| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 16 Jan 2008 : 11:35:43
Hi - inspired by many on this fine site I have decided to dust off my old FR stuff and attempt to DM a 2nd ed campaign in the near future.
My ideas are still in their infancy but I'm planning on it being set in 1359 DR with the PC's starting in Tilverton and heading to Mistledale as caravan guards (I know its a cliche but...)
I have 3 players at the moment (if anyone is from Canberra, Australia and would be interested please PM me).
If on the rare chance that anyone is interested, I'll post some updates from time to time - I'd appreciate feedback/suggestions if anyone follows the events.  |
| 21 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 23 Sep 2008 : 12:01:19
Hi - another update, this time of Session Five held a couple of weeks ago.
Unfortunately a rather short session due to time constraints on most of the players. I was DM. The PC's were;
Talomir: hmP1 (Lathander)
Garrick: hmF1
Shadow: hmT1
Shayella: hfW1
The PC's left early in the morning with Lorien heading on foot s/w from Peldan's Helm across the farmland towards the forest and in the direction where they approximated the markings on the map should be.
After a few days travel the PC's started to approach the forest edge and Lorien pointed out some small shapes in the distance which seemed to be flying towards them. As the shapes got closer Lorien advised that they were Bloodhawks [a great low-level monster to be honest - and they can pack a surprising punch!] and warned the PC's to be on guard as they were sure to be attacked. The PC's prepared missile weapons except Garrick who drew his sword and waited.
When the 4 Bloodhawks got within range the PC's and Lorien opened fire. Incredibly, Shadow rolled a natural 20 [critical hit!] on his first roll and killed one of the Bloodhawks outright. Lorien scored a light hit with her longbow on one of the others and the other PC's missed.
The Bloodhawks engaged the PC's in a hard fought melee. Both Lorien and Shadow were seriously mauled in the fighting (and almost killed) however the PC's managed to defeat the Bloodhawks. Talomir cast Cure Light Wounds on Lorien and partially healed her and tended to Shadow. The PC's decided to set up a camp and rest for the evening. The evening passed uneventfully and Talomir cast Cure Light Wounds on Shadow the next day and the PC's, a little battered and worse for wear, proceeded to continue towards the forest.
The PC's continued to the forest, reached it and started into the forest with Lorien and Shadow leading the way. After making their way through increasingly heavy forest, the PC's decided to rest in the evening. Shadow decided to set up a few rope snares near their camp site to give them a little bit of protection (or at least notice if something stumbled over it). The PC's maintained a small fire [not very subtle!] and during the evening they were encountered by a small party of 5 Orcs [one of whom tripped over the snare! ]
The PC's engaged the 5 Orcs in melee and killed them relatively easily. After searching the bodies and finding nothing of value they dragged the bodies a little bit into the forest (away from the camp) and briefly discussed whether they should move camp or remain. They concluded that the Orcs were probably a wandering patrol from the camp and that they were probably safe if they remained where they were. They decided to extinguish the fire noting that Lorien had infravision and was due to keep watch till early morning anyways.
The PC's rested and prepared to continue into the forest the next morning.
Short and sweet - let me know if you have any feedback and/or suggestions! |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 23 Sep 2008 : 11:29:10
Sorry folks - much belated updates on Session Four for anyone who is interested!
The session was held quite a while back. I was DM. The PC's were;
Talomir: hmP1 (Lathander)
Garrick: hmF1
Shadow: hmT1
Shayella: hfW1
The PC's were sitting in the inn in Peldan's Helm and discussing their plans. As the evening came on, several farmers came in for a drink and the PC's struck up a conversation with a 3 farmers who were discussing some strange goings-on at one (Hulf) of their farms. Hulf complained to the PC's of the mysterious dissapearance of some of his stock which had been occuring over the last couple of months. [I know its a cliche! But any hook that works is good, true?].
The PC's generously offered [for free!] to come out to Hulf's farm that evening and see if they could find out what was going on. The PC's set off with old Hulf and chatted about the situation. Hulf advised that from time to time, only in the evening, small numbers of his sheep would dissapear from his farm. Hulf would never hear anything and despite trying hard to find out what was going on had been unsuccesful to date.
As to Hulf himself, he told the PC's that he was a farmer and had been in the militia in his youth. He lived alone with no family.
The PC's arrived at Hulf's farm late in the evening and noted his modest stone hut, a wooden barn, a relatively large fenced off paddock and a small number of sheep. The PC's rested the evening in the barn after a light meal with Hulf and nothing occured that evening.
The next morning the PC's decided to make a plan as to what they were going to do that evening [very vigorous discussion ensued!] and decided to have Shadow conceal himself near the fence closest to the forest and have Garrick near to him and have Talomir and Shayella remain in between the hut and barn laying on the ground.
The PC's remained in position and late in the night Shadow heard some movement nearby. The PC's remained where they were and heard a number of men whispering and quietly climb over the fence and made their way towards the nearest sheep. As it was dark and overcast so the PC's visibility was extremely limited.
At this point Shadow moved down towards the men and called out for their surrender. [A noble Thief!] The men tried to flee and Shadow [using the Blindfighting proficiency] decided to engage them in melee. Garrick decided to drop his shield and light a torch so that he could see what was going on. Shayella and Talomir decided to run towards the noise.
