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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7606549" data-attributes="member: 16069">We D&D.Session #24b Hoard of the Dragon Queen #10b Beer & Bar Games.Brothers of the First Light.Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 4Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 4Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 4Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 4Secondary PCsHard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 4Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 4Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Dwarf Fighter Lvl 4Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 4Note, this is session #24 of our game but only session #10 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario, actually this is the second part of session #10- another extended one.And so after their exertions in the Nursery it’s back to Greenest, and rest and recovery- two days off to get healed and top up (a little) on equipment- particularly a few more Healing Potions. The adventurers are the toast of the town, and celebrated in the inns and taverns, in a short ceremony they are all made honorary citizens of Greenest (at least the PCs that are not already citizens of Greenest), and then awarded a few ribbons and named ‘Defenders of Greenest’.In truth however we get through this bit rather quickly, the PCs have an appointment in Elturel with Leosin Erlanthar, the city is 200 miles away- seven days by horse. It’s a good job then that Leosin has seen fit to leave the PCs money to buy horses and equipment, and so next up we have the naming of the mounts-Why do we have to name the mounts every time, in truth I have no idea, I only know that Sandy and Jackie insist, therefore it comes to pass.Derek Pilch (Human Druid) is riding his own ancient, cantankerous and very feeble looking Pony called Moss.Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk) buys a Riding Horse and names it Horse, he’s an uncomplicated fellow.Hotlips Houlihan (Halfling Rogue), for reasons lost to time, buys a young male Pony which she equips with a straw hat, she calls him Lay-Zee Boi.Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric) buys a Riding Horse and names him Lightstrider, or else Lightrider, he’s not sure which as of yet.Lux (Human Warlock) buys a beautiful top-condition (she pays extra) Riding Horse and calls him Quickfoot.Sgt Bobby Markguth (Human Fighter) invests some of his own money (actually a lot of his own money) and purchases a fine Warhorse which he names Rocky.Sgt Harald Hardaxe (Dwarf Fighter) has his own massively obese Pony, called Fat Nelson.Watt (Human Bard) buys a Riding Horse and calls it Sparky.And thus, concludes the naming of the mounts, let’s move on…To Elturel- 200 miles in nine days, the PCs are slowed somewhat by the fact that they are escorting a covered wagon containing their prisoners (a Dragonclaw, Frulam Mondath & Cyanwrath). The group is also accompanied by half-a-dozen hired guards and a pair of waggoneers. There are no encounters, it’s an easy ride- I wanted to get to the next bit.Oh and that’s right, all eight adventurers are taking the trip, however the rule is if anything happens (like an encounter) then the Players can have five PCs in play at any one time, the other three PCs are fighting their own enemies off-screen, or else doing their own thing.[ATTACH=full]113024[/ATTACH]Elturel, capital of Elturgard on the Chionthar River- a bustling city (certainly in comparison to the town of Greenest), the most obvious sight the Gift of Amaunator. This is a pilgrimage for the Brothers, worshippers of Lathander. I do a short spiel (mostly lifted from the interweb) about how Amaunator (thought to be a deceased deity) revealed himself to be Lathander after the Spellplague.We’re not going to go deep with this however, the PCs want to get on, and so…To the tavern A Pair of Black Antlers, there the Brothers et al meet with Leosin Erlanthur (and get paid) and tell their story about events at Camp Dragonclaw, including the fact that Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon) is on his way to Baldur’s Gate to get a caravan together to transport the looted treasures north. The adventurers also hand over their prisoners to Leosin, who it seems is not short of friends of his own, the Monk is delighted with the PCs and offers to pay for their food and board for as long as they are in Elturel.However, Leosin is also very keen that they meet a friend of his- Ontharr Frume, a Dwarf Paladin of Torm who is also interested in the activities of the Dragon Cultists.