Mistwood (Part 2)
Players and Characters
Andrew - Gwen (Human Paladin)
Jessie - Jasper (Human Cleric)
Angeline - Asper (Half-Elf Fighter)/Allegra (Tiefling Bard)
Sections that are highlighted yellow are DM notes where I explain rules or provide background info.
Italics means that I'm speaking in character
Our heroes stumbled across a caravan being attacked by bandits. After helping to fight off the criminals, they were hired by Sergeant Brandson to help escort the caravan and keep it safe from any other attacks.
Sergeant Brandson and his men were bringing wagons filled with food and medicine to a rather isolated village called Mistwood. Their leader, Lord Bennet, had heard that the village had been hit by a plague of some kind and wanted to help.
This time...
We enter the scene just as the adventurers have come within sight of the village.
The paths here are rough and ragged; a far cry from the cobblestones and stone paved roads that wind through most of the civilized lands. This close to the border, it seems that few are willing to travel far.
Spring is in the air today, but as you catch sight of the village of Mistwood, you can’t help feeling a strange chill in the air. Surrounded by a crude wooden palisade, the village itself seems unremarkable; one of the many hamlets that have sprung up in the borderlands over the last century or so.
Yet as you come closer, you see that something is wrong here. A village this size should contain at least a hundred people, but the only signs of life is a worn out old man glaring at you from the watchtower next to the gate. He seems to be middle aged, with a balding head and a hint of a gut underneath a set of tattered looking armor that looks like it should have been scrapped years ago.
“Halt!” the guard cries, pulling out a crossbow. “Who’re you, eh? More of those damned bandit scum, come to try their luck?”
“Whoa, hold on there!” Sergeant Brandis replies. “We’re bringing in food and medicine from Lord Bennet!”
“Oh yeah?” the guard spits, pointing at the PCs. “A likely story! You don’t look like soldiers to me! Where’s your uniform, eh? Don’t think you can fool Old Hindel!”
This is a chance for the players to introduce themselves and try a bit of role playing. Unfortunately, things don't always go according to plan...
Jessie: Can I intimidate him?
DM: He's up there in a tower with a crossbow pointed at you. Are you sure that trying to intimidate him is a good idea?
For the record, she could totally have tried Intimidating him, but it would have been a very difficult skill check and if she failed it would have counted as two failures. Also, if she failed by 5 or more, the guard would have shot her with his crossbow.
...
Angeline: (Trying to be in character) Um, I... don't know what I'm doing here or why I'm with these people?
DM: ... close enough. Roll Diplomacy.
...
Also, Angeline starts to regret making a Fighter...
Angeline: WTF, why do you have 9 Diplomacy?
Andrew: I dunno?
DM: Well, he is a Paladin, so his Charisma is pretty high
Angeline: (looks at her own character sheet) Aw, man. I feel so useless right now.
This is a skill challenge, which means that the characters need to get a certain number of successes before a certain number of failures. In this case 5 successes before 3 failures.
If they had failed, the guard decides that they're not trustworthy and attacks. Sergeant Brandson would have been forced to intervene, breaking up the fight before anyone can get too badly hurt. If the PCs had attacked Hindel first, Brandson is especially furious and warns them that he won’t pay them if they continue to act like a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics.
Since they succeeded the skill challenge, there was no need to bother with any of that; the PCs successfully convince the guard to let them in peacefully.
If they had failed, the PCs would have still been allowed in, but they would have had to hand over their weapons. If they attacked Hindel, he’ll confiscate their weapons himself. Otherwise, Brandson will hold on to them as a gesture of good faith.
Once they succeed the skill challenge, Hindel lets them in.
Muttering under his breath, Hindel turns around at yells at someone you can’t see. “Well, you heard ‘em! Open it up already!”
Creaking and groaning, the gate is slowly pushed open, revealing a pair of boys who can’t be older than sixteen. They stare at you, eyes wide with fright. You can’t help noticing the ill fitting leather armor they’re wearing and the bows slung across their backs.
“Well, what’re you waiting for?” Hindel grunts. “Git your damned carts inside already before those damned bandits show up again! The kids’ll take you to… well… whoever’s supposed to be in charge at the moment.”
One of the children stays behind to help shut the gate, while the other runs down the road, gesturing at the party to keep up. The wagons trundle down the dirt road, barely managing to squeeze by the ramshackle wooden houses on either side. After a minute or two, the road opens up into the village square.
The square is dominated by the local church, a battered looking two story stone building that looks like it’d fall over in a stiff breeze. Hanging over the entrance is a frayed and fading banner depicting the various gods - though the colors are so faded that the designs hard to identify unless you look closely.
In front of the temple is a wooden gibbet, where criminals are hung for their crimes. A pair of bloated corpses sways gently in the wind. Judging from the smell, they’ve been there for a while.
