Let's Play #9 4e Goodman Games DCC55 Isle of the Sea Drake Enc#9 The Watch Tower WITH PC PICs

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And so we’re back with the kids again, this one- unlike the other two scenarios they played previously- LP#6 Kobold Hall, & LP#7 Into the Shadowhaunt; this one was for the kids- as in a full-size scenario, and with a lot less adult interference.

LP#6 & LP#7 were one session hits- three or four encounters each, played around a large table with five kids and at least five adults; this time, as I’ve already said, the kids got to do their own thing. Spider had his helper with him, but then again Spider (not his real name, his D&D name you understand) is only 4, or else nearly 5; therefore his dad was on hand; but the others were off the leash.

I therefore also made a concerted effort to engage with the little guys, I’m not going to go through all the tricks I pulled, mainly because I don’t remember them all, but I’ll try and mention some of the stuff that I used along the way to keep them entertained.

This scenario took us about three months to get through, I forget how many sessions (and I’ve not looked at my notes yet) but some of the sessions were spaced out. We made a rule that all of the players had to be available for the game to go ahead, and stuck to it, even if it meant waiting three weeks between games.

And so the gang were duly gathered (again), character sheets located- with a complete session devoted to getting the kids to roll up their own PCs (they’re really not optimised), dice were bought for the occasion, and so the third adventure of the Young Ones begins.

And so we have-

PC's
Brevill, Male Warforged Paladin of Erathis 1 (Played by Spider aged 4.75)
Shuva, Female Half-Elf Fey Pact Warlock 1 (Played by Alfie aged 9)
Heian, Male Elf Cleric of Sehanine 1 (Played by Luka aged 9)
Lia, Male Elf Rogue 1 (Played by Leena aged 12)
Arannis, Male Eladrin Warlord 1 (Played by Fred aged 13)

And so…

The story starts with a ship- The Barnacle, it’s at sea, the kids get ten minutes of backstory, delivered by yours truly in a grand narrator style, followed by two minutes or so to exchange pleasantries with Captain Jack and his crew, meet prince Dwayne (see below), and admire the beautiful island paradise they’re sailing by.

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The backstory is pretty simple really; the adventurers are all part of the same group- a collection of Fey ambassadors and merchants from the Lord of the Great Sea. Arannis is a lieutenant of the fey guard; Heain and Shuva are low-ranking court members, they fulfil the function of priest and mystic, respectively. Lia is a member of the royal family, a (tomboy) princess- of sorts; while Brevill is her butler-cum-bodyguard. The group have traveled through a portal from the Feywild, obviously there are many other members of the court aboard The Barnacle, including a direct-line blood relative of the Lord of the Great Sea- the beautiful young prince Dwayne.

Then the monster hits…

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And The Barnacle is smashed in two, and so we start… at the bottom of the stairs!

So the guys have their character sheets (in plastic wallets) and dice in hand and are at the bottom of the stairs (in real life), their first task is to get up the stairs- because in game they’re all below deck on the ship. The kids have to climb over each other (in a safe way, of course), while rolling skill checks to get themselves, and their friends, up the stairs and on to the deck of the ship proper, which equates to the landing at the top of the stairs.

Once at the top of the stairs the bathroom door opens and a water-pistol wielding miscreant (Dave) appears, the kids have to make more checks- and mimic their PCs actions, leaping about the upstairs landing to get in to a bedroom; Dave is simulating the waves and flying water with his super-soaker by the way. The door to the bedroom opens and closes seemingly at random intervals- the guys have to time their leaps, hops and runs to get in the door and avoid the maniac water pistol wielder. Thus through a combination of skill checks, and some fine acting, the guys make it across the heaving deck of the ship to the rail. They quickly realise that the only way they can survive is by getting off the boat and trying to swim to the island they’re sailing past.

Back down the stairs the guys have to swim down the hallway, on their bellies- Leena wasn’t too happy about this- she’s 12 and far too grown up for ‘swimming down a hallway’, anyway after more skill checks the guys make it to the doorway to the dining room, which is to say- the shore of the island.

The last thing they see is The Barnacle finally sinking beneath the waves, followed by a glimpse of the scaled serpent that wrecked the ship; the creature has Prince Dwayne in its clutches.

“Prince Dwayne” Lia shouts, and waves frantically…

Prince Dwayne looks a lot like Justin Bieber- apparently.

The players are rewarded with juice, biscuits and ten minutes to calm down a little; they’re around the table now and the game proper can begin.

The PC's

Brevill, Male Warforged Paladin of Erathis 1 (Played by Spider aged 4.95)
Shuva, Female Half-Elf Fey Pact Warlock 1 (Played by Alfie aged 9)
Heian, Male Elf Cleric of Sehanine 1 (Played by Luka aged 9)
Lia, Female Elf Rogue 1 (Played by Leena aged 12)
Arannis, Male Eladrin Warlord 1 (Played by Fred aged 13)

I’ve lost the various Character Builder files for all of the PCs in this scenario. So, I’ve recreated them below using the CB, although when we played this scenario I don’t remember Themes being used. I’ve done the best I can.

You’ll note that none of the PCs are particularly optimised, that’s not what these players are about at all.


Brevill played by Spider

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Brevill, level 1
Warforged, Paladin
Build: Avenging Paladin
Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit)
Theme: Ironwrought

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 20, CON 12, DEX 10, INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 11

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 18, CON 10, DEX 10, INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 11

AC: 20 Fort: 16 Ref: 13 Will: 14
HP: 35 Surges: 11 Surge Value: 8

TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +5, Heal +7, Insight +7, Religion +4

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics –4, Arcana –1, Athletics +2, Bluff +0, Diplomacy +0, Dungeoneering +2, History –1, Intimidate +2, Nature +2, Perception +2, Stealth –4, Streetwise +0, Thievery –4

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Ironwrought Attack: Inevitable Strike
Warforged Racial Power: Warforged Resolve
Paladin Feature: Divine Mettle
Paladin Feature: Divine Strength
Paladin Feature: Divine Challenge
Paladin Feature: Lay on Hands
Paladin Attack 1: Holy Strike
Paladin Attack 1: Valiant Strike
Paladin Attack 1: Piercing Smite
Paladin Attack 1: Paladin's Judgment

FEATS
Level 1: Heavy Blade Expertise

ITEMS
Plate Armor x1
Adventurer's Kit
Longsword x1
Heavy Shield x1
Javelin
====== End ======


Shuva played by Alfie

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Shuva, level 1
Half-Elf, Warlock
Build: Deceptive Warlock
Eldritch Blast Option: Eldritch Blast Charisma
Eldritch Pact Option: Fey Pact
Half-Elf Power Selection Option: Knack for Success
Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit)
Theme: Order Adept

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 10, CON 13, DEX 10, INT 14, WIS 8, CHA 20

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 10, CON 11, DEX 10, INT 14, WIS 8, CHA 18

AC: 14 Fort: 11 Ref: 13 Will: 16
HP: 32 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 8

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +7, Bluff +10, Insight +6, Thievery +5