As Shadow had interposed himself between the fence and the men they attempted to club him down but only scored a minor hit. At this point Garrick lit his torch and it revealed 6 human men wearing rough leather armour and wielding wooden clubs engaging Shadow in melee. Garrick moved towards melee with his torch and long sword. Shayella decided to come closer to cast Sleep and Talomir decided to cast Faerie Fire.
Talomir got Faerie Fire off and the men were illuminated. [Garrick and Shadow were appreciative.] Garrick landed a minor hit, Shadow landed a minor hit and one of the men landed a minor hit on Garrick.
Talomir advanced into combat with mace and Shayella got off Sleep. Two of the men failed their saves and collapsed. Melee ensued with the remaining men being killed. The PC's searched the bodies and found a few CP's and SP's.
The PC's tied up the survivors and interrogated them. The men named themselves as Darg and Gelg and confessed that they were part of the bandit group causing trouble in the area. They advised that they had been sent to steal some sheep and smuggle them back to a rendezvous point at the forest edge [I've often wondered how bandits survive in an area so I decided to make up this encounter as even bandits need to eat!] and wait for reinforcements who would come and replace them later.
At this stage old Hulf had come out of his hut armed with an ancient sword and expressed his gratitude to the PC's for killing and capturing these bandits. He asked the PC's what their plans were and they advised that they were going to take one of the bandits and a sheep and head off to the rendezvous point to see what they could find out. Hulf agreed to take one of the prisoners to Peldan's Helm for justice and agreed to their plan. Hulf unearthed a suit of chainmail armour which was in good condition (from his militia days) and gave it to Garrick as a reward.
The PC's set off with Darg and headed towards the rendezvous point. On the way they continued to interrogate Darg to obtain information. He admitted that the bandits report to a half-orc named Malkor. Malkor was a harsh and cruel leader but he provides booty to the bandits regularly. Darg also mentioned that he had heard from other bandits that there was someone from Mistledale working with Malkor but he didn't know who. Talomir gave a lecture on goodness to Darg in the hope of redeeming him [typical Lathanderite! ]and the PC's fed him on the trip.
The PC's reached the rendezvous point and tied up the sheep and Darg and set up a camp. Shadow advised that he would scout a little to the west towards the direction that the reinforcements were meant to come from and conceal himself to see what happens. The remaining PC's rested.
After a couple of hours Shadow, lightly concealed, spotted a group of humanoids approaching along the forest edge. As they got near to Shadow, one of the figures, wrapped in a dark cloak, stopped and closely looked towards where Shadow was concealed. He pointed towards where Shadow was concealed and turned and started to run back from where he came from. The other humanoids approached the area where Shadow was.
Shadow decided to run back within the forest edge towards the camp and alerted the others. They waited until the humanoids got quite close and then Shayella cast Phantasmal Force to create an illusion of 6 bandits sitting around a fire.
The humanoids came to the camp and greeted the PC's asking if they had seen anything. The PC's noted they were human men, similarly armed to the group they had defeated at Hulf's farm and did not answer and then Darg shouted out for help. The men charged forward to attack and the PC's responded in force immediately dispelling the illusion. [It was a good idea but perhaps too ambitious for the limits of the spell!]
In the melee which followed the PC's killed 5 of the bandits, despatched Darg who tried (while tied up) to trip Garrick over and captured the remaining bandit. The PC's searched the bodies and found a few CP's and SP's. The PC's interrogated the prisoner and noted that his name was Glan and that the figure which had escaped was Malkor himself. [Much gnashing of teeth here!] Glan didn't know who the person was in the Dale who was working with the bandits, he advised that the bandits were aware of the PC's and suspected that they were the trouble the bandits had been experiencing recently - he confirmed the late Darg's comments concerning Malkor and advised that he was very cunning.
The PC's decided to return back to Hulf's farm to return the sheep and bury the bodies [The Lathanderite again!]. When they got to the farm they met a young man named Trevor who advised that Hulf had arrived with the prisoner in Peldan's Helm and he had come back to tend the farm while Hulf took the prisoner to Ashabenford for justice. With a little disgruntlement he advised that he had buried the bodies the PC's had left behind and was glad to hear the news that the PC's had killed a few more bandits.
The PC's with Glan in tow returned to Peldan's Helm where the locals scowled at Glan and thanked the PC's for their efforts. One of the locals advised the PC's that they were expected at the inn by a man called Farn.
The PC's headed towards the inn and noticed that two horses were stabled at the inn - a large war horse and a smaller horse.
The PC's entered the inn and noticed the half-elf Ranger Lorien and that she was accompanied by a tall thick-set man with dark beard and hair wearing plate mail armour emblazoned with the horse-head insignia of the Riders of Mistledale. After warm greetings with Lorien who introduced them to the Rider Farn, the PC's were advised that Lorien had headed to Ashabenford and after her report concerning the Orcs and the PC's activities, the Council had dispatched Farn to come to Peldan's Helm to investigate further. Lorien had decided to accompany him.
