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Against the Idol of the Sun: A 5e high-level campaign log
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<blockquote data-quote="J-H" data-source="post: 8952419" data-attributes="member: 7020951"><p><strong>Session 12: 6/12/2021</strong></p><p></p><p>Dmitri the Barbarian’s player could not make it. Teador the Paladin’s player was late due to fighting Strahd in another campaign (the fight will be finished next session and 1 PC is dead, but it sounds like they’ll win).</p><p></p><p>The giant-inhabited mountains are somewhat safer, with random encounters being triggered on a roll of 1 on a d8 every 2 hours. I rolled over 20d8 this session and got zero random encounters.</p><p></p><p>The party continues exploring to find the giants. They explore a couple of hexes and pretty quickly locate two more signal beacon firewood stacks in the mountains. After this, they locate a small large hunting camp (ha) containing 4 stone giants and about 10 goliaths. They land, chat, and learn some things about where some of the giant cities are located (mostly to the west), and some basics about how the giants are governed. Quoted from my faction info section:</p><p></p><p>“The giants are long-lived, and consequently risk-</p><p>averse, prone to considering all risks.</p><p></p><p>Instead of the Ordning, adult giants are divided into</p><p>twenty-six different Clans, based on what astrological</p><p>sign they were born under (13 lunar months), and</p><p>whether the moon was waning or waxing during that</p><p>time. Each Clan head is elected by members of his</p><p>clan within the specific area or enclave, and rules for</p><p>two weeks, with the counsel of those who rule</p><p>immediately before and after him. Thanks to the</p><p>caution and consideration practiced by the giants, this</p><p>is actually a stable form of government, as no ruler</p><p>will take actions that he believes will be overturned</p><p>after his yearly term is ended.”</p><p></p><p>The goliaths generally follow the giants’ lead and do things that require smaller eyes and hands. They haven’t had too many problems with the Aarakocra, and (this is developed over several NPC conversations) usually have battles mostly via missile fire – javelins from above vs. rocks and ballista bolts from below. The Aarakocra don’t tend to fare well in melee against goliaths and stone giants.</p><p></p><p>One of the hunters in the camp is attending an archery competition soon, and mentions it. Ka Fareye, a very old and legendary archer among the goliaths, is looking for someone very skilled to get his powerful longbow. Ratel, our kensei monk, is interested in this. The party travels with some of the goliaths (getting some of the info above) overland to a couple of hexes away, where the archery competition is.</p><p></p><p>There are 4 phases to the competition over 2 days. I had picked out 6 NPC contestants as noteworthy , and had pre-rolled their results:</p><p>Arxerx, Drow eldritch knight, hailing from the Rodanite village (12.09)</p><p>Enele, Goliath arcane archer</p><p>Ka’ena, Goliath Ranger (female)</p><p>Aolani, Goliath Bard (female)</p><p>Redleaf, Satyr archer (champion)</p><p>Harenda, Yuan-ti abomination</p><p></p><p>Here are the competitions:</p><p>Rapid Fire</p><p>At 150 feet, 5 targets are set up. Contestants have as many arrows as they need to strike the bullseye (AC 22) once per target. Scoring:</p><p>Starting point value: 20 </p><p>-1 point per arrow fired</p><p>-1 point per round or partial round used to shoot</p><p>Highest point value places first.</p><p></p><p>Long Distance</p><p>3 Targets are set up at 550’ (long range). The bullseyes are not much larger (AC 22), but most shooters will have disadvantage due to the range. A DC 24 Perception check gives +2 to the attack roll. Each contestant gets 6 arrows.</p><p>1 point is awarded for each bullseye hit. Highest score places first.</p><p></p><p>Cover</p><p>Targets are set up at a range of 50’, 100’, and 150’, all benefiting from half cover (+5 AC). Targets are AC 20 + cover. Shooters with the Sharpshooter feat or other ways to negate cover do well on this one.</p><p>Each contestant gets 6 arrows.</p><p>1 point is awarded for each bullseye hit. Highest score places first.