Your young guide signals at you to wait, than runs inside. A minute later, he comes out, followed by a harassed looking old man wearing the robes of a priest. “Oh, thank Pelor you’ve arrived!” he exclaims. “Young Simon here tells me that you’ve brought us food and medicine. Is it true? Have the gods answered our prayers at last?”
Jessie: (seeing the picture) I don't trust this priest.
Despite her suspicions, Brother Jenson seems perfectly genuine and grateful for their help. He happily answers any questions they ask.
Some of the things they learn:
Ignoring the groans and complaints, he turns back towards you. “Sorry about that,” he says. “I’ve been taking care of them while their parents recover. They’re lovely children, but sometimes I wish I were another twenty years younger. These old bones just aren’t up to chasing after a pack of excitable young kids. In any case, where are my manners? Come inside, come inside! There’s something I need to talk with you about in a more… private area.”
Once inside, he explains that they have a rather… unusual guest. “She showed up a few days ago, all cut up and half starved. Says she’s a wandering bard who got lost and ran into some bandits. Only problem is, well… she’s a tiefling.”
“Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that myself, but a lot of the folk here are angry and worried and having a tiefling around is riling up some tempers. I’ve fixed her up as best I could, but I’d appreciate it if you could take her with you. If she’s surrounded by a bunch of big, strong warriors like you, I hope that it’d avoid any… unfortunate incidents.”
Ah, tieflings. They're one of the more exotic races available. To put it simply, a few hundred years ago there was a Big Bad Evil Empire called Bael Turath. The people there were Evil and did all kinds of nasty things like slavery and devil summoning and building giant flying castles powered by the souls of the innocent and creating horrific abominations that the world had never seen just to prove that they could.
The Turathi empire got wiped out after a big, nasty war with the dragon empire of Arkhosia. It was a fairly brutal affair; when dragons and devils start fighting, everything around them tends to break. The war ended after the Turathi capital was blown up with the dragon version of a nuke, turning the city and everything within a hundred miles into a smoldering crater.
Tieflings are all descended from the Turathi nobles who 'mingled their bloodlines' with devils (well, what did you expect when you give people the ability to summon a harem of succubi with a metaphorical snap of their fingers? Tea parties?).
Simply put, tieflings all have infernal blood. This results in things like red skin, horns, tails, etc. which tends to make people... a little wary. Individual tieflings can be as good or evil as the next guy, but they do tend to face a lot of discrimination.
For example...
Jessie: So she's got red skin? And the sickness causes people to have red skin? How suspicious...
DM: That's all you're basing it on?
After a quick explanation regarding tieflings, the party are taken to meet her.
Allegra: Ah, I assume that you are the ones who will escort me out of this dreary little town? No offense, Brother Jenson.
Brother Jenson: None taken.
Jessie: So can we ask who you are?
Allegra: Of course! I am Allegra D'Arte, first of my name, and the first of the noble D'Arte family.
Angeline: (History check reveals that there is no D'Arte noble family)
I'm not sure whether the players misunderstood what I was saying here or if I just didn't communicate the idea properly. Basically, Allegra isn't a noble, but her ambition is to get promoted to a noble title somehow. But the players became suspicious cause they thought she was lying. To be fair, the +13 Bluff skill on her character sheet probably didn't help.
Angeline: What the hell? What's with these skills?
Jessie: Does she have any items?
DM: Oh yeah, she's still got her weapons and-
Jessie: Does she have any gold? Cause maybe we can take it from her when she dies.
Angeline: ... are you sure you're not evil?
...
Later on, the players were allowed to explore the town and do whatever. Angeline chose to "walk the perimeter" - go along the wall to see if there was anything weird, Jessie decided to look into the sickness, and Andrew helped to heal the sick and distribute food and supplies.
Brandson: ... so you're saying that this 'Red Fever' is not natural? That is... disturbing news. Do you have any proof?
Angeline: Uh...
Jessie: I use Heal! (rolls natural 20) So that's... 30 altogether!
Angeline: Why do you have 10 Heal?
Jessie: I got 20!
DM: Natural 20, huh? Well you bring him to see one of the patients and show him proof that the disease is unnatural as you heal them.
Jessie: *smugness intensifies*
...
Later on, the PCs investigate the docks:
Angeline: So apparently all the fishermen got sick first? That's suspicious.
Andrew: Can we search the area to look for anything interesting?
DM: Sure, give me perception rolls, everyone.
(They all roll low except for Allegra)
Everyone in the party: I don't see anything suspicious...
Allegra: Phew! This place stinks! Why is the water filled with dead fish?
After a bit more investigating, they find a few suspicious crates shoved into a corner. Prying the boxes open, they discover that they are filled with shards of glass and a black, tarlike substance.
Andrew: What is that stuff?
Jessie: Can I test it to see what it is? (rolls)
DM: Well, you're pretty sure that drinking it would be bad for your health...
...
As night falls, the group decides what to do.
Angeline: We should hide at the docks in case they come back!
