26 May 2010

And the second session.

Chello! And this will bring the blog up to date. Session from 1 JAN 2010.

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Chello!

Cast of characters:

Katherine (13.5)/ Aislinn Blasdesong, a High Olve Fighter/Magic-User, CG.
Rene' (almost 12)/Anana of Glorsten, a Hill Dwur Fighter/Thief, NG. (and war dog!)
Jenny (10)/Elvina Everheart, a Half-Olve Ranger, NG.
Will (8)/Richard Willowgrove, a Hobniz Thief, NG.
GM NPC/Dalgard Nordis, a Human Cleric of Pelor, NG.

With some of their newfound wealth, some of the players went and obtained maille from the traders and even sold some of their excess gear ("what a bargain!"). Calmert also came by and healed the cleric so that he could attend the meeting. 

As evening drew near, Ostler informed the party that the Town Council wanted to meet with them after dinner. The party assented and went down to have dinner together in the Inn. After dinner, they went over to the Council Building where the fact that bandits were harassing caravans was relayed to the party. However, the problem to date had been confined to the northeast; goblins to the south was a new problem. Would the party go and see what they could learn. This heretofore unknown dungeon complex could easily be turned into a lair by goblins, cutting Hommlett off from the lands to the south. The party, naturally, consented, although the dwur was curious (under her breath) as to what Hommlett's "heartfelt gratitude" was in solid gold....!

To date, the party has paid no attention to Kobort, Turuko, Spugnoir, etc. That might change after they return from the latest expedition to the South. 

The next morning, they set. In the meantime, the goblins had invaded the Nameless Dungeon. I rolled up a tribe of 70 members + the chief and his retinue. they set themselves in some of the empty rooms plus a couple of the rooms that the party had already cleared.

Upon arriving in the complex, the half-olve ranger pointed out that maybe they should check out the rooms they had already been to. The two older players rolled their eyes and said it was a waste of time, but followed her anyway. smart girl. Opening the doors to the large room the the stirges had nested in, a cry of "Bree Yark!" let them know that were now goblins infesting the halls...just as the Council of Hommlett had feared! However, the party was not surprised and were quickly able to dispatch the little terrors. The dwur's faithful hound took a hit, as did the cleric. The Cleric burned 1 of his 3 CLWs for the day on himself (why is he always the one getting hit? :? ). The Ranger also took a hit, but with 17 hp, it was a mere scratch. The Dwur and the Olve praised the ranger's foresight in rechecking the other parts of the complex. They thus continued forward. They came to a room that was previously empty, but again, the soon-to-be familiar cry of "Bree Yark!" let them know that there were more goblins present here!

(A tactical stupidity on my part...I should have sent a runner to surround them here, but I forgot. They would be rectified in the next battle.)

Once again they slaughtered the little horrors. They opened the doors to go down the corridor and, at the next intersection, a goblin patrol! The goblins (for a change) won initiative and sent a runner down the corridor to the south. The weasal room had been selected as a secure treasure room and was guarded by a goblin leader and his 5 assistants. While the patrol flooded the passageway, 1/2 of the special guard detail run north to help them out. The other 3 run east to enter the room the party was leaving and cut them off! 

The fighting was fierce! Oh lucky the PCs that had the foresight to buy maille! The hobniz was a dead shot, hitting everytime he sent a lead bullet downrange, and usually taking his target down. The olve was in the thick of the battle but pulled back afte recieiving a horrible strike from one of the guards (8-5=3). As fell back to the hobniz, the reinforcements arrived behind her! Screaming that she was going to die, she charged the three goblin guards (equal to orcs, AC 4, hp 7 each) and hit one for 4 points of damage! All three managed to miss her!

Next round, the fight raged in the corridor. The hobniz (who had already learned the hard way about firing into melee--in the last game he had been hit by the ranger in the back for 1 pt of damage) took a chance and sent a bullet toward the wound goblin guard...and pegged him for a full 5 pts dropping him!!! The olve held her own again.

