Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jay 04-12-05, 06:17 PM	Contains some spoilers for the WotVB adventure for Eberron... The party: half-vampire paladin half-orc cleric elf ranger tiefling rogue human wizard (paladin's cohort) necropolitan bard (my character) A few sessions after this campaign started, we have (a bit clunkily) crossed over from some undefined generic D&D-land into Eberron, and the DM is is running Whispers of the Vampire's Blade (adapted, since we're 8th-9th level, and the adventure is for 4th, I think). We were offered a job by the Dark Lanterns (Breland's intelligence): to capture an ex- agent that has apparently gone rogue and stolen a magic sword. Between beeing a tall, blond, wolfish-looking bish type in dark clothes, travelling in a spiked carriage, and only coming out at night, Lucan (the agent's name) is now apparently a vampire. We've had one session of overland chase after the carriage (again, no teleport at 9th level... :) ) until we finally caught up with Lucan and his travelling companions, his sister and their driver. Although they escaped, I found the session memorable for being one of the rare instances of D&D combat that didn't end up with one side being completely wiped out. It helped that there were no deaths, either, even though we came close (trying to attack a sorceress who knows fireball from 500+ ft. away can get ugly). That was last session. This session, we crossed over from Breland to Zilargo and realized that we weren't going to catch up with the villains before they reached their goal: the embassy of Aundair, where a masked ball was to be held. So, to recap: we were trying to find a vampire, at a masked ball, held by the embassy of Nation #3, in Nation #2, working for Nation #1. Bard heaven, pretty much. First we had to get into the ball uninvited, which we ended up doing by the rogue filching some of the invitations from the box the guards were putting them in after receiving them from the guests. I was kind of disappointed with that, since with a bluff modifier of +46 (glibness is just wacky!) I expected to be able to talk the guards into letting us in without any invitations at all. Apparenty, the DM ruled that although the gnome guards would believe pretty much any story I came up with, they had orders only to admit people with invitations, and orders were orders. Even if it was the Queen of Aundair herself disguised as a male bard that came without invitations (which is something quite doable with bluff +46). Eh. But boy, was I paid back at the ball proper! Combining detect undead, detect evil, the paladin's Vampire Hunter feat and good old fashioned mingling, we located Lucan and his sister. I insisted on first warning our hostess (rumored to be Aundairian intelligence!) of our mission, then took the stage. I fascinated Lucan, his sister, and the best looking woman in the room (three people's my limit, and I only needed two, so why let it go to waste?), suggested the sister not to fight and suggested Lucan to surrender to us. With a perform check good enough, according to the PHB, to eventually attract extraplanar patrons, I had captured our prey, avoided violence in the Aundairan embassy, and became the star of the ball! As my party- mates were peacefully ushering Lucan out, people came to shake my hand, the best looking woman took my tavern room number, and all was well... ... until the cleric, the ranger and Lucan were stopped at the front door by just-arrived guests identifying themselves as Aundairian intelligence, demanding we hand Lucan over. To which Lucan, being a vicious vampire, responed by drawing his badass fear-causing confusion- casting black-steel-and-green-runes sword and cutting one of the Aundairains in one blow. Then all hell broke loose, and both Lucan's sister and himself slipped from our grasp again, she by loosing herself in the panicking crowd, and he by turning to mist and flying away... despite being under a suggestion to surrender to us. I swear, it was as if the Aundairian foursome were PCs in some Bizarro mirror of our game. For once, *once*, an objective is achieved without violence, and enter a clueless foursome whose plan to apprehend a vampiric spy consists of saying "surrender, or die" and rolling initiative... so the vampire just turns into mist and is gone. Apparently, Aundairian intelligence... isn't. And now we're off after Lucan again, after being pointed towards a certain skyship he's been planning to take by the Aundairian ambassador. But I think it's telling that I'm having great fun despite having been screwed over by Lucan for the second time! Oh, one notable detail: before slipping away, Lucan seemed a bit glassy- eyed and stiff, like he was being dominated. I'm starting to entertain the notion that he isn't a vampire after all, but is just a patsy for the sword... if that turns out to be correct, the adventure title might be a bit too spoiler-y. But then, it hasn't even occured to us until now, until we've had other tips like Lucan apparently being susceptible to enchantment and the sword being rather... well, vampiric- and evil- looking. I'm really looking forward to the next session...
