[Campaign Log] Pool of Radiance 5E - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Touc Oct 20, 2014 14:08:33	After many hours of conversion, pasting ideas from other material, and scouring the net for more ideas, I've put into play my 5th Edition conversion of the AD&D "Ruins of Adventure," aka "Pool of Radiance" (for the old computer gamers) and want to share it with others, hopefully getting some insight into where we've been and where we're going. My insights are contained in "spoiler" tags to detail my opinions and thoughts on things, like why it's a bad idea to run this module "as-is." Show The original module is really poorly written in TSR style, but it and the computer game really capture the imagination. The idea of the ancient ruined jewel of the Moonsea waiting to be reclaimed from monstrous hordes by aspiring heroes isn't bad, and the idea of a open-ended city-dungeon with countryside is intriguing. The whole thing just needed a lot of tender loving care: politics, fleshed-out NPCs, intrigue, and meaningful encounters rather than wandering monsters. It's a great module to take parts of other adventures you like and "plug in." For example, I didn't get my 5E group together until after the Starter set came out, but I really really liked the intro adventure Murder in Baldur's Gate. So, I plugged it in. The Pool of Radiance book was a juvenile pile of fantasy cliches, but two of my players have read it and so I kept some names. I might have to change the "boss", though. They're expecting a good dragon. It's important for my campaign to focus on Role Play, and 5E combats run smoothly and quickly enough that it leaves a lot of time for other matters. This can be a jarring shift for anyone who has been playing only 4E or Pathfinder, in which a combat can last hours, and tracking numbers becomes a chore. You're playing strategic miniatures moreso than an RPG.
#2 Touc Oct 20, 2014 15:01:52	SESSION 1, ON THE HIGH SEAS AND INTO PORT In the thief-plagued city of Westgate, Miahlei boarded a cog bound for the Moonsea along with a ragged young man who called himself Pavel. In Sembia they picked up cargo, dropped off travelers, and added the rugged barbarian Skullsplitter and thoughtful apprentice Simkin. Over the next few weeks, as their new home slogged from port to port, they found each had ties to the Moonsea and Phlan, and Pavel even carried a pamphlet advertising that Phlan was being retaken, a surprise to many who thought the ancient city finally a monster-infested ruin. The captain of their ship, the Devawing, shook his head at the dreamers, offering his sage advice. "Next time they rebuild Phlan, they might as well just knock it back down. Save the monsters some trouble!" Show I think this quote came from an AD&D Moonsea product, always stuck in my head.
#3 pukunui Oct 20, 2014 15:16:05	Great stuff, Touc! Thanks for sharing. Looks like a fun campaign. I agree that the opening encounter sounds like it was a real blast, in more ways than one. I should really check out Murder in Baldur's Gate, if only to mine it for ideas.
#4 Touc Nov 03, 2014 12:42:06	SESSION 2, INTO THE SLUMS (SHORTENED) A real-life family emergency shortened our session, but we got started the day after with the party approaching the City Walls to find Denlor's Tower, last place our wizard's mentor went before he died. They also got some fake lore from Sot, the barkeep, that they latched onto. Show Another DM created a table of rumors that I modified for my campaign, taking some of the computer game rumors and adding enough to get to 100. I am writing nearby each rumor who said it. This one was completely false, about how a Red Wizard was robbed of his Cloak of Many Eyes in the Slums.
#5 Lashan Nov 03, 2014 15:23:33	When I ran the series, I had other NPC parties in the city that were hired out to do clearing of areas. They never really competed with the players, but I tried to add in a little rivalry. It was neat adding in the extra flavor. Sometimes, they would lose a party member or even a total party wipe. It added to the drama. I had a few points with monster attacks on the city to heighten the tension of them living behind the wall in the village from King Kong. It made things interesting and they could always call in help if things got rough or someone was gone for that week's session. One adventuring party was The Riders, who were barbarians from the plains to the north. Their leader was a woman warrior who was shunned in her home tribe. She came south with a group of loyal tribesmen to prove her worth being a hero. They added some character to the city, but also helped bring in new ideas. They brought the new holiday of "First Snow", where everyone celebrates the first snowfall of the winter. It was an odd idea at first, but soon everyone was caught up in the fun. I eventually organized a fighting tournament where everyone fought with blunted weapons. It was just like regular combat, but non-lethal. Whomever won, won a cash prize and the respect of everyone. There was one for archery, as well. Just roll 3 attacks and add all modifiers. Whoever had the highest won. This adventuring party really added in some flavor and character to the campaign. There were always a ton of oppurtunities for the civilized part, as well. One character was a half-elf wizard who studied architecture and said his father was one from Hillsfar (before the elves left). His father died, but his partner was moving to Phlan to help with the reconstruction. It turns out that the partner murdered his father and eventually tried to murder him to steal his gold. He went from father figure and mentor to villan. A werewolf also prowled the streets during the full moons and it was eventually discovered to be one of the other adventurers. Overall, there is a lot of room to make good stuff up. Have fun.
