[IRON DM] Winter '04 Tournament (IRON DM ANNOUNCED!)
- Thread starter el-remmen
- Start date
Round One - Fifth Match-Up:
Dave "To Everything There is a Season" Turner vs. "Jaka" Paka
Ingredients
Slaughter of Halflings
Ogre Ghouls
Ballista
Daern’s Instant Fortress
Celestial Kobold
Pathetic Plea for Help
A Feast of Halflings A Bite-Sized Adventure for characters of 3-5th levels
Menu
Back-story – In which the ingredients are introduced and the table is set.
Elements of Note – In which the adventure’s main dishes are put on the table.
Timeline – In which the order that the courses are to be consumed is humbly suggested by the cook.
Encounters – In which the major events of the meal are offered to taste.
Post-Meal Clean-up - In which resolutions to the meal’s messy events are suggested and the ingredients are reviewed.
Back-story:
The Dire Jaws, a tribe of Ogre Ghouls, tracked Meepriel, a celestial Kobold, from their mountain lair when he stole their magic item. Meepriel was weary from his flight and knew that if the Dire Jaws had access to their Daern’s Instant Fortress they would wreak havoc on the surrounding countryside from their portable stronghold.
By the time the Dire Jaws came across the Halfling village of Gastonshire in the dead of night they had been tracking Meepriel for two days and their rage knew no bounds. The slaughter of the Halflings was swift and brutal. Having been driven from the village by steadfast Halfling sheriff and his loyal deputies when they weren’t the Dire Jaws but still living Ogres, they decided to use the very ovens, stoves and cookware of the shire-folk to prepare a ghoulish feast. Always thinking with their stomachs, the Dire Jaws lost track of their celestial quarry for a time.
While the Halflings of Gastonshire were prepared for the Ogre Ghoul’s meal their children did their best to evade the Dire Jaw’s detection, hoping to muster the weaponry kept in the Sheriff’s oak, where it is said there are not only short swords and sling bullets but an old ballista.
And somewhere in the night is a Celestial Kobold with a fortress in his pocket and a chip on his shoulder.
The players should be drawn into this story by a pathetic plea for help, the ghosts of dead Halflings who are watching as their village, known for its fine chefs and bakers, is prepared as a necromantic six course meal.
Elements of Note:
The Dire Jaws - the pack of Ogre Ghouls who were to be led by a necromancer to world domination but they ate him before his schemes could come to fruition. They are slavering ghouls in the sturdy frames of Ogres and pride themselves on the devouring of the world around them.
They know they need the instant fortress in order to be a real threat, using it as a secure point from which to lay siege to the world, and devour it .
Gastonshire – the Halfling village known for its baking and foodstuffs, often exported throughout the surrounding area for feasts of note. It is a quaint town that usually has wonderful smells of baking and stews wafting through the air.
A stout Sheriff with several levels in Ranger would have normally guarded the village but the Dire Jaws fell upon him while he slept and overwhelmed him.
Meepriel – the Celestial Kobold Paladin whose life has been difficult. His noble Celestial blood fights with his cowardly and sadistic Kobold blood leading him to be conflicted. He is the underdog hero, a mighty Kobold who sees the good in his people.
He looks like most Kobolds only that he has a small set of white and grey feathery wings on his back that allow him to fly at jogging speed and give him no end of joy.
Naturally, the Dire Jaws want to eat these wings because they look tasty and because doing so would be so very, very wrong.
Children of Gastonshire – the few that managed to hide from the Dire Jaws attack are now trying to make their way to the Sheriff’s Oak, a tree-fort with the town’s armory of the town. How many children there are and how skilled they are is up to the DM. Some names: Sed Tossbarrel, Gwina Greanleaf, Foster Sourorchard, Kaly Proudwine and Bess Oakenroot
Daerna's Instant Fortress - the item is a black cube and when the Necromancer's name, Charotos is spoken it turns into a stout tower with dark stones and as much death imagery as could be crammed into one stout tower. Grim reaper doorways, ivory skull knockers, bone-inlaid door handles all make the keep quite dark and necromantic.
