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We D&D- Tyranny of Dragons Part 2: The Rise of Tiamat #24b Strike Team 1 Part 2 A Ton of Undead.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7644728" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #35 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #21 All Bullywugs Must Die.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Brothers of the First Light.</strong></p><p><strong>Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Secondary PCs.</strong></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 5</strong></p><p></p><p>Note, this is session #35 of our game but only session #21 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario.</p><p></p><p>The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution is more-or-less done, although the Players don’t actually know this yet. The PCs have infiltrated Castle Naerytar, killed the Bullywug defenders of the Barbican, persuaded the Lizardfolk guards formerly loyal to Dral to come over to their side, killed hordes (34 in total) of Bullywugs (but not Fartbox = Pharblex), and in the process drawn the attention of the Dragon Cultists. Then in a massive battle (lasting 20+ turns) they defeated Dral (Elven Dragon Cultist leader of the castle’s defences) and all of his Cultists (including 12 Dragonclaws & 4 Dragonwings)- taking a good few of them prisoner (including Dral). Alas during the confrontation Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon high ranking Cult leader) escaped in to the tunnels below the castle, along with Azbara Jos (Red Wizard of Thay).</p><p></p><p>After a brief rest, much of which was spent interrogating Dral & the captured Cultists the PCs have learned more about the layout of the castle, including the fact that Fartbox (Pharblex) and the Bullywugs are down below guarding some sort of magic portal to who knows where, which more than likely has very recently been used by the fleeing Rezmir & Azbara.</p><p></p><p>The PCs have obviously got more questions to ask but after their brief rest their keen to get on below, figuring they’ll leave the upper levels of the castle until later to explore (or else the Lizardfolk can explore them). Their prisoners (including Dral) are left with members of Strike Team #2 (Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk), Hotlips (Halfling Rogue), Derek (Human Druid) & Sgt Harald (Dwarf Fighter)) also present are plenty of friendly Lizardfolk now being ordered around by Snapjaw- the instigator of the Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and two of the Brother’s Lizardfolk accomplices were killed in the last session, the replacements are Jar-Jar (Watt (Human Bard)) & Binks (Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter)), joining Gawp (Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric)) and Ping (Lux (Human Warlock)). That’s right- each PC has a Lizardfolk servitor to play-in-game.</p><p></p><p>The Players obviously don’t know that they have slaughtered or else captured all of the Cultists (yep, every one of them), however they’re beginning to suspect that there are very few enemies left- after all they’ve just been able to take an undisturbed Short Rest. Also, members of the Scaly Death Lizardfolk clan are cautiously venturing in to the castle- there are no reports of further enemies. The PCs however are concentrating their efforts on slaughtering Fartbox (Pharblex) and his Bullywugs in order to complete their part of the deal they made with Snapjaw and the Lizardfolk. They’re obviously also in pursuit of Rezmir and Azbara.</p><p></p><p>And so, next stop the Great Hall, now being used as a dining hall and sorting room for the Cult loot arriving at the castle, there’s a pile of treasure here- although a few brave Lizardfolk have already found the hoard and taken a good chunk of it. Then through to the south west tower- the way down, although first a brief encounter with a clutch of Giant Centipedes.</p><p></p><p>The encounter starts badly for Sgt Bobby (ain’t it always the way- just ask Pete), the Fighter is searching around a partially waterlogged mostly-empty chamber when a pair of Giant Centipedes rush out to attack him- the first bites in to his heel and injects its foul poison. Sgt Bobby is back to being bloodied. More Giant Centipedes reveal themselves…</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113058[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Lummins kills one with a Scared Flame, Sgt Bobby misses both of his attacks (Pete is furious, as usual- and we’re maybe fifteen minutes in to the session) and then gets his Second Wind. Binks (Lizardfolk) smashes another Centipede dead- there are still three of the beasts in the mix- although there’ll be another five joining the fight in a turn or two, sometimes I like to hold a few monsters back, I find it annoys the PCs more. Ping (Lizardfolk) kills another two of the small beasts- note all the PCs are rolling low and missing a lot, and I appreciate you must be sick of me writing this but… that’s what happened, again. Lux blasts the last Giant Centipede down with an Eldritch Blast.