#6 Touc Nov 03, 2014 15:57:57	I plan on running a Challenge of Champions from an old Dungeon magazine to introduce the party to some other "legit" and not-so-legit adventuring parties. Most of the "heroes" in town are nothing more than fops with extra coin who bought blades, a ticket, and will drink and carouse as "heroes" until the coin runs out. Mercenaries with experience shy away from the "payment after the fact" plan that I have concocted by junior councilman Cadorna (who is sitting at the bottom of the council rankings and won't rise unless his idea pays off).
#7 Touc Nov 10, 2014 19:54:57	Session 2, INTO THE SLUMS AND DENLOR'S TOWER We resumed in the middle of a battle with 6 orcs, two of whom were armed and 4 who were disrobed in the process of a violent attack, with all weapons and armor in a corner of a warehouse. I'm always impressed by players even in the face of insurmountable odds. After surprising the orcs, the party realized these monstrous brutes were more than a match. Pavel, the druid, used the power of Silvanus to call upon an Entangle spell. [Unlike old editions, this spell summons vines and plants regardless of the terrain. It's interesting to see this used indoors.] With one orc magically asleep, the spell held 2 others, but the other 4 were loose. One was armed and armored, drawing the attention of the party's barbarian. Wherein we learned barbarian "rage" is nice...when the orc struck with a greataxe for 12 points of damage, the "resistance" to damage took this down to 6 points. Barbarians don't feel pain. Another orc broke off a table leg and went after the party. The last two went for the pile of weapons, but rather than cast a spell, Simkin the wizard chose to throw his supply of oil flasks on the pile from a distance and Firebolt the pile. While the fire didn't last long, it was enough to keep any sane creature from grabbing anything in the pile. One orc took a body of a prior victim and tossed it on the fire to smother it while the other spit on his hands to grab the heated hilt of a greataxe. The table-leg orc charged around at Miahlei, moving far faster than she thought possible with bloodlust in its eyes. Orcs move pretty quickly when they want you dead. Whether by sheer luck or skill, our elf rogue lashed out with her blade after ducking under the leg and stabbed out, catching the orc in the neck and instantly killing it. There's nothing as satisfying than rolling maximum damage along with sneak attack. Sneak Attack has been improved from prior editions. As long as someone is distracting them nearby the rogue, they have a shot at a lethal attack. Once that orc took a glance at the nearby wizard...pow. One more Sleep spell and some druid swordwork along with the barbarian's blade finished the rest of the orcs, and the party exacted revenge, keeping one orc alive to question it. These orcs were fanatics of Bane, believing they were immortal in this form or another in service of their god. Nice, fanatics. Nothing to be gained from them. We don't equivocate over the execution of a prisoner; this is a harsh setting in a fantasy world. I don't make players role play it as there's no need. Rescuing the prisoner, they found she was one of a trio of an adventuring band from Hillsfar who used their parent's money to equip and make names in Phlan. Show If anyone wonders why after a year no one has advanced to complete any quests, such as clearing the nearby slums, it's because real mercenaries are avoiding jobs that don't pay in advance, and only fops have come forward to prove themselves, believing a blade bought with family money will scare the monsters away. Orcs and hobgoblins have a different view.
#8 Touc Nov 24, 2014 9:37:55	Session 3 & 4, SLAVES, SMUGGLERS, and POLITICS I find it encouraging when, every once in awhile, we can spend 2/3rds of a session simply role-playing thanks to swift combat. Players are getting better at simply saying what they want to do rather than checking their sheet for a skill. We resumed with investigation under the Laughing Goblin for a human smuggling ring, resulting in the discovery of a secret passage downstairs in the storage celler, blocked by locked portcullises. When Miahlei casually snuck back in during the commotion caused by her friends, she informed them her thieves' guild (the Welcomers) contact Quarrel might be right. Waiting until the tavern closed, the party sneaked back in, no small feat in a town where patrols were frequent due to monster incursions at night over the walls. A bit of illusory misdirection sent a patrol down an alleyway and gave the party's rogue just enough time to unlock Sot's newly installed front door (the previous one had been broken during a bar brawl.) Show 10th Councilman (Junior) Porphyrys Cadorna came up with the idea of luring adventurers in, like inverse mercenaries who only get paid when they get results. However, most of the "heroes" who come into town have no interest in braving the cannibalistic monsters behind the walls and simply come for bragging rights. They drink and eat and brag, people fawn over them, and they break Sot's doors during the many frequent bar fights that result from the drinking and bragging. As a result, Cadorna has been stewing, but the Council has not pulled the plug on his plan.
#9 Rhenny Nov 24, 2014 13:10:42	Cool stuff. It is nice that your players are internalizing their characters so that it is more immersive and less look at the sheet to see what to do. As DM and player I have really felt the boost from 1st to 2nd level. 1st is so fragile. 2nd is still vulnerable, but there is so much more the PCs can handle as a party. At first, I'm always fearing death from one crit. At 2nd, at least one crit won't be lights out although it still could knock a PC unconscious. Thanks for sharing your experience. Keep on keeping on.