Jessie: Good idea.
DM: Ok, in that case I'm going to need Stealth rolls from you if you want to remain hidden.
Andrew: Uh, I have -2 for Stealth. Is that bad?
Angeline: What? Why's your Stealth so low?
DM: It turns out that walking around in a giant suit of armor isn't very stealthy.
In the end, they split up: Aspen and Allegra stay in the docks, while Jasper and Gwen head towards one of the watchtowers. Alas, not everything goes according to plan.
DM: You're both in the watch tower now, right?
Jessie: Yeah. Do we see anything?
DM: Well... (rolls). You see some torches down the road. Looks like a big group of people are approaching.
Jessie: Oh. Are they... friendly?
DM: You don't know.
Jessie: Ok, in that case we should hide and see what happens when they get closer.
Andrew: Good plan.
(the two non-Stealthy people roll for Stealth)
Andrew: Uh... is 9 high enough?
DM: (makes some hidden rolls) Ok, the first sign that something's gone wrong is a faint whistling sound. Looking up, you see a massive ball of fire flying towards the watchtower.
Jessie: Oh shi-
In case anyone was wondering, the enemy wizard used a magical item in order to cast that fireball. It was a special item with 3 charges. He used the first charge to blow up the watchtower, the second charge to blow up the gate, then after the adventurers got the upper hand he decided to run instead of wasting the third charge.
After dropping out of the burning tower (and getting lightly singed in the process), Gwen and Jasper barely have a moment to catch their breath before the gateway in front of them is blown wide open.
Halfway across the town, Aspen and Allegra hear the sounds of explosions and decide to investigate. Allegra (now controlled by Angeline) decides to run across town on foot while Aspen steals borrows a boat and uses it to row downstream.
Allegra arrived at the start of turn 2, while Aspen arrived at the start of turn 4.
Meanwhile, at the gate Gwen and Jasper decide to make a last stand. Gwen stands before the ruined gate to any of the enemies from getting past. A moment later, a group of large heavily armed men charge through the smoke. Glowering menacingly behind them is a man dressed in mages robes flanked by a pair of bodyguards.
DM: Ok, Minion 1 rolls... and misses. Minion 2... also misses. Minion 3... misses again. And finally, Minion 4... misses. Bloody hell.
The image above basically sums up the first few rounds. Andrew is playing a fully decked out Paladin with plate armor and heavy shield and everything, so he has a whopping 20 AC as a level 1 character. To put it in perspective, the level 3 enemies that entered the battle later on had 17 AC at most.
So the first few rounds go swimmingly for the players. The minions can barely scratch the Paladin who's standing right in the middle of the gate and stopping them from entering the village. And whenever he does take any damage, the Bard and Cleric just heal him back to full health the next turn.
Of course, the wizard isn't exactly a pushover either. He has three main attacks...
DM: Raising his wand, the wizard hurls a bolt of dark energy towards you! So... do you have more then 20 Reflex?
Andrew: Um, no?
DM: Ok, in that case, you take... 9 points of damage and you're blinded. Save ends.
"Save ends" basically means "at the end of your turn, you can roll to save against this effect, but every time you fail this effect stays for another turn".
Also...
DM: You feel chains of magical energy snapping into place around your body. If you move from that spot, you're going to take damage.
Angeline: Oh. Well, I didn't want to move either, so hah!
And finally...
DM: The wizard chants some dark incantation, opening up a dark portal that hangs in mid air.
Jessie: Oh shit he's summoning demons!
DM: ... not quite. The portal spews out a cloud of thick, dark smoke that makes it hard for you to see. As long as you're standing within 3 tiles of the portal, all your enemies have concealment.
Andrew: What does that mean?
DM: Basically, you take a -2 penalty to all melee and ranged attack rolls against them.
Andrew: Well, crap.
The Smokescreen Cloud is a sustained zone, which means that every turn the caster can spend a minor action to keep it going. He can also move it around with a movement action.
Normally, this wouldn't be too big of a problem for a balanced party because the Rogue or other Striker (DPS) class would simply go through the smoke and gank the caster. Problem is, this isn't a balanced party. We've got a Fighter, a Paladin, a Bard, and a Cleric; two tanks and two healers (and a tank that can act as a healer).
So they're what's called a grinder party - tough and almost impossible to put down, but lacking in mobility, DPS, and AOE capabilities, which is why the fight dragged on for as long as it did.
Also, because nobody could get away from the scrum at gate to engage the wizard directly, he just stood in one spot for most of the battle and chucked spells around like an asshole, which just made things even harder for the party.
After 3 turns of watching his minions get slaughtered, the mage loses his temper and orders one of his bodyguards to go in. A few minutes later, Aspen turns up on the battle field - and because she came in a boat, she's on the other side of the gate compared to the other players, well within charging range of the wizard.
Angeline: I'll charge this minion! (points to minion near the gate and far away from the wizard)
DM: ... ok.