</p><p></p><p>The PCs, and Players, visibly sag- they’re fed up of their mostly broken dice, at which point five more Giant Centipedes scurry in to action. Told you- helluva annoying.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby presses forward in to the nest and cuts another down, Jar-Jar (Lizardfolk) wades in and cuts two of the beasts down- the Lizardfolk are still doing great in combat. Ping (Lizardfolk) gets bitten, as does Sgt Bobby (yet again).</p><p></p><p>Note Watt’s first three attack rolls in this fight were ‘1’, then ‘2’, then ‘3’- so at least he’s improving. After three rounds Sgt Bobby had rolled three 1’s, as had Lux. By my reckoning the PCs made 15 attacks in total- in the first three rounds (Lummins has been casting Sacred Flames- no attack roll) nearly 50% of them (7) have been 1’s, while 12 of the 15 have been misses- the Giant Centipedes are AC 13. It’s a funny old game, as they say, and the Players after this fight are absolutely furious.</p><p></p><p>Gawp & Ping (Lizardfolk) kill the last two Giant Centipedes- which (again) doesn’t help the Player’s moods, although of course they are rolling for the Lizardfolk, it’s just when they get to their PCs that their (same) dice break.</p><p></p><p>The fight is over- the room (and ground floor of the tower) are searched- there’s nothing interesting to be found. Sgt Bobby pleads with his comrades for some healing, but Watt and Lummins are reluctant- they’re preserving their spells as they’ve not got many left. The Sgt has to make do with a few more Healing Potions.</p><p></p><p>The Brothers et al move on, down the stairs and in to the subterranean lair of the Bullywugs, the first chamber is brightly lit by two lanterns, a natural cavern with running water- Watt finds plenty of muddy Bullywug tracks heading to and from both obvious exits. The Brothers head south east, down two flights of stairs and in to a very muddy chamber, suddenly a pair of Bullywugs leap from hiding and launch themselves at Sgt Bobby.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113059[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby although surprised has enough about him to keep both of them at bay. Lux Eldritch Blasts one of the pair dead. Another hidden Bullywug launches itself at Lummins, the Cleric fends it off, and yet another repeats the trick- this time latching on to Sgt Bobby’s leg with a bite (and a Crit, lordy lordy- that’s a turn up, me Critting Sgt B).</p><p></p><p>Oh! Pete is going Kray-Zee.</p><p></p><p>The Lizardfolk charge in to action, they hate the Bullywugs- Ping takes one of the bastards down, as does Jar-Jar, as usual.</p><p></p><p>Unseen by the adventurers another pair of hidden Bullywugs hop off to report the news of the PCs arrival to Fartbox (Pharblex), this isn’t going to be easy for the adventurers, the amphibians are on home turf.</p><p></p><p>Watt fires an arrow in to the last Bullywug standing, Sgt Bobby finishes it off- the fight is done.</p><p></p><p>DM Interlude- I’ve tripled the numbers of Bullywugs in the lair, just because… well, why not- Bullywugs have proved to be very easy to kill, let’s see how it works out.</p><p></p><p>The PCs don’t hang about- they move on quickly, through the tunnels and down a treacherous flight of slick and muddy stairs- although they all make it down without any issues. Straight in to another filthy cavern chamber, again thick with mud- the place is like a furnace, and the air is damp and foetid- it’s swamp-like, and hellish.</p><p></p><p>Watt and Lux prevent their colleagues from rushing in- the pair observe the chamber (with help from Lummins’ Light spell). Sandy (playing Lux) is soon back in charge of the situation, for the first time in a long while, they’re going to be moving slower now- more cautious. The tactic pays off immediately- there are nests of Centipedes all around the chamber- the Bullywugs are leading the PCs this way, Lux believes.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113060[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>There follows a short debate, Pete (playing Sgt Bobby) is all for onwards- always onwards, Sandy (playing Lux) argues that they should at least check out the other direction, rather than waste their resources wading through encounters here. It’s soon three against one, the Brothers of the First Light and their Lizardfolk helpers turn tail and head back the way they came.</p><p></p><p>Back to the first chamber and then to the other exit, north west in to another open chamber bisected by a fifteen-foot drop- there’s a crane of sorts here, probably used to move the Cultist loot- Lux observes. Which confirms, she confidently states, that this is obviously the right way to go. Pete (Sgt Bobby) keeps quiet.</p><p></p><p>The lower half of the chamber is even more foetid, and with a thick mist ahead- Lummins and Watt make use of their Light spells, although there’s nothing much to see- ahead a crossroads of sorts, the mist seems to thin in to the passage straight across.</p><p></p><p>The Brothers et al move forward- in to another seemingly empty chamber, although over the far side is something interesting- a permanent teleportation circle, discovered and identified by Lummins. The Priest and Lux explain that they’ll need the password or pass-phrase to use it- but where does it go?