Timeline:
The Timeline is offered as if the players never interfered and should be altered according to the player character’s actions.
Hour 1 – Ogre Ghouls take Gastonshire. They imprison the Halflings in a meat locker, eating a few to tide them over.
Some children escape notice.
Meepriel get’s some much needed sleep in a hollow log after running from the Dire Jaws for two days straight.
Hour 2 – The Ogre Ghouls begin to organize, making sure they’ve captured the entire village.
The children begin to sneak towards the Oak to gather weapons.
The Ogre Ghouls not take up with cooking preparations begin anything living left in the town, concentrating on riding dogs still in their kennels.
Hour 3 – The Dire Jaws begin their hunt in my earnest, remembering their lost magic item and the Celestial Kobold.
The children see the Ogre Ghouls begin to intensify their hunt for Meepriel and have to take to more intense hiding.
Meepriel awakens and begins to skulk along the outside of the town, realizing he has led the Dire Jaws to this innocent, undefended place.
Hour 4 – The Ogres feast. The children make a run towards the Oak. Meepriel takes action, assaulting the Ogres alone if need be.
The players should probably find their way to Gastonshire by hour 2 or 3, depending on the pacing, level of tragedy and campaign tone decided by the DM.
Encounters:
The Ghosts of Gastonshire – This is the heavy-handed hook in which Halfling ghosts, with apples stuffed in their mouths and tears in their eyes, mumble pleas with the player characters to help save Gastonshire.
If the players can’t understand the Halflings, one could attempt to spit the apple form his mouth to talk before he dissipates. When the player picks up the apple, with an easy Knowledge – Area Lore, Knowledge – Wilderness or even a Survival roll will tell the characters that the apple is a baking apple from Gastonshire, not far from where the ghosts appeared.
If the ghosts fail to move the players, they could meet up with Meepriel or have heard of the cooking prowess of Gastonshire and be on their way to get a meal.
The Children of Gastonshire – The children are desperate to save their parents and are holding on to their sanity by a thin thread. When the players find them in an outlying cottage within sight of the Sheriff’s Oak, the children are terrified and fairly certain they will soon by caught and eaten.
Although the children will be filled with red herring tales of a nasty ritual the ogres are performing to gain power through pies made with Halfling flesh and . The children will have decent stealthy abilities, a good knowledge of the Gastonshire’s layout (including the ballista in the Sheriff’s Oak) and a real passion to save the village.
Getting to the Oak should be a delicate affair with Stealth roles being made vs. the Ghoul’s ability to spot (+7). A singled failed roll should be three or four Ogre Ghouls to the fray with more to come if the battle should grow loud.
The Necromancer’s Ghost – The item held by Meepriel is not only magical but haunted. The Necromancer, Charotos, who was to lead the Ogres to world domination, was consumed by the beasts within the portable keep. He is angry at his undignified fate and could be brought in to give the players trouble, to lead them to Meepriel or to give them strategic advice, depending on what the Dungeon Master deems necessary at that point.
The only weapon of the Necromancer’s Ghost is his special attack: Horrific Appearance. During this terrible attack, the characters watch as the Neromancer’s normal form is riddled with the bites, nibbles and rends that eventually devoured and killed him. His form is eventually devoured before their very eyes, causing a Fort Save which if failed causes 1d4 points of permanent Strength, 1d4 points of permanent Dexterity and 1d4 points of permanent Constitution drain.
This attack can be stopped by pledging to destroy the Ogre Ghouls.
Kobold with a Mission – Whenever the players decide to first take out some Ogre ghouls, Meepriel will arrive to aid them in the finishing (if he hasn’t been used as a hook). At best, the DM should insert the Celestial Kobold into the mix when his arrival can be most dramatic and of the most use to the players. Meepriel will confess that it was his folly that led the Ogres to this village and he wants nothing more than to free these poor people from the Dire Jaws hungry grasp.
