Rhenny
Adventurer
Travensburg Campaign – Part 15 – 3/1/2014
"Rescue of Lucinda"
We played for 2 ½ hours…3 players with 2 PCs ghost played –– 5th level PCs – Continuing our Campaign
T’rissril Eilsndar the Drow Bard
Fid (the Dwarven Fighter who transformed into a Warforge Fighter)
Fawnsworth the Gnome Illusionist ex-jester
Nalcon the Noble Cleric of Pelor
Darhgel the Tiefling Evoker
The session began in-media-res with a battle against some Skulls (A cultist of Asmodeus, a dark acolyte, an elite warrior and a net wielding thug) and two Hellhounds. Just as the party was going to face the foes, they were joined by Fawnsworth who brought them news from the palace. Excitedly, he told them that the leader of the Skulls, Spiro Vangar was a dark and powerful person, who could disappear into the darkness. All this he learned from the Skull prisoner they kept alive in the palace dungeon.
As Fawnsworth spoke, the battle unfolded. Luckily, the party got the jump on the elite warrior who had been holding a leash that tethered the two hellhounds. The acolyte and the net wielding thug moved closer to the party, but they couldn’t engage. Then Fid threw two axes and downed the net wielding foe. Triss fired a crossbow bolt at the acolyte, hitting the mark as well. Then Nalcon called upon Pelor to engulf the acolyte in radiant flames, crumpling him to the ground. Darhgel took aim at the Cultist of Asmodeus and fired three magic missiles into the strange caster. Quickly, the party gained the upper hand, so the Cultist spoke some commands to the elite warrior and then the cultist dashed off through heavy stone doors at the south east corner of the long corridor. After receiving his instructions, the elite warrior released the hounds, and they bolted towards the party.
Fawnsworth tried to fire a ray of frost at one of them, but the speed of the creature made it a difficult target. Fid stood in the doorway of the hall, and braced himself for oncoming attacks by dodging and weaving. One hellhound made it to the doorway and breathed fire on Fid, Nalcon and Darghel. The blast was not as deadly as it could have been and each of the heroes dodged enough to lessen the burn. The others in the group made various attacks and killed one of the hellhounds when the other bounded up to the group and breathed his firey breath. Again, the heroes withstood the flames and soon they had killed the hellhound and were engaged with the elite warrior. The warrior hacked at Fid and hit him twice. Fid felt the pain from his wounds but kept on fighting. Eventually, the group dispatched the elite warrior and Fid took his sword (another silvered blade). Both Triss and Nalcon tended to Fid’s wounds and casted cure wounds on the Dwarven Warforge.
In order to gain entry into the next room at the end of the hallway, Fawnsworth created an illusion of the elite warrior. He attempted to mimic the voice of the elite warrior and told the others inside that he had killed the intruders and found a really interesting bone and feathered wand. Although the Skull behind the door was puzzled about the wand, he fell for the trick and opened the heavy stone doors. That’s when Fid charged into the room, directly at the Cultist of Asmodeus. His axes hit solidly two times injuring the spellcaster badly, then he took another set of attacks and hit once more (action surge). Then he ran out of the room as the cultist swung his burning mace but failed to land a blow. At that point, Fawnsworth moved into the doorway and launched a fireball into the room. The fireball exploded burning up a table with some documents on it, but it also killed 2 hobgoblin emissaries, killed 1 goblin emissary, killed an acolyte and injured a Skull rogue, an orc and a goblin witch doctor, although the cultist was uninjured by the blast. Within seconds, Darghel fired magic missiles to take down the Cultist. Triss sang her battle song. Fid hacked the Orc and the Thug, and another Orc came out from another room and attempted to protect the goblin witchdoctor. Before the battle ended, the goblin witchdoctor ran through the doors to the east. Fid chased after him and smashed through the doors, sending the goblin tumbling down some stairs. The goblin was injured but not dead so the party decided they wanted to take him alive to get information. When the rest of the foes were dispatched, the group successfully intimidated the goblin. He told the group how The Master, Spiro Vangar had formed pacts with the Razortooth Goblins, the Bloody Hand Orcs and Briggnor’s Hobgoblin Clan. The group convinced the witchdoctor to go back to his clan and re-assess their pact. The witchdoctor also told them that Spiro Vangar ran the Skulls to make money, gain power and infiltrate more aspects of Freehold life. The goblins, orcs and hobgoblins gained wealth and were eventually planning to come to Vangar’s aid when he needed them. The witchdoctor asked if he could go, and the group released him. Before he left, he told the party that he didn’t know more about this place, but he did say that there was a secret door in the meeting room that led to a hidden crypt.
