly, I haven't used undead as much as I used to lately, because my campaigns just haven't called for it, but this post has me considering options for the future...
All of these monsters captured my imagination and kept me going to the library looking for horror books as well as filling some of my first sketchbooks with vampires and such. This, of course, had continued on into my GM style with preference for enemies.
Nothing fills most people with dread more than a shock of mortality in the form of seeing a dead person, and to up that feeling by having said post-living attacking them speaks to our most basic fears of death. Though it might not come through at the game table as an existential moment, there usually is a sense of dread amongst players when the undead arrive.
My favorite amongst those who used to walk among us? Ghosts.
A zombie or a skeleton is, more often than not in rpgs, presented as a corpse merely animated with dark energies, and not possessing a true sense of motivation other than a drive to stop the living from living. Even more frightening are ghouls, vampires, and liches, who have that drive and goals, and an intelligence with which to achieve them.
A ghost has that drive, that intelligence - but also a sense of the unknowable. It becomes scarier than the bodily dead because you know that it literally is a manifestation of one's soul, their spirit, which holds them here for some reason. It's almost impossible to know what keeps a ghost anchored to the mortal coil, or even if they are present, since their natural state is an invisible and silent one.
Though technically a subclassification of ghost, the poltergeist has been a particular favorite since I saw the eponymous movie as a young child. A malevolent spirit deep-rooted to a location who manipulates its surroundings to drive those it feels does not belong away, or simply to kill them makes for an engaging enemy, and one hard to quell for any would-be hero.
Sadly, I haven't used undead as much as I used to lately, because my campaigns just haven't called for it, but this post has me considering options for the future...
11.14.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 14 - Favorite NPC
I was thinking about this one today at work, and I can't decide between two, so as they tie for first with me, I'll post them both and let my readers sort it out (though I think I know which my current group will choose).
First, we have my very first fleshed out NPC... Silky Smooth. This pimp/hustler character was the first thing that popped into my mind when my Vampire players were looking for someone shady they could connect with. Silky might be part of the underworld, but he's anything but shady, with his flashy colored suits and "pimp cane" in hand. Though seemingly always on the pulse of every illicit trade in the city, Silky is ever known to have dealt in information. He will point you in the right direction, sometimes taking payment, sometimes offering his services for free on a whim.
To get the portrayal of Silky, I mainly drew from a guy I had come into acquaintance with when I was a teenager named Bobo. Most people who have spent any amount of time hanging out in Batesville, Arkansas have met Bobo. He'll freely admit to having spent time in prison for drugs and stabbing a dude, and is a self-confessed crackhead and vagrant. Take that core and sprinkle in some Katt Williams voice and Huggy Bear's wardrobe, and you just about get it...again, assuming you've met Bobo.
Anyway, he was always fun to portray and the PCs kept going back to him over and over again, even though they had other options, so I felt like they enjoyed the character, too.
The other NPC that leads the pack is Baron Althom. This character is mentioned as a benefactor in the 3.0 Dungeons & Dragons module The Forge of Fury, but had made more than that appearance in my attempts to run the Sunless Citadel adventure path and various other tries at Eberron campaigns.
Normally, I wouldn't put forth a character from a module as a favorite, but when first running the character, an eclectic art collector and Karrnathi noble, a good mix of the voices (and attitudes) that Peter MacNicol used for Dr. Janosz Poha, and Martin Short's Franck Eggelhoffer came to the fore and I ran with it. This character served in my long-running Eberron campaign as an ally and benefactor on more than one occasion, so I'm pretty sure he was liked by the party.
I've also used my "Baron Althom" voice and portrayal for various NPCs across settings, effectively making a multiversal character in my games.
First, we have my very first fleshed out NPC... Silky Smooth. This pimp/hustler character was the first thing that popped into my mind when my Vampire players were looking for someone shady they could connect with. Silky might be part of the underworld, but he's anything but shady, with his flashy colored suits and "pimp cane" in hand. Though seemingly always on the pulse of every illicit trade in the city, Silky is ever known to have dealt in information. He will point you in the right direction, sometimes taking payment, sometimes offering his services for free on a whim.
To get the portrayal of Silky, I mainly drew from a guy I had come into acquaintance with when I was a teenager named Bobo. Most people who have spent any amount of time hanging out in Batesville, Arkansas have met Bobo. He'll freely admit to having spent time in prison for drugs and stabbing a dude, and is a self-confessed crackhead and vagrant. Take that core and sprinkle in some Katt Williams voice and Huggy Bear's wardrobe, and you just about get it...again, assuming you've met Bobo.
Anyway, he was always fun to portray and the PCs kept going back to him over and over again, even though they had other options, so I felt like they enjoyed the character, too.
The other NPC that leads the pack is Baron Althom. This character is mentioned as a benefactor in the 3.0 Dungeons & Dragons module The Forge of Fury, but had made more than that appearance in my attempts to run the Sunless Citadel adventure path and various other tries at Eberron campaigns.
Normally, I wouldn't put forth a character from a module as a favorite, but when first running the character, an eclectic art collector and Karrnathi noble, a good mix of the voices (and attitudes) that Peter MacNicol used for Dr. Janosz Poha, and Martin Short's Franck Eggelhoffer came to the fore and I ran with it. This character served in my long-running Eberron campaign as an ally and benefactor on more than one occasion, so I'm pretty sure he was liked by the party.
I've also used my "Baron Althom" voice and portrayal for various NPCs across settings, effectively making a multiversal character in my games.
11.13.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 13 - Favorite Trap/Puzzle
Quite a few years ago, when running a Forgotten Realms campaign, while the PCs were trapped, unbeknownst to them, in a demiplane at the end of a lengthy subterranean adventure, I introduced a cave filled with statues on plinths.with plaques, each bearing writing - some familiar, some completely alien to anything they had seen. Each statue seemed to depict a warrior of some sort in an action pose.
This room, in keeping with the whole basis of the Forgotten Realms, was a room full of portals. In order to activate any individual portal, a person need only to read the name inscribed on the plaque aloud and reasonably well. At this, all characters in the room would be transported to a location fitting the statue subject's locale, with said subject present and battle ready. Initiative was immediately rolled.
The trick to this was, if any of these people were defeated in battle (Often single combat with the person who spoke the name), then the PCs would be transported back to the statue room, but that locale - without the mandatory fight - would be open from then on, by simply standing in front of the statue and speaking the name again. If a PC failed to defeat the subject, then that area was locked for a year and a day more.
One of the statues, of course, led back to Faerûn, the rest led to different campaign settings, and one, featuring the name "Wm. H. Bonney" on the plaque, led to an alternate Earth that the PC would have to face Billy the Kid for entrance. Though this statue's subject was tested, that plane remained locked. When it seemed as if the group were destined for entrapment in the Demiplane of Dread (the Ravenloft campaign setting), because the subject featured was a former inhabitant of the Realms, a Knowledge (History) check revealed he had been missing for decades, and the PCs chose the wrong plane in the end (surprisingly, my homebrew of Khardtha - keeping in mind I told them nothing about where they actually led), they eventually were able to go home.
I understand that while this wasn't truly a trap OR puzzle, it had features of both and could have been very detrimental to the party, as they could have been trapped in certain locales or locked themselves out of all the portals with a string of losses, which would have been worse, since they were the only way out of the demiplane they had found themselves in.
This room, in keeping with the whole basis of the Forgotten Realms, was a room full of portals. In order to activate any individual portal, a person need only to read the name inscribed on the plaque aloud and reasonably well. At this, all characters in the room would be transported to a location fitting the statue subject's locale, with said subject present and battle ready. Initiative was immediately rolled.
The trick to this was, if any of these people were defeated in battle (Often single combat with the person who spoke the name), then the PCs would be transported back to the statue room, but that locale - without the mandatory fight - would be open from then on, by simply standing in front of the statue and speaking the name again. If a PC failed to defeat the subject, then that area was locked for a year and a day more.
One of the statues, of course, led back to Faerûn, the rest led to different campaign settings, and one, featuring the name "Wm. H. Bonney" on the plaque, led to an alternate Earth that the PC would have to face Billy the Kid for entrance. Though this statue's subject was tested, that plane remained locked. When it seemed as if the group were destined for entrapment in the Demiplane of Dread (the Ravenloft campaign setting), because the subject featured was a former inhabitant of the Realms, a Knowledge (History) check revealed he had been missing for decades, and the PCs chose the wrong plane in the end (surprisingly, my homebrew of Khardtha - keeping in mind I told them nothing about where they actually led), they eventually were able to go home.
I understand that while this wasn't truly a trap OR puzzle, it had features of both and could have been very detrimental to the party, as they could have been trapped in certain locales or locked themselves out of all the portals with a string of losses, which would have been worse, since they were the only way out of the demiplane they had found themselves in.
11.12.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 12 - Favorite Dungeon Type/Location
Due to the adventure modules The Sunless Citadel and Heart of Nightfang Spire, I really like what are technically traditional dungeons, in the sense that they descend, but both start at the top of towers and work down. It just has a separate visceral feel to the descent into adventure.
My absolute favorite dungeon type and location rolled into one, however, is a ruined city in the desert. I've only utilized it once in an rpg, but there are lots of movies and such out there that present the type of location I'm talking about.
In this, you have a vast sprawl of ruined buildings serving the role of your dungeon rooms, connected variously by open plazas and sand-clogged avenues that serve as your corridors. The area is usually open-air, and gives the impression of a place ripe to (and ability to) openly explore, while the isolation and desolation creates an illusion of oppressiveness that acts, albeit falsely, as the dungeon walls.
Cellars, basements, tombs, and sewers can all serve to allow dungeon levels and sublevels, and the dryness of the whole location can really create a nice change of scenery for a campaign usually mired in moldy, dank dungeons adventurers are used to.
My absolute favorite dungeon type and location rolled into one, however, is a ruined city in the desert. I've only utilized it once in an rpg, but there are lots of movies and such out there that present the type of location I'm talking about.
Cellars, basements, tombs, and sewers can all serve to allow dungeon levels and sublevels, and the dryness of the whole location can really create a nice change of scenery for a campaign usually mired in moldy, dank dungeons adventurers are used to.
11.11.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 11 - Favorite Adventure You Have Ran
This turns out to be a tough one, too. Not because I don't run published adventures or anything of the like, but that I would like to nominate an adventure path, instead.
I suppose the term "Adventure Path" is slightly more modern than the adventures that I have in mind, but it is what it is, and what I'm talking about is the first series of adventures published for the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, that ranges from The Sunless Citadel to Bastion of Broken Souls, and should - in its unmodified state - take adventurers all the way to the cusp of 21st level and grant them a boon in the form of divinity by way of Divine Rank 0.
A few years back, I ran a successful campaign that spanned all these adventures and finished the first "complete" campaign I have ever ran. I have found, in the past, that published adventures usually break down in the mid levels and are completely unplayable in the late game. Not so this span. The challenges and story entice and test the PCs with a great sense of scaling.
Barring my ability to choose a whole path, however, I think I would go with the adventure that kicks the whole thing off. The Sunless Citadel is easily droppable into any campaign world with little work.
I've ran this module three or four times over the years, and my only complaint is that the adventure itself is rather linear, though if ran as part of the path, can hardly be called so if you don't want it to be. My group hopped all over the place in the year+ we played. At any rate, it's a great adventure for newbies and vets alike, with a good mix of the unique and new with the old dungeoncrawling tropes present.
I suppose the term "Adventure Path" is slightly more modern than the adventures that I have in mind, but it is what it is, and what I'm talking about is the first series of adventures published for the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, that ranges from The Sunless Citadel to Bastion of Broken Souls, and should - in its unmodified state - take adventurers all the way to the cusp of 21st level and grant them a boon in the form of divinity by way of Divine Rank 0.
A few years back, I ran a successful campaign that spanned all these adventures and finished the first "complete" campaign I have ever ran. I have found, in the past, that published adventures usually break down in the mid levels and are completely unplayable in the late game. Not so this span. The challenges and story entice and test the PCs with a great sense of scaling.
Barring my ability to choose a whole path, however, I think I would go with the adventure that kicks the whole thing off. The Sunless Citadel is easily droppable into any campaign world with little work.
 |
| One of the best for 3.x |
- In Athas, a demented Druid could be jealously guarding the tree he feels is a relic that could usher in a new Green Age.
- On Krynn, recent tremors have uncovered a sunken tower from the time of the Cataclysm and a recent expedition has yet to return. What secrets does this ruin of Istar hold?
- A warmer-than-usual winter and a hot spring has caused a heavier melt this year in northern Faerûn, exposing a crevasse with a tower jutting out of it. Some brave adventurers have already went to its depths, but will you let them beat you to the possible riches of Netherese or Evereskan artifacts?
I've ran this module three or four times over the years, and my only complaint is that the adventure itself is rather linear, though if ran as part of the path, can hardly be called so if you don't want it to be. My group hopped all over the place in the year+ we played. At any rate, it's a great adventure for newbies and vets alike, with a good mix of the unique and new with the old dungeoncrawling tropes present.
Dark Heresy, Session 5: Tattered Fates
And so we made to deal with a buyer for our liberated wares. On thinking, I know not why butchers would need pict-screens and such. It seems they would need to constantly work. There is His whole Empire to feed, after all, but I suppose they didn't value that much, anyways.
