jasper
Rotten DM
Harried in Hillsfar Review
I started with a table of 3 and ended with a table of 4. 3 clerics and 1 rogue, with one cleric being fourth. The two first level clerics sold most of their stuff and bought higher AC armor which helped. Except for healing potions most the other potions, scrolls and silver weapons were reluctantly taken. I told the players to save time I was running the missions in order.
Mission 1 a boy gets his goat. Only had a weak party at the start so they only fought 1 goat. This was also the start of Pyra the light cleric bad rolls. Either he rolled badly, or I saved against his spells most of the night. The other cleric did roll a Nat 20 on Intelligence roll for the unholy check. Combat went the pc way. Finding the boy part was over quickly just to average rolls on my part.
Mission 2. Knowing how murder hobo two of the players were and not liking the jail sentence part of the mission I had the Red Plumes say their lines and ride off before the pcs could start something. Entering the HUGE CELLAR as a player called it was interesting. The pcs were slow on the uptake and combat started. Nat 20 and YES another name for my skull. This was first time for max damage. The player challenge me to roll the second set of damage dice to prevent this and still the total came out to 20. Looking over adjusting the encounter and my combat results, the Bounty Hunter combat seems to hit or miss. And the red plume part of mission is a game over if the party jumps the plumes.
Both of the first missions seem off to me and the group, I think was one third the missions and two thirds us. The game store I game with have weekly magic tourney at the same time so some nights we have noise problems and I think some of players were just not into gaming the first 90 minutes.
Mission 3. The fairy dragon did more damage to the party between his breath weapon and the pits than the jackalweres. I let on player run Wittel. And even though I offered up the silver scimitar before the final combat people were wary. Wittel did save and end combat on the last jackalwere with a Nat 20. No one could use the scimitar and no one wanted to take it. I forget who decide to take in case they revamped their pc. If it was up to me I would change the silver weapon to one the pcs could use.
Mission 4. I forgot to type up the clue for the first room. I suggest a dm do type up the clue and pass it out. The guy running Garland the fourth level life cleric knew the clue we stepped away from the table for about 5 minutes to give the group time to solve it. This is also where time stopped. It was just after 9 pm when the clue was solve but combat and other stuff slowed down the game after this. I did not draw all the rooms out like on the map. Just one room at a time. The reason was the second room with 9 doors. I suggest the dm roll a d10 and a player roll a d10 and ignore 10. That should be the passage way to final room. The dretch’s stink helps make the encounter difficult. I did mixed up the placement of the monsters. And the cauldrons with the braziers from mission 5. But once they got rid of dretch, they were able to kill 4 manes and knock over the cauldron.
Mission 5. To save time and since the final map (roughly 100 by 150 feet) I just due “X”s where the pc could not go. First gripe. The braziers are scatter all over the map but the cultists do not have missile weapons listed. I gave them long bows. Second gripe a monsters with cannot be hurt until x, y, or z. The players rolled with it. And this where Pyra’s god finally quit watching soaps and paying attention. I failed all by saving throws when he casted. But (and we were laughing about it) he only rolled 1’s all night for damage.
I suggest the missions be played in order. The dm print out 7 copies of handout 1. The dm type up and print out 7 copies of the clue in mission 4.
I did add to my dm supplies. I had a small $2 white board which I wrote AC down on. I add a wire book display holder. Glued two neo-magnets on the back of white board so it will stay on the stand.
Edit to add
31 monsters defeated. 1 pc death due massive damage.
I started with a table of 3 and ended with a table of 4. 3 clerics and 1 rogue, with one cleric being fourth. The two first level clerics sold most of their stuff and bought higher AC armor which helped. Except for healing potions most the other potions, scrolls and silver weapons were reluctantly taken. I told the players to save time I was running the missions in order.
Mission 1 a boy gets his goat. Only had a weak party at the start so they only fought 1 goat. This was also the start of Pyra the light cleric bad rolls. Either he rolled badly, or I saved against his spells most of the night. The other cleric did roll a Nat 20 on Intelligence roll for the unholy check. Combat went the pc way. Finding the boy part was over quickly just to average rolls on my part.
Mission 2. Knowing how murder hobo two of the players were and not liking the jail sentence part of the mission I had the Red Plumes say their lines and ride off before the pcs could start something. Entering the HUGE CELLAR as a player called it was interesting. The pcs were slow on the uptake and combat started. Nat 20 and YES another name for my skull. This was first time for max damage. The player challenge me to roll the second set of damage dice to prevent this and still the total came out to 20. Looking over adjusting the encounter and my combat results, the Bounty Hunter combat seems to hit or miss. And the red plume part of mission is a game over if the party jumps the plumes.
Both of the first missions seem off to me and the group, I think was one third the missions and two thirds us. The game store I game with have weekly magic tourney at the same time so some nights we have noise problems and I think some of players were just not into gaming the first 90 minutes.
Mission 3. The fairy dragon did more damage to the party between his breath weapon and the pits than the jackalweres. I let on player run Wittel. And even though I offered up the silver scimitar before the final combat people were wary. Wittel did save and end combat on the last jackalwere with a Nat 20. No one could use the scimitar and no one wanted to take it. I forget who decide to take in case they revamped their pc. If it was up to me I would change the silver weapon to one the pcs could use.
Mission 4. I forgot to type up the clue for the first room. I suggest a dm do type up the clue and pass it out. The guy running Garland the fourth level life cleric knew the clue we stepped away from the table for about 5 minutes to give the group time to solve it. This is also where time stopped. It was just after 9 pm when the clue was solve but combat and other stuff slowed down the game after this. I did not draw all the rooms out like on the map. Just one room at a time. The reason was the second room with 9 doors. I suggest the dm roll a d10 and a player roll a d10 and ignore 10. That should be the passage way to final room. The dretch’s stink helps make the encounter difficult. I did mixed up the placement of the monsters. And the cauldrons with the braziers from mission 5. But once they got rid of dretch, they were able to kill 4 manes and knock over the cauldron.
Mission 5. To save time and since the final map (roughly 100 by 150 feet) I just due “X”s where the pc could not go. First gripe. The braziers are scatter all over the map but the cultists do not have missile weapons listed. I gave them long bows. Second gripe a monsters with cannot be hurt until x, y, or z. The players rolled with it. And this where Pyra’s god finally quit watching soaps and paying attention. I failed all by saving throws when he casted. But (and we were laughing about it) he only rolled 1’s all night for damage.
I suggest the missions be played in order. The dm print out 7 copies of handout 1. The dm type up and print out 7 copies of the clue in mission 4.
I did add to my dm supplies. I had a small $2 white board which I wrote AC down on. I add a wire book display holder. Glued two neo-magnets on the back of white board so it will stay on the stand.
Edit to add
31 monsters defeated. 1 pc death due massive damage.
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