GotPB Session One: Return to Hommlet

Well, the Guardians of the Polar Bear are up and running again! This is my home-game with my wife, kids, and stepbrother. We're using the Swords and Wizardry Complete rules. And I'm running the original T1: The Village of Hommlet. Things went pretty well, all told.

Cast:

Beth: Brandy, Fighter 1, N

Katherine: Camelia, Assassin 1, N

Rene': Br. Bob, Monk (of Rao) 1, L

Will: Jason, Magic-User 1, N

Joey: Trillion, Hobniz Thief 1, N

I like to give my players a bit of backstory. So, for this game, the Hobniz thief was sent by the Guild in Verbobonc to check into the bandits that have been hitting caravans along the trade routes to the north and east of Hommlet. Several envoys have been sent to "bring them into the fold" but all have disappeared. The assassin was hired from the Assassin's Guild's as muscle for him. 

As for the monk, I have enlarged the Paladins of Rao to include monks and clerics in a Holy Order of Rao. They wear brown and tan robes like the Jedi and are famed as negotiators. (Sue me; it's my Greyhawk!)

Starday, Planting 1, 579 CY

The party all met on the road from Verbobonc and decided to travel together, striking up a friendship while on the road. Groups are more profitable and safe than lone men or pairs, they reasoned. Arriving in the north of the village, they stopped in at the Temple of St. Cuthbert and inquired about any help that might be required. A testy Calmert informed them that the Church's business is its own, and if they can take care of the bandits, then great. And good day!

The party then traveled on down the road to the Inn of the Welcome Wench for a lunch as it was a little past noon. The party sat down to table and enjoyed themselves taking note of the different people around the room. The monk of Rao noticed a fellow monk in Turuko and, due to an INT check identified the robes of a member of the Brotherhood of the Grey Hand. [Note that with a three alignment system, I am defining Hextor as Lawful, if tyrannical.] Not allied but not necessarily hostile, the two exchanged pleasantries while Kobort grunted into his ale. Br. Bob let slip that he's looking to end the bandit depredations; Turuko, naturally, let nothing out.

The thief went to talk to an obviously non-local sellsword and met Zert, a caravan guard out of work and looking for some employment. Zert dropped several hints that he's looking for pay, and Trillion said he'll keep him in mind if needed.

The mage Jason noticed someone else dressed in scholar's robes and writing in a book while nibbling at his food and drinking some ale. He struck up a conversation with the talkative Spugnoir who went on at length about the Battle of Emirdy Meadows, the Temple War, and the wonderful epic that he's writing! Eventually getting a word in when Spugnoir stopped for a drink, Jason told him that they're looking into the bandits in the area and that their information (from Calmert) is that most of the raids have been to the north and east. Spugnoir mentioned that there was a small keep of the Temple nearby that was taken out at the end of the Temple War and that the commander was a warlock! For first crack at any magic scrolls, he'd be more than happy to join up.

Meanwhile, the monk arranged to rent the "noble's suite" for the party. Since the obviously heavily armed fighter wasn't paying for anything and everyone else was running around on errands, Ostler and the staff assumed from this point forward that the party was a noblewoman (obviously third child or some such, but still!) and her entourage!

After Jason informed the rest of the party about what Spugnoir had told him, the monk then wandered over to the boisterous, heavily-drinking Elmo. He related to him what they're about, and Elmo mentioned that he knows where that moathouse is, and that his brother Otis was a soldier in the Temple War and offered to show them for a full share of the loot. [Note here that I feel that buying Elmo maille, a big axe and 100 g.p. to join the party is a tad excessive.]

After lunch, the thief and assassin went over to the smith to inquire about weapons. He pointed that while he can do shields and simple metal caps, anything beyond an axe- or spear-head is a little beyond his skill. The smith directed them to the Traders Establishment. Looking around, the pair quickly determined that things were way overpriced although the Hobniz bought a single dagger. Noticing the symbol of the three globes, they then went over to the money-changer. After a use of Thieves Cant, bona fides were established and the money-changer took the thief in back for a private discussion. He related that nothing has been heard from the emissaries sent to the bandits, and the best option is probably to just go ahead and eliminate them. He also related that he's uneasy; none of the missing goods have come through Hommlet at all; no new caravans with suspicious goods or the like. The large ones have been left alone, but anything with fewer than a dozen guards has been hit. Nobody has approached him to fence jewelry or anything small and valuable. Before Trillion left, the money-changer offered to fence anything he finds at normal Guild rates (80% of value as opposed to the 40-60% he offers to most adventurers) and will also change money at no cost (within reason).