We made with some nice kit and then began our search for the manor we had been told about with the party that was supposed to ring in the 13th hour. This was not to be yet, however, as throngs of revelers surged toward us, being herded by an enormous man with tendrils where his arms and hands should be behind them. To the front, some men like those we encountered at the library pushed forward and began to fire upon the large being, but we and it put them down swiftly, all but two.
These last were truly vile heretics, as they wielded weapons that projected the Emperor's Own Holy Plasma upon their enemies, and were firing it at the enormous shrouded man, who clearly was against these heretics and together we smote them. The big guy's ire had spiked and we made haste away from the area as best we could when we realized that he was still on a rampage, as we wanted no part of that.
I was struck by this being with a sense of wonder and awe. It aided us in dispatching those who oppose Him, and I couldn't help but think if this giant man could have been one of His own children, the blessed Primarchs who took the Empire back into His fold. How silly these thoughts ended up being, and I really should strive to dispel idle musings in the future.
Thought begets Heresy.
We did, eventually, make the old Haarlock estate and begin to take part in the event that was transpiring around us. Misdirection and dark speech was bandied about and after searching for our goal, and seeing fleeting images of supposed enemies, the majority of us left Nico to his books (fool that he is, though I'd much rather the old man's company than that Xantippa's) while we aimlessly roamed halls.
The 13th hour would chime soon, and I, at least, got a bit more nervous to the tolling. Perhaps my time on Cadia put a twist to my mind, but this spoke "daemon" to me.
Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) - Paul
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me
We made with some nice kit and then began our search for the manor we had been told about with the party that was supposed to ring in the 13th hour. This was not to be yet, however, as throngs of revelers surged toward us, being herded by an enormous man with tendrils where his arms and hands should be behind them. To the front, some men like those we encountered at the library pushed forward and began to fire upon the large being, but we and it put them down swiftly, all but two.
These last were truly vile heretics, as they wielded weapons that projected the Emperor's Own Holy Plasma upon their enemies, and were firing it at the enormous shrouded man, who clearly was against these heretics and together we smote them. The big guy's ire had spiked and we made haste away from the area as best we could when we realized that he was still on a rampage, as we wanted no part of that.
I was struck by this being with a sense of wonder and awe. It aided us in dispatching those who oppose Him, and I couldn't help but think if this giant man could have been one of His own children, the blessed Primarchs who took the Empire back into His fold. How silly these thoughts ended up being, and I really should strive to dispel idle musings in the future.
Thought begets Heresy.
We did, eventually, make the old Haarlock estate and begin to take part in the event that was transpiring around us. Misdirection and dark speech was bandied about and after searching for our goal, and seeing fleeting images of supposed enemies, the majority of us left Nico to his books (fool that he is, though I'd much rather the old man's company than that Xantippa's) while we aimlessly roamed halls.
The 13th hour would chime soon, and I, at least, got a bit more nervous to the tolling. Perhaps my time on Cadia put a twist to my mind, but this spoke "daemon" to me.
Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) - Paul
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me
11.10.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 10 - Craziest Thing That's Happened That You Saw
So, this "question" is really oddly phrased, because it also apparently can be just a thing that you saw happen to one of your gaming buddies, but I'll keep it in the context of at the game table. I also assume that it could be worded as "Most Memorable Moment", and that's kinda how I've approached this.
I have to say that out of all my years of gaming, the Eberron game I ran from September '08 to December '09 has had the most consistent stream of memorable characters, scenes, and interactions I've witnessed. One of these instances is the forerunner in my mind for the craziest thing I've seen at the table that has happened during a game.
The party had been beset by devils and demons for quite some time, often taking on vrocks and bone devils (osyluths). During a confrontation with one of the bone devils, at a time when the party was low on resources and actually had to fight hard, Taylor decided his Artificer's Iron Defender, a small construct built to resemble a dog (and not much more powerful than the animal it favors), was going to attack the thing.
In this campaign, I was using the critical hit charts I posted long ago, which had effects ranging from negligible to deadly. Taylor rolled for his construct and scored a natural 20. If I remember correctly, the thing could only hit on a 19 or 20, but nevertheless was able to confirm the critical hit, then subsequently rolled head on the hit location and then high enough on the effect chart that the iron defender ripped the bone devil's head clean off. Everyone at the table roared with excitement and laughter.
It was just one of those moments where the chips are down, you're using all your tools - in this case, a construct with barely a chance to damage this thing - and then, sudden triumph. We still talk about it, because it was just that awesome.
I have to say that out of all my years of gaming, the Eberron game I ran from September '08 to December '09 has had the most consistent stream of memorable characters, scenes, and interactions I've witnessed. One of these instances is the forerunner in my mind for the craziest thing I've seen at the table that has happened during a game.The party had been beset by devils and demons for quite some time, often taking on vrocks and bone devils (osyluths). During a confrontation with one of the bone devils, at a time when the party was low on resources and actually had to fight hard, Taylor decided his Artificer's Iron Defender, a small construct built to resemble a dog (and not much more powerful than the animal it favors), was going to attack the thing.
In this campaign, I was using the critical hit charts I posted long ago, which had effects ranging from negligible to deadly. Taylor rolled for his construct and scored a natural 20. If I remember correctly, the thing could only hit on a 19 or 20, but nevertheless was able to confirm the critical hit, then subsequently rolled head on the hit location and then high enough on the effect chart that the iron defender ripped the bone devil's head clean off. Everyone at the table roared with excitement and laughter.It was just one of those moments where the chips are down, you're using all your tools - in this case, a construct with barely a chance to damage this thing - and then, sudden triumph. We still talk about it, because it was just that awesome.
11.09.2013
The Age of Worms, Session 28
Our exit from this place, triumphant, but still with more questions to be answered, seemed to be our fate, without a clear plan to follow, it looked as if we were going to have to confer with Allustan or Eligos on where to go or what to do next, but as we meant to take our leave from the place, we were attacked!
Out from nowhere, a small group of the dark elves and a mysterious other figure with slimy tentacles where a mouth should be attacked. The area was cloaked in darkness, and though we defeated the four drow, there was no sign of the betentacled fellow, but we did have a trail to follow. The boots of the drow were caked in phosphorescent fungus called Beggar's Gold, which we identified and used as the basis for our investigations under the city in the tunnels which led to the city's sewers.
Greyhawk's sewers, wretched and cold and smelly as they were, are hellishly HUGE. It took us what seemed like weeks, but was likely only days, to finally get back on the trail of our attacker and, we hoped, the bottom of the problems here in the Free City. We fumbled our way further, encountering a few more drow and then came upon a great set of double doors within an otherwise seemingly natural cave.
Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level - Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me
And here ended our foray into The Age of Worms.
Angela, like me, has just gotten a new position at her job, and she feels she doesn't have the time or energy at this moment to run a game, and so with a little discussion, I decided to start a new campaign. More on that to come, but I'd like to thank Angela for a fun game!
Out from nowhere, a small group of the dark elves and a mysterious other figure with slimy tentacles where a mouth should be attacked. The area was cloaked in darkness, and though we defeated the four drow, there was no sign of the betentacled fellow, but we did have a trail to follow. The boots of the drow were caked in phosphorescent fungus called Beggar's Gold, which we identified and used as the basis for our investigations under the city in the tunnels which led to the city's sewers.
Greyhawk's sewers, wretched and cold and smelly as they were, are hellishly HUGE. It took us what seemed like weeks, but was likely only days, to finally get back on the trail of our attacker and, we hoped, the bottom of the problems here in the Free City. We fumbled our way further, encountering a few more drow and then came upon a great set of double doors within an otherwise seemingly natural cave.
Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level - Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me
And here ended our foray into The Age of Worms.
Angela, like me, has just gotten a new position at her job, and she feels she doesn't have the time or energy at this moment to run a game, and so with a little discussion, I decided to start a new campaign. More on that to come, but I'd like to thank Angela for a fun game!
30 Day Challenge, Day 9 - Favorite Character You Haven't Played
This one is even harder than yesterday's, because I can look at my own characters with an eye toward how I experienced them, but with someone else's character...especially if they were your fellow player in a game ran by a third party, there's that level of distraction, where you're planning your own actions, looking forward to your time to act, and keeping up with what the GM and any number of other players at the table are doing, and I think sometimes those characters can get lost.
That's not to say that Taylor's "Dr. Robscar" (I forget his actual name now), a Camarilla vampire forcibly turned Sabbat that killed my first character in the same campaign and ended up blowing up some of the Primogen Council before skipping town, or Tony's Cleric in Paul's Gnomad game aren't awesome, but I tend to realize how awesome characters are more when I'm watching them from the point of view of a GM.
There have been many exciting and intriguing characters throughout my GMing years, and the characters in my current Defenders D&D game are shaping up to be amongst the 'cool kids', but one character from all the way back to the first game I ever ran stays firmly in my mind,.
Damion Flair was a homicidal Camarilla Malkavian (with randomly generated Multiple Personality Disorder as his mental flaw) that perhaps would have been better suited to the brutal mindset of the Sabbat. Embraced in his cell at a penal mental institution and broken out by his sire after his cold body was taken to the morgue, Damion was turned loose with no guidance and rapidly fell back into his murderous ways, except with the Curse of Malkav adding to his dementia.
Damion often killed to get what he wanted, and sometimes would return to his old asylum as a sometimes-haven and feeding ground, which John D. always made seem like a trigger for him, whereafter he would be more violent and off-kilter than usual. The most memorable of these episodes came after one of Damion's acquaintances got staked and baked and he felt like he had been flushed from the asylum, his usual hidey-hole, he stalked and Dominated his way into a condo and killed the 5-member family therein, sitting them on the couch with the tv playing at most hours, letting them rot in their AC-blasted living room as he lived a workaday life around them, talking to them about "work" and what have you for multiple sessions.
It was probably some of the best roleplay I have ever seen, even to this day. John D. had a way with characterization that made his penchant for beater-archetypes never dull and I wish he still had time to commit to gaming.
That's not to say that Taylor's "Dr. Robscar" (I forget his actual name now), a Camarilla vampire forcibly turned Sabbat that killed my first character in the same campaign and ended up blowing up some of the Primogen Council before skipping town, or Tony's Cleric in Paul's Gnomad game aren't awesome, but I tend to realize how awesome characters are more when I'm watching them from the point of view of a GM.
There have been many exciting and intriguing characters throughout my GMing years, and the characters in my current Defenders D&D game are shaping up to be amongst the 'cool kids', but one character from all the way back to the first game I ever ran stays firmly in my mind,.
Damion Flair was a homicidal Camarilla Malkavian (with randomly generated Multiple Personality Disorder as his mental flaw) that perhaps would have been better suited to the brutal mindset of the Sabbat. Embraced in his cell at a penal mental institution and broken out by his sire after his cold body was taken to the morgue, Damion was turned loose with no guidance and rapidly fell back into his murderous ways, except with the Curse of Malkav adding to his dementia.
Damion often killed to get what he wanted, and sometimes would return to his old asylum as a sometimes-haven and feeding ground, which John D. always made seem like a trigger for him, whereafter he would be more violent and off-kilter than usual. The most memorable of these episodes came after one of Damion's acquaintances got staked and baked and he felt like he had been flushed from the asylum, his usual hidey-hole, he stalked and Dominated his way into a condo and killed the 5-member family therein, sitting them on the couch with the tv playing at most hours, letting them rot in their AC-blasted living room as he lived a workaday life around them, talking to them about "work" and what have you for multiple sessions.
It was probably some of the best roleplay I have ever seen, even to this day. John D. had a way with characterization that made his penchant for beater-archetypes never dull and I wish he still had time to commit to gaming.
11.08.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 8 - Favorite Character You Have Played
Though not incredibly hard to choose, this did take a little thought.
Much like any other person who has played rpgs for more than a few years, I have hundreds of characters in my gaming history. Some are from false starts with one or two sessions of play, some from long-lasting campaigns, others the victims of mid-campaign TPKs or DM Fatigue. Just since I started this blog in September of 2007, I've written about 20 different campaigns featuring 30 different characters (I died a lot in two of those games), and sitting here, I can think of at least 30 more. I wouldn't be surprised if I have actually played over 100 different characters, so a question arises...
How does one choose their favorite?
I think it simply boils down to how much fun you had playing a character more than if they've slain a god, beaten the ocean in a drinking contest, or what have you.
And so, I have to go with Bhirtroc Taal, a Goblin Thief (now Rogue, since I've converted and played him in 3.x) that I've ran in a couple of short-lived campaigns that Paul ran, ranging from the late 90s to, theoretically, the present, though we've not played it in a long while.
On the end of a string of unfortunate deaths, but still wanting to play, I was able to drag a regular of my high school group to Paul's to play some D&D, but nobody else showed up for the session, and so John D. and I made our characters; he a Firbolg Fighter, and I my Goblin Thief. I loved the game, but was getting disgusted with the mounting deaths, and so I had suggested we play around with the Humanoids Handbook, which Paul agreed to, and then proceeded to name him something silly (it's pronounced "Beer truck", because I had looked out the window when making him and saw one pass by).
Paul had decided Bhirtroc and Red, as the Firbolg was named, were taken in by a kindly old lady in the woods (it was hinted that dear ol' mom was a witch, but never confirmed) who then set us out to do whatever we would in the world. This led to a hilarious string of incidences as two teenagers (both the players and the characters) ran afoul of the wider campaign world time and again.
John D. couldn't play as often as I could, and Bhirtroc went on adventures here and there with one or two other characters along the way, and now sits at a mighty 3rd level! He's not beaten a dragon, he's never plundered the king's gold, and in all honesty, I think he's truly only been in two combats, but everytime I've played him, it's just been fun, and that counts for so much.
