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What was this? A rules ritual? Just a good religion/arcana roll?
It's a ritual called Undead Ward (I think. I'm not looking at it right now.). I got it off the Compendium a while back but I don't recall the original source.
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Also, what rules are you using for stunting? I imagine it's beyond page 42; it seems like you give certain benefits for badass stunting. But I didn't see those rules in "How I fixed 4e".
Hmm, I thought it was in there. But no problem to repeat it here since it is short and sweet: "You may spend an Action Point + Healing Surge to do something cool that fits your character concept but isn't covered by one of your powers."
As a rough guideline I try to let stuff like this approximate the power level of an Encounter power. But that is somewhat flexible and I don't worry about it much either way. I'd say that about 60% of their action points get spent on Stunts vs. simply taking the extra action.
I am behind on updating this thread so I'll see if I can get a post up later today.
It's a ritual called Undead Ward (I think. I'm not looking at it right now.). I got it off the Compendium a while back but I don't recall the original source.
Tiz from Open Grave, to-be-sure...
__________________ Pablo El Vagabundo
"Mercy!? You want MERCY? I'M CHAOTIC NEUTRAL!!!"
Hmm, I thought it was in there. But no problem to repeat it here since it is short and sweet: "You may spend an Action Point + Healing Surge to do something cool that fits your character concept but isn't covered by one of your powers."
The only thing in there in terms of THIS was: "Action point + Daily to do something super cool" like collapse a cave/lift a great boulder/animate a statue. The healing surges is news to me.
On the topic of action points and such, how often are your PCs hitting your altered milestones, compared to the Milestone per 2 combats rule?
The only thing in there in terms of THIS was: "Action point + Daily to do something super cool" like collapse a cave/lift a great boulder/animate a statue. The healing surges is news to me.
On the topic of action points and such, how often are your PCs hitting your altered milestones, compared to the Milestone per 2 combats rule?
After some consideration and a single session of playtesting I determined that Action Point + Daily was way too expensive if I wanted the stunts to see much use. I think this was mentioned further down that thread but I should go edit the OP.
My version of milestones haven't really been called that through most of the campaign. The awarding of additional action points is done mostly for quest completion. I try and come up with (and encourage the players to come up with) new "quests" or "goals" all the time and it seems to work pretty well. On average they hit one per session I'd say. Sometimes I have some sort of pivotal thing crop up in a fight, the resolution of which gets everybody an action point.
One thing I've modified a bit since we're doing things this way is what happens to Action Points after an Extended Rest. They are supposed to reset to 1. But I've discovered that they frequently have a big, important battle that they have worked toward (and which resolves a quest) right before they take an Extended Rest. So the Action Point for the quest would be effectively lost.
In cases like that they sometimes use the extra AP's to get rid of Wounds suffered in such battles. But if not then I will let them retain the bonus AP into the next adventuring day. It doesn't appear to imbalance anything.
The PC's scrambled out of their bedrolls as Astavian took a guard position between them and the bugbears. The Human Wizard raised his staff and a bolt of lightning shot toward the Paladin. As it struck him he realized that it was not merely a bolt but in fact a serpent. It coiled around him and continued to deliver jolts of electricity through his armor.
Eshik leapt to defend against the Guardian, now unwillingly bent on their destruction. Mialain and Zanne scrambled back from the stone beast trying to aid both Astavian and Eshik. The Bugbears charged in amongst them and added to their troubles and things were looking bleak.
The Guardian was dealing bone-crushing bites to Eshik and they all knew that he wouldn't last long. Astavian knocked aside one of the Bugbears and ran right at the Human Wizard. The Wizard disengaged, giving ground as he retreated further back the hallway leading into the Hearth. The Elven Wizard and the Bugbears continued to be the hammer against the anvil that was the Guardian.
But Zanne was dealing brutal damage to multiple Bugbears at once with her spells and Mialain was keeping them all on their feet for a few moments. Eshik, seeing that he stood little chance against the Guardain began focusing his attacks on the Bugbears. One by one they began to fall. As they did so the PC's noted the bulky sacks they were carrying which hit the stone floor with an audible "thud!". The Elven Wizard began to slowly retreat up the stairs to the Promenade, continuing to rain lightning bolts down among the PC's.
Then Eshik fell to a blow from behind by the Guardian. Zanne finished the last of the Bugbears and turned to see Mialain use some of her Healing magic on Eshik only an instant before the Guardian knocked her to the ground as well. Zanne fired a parting shot at the Elven Wizard who suddenly teleported away and then the stone behemoth struck her down as well.