After dinner, Trillion went up to Zert's room and offered him the same deal that the monk offered Elmo: full share in the company. [As an aside, money is split up evenly; magic items are given to whoever can use it most effectively or party vote if disputed. It makes more sense; yes, sometimes people lose out, but what use is a wand of magic missiles to a fighter, for instance?] Of course, he readily agreed.

Sunday, Planting 2, 579 CY

The next morning, everyone gathered and set out early for the moat-house. No giant frogs attacked them in the swamp, nor did kobolds or bullywugs ambushed them. The halfling lead the way across the drawbridge, the rest staying well behind. He checked out the drawbridge tower and went in alone. The huge wolf spider dropped down and surprised him, but a miss! He yelled for help, and everybody sprung into action. The spider was defeated, the only damage being 1 h.p. on the mage Jason who did not succumb to poison.

They then proceeded to the Moathouse proper and decided to clear the west wing first. The thief went in again alone and was attacked (but not surprised this time!) by a giant lizard! The party again sprung into action and the lizard was taken down; however, Br. Bob was dropped to -2 h.p.! [I'm using a house rule that death does occur until -1st level hit points are reached.] The party decided to hightail out for town, putting the Jedi, er monk, on Zert's horse. [Note also that the bandits were watching them the entire time but was unsure. They did take down the spider and the lizard pretty handily.] First, though, they recovered the box of armor, and the mage (who is 12 in real life and has never played this or the video game before) found the magic shield by cutting open the lizard.

They arrived back at the Inn with a near-dead monk, and Ostler sent one of his potboys for the druid Jaroo. Jaroo performed a CSW on the monk fully healing him. Payment to help the needy was discussed and the party finally decided to part with the ivory box that they found in the spider's lair. Jaroo accepted and was off. At this point, the party decided that they need healing and bad.

The thief Trillion went off to talk to the Canon Terjon and, after a 9 g.p. offering to the poor box, got to meet with the Canon. The talk centered around the possibility of healing and possibly accompanying them on their quest. Terjon made it clear in no uncertain terms that would not happen as no one in the party was a member of his flock. Healing could be available at the temple, but no promises. A very upset Hobniz left back for the inn.

Jaroo by Yannick de Guedart

Meanwhile, the assassin went to talk to the Druid. Coming to the end of the trail at his shrine and house, she noticed a bowl set beside a gong. Putting 5 gold in the bowl and then striking the gong, Jaroo appeared.They discussed briefly the cycle of life in the village and eventually, however, the assassin got the same answer as the thief did from Terjon.

The mage took the shield that he recovered over to Brother Smith for inspection. The smith confirmed that it was well-made and then grasped an amulet around his neck and muttered a prayer while passing his other hand over the shield which began to glow. He smiled and said that it appeared to have a minor magical enchantment on it. The mage asked if he needed any repairs, and Smith answered that it could use some polishing and maybe some new straps. A couple of silver would handle it and he could have it ready by evening.

[This is the point where I informed the players that Churches in my campaigns just don't hand out healing. Especially since the clerics and druids have congregations to care for. Things like Brother Smyth (who is a minor initiate) casting minor magic like detect magic, well, that's no big deal.]

That said, there was a bit of deus ex machina on my part. Black Jay arrived at the Inn during the evening meal, much to the surprise of the locals. The party noticed the whispers as the grizzled, black-cloaked man came in with a figured hooded and cloaked in forest green. The assassin asked one of the barmaids what the hubbub was about. She mentioned that Black Jay was a ranger during the Temple War and, while he was gone with the militia, a goblin raiding party hit the village. Jay's wife and infant child were killed. Since then, Jay was withdrawn and garrulous and kept to himself, tending his sheep on a hill above the village and making extra money by selling arrows to Smyth to resell. It was rumored, however, that the elves that he knew never abandoned him and still occasionally visited him. The barmaid wondered if that was one of the Olve with him.

After having a mug of ale or two, the pair made their way over to the party. Black Jay introduced himself and his friend Sidron, a cleric of Ehlonna, and then awkwardly excused himself and left. Sidron related that a vision from the Lady had instructed him to seek out those who were coming to fight the Dark Power now rising and placed himself at the party's disposal. [Yes, I'm a softie, but they need a cleric in this.]

There was some minor bookkeeping, but everyone went to bed to prepare for the next day.

Moonday, Planting 3, 579 CY

Again the party set out for the two-hour trek to the Moathouse. Some discussion ensued on the way. It was decided that the thief should check the doors and then move back for the fighters to break in the doors.

This time, the first door kicked in was the bandit lair. First thing, Jason dropped a sleep spell that took out 8 of the 9 bandits, leaving the leader standing alone. He quickly surrendered in the face of overwhelming odds. The assassin and mage dispatched the bandits while the monk was interrogating the prisoner. Roleplaying it out, basically he refused to say anything about the rest of the bandits except that were more below and if he said anymore, he was surely a dead man. In exchange for showing the party his stash, he wanted his weapons and a walk out of there. The party agreed and, yes, he will keep his word.