[ATTACH=full]113025[/ATTACH]Ontharr Frume is not what the PCs expected, or else he looks exactly like they expected- a big, fat (big-boned), massively muscled and loud Dwarf. Frume however is also a party animal, the evening is entirely taken up with drinks and games, there’s no mention of the Dragon Cultists. It’s all very jolly, Frume insists the evening start with a pint of Dwarven Best Bitter (and accompanied by DC 8 Con check) and is followed by another pint before each of the following challenges. We’re having an evening off from playing D&D- it’s just foolishness and dice rolling for the rest of this session (I had warned the Players ahead of time, they were all up for it).And so, the first challenge takes place outside of the tavern, a test of the PCs horse-riding skills, a short (and fairly easy) obstacle course for them to steer their mounts around, set up in the yard of the Inn- most circuits completed wins, simple as.Note out of the game the Players have to drink (a stubby- small bottle of beer) before each challenge, if they want to- and they do. They also have to contribute £1 (real cash money) in to the pot for each of their PCs taking part in this challenge (and for all of the other Challenges). This includes your friendly DM (although I will not be drinking)- I put £2 in the pot, £1 for Ontharr Frume and £1 for Leosin Erlanthar who both are taking part in the first challenge (and all of the others, probably).So first challenge, which the PCs are cajoled in to getting involved with, the rules are simple one Animal Handling Check DC 10 for first circuit, the DC increasing by 1 for each additional circuit. The PC can attempt some other task (any Skill Check- a different one for each circuit) to get bonuses on their Animal Handling check (example Watt performed a dirty poem, Sgt Bobby at one point sang a song, Derek Pilch ate his dinner, Lux attempted a little trick riding etc.) Basically the guys can use one other Skill (which hopefully they have a good bonus in) to increase their chances of completing another circuit, as long as they can make the role-play work.Several of the guys were keen to perform their tasks- Pete (Sgt Bobby) really did sing (‘Onward Lathander’s Soldiers!’ as it happens), an extra (at least) +1 was awarded if the guys acted/orated their parts- i.e. made fools of themselves a little.But first up the pints of Dwarven Best Bitter have to be accounted for- Hard Bonk & Derek Pilch are both feeling the heat (-1 to all rolls) after the first pint, things go very badly for Lux (she rolls a ‘1’). The Warlock is tipsy already (-3 to all rolls).And so on to the results of the Horse-Riding Obstacle Course (after Drinking Beer and while Making a Fool of Yourself) Challenge.In last place comes Sgt Harald Hardaxe on his massively obese Pony Fat Nelson, the Dwarf falls off his mount before he gets to the end of the first circuit, not drunk- just a crap rider (or else low roller).Hotlips, Watt and Lux both only manage a single circuit each, Hard Bonk finishes a second circuit, while Sgt Bobby Markguth goes one better with three. Such a shame, Pete (who plays both Sgts) had high hopes for his main man- Sgt Bobby riding Rocky his newly acquired Warhorse.Ontharr Frume manages five circuits, Leosin completes one more- six, Go Me!However, they all pale in comparison to Lummins- the Cleric of Lathander manages eleven circuits of the course- while reciting poetry, juggling balls, telling bawdy jokes and a variety of other activities. Surely he’s the winner.But no, Derek Pilch, all the while whispering in the ear of his plodding Pony Moss completes twelve of the slowest circuits ever seen, and then retires- having also eaten his dinner in the saddle. As Derek states, “it’s not really about the winning” (which is the kind of thing you can get away with saying when you have won).Note several of the Players used Inspiration Points to reroll their Skill Checks (and also wheedled and cajoled in an attempt to attract extra bonuses, or penalties for others), I’m fairly certain they think it is all about the winning.£10 hard cash available for prizes- Derek (played by Jackie) gets £5, Lummins (played by Rob) gets £2, and Leosin (your friendly DM) gets £1 back. The extra £2 goes in to the pot for the eventual winner of all events- 3 points for 1st, 2 points for 2nd and 1 point for 3rd- most points at the end picks up the pot (Pot = £2 atm).There’s a lot of laughter to be had, and a fair amount of needle and this is only the first challenge.Then they all drink again, back inside the tavern- Watt is now a little lightheaded, while Lux is starting to slur her words- even Ontharr Frume is a little tipsy. Sgt Bobby however is loving it (‘20’)- he sings a song (thanks Pete), it’s bad but there are lots of grins (and an extra +1 on all his Skill Checks in the next event), Ontharr approves massively.Next up is Arm Wrestling- Lux and Hotlips decide to sit out the contest, mainly because Strength