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Spire: The City Must Fall
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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8411711" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>Okay....so here's the rest of our fist session, where the PCs head to the Hidden College to find and somehow silence the wounded Brother Bells.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>The College</u></strong></p><p>Getting into the Hidden College wasn’t very difficult; the name refers to the fact that they're studying more esoteric topics here. So I didn't present any challenges to entry, but they had to figure out where Brother Bells may have been taken. The college was crafted from the earth itself, so it's a series of subterranean tunnels combined with more constructed areas. Very little effort is made to help people find their way around. Chthon the Vermissian Sage declared he wanted to Investigate to see if there was any way to determine where Brother Bells had been taken.</p><p></p><p>He has the Investigate Skill and the Academia Domain, so he rolled 3d10, and got a 9, so it was a full success! I explained that although all manner of strange or bizarre learning goes on here....from arcane studies to alchemy to fringe science....it's rare for anyone to actually be brought in bleeding. Chthon was able to find some traces of blood that trailed off from the central hub to a particular wing. They followed the trail, and found that this was the "Hall of Physical Thaumaturgy". Medical practices of all kinds are studied here. They quickly spotted a pair of college guards standing by one door, but no others, so they figured that was the place they needed to go.</p><p></p><p>So Caspune the Idol approached the guards and gave them some excuse that they were there to collect some items that belonged to the "guest". He made a reference to being there on behest of the Solar Guard. I called or a roll, and he made it with 3d10 as he has the Deceive Skill, and has an ability called "All Eyes on Me" which gives him Mastery on a roll to get peoples' attention. He rolled a 6, so he took some more stress. I rolled d3 and got a 1, and we applied that to his Mind resistance; we've established that Caspune is new to the cause and is very much the rookie on the squad, so boldly lying to the guards, even just private security guards like these, is making him very anxious. He's got a total of 3 Stress at this point. I made a Fallout roll and got above a 3, so no Fallout.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>The Ward</u></strong></p><p>So they managed to get inside, and found a clerk and a nurse in a reception area attached to a small triage type area, with 5 exam rooms, two on either side and one at the end, opposite the reception area. All the rooms were open and empty, with the exception of the one at the end, which had a closed door flanked by two members of the City Watch. Clearly, that had to be where Brother Bells was.</p><p></p><p>So the Watch Guards immediately go on alert. I told the PCs the clerk asks them their business, and they need to make a roll. Caspune makes a roll to convince them that the PCs have legit business here, and gets a full success. The clerk and the nurse go back to their conversation, assuming the PCs are here to pick up a piece of equipment needed by another department. As soon as Chthon starts moving about the ward, however, the City Watch takes notice. The first Guard asks Chthon what he needs and steps forward, while the second Guard puts a hand on his pistol.</p><p></p><p>Myridian the Knight sees this and decides it's time for action. He draws his sword and charges. So combat breaks out!</p><p></p><p>There's no initiative in Spire. You kind of alternate based on what makes sense. I figured Myridian should get the first roll under the circumstances. He hits the first Guard, dealing a few points of stress, but taking a few of his own because he got a partial success. I decided the that second guard drew his gun and fired, hitting Myridian for Blood Stress. However, Myridian wears heavy armor, which negates the first 3 Blood Stress taken. So that Stress is applied to his armor, and not to him.</p><p></p><p>The other two PCs attempt to get in on things, and things quickly started mounting. The more rolls you make in Spire, the more Stress is likely to pile up. So it wasn’t long before some of that Stress started to become Fallout.</p><p></p><p>Caspune the Idol took some Blood Fallout, and was Stunned for a few moments. He was grazed by a bullet, and was out of action for a few minutes. Chthon wasn't sure he'd be a lot of help in the fight, but pulled his dagger and did what he could.</p><p></p><p>Ultimately, the battle was won because of Myridian and the special abilities of the Knight. I want to highlight them here.</p><p></p><p><em>- Bulwark: Once per session, clear all stress marked to your armor. </em></p><p></p><p>This came in really handy, and kept Myridian in the fight longer. His armor gives him 3 free Blood Stress, so he's effectively able to double that to 6 by using this power.</p><p></p><p>- <em>Knight Protector: Once per situation, when a nearby ally would take Blood stress from an enemy attack, you take it instead. </em></p><p></p><p>This ability kept Chthon from being taken out, but ratcheted the Knight’s Blood Stress back up. Ultimately, he finished off the first guard, but then got shot by the second pushing him to 8 Stress. I rolled for Fallout and got a 6, so his Stress became Moderate Fallout. The gunshot hit him in the leg below the knee, shattering the bone!</p><p></p><p>He crumpled to the ground, but then managed to draw his own pistol, and take the second guard out with a final shot. But with his leg broken, he's severely restricted in what he can do and how he can get about.