Mines of Phandelver one-off and impressions - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 Noctaem Jul 20, 2014 13:20:27	Greetings! First off I want to make sure people who read this understand that there are full spoilers ahead. This thread is meant to give a resume of the one-off session we completed today of the 5e starter set. It'll also include my impressions as a veteran DM and will also include posts from the players who participated so that you can get their impressions as well. Everyone who participated had read the rules PDF but no one had actually played a session of 5e. SESSION PREP We started by opening everything and having the players look through the pre-generated characters available. The choices were: Human Archery Fighter Human Defense Fighter High Elf Wizard Halfling Rogue Dwarven Cleric Having 3 players at the table, they opt to take the Archery Fighter, Wizard and Rogue while I take the Dwarven Cleric as a DMPC. Essentially I'll be using the cleric as a healbot and little else so that I don't overshadow the players. The players take a few minutes to look over the characters they chose while I prep the first encounter and get things figured out on my end. They named their characters as follows: Roscoe Goodbarrel (Rogue) Quarion Liadon (Wizard) Salazar (Fighter) Travok the Cleric (Cleric DMPC) They introduce themselves and do some RP banter about their relationships with each other and with Gundren Rockseeker. I explain that he is their patron and has been a good source of jobs in the past. He's hired them now to escort a wagon filled with supplies to the city of Phandalin to the south while he went ahead with an armed warrior by the name of Sildar Hallwinter. They also talk/invent previous events in order to create bonds between themselves. Note that I decided to use the average numbers listed as damage and that I would also roll damage to compare the two different methods presented. For example a Goblin has his Short Bow Attack listed as 5 (1d6+2) Piercing Damage. So when that attack hit, I just told the player he took 5 damage and then rolled the 1d6+2 to compare. I then kept track of the differences to see how they compared. Note also that because this a 4 man party, I removed a monster from encounters that had more than 2 so that the party would stand a better chance of defeating them. The Wizard prepared the spells Magic Missile, Sleep, Detect Magic and Mage Armor. The Cleric prepared Cure Wounds (Domain), Bless (Domain), Guided Bolt, Shield of Faith, Command and Healing Word (picked at random to keep things moving). SESSION START The party ends up having the "Meet me in Phandalin" hook and is more than happy to have ties to Gundren Rockseeker. Before they leave Neverwinter with the wagon, the rogue decides to go buy a dagger in order to use Two-Weapon Fighting if needed. We quickly go over how that works. I go over the description in the adventure to describe the trip and move on to the first encounter page. I describe the wagon slowly making its way around a bend on the Triboar Trail when the Cleric (who decided to drive the Wagon) suddenly sees the corpses of two horses sprawled upon the ground. He quickly makes a perception check and notices that the arrows are Black-Feathered and that the horses appear to be Gundren and Sildar's. His roll isn't high enough to beat the stealth of the Goblins hiding in the nearby woods. They are laying in ambush, waiting for the party to get closer to the dead horses before launching their attack, hopefully with surprise. The rest of the party who was relaxing in the wagon with the supplies decide to peer from the Wagon. Roscoe the Rogue quickly rolls off the wagon and darts into the dense thicket just off the road. He rolls a stealth check and almost rolls a 20 on the die, he is but a shadow. Meanwhile the Wizard Quarion is recording the events into once of his tomes. Travok the Cleric stands up on the wagon and looks around for any signs of danger. Salazar the Fighter decides to get closer to investigate. He nimbly hops down from the wagon and carefully gets closer. As he does, makes a perception check. Again not rolling high enough to beat the sneaky Goblins. As he gets within 10 feet of the horses, which allows him to notice that the satchels have been looted and that there's an empty map case on the ground, the Goblins launch their attacks! E1 Round 1: Surprise Encounter size = 3 Goblins An arrow suddenly plants itself into Salazar's flank (12-5=7 HP left) and he stumbles as he looks down to see it jutting out of his body. As he turns to look into the woods for the source of the attack, he sees a Goblin rushing toward him with its Scimitar raised above its head. It lets out a feral battle cry and it slashes downward and barely misses him! From the other side of the road another arrow barely misses him. Ambush! Round 2: Regroup As the party suddenly finds itself under attack, Salazar disengages from the Scimitar wielding Goblin (this was a mistake, you shouldn't be able to disengage AND attack in the same turn unless you have something like the Rogue's Cunning Action) and decides to send out an arrow of his own! Firing into his opponent, he manages to lodge the arrow into the Goblins chest, dealing 5 damage. The Goblin lets out a piercing squeel of pain! Meanwhile, Roscoe the Rogue silently moves within the dense thicket toward the Goblin using a shortbow lurking in the thicket, pulling out his Shortbow he aims his arrow. Deciding that he can't clearly see his target, he switched to two melee weapons instead and sneaks up on the poor Goblin who never notices his presence. The Goblin never even knew what hit him. Roscoe silently took out his target and then moved a little closer to the road and his ally. Quarion pulled himself away from his efforts at recording the action long enough to shoot out a Ray of Frost at the Scimitar Goblin, which missed. He then recorded that his valliant attack unfortunately missed as the sun suddenly flared and he found himself unable to see momentarily. Travok having finally noticed the Goblins, decided to jump off the Wagon and go help his friend Salazar. However as he rolled an Athletics Check, he fumbled (3 on the die) and fell face first into the dirt. Mumbling some dwarven curse, he stood up and decided to use his Sacred Flame cantrip on the Scimitar Goblin attacking Salazar. However the Goblin managed to roll high enough on his Reflex save and avoided any damage. The two remaining Goblins, having not realized that their fellow ally was so swiftly slain across from them by Roscoe, continued their attacks. Using their ability Nimble Escape, they managed to keep their advantage by hiding or moving in and out of reach. Seeing no easy target, they continued their assault upon Salazar who unfortunately fell unconscious. Round 3: Saving a friend Seeing Salazar fall sent the party into a frenzy! Salazar rolled a death saving throw and passed. Roscoe edged closer to the road (difficult terrain is not his friend) and shot out an arrow at the Archer Goblin causing 6 points of damage. Quarion sent out another Ray of Frost at the Scimitar Goblin but only managed to do a glancing blow (1 damage). He then moved into the thicket to get some cover on the Archer Goblin. Travok continued to advance and called upon his Sacred Flame once more which managed to kill the Scimitar Goblin as its reflexes failed and it was struck by the radiant power of Marthammor Duin! The last remaining goblin, wounded and realizing that it was now alone fled deeper into the woods toward the Goblin Trail. * Encounter End * Roscoe quickly moved toward the last known position of the remaining Archer Goblin and silently scouted to make sure the Goblin was truly gone. Meanwhile Travok went over to his wounded ally and used one of his slots to case Cure Wounds on Salazar (1d8+6) which healed him completely. Worried for their friend Gundren but unsure of what to do (the party didn't try to chase after the last Goblin), the party continued down the trail to the city of Phandalin half a day away. Their goal being to try and get help. Salazar was tended to