D&D General How Was Your Last Session?

[THEMNGMNT]

I am happy to say that we got to see a red dragon fight an aboleth IN SPACE.

I just ran 4 sessions of 17th level 5E 2024 D&D where the PCs fought epic monsters (avatars of gods) and it was GLORIOUS.

Tell me more, please.

 

[Reynard]

Tell me more, please.

See this thread: D&D (2024) - A Different Way To Run High Level Monsters

 

[el-remmen]

The last session ended with the party’s boat stuck on some rocks and damaged as they tried to portage around a small waterfall. This is the summary provided by Zoom AI tools.

Quick recap​

The Revenants of Saltmarsh's river journey was interrupted when their boat became damaged at a waterfall. After moving the boat to safety, they were caught in a sudden flood that caused further damage. The group split into two teams: one to repair the boat and set up camp, while Yaakov, Grandinar, and Lamech scouted ahead. The scouts discovered a transformed stone island at a river confluence, featuring deep-sea basalt steps and suspicious grey water, indicating a sahuagin lair. They observed sahuagin emerging from the island and retreated carefully. They heard construction sounds from the confluence area behind them. Back at camp, the boat was repaired as best possible, and the group established night watches, which ended with an alert of an impending attack.

Summaries​

Boat Rescue and Damage Assessment​

The group discussed portaging the damaged boat around a low waterfall after it became stuck in rocks during their river journey. Yaakov proposed a plan for lifting the boat using ropes and team members' strength. After the group check, with Lamech's help using an emboldening bond, they successfully moved the boat onto dry land without damaging it further, though only now could a true assessment of the damage be made.

Boat Repair and Hiding Plan​

The group discussed the condition of their boat and decided to repair it before hiding it nearby and continuing on foot. An 18 inch high waterfall was no problem for them, but they have to portage on the way back, an issue should they be pursued.

They agreed to split up, with some members helping with repairs while others search for a suitable hiding spot. Yaakov and Xpyali volunteered to look for a place to hide the boat, finding a stand of willows about 400 feet away that might serve with some work.

Rumble Warning​

A distant rumble like thunder from upriver followed by flocks of fleeing birds and anxious animals put a pause to the work. The river flow seemed to slow for a moment and then began to rise and increase in strength. Yaakov and Xpyali investigated the cause of a rumbling sound, which they initially thought could be an earthquake or a rockslide, by hiking a few dozen yards upriver to some high ground. They discovered that the river's water level was rising rapidly, pushing dangerous debris filled headwaters in their direction. The group then fled from the river as a massive wave approached, with everyone but Grandinar making successful strength saving throws due to their advance warning and only taking minimal damage from flying debris as they threw themselves to safety. Grandinar and the boat were washed 300 feet further down the river, but the dwarf, while battered, was able to get to safety through the turbulent water using his helm of underwater action.

Boat Damage & Splitting Party​

Temo assessed that the boat could be repaired enough to float but was unlikely to make it all the way back upstream. There was a better chance of making it back downriver to the lizardfolk, though no guarantee. The group hid the boat under the willow trees. The water level was already receding.

It was decided that Yaakov, Grandinar, and Lamech would go ahead to scout out the old lizardfolk lair for sign of sahuagin, while Temo, Murtaugh, Xpyali, and Dodi stayed behind to repair the boat and establish a base camp. They also had to gather together all the gear that had been cast out of the boat in the flood. The group also discussed the behavior of the sahuagin, noting that attacks typically occur during early morning or late night, and considered this information for their travel plans s it was currently just after midday.

A Confluence of Events​

The three adventurers discussed their strategy for navigating a swampy area and upon reaching a difficult area full of quicksand and sinkholes, Yaakov beseeched Josiah to send him a war elephant. The three of them were now able to move quickly through some areas of difficult terrain, but moved further inland to decrease the chances of being spotted from the river but keeping it in sight.

As they approach the confluence of the two rivers, they notice the extensive damage caused by the flood, which has cleared an area of brush and trees. The group discussed the physical changes to a river confluence area, noting that a previously 40-foot tall rock island that the Dunwater Lizardfolk had once used as a lair, had become a lower, 10-20 foot structure with steps leading up. Yaakov and the others scouted the area from a distance, using higher vantage points to observe the swirling water and discolored areas in the confluence.

Yaakov approached the river bank to get a better view of the stone island, with Lamech and Grandinar providing cover. The paladin crawled towards the riverbank, camouflaged by local foliage and mud, and moving from stumps to piles of debris across the open area as to not be spotted. He finally made it to the edge where he could make out more details of the island and surrounding waters: there were swirling patches of the foul grey water all throughout the confluence and now floating down the Dunwater River, the steps up the island were made of slabs of stone obviously brought from elsewhere (later Grandinar would identify them as deep sea basalt that had been submerged for centuries), the steps lead to a crevasse that was choked with vegetation.

