Rise of the Runelords 4E: Story Hour and Conversion Notes

[Vyvyan Basterd]

******END OF FOURTH SESSION******

A little bit shorter of a session this time, only becuase one of the guys was feeling sick. Although the (literally) crawling battles took up more time too.



Please feel free to post any questions or comments.


Our next session is Friday, May 21th. More updates to come. - VB

We still have space for 1 new player in this and the other two campaigns we rotate. Click here for details.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

C9. Rope Bridge

The group cautiously approached the rope bridge leading to the island compound. The goblin shaman had warned them that goblin sharpshooters were usually stationed at the bridge, but they saw no sign of goblins in the brush flanking the far side of the bridge. Swift attempted to move stealthily across the bridge to scout ahead, but realized too late that the bridge was too unstable for anyone larger than a goblin. He fell to the creaking boards midway across, grasping desperatly at the fraying ropes to keep from plunging 80 feet into the Varisian Bay.

Four goblin sharpshooters answered Swift's now-obvious intrusion with cries of alarm and a hail of missile fire.

This was the start of a very complicated "gate battle" as my players have dubbed the phenomenon. The original adventure called for a collapsing bridge. Two things stuck out in my conversion thoughts. 1) The collapse of the bridge could leave the party separated; and 2) Lone traps don't make for a good 4E encounter.

I still made the bridge hazard quite dangerous. Maybe too much so, as the player of the group's defender, T'rune, seemed quite reluctant to have his character cross the bridge to help defend Swift, who was in the thick of things and in a bit of danger without his muscle to back him up. As not only did Swift have to recover from the bridge hazard, he had four goblin sharpshooters on top of him.

[sblock="The bridge"]Treacherous Rope Bridge Level 5 Obstacle
Hazard XP 200
Hazard: The rope bridge swings back and forth, causing creatures to fall off.
Characters automatically see the bridge, but can’t use Perception to detect the hazard until a creature attempts to cross the bridge. Once the bridge begins swaying, no checks are necessary to recognize the hazard.
Dungeoneering
DC 20: Dungeoneering check allows a character to recognize that the bridge’s anchor points are unsound, making it treacherous.
Trigger
The trap is triggered when any Medium or larger creature walks, runs, charges, or engages in combat on the bridge. All creatures on the bridge are affected by the swinging.
Attack
Opportunity Action Melee
Targets All creatures standing on the bridge
Attack: +8 vs. Reflex
Hit: The creature is knocked prone and falls off the bridge. The creature is allowed a saving throw to avoid falling off the bridge. If the save succeeds, then the creature remains on the bridge, but is prone.
Countermeasures
A prone character gets a +2 bonus to Reflex defense against the bridge’s attacks.
A character who uses a free hand to hold onto the bridge (which precludes holding anything else in that hand, such as a shield or a weapon, and prevents the use of two-handed weapons) gets a +5 bonus on his or her Reflex defense against the bridge’s attacks.
A character who uses both hands to hold onto the bridge (which precludes holding anything in either hand) gets a +10 bonus on his or her Reflex defense against the bridge’s attacks.
Athletics DC 14: A character who ties himself to the bridge may still fall off, but can climb back onto the bridge as a move action with a successful check.
[/sblock]

Note: I did give Swift a free Dungeoneering check before walking onto the bridge, but he failed the check. Once he triggered the bridge I considered the Dungeoneering check an auto-success and made the Countermeasures known to the players.

The rest of the group started to cross slowly, but started taking fire from two guard towers flanking the entrance to the compound. Celeste tied up the fire from one of the towers by manifesting her spirit companion inside the tower.

The occupants of one tower were asleep and I set a DC 20 Perception check for them to hear the sounds of battle over the noise of the surf. The goblins in the other tower were distracted by a game of cards and I gave them a DC 15 Perception check to hear the sounds of battle. With a best Perception of +2 for each tower group it was unlikely for both towers to join the defense early in the battle. My dice disagreed, even though I allowed only one roll per tower.

The group pushed their way over to the island, taking care of the sharpshooters with relative ease, but still harried by fire from the towers. They made they way to the front doors only to hear the loud crash of a heavy bar and latch from inside the fort.