</p><p></p><p>Power</p><p>A hardened target with a thin layer of iron is set up at a distance of 50 feet. The bullseyes are AC 20, but the targets have a hardness of 10. Any arrow which deals less than 10 damage will bounce off.</p><p>Each contestant gets three arrows.</p><p>1 point is awarded for each bullseye hit. Highest score places first.</p><p></p><p>During the competition, they talked to several NPCs. The Yuan-ti warned that the Aarakocra sacrifices seem to be gathering power for something. The party also caught a couple of shenanigans:</p><p>-Aolani, a Goliath Bard, had been vociferously insulting people and talking the whole time. She got caught in competition 2 or 3 using Cutting Words. Teador the Paladin took her aside, and he and Reybella the cleric set up dispel/counterspell to counter Aolani if they caught her doing it again.</p><p>-Arxerx, the drow eldritch knight from the Rodanite village, got caught by Teador’s celestial griffin sneaking to competitors’ tents and casting Dancing Lights to make them tired. Teador told him to stop, and checked to verify it was nothing more harmful. 3 competitors suffered -1s on their total scores the next day as a result of this.</p><p></p><p>Ratel ended up tying with Redleaf the Satyr champion in overall scoring. Contestants with the Sharpshooter feat did substantially better (of course), but his overall higher attack bonus and kensei extra damage ability helped out a lot with the Power competition, meaning he and Redleaf were the only two who even scored any points.</p><p></p><p>I had Redleaf (fey) ask what sort of bet or contest they should use to settle who was best. Ratel first proposed shooting at targets guarded by the other (deflect arrows), but the satyr didn’t go for this. Malamir the artificer then suggested moving targets. We ended up settling on an animated target (AC 26) at a distance of 150’ and 450’ (disadvantage), with the iron on it so it required at least 10 damage for an arrow to stick, scored like the Rapid Fire section.</p><p></p><p>There were then a lot of dice rolled. Ratel cleared the close range target quickly, but it took 11 arrows (IIRC) to score on the 2nd target because he was rolling with disadvantage. Redleaf could not use the Sharpshooter damage bonus against the target (+10 to hit becomes +5, vs. AC 26). Lots of arrows were blown on the short range shooting, and then he scored a critical hit during his action surged 6-arrow first round against the 450’ target. Final score: Ratel 6, Redleaf 7. It was pretty tense and close!</p><p></p><p>Redleaf got the Bow of the Quetzal +3, which gives 1 arrow per round a Chaos Bolt effect. Ratel was pretty happy with the runner-up prize, a Cragtop Bow +2. It doesn’t require attunement, and has double the normal range increments for a longbow. He’s talking about getting Sharpshooter at 16, shooting enemies from 1200’ away for lots of damage, and I think he’s pivoting from melee monk over to archer.</p><p></p><p>During discussions, they got the fey riddle on the stone translated:</p><p>Useless to the blind,</p><p>A drinker, a spiller,</p><p>Chains this crystal blade bind,</p><p>Until offering is made in kind.</p><p></p><p>Dryness of ocean,</p><p>Melting of rock,</p><p>Color of air,</p><p>Flow of clock,</p><p>Hair of the wielder,</p><p>Place to unlock.</p><p></p><p>Ka Fareye, the old goliath, also told them that he’s seen plenty of people say they would stop the Aarakocra or overthrow them, and they all fail. More than just words will be needed to get allies to take the risk of moving, and that the Aarakocra’s strength is their connection to their gods. Overthrowing their high temples would be a good start.</p><p></p><p>Ratel wants to hire Arxerx (the drow) to sneak up to Aarakocra ships at night and light them up with Faerie Fire for bombing, but the drow is wary of losing his home with the Rodanites.</p><p></p><p>A bunch of discussion ensues about high-altitude bombing, making alchemical grenades, returning boulders, etc.</p><p></p><p>After this, the party headed north and found another giant city. They get the book they found in the purple worm ruins (improvised last session as a giantish diary containing a reference to the library) turned in and find out what it is. Shopping-wise, they find someone who makes +1 steel armors, a sage who can cast Find the Path and record results for them, and a giant who makes +1 Returning Boulders…. That giant was put there over 6 months ago when I wrote this area up, and happened to show up less than 1 hour after boulder-bombing was discussed. Funny!