Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
We D&D- Tyranny of Dragons Part 2: The Rise of Tiamat #24b Strike Team 1 Part 2 A Ton of Undead.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7575374" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #15a Hoard of the Dragon Queen #1a Intro & PCs.</strong></p><p></p><p>Note, this is session #15 of our game but (obviously) only session #1 of our Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario.</p><p></p><p>And so to begin with a little intro, although if you have read the previous section then you’ll know some of this. The players, in this session, started by rolling up their PCs- two each, one member of the Brothers of the First Light, and one spare PC- just in case.</p><p></p><p>I decided that each player should have a spare PC for several reasons-</p><p></p><p>1) In the last scenario the guys suffered a 75% TPK, three of the four adventurers were slaughtered in the Cragmaw Goblin lair, I therefore figured it would be easier if each player had an extra pre-loved PC to hand, one that could just slot in at the next convenient juncture.</p><p></p><p>2) Also, I wasn’t sure that the players would take to the Brothers of the First Light, so I wanted to give them an option, if they were not ‘in’ to playing an ex-Dragon Cultist now worshipper of Lathander, and they wanted something different then… hey presto, they already had a second PC that was built to their specifications.</p><p></p><p>3) Having read Hoard of the Dragon Queen I thought it would be nigh on impossible to run all of the missions in the first chapter with just one first level PC each, there’s a lot going on and I like to get my money’s worth out of these books- so I’m skipping nothing. Therefore it is likely that the secondary PCs are going to get a moment (brief perhaps) in the spotlight.</p><p></p><p>Also the players didn’t know ahead of time which scenario I had chosen for them to play, they worked it out pretty quickly however, particularly Pete and Rob who follow events in 5e world.</p><p></p><p>Last bit before the intro to the adventure proper, I have DMed this scenario twice before-</p><p></p><p>1) Attempt #1 double TPK in Chapter 1- all four PCs killed on the way to the Keep, new PCs rolled up in the Keep and then sent out on missions only to get TPKed again in the Save the Mill scenario. Game abandoned.</p><p></p><p>2) Attempt #2 party disintegration- player A no longer talking to player B, player C can no longer play on a Tuesday etc. we got as far as the start of Chapter 3 before things fell apart.</p><p></p><p>And so, at last (after the caveats), we begin.</p><p></p><p><strong>Session #15a Hoard of the Dragon Queen #1a Intro & PCs.</strong></p><p></p><p>Three years (game time, obviously, about two weeks in the real world) after the action presented in Lost Mine of Phandelver, the Brothers of the First Light are reborn. The PCs are rolled up around the table with all players present using the PH approved point buying method. The PCs are all worshippers of Lathander (and ex-members of the Cult of the Dragon- that works), they have in the last three years done a variety of things and taken up their present professions (for which read Classes). I allowed the players to do what they wanted with regard to the race of their PCs (after all Dragon Cultists come in all shapes and sizes), although I counselled them that ‘chatty’ PCs would be good- at least a few of them should have some social skills.</p><p></p><p>And so we have- </p><p></p><p><strong>Ray the Zealot (played by Pete)</strong></p><p><strong>Male Human Paladin of Lathander Lvl 1 (Spy background also ex-Dragon Cultist)</strong></p><p></p><p>Six feet tall and thick set, a natural leader with a barking voice. As with all members of the Brothers of the First Light, Ray (or as he was known back then- Favric) was a member of the Cult of the Dragon. He joined the organisation for the thrill of it all- recruited in the backstreets of Neverwinter, he was a Dragon Cultist for seven years, until his conversion by Myrium the Blessed. Ray has seen things and done things that he is now terribly ashamed of. For the last three years Ray has spent his time travelling between Neverwinter and Waterdeep, at first training with and then working for the Church of Lathander, he has also spent considerable time at Helm’s Hold, and there developed a more martial aspect to his religious beliefs, gaining the moniker- Ray ‘the Zealot’. </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Lummins (played by Rob)</strong></p><p><strong>Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 1 (Acolyte background also ex-Dragon Cultist)</strong></p><p></p><p>A handsome, wiry half-elf who is much older than he looks. As with all the Brothers of the First Light, Lummins spent time as a member of the Dragon Cult, although he was only two years with the organisation- mostly running errands and attending fervent meetings in dark cellars. Leaving the cult was much easier for Lummins, he had spent little of his time on active duty and was not as committed to the cause as his colleagues, like Ray (Favric, as was). For the last three years Lummins has been shadowing Ray’s moves- travelling between Neverwinter and Waterdeep, a majority of his time has been spent in training for his present occupation.