Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="THEMNGMNT" data-source="post: 8910329" data-attributes="member: 6809274">44th session of Monte Cook's 3E Banewarrens campaign run with Shadow of the Demon Lord on Owlbear Rodeo. Five player characters at level 8.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dwarf Executioner/Berserker/Warrior. He now wields the sacred Axehammer of the Lost Clan.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Elf Librarian/Wizard/Magician. Outcast from elven lands, raised in Ptolus, keeper of a dark secret. His magical traditions are Arcana, Teleportation, Chaos, and Fey.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Goblin Pyromancer/Oracle/Magician. Responsible for the destruction of his tribe. Specialized in the Fire and Forbidden magic traditions, with a dose of Divination.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Changeling Dervish/Spellbinder/Rogue. Created by House Vladaam to replace a child they kidnapped and held in servitude. Naturally, she wants revenge. Two weapon fighter with the Battle tradition.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Human Defender/Paladin/Priest. Cleric of Lothian, the primary god of Ptolus. His magical traditions are Life, Theurgy, and Battle. His murdered wife was has returned as undead and now he seeks to stop her.</li> </ul>The characters arrived at the Baneheart, the final location within the Banewarrens. But this was primarily a session of planning and plotting.We started with the players sharing with each other their new level 8 abilities. SotDL gives a relatively small number of features at each new level. The power curve is modest -- but real. The game is designed for very quick leveling. In this campaign leveling has been slow, so reaching level 8 felt a bit underwhelming.The wizard found the final piece of the staff of shards -- his signature magic item -- which gave him the ability to teleport the entire party a significant distance.Next, they debated what to do with the two rival adventurers they had captured. The alchemist, Skeemo, tried to weasel his way into their good graces. They decided to keep him alive, despite an expected betrayal. The goblin's player volunteered to build out Skeemo's character sheet. Most players were in favor of killing the evil pixie, Glitterdeath. The paladin protested. He pretended to kill her out of sight of Skeemo, but actually stashed her in his backpack. (She was under the sleep effect of a fairy arrow.)Yet it wasn't long before the rivals' patron, Aliastar Vladaam, magically contacted them. He spoke through the mouth of the unconscious pixie. The changeling rogue pretended to be the leader of the rivals and claimed the player characters had been defeated, dead or scattered in the Banewarrens. Aliastar said numerous banes had escaped into the city. Ptolus was in chaos. And some of the dead we're rising as undead.The banes and the undead all pointed to yet another rival faction -- the Dreadsworn, a group of undead led by a corrupted Inquisitor of the Church of Lothian.We then reviewed all the bad guys, their motivations, and what they desired within the Banewarrens.The players decided not to return to Ptolus and instead go deeper into the Banewarrens. Their goal is to recover the Key of Making -- the original key that can destroy all the other Bane Keys. Unfortunately, that key is on the remains of the Dread One, the evil creator of the Banewarrens -- somewhere high up in the Baneheart.Next session: Flying high!</blockquote>

Verification