The cleric pulled off the front line to help the hobniz and the olve...the fighting there was just as fierce, but the ranger, dwur and cleric had whittled them down. The hobbit grabbed his club and surged forward into the fight as well and accounted well of himself. After the last goblin finally fell, the cleric healed the elf back up and they went to the weasel room to find the goblin's treasure: a chest with silver and copper and a few gems! (mostly ornamental, but an excellent aquamarine worth 1000 gp).

The party made a big circle...the ants were non-aggressive; they found an exit and backtracked around finding some other minor areas. They found a room with a stone face that needed payment for answers to questions. The ranger finally figured out that "beware the odds" was a subtle clue (she loves Labyrinth) and wanted until question 14 to ask "What does 'beware the odds mean?" The answer is that all his odd questions are lies.

They still found out nothing of import. :)

They managed to stumble across the teleport trap that sent them to the second level, but easily found their way back up. They then ran into the goblin chief, but, after the fight near the treasure room, it was almost anticlimatic. They did find the chief's banner....a black field with a yellow eye......!

((I have decided that this was merely an advance group of a larger tribe and they really only got the subchief. They know nothing at this point, really. Besides, I want to use some Bugbears and wolf riders! :) ))

They finished clearing out level one, finding the skeleton room and the last goblin guard room (set up in what was once the cobra lair...they lost a few themselves clearing that room!).

Rather than heading back to Hommlett, they've decided to sleep at their previous campsite and hit the ruins again and go down through the second level. I wonder if the Council will be concerned...who to check on them: Jaroo or some of Burne's Badgers?

Oops...let's start at the beginning.....

Chello!


It has been pointed out that I started the blog in the middle of a module. So, from the Dragonsfoot Forums, here is the first session from from 12-31-09.


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Well, it was time to bring my 8 and 10 year old into the fold. So, after puttering around with my books, I decided to run Hommlett, always a favorite, and to insert Chris Gonnerman's The Nameless Dungeon as a good opening dungeon. Statted for classic, I only had to make a few changes to update it for AD&D (the one thing that sticks out in my mind is changing the giant shrew to a giant weasel).

http://tower.newcenturycomputers.net/download.cgi/GL1-The-Nameless-Dungeon.pdf

The ruleset is AD&D, no UA. The cast of miscreants is as follows:

Katherine (13.5)/ Aislinn Blasdesong, a High Olve Fighter/Magic-User, CG.
Rene' (almost 12)/Anana of Glorsten, a Hill Dwur Fighter/Thief, NG. (and war dog!)
Jenny (10)/Elvina Everheart, a Half-Olve Ranger, NG.
Will (8)/Richard Willowgrove, a Hobniz Thief, NG.
GM NPC/Dalgard Nordis, a Human Cleric of Pelor, NG.

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(Yes, I have this thing for NG parties. Of all the alignments, NG is the easiest for kids and 1st-timers to grasp, I think. "Just act like they tell you to in church. :) )

Katherine and Rene' cut their teeth on Hackmaster almost 5 years ago. Jenny rolled up her character under the supervision of her sisters and Will told me what he wanted to be and I rolled it up for them. 4d6-L, reroll 1s, and arrange as you like, max hp 1st level. 

Backstory. Aislinn and Elvina were sent to investigate the area around Hommlett for the Queen of Celene. Apparently, there has been trouble with caravans running into bandits and the like recently. Anana was sent by her stronghold in the Lortomils (Glorsten, my creation) for the same reason.

Richard is actually the son of one of my old characters, Thomas Willowgrove, a retired 12 lvl thief. As far as Richard knew, his father was just a respectable tailor who was quite successful and had some money stashed away. However, after his father's recent death he found Tom's journal and discovered that he had been an "expert treasure hunter" in his youth. Rich found himself wanting to see beautiful things, "to carry a sword instead of a walking stick...just once" and thus set out on the road.

Dalgard is NPC healing backup and actually saved the party tonight (through happenstance and almost at the cost of his life!) He's a wandering Priest of Pelor doing "knight errantry" essentially and also had heard rumors of bad goings on around Hommlett.

The PCs (and NPC) all met on the road to Hommlett and decided to travel together and see what they could discover (wonderful how good parties just work together like that--"You seem a decent fellow; fall in line!").