The encounter groups inside the towers were larger than just the artillery and other measures were in motion as the battle went on. This "gate battle" was the only thing to take place over the evening, but didn't seem to drag on as so much was going on in the combat and behind the scenes.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

C10. Thistletop

After hearing the bar drop on the front doors of the goblin stockade, Swift decided to scout another possible entry point. On the west side of the compound the group could see an open courtyard. Swift circled around to the west side, but stopped short at the corner. On the northwest side of the island, he spotted a group of goblins seemingly absorbed in an odd game. One would throw a dead seagull high in the air while the others attempted to hit it with stones. Goblin dogs frolicked around them, trying to catch the gulls before they hit the ground. The goblins seemed disappointed as a general alarm went up from the interior of the complex. They abandoned their game and headed in Swift's direction.

The original adventure called for 4 goblin warriors and 4 goblin dogs. I kept the 4 goblin dogs and converted the goblins to three skullcleavers and one hexer.

The group moved to help Swift combat the new group of goblins. This moved them out of sight of the east tower. After a hard-fought battle with the goblins, their dogs, and support fire from the two goblin archers in the west tower, Celeste sent her companion spirit up to the top of the west tower. The goblins there retreated. Swift and T'rune climbed to the top of the 30-foot tower (after a mistep and minor fall for Swift) and dropped a rope to the rest of the group. They decided to take a short rest to regroup before decending into the lower reaches of the west tower.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

******END OF FIFTH SESSION******

Despite my juggling of four different encounter areas at once, some of that behind the scenes, this was a fun "gate battle." Alot of tension on the players' parts as they weren't quite certain whether they should press the attack or retreat. No one wanted to cross the treacherous bridge a second time before a full rest though. We ended early since the party was taking time to regroup, I also needed some downtime to regroup my notes. Since the goblins have been alerted and have time to regroup, this seemed appropriate. Besides, pressing on for the night without allowing me to regroup my encounter notes would probably lead to going long past or usual end time, which would strain most of us early risers and possibly strain the patience of a few spouses.


Please feel free to post any questions or comments.


Our next session is Saturday, May 29th. More updates to come. - VB

We still have space for 1 new player in this and the other two campaigns we rotate. Click here for details.

 

[Black Bard]

Glad to find this SH! This is going to be an interesting read, since I ran a 4E RoRL conversion last year.

Unfortunately, a TPK during a side trek adventure ended the campaign before we even started The Hook Mountain Massacre...

Cheers

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

C13. Pickle Thieves

From the windows of the tower, the group could see that the inner courtyard was unoccupied. After a short rest, the group made their way down the tower stairs. As expected, the goblins had regrouped and awaited them, having opened two ajoining corridors to allow them to spread out. The cover of the upper tower and the position of higher ground was all the advantage the group needed to defeat the goblins. After a quick breather the group headed down the east corridor toward the main entrance, wanting to secure exit in case things went downhill.

The regrouped goblin force consisted of an acolyte, two blackblades, two archers, and two goblin dogs.

The name of this room explains why the goblins here were sleeping when the party originally approached. They fell asleep after gorging on pickles they stole from the storage room.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

C11. Trophy Hall

The group entered the entrance hall from the west. Grizzly displays of previous kills adorned the walls, mainly dog hides, but also a few horse hides and a large set of bat wings. Another wave of goblins laid in wait for the group, having heard the battle for the west tower, but not abandoning their watch on the main gate. This wave seemed stronger, but the group prevailed without major injury.

This regrouped force consisted of a cursespewer, two blackblades, three sentries, and two goblin dogs.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

C19. Throne Room

The group decided to choose the only set of double doors leading further into the fort, hoping that they would take their assault straight to the top. The sickening decor of the goblin chief's throne room told them they had. The severed hands of fallen foes adorned spikes driven into four support pillars. A throne heaped with dog and horse hides stood in the far corner. The chieftain and his followers were ready for the intruders. The hobgoblin chief ipnugget was a fearsome sight in battle, his glaive never seemed to stop spinning. And at his side stood a colorful lizard the size of a horse.

The group focused their attacks on one goblin at a time, while Ripnugget used his whirling glaive to pull them out of position and into the room. His lizard pet had a dangerous bite that rippe open flesh like a knife through butter.