Back inside the corridor the Wizard continued to retreat against the relentless assault of Astavian. They finally emerged on a balcony above the Hearth proper: A huge, conical room with a bubbling pit of lava at the base where the various implements for working metal were kept. The Paladin dealt him a tremendous blow with his greatsword that left the mage barely standing. He gave ground and unleashed another feeble spell but the Paladin of Ryukaar would not be denied his vengeance. The final blow fell.
Astavian quickly stooped to grab the stone scepter that controlled the guardian and dashed back to help his friends. But he was met in the hallway by the bounding form of the Guardian, coming to destroy him as well.
"STOP!" commanded Astavian.
And so the Guardian did.
They stood looking at one another for an instant before Astavian heard Eshik's cry, "HELP!" The Paladin raced back out of the tunnel to find Eshik frantically trying to give medical aid to the fallen women. A few tense moments passed before they could be stabilized and both clinged to life by the most narrow of margins.
Astavian gripped the lion-head scepter and spoke to the Guardian once more. "Guard us as we rest," he commanded. The Guardian replied, "I shall."
Several hours later they were battered and bruised but in good enough shape to examine what the Bugbears carried in their sacks and also to peer inside the Hearth to see what wonders it might hold. The sacks held some stone tablets written in dwarven runes as well as a brilliant silver bust of a dwarf. Zanne performed a quick ritual to comprehend that language and was able to make some sense of things.
The stone tablets were magically charged writings holding pre-cataclysm spells. She couldn't begin to guess how they were written but felt that she might be able to tap into their magic if need be.
Then she examined the bust and read the inscription around the base. It said, "For Galron Silverbeard: Your craftsmanship will not be forgotten." As she read the inscription aloud the statue began to speak. She listened intently as it carefully explained the precise steps required to perform increasingly complex enchantments to magical weapons and armor. And...the secret of working adamantite...
*******
So the fight with the Wizards/Bugbears/Guardian was pretty nasty. But the players handled it just as they should have. They worked on the weaker targets (the Bugbears) while somebody went right after that Wizard and his scepter that had turned the Guardian against them. Once the PC's starting falling it got ugly in a hurry though. Mialain was ONE death save away when Astavian got to her with his Lay on Hands. Zanne had only failed one by the time the newly awakened Mialain could use her Heal skill to stabilize her (Zanne had ZERO healing surges left).
They were all angry that the Elf had escaped during the fight and they actually sent the Guardian after him but the stone lion tracked him to a door that he probably teleported through and could follow no further.
And then came the part where they found the secret of adamantite...and I totally botched this.
So basically I announced it to the group and then started the debate. Astavian and Eshik felt that they should destroy the bust (presumably by throwing it in the lava) because they worried that a dragonslaying weapon (which appears to be a property of all adamantite in my world) might be somehow turned into a dragonBORNslaying weapoin. Further, Eshik felt that any weapon designed specifically to slay the majestic dragons was a bad thing.
Zanne on the other hand felt that there was a lot that could be learned from the bust, which clearly contained several rituals for enchanting various magic items. She also felt it should be returned to the dwarves, who had shown no interest in fighting either dragons or dragonborn, since it was the main thing they had come down here for. (Mialain wasn't in on the initial debate because she had to miss this session but she would eventually side with Zanne for similar reasons)
Now normally this is something I'd chalk up to just a friendly debate between players. But the problem was that I knew this conflict was brewing for a long time. The dragonborn players had pretty well broadcast the fact that they weren't so sure they wanted anybody having that technology in their hands. And Zanne had already picked up on that and was worried that they might try and stop it from getting back to the dwarves.
Where I screwed things up was the fact that a few weeks earlier Zanne's player had sent me a private note containing several bits of info, including the fact that she wanted to be wary of any chance that the dragonborn might take to destroy or hide the secret of adamantite. And then, when she was the only person in the party who could understand what the bust was saying (since it spoke in dwarven) I unthinkingly blurted out to the whole group what was contained therein.
Anyway, over the course of the next week there was much e-mail traffic and discussion about how they should handle this and who cared more about what and who would back down. But in the end it was decided that, since Zanne should have kept that bit of information to herself, we would retcon things back to how they would have unfolded if she hadn't shared with the dragonborn the fact that the bust held the secret of working adamantite.