Much like any other person who has played rpgs for more than a few years, I have hundreds of characters in my gaming history. Some are from false starts with one or two sessions of play, some from long-lasting campaigns, others the victims of mid-campaign TPKs or DM Fatigue. Just since I started this blog in September of 2007, I've written about 20 different campaigns featuring 30 different characters (I died a lot in two of those games), and sitting here, I can think of at least 30 more. I wouldn't be surprised if I have actually played over 100 different characters, so a question arises...
How does one choose their favorite?
I think it simply boils down to how much fun you had playing a character more than if they've slain a god, beaten the ocean in a drinking contest, or what have you.
And so, I have to go with Bhirtroc Taal, a Goblin Thief (now Rogue, since I've converted and played him in 3.x) that I've ran in a couple of short-lived campaigns that Paul ran, ranging from the late 90s to, theoretically, the present, though we've not played it in a long while.
On the end of a string of unfortunate deaths, but still wanting to play, I was able to drag a regular of my high school group to Paul's to play some D&D, but nobody else showed up for the session, and so John D. and I made our characters; he a Firbolg Fighter, and I my Goblin Thief. I loved the game, but was getting disgusted with the mounting deaths, and so I had suggested we play around with the Humanoids Handbook, which Paul agreed to, and then proceeded to name him something silly (it's pronounced "Beer truck", because I had looked out the window when making him and saw one pass by).
Paul had decided Bhirtroc and Red, as the Firbolg was named, were taken in by a kindly old lady in the woods (it was hinted that dear ol' mom was a witch, but never confirmed) who then set us out to do whatever we would in the world. This led to a hilarious string of incidences as two teenagers (both the players and the characters) ran afoul of the wider campaign world time and again.
John D. couldn't play as often as I could, and Bhirtroc went on adventures here and there with one or two other characters along the way, and now sits at a mighty 3rd level! He's not beaten a dragon, he's never plundered the king's gold, and in all honesty, I think he's truly only been in two combats, but everytime I've played him, it's just been fun, and that counts for so much.
11.07.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 7 - Favorite Edition
This is a fortunate turn in questioning, as we go from the hardest question to answer last post to the easiest in this one.
I think, more than anything else, my love of 3.x (I didn't announce it because if you've read this blog, well...any, you should have known what the answer was) likely stemmed because of the time in which I began playing RPGs. In 1996, there wasn't a game shop and through work, I had met Paul, who happened to game and was nice enough to invite me to his group.
Their game was Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, and I did love it. That edition of the game provided many an hour of fun for me and my friends, but by the time I got into it, it was bloated and for a kid with barely any money (I had to pay for car insurance, fuel, etc.!), it was almost impossible to catch up.
The same was true for Vampire: The Masquerade. Though my highschool group jumped into that, I felt insecure in my abilities as Storyteller enough, and had the aforementioned lack of funds, that I was hesitant to get more than a few books in that system, partially to avoid overwhelming myself and the primarily-casual roleplayers at the table.
Then, in 1999, Wizards started posting articles about the upcoming new 3rd Edition of Dungions & Dragons in Dragon Magazine, and I devoured every bit. I bought the books as they released, and I've honestly never looked back. I purchased the 3.5 updated tomes, and now am just a few books shy of having everything Wizards put out during the official run of the 3.x Editions.
It doesn't really stop there, though....
After a brief dalliance with 4th Edition, and a growing distaste for it, my group and I jumped to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, the spiritual successor to the 3.x line - so much so that early print ads for the game had "3.75" on them, and it really is the best fit, and a true continuance of the game I love most.
This is all not to say I don't enjoy and play other games. In fact, I have been known to ask my group to play other games just for variance, but I'm never truly upset at a 3.5 game featured at our game table.
Their game was Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, and I did love it. That edition of the game provided many an hour of fun for me and my friends, but by the time I got into it, it was bloated and for a kid with barely any money (I had to pay for car insurance, fuel, etc.!), it was almost impossible to catch up.
The same was true for Vampire: The Masquerade. Though my highschool group jumped into that, I felt insecure in my abilities as Storyteller enough, and had the aforementioned lack of funds, that I was hesitant to get more than a few books in that system, partially to avoid overwhelming myself and the primarily-casual roleplayers at the table.
Then, in 1999, Wizards started posting articles about the upcoming new 3rd Edition of Dungions & Dragons in Dragon Magazine, and I devoured every bit. I bought the books as they released, and I've honestly never looked back. I purchased the 3.5 updated tomes, and now am just a few books shy of having everything Wizards put out during the official run of the 3.x Editions.
It doesn't really stop there, though....
After a brief dalliance with 4th Edition, and a growing distaste for it, my group and I jumped to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, the spiritual successor to the 3.x line - so much so that early print ads for the game had "3.75" on them, and it really is the best fit, and a true continuance of the game I love most.
This is all not to say I don't enjoy and play other games. In fact, I have been known to ask my group to play other games just for variance, but I'm never truly upset at a 3.5 game featured at our game table.
11.06.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 6 - Favorite Deity
So far, this has been the hardest choice to have made, even more difficult than choosing a gameworld.Though many of the divinities from various Dungeons & Dragons campaigns appeal to me, as do a few of the greater powers from the Elric mythos, as presented in game materials I have seen, I have to say that Games Workshop has presented, in my eyes, the most compelling gods to be worshiped by rpg characters.
The God-Emperor of Mankind, from the Warhammer 40,000 line, would be my first choice because the idea of nobody really knowing what, or even if, the giant corpse on the great machine that is his ostuary throne wants from his followers, so you have sects so radical and outlandish, spread all throughout the reaches of this galactic empire makes for insanely entertaining storytelling and characterization.
As much as I like the idea of the God-Emperor, however, it's another Warhammer deity, this one from the Fantasy line, that I have to choose as my favorite. This god is Morr, lord of death and dreams. Depicted as a man of noble, sombre bearing, draped in dark finery and cloaks, the god of the dead, death, and dreams, and holds some minor influence over prophecy, illusions, and safe passage.
Though Morr will have his accounting of the dead, and promotes his clergy to bring death to those who would cheat it or are abominations to life itself, he disdains murder, which is the domain of his younger brother, the god Khaine.
Champions of Morr are depicted as unflagging in their pursuit of finding Morr his due, and due to the compelling and engaging nature of these cold, untiring reckoners, I find Morr to be the most interesting deity to have as a patron for a PC (at least at the moment. This is one of those categories in flux with me.
11.05.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 5 - Favorite Set of Dice/Individual Die
When I started playing Dungeons & Dragons with Paul and his group, all the dice I had were a couple of "official" TSR sets, the ones from the mid-90s with the bright orange d20s with black numbers, that I had purchased from the long-since closed Batesville Bookstore.
This was sufficient, I thought, until I began running my own D&D game for my high school friends at my house every Monday night, from the time we got out of school until wrestling came on at 7 or 8. The shop in town at the time was The Round Table, and had probably the nicest selection of dice I had seen in a game shop for a decade after it closed.
One day, I hadn't brought my own dice, not expecting a new campaign to start on that given day, and since I had my home game and sharing dice was becoming a hassle, I slipped one of the tubes off the wall and purchased the last set of dice I've ever used.
I believe they were Armoury dice, though they could be Chessex. At any rate, I've not found them again in a catalog or website, so I assume that they were discontinued long ago. I lost the blue d10 for a two month span, only for Paul to find it in the game room we used at his house. In all seriousness, when he handed me back my lost die, that day became one of the happiest in my life so far.
I've had them for 16 years. If I can't find them, I panic. They've provided me with ultimate triumph and ultimate humiliation at the game table, and gaming would be sad and weird without them.
This was sufficient, I thought, until I began running my own D&D game for my high school friends at my house every Monday night, from the time we got out of school until wrestling came on at 7 or 8. The shop in town at the time was The Round Table, and had probably the nicest selection of dice I had seen in a game shop for a decade after it closed.
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| Probably the nicest pic my iPhone has ever taken. |
I believe they were Armoury dice, though they could be Chessex. At any rate, I've not found them again in a catalog or website, so I assume that they were discontinued long ago. I lost the blue d10 for a two month span, only for Paul to find it in the game room we used at his house. In all seriousness, when he handed me back my lost die, that day became one of the happiest in my life so far.
I've had them for 16 years. If I can't find them, I panic. They've provided me with ultimate triumph and ultimate humiliation at the game table, and gaming would be sad and weird without them.
11.04.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 4 - Favorite Gameworld
This one, I think, is the hardest question yet.
I'm intrigued by the alternate history setting of Colonial Gothic and the politics-driven worlds in Dune and Legend of the Five Rings.
I like the ideas presented in the far future Earths presented in Gamma World and Shadowrun.
I love the World of Darkness, and the Star Wars universe, and could go one of many different ways just in Dungeons & Dragons alone.
But...
A strong runner for my favorite gameworld is that presented in the Magic: The Gathering card game. This is not to say that the various planes of this setting might offer anything different than any number of other settings, but transitioning between those focused settings is even scripted into the core of the game's idea. Planeswalkers tread the planes with ease, bouncing from place to place to pursue their goals, and every character would aspire to be a Planeswalker.
However, I have only ever played in a (VERY) short-lived game set in M:tG's vast playground, and that game never left Dominaria (the game's version of a Prime plane), so perhaps I'm jumping the gun some with my declaration.
Certainly, if you look at my game mastering history, you'd not find a game set in the realms of Magic: The Gathering. In fact, you'd not find much diversity at all. There is, of course, Marvel Universe, from my goes at running the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game in the late 90s/early 2000s, then the World of Darkness, where I began my forays into game mastery, and have tarried in periodically since I began to game, but there are three D&D campaign settings that pretty constantly stay at the top of my list whenever I decide I would like to run a game.
Dark Sun, the Forgotten Realms, and Ravenloft each hold a special place in my heart, and I would say I've probably run equal amounts of campaigns from all three. The fact that I gravitate to horror media (perhaps due to those movie marathons Mom used to take me to when I was young) made Ravenloft an early favorite of mine when I decided to finally try my hand at running a D&D game. Later, my friend Chris got me hooked on Dark Sun by constantly chattering about it and the key differences that made the setting just different enough to keep me firmly rooted in the fantasy genre with a bit more of a desolation and hopelessness that appealed to my sadistic streak, I suppose.
Then there's the Forgotten Realms. Without a doubt, if you tally the number of sessions together that I have ran in successful campaigns, this setting will blow everything else out of the water (though I think Eberron is gaining now). Darkwalker on Moonshae, a pretty phenomenal novel (in my opinion), by Douglas Niles, opened the door to the Realms to me when I bought it on the cheap from the local bookstore. Shortly thereafter, some toy chain was selling out of their rpg stock, and I got the Gray Box on the cheap. I devoured it, then began reading all I could about the setting. Many people say that they don't care for the Realms or would never run a game in the setting because everything has been fleshed out, but that's a strength to me, and has helped me develop some of the campaigns I'm most proud of in my DM career.
Having said all that, I'm still not sure that I even have a true favorite gameworld, and maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. Simply, my favorite one is any setting in which I run or play in a game at a given time where I have fun.
As an aside, you may be wondering why I didn't mention my homebrew, Khardtha. This is because it's simply not my favorite. It's my playground, to do with what I will, but I've never played in it and it's incomplete, anyway. I do have fun when I tinker with the setting, but it's the fun coming from creating, not from having experienced something.
I'm intrigued by the alternate history setting of Colonial Gothic and the politics-driven worlds in Dune and Legend of the Five Rings.
I like the ideas presented in the far future Earths presented in Gamma World and Shadowrun.
I love the World of Darkness, and the Star Wars universe, and could go one of many different ways just in Dungeons & Dragons alone.
But...
A strong runner for my favorite gameworld is that presented in the Magic: The Gathering card game. This is not to say that the various planes of this setting might offer anything different than any number of other settings, but transitioning between those focused settings is even scripted into the core of the game's idea. Planeswalkers tread the planes with ease, bouncing from place to place to pursue their goals, and every character would aspire to be a Planeswalker.
However, I have only ever played in a (VERY) short-lived game set in M:tG's vast playground, and that game never left Dominaria (the game's version of a Prime plane), so perhaps I'm jumping the gun some with my declaration.
Certainly, if you look at my game mastering history, you'd not find a game set in the realms of Magic: The Gathering. In fact, you'd not find much diversity at all. There is, of course, Marvel Universe, from my goes at running the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game in the late 90s/early 2000s, then the World of Darkness, where I began my forays into game mastery, and have tarried in periodically since I began to game, but there are three D&D campaign settings that pretty constantly stay at the top of my list whenever I decide I would like to run a game.
Dark Sun, the Forgotten Realms, and Ravenloft each hold a special place in my heart, and I would say I've probably run equal amounts of campaigns from all three. The fact that I gravitate to horror media (perhaps due to those movie marathons Mom used to take me to when I was young) made Ravenloft an early favorite of mine when I decided to finally try my hand at running a D&D game. Later, my friend Chris got me hooked on Dark Sun by constantly chattering about it and the key differences that made the setting just different enough to keep me firmly rooted in the fantasy genre with a bit more of a desolation and hopelessness that appealed to my sadistic streak, I suppose.