#10 Touc Nov 25, 2014 11:48:26	So I fell behind on our progress, we finished Session 5 this past Sunday and are having a blast. Session 5, the Chief Beyond the Walls The Zhentarim envoy to Phlan, Ambassador Joran Alberach, wasn't pleased to hear one of his citizens (Theoderus) had his apartment broken into and vanished. He took his case to the Council, and the next day, the party was summoned by the Watch. Fifth Councilman Folbre (very rich and very bored with issues like this), Seventh Councilman Marshal Prakis, and Tenth (Junior) Councilman Porphyrys Cadorna called out the party for their role in the disappearance. The party admitted being the last to see him after breaking in but claimed he disappeared on his own. Ambassador Joran accused them of coincidental violence and made a case the inference was clear they caused his disappearance. Without a boat log or having left by the City Gate, he officially was gone. The Councilors found the party guilty of the kidnapping only because their word was not yet credible. Councilor Cadorna suggested that if the party could prove its credibility and loyalty to the City by retaking the Slums (within a week!), then their word would be credible and there would be no place for punishment. As the party left, agreeing to the terms, Folbre offered to smooth things over with Joran by taking him out hunting. Show Completely unscripted play here. Pure roleplay with no "I make a diplomacy check..." or the like. Folbre was borrowed from an online campaign I saw, Prakis a shout out to an AD&D city supplement, and Cadorna is from the original module.
#11 Touc Jan 22, 2015 14:26:58	We took a long holiday break coupled with my lack of updates. Session 6, Sokol Keep It's nice to be a hero for a day. But, the defeat of one goblin chieftain and his fanatics only ushered in more disturbing questions. The babbling hobgoblin's body disintegrated after uttering "I see you." Fanatics give homage to some "pool." There may be a greater force directing the hordes. Next morning, the party discussed some thoughts: ◾The City Clerk (Sasha) handed out an exclusive council mission to clear Sokol Keep and open up Phlan's sea trade lifeblood. ◾Councilor Cadorna in a surprise move was promoted from Junior (10th) Councilman to 9th based on the party's success. The plan to lure adventurers was his and finally reaped rewards. He has shown interest. Show I'm curious whether the party will seek a spot on the council at some point. One of them brought it up, once. But we'll see the ascension of a rising star on the Council. I have him moving up 1 spot each major area cleared until he reaches 3rd councilman. Then things get interesting but that's for another day...
#12 arderkrag Jan 23, 2015 3:30:44	This makes me wish someone would convert the gold box games to 5th.
#13 Touc Jan 30, 2015 12:44:01	Session 7-8, Kuto's Well, part I The cleansing of Sokol Keep caused a stir in town. While removing one warlord from the city ruins was worth a raised drink at the Laughing Goblin, cleansing of a cursed isle and repelling an army of the horde was worthy of drinks on the house. The promise of restoring the lighthouse meant the chance at luring in merchant ships was real. Current ships hug the coast for landmarks and have no protection against the orc archers who enjoy lobbing flaming arrows on slow moving traffic. Ninth Councilman Porphyrys Cadorna was promoted to 8th seat for his "adventurers" campaign and recognizing and encouraging this group by giving them license to retake Sokol Keep. Various town notables wanted to chat: Cadorna treated the party to an exclusive booth meal at the Cracked Crown, upscale tavern, and talked about what they could accomplish together. He believed they could take on a personal task that he would not entrust to anyone else: the retaking of his family's estate in the Textile District. The Cadorna family secreted its treasure and he wished it recovered, promising a generous cut. He also had located a house servant who (now much older) ran messages for the family and could from memory lead them to the estate. Show Cadorna doesn't trust the party enough to believe they won't dip into his family treasure; the servant is to keep them honest. He plans on having them arrested if they return and searched for his family treasure (most of it art), all a big misunderstanding of course.
#14 Touc Feb 10, 2015 12:38:58	Kuto's Well part 2 Wherein a long session and a short session and another short session all blend into one. It's only a matter of time for players to get bored chatting it up with the locals, and soon it was time to delve into the ruins and take out some warlords. Kuto's Well lay past the slums. Old Phlan was separated into walled districts, providing a layer of defense against both outside attacks and fire. Although the walls were in disrepair and the gates gone, the Council of New Phlan had reinforced the old fire brigade building with a barracks of (now) a dozen guards. In addition, mercenary groups were active enough in the slums that one could travel, if on the main streets, in relative safety. The Kuto's Well district provided a truce ground for monstrous tribes as the only source of fresh water for the region. Taking it would be a huge advantage to the settlers. But, the former bandit Norris the Gray now was reputed to hold the place. It's not viable to create a dungeon map for a city, so I simply create some preset encounters along with recurring random encounters that persist until Norris the Gray is taken out. If anyone persists in going past the well into the heart of the monstrous horde, I can simply generate random small armies to greet