Crazy Jerome
First Post
mild spoilers
We had an odd game today. There were all kinds of interruptions that had nothing to do with the game itself, but the funny thing was the way the players got spooked having made 5th level.
We've been exploring the original Caves of Chaos, adapting to the play test updates as they arrive. So I casually mention that there were no changes to characters this go around, merely a clean up/tightening of monsters and a good pass through magic items. The party that had been whaling through every thing, taking wild chances, smashing monsters left and right--or running when they got in over their heads, suddenly went cautious.
It didn't help them any that 10 minutes into the session, while trying to get to the minotaur cave, they got ambushed by bugbears, and took about 40 points of damage in two rounds, before the wizard got irritated and fireballed the bugbears. Then he detected the effect on the minotaur cave, and the party backed out again.
That sealed door (#62# in the Caves? They read a lot more into that. So they spent about two hours #in-game time) opening the door, examining the coffins, and finally opening them one by one. Right as they were ready to open the last one, they realized that a patrol of cultists were about to bar them in the room. The halfling rogue got pinned in the door keeping it from being closed, but the cultists thought she was some unspeakable horror trying to break out. The rogue took some damage before the rest of the party could arrive and sort things out, but one of the cultists went screaming down the corridor, "the hobbit zombie got me!" He was wrong. It was the fighter with a crossbow bolt in the back (+ expertise).
So having taking the surviving cultists prisoners and hidden them away nearby, the party again returned to the burial chamber. I asked if they were ready to proceed with their previous plan. My wife, playing an elven sun cleric, let out an involuntary whimper. The rogue stopped the action: "That's a bad sign when the cleric whimpers".
With what went on last time (a lot of hit and run), the party now has the cultists on full alert, but about 1/3 culled. Meanwhile, the cultists are half paranoid, because no one has survived to report on who is messing with them. I have absolutely no clue how this is going to finish up in November when we can meet again.
We had an odd game today. There were all kinds of interruptions that had nothing to do with the game itself, but the funny thing was the way the players got spooked having made 5th level.
We've been exploring the original Caves of Chaos, adapting to the play test updates as they arrive. So I casually mention that there were no changes to characters this go around, merely a clean up/tightening of monsters and a good pass through magic items. The party that had been whaling through every thing, taking wild chances, smashing monsters left and right--or running when they got in over their heads, suddenly went cautious.
It didn't help them any that 10 minutes into the session, while trying to get to the minotaur cave, they got ambushed by bugbears, and took about 40 points of damage in two rounds, before the wizard got irritated and fireballed the bugbears. Then he detected the effect on the minotaur cave, and the party backed out again.
That sealed door (#62# in the Caves? They read a lot more into that. So they spent about two hours #in-game time) opening the door, examining the coffins, and finally opening them one by one. Right as they were ready to open the last one, they realized that a patrol of cultists were about to bar them in the room. The halfling rogue got pinned in the door keeping it from being closed, but the cultists thought she was some unspeakable horror trying to break out. The rogue took some damage before the rest of the party could arrive and sort things out, but one of the cultists went screaming down the corridor, "the hobbit zombie got me!" He was wrong. It was the fighter with a crossbow bolt in the back (+ expertise).
So having taking the surviving cultists prisoners and hidden them away nearby, the party again returned to the burial chamber. I asked if they were ready to proceed with their previous plan. My wife, playing an elven sun cleric, let out an involuntary whimper. The rogue stopped the action: "That's a bad sign when the cleric whimpers".
With what went on last time (a lot of hit and run), the party now has the cultists on full alert, but about 1/3 culled. Meanwhile, the cultists are half paranoid, because no one has survived to report on who is messing with them. I have absolutely no clue how this is going to finish up in November when we can meet again.