is their dump stat and they both have minuses on their Skill Checks- Lux is on -4 atm. Also it’s easier if there are only eight competitors.Note for victory a competitor needs to win two contested Strength checks in a row, they can supplement their Strength checks by making a subsidiary Skill Check to apply bonuses (or even penalties to their opposition). They can use any Skill as long as they can make it work from a role-play POV, although a different Skill must be used each round- most often the PCs employed Skills to distract or attempt to put off their opponents. Watt distinguished himself by making up rhyming couplets, all of them uncomplimentary (actually, when I say ‘all of them’… see below).The matches are drawn at random- which causes nearly as much excitement as the competition itself.First up, Hard Bonk vs Leosin- the former apprentice takes on his master, and loses in a little over ten seconds (in two rounds).Second match, Sgt Bobby vs Derek Pilch- heaven knows why Derek thought he would get involved (although he may have secretly been spell assisted), either way Sgt Bobby wins in style (in two rounds).Third match, Sgt Harald vs Lummins- Lummins offers a modicum of resistance- mainly by insulting Sgt Harald but the result is never in doubt. Sgt Harald pins the Cleric of Lathander (in three rounds).Last of the first round matches is Ontharr Frume vs Watt- oddly Watt looks to be winning when Frume turns it around and slams Watt’s arm down (in four rounds), having also semi-successfully burped his way through the opening lines of ‘He’ll Be Coming Through The Mountain When He Comes”, an ancient Dwarven ditty (your DM clearly has the skills to pay the bills, and please note I don’t even drink alcohol so the shame was all mine).And so to the Semi-Finals, again drawn at random-First semi is, Leosin vs Sgt Bobby- It’s a close call- back and forth, and the longest match to date (five rounds) but Sgt Bobby wins.Second semi is, Sgt Harald vs Ontharr Frume- a titanic battle which goes on longer than all of the other bouts combined (nearly, fourteen rounds to be exact- including one in which both combatants rolled a ‘20’), Sgt Harald takes the victory in the end.The 3rd Place Arm-Wrestle-Off.Ontharr beats Leosin out of sight (in two rounds).And so to the Final.Sgt Bobby vs Sgt Harald, or Pete vs Pete- and the second longest bout as it goes back and forth with neither participant able to get two successes in a row, Sgt Bobby wins at the last (after ten rounds)- Hurrah!And we distribute the prize money, £8 to share out, so that’s £4 to Sgt Bobby (Pete), £2 to Sgt Harald (still Pete) and £1 to Ontharr (me, the DM). The Pot for the overall winner now stands at £3.Next- drink more beer.After which Derek tells a few bawdy jokes, the Druid is drunk-ish. Lux (Sandy) attempts to chat up Lummins (Rob- they’re about to be married in real life). Hard Bonk the Half-Orc does a little dance… it had to be seen to be believed. Sgt Harald grins a lot but doesn’t say much- he’s a little glassy-eyed.Next, we play Darts- three darts each, using ranged bonuses and simple as- lowest score each round drops out. All ten contestants are up for it, and everyone pays their £2 (£1 for each of their PCs), including yours truly.Loser of the first round is Lummins, then Ontharr (he’s not happy, neither am I), then Lux, then Watt, then Hard Bonk, then Derek Pilch, then Sgt Bobby. Which just leaves three- Leosin, Sgt Harald & Hotlips.And in third place is- Leosin, bit of a surprise there, very good bonuses and the Monk is built Dex heavy.Second place is… Hotlips, which is obviously unexpected, the Rogue has the best Ranged bonus of all of the PCs and NPCs, and yet…Sgt Harald Hardaxe wins the event, for the last maybe three rounds of the competition Harald’s lowest unadjusted roll is a ‘15’, I know this because I went back and checked my notes- I write everything down.So, £5 for Sgt Harald (Pete), £2 for Hotlips (Sandy) and £1 for Leosin (me), and now there’s £5 in the Pot for the overall winner.Then another little drink, after which Lux alas is unconscious, while Hard Bonk & Derek Pilch can barely stay on their feet.The last competition is Anything-Goes Style Sparring in which the PCs can use their Dex to Grapple and Hold (which also inflicts subdual damage), or their fists et al with Strength checks to inflict the same.As with all of the previous competitions contestants can use any of their other skills to get bonuses on their attacks, as long as they can weave whatever action they are doing in to the narrative. Examples of this include Hotlips throwing a pint of beer in Ontharr Frume’s face, Lummins attempting to deceive Sgt Bobby “Watch Out!”, and a variety of other tricks and deceptions.Lux & Derek chose not take to part because the pair are just too drunk, which