them. While on the streets and negotiating the ruined houses to the well in the center, the party: rescued a survivor of an adventuring band. He had fled in shame while his comrades were slain. The party assured him the path behind was clear, though they could say nothing that would assauge the young man's conscience. Met a spirit from the fall of Phlan that talked about a creature of fire claiming her and demanded she be avenged Slew an orog leading orcs after the orog challenged the party's champion to a one-on-one battle, winner take all. Skullsplitter wiped the orog's brains off his axe a minute later and claimed the orog's magical ring. Show Which was a cursed item from an old dungeon magazine. The ring was full of b.s. Being sentient, it would talk a tough game about helping out but always have an excuse why its powers were exhausted. Randomly, if pressed, the ring might generate a levitate spell. It did speak several languages, but it's incessant talking and inability to remove it were a problem, especially later, when Skullsplitter returned to town to get intimate with the warrior Jensena.
#15 Touc Mar 18, 2015 11:23:34	Session 10-11, Challenge of Champions & Mendor's Library Wherein the addition of twins to my family has slowed my recaps for my players, but the games have gone on! With expectations high, the party entered their 4-person team into the Challenge, a unique combination of mini-arenas and illusions created by the Black Circle wizards, drawing from their training exercises for apprentices. Cadorna's predictions about luring in adventurers did not prove wrong as 18 groups moved to compete, some nothing more than unified drunks and braggarts, and others legitimate contenders. Warned the Challenges were a test of wits and teamwork, the party arrived without gear or magic to compete. The Challenge consisted of 10 rounds, each worth up to 40 points (each teammate could earn up to 10 points for completing, 5 if completed but a given task was not done, or 0 if failure occurred). Further, each team had to designate a "warrior, wizard, rogue, and cleric," and during the 10 challenges, there would come a point when a ring could be earned for each class, with failure to do this resulting in less points. No magic or equipment was allowed; wits and gear to aid with each task would be all that was needed. At the end, in the event of a tie breaker, the individual wizard score would break the tie....(which would prove decisive, unfortunately). Without delving into every event, the party struggled, losing its wizard on the 1st puzzle and getting 0 points. While they made ground in subsequent events, enough to land them a tie with the front runners, the tie-breaker was the wizard character, and having gotten a big 0 on the first event set him back just enough for the party to finish a respectable second. The party also busted a team cheating; the "noblemans" team sent a "bard" to record events from teams finishing first to get an edge by knowing an event in advance given they were at the end of the 18 team list, but when the bard asked the party about their experiences, they sent him packing and discovered the ruse. It was time to venture out again as the party's feet were tired and weapons itchy to cleave some justice out against the hordes in the city. Next stop: Mendor's Library. The artisan's district of the city was oddly absent of creatures, a rare sight. Being far away from the fresh water didn't quite explain why the monsters avoided street after street. The Library was noticeable, a massive column and brick building created hundreds of years ago to be a repository of knowledge. Later named for the sage Mendor who oversaw it, the Library might still hold secrets about the enemy who had invaded the city. The spectre of Ferran Martinez in Sokol Keep seemed to think so... The Library walls had collapsed in places, but the party chose to enter through a rear door into a contemplation garden, overrun and infested with living plants (which they avoided by ducking into a hallway). The inner halls contained scribe chambers as well as a band of kobolds, starving, who feared to leave because of the "spirits." Leaving them to huddle, the party moved on, finding the main entrance as they worked from one side of the complex to the other. A human madman had taken up residence in the entrance hall, ranting about the being of fire and beware the castle of flowers. He was a biter and the group did not feel they could afford having him tag along (later they would notify a temple about his presence). On the far (west) side of the complex the party finally found the library books, room after room of histories, mathematics, philosophy, rhetoric, and recounts of speeches and votes. It would take days perhaps to peruse titles and find something useful on the spirit "Tyranthraxus," Edratha, or Torath, all mentioned by Ferran. While exploring, the group discovered why the monters avoided the streets. A pair of mated basilisks had taken up shelter in a portion of the library where the outer wall had collapsed. The mythical beasts could turn one to stone with a glance, and quickly realizing the danger upon seeing kobold statues, the group fought a mixed battle of averted glances and swordplay, emerging victorious and claiming the library. Various books contained hints and legends about the names, and they cross-referenced a mythical pool that granted powers or was sought out by nomads. The party stocked up several. Show This is where the computer game really shined in the form of its "journal." My players love handouts and those searching certain rooms found books with lore drawn from the computer game. There was little need for me to change anything.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Touc