by Travok in the Wagon during the trip. Part II: Phandalin The party arrived in Phandalin after half a days worth of travel from the ambush site. As they arrived in the town, members of the populace gave them a quick glance and then returned to whatever they were doing. Their first stop was Barthen's Provisions where they had been told a reward for escorting the Wagon would be waiting. Elmar Barthen, the owner of the trade post welcomed them warmly and then took note of the blood on their clothing. He quickly inquired what had taken place. The party explained that they had been ambushed by Goblins on the road and had found what they believed were the slain horses of Gundren and Sildar at the ambush site. Gundren explained that he had expected Gundren to arrive some time earlier and that he had been growing worried when his friend had not. He stated that Gundren might be still alive if his body had not been found and that he would most likely be very grateful if the party rescued him and Sildar. The party decided to split up and check out various interests in the town. Roscoe decided to meet his contact in the city Halia Thornton and investigate the Redbrand angle of the adventure. Heading over to the Phandalin Miner's Exchange, he found Halia managing the business. He introduced himself as Rumple Stealskin and managed to beat Halia's insght check with his own Deception check. He was trying to keep himself off the radar as the Radbrands of the city want him dead. She asked what she could help him with and he whispered that he had heard of her troubles with the Redbrands. Intrigued, she ushered him into a back room where they would be able to speak freely. She explained that the Redbrands are a scourge upon the city, extorting honest citizens for protection money while trying to take over the city. She asked if Roscoe would be interested in doing a job for her, for the benefit of everyone in Phandalin. Roscoe, sensing some ulterior motives, rolled some insight which gave him the feeling that she had her own plans. She explained that the only way to rid the city of the Redbrands would be to kill their leader, Glasstaff. If Roscoe was willing to do the deed and bring back any correspondence found on his person or in his personal quarters, she would give him 100 gold pieces. Roscoe tentatively agreed and left to rejoin the party. At the same time Roscoe was agreeing to murder, the Wizard Quarion headed over to the Shrine of Luck. The usually confident Wizard seemed troubled as he walked over, he had received a vision from Oghma that directed him to find Sister Garaele in Phandalin. It seems that in the ancient ruins of Castle Cragmaw somewhere near Phandalin, an ancient altar to Oghma has been defiled by a Goblin tribe that took residence in the ruins. Sister Garaele pleasantly welcomed Quarion to the shrine. He then awkwardly explained that he had received a vision. She exclaimed suprise at the news and said that it was most fortuitous that he had come, she needed help! As it turns out, Sister Garaele was trying to find the location of the Spellbook of a legendary mage by the name Bowgentle, and the only creature who held the knowledge was a Banshee named Agatha. Sister Garaele offered a compromise, if Quarion found the location of the Spellbook she would consult the ancient tomes of the Shrine and find the location of Castle Cragmaw. She suggested that using a silver comb she would supply to appeal to Agatha's vanity might get her to reveal the location. Sister Garaele also offered 3 potions of healing as payment for the job. Quarion accepted, his mind focused on the knowledge held within the Spellbook of the legendary mage instead of the 3 potions promised as payment however. The fighter Salazar decided to go notify the Townhall of the Goblin attacks and see if they might offer help to discover the fate of Gundren and Sildar. As he was about to enter the Phandalin Townhall he saw a sign which read: "REWARD - Orcs near Wyvern Tor! Those of a mind to face the orc menace should inquire within." Smiling to himself about the great deeds he would accomplish for the town of Phandalin, he entered. Within he found the Townmaster Harbin Wester who greeted him warmly before asking if he was part of the escort who brought the wagon into town. Salazar explained what had happened on the road and spoke about his worry for Gundren and Sildar. The townmaster also expressed his own worry for them, as their venture related to the discovery of a nearby mine would have boosted the town's economy and growth. Harbin asked the party to please discover the fate of Gundren and also mentioned that two other Stoneseeker's were camped somewhere near the town, keeping watch on the discovered mine while Gundren arranged the claim in town. Salazar agreed that the first priority was to find Gundren, dead or alive. Before leaving Salazar also inquired about the Orc poster outside. The Townmaster explained that Orc raiders had been attacking people near Wyvern Tor and that anyone who was willing to stop their attacks permanently would be rewarded with 100 gold pieces from the town treasury. Salazar agreed to take on the quest. As the party rejoined and shared what they had learned while the wagon finished being unloaded, they checked the position of the sun. It would soon be dark. Deciding to leave immediately and driving all night to reach the ambush site by the following morning, the party decided that the High Elf Wizard would meditate in the wagon for 4 hours as his kind can do and then take over the reigns while the driver would get to join the rest of the party for some well deserved sleep. 12 hours later, the party arrived at the ambush site to find it as they had left it the previous day. Flies were gathering on the corpses of the slain horses, but nothing indicated that the site had been disturbed. From there they tracked the woods nearby until they discovered a Goblin Trail. They guessed that this was most likely how the Goblin escaped during the ambush. Tying the oxen and wagon away from the road, they hiked up the trail, hoping to find a sign of their friend and patron Gundren. The hike was difficult but Travok who had volunteered to lead the group (the players decided the traveling order) suddenly stopped and pointed at the ground. At first the party couldn't see what he was pointing to, until Travok carefully lifted a hidden rope from the ground. It seemed that the Goblins had prepared traps along the way. Swearing in dwarven about where Goblins could shove their traps, Travok disabled it by cutting the rope. The party continued along, making their way even more carefully than before. Their careful attention to detail then managed to save Travok from falling into pit trap he hadn't managed to spot. A reflex save later he was unharmed but startled as the ground had given way beneath him. More dwarvish swearing ensued. Part III: Cragmaw Hideout Finally the adventurers reached a cave mouth carved out of the hillside. A cool and slow moving stream flowed from it and lazily disapeared within the dense thicket they had just left. Roscoe decided to approach the cave carefully and rolled stealth (8 stealth). Unfortunately as he neared the opening, he noticed that the thicket just outside the cave had been cut away, creating a Blind! As he turned to warn the party, Goblin arrows shot out from it! E2 Round 1: Surprise again, my old friend! Encounter size = 2 Goblins Goblin arrows shot out from the thicket and buried themselves into Roscoe who immediately fell unconscious (Goblins attacking with advantage for 5 damage per attack x2 = 10 damage). The party let out cries of panic as they pulled out their weapons to face the threat. Round 2: To save a friend v2 Seeing his friend go down, Salazar unleashed a mighty arrow that instantly felled one of the Goblins who dropped to the ground limp. He then quickly moved into the nearby thicket to gain some cover against attackers. Quarion then fired his Ray of Frost and missed his target. Roscoe rolled a death saving throw and failed adding to the tension of the table. The remaining Goblin shot out another