Meepriel is a Paladin of equal level with the player characters.
The Final Showdown with the Dire Jaws – The final showdown will be determined by how bold the players were when they entered the village and how stealthily they dispatched the Ogre Ghouls. The number of Ogre Ghouls in the final battle should be somewhere between 5 and 10, depending on how well the players are doing on hit points, if the Necromancer Ghost was a combat encounter or not.
If the characters are smart, they will put a few of the children on the ballista in the Sheriff’s Oak and draw the Dire Jaws out to the town square, where a few can be picked off before they engage in melee. Perhaps if the players earn Meepriel’s trust he will even display his magic item which could be used in the final battle.
Post Meal Clean-up:
If allowed to, Meepriel will keep the Daern’s Instant Fortress, unless a party member truly distinguished herself as a noble soul, then Meepriel might give the item to them, forcing them to swear a mighty oath upon his wings that they will use it for good. Whether or not the item remains haunted by a Necromancer’s Ghost is up to the DM.
Even with a very successful group effort there should be several funerals to be had in the days to come. The party is invited to take part. They are assured that Gastonshire wakes always have excellent food.
Slaughter of Halflings – The poor folk of Gastonshire, our meal’s unsettling beginning
Ogre Ghouls – The Dire Jaws, our meal’s villains
Ballista – Dusty in the Sheriff’s Oak, the children’s hope
Daern’s Instant Fortress – Stolen from the Dire Jaws and thoroughly haunted, our meals’ McGuffin
Celestial Kobold – Meepriel, an unlikely Paladin and underdog of the meal
Pathetic Plea for Help – Delivered by Halfling ghosts, our meal’s hook
Dave "To Everything There is a Season" Turner vs. "Jaka" Paka
Ingredients
Slaughter of Halflings
Ogre Ghouls
Ballista
Daern’s Instant Fortress
Celestial Kobold
Pathetic Plea for Help
A Feast of Halflings A Bite-Sized Adventure for characters of 3-5th levels
Menu
Back-story – In which the ingredients are introduced and the table is set.
Elements of Note – In which the adventure’s main dishes are put on the table.
Timeline – In which the order that the courses are to be consumed is humbly suggested by the cook.
Encounters – In which the major events of the meal are offered to taste.
Post-Meal Clean-up - In which resolutions to the meal’s messy events are suggested and the ingredients are reviewed.
Back-story:
The Dire Jaws, a tribe of Ogre Ghouls, tracked Meepriel, a celestial Kobold, from their mountain lair when he stole their magic item. Meepriel was weary from his flight and knew that if the Dire Jaws had access to their Daern’s Instant Fortress they would wreak havoc on the surrounding countryside from their portable stronghold.
By the time the Dire Jaws came across the Halfling village of Gastonshire in the dead of night they had been tracking Meepriel for two days and their rage knew no bounds. The slaughter of the Halflings was swift and brutal. Having been driven from the village by steadfast Halfling sheriff and his loyal deputies when they weren’t the Dire Jaws but still living Ogres, they decided to use the very ovens, stoves and cookware of the shire-folk to prepare a ghoulish feast. Always thinking with their stomachs, the Dire Jaws lost track of their celestial quarry for a time.
While the Halflings of Gastonshire were prepared for the Ogre Ghoul’s meal their children did their best to evade the Dire Jaw’s detection, hoping to muster the weaponry kept in the Sheriff’s oak, where it is said there are not only short swords and sling bullets but an old ballista.
And somewhere in the night is a Celestial Kobold with a fortress in his pocket and a chip on his shoulder.
The players should be drawn into this story by a pathetic plea for help, the ghosts of dead Halflings who are watching as their village, known for its fine chefs and bakers, is prepared as a necromantic six course meal.