Oct 20, 2014 14:08:33

After many hours of conversion, pasting ideas from other material, and scouring the net for more ideas, I've put into play my 5th Edition conversion of the AD&D "Ruins of Adventure," aka "Pool of Radiance" (for the old computer gamers) and want to share it with others, hopefully getting some insight into where we've been and where we're going. My insights are contained in "spoiler" tags to detail my opinions and thoughts on things, like why it's a bad idea to run this module "as-is."

Show

The original module is really poorly written in TSR style, but it and the computer game really capture the imagination. The idea of the ancient ruined jewel of the Moonsea waiting to be reclaimed from monstrous hordes by aspiring heroes isn't bad, and the idea of a open-ended city-dungeon with countryside is intriguing. The whole thing just needed a lot of tender loving care: politics, fleshed-out NPCs, intrigue, and meaningful encounters rather than wandering monsters. It's a great module to take parts of other adventures you like and "plug in." For example, I didn't get my 5E group together until after the Starter set came out, but I really really liked the intro adventure Murder in Baldur's Gate. So, I plugged it in. The Pool of Radiance book was a juvenile pile of fantasy cliches, but two of my players have read it and so I kept some names. I might have to change the "boss", though. They're expecting a good dragon.

It's important for my campaign to focus on Role Play, and 5E combats run smoothly and quickly enough that it leaves a lot of time for other matters. This can be a jarring shift for anyone who has been playing only 4E or Pathfinder, in which a combat can last hours, and tracking numbers becomes a chore. You're playing strategic miniatures moreso than an RPG.

Touc

Oct 20, 2014 15:01:52

SESSION 1, ON THE HIGH SEAS AND INTO PORT

In the thief-plagued city of Westgate, Miahlei boarded a cog bound for the Moonsea along with a ragged young man who called himself Pavel. In Sembia they picked up cargo, dropped off travelers, and added the rugged barbarian Skullsplitter and thoughtful apprentice Simkin. Over the next few weeks, as their new home slogged from port to port, they found each had ties to the Moonsea and Phlan, and Pavel even carried a pamphlet advertising that Phlan was being retaken, a surprise to many who thought the ancient city finally a monster-infested ruin. The captain of their ship, the Devawing, shook his head at the dreamers, offering his sage advice. "Next time they rebuild Phlan, they might as well just knock it back down. Save the monsters some trouble!"

Show

I think this quote came from an AD&D Moonsea product, always stuck in my head.

pukunui

Oct 20, 2014 15:16:05

Great stuff, Touc! Thanks for sharing. Looks like a fun campaign. I agree that the opening encounter sounds like it was a real blast, in more ways than one. I should really check out Murder in Baldur's Gate, if only to mine it for ideas.

Touc

Nov 03, 2014 12:42:06

SESSION 2, INTO THE SLUMS (SHORTENED)

A real-life family emergency shortened our session, but we got started the day after with the party approaching the City Walls to find Denlor's Tower, last place our wizard's mentor went before he died. They also got some fake lore from Sot, the barkeep, that they latched onto.

Show

Another DM created a table of rumors that I modified for my campaign, taking some of the computer game rumors and adding enough to get to 100. I am writing nearby each rumor who said it. This one was completely false, about how a Red Wizard was robbed of his Cloak of Many Eyes in the Slums.

Lashan

Nov 03, 2014 15:23:33

When I ran the series, I had other NPC parties in the city that were hired out to do clearing of areas. They never really competed with the players, but I tried to add in a little rivalry. It was neat adding in the extra flavor. Sometimes, they would lose a party member or even a total party wipe. It added to the drama. I had a few points with monster attacks on the city to heighten the tension of them living behind the wall in the village from King Kong. It made things interesting and they could always call in help if things got rough or someone was gone for that week's session.

One adventuring party was The Riders, who were barbarians from the plains to the north. Their leader was a woman warrior who was shunned in her home tribe. She came south with a group of loyal tribesmen to prove her worth being a hero. They added some character to the city, but also helped bring in new ideas. They brought the new holiday of "First Snow", where everyone celebrates the first snowfall of the winter. It was an odd idea at first, but soon everyone was caught up in the fun. I eventually organized a fighting tournament where everyone fought with blunted weapons. It was just like regular combat, but non-lethal. Whomever won, won a cash prize and the respect of everyone. There was one for archery, as well. Just roll 3 attacks and add all modifiers. Whoever had the highest won. This adventuring party really added in some flavor and character to the campaign.

There were always a ton of oppurtunities for the civilized part, as well. One character was a half-elf wizard who studied architecture and said his father was one from Hillsfar (before the elves left). His father died, but his partner was moving to Phlan to help with the reconstruction. It turns out that the partner murdered his father and eventually tried to murder him to steal his gold. He went from father figure and mentor to villan. A werewolf also prowled the streets during the full moons and it was eventually discovered to be one of the other adventurers.