The PC's related the events of the last few days and presented the prisoner Glan. Farn advised that he would arrange for him to be sent to Ashabenford for justice. At this stage Glan accused the PC's of executing Darg and they discussed the matter at some length with Farn and were given the benefit of the doubt. Farn rejected their request for some kind of writ of local authority [audacious!] and advised that Lorien had spoken on behalf of the PC's to the Council and Lorien advised that she would keep a careful eye on the PC's activities as her name was at stake.
The PC's, Farn and Lorien discussed their next course of action and decided to trek off towards what they assumed was the Orc camp marked on a map that they had found previously. There was a brief disagreement as Farn requested Lorien remain with him to investigate the local area however the PC's convinced Lorien to travel with them as her Ranger skills would be more useful for them in the forest than with Farn in town and the farms.
As the PC's dined and drank with Farn and Lorien, Shadow subtly suggested that Talomir should use any of his priest spells if possible to see what he could find out about Farn. [Cautious Thief!] Talomir was quite taken aback and advised that he trusted Farn and rebuked Shadow by saying he would not dishonour the party or himself by attempting such a thing.
The PC's turned in for the evening and prepared to set off the next morning on foot with Lorien towards the Orc camp.
Any thoughts/feedback would be appreciated!
|
| Theophilus |
Posted - 14 Jul 2008 : 02:15:05
Hi - an update on the 3rd session.
Another short session - one of the PC's left early for a "hot date"!
The session was held the other night. I was DM. The PC's were;
Talomir: hmP1 (Lathander)
Garrick: hmF1
Shadow: hmT1
Shayella: hfW1
The PC's travelled to the forest edge heading back towards Peldan's Helm and rested there. In the evening they encountered a heavily armed half-elf female who introduced herself as Lorien of Tangletrees. Lorien mentioned that she had been tracking a group of Orcs who were heading westwards skirting the forest edge and requested the PC's aid in eliminating them.
After a brief discussion the PC's agreed and then had a protracted discussion about how best to ambush the Orcs who would be there by early morning. (Lorien had mentioned that there was at least 10 Orcs which was 2-1 odds against). A concealed giant pit was dismissed (too labour intensive) as was an elaborate fire trap (too dangerous in the knee-high grass near the forest edge - and Lorien, a worshipper of Mielikki, would not support the idea). Shadow eventually dug a shallow trench about 15 feet wide and stuck a few sharpened sticks in it.
Very early the next morning the PC's arranged themselves with Garrick and Talomir concealed on separate edges of the trench (in the grass) and Shayella, Shadow and Lorien concealed just near the tree line. Before combat Garrick gave Shayella his sling and sling stones to use.
After waiting for a few hours in the early morning, the PC's observed a group of Orcs moving in a wedge formation just near the tree line towards them. They noted that there was one larger Orc in the middle. [10 Orcs, 1 Orog in total]
As the Orcs closed on them the PC's waited until Shayella could cast Sleep and Talomir could cast Entangle. [What they didn't seem to take into consideration was the range of each spell so when they cast them they were within range of Entangle.]
Sleep affected 2 of the Orcs who failed their saves. Entangle caused havoc - it affected the Orog and 5 of the other Orcs. It also hit all the PC's except Shadow and Shayella.
At this point the 3 moving Orcs advanced on Talomir and Garrick. The others tried to hack their way free of the grass.
[I ruled that although the PC's couldn't move they could still use missile weapons with penalties if they chose]. The PC's and Orcs (armed with spears) started exchanging missile fire. The battle lasted 6 rounds with Talomir and Garrick receiving injuries, the Orcs felled by Sleep recovering and attacking and the eventual complete destruction of the Orcs and Orog.
[After the battle the PC's had a brisk discussion about the use of Entangle and the caution of using it in future as it had not worked out exactly as they had anticipated - they hadn't taken into account its area of effect and the range of Sleep which is significantly shorter.]
The PC's searched the bodies and found some loot - CP's, SP's, GP's, a few bits of silverware and jewellery. They also found that the Orog was carrying a crude map of the area which they examined closely and discussed. [I handed the PC's a roughly hand-drawn map - props sometimes work!]
The PC's then had a discussion with Lorien about how to proceed. They agreed that she should head for Ashabenford to inform the authorities while they return to Peldan's Helm to get some supplies before heading to [what they concluded was the Orc base] a location on the map.
Lorien departed and the PC's returned to Peldan's Helm with no further encounters.
[Interestingly, the PC's learnt a valuable lesson which regarded food/water and travel - they didn't have enough to get back. Talomir was forced to resort to Create Water spells and the PC's had to buy food from some of the farms and catch some on the way back - I did this primarily because IMO these sort of logistics are important also in a campaign.]
The PC's returned to Peldan's Helm and headed to the inn in the early afternoon where they discussed their exploration of the crypt/graveyard, and the encounter with Lorien and the Orcs. They also showed the Orc map and their own to the innkeeper (Tellin) who helped out with a few nearby landmarks and identified a few of the highlights on the Orc map.
The session ended here with the PC's buying some iron rations from the inn and discussing their plans.
|
| Jimbobx |
Posted - 11 Jul 2008 : 10:39:47
I was impressed with the backstory for the crypt. I'm a stickler for that kind of detail myself. I end up writing 2 or 3 pages of history, personality and motivations for even the most minor of NPC's.