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +0, Athletics +0, Diplomacy +7, Dungeoneering –1, Endurance +1, Heal –1, History +2, Intimidate +5, Nature –1, Perception –1, Religion +2, Stealth +0, Streetwise +5

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Order Adept Attack: Argent Rain
Half-Elf Racial Power: Knack for Success
Warlock's Curse Power: Warlock's Curse
Warlock Attack 1: Eldritch Blast
Warlock Attack 1: Eyebite
Warlock Pact Boon 1: Misty Step
Warlock Attack 1: Witchfire
Warlock Attack 1: Curse of the Dark Dream

FEATS
Level 1: Human Perseverance

ITEMS
Leather Armor x1
Adventurer's Kit
Rod Implement x1
Dagger x5
====== End ======


Heian played by Luka

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Heian, level 1
Elf, Cleric (Templar)
Build: Devoted Cleric
Cleric Option: Healer's Lore
Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit)
Theme: Ordained Priest

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 11, CON 10, DEX 12, INT 8, WIS 20, CHA 14

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 11, CON 10, DEX 10, INT 8, WIS 18, CHA 14

AC: 16 Fort: 10 Ref: 11 Will: 17
HP: 32 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 8

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +4, Heal +10, History +4, Religion +4

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +0, Athletics –1, Bluff +2, Diplomacy +2, Dungeoneering +5, Endurance –1, Insight +5, Intimidate +2, Nature +7, Perception +7, Stealth +0, Streetwise +2, Thievery +0

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Ordained Priest Attack: Shining Symbol
Elf Racial Power: Elven Accuracy
Cleric Feature: Divine Fortune
Cleric Feature: Turn Undead
Cleric Utility: Healing Word
Cleric Attack 1: Lance of Faith
Cleric Attack 1: Sacred Flame
Cleric Attack 1: Healing Strike
Cleric Attack 1: Beacon of Hope

FEATS
Level 1: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Holy Symbol Expertise

ITEMS
Ritual Book
Comrades' Succor
Gentle Repose
Chainmail x1
Adventurer's Kit
Holy Symbol x1
Morningstar x1
Hand crossbow
Crossbow Bolt
====== End ======


Lia played by Leena

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Lia, level 1
Elf, Rogue (Scoundrel)
Build: Brawny Rogue
Rogue Tactics Option: Brutal Scoundrel
Rogue Option: Scoundrel Weapon Talent
Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit)
Theme: Sarifal Feywarden

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 14, CON 10, DEX 20, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 11

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 14, CON 10, DEX 18, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 11

AC: 17 Fort: 12 Ref: 17 Will: 10
HP: 32 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 8

TRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +10, Bluff +5, Dungeoneering +5, Perception +7, Stealth +10, Thievery +10

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +0, Athletics +2, Diplomacy +0, Endurance +0, Heal +0, History +0, Insight +0, Intimidate +0, Nature +2, Religion +0, Streetwise +0

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Sarifal Feywarden Utility: Sarifal's Blessing
Elf Racial Power: Elven Accuracy
Rogue Attack 1: Deft Strike
Rogue Attack 1: Riposte Strike
Rogue Attack 1: Torturous Strike
Rogue Attack 1: Trick Strike

FEATS
Level 1: Light Blade Expertise

ITEMS
Leather Armor x1
Adventurer's Kit
Dagger x3
Short sword x1
Thieves' Tools
====== End ======


Arannis played by Fred

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Arannis, level 1
Eladrin, Warlord (Marshal)
Build: Tactical Warlord
Warlord Option: Combat Leader
Commanding Presence Option: Tactical Presence
Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit)
Theme: Iliyanbruen Guardian

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 16, CON 13, DEX 10, INT 16, WIS 14, CHA 10

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 16, CON 13, DEX 10, INT 14, WIS 14, CHA 8

AC: 16 Fort: 14 Ref: 13 Will: 14
HP: 28 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +7, Diplomacy +5, Heal +7, History +10, Perception +7

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics –1, Arcana +5, Bluff +0, Dungeoneering +2, Endurance +0, Insight +2, Intimidate +0, Nature +2, Religion +3, Stealth –1, Streetwise +0, Thievery –1

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Eladrin Racial Power: Fey Step
Warlord Feature: Inspiring Word
Warlord Attack 1: Wolf Pack Tactics
Warlord Attack 1: Commander's Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Hammer and Anvil
Warlord Attack 1: Lead the Attack

FEATS
Level 1: Eladrin Soldier

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit
Greatspear x1
Javelin
Hide Armor x1
====== End ======

Session 1.


Encounter #1 On a Strange Shore (Area A-1)

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The guys have almost no time to adjust to their new circumstance- they’re on a tropical beach surrounded by the debris of the ship- the golden sand ends thirty to forty feet away at the tree-line.

Moments later there’s a whoop from the jungle and rushing across the beach towards them are a bunch of ‘natives’, or at least three of the four individuals are. The three look like head-hunters, I go overboard with the description of these guys, with painted skull-faces and bones and grisly totems. One of the ‘natives’ wears thick cloth smock and is carrying a bow, he sets up at the tree-line and notches an arrow. A second ‘native’, clad in armour made from what looks to be the shell of a huge crab, wields a greatclub and comes rushing straight at the adventurers. The third joins the Hunter with the bow, a female with a quarterstaff and wearing a cloak of eagle-feathers.

The last attacker is clearly not a ‘native’, he’s a Tiefling clad in well-worn leathers and wielding a longsword, the foul creature rushes to the attack, screaming.

“Destroy the scurvy dogs!”

Your kindly DM slips on a skull-and-crossbones emblazoned eye-patch.

“Pirates!” Comes the cry from the players.
“Pirate!” I correct them, singular.

Bad Guys 425 XP Level 1 Encounter
Human Comiqui Hunter Level 1 Artillery x1
Human Comiqui Devout Level 1 Controller x1
Human Comiqui Brave Level 1 Brute x1
Tiefling Pirate Fighter- Bos’n Golo Level 2 Soldier x1

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The Tiefling Pirate is first in to the action slashing at Arannis, who just manages to block the blow, the Tiefling however dashes on- the Comiqui Brave following the Pirate’s lead. The Brave diverts- suddenly heads straight for Lia, screaming with his greatclub raised; Lia spins out a dagger- misses. She back-pedals furiously, in to the surf, the Brave still screaming and closing in on her.

At the last moment Brevill steps in and cuts the Comiqui Brave- slashing the Human from shoulder to waist, half-heartedly the Brave sweeps its club around, aiming to take the Warforged’s head off- too slow, the Brave staggers and clutches at the wound (Bloodied with one hit).

Meanwhile Arannis checks his momentum, turns with incredible speed and stabs at the passing Tiefling Pirate with his greatspear, only a slight wound but the Warlord quickly sizes up the situation.

“Lia!” Arannis screams, the Elf Rogue, and Princess of the Court of the Great Sea Lord, suddenly looks up, she ceases her floundering in the waves and carefully moves back towards the shore- nodding once at Arannis in thanks.

A red-black radiant lance of divine power traces a shimmering line down Brevill’s back, the Warforged stiffens and spies over his shoulder the female Comiqui Devout.