Elements of Note:
The Dire Jaws - the pack of Ogre Ghouls who were to be led by a necromancer to world domination but they ate him before his schemes could come to fruition. They are slavering ghouls in the sturdy frames of Ogres and pride themselves on the devouring of the world around them.
They know they need the instant fortress in order to be a real threat, using it as a secure point from which to lay siege to the world, and devour it .
Gastonshire – the Halfling village known for its baking and foodstuffs, often exported throughout the surrounding area for feasts of note. It is a quaint town that usually has wonderful smells of baking and stews wafting through the air.
A stout Sheriff with several levels in Ranger would have normally guarded the village but the Dire Jaws fell upon him while he slept and overwhelmed him.
Meepriel – the Celestial Kobold Paladin whose life has been difficult. His noble Celestial blood fights with his cowardly and sadistic Kobold blood leading him to be conflicted. He is the underdog hero, a mighty Kobold who sees the good in his people.
He looks like most Kobolds only that he has a small set of white and grey feathery wings on his back that allow him to fly at jogging speed and give him no end of joy.
Naturally, the Dire Jaws want to eat these wings because they look tasty and because doing so would be so very, very wrong.
Children of Gastonshire – the few that managed to hide from the Dire Jaws attack are now trying to make their way to the Sheriff’s Oak, a tree-fort with the town’s armory of the town. How many children there are and how skilled they are is up to the DM. Some names: Sed Tossbarrel, Gwina Greanleaf, Foster Sourorchard, Kaly Proudwine and Bess Oakenroot
Daerna's Instant Fortress - the item is a black cube and when the Necromancer's name, Charotos is spoken it turns into a stout tower with dark stones and as much death imagery as could be crammed into one stout tower. Grim reaper doorways, ivory skull knockers, bone-inlaid door handles all make the keep quite dark and necromantic.
Timeline:
The Timeline is offered as if the players never interfered and should be altered according to the player character’s actions.
Hour 1 – Ogre Ghouls take Gastonshire. They imprison the Halflings in a meat locker, eating a few to tide them over.
Some children escape notice.
Meepriel get’s some much needed sleep in a hollow log after running from the Dire Jaws for two days straight.
Hour 2 – The Ogre Ghouls begin to organize, making sure they’ve captured the entire village.
The children begin to sneak towards the Oak to gather weapons.
The Ogre Ghouls not take up with cooking preparations begin anything living left in the town, concentrating on riding dogs still in their kennels.
Hour 3 – The Dire Jaws begin their hunt in my earnest, remembering their lost magic item and the Celestial Kobold.
The children see the Ogre Ghouls begin to intensify their hunt for Meepriel and have to take to more intense hiding.
Meepriel awakens and begins to skulk along the outside of the town, realizing he has led the Dire Jaws to this innocent, undefended place.
Hour 4 – The Ogres feast. The children make a run towards the Oak. Meepriel takes action, assaulting the Ogres alone if need be.
The players should probably find their way to Gastonshire by hour 2 or 3, depending on the pacing, level of tragedy and campaign tone decided by the DM.
Encounters:
The Ghosts of Gastonshire – This is the heavy-handed hook in which Halfling ghosts, with apples stuffed in their mouths and tears in their eyes, mumble pleas with the player characters to help save Gastonshire.
If the players can’t understand the Halflings, one could attempt to spit the apple form his mouth to talk before he dissipates. When the player picks up the apple, with an easy Knowledge – Area Lore, Knowledge – Wilderness or even a Survival roll will tell the characters that the apple is a baking apple from Gastonshire, not far from where the ghosts appeared.
If the ghosts fail to move the players, they could meet up with Meepriel or have heard of the cooking prowess of Gastonshire and be on their way to get a meal.
The Children of Gastonshire – The children are desperate to save their parents and are holding on to their sanity by a thin thread. When the players find them in an outlying cottage within sight of the Sheriff’s Oak, the children are terrified and fairly certain they will soon by caught and eaten.