(There's a backstory that I wrote for an adventure hook in this forum (http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10661), if you're interested. That just snowballed from me needing to explain the presence of an old tower in the Savage Wastes).
I await the notes from Session 3 with interest. |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 11 Jul 2008 : 01:28:25
quote:
Originally posted by Khaelieth
Oh, aye. Didn't think of that! When's your next session?
I'm glad to say tonight. |
| Khaelieth |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 11:55:48
Oh, aye. Didn't think of that! When's your next session? |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 11:16:55
quote:
Originally posted by Khaelieth
Well, the priest of Bane would be pretty old if all the flesh had rotted off the corpses=)
He could perhaps be a Banelich by now?
I was thinking rodents etc could have cleaned them up pretty good in a few years. The ones in the graveyard itself have been there for years, so no problems there. |
| Khaelieth |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 08:21:11
Well, the priest of Bane would be pretty old if all the flesh had rotted off the corpses=)
He could perhaps be a Banelich by now? |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 00:41:21
quote:
Originally posted by Khaelieth
Also, what's the story behind the skeletons/crypt? Or is it just "there?"
There was a backstory that I had in mind - the crypt was part of the much older graveyard which was used quite a while ago (100yrs approx) by the locals and then fell out of use. The crypt contained the body of a minor noble and had a bit of loot (hence the traps). In the few previous years a Priest of Bane found out about this and decided to mount an exploration. The skeletons are his hired goons who succumbed to the various traps during the crypt exploration and plundering. After plundering the crypt the Priest of Bane decided to leave a nasty suprise for someone else who followed on by animating the corpses contingent on someone actually touching the sarcophagus lid. He also animated a few outside as well to possibly finish off anyone who escaped. He left the gem near the open corner of the sarcophagus so that someone looking in could see it sparkling and try to move the lid.
The interesting bit that can be spun (which I'm not using myself) is that the Priest of Bane could still be alive and is now aware that someone activated and finished off his undead.
|
| Khaelieth |
Posted - 09 Jul 2008 : 12:39:15
Also, what's the story behind the skeletons/crypt? Or is it just "there?" |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 09 Jul 2008 : 11:09:38
quote:
Originally posted by Khaelieth
Going to try to use the crypt in Daggerdale, hope you don't mind=)
If you want, please comment on my campaign journal too! Input is always needed! Trying to go for an old style feel as well.
No problems, its simple as its designed in a straight line ending in the room. It could also be easily modified for extra traps, skeletons, other monsters etc - hope it works out! |
| Khaelieth |
Posted - 09 Jul 2008 : 08:35:02
Going to try to use the crypt in Daggerdale, hope you don't mind=)
If you want, please comment on my campaign journal too! Input is always needed! Trying to go for an old style feel as well. |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 09 Jul 2008 : 01:14:03
quote:
Originally posted by Jimbobx
I loved the old school, low-level, crypt delving in Session 2. It gave me that ol' 1st edition nostalgia buzz reading it.
@Jimbobx
Thanks I'm trying to keep it simple to start off but that feel is my personal preference. Sure - there's a lot of cliches but I also plan to use some of the 2nd ed FR modules too which will change the feel a bit. |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 09 Jul 2008 : 01:07:17
quote:
Originally posted by Khaelieth
Was thinking you perhaps could add in a corrupt Rider? Someone high up who's stopping the other Riders from locating the bandit and orc camps?
@Khaelieth
Thats a great idea - thanks! I'm already starting to get some good ideas about how to fit something like that in. |
| Jimbobx |
Posted - 08 Jul 2008 : 12:08:33
I loved the old school, low-level, crypt delving in Session 2. It gave me that ol' 1st edition nostalgia buzz reading it. |
| Khaelieth |
Posted - 08 Jul 2008 : 11:59:47
Was thinking you perhaps could add in a corrupt Rider? Someone high up who's stopping the other Riders from locating the bandit and orc camps? |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 08 Jul 2008 : 11:26:32
@Khaelieth
Thanks for the reply!
I've got a basic idea but wouldn't mind some suggestions;
Malkor is actually a low-level half-orc Thief working for the Zhentarim. Malkor is also the go-between for the black hand orcs and the bandits. Sooner or later the PC's will directly come to the attention of the Zhentarim leader O. (Orglor) who will send Malkor on an assassination attempt which they will (hopefully) survive.
The PC's will also eventually learn that the bandits/orcs are working for the Zhentarim with a longer term goal of destabilising western Mistledale (revenge for their defeat in the ToT!) and then the PC's will have to work out some way to break up the alliance (small-scale) with the 2 groups - which are located separately in 2 primary camps. However they get through the campaign I plan to have Malkor somehow contrive to escape and become an ongoing thorn in the PC's side! |
| Khaelieth |
Posted - 08 Jul 2008 : 09:04:54
Looks like a really good campaign you've got going! What do you plan doing with Malkor? |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 08 Jul 2008 : 08:01:46
Despite absolutely no response on the last post I have decided to continue posting the sessions. (I also post these on the BIP project if anyone heads over there.)
session 2:
(Unfortunately, due to a mix-up on the starting time the session ended up being quite short. Even so, the PC's managed to get a few things done. )
The session was held the other night. I was DM. The PC's were;
Talomir: hmP1 (Lathander)
Garrick: hmF1
Shadow: hmT1
Shayella: hfW1
Session 2 started with the PC’s resting in the inn while Shayella recovered from the effects of Identify. The PC’s talked with the innkeep as it was a quiet evening and noted that not much had happened since they were last in town.