Overall, there is a lot of room to make good stuff up. Have fun.

Touc

Nov 03, 2014 15:57:57

I plan on running a Challenge of Champions from an old Dungeon magazine to introduce the party to some other "legit" and not-so-legit adventuring parties. Most of the "heroes" in town are nothing more than fops with extra coin who bought blades, a ticket, and will drink and carouse as "heroes" until the coin runs out. Mercenaries with experience shy away from the "payment after the fact" plan that I have concocted by junior councilman Cadorna (who is sitting at the bottom of the council rankings and won't rise unless his idea pays off).

Touc

Nov 10, 2014 19:54:57

Session 2, INTO THE SLUMS AND DENLOR'S TOWER

We resumed in the middle of a battle with 6 orcs, two of whom were armed and 4 who were disrobed in the process of a violent attack, with all weapons and armor in a corner of a warehouse. I'm always impressed by players even in the face of insurmountable odds. After surprising the orcs, the party realized these monstrous brutes were more than a match. Pavel, the druid, used the power of Silvanus to call upon an Entangle spell. [Unlike old editions, this spell summons vines and plants regardless of the terrain. It's interesting to see this used indoors.] With one orc magically asleep, the spell held 2 others, but the other 4 were loose. One was armed and armored, drawing the attention of the party's barbarian. Wherein we learned barbarian "rage" is nice...when the orc struck with a greataxe for 12 points of damage, the "resistance" to damage took this down to 6 points. Barbarians don't feel pain. Another orc broke off a table leg and went after the party. The last two went for the pile of weapons, but rather than cast a spell, Simkin the wizard chose to throw his supply of oil flasks on the pile from a distance and Firebolt the pile. While the fire didn't last long, it was enough to keep any sane creature from grabbing anything in the pile. One orc took a body of a prior victim and tossed it on the fire to smother it while the other spit on his hands to grab the heated hilt of a greataxe. The table-leg orc charged around at Miahlei, moving far faster than she thought possible with bloodlust in its eyes. Orcs move pretty quickly when they want you dead. Whether by sheer luck or skill, our elf rogue lashed out with her blade after ducking under the leg and stabbed out, catching the orc in the neck and instantly killing it. There's nothing as satisfying than rolling maximum damage along with sneak attack. Sneak Attack has been improved from prior editions. As long as someone is distracting them nearby the rogue, they have a shot at a lethal attack. Once that orc took a glance at the nearby wizard...pow.

One more Sleep spell and some druid swordwork along with the barbarian's blade finished the rest of the orcs, and the party exacted revenge, keeping one orc alive to question it. These orcs were fanatics of Bane, believing they were immortal in this form or another in service of their god. Nice, fanatics. Nothing to be gained from them. We don't equivocate over the execution of a prisoner; this is a harsh setting in a fantasy world. I don't make players role play it as there's no need. Rescuing the prisoner, they found she was one of a trio of an adventuring band from Hillsfar who used their parent's money to equip and make names in Phlan.

Show

If anyone wonders why after a year no one has advanced to complete any quests, such as clearing the nearby slums, it's because real mercenaries are avoiding jobs that don't pay in advance, and only fops have come forward to prove themselves, believing a blade bought with family money will scare the monsters away. Orcs and hobgoblins have a different view.

Touc

Nov 24, 2014 9:37:55

Session 3 & 4, SLAVES, SMUGGLERS, and POLITICS

I find it encouraging when, every once in awhile, we can spend 2/3rds of a session simply role-playing thanks to swift combat. Players are getting better at simply saying what they want to do rather than checking their sheet for a skill.

We resumed with investigation under the Laughing Goblin for a human smuggling ring, resulting in the discovery of a secret passage downstairs in the storage celler, blocked by locked portcullises. When Miahlei casually snuck back in during the commotion caused by her friends, she informed them her thieves' guild (the Welcomers) contact Quarrel might be right. Waiting until the tavern closed, the party sneaked back in, no small feat in a town where patrols were frequent due to monster incursions at night over the walls. A bit of illusory misdirection sent a patrol down an alleyway and gave the party's rogue just enough time to unlock Sot's newly installed front door (the previous one had been broken during a bar brawl.)

Show

10th Councilman (Junior) Porphyrys Cadorna came up with the idea of luring adventurers in, like inverse mercenaries who only get paid when they get results. However, most of the "heroes" who come into town have no interest in braving the cannibalistic monsters behind the walls and simply come for bragging rights. They drink and eat and brag, people fawn over them, and they break Sot's doors during the many frequent bar fights that result from the drinking and bragging. As a result, Cadorna has been stewing, but the Council has not pulled the plug on his plan.

Rhenny

Nov 24, 2014 13:10:42

Cool stuff.

It is nice that your players are internalizing their characters so that it is more immersive and less look at the sheet to see what to do.