Although the children will be filled with red herring tales of a nasty ritual the ogres are performing to gain power through pies made with Halfling flesh and . The children will have decent stealthy abilities, a good knowledge of the Gastonshire’s layout (including the ballista in the Sheriff’s Oak) and a real passion to save the village.
Getting to the Oak should be a delicate affair with Stealth roles being made vs. the Ghoul’s ability to spot (+7). A singled failed roll should be three or four Ogre Ghouls to the fray with more to come if the battle should grow loud.
The Necromancer’s Ghost – The item held by Meepriel is not only magical but haunted. The Necromancer, Charotos, who was to lead the Ogres to world domination, was consumed by the beasts within the portable keep. He is angry at his undignified fate and could be brought in to give the players trouble, to lead them to Meepriel or to give them strategic advice, depending on what the Dungeon Master deems necessary at that point.
The only weapon of the Necromancer’s Ghost is his special attack: Horrific Appearance. During this terrible attack, the characters watch as the Neromancer’s normal form is riddled with the bites, nibbles and rends that eventually devoured and killed him. His form is eventually devoured before their very eyes, causing a Fort Save which if failed causes 1d4 points of permanent Strength, 1d4 points of permanent Dexterity and 1d4 points of permanent Constitution drain.
This attack can be stopped by pledging to destroy the Ogre Ghouls.
Kobold with a Mission – Whenever the players decide to first take out some Ogre ghouls, Meepriel will arrive to aid them in the finishing (if he hasn’t been used as a hook). At best, the DM should insert the Celestial Kobold into the mix when his arrival can be most dramatic and of the most use to the players. Meepriel will confess that it was his folly that led the Ogres to this village and he wants nothing more than to free these poor people from the Dire Jaws hungry grasp.
Meepriel is a Paladin of equal level with the player characters.
The Final Showdown with the Dire Jaws – The final showdown will be determined by how bold the players were when they entered the village and how stealthily they dispatched the Ogre Ghouls. The number of Ogre Ghouls in the final battle should be somewhere between 5 and 10, depending on how well the players are doing on hit points, if the Necromancer Ghost was a combat encounter or not.
If the characters are smart, they will put a few of the children on the ballista in the Sheriff’s Oak and draw the Dire Jaws out to the town square, where a few can be picked off before they engage in melee. Perhaps if the players earn Meepriel’s trust he will even display his magic item which could be used in the final battle.
Post Meal Clean-up:
If allowed to, Meepriel will keep the Daern’s Instant Fortress, unless a party member truly distinguished herself as a noble soul, then Meepriel might give the item to them, forcing them to swear a mighty oath upon his wings that they will use it for good. Whether or not the item remains haunted by a Necromancer’s Ghost is up to the DM.
Even with a very successful group effort there should be several funerals to be had in the days to come. The party is invited to take part. They are assured that Gastonshire wakes always have excellent food.
Slaughter of Halflings – The poor folk of Gastonshire, our meal’s unsettling beginning
Ogre Ghouls – The Dire Jaws, our meal’s villains
Ballista – Dusty in the Sheriff’s Oak, the children’s hope
Daern’s Instant Fortress – Stolen from the Dire Jaws and thoroughly haunted, our meals’ McGuffin
Celestial Kobold – Meepriel, an unlikely Paladin and underdog of the meal
Pathetic Plea for Help – Delivered by Halfling ghosts, our meal’s hook
Quickbeam
Explorer
Ouch! Bounced in the first round by an upstart. Well, I have to agree with Nemmerle that entering these competitions more often will help keep my skills at the top of their game -- so when's the next tourney 
.
In reply to the judgment, I'd say that most of the critical remarks are fair and valid points. 1,500 words of back story is just too much (and I knew it); a cleverly used ingredient which the PC's may never interact with (the magical silver arrows) is dangerous; and good end game devices and cliffhangers do not completely make up for a story that is otherwise hit and miss. In the final analysis, I think that I was just thoroughly flummoxed by the mundane theme ingredients.
Congrats to Cstyle!
