On the Road Again (Part 1)

Players and Characters:

Jessie - Jasper (Human Cleric)

Daisy - Lia (Elf Rogue)

Luke - Enylrem (Human Wizard)

Sections that are highlighted are DM notes where I explain rules or background information.

_____________________________________________

Introduction - Just Around the Corner You’ll Find…

Before the game started, I had a quick sit-down session with Jessie and Daisy to go through their character’s abilities and such. Most of it was fairly straightforward. Most of it.

DM: So Jessie’s character is mainly a healer. Her Healing Word ability is really potent, though, so you might not want to use it until your friend is bloodied (down to half health).

Jessie: *Side-eyes Daisy* But what if I don’t want to heal her?

Daisy: You see? I’m going to die because I got no healer!

Once the basic abilities are sorted out, the adventure starts with the two PCs traveling down the road…

DM: It is a fine spring morning as you travel down the main road. The air is crisp and chilled with a hint of winter, while the blooming flowers adds a riot of color on either side of the path. The sun is warm, the birds are singing, and as you turn a corner, you suddenly hear the sounds of battle being carried on the wind.

Daisy: Oh, nice map. So we’re on this road?

DM: Yes. You can’t see what’s around the corner, but you can hear fighting. What do you do?

Jessie: I charge forward!

DM: Ok. How about you, Daisy?

Daisy: I charge forwards as well!

DM: Alright then. Before you is a scene of carnage. A group of bandits seem to have ambushed a caravan at a bridge crossing. Several carriages have been stopped in the middle of the road. One is overturned, its wheels spinning uselessly in the air.

On the far end of the bridge, the bandits have set up some crude wooden barricades to block the path. A pair of archers stand atop the blockage, taking opportunistic shots into the melee below.

The bandits are a motley lot, brutish men with little training. However, they’ve managed to bring down most of the caravan guards. A small handful still remain standing, but they’re badly injured and it’s obvious that they’ll quickly be overwhelmed without aid.

A bandit raises a cry of alarm as he catches sight of you. “There’s more of them! Get ‘im, boys!” Several of his friends break away from the fight and charge towards you.  

Professional map brought to you with the help of MS Paint.

What I was expecting the players to do:

What I actually got:

Daisy: Hey, are those all enemies?

DM: No, these guys over here are the guards protecting the caravan. The one with the special token is their boss.

Daisy: Oh. Can we just kill them all anyway?

At this point, Luke arrives at the store:

Luke: Suddenly, a wizard appears in a puff of mushroom smelling smoke.

DM: You see a strange, bedraggled looking man dressed in wizard’s robes stumbling out of the bushes. A thick smell of mushrooms lingers in the air.

Luke: Wow, there’s a lot of people on this map. What’s going on?

Jessie: We just got here. We turned the corner and there was a bunch of people trying to fight.

Luke: So we should kill them all?

DM: Actually, these guys here are the guards.

Daisy: Let’s kill them all.

DM: *Sweats nervously*

So on the map there are:

Enemies

- 2 Bandit Archers (Level 1 Artillery)

- 4 Bandit Thugs (Level 2 Minions)

- 2 Bandit Brutes (Level 2 Brutes)

Allies:

- 2 Human Guards (Level 1 Soldiers)

- Sergeant Brandson (Level 1 NPC Warlord)

This would normally be a tough fight for a group of level 1 characters, especially since they don't have a full party. Which is why I added the guards as allies. Sergeant Brandson is also classed as a Warlord, which means that he is a decent front line fighter who can heal his allies (though not as well as a dedicated cleric can).

Due to their high Initiative rolls, the Bandit Archers get to go first. They choose to target the squishy looking characters - aka, the wizard and the rogue.

DM: As you stumble out of the bush an arrow comes flying in out of nowhere and... (rolls) sinks into your shoulder. Take 9 damage!

Luke: Now that's just rude!

DM: Alright, you're up next.

Luke: I summon a Flaming Sphere right over there!

Flaming Sphere is a Wizard's Level 1 Daily Ability. It doesn't deal a lot of damage, but it can stay on the battlefield for a long time, damaging any enemy that starts its turn next to it. It can also be moved up to 6 squares each turn.

DM: Ok, you hear a yelp from one of the archers as your spell hurts him. Just remind me about the damage thing every turn. Otherwise I'll forget.

Luke: Ah, yes. "Forget"

DM: Do you not see how many notes I already have to keep track off?!

Later on...

Jessie: Can I attack this monster?

DM: Sure. What attack are you going to use?

Jessie: I'll use, uh... Sacred Flame!

DM: You sure? I think that's a ranged attack.

If you move or use a ranged attack while an enemy is next to you, they get a free Attack of Opportunity against you.

Jessie: Ok then. I'll use this Priest's Shield attack instead.

DM: Alright. Make the roll for it...

And that was the first and only time Jessie hit something in that battle.

The next turn:

Luke: I cast Cloud of Daggers on that archer. (Rolls a 2). Ugh...

DM: You lose concentration and your spell flickers out without doing anything.

Luke: Obviously, I need more mushrooms.