Lesson learned: Pay attention to the information your players send you and read over it again once in a while so you don't forget stuff!
I havn't seen Astavian's Divine Challenge pop up much in the text. I hope he uses it muchly.
Also, yay secrets kept from the other PCs.
Edit: Just read through the entire thread. Wow! Great read. Loved Blackbreather.
One thing I noticed is when you talk about the two dragonborn and their breathweapons. However Eshik's breath weapon is poison. Undead are immune to poison. Have you takent his into account, in those scenes, or just dismiss it, or does he just not use it in those battles?
As an aside, I should say that I appreciate this thread for both the story hour element and the rules element. Rel's Houserules helped me codify a few things for my next campaign, if I take it in the High & Epic Fantasy direction. I also like some of the very Fantasy elements, of the the Glass Book and its effects on Steelslicer (and the Paladin's sword), loved the Tree, and other little elements (like handling exposition in Email/Handout form).
As I've been reading this thread, I thought it only manners to pop in and say hello.
"Hello!"
I'm not a 4E player (3.5E grognard right here, T-shirt and all ), but I thought I'd take a look and see what story elements I could steal while I'm at it.
Wow.
There's been some lovely stuff, great battles, cinematic situations, wonderful role-playing and nice touches with the rules. Love it. I like the monster re-skinning ideas, I'm doing a few little similar touches in the 3.5E campaign I'm trying to write up ATM (gotta love MonsterForge, takes a whole bunch of effort out of touching up the bad guys).
Couple of quick questions: have any of the other PC's Quests come into play yet (other than the one Zanne had to meet the guy who brought her back to life)? And how much meta-plotting have you done to "configure" the places, people and mysteries which the PC's are encountering.
I havn't seen Astavian's Divine Challenge pop up much in the text. I hope he uses it muchly.
One thing I noticed is when you talk about the two dragonborn and their breathweapons. However Eshik's breath weapon is poison. Undead are immune to poison. Have you takent his into account, in those scenes, or just dismiss it, or does he just not use it in those battles?
Astavian does use his Divine Challenge. It's not quite as frequent as I'd have suspected. I think that this is due in part to some of his Minor actions being spoken for by Dragon Breath and other uses of Channel Divinity sometimes. But he does use it and it is effective (at both drawing attacks and inflicting damage when enemies ignore it).
I think that Astavian does a great job as a Defender mainly because he understands that that's his role and is never afraid to "go right at em'". Also his mobility on the battlefield is usually excellent because he is fine taking Opportunity Attacks (he's got a very good AC, nice Hit Points, tons of Healing Surges and an excellent Cleric backing him up) and also he's well geared to make Charge attacks thanks to his Horned Helmet.
Eshik's poison breath has probably been used inappropriately a few times vs. foes that should be immune. But it's not that big a deal and it's hardly among the larger of my rules gaffs. I know we've done it right at least a couple times because I recall looking at him when he was announcing his damage and saying, "And...they are immune to Poison."
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Originally Posted by meomwt
Couple of quick questions: have any of the other PC's Quests come into play yet (other than the one Zanne had to meet the guy who brought her back to life)? And how much meta-plotting have you done to "configure" the places, people and mysteries which the PC's are encountering.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
There have been a wide variety of quests. Many small. A few large. Mialain returning the Glass Book of Light to the Tree and Astavian confronting Blackbreather were a couple biggies. Mialain is still seeking her missing brother. Eshik has sought out some lost relics of the old Dragonborn Empire (found among the undead Dragonborn in the River Hall). Zanne continues to try and cement alliances for the Empire of Vond with the brewing tensions with the Arcanon Confederacy.
Beyond that I'm not sure exactly what you mean about the "meta-plotting". If you mean whether I'm putting places and adventures in their path purely because it fits with their backstory and goals then I'd say that I am but only to a very limited extent. These players have done an excellent job of creating plot hooks for themselves that are solid but also flexible. These are things that they desire but don't have to happen in only one place or under a specific set of circumstances. If you mean something apart from that then I'll try and answer if you can explain a bit more.
Anyway, thanks again for reading and the comments. It helps me to answer these questions because I only have a limited perspective on things.
Just like to say that I always keep and eye out for this thread - and PCats and LostSouls game commentaries. I always find a little something to add to my own games.
I've just announced a Do Something Cool house rule, based on your Action point + healing surge mechanic.
