D&D General How Was Your Last Session?

[Hexmage-EN]

After the very combat heavy previous session, this session was almost all RP. Two of the players just wanted to take a long rest but kept running into situations where their normal haunts were unavailable, while the the third wanted to find a friend who was currently visiting a community of unusually peaceful goblins and recruited the aid of a previously-established NPC to help in case something went wrong.

Coming up with sites to see in the common area of a peaceful goblin warren was fun. At one point a young goblin jumped on the NPC ally's back to ride around on him while another goblin tried to pick the distracted NPCs' pocket. There was also a goblin practicing fishing by reeling in and throwing back the same fish in a small basin repeatedly, as well as a goblin trying to read who tore out and threw away pages he got frustrated with. Finally, I foreshadowed a performance where a goblin was going to eat a rock, then as the PC was leaving she observed the goblin with an oversized rock in his mouth using a hammer and chisel to break it into smaller pieces he could swallow (and later regurgitate in private).

 

[jasper]

Very interesting. They allied with the bad guys. So they skipped two chapters. Ten Towns is now 1 and quarter towns.

 

[turnip_farmer]

Last session was one of the most enjoyable I've had. I had very little preparation to do, as the players had spent enough time dicking about that I'd significantly overprepped for previous sessions. Kicked off with an entertaining bit of NPC chatting before they struck off on their plan.

As usual, they approached things completely differently to how I was expecting but, while sometimes that leaves me floundering, this time the consequences of their stupid decisions just seemed to flow naturally from the setup. Very easy to run, and it seemed like everyone had a blast.

 

[Umbran]

Most of my games, recently, have been stalled by various people having acute cases of Life. Exhaustion, illness, and the like have led to skipped sessions.

But, this week, a new game looks to be starting up, with an entirely different group of people. I've made up a kobold rogue. Yes, I know mechanically kobolds are unimpressive, but the roleplaying shtick playing off the party dragonborn paladin (played by my wife), is too rich an opportunity to pass up. We'll be going through Rime of the Frost Maiden, which is going to be... interesting.

 

[jasper]

Oh also I had a player who has covid remote in. That was interesting.

 

[Umbran]

Oh, piffle. Kobold rogue is getting axed. GM was willing to flex, but then had to rein in deviations form the books she's got in Roll20. So, dwarf rogue, instead.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Session 116. 20th level player characters with 2 epic boons each. Tiamat has escaped from Hell and intends to slay Bahamut to gain power over all dragons in the multiverse. The player characters are trying to stop her.

In this session, the PCs had their final battle with Malystryx, Tiamat's exarch in Faerun. Malystryx is an ancient red dragon. When they brought her to zero hit points, she transformed into an ancient blue dragon. When they brought her to zero hit points again, she transformed into an ancient green dragon. Then a black dragon. And finally a white dragon. The battle took about 10 rounds. The PCs were aided by two ancient gold dragons and the outcome of the battle was never really in doubt, even though a couple PCs were knocked out.

Yet just as the PCs defeated Malystryx...Tiamat killed Bahamut!

But how? Tiamat was attempting to assemble and reforge the mythical blade that slayed the dragon god Io and spawned Bahamut and Tiamat. Once reforged, the blade has the power to slay either Tiamat or Bahamut. Currently, Tiamat has all but two fragments of the blade -- those two fragments are possessed by the PCs. Without those fragments the blade is incomplete. So how could it be used to kill Bahamut? That's a mystery that will be explained in an upcoming session...

As the death of Bahamut ripples across the multiverse, the good metallic dragons come under Tiamat's thrall. Suddenly, the good dragons that the PCs had recruited to aid their allies now turn on them. Our "camera" flies up and down the Sword Coast, showing the good dragons destroying the towns they are supposed to protect.

And the two ancient gold dragons with the PCs now move to attack to them.

The PCs gained enough experience to gain two more epic boons.

Next session: Good dragons try to kill the PCs!

 

[Hexmage-EN]

Session 116. 20th level player characters with 2 epic boons each. Tiamat has escaped from Hell and intends to slay Bahamut to gain power over all dragons in the multiverse. The player characters are trying to stop her.

In this session, the PCs had their final battle with Malystryx, Tiamat's exarch in Faerun. Malystryx is an ancient red dragon. When they brought her to zero hit points, she transformed into an ancient blue dragon. When they brought her to zero hit points again, she transformed into an ancient green dragon. Then a black dragon. And finally a white dragon. The battle took about 10 rounds. The PCs were aided by two ancient gold dragons and the outcome of the battle was never really in doubt, even though a couple PCs were knocked out.

Yet just as the PCs defeated Malystryx...Tiamat killed Bahamut!

But how? Tiamat was attempting to assemble and reforge the mythical blade that slayed the dragon god Io and spawned Bahamut and Tiamat. Once reforged, the blade has the power to slay either Tiamat or Bahamut. Currently, Tiamat has all but two fragments of the blade -- those two fragments are possessed by the PCs. Without those fragments the blade is incomplete. So how could it be used to kill Bahamut? That's a mystery that will be explained in an upcoming session...

As the death of Bahamut ripples across the multiverse, the good metallic dragons come under Tiamat's thrall. Suddenly, the good dragons that the PCs had recruited to aid their allies now turn on them. Our "camera" flies up and down the Sword Coast, showing the good dragons destroying the towns they are supposed to protect.

And the two ancient gold dragons with the PCs now move to attack to them.