DM: Also, I forgot that the archers took damage from standing next to the Flaming Sphere. Can you give me a roll for damage?

Luke: Of course! (Rolls) Hah! 7 damage! I didn't fail to cast that spell. It was all part of my cunning plan!

DM: Suuure.

Archers: Argh! The pain! *Jumps over the barricade to get away from the burning ball of FIRE*

Luke: Wow, this spell is pretty good.

DM: Well, it is your daily, so...

Luke: Wait. Shit, Flaming Sphere is my daily?!

Powers are divided into "at will", "encounter", and "daily" abilities. At will powers can be used any time. Encounter powers can only be used once per battle, while Daily powers can only be used once per day.

On his next turn, Luke sent the Flaming Sphere through the wooden barricade to chase after them, setting the barricade on fire and horribly surprising the archers.

Bandit Archer 2: Dave! NOOOO!!!

Jessie: Poor Dave.

Luke: *Laughs maniacally* Uh, I'm not evil, I swear.

DM: Pretty sure you're unaligned, actually.

The Guard allies turn out to have some mixed results:

DM: Ok, so... (rolls). This first guard manages to stab the bandit in front of him, but the second guard swings wildly and almost trips over his own feet.

Luke: Well, we know who's the rookie.

DM: The first guard turns towards the rookie. "Dammit kid, stop panicking! Remember your training!"

Rookie: But I never got any training!

Meanwhile, Sergeant Brandson turns out to be a BAMF.

Sergeant Brandson

DM: Ok, it's the Sergeant's turn. He turns to you and calls "Thanks for the assist!" Now, is anyone bloodied?

Players: Nope.

DM: In that case, he turns to the bloodied rookie. "On your feet, soldier!". The wounded soldier is healed and inspired to fight harder.

Luke: Oh, cool. So he can heal people.

DM: Yeah, I originally thought that you weren't going to come, so I made sure that the players would have an ally who could help heal them. Oh, and since he can still fight, he... (rolls) he goes "For the king!" and backhands that minion so hard he goes flying into the river.

Luke: Lol what. Was that a natural crit?

DM: Yep.

Luke continues to have bad luck with his spell rolls. Jessie also has trouble hitting her targets. Meanwhile, Daisy hits pretty regularly, but doesn't do a lot of damage.

Luke: Wait, are you only dealing 1d4+4 damage? That's pretty weak.

DM: Well, she hasn't tried to Sneak Attack anyone yet.

Luke: Oh, right.

The next turn:  

Luke: If you shift one square, you'll be able to flank this guy.

Daisy: Ok. Then I move here and attack with Piercing Strike. (rolls)

DM: That's a hit. So you do... let's see... 1d4, plus 2d8, plus all your bonuses...

Luke: Jeez, that's a lot of dice.

Daisy: (Rolls)

DM: Ok, that's... 17 damage in one shot.

Daisy: You forgot that +2 bonus.

DM: Oh, right. So that's... ok, basically, this guy has only 1 HP left.

Luke: Holy shit.

Things aren't going so great for the bandits. During the last few rounds, several of them decide to bail.

With the barricade on fire, the first Bandit Brute decides to try jumping into the water instead. The guards try to stop him - the Rookie isn't fast enough, but the other guy manages to rugby tackle the bandit before he can escape. There's a brief scuffle for a round or two before the two guards manage to subdue the bandit.

Closer to the PCs, the last minion decides to make a run for it while next to Lia and the Sergeant. Lia whiffs her attack of opportunity, but the Sergeant gets him instead.

Sergeant Brandson: Coward! No one runs from me! *Cuts off bandit's head*

Some other highlights from the battle:

Luke: I cast Cloud of Daggers and... (rolls) Hah! I killed it!

Daisy: Kill stealer.

Luke: What?

Daisy: You waited until I got it down to 1 HP, then only you jump in. You kill stealer.

Luke: Hey, I'm just securing the kill!

Daisy: *Whispers to Jessie* Should we kill him yet?

Jessie: *Whispers back* No, wait until after the fighting.

Also...

Luke: Ok, I'll cast my encounter spell. Empowering Lightning! (rolls a 4) Oh come on!

DM: See kids, this is why you don't mix mushrooms and magic.

Later:

Daisy: I move here and attack this monster.

DM: Hey now. This guy's a human you know. Just because the little tile says "Monster 2" doesn't mean that he's actually a monster.

Daisy: (rolling) No, he's a monster. I'm going to kill him and take his stuff.

Once the fighting is over, the Sergeant heads over to talk to them.

As the last bandit falls, there’s a simultaneous sigh of relief among the guards. One of them steps forwards, limping a little as he heads towards you. “Well met, stranger.” he says. “I’m Sergeant Brandon, commander of Lord Bennet’s household guard. Well, what’s left of them, anyway. Thanks for the help. And you are...

Daisy: Interested.

DM: Wait, what? 

Daisy: You can call me anytime.

Jessie: You can call me tonight.

Luke: I am the mighty Enylrem, Mushroom Wizard!

Sergeant: Oh, you look kinda familiar.

Luke: Well, of course! I am a hero, after all!