After some discussion, the PC’s decided to head s/w to see if they could locate and explore the tombs that they had previously heard about.
The next day the PC’s set off s/w overland and came across a ruined hut about 2 days out of Peldan’s Helm. The hut’s roof had collapsed and one of the walls had also collapsed and there was no sign of activity. The hut itself was partly overgrown with weeds.
The PC’s circled the ruin carefully and looked around closely to see if there were any obvious tracks. As they passed the collapsed wall they say something glittering on the ground in the rubble.
Shadow decided to approach the collapsed wall and looked in the hut and saw what he thought were some gold coins scattered around the debris near the centre of the hut. Sitting on the ground near the scattered coins was a human skull. There was nothing else in the ruined hut.
Talomir advised caution and asked the other PC’s why the coins would be shiny in this environment. Shadow decided to Find Traps around the fallen wall [He passed the check] and didn’t find any traps but I advised that he had an uneasy feeling about the skull and the coins. Shadow decided to shoot an arrow at one of the coins, hit it and watched it roll to the other side of the hut. [ ].
The PC’s clearly suspected a trap and discussed briefly how they should proceed. Shadow decided to tie a rope around his waist and get Garrick to hold the slack as he approached, short sword drawn, towards the gold coins. Talomir and Shayella kept watch.
Shadow picked up the first gold coin near the skull which sprang upwards out of the ground in a shower of debris. The Gambado surprised and attacked Shadow and landed a harsh bite on him which seriously injured him. Shadow immediately attempted to withdraw from the hut. Garrick and Talomir advanced to attack in melee and Shayella decided to cast Magic Missile.
Combat lasted a few rounds with Garrick and Talomir both getting injured by the Gambado before finishing it off.
The PC’s explored the hut carefully and recovered some GP’s and Shadow climbed into the Gambado’s hole and found a rusted dagger and a small Citrine (50gp) amongst some gnawed bones. Shadow took the gem and the rusted dagger.
The PC’s decided to rest near the hut for the evening and Talomir cast Cure Light Wounds on the badly injured Shadow which healed him.
After an uneventful evening, the PC’s continued another 2 days s/w and reached the forest edge. They then decided to enter the forest and explored the forest edge until they located an ancient and overgrown trail heading in. The PC’s followed it in and after a further 2 days (foraging rabbits and birds for food) they came into an overgrown clearing with some broken tombstones and a small crypt near the centre of the clearing.
The PC’s approached the crypt and noted that it was partially sunken into the ground and that the stone door was partially ajar. Using a stick they pushed the door open and noticed some stone steps leading down into the ground.
Shadow pulled out his mirror and decided to use the sunlight to reflect light down the stairs to see if he could see anything [good idea imo]. He couldn’t see anything other than the stairs leading down at least 10+ feet.
The PC’s quickly chatted about how to proceed and decided to proceed in the following order;
1.Shadow, 2. Garrick, 3. Talomir, 4. Shayella
Shadow and Talomir lit torches and the PC’s proceeded down the steps very slowly. Shadow decided to search for traps as they descended but didn’t find any.
After heading down the steps for about 20 feet they came to a straight passage heading northwards. The passage was about 5 feet wide and 8 feet high. The PC’s moved slowly northwards along the passage (searching all the while which slows you down alot and increases the Wandering Monster odds ) and spotted a figure sitting up against the right hand side of the passage up ahead about 15 feet away. Approaching carefully, they discovered a human skeleton in rotted clothing and leather armour with a rusted broadsword lying nearby. Shadow moved the body with his shortsword and they discovered a broken spear sticking out of the chest of the corpse. They searched around and noticed a hole about chest height just opposite the corpse. Shadow decided to examine the hole and concluded, with Garrick, that it was a discharged trap. Shadow examined the corpse and noticed that it wasn’t carrying anything.
The PC’s then had a brief discussion about whether to take the weapons with them or leave them and decided to leave them.
The PC’s then continued northwards along the passage and came to a hole in the ground which stretched completely across the passage and was about 10 feet wide (north to south). A few feet above the pit was a rusted iron ring embedded into the roof.
The PC’s decided to discuss how they should cross. Shadow suggested that he get lowered down and then climb up to the other side and haul up first Shayella, then collectively Talomir and Garrick. Talomir suggested that they might be able to jump across but everyone agreed this was risky. Garrick suggested using the ring to tie a rope to it and swing across. After discussing the pros and cons they decided to try Shadow’s idea.
Shadow firstly decided to throw his torch into the pit to see how deep it was and if anything was in there and it hit the ground and he couldn’t see everything in the pit but it appeared empty. He then asked Garrick to hold his rope while he climbed down into the pit which he did. He examined the bottom of the pit which was about 20 feet deep and found nothing. He then successfully used Climb Walls to climb up onto the other side and looked down the corridor and spotted what appeared to be a figure lying face downwards further up the passage. Feeling a little uncomfortable Shadow urged them all to get across quickly. Realising that the final person couldn’t lower themselves by rope into the pit, Garrick lifted up Shayella and she tied a rope to the ring. They tested the weight and felt that it would be safe to proceed and each lowered themselves into the pit and climbed across to the other side with Shadow’s assistance.