Confession time: I sent in higher leveled enemies then originally planned cause I saw that two-tank two-healer combo team and went "well, they're just going to steam roller over a bunch of level one enemies".
DM: Ok, while you're distracted by the minions, the Throatcutter sinks his dagger into your back, causing... 13 points of damage.
Andrew: Holy shit! Guys, I don't think we're going to survive this fight.
DM: You're going to be fine. You have 2 healers in your party. And you can heal yourself. I'd be honestly surprised if anyone here actually died.
In the end, none of them died, but it was a pretty close thing. The Throatcutters could dish out a ton of damage compared to all the other enemies (1d6+3 damage, plus another 1d6 if they had Combat Advantage), while the wizard just stood back and dropped blinding curses and trap wards like they were going out of style.
None of this would have been too bad, really, if it weren't for the fact that the dice seemed to be cursed...
Andrew: I'll use my encounter power on this guy! (rolls low) NOOOOOOOO
DM: Glowing with divine magic, your sword swings towards the guy's face... and misses completely.
Andrew: Ok, never mind. I'll try again next turn.
DM: Uh, you've used up your encounter power. It's gone now.
Andrew: Even if it missed?
DM: Yep.
Later on...
Andrew: Mind if I use your dice?
DM: Sure, go ahead.
Andrew: (rolls 17) Holy shit I actually hit something!
Jessie: The other dice are cursed.
Finally, after far too many rounds, the party have put down the Throatcutters. Well, almost...
Andrew: Ok, I need to leave soon, so I'm just going to use my daily power now. (rolls) Please hit... no!
DM: Here, I'll let you roll again.
Andrew: I'm using your red dice this time. (rolls) Yes! 21! Take that!
DM: Ok, how much damage do you do?
Andrew: (rolls dice)
DM: So that's... (starts laughing) he... he's got 1 HP left! Oh my god I can't believe this shit.
Andrew: (-_-)...
He wasn't the only one who used his daily powers...
Jessie: So I hit this guy... and I weaken him... and... any healing I do from now on gives +5 extra HP.
Andrew: Whoa! That's amazing!
Jessie: ... but I already used up all my healing... (TT.TT)
Andrew: Oh.
For the record: she used up her big healing spells, but one of her at will powers could give an ally some HP every time she hit an enemy with it, so the bonus +5 HP wasn't totally wasted.
Angeline also had some fun with the Bard:
Angeline: I hit him with... Vicious Mockery. (rolls)
DM: You do a 'yo mama' joke so bad he has a heart attack and dies.
Later...
Angeline: I hit the Bandit Mystic with Vicious Mockery and pull him closer.
DM: Your insult made him so mad he forgot about running. He turns around and goes "How dare you say that about my mother?!"
She had... not so much fun with the Fighter, unfortunately.
Angeline: Ok, so if I charge here, I can... wait, I still have that trap curse on me, right? Would I take damage if I move anywhere?
DM: Damn. I was hoping you'd forget.
...
Angeline: So I have a trap curse on me again, which means I can't move. And nobody's in range, so I can't attack. And... I don't have a crossbow? Why don't I have a crossbow!
DM (aka, the person who printed out her character sheet): *sweats nervously* Uh, oops?
But alas, all good things must come to an end. Once the party had killed the minions and the Throatcutters, the Bandit Mystic decided that discretion was the better part of valor and made a run for it.
Jessie: What? He's running away?! He's not supposed to run away!
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts the party was unable to stop the mystic from escaping. The adventure session ended there, with the party standing amid the burning ruins of the gate and watching impotently as the bandit mage fled into the night.
Perhaps they might meet again? Who knows...
XP and Achievements
At the end of each session, I'll tally up everyone's XP and give them achievements based on what they did during the adventure. Each achievement gives the party a bonus +50XP, and certain achievements can unlock special options in future adventures.
For today's session, we have:
Achievements:
Sweet Talker: Convince Hindel to let you in peacefully [+50XP]
Song and Dance: Agree to take in Allegra the tiefling bard (unlocks her as a companion character) [+50XP]
Something Smells Fishy: Discover proof that the Red Fever isn't a natural disease [+50XP]
Hold the Line: Protect the temple from the bandits [+50XP]
- Hold the Door: Stop the bandits from even entering the village [+100XP]
I'll Be Back: Let the Bandit Mystic escape [+50XP]
Total: 350 XP + 650 XP (Combat) = 1, 000 XP/4 (number of PCs) = 250 XP per person
Andrew - Gwen (Human Paladin)
Jessie - Jasper (Human Cleric)
Angeline - Asper (Half-Elf Fighter)/Allegra (Tiefling Bard)
Sections that are highlighted yellow are DM notes where I explain rules or provide background info.