</p><p></p><p>At which point however the bad guys arrive- en masse, there are no other exits from this chamber- a solid stone wall at the PCs backs. Bullywugs come hoping out of the mist (ten of them, although there are plenty more to come), making enough noise for the PCs to hear their croaking approach.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113061[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>It kicks off- Lummins hits the first with a Sacred Flame, Sgt Bobby steps forward and finishes it off. The wave of Bullywugs hop in to the midst of the good guys- Gawp is speared several times and badly injured, Jar-Jar is likewise hurt- the Lizardfolk soak up the hits.</p><p></p><p>Watt lets loose a Thunderwave- more Bullywugs suffer, one dies.</p><p></p><p>Lux screams a warning- another ten or so Bullywugs hop through the mist and in to action, and by the sound of things there’s another wave of attackers coming (there is, be sure of it). She Eldritch Blasts another Bullywug dead.</p><p></p><p>Just for info I think I went for 30-something Bullywugs, plus Fartbox (Pharblex) in this encounter- I wanted to try and swamp the PCs. </p><p></p><p>And from without the chamber an echoing croaky voice starts makes threats in broken Common- “GREAT Pharblex and his MIGHTY horde will destroy you puny dryling ghosts!”, and, “Attack my sweet babbling Bullywugs- feast on the flesh of the stenchless ones!”, and, “I Feel Like Human Tonight!” (to the tune of ‘I Feel Like Chicken Tonight!’). That kind of thing- Fartbox (Pharblex) finishes casting his Barkskin spell, he will follow in with the third and final wave of attackers.</p><p></p><p>I just wanted to let the PCs know that this is the big one.</p><p></p><p>Jar-Jar gets stabbed again. Lummins blasts another Bullywug dead with his Sacred Flames. Sgt Bobby cuts another two down (and bugger me but the PCs are now hitting all of the time) but is bitten again for his troubles. Gawp gets stabbed again, he’s on 1 HP.</p><p></p><p>Jar-Jar gets stabbed again, I think I’ve said that before- the Lizardfolk is now also heavily wounded, he does however manage to kill another Bullywug. Watt fires a Shatter spell in to the mix resulting in more injured Bullywugs, but no deaths (he’s still rolling low for damage). Lux screams in frustration this time- both of her Eldritch Blasts are misses. Binks (another Lizardfolk, remember) stabs a Bullywug dead.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113062[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>There’s a lot of them…</p><p></p><p>Jar-Jar gets stabbed again, as he does at the start of every turn it seems, he’s down to 3 HP. Lummins moves in to the front line and unleashes a Burning Hands- five Bullywugs are incinerated- Woo-Hoo. Sgt Bobby cuts another down. Watt wounds another four (and again- low damage rolls) with yet another Thunderwave (his very last spell). Lux follows up with a Shatter, directed straight in to the middle of the third wave of Bullywugs (there are another 16 Bullywugs in the third wave)- seven of them are killed in an instant.</p><p></p><p>Pharblex follows the third wave in and fires an Entangle spell in to the PCs and Lizardfolk, alas only Watt & Ping fail their saves and are Restrained by the sudden sprouting plants. Seconds later the Bard is bitten by a Bullywug- a Crit.</p><p></p><p>Jar-Jar is stabbed again- remarkably for only 2 damage, so the Lizardfolk is now on 1 HP, the same as Gawp. Lummins moves in to the front line and unleashes his Radiance of the Dawn- and revealed by the dazzling light (now sans foggy mist) there are only five Bullywugs and Fartbox (Pharblex) left standing (nine killed by the radiant burst).</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby screams something fairly savage, and unbroadcastable, and then rushes straight at Fartbox, taking Opportunity/Reaction attacks (all misses) as he swerves his way through the remaining Bullywugs. The magnificent Fighter hits Fartbox three times in quick succession (with added Action Surge) all hits- of course (and for 32 damage in total).</p><p></p><p>Pharblex flees the scene, screaming for his comrades to “FLEE the terrible dry-ones!”, Lux fires an Eldritch Blast in to the retreating Bullywug boss.</p><p></p><p>Meantime Binks gets both stabbed and bitten, the Lizardfolk fights back and slays two of the fleeing Bullywugs. Watt escapes his Entangled-ness and kills another. Gawp takes another Bullywug down- so there’s just one left, and Pharblex who has already escaped the chamber. Thirty-seven went in, two came out.</p><p></p><p>The pair only escape for a short time however- Lummins Sacred Flames the common-or-garden Bullywug- it dies, while Fartbox (Pharblex) is chased down by the now grinning Sgt Bobby- he blocks the creature’s path and orders it to surrender, using the language of the gutter- I may add, oh- and in the Common tongue.</p><p></p><p>Soon after the rest of the Brothers of the First Light and their Lizardfolk companions turn up- at which point the PCs have to switch to stopping the Lizardfolk from immediately offing Fartbox. It doesn’t help that Fartbox is wearing the rotting head of Suncaller (the Scaly Dread clan’s Shaman, remember) as a hat.