After setting up camp for the night (about 5 miles south if Hommlett), the Nameless Dungeon calls for a Goblin attack in the middle of the first watch. On watch were the Hobniz thief and the Olve fighter/mu. Surprise check is negative, 8 goblins rush the party in a semi-circle roughly 0 to 90 degrees. Initiative is tied. The Olve gets off a sleep spell and promptly drops 6 of the goblins. The Hobniz drops another with a sling bullet. The last goblin holds morale and manages to stab the Cleric who's trying to awaken. Next round the Hobniz rushes forward and hits the last goblin with his club, killing him.

In the aftermath, the olve suggests slitting the throats of the sleeping goblins, the dwur agrees and helps, and the cleric drops a CLW on himself. The party then notices a goblin scout in the underbrush who takes off! The dwur sicks her trusty dog after him and the olve and the ranger take chase. The dog manages to crash through the brush into the entrance to the Nameless Dungeon. The ranger goes back to get the others and to explore this ruin.

They go down and go east, finding a room of magical darkness and then come across a large room where they are attacked by stirges! The dog is wounded, as is the olve (for 7 of 8!). The cleric heals the olve (8 on d8!). It is at this point that the hobniz asks, "Why did we come into this dungeon anyway?" :) They also find the secret door in the room; the hobniz pulls the lever before anyone can stop them, thus deactivating a trap elsewhere in the dungeon.

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Pressing onward, they find and defeat the giant weasel and find the bag of gems in the refuse pile. They then find the room with the trapped chest. I should have got a pic of this one; I told them to arrange everyone and they put the cleric in the door. Perfect. They open the chest; the Olve reads the scroll: "You lose!" The door slams shut, but the cleric makes his death save to block it; he makes the save, taking 8 points of damage, dropping him to 0! The PCs flee the room (the dwur is the only one to fail the poison save...for 1 pt of damage!). I rule they're able to stabilize the cleric and they retreat back to the campsite. I have some mercy on them, and keep the goblins from ambushing them again. Of course, who knows what'll happen while they're gone...: :twisted: (The goblin tribe moves in?)

The next morning, they decide to push on to Hommlett. Fortunately, the cleric had a horse so they lash him down and ride for Hommlett, arriving about noon. They cause quite a stir, arriving with a comatose cleric and make for the Inn of the Welcome Wench. The stableboys help them get the unconscious cleric down and one runs for Gundigoot. Ostler (who I describe as looking a lot like Barliman Butterbar from the LotR movie; an aside to Rich...."Your father's diary said to never trust a skinny innkeeper; this one is quite fat.")

While the Olve arranges for a room for the cleric, the other 3 decide they want food. Ostler has the barmaids set them up in one of the private dining rooms and gets a private room for the cleric. He sends for Jaroo while the Olve waits with him, eating her rations! (She said she was feeling guilty because she caused him to get hurt since she read the scroll! she even paid for the room.)

Jaroo arrives and questions her briefly while healing Dalgard for 3 pts, bringing him around. She asks how much it'll be to heal him and Jaroo says a donation for the needy in Hommlett would be fine. She offers him all of her remaining gold (17!) and Jaroo smile and takes 3.

Dalgard smiles as well and finding that she paid for his room insisted that she take the payment from him. The Olve then goes down and inquires about shops and he directs her to the moneychanger. There, the olve is able to exchange most of the gems for 60% of value. He can't handle the tiger eye ruby (5000 gp!) so she keeps that for the moment. She goes back and distributes cash to everyone and they all take separate rooms in the Inn (the dwarf opting for the 5 gp/night suite!). 

And there we ended for the evening. They're debating going back to the dungeon (which the goblins will have occupied by then). I expect that as evening draws near, the Town Council will want to talk to them. Goblins on top of the recent banditry? Horrors! 

One last thing. My 13 yo is an aspiring artist and decided to make her own PC sheet:

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My wife might join us for the next outing. She was a computer gamer (old SSI AD&D PC games) when we met in college in '93. She's been playing tabletop RPGs since 94 or so. She was a tad tuckered tonight, though.

This is fun! :)

Tony