</p><p></p><p>Session ended there. This is the first D&D session I’ve ever run that had zero combat.</p><p>Here’s a map of the party’s travels so far.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]276906[/ATTACH]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="J-H, post: 8952419, member: 7020951"] [B]Session 12: 6/12/2021[/B] Dmitri the Barbarian’s player could not make it. Teador the Paladin’s player was late due to fighting Strahd in another campaign (the fight will be finished next session and 1 PC is dead, but it sounds like they’ll win). The giant-inhabited mountains are somewhat safer, with random encounters being triggered on a roll of 1 on a d8 every 2 hours. I rolled over 20d8 this session and got zero random encounters. The party continues exploring to find the giants. They explore a couple of hexes and pretty quickly locate two more signal beacon firewood stacks in the mountains. After this, they locate a small large hunting camp (ha) containing 4 stone giants and about 10 goliaths. They land, chat, and learn some things about where some of the giant cities are located (mostly to the west), and some basics about how the giants are governed. Quoted from my faction info section: “The giants are long-lived, and consequently risk- averse, prone to considering all risks. Instead of the Ordning, adult giants are divided into twenty-six different Clans, based on what astrological sign they were born under (13 lunar months), and whether the moon was waning or waxing during that time. Each Clan head is elected by members of his clan within the specific area or enclave, and rules for two weeks, with the counsel of those who rule immediately before and after him. Thanks to the caution and consideration practiced by the giants, this is actually a stable form of government, as no ruler will take actions that he believes will be overturned after his yearly term is ended.” The goliaths generally follow the giants’ lead and do things that require smaller eyes and hands. They haven’t had too many problems with the Aarakocra, and (this is developed over several NPC conversations) usually have battles mostly via missile fire – javelins from above vs. rocks and ballista bolts from below. The Aarakocra don’t tend to fare well in melee against goliaths and stone giants. One of the hunters in the camp is attending an archery competition soon, and mentions it. Ka Fareye, a very old and legendary archer among the goliaths, is looking for someone very skilled to get his powerful longbow. Ratel, our kensei monk, is interested in this. The party travels with some of the goliaths (getting some of the info above) overland to a couple of hexes away, where the archery competition is. There are 4 phases to the competition over 2 days. I had picked out 6 NPC contestants as noteworthy , and had pre-rolled their results: Arxerx, Drow eldritch knight, hailing from the Rodanite village (12.09) Enele, Goliath arcane archer Ka’ena, Goliath Ranger (female) Aolani, Goliath Bard (female) Redleaf, Satyr archer (champion) Harenda, Yuan-ti abomination Here are the competitions: Rapid Fire At 150 feet, 5 targets are set up. Contestants have as many arrows as they need to strike the bullseye (AC 22) once per target. Scoring: Starting point value: 20 -1 point per arrow fired -1 point per round or partial round used to shoot Highest point value places first. Long Distance 3 Targets are set up at 550’ (long range). The bullseyes are not much larger (AC 22), but most shooters will have disadvantage due to the range. A DC 24 Perception check gives +2 to the attack roll. Each contestant gets 6 arrows. 1 point is awarded for each bullseye hit. Highest score places first. Cover Targets are set up at a range of 50’, 100’, and 150’, all benefiting from half cover (+5 AC). Targets are AC 20 + cover. Shooters with the Sharpshooter feat or other ways to negate cover do well on this one. Each contestant gets 6 arrows. 1 point is awarded for each bullseye hit. Highest score places first. Power A hardened target with a thin layer of iron is set up at a distance of 50 feet. The bullseyes are AC 20, but the targets have a hardness of 10. Any arrow which deals less than 10 damage will bounce off. Each contestant gets three arrows. 