</p><p></p><p>A little provocative.</p><p></p><p>Eventually the PCs calm the Lizardfolk down with the promise that they will hand Fartbox over to them when they are done with him- all bargained out in Draconic, a language the PCs hope that Fartbox doesn’t understand (he doesn’t).</p><p></p><p>And so Fartbox (Pharblex) is dragged back in to the chamber in which all of his former Bullywug comrades lie dead, and then interrogated. I’ll be honest- it gets graphic and adult briefly, Sgt Bobby is not holding back. Some people are all talk, he’s all action- over the course of next twenty or so painful minutes he doesn’t ask a single question- he leaves that to Lummins, Lux and Watt. Sgt Bobby takes care of the stabbing and breaking of things (mostly limbs).</p><p></p><p>Basically, the Brothers of the First Light torture Fartbox a while, and learn… well, nothing much. They hardly need Lummins’ Zone of Truth (his last) spell, the Bullywug leader knows the names of all of the Cult leaders but not much else. Nothing about the teleportation circle- save that it exists. It seems that Pharblex is just the hired help, the PCs are less than impressed.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the session, which is quite a chunk of time- another hour or more of play, was a bit of a failure, two of the PCs- Sgt Bobby & Lux (Pete & Sandy) have a minor disagreement or two about what the group should do next.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby who is out of Hit Dice for healing and has maybe one Potion of Healing left- and is bloodied still, is keen to get back to Dral and extract the password or phrase for the teleportation circle (by any means necessary) or else tear the castle apart to find it. Then fire up the circle and leap in to the unknown. </p><p></p><p>Lux favours a more cautious approach- none of the PCs have any spells left, they’re bloodied or thereabouts- and, and this is the winning entry- they need to get word somehow to their various faction bosses about where they are and what they’re doing. Although the Warlock has no-clue how to achieve the latter task.</p><p></p><p>The argument rumbles on for a good while.</p><p></p><p>While the PCs are still cogitating, they go for a stroll around the home of the Bullywugs, parading a manacled and gagged Fartbox (Pharblex) around the caverns, shouting out threats as they go- and forewarning any remaining Bullywugs that they are coming, and that they have Fartbox. Note, there are a dozen or so more Bullywugs still alive down here, and a similar number of Giant Frogs, however my monsters mostly stay out of sight- and as it turns out there’s nothing else to find in the caverns beneath the castle.</p><p></p><p>Note Fartbox has been beaten to within an inch of his life (on 1 Hit point), the Bullywug is done for, and so- soon after, they PCs return to the surface- still arguing, although it’s pretty much three on to one at this point. The three are for the cautious approach- search the castle- find the teleportation password, or get it from Dral, and then take an Extended Rest before heading through the portal.</p><p></p><p>Taking an Extended Rest will also solve the problem of getting the information out, Lummins can use a Sending spell to send a brief message to Leosin Erlanthar, his Harper contact.</p><p></p><p>And yet still they’re arguing.</p><p></p><p>It’s not that I don’t see both Players POVs- Pete is all for getting on with it, he loves the danger because it’s exciting- and he seems entirely cool with putting his PC at risk. The other Players are much less excited by the prospect, they want their PCs to have a better chance of living- full HP, spells etc.</p><p></p><p>Over the course of the next hour there are thirty-seven (or around about that number) attempts to persuade Sgt Bobby to get on board with the program. But what happens if the teleportation circle takes us right in to the middle of a Dragon Cult stronghold- without spells and still wounded? That gets said, thirty-seven slightly different versions…</p><p></p><p>Eventually Sgt Bobby goes for a lie down to think about things, while Pete goes in to the garden to kick things.</p><p></p><p>The remaining three adventurers, while Pete’s away- for much of the last hour, get a bunch of stuff done.</p><p></p><p>They accomplish the following-</p><p></p><p>1) Fartbox is handed over to Snapjaw, the Lizardfolk- in a moving ceremony, flay the Bullywug alive and then feed him (still alive, just) to the crocodiles- which is nice.</p><p></p><p>2) Dral, and several other Cultists, are re-interviewed (without menaces this time), although no new info is obtained, it doesn’t help that PCs don’t have a Zone of Truth spell to employ (because Dral does know the password to the portal, he also knows where it goes).</p><p></p><p>3) The Chapel building is searched top-to-bottom, after all this is where Rezmir was holed up- a slew of useful information is located (and some other gew-gaws), including- of course the password- “Draezir” for the teleportation circle. </p><p></p><p>4) The PCs take an Extended Rest, and awake Level 6 adventurers, at which Pete comes back in from the garden and levels up Sgt Bobby.