arrow and missed his target. Travok walked forward angrily and called upon his divine powers to smite the remaining Goblin with a Sacred Flame which dealt 5 radiant damage to it. Round 3: Cleanup The Goblin died before getting another turn and the party rushed over to their fallen comrade who was promptly healed by Travok's Cure Wounds. Roscoe was returned to full health (9 HP). * Encounter End * The party gathered their wits and decided this was the right place. Clearly this was some kind of Goblin Hideout. They ventured within the cave carefully. As the party entered into the cave, they started hearing animal noises, growls and snarls, coming from deeper within and to the right. Roscoe, brave as ever even after his latest brush with danger, decided to sneak up ahead (stealth 20). As he advanced slowly, a rough staircase hewn from the stone of the cave came into view and just above it, the source of the noise. Wolves! The rest of the party advanced and came into view of the beasts. It appeared that they had been tied with chains to a stalagmite. The wolves were snarling and making quite a bit of noise, but no other creature seemed to be in the area. Speaking amongst themselves, the party decided to that killing them would proably be a good idea to avoid letting them bite their collective behinds. Salazar however decided to try to befriend the wolves and with a well rolled Animal Handling check he managed to get them to allow him passage onto the small chamber they seemed to be guarding. As he moved over they continued to growl and snarl at the rest of the party. At the far end of the chamber he looked up into a fissure filled with refuse and other disgusting things, he didn't notice anything else (perception 9) and decided to turn back. As he rejoined with the rest of the party however, the wolves managed to unite and pull on their chains at the same time, causing the iron bar holding them to bend dangerously. The party decided to try and avoid melee combat and shoot arrows at them. E3 Round 1: Animal Cruelty Encounter Size = 2 Wolves The wolves continued to yank on their chains but didn't manage to break free. Roscoe shot an arrow from hiding killing one of the wolves instantly. Travok and Salazar both attacked the remaining wolf but missed as it flailed trying to get free. Quarion shot another Ray of Frost and caused 5 points of cold damage the wolf who snarled and snapped at him in response. Round 2: Stay The last remaining wolf managed with one last mighty pull to snap the iron bar holding it and charged at Travok, biting into the Cleric's forearm. Flailing his arm trying to get the wolf to let go, Travok managed not to fall prone as the wolf dug its fangs deep (11-7= 4 HP left). Salazar shot out an arrow which buried itself deep into the wolf's flank and put it down for good. * Encounter End * The party looked around the area and decided to take a short rest in the small chamber the wolves were guarding allowing Travok to heal himself by spending a hit dice (4+5=9 HP). Lucky for the party, nothing happened during the rest to disturb them (I rolled to determine this). I'll post Section 2 soon!
#2 Noctaem Jul 20, 2014 13:23:09	Reserved Section 2
#3 Noctaem Jul 20, 2014 17:50:54	Impressions: For my impressions of the edition so far I have to say that it really feels like the good ol' days of DnD, or at least pre 4e in a lot of ways. Low levels are incredibly swingy in terms of danger for the players. During the first, second AND third encounters a player went below 1 HP and fell unconscious. During the last encounter of the session against Klarg, 2 players actually died from damage bringing them straight down to negative HP. Using the straight damage numbers, such as the 5 damage in the case of the Goblins vs actually rolling damage didn't actually make that much of a difference. The straight numbers are the average results of the rolled dice after all so there wasn't actually much difference when I ran the session. In fact, had I gone with rolled damage, the players would still have gone down and died regardless. It wouldn't have made any difference in the end results of the encounters save 1 or 2 HP difference + or - . Of course another DM might experience something different, but this was the way it worked out during the entire 5 hour session whenever combat occurred. Of course this being our first session, the cleric never used Healing Word (though he ran out of spell slots anyway from using Cure Wounds numerous times) and the Fighter only started using his Second Wind feature mid-way through the session. So we didn't play it in a perfect way, but I think we did pretty well all things considered. I'll let the players post their own impressions, but for me the session felt incredibly swingy in terms of damage output, attacks hitting (especially from the monster side) and how the encounters went down. The spell system was a bit complicated since you had both prepared spells and then spell slots which are used up when you cast a spell. There was also questions about if you cast a prepared spell, can you cast the same spell again? Anyway we figured things out but it was the most complicated part of the session. I wish that the attack roll portion of spells was better explained. There was also a bit of frustation on my part since the monster stat blocks don't clearly give all the important information. Initiative being the most obvious to me. Action types being another other than Reactions being clearly displayed. The DM is left to figure out what kind of action every ability listed under Action is. Some are clearly Attack Actions, however some are also clearly Bonus Actions or some actions seem ambiguous enough to allow for them to be multiple things. It's nice that they followed through with their promise to leave some things as being ambiguous but this is one area that I believe should never be left ambiguous. The rogue is clearly the best damage dealer out of all the pre-generated characters. His ability to deal sneak attack managed numerous times to deal enough damage to kill opponents outright. Average damage was around 10 (1d6+1d6+3) while his Bonus Action attack was around 3 (1d6) or 7 with sneak attack (1d6+1d6) if the rogue missed with his main hand attack and sneak attack was still available. Getting advantage on his attacks was a trivial matter, I don't think a rogue would ever not have it available in some form or another especially after level 2 when Cunning Action comes into play. Meaning that the rogue use a Bonus Action to Hide every single turn and then attack with advantage as an Attack Action. I'll continue to update this as time permits. Ok to post!
#4 Akeisha Jul 20, 2014 17:21:33	Noctaem wrote:
#5 Salazar-the-assassin Jul 20, 2014 19:03:28	Hi my name for this game is Salazar. I have played the end of 3.5 and all of 4e. I have also played a bit of dark heresy and play tested d&d next at the beginning and middle. My experiance in smart is that the game is very deadly and fun but would be hard to make a Campagn out of because of the constant change of characters. The he fighter as a damage dealer seems sub par too the rogue. An 18 ac seems low but was able to stop most of the damage. The game seems extremely dangerous but if the players optimize and work as a team most dangers could be avoided. Having a fighter tank while unable to mark still makes a great decoy. Spellcasters seem to have an advantage over martial classes with cantrips and spell slots. But need more time to rest. ( this May be dependent on how hard the dm pushes the group.) their is one thing I do enjoy, that is the introduction of finesse weapons allowing dex characters to have both a bow and 2 sword fighting.
#6 pukunui Jul 20, 2014 21:54:25	Noctaem wrote:
#7 Noctaem Jul 21, 2014 14:32:55	The thing about the powers listed under "Actions" all taking the same action as an Attack Action doesn't make sense to me. For instance the Nothic has a power under Actions that allows you to learn a random fact about the target. Would you really make that into the main action of the monster? Wouldn't it make more sense if it was a bonus action? EDIT: The rogue was level 1 so Cunning Action wasn't a factor.