Italics means that I'm speaking in character
--------------------------------
Last Time…Our heroes stumbled across a caravan being attacked by bandits. After helping to fight off the criminals, they were hired by Sergeant Brandson to help escort the caravan and keep it safe from any other attacks.
 |
| Sergeant Brandson |
Sergeant Brandson and his men were bringing wagons filled with food and medicine to a rather isolated village called Mistwood. Their leader, Lord Bennet, had heard that the village had been hit by a plague of some kind and wanted to help.
This time...
We enter the scene just as the adventurers have come within sight of the village.
 |
| Mistwood Village |
The paths here are rough and ragged; a far cry from the cobblestones and stone paved roads that wind through most of the civilized lands. This close to the border, it seems that few are willing to travel far.
Spring is in the air today, but as you catch sight of the village of Mistwood, you can’t help feeling a strange chill in the air. Surrounded by a crude wooden palisade, the village itself seems unremarkable; one of the many hamlets that have sprung up in the borderlands over the last century or so.
Yet as you come closer, you see that something is wrong here. A village this size should contain at least a hundred people, but the only signs of life is a worn out old man glaring at you from the watchtower next to the gate. He seems to be middle aged, with a balding head and a hint of a gut underneath a set of tattered looking armor that looks like it should have been scrapped years ago.
“Halt!” the guard cries, pulling out a crossbow. “Who’re you, eh? More of those damned bandit scum, come to try their luck?”
“Whoa, hold on there!” Sergeant Brandis replies. “We’re bringing in food and medicine from Lord Bennet!”
“Oh yeah?” the guard spits, pointing at the PCs. “A likely story! You don’t look like soldiers to me! Where’s your uniform, eh? Don’t think you can fool Old Hindel!”
 |
| Hindel |
This is a chance for the players to introduce themselves and try a bit of role playing. Unfortunately, things don't always go according to plan...
Jessie: Can I intimidate him?
DM: He's up there in a tower with a crossbow pointed at you. Are you sure that trying to intimidate him is a good idea?
For the record, she could totally have tried Intimidating him, but it would have been a very difficult skill check and if she failed it would have counted as two failures. Also, if she failed by 5 or more, the guard would have shot her with his crossbow.
...
Angeline: (Trying to be in character) Um, I... don't know what I'm doing here or why I'm with these people?
DM: ... close enough. Roll Diplomacy.
...
Also, Angeline starts to regret making a Fighter...
Angeline: WTF, why do you have 9 Diplomacy?
Andrew: I dunno?
DM: Well, he is a Paladin, so his Charisma is pretty high
Angeline: (looks at her own character sheet) Aw, man. I feel so useless right now.
This is a skill challenge, which means that the characters need to get a certain number of successes before a certain number of failures. In this case 5 successes before 3 failures.
If they had failed, the guard decides that they're not trustworthy and attacks. Sergeant Brandson would have been forced to intervene, breaking up the fight before anyone can get too badly hurt. If the PCs had attacked Hindel first, Brandson is especially furious and warns them that he won’t pay them if they continue to act like a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics.
Since they succeeded the skill challenge, there was no need to bother with any of that; the PCs successfully convince the guard to let them in peacefully.
If they had failed, the PCs would have still been allowed in, but they would have had to hand over their weapons. If they attacked Hindel, he’ll confiscate their weapons himself. Otherwise, Brandson will hold on to them as a gesture of good faith.
Once they succeed the skill challenge, Hindel lets them in.
Muttering under his breath, Hindel turns around at yells at someone you can’t see. “Well, you heard ‘em! Open it up already!”
Creaking and groaning, the gate is slowly pushed open, revealing a pair of boys who can’t be older than sixteen. They stare at you, eyes wide with fright. You can’t help noticing the ill fitting leather armor they’re wearing and the bows slung across their backs.
“Well, what’re you waiting for?” Hindel grunts. “Git your damned carts inside already before those damned bandits show up again! The kids’ll take you to… well… whoever’s supposed to be in charge at the moment.”
One of the children stays behind to help shut the gate, while the other runs down the road, gesturing at the party to keep up. The wagons trundle down the dirt road, barely managing to squeeze by the ramshackle wooden houses on either side. After a minute or two, the road opens up into the village square.
The square is dominated by the local church, a battered looking two story stone building that looks like it’d fall over in a stiff breeze. Hanging over the entrance is a frayed and fading banner depicting the various gods - though the colors are so faded that the designs hard to identify unless you look closely.
In front of the temple is a wooden gibbet, where criminals are hung for their crimes. A pair of bloated corpses sways gently in the wind. Judging from the smell, they’ve been there for a while.
Your young guide signals at you to wait, than runs inside. A minute later, he comes out, followed by a harassed looking old man wearing the robes of a priest. “Oh, thank Pelor you’ve arrived!” he exclaims. “Young Simon here tells me that you’ve brought us food and medicine. Is it true? Have the gods answered our prayers at last?”
 |
| Brother Jenson |
Jessie: (seeing the picture) I don't trust this priest.