I have not used minor quests in my game at all and I don't give out XP to the players - I keep a rough idea based on encounters and story, but your minor quests really seem to add to the game. Since there is no XP incentive for the PCs, I'll have to put my thinking cap on.
__________________ Pablo El Vagabundo
"Mercy!? You want MERCY? I'M CHAOTIC NEUTRAL!!!"
Last edited by vagabundo; 12th June 2009 at 11:25 AM..
Just like to say that I always keep and eye out for this thread - and PCats and LostSouls game commentaries. I always find a little something to add to my own games.
I've just announced a Do Something Cool house rule, based on your Action point + healing surge mechanic.
I have not used minor quests in my game at all and I don't give out XP to the players - I keep a rough idea based on encounters and story, but your minor quests really seem to add to the game. Since there is no XP incentive for the PCs, I'll have to put my thinking cap on.
A minor quest could come with the hint of treasures and similar rewards?
(Titles, Support, Ally, Information, Romance)
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Beyond that I'm not sure exactly what you mean about the "meta-plotting". If you mean whether I'm putting places and adventures in their path purely because it fits with their backstory and goals then I'd say that I am but only to a very limited extent. These players have done an excellent job of creating plot hooks for themselves that are solid but also flexible. These are things that they desire but don't have to happen in only one place or under a specific set of circumstances.
I think what I was really asking was:
Did you have an idea of the "story" you wanted to tell at the start of the campaign?
Did you link specific parts of that story to specific places? - and you've already said No to that one
Do you have a particular set of places that you want the PC's to visit or are they virtually free to go where they will?
From where I'm sitting and reading, it seems like a lot of work has gone into the plot and back-story already, I just wondered how much had been made up in advance of starting the campaign and how much the night before a session
A minor quest could come with the hint of treasures and similar rewards?
(Titles, Support, Ally, Information, Romance)
Thanks for the suggestions.
I think I'll have to get my PCs to expand on their characters backstories for this to be effective. I've been using a weekly gmail Story Hour to summarise the game and fill out PC back stories myself: it has really worked well and maybe I need to up that and get them more involved in their own characters.
I think without some player involvement in their own characters history it would be difficult to hook them on a minor/personal quest.
__________________ Pablo El Vagabundo
"Mercy!? You want MERCY? I'M CHAOTIC NEUTRAL!!!"
As far as incentives for minor quests, again, I award Action Points for them (to the entire group, not just one player, since achieving them is a group effort even if it is most meaningful to a single PC). But really no such incentive is required. This is stuff that the PC's wish to accomplish and they'd do it for "free". I give out the Action Points because I like to see PC's get to do amazing things especially when they've just accomplished some kind of goal.
When Inigo Montoya finally accomplishes his lifelong pursuit of Count Rugen, he turns almost certain defeat into roaring triumph. That's the kind of stuff I want to facilitate.
Thanks to your question and that example I just had an idea I might try. Based on certain very important quests I might consider handing out Action Points with a bonus on them. So for example if you did accomplish a lifelong goal then I'd give you a +5 Action Point. Anything you do with that point gets a +5 bonus to success. Lower bonuses would be attached to achievements of lesser significance. Hmm...I'll have to mull that over but I think I may adopt that.
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Originally Posted by meomwt
I think what I was really asking was:
Did you have an idea of the "story" you wanted to tell at the start of the campaign?
Did you link specific parts of that story to specific places? - and you've already said No to that one
Do you have a particular set of places that you want the PC's to visit or are they virtually free to go where they will?
From where I'm sitting and reading, it seems like a lot of work has gone into the plot and back-story already, I just wondered how much had been made up in advance of starting the campaign and how much the night before a session
The answer is that an awful lot of what happens in my game is made up only a few hours before the session starts. The appearance to the contrary is a combination of a couple of things: I've become quite good at tying together different plot threads into a coherent whole AND I've become even better at picking the brains of some seriously talented plotters and planners. My online chats with Hobo and Nareau over at Circvs Maximvs produce some wickedly awesome ideas.
The typical manner in which I approach campaigns these days is the one I used this time as well. I come up with an idea for my first adventure or plot arc. In this case it was the mission to deliver (the fake) Lord Harrix and (the fake) Gift to King Klo of Opkhar. I knew that this would have them fall from the bridge to Opkhar into the river and then into and up through the Prison Mines of Pelor plateau. That's all I knew for sure. Everything since then has been fabricated no more than two or three sessions in advance.