#8 pukunui Jul 21, 2014 15:53:00	Noctaem wrote:
#9 5Shilling Jul 22, 2014 2:52:18	I'm not sure I would make stealth so easy once combat is joined. P60 of the basic rules says You can’t hide from a creature that can see you, and if you make noise (such as shouting a warning or knocking over a vase), you give away your position. An invisible creature can’t be seen, so it can always try to hide. Signs of its passage might still be noticed, however, and it still has to stay quiet. In combat, most creatures stay alert for signs of danger all around, so if you come out of hiding and approach a creature, it usually sees you. However, under certain circumstances, the Dungeon Master might allow you to stay hidden as you approach a creature that is distracted, allowing you to gain advantage on an attack before you are seen.
#10 Dansun Jul 22, 2014 7:53:56	I was playing the Halfling Rogue, Roscoe. R.I.P (pieces) This reveiw is only of one session of play at level 1. My 2 cents; Advantage means rolling multiple D20s which give more chances for criticals. This can mean increased burst damage. If the healer goes down, It will take 1D4 hours before he wakes up and can heal himslef or others. This edition seems to heavily rely on healing potions. Which we had none at 1st level. Being surprised is an even bigger threat as the ambushers get their full round of actions (likely with advantage) during the surprise round while you get none. If they beat your initiative, they will have two full turns before you even act. This will usually spell death for you. I like the ability to move, attack then continue your leftover movement. I found that playing the rogue and having a 14 AC with 9 HP, the best thing for me to do is stay at range and make use of cover while firing my short bow. Hiding is much easier now, therefore getting advantage for the rogue at range is reliable. Moving into melee and into the open always spelled doom, even if he could do more damage that way. This edition seems to rely on slowing down and proceeding with cautioned, calculated tactics at all times, in all situations. Because if you don't, you wil likely become surprised and suffer major problems. It is unlikely you could do more than a couple encounters per day it seems. If you pushed for a third and it was tough, you will likely have used most of the healing spells and Hit Dice self healing and someone is going to take a bursty hit or two attacks and go down early on in the fight with little chance to get back up. Because once you go down, it is very difficult to get you back up. Damage is way more dangerous due to the lack of ways to mitigate it, limited amount of healing, and time for recovery.
#11 Theluckiestguy Jul 22, 2014 11:05:13	I was playing the wizard. Maybe it was my dice but i found it quite difficult to hit things as a spellcaster cause you attack AC instead of the 'norms' for magic users of Fort, Reflex, Will. As for the game I really enjoyed it BUT I have no hang ups of character death. If you are someone who fears/cries when your character dies stay away from this cause it is very easy for your PC to die. That is something that attracts me to 5e. As you can see our dm for this 1-off is very through in his story telling and with my knowledge of D&D and AD&D with recent experiences with 3.5e I found it didn't take long to get used to the new mechanics. I enjoyed the storyline and how you can get random traits/ faults so I didn't have to feel bad about not creating a backstory for my character but I had a rough outline which I then added to it with a directions to push him in with a quest on his sheet. Really helped me to get into the mind of my character. We are currently in a campaign with a different dm but I would have no issues coming back to 5e and doing a campaign. Actually the only thing I would worry about is how long it would take to create the character as I find it very simple and straight forward with 4e and the programs we have to create our characters. I worry that with 5e it will be a big learning curve and that will drag the game down having to wait until everyone is together to creat our characters one at a time.
#12 Leugren Jul 22, 2014 12:55:50	Dansun wrote:
#13 kanageddaamen Jul 22, 2014 13:41:02	Leugren wrote:
#14 Noctaem Jul 22, 2014 16:59:11	I've been stupid busy and haven't the time to post the last 1/3 of the write up but I promise to do so before the weekend. The rogue simply played well and RP'ed his character well. So getting advantage on attacks wasn't a problem at all for him. He moved through dense thickets silently, he gutted targets with one hit kills, he hit behind allies to gain cover, etc. It's just at the end when Klarg was warned of the groups presence that he ended up getting 1 shooted by Klarg all the way to negative bloodied. I'll post that part soon. Rest in pieces Roscoe :'(
#15 Kennethray Jul 23, 2014 13:58:50	Ok, My 2 cents. I have ran this game for my group. We have 6 players but I never had more then 5 players at a game at a time due to work scheduels. I ran the very last boss fight this past monday with only 4 of the PCs. There was a cleric, the Noble Fighter, Rogue and Wizard. The encounter included The main boss, a drow (doppleganger), 2 bugbears and 4 Giant Spiders. This was the longest fight so far and felt epic. It ended up being as long as most normal encounter from Pathfinder games I ran prior to the Starter set coming out. I roll out in front of everyone so there is no fudging of dice for this DM. The fight seemed like it was really going aginst the party off the bat. They had recused the dwarf before entering the last room and were warned that the leader would be in there but the party bravely moved in even after having spent most of their stuff (spells, surges or whatnot) on the specter encounter. With just the 4 they managed to win though it was very close call. The cleric went down half way through the fight due to the spiders and since it was from poison he ended up paralyzed for 1 hour he was out of the fight for the rest of the duration. The fighter went down a couple of times but was kept up with uses of healing pots. He did fall just before the last round and ended up having to make 2 death saving throws. He failed the first and rolled a 1 on the second one the same round that the boss was defeated by the rogue. To give the party a feeling of a total victory I allowed the cleric to be cured with the use of 2 anti-toxins and he was able to use a scroll of Revify (sp?) on the fighter. I had allowed them to buy stuff from a travling merchant that carried items from the pdf that cost 50gp or less so they luckly had bought the anti-toxins. The only reason I had done so was due to the fact that despite my starting rule was to only use the starter set rules and items the description for Faire Fire was not in the starter set and was in the pdf. Was able to bypass any arguments since that spell is totaly awsome now. It was a very good fight and everyone enjoyed it. There was a very strong chance of failure and total wipe and my group loves that. Though it was a long fight it was not due to having to look up stuff or to figure all the math. I think that if the wizard would have failed atleast one of the 2 Suggestion saves that they would have been on the lossing side. But I think it was perfect for a 4 pcs group and would have been a cake walk without the added adds. One thing I else I would add. The recharge rules for creatures, like the dragons breath weapon and the spiders web is GREAT. No more of this "we have 4 rounds before it can use it agian" I have had some go off the very next round and I have had some that went almost 6 rounds before being able to be used. K-ray.
#16 Kennethray Jul 23, 2014 14:03:14	A note on the length of the combat. I do not know exactly how long it lasted. I do know that a Flaming sphere expired and a Spiritual Weapon also expired. Not sure if the Spiritual Weapon should have dropped when the Cleric fell but I had allowed it to stay just unable to move. K-Ray
(Reply to #7) Cennedi	Noctaem wrote:

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Noctaem

Jul 20, 2014 13:20:27

Greetings!

First off I want to make sure people who read this understand that there are full spoilers ahead. This thread is meant to give a resume of the one-off session we completed today of the 5e starter set. It'll also include my impressions as a veteran DM and will also include posts from the players who participated so that you can get their impressions as well.

Everyone who participated had read the rules PDF but no one had actually played a session of 5e.

SESSION PREP

We started by opening everything and having the players look through the pre-generated characters available. The choices were:

Human Archery Fighter
Human Defense Fighter
High Elf Wizard
Halfling Rogue
Dwarven Cleric

Having 3 players at the table, they opt to take the Archery Fighter, Wizard and Rogue while I take the Dwarven Cleric as a DMPC. Essentially I'll be using the cleric as a healbot and little else so that I don't overshadow the players. The players take a few minutes to look over the characters they chose while I prep the first encounter and get things figured out on my end. They named their characters as follows:

Roscoe Goodbarrel (Rogue)
Quarion Liadon (Wizard)
Salazar (Fighter)
Travok the Cleric (Cleric DMPC)

They introduce themselves and do some RP banter about their relationships with each other and with Gundren Rockseeker. I explain that he is their patron and has been a good source of jobs in the past. He's hired them now to escort a wagon filled with supplies to the city of Phandalin to the south while he went ahead with an armed warrior by the name of Sildar Hallwinter. They also talk/invent previous events in order to create bonds between themselves.

Note that I decided to use the average numbers listed as damage and that I would also roll damage to compare the two different methods presented. For example a Goblin has his Short Bow Attack listed as 5 (1d6+2) Piercing Damage. So when that attack hit, I just told the player he took 5 damage and then rolled the 1d6+2 to compare. I then kept track of the differences to see how they compared.

Note also that because this a 4 man party, I removed a monster from encounters that had more than 2 so that the party would

stand a better chance of defeating them.

The Wizard prepared the spells Magic Missile, Sleep, Detect Magic and Mage Armor. The Cleric prepared Cure Wounds (Domain), Bless (Domain), Guided Bolt, Shield of Faith, Command and Healing Word (picked at random to keep things moving).

SESSION START

The party ends up having the "Meet me in Phandalin" hook and is more than happy to have ties to Gundren Rockseeker. Before they leave Neverwinter with the wagon, the rogue decides to go buy a dagger in order to use Two-Weapon Fighting if needed. We quickly go over how that works.

I go over the description in the adventure to describe the trip and move on to the first encounter page. I describe the wagon slowly making its way around a bend on the Triboar Trail when the Cleric (who decided to drive the Wagon) suddenly sees the corpses of two horses sprawled upon the ground. He quickly makes a perception check and notices that the arrows are Black-Feathered and that the horses appear to be Gundren and Sildar's. His roll isn't high enough to beat the stealth of the Goblins hiding in the nearby woods. They are laying in ambush, waiting for the party to get closer to the dead horses before launching their attack, hopefully with surprise. The rest of the party who was relaxing in the wagon with the supplies decide to peer from the Wagon. Roscoe the Rogue quickly rolls off the wagon and darts into the dense thicket just off the road. He rolls a stealth check and almost rolls a 20 on the die, he is but a shadow. Meanwhile the Wizard Quarion is recording the events into once of his tomes. Travok the Cleric stands up on the wagon and looks around for any signs of danger.

Salazar the Fighter decides to get closer to investigate. He nimbly hops down from the wagon and carefully gets closer. As he does, makes a perception check. Again not rolling high enough to beat the sneaky Goblins. As he gets within 10 feet of the horses, which allows him to notice that the satchels have been looted and that there's an empty map case on the ground, the Goblins launch their attacks!

E1
Round 1: Surprise
Encounter size = 3 Goblins

An arrow suddenly plants itself into Salazar's flank (12-5=7 HP left) and he stumbles as he looks down to see it jutting out of his body. As he turns to look into the woods for the source of the attack, he sees a Goblin rushing toward him with its Scimitar raised above its head. It lets out a feral battle cry and it slashes downward and barely misses him! From the other side of the road another arrow barely misses him. Ambush!

Round 2: Regroup

As the party suddenly finds itself under attack, Salazar disengages from the Scimitar wielding Goblin (this was a mistake, you shouldn't be able to disengage AND attack in the same turn unless you have something like the Rogue's Cunning Action) and decides to send out an arrow of his own! Firing into his opponent, he manages to lodge the arrow into the Goblins chest, dealing 5 damage. The Goblin lets out a piercing squeel of pain!

Meanwhile, Roscoe the Rogue silently moves within the dense thicket toward the Goblin using a shortbow lurking in the thicket, pulling out his Shortbow he aims his arrow. Deciding that he can't clearly see his target, he switched to two melee weapons instead and sneaks up on the poor Goblin who never notices his presence. The Goblin never even knew what hit him. Roscoe silently took out his target and then moved a little closer to the road and his ally.

Quarion pulled himself away from his efforts at recording the action long enough to shoot out a Ray of Frost at the Scimitar Goblin, which missed. He then recorded that his valliant attack unfortunately missed as the sun suddenly flared and he found himself unable to see momentarily.

Travok having finally noticed the Goblins, decided to jump off the Wagon and go help his friend Salazar. However as he rolled an Athletics Check, he fumbled (3 on the die) and fell face first into the dirt. Mumbling some dwarven curse, he stood up and decided to use his Sacred Flame cantrip on the Scimitar Goblin attacking Salazar. However the Goblin managed to roll high enough on his Reflex save and avoided any damage.

The two remaining Goblins, having not realized that their fellow ally was so swiftly slain across from them by Roscoe, continued their attacks. Using their ability Nimble Escape, they managed to keep their advantage by hiding or moving in and out of reach. Seeing no easy target, they continued their assault upon Salazar who unfortunately fell unconscious.

Round 3: Saving a friend

Seeing Salazar fall sent the party into a frenzy!

Salazar rolled a death saving throw and passed.

Roscoe edged closer to the road (difficult terrain is not his friend) and shot out an arrow at the Archer Goblin causing 6 points of damage.

Quarion sent out another Ray of Frost at the Scimitar Goblin but only managed to do a glancing blow (1 damage). He then moved into the thicket to get some cover on the Archer Goblin.

Travok continued to advance and called upon his Sacred Flame once more which managed to kill the Scimitar Goblin as its reflexes failed and it was struck by the radiant power of Marthammor Duin!

The last remaining goblin, wounded and realizing that it was now alone fled deeper into the woods toward the Goblin Trail.

*** Encounter End ***

Roscoe quickly moved toward the last known position of the remaining Archer Goblin and silently scouted to make sure the Goblin was truly gone. Meanwhile Travok went over to his wounded ally and used one of his slots to case Cure Wounds on Salazar (1d8+6) which healed him completely.

Worried for their friend Gundren but unsure of what to do (the party didn't try to chase after the last Goblin), the party continued down the trail to the city of Phandalin half a day away. Their goal being to try and get help. Salazar was tended to by Travok in the Wagon during the trip.