The warchief's relentless attack soon took down Swift. Celeste moved in to heal her comrade, but Ripnugget used the opportunity to pull her into the fray. Swift was up, but not for long, succumbing to Ripnugget's flurry of glaive swipes. Celeste daringly moved in close to aid her friend. She was able to revive Swift once again, but she herself was overcome by Ripnugget and fell to the floor, bleeding. The warchief took sights on the two group members in the rear, hoping to end their harrying missile fire. Marissa luckily dodged away, but Toox became the third to fall to the warchief's blade.

T'rune finished off the last of the goblins and the gian lizard, turning his sights on the warchief while the others rushed to stop both Celeste and Toox from bleeding out. T'rune roared in triumph as he landed the final blow on the hobgoblin, but Marissa's and Swift's heads hung low as their friends sputtered their dying breaths.

T'rune yelled out in rage and chopped off the warchief's head in retaliation. The three knew they could not press the attack against Nualia without their friends. They took the warchief's head as they carefully crossed back over to the mainland. They moved quickly to the goblin shaman, Gogmurt. They had agreed to not kill any more goblins in exchange for Gogmurt's informaion about the situation at Thistletop and other than the chief they had stuck to their end of the bargain. They knew that they would face too much opposition once they could regroup and hopefully recruit more heroes to aid them since they had not killed a single goblin. They proposed to Gogmurt that he become the new chieftain and drive the other "longshanks" out of Thistletop. Gogmurt didn't like the idea of more goblins getting hurt and proposed a counter agreement. He would guarantee no opposition from his tribe when the group returned. And if they could remove the threat of Nualia and her allies from their lair, he would reward them with Ripnugget's hidden treasure. The group had come to trust Gogmurt to a point, mainly because they truly beleive he doesn't want his people to suffer and because they didn't really have a better option they could think of.

The throne room battle was TOUGH: three goblin sentries, two goblin dogs...

[sblock=Warchiefs Cursespewer]Warchief’s Cursespewer Level 2 Artillery (Leader)
Small natural humanoid XP 125
Initiative +2 Senses Perception +2; low-light vision
HP 68; Bloodied 34
AC 14; Fortitude 14, Reflex 13, Will 15
Speed 6
Sacrificial Knife (standard, at-will) Weapon
+7 vs AC; 1d4+3 damage.
Spiteful Glamor (standard, at-will)
Ranged 10; +8 vs Will; 1d8+4 psychic damage (crit 1d8+12) (1d12+4 vs an opponent at maximum hit points [crit 1d8+16]).
Warlock’s Curse (minor, at-will)
Deal an extra 1d6 damage against a cursed target.
Goblin Tactics (immediate reaction, when the goblin cursespewer is missed by a melee attack; encounter)
The goblin shifts 1 square.
Master’s Wand
When the cursespewer hits an enemy at maximum hit points that is affected by its Warlock’s Curse with the spiteful glamor power using this wand, it deals an extra die of Warlock’s Curse damage to that enemy.
Alignment Chaotic Evil Languages Common, Goblin
Skills Religion +5
Str 11 (+1) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 12 (+2)
Con 16 (+4) Int 9 (0) Cha 17 (+4)
Equipment: leather armor, sacrificial knife, +1 master’s wand of spiteful glamor, potion of healing, 20 gp.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Stickfoot]Stickfoot, Giant Gecko Level 6 Brute
Large natural beast (mount) XP 250
Initiative +6 Senses Perception +2
HP 90; Bloodied 45
AC 18; Fortitude 20, Reflex 18, Will 14
Speed 9 (swamp walk), climb 4
Bite (standard, at-will)
+9 vs AC; 2d8+5 damage.
Claw (standard, at-will)
+10 vs AC; 2d6+5 damage.
Combined Attack (while mounted by a friendly rider of 6th level or higher; encounter) Mount
When the giant lizard’s rider makes a melee attack against a target, the lizard can make a claw attack against the same target.
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Str 20 (+8) Dex 17 (+6) Wis 9 (+2)
Con 20 (+8) Int 2 (-1) Cha 7 (+1)
[/sblock]