Despite her suspicions, Brother Jenson seems perfectly genuine and grateful for their help. He happily answers any questions they ask.
Some of the things they learn:
- The village originally had around a hundred people last year, but the winter was unusually harsh and there was an outbreak of some strange sickness that they’re calling the Red Fever
- Strangely enough, the children and elderly won’t as badly affected as the adult men and women. For the most part, the sickness doesn’t kill people directly but instead leaves them feverish and weak (a Heal check reveals that this probably isn't a natural plague)
- They sent out a messenger to Lord Bennet a month or two ago, but when they didn’t hear anything back they feared the worst
- The bandits appeared in this area a few weeks back. They attack and kidnap anyone who goes past the walls.
Ignoring the groans and complaints, he turns back towards you. “Sorry about that,” he says. “I’ve been taking care of them while their parents recover. They’re lovely children, but sometimes I wish I were another twenty years younger. These old bones just aren’t up to chasing after a pack of excitable young kids. In any case, where are my manners? Come inside, come inside! There’s something I need to talk with you about in a more… private area.”
Once inside, he explains that they have a rather… unusual guest. “She showed up a few days ago, all cut up and half starved. Says she’s a wandering bard who got lost and ran into some bandits. Only problem is, well… she’s a tiefling.”
“Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that myself, but a lot of the folk here are angry and worried and having a tiefling around is riling up some tempers. I’ve fixed her up as best I could, but I’d appreciate it if you could take her with you. If she’s surrounded by a bunch of big, strong warriors like you, I hope that it’d avoid any… unfortunate incidents.”
 |
| Tieflings |
Ah, tieflings. They're one of the more exotic races available. To put it simply, a few hundred years ago there was a Big Bad Evil Empire called Bael Turath. The people there were Evil and did all kinds of nasty things like slavery and devil summoning and building giant flying castles powered by the souls of the innocent and creating horrific abominations that the world had never seen just to prove that they could.
The Turathi empire got wiped out after a big, nasty war with the dragon empire of Arkhosia. It was a fairly brutal affair; when dragons and devils start fighting, everything around them tends to break. The war ended after the Turathi capital was blown up with the dragon version of a nuke, turning the city and everything within a hundred miles into a smoldering crater.
Tieflings are all descended from the Turathi nobles who 'mingled their bloodlines' with devils (well, what did you expect when you give people the ability to summon a harem of succubi with a metaphorical snap of their fingers? Tea parties?).
Simply put, tieflings all have infernal blood. This results in things like red skin, horns, tails, etc. which tends to make people... a little wary. Individual tieflings can be as good or evil as the next guy, but they do tend to face a lot of discrimination.
For example...
Jessie: So she's got red skin? And the sickness causes people to have red skin? How suspicious...
DM: That's all you're basing it on?
After a quick explanation regarding tieflings, the party are taken to meet her.
 |
| Allegra |
Allegra: Ah, I assume that you are the ones who will escort me out of this dreary little town? No offense, Brother Jenson.
Brother Jenson: None taken.
Jessie: So can we ask who you are?
Allegra: Of course! I am Allegra D'Arte, first of my name, and the first of the noble D'Arte family.
Angeline: (History check reveals that there is no D'Arte noble family)
I'm not sure whether the players misunderstood what I was saying here or if I just didn't communicate the idea properly. Basically, Allegra isn't a noble, but her ambition is to get promoted to a noble title somehow. But the players became suspicious cause they thought she was lying. To be fair, the +13 Bluff skill on her character sheet probably didn't help.
Angeline: What the hell? What's with these skills?
Jessie: Does she have any items?
DM: Oh yeah, she's still got her weapons and-
Jessie: Does she have any gold? Cause maybe we can take it from her when she dies.
Angeline: ... are you sure you're not evil?
...
Later on, the players were allowed to explore the town and do whatever. Angeline chose to "walk the perimeter" - go along the wall to see if there was anything weird, Jessie decided to look into the sickness, and Andrew helped to heal the sick and distribute food and supplies.
Brandson: ... so you're saying that this 'Red Fever' is not natural? That is... disturbing news. Do you have any proof?
Angeline: Uh...
Jessie: I use Heal! (rolls natural 20) So that's... 30 altogether!
Angeline: Why do you have 10 Heal?
Jessie: I got 20!
DM: Natural 20, huh? Well you bring him to see one of the patients and show him proof that the disease is unnatural as you heal them.
Jessie: *smugness intensifies*
...
Later on, the PCs investigate the docks:
Angeline: So apparently all the fishermen got sick first? That's suspicious.
Andrew: Can we search the area to look for anything interesting?
DM: Sure, give me perception rolls, everyone.
(They all roll low except for Allegra)
Everyone in the party: I don't see anything suspicious...
Allegra: Phew! This place stinks! Why is the water filled with dead fish?
After a bit more investigating, they find a few suspicious crates shoved into a corner. Prying the boxes open, they discover that they are filled with shards of glass and a black, tarlike substance.