“Fight on!” Heian is quickly to Brevill, the Warforged’s wounds are forgotten thanks to the Cleric’s Healing Words, a purple radiant lance catches the Comiqui Brave with the greatclub full in the chest, the Human staggers back, on his last legs.

“Fight on!” Heian yells again, behind the Cleric of Sehanine, Shuva’s form suddenly blurs- the Warlock is surrounded in shadow, she races up the beach.

The Tiefling Pirate turns sharply to meet Arannis.

“Time to die! Yer filthy Elf!” Bos’n Golo announces.
“I’m not an Elf, I’m an Eladrin.” Arannis declares.

Arannis thrusts, Golo dodges and slashes- cuts the Eladrin deep.

“Eladrin… Elf- dead’s dead!” Golo declares with a grin, Arannis clutches at his bloody side.

The Pirate’s smile fades quickly as one of Lia’s daggers thuds in to the Tiefling’s shoulder, Golo grimaces- its Lia’s turn to grin.

Brevill wastes no time, the Warforged slashes wildly at the Comiqui Brave, cuts him deep across the chest- the Brave flops lifeless in to the surf. The Warforged doesn’t wait; he rushes on- up the beach towards the Devout and the Hunter, an arrow thuds in to his chest en route, but the Warforged Fighter is not stopping.

Back in the surf Golo cuts again at Arannis and… the Eladrin blinks out of existence, his Fey Step teleports him behind the Tiefling- just as Lia arrives from the opposite direction. The two attack together, Golo is in two minds- which attack to defend? The Tiefling’s hesitance is enough, he defends neither- Arannis spears the fiend, while Lia sinks her short sword in to the Fighter’s chest- and through.

Golo sinks to his knees, coughs up a slick of blood.

“Elves can’t do that!” Arannis declares, smiles, and then kicks Golo’s short sword out of his hands, the Eladrin is inspired by his own words, his wounds are swiftly forgotten, but for Golo it’s the end.

Just the two Comiqui in the tree-line…

The feathered cloak wearing female Comiqui Devout shuffles backwards- the great Warforged warrior it seems is coming directly for her, she fires off another radiant lance and scores another hit, leaving a smoking burn on Brevill’s metal body, but still he comes on.

“Charge!” Heian screams and heads up the beach after the Warforged.

Shuva suddenly appears in the shadows of the trees, a little way to the side of the action, seconds later the Comiqui Hunter is left screaming as he is instantly, and furiously, engulfed in flames- the Human spills his bow shrieking and hollering, his skin in places smouldering black.

Lia races up the beach, with a gleam in her eye- it seems she has a taste for the fight, her pace is such she is first to the two remaining Comiqui, straight at the scalded Hunter, the poor bastard dodges but too late, Lia takes out his throat with her short sword. The Comiqui dies silently- his screams unheard, his voice box ruined.

Brevill seems to grow in size as he approaches the last of the attackers- the female Comiqui Devout backs away her quarterstaff swatting before her hoping to deflect the Warforged’s sword. Brevill’s blade bites and slices through her staff, she spills the now useless weapon, the Warforged warrior stabs and skewers the Devout with his longsword.

With the last of her strength the Devout rips herself free of the Warforged’s blade, she turns swiftly and, with eyes filled with fear, runs for her life.

She gets perhaps three yards before Brevill cuts her down.

Dead!

Encounter #1 Complete

Bad Guys 425 XP Level 1 Encounter
Human Comiqui Hunter Level 1 Artillery x1
Human Comiqui Devout Level 1 Controller x1
Human Comiqui Brave Level 1 Brute x1
Tiefling Pirate Fighter- Bos’n Golo Level 2 Soldier x1

The adventurers take a moment, between gulped breaths; they search their attackers and scour the shore for anything useful in the wreckage.

Eventually, while sharing the spoils, they discuss their situation.

“Where the hell are we?” Shuva asks.
Heian shrugs.
“The island is unnamed; I saw the map, however…” Arannis takes a moment.
“That’s really not important.” The Eladrin finishes.
“How…” Lia starts, angry.
“The point is we’re here. We need to find out where here is, of course. But more importantly we need to find a ship- if we want to get off this island.” Arannis sums up the situation.
“How the he…” Lia fires up again.
Arannis interrupts the Elf again, this time by hefting the Tiefling Pirate, Bos’n Golo’s, body from the surf.
“He arrived here somehow! And those guys…” Arannis points at one of the bodies of the Comiqui, “… they live here… probably. I think we should go for a walk, find out what the story is.” The Eladrin concludes.

Lia shuts up, thinks hard, and then shrugs- Arannis is making sense. The Rogue goes back to admiring her new short sword, recently liberated from the Tiefling Pirate- a magical blade (a +1 Duelist’s Short Sword in fact). The weapon was identified by Shuva who also managed to find, and without being seen, pocket a Potion of Healing- found in the wreckage of their ship.


“Well, which way?” Lia asks, as she scans the tree-line- Arannis marks the location of the sun and then calculates directions.

Lia however is about to answer her own question.

“There!” The Elf Princess points.
The other adventurers stop to stare.
“I see noth…” Heian begins.
“I see her.” Arannis states.
“What?” Shuva asks, a little lost.
“There’s a woman, watching us, in the trees.” Lia points again.
“Another one of…” Heian begins.
“No, she’s not one of them, at least she does not wear war paint.” Lia answers.
“A third party?” Heian asks.
“Perhaps.” Arannis states, “… we should make contact.”

And with that Lia dashes forward.

“No…” Heain shouts.

But it’s too late; the woman in the trees turns tail and races off in to the jungle.

“Stop her, we must stop her…” Arannis shouts and heads off at speed- “… and capture her, not kill her; if we can.” The Warlord adds.

Comment: It worked well for the following reasons, the fight was frenetic- I got to play several (stereotypical) natives- head hunter types from the Indiana Jones school of bit-part bad guys; and a Pirate- with lots of “scurvy… this”, and, “scurvy… that”; which the kids loved.

After the fight I asked the guys, for the first time, to take a moment to think about where they’re at- with regards to the adventure; I obviously do this kind of thing in my main campaign, usually when the players take an extended rest. I’ve decided for the kids then I’m going to do this a lot more often. The cool thing is the kids are much easier to convince to talk in character; Fred (aged nearly 14, and the oldest at the table) who plays Arannis was in excellent form.

Beforehand, during the character creation session, I’d talked to the kids about who their characters were, by which I don’t mean their class and race, although that’s obviously part of it. I asked them to come up with a few character traits- what they were really like. I don’t remember everything that they came up with but the list went a little like this-

Brevill, Male Warforged Paladin of Erathis 1 (Played by Spider aged 4.95)- Tough and cool, doesn’t talk a lot, protects Lia at all costs. (Spider kinda likes Leena).

Shuva, Female Half-Elf Fey Pact Warlock 1 (Played by Alfie aged 9)- an outsider, frightened of fighting, likes to blast things, a little cruel.

Heian, Male Elf Cleric of Sehanine 1 (Played by Luka aged 9)- loud, strong and cool- like Elrond from LOTR, apparently.