</p><p></p><p>The levelling up however signals the end of the session, the argument wasn’t that bad really- just irreconcilable for an hour or so.</p><p></p><p>Everybody who needed to (sorta) apologised later via e-mail, and all was instantly forgiven and forgotten (fingers-crossed), obviously we’ll put that statement to the test in the next session.</p><p></p><p>Till then.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7644728, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #35 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #21 All Bullywugs Must Die. Brothers of the First Light. Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 5 Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 5 Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 5 Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 5 Secondary PCs. Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 5 Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 5 Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 5 Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 5[/B] Note, this is session #35 of our game but only session #21 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario. The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution is more-or-less done, although the Players don’t actually know this yet. The PCs have infiltrated Castle Naerytar, killed the Bullywug defenders of the Barbican, persuaded the Lizardfolk guards formerly loyal to Dral to come over to their side, killed hordes (34 in total) of Bullywugs (but not Fartbox = Pharblex), and in the process drawn the attention of the Dragon Cultists. Then in a massive battle (lasting 20+ turns) they defeated Dral (Elven Dragon Cultist leader of the castle’s defences) and all of his Cultists (including 12 Dragonclaws & 4 Dragonwings)- taking a good few of them prisoner (including Dral). Alas during the confrontation Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon high ranking Cult leader) escaped in to the tunnels below the castle, along with Azbara Jos (Red Wizard of Thay). After a brief rest, much of which was spent interrogating Dral & the captured Cultists the PCs have learned more about the layout of the castle, including the fact that Fartbox (Pharblex) and the Bullywugs are down below guarding some sort of magic portal to who knows where, which more than likely has very recently been used by the fleeing Rezmir & Azbara. The PCs have obviously got more questions to ask but after their brief rest their keen to get on below, figuring they’ll leave the upper levels of the castle until later to explore (or else the Lizardfolk can explore them). Their prisoners (including Dral) are left with members of Strike Team #2 (Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk), Hotlips (Halfling Rogue), Derek (Human Druid) & Sgt Harald (Dwarf Fighter)) also present are plenty of friendly Lizardfolk now being ordered around by Snapjaw- the instigator of the Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution. Oh, and two of the Brother’s Lizardfolk accomplices were killed in the last session, the replacements are Jar-Jar (Watt (Human Bard)) & Binks (Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter)), joining Gawp (Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric)) and Ping (Lux (Human Warlock)). That’s right- each PC has a Lizardfolk servitor to play-in-game. The Players obviously don’t know that they have slaughtered or else captured all of the Cultists (yep, every one of them), however they’re beginning to suspect that there are very few enemies left- after all they’ve just been able to take an undisturbed Short Rest. Also, members of the Scaly Death Lizardfolk clan are cautiously venturing in to the castle- there are no reports of further enemies. The PCs however are concentrating their efforts on slaughtering Fartbox (Pharblex) and his Bullywugs in order to complete their part of the deal they made with Snapjaw and the Lizardfolk. They’re obviously also in pursuit of Rezmir and Azbara. And so, next stop the Great Hall, now being used as a dining hall and sorting room for the Cult loot arriving at the castle, there’s a pile of treasure here- although a few brave Lizardfolk have already found the hoard and taken a good chunk of it. Then through to the south west tower- the way down, although first a brief encounter with a clutch of Giant Centipedes. The encounter starts badly for Sgt Bobby (ain’t it always the way- just ask Pete), the Fighter is searching around a partially waterlogged mostly-empty chamber when a pair of Giant Centipedes rush out to attack him- the first bites in to his heel and injects its foul poison. Sgt Bobby is back to being bloodied. More Giant Centipedes reveal themselves… [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113058[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Lummins kills one with a Scared Flame, Sgt Bobby misses both of his attacks (Pete is furious, as usual- and we’re maybe fifteen minutes in to the session) and then gets his Second Wind. Binks (Lizardfolk) smashes another Centipede dead- there are still three of the beasts in the mix- although