NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="THEMNGMNT" data-source="post: 8425992" data-attributes="member: 6809274">Session 1 of my next D&D campaign. The Banewarrens for 3E by Monte Cook using the Shadow of the Demon Lord system from Robert Schwalb. Five players starting with Level 0 characters. Technically these characters started only with an ancestry, not a class. But this is the direction they went when they leveled up halfway through the session:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dwarf Warrior. Heir to a lost kingdom -- in this case, Dwarvenhearth, deep beneath Ptolus. His trinket is half of a treasure map. This player always goes for support characters, so I'm intrigued to see him play a warrior.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Elf Magician. Outcast from elven lands, raised in Ptolus, keeper of a dark secret. His magical traditions are Arcana and Teleportation. This player is a natural leader and often ends up as the party face. He played a paladin in our last 5E campaign so it'll be fun for him to take on a wizard.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Goblin Magician. Responsible for the destruction of his tribe. Specialized in the Necromancy and Forbidden magic traditions. This player likes to play social outcasts taking on the rich and powerful. He's good with voices. This character was an instant hit at the table -- basically Danny DeVito as a goblin sorcerer with the grossest spells imaginable.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Changeling Magician. An awesome background: Outcast by her "adopted family" and looking for her "sister"--the child she replaced. Her magical themes are light and darkness, using the Celestial and Shadow traditions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Human Priest. Cleric of Lothian, the core god of Ptolus. His wife was murdered and now he seeks answers. This player wasn't present for the session, but he's already done some "off camera" roleplaying as a fervent evangelist. Should be a hoot.</li> </ul>This group are all old friends. We're scattered across the US (and beyond). We haven't seen each other in person in a long, long time. So, properly vaccinated, we rallied here in LA for a weekend of roleplaying. There was less roleplaying and more drinking than anticipated, but we still managed to kick off this campaign in proper fashion...Everyone is digging the rich character creation of SotDL and most already have a firm grasp on their characters from the moment we started playing.Because Banewarrens was originally designed for 6th level 3E characters and we're instead starting with 0th level SotDL characters, I had to change the beginning. I will also be making numerous tweaks as we go to tie together the character backstories with the adventure. But the spine should remain intact.We opened in scene with the characters all aspiring adventures seeking to gain fortune and glory in the dungeons beneath Ptolus. Unfortunately, they lacked weapons, armor, or the funds to purchase either. They discussed options and agreed the best way to get cash was hunt ratlings in the sewers for the bounty money.At that point, they noticed the strange figure seated in the corner of the tavern. Cloaked, hooded, and dripping blood onto the floor. They approached and struck up a conversation. The figure was a boggle (I'm leaning into the 4E version because they're awesome) with a severed and bandaged hand. It wanted to be left alone and offered them silver coin if they kept away the curious. Then the door banged open. Two orc bounty hunters entered. They immediately zeroed in on the boggle: "Come with us and don't give us any trouble."The players didn't pick up the silver on the table, but the dwarf warrior told the orcs to take their trouble outside. They ignored him. He leaned in. They pushed back. A fight started.Simultaneously, a bloodcurdling scream arose and was cut short just outside the tavern. A streak of blood splattered the window. The door was smashed to splinters. Standing in the frame was an undead knight clad in ancient armor, eyes burning blue. Behind the knight were a half-dozen shambling corpses. They were fresh. Anyone who got in his way was cut down, it seems, and returned to life as undead. He pointed his finger at the boggle and in a dead language declared, "Return what you have stolen."At this point it was a three way fight -- undead vs orcs vs boggle -- with the characters caught in the middle. The dwarf took a hit from an orc that nearly dropped him. The boggle teleported into the elf, took control of his body like a puppet, and attacked an orc. The orc struck back. The boggle teleported outside. The goblin tried to flee, stopped to loot one of the corpses, and got bit when the corpse came back to life. Then he ran off to find help from the watch.Eventually, the other characters grabbed the barkeep and fled out the back. Regrouping later, they learned that both orcs were slain, several commoners were killed, and the boggle and undead vanished into the city.After this first encounter, they leveled up from 0 to 1.Following up on a clue overheard from the boggle, the characters investigated an abandoned house in Oldtown. It appeared to be a base of operations for monstrous creatures -- who were now the animated dead that followed undead knight. The characters weren't quite able to put the pieces together yet, but the creatures breached the Banewarrens, recovered the body of the knight, and brought it back to their safe house to loot and examine. It then came to life and killed them.In the house they also discovered the severed hand of the boggle. On it was a strange ring made of bone. Again, they're not yet sure what this means. But they should be able to discover later that the boggle is one of the Pactlords bound by the ring. It fell under the sway of a bane -- an evil, enchanted item -- which compelled it to cut off its own hand so it could betray its companions.Finally, there was a hole in the floor that led to the sewers. Ratlings had come up from the sewer and were in the process of looting the house. A fight ensued. Five characters against three ratlings and a rat swarm. The fight culminated in a highly memorable use of the Hateful Defecation spell.The characters searched the house and were able to recover a few coin and some basic equipment. They descended into the sewers, explored, and eventually found a side tunnel, freshly dug by some sort of huge creature. To go in or not to go in? Hmmm....That's where we ended.Next session: Enter the priest!</blockquote>

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