Lia, Male Elf Rogue 1 (Played by Leena aged 12)- a Princess, bossy and bit cruel- ‘do as I say…” type of thing, she’s used to giving the orders.

Arannis, Male Eladrin Warlord 1 (Played by Fred aged 13)- the leader, a talker; calm and collected, and super-cool (of course).

When we came up with this stuff there was a little debate about who should be the leader, Lia (Leena) thought it should be her, after all she’s the royal one- the Princess. The solution, I stated at the time, was that we didn’t have to decide now, if the situation arose and a leader was needed then we’d talk about it, or else let just play it out in-game; this was agreed.

For a while after this first encounter it appeared that Lia and Arannis were both making their bid to be the one giving orders in the group, the problem being for Lia (Leena) was that Arannis (Fred) just came up with some great ideas; and précised the guy’s situation fairly accurately.

I helped out by having Lia spot the woman in the tree-line, I also made sure for a little while that no one else could spot her, Lia got a little of the limelight.

A really fun first encounter.

Session 1.


Encounter #1a Looking for the Watcher.

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Just a note to say I decided beforehand to use an extended skill challenge (at first) to have the PCs move about the island, I got hold of some hex paper and was happy to draw the map hex by hex for the guys- obviously describing the environment as they passed through them.

To begin with the guys were running through the jungle- to simulate this I got them to get up from the table to do some running on the spot.

I asked how they knew which way to run?

The guys replied that they would look out for the woman or else signs of her passing…

Alas this proved difficult to do while running- or at least I made it difficult for them, they failed a lot of checks in the opening moments, however I decided to not punish them with a random encounter (I saved it for later). I instead got the kids to organise themselves a little better to track the woman through the jungle.

Soon after the guys were back around the table and using their skills, mainly perception, to follow the trail, this proved much easier to do.

The rules were simple, one individual can make a Primary Skill Check, two others can aid this check; the three individuals involved had to describe how they were doing whatever it was they were attempting.

This proved to work, with individuals looking for plants bent back, climbing trees, and being boosted up high, all in an effort to keep on the trail.

I kept the DCs low, something like 10 to 13 depending on the checks being employed and how relevant they were to the task in hand.

And so it came to pass, almost two hours later, hot and sweaty in the jungle, the guys catch their first glimpse of the young woman, alas she spots the guys too- and runs, again.

The adventurers are almost spent; we follow with a round of unaided Endurance checks, this proves to be a bad thing for several of the kids; Arannis, Heian and Lia are all now out of breath and struggling- they also lose one Healing Surge each. The players are mortified, they value their Healing Surges more than gold. There’s worse to come, in an effort to push himself beyond his limits Heian stumbles and runs full pelt in to a tree.

A coconut drops on the Cleric of Sehanine’s head- adding injury to insult, that’s what comes of rolling a ‘1’ on an Endurance check, followed by a ‘1’ on an Athletics check.

There’s much laughter around the table- particularly after the incident is acted out.

Shuva however takes a moment to think outside the box, she calls out to the woman, who is also struggling to keep going.

“Wait! Please! We mean you know harm. We’re lost- shipwrecked! Help us! Please!”

The woman doesn’t understand a word of what the Half-Elf is saying, but she recognises the tone of her voice- there’s no threat there.

Shuva, and Alfie who plays her, is overjoyed- he rolls a ‘20’ on his Diplomacy check.

The woman smiles awkwardly, holds up her hands, and takes one more step backwards to steady herself, and then suddenly disappears from view.

The woman screams- clearly she has fallen.

At the same moment there’s a squawk, followed by a screech, all coming from high above- several small winged, and scaled, creatures take to the air.

“To action!” Shuva declares.

Alas Heian is still prone and clutching his head.

Comment: That worked a treat, I toyed with the idea of getting the kids to play out the chase- running and leaping around the dining room, but I abandoned the idea quickly- it would take me another five or ten minutes to get them to settle down after. I therefore decided to get them together around the table- to work together, and talk together; to come up with a variety of ways to keep on the woman’s trail.

Note each successful check allowed them to traverse another hex on the map- in the right direction, of course; with me drawing in the contents of the hex en route. I realise that this is a very simple solution but it works, or rather worked at the time.

I don’t remember if I gave them any experience points for the challenge, I probably did.

Session 1.


Encounter #2 The Fallen Tree (Area A-2)

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Shuva, the closest to the woman, races forward to see…

The woman is sprawled in a hollow in the jungle floor; she must have tripped over the fallen tree, covered in vegetation, before the hole- Shuva suddenly yelps. From a hollow in the fallen tree several small feathered and scaled Drakes emerge- some jungle variant of the Spiretop Drake. The foul creatures squawk and flutter in to the air, their calls echo up above, or else there are more of the foul Drakes in the canopy.

That’s not what makes Shuva yelp however, sprawled in the hole- with the woman, seemingly clutching the woman in fact, is a skeleton.

Shuva, just for a moment thinks it’s real- animated, that is until the wriggling screaming woman in the hole manages to crush the skeleton’s skull with a flailing arm.

“Thank the gods for that!” Shuva whispers, and is then swarmed by Spiretop Drake Hatchlings.

Bad Guys 200 XP Level 1 Encounter
Spiretop Drake Hatchling Level 1 Minion Skirmisher x4
Spiretop Drake Level 1 Skirmisher x1

[sblock=The Monster Manual]


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Two of the Hatchlings flutter and peck wildly at Shuva, moments later the Half-Elf Warlock- hands before her face, is left bleeding. She manages to get one hand free, draw her dagger, and swish impotently at the annoying fiends- her cack-handed swipes fail to make a mark.

Two more of the Hatchling’s flutter over to menace the quick approaching Brevill and Lia, the Princess cuts one down with a swipe of her new magical short sword. The Rogue’s smile soon fades however when a full-sized adult Spiretop thumps in to her back and with its huge serrated beak rips a hunk of flesh from between her shoulder blades.

Lia stumbles forward, trying to get free of the creature, she almost falls.

Arannis however is quickly up to speed.

“Turn and face it Princess.” The Warlord inspires Lia, her wounds are forgotten, but Arannis is not done, he’s still issuing orders.

“Brevill, to Shuva, cut that one down!” Arannis points at the Hatchling which menaces the Warforged, it also blocks the route to Shuva and the fallen woman. Brevill responds immediately- cuts and swats, and slays another of the beasts.

At which point, still holding his head, Heain gets up and in to the action.

Shuva however is still being menaced, the Half-Elf Warlock does her best to stand over the fallen woman, to keep the Drake’s from getting to her- she takes another bite for her pains and bleeds some more.

“Incoming!” Shuva shouts and sure enough another wave of the Spiretops descend from the canopy above.

Bad Guys 400 XP Level 1 Encounter
Spiretop Drake Hatchling Level 1 Minion Skirmisher x8
Spiretop Drake Level 1 Skirmisher x2

Arannis, a little away from the action, is however not immune to the creature’s attentions- a Hatchling descends upon the Eladrin in a dive and skewers the Warlord who clutches at the spot.

It’s getting very busy, with eight of the Drakes still in the air.

Brevill however is all action; he cuts down one of the Hatchlings menacing Shuva, and then interposes himself between his mistress and another.