Then there's the Forgotten Realms. Without a doubt, if you tally the number of sessions together that I have ran in successful campaigns, this setting will blow everything else out of the water (though I think Eberron is gaining now). Darkwalker on Moonshae, a pretty phenomenal novel (in my opinion), by Douglas Niles, opened the door to the Realms to me when I bought it on the cheap from the local bookstore. Shortly thereafter, some toy chain was selling out of their rpg stock, and I got the Gray Box on the cheap. I devoured it, then began reading all I could about the setting. Many people say that they don't care for the Realms or would never run a game in the setting because everything has been fleshed out, but that's a strength to me, and has helped me develop some of the campaigns I'm most proud of in my DM career.
Having said all that, I'm still not sure that I even have a true favorite gameworld, and maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. Simply, my favorite one is any setting in which I run or play in a game at a given time where I have fun.
As an aside, you may be wondering why I didn't mention my homebrew, Khardtha. This is because it's simply not my favorite. It's my playground, to do with what I will, but I've never played in it and it's incomplete, anyway. I do have fun when I tinker with the setting, but it's the fun coming from creating, not from having experienced something.
11.03.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 3 - Favorite Playable Class
The class that stands out most for me is the Rogue. Alternately known as the Scoundrel, the Thief, the Brigand, or any number of other names, if a game features a shifty character of questionable morals and a penchant for acquiring the things he wants through nontraditional means, then I usually gravitate that way.Thinking of five of my favorite rpg characters I have personally played, despite not all technically being classed as rogues in the thieving burglar sense,
were played heavily skewed toward the stereotypes and tropes of the category, anyway.
I will play most any type of roguish character, from a sneaky cutpurse to a stone-hearted assassin, but tend to gravitate to the dilettante style...a rakish rogue who charms and bargains his way toward his goals. I think, perhaps, this is because I was extremely shy when I was a kid, up until around 11 years old, I guess. Maybe I'm just making up for lost time by portraying characters who are outgoing, as well.
11.02.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 2 - Favorite Playable Race
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| Just... |
Mechanically, in most games at least, Humans offer a huge advantage in that they have no disadvantages. Add to that the fact that Humans can usually opt-in to most careers/classes, usually have adaptability traits of some sort, and usually get a step up in customization by picking skills, etc., and Humans become perhaps not optimal, but solid, choices for characters.
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| ...Some... |
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| ...Examples. |
11.01.2013
30 Day Challenge, Day 1 - How You Got Started
I actually covered this in this post WAY back in March of 2008, but that's not the whole of the story, I suppose.
My mom and dad were actually huge influences on my eventually becoming a gamer, exposing me to fantasy and horror through movies, television, and books, as well as encouraging my imagination. My big brother even let me play Intellivision with him when I was young, and my grandparents loved board and card games, so I was familiar with cooperative an open-table gaming.
All of this, and realizing my mom might tell me no to a toy, but would buy me a comic book (because I was still reading, after all) really boosted my imagination even more. My love of true fantasy only grew when, in 6th grade, our teacher made us read The Hobbit, and showed us the old Bakshi movies. I was hooked.
For the next few years after this, RPGs were my favorite genre of video games, and I read books and comics constantly. Then, the happenings of the post linked to above happened. These events truly made me a gamer, and I was content to be a player, but I wanted to bring in my closest group of high school friends, but I didn't think I could hook them with Dungeons & Dragons. Then, an article in InQuest Magazine told of a game called Vampire: The Masquerade, and I knew this would be the game that would get my pals to buy in, since we all loved horror. It worked, and I had just multiclassed into Game Master!
The rest of this story up til the point when I began this blog would be a roller coaster ride of lost groups, hurt feelings, and long nights of great fun, but that's for another time, and not the focus of this post.
My mom and dad were actually huge influences on my eventually becoming a gamer, exposing me to fantasy and horror through movies, television, and books, as well as encouraging my imagination. My big brother even let me play Intellivision with him when I was young, and my grandparents loved board and card games, so I was familiar with cooperative an open-table gaming.
All of this, and realizing my mom might tell me no to a toy, but would buy me a comic book (because I was still reading, after all) really boosted my imagination even more. My love of true fantasy only grew when, in 6th grade, our teacher made us read The Hobbit, and showed us the old Bakshi movies. I was hooked.
For the next few years after this, RPGs were my favorite genre of video games, and I read books and comics constantly. Then, the happenings of the post linked to above happened. These events truly made me a gamer, and I was content to be a player, but I wanted to bring in my closest group of high school friends, but I didn't think I could hook them with Dungeons & Dragons. Then, an article in InQuest Magazine told of a game called Vampire: The Masquerade, and I knew this would be the game that would get my pals to buy in, since we all loved horror. It worked, and I had just multiclassed into Game Master!
The rest of this story up til the point when I began this blog would be a roller coaster ride of lost groups, hurt feelings, and long nights of great fun, but that's for another time, and not the focus of this post.
10.31.2013
The 30 Day Challenge
Greetings, loyal followers!
Things have been getting back to normal for me, so I now have time to post again. Many exciting things have happened in the past few weeks in our games, but I will get to that in due time. Today, I'm going to challenge myself. I've never been as dedicated as many bloggers out there, even if I have been doing this as long or longer than most.
Over at his blog, Random Wizard challenged himself to post 30 entries on set topics (below) throughout the month of September and did a pretty good job of keeping up at first. I plan to do just as good (but hopefully better) and actually knock out a post each day in November.
The topics/my blogging goals are listed below, but I do not agree with the sentiment on d30s!
Things have been getting back to normal for me, so I now have time to post again. Many exciting things have happened in the past few weeks in our games, but I will get to that in due time. Today, I'm going to challenge myself. I've never been as dedicated as many bloggers out there, even if I have been doing this as long or longer than most.
Over at his blog, Random Wizard challenged himself to post 30 entries on set topics (below) throughout the month of September and did a pretty good job of keeping up at first. I plan to do just as good (but hopefully better) and actually knock out a post each day in November.
The topics/my blogging goals are listed below, but I do not agree with the sentiment on d30s!
10.06.2013
Sealing the Dragon's Gate Parts 2 and 3 (of 3)
The past two months have been fairly busy, with me gaining a promotion, Angela completing her classes to become a reserve police officer, and other obligations and illnesses for various members of the group, but we have managed to eke out five sessions* of our various games during the 8 weeks since I last posted. Here's the conclusion of our 3-part Eberron game ran by Paul.
After leaving the dragon we encountered in the kobold city, we began our dangerous trek further into the mountain, in search of the Demon (alternately, Dragon) Gate, which we were to seal with the scroll afforded us by the Daughters of Sora Kell.
Our passage was blocked by throngs of tieflings and demons of all sorts in fierce combat with a small group of elder dragons of various color. The breach in the Gate had spilled forth much more than we had anticipated and so we threw our power into the fight against the fell host, seemingly doing very little to turn the tide of battle. Then, a few of us had the idea of pushing for the back of the cavern - over a mile deeper into hostile territory, harried all the way by fiends until the Gate was in sight.
Once there, I pulled the scroll and enacted the magic to bind the Gate, and simultaneously, the demon host broke, carrying the day for our band. We finished our business there and returned to the heart of Droaam victorious. There were more of these Gates to be sealed, and many, more dire challenges that awaited us, no doubt, but those are stories for another day...
Cast of Characters**
Saint Cleanse, Awakened Sainted Empowered Divine Living Fireball Monk 8/Paladin 2/Shibu Protector 1 - David
??, Medusa Fighter 10 - Angela
??, Dragonkin Dragonborn Dragon Adept 10 -Tami
??, Harssaf Rogue 10 -Taylor
Anak, Draconic Human-blooded Arkamoi Sorceror 2/Incantatrix 9 - Me
*there is a little bit of debate about this, as some of us remember the last part of Paul's game taking 2 sessions and the rest remembering it as a 2-parter in whole, with the last part just being insanely long. It was only discussed briefly, but ultimately doesn't matter.
**You might notice a level disparity between mine and David's characters and the others. That's because we all gained a level at the end of the last session, and I can't recall what anyone else took. Perhaps some insight will come in comments. Also, I'm not sure of anyone's name, so maybe I can be clued in to those.
After leaving the dragon we encountered in the kobold city, we began our dangerous trek further into the mountain, in search of the Demon (alternately, Dragon) Gate, which we were to seal with the scroll afforded us by the Daughters of Sora Kell.
Our passage was blocked by throngs of tieflings and demons of all sorts in fierce combat with a small group of elder dragons of various color. The breach in the Gate had spilled forth much more than we had anticipated and so we threw our power into the fight against the fell host, seemingly doing very little to turn the tide of battle. Then, a few of us had the idea of pushing for the back of the cavern - over a mile deeper into hostile territory, harried all the way by fiends until the Gate was in sight.
Once there, I pulled the scroll and enacted the magic to bind the Gate, and simultaneously, the demon host broke, carrying the day for our band. We finished our business there and returned to the heart of Droaam victorious. There were more of these Gates to be sealed, and many, more dire challenges that awaited us, no doubt, but those are stories for another day...
Cast of Characters**
Saint Cleanse, Awakened Sainted Empowered Divine Living Fireball Monk 8/Paladin 2/Shibu Protector 1 - David
??, Medusa Fighter 10 - Angela
??, Dragonkin Dragonborn Dragon Adept 10 -Tami
??, Harssaf Rogue 10 -Taylor
Anak, Draconic Human-blooded Arkamoi Sorceror 2/Incantatrix 9 - Me
*there is a little bit of debate about this, as some of us remember the last part of Paul's game taking 2 sessions and the rest remembering it as a 2-parter in whole, with the last part just being insanely long. It was only discussed briefly, but ultimately doesn't matter.
**You might notice a level disparity between mine and David's characters and the others. That's because we all gained a level at the end of the last session, and I can't recall what anyone else took. Perhaps some insight will come in comments. Also, I'm not sure of anyone's name, so maybe I can be clued in to those.
8.10.2013
Musical Inspiration, vol. 15 - Machinae Supremacy
This feature has been a long time coming, as every time I do one of these Musical Inspirations, I think about choosing one of these guys' songs, but always go for something else. I think it's just too obvious.
The Swedish-based New Frontier band produces music heavily influenced by the sounds of classic video games, and Hero is no exception. The lyrics also evoke the mood and thought processes that one sees often in JRPG characters, and can translate well to a "rockstar gaming" style of tabletop play.
I hope you enjoy this track and check them out further, though sometimes their music will make you want to play MegaMan or R-Type.
Machinae Supremacy - "Hero"
They try to beat me
but they will not ever defeat me
This time we're on my battlegrounds
I'm gonna win, trust in me
I have come to save this world
and in the end I'll get the girl!
I've missed it, so twisted
and unsurpassed in my head
This sense of power has awakened in me
I feel I could take on the world
a day like this
my rage is brewing like a storm
[Chorus]
And now the storm has grown
out of control
Right here, the voice of anger
taking tone
Cause now the fire
in our hearts explode
Baby, let's blow this joint
and build our own
Sometimes you just need to
level everything with the ground to
make room for all the things
you wanted somehow
And I have known it all along
the day is coming
when you will reap your evil ways
[2 x Chorus]
And build our own!
[Chorus]
*As always, I don't own this, blah blah blah.
The Swedish-based New Frontier band produces music heavily influenced by the sounds of classic video games, and Hero is no exception. The lyrics also evoke the mood and thought processes that one sees often in JRPG characters, and can translate well to a "rockstar gaming" style of tabletop play.
I hope you enjoy this track and check them out further, though sometimes their music will make you want to play MegaMan or R-Type.
Machinae Supremacy - "Hero"
They try to beat me
but they will not ever defeat me
This time we're on my battlegrounds
I'm gonna win, trust in me
I have come to save this world
and in the end I'll get the girl!
I've missed it, so twisted
and unsurpassed in my head
This sense of power has awakened in me
I feel I could take on the world
a day like this
my rage is brewing like a storm
[Chorus]
And now the storm has grown
out of control
Right here, the voice of anger
taking tone
Cause now the fire
in our hearts explode
Baby, let's blow this joint
and build our own
Sometimes you just need to
level everything with the ground to
make room for all the things
you wanted somehow
And I have known it all along
the day is coming
when you will reap your evil ways
[2 x Chorus]
And build our own!
[Chorus]
*As always, I don't own this, blah blah blah.
Dark Heresy, Session 4: Tattered Fates
And so, we had changed our minds, deciding to first search for our contact.
After hours of roaming these streets, asking where we might find a scholar, we were directed to an ill-kempt section of this city, likely forlorn because the drunkards and stimmheads that inhabit this hole care next to nothing for knowledge, or know that knowledge, itself, begets heresy, and rightfully steer clear of things such as tomes and dataslates that might fill their heads with dreamy thoughts. I begin to wonder, as I go over these thoughts if the whole of the population haven't already been accursed by these...books. There are great librariums here in this "Refutation" district, after all, which might implant all sorts of notions in one not steeled by His word.
Here, despite my reservations about these tomes and such, was indeed where we found our 'White Scholar', an ally in task and servant of our Inquisitor, as well. Here, he shared his knowledge of this damnable world and gave insight to the perils which we face; dread cults - perhaps beholden to the Ruinous Powers, Drusus spit on them - which had in the works, or in planning, a ritual of some sort that would destroy this world (or the system, I was unclear) if it came to fruition. He rambled on more, and I'm hoping I was not the only one trying to pay attention, as we were beset by some of these heretics, whom had been identified as members of a cult known as the Pilgrims of Hayte.