The party then decided to call it a day (and we as players a night).

As the astute reader might have noticed, I'm not only drawing from the original, but also from the video game and the two novels (The Temple of Elemental Evil and The Deed of Paksenarrion). This allows me to add more depth and color and to throw out some curves as well.

Until next time, gentle readers, think of the possibilities!

D&D Next: Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle: Session One

~From the private journal of Belgareth of Waterdeep~

(translated from the Infernal)

I seem to have fallen into an adventure. Allow me me to explain.

My name is Belgareth the mage. I recently completed my apprentice work in Waterdeep and have set out as a journeyman mage to learn more about the world, its environs, and its secrets. The festival at Daggerford, just south of Waterdeep, seemed like a most excellent place to begin. I was not entirely sure why I headed this way; perhaps I was driven by Fate, although consciously I was thinking that the market might have something of interest or there might be rumours of something to follow up on. However, such was not in the cards.

As soon as I arrived the weather turned positively dismal. Rain, rain, and even more rain for every day of the festival. I found myself huddled under a leaky makeshift pavilion outside the local inn dicing for coppers with a varied lot of strangers. I am terrible with names; I blame a certain preoccupation with arcane lore and the like; such mundane trivia does not interest me. 

First off, there was a charming, loquacious chap of intense curiosity and obvious literacy. He seems determined to write an epic. By the Dark Father, I hope it's not in verse! He obviously has designs on becoming as famous as Volo or maybe even Jain Farstrider. Only time will tell. I must say, however, that his enthusiasm was a refreshing beam of light in that dark place.

Sitting across from me at the table was a stout, untalkative warrior. Apparently, he's a pit fighter from Waterdeep who goes by the charming sobriquet of "the Typhoon," apparently due to the fact that he is trained in chain fighting. I have not, naturally, heard of him because my final studies for my prentice work preventing indulging myself in attendance at the games. A pity. I would have liked to see this bruiser fight. Of course, I might yet, from a much closer vantage point. I'll have to keep him between myself and trouble.

Next to him was an elven wildling of some type. Perhaps she is what some dwarves call a "doo-ad;" I think the Common term is druid, but I'm not sure; my studies have only briefly touched on religion. She is more imperious of mien than the wildling elves of the forest glades, however, more like the so-called "high" elves in demeanor. As the evening progressed it came out that she claims to be a dragon stuck in mortal form! Fascinating, if true. She shall bear watching.

Finally, seated next to me was a human knight from Cormyr. At first I took him for an impoverished sell-sword, maybe a jumped-up hedge knight. But, apparently his family has fallen on hard times; there was some story about an idiot brother allowing a barge full of iron to sink to the bottom of the sea followed by a very expensive salvage operation. He's not a bad sort, really, although his old-fashioned gallantry is somewhat amusing. Definitely not material for a shield warrior for me. He'll probably want to run this potential adventuring company that appears to be coalescing; that is perfectly fine with me. The one out front gets to take the slings of fortune right on the nose.

On a side note, the knight has an old family retainer, a dwarf named Darius. I hope he doesn't get in the way. Incidentally, it's odd that I can remember the names of servants and rulers, but not my "peers." Huh.

Apparently, there was an orc attack on some sun elf noble's house here in the town recently, a Lord Floshin or some such. Supposedly a Red Wizard of Thay was the plotter and had disguised himself as a gardener in the lord's employ.  He also might have had an accomplice as he was seen talking to a stranger prior to the attack. That I take with a grain of salt as the humans say; it was, more than likely, just a chance encounter. But with the red-robed ones of Thay, one can never be sure.

I spent a miserable night huddled with humans and their squalling brats in a tent erected for the town's overflow (as there was no room at the inn). Fortunately,  they appear to have noticed my deific blood as they did not crowd me and afforded me more space than others; still insufficient, but it was the best to be hoped for.

The next morning, the red wizard was hanged. It was still depressingly wet, but it was the typical human spectacle. The sun elf was there at the scaffold as was a paladin, shining like a beacon in the darkness of the early morn. The town's duke arrived, Madwyn or something like, maybe Maelgwyn. Blasted humans and their mewling monkey tongue! As the appointed time approached, the tattoos on the Red Wizard began to glow. It was quite amusing to see the humans start to panic; even the paladin began to draw his greatsword. They always fear what they know not. But, it came to naught as the Thayan got the short drop.

The crowd dispersed and, as it did, I noticed the impoverished knight approach the nobles at the scaffold and followed by the dragon-turned-elf. I began to make my way in that direction when a rider appeared and reported to the nobles that a nearby keep was under attack by a black dragon! The knight, naturally, offered his assistance. I decided to throw my lot in as well; who knows what secrets I might unveil?