The other adventurers are swinging wildly but, so far, are not having much luck.

Brevill’s heroics are being tested- the Warforged is very quickly being menaced by almost all of the remaining Hatchling Drake’s, his armoured body is even punctured once. The Warforged cuts another of the Hatchling’s down- it’s slow going- that is until the artillery starts up.

“Fire of Sehanine” Heian incants and a Hatchling Drake is consumed in a ball of flame; for Shuva it’s slightly more subtle, although her Witchfire consumes yet another Hatchling all the same.

The last two Spiretops, the adults, disengage then swoop up, and then down again- taking it in turns to claw and bite and rake at Brevill as they pass- they’re defending their young, and their lair seemingly.

The Warforged is almost knocked down, scratched and scored, and stabbed with the Drake’s razor sharp pointed beaks (Brevill is quickly down to 6 hit points).

“Fight on Warforged- Fight on!” Arannis declares, and once again Brevill’s pain is swiftly forgotten.

Lia even manages to get in to the action, standing side-by-side with Brevill, she cuts another of the Hatchling’s down, only one remains.

The last of the baby Drakes is not giving up however, it clatters in to Brevill, perches momentarily on the Warforged’s heads and then slams its beak in to the metal man, another puncture wound- sparks fly from the opening.

Heian rushes forward, hefting his Morningstar, the Cleric of Sehanine means to save his metal friend- he swipes at the Drake, which takes flight at the very last moment- his Morningstar continues on and thunks in to the trunk of a tree. The Priest attempts to wrench it free, but it’s stuck, Heian heaves with all his might- the two-handed bludgeon comes free, he jerks it around to swat again at the offending last Hatchling (with his Elven Accuracy).

He misses by a mile.

Although comes close to smashing the weapon in to Brevill’s head, the Warforged has to flop on to the jungle floor in order to avoid the blow (that was a ‘1’ for the initial attack- a Healing Strike, followed by a ‘1’ with his Elven Accuracy).

Brevill however is quickly back on his feet, and as part of the action he lances his longsword up and skewers the last Hatchling- that’s how it’s done.

Heian looks suitably unimpressed.

The two adult Spiretops swoop down again, the adventurers however are better prepared, and are no longer fighting for their lives, they scatter- the pair soar ineffectively by, and then turn again- ready for another run.

The adventurers scrabble for cover, hide behind trees or else duck behind thick vegetation, the Drake’s swoop in again, the first is caught in another blast of Shuva’s Witchfire- it squawks, and screeches, loud enough to wake the dead- it’s bat-like wings singed, smoking and in places still aflame.

Shuva isn’t done, as the burning Drake turns the Half-Elf is suddenly shrouded in shadow- she moves swiftly, and unseen, getting closer to the already wounded Drake.

The Witchfire comes again, and this time the singed Drake is entirely consumed (a Crit for 21 Fire damage), Shuva blinks out and reappears amongst her friends.

The last Drake, suddenly conscious that it is the last Drake, swoops and turns- trying to get away from its terrible foes- the adventurers. A lance of radiant light burns it, almost knocks it off its course; a javelin- quickly fetched out and flung by Brevill leaves it bleeding and fluttering frantically to gain height.

But the attacks are not enough to end the last of the Drake’s, the battered and bleeding Spiretop soon after disappears in to the canopy above- lost from sight, and beyond the range of any of the adventurer’s weapons or powers.

Encounter #2 Complete

Bad Guys 400 XP Level 1 Encounter
Spiretop Drake Hatchling Level 1 Minion Skirmisher x8
Spiretop Drake Level 1 Skirmisher x2

Moments later the woman, clearly a native of the island, is being helped out of the hole- although she’s still a little reluctant.

While Arannis, Shuva and Lia attempt to communicate with the woman Heian takes a look at the skeleton, and is surprised to find a bag full of gold coins, and a beautifully cut garnet- treasure aplenty. The skeleton is that of a human the Cleric declares, probably another of the previously encountered nasty islanders.

Now to the cool bit, or at least it was pretty cool at the time, the guys take it in turns to try and communicate with the woman, who a little later they discover is called Zochi.

I play the next section entirely in mime, I do Zochi- the guys do the guys, they have a chat and then take it in turns to try and make themselves understood- as I say through mime, if they speak they have to sit down- yep, I know in the actual situation that’s not a game-changer but it concentrates the mind.

It played out superbly; or rather it was incredibly funny, particularly when I had to mime the word ‘husband’, I was trying to tell the guys that Zochi was following their attackers on the beach in the hope that she could find where her husband was being held prisoner… I’m afraid I was reduced to emphasising the difference between men and women.

We spent a good ten to fifteen minutes at this, with prizes being given for the best mimes, and there were some corkers, the exact details escape me but I remember being in tears at times.

Eventually the guys learn that Zochi is indeed an islander- a member of the Coyomi, and that the bad guys- or at least the natives with the painted skull faces are the Comiqui. The Coyomi live on this side of the island, the Comiqui on the far side, actually as you can see from the map there are two islands, the PCs have not made this connection at this point.

The guys also learn, eventually, that Zochi’s husband, along with a bunch of other males from her tribe, have been captured by the bad guys, who may be being led by the Pirates- Zochi is vague on this last point. Lastly the guys learn that there’s a Coyomi village less than 5 miles to the east, the village however is now ruled by a terrible creature, and also home to several more of the skull-faced Comiqui. The terrible creature in question is a Gnoll, but my miming skills are clearly not up to the job, although I’m not sure the kids know what a Gnoll is. They ask, and Zochi agrees, to take them there, and so they head off- through the jungle with Zochi pointing out the way.

Comment: Again a stunningly good encounter, I realise this isn’t a genius scenario with a myriad twists and turns, but there’s lots to go at; plenty of combat and plenty of exploring to do, with a few nice side-shows to act out- like the mimes.

The kids were absolutely loving it at this point, as with the last scenario they played LP#7, they seem to get more involved when they’re pitched in to a battle of good versus evil (or bad, or whatever), particularly when there’s people that need helping, saving or rescuing. They love the noble ambitions; it’s the stuff of films, and books and games. I therefore tend to emphasise this point in-game, make the plot easy(-ish) to follow and ensure the bad guys are really bad, and nasty; while the good guys are needy, and down-trodden et al.

I think aged 4 to 14 the urge to be a hero is pretty strong; and the difference between right and wrong is easy to grasp- particularly when presented in simple terms.

Session 1.


Encounter #2a To the Coyomi Village.

[sblock=The Map]


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This then is a continuation of the previous Skill Challenge, with the kids having to use various skills to make their way through the jungle.

With Zochi pointing the way it is of course incredibly easy, although I still make the guys play through the action (quickly) just in case they make any spectacular failures or successes en route.

The adventurers progress swiftly, employing tried and tested tactics from their previous efforts, I obviously keep the map up to date, drawing and describing the jungle as they go.

Even so, Arannis fails to see a hidden root and momentarily spends time face down in a fire ant’s nest; the Eladrin Warlord manages to Fey Step to safety, but not before losing a Healing Surge to the biting insects.