Proceeding down the passage a few feet they noticed a human skeleton lying face downwards in the passage. The corpse was clad much like the previous one in rotten clothing and leather armour and a rusted spear lied to the side. A piece of stone lied just near the corpse. The PC’s examined the corpse carefully and noticed that the back of the skull appeared damaged. The corpse had no equipment or possessions. They looked around carefully and noticed that a piece of the ceiling had fallen down and they concluded that it had fallen on this corpse and the piece of stone nearby was from the roof.
At this stage Garrick noted that it appeared these corpses had been stripped of any useful possessions and that he found this strange. The other PC's agreed.
The PC’s decided to continue onwards and came to a set of stone steps leading downwards. They searched carefully around and decided to head down the stairs. The stairs went down about 10 feet and the passage continued northwards. Further down the passage the PC’s could see a light source but it was impossible to make anything out. After moving down the passage a little further they came across yet another corpse lying on the ground. It was wearing rotting clothing, leather armour and a rusted broadsword lied nearby. Shadow carefully examined the body and the area and noticed a small hole in the left wall and that the corpse had a small metal dart lodged in its side. Shadow crouched and moved under the height of the hole and then jammed the rusted dagger he had taken from the Gambado’s lair into the hole [I hadn’t even thought about this – it was a good idea!]. The PC’s then searched the corpse carefully and found nothing and decided to move on down the passage towards the light source.
A little further down the passage the PC’s came to a doorway which opened into a small 20 foot x 20 foot chamber. In the centre of the chamber was a stone step/dais and on top of that was a stone sarcophagus. The lid was partially opened (45 degree angle). Lying nearby the sarcophagus was another (!) skeletal corpse with a rusted broadsword nearby. The roof of the chamber was about 10 feet high and hanging in the air near the roof, directly above the sarcophagus was a dim globe of light.
The PC’s were particularly suspicious of the room and searched around carefully but didn’t find anything. They examined the corpse and found nothing on it either. [Interestingly they asked if they could determine what injuries it had suffered]. They also put out their 2 torches as they were concerned that there was limited ventilation [sensible!] but the light was sufficient for their sight in this room. Shayella decided to examine the globe of light and made a Spellcraft Proficiency check [passed - I run the check modified with a -1/lvl spell not available to magic user] and identified the spell as Continual Light. Talomir cast Detect Evil and I decided to let him feel a sense of evil emanating from the sarcophagus. [This was a hard call - the Skeletons were not yet animated but the trigger for animation was moving the lid so I took a cautious middle-ground.]
After a brief discussion they decided to look at the sarcophagus closely. Shadow tried to use his short sword to push the lid but couldn’t get it to move easily. Garrick offered to push the lid open. At this point Shayella piped up and advised that she would stand guard near the entrance. Shadow pulled out a flask of Holy Water and stood near Garrick as he pushed the lid off.
As the lid fell off, the PC’s noticed the corpse on the ground start to rise. Shadow threw the Holy Water into the sarcophagus and heard a hissing sound and a rattling/clunking noise. Garrick drew his warhammer and prepared to attack the Skeleton and Talomir drew his mace and attacked the Skeleton in the room which he quickly dispatched in the following round. While that combat round was occurring Shayella heard a rattling noise coming down the passage and spotted the second and third Skeletons coming down the passage to them. Shayella bravely attacked with her quarterstaff and managed to dispatch the first Skeleton. Garrick engaged the other and dispatched it quickly taking a very light hit.
[In hindsight I thought about something really mean that I could have done – I could have had the light globe extinguish at the same time as the Skeleton’s became animated – this would have left the PC’s completely blind in the room – a lethal idea for future reference! ]
Talomir and Shadow were concerned about the first Skeleton which hadn’t appeared but Shayella reminded them that it was on the other side of the pit and couldn’t reach them. [Who says High Int can't be easily roleplayed? ] Shadow decided to search the sarcophagus and found that there was quite a mess in there with a partially dissolved (but dead) Skeleton, a ruined piece of parchment (destroyed by the Holy Water), a broken/rusted short sword and a small Citrine gem (50gp). The PC’s searched the room and couldn’t find any secret doors so they decided to return to the graveyard.
The PC’s lit torches and backtracked to the pit. On the other side they could see the first Skeleton waiting. At this point Shadow boldly declared that he would “handle” this problem and took 2 shots with his short bow. He hit with both and scored a Critical hit but didn’t put down the Skeleton. [He forgot that Skeletons take ˝ dmg from P/S weapons!]. After being mildly mocked by Garrick and Talomir, they drew their slings and finished the Skeleton off with stones.
The PC’s crossed the pit and trekked up to the graveyard. When they emerged they were Surprised by a small group of Skeletons which had dug their way out of the graves in the area and Garrick took a bit of a pummelling from the 4 Skeletons but was still standing. He attacked back with his warhammer, Shayella stayed in the entrance away from the combat, Talomir attempted Turn Undead and Shadow tried to use his short sword as a clubbing weapon [with significant penalty!]. Talomir Turned 2 of the Skeletons which retreated away into the graveyard, Shadow [amazingly!] hit and dispatched 1 Skeleton and Garrick hit and dispatched 1 Skeleton.