I quickly lost interest in the scholars words, and indeed, have mostly forgotten some of what the man said because I was given the opportunity to bring His judgment to those sworn against Him. Though they demanded the life of our fellow acolyte, our strikes were true, and though that damned Xantippa invoked the warp disastrously yet again, we won the day against our foes. I claimed the warp sorceror's armored vest and they were stripped of their weaponry before we began to ask the Scholar where we might find a place to fence our ill-gotten goods.
Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) - Paul
Ishta, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -Tami
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me
Notes: Wednesday night was just incredibly fun and funny. We mostly just talked and had a good time more than playing. Passed around some hot sauces that were among some of the hottest I've had, especially the stuff David had gotten when on vacation, and ate a heap of candy.
We were originally supposed to play Paul's game, having skipped last week, which would have been Dark Heresy, but Paul and David decided that David would run his game...and they both forgot to share that with the rest of us. Next week is anyone's guess, as Paul said that once he started scripting his game, it only came to about one more session. Perhaps he will expand or run as-is, and maybe we'll be back on Quaddis.
After hours of roaming these streets, asking where we might find a scholar, we were directed to an ill-kempt section of this city, likely forlorn because the drunkards and stimmheads that inhabit this hole care next to nothing for knowledge, or know that knowledge, itself, begets heresy, and rightfully steer clear of things such as tomes and dataslates that might fill their heads with dreamy thoughts. I begin to wonder, as I go over these thoughts if the whole of the population haven't already been accursed by these...books. There are great librariums here in this "Refutation" district, after all, which might implant all sorts of notions in one not steeled by His word.
Here, despite my reservations about these tomes and such, was indeed where we found our 'White Scholar', an ally in task and servant of our Inquisitor, as well. Here, he shared his knowledge of this damnable world and gave insight to the perils which we face; dread cults - perhaps beholden to the Ruinous Powers, Drusus spit on them - which had in the works, or in planning, a ritual of some sort that would destroy this world (or the system, I was unclear) if it came to fruition. He rambled on more, and I'm hoping I was not the only one trying to pay attention, as we were beset by some of these heretics, whom had been identified as members of a cult known as the Pilgrims of Hayte.
I quickly lost interest in the scholars words, and indeed, have mostly forgotten some of what the man said because I was given the opportunity to bring His judgment to those sworn against Him. Though they demanded the life of our fellow acolyte, our strikes were true, and though that damned Xantippa invoked the warp disastrously yet again, we won the day against our foes. I claimed the warp sorceror's armored vest and they were stripped of their weaponry before we began to ask the Scholar where we might find a place to fence our ill-gotten goods.
Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) - Paul
Ishta, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -Tami
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me
Notes: Wednesday night was just incredibly fun and funny. We mostly just talked and had a good time more than playing. Passed around some hot sauces that were among some of the hottest I've had, especially the stuff David had gotten when on vacation, and ate a heap of candy.
We were originally supposed to play Paul's game, having skipped last week, which would have been Dark Heresy, but Paul and David decided that David would run his game...and they both forgot to share that with the rest of us. Next week is anyone's guess, as Paul said that once he started scripting his game, it only came to about one more session. Perhaps he will expand or run as-is, and maybe we'll be back on Quaddis.
8.04.2013
My Reincarnation Table
A few weeks ago, The Digital Orc (go read his blog, it's good) asked me in a comment for the table I use (and have shared with my current group and others in the past) when a character has Reincarnate cast on them. It took me longer than anticipated, but I've finally gotten the chance to clean it up and here it is!
Now, don't let that make you think that it will look pretty. Far from it. I make sloppy notes for my games, with little regard for layout, and at best, this is just functional. The file is in Word .doc format, but I can post it in something else if people have any problems with it.
I don't think, given my usual blogging fare, that I should post a disclaimer saying that this list is taken entirely from 3.x sources. This is simply because that's what my group plays, and honestly, if you are playing any version of D&D, or retroclones thereof, it's my personal opinion that you do yourself a disservice by not mining other editions for content. I do it all the time with my personal games, but I digress.
Anyway, some might point out I didn't include races from X book, or updated to Pathfinder, or whatever. Yes, I know this. This chart was crafted specifically for two games I ran in the past, and I still like and use it. I'm sorry if your favorite race didn't make the list. There are, I think, 92 separate roll results on the primary chart alone. That's enough to last you a bit.
Some might also say that I maybe should have skewed more toward the base/classic races of D&D, but they do get a small bump on the chart, and I really just like options. I like gonzo stuff in my games, I like crunchy characters with options, and I also like roleplay situations built upon becoming something that perhaps noone in this part of the world has seen before.
I could certainly improve the thing, I'm sure, but my group and I get heaps of enjoyment out of it. You can improve it, if you would like. If you play older editions, I hope you at least look into some of the monsters, and maybe even do some conversions, if they don't exist in your rules. I would be incredibly interested in seeing stuff like that.
As always, please comment if you have any questions, suggestions, etc.. I look forward to it.
Now, don't let that make you think that it will look pretty. Far from it. I make sloppy notes for my games, with little regard for layout, and at best, this is just functional. The file is in Word .doc format, but I can post it in something else if people have any problems with it.
I don't think, given my usual blogging fare, that I should post a disclaimer saying that this list is taken entirely from 3.x sources. This is simply because that's what my group plays, and honestly, if you are playing any version of D&D, or retroclones thereof, it's my personal opinion that you do yourself a disservice by not mining other editions for content. I do it all the time with my personal games, but I digress.
Anyway, some might point out I didn't include races from X book, or updated to Pathfinder, or whatever. Yes, I know this. This chart was crafted specifically for two games I ran in the past, and I still like and use it. I'm sorry if your favorite race didn't make the list. There are, I think, 92 separate roll results on the primary chart alone. That's enough to last you a bit.
Some might also say that I maybe should have skewed more toward the base/classic races of D&D, but they do get a small bump on the chart, and I really just like options. I like gonzo stuff in my games, I like crunchy characters with options, and I also like roleplay situations built upon becoming something that perhaps noone in this part of the world has seen before.
I could certainly improve the thing, I'm sure, but my group and I get heaps of enjoyment out of it. You can improve it, if you would like. If you play older editions, I hope you at least look into some of the monsters, and maybe even do some conversions, if they don't exist in your rules. I would be incredibly interested in seeing stuff like that.
As always, please comment if you have any questions, suggestions, etc.. I look forward to it.
7.27.2013
Some Thoughts on the Eberron 3-Parter
Paul's game is, I think, something I've been needing without me necessarily knowing. His initial pitch on our last Dark Heresy night was "Up to 10 ECL and 10 class levels" and then later supplemented via text with "In Droaam, working for Daughters of Sora Kell." Now, this already sounds fun. Monstrous PC working for the leaders of a monstrous nation. I really dug that, but the first thing that I latched onto was the leeway we were given with character creation.
I love crunch in game systems. It's not something I need, but I do like my fix now and then, and sometimes when given the opportunity, I like to fiddle with optimization. You see, I don't usually optimize my characters for other games, such as our Age of Worms campaign, because I don't care for the hassle of the bookkeeping, I don't wish to burden my GM with skews in character ability, and I don't wish to overshadow my fellow players' characters because I wish all of us to have a fun experience.
When Paul announced the levels for this mini-campaign, however, I jumped on the chance to push some limits. Not all of us did, mind you, but the impact is seemingly less, as each of our races have distinct advantages, and most of us went for acutely focused class structures, which means fewer instances of overlap and more fun as our characters do what they do. Taylor has mentioned not being entirely happy with his character as it stands, so he might ask Paul for a change, but I don't think he didn't enjoy himself during the game.
All of this is not to say that I don't have reservations! My fears, however, are that he might slip into a challenge fallacy with our characters. My sorceror, while powerful, is really only as potent as a 15th level character. David's living spell character, on the other hand, is teetering close to epic levels of power, because he was looking at gaming his character, as well. The others vary mostly by situation as to where they sit, but we're definitely not a 20th level party, no matter what our ECLs say, as racial ECL adds seem to not follow any particular scale, and it could be very easy for Paul to design encounters that would just be too powerful for us to really handle.
Part of our weakness vs. apparent power level stems from the allocation of gold. We built our characters with 10th level gold, then got a boost of 100k each by the Daughters as payment for this dangerous task. This effectively puts us at 14th level gold, but not 20th, which means power level will be curbed more, as D&D works off of a "your toys make you good" system. The fact that the extra 100k came after character creation makes a large difference, as well, as choices made are slightly more restricted than they would have been if we had gotten the starting gold for 14th level (150k) or higher.
I'm excited at seeing the challenges to come in the campaign, because I thought the three stone golems were rather clever, and despite my fears, I'm sure Paul will have an exciting adventure for us, and I'm interested in seeing his approach to the three-part model as far as pacing and scene breakup goes.
I love crunch in game systems. It's not something I need, but I do like my fix now and then, and sometimes when given the opportunity, I like to fiddle with optimization. You see, I don't usually optimize my characters for other games, such as our Age of Worms campaign, because I don't care for the hassle of the bookkeeping, I don't wish to burden my GM with skews in character ability, and I don't wish to overshadow my fellow players' characters because I wish all of us to have a fun experience.
When Paul announced the levels for this mini-campaign, however, I jumped on the chance to push some limits. Not all of us did, mind you, but the impact is seemingly less, as each of our races have distinct advantages, and most of us went for acutely focused class structures, which means fewer instances of overlap and more fun as our characters do what they do. Taylor has mentioned not being entirely happy with his character as it stands, so he might ask Paul for a change, but I don't think he didn't enjoy himself during the game.
All of this is not to say that I don't have reservations! My fears, however, are that he might slip into a challenge fallacy with our characters. My sorceror, while powerful, is really only as potent as a 15th level character. David's living spell character, on the other hand, is teetering close to epic levels of power, because he was looking at gaming his character, as well. The others vary mostly by situation as to where they sit, but we're definitely not a 20th level party, no matter what our ECLs say, as racial ECL adds seem to not follow any particular scale, and it could be very easy for Paul to design encounters that would just be too powerful for us to really handle.
Part of our weakness vs. apparent power level stems from the allocation of gold. We built our characters with 10th level gold, then got a boost of 100k each by the Daughters as payment for this dangerous task. This effectively puts us at 14th level gold, but not 20th, which means power level will be curbed more, as D&D works off of a "your toys make you good" system. The fact that the extra 100k came after character creation makes a large difference, as well, as choices made are slightly more restricted than they would have been if we had gotten the starting gold for 14th level (150k) or higher.
I'm excited at seeing the challenges to come in the campaign, because I thought the three stone golems were rather clever, and despite my fears, I'm sure Paul will have an exciting adventure for us, and I'm interested in seeing his approach to the three-part model as far as pacing and scene breakup goes.
Sealing the Dragon's Gate, Part 1 (of 3?)
This week, we switched gears a little bit because Angela is training to multiclass into police officer by taking a class to become a reserve officer. Since she has little time for prep for our Age of Worms campaign, Paul stepped up with an interesting Eberron campaign. The story is as follows:
Each of our characters were approached separately by the honor guard of the Daughters of Sora Kell and escorted to The Great Crag to meet with an envoy of the coven. There, we were told of a prison created at the dawn of the worlds, when Eberron surrounded Khyber and trapped its hellish spawn with it, and how deep in the bowels of the Demon Wastes(I believe, I'll have to ask Paul for confirmation), a fissure was being created that could spill all manner of nasties onto the face of Eberron.
This, of course, would be bad for Eberron, and more importantly, bad for Droaam. The Daughters have a good thing going, and global disruption cannot be stood for. The divinations have shown what would happen if given time, and thus our newly formed band were to make haste to seal the portal/fissure with the application of powerful magic, provided on a scroll.
Not knowing what we may face, an advance of gold was asked for and given and we were also granted use of an airship and an allotment of a week to arrive at our destination, which we did with a day to spare! (Technically untrue, as we were given 3 days for preparations, and it was a 3 day journey, but still made it under a week.)
Once we arrived, it didn't take long for us to come to an ancient bridge spanning a chasm atop a mountain, and leading to an entrance into the rock, itself. The bridge was of grand size, 30 or 40 feet across and nearly four times as long, flanked on either side by large statues of dragons of various looks, some of which had been destroyed or seemingly removed. The plinths the ones to our right rested on were welcome, however, as they were our only shield against the powerful winds that whipped through the area, threatening to blow us off the bridge to our deaths.
The wind, it turns out, was just one of our worries, as the three whole statues still standing became animate and began to attack. Attacks were quickly dispensed and spells thrown, and though we almost lost our Harssaf, the encounter was finished rather quickly, with the five companions barely worse for the wear. Dusting off the debris from the statues' shattering, haste was made to the entrance into the mountain and we entered a partially constructed chamber with massive steps leading down. Just beyond the threshold, however, we found the fairly fresh naked corpse of a tiefling, with no apparent cause of death.
This prompted caution and almost triggered another violent conflict as a kobold came into view and greeted us in the language of dragons. Since we are envoys of Droaam, essentially, we met well with the creature and agreed to be escorted to his 'city', which was a hovel of lean-tos and shanties amid great ruins with dragon motifs everywhere. We were told that we would be presented to the leader of this village and then left in a building that barely accommodated our sizes until we would be met. We took the opportunity to rest and were led to another immense chamber, wherein rested what could only be assumed to be an ancient dragon.
Though we have seen much amongst the varied races of our own home nation, the sight of a child of the creators of the world was awe-inspiring. The great beast seemed to be blind, however, possibly from being inside this structure for eons, and some of its scales had sloughed off.