[sblock=Ripnugget]Warchief Ripnugget Level 6 Elite Controller
Medium natural humanoid, goblin XP 500
Initiative +7 Senses Perception +4; low-light vision
Fleshcarver's Trap aura 2; each enemy that starts its turn within the aura takes 5 damage the first time it moves during that turn.
HP 146; Bloodied 73
AC 21; Fortitude 18, Reflex 19, Will 18
Saving Throws +2
Speed 6
Action Points 1
Glaive (standard, at-will) Weapon
Reach 2; +12 vs AC; 2d4+5 poison damage (crit 2d6+13).
Toxic Dart (standard, at-will) Poison, Weapon
Ranged 6/12; +11 vs AC; 1d6+4 poison damage, and the target is slowed (save ends). If the target was already slowed, it is instead immobilized (save ends).
Defensive Dart (immediate reaction, when Ripnugget is hit by an enemy's melee attack, recharge )
Ripnugget shifts 2 squares and uses toxic dart against the triggering enemy.
Glaive Flurry (standard, at-will) Weapon
Close burst 2; targets enemies; +12 vs AC; 3d4+5 poison damage (crit 2d6+17), and Ripnugget slides the target 2 squares. The target must end the slide within 3 squares of Ripnugget.
Hobgoblin Resilience (immediate reaction, when Ripnugget becomes subject to an effect; encounter)
Ripnugget rolls a saving throw against the triggering effect.
Barkskin Scale (minor, daily) Item
Ripnugget gains a +2 power bonus to AC until the end of the encounter. Each time an attack hits his AC, reduce this bonus by 1 (minimum 0).
Spiderkissed Glaive (free, daily) Item
Use this power when you hit with the weapon. The target is slowed (save ends). First Failed Save: The target is immobilized (save ends).
Alignment Evil Languages Common, Goblin
Str 14 (+5) Dex 19 (+7) Wis 12 (+4)
Con 17 (+6) Int 12 (+4) Cha 16 (+6)
Equipment: +1 barkskin scale armor, 10 poisoned darts,+2 spiderkissed glaive , 2 potions of healing, dented crown worth 20 gp, key ring.
[/sblock]

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

******END OF SIXTH SESSION******

Two deaths! It really looked like a TPK in the making. Very tense evening of play, but fun all the same. Both dead characters belonged to the same player. Another player was awaiting a chance for his character to join the group, so one of the two dead characters may have been parting ways anyway. The deal with Gogmurt was a welcome solution to the issue of a tribe of bruised and battered goblins that need to be defeated all over again.


Please feel free to post any questions or comments.


Our next session is Friday, June 4th. More updates to come. - VB

We still have space for 1 new player in this and the other two campaigns we rotate. Click here for details.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Departing Character:

T'rune - Goliath Fighter

With only a short farewell and with no explanation, T'rune parted ways with his fellows. The group wished him well in whatever endeavor he was following.

New Starring Characters:

"Sarge" - Half-Orc Warlord

Passing as an ugly human, the half-orc currently known only as "Sarge" worked his way up the ranks to the title of sergeant in the Sandpoint militia. When the group started recruiting over the loss of their other members, Sheriff Hemlock suggested bringing along "Sarge" as he more than proved his bravery and skill against the goblins in the Sandpoint raid.

Fargrim - Dwarf Battlemind

A formerly wealthy promoter of pit fights in the south end of Sandpoint. He defended the pit arena house during the goblin raid, but not before the goblins could do their damage. Having put most of his money into the arena in an attempt to draw more people to the fights, Fargrim was left with little to his name. He answered the call to fight the goblins, hoping to earn some sorely needed funds through adventuring and to seek revenge on the little bastards that put him in the poorhouse.

Tuco - Bugbear Monk

Fargrim's best pit fighter and the fans' "favorite" heel. Tuco doesn't have much choice but to follow Fargrim. For one, he won't get paid just sitting around. And the dwarf and him put up a front of Tuco being Fargrim's slave. The two are on much more equal footing than that, especially now that Fargrim has lost most of his money, but the bugbear normally wouldn't be tolerated within the confines of Sandpoint, what with their view of goblins. He likes the civilized life much better than the crude life most of his kin lead.