there’ll be another five joining the fight in a turn or two, sometimes I like to hold a few monsters back, I find it annoys the PCs more. Ping (Lizardfolk) kills another two of the small beasts- note all the PCs are rolling low and missing a lot, and I appreciate you must be sick of me writing this but… that’s what happened, again. Lux blasts the last Giant Centipede down with an Eldritch Blast. The PCs, and Players, visibly sag- they’re fed up of their mostly broken dice, at which point five more Giant Centipedes scurry in to action. Told you- helluva annoying. Sgt Bobby presses forward in to the nest and cuts another down, Jar-Jar (Lizardfolk) wades in and cuts two of the beasts down- the Lizardfolk are still doing great in combat. Ping (Lizardfolk) gets bitten, as does Sgt Bobby (yet again). Note Watt’s first three attack rolls in this fight were ‘1’, then ‘2’, then ‘3’- so at least he’s improving. After three rounds Sgt Bobby had rolled three 1’s, as had Lux. By my reckoning the PCs made 15 attacks in total- in the first three rounds (Lummins has been casting Sacred Flames- no attack roll) nearly 50% of them (7) have been 1’s, while 12 of the 15 have been misses- the Giant Centipedes are AC 13. It’s a funny old game, as they say, and the Players after this fight are absolutely furious. Gawp & Ping (Lizardfolk) kill the last two Giant Centipedes- which (again) doesn’t help the Player’s moods, although of course they are rolling for the Lizardfolk, it’s just when they get to their PCs that their (same) dice break. The fight is over- the room (and ground floor of the tower) are searched- there’s nothing interesting to be found. Sgt Bobby pleads with his comrades for some healing, but Watt and Lummins are reluctant- they’re preserving their spells as they’ve not got many left. The Sgt has to make do with a few more Healing Potions. The Brothers et al move on, down the stairs and in to the subterranean lair of the Bullywugs, the first chamber is brightly lit by two lanterns, a natural cavern with running water- Watt finds plenty of muddy Bullywug tracks heading to and from both obvious exits. The Brothers head south east, down two flights of stairs and in to a very muddy chamber, suddenly a pair of Bullywugs leap from hiding and launch themselves at Sgt Bobby. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113059[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Sgt Bobby although surprised has enough about him to keep both of them at bay. Lux Eldritch Blasts one of the pair dead. Another hidden Bullywug launches itself at Lummins, the Cleric fends it off, and yet another repeats the trick- this time latching on to Sgt Bobby’s leg with a bite (and a Crit, lordy lordy- that’s a turn up, me Critting Sgt B). Oh! Pete is going Kray-Zee. The Lizardfolk charge in to action, they hate the Bullywugs- Ping takes one of the bastards down, as does Jar-Jar, as usual. Unseen by the adventurers another pair of hidden Bullywugs hop off to report the news of the PCs arrival to Fartbox (Pharblex), this isn’t going to be easy for the adventurers, the amphibians are on home turf. Watt fires an arrow in to the last Bullywug standing, Sgt Bobby finishes it off- the fight is done. DM Interlude- I’ve tripled the numbers of Bullywugs in the lair, just because… well, why not- Bullywugs have proved to be very easy to kill, let’s see how it works out. The PCs don’t hang about- they move on quickly, through the tunnels and down a treacherous flight of slick and muddy stairs- although they all make it down without any issues. Straight in to another filthy cavern chamber, again thick with mud- the place is like a furnace, and the air is damp and foetid- it’s swamp-like, and hellish. Watt and Lux prevent their colleagues from rushing in- the pair observe the chamber (with help from Lummins’ Light spell). Sandy (playing Lux) is soon back in charge of the situation, for the first time in a long while, they’re going to be moving slower now- more cautious. The tactic pays off immediately- there are nests of Centipedes all around the chamber- the Bullywugs are leading the PCs this way, Lux believes. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113060[/ATTACH][/CENTER] There follows a short debate, Pete (playing Sgt Bobby) is all for onwards- always onwards, Sandy (playing Lux) argues that they should at least check out the other direction, rather than waste their resources wading through encounters here. It’s soon three against one, the Brothers of the First Light and their Lizardfolk helpers turn tail and head back the way they came. Back to the first chamber and then to the other exit, north west in to another open chamber bisected by a fifteen-foot drop- there’s a crane of sorts here, probably used to move the Cultist loot- Lux observes. Which confirms, she confidently states, that this is obviously the right way to go. Pete (Sgt Bobby) keeps quiet. The lower half of the chamber is even more foetid, and with a thick mist ahead- Lummins and Watt make use of their Light spells, although there’s nothing much to see- ahead a crossroads of sorts, the mist seems to thin in to the passage straight across. The Brothers et al move forward- in to another seemingly empty chamber, although over the far side is something interesting- a permanent teleportation circle, discovered and identified by Lummins. The Priest and Lux explain that they’ll need the password or pass-phrase to use it- but where does it go? At which point however the bad guys arrive- en masse, there are no other exits from this chamber- a solid stone wall at the PCs backs. Bullywugs come hoping out of the mist (ten of them, although there are plenty more to come), making enough noise for the PCs to hear their croaking approach. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113061[/ATTACH][/CENTER] It kicks off- Lummins hits the first with a Sacred Flame, Sgt Bobby steps forward and finishes it off. The wave of Bullywugs hop in to the midst of the good guys- Gawp is speared several times and badly injured, Jar-Jar is likewise hurt- the Lizardfolk soak up the hits. Watt lets loose a Thunderwave- more Bullywugs suffer, one dies. Lux screams a warning- another ten or so Bullywugs hop through the mist and in to action, and by the sound of things there’s another wave of attackers coming (there is, be sure of it). She Eldritch Blasts another Bullywug dead. Just for info I think I went for 30-something Bullywugs, plus Fartbox (Pharblex) in this encounter- I wanted to try and swamp the PCs. And from without the chamber an echoing croaky voice starts makes threats in broken Common- “GREAT Pharblex and his MIGHTY horde will destroy you puny dryling ghosts!”, and, “Attack my sweet babbling Bullywugs- feast on the flesh of the stenchless ones!”, and, “I Feel Like Human Tonight!” (to the tune of ‘I Feel Like Chicken Tonight!’). That kind of thing- Fartbox (Pharblex) finishes casting his Barkskin spell, he will follow in with the third and final wave of attackers. I just wanted to let the PCs know that this is the big one. Jar-Jar gets stabbed again. Lummins blasts another Bullywug dead with his Sacred Flames. Sgt Bobby cuts another two down (and bugger me but the PCs are now hitting all of the time) but is bitten again for his troubles. Gawp gets stabbed again, he’s on 1 HP. Jar-Jar gets stabbed again, I think I’ve said that before- the Lizardfolk is now also heavily wounded, he does however manage to kill another Bullywug. Watt fires a Shatter spell in to the mix resulting in more injured Bullywugs, but no deaths (he’s still rolling low for damage). Lux screams in frustration this time- both of her Eldritch Blasts are misses. Binks (another Lizardfolk, remember) stabs a Bullywug dead. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113062[/ATTACH][/CENTER] There’s a lot of them… Jar-Jar gets stabbed again, as he does at the start of every turn it seems, he’s down to 3 HP. Lummins moves in to the front line and unleashes a Burning Hands- five Bullywugs are incinerated- Woo-Hoo. Sgt Bobby cuts another down. Watt wounds another four (and again- low damage rolls) with yet another Thunderwave (his very last spell). Lux follows up with a Shatter, directed straight in to the middle of the third wave of Bullywugs (there are another 16 Bullywugs in the third wave)- seven of them are killed in an instant. Pharblex follows the third wave in and fires an Entangle spell in to the PCs and Lizardfolk, alas only Watt & Ping fail their saves and are Restrained by the sudden sprouting plants. Seconds later the Bard is bitten by a Bullywug- a Crit. Jar-Jar is stabbed again- remarkably for only 2 damage, so the Lizardfolk is now on 1 HP, the same as Gawp. Lummins moves in to the front line and unleashes his Radiance of the Dawn- and revealed by the dazzling light (now sans foggy mist) there are only five Bullywugs and Fartbox (Pharblex) left standing (nine killed by the radiant burst). Sgt Bobby screams something fairly savage, and unbroadcastable, and then rushes straight at Fartbox, taking Opportunity/Reaction attacks (all misses) as he swerves his way through the remaining Bullywugs. The magnificent Fighter hits Fartbox three times in quick succession (with added Action Surge) all hits- of course (and for 32 damage in total). Pharblex flees the scene, screaming for his comrades to “FLEE the terrible dry-ones!”, Lux fires an Eldritch Blast in to the retreating Bullywug boss. Meantime Binks gets both stabbed and bitten, the Lizardfolk fights back and slays two of the fleeing Bullywugs. Watt escapes his Entangled-ness and kills another. Gawp takes another Bullywug down- so there’s just one left, and Pharblex who has already escaped the chamber. Thirty-seven went in, two came out. The pair only escape for a short time however- Lummins Sacred Flames the common-or-garden Bullywug- it dies, while Fartbox (Pharblex) is chased down by the now grinning Sgt Bobby- he blocks the creature’s path and orders it to surrender, using the language of the gutter- I may add, oh- and in the Common tongue. Soon after the rest of the Brothers of the First Light and their Lizardfolk companions turn up- at which point the PCs have to switch to stopping the Lizardfolk from immediately offing Fartbox. It doesn’t help that Fartbox is wearing the rotting head of Suncaller (the Scaly Dread clan’s Shaman, remember) as a hat. A little provocative. Eventually the PCs