leaves us with eight participants- which is ideal, and so…The combats take much longer than I expected to play out because the damage is low and because the PCs can decide for themselves when and if they ‘give up’, obviously when they hit 0 HP then they’ve lost. All damage is 1d6 plus bonuses (and mostly subdual) for either maintaining a hold, or else hitting opponents with fists/legs/head/chair etc.The first bout is Sgt Harald vs Hard Bonk, and it goes on a while, particularly as Hard Bonk gets Sgt Harald in a headlock, and then after the sturdy Dwarf gets free he knocks him on his backside at least once. However, for all of Hard Bonk’s tricksiness the Dwarf never misses with his sly rabbit punches, and on one occasion his horrible (Crit) head butt. The Monk gives up the contest after five rounds, just prior to being knocked unconscious.Ontharr Frume vs Hotlips, a bit of a mismatch, however as with the above fight the Halfling Rogue gets in a couple of decent (sneaky) strikes but again Ontharr rarely misses, Hotlips is slapped down in three rounds.Sgt Bobby vs Lummins, another mismatch- Sgt Bobby takes a couple of early hits, but never misses and puts Lummins down in five rounds.Watt vs Leosin turns out to be the toughest fight of the opening combats, it takes nine rounds for the Monk to convince the Bard to give up the bout, Leosin has taken a bit of a beating at the end of the fight, the surly DM just wouldn’t give up.And so, to the semis, note the PCs can use their HD between bouts to Heal the subdual damage inflicted in previous fights, a couple of PCs also made use of Healing Potions (imagine), and one early loser (Lummins) also made a little money on the side selling Cure Wounds spells.They’re taking this nonsense very seriously.Sgt Harald vs Leosin, and the Monk decides to try to pile on the hits rather than go for the grapple, the tactic seems to be working, however- as with the previous fight in every exchange Harald gives as good as he gets. Even when Leosin manages to Crit the Dwarf twice in a row (in the same round) Sgt Harald just soaks up the hurt. In the last round of the fight with Harald on 4 HP, and Leosin on 8 HP (only subdual damage remember), the Monk misses both of his attacks and the Dwarf Action Surges and takes Leosin down. Seven rounds of frenetic slugfest.Ontharr vs Sgt Bobby, the pair dance around each other for a while, then it turns in to a stand-up boxing match (while screaming insults at each other, and then laughing about it). Sgt Bobby is very good but no match for Ontharr (the DM), the Paladin of Torm takes the Greenest Guard Sgt down (yeah, that’s right Pete).A while later we play out the third-place contest, after the two Sgt’s have begged, borrowed and cajoled their colleagues (and passers-by) in to providing any form of healing (or Buff) they can get hold of-Leosin vs Sgt Bobby, another drawn out affair with the Monk grappling and holding, but again Sgt Bobby has the stamina, Leosin surrenders when he’s below 10 HP, Pete is approaching Rapture.The Final.Sgt Harald vs Ontharr- another war of attrition which is over however remarkably quickly when Ontharr Crits twice and Sgt Harald misses repeatedly. The Paladin of Torm takes down his brother Dwarf in just four rounds.And Pete sulks for maybe half-an-hour (and via e-mail for the rest of the week).So, another £8 to distribute- £4 for Ontharr Frume (to the DM- that’s me), £2 for Sgt Harald (Pete again), and £1 for Sgt Bobby (more Pete).And the overall winner- Sgt Harald Hardaxe who claims the extra £6 in the Pot, the craggy fat Dwarf managed two second places and a win, 2nd overall is Ontharr with a win and two third places, 3rd Sgt Bobby with a win and a third place.Not even Sgt Harald’s overall win can chip the frown from Pete’s brow, Sgt Bobby was/is his ‘golden boy’, he was supposed to win the fighting and then take the overall title. Pete had done the maths ahead of time…I tried to give the less physical players a way in, allowing them to use their other skills to con or divert, or else enhance their chances in some way- and several of the players were happy to use a variety of spells along the way. Derek Pilch with his Speak with Animals as he guided his Pony Moss around the obstacle course, the Druid also employed Enhance Ability to attempt to get stronger for the Arm Wrestling. Lummins was Bless-enabled when it counted, and Watt tried a few spell-related schemes to increase his chances.That however was the end of the session, just short of three hours of random dice rolling (and drinking), much fun was had by all (except Pete, apparently). Also, the guys very much approve of Ontharr Frume, time to hear what he has to say to them next session, and back to the adventure.Loved it.</blockquote>

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