My reasons for this approach are many. First, it's easy. I mean in the sense that I'm not working too hard up front writing material. I'm especially not writing material that might go unused because the players wanted to go in another direction. It's not that I abhor railroading (I always do it at the start of a campaign). It's just that I haven't even built the tracks until they commit to going that direction anyway.
This method is highly adaptable too. Different things may be important to different PC's at different points in the game. If I don't plan too far in advance then I remain flexible about addressing these things as they crop up.
But mainly I do it because it is the most fun for me. I like being surprised as much or more than the players do. So when the campaign takes twists and turns that I had not expected then that is tremendous fun for me.
All of that said, I don't run my games as a total sandbox. It would be silly to assert that I have no control or desire about what direction they go. But what direction I'd like to see them go is something that is revealed to me over time rather than pre-plotted from the beginning. And generally they go there much more from the carrot than they do from the stick.
There's a player in my group with a dragonborn paladin. I am curious if Astavianhas been able to use the dragonbreath creatively, especially with you stunt rules?
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Originally Posted by Rechan
I havn't seen Astavian's Divine Challenge pop up much in the text. I hope he uses it muchly.
Essentially, Astavian would start with a Divine Challenge if there is a Minor Action to be had. Times this would not be the case is if I want to use a Dragon Breath first, or need the minor somewhy, or a target is unclear or unreachable by my turn. Other reasons you won't hear a lot about it is that all the foe has to do is not attack and nothing happens. If he's running, commanding mooks or talking trash, etc. then nothing.
Dragon Breath I tend to pick my spots since I get one shot. Any groups or minions or attempts to grab attention of new foes are good uses I like. Eshik's trinket that allows recharges is great and he throws out breath weapon attacks all the time. It is a bit unfortunate that some flavors of breath are more useful than others
__________________ Im in ur helmet, Daddy, collectin ur bownteez
So, what day do you guys play? I'm waiting anxiously for the next installment.
TONIGHT!
Although I'm a couple behind so there is more material to post. I've just had a very busy last several days. Rest of the week should provide me a bit of time to get caught up though.
Before leaving the depths of Old Karak Tor, the PC's returned once more to the River Gate to study the strange "bubble" in the Mist. If there were some item buried there that repelled the corruption of the Mist then it would be extremely useful and valuable. After some examination and magical observation, it was determined that it was in fact the bones of the dead dragons that were keeping the Mist at bay.
Some experimentation showed that the Mist would not cling to any of the bones brought into it. Merely carrying a small piece of the bone was not enough to keep the Mist away from one of the adventurers but they guessed that a whole suit of armor fashioned from the stuff might provide considerable protection from the foul stuff. They gathered a few of the smaller bones to take with them for further study and entered back through the River Gate.
They bade their final farewell to The Guardian whose control scepter they cast into the lava pit. "You are free to go as you please now. What will you do now that you are no longer bound to this place?" asked Astavian. The Guardian replied with his rumbling voice, "I shall have to give it some thought. But you have my thanks." The PC's began their ascent back up the long, spiral avenue of Old Karak Tor.
They re-entered the ancient tailor's shop and climbed the hundred foot ladder back to the chamber where they had fought the spider. Her putrifying body was enough to quickly send them out of the room and they made their way out the central passage, up the stairs and through the broken front gates of Old Karak Tor out into the sunshine once more.
Suddenly they were beset from their flanks by two groups of Bugbears! As they recovered from this surprise they were met with another: The shadow of a sixty foot long boat hull loomed above them as an Eladrin Winged Ship came into view, archers gathered along the railing. They saw the Eladrin Mage they had done battle with at the Hearth Door standing in the prow. "You are all under arrest for the murder of agents of the Arcanon Confederacy, including a Guildmaster! Lay down your arms and surrender or you will be killed!"
The PC's of course had no intentions of surrendering. Quickly they dashed back into the relative safety of the passage from which they had just emerged where the Bugbears could only come at them a few at a time and the archers would be limited in their ability to shoot at them. All except Eshik. He reacted too slowly and his retreat was cut off by the eight Bugbears. He quickly withdrew to one of the walls of the courtyard where he at least had his back against something solid. Arrows trailing magical fire streaked at him from the deck of the ship above and left scorch marks on the wall around him as some of the Bugbears broke off from the press into the broken stone gates and moved in on the Dragonborn Ranger.