Eventually two or so hours later the guys close in on the village, they even manage to silently approach the place to spy it out.

Comment: And that’s enough of this kind of Skill Challenge, I think in future we’ll adopt a much simpler method of moving from point A to B. Because I’m a benevolent DM I dish out 100 XP for the travel and exploration completed so far.

Session 1.


Encounter #3 The Coyomi Village (Area A-5)

[sblock=The Map]


Not a great map, please be aware I mostly don’t use these maps in-game, I tend to use either Pathfinder Mats, or else I have several large Chessex type Quick-Erase Battle Mats, or whatever they’re called. I have four of these, some of the encounters I draw out ahead of time- like this one.

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The village is a ruin, with several huts destroyed or else burnt down recently; more worrying still there are two rotten humans- Zombies of some sort tied to posts, like guard dogs, close to a larger central hut. There are also a dozen or more female Coyomi- the guys notice the villagers have tattoos of forest animals, birds and plants; as does Zochi.

As the guys watch Kravl, a Gnoll- the terrible monster I had problems miming earlier, emerges from the aforementioned central hut, along with half-a-dozen skull-faced Comiqui Villagers, although the guys obviously don’t know it yet these fellows are lowly Minions.

[sblock=The Coyomi Village]


[/sblock]

The adventurers are about to launch their attack when another, much more elaborately tattooed, woman appears from the central hut.

“Snake Sister!” Zochi whispers, in Xulmec- her native tongue; and sure enough the woman is adorned with a variety of detailed snake tattoos.

[sblock=Snake Sister]


[/sblock]

“Good or bad?” Arannis hisses, trying to find out whose side the snake adorned woman is on.

I make the Eladrin mime his question, which proves quite difficult to do; eventually Zochi makes sense of Arannis’ pantomime, “wise woman” she replies- clearly Zochi knows a few words of Common.

The guys, rightly, conclude that the tattooed woman, Snake Sister, is not a target for their ire.

Bad Guys 786 XP Level 3 Encounter
Comiqui Villager Level 2 Minion Brute x6
Zombie Corruption Corpse Level 4 Artillery x2
Gnoll Marauder- Kravl Level 6 Brute x1

[sblock=The Monster Manual]


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Because there are a lot of enemies, and this will be a dangerous fight, I introduce the rules for Monster Knowledge checks, something we’ve not really used much before. The guys roll their checks and then take a moment to discuss their findings. They discern that the Gnoll is clearly the leader here, a Brute and a dangerous warrior, it needs to be neutralised quickly. The Comiqui Villagers are the least effective combatants- Minions, they should be easy to subdue, and so the guys decide they should be left to last.

However the Zombies are also quite a threat, Heian states that the pair are Corruption Corpses, they have the ability to rip chunks of necrotic flesh from their bodies and throw them at their enemies, the Priest goes on to explain. They must be neutralised first, the pair will do a lot of damage otherwise, Heian is certain.

And thus a plan is formed, and with the guys getting the drop on their enemies; after another series of Skill Checks the adventurers back away, circle around, and reposition- Brevill and Lia will lead the attack.

The pair ready themselves, and then wordlessly rush forth from the rear of the village at the nearest Corruption Corpse, up close the undead creature stinks to high heaven, even Brevill gags. The Warforged and the Elf however combine effectively, Brevill slashes while Lia stabs, and on her second attempt, she skewers the Zombie. The foul undead groans and begins to turn around to sight its attackers, several of the Comiqui also move to see what the noise is all about.

“May the Glorious Light of Sehanine surround thee!”

Heian steps forward, holy symbol held high- a pale white light arcs from the device and washes over both of the Corruption Corpses, the already wounded Undead is further crippled, with much of its flesh burnt away- it staggers. The second Corruption Corpse is caught full force (a Critical Hit), its flesh burns and smoulders as it is slammed back in to the central hut and impaled upon a post there.

Arannis steps out of the trees and with his greatspear skewers the first Corruption Corpse, the creature stumbles and falls- the first of the Undead artillery is down.

Shuva doesn’t show herself, she remains hidden in the jungle, her Witchfire however has a devastating effect, the last remaining Corruption Corpse, and the large central hut are caught in the firestorm.

The Undead is still moving, the hut however, scant seconds later, is almost entirely consumed by the fire.

Brevill rushes on- straight at the Gnoll, Kravl, who is only just reacting to the situation, and much too slow to avoid the Warforged’s first attack which is powered by Erathis’ Divine Strength. Brevill’s not done, his Piercing Strike is followed up by a Valiant Strike- and the Gnoll is hit again, although the great beast looks to be still in fine fettle.

Lia dodges over to the burning Corruption Corpse, just as it manages to wrench itself free from the post that was impaling it, her magical short sword slashes and cuts deep, the second Undead folds and flops to the floor- still burning.

Arannis is quickly to Kravl, the Gnoll Marauder.

“Brevill, to me!” The Warlord screams, the Warforged suddenly side-steps left, just at the exact moment that Arannis stabs the Gnoll, the Brute is caught from both sides- stabbed and skewered. Kravl is left staggering, bloodied; the Marauder has yet to launch an attack.

That’s all about to change.

“Protect me!” Kravl screams in broken common, at the same time he thumps the palm of his hand in to the buckle of his belt, the effect is instantaneous; a hazy angular shimmering force field springs out to encompass the Gnoll- it buzzes and hisses with power.

Kravl stabs hard at Brevill, somehow the Warforged deflects the blow, the Gnoll curses loudly and continues to scream at the skull-faced Comiqui to join him in the fight.

Shuva remains hidden in the jungle, although she’s now much closer to the Gnoll, the Half-Elf Warlock chants and incants strange sounding words- Kravl suddenly looks shocked, he flails wildly for a moment- stuttering and mumbling incoherently, as if caught in some Dark Dream. Who knows what the Gnoll sees before him, but whatever it is it’s clearly too terrible to comprehend.

Shuva grins, she’ll not leave the Gnoll suffering too long however, Kravl is caught in her Eldritch Blast- his force field proof against weapons only, no use against the Warlock’s power. The Gnoll Marauder thumps hard in to the ground, never again to rise.

Snake Sister screams, taking control of the Coyomi women, she urges and grabs, drags the women out of the way of the fire and the fury.

The skull-faced Comiqui at last react and launch their attacks, two of the Humans rush forward and club Heian, the Cleric of Sehanine is caught twice and forced to give ground. Another menaces Lia, she too is wounded; two more rush in to the jungle- straight for Shuva, moments later the Half-Elf screams as she is also struck twice.

The adventurers are taking a beating.

Brevill and Lia stab out at the Comiqui facing them, both enemies are quickly cut down, the pair head off to help their compatriots. Heian meanwhile flails wildly, he fails to connect.

“Fight on! To Victory!” The Cleric shouts, his Healing Words salve his wounds.

Arannis suddenly appears next to the worried looking Shuva, the Warlock hates fighting- she’s completely inept; the Warlord helps her out, stabs one of the Comiqui Villagers dead.

Lia catches up with another of the Comiqui, the Rogue makes a mess of her attack and is left defenceless, she’s clubbed again.