Part II: Phandalin

The party arrived in Phandalin after half a days worth of travel from the ambush site. As they arrived in the town, members of the populace gave them a quick glance and then returned to whatever they were doing.

Their first stop was Barthen's Provisions where they had been told a reward for escorting the Wagon would be waiting. Elmar Barthen, the owner of the trade post welcomed them warmly and then took note of the blood on their clothing. He quickly inquired what had taken place. The party explained that they had been ambushed by Goblins on the road and had found what they believed were the slain horses of Gundren and Sildar at the ambush site.

Gundren explained that he had expected Gundren to arrive some time earlier and that he had been growing worried when his friend had not. He stated that Gundren might be still alive if his body had not been found and that he would most likely be very grateful if the party rescued him and Sildar. The party decided to split up and check out various interests in the town.

Roscoe decided to meet his contact in the city Halia Thornton and investigate the Redbrand angle of the adventure. Heading over to the Phandalin Miner's Exchange, he found Halia managing the business. He introduced himself as Rumple Stealskin and managed to beat Halia's insght check with his own Deception check. He was trying to keep himself off the radar as the Radbrands of the city want him dead. She asked what she could help him with and he whispered that he had heard of her troubles with the Redbrands. Intrigued, she ushered him into a back room where they would be able to speak freely. She explained that the Redbrands are a scourge upon the city, extorting honest citizens for protection money while trying to take over the city. She asked if Roscoe would be interested in doing a job for her, for the benefit of everyone in Phandalin. Roscoe, sensing some ulterior motives, rolled some insight which gave him the feeling that she had her own plans. She explained that the only way to rid the city of the Redbrands would be to kill their leader, Glasstaff. If Roscoe was willing to do the deed and bring back any correspondence found on his person or in his personal quarters, she would give him 100 gold pieces. Roscoe tentatively agreed and left to rejoin the party.

At the same time Roscoe was agreeing to murder, the Wizard Quarion headed over to the Shrine of Luck. The usually confident Wizard seemed troubled as he walked over, he had received a vision from Oghma that directed him to find Sister Garaele in Phandalin. It seems that in the ancient ruins of Castle Cragmaw somewhere near Phandalin, an ancient altar to Oghma has been defiled by a Goblin tribe that took residence in the ruins. Sister Garaele pleasantly welcomed Quarion to the shrine. He then awkwardly explained that he had received a vision. She exclaimed suprise at the news and said that it was most fortuitous that he had come, she needed help! As it turns out, Sister Garaele was trying to find the location of the Spellbook of a legendary mage by the name Bowgentle, and the only creature who held the knowledge was a Banshee named Agatha. Sister Garaele offered a compromise, if Quarion found the location of the Spellbook she would consult the ancient tomes of the Shrine and find the location of Castle Cragmaw. She suggested that using a silver comb she would supply to appeal to Agatha's vanity might get her to reveal the location. Sister Garaele also offered 3 potions of healing as payment for the job. Quarion accepted, his mind focused on the knowledge held within the Spellbook of the legendary mage instead of the 3 potions promised as payment however.

The fighter Salazar decided to go notify the Townhall of the Goblin attacks and see if they might offer help to discover the fate of Gundren and Sildar. As he was about to enter the Phandalin Townhall he saw a sign which read:

"REWARD - Orcs near Wyvern Tor! Those of a mind to face the orc menace should inquire within."

Smiling to himself about the great deeds he would accomplish for the town of Phandalin, he entered. Within he found the Townmaster Harbin Wester who greeted him warmly before asking if he was part of the escort who brought the wagon into town. Salazar explained what had happened on the road and spoke about his worry for Gundren and Sildar. The townmaster also expressed his own worry for them, as their venture related to the discovery of a nearby mine would have boosted the town's economy and growth. Harbin asked the party to please discover the fate of Gundren and also mentioned that two other Stoneseeker's were camped somewhere near the town, keeping watch on the discovered mine while Gundren arranged the claim in town. Salazar agreed that the first priority was to find Gundren, dead or alive. Before leaving Salazar also inquired about the Orc poster outside. The Townmaster explained that Orc raiders had been attacking people near Wyvern Tor and that anyone who was willing to stop their attacks permanently would be rewarded with 100 gold pieces from the town treasury. Salazar agreed to take on the quest.

As the party rejoined and shared what they had learned while the wagon finished being unloaded, they checked the position of the sun. It would soon be dark. Deciding to leave immediately and driving all night to reach the ambush site by the following morning, the party decided that the High Elf Wizard would meditate in the wagon for 4 hours as his kind can do and then take over the reigns while the driver would get to join the rest of the party for some well deserved sleep.

12 hours later, the party arrived at the ambush site to find it as they had left it the previous day. Flies were gathering on the corpses of the slain horses, but nothing indicated that the site had been disturbed. From there they tracked the woods nearby until they discovered a Goblin Trail. They guessed that this was most likely how the Goblin escaped during the ambush. Tying the oxen and wagon away from the road, they hiked up the trail, hoping to find a sign of their friend and patron Gundren.

The hike was difficult but Travok who had volunteered to lead the group (the players decided the traveling order) suddenly stopped and pointed at the ground. At first the party couldn't see what he was pointing to, until Travok carefully lifted a hidden rope from the ground. It seemed that the Goblins had prepared traps along the way. Swearing in dwarven about where Goblins could shove their traps, Travok disabled it by cutting the rope. The party continued along, making their way even more carefully than before. Their careful attention to detail then managed to save Travok from falling into pit trap he hadn't managed to spot. A reflex save later he was unharmed but startled as the ground had given way beneath him. More dwarvish swearing ensued.

Part III: Cragmaw Hideout

Finally the adventurers reached a cave mouth carved out of the hillside. A cool and slow moving stream flowed from it and lazily disapeared within the dense thicket they had just left. Roscoe decided to approach the cave carefully and rolled stealth (8 stealth). Unfortunately as he neared the opening, he noticed that the thicket just outside the cave had been cut away, creating a Blind! As he turned to warn the party, Goblin arrows shot out from it!

Round 1: Surprise again, my old friend!

Encounter size = 2 Goblins

Goblin arrows shot out from the thicket and buried themselves into Roscoe who immediately fell unconscious (Goblins attacking with advantage for 5 damage per attack x2 = 10 damage). The party let out cries of panic as they pulled out their weapons to face the threat.

Round 2: To save a friend v2

Seeing his friend go down, Salazar unleashed a mighty arrow that instantly felled one of the Goblins who dropped to the ground limp. He then quickly moved into the nearby thicket to gain some cover against attackers.

Quarion then fired his Ray of Frost and missed his target.

Roscoe rolled a death saving throw and failed adding to the tension of the table.

The remaining Goblin shot out another arrow and missed his target.