It spoke to us in a peaceful manner and seemed to take interest in our quest as something it agreed to, giving a promising start to this trek. However, one has to think... if a dragon of immense age can be counted among our allies in this venture, what horrors do we face in the task to come?
Cast of Characters
Saint Cleanse, Awakened Sainted Empowered Divine Living Fireball Monk 7/Paladin 2/Shibu Protector 1 - David
??, Medusa Fighter 10 - Angela
??, Dragonkin Dragonborn Dragon Adept 10 -Tami
??, Harssaf Rogue 10 -Taylor
Anak, Draconic Human-blooded Arkamoi Sorceror 2/Incantatrix 8 - Me
Further thoughts:
This is rather neat. Most of our group really like Eberron and the history of the world, and this story fits well. I appreciate that Paul has made this an exploration mystery early on, because that's where the setting thrives.
Each of our characters were approached separately by the honor guard of the Daughters of Sora Kell and escorted to The Great Crag to meet with an envoy of the coven. There, we were told of a prison created at the dawn of the worlds, when Eberron surrounded Khyber and trapped its hellish spawn with it, and how deep in the bowels of the Demon Wastes(I believe, I'll have to ask Paul for confirmation), a fissure was being created that could spill all manner of nasties onto the face of Eberron.
This, of course, would be bad for Eberron, and more importantly, bad for Droaam. The Daughters have a good thing going, and global disruption cannot be stood for. The divinations have shown what would happen if given time, and thus our newly formed band were to make haste to seal the portal/fissure with the application of powerful magic, provided on a scroll.
Not knowing what we may face, an advance of gold was asked for and given and we were also granted use of an airship and an allotment of a week to arrive at our destination, which we did with a day to spare! (Technically untrue, as we were given 3 days for preparations, and it was a 3 day journey, but still made it under a week.)
Once we arrived, it didn't take long for us to come to an ancient bridge spanning a chasm atop a mountain, and leading to an entrance into the rock, itself. The bridge was of grand size, 30 or 40 feet across and nearly four times as long, flanked on either side by large statues of dragons of various looks, some of which had been destroyed or seemingly removed. The plinths the ones to our right rested on were welcome, however, as they were our only shield against the powerful winds that whipped through the area, threatening to blow us off the bridge to our deaths.
The wind, it turns out, was just one of our worries, as the three whole statues still standing became animate and began to attack. Attacks were quickly dispensed and spells thrown, and though we almost lost our Harssaf, the encounter was finished rather quickly, with the five companions barely worse for the wear. Dusting off the debris from the statues' shattering, haste was made to the entrance into the mountain and we entered a partially constructed chamber with massive steps leading down. Just beyond the threshold, however, we found the fairly fresh naked corpse of a tiefling, with no apparent cause of death.
This prompted caution and almost triggered another violent conflict as a kobold came into view and greeted us in the language of dragons. Since we are envoys of Droaam, essentially, we met well with the creature and agreed to be escorted to his 'city', which was a hovel of lean-tos and shanties amid great ruins with dragon motifs everywhere. We were told that we would be presented to the leader of this village and then left in a building that barely accommodated our sizes until we would be met. We took the opportunity to rest and were led to another immense chamber, wherein rested what could only be assumed to be an ancient dragon.
Though we have seen much amongst the varied races of our own home nation, the sight of a child of the creators of the world was awe-inspiring. The great beast seemed to be blind, however, possibly from being inside this structure for eons, and some of its scales had sloughed off.
It spoke to us in a peaceful manner and seemed to take interest in our quest as something it agreed to, giving a promising start to this trek. However, one has to think... if a dragon of immense age can be counted among our allies in this venture, what horrors do we face in the task to come?
Cast of Characters
Saint Cleanse, Awakened Sainted Empowered Divine Living Fireball Monk 7/Paladin 2/Shibu Protector 1 - David
??, Medusa Fighter 10 - Angela
??, Dragonkin Dragonborn Dragon Adept 10 -Tami
??, Harssaf Rogue 10 -Taylor
Anak, Draconic Human-blooded Arkamoi Sorceror 2/Incantatrix 8 - Me
Further thoughts:
This is rather neat. Most of our group really like Eberron and the history of the world, and this story fits well. I appreciate that Paul has made this an exploration mystery early on, because that's where the setting thrives.
7.21.2013
Dark Heresy, Session 3: Tattered Fates
We spent a short time, maybe a day or two, hiding out and recuperating within the massive confines of that torturous manufactorum, but thankfully, our psykers, after the rest, began to gain their powers back. I've never been too skittish around those sanctioned to serve our Emperor, as they have seen Terra and serve HIS will, but so help me, that Xantippa has come dangerously close to having the barrel of my shotgun pressed low against the back of her hairless head!
How is it that she may bring the curse of the warp upon us so much, yet her sister administers the Emperor's gift with no such error? I bring to bear an oath that if the psyker be found to have warp-spawned taint beyond her normal abilities, I will be the first to lay the Emperor's wrath upon her.
I apologize for this outburst, but I feel it had to be said. She vexes us and puts us in peril more than our enemies, I swear! However, she has dedicated her service to the Emperor's Holy Ordos, like the rest of us, and shall be counted among my allies until such time as her trespasses become more dire.
Anyway, after emerging from hiding, we traversed the corridors back to the warehouse section we had found before and found it to be less inhabited than it was before. No doubt, these degenerates had counted us dead and had become lax in protecting this section. We fell upon them more directly this time, and our aim was guided by the Saints, bringing brutal death to those present in the form of gunfire from Rhia, Nicodemus, and I, and warp-based talents of Ishta and Xantippa.
Our Arbiter had moved to flank as the scribe and I charged headlong, creating confusion and bringing these enemies of the Empire down swiftly. This was not to be the end of our challenges, however, as a tent in the warehouse area housed another, perhaps a rogue Priest of Mars, but I am not qualified to make such assessments. He and his servoskull both put up resistance, but were cut down before they could take much action against us.
Sadness struck our hearts, however, when we discovered our Inquisitor Karkalla among the brutal medical tortures in this tent that were being visited on man and xenos, alike. We had arrived at his last moments, and he had just enough energy to tell us where we were and the peril that had gripped this world, as well as giving us a cryptic name for contact. We ripped his rosette from his body, where it had been affixed with spikes, and I set about dousing the room with chemicals Nico told me were flammable as the rest began to take some of the tech out of the tent. I then lit the chems and we all stood a short moment in respect of our former master.
Once we had paid the respects to Karkalla, we began to gather as many weapons and as much small tech as we could before ascending on a lift to the surface, in the hopes of finding an illicit trade on this corrupt pleasure planet where we could sell and acquire items of use before finding our fellow acolyte that the Inquisitor had directed us toward.
We were, at first, met as we reached the street with much merriment and oddness, as well as an odd prophecy spouted by a lady that approached us almost immediately. We then gathered a short burst of intel and direction from a civilian and began to make our way to where we assumed we could trade our ill-gotten goods.
Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) - Paul
Ishta, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -Tami
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me
A Short Note: I know we've been gaining rank quickly in this campaign, but we started as Rank 1 Acolytes in an adventure meant for Rank 4 characters. David, the GM, has told me that things would slow down from here on out, but that he still thinks that the pace we've been gaining XP isn't out of the question for as hard as it gets.
I've not played the first part of this adventure, but I do remember things being pretty tough on the back end, but at the same time, I worry that we'll be too high rank going in to Damned Cities, which I have played the first half of, but not the last.
How is it that she may bring the curse of the warp upon us so much, yet her sister administers the Emperor's gift with no such error? I bring to bear an oath that if the psyker be found to have warp-spawned taint beyond her normal abilities, I will be the first to lay the Emperor's wrath upon her.
I apologize for this outburst, but I feel it had to be said. She vexes us and puts us in peril more than our enemies, I swear! However, she has dedicated her service to the Emperor's Holy Ordos, like the rest of us, and shall be counted among my allies until such time as her trespasses become more dire.
Anyway, after emerging from hiding, we traversed the corridors back to the warehouse section we had found before and found it to be less inhabited than it was before. No doubt, these degenerates had counted us dead and had become lax in protecting this section. We fell upon them more directly this time, and our aim was guided by the Saints, bringing brutal death to those present in the form of gunfire from Rhia, Nicodemus, and I, and warp-based talents of Ishta and Xantippa.
Our Arbiter had moved to flank as the scribe and I charged headlong, creating confusion and bringing these enemies of the Empire down swiftly. This was not to be the end of our challenges, however, as a tent in the warehouse area housed another, perhaps a rogue Priest of Mars, but I am not qualified to make such assessments. He and his servoskull both put up resistance, but were cut down before they could take much action against us.
Sadness struck our hearts, however, when we discovered our Inquisitor Karkalla among the brutal medical tortures in this tent that were being visited on man and xenos, alike. We had arrived at his last moments, and he had just enough energy to tell us where we were and the peril that had gripped this world, as well as giving us a cryptic name for contact. We ripped his rosette from his body, where it had been affixed with spikes, and I set about dousing the room with chemicals Nico told me were flammable as the rest began to take some of the tech out of the tent. I then lit the chems and we all stood a short moment in respect of our former master.
Once we had paid the respects to Karkalla, we began to gather as many weapons and as much small tech as we could before ascending on a lift to the surface, in the hopes of finding an illicit trade on this corrupt pleasure planet where we could sell and acquire items of use before finding our fellow acolyte that the Inquisitor had directed us toward.
We were, at first, met as we reached the street with much merriment and oddness, as well as an odd prophecy spouted by a lady that approached us almost immediately. We then gathered a short burst of intel and direction from a civilian and began to make our way to where we assumed we could trade our ill-gotten goods.
Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) - Paul
Ishta, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -Tami
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me
A Short Note: I know we've been gaining rank quickly in this campaign, but we started as Rank 1 Acolytes in an adventure meant for Rank 4 characters. David, the GM, has told me that things would slow down from here on out, but that he still thinks that the pace we've been gaining XP isn't out of the question for as hard as it gets.
I've not played the first part of this adventure, but I do remember things being pretty tough on the back end, but at the same time, I worry that we'll be too high rank going in to Damned Cities, which I have played the first half of, but not the last.
7.18.2013
Age of Worms, Session 27
When we left off, almost everyone had been brought back to the land of the living, and none the happier for it, since we were all in foreign bodies, though it did hold some humor and fascination in certain degrees.
Once we had taken a couple of days to get our legs in our new bodies and prepare further, we ventured in again to the accursed warehouse and its cavernous depths, below. Signs of life were nonexistant, and it appears as if the doppelgangers had all but abandoned the upper levels, possibly for fear of attracting much attention, since there was already some comings and goings to the place.
When we got below, we had a short time fending off the guardian octopus in the water-filled chamber that leads into the lower levels of the complex. Though we had thought that it might take our offering of fish and go, it also grabbed the holder of the bag and we had to fight to keep our companion with us. A decision that we somewhat regretted later, as you will see.
Retracing our steps, we found the rest of the complex to be as empty as the rest until we managed to make it back to a door within the mirror maze where most of us lost our lives. Imagine our surprise when we went in to find none other than Allustan on a throne in the chamber! Many a thought went through our minds, then. Had we been duped? Was this a test for entry into some secret society? Well, no. The Allustan we saw before us changed into a different form almost immediately, and engaged us in battle, casting spells and taking the psion's thrall (the very man we had just rescued from an octopus, I might add, and whom me and my fellow druid had empowered with spellcraft) under his command. The fight with the ensorcelled thrall was a tough one, as his multiple attacks and tough hide made him a formidable foe.
The wizard, himself, had cunningly placed traps in his lair, and tried to control our actions and movements with hindering spells, but we were able to engage him in hand-to-hand combat, at which point he turned into a hulking brute and pulled forth an axe, wielding it with efficiency! By this time, we had surmised that this being was a doppelganger, but his seeming change in aptitudes confused us and we were put on our back foot in an attempt to match skill with this warrior.
Though we cleverly maneuvered his controlled battlefield and worked quite well together, despite our new forms, in the end, it was our brute force, and not cleverness, that won out against the man...thing. We took stock of his belongings and the furnishings of his throne room, finding some infernal device that we wanted no part of, then ventured further into another chamber, this being his bedchamber, where we took stock of (mind you, 'taking stock of' in this sense is the same as 'added to our stock') valuables therein.
Then, we went into what we assumed was the last chamber in these lower levels, a room riddled with silvery spider's webs and multiple women in various states of dress, who claimed to be araneas and the prisoners of the creature we had just slain. We bargained their freedom, which could have been given at any moment, though we were cautious, for any information they could give us and they offered material reward then went about their way, leaving us to decide what to do with this complex now that we know its secrets.
Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level - Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Equiceph Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2/+1 Negative Level -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me
Notes: I've not read this adventure path, so I'm unsure if this was it, but it left me thinking that we missed something along the way. The lack of replacements in the dungeon to harry us after a few days was odd, too, but a little suspenseful. I thought maybe we were walking into a large, overly prepared group when we fought the greater doppelganger (Angela told us what it was after the fact, because we all thought it was neat).
No spoilers, please. Just typing out loud here.
Also, I know I'm lousy with these character names. Maybe Angela can clue me in, and correct any class mistakes made if she catches this post.
Once we had taken a couple of days to get our legs in our new bodies and prepare further, we ventured in again to the accursed warehouse and its cavernous depths, below. Signs of life were nonexistant, and it appears as if the doppelgangers had all but abandoned the upper levels, possibly for fear of attracting much attention, since there was already some comings and goings to the place.