Talomir and Garrick immediately pursued and dispatched the 2 remaining Skeletons while they were retreating.
Talomir cast Cure Light Wounds on Garrick and partially healed him and then the PC’s examined the open graves and didn’t find anything of interest and carefully explored the edge of the clearing but determined that there wasn’t anything further to be obtained by exploring the heavy forest.
Session 2 ended with the PC’s bedding down on the edge of the clearing for the evening.
Your feedback/ideas/comments are appreciated! Despite getting no feedback I'll keep posting the updates! |
| Theophilus |
Posted - 02 Jul 2008 : 08:31:33
Session 1:
Hi - I decided to post up my campaign sessions for anyone that might be interested. I can be a little overly detailed but it helps me keep a good record of the games!
Firstly, a bit about me - I'm writing from Australia and I first started 2nd ed just after its release in the early 90's. I played till the mid/late 90's and then had about a decade hiatus from gaming until last year. I was brought into a 3.5 ed game last year (despite an open mind, I quickly realised that these rules were not for me) and decided to set up a 2nd ed FR campaign instead.
The players in the group are an interesting bunch - 3 of them had 2nd ed experience with only 1 of them being a solid 2nd ed fan. 1 of them was a 3rd ed fan and the other was a WW-rpg fan. The final player was a newbie.
I was DM. The PC's were;
Talomir: hmP1 (Lathander)
Garrick: hmF1
Shadow: hmT1
Shayella: hfW1
The setting is FR. The year is 1359 DR (so just after the ToT).
The PC's started off in Tilverton (now part of Cormyr). All of them had background reasons for wanting to leave Tilverton, so they hired on as caravan guards to escort a small trade caravan to Mistledale. The caravan had 4 additional F1 guards (inexperienced like the PC's) and 2 drivers.
[I know its a little bit of a cliche - but hey, I couldn't start off in a tavern could I? ]
The caravan set off and was escorted for about 2 days by a small Purple Dragon escort eastwards along the main road. The PC's talked amongst themselves, the NPC's and built up a good rapport/group mentality - particularly Talomir who used a Singing proficiency check to keep morale up. They were suspicious of the Purple Dragons and were relieved when they peeled off back to Tilverton after 2 days. Another few days of travel eastwards and the caravan reached the edge of Mistledale and the road continued through the dale entrance between the forest.
It was at this stage that the caravan spotted some logs on the road ahead and stopped. The northern edge of the forest was quite close to the road also. 2 bandits [hmF1] armed with longbows jumped up from behind the logs/branches and demanded the caravan surrender. At around this moment, Shadow spotted some more bandits concealed behind a bush nearby to the south off the road and warned the caravan. He then chose to take a shot at the bush with his shortbow which flushed out 2 more bandits [hmF1] armed with longbows.
At this point group initiative was rolled and the PC's rolled better than the bandits.
Garrick and 2 of the NPC caravan guards charged forward towards the logs and engaged the 2 bandits armed with longbows [It aint much fun at this point for the bandits with the penalty for trying to use a bow in melee ]. Garrick killed one of them with his longsword and the other was injured by the guards with their spears. One of the caravan drivers hid beneath the caravan and the other took a shot with his light crossbow at the bandits near the logs and missed.
Talomir cast Magical Stone and killed one and injured the other bandit near the bush with his 3 stones. [Great spell at low level btw imo]
At this point, 7 more bandits (hmF1) armed with broadswords charged out from the northern woods towards the caravan.
2 of the caravan guards moved to intercept them and then Shayella cast Sleep on this group. 1 of the bandits made the Save, 4 did not and fell asleep. [Devastating!]
The remaining bandit near the log took 2 shots with the longbow and missed [damn penalty ] and the one near the bush also took 2 shots but missed. [I was cursing my d20 at this point! ]
Next round group rolled low on initiative again and acted; Garrick and the 2 guards dispatched the last bandit near the logs. Talomir charged into melee with the remaining bandit near the bush and finished him off with his mace. Shadow took 2 shots with the shortbow and struck down the bandit who had just made his save [ ] and the 2 guards with spears engaged the remaining 2 bandits and killed them.
At this point the guards started to slay the 4 bandits who were asleep and Talomir objected (he wanted to take them prisoner and hand them over to the Riders of Mistledale for justice - which is hanging) but the majority supported dispatching them and so they did. Talomir then insisted that the guards, Shadow and Garrick clear the logs off the road while he buried the bodies near the forest edge.
[It was an unbelievably quick and lucky battle for the PC's who emerged unscathed!]
The PC's found some CP's and SP's on the bodies, and with careful searching found a small onyx gem (50gp) and a parchment note with instructions telling the bandits to sieze caravans, avoid the Riders and move the caravans to the forest edge to meet Malkor. It was signed with an O. The PC's also salvaged the longbows, broadswords, arrows and some food.