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy)</strong></p><p><strong>Female Human Warlock Lvl 1 (Zhent Agent background also ex-Dragon Cultist)</strong></p><p></p><p>A beautiful headstrong woman who has always been drawn to great power. As with all members of the Brothers of the First Light, Lux was a member of the Cult of the Dragon. She joined the organisation in Waterdeep for the simple reason that she wished to quickly develop her own powers- the cult seemed to Lux to offer a way for her to pursue her agenda. For similar reasons she also joined the Zhentarim, serving the Black Network in a variety of ways. Lux has a cruel streak, although now (of course) she has seen the light of Lathander. The last three years have seen a change in Lux- a voice whispers to her and feeds her desire for power. She believes she has been chosen, and that some eldritch entity beyond her understanding is calling out to her. While she worships Lathander she also pays attention to the strange voice in her head. Lux is however ultimately out for herself.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie)</strong></p><p><strong>Male Human Bard Lvl 1 (Entertainer background also ex-Dragon Cultist)</strong></p><p></p><p>A stick thin, tall (six foot six) emaciated figure, fond of jokes and when the occasion suits- story-telling, singing and other entertainments. Raised on the rough dockside streets of Neverwinter, Watt survived by being smarter, and quicker (with jokes or honeyed words) than others, he thus avoided being a victim. As with all members of the Brothers of the First Light, Watt was a member of the Cult of the Dragon. He joined the organisation in Neverwinter for the simple reason that it offered him a way out of his desultory existence, he previously made money as a street-hawker and story-teller. For the last three years he has drifted, earning money on the streets and Inns of the great cities on the Sword Coast, he has however during this time been perfecting his art, and gathering information.</p><p></p><p></p><p>And the four ‘spare’ PCs-</p><p></p><p>Note the <strong>SECRET</strong> section of each of the secondary PCs profiles, these were added after the first few sessions of play, when the guys realised which module we were playing (mostly using the details in Appendix A of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen module).</p><p></p><p>Further note the PCs below start the game already in Greenest, some of them are citizens of the town- see below.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy)</strong></p><p><strong>Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 1 (Criminal background)</strong></p><p></p><p>A local nuisance- the slight and swarthy halfling is a one-woman crime-wave. Hotlips grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, in a ramshackle abode in the poorest part of town, and to an alcoholic father. Hotlips (a moniker she gained from her incessant chatter- at least that’s what she tells people) never stood a chance, she has however been educated well in the school of hard-knocks, she is (by her own admission) useful in a fight. The halfling terror is hard to pin down, and even when disarmed she can (most times) talk herself out of trouble.</p><p></p><p><strong>SECRET:</strong> Hotlips loves Greenest, and yet above all things she hopes one day to leave the place- when her family’s farm was raided (and destroyed) by orcs (when she was very young) and the Houlihan’s had to flee they found succour in Greenest, the people took them in- gave them food and (fairly squalid) shelter. She would die to save Greenest, although she’s reluctant to let anyone know this, it would mess with her tough-woman image.