Run Date: January 10, 2024
PCs
Fenric:
Lv1 Thief
Zen Po: Lv1 Crusader
Dalinar: Lv1 Ligerian
Ravager
Hench
None
You may have noticed various gaps in the dates of sessions. Such is life with a small table and busy people. I’ve started widening the net little by little to see if I couldn’t fill the table out a bit more, and only occasionally get a catch. An open table works best when you’ve got a solid and consistent core to serve as the foundation. Today’s session introduced a new player, and entirely new characters.
I explained the setup of the game and general expectations. We’re all learning, and it’s best to keep things simple and spread our wings as we practice. Once that was out of the way, the group decided to hit up a rumour involving a massive hole in the hills known as The Drop. Mysteries, treasure, and potential death awaited them. The party looked over their funds, purchased a bunch of extra rope, and headed into the eastern hills outside of Sherbin.
They promptly got lost.
After a few hours, the PCs spotted the road and Sherbin’s fort. There were a few jokes tossed out before they marched right back into the hills, determined to find this supposed treasure hole. On the way, they discovered an archway blocked by a round stone. Fenric considered whether or not it might be another entrance to The Drop, and encouraged Dalinar to shove the stone out of the way. Zen Po warned them both that the plaque at the top of the