I'll be watching the rest of this contest from the sidelines, and plotting my triumphant return to the throne all the while
!!
.In reply to the judgment, I'd say that most of the critical remarks are fair and valid points. 1,500 words of back story is just too much (and I knew it); a cleverly used ingredient which the PC's may never interact with (the magical silver arrows) is dangerous; and good end game devices and cliffhangers do not completely make up for a story that is otherwise hit and miss. In the final analysis, I think that I was just thoroughly flummoxed by the mundane theme ingredients.
Congrats to Cstyle!
I'll be watching the rest of this contest from the sidelines, and plotting my triumphant return to the throne all the while
!!
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
First of all, I want to encourage any and all contestants to post exposition for their entries.
Secondly,
I have to say that nemmerlesque judging works because all the contestants have a good humor and open-mind about it and no one ever takes it personally - which they shouldn't, especially since I rip equally as deep into all contestants, sometimes even when they have submitted winning entries!
And of course, I open myself up to harsh criticism when I enter the tournaments other people run.
Secondly,
Quickbeam said:Ouch! Bounced in the first round by an upstart. Well, I have to agree with Nemmerle that entering these competitions more often will help keep my skills at the top of their game -- so when's the next tourney
In reply to the judgment, I'd say that most of the critical remarks are fair and valid points. 1,500 words of back story is just too much (and I knew it); a cleverly used ingredient which the PC's may never interact with (the magical silver arrows) is dangerous; and good end game devices and cliffhangers do not completely make up for a story that is otherwise hit and miss. In the final analysis, I think that I was just thoroughly flummoxed by the mundane theme ingredients.
Congrats to Cstyle!
I'll be watching the rest of this contest from the sidelines, and plotting my triumphant return to the throne all the while
I have to say that nemmerlesque judging works because all the contestants have a good humor and open-mind about it and no one ever takes it personally - which they shouldn't, especially since I rip equally as deep into all contestants, sometimes even when they have submitted winning entries!
And of course, I open myself up to harsh criticism when I enter the tournaments other people run.
!nemmerle said:...the original Ritual of Ascension (watch third season of Buffy much?
Ya know, I'm not a fan of Buffy and have no idea what you're talking about. It just goes to show that there are no truly original ideas anymore. **sigh**
nemmerle said:
I didn't even realize how poor my usage of this ingredient was till I was reading your judgement. I was so wrapped up in other parts of the story that it didn't occur to me that the roadside inn was completely tacked on, in addition to being way too convenient.
nemmerle said:
I couldn't agree more. In fact, no matter what happened (within reason), the PCs would not of seen the last of Tarazed. If thwarted with Alshain, well, someone has to take over for the now deceased Zaurak. And the swith-a-roo can be performed on that poor sap just as easily. After his exposure with Alshain, Tarazed would need to excersize discretion taking over for Zaurak, no public ceremonies or anything, but he would certainly be back. Besides, every game needs an evil wizard that won't go away, right?
Overall, I must say that I am pleased. I felt pretty good about my entry when I posted it, but then went back and read nem's judgement of the first match. I saw what a stickler he was and started to worry! As it turned out, half the things I worried about he praised, and that which got nailed were things I hadn't given a second thought. Go figure!
Well, I need to get some work done and try to find time to read how the rest of the first round went. So far I've only read one other match and judgement beside my own....
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cstyle said:
It was funny, after tossing out four or five story ideas b/c I just couldn't get all of the ingrediants to fit, I thought to myself that maybe I was making this too difficult. I needed to return to basics. I started thinking of a story that had an evil wizard trying to bully a weak willed king into giving him the princess's hand in marriage. Then, a mysterious stranger comes to the court, proclaiming to be a prince from an unknown foreign land, asking for the princess's hand as well. Then I just started laughing when I realized that I was rewriting Alladin! And this was well after I made the original comment about Disney. Very ironic. Anyway, I quickly tossed the idea out the window, and the next one that came to mind turned into the entry I posted.