When we got below, we had a short time fending off the guardian octopus in the water-filled chamber that leads into the lower levels of the complex. Though we had thought that it might take our offering of fish and go, it also grabbed the holder of the bag and we had to fight to keep our companion with us. A decision that we somewhat regretted later, as you will see.
Retracing our steps, we found the rest of the complex to be as empty as the rest until we managed to make it back to a door within the mirror maze where most of us lost our lives. Imagine our surprise when we went in to find none other than Allustan on a throne in the chamber! Many a thought went through our minds, then. Had we been duped? Was this a test for entry into some secret society? Well, no. The Allustan we saw before us changed into a different form almost immediately, and engaged us in battle, casting spells and taking the psion's thrall (the very man we had just rescued from an octopus, I might add, and whom me and my fellow druid had empowered with spellcraft) under his command. The fight with the ensorcelled thrall was a tough one, as his multiple attacks and tough hide made him a formidable foe.
The wizard, himself, had cunningly placed traps in his lair, and tried to control our actions and movements with hindering spells, but we were able to engage him in hand-to-hand combat, at which point he turned into a hulking brute and pulled forth an axe, wielding it with efficiency! By this time, we had surmised that this being was a doppelganger, but his seeming change in aptitudes confused us and we were put on our back foot in an attempt to match skill with this warrior.
Though we cleverly maneuvered his controlled battlefield and worked quite well together, despite our new forms, in the end, it was our brute force, and not cleverness, that won out against the man...thing. We took stock of his belongings and the furnishings of his throne room, finding some infernal device that we wanted no part of, then ventured further into another chamber, this being his bedchamber, where we took stock of (mind you, 'taking stock of' in this sense is the same as 'added to our stock') valuables therein.
Then, we went into what we assumed was the last chamber in these lower levels, a room riddled with silvery spider's webs and multiple women in various states of dress, who claimed to be araneas and the prisoners of the creature we had just slain. We bargained their freedom, which could have been given at any moment, though we were cautious, for any information they could give us and they offered material reward then went about their way, leaving us to decide what to do with this complex now that we know its secrets.
Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level - Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Equiceph Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2/+1 Negative Level -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me
Notes: I've not read this adventure path, so I'm unsure if this was it, but it left me thinking that we missed something along the way. The lack of replacements in the dungeon to harry us after a few days was odd, too, but a little suspenseful. I thought maybe we were walking into a large, overly prepared group when we fought the greater doppelganger (Angela told us what it was after the fact, because we all thought it was neat).
No spoilers, please. Just typing out loud here.
Also, I know I'm lousy with these character names. Maybe Angela can clue me in, and correct any class mistakes made if she catches this post.
7.17.2013
Dark Heresy, Session 2: Tattered Fates
This place smells, in equal parts sanitizers, offal, and raw meat. To gaze upon a sky would be a welcome change, but I wonder, with some of the injuries our band have taken so far, if we will survive many more engagements. There are things here much more worrying than the heretical brutes running this charnel house. Whatever was sensed in the shifting room is enough proof of that.
We felled a great predatory grox-like beast and a few more of the handlers/manufactorum workers before moving through into a chamber in which there appeared to be a blasphemous altar with a sacrifice nearby! The man's throat had been cut and he seemed to be the one to have done the deed, if the knife clutched in his hand was any indication. I spat upon the altar, but Nicodemus was keen to understand why the altar was there and to read a dataslate nearby. I warned him that I found him to be walking dangerously close to blasphemous acts by inspecting the thing further, he retorted that we could better combat the heresy by understanding it.
Well, when I blew that invisible thing by the altar away, I didn't know it from Russ. The Emperor blessed me with an understanding of how to pull a trigger. Nobody needs reading to learn how to deal with the enemies of Man. I do realize I have ran away from the subject at hand, but it vexes me to think that the old man forgets the danger inherent in our duties as servants of the Ordos and Him On Terra.
Anyway, the altar was destroyed, and the thing guarding it and we move on, with me giving it another dose of my spittle, were that it only caustic and could melt the damnable thing! After this, we moved into a large area, possibly a dockway or storage facility, but it was quite dark, save for one illuminated area that had a little bit of activity in the form of armed men much like the ones we had encountered all throughout the place. The plan seemed solid, but the poor lighting as well as the effects of the drugs we had been subjected to, meant that our aims were off and we had men down quick, but no casualties, as when I came to, I noticed that all were accounted for, and that someone - Nicodemus, I presume, but I'm unsure - was able to spirit us to safety, hidden in the bowels of this damned factory.
Our injuries are even more worrisome than before, as one psyker, as mentioned, has lost an eye, and the other has lost their right thumb. Hopefully we can pull through. May the Emperor protect.
Cast of Characters
??, Hive Worlder Regulator (Arbiter 3) - Angela
??, Void Born Aspirant (Imperial Psyker 3) - Paul
??, Void Born Aspirant (Imperial Psyker 3) -Tami
Nicodemus, Imperial Worlder Scribe (Adept 3) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Armsman (Guardsman 3) - Me
We felled a great predatory grox-like beast and a few more of the handlers/manufactorum workers before moving through into a chamber in which there appeared to be a blasphemous altar with a sacrifice nearby! The man's throat had been cut and he seemed to be the one to have done the deed, if the knife clutched in his hand was any indication. I spat upon the altar, but Nicodemus was keen to understand why the altar was there and to read a dataslate nearby. I warned him that I found him to be walking dangerously close to blasphemous acts by inspecting the thing further, he retorted that we could better combat the heresy by understanding it.
Well, when I blew that invisible thing by the altar away, I didn't know it from Russ. The Emperor blessed me with an understanding of how to pull a trigger. Nobody needs reading to learn how to deal with the enemies of Man. I do realize I have ran away from the subject at hand, but it vexes me to think that the old man forgets the danger inherent in our duties as servants of the Ordos and Him On Terra.
Anyway, the altar was destroyed, and the thing guarding it and we move on, with me giving it another dose of my spittle, were that it only caustic and could melt the damnable thing! After this, we moved into a large area, possibly a dockway or storage facility, but it was quite dark, save for one illuminated area that had a little bit of activity in the form of armed men much like the ones we had encountered all throughout the place. The plan seemed solid, but the poor lighting as well as the effects of the drugs we had been subjected to, meant that our aims were off and we had men down quick, but no casualties, as when I came to, I noticed that all were accounted for, and that someone - Nicodemus, I presume, but I'm unsure - was able to spirit us to safety, hidden in the bowels of this damned factory.
Our injuries are even more worrisome than before, as one psyker, as mentioned, has lost an eye, and the other has lost their right thumb. Hopefully we can pull through. May the Emperor protect.
Cast of Characters
??, Hive Worlder Regulator (Arbiter 3) - Angela
??, Void Born Aspirant (Imperial Psyker 3) - Paul
??, Void Born Aspirant (Imperial Psyker 3) -Tami
Nicodemus, Imperial Worlder Scribe (Adept 3) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Armsman (Guardsman 3) - Me
7.15.2013
Age of Worms, Session 26
I'm not sure if we got started late or if we digressed quite a lot, or what, but we didn't get much accomplished in this session, though we all had quite a bit of fun and some good laughs at the end.
After fishing some of the party out of a deep pit trap that we discovered had an illusory bottom, we ventured further into the underground complex, following the doppelgangers that had slipped away from us in the previous encounter.
This led us into a room filled with maps and notes, which we hastily gathered some of and stuffed into our satchels to peruse later, deciding that we needed to move quickly and pursue instead of wasting too much time and giving our enemies time to prepare or set up an ambush.
We were too late, of course, and when we entered the next chamber - a vast maze of closing corridors all made of mirrors, they got the jump on us. Simply, the band was outmatched in the cramped quarters, and even the aid of summoned creatures was only barely able to swing victory just into the grasp of the party, of which only Taylor's Druid and Paul's Warblade Thrall were left alive, and they promptly retreated to the safety of the city proper with the dead bodies.
During the combat itself, Paul's Psion dropped and Taylor was able to get to him in time to cast Last Breath, bringing the man back as a Goblin, though out of commission for the rest of the fight. The rest of the party were Reincarnated and came back as various, somewhat shocking, figures.
The Reincarnation table used is one of my own creation and features almost 80 different races. Some of these races boost a character far beyond their present level, and may end up being more of a curse than a blessing when it comes to experience gain, despite the benefits gained from the new race.
Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level - Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Equiceph Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2/+1 Negative Level -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me
After fishing some of the party out of a deep pit trap that we discovered had an illusory bottom, we ventured further into the underground complex, following the doppelgangers that had slipped away from us in the previous encounter.
This led us into a room filled with maps and notes, which we hastily gathered some of and stuffed into our satchels to peruse later, deciding that we needed to move quickly and pursue instead of wasting too much time and giving our enemies time to prepare or set up an ambush.
We were too late, of course, and when we entered the next chamber - a vast maze of closing corridors all made of mirrors, they got the jump on us. Simply, the band was outmatched in the cramped quarters, and even the aid of summoned creatures was only barely able to swing victory just into the grasp of the party, of which only Taylor's Druid and Paul's Warblade Thrall were left alive, and they promptly retreated to the safety of the city proper with the dead bodies.
During the combat itself, Paul's Psion dropped and Taylor was able to get to him in time to cast Last Breath, bringing the man back as a Goblin, though out of commission for the rest of the fight. The rest of the party were Reincarnated and came back as various, somewhat shocking, figures.
The Reincarnation table used is one of my own creation and features almost 80 different races. Some of these races boost a character far beyond their present level, and may end up being more of a curse than a blessing when it comes to experience gain, despite the benefits gained from the new race.
Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level - Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Equiceph Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2/+1 Negative Level -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me
7.13.2013
Dark Heresy, Session 1: Tattered Fates
I'm still a month behind, but getting these typed up when I can. On the 19th of June, our group, having come off my own Pathfinder campaign, had decided to play something different for a change, and David took the reins, deciding to run the Dark Heresy campaign, Haarlock's Legacy.
Now, knowing that David has owned the three-part adventure since the books dropped, I haven't looked much into them, in an effort not to spoil anything for myself, as a player, but I've seen plenty of scathing remarks made about the series. I'm not sure of the basis of most of them, just the general consensus that the arc is almost impossible to run/play. One reviewer has even said that he "would rather convert AD&D 2nd Edition modules to Dark Heresy than run Haarlock's Legacy again." I hope this does not bode ill for our own campaign, but time will tell. At the moment, everyone seems to be having fun.
Anyway, I somewhat digress, and as I said, we got together to play Dark Heresy. Taylor and I brought characters that we had made, but the other three decided to take advantage of Dark Heresy's ability to completely randomize a fully-realized character until they gain more knowledge of the setting and system. Despite not choosing a single thing about their character (except possibly gender?), I believe everyone was happy with what they ended up with.
We awoke groggy, obviously drugged, amongst dozens of other people, on the gritty floor of what appeared to be a theater of some sort, perhaps an arena, which was confirmed when we discovered the floor was also littered with bones and great doors, closed with heavy grates lined the edges of the place. Then the howling began.
Those around us panicked as the sound grew louder and one of the grates opened. A couple of us ran over and grabbed bones, ready to fend off whatever was coming through, but one of the xenos canids broke through our picket and began to maul some of the civilians. It was gruesome, but we redoubled our efforts, not knowing what else to do.
Some of the others were looking for a means out of the place and after a few moments and maulings later, a man was seen above, in the seating over the arena wearing a bird-like mask and a flowing cape that resembled wings, who then made his way over to a machine and performed the rites to lower a ladder, then made haste out of the area.
I did not personally witness this man, but Nicodemus related it to us other four, and I have little doubt in his words. The man is likely part of the Machine Cult, since he was able to easily manipulate the machine spirit of the ladder device. Nicodemus, though very learned and obviously knowledgeable in those same rites, had difficulty, himself, in persuading the spirit to retract itself.
Though a twinge of guilt over the loss of the civilians struck me, I reminded myself that my companions and I serve the God-Emperor, and the thought that we might have been especially targeted is gravely feared. We have no contact with our superior, and the drugs have hindered us greatly. I'm having trouble remembering some names, like those of our employer and even some of my own band. Hopefully this will wear off soon.
At any rate, we made our way through corridor after corridor. This place seems to be a manufactorum for meat processing, but we've not encountered much life in the place, save for a few barbarous worker-menials, from which we gathered weapons after killing them in defense of our own persons. The savages seem to be wearing leathers from the skins of any beast they can, including humans. Though we serve the Emperor even in death, through giving our bodies for rations, etc., I find the practice of wearing the skins of our fellows revolting and possibly blasphemous.
I'm not terribly sad to say that one of the witches in our company lost an eye in one of the skirmishes, but they now sport, mostly due to the sheer amount of damage upon their own bodies, our best armor recovered so far. The arbiter, it should be noted, wears some of the grotesque skin-leathers. I find that detestable.
This place is dangerous, and obviously not all is as it should be, we have been sneaking through, as best we can, with as little confrontation as we can manage, but perhaps the weapons we have recovered will see us out of this Emperor-forsaken hole.