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played Rob)</strong></p><p><strong>Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 1 (Criminal background)</strong></p><p></p><p>An oddity, a placid and peaceful half-orc- Hard Bonk is sleight (five foot two), and nothing much to look at, and yet he is lightening quick and with a punch that can stop a mule. It’s all to do with his ‘chi’, or so he says- when he speaks at all. Hard Bonk was saved from savagery by a wandering monk- Leosin Erlanthar, who the half-orc served (or at least followed and imitated) for some considerable years after, eventually badgering Leosin to share the secrets of his monkish ways. Hard Bonk after completing his training went away from his master- to ‘visit’ the Sword Coast, he has wandered the highways and byways for the past year or so.</p><p></p><p><strong>SECRET:</strong> Leosin has sent urgent word for Hard Bonk to meet him in Greenest, it seems it is time for the half-orc to pay his debt to his master.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete)</strong></p><p><strong>Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 1 (Soldier background)</strong></p><p></p><p>Harald, an experienced ex-watch sergeant, now older (and much fatter), he has retired at last, and to the relative peace and quiet of Greenest. He has never married and has no relatives south of Mirabar- and quite frankly he’s glad about that.</p><p></p><p><strong>SECRET:</strong> Harald, as it turns out, is the one (and only) legitimate son and heir of Shieldmaiden Gazunda Hardaxe, who slew the terrible Red Dragon Arcanthraxus, and the fearsome Blue Dragon Cyclosophate, and… she was busy was Gazunda, right up until her mortal end. Harald is certain however that no-one in Greenest has ever heard of his famous mother, and for that he is extremely grateful, he can at last live his life in peace.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie)</strong></p><p><strong>Male Human Druid Lvl 1 (Emerald Enclave Agent background)</strong></p><p></p><p>Derek is small (four feet eleven), fat, bald and getting on a bit- he’ll be six score and two on his next birthdaymass. Derek is proper country folk, “I wuz cobbin lumps at sum scraw badgers till Father Applemash cum callin’. Roiks! I’ll ‘ave ‘em! I sez to ‘e.” That’s the kind of thing Derek says a lot, no-one has a clue what he is on about, even the other country folk hereabouts. Derek has lived in the vicinity of Greenest all of his days.</p><p></p><p><strong>SECRET:</strong> Derek has been an informant and member of the Emerald Enclave for the last three decades. He has one other terrible (and sad) secret- Derek was orphaned at the age of five, his family was killed by a Green Dragon, long enough ago for people to have forgotten. Since that day Derek has made it his life’s ambition to know everything there is to know about dragons, and in particular Green Dragons- he’ll be ready next time one of the bastard’s shows up. Derek is a Dragon Scholar.</p><p></p><p>And so…</p><p></p><p>Next section for the actual action.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7575374, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #15a Hoard of the Dragon Queen #1a Intro & PCs.[/B] Note, this is session #15 of our game but (obviously) only session #1 of our Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario. And so to begin with a little intro, although if you have read the previous section then you’ll know some of this. The players, in this session, started by rolling up their PCs- two each, one member of the Brothers of the First Light, and one spare PC- just in case. I decided that each player should have a spare PC for several reasons- 1) In the last scenario the guys suffered a 75% TPK, three of the four adventurers were slaughtered in the Cragmaw Goblin lair, I therefore figured it would be easier if each player had an extra pre-loved PC to hand, one that could just slot in at the next convenient juncture. 2) Also, I wasn’t sure that the players would take to the Brothers of the First Light, so I wanted to give them an option, if they were not ‘in’ to playing an ex-Dragon Cultist now worshipper of Lathander, and they wanted something different then… hey presto, they already had a second PC that was built to their specifications. 3) Having read Hoard of the Dragon Queen I thought it would be nigh on impossible to run all of the missions in the first chapter with just one first level PC each, there’s a lot going on and I like to get my money’s worth out of these books- so I’m skipping nothing. Therefore it is likely that the secondary PCs are going to get a moment (brief perhaps) in the spotlight. Also the players didn’t know ahead of time which scenario I had chosen for them to play, they worked it out pretty quickly however, particularly Pete and Rob who follow events in 5e world. Last bit before the intro to the adventure proper, I have DMed this scenario twice before- 1) Attempt #1 double TPK in Chapter 1- all four PCs killed on the way to the Keep, new PCs rolled up in the Keep and then sent out on missions only to get TPKed again in the Save the Mill scenario. Game abandoned. 