After searching the room, the group found a pile of clothes used for disguises, a potion of invisibility hidden under the pile (about 250 gp worth of coins). In one cabinet, Darghel found a magical dagger (“Warmtooth” +1 a weapon forged on the elemental plane of fire that kept its wielder warm even in sub zero temperatures). In another cabinet, Fawnsworth found a large iron wheel attached to the wall that seemed to operate some type of mechanism. The group also found two other doors to the east. Through one they found a bed chamber for the emissaries. They had some treasure in there as well (5 pieces of jewelry each worth about 50gp, 25 gp in coin and a carved bone wand that had a small chip on the tip of it – eventually Fawnsworth identified it and found it to be a nearly broken wand of magic missiles – only 4 charges left…and probably not much more life after that).
After searching all the bodies of the dead, the group found a key. Fid used the key to open the last door in the south east corner. He found another stairway and another stone door that he pushed open. That’s when 4 ghouls attacked, two of which could reach Fid. Fid was alone, but even when one bit him, he was able to overcome the paralysis. Hearing the commotion the others entered the fray and before long, with only minor wounds and nobody succumbing to paralysis, the group prevailed. Inspecting the room, they found that it was a prison of sorts and in one corner of one of the cells was a young woman slumped to the ground, shaking in fear. This was Lucinda, the Duke’s daughter. She babbled about the horror of her abduction, and the party calmed her. She said that Spiro Vangar was a powerful foe with hypnotic eyes and great physical strength. The party realized that even though they wanted to go into the crypt and attempt to find Vangar, they needed to get Lucinda out of there and back to her father. Without wasting time, they escorted her back uneventfully. At the palace, the Duke was thrilled, and the party made plans to strike deeper into the Hidden Guild in search of Spiro Vangar.
Commentary
Again, fluid combat, and attribute checks make it really easy to focus on interaction and exploration. At times, I do feel that the encounters I make are too easy, but there is always a chance that something bad will happen. I rolled particularly bad for the monsters this night, failing a ton of saving throws and rolling poorly on area of effect attacks, etc. Luck was with party, but since they have a Cleric and a Bard, they have plenty of healing so even if I were able to knock them down, they would still have been able to get back up again (at least a few more times. I think both healers had 2 1st level spells and 1 2nd level spell slot left and the cleric had 2 3rd level spells left as well).
The group has lots of plans. They want to send notes to the Orc and Hobgoblin clans to end the pact with the Skulls. They are beginning to fear that Spiro Vangar might be vampire, so they may want to do some research. They also want to go back to the Hidden Guild and explore the crypt.
The players are beginning to use more of the combat actions in our games. Fid dodged to hold a doorway and keep hellhounds at bay. Nalcon (played by the DM) used aid to distract the elite warrior so that another could gain advantage. Fid, basically, bullrushed and pushed the goblin witchdoctor down stairs, etc. The casters are also moving, casting and moving to get cover more often.
"Rescue of Lucinda"
We played for 2 ½ hours…3 players with 2 PCs ghost played –– 5th level PCs – Continuing our Campaign
T’rissril Eilsndar the Drow Bard
Fid (the Dwarven Fighter who transformed into a Warforge Fighter)
Fawnsworth the Gnome Illusionist ex-jester
Nalcon the Noble Cleric of Pelor
Darhgel the Tiefling Evoker
The session began in-media-res with a battle against some Skulls (A cultist of Asmodeus, a dark acolyte, an elite warrior and a net wielding thug) and two Hellhounds. Just as the party was going to face the foes, they were joined by Fawnsworth who brought them news from the palace. Excitedly, he told them that the leader of the Skulls, Spiro Vangar was a dark and powerful person, who could disappear into the darkness. All this he learned from the Skull prisoner they kept alive in the palace dungeon.
As Fawnsworth spoke, the battle unfolded. Luckily, the party got the jump on the elite warrior who had been holding a leash that tethered the two hellhounds. The acolyte and the net wielding thug moved closer to the party, but they couldn’t engage. Then Fid threw two axes and downed the net wielding foe. Triss fired a crossbow bolt at the acolyte, hitting the mark as well. Then Nalcon called upon Pelor to engulf the acolyte in radiant flames, crumpling him to the ground. Darhgel took aim at the Cultist of Asmodeus and fired three magic missiles into the strange caster. Quickly, the party gained the upper hand, so the Cultist spoke some commands to the elite warrior and then the cultist dashed off through heavy stone doors at the south east corner of the long corridor. After receiving his instructions, the elite warrior released the hounds, and they bolted towards the party.
Fawnsworth tried to fire a ray of frost at one of them, but the speed of the creature made it a difficult target. Fid stood in the doorway of the hall, and braced himself for oncoming attacks by dodging and weaving. One hellhound made it to the doorway and breathed fire on Fid, Nalcon and Darghel. The blast was not as deadly as it could have been and each of the heroes dodged enough to lessen the burn. The others in the group made various attacks and killed one of the hellhounds when the other bounded up to the group and breathed his firey breath. Again, the heroes withstood the flames and soon they had killed the hellhound and were engaged with the elite warrior. The warrior hacked at Fid and hit him twice. Fid felt the pain from his wounds but kept on fighting. Eventually, the group dispatched the elite warrior and Fid took his sword (another silvered blade). Both Triss and Nalcon tended to Fid’s wounds and casted cure wounds on the Dwarven Warforge.