</p><p></p><p>Caspune recovered at this point, and heard the sound of reinforcements outside. He quickly ducked out and used his All Eyes On Me ability to get everyone focused on him. His bloody face helped and he succeeded to Deceive the additional guards that there was an overwhelming force inside, and they’d be killed unless they got more men. One of them ran off to do so, and then Caspune wisely and quietly slipped away.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, in the Ward, Chthon made his way into the exam room and sure enough he found Brother Bells, unconscious on a cot. Unfortunately, the mad professor who was working on helping Brother Bells recover so he could be properly questioned was also in the room, and he slid a syringe into Chthon’s neck. He rolled to avoid the attack, but failed and was going to take Stress for this, but before I even got to that, the player triggered his special ability.</p><p></p><p>- <em>That Didn’t Happen: Once per session, re-roll all the dice in your pool, as you reveal the events that just happened to be false. </em></p><p></p><p>So reality distorted and rewrote itself. He rerolled and got a 10, so no Stress. The Professor was flabbergasted, but didn’t make any more aggressive moves. Chthon let him run away, and then went out to drag Myridian into the exam room. He lifted the Knight up onto the bed with Brother Bells, and then opened a medicine chest, and used another special ability.</p><p></p><p>- <em>Back Door: Once per session, you can find an entrance to the Vermissian Vault no matter where you are in Spire. (whether it was there before you started looking remains unclear). Inside, you’ll find a collection of strange items and peculiar books, many of which relate or come from alternate histories, and some of which tell the truth. Any non-Sage character who enters the Vault should roll Resist+Occult or suffer Mind stress.</em></p><p></p><p>So they escaped into the Vault. Myridian managed to not take any Stress, but I rolled for Brother Bells and he was not so lucky. The trip proved too much for him, and he died as a result, but spouted some final cryptic words (which should give the PCs some starting points for further investigation). We did one scene to wrap things up, and that was with Sister Lenore, and they confirmed that Brother Bells had died, which satisfied her. She asked if he had any last words, and Chthon told her that he did not. So the PCs are already not trusting their Magister, and keeping secrets. I love it.</p><p></p><p>****</p><p></p><p>All in all it was a very fun session. The game flows easily, and the rules are interesting, but easy. Any hiccups we had were minor and easily worked out, and I expect will be fewer as we proceed. The setting and the basic premise are both excellent and the material in the book and in supplemental materials is all very evocative. Seriously, the maps of the districts have so much going on and everything you look at just suggests ideas and obstacles.</p><p></p><p>Our next session will see the players deciding what to do rather than me giving them a mission. They have a general goal of finding out what the previous cell was looking into, and that can go any number of ways. There are a lot of interesting factions at play in Red Row, and as they encounter them, things will just naturally start to pile up. They’ll be setting their own agenda before too long, and I’ll just be responding to them.</p><p></p><p>Our next game is this Friday, so maybe I’ll have more to post soon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 8411711, member: 6785785"] Okay....so here's the rest of our fist session, where the PCs head to the Hidden College to find and somehow silence the wounded Brother Bells. [B][U]The College[/U][/B] Getting into the Hidden College wasn’t very difficult; the name refers to the fact that they're studying more esoteric topics here. So I didn't present any challenges to entry, but they had to figure out where Brother Bells may have been taken. The college was crafted from the earth itself, so it's a series of subterranean tunnels combined with more constructed areas. Very little effort is made to help people find their way around. Chthon the Vermissian Sage declared he wanted to Investigate to see if there was any way to determine where Brother Bells had been taken. He has the Investigate Skill and the Academia Domain, so he rolled 3d10, and got a 9, so it was a full success! I explained that although all manner of strange or bizarre learning goes on here....from arcane studies to alchemy to fringe science....it's rare for anyone to actually be brought in bleeding. Chthon was able to find some traces of blood that trailed off from the central hub to a particular wing. They followed the trail, and found that this was the "Hall of Physical Thaumaturgy". Medical practices of all kinds are studied here. They quickly spotted a pair of college guards standing by one door, but no others, so they figured that was the place they needed to go. So Caspune the Idol approached the guards and gave them some excuse that they were there to collect some items that belonged to the "guest". He made a reference to being there on behest of the Solar Guard. I called or a roll, and he made it with 3d10 as he has the Deceive Skill, and has an ability called "All Eyes on Me" which gives him Mastery on a roll to get peoples' attention. He rolled a 6, so he took some more stress. I rolled d3 and got a 1, and we applied that to his Mind resistance; we've established that Caspune is new to the cause and is very much the rookie on the squad, so boldly lying to the guards, even just private security guards like these, is making him very anxious. He's got a total of 3 Stress at this point. I made a Fallout roll and got above a 3, so no Fallout. [B][U]The Ward[/U][/B] So they managed to get inside, and found a clerk and a nurse in a reception area attached to a small triage type area, with 5 exam rooms, two on either side and one at the end, opposite the reception area. All the rooms were open and empty, with the exception of the one at the end, which had a closed door flanked by two members of the City Watch. Clearly, that had to be where Brother Bells was. So the Watch Guards immediately go on alert. I told