Travok walked forward angrily and called upon his divine powers to smite the remaining Goblin with a Sacred Flame which dealt 5 radiant damage to it.

Round 3: Cleanup

The Goblin died before getting another turn and the party rushed over to their fallen comrade who was promptly healed by Travok's Cure Wounds. Roscoe was returned to full health (9 HP).

*** Encounter End ***

The party gathered their wits and decided this was the right place. Clearly this was some kind of Goblin Hideout. They ventured within the cave carefully.

As the party entered into the cave, they started hearing animal noises, growls and snarls, coming from deeper within and to the right. Roscoe, brave as ever even after his latest brush with danger, decided to sneak up ahead (stealth 20). As he advanced slowly, a rough staircase hewn from the stone of the cave came into view and just above it, the source of the noise. Wolves!

The rest of the party advanced and came into view of the beasts. It appeared that they had been tied with chains to a stalagmite. The wolves were snarling and making quite a bit of noise, but no other creature seemed to be in the area. Speaking amongst themselves, the party decided to that killing them would proably be a good idea to avoid letting them bite their collective behinds. Salazar however decided to try to befriend the wolves and with a well rolled Animal Handling check he managed to get them to allow him passage onto the small chamber they seemed to be guarding. As he moved over they continued to growl and snarl at the rest of the party. At the far end of the chamber he looked up into a fissure filled with refuse and other disgusting things, he didn't notice anything else (perception 9) and decided to turn back. As he rejoined with the rest of the party however, the wolves managed to unite and pull on their chains at the same time, causing the iron bar holding them to bend dangerously. The party decided to try and avoid melee combat and shoot arrows at them.

Round 1: Animal Cruelty

Encounter Size = 2 Wolves

The wolves continued to yank on their chains but didn't manage to break free.

Roscoe shot an arrow from hiding killing one of the wolves instantly.

Travok and Salazar both attacked the remaining wolf but missed as it flailed trying to get free.

Quarion shot another Ray of Frost and caused 5 points of cold damage the wolf who snarled and snapped at him in response.

Round 2: Stay

The last remaining wolf managed with one last mighty pull to snap the iron bar holding it and charged at Travok, biting into the Cleric's forearm. Flailing his arm trying to get the wolf to let go, Travok managed not to fall prone as the wolf dug its fangs deep (11-7= 4 HP left).

Salazar shot out an arrow which buried itself deep into the wolf's flank and put it down for good.

*** Encounter End ***

The party looked around the area and decided to take a short rest in the small chamber the wolves were guarding allowing Travok to heal himself by spending a hit dice (4+5=9 HP). Lucky for the party, nothing happened during the rest to disturb them (I rolled to determine this).

I'll post Section 2 soon!

Noctaem

Jul 20, 2014 13:23:09

Reserved Section 2

Noctaem

Jul 20, 2014 17:50:54

Impressions:

For my impressions of the edition so far I have to say that it really feels like the good ol' days of DnD, or at least pre 4e in a lot of ways. Low levels are incredibly swingy in terms of danger for the players. During the first, second AND third encounters a player went below 1 HP and fell unconscious. During the last encounter of the session against Klarg, 2 players actually died from damage bringing them straight down to negative HP. Using the straight damage numbers, such as the 5 damage in the case of the Goblins vs actually rolling damage didn't actually make that much of a difference. The straight numbers are the average results of the rolled dice after all so there wasn't actually much difference when I ran the session. In fact, had I gone with rolled damage, the players would still have gone down and died regardless. It wouldn't have made any difference in the end results of the encounters save 1 or 2 HP difference + or - . Of course another DM might experience something different, but this was the way it worked out during the entire 5 hour session whenever combat occurred.

Of course this being our first session, the cleric never used Healing Word (though he ran out of spell slots anyway from using Cure Wounds numerous times) and the Fighter only started using his Second Wind feature mid-way through the session. So we didn't play it in a perfect way, but I think we did pretty well all things considered.

I'll let the players post their own impressions, but for me the session felt incredibly swingy in terms of damage output, attacks hitting (especially from the monster side) and how the encounters went down.

The spell system was a bit complicated since you had both prepared spells and then spell slots which are used up when you cast a spell. There was also questions about if you cast a prepared spell, can you cast the same spell again? Anyway we figured things out but it was the most complicated part of the session. I wish that the attack roll portion of spells was better explained. There was also a bit of frustation on my part since the monster stat blocks don't clearly give all the important information. Initiative being the most obvious to me. Action types being another other than Reactions being clearly displayed. The DM is left to figure out what kind of action every ability listed under Action is. Some are clearly Attack Actions, however some are also clearly Bonus Actions or some actions seem ambiguous enough to allow for them to be multiple things. It's nice that they followed through with their promise to leave some things as being ambiguous but this is one area that I believe should never be left ambiguous.

The rogue is clearly the best damage dealer out of all the pre-generated characters. His ability to deal sneak attack managed numerous times to deal enough damage to kill opponents outright. Average damage was around 10 (1d6+1d6+3) while his Bonus Action attack was around 3 (1d6) or 7 with sneak attack (1d6+1d6) if the rogue missed with his main hand attack and sneak attack was still available. Getting advantage on his attacks was a trivial matter, I don't think a rogue would ever not have it available in some form or another especially after level 2 when Cunning Action comes into play. Meaning that the rogue use a Bonus Action to Hide every single turn and then attack with advantage as an Attack Action.

I'll continue to update this as time permits.

Ok to post!

Akeisha

Jul 20, 2014 17:21:33

Noctaem wrote:

Salazar-the-assassin

Jul 20, 2014 19:03:28

Hi my name for this game is Salazar. I have played the end of 3.5 and all of 4e. I have also played a bit of dark heresy and play tested d&d next at the beginning and middle.

My experiance in smart is that the game is very deadly and fun but would be hard to make a Campagn out of because of the constant change of characters.

The he fighter as a damage dealer seems sub par too the rogue. An 18 ac seems low but was able to stop most of the damage. The game seems extremely dangerous but if the players optimize and work as a team most dangers could be avoided. Having a fighter tank while unable to mark still makes a great decoy. Spellcasters seem to have an advantage over martial classes with cantrips and spell slots. But need more time to rest. ( this May be dependent on how hard the dm pushes the group.)

their is one thing I do enjoy, that is the introduction of finesse weapons allowing dex characters to have both a bow and 2 sword fighting.

pukunui

Jul 20, 2014 21:54:25

Noctaem wrote:

Noctaem

Jul 21, 2014 14:32:55

The thing about the powers listed under "Actions" all taking the same action as an Attack Action doesn't make sense to me. For instance the Nothic has a power under Actions that allows you to learn a random fact about the target. Would you really make that into the main action of the monster? Wouldn't it make more sense if it was a bonus action?