Sergeant: Oh, wait. Aren't you that guy who's wanted for stealing mushrooms?

Luke: Wait, I never stole any mushrooms. Did I?

Sergeant: Don't worry, sir. You did us a great favor today. I'm not the kind of person who'd arrest a friend. Just, ah, try to keep your head down when we get to town.

Later:

Luke: So the carriage is just carrying food and medicine?

Sergeant: Yes, sir. We're bringing vital supplies to a village that recently suffered from an outbreak of plague. If those people don't get this medicine, a lot of them aren't going to make it.

Jessie: If it's just food and medicine, then why would the bandits try to attack it?

Sergeant: I'm guessing that they plan to force the villagers to pay through the nose to receive the medicine. It's disgusting, but the ones who're sick won't have any choice in the matter.

Luke: Oh, so they're getting the medicine for free?

Sergeant: Yes. Lord Bennet ordered me to deliver these medicines and hand them over as quickly as possible.

Luke: Wow. So these guys are trying to steal from charity? That's a dick move.

DM: You could almost say it's... eeeeviiillll.

The PCs eventually decided to help out the guards and protect the caravan. In exchange, Sergeant Brandson would pay them a small fee (50-100gp, depending on their performance) and allow them to keep any loot.

Luke: Hey, could I have her share as well?

Sergeant: Sorry, but I'm just paying you as a group. How you divide the money is up to you.

Jessie: *Whispers* Can we kill him yet?

Sergeant: Alright, then. First things first - we need to get this caravan moving again! The sooner we get going, the less time those damned bandits will have to prepare any more surprises for us.

This is basically a skill challenge - the PCs need to get 5 successes before 3 failures. I left this as flexible as possible so that everyone would have a chance to shine.

Daisy: So what do we need to do?

DM: Well, you need to fix the carriage, clear the barricades (which are mostly burnt down by now), and interrogate the prisoner. How you do it is up to you.

Some of the skill checks are relatively straightforward...

Luke: How do we clear the barricades?

DM: Well, in your case you can make an Arcana roll to cast a spell to just blow it up.

Luke: Sweet. (rolls 18) Yes!

DM: You blow up the barricades. (Flips map tile over). There is now a big hole in the middle of the road.

Luke: OMG.

Jessie: You made it worse!

DM: lol just joking. There's no hole. There is, however, a big black circle of scorched earth where the barricades used to be.

Other skill checks required some cooperation...

Luke: So to fix the carriage, I can do a Dungeoneering check?

DM: Sure. If you succeed, you'll know what needs to be done to fix it.

Luke: Ok (rolls). That's a success?

DM: Yes. Now you just need someone with Athletics or Thievery-

Daisy: Oh, I can do that! (rolls)

DM: Right. You've managed to fix the carriage.

Luke: Awesome. Look guys, I fixed the carriage!

Daisy: Excuse me?! I'm the one who fixed it.

Luke: Yeah, but if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't know what to do.

*Daisy and Jessie start whispering conspiratorially*

And finally, we get to the interrogation...

Jessie: So what do I need to roll again? I'm not sure...

DM: Well, it depends. What are you trying to do?

Jessie: I just want to interrogate him.

DM: Yeah, but how? Good cop, bad cop, bribery, seduction-

Jessie: (rolling) Yeah! I'll seduce him!

DM: I don't even know why I'm surprised. 

Jessie: (rolls low)

DM: The prisoner laughs "Well take out your tits, then!"

Everyone: Wat.

DM: That came out wrong.

Later:

DM: So she- sorry, he. I keep forgetting your character's a male.

Jessie: Wait, what do you mean my character's a guy? *Sees the profile picture* And why is he bald? Why am I so ugly?!

DM: Well, it's just a sample character, so I just stuck to the default settings. You can change the name and gender if you want.

Jessie: Ok, I'll do that.

Luke: Suddenly we have a trans in the party.

Some other highlights:

Luke: Wait, what's your Charisma score?

Jessie: 14.

Daisy: 14.

Luke: Oh. What about the Sergeant?

DM: He's got 14 as well.

Luke: Wait, am I the only guy here with Charisma 10?

Daisy: lol

Jessie: You're not pretty enough.

Luke: I'm pretty on the inside!

Also...

Jessie: I feel so useless! I can't do anything!

DM: Let me see your character sheet for a minute. Hmm... your Heal is 10. Maybe you could try healing the injured guards?

Jessie: But I don't want to!

DM: Why not?

Jessie: Maybe we can kill them later and take all their stuff.

Luke: But it's just food and medicine.

Jessie: Then we can sell it to the villagers!

DM: Like what the bandits were planning to do?

Luke: Doesn't that sound a bit... eeeeevil?

DM: Just to warn you - you'd lose your Cleric powers for doing such an evil action.

Jessie: Really?

DM: Yeah. Pelor's a good god, not an evil one.

In the end, they managed to successfully complete the skill challenge, meaning that the bandits won't be able to take them by surprise during the next battle. Unfortunately, the game had to end there since Jessie and Daisy had to leave.

Perhaps we shall continue this another time...