the PCs the clerk asks them their business, and they need to make a roll. Caspune makes a roll to convince them that the PCs have legit business here, and gets a full success. The clerk and the nurse go back to their conversation, assuming the PCs are here to pick up a piece of equipment needed by another department. As soon as Chthon starts moving about the ward, however, the City Watch takes notice. The first Guard asks Chthon what he needs and steps forward, while the second Guard puts a hand on his pistol. Myridian the Knight sees this and decides it's time for action. He draws his sword and charges. So combat breaks out! There's no initiative in Spire. You kind of alternate based on what makes sense. I figured Myridian should get the first roll under the circumstances. He hits the first Guard, dealing a few points of stress, but taking a few of his own because he got a partial success. I decided the that second guard drew his gun and fired, hitting Myridian for Blood Stress. However, Myridian wears heavy armor, which negates the first 3 Blood Stress taken. So that Stress is applied to his armor, and not to him. The other two PCs attempt to get in on things, and things quickly started mounting. The more rolls you make in Spire, the more Stress is likely to pile up. So it wasn’t long before some of that Stress started to become Fallout. Caspune the Idol took some Blood Fallout, and was Stunned for a few moments. He was grazed by a bullet, and was out of action for a few minutes. Chthon wasn't sure he'd be a lot of help in the fight, but pulled his dagger and did what he could. Ultimately, the battle was won because of Myridian and the special abilities of the Knight. I want to highlight them here. [I]- Bulwark: Once per session, clear all stress marked to your armor. [/I] This came in really handy, and kept Myridian in the fight longer. His armor gives him 3 free Blood Stress, so he's effectively able to double that to 6 by using this power. - [I]Knight Protector: Once per situation, when a nearby ally would take Blood stress from an enemy attack, you take it instead. [/I] This ability kept Chthon from being taken out, but ratcheted the Knight’s Blood Stress back up. Ultimately, he finished off the first guard, but then got shot by the second pushing him to 8 Stress. I rolled for Fallout and got a 6, so his Stress became Moderate Fallout. The gunshot hit him in the leg below the knee, shattering the bone! He crumpled to the ground, but then managed to draw his own pistol, and take the second guard out with a final shot. But with his leg broken, he's severely restricted in what he can do and how he can get about. Caspune recovered at this point, and heard the sound of reinforcements outside. He quickly ducked out and used his All Eyes On Me ability to get everyone focused on him. His bloody face helped and he succeeded to Deceive the additional guards that there was an overwhelming force inside, and they’d be killed unless they got more men. One of them ran off to do so, and then Caspune wisely and quietly slipped away. Meanwhile, in the Ward, Chthon made his way into the exam room and sure enough he found Brother Bells, unconscious on a cot. Unfortunately, the mad professor who was working on helping Brother Bells recover so he could be properly questioned was also in the room, and he slid a syringe into Chthon’s neck. He rolled to avoid the attack, but failed and was going to take Stress for this, but before I even got to that, the player triggered his special ability. - [I]That Didn’t Happen: Once per session, re-roll all the dice in your pool, as you reveal the events that just happened to be false. [/I] So reality distorted and rewrote itself. He rerolled and got a 10, so no Stress. The Professor was flabbergasted, but didn’t make any more aggressive moves. Chthon let him run away, and then went out to drag Myridian into the exam room. He lifted the Knight up onto the bed with Brother Bells, and then opened a medicine chest, and used another special ability. - [I]Back Door: Once per session, you can find an entrance to the Vermissian Vault no matter where you are in Spire. (whether it was there before you started looking remains unclear). Inside, you’ll find a collection of strange items and peculiar books, many of which relate or come from alternate histories, and some of which tell the truth. Any non-Sage character who enters the Vault should roll Resist+Occult or suffer Mind stress.[/I] So they escaped into the Vault. Myridian managed to not take any Stress, but I rolled for Brother Bells and he was not so lucky. The trip proved too much for him, and he died as a result, but spouted some final cryptic words (which should give the PCs some starting points for further investigation). We did one scene to wrap things up, and that was with Sister Lenore, and they confirmed that Brother Bells had died, which satisfied her. She asked if he had any last words, and Chthon told her that he did not. So the PCs are already not trusting their Magister, and keeping secrets. I love it. **** All in all it was a very fun session. The game flows easily, and the rules are interesting, but easy. Any hiccups we had were minor and easily worked out, and I expect will be fewer as we proceed. The setting and the basic premise are both excellent and the material in the book and in supplemental materials is all very evocative. Seriously, the maps of the districts have so much going on and everything you look at just suggests ideas and obstacles. Our next session will see the players deciding what to do rather than me giving them a mission. They have a general goal of finding out what the previous cell was looking into, and that can go any number of ways. There are a lot of interesting factions at play in Red Row, and as they encounter them, things will just naturally start to pile up. They’ll be setting their own agenda before too long, and I’ll just be responding to them. Our next game is this Friday, so maybe I’ll have more to post soon. [/QUOTE]
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