“Damnation!” She curses.

Eventually, fired up, she stabs and cuts the Comiqui dead. Brevill cuts yet another down, while the last- screaming, rushes off in to the jungle, it doesn’t get far.

“Sehanine’s Holy Fire Purge the Miscreant!” Heian shouts and the last Comiqui Villager is entirely consumed by the Cleric’s Scared Flame.

Encounter #3 Complete

Bad Guys 786 XP Level 3 Encounter
Comiqui Villager Level 2 Minion Brute x6
Zombie Corruption Corpse Level 4 Artillery x2
Gnoll Marauder- Kravl Level 6 Brute x1

The adventurers shuffle in to the Coyomi village, Zochi is urged to come forward- she meets with Snake Sister in the centre of the remains of the bloody fracas. The two women talk hurriedly, Zochi pointing at the adventurers every now and then, explaining the events of the past few hours perhaps.

Five or so tense minutes later Snake Sister fetches out a piece of hide with pictograms and symbols upon it- some sort of ritual begins.

The adventurers use their skills to try to divine what is going on, Heian with a little help from Shuva figures it out.

“It’s a ritual so that she can speak to us, understand our words… Excellent!”

The adventurers stand around, or else search through the bodies of the fallen, while the ritual is completed.

Brevill is passed over the Ironskin Belt formerly owned by Kravl, the Gnoll Marauder.


“So, you are heroes?” Snake Sister asks, ten minutes later- the ritual complete, with a smile.
Arannis grins back, as do all of the adventurers.

The bodies of the fallen are dragged away, food- although poor fare, is quickly prepared- the Coyomi women quickly organise.

Less than an hour later and the adventurers have finished their repast, and have almost exhausted the chatter- there’s been a lot to take on board.

The island is actually two islands, joined by a causeway which emerges at low tide; Snake Sister provides a map of the place for the adventurers- an ancient tribal artefact left by a previous human expedition to the island.

[sblock=The Players New Map]


[/sblock]

Snake Sister also explains a little about recent events, it seems the skull-faced Comiqui are working with a group of Pirates, who have been on the island for a little while, clearly this expanded group is keen on taking over the place. The men of the Coyomi village were captured two weeks ago; their chief Eagle-Feather and the priest Owl-Brother were both killed in the attack. She also notes that the bodies of the dead Coyomi were taken away by the Comiqui…

Snake Sister offers more information regarding the Pirates, and the legends of the islands, only if the adventurers will first show their skills and fulfil a simple task for her, and the Coyomi women. The kids swiftly agree- once again another example of the players viewing themselves as the good guys, the righters of wrongs.

They must rescue the Coyomi men, prisoners in a cave to the north (A-3), the chief’s sire Jaguar-Son is also being kept prisoner there; the men would then be able to defend the Coyomi village from any further Comiqui/Pirate attacks (Quest with 100 XP reward).

[sblock=The Map]


Areas of note known to the adventurers-
A-1 The location the adventurers came ashore and were attacked by the Comiqui et al.
A-2 The location the adventurers caught up with Zochi and battled the Spiretop Drakes.
A-3 A cave in which the Coyomi men are being kept prisoner.
A-5 The Coyomi Village.

[/sblock]

The guys spend another hour or so at the village, using the time to write up some of Snake Sister’s rituals- Comprehend Languages & Tenser’s Floating Disc.

They then head out- to rescue the Coyomi men.

Just to say almost all of the above was accomplished via roleplay, the kids were given sandwiches and crisps, and cakes et al- the meal was for real, the last action of the session, and a reward for excellent play.

Comment: Just fantastic, of course I did the voice for Snake Sister (as best I could), I made her language slightly obscure, I used phrases from the module and then made up a few more of a similar ilk, the guys loved this around the table; they couldn’t get over the fact they were still playing dungeons and dragons and eating cake as part of the adventure.

Session 2.


Encounter #3a Through the jungle to rescue the Coyomi men.

[sblock=The Map]


[/sblock]

The players have already done a fair amount of exploring of the isle, they’re also armed with a map and they know the location they are heading to. I therefore cut down this section, I just required one check from each PC- any skill could be employed provided they could make a case for its use.

The checks all went remarkably well, and ended with two ‘20’s, from Arannis and Lia- Nature and Stealth checks respectively.

I therefore gave the kids the option of another easy victory (perhaps), atop a hill the guys spy a group of the skull-faced Comiqui, a patrol- probably, they get up close without being spotted…

Comment: I thought I’d get through this section quickly, so we could get straight in to the action; this is after all the start of the second session. I presented the next encounter to the guys on a plate- it was there’s for the taking, I don’t mind giving the guys an easy victory every now and then.

Session 2.


Encounter #4 Comiqui Warband (Random Encounter)

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The adventurers sneak forward a little way, into a small copse of trees, there are three Comiqui atop the hill- in a clearing, they’re easily identified- two of them are warrior Braves armed with greatclubs, the other a Devout- a priest of sorts.

Bad Guys 300 XP Level 1 Encounter
Comiqui Brave Level 1 Brute x2
Comiqui Devout Level 1 Controller x1

[sblock=The Monster Manual]


[/sblock]

Much less planning goes in to this assault, but then again the adventurers have the advantage of surprise and there are only three enemies present.

Or so they think.

“Charge!” Arannis screams, and rushes in to the attack.

One of the Braves is hit by a dagger in the small of its back, it grimaces as Lia grins; the same unfortunate fellow is caught in Shuva’s Eldritch Blast- the Comiqui is burnt and bloodied, and not long for this world.

The second Comiqui Brave suddenly finds itself facing off against a furious Warforged and a screaming Eladrin- he’s cut twice and left staggering and bloodied; half-a-second later the Brave is engulfed in Sacred Flame, Heian offers a thumbs up, the Brave remains on his feet by will alone (on 1 hit point).

“The Lord of the Great Sea!” Lia screams and follows her flung dagger with a deft short sword strike, the first Brave is down- forever.

Seconds later Shuva’s Eldritch Blast comes again and the second Brave is reduced to charred meat and ashes, the Half-Elf Warlock blinks out of existence and reappears a little way up the hill.

Brevill, now sans target, turns his attention to the Comiqui Devout, the fool is backing off; attempting to access his divine power. Brevill is much too quick, the Warforged Fighter in on him, the Devout is skewered, Brevill’s longsword passing all the way through his body.

And yet somehow the Devout manages to disengage, back away, its divine power however fizzles out.

Suddenly two arrows clang hard in to the Warforged’s back.

“Am I injured?” Brevill asks.
Shuva grins and shakes her head.

The Comiqui Hunter, the fourth member of the warband emerges from the jungle, flings down his bow and reaches for his spear- jogging forward to menace the Warforged.

Bad Guys 400 XP Level 1 Encounter
Comiqui Brave Level 1 Brute x2
Comiqui Devout Level 1 Controller x1
Comiqui Hunter Level 1 Artillery x1

[sblock=The Monster Manual]


[/sblock]

“With me!” Arannis shouts as he dashes at the newly emerged Hunter

Brevill nods, the pair skewer the Comiqui scum- greatspear and longsword, the Human is left staggering, clutching at deep wounds, barely able to stand.

