D&D 5E [OOC] Uller's Out of the Abyss

[Uller]

Not sure when I can level up Erevan. I guess Tuesday. Is that okay?

That's fine. I want to take my time with planning out the next bit and describing it. So I'm rereading a couple of the chapters. It may be a few days. Hockey season is in it's busiest time over the next three weeks then life for me suddenly becomes a lot less busy...today we have 3 games between my two kids...

One of the things I do is I assume that your PCs are expert in things that you aren't. Foraging, navigation, tactical movement, tracking and avoiding being tracked, etc are all things some of your PCs or various NPCs would understand far better than any of us.

So with that in mind I am going to review the rules for those things and summarize them from a meta-POV. Just like none of us really understand how to fight gigantic monsters that can shoot lightning out of their bums but we understand AC and attack modifiers and the action economy...So I think it is fair that as players you understand what checks, skills, etc you can use and what the rewards/consequences generally are. I don't want to give you perfect knowledge...some things should seem mysterious. But I at least want you to know some of your options. For instance, you can use survival checks to cover your tracks/confuse any pursuers. Travel pace will determine whether pursuers gain on you, lose you or maintain their pursuit but will also effect how long it takes you to arrive, chances of becoming lost, how well you can forage and your chances of being ambushed or ambushing potential threats. And so on...

As for Hero Points/Inspiration, let's stick with Inspiration for now but with the following caveats:

Everyone gains inspiration at the start of each "chapter" (such as now). Players (or the DM) may award inspiration to those that no longer have it for interesting RP and actions that add to the enjoyment of the group. With this group I don't expect any "abuse" of that, but if it starts seeming like too much then I'll change it. Inspiration seems to work best in this format being able to use it after the fact. That makes it pretty powerful, I know. The only caveat I'm going to add is that if you make a roll with disadvantage where you might want to use inspiration, go ahead and roll twice. If you then decide to use inspiration to remove disadvantage what that means is you remove the _second_ roll. You don't get to reroll the first one. Clear as mud?

 

[SunGold]

Clear as mud?

Got it.

While we're on the topic of inspiration, I've been thinking about asking to change Surana's flaw (likes alcohol/intoxicants too much). I rolled with it because it's the classic barbarian downfall, but after playing this adventure a bit I realized it's probably hardly ever (if ever) going to come into play down here. Not a whole lot of corner taverns in the Underdark...

If you think you can find ways to mess Surana over with it anyway (something like offerings of wine in the cities down here at times when she should reeeaaallllly be keeping her wits, or stuff like that), I'll happily keep it, but if you agree it's a lame/useless one for this adventure, may I change it?

 

[Uller]

Not a whole lot of corner taverns in the Underdark...

Oh...I wouldn't underestimate the opportunities to find intoxicants in a setting inspired in part by Alice in Wonderland.

[emoji12]

 

[SunGold]

Oh, gods.

"Tripping balls through the Underdark sounds like a really fun idea!" - Nobody, ever

Note to the rest of the party: If another face gets flayed, look to Sarith and Buppido. If a face gets eaten...well...

ETA: Realized this post might've made it sound like I thought this wouldn't be fun, which couldn't be further from the truth. As a *player,* I think Fear and Loathing in the Underdark is going to be hilarious. Was joking about what sort of insane person would think this depressing hole would be a good place to get high (Lovecraft, maybe?).

 

[DMAesh]

Oh god, We were half-way to Gracklestugh, deep in the Underdark, when the drugs started to take hold...

 

[SunGold]

Ok, on the topic of trippy Alice in Wonderland, did any of you guys read/buy A Red & Pleasant Land? That was easily my favorite RPG purchase of 2015. So weird and rad and delightful.

Edited to link to DTRPG, since the publisher's site is NSFW.

 

[DMAesh]

No, I haven't seen this before. It might work wonderfully with the Fairy Tale campaign that I am running... Of course, that is after Jack and Jacque climb back down from the beanstalk!

 

[SunGold]

No, I haven't seen this before. It might work wonderfully with the Fairy Tale campaign that I am running... Of course, that is after Jack and Jacque climb back down from the beanstalk!

Well if Jack and Jacque are up for a jaunt through an insane, exhausting, and violent place, the Land of Unreason could definitely be dropped into a fairy tale campaign (on the other side of a mirror, of course ). Though they would probably need an Alistair (the male version of the Alice character class) to help out...

It really is pretty nuts though. For example, a few of the guidelines on how creatures there behave:

1. Offense taken is inversely proportional to offense meant.
2. (Corollary of 1) Real violence, oppression, and injustice are ignored or purposely misunderstood (though inhabitants do fight back when directly attacked). Minor, accidental or imagined breaches of etiquette are met with violence, oppression and injustice.
[...]
6. No-one can be made to understand anything.

Here's an example (possibly NSFW if your work is super strict) of one of the major NPCs.

I knew I was going to love this book before I got to the actual content though. From the "How to Use This Book" section:

4. Some animals will swallow almost anything whole and some are very small. You can use this book to kill them--by choking them with it or dropping it on them, respectively.

 

[DMAesh]

Haha, interesting to say the least!

 

[JustinCase]

Alright, I've leveled up Erevan, he's in the RG. Not many differences; I get Cunning Action and a few more hp (average of 5, +1 con modifier). Yes, that's it for rogue level 2.

Also, I wrote down all my original equipment as being in my current possession, plus the loot from the tower. If anything is missing (e.g. signet ring or coins have been confiscated by drow), please let me know.