Meanwhile in the corridor Astavian was fighting three at a time and trying to keep Mialain and Zanne close behind him in order not to let the Bugbears slip past them. They had retreated a few steps back so that the Eladrin Archers could not fire upon them. "Where is Eshik?!" yelled Mialain over the din of the battle. But a moment later Zanne enveloped the entrance with the blackness of her Hunger of Hadar. Eshik was out of sight and on his own.
The seething darkness took a terrible toll on the Bugbear attackers and within a few moments most of them lay dead to it or Astavian's chisel tipped greatsword. The blackness abated and they pressed forward in the hopes that they could aid Eshik. They emerged to find the Ranger laying in a pool of blood and the Eladrin Ship hovering right inside the courtyard. Mialain broke from the entranceway and worked the magic of Melora to heal the fallen Dragonborn.
Above most of the Eladrin Archers had mysteriously vanished but the Wizard was nearby and blasting away with his lightning magic. Zanne set him afire with the Flames of Phlegethos. Astavian dashed forward and finished the Wizard with a smite from his sword. Suddenly there came a crashing, rending of timbers from overhead as the ship crashed into the stone face of the courtyard. A couple of the Eladrin crew tumbled overboard to lay unconscious on the gravel floor below and the other Arcanon Confederacy Wizard aboard was hurled to the deck.
The ship settled roughly into the courtyard as a female Eladrin teleported to the ground and was running away. Some of the Eladrin Archers rematerialized on the deck, having Fey Stepped out of the archery gallery above and opened fire on her at the command of the Wizard. Sensing that she had betrayed the other Eladrin and crashed the ship on purpose, the PC's ran to aid her but it was too late. She fell to the ground, riddled with arrows.
Eshik turned and rushed the ship, now resting on the ground and made short work of the Wizard. But a pair of the Archers dashed to the stern where the magical orb that apparently drove the vessel was located and, with a grinding lurch they attempted to get it aloft before all the PC's could get aboard. Astavian and Zanne both managed to scramble on board as Mialain kept up a covering fire with her bow. The Paladin and Warlock along with Eshik closed inexorably upon the last surviving pair of Eladrin Archers at the helm of the ship.
One of them brought the pommel of his short sword down upon the orb with a loud CRACK and the orb went dark. The ship heeled over on its side and the stern dug into the rocky ground, sending all aboard tumbling out. Mialain dashed after them and within moments was healing the cuts and scrapes her comerades had suffered in the crash that had killed both of the Archers.
Returning to the body of the Eladrin who had seemingly aided them, Mialain heard the final word that escaped her dying lips: "Sellarain..." As her body went limp, a wooden holy symbol tumbled from her hand. A symbol of Melora.
******
Aaaaand here we have yet another Big Epic Fight where the PC's are outnumbered and outgunned and I expect them to pull off some kind of miracle in order to win. As usual they did.
One of my design goals for this combat was to run a truly mixed set of combatants instead of just one or two. It met that goal for sure but, if I had it to do over again, I'd probably have given myself double the number of Archers and made them Minions rather than the six (slighly dumbed down) Arcane Archers that I used.
The Bugbears worked well as the fodder to tie up the PC's while the Archers and Wizards worked them over. It was of course smart and expected that they would retreat into the entrance to the fortress. This part of the fight was made less static by the fact that they needed to try and break out to help Eshik and also by the Eladrin Archers who Fey Stepped into the archery gallery and moved around to attack them from behind (I kind of glossed over that part in my narrative above).
I had not foreseen the boarding and takeoff of the ship at the end of the fight. But it gave me a great opportunity to wrap things up without needing to grind through the HP of those last couple Archers by them suicidally sabatoging the ship so that it wouldn't fall into enemy hands. I just killed the Archers outright and let the PC's on board make some Athletics/Acrobatics checks to determine how much damage they took in the process. Zanne got to once again use her Catstep Boots to halve some falling damage!
The bit with the Eladrin chick at the end of the fight was of course a bit of a handwave of the normal dying/death rules for dramatic effect. When they tried to save her earlier in the fight I told them that she was mortally wounded beyond the ability of healing magic to fix. Now I'd never do that to a PC of course but one of the things that I like about 4e is how I don't have to try and always apply the same rules to NPC's and monsters. So I got a nice, cinematic death scene out of the deal and yet another plot hook. Because Sellerain is Mialain's lost brother that she's been searching for since before the start of the campaign. So of course Mialain immediately set about casting Gentle Repose on her corpse in the hopes of having her Raised when they get back to the Dwarves.
Oh and at the end of this session the PC's made 6th level.
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