1 point is awarded for each bullseye hit. Highest score places first. During the competition, they talked to several NPCs. The Yuan-ti warned that the Aarakocra sacrifices seem to be gathering power for something. The party also caught a couple of shenanigans: -Aolani, a Goliath Bard, had been vociferously insulting people and talking the whole time. She got caught in competition 2 or 3 using Cutting Words. Teador the Paladin took her aside, and he and Reybella the cleric set up dispel/counterspell to counter Aolani if they caught her doing it again. -Arxerx, the drow eldritch knight from the Rodanite village, got caught by Teador’s celestial griffin sneaking to competitors’ tents and casting Dancing Lights to make them tired. Teador told him to stop, and checked to verify it was nothing more harmful. 3 competitors suffered -1s on their total scores the next day as a result of this. Ratel ended up tying with Redleaf the Satyr champion in overall scoring. Contestants with the Sharpshooter feat did substantially better (of course), but his overall higher attack bonus and kensei extra damage ability helped out a lot with the Power competition, meaning he and Redleaf were the only two who even scored any points. I had Redleaf (fey) ask what sort of bet or contest they should use to settle who was best. Ratel first proposed shooting at targets guarded by the other (deflect arrows), but the satyr didn’t go for this. Malamir the artificer then suggested moving targets. We ended up settling on an animated target (AC 26) at a distance of 150’ and 450’ (disadvantage), with the iron on it so it required at least 10 damage for an arrow to stick, scored like the Rapid Fire section. There were then a lot of dice rolled. Ratel cleared the close range target quickly, but it took 11 arrows (IIRC) to score on the 2nd target because he was rolling with disadvantage. Redleaf could not use the Sharpshooter damage bonus against the target (+10 to hit becomes +5, vs. AC 26). Lots of arrows were blown on the short range shooting, and then he scored a critical hit during his action surged 6-arrow first round against the 450’ target. Final score: Ratel 6, Redleaf 7. It was pretty tense and close! Redleaf got the Bow of the Quetzal +3, which gives 1 arrow per round a Chaos Bolt effect. Ratel was pretty happy with the runner-up prize, a Cragtop Bow +2. It doesn’t require attunement, and has double the normal range increments for a longbow. He’s talking about getting Sharpshooter at 16, shooting enemies from 1200’ away for lots of damage, and I think he’s pivoting from melee monk over to archer. During discussions, they got the fey riddle on the stone translated: Useless to the blind, A drinker, a spiller, Chains this crystal blade bind, Until offering is made in kind. Dryness of ocean, Melting of rock, Color of air, Flow of clock, Hair of the wielder, Place to unlock. Ka Fareye, the old goliath, also told them that he’s seen plenty of people say they would stop the Aarakocra or overthrow them, and they all fail. More than just words will be needed to get allies to take the risk of moving, and that the Aarakocra’s strength is their connection to their gods. Overthrowing their high temples would be a good start. Ratel wants to hire Arxerx (the drow) to sneak up to Aarakocra ships at night and light them up with Faerie Fire for bombing, but the drow is wary of losing his home with the Rodanites. A bunch of discussion ensues about high-altitude bombing, making alchemical grenades, returning boulders, etc. After this, the party headed north and found another giant city. They get the book they found in the purple worm ruins (improvised last session as a giantish diary containing a reference to the library) turned in and find out what it is. Shopping-wise, they find someone who makes +1 steel armors, a sage who can cast Find the Path and record results for them, and a giant who makes +1 Returning Boulders…. That giant was put there over 6 months ago when I wrote this area up, and happened to show up less than 1 hour after boulder-bombing was discussed. Funny! Session ended there. This is the first D&D session I’ve ever run that had zero combat. Here’s a map of the party’s travels so far. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Map after session 12.jpg"]276906[/ATTACH] [/QUOTE]
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