2) Attempt #2 party disintegration- player A no longer talking to player B, player C can no longer play on a Tuesday etc. we got as far as the start of Chapter 3 before things fell apart. And so, at last (after the caveats), we begin. [B]Session #15a Hoard of the Dragon Queen #1a Intro & PCs.[/B] Three years (game time, obviously, about two weeks in the real world) after the action presented in Lost Mine of Phandelver, the Brothers of the First Light are reborn. The PCs are rolled up around the table with all players present using the PH approved point buying method. The PCs are all worshippers of Lathander (and ex-members of the Cult of the Dragon- that works), they have in the last three years done a variety of things and taken up their present professions (for which read Classes). I allowed the players to do what they wanted with regard to the race of their PCs (after all Dragon Cultists come in all shapes and sizes), although I counselled them that ‘chatty’ PCs would be good- at least a few of them should have some social skills. And so we have- [B]Ray the Zealot (played by Pete) Male Human Paladin of Lathander Lvl 1 (Spy background also ex-Dragon Cultist)[/B] Six feet tall and thick set, a natural leader with a barking voice. As with all members of the Brothers of the First Light, Ray (or as he was known back then- Favric) was a member of the Cult of the Dragon. He joined the organisation for the thrill of it all- recruited in the backstreets of Neverwinter, he was a Dragon Cultist for seven years, until his conversion by Myrium the Blessed. Ray has seen things and done things that he is now terribly ashamed of. For the last three years Ray has spent his time travelling between Neverwinter and Waterdeep, at first training with and then working for the Church of Lathander, he has also spent considerable time at Helm’s Hold, and there developed a more martial aspect to his religious beliefs, gaining the moniker- Ray ‘the Zealot’. [B]Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 1 (Acolyte background also ex-Dragon Cultist)[/B] A handsome, wiry half-elf who is much older than he looks. As with all the Brothers of the First Light, Lummins spent time as a member of the Dragon Cult, although he was only two years with the organisation- mostly running errands and attending fervent meetings in dark cellars. Leaving the cult was much easier for Lummins, he had spent little of his time on active duty and was not as committed to the cause as his colleagues, like Ray (Favric, as was). For the last three years Lummins has been shadowing Ray’s moves- travelling between Neverwinter and Waterdeep, a majority of his time has been spent in training for his present occupation. [B]Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 1 (Zhent Agent background also ex-Dragon Cultist)[/B] A beautiful headstrong woman who has always been drawn to great power. As with all members of the Brothers of the First Light, Lux was a member of the Cult of the Dragon. She joined the organisation in Waterdeep for the simple reason that she wished to quickly develop her own powers- the cult seemed to Lux to offer a way for her to pursue her agenda. For similar reasons she also joined the Zhentarim, serving the Black Network in a variety of ways. Lux has a cruel streak, although now (of course) she has seen the light of Lathander. The last three years have seen a change in Lux- a voice whispers to her and feeds her desire for power. She believes she has been chosen, and that some eldritch entity beyond her understanding is calling out to her. While she worships Lathander she also pays attention to the strange voice in her head. Lux is however ultimately out for herself. [B]Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 1 (Entertainer background also ex-Dragon Cultist)[/B] A stick thin, tall (six foot six) emaciated figure, fond of jokes and when the occasion suits- story-telling, singing and other entertainments. Raised on the rough dockside streets of Neverwinter, Watt survived by being smarter, and quicker (with jokes or honeyed words) than others, he thus avoided being a victim. As with all members of the Brothers of the First Light, Watt was a member of the Cult of the Dragon. He joined the organisation in Neverwinter for the simple reason that it offered him a way out of his desultory existence, he previously made