??, Hive Worlder Enforcer (Arbiter 2) - Angela
??, Void Born Neonate (Imperial Psyker 2) - Paul
??, Void Born Neonate (Imperial Psyker 2) -Tami
Nicodemus, Imperial Worlder Scrivener (Adept 2) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Guard (Guardsman 2) - Me
Now, knowing that David has owned the three-part adventure since the books dropped, I haven't looked much into them, in an effort not to spoil anything for myself, as a player, but I've seen plenty of scathing remarks made about the series. I'm not sure of the basis of most of them, just the general consensus that the arc is almost impossible to run/play. One reviewer has even said that he "would rather convert AD&D 2nd Edition modules to Dark Heresy than run Haarlock's Legacy again." I hope this does not bode ill for our own campaign, but time will tell. At the moment, everyone seems to be having fun.
Anyway, I somewhat digress, and as I said, we got together to play Dark Heresy. Taylor and I brought characters that we had made, but the other three decided to take advantage of Dark Heresy's ability to completely randomize a fully-realized character until they gain more knowledge of the setting and system. Despite not choosing a single thing about their character (except possibly gender?), I believe everyone was happy with what they ended up with.
We awoke groggy, obviously drugged, amongst dozens of other people, on the gritty floor of what appeared to be a theater of some sort, perhaps an arena, which was confirmed when we discovered the floor was also littered with bones and great doors, closed with heavy grates lined the edges of the place. Then the howling began.
Those around us panicked as the sound grew louder and one of the grates opened. A couple of us ran over and grabbed bones, ready to fend off whatever was coming through, but one of the xenos canids broke through our picket and began to maul some of the civilians. It was gruesome, but we redoubled our efforts, not knowing what else to do.
Some of the others were looking for a means out of the place and after a few moments and maulings later, a man was seen above, in the seating over the arena wearing a bird-like mask and a flowing cape that resembled wings, who then made his way over to a machine and performed the rites to lower a ladder, then made haste out of the area.
I did not personally witness this man, but Nicodemus related it to us other four, and I have little doubt in his words. The man is likely part of the Machine Cult, since he was able to easily manipulate the machine spirit of the ladder device. Nicodemus, though very learned and obviously knowledgeable in those same rites, had difficulty, himself, in persuading the spirit to retract itself.
Though a twinge of guilt over the loss of the civilians struck me, I reminded myself that my companions and I serve the God-Emperor, and the thought that we might have been especially targeted is gravely feared. We have no contact with our superior, and the drugs have hindered us greatly. I'm having trouble remembering some names, like those of our employer and even some of my own band. Hopefully this will wear off soon.
At any rate, we made our way through corridor after corridor. This place seems to be a manufactorum for meat processing, but we've not encountered much life in the place, save for a few barbarous worker-menials, from which we gathered weapons after killing them in defense of our own persons. The savages seem to be wearing leathers from the skins of any beast they can, including humans. Though we serve the Emperor even in death, through giving our bodies for rations, etc., I find the practice of wearing the skins of our fellows revolting and possibly blasphemous.
I'm not terribly sad to say that one of the witches in our company lost an eye in one of the skirmishes, but they now sport, mostly due to the sheer amount of damage upon their own bodies, our best armor recovered so far. The arbiter, it should be noted, wears some of the grotesque skin-leathers. I find that detestable.
This place is dangerous, and obviously not all is as it should be, we have been sneaking through, as best we can, with as little confrontation as we can manage, but perhaps the weapons we have recovered will see us out of this Emperor-forsaken hole.
??, Hive Worlder Enforcer (Arbiter 2) - Angela
??, Void Born Neonate (Imperial Psyker 2) - Paul
??, Void Born Neonate (Imperial Psyker 2) -Tami
Nicodemus, Imperial Worlder Scrivener (Adept 2) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Guard (Guardsman 2) - Me
7.06.2013
Age of Worms, Session 25
We left off this game with our lone hero, Able, having made haste to Eligos' manor to escape the fate of his companions and collect himself before figuring out what to do next.
His search would not take long, however, as Allustan, anticipating the original party might have some trouble (I believe this is what we settled on as reason to insert new characters), decided to send another group ahead to Greyhawk to aid, but they found they were too late.
Able briefed them on what had transpired and where and promptly led them back to the bowels of the warehouse where his companions had lost their lives, seeking righteous retribution in the name of St. Cuthbert. There, the invisible foes that had proven so difficult before were mercilessly slaughtered and the band ventured further, fighting a giant octopus until the beast fled before venturing deep into the stone chambers below to be confronted by a band of featureless men after half the party had fallen into a pit trap.
The fight took a while and hindered rescue attempts of the others, but eventually the heroes were victorious and were able to regroup, ready to venture and investigate further.
Able Nightengale, Human Healer 7 - David
??, Elf Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2 - Paul
??, ?? Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2 -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Halfling Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7 - Me
This session was longer that the write-up would suggest, of course, because each of our encounters had an interesting twist that we had to face, and which made combat just a little longer than it normally would be. The first, our invisible opponents, nearly wiped a party before, the underwater battle with the octopus was challenging when options are limited, and fighting an encounter with half the party cut off from the rest all served as reminders to be ready for anything in D&D.
Also, as
one can see, Taylor rejoined the group this session, and we're all happy for it. In this campaign, his reserve healing and support spellcasting has become a great boon to the party.
His search would not take long, however, as Allustan, anticipating the original party might have some trouble (I believe this is what we settled on as reason to insert new characters), decided to send another group ahead to Greyhawk to aid, but they found they were too late.
Able briefed them on what had transpired and where and promptly led them back to the bowels of the warehouse where his companions had lost their lives, seeking righteous retribution in the name of St. Cuthbert. There, the invisible foes that had proven so difficult before were mercilessly slaughtered and the band ventured further, fighting a giant octopus until the beast fled before venturing deep into the stone chambers below to be confronted by a band of featureless men after half the party had fallen into a pit trap.The fight took a while and hindered rescue attempts of the others, but eventually the heroes were victorious and were able to regroup, ready to venture and investigate further.
Able Nightengale, Human Healer 7 - David
??, Elf Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2 - Paul
??, ?? Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2 -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Halfling Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7 - Me
This session was longer that the write-up would suggest, of course, because each of our encounters had an interesting twist that we had to face, and which made combat just a little longer than it normally would be. The first, our invisible opponents, nearly wiped a party before, the underwater battle with the octopus was challenging when options are limited, and fighting an encounter with half the party cut off from the rest all served as reminders to be ready for anything in D&D.
Also, as
one can see, Taylor rejoined the group this session, and we're all happy for it. In this campaign, his reserve healing and support spellcasting has become a great boon to the party.
7.05.2013
Rise of the Runelords, Session 18: The Skinsaw Murders
I've been absent for some time from the blog, but gaming has continued. I'll be catching up (hopefully) with some short session reports on the games I've not posted yet and I still have a few other articles swimming in my head for when I get caught up.
This write-up is coming to you over a month after the actual session took place, so if I flub somewhere, maybe one of my players will swoop in with any corrections.
When we left off, Walt had just followed a mesenger-trained raven to its roost in the Underbridge district of Magnimar, to a rickety-looking clock tower. The cleric then made hast back to the rest of the party and reported his findings. Not wanting to let the villains no doubt holed up in the tower get mobilized to further their plans any more, the party made haste to the tower, set to enter and put an end to the murders that have gripped their part of Varisia!
Therein, the group found the place to be empty save for a pile of rags and refuse in the corner, a wagon, and an iron staircase leading up to the belfry, which they began to approach after a cursory search of adjoining rooms that were also empty. However, the base of the tower was occupied, after all, as the group found out when the pile of rags stood to almost twice the height of a man and brandished a weapon! The scarecrow-looking man began to mumble its eponymous rhyme as it began to attack the heroes, but quick action took the monster down with little injury to the PCs.
At this point, they reckoned (after a little investigation) that the scarecrow-man was nothing but a guardian construct, and thus began to traverse the floors of stairs leading up to the top of the tower. The going was slow, due to the questionable sturdiness of the stairs, but the group devised a system and began to make their way up to the top when one of the bells came cascading down the tower, slamming into most of the party on its descent or in its roll after landing. Only Walt escaped being struck by the heavy structure, but was there with healing to aid his companions that had been pummeled.
Using the Rope of Knots to bridge the gap in the stairs caused by the bell, the rest of the party ventured forward, with those leading the pack engaged in combat with some faceless stalkers, who had originally been disguised as tied up captives. These nuisances (the third group of these things encountered in the campaign!) were quickly dispatched and the party made their way to the roof, where they were ambushed by Xanesha!
The lamia's strength, suite of spells cast, and repitoire of spells at hand, as well as diversionary tactics proved too much for our heroes as Hyrum and Walt engaged and fell, followed by Rissi and Natsha, with Vic living at the end, corrupted by a charm spell cast by the Mistress of the Brotherhood, his fate, and that of the missing Elspeth, forever a mystery...
Cast of Characters
Walt Thrune, Chelaxian Human Cleric 7 (Merciful Healer) of Sarenrae - Paul (deceased)
Rissi Scuttle, Ratfolk Alchemist 7 - Angela (deceased)
Vic Alvaraz, Varisian Human Fighter (Mobile Fighter) 7 - David (whereabouts unknown)
Elspeth, Half-Elf Wizard (Evoker) 7 - Tami (whereabouts unknown)
Hyrum Vassal, Chelaxian Human Tyrant (LE Antipaladin variant) 4 of Urgathoa/Monk 3 - David (secondary) (deceased)
Natasha Caine, Chelaxian Human Rogue 5/Assassin 2 - Angela (secondary) (deceased)
Final thoughts: Well, the TPK (we counted it as one) was somewhat unexpected. I had read all I could about the adventure path on the Paizo forums and in blogs, and I knew that Xanesha was pretty much the encounter that would give PCs the most trouble. Still, with their track record up to that point, it was a little shocking, especially when they started to turn things around mid-way through the combat.
All in all, though, I think it was fun. Though Rise of the Runelords is kinda meant to run you through the major tropes of fantasy rpgs, it's still fun, and that's what mattered to us in the end, though since this Rise of the Runelords and Taylor's Curse of the Crimson Throne games are canon in my Golarion, we might revist the fates of the fallen heroes at a later time.
Since we TPK'd in my game, David started running the Dark Heresy trilogy of adventures called The Haarlock Legacy. Much fun! More on that later.
This write-up is coming to you over a month after the actual session took place, so if I flub somewhere, maybe one of my players will swoop in with any corrections.
When we left off, Walt had just followed a mesenger-trained raven to its roost in the Underbridge district of Magnimar, to a rickety-looking clock tower. The cleric then made hast back to the rest of the party and reported his findings. Not wanting to let the villains no doubt holed up in the tower get mobilized to further their plans any more, the party made haste to the tower, set to enter and put an end to the murders that have gripped their part of Varisia!Therein, the group found the place to be empty save for a pile of rags and refuse in the corner, a wagon, and an iron staircase leading up to the belfry, which they began to approach after a cursory search of adjoining rooms that were also empty. However, the base of the tower was occupied, after all, as the group found out when the pile of rags stood to almost twice the height of a man and brandished a weapon! The scarecrow-looking man began to mumble its eponymous rhyme as it began to attack the heroes, but quick action took the monster down with little injury to the PCs.
At this point, they reckoned (after a little investigation) that the scarecrow-man was nothing but a guardian construct, and thus began to traverse the floors of stairs leading up to the top of the tower. The going was slow, due to the questionable sturdiness of the stairs, but the group devised a system and began to make their way up to the top when one of the bells came cascading down the tower, slamming into most of the party on its descent or in its roll after landing. Only Walt escaped being struck by the heavy structure, but was there with healing to aid his companions that had been pummeled.
Using the Rope of Knots to bridge the gap in the stairs caused by the bell, the rest of the party ventured forward, with those leading the pack engaged in combat with some faceless stalkers, who had originally been disguised as tied up captives. These nuisances (the third group of these things encountered in the campaign!) were quickly dispatched and the party made their way to the roof, where they were ambushed by Xanesha!The lamia's strength, suite of spells cast, and repitoire of spells at hand, as well as diversionary tactics proved too much for our heroes as Hyrum and Walt engaged and fell, followed by Rissi and Natsha, with Vic living at the end, corrupted by a charm spell cast by the Mistress of the Brotherhood, his fate, and that of the missing Elspeth, forever a mystery...
Cast of Characters
Walt Thrune, Chelaxian Human Cleric 7 (Merciful Healer) of Sarenrae - Paul (deceased)
Rissi Scuttle, Ratfolk Alchemist 7 - Angela (deceased)
Vic Alvaraz, Varisian Human Fighter (Mobile Fighter) 7 - David (whereabouts unknown)
Elspeth, Half-Elf Wizard (Evoker) 7 - Tami (whereabouts unknown)
Hyrum Vassal, Chelaxian Human Tyrant (LE Antipaladin variant) 4 of Urgathoa/Monk 3 - David (secondary) (deceased)
Natasha Caine, Chelaxian Human Rogue 5/Assassin 2 - Angela (secondary) (deceased)
Final thoughts: Well, the TPK (we counted it as one) was somewhat unexpected. I had read all I could about the adventure path on the Paizo forums and in blogs, and I knew that Xanesha was pretty much the encounter that would give PCs the most trouble. Still, with their track record up to that point, it was a little shocking, especially when they started to turn things around mid-way through the combat.
All in all, though, I think it was fun. Though Rise of the Runelords is kinda meant to run you through the major tropes of fantasy rpgs, it's still fun, and that's what mattered to us in the end, though since this Rise of the Runelords and Taylor's Curse of the Crimson Throne games are canon in my Golarion, we might revist the fates of the fallen heroes at a later time.
Since we TPK'd in my game, David started running the Dark Heresy trilogy of adventures called The Haarlock Legacy. Much fun! More on that later.
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