EDIT: The rogue was level 1 so Cunning Action wasn't a factor.

pukunui

Jul 21, 2014 15:53:00

Noctaem wrote:

5Shilling

Jul 22, 2014 2:52:18

I'm not sure I would make stealth so easy once combat is joined. P60 of the basic rules says

You can’t hide from a creature that can see you, and if you
make noise (such as shouting a warning or knocking over a
vase), you give away your position. An invisible creature can’t
be seen, so it can always try to hide. Signs of its passage
might still be noticed, however, and it still has to stay quiet.
In combat, most creatures stay alert for signs of danger
all around, so if you come out of hiding and approach
a creature, it usually sees you. However, under certain
circumstances, the Dungeon Master might allow you to stay
hidden as you approach a creature that is distracted, allowing
you to gain advantage on an attack before you are seen.

#10

Dansun

Jul 22, 2014 7:53:56

I was playing the Halfling Rogue, Roscoe. R.I.P (pieces)

This reveiw is only of one session of play at level 1. My 2 cents;

Advantage means rolling multiple D20s which give more chances for criticals. This can mean increased burst damage.

If the healer goes down, It will take 1D4 hours before he wakes up and can heal himslef or others. This edition seems to heavily rely on healing potions. Which we had none at 1st level.

Being surprised is an even bigger threat as the ambushers get their full round of actions (likely with advantage) during the surprise round while you get none. If they beat your initiative, they will have two full turns before you even act. This will usually spell death for you.

I like the ability to move, attack then continue your leftover movement.

I found that playing the rogue and having a 14 AC with 9 HP, the best thing for me to do is stay at range and make use of cover while firing my short bow. Hiding is much easier now, therefore getting advantage for the rogue at range is reliable. Moving into melee and into the open always spelled doom, even if he could do more damage that way.

This edition seems to rely on slowing down and proceeding with cautioned, calculated tactics at all times, in all situations. Because if you don't, you wil likely become surprised and suffer major problems. It is unlikely you could do more than a couple encounters per day it seems. If you pushed for a third and it was tough, you will likely have used most of the healing spells and Hit Dice self healing and someone is going to take a bursty hit or two attacks and go down early on in the fight with little chance to get back up. Because once you go down, it is very difficult to get you back up.

Damage is way more dangerous due to the lack of ways to mitigate it, limited amount of healing, and time for recovery.

#11

Theluckiestguy

Jul 22, 2014 11:05:13

I was playing the wizard.

Maybe it was my dice but i found it quite difficult to hit things as a spellcaster cause you attack AC instead of the 'norms' for magic users of Fort, Reflex, Will.

As for the game I really enjoyed it BUT I have no hang ups of character death. If you are someone who fears/cries when your character dies stay away from this cause it is very easy for your PC to die. That is something that attracts me to 5e. As you can see our dm for this 1-off is very through in his story telling and with my knowledge of D&D and AD&D with recent experiences with 3.5e I found it didn't take long to get used to the new mechanics. I enjoyed the storyline and how you can get random traits/ faults so I didn't have to feel bad about not creating a backstory for my character but I had a rough outline which I then added to it with a directions to push him in with a quest on his sheet. Really helped me to get into the mind of my character.

We are currently in a campaign with a different dm but I would have no issues coming back to 5e and doing a campaign. Actually the only thing I would worry about is how long it would take to create the character as I find it very simple and straight forward with 4e and the programs we have to create our characters. I worry that with 5e it will be a big learning curve and that will drag the game down having to wait until everyone is together to creat our characters one at a time.

#12

Leugren

Jul 22, 2014 12:55:50

Dansun wrote:

#13

kanageddaamen

Jul 22, 2014 13:41:02

Leugren wrote:

#14

Noctaem

Jul 22, 2014 16:59:11

I've been stupid busy and haven't the time to post the last 1/3 of the write up but I promise to do so before the weekend.

The rogue simply played well and RP'ed his character well. So getting advantage on attacks wasn't a problem at all for him. He moved through dense thickets silently, he gutted targets with one hit kills, he hit behind allies to gain cover, etc. It's just at the end when Klarg was warned of the groups presence that he ended up getting 1 shooted by Klarg all the way to negative bloodied. I'll post that part soon. Rest in pieces Roscoe :'(

#15

Kennethray

Jul 23, 2014 13:58:50

Ok, My 2 cents.

I have ran this game for my group. We have 6 players but I never had more then 5 players at a game at a time due to work scheduels. I ran the very last boss fight this past monday with only 4 of the PCs.

There was a cleric, the Noble Fighter, Rogue and Wizard. The encounter included The main boss, a drow (doppleganger), 2 bugbears and 4 Giant Spiders. This was the longest fight so far and felt epic. It ended up being as long as most normal encounter from Pathfinder games I ran prior to the Starter set coming out. I roll out in front of everyone so there is no fudging of dice for this DM. The fight seemed like it was really going aginst the party off the bat. They had recused the dwarf before entering the last room and were warned that the leader would be in there but the party bravely moved in even after having spent most of their stuff (spells, surges or whatnot) on the specter encounter. With just the 4 they managed to win though it was very close call. The cleric went down half way through the fight due to the spiders and since it was from poison he ended up paralyzed for 1 hour he was out of the fight for the rest of the duration. The fighter went down a couple of times but was kept up with uses of healing pots. He did fall just before the last round and ended up having to make 2 death saving throws. He failed the first and rolled a 1 on the second one the same round that the boss was defeated by the rogue.

To give the party a feeling of a total victory I allowed the cleric to be cured with the use of 2 anti-toxins and he was able to use a scroll of Revify (sp?) on the fighter. I had allowed them to buy stuff from a travling merchant that carried items from the pdf that cost 50gp or less so they luckly had bought the anti-toxins. The only reason I had done so was due to the fact that despite my starting rule was to only use the starter set rules and items the description for Faire Fire was not in the starter set and was in the pdf. Was able to bypass any arguments since that spell is totaly awsome now.

It was a very good fight and everyone enjoyed it. There was a very strong chance of failure and total wipe and my group loves that. Though it was a long fight it was not due to having to look up stuff or to figure all the math. I think that if the wizard would have failed atleast one of the 2 Suggestion saves that they would have been on the lossing side. But I think it was perfect for a 4 pcs group and would have been a cake walk without the added adds.

One thing I else I would add. The recharge rules for creatures, like the dragons breath weapon and the spiders web is GREAT. No more of this "we have 4 rounds before it can use it agian" I have had some go off the very next round and I have had some that went almost 6 rounds before being able to be used.

K-ray.

#16

Kennethray

Jul 23, 2014 14:03:14

A note on the length of the combat. I do not know exactly how long it lasted. I do know that a Flaming sphere expired and a Spiritual Weapon also expired. Not sure if the Spiritual Weapon should have dropped when the Cleric fell but I had allowed it to stay just unable to move.

K-Ray

(Reply to #7)

Cennedi

Noctaem wrote: