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We D&D- Tyranny of Dragons Part 2: The Rise of Tiamat #24b Strike Team 1 Part 2 A Ton of Undead.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7913260" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #52 The Rise of Tiamat #11a Saving Irate Dragon</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Brothers of the First Light.</strong></p><p><strong>Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 10</strong></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 10</strong></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 10</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 10</strong></p><p><strong>&</strong></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 10</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Secondary PCs.</strong></p><p><strong>Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on.</strong></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8</strong></p><p></p><p>This is session #52 of our game, but only session #11a of The Rise of Tiamat scenario.</p><p></p><p>We’re in the Nether Mountains and at the Great Dragon Council- the Brothers of the First Light have won the wyrm’s alliance, and in doing so have gained four favours from the regal drakes. This because the Council voted 4-1 to ratify the alliance, after lots of great roleplay and a few choice concessions.</p><p></p><p>Note the PCs have still got to get the various Lords, Kings et al on the Council of Waterdeep to agree to the concessions that they have made to the Dragons, so the alliance is a potential goer, but not yet a certainty.</p><p></p><p>The one vote against the Brothers came courtesy of Tazmikella or ‘Taz’, an Ancient Female Copper Dragon- her vote would have cost the PCs (or rather Sgt Bobby/Pete) the services of Hazirawn, the burly/surly Fighter’s (NE) magical sword.</p><p></p><p>Taz has gone away for good, enraged she fled the Great Dragon Council, after Sgt Bobby’s semi-humiliating speech (and associated insults) at the end of the last session.</p><p></p><p>Now time for the doubting and the fretting- Players, what are they like.</p><p></p><p>This is what happens next, and again the Players (as it turns out) have been chatting between sessions.</p><p></p><p>So, first up- high Priest Lummins of Lathander messages Leosin Erlathur and tells the Harper that they will be back in Waterdeep in two or three days, Oty (Ancient Silver Dragon) has of course agreed to return the PCs to whence they came.</p><p></p><p>That’s that problem solved- for now.</p><p></p><p>Then Prot (the Ancient Gold Dragon) asks the Brothers what favours they intend to ask of the Great Dragon Council, basically which four Kings/Lords/Ladies etc., or else factions (or others) are they going to assign the Dragons to help.</p><p></p><p>Just to note I decided to get the PCs to make their choices now, rather than get back to the Council of Waterdeep where they could have their heads turned. Decisions now and face the consequences later.</p><p></p><p>As explained in the last session, the PCs have four favours to spend.</p><p></p><p>Who do they choose to protect, or aid?</p><p></p><p>The first two favours go on Dragon-power to protect the Dwarves (Ambassador Connerad) and the Elves (King Malendrach), very simply in order to buy the concessions that have already been promised to the Dragons.</p><p></p><p>Smart move.</p><p></p><p>The next Dragon favour goes to Waterdeep, or rather to Lady Laeral Silverhand the head of the Council of Waterdeep, who sent them on this mission.</p><p></p><p>Again, smart move.</p><p></p><p>And that, alas, just leaves one…</p><p></p><p>Bugger.</p><p></p><p>And so, we spiral for a while- here comes the fretting and doubting. The Players discuss last session (and other things) and make the same point time and time again- if only they could have got Taz on board, got her vote- that would mean six favours, and a much easier decision.</p><p></p><p>Note- six favours, because they get a bonus favour if they achieve a consensus (5-0) from the Great Dragon Council.</p><p></p><p>The PCs now have a plan for this- its simple, although they didn’t figure it out last week.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby is very happy to pledge to hand over Hazirawn when all the fighting is done, he just needs to make full use of it until then…</p><p></p><p>It’s a shame that Taz is gone, and that they didn’t think of this last week…</p><p></p><p>I’ll be honest they whined at me a lot last session, because I had put them/Sgt Bobby in an ‘impossible’ position. I hadn’t, for all their smarts they’d just not figured out that they could do both things- keep Hazirawn for now, and then hand it over to Taz at the end. The Dragon would have gone for the deal…</p><p></p><p>Obviously, they’re going to attempt to get in touch with Taz, via the Great Dragon Council, and put their new offer to her. They didn’t think to use a Sending spell… although I would have found a way to make the magic not quite work if they had tried… see below, I had a plan.</p><p></p><p>Later Sgt Bobby (Pete) even apologised to me, I feel honoured- although at one point he did bite my head off in the last session, so- I’m due.</p><p></p><p>So, more chatter… who to give the last Dragon favour too.</p><p></p><p>And the answer is- they’re going to keep the last Dragon favour for themselves, that’s right- they’d like to move a Dragon (or two) in to the Flying Lighthouse.</p><p></p><p>I told you they were constructing Tracy bloody Island, they may as well paint Thunderbird One on the side of their new Dragon.</p><p></p><p>Prot, and the other Ancient Dragons, are happy with the outcome of the talks- after some more great rolls and roleplay, mostly from the chatty trio. So much so that Nym- the Ancient Bronze that was on the Brother’s side from the outset, gifts them with a trio of Dragonslaying Arrows, which are passed over to Watt, the Bard is the bow expert.</p><p></p><p>Nice!</p><p></p><p>Next up, promises of contact (via Sending spells) with Prot to confirm/arrange the various concessions that the PCs have made- as and when they have been negotiated with the members of the Council of Waterdeep.</p><p></p><p>Then farewell, back aboard Oty for the two-day jaunt to Waterdeep, actually to meet up with the Flying Lighthouse- again Lummins uses a Sending spell to inform Blagothkus (Cloud Giant) to rendezvous with the Brothers.</p><p></p><p>Remember this is still a secret meeting, no-one can know about it… yet.</p><p></p><p>So, the journey back is not as easy as the journey to the Nether Mountains, only a few hours into it and Oty suddenly lurches hard left, at the same time descending rapidly- almost in a headlong dive. The Ancient Silver has heard the sound of a Dragon in distress.</p><p></p><p>The Brothers are hanging on for dear life (and have to make an Acrobatics/Athletics check or else suffer penalties for their next (surprise) attack). Oty breaks through the cloud cover and directly below them is a familiar sight- Taz, the Ancient Copper Dragon. That’s handy.</p><p></p><p>However, Taz is badly wounded (and possibly Poisoned) and beset on all sides by a clutch of Dragon Cultists riding Wyverns.</p><p></p><p>Note throughout this encounter Taz is losing height rapidly, heading towards icy peaks- the Dragon starts the fight bloodied, being attacked on all sides- and spiralling in and out of control, desperate to slow her descent.</p><p></p><p>Here’s my thing- Dragon Cultists riding Wyverns- I’m having some of that. Also, a chance for the PCs to rescue Taz, and in the process claim the top prize- six favours from the Council of Great Dragons. Lastly there’s an additional encounter early on in the module called something like “Power of the Cult”, a band of Elite Cultists, so I thought- let’s put these boys on Wyverns, and so it comes to pass…</p><p></p><p>By the way The PCs/Players quickly (and excitedly) figured out that this was their opportunity to ‘rescue’ Taz, and (perhaps) secure her vote, and thus I am back in their good books- providing they can achieve the task.</p><p></p><p>Note Oty (their Ancient Silver Dragon ride), throughout the coming fight does little or nothing except to manoeuvre according to the PCs (mostly Lux’s) commands. The Brothers are proving themselves here- they must rescue Taz for themselves. I’m only going to get Oty involved in the fight if it looks like the PCs are going to really mess things up.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and its max Hit Points for Cultist bad guys- but not the Wyverns, that’s four Dragonwings, two Dragonfangs and a Dragonsoul- I wanted this to be tough. Note I also played fast and loose with the action- theatre of the mind as much as any map.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]118206[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>And so Oty continues his almost vertical dive- straight into the action.</p><p></p><p>Hotlips fires a crossbow bolt (Assassination attempt) into the back of the closest Wyvern-riding Dragonfang (for 50 HP damage) alas the fellow is not even bloodied. That gets the Player’s attentions.</p><p></p><p>Watt has a moment of inspiration- he Polymorphs the next closest Wyvern into a frog (Jackie, who plays Watt, has a thing about frogs). The frog/Wyvern suddenly contemplates its demise- and quickly falls out of sight, the Dragonwing riding the beast does the same- although a little later is spotted slowing his descent using his Limited Flight (note the clues is in the title of the ability). The pair are however out of the fight.</p><p></p><p>Lux (after prolonged begging by Pete = Sgt Bobby) eventually agrees to cast Fly on herself, Sgt Bobby and Hotlips. Note Lummins has his Winged Boots on- the Priest of Lathander can also fly.</p><p></p><p>That done the surly/burly Fighter Sgt Bobby flings himself from Oty and semi-glides on to the back of the Wyvern carrying the Dragonfang with Hotlips’ crossbow sticking out of her back. Sgt Bobby stabs and slashes with Hazirawn (and with added Action Surge) and the Cultist leader-type is almost dead.</p><p></p><p>Lummins flings an enhanced Fireball into the largest concentration of Wyverns and riders- three pairs are caught in the blast, and already the DM is feeling slightly queasy- they’re murderising my bad guys (all but one of them fail their saving throws).</p><p></p><p>I’m not having that… one of the scorched Dragonwings directs his mount towards the Flying Sgt Bobby, who is grabbed on to the Dragonfang he’s in the process of slaying. The Wyvern screeches by and plungers its Stinger into Sgt B’s back- that hurt.</p><p></p><p>Down below Taz is biting and clawing at a pair of Wyverns and their Cultist riders which are both focussed solely on killing the Ancient Copper Dragon (note Taz started the encounter already bloodied).</p><p></p><p>Hotlips meantime finishes off another already scorched Dragonwing with another crossbow bolt to the back- her favourite attack of late, the body of the Cultist falls flailing from its mount.</p><p></p><p>Bloody hell this fight is going against me very quickly- and thus, the riderless Wyvern turns hard and launches itself back towards Oty, and the Brothers perched on the Ancient Silver’s back.</p><p></p><p>Watt, the bastard, meantime repeats his Polymorph trick- a second Wyvern suddenly finds itself in frog-form, and descending rapidly, the beast and its Dragonwing former-rider (using its Limited Flight ability) are however both soon out of the fight.</p><p></p><p>The rider-less Wyvern launches itself into the midst of the Brothers atop Oty’s back- Hotlips is hit by the beast’s Stinger, but the Stout Halfling barely feels the Poison’s burn. Seconds later the Wyvern is gone- Banished by Lux, as is (unfortunately for me- this is turning into a nightmare) the Wyvern that the Cultist Dragonsoul leader is (was) riding.</p><p></p><p>The Dragonsoul, as previous, slowly falls out of sight- again, using its Limited Flight ability to avoid plummeting into the snowy rocks far below.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby, while the above is going on, slays the Dragonwing he’s fighting with- and then attempts to take control of the Wyvern, remember he’s been practising (and failing) to learn Wyvern riding as a skill during his Downtime activities.</p><p></p><p>So, this is it- one roll… but keep in mind he has the ability to Fly, so he’s in no danger.</p><p></p><p>At last, the burly surly Fighter gets the hang of things, he’s not perfect, but he’s flying the beast.</p><p></p><p>There is whooping- Pete is delighted.</p><p></p><p>There are only two Dragon Cultists and their Wyvern mounts left in the fight, but this pair are way-way below- clawing and slashing at Taz, as the Ancient Copper continues to spiral down towards the mountains.</p><p></p><p>The Brothers grip tight to Oty (or their Wyvern mount- Sgt B) and dive again, descending rapidly to save the Ancient Copper.</p><p></p><p>Just to note, I halved Taz’s hit points again- the Ancient Copper is down to 70 or so, from 315 HP at full.</p><p></p><p>Lummins hits one of the attacking Wyvern-riding Cultist combos with a Flame Strike, radiant fire engulfs the pair, and then the Priest rolls spectacularly low damage (there were 5 x ‘1’ involved). Taz, the Brothers are now close enough to clearly see the great wyrm, is looking very beaten up. The Priest of Lathander therefore also fires a much-enhanced Healing Word into the Dragon.</p><p></p><p>Too late?</p><p></p><p>The singed Dragonwing directs his Wyvern mount to attack Taz again- more hits (including a Crit), Taz (for your info) is down to approx. 40 HP.</p><p></p><p>However, the Ancient Copper Dragon fights back (I allowed the out of control (almost) Taz to make one attack/turn) with a roar she bites the Dragonwing rider clean in two.</p><p></p><p>Watt, moments later- after half of the Brothers miss their various attacks, goes for the three-card-trick. The bastard! The Bard Polymorphs his third Wyvern into a frog, and in the same instant (obviously) the Dragonwing Cultist rider falls away from the fight, screaming insults as he goes.</p><p></p><p>There’s only one rider-less Wyvern left in the fight; it doesn’t stick around for long (mere seconds) it flees the scene.</p><p></p><p>The Banished and Polymorphed enemies are swiftly forgotten about, Lummins applies more Healing Words to Taz, while the Ancient Copper finally regains control of her tumbling descent. Then with several of the Brothers (aboard Oty) guiding Taz down, they make for a convenient snow-capped glacial valley, to land- and heal some more, and inevitably (eventually) to chat.</p><p></p><p>However, Sgt Bobby and Hotlips have other ideas- the pair (both Fly-enhanced) descend on Wyvern-back to hunt down any survivors, the pair manage to account for another two semi-falling Cultists, before their Fly spell runs out. At which point they cling on to their Wyvern mount and gingerly make their way back to their companions.</p><p></p><p>Note, I scared the pair a little by getting them to make Perception checks to find the pair of Ancient Dragons (Taz & Oty), and the other Brothers, who are trying to stay hidden from sight (made a little more difficult by the presence of the two gargantuan Dragons). The pair failed a few rolls (and started to get tetchy) before finally spotting their companions.</p><p></p><p>There was a moment when they thought they were lost- nice!</p><p></p><p>So, after much much healing- Taz is much much more amenable, it requires almost no roleplay, just for Sgt Bobby to offer over Hazirawn into the Ancient Copper’s keeping after their quest is done. The clever-ish Fighter even goes so far as to suggest that Taz accompany the Brothers in their future adventures, in order to keep an eye on the evil blade.</p><p></p><p>He’s a sly bastard, that Sgt Bobby. Taz, is cheeky and chirpy- even going so far as to have a bit of banter with the burly Fighter- soon after the pair are getting on very well, maybe even a little flirty (which is an odd direction to go). But it gave me an idea- more on this later (your sneaky DM).</p><p></p><p>Taz will, of course, vote for the alliance- and will make her decision known to Prot as soon as possible, the Brothers have achieved consensus (5-0) of the Great Dragon Council. That’s six favours- four already distributed (Dwarves, Elves, Waterdeep & the Flying Lighthouse) and two more to be decided.</p><p></p><p>Taz also promises to send the Brother two (Adult & Young) Copper Dragons- she will (after her Dragons arrive) take responsibility for guarding the Flying Lighthouse, in effect honouring one of the favours agreed by the Great Dragon Council in advance of the promised alliance. </p><p></p><p>By the way, the Players are absolutely loving this.</p><p></p><p>That’s the end of the first half of the session- there’s more, lots more, chatter (sorry) in the second half.</p><p></p><p>See you there.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7913260, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #52 The Rise of Tiamat #11a Saving Irate Dragon Brothers of the First Light. Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 10 Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 10 Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 10 Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 10 & Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 10 Secondary PCs. Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on. Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8 Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8 Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8[/B] This is session #52 of our game, but only session #11a of The Rise of Tiamat scenario. We’re in the Nether Mountains and at the Great Dragon Council- the Brothers of the First Light have won the wyrm’s alliance, and in doing so have gained four favours from the regal drakes. This because the Council voted 4-1 to ratify the alliance, after lots of great roleplay and a few choice concessions. Note the PCs have still got to get the various Lords, Kings et al on the Council of Waterdeep to agree to the concessions that they have made to the Dragons, so the alliance is a potential goer, but not yet a certainty. The one vote against the Brothers came courtesy of Tazmikella or ‘Taz’, an Ancient Female Copper Dragon- her vote would have cost the PCs (or rather Sgt Bobby/Pete) the services of Hazirawn, the burly/surly Fighter’s (NE) magical sword. Taz has gone away for good, enraged she fled the Great Dragon Council, after