The PCs gained enough experience to gain two more epic boons.

Next session: Good dragons try to kill the PCs!

I take it this campaign is influenced by the Scales of War adventure path?

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I take it this campaign is influenced by the Scales of War adventure path?

At this point in the campaign, yes.

It started off as a mashup of the Starter Set adventure with 3E's Forge of Fury with lots and lots of dragons. Then we spent a long time in Storm King's Thunder. And in between there was homebrew intrigue involving the Zhentarim and my version of Manshoon. Oh, and Glasya the archdevil of the sixth layer of Hell is also a major player.

But for the climax of the campaign -- which was always going to feature Tiamat -- I took inspiration from Scales of War. What I like about that adventure path is Tiamat has a clear, sensible goal -- to take out Bahamut. And she does it! So I wanted that structure where the villain actually wins...and then the characters have to work to undo the damage. See also: Avengers: Endgame.

 

[ccs]

Amusing, I guess.

The PCs are now lv.6 & are in the early stages of CoS. They've had the card reading from the Vistani, they've completed on of the readings & gained an ally - a Vistani who has a way out of Barovia! They also know they are not on the Prime Material & have cut a deal with the ally to get them back there.
So they've arrived in the village of Barrovia late in the day heading to the Eastern gate, intending to leave asap.
They would have tried to leave right then but the Vistani tells them he has some business to conduct at the general store. Suggests they go hang out in the Blood on the Vine tavern, have a drink, & he'll join them in a bit. They take him up on that.

In the tavern they meet Ismaark, win his trust, & learn his sad plight. That after he & his sister (Ireena) bury their father in the morning they're headed as far away as they can get as Ireena's been bitten by a vampire. Their plan is the Abby in Krezk. The PCs though offer to take the pair even further away - out of Barovia! Afterall, what's further away than another world??
Ismaark tries to keep his voice down & tries to get the PCs to do likewise as there's several Vistani, a hooded man at the far end of the bar, & the barkeep present and he doesn't really want them to overhear.
The PCs are not so careful. Especially one of them. Perception & stealth checks are made. The Vistani overhear but the PCs don't notice.
They also don't realize that the hooded guy was listening in.


The PCs agree to help Ismaark defend his house & sister that night and to help them bury their father at dawn.
Their Visatini ally comes in to get a drink & collect the PCs before leaving. They inform him of the change of plans.
"OK...."

So they go off to Ismaarks to meet Ireena & stand guard all night. They've got a few hours to rest/prep.

Of course the Vistani who were eves dropping on their conversations promptly report this info back to Strahd as soon as the PCs are out of site.
And the hooded guy rides out as well.

They find Ismaark's all boarded up & warded vs vampires. Ismaark tells them (again) that the house has been attacked every night since Ireena's wounds were discovered & that the attacks have become near constant all night long.
As the sun sets they take up their defensive positions..... The PCs guarding various windows/doors, Ismaark, a restrained Ireena (Ismaark knows she's under the vampires influance), & one PC who's player couldn't make it in a bedroom.
This is going to be a combat session of attrition. Survive 12 fights (6pm - 6am), don't let the monsters get to Ireena.
The first 4 fights will be single rolls on the chart of what creatures Strahd has aiding him in an encounter.
The next 4 fights will be 2 rolls per fight on the chart.
The last 4 will be single rolls.
Good luck.

And because the Vistani were able to able to alert Strahd? He gets to makes an appearance to.
I rolled randomly to see wich attack he'd show up in. Attack #4 (9pm).

So they fight some bats. And then some wolves. And Strahd Zombies. Attack 4 is ghouls + Strahd.
Attack 4 leads off with Strahd, polymorphed into a little villager girl, barely "fleeing" a ghoul, beating on the barred door & screaming for help....
I was surprised by what happened next.
This is Barovia. At night. In a house that's specifically warded vs vampires because the problem is a vampire.... With players who're all aware of standard vampire lore.
One PC opens the door, grabs the little girl, orders her to "get in here!" , and hands her off to a 2nd PC while he takes care of the "pursuing" ghoul.
"Why yes" thinks Strahd, I WILL come in. Thank you very much for the invite. "
I never thought that ploy would work. I fully expected the players to be like "Oh no, I'm not stupid."

PC#2? Takes little girl Strahd & shoves her into the bedroom with the other NPCs, closes the door & returns to fighting ghouls.
I roll some initiatives for what's going on in the bedroom. Strahd wins. Ismaark & the absent PC fail their saves* & are now charmed etc. (Ireenas already a thrall).
{we play missing PCs as little as possible. They get reduced to modifiers on others attacks/saves etc. So they pass/fail/etc as per whoever they're helping}
Now Strahds just going to have some fun before eventually escaping with his prize.

Over the next several hours/attacks he feeds on Ireena/Ismaark/absent PC, summons monsters to specifically attack the bedroom, gets info out of both charmed & uncharmed characters alike, observes the other PCs in combat action....
Re-upping his polymorph....
Meanwhile the PCs keep failing both in and out of character perception checks to notice things.
Finally, once Strahd had had his fill, he chose to leave with Ireena while the characters were dealing with vampire spawn (the players didn't even wonder why vampires were able to enter the house) & bat swarms.
He jumps out a window clutching Ireena & flies off to his castle on his Nightmare.

The players were utterly surprised by this. While checking on Ismaark & the absent PC (both left alive) one actually asked where the little girl was. He STILL hadn't realized that she was the monster.