In order to gain entry into the next room at the end of the hallway, Fawnsworth created an illusion of the elite warrior. He attempted to mimic the voice of the elite warrior and told the others inside that he had killed the intruders and found a really interesting bone and feathered wand. Although the Skull behind the door was puzzled about the wand, he fell for the trick and opened the heavy stone doors. That’s when Fid charged into the room, directly at the Cultist of Asmodeus. His axes hit solidly two times injuring the spellcaster badly, then he took another set of attacks and hit once more (action surge). Then he ran out of the room as the cultist swung his burning mace but failed to land a blow. At that point, Fawnsworth moved into the doorway and launched a fireball into the room. The fireball exploded burning up a table with some documents on it, but it also killed 2 hobgoblin emissaries, killed 1 goblin emissary, killed an acolyte and injured a Skull rogue, an orc and a goblin witch doctor, although the cultist was uninjured by the blast. Within seconds, Darghel fired magic missiles to take down the Cultist. Triss sang her battle song. Fid hacked the Orc and the Thug, and another Orc came out from another room and attempted to protect the goblin witchdoctor. Before the battle ended, the goblin witchdoctor ran through the doors to the east. Fid chased after him and smashed through the doors, sending the goblin tumbling down some stairs. The goblin was injured but not dead so the party decided they wanted to take him alive to get information. When the rest of the foes were dispatched, the group successfully intimidated the goblin. He told the group how The Master, Spiro Vangar had formed pacts with the Razortooth Goblins, the Bloody Hand Orcs and Briggnor’s Hobgoblin Clan. The group convinced the witchdoctor to go back to his clan and re-assess their pact. The witchdoctor also told them that Spiro Vangar ran the Skulls to make money, gain power and infiltrate more aspects of Freehold life. The goblins, orcs and hobgoblins gained wealth and were eventually planning to come to Vangar’s aid when he needed them. The witchdoctor asked if he could go, and the group released him. Before he left, he told the party that he didn’t know more about this place, but he did say that there was a secret door in the meeting room that led to a hidden crypt.
After searching the room, the group found a pile of clothes used for disguises, a potion of invisibility hidden under the pile (about 250 gp worth of coins). In one cabinet, Darghel found a magical dagger (“Warmtooth” +1 a weapon forged on the elemental plane of fire that kept its wielder warm even in sub zero temperatures). In another cabinet, Fawnsworth found a large iron wheel attached to the wall that seemed to operate some type of mechanism. The group also found two other doors to the east. Through one they found a bed chamber for the emissaries. They had some treasure in there as well (5 pieces of jewelry each worth about 50gp, 25 gp in coin and a carved bone wand that had a small chip on the tip of it – eventually Fawnsworth identified it and found it to be a nearly broken wand of magic missiles – only 4 charges left…and probably not much more life after that).
After searching all the bodies of the dead, the group found a key. Fid used the key to open the last door in the south east corner. He found another stairway and another stone door that he pushed open. That’s when 4 ghouls attacked, two of which could reach Fid. Fid was alone, but even when one bit him, he was able to overcome the paralysis. Hearing the commotion the others entered the fray and before long, with only minor wounds and nobody succumbing to paralysis, the group prevailed. Inspecting the room, they found that it was a prison of sorts and in one corner of one of the cells was a young woman slumped to the ground, shaking in fear. This was Lucinda, the Duke’s daughter. She babbled about the horror of her abduction, and the party calmed her. She said that Spiro Vangar was a powerful foe with hypnotic eyes and great physical strength. The party realized that even though they wanted to go into the crypt and attempt to find Vangar, they needed to get Lucinda out of there and back to her father. Without wasting time, they escorted her back uneventfully. At the palace, the Duke was thrilled, and the party made plans to strike deeper into the Hidden Guild in search of Spiro Vangar.
Commentary
Again, fluid combat, and attribute checks make it really easy to focus on interaction and exploration. At times, I do feel that the encounters I make are too easy, but there is always a chance that something bad will happen. I rolled particularly bad for the monsters this night, failing a ton of saving throws and rolling poorly on area of effect attacks, etc. Luck was with party, but since they have a Cleric and a Bard, they have plenty of healing so even if I were able to knock them down, they would still have been able to get back up again (at least a few more times. I think both healers had 2 1st level spells and 1 2nd level spell slot left and the cleric had 2 3rd level spells left as well).
The group has lots of plans. They want to send notes to the Orc and Hobgoblin clans to end the pact with the Skulls. They are beginning to fear that Spiro Vangar might be vampire, so they may want to do some research. They also want to go back to the Hidden Guild and explore the crypt.
The players are beginning to use more of the combat actions in our games. Fid dodged to hold a doorway and keep hellhounds at bay. Nalcon (played by the DM) used aid to distract the elite warrior so that another could gain advantage. Fid, basically, bullrushed and pushed the goblin witchdoctor down stairs, etc. The casters are also moving, casting and moving to get cover more often.