“Aaaaargggghh! For Sehanine!” Heian shouts and charges in to the Comiqui Devout, thumping his Morningstar in to the fellows back.

It’s going really badly for the bad guys, as you’ve no doubt noticed- if Heian is charging, and hitting enemies, then confidence is high.

Lia dodges in to the flanked Hunter, stabs the Comiqui in the gut- dead, simultaneously Brevill turns to the Devout and almost decapitates the evil priest.

The warband is no more.

The adventurers are uninjured- which elicits giggles when it becomes apparent.

Encounter #4 Complete

Bad Guys 400 XP Level 1 Encounter
Comiqui Brave Level 1 Brute x2
Comiqui Devout Level 1 Controller x1
Comiqui Hunter Level 1 Artillery x1

The guys take a moment, mainly to crow about their skills, and to search the bodies of the fallen, a little coin is taken.

Satisfied they move on.

Comment: It can be a very simple game, obviously it was an easy encounter, but… well played.

Session 2.


Encounter #5 Rescue the Coyomi Men (Area A-3)

[sblock=The Map]


[/sblock]

The adventurers quickly find their way to the cave indicated on their map by Snake Sister, with Lia, for the most part, sneaking on ahead.

The guys settle in to observe the situation, fortunately Lia manages to spot a Goblin Rigging Rat, armed with a hand crossbow- the little fellow is up a tree, the adventurers give him a wide berth.

Ahead is some sort of trench- Arannis thinks he can smell, well… a foul substance, goblin waste; the Eladrin reasons the trench is full of poo.

Beyond the trench are the caves, the guys remain concealed and watch the cave openings for a short while, they spot another two Goblin Boarders, this pair have spears, and quivers of javelins on their backs.

Hmmm. How best to approach the situation?

Bad Guys 425 XP Level 1 Encounter
Trap- Waste Trench Level 1 Obstacle x1
Goblin Boarder Level 1 Skirmisher x2
Goblin Rigging Rat Level 2 Artillery x1

[sblock=The Monster Manual]


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The gang are in two minds, actually about five minds, as to how to attack the caves- every one of them has a different idea. I decide to force their hand.

Suddenly the Goblin Rigging Rat up the tree screeches.

Arannis turns to see, and is shot in the chest.

The Eladrin scurries behind cover- that hurt.

“Make the bastards pay!” He screams, Inspiring Words, he forgets his wound in an instant.

Shuva fires an Eldritch Blast in to the tree top, the Rigging Rat clings on for dear life. Meantime Brevill, the Warforged Fighter, races down the short slope to the trench, leaps the aforementioned obstacle- with no ill effects, and then smashes in to a Goblin Boarder situated in the entrance of one of the caves.

Another Rigging Rat, crossbow loaded, appears from behind the Boarder- the little bastard shoots Brevill in the chest.

Bad Guys 550 XP Level 1 Encounter
Trap- Waste Trench Level 1 Obstacle x1
Goblin Boarder Level 1 Skirmisher x2
Goblin Rigging Rat Level 2 Artillery x2

“I’ll save you…” Heian hollers, jogs and leaps the trench…

“Ohhhh! Ralph! Huey!”

Alas the Priest of Sehanine is affected by the foul stench of the Goblin poo in the trench, he hawks and vomits- losing his lunch, and is dazed.

Arannis skitters down the slope but doesn’t get too close to the foetid trench

“Fight back Brevill! Fight back!” He screams, his Inspiring Words this time aimed at the Warforged. Not done the Eladrin grabs out a javelin and flings at the Rigging Rat in the tree, another hit, the foul imp falls out of its perch, and then catches itself, it’s almost done for however. Although the Goblin proves to be far tougher than expected- Lia expends three daggers trying to score a hit, the last missile her only success, and even then- no more than a scratch; the Rigging Rat hangs on- to the tree, and to its life.

Brevill, in the cave entrance, cuts once, then twice- he strikes the Goblin Boarder fighting him down.

Finally the Rigging Rat in the tree is taken out- Shuva sunders the tree with her Eldritch Blast, the creature tumbles to its inevitable death.

A pair of Goblin Boarders rush out of the cave at the Warforged, one flings a javelin, the other closes and stabs with its spear- the first attack is wide, the second Brevill deflects with his heavy shield- the Warforged is now facing off against three of the little Goblin buggers.

Bad Guys 650 XP Level 2 Encounter
Trap- Waste Trench Level 1 Obstacle x1
Goblin Boarder Level 1 Skirmisher x3
Goblin Rigging Rat Level 2 Artillery x2

The remaining Goblin Rigging Rat fires again, and once more Brevill is struck in the chest, behind the Warforged his would-be saviour Heian staggers and retches, the Priest manages to move away from the noisome trench but is no better for it.

Lia leaps the foul trench with ease, unaffected by the stench, moments later she’s at Brevill’s side- a Goblin Boarder bleeds as her magic short sword makes its mark.

Brevill cuts once, twice and the wounded Goblin Boarder falls, the Warforged hums contentedly, and then deflects much of the force of a spear thrust by the remaining Boarder- only a scratch.

Shuva follows Lia over the trench, again without complaint, seconds later the remaining Goblin Rigging Rat is engulfed in flames. The foul creature staggers backwards, it’s trapped- there’s nowhere for it to go save through the adventurers.

“May Sehanine… HUEY!” Heian’s Healing Words are enough to settle the Warforged, alas the Priest cannot settle his stomach.

Arannis flings another javelin in to the mix, the last Goblin Boarder is hit again, the Warlord is not done however.

“Brevill to the attack!” Arannis shouts and directs, Brevill cuts again and the Boarder is spent.

“Erathis salve this soul.” Brevill intones and then half-turns to reach back and touch Heian, the priest attempts again to throw off the sickness, but fails once more and vomits on his boots for good measure (I think that’s four saves failed in a row).

The last Goblin, a Rigging Rat, finally sees a way out- he points his hand crossbow in to the cave.

“Stop or I’ll shoot a pris… BOOM! GRRRRROAAAAN!”

Alas the foul miscreant is cut off in his prime, Shuva points and a thunder clap bursts above the little creature’s head. The burst sends splinters of stone shooting from the ceiling of the cavern- which now sags a little. The Rigging Rat is peppered, holed beneath the line, it slumps to the floor- dead.

Encounter #5 Complete

Bad Guys 650 XP Level 2 Encounter
Trap- Waste Trench Level 1 Obstacle x1
Goblin Boarder Level 1 Skirmisher x3
Goblin Rigging Rat Level 2 Artillery x2

Less than ten minutes later the Coyomi men have been freed, Jaguar-Son- one of the fifteen rescued, thanks each of the rescuers in turn- although none of the adventurers can understand a word he is saying, his actions however speak loud enough to be understood.

The jailers prove to have little in the way of treasure, just a few rusty coins, and so it is another ten to fifteen minutes later that the happy band are now en route back to the Coyomi village.

Comment: Another pretty easy encounter, the guys loved the fact that Heian was reduced to a vomiting wreck- Luka was happy to entertain us with his roleplay.