As DM and player I have really felt the boost from 1st to 2nd level. 1st is so fragile. 2nd is still vulnerable, but there is so much more the PCs can handle as a party. At first, I'm always fearing death from one crit. At 2nd, at least one crit won't be lights out although it still could knock a PC unconscious.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Keep on keeping on.

#10

Touc

Nov 25, 2014 11:48:26

So I fell behind on our progress, we finished Session 5 this past Sunday and are having a blast.

Session 5, the Chief Beyond the Walls

The Zhentarim envoy to Phlan, Ambassador Joran Alberach, wasn't pleased to hear one of his citizens (Theoderus) had his apartment broken into and vanished. He took his case to the Council, and the next day, the party was summoned by the Watch. Fifth Councilman Folbre (very rich and very bored with issues like this), Seventh Councilman Marshal Prakis, and Tenth (Junior) Councilman Porphyrys Cadorna called out the party for their role in the disappearance. The party admitted being the last to see him after breaking in but claimed he disappeared on his own. Ambassador Joran accused them of coincidental violence and made a case the inference was clear they caused his disappearance. Without a boat log or having left by the City Gate, he officially was gone. The Councilors found the party guilty of the kidnapping only because their word was not yet credible. Councilor Cadorna suggested that if the party could prove its credibility and loyalty to the City by retaking the Slums (within a week!), then their word would be credible and there would be no place for punishment. As the party left, agreeing to the terms, Folbre offered to smooth things over with Joran by taking him out hunting.

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Completely unscripted play here. Pure roleplay with no "I make a diplomacy check..." or the like. Folbre was borrowed from an online campaign I saw, Prakis a shout out to an AD&D city supplement, and Cadorna is from the original module.

#11

Touc

Jan 22, 2015 14:26:58

We took a long holiday break coupled with my lack of updates.

Session 6, Sokol Keep

It's nice to be a hero for a day. But, the defeat of one goblin chieftain and his fanatics only ushered in more disturbing questions. The babbling hobgoblin's body disintegrated after uttering "I see you." Fanatics give homage to some "pool." There may be a greater force directing the hordes.

Next morning, the party discussed some thoughts:

◾The City Clerk (Sasha) handed out an exclusive council mission to clear Sokol Keep and open up Phlan's sea trade lifeblood.
◾Councilor Cadorna in a surprise move was promoted from Junior (10th) Councilman to 9th based on the party's success. The plan to lure adventurers was his and finally reaped rewards. He has shown interest.

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I'm curious whether the party will seek a spot on the council at some point. One of them brought it up, once. But we'll see the ascension of a rising star on the Council. I have him moving up 1 spot each major area cleared until he reaches 3rd councilman. Then things get interesting but that's for another day...

#12

arderkrag

Jan 23, 2015 3:30:44

This makes me wish someone would convert the gold box games to 5th.

#13

Touc

Jan 30, 2015 12:44:01

Session 7-8, Kuto's Well, part I

The cleansing of Sokol Keep caused a stir in town. While removing one warlord from the city ruins was worth a raised drink at the Laughing Goblin, cleansing of a cursed isle and repelling an army of the horde was worthy of drinks on the house. The promise of restoring the lighthouse meant the chance at luring in merchant ships was real. Current ships hug the coast for landmarks and have no protection against the orc archers who enjoy lobbing flaming arrows on slow moving traffic. Ninth Councilman Porphyrys Cadorna was promoted to 8th seat for his "adventurers" campaign and recognizing and encouraging this group by giving them license to retake Sokol Keep. Various town notables wanted to chat:

Cadorna treated the party to an exclusive booth meal at the Cracked Crown, upscale tavern, and talked about what they could accomplish together. He believed they could take on a personal task that he would not entrust to anyone else: the retaking of his family's estate in the Textile District. The Cadorna family secreted its treasure and he wished it recovered, promising a generous cut. He also had located a house servant who (now much older) ran messages for the family and could from memory lead them to the estate.
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Cadorna doesn't trust the party enough to believe they won't dip into his family treasure; the servant is to keep them honest. He plans on having them arrested if they return and searched for his family treasure (most of it art), all a big misunderstanding of course.

#14

Touc

Feb 10, 2015 12:38:58

Kuto's Well part 2

Wherein a long session and a short session and another short session all blend into one.

It's only a matter of time for players to get bored chatting it up with the locals, and soon it was time to delve into the ruins and take out some warlords. Kuto's Well lay past the slums. Old Phlan was separated into walled districts, providing a layer of defense against both outside attacks and fire. Although the walls were in disrepair and the gates gone, the Council of New Phlan had reinforced the old fire brigade building with a barracks of (now) a dozen guards. In addition, mercenary groups were active enough in the slums that one could travel, if on the main streets, in relative safety. The Kuto's Well district provided a truce ground for monstrous tribes as the only source of fresh water for the region. Taking it would be a huge advantage to the settlers. But, the former bandit Norris the Gray now was reputed to hold the place.