money as a street-hawker and story-teller. For the last three years he has drifted, earning money on the streets and Inns of the great cities on the Sword Coast, he has however during this time been perfecting his art, and gathering information. And the four ‘spare’ PCs- Note the [B]SECRET[/B] section of each of the secondary PCs profiles, these were added after the first few sessions of play, when the guys realised which module we were playing (mostly using the details in Appendix A of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen module). Further note the PCs below start the game already in Greenest, some of them are citizens of the town- see below. [B]Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 1 (Criminal background)[/B] A local nuisance- the slight and swarthy halfling is a one-woman crime-wave. Hotlips grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, in a ramshackle abode in the poorest part of town, and to an alcoholic father. Hotlips (a moniker she gained from her incessant chatter- at least that’s what she tells people) never stood a chance, she has however been educated well in the school of hard-knocks, she is (by her own admission) useful in a fight. The halfling terror is hard to pin down, and even when disarmed she can (most times) talk herself out of trouble. [B]SECRET:[/B] Hotlips loves Greenest, and yet above all things she hopes one day to leave the place- when her family’s farm was raided (and destroyed) by orcs (when she was very young) and the Houlihan’s had to flee they found succour in Greenest, the people took them in- gave them food and (fairly squalid) shelter. She would die to save Greenest, although she’s reluctant to let anyone know this, it would mess with her tough-woman image. [B]Hard Bonk (played Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 1 (Criminal background)[/B] An oddity, a placid and peaceful half-orc- Hard Bonk is sleight (five foot two), and nothing much to look at, and yet he is lightening quick and with a punch that can stop a mule. It’s all to do with his ‘chi’, or so he says- when he speaks at all. Hard Bonk was saved from savagery by a wandering monk- Leosin Erlanthar, who the half-orc served (or at least followed and imitated) for some considerable years after, eventually badgering Leosin to share the secrets of his monkish ways. Hard Bonk after completing his training went away from his master- to ‘visit’ the Sword Coast, he has wandered the highways and byways for the past year or so. [B]SECRET:[/B] Leosin has sent urgent word for Hard Bonk to meet him in Greenest, it seems it is time for the half-orc to pay his debt to his master. [B]Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 1 (Soldier background)[/B] Harald, an experienced ex-watch sergeant, now older (and much fatter), he has retired at last, and to the relative peace and quiet of Greenest. He has never married and has no relatives south of Mirabar- and quite frankly he’s glad about that. [B]SECRET:[/B] Harald, as it turns out, is the one (and only) legitimate son and heir of Shieldmaiden Gazunda Hardaxe, who slew the terrible Red Dragon Arcanthraxus, and the fearsome Blue Dragon Cyclosophate, and… she was busy was Gazunda, right up until her mortal end. Harald is certain however that no-one in Greenest has ever heard of his famous mother, and for that he is extremely grateful, he can at last live his life in peace. [B]Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 1 (Emerald Enclave Agent background)[/B] Derek is small (four feet eleven), fat, bald and getting on a bit- he’ll be six score and two on his next birthdaymass. Derek is proper country folk, “I wuz cobbin lumps at sum scraw badgers till Father Applemash cum callin’. Roiks! I’ll ‘ave ‘em! I sez to ‘e.” That’s the kind of thing Derek says a lot, no-one has a clue what he is on about, even the other country folk hereabouts. Derek has lived in the vicinity of Greenest all of his days. [B]SECRET:[/B] Derek has been an informant and member of the Emerald Enclave for the last three decades. He has one other terrible (and sad) secret- Derek was orphaned at the age of five, his family was killed by a Green Dragon, long enough ago for people to have forgotten. Since that day Derek has made it his life’s ambition to know everything there is to know about dragons, and in particular Green Dragons- he’ll be ready next time one of the bastard’s shows up. Derek is a Dragon Scholar. And so… Next section for the actual action. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
We D&D- Tyranny of Dragons Part 2: The Rise of Tiamat #24b Strike Team 1 Part 2 A Ton of Undead.
Top