Sgt Bobby’s semi-humiliating speech (and associated insults) at the end of the last session. Now time for the doubting and the fretting- Players, what are they like. This is what happens next, and again the Players (as it turns out) have been chatting between sessions. So, first up- high Priest Lummins of Lathander messages Leosin Erlathur and tells the Harper that they will be back in Waterdeep in two or three days, Oty (Ancient Silver Dragon) has of course agreed to return the PCs to whence they came. That’s that problem solved- for now. Then Prot (the Ancient Gold Dragon) asks the Brothers what favours they intend to ask of the Great Dragon Council, basically which four Kings/Lords/Ladies etc., or else factions (or others) are they going to assign the Dragons to help. Just to note I decided to get the PCs to make their choices now, rather than get back to the Council of Waterdeep where they could have their heads turned. Decisions now and face the consequences later. As explained in the last session, the PCs have four favours to spend. Who do they choose to protect, or aid? The first two favours go on Dragon-power to protect the Dwarves (Ambassador Connerad) and the Elves (King Malendrach), very simply in order to buy the concessions that have already been promised to the Dragons. Smart move. The next Dragon favour goes to Waterdeep, or rather to Lady Laeral Silverhand the head of the Council of Waterdeep, who sent them on this mission. Again, smart move. And that, alas, just leaves one… Bugger. And so, we spiral for a while- here comes the fretting and doubting. The Players discuss last session (and other things) and make the same point time and time again- if only they could have got Taz on board, got her vote- that would mean six favours, and a much easier decision. Note- six favours, because they get a bonus favour if they achieve a consensus (5-0) from the Great Dragon Council. The PCs now have a plan for this- its simple, although they didn’t figure it out last week. Sgt Bobby is very happy to pledge to hand over Hazirawn when all the fighting is done, he just needs to make full use of it until then… It’s a shame that Taz is gone, and that they didn’t think of this last week… I’ll be honest they whined at me a lot last session, because I had put them/Sgt Bobby in an ‘impossible’ position. I hadn’t, for all their smarts they’d just not figured out that they could do both things- keep Hazirawn for now, and then hand it over to Taz at the end. The Dragon would have gone for the deal… Obviously, they’re going to attempt to get in touch with Taz, via the Great Dragon Council, and put their new offer to her. They didn’t think to use a Sending spell… although I would have found a way to make the magic not quite work if they had tried… see below, I had a plan. Later Sgt Bobby (Pete) even apologised to me, I feel honoured- although at one point he did bite my head off in the last session, so- I’m due. So, more chatter… who to give the last Dragon favour too. And the answer is- they’re going to keep the last Dragon favour for themselves, that’s right- they’d like to move a Dragon (or two) in to the Flying Lighthouse. I told you they were constructing Tracy bloody Island, they may as well paint Thunderbird One on the side of their new Dragon. Prot, and the other Ancient Dragons, are happy with the outcome of the talks- after some more great rolls and roleplay, mostly from the chatty trio. So much so that Nym- the Ancient Bronze that was on the Brother’s side from the outset, gifts them with a trio of Dragonslaying Arrows, which are passed over to Watt, the Bard is the bow expert. Nice! Next up, promises of contact (via Sending spells) with Prot to confirm/arrange the various concessions that the PCs have made- as and when they have been negotiated with the members of the Council of Waterdeep. Then farewell, back aboard Oty for the two-day jaunt to Waterdeep, actually to meet up with the Flying Lighthouse- again Lummins uses a Sending spell to inform Blagothkus (Cloud Giant) to rendezvous with the Brothers. Remember this is still a secret meeting, no-one can know about it… yet. So, the journey back is not as easy as the journey to the Nether Mountains, only a few hours into it and Oty suddenly lurches hard left, at the same time descending rapidly- almost in a headlong dive. The Ancient Silver has heard the sound of a Dragon in distress. The Brothers are hanging on for dear life (and have to make an Acrobatics/Athletics check or else suffer penalties for their next (surprise) attack). Oty breaks through the cloud cover and directly below them is a familiar sight- Taz, the Ancient