After waiting a nearly three hours and seeing no sign of anyone or anything on the island, the three adventurers decided to go back to their companions, and figured they had enough evidence of this being the sahuagin lair: the strange floodwater, the deepsea stones, and the gathering grey water. As they left however, they saw a line of sahuagin and their leaders emerge from the crevasse at the top of the stairs and move towards the opposite bank of the river.
Yaakov proposed moving away from the scene, opposite to their original direction, to avoid drawing attention. The group agreed to start moving, prioritizing stealth and distance from the island.

Swamp Navigation and Night Watch​

The elephant still made quiet a bit of noise through a swampy area, despite Yaakov focusing on having it avoid trees and other noisy brush to prevent detection. They had been slowly making their way back to camp aboard the elephant for about an hour when they began to hear the sound of work behind them in the direction of the confluence. They heard axes, shovels, grunting and the like.

Upon returning to camp, they found the boat repaired as best as it could under these conditions and decided to rest without starting a fire.

Night Watch and Game Planning​

The group discussed watch assignments for the night, with Yaakov and Xpyali taking the first watch. Temo took second watch on his own, waking Lamech and Dodi for third watch. Grandinar and Murtaugh then found themselves being frantically woken up for their watch to report of being under attack!

​

 

[Richards]

In today's "Dreams of Erthe" session, the PCs:

• Learned a drow wizard who had been commissioned to create a variant immovable rod for the Forbidden Lands had been slain and his items stolen, and the lich assigned as the PCs' mentor/guide had been assigned to track down the stolen rod
• Also learned (as an aside) that the stolen goods were now in Hell, and they were going there immediately
• Plane shifted to Hell, in an antechamber, and were brought in to the throne of a pit fiend lord
• Had the lich tell what had happened, and got permission for the lich and the PCs to question the underling pit fiend the dead wizard had summoned right before being slain (the lich was sure to point out an underling pit fiend amassing magic items without his Lord's knowledge could be making a play for his throne....)
• Were given a gemstone from the pit fiend lord's bracelet, showing they were under his protection, and which would teleport them to the pit fiend they wished to interview, who was currently assigned watch duty at one of the Burning Rivers
• Teleported to the Burning River, where 2 bearded devils and 2 barbed devils were kicking damned souls back into the lava when they tried to climb up onto the islets of rock, and saw the pit fiend and 4 erinyes devils on the other side of the Burning River
• Got the full story from the pit fiend: he'd been summoned to the Mortal World by a drow wizard who'd planned on using a planar binding spell to control the pit fiend, who escaped by mentally controlling the wizard's apprentice and getting her to step onto the summoning circle, allowing the pit fiend to escape and slay them both, ransacking the keep afterwards and taking the loot with him back to Hell
• Gaped in horror when the human spellsword PC offered to trade the stolen immovable rod for the lich's life, knowing devils hate undead who "escape" their Hellish fates - an act which caused the lich to turn the spellsword into a stone statue with a flesh to stone spell
• Attacked the pit fiend since he didn't seem willing to hand the immovable rod over
• Had the dwarf cleric return the spellsword to flesh with a vial of stone salve, and then chew him out for his general stupidity
• Took out the bearded devils with chain lightning spells, slaying one and causing the other to teleport away with 1 hp
• Got hit repeatedly by fireballs cast by the pit fiend, while the erinyes shot flaming arrows at the PCs
• Took out the barbed devils the hard way, with hand-to-hand combat which caused the PCs a fair bit of damage from the devils' numerous spines
• Had the elf sorcerer use polymorph any object on his pseudodragon familiar, turning him into a Large gold dragon, who slew an erinyes
• Took out another erinyes with a blade barrier spell
• Watched as the half-orc cleric/paladin took a meteor swarm while air walking over the Burning River, and despite all four meteors striking him, walked away with only 11 hp of damage (due to stoneskin and a ring of fire protection) - that really put the fear into the pit fiend!
• Finally slew the pit fiend when the dwarf cleric (who'd spent most of the adventure getting attacked by an ambush from an invisible hellcat and then eventually killing it with her warhammer) cast an implosion spell at the pit fiend, overcoming his spell resistance, and having him fail his save
• Gathered up the stolen loot from the slain wizard and returned to the Forbidden Lands (with the spellsword having a black mark on his record due to the attempt to trade in the lich for the rod, which the lich did not appreciate in the least)

In the spellsword's defense, he figured the lich would just remanifest by his phylactery once slain, but he hadn't thought it out very well beyond that: the lich was their only means to return to the Material Plane, so his death would have left them stranded in Hell...and even if they did manage to escape back to the Material Plane, they'd have a hard time explaining to the undead of the Forbidden Lands why they came back without their lich guide....

Four more adventures left in this campaign! The next time we play (scheduled for 31 May), the adventure will take place in the Dreamlands, their last time there before they have to become undead themselves....

Johnathan