Andrew: What is that stuff?
Jessie: Can I test it to see what it is? (rolls)
DM: Well, you're pretty sure that drinking it would be bad for your health...
...
As night falls, the group decides what to do.
Angeline: We should hide at the docks in case they come back!
Jessie: Good idea.
DM: Ok, in that case I'm going to need Stealth rolls from you if you want to remain hidden.
Andrew: Uh, I have -2 for Stealth. Is that bad?
Angeline: What? Why's your Stealth so low?
DM: It turns out that walking around in a giant suit of armor isn't very stealthy.
In the end, they split up: Aspen and Allegra stay in the docks, while Jasper and Gwen head towards one of the watchtowers. Alas, not everything goes according to plan.
DM: You're both in the watch tower now, right?
Jessie: Yeah. Do we see anything?
DM: Well... (rolls). You see some torches down the road. Looks like a big group of people are approaching.
Jessie: Oh. Are they... friendly?
DM: You don't know.
Jessie: Ok, in that case we should hide and see what happens when they get closer.
Andrew: Good plan.
(the two non-Stealthy people roll for Stealth)
Andrew: Uh... is 9 high enough?
DM: (makes some hidden rolls) Ok, the first sign that something's gone wrong is a faint whistling sound. Looking up, you see a massive ball of fire flying towards the watchtower.
Jessie: Oh shi-
In case anyone was wondering, the enemy wizard used a magical item in order to cast that fireball. It was a special item with 3 charges. He used the first charge to blow up the watchtower, the second charge to blow up the gate, then after the adventurers got the upper hand he decided to run instead of wasting the third charge.
After dropping out of the burning tower (and getting lightly singed in the process), Gwen and Jasper barely have a moment to catch their breath before the gateway in front of them is blown wide open.
Halfway across the town, Aspen and Allegra hear the sounds of explosions and decide to investigate. Allegra (now controlled by Angeline) decides to run across town on foot while Aspen steals borrows a boat and uses it to row downstream.
Allegra arrived at the start of turn 2, while Aspen arrived at the start of turn 4.
Meanwhile, at the gate Gwen and Jasper decide to make a last stand. Gwen stands before the ruined gate to any of the enemies from getting past. A moment later, a group of large heavily armed men charge through the smoke. Glowering menacingly behind them is a man dressed in mages robes flanked by a pair of bodyguards.
DM: Ok, Minion 1 rolls... and misses. Minion 2... also misses. Minion 3... misses again. And finally, Minion 4... misses. Bloody hell.
 |
| Pictured: Andrew defending the gates |
The image above basically sums up the first few rounds. Andrew is playing a fully decked out Paladin with plate armor and heavy shield and everything, so he has a whopping 20 AC as a level 1 character. To put it in perspective, the level 3 enemies that entered the battle later on had 17 AC at most.
So the first few rounds go swimmingly for the players. The minions can barely scratch the Paladin who's standing right in the middle of the gate and stopping them from entering the village. And whenever he does take any damage, the Bard and Cleric just heal him back to full health the next turn.
Of course, the wizard isn't exactly a pushover either. He has three main attacks...
DM: Raising his wand, the wizard hurls a bolt of dark energy towards you! So... do you have more then 20 Reflex?
Andrew: Um, no?
DM: Ok, in that case, you take... 9 points of damage and you're blinded. Save ends.
"Save ends" basically means "at the end of your turn, you can roll to save against this effect, but every time you fail this effect stays for another turn".
Also...
DM: You feel chains of magical energy snapping into place around your body. If you move from that spot, you're going to take damage.
Angeline: Oh. Well, I didn't want to move either, so hah!
And finally...
DM: The wizard chants some dark incantation, opening up a dark portal that hangs in mid air.
Jessie: Oh shit he's summoning demons!
DM: ... not quite. The portal spews out a cloud of thick, dark smoke that makes it hard for you to see. As long as you're standing within 3 tiles of the portal, all your enemies have concealment.
Andrew: What does that mean?
DM: Basically, you take a -2 penalty to all melee and ranged attack rolls against them.
Andrew: Well, crap.
The Smokescreen Cloud is a sustained zone, which means that every turn the caster can spend a minor action to keep it going. He can also move it around with a movement action.
Normally, this wouldn't be too big of a problem for a balanced party because the Rogue or other Striker (DPS) class would simply go through the smoke and gank the caster. Problem is, this isn't a balanced party. We've got a Fighter, a Paladin, a Bard, and a Cleric; two tanks and two healers (and a tank that can act as a healer).
So they're what's called a grinder party - tough and almost impossible to put down, but lacking in mobility, DPS, and AOE capabilities, which is why the fight dragged on for as long as it did.
Also, because nobody could get away from the scrum at gate to engage the wizard directly, he just stood in one spot for most of the battle and chucked spells around like an asshole, which just made things even harder for the party.