Copper Dragon. That’s handy. However, Taz is badly wounded (and possibly Poisoned) and beset on all sides by a clutch of Dragon Cultists riding Wyverns. Note throughout this encounter Taz is losing height rapidly, heading towards icy peaks- the Dragon starts the fight bloodied, being attacked on all sides- and spiralling in and out of control, desperate to slow her descent. Here’s my thing- Dragon Cultists riding Wyverns- I’m having some of that. Also, a chance for the PCs to rescue Taz, and in the process claim the top prize- six favours from the Council of Great Dragons. Lastly there’s an additional encounter early on in the module called something like “Power of the Cult”, a band of Elite Cultists, so I thought- let’s put these boys on Wyverns, and so it comes to pass… By the way The PCs/Players quickly (and excitedly) figured out that this was their opportunity to ‘rescue’ Taz, and (perhaps) secure her vote, and thus I am back in their good books- providing they can achieve the task. Note Oty (their Ancient Silver Dragon ride), throughout the coming fight does little or nothing except to manoeuvre according to the PCs (mostly Lux’s) commands. The Brothers are proving themselves here- they must rescue Taz for themselves. I’m only going to get Oty involved in the fight if it looks like the PCs are going to really mess things up. Oh, and its max Hit Points for Cultist bad guys- but not the Wyverns, that’s four Dragonwings, two Dragonfangs and a Dragonsoul- I wanted this to be tough. Note I also played fast and loose with the action- theatre of the mind as much as any map. [ATTACH type="full" alt="30 Taz Attack.jpg"]118206[/ATTACH] And so Oty continues his almost vertical dive- straight into the action. Hotlips fires a crossbow bolt (Assassination attempt) into the back of the closest Wyvern-riding Dragonfang (for 50 HP damage) alas the fellow is not even bloodied. That gets the Player’s attentions. Watt has a moment of inspiration- he Polymorphs the next closest Wyvern into a frog (Jackie, who plays Watt, has a thing about frogs). The frog/Wyvern suddenly contemplates its demise- and quickly falls out of sight, the Dragonwing riding the beast does the same- although a little later is spotted slowing his descent using his Limited Flight (note the clues is in the title of the ability). The pair are however out of the fight. Lux (after prolonged begging by Pete = Sgt Bobby) eventually agrees to cast Fly on herself, Sgt Bobby and Hotlips. Note Lummins has his Winged Boots on- the Priest of Lathander can also fly. That done the surly/burly Fighter Sgt Bobby flings himself from Oty and semi-glides on to the back of the Wyvern carrying the Dragonfang with Hotlips’ crossbow sticking out of her back. Sgt Bobby stabs and slashes with Hazirawn (and with added Action Surge) and the Cultist leader-type is almost dead. Lummins flings an enhanced Fireball into the largest concentration of Wyverns and riders- three pairs are caught in the blast, and already the DM is feeling slightly queasy- they’re murderising my bad guys (all but one of them fail their saving throws). I’m not having that… one of the scorched Dragonwings directs his mount towards the Flying Sgt Bobby, who is grabbed on to the Dragonfang he’s in the process of slaying. The Wyvern screeches by and plungers its Stinger into Sgt B’s back- that hurt. Down below Taz is biting and clawing at a pair of Wyverns and their Cultist riders which are both focussed solely on killing the Ancient Copper Dragon (note Taz started the encounter already bloodied). Hotlips meantime finishes off another already scorched Dragonwing with another crossbow bolt to the back- her favourite attack of late, the body of the Cultist falls flailing from its mount. Bloody hell this fight is going against me very quickly- and thus, the riderless Wyvern turns hard and launches itself back towards Oty, and the Brothers perched on the Ancient Silver’s back. Watt, the bastard, meantime repeats his Polymorph trick- a second Wyvern suddenly finds itself in frog-form, and descending rapidly, the beast and its Dragonwing former-rider (using its Limited Flight ability) are however both soon out of the fight. The rider-less Wyvern launches itself into the midst of the Brothers atop Oty’s back- Hotlips is hit by the beast’s Stinger, but the Stout Halfling barely feels the Poison’s burn. Seconds later the Wyvern is gone- Banished by Lux, as is (unfortunately for me- this is turning into a nightmare) the Wyvern that the Cultist Dragonsoul leader is (was) riding. The Dragonsoul, as previous, slowly falls out of sight- again, using its Limited Flight ability to avoid plummeting into