Lord Zeb 04-12-05, 09:04 PM	Dude, sounds like a great game. Signing up to hear what happens next. :whatsthis
SnowbearK 04-12-05, 11:29 PM	(edit: I really gotta start reading the whole thing without being distracted, I really do...lol)
darkthought 04-12-05, 11:36 PM	(edit: I really gotta start reading the whole thing without being distracted, I really do...lol) Great story! Sounds like your sessions are a riot. Just a nitpick (because I DM) but vampires are immune to mind effects. It is part of that whole "undead' thing. ;) But not your fault. :)
Solarious 04-13-05, 12:46 AM	Yep, it's totally not your fault you forgot that Undead are immune to mind-affecting things. Only warning little miss Aundairian hostess that there was a vampire around. :P
Setherial 04-13-05, 01:47 AM	Yeb I was going to say the same thing, you can't facinate a vampire :) It sure does sound like your dm made it a pretty interesting game, you obviously had fun. I must say however that you guys being high level (for eberron standards) does change the adventure quite a bit. As you said you should be able to talk your way out of anything, and the rogue can steal about anything. Social encounters become way less challenging and some of the excitement involved when you are just not that good yet is lost. I'm eager to read about your next session ! Seth PS: interesting party you have there, especially the necropolitan, how did they ever end up together ? Any background you care to share ?
bromleylaerchenheim 04-13-05, 12:15 PM	Great story! And I want to read more... WotVB is one of my favorites module (as a DM) and me and my group had lots of fun playing it and lots of memorable encounters. Our carriage chase was close to yours but at the ball it went a little different. Just two funny episodes: Our Paladin of the Silver Flame has managed to became addicted to Absynth without knowing it. We as a group are constantly encouraging him (the player) to sip another glass and it has become some sort of running gag. However, what he does not know is that under some occasions while under the effect of Absynth he became connected to the Quori plane and does have some minor experiences like a medium: voices in the head and so on. While on the masquerade ball he know experiences strange whispers and came to the conclusion that for some reasons he might be able to mindread the other guests thoughts. Some interesting circumstances occurred... Second, our shifter monk with not-so-good charisma score, wants to do some investigations on his own. Without being the party animal he tried to get into a conversation with some embassadors at a dining table and I urged him to roll for his diplomacy skill to get a good entry. He rolled a natural 1! Which of course leads to the classic embarrassing situation when either everybody else is turning away of the conversation completly stopps and everybody is just staring...
darkthought 04-13-05, 12:47 PM	Yep, it's totally not your fault you forgot that Undead are immune to mind-affecting things. Only warning little miss Aundairian hostess that there was a vampire around. :P I can't figure out if you're being sarcastic or not. It was the DM's fault for not remembering that undead are immune to mind affecting spells/magic/mojo. It should have gone: Player: I attempt to facinate. DM: Lucan turns away, bored by your bourgeois preformance.
JohnnyONeal 04-13-05, 02:12 PM	Fun story! ...I was kind of disappointed with that, since with a bluff modifier of +46 (glibness is just wacky!) I expected to be able to talk the guards into letting us in without any invitations at all. Apparenty, the DM ruled that although the gnome guards would believe pretty much any story I came up with, they had orders only to admit people with invitations, and orders were orders. Even if it was the Queen of Aundair herself disguised as a male bard that came without invitations (which is something quite doable with bluff +46). Eh.Social skills get pretty ridiculous when you've got characters that focus on them, don't they? By the book, a 9th-level bard should be able to persuade anyone of anything. That DMs basically forces DMs to house-rule every single check, which makes the whole "random skill check concept a bit silly." While he hasn't covered Bluff yet, I highly recommend Rich Burlew's take on Diplomacy (http://www.giantitp.com/Func0010.html). Check it out, and consider sharing it with your DM!
Magagumo 04-13-05, 03:03 PM	*l* I began to read the beginning of your post, Johnny, and thought to myself as I scrolled upwards "Hmm, I really should mention Rich Burlew's Diplomacy system, that helps a lot." Glad to see I'm on the same page as you are- have you had a chance to utilize that system in a socially-oriented game? And, if so, how did that work out?
murkaf 04-14-05, 10:40 AM	Just a nitpick (because I DM) but vampires are immune to mind effects. It is part of that whole "undead' thing. Isn't there a Bardic Music Feat called Requiem that lets your Bardic Music affect undead??? It was in Song and Silence: I thought it would have been reprinted/converted in Libris Mortis...
Lord Zeb 04-14-05, 10:47 AM	Isn't there a Bardic Music Feat called Requiem that lets your Bardic Music affect undead??? It was in Song and Silence: I thought it would have been reprinted/converted in Libris Mortis... Yep, I was actually looking at that last night. Libris Mortis does have "Requiem" so that your music can affect undead. Very, very good feat in a high-undead campaign (and I suppose good if you are an Undead Bard), all depends on what kinda stuff your GM throws against the party.