The caravan continued eastwards into Mistledale and came to the crossroads heading north to Peldan's Helm and met an observation platform manned by a Rider who greeted them. They related the bandit story and he advised they would patrol in that area and ordered them to move on.
It was at this time that Shadow decided to scope out the tethered horse at the platform. [Everyone, including myself thought that he was going to attempt to steal the horse but he explained later that he wanted to see if the horse looked legit - i.e. the Rider could have been in disguise.]
The caravan turned northwards to Peldan's Helm and arrived safely. They entered the local inn [The Man with Fire in his Hands] and delivered some goods from the caravan. They then proceeded to celebrate their victory with the caravan guards and some locals and Talomir and Garrick got heavily inebriated.
The next morning the caravan departed without the PC's, however they cut a deal with the caravan leader to get some GP's for the gem, bows and broadswords.
The PC's then decided to see what they could find out about the bandits, Malkor, O. and any other gossip.
Shayella and Talomir decided to walk around town and talk to the locals. [It was funny to see these 2 who are played by their players as slightly sophisticated and upper-class, mix with the local farmers/loggers ]. They didn't find out much but did hear a story from one logger who mentioned a group of strangers who had come to the village a couple of years back and were exploring some tombs to the south west. They were never seen or heard of again. He suggested rather cheekily that perhaps they would like to explore those ruins too!
Shadow and Garrick decided to stay in the inn and talk to any patrons and the innkeeper and his wife about things.
Shadow started buying drinks for people [I recall a comment like; hey, I'm going to buy a few drinks - this place is a backwater, if I offer free drinks, everyone and their dog will turn up. ] They didn't find out much either but heard about some ruined farmsteads and such located outside of the village.
The PC's got back together and discussed their options. They decided to explore the ruins outside of the village and so set off the next morning.
They travelled n/w and after quite a few hours of overland travel through farms etc came to a wilder, uncultivated part of the dale near the forest. They located a ruined farmhouse which they decided to explore. The farmhouse was empty except for a set of steps leading underground to a cellar.
After some discussions about how to proceed, Shadow took the lead with a torch and his shortsword in hand and they entered the cellar. They moved a few feet into the cellar and discovered a large web with a skeleton in rotted armour hanging in it. They immediately started searching around to see if there was anything in the area [nothing like this sort of set-up to spook your PC's! ] and fortunately spotted a Large Spider moving along the roof. They attacked, rolled low on group initiative, and both Garrick and Talomir hit it and killed it. They decided to examine the skeleton closely - at this point Shadow decided to be tricky and tried to get the rotted backpack and beltpouch of the skeleton without touching the web. I thought a Dex check would in order and so he unbelievably rolled a 20 on the check and got entangled in the web! [Lucky they had killed the spider already!] The other guys extricated him and they recovered some SP's, CP's and a bottle with a purple liquid filling it 2/3rds.
The PC's decided to leave the ruin and head n/e from here after resting in the ruins. The night went quietly and they set off the next morning and travelled for the better part of a day. They came to an isolated farm, paid the solitary farmer some CP's to stay in his barn and slept there. They quizzed him the next morning and he suggested that there was an abandoned farm a few hours to the east of here.
They decided to head eastwards and after a few hours spotted the ruined building. As they approached they could hear some sounds of combat and decided to rush forwards. They came to the ruin and spotted a lone human man armed with a spear fighting off 6 Orcs. They quickly charged in and attacked. Shadow killed an Orc with his shortsword, Shayella cast Shield and then advanced into melee with her quarterstaff and killed an Orc in the next round. Talomir killed 1 Orc with his mace. The injured human killed 1 Orc with his spear. Garrick killed the other 2 Orcs in the fight. Garrick took 2 minor hits and Talomir took 1 minor hit in the fight.
Talomir decided to heal the man with Cure Light Wounds, and then introduced themselves. The man advised that his name was Gavin and that he was a local hunter. He had killed 1 of the Orcs with his bow when they chased him to this area. He thanked the PC's profusely for saving his life and offered them some rabbit pelts as a reward. The PC's declined the offer but quizzed him about Orcs/bandits/Malkor/ruins etc but learnt very little. The PC's noticed that the Orc armour had a symbol of a black clawed hand emblazoned on it. Shadow suggested salvaging the armour but Garrick advised that the smell would make it impossible to sell!
The PC's decided to escort Gavin back to Peldan's Helm to rest/recover. After about a days travel south they arrived back in town and rested in the inn/tavern. Shayella attempted an Identify spell on the purple potion but failed [10% chance at 1st level wasn't the best call imo].
[Just FYI - I give a PC mage enough spell ingredients to cast every spell in their Spellbook 1 time only at the start of the game. Now Shayella will have to obtain the rare component required for Identify if she wants to get it again - and its not easy to find in this sort of area.]
Session 1 ended with Shayella recovering [-8 Con for Identify requires 8 hours of recovery] and the others discussing what to do next.
- Folks, please feel free to post your comments/thoughts/suggestions. They will be appreciated if they are constructive! If I get some feedback I'll keep posting the updates! |
| The Sage |
Posted - 16 Jan 2008 : 14:29:17
Heh. I'll be in Canberra on the 1st [of Feb.] for the annual 2008 AI programmers' conference.
Maybe I'll stop by for a visit!   |
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