After 3 turns of watching his minions get slaughtered, the mage loses his temper and orders one of his bodyguards to go in. A few minutes later, Aspen turns up on the battle field - and because she came in a boat, she's on the other side of the gate compared to the other players, well within charging range of the wizard.
Angeline: I'll charge this minion! (points to minion near the gate and far away from the wizard)
DM: ... ok.
Confession time: I sent in higher leveled enemies then originally planned cause I saw that two-tank two-healer combo team and went "well, they're just going to steam roller over a bunch of level one enemies".
DM: Ok, while you're distracted by the minions, the Throatcutter sinks his dagger into your back, causing... 13 points of damage.
Andrew: Holy shit! Guys, I don't think we're going to survive this fight.
DM: You're going to be fine. You have 2 healers in your party. And you can heal yourself. I'd be honestly surprised if anyone here actually died.
In the end, none of them died, but it was a pretty close thing. The Throatcutters could dish out a ton of damage compared to all the other enemies (1d6+3 damage, plus another 1d6 if they had Combat Advantage), while the wizard just stood back and dropped blinding curses and trap wards like they were going out of style.
None of this would have been too bad, really, if it weren't for the fact that the dice seemed to be cursed...
Andrew: I'll use my encounter power on this guy! (rolls low) NOOOOOOOO
DM: Glowing with divine magic, your sword swings towards the guy's face... and misses completely.
Andrew: Ok, never mind. I'll try again next turn.
DM: Uh, you've used up your encounter power. It's gone now.
Andrew: Even if it missed?
DM: Yep.
Later on...
Andrew: Mind if I use your dice?
DM: Sure, go ahead.
Andrew: (rolls 17) Holy shit I actually hit something!
Jessie: The other dice are cursed.
Finally, after far too many rounds, the party have put down the Throatcutters. Well, almost...
Andrew: Ok, I need to leave soon, so I'm just going to use my daily power now. (rolls) Please hit... no!
DM: Here, I'll let you roll again.
Andrew: I'm using your red dice this time. (rolls) Yes! 21! Take that!
DM: Ok, how much damage do you do?
Andrew: (rolls dice)
DM: So that's... (starts laughing) he... he's got 1 HP left! Oh my god I can't believe this shit.
Andrew: (-_-)...
He wasn't the only one who used his daily powers...
Jessie: So I hit this guy... and I weaken him... and... any healing I do from now on gives +5 extra HP.
Andrew: Whoa! That's amazing!
Jessie: ... but I already used up all my healing... (TT.TT)
Andrew: Oh.
For the record: she used up her big healing spells, but one of her at will powers could give an ally some HP every time she hit an enemy with it, so the bonus +5 HP wasn't totally wasted.
Angeline also had some fun with the Bard:
Angeline: I hit him with... Vicious Mockery. (rolls)
DM: You do a 'yo mama' joke so bad he has a heart attack and dies.
Later...
Angeline: I hit the Bandit Mystic with Vicious Mockery and pull him closer.
DM: Your insult made him so mad he forgot about running. He turns around and goes "How dare you say that about my mother?!"
She had... not so much fun with the Fighter, unfortunately.
Angeline: Ok, so if I charge here, I can... wait, I still have that trap curse on me, right? Would I take damage if I move anywhere?
DM: Damn. I was hoping you'd forget.
...
Angeline: So I have a trap curse on me again, which means I can't move. And nobody's in range, so I can't attack. And... I don't have a crossbow? Why don't I have a crossbow!
DM (aka, the person who printed out her character sheet): *sweats nervously* Uh, oops?
But alas, all good things must come to an end. Once the party had killed the minions and the Throatcutters, the Bandit Mystic decided that discretion was the better part of valor and made a run for it.
Jessie: What? He's running away?! He's not supposed to run away!
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts the party was unable to stop the mystic from escaping. The adventure session ended there, with the party standing amid the burning ruins of the gate and watching impotently as the bandit mage fled into the night.
Perhaps they might meet again? Who knows...
-------------------
XP and Achievements
At the end of each session, I'll tally up everyone's XP and give them achievements based on what they did during the adventure. Each achievement gives the party a bonus +50XP, and certain achievements can unlock special options in future adventures.
For today's session, we have:
Achievements:
Sweet Talker: Convince Hindel to let you in peacefully [+50XP]
Song and Dance: Agree to take in Allegra the tiefling bard (unlocks her as a companion character) [+50XP]
Something Smells Fishy: Discover proof that the Red Fever isn't a natural disease [+50XP]
Hold the Line: Protect the temple from the bandits [+50XP]
- Hold the Door: Stop the bandits from even entering the village [+100XP]
I'll Be Back: Let the Bandit Mystic escape [+50XP]
-------------
Total: 350 XP + 650 XP (Combat) = 1, 000 XP/4 (number of PCs) = 250 XP per person
Comments
Post a Comment