the snowy rocks far below. Sgt Bobby, while the above is going on, slays the Dragonwing he’s fighting with- and then attempts to take control of the Wyvern, remember he’s been practising (and failing) to learn Wyvern riding as a skill during his Downtime activities. So, this is it- one roll… but keep in mind he has the ability to Fly, so he’s in no danger. At last, the burly surly Fighter gets the hang of things, he’s not perfect, but he’s flying the beast. There is whooping- Pete is delighted. There are only two Dragon Cultists and their Wyvern mounts left in the fight, but this pair are way-way below- clawing and slashing at Taz, as the Ancient Copper continues to spiral down towards the mountains. The Brothers grip tight to Oty (or their Wyvern mount- Sgt B) and dive again, descending rapidly to save the Ancient Copper. Just to note, I halved Taz’s hit points again- the Ancient Copper is down to 70 or so, from 315 HP at full. Lummins hits one of the attacking Wyvern-riding Cultist combos with a Flame Strike, radiant fire engulfs the pair, and then the Priest rolls spectacularly low damage (there were 5 x ‘1’ involved). Taz, the Brothers are now close enough to clearly see the great wyrm, is looking very beaten up. The Priest of Lathander therefore also fires a much-enhanced Healing Word into the Dragon. Too late? The singed Dragonwing directs his Wyvern mount to attack Taz again- more hits (including a Crit), Taz (for your info) is down to approx. 40 HP. However, the Ancient Copper Dragon fights back (I allowed the out of control (almost) Taz to make one attack/turn) with a roar she bites the Dragonwing rider clean in two. Watt, moments later- after half of the Brothers miss their various attacks, goes for the three-card-trick. The bastard! The Bard Polymorphs his third Wyvern into a frog, and in the same instant (obviously) the Dragonwing Cultist rider falls away from the fight, screaming insults as he goes. There’s only one rider-less Wyvern left in the fight; it doesn’t stick around for long (mere seconds) it flees the scene. The Banished and Polymorphed enemies are swiftly forgotten about, Lummins applies more Healing Words to Taz, while the Ancient Copper finally regains control of her tumbling descent. Then with several of the Brothers (aboard Oty) guiding Taz down, they make for a convenient snow-capped glacial valley, to land- and heal some more, and inevitably (eventually) to chat. However, Sgt Bobby and Hotlips have other ideas- the pair (both Fly-enhanced) descend on Wyvern-back to hunt down any survivors, the pair manage to account for another two semi-falling Cultists, before their Fly spell runs out. At which point they cling on to their Wyvern mount and gingerly make their way back to their companions. Note, I scared the pair a little by getting them to make Perception checks to find the pair of Ancient Dragons (Taz & Oty), and the other Brothers, who are trying to stay hidden from sight (made a little more difficult by the presence of the two gargantuan Dragons). The pair failed a few rolls (and started to get tetchy) before finally spotting their companions. There was a moment when they thought they were lost- nice! So, after much much healing- Taz is much much more amenable, it requires almost no roleplay, just for Sgt Bobby to offer over Hazirawn into the Ancient Copper’s keeping after their quest is done. The clever-ish Fighter even goes so far as to suggest that Taz accompany the Brothers in their future adventures, in order to keep an eye on the evil blade. He’s a sly bastard, that Sgt Bobby. Taz, is cheeky and chirpy- even going so far as to have a bit of banter with the burly Fighter- soon after the pair are getting on very well, maybe even a little flirty (which is an odd direction to go). But it gave me an idea- more on this later (your sneaky DM). Taz will, of course, vote for the alliance- and will make her decision known to Prot as soon as possible, the Brothers have achieved consensus (5-0) of the Great Dragon Council. That’s six favours- four already distributed (Dwarves, Elves, Waterdeep & the Flying Lighthouse) and two more to be decided. Taz also promises to send the Brother two (Adult & Young) Copper Dragons- she will (after her Dragons arrive) take responsibility for guarding the Flying Lighthouse, in effect honouring one of the favours agreed by the Great Dragon Council in advance of the promised alliance. By the way, the Players are absolutely loving this. That’s the end of the first half of the session- there’s more, lots more, chatter (sorry) in the second half. See you there. [/QUOTE]
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