calm the Lizardfolk down with the promise that they will hand Fartbox over to them when they are done with him- all bargained out in Draconic, a language the PCs hope that Fartbox doesn’t understand (he doesn’t). And so Fartbox (Pharblex) is dragged back in to the chamber in which all of his former Bullywug comrades lie dead, and then interrogated. I’ll be honest- it gets graphic and adult briefly, Sgt Bobby is not holding back. Some people are all talk, he’s all action- over the course of next twenty or so painful minutes he doesn’t ask a single question- he leaves that to Lummins, Lux and Watt. Sgt Bobby takes care of the stabbing and breaking of things (mostly limbs). Basically, the Brothers of the First Light torture Fartbox a while, and learn… well, nothing much. They hardly need Lummins’ Zone of Truth (his last) spell, the Bullywug leader knows the names of all of the Cult leaders but not much else. Nothing about the teleportation circle- save that it exists. It seems that Pharblex is just the hired help, the PCs are less than impressed. The rest of the session, which is quite a chunk of time- another hour or more of play, was a bit of a failure, two of the PCs- Sgt Bobby & Lux (Pete & Sandy) have a minor disagreement or two about what the group should do next. Sgt Bobby who is out of Hit Dice for healing and has maybe one Potion of Healing left- and is bloodied still, is keen to get back to Dral and extract the password or phrase for the teleportation circle (by any means necessary) or else tear the castle apart to find it. Then fire up the circle and leap in to the unknown. Lux favours a more cautious approach- none of the PCs have any spells left, they’re bloodied or thereabouts- and, and this is the winning entry- they need to get word somehow to their various faction bosses about where they are and what they’re doing. Although the Warlock has no-clue how to achieve the latter task. The argument rumbles on for a good while. While the PCs are still cogitating, they go for a stroll around the home of the Bullywugs, parading a manacled and gagged Fartbox (Pharblex) around the caverns, shouting out threats as they go- and forewarning any remaining Bullywugs that they are coming, and that they have Fartbox. Note, there are a dozen or so more Bullywugs still alive down here, and a similar number of Giant Frogs, however my monsters mostly stay out of sight- and as it turns out there’s nothing else to find in the caverns beneath the castle. Note Fartbox has been beaten to within an inch of his life (on 1 Hit point), the Bullywug is done for, and so- soon after, they PCs return to the surface- still arguing, although it’s pretty much three on to one at this point. The three are for the cautious approach- search the castle- find the teleportation password, or get it from Dral, and then take an Extended Rest before heading through the portal. Taking an Extended Rest will also solve the problem of getting the information out, Lummins can use a Sending spell to send a brief message to Leosin Erlanthar, his Harper contact. And yet still they’re arguing. It’s not that I don’t see both Players POVs- Pete is all for getting on with it, he loves the danger because it’s exciting- and he seems entirely cool with putting his PC at risk. The other Players are much less excited by the prospect, they want their PCs to have a better chance of living- full HP, spells etc. Over the course of the next hour there are thirty-seven (or around about that number) attempts to persuade Sgt Bobby to get on board with the program. But what happens if the teleportation circle takes us right in to the middle of a Dragon Cult stronghold- without spells and still wounded? That gets said, thirty-seven slightly different versions… Eventually Sgt Bobby goes for a lie down to think about things, while Pete goes in to the garden to kick things. The remaining three adventurers, while Pete’s away- for much of the last hour, get a bunch of stuff done. They accomplish the following- 1) Fartbox is handed over to Snapjaw, the Lizardfolk- in a moving ceremony, flay the Bullywug alive and then feed him (still alive, just) to the crocodiles- which is nice. 2) Dral, and several other Cultists, are re-interviewed (without menaces this time), although no new info is obtained, it doesn’t help that PCs don’t have a Zone of Truth spell to employ (because Dral does know the password to the portal, he also knows where it goes). 3) The Chapel building is searched top-to-bottom, after all this is where Rezmir was holed up- a slew of useful information is located (and some other gew-gaws), including- of course the password- “Draezir” for the teleportation circle. 4) The PCs take an Extended Rest, and awake Level 6 adventurers, at which Pete comes back in from the garden and levels up Sgt Bobby. The levelling up however signals the end of the session, the argument wasn’t that bad really- just irreconcilable for an hour or so. Everybody who needed to (sorta) apologised later via e-mail, and all was instantly forgiven and forgotten (fingers-crossed), obviously we’ll put that statement to the test in the next session. Till then. [/QUOTE]
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