I am writing this in haste as we ride on the nonce. 

C is for (Sandbox) Campaign

It should be apparent to anyone that's read my blog for any amount of time that I prefer sandbox settings. My favorite module for any system is GW1 The Legion of Gold that outlines the Barony of Horn for Gamma World followed closely by B2: Keep on the Borderlands that outlines the surroundings of the Caves of Chaos. And, of course, who can forget T1 The Village of Hommlet? Adventures that have add-ons, such as the wilderness areas for Rappan Athuk or Freya's Crucible (both originally by Necromancer Games coincidentally; RA was recently upgraded to Swords & Wizardry and Pathfinder editions by Frog God Games, the successors to NG) fall into the sandbox category to some extent as well. The focus of these modules is, of course, on the megadungeon or the plotline respectively, but sandbox material is provided as well. While I've stated in the past that Greyhawk is my favorite campaign setting, the Wilderlands/City State of the Invincible Overlord by Bob Bledsaw and the Judges Guild runs a very close second. The setting is very sandbox and gives sparse details on the campaign maps for the DM (Judge?) to develop.

The best thing about sandbox adventures is that it's a lot like a buffet. The DM sets out the food, and the players choose what they want. Admittedly, it is a lot of work for the DM, and he can't be a control freak. The players just might take their characters completely off-script. Now, occasionally, the DM will have had a busy and no time to think, much less plan for a game. The players might want to head off for Greyhawk City when the DM has only prepared adventure hooks (weeks before) around Hommlet (where the players are). In a case like this, there's nothing wrong with telling the players, "Guys, I've had a week from Hell. I know you really want to go to Greyhawk, but I'm not prepared at all for that. Could you go after a hook in town? I'll work up plans for Greyhawk City for next week." Most players will understand and go with it; we've all had those weeks.

The ability to improvise is a key skill as well. Maybe the DM is good enough to roll with the journey to Greyhawk and can come up with something on the fly that fulfills the players's expectations. If one can do that, great! Go for it. If the players feel like their choices and input influence the game, they become invested and interested in the setting and will want more! If they don't have that feeling and instead feel like they're on the Plot Wagon (TM), well, they may as well be playing EverQuest 2. Or, worse yet, WoW.

Another ability to keep in mind is recycling and I'm not talking about newspapers and aluminum cans, either. In this instance, it refers to using adventures that the players have bypassed; this is not railroading, either, but a labor-saving device. Let's assume that in the Hommlet setting mentioned above, the Judge had worked up a goblin warren to the southeast of Hommlet; however, the players have elected to take that journey to Greyhawk. On the journey overland, Fate intervenes and a wandering monster check indicates an attack by goblins. Rather than just randomly rolling the goblins up, the party is attacked by a patrol or raiding party from a goblin warren. The players decide to follow fleeing survivors and find the lair. Recycling in action. And note that this goblin warren is not in the same location; this could be three weeks out on the way to Greyhawk. It has been transplanted, and the DM has a week to work on Greyhawk! Also, be careful not to MAKE the players go where you want. If the players killed the goblin patrol or let the fleeing survivors go and don't look for the lair, so be it. But you were ready if they did!

Another good example of this is reusing vintage modules. When I first started the Guardians of the Polar Bear (my God, was that 2004 when Kat was nine and Rene' was seven?!!), I placed the Necromancer's mansion from U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh on a rock atoll about a mile-and-a-half on the road north out of Hommlet. The caves at the bottom opened into a forest clearing. The necromancer had disappeared about the time of the Battle of Emirdy Meadows. The pirates became a detached group of bandits and gnolls from Lareth's moathouse and thus tied into the overall setting in a different way than before. Recycling; learn it well.

Finally, the sandbox DM should learn to use communication with his players. Help them determine a real background for their characters. Ask for their input after a game; see what goals that have and what they plan to accomplish. One can see this in the Hommlet campaign with the NPCs. Elmo mentions his brother Otis long before the players ever go to Nulb. A PC's family can be the source of new characters if the original character falls in battle, such as poor Kane Deathchant. Maybe the character is the young scion of an Elvan noble family from Celene. Upon reaching 4th level, news of the character's exploits have reached Celene and the character's family (or maybe even Queen Yolande herself!) sends the character a gift in the way of a Quiver of Ehlonna with 6 +1 arrows. Deus ex machina? Maybe a little; but it does help the characters in game and also helps keep them invested in the story.

Overall, sandbox settings are a lot of work to set up. However, properly executed, they can create a world that feels as vibrant and alive as anything in the works of fiction and definitely better than a static MMO.

Until tomorrow, gentle readers, dream of glory and adventure!