It's not viable to create a dungeon map for a city, so I simply create some preset encounters along with recurring random encounters that persist until Norris the Gray is taken out. If anyone persists in going past the well into the heart of the monstrous horde, I can simply generate random small armies to greet them.

While on the streets and negotiating the ruined houses to the well in the center, the party:

rescued a survivor of an adventuring band. He had fled in shame while his comrades were slain. The party assured him the path behind was clear, though they could say nothing that would assauge the young man's conscience.
Met a spirit from the fall of Phlan that talked about a creature of fire claiming her and demanded she be avenged
Slew an orog leading orcs after the orog challenged the party's champion to a one-on-one battle, winner take all. Skullsplitter wiped the orog's brains off his axe a minute later and claimed the orog's magical ring.
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Which was a cursed item from an old dungeon magazine. The ring was full of b.s. Being sentient, it would talk a tough game about helping out but always have an excuse why its powers were exhausted. Randomly, if pressed, the ring might generate a levitate spell. It did speak several languages, but it's incessant talking and inability to remove it were a problem, especially later, when Skullsplitter returned to town to get intimate with the warrior Jensena.

#15

Touc

Mar 18, 2015 11:23:34

Session 10-11, Challenge of Champions & Mendor's Library

Wherein the addition of twins to my family has slowed my recaps for my players, but the games have gone on!

With expectations high, the party entered their 4-person team into the Challenge, a unique combination of mini-arenas and illusions created by the Black Circle wizards, drawing from their training exercises for apprentices. Cadorna's predictions about luring in adventurers did not prove wrong as 18 groups moved to compete, some nothing more than unified drunks and braggarts, and others legitimate contenders. Warned the Challenges were a test of wits and teamwork, the party arrived without gear or magic to compete. The Challenge consisted of 10 rounds, each worth up to 40 points (each teammate could earn up to 10 points for completing, 5 if completed but a given task was not done, or 0 if failure occurred). Further, each team had to designate a "warrior, wizard, rogue, and cleric," and during the 10 challenges, there would come a point when a ring could be earned for each class, with failure to do this resulting in less points. No magic or equipment was allowed; wits and gear to aid with each task would be all that was needed. At the end, in the event of a tie breaker, the individual wizard score would break the tie....(which would prove decisive, unfortunately).

Without delving into every event, the party struggled, losing its wizard on the 1st puzzle and getting 0 points. While they made ground in subsequent events, enough to land them a tie with the front runners, the tie-breaker was the wizard character, and having gotten a big 0 on the first event set him back just enough for the party to finish a respectable second. The party also busted a team cheating; the "noblemans" team sent a "bard" to record events from teams finishing first to get an edge by knowing an event in advance given they were at the end of the 18 team list, but when the bard asked the party about their experiences, they sent him packing and discovered the ruse.

It was time to venture out again as the party's feet were tired and weapons itchy to cleave some justice out against the hordes in the city. Next stop: Mendor's Library. The artisan's district of the city was oddly absent of creatures, a rare sight. Being far away from the fresh water didn't quite explain why the monsters avoided street after street. The Library was noticeable, a massive column and brick building created hundreds of years ago to be a repository of knowledge. Later named for the sage Mendor who oversaw it, the Library might still hold secrets about the enemy who had invaded the city. The spectre of Ferran Martinez in Sokol Keep seemed to think so...

The Library walls had collapsed in places, but the party chose to enter through a rear door into a contemplation garden, overrun and infested with living plants (which they avoided by ducking into a hallway). The inner halls contained scribe chambers as well as a band of kobolds, starving, who feared to leave because of the "spirits." Leaving them to huddle, the party moved on, finding the main entrance as they worked from one side of the complex to the other. A human madman had taken up residence in the entrance hall, ranting about the being of fire and beware the castle of flowers. He was a biter and the group did not feel they could afford having him tag along (later they would notify a temple about his presence). On the far (west) side of the complex the party finally found the library books, room after room of histories, mathematics, philosophy, rhetoric, and recounts of speeches and votes. It would take days perhaps to peruse titles and find something useful on the spirit "Tyranthraxus," Edratha, or Torath, all mentioned by Ferran. While exploring, the group discovered why the monters avoided the streets. A pair of mated basilisks had taken up shelter in a portion of the library where the outer wall had collapsed. The mythical beasts could turn one to stone with a glance, and quickly realizing the danger upon seeing kobold statues, the group fought a mixed battle of averted glances and swordplay, emerging victorious and claiming the library.

Various books contained hints and legends about the names, and they cross-referenced a mythical pool that granted powers or was sought out by nomads. The party stocked up several.

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This is where the computer game really shined in the form of its "journal." My players love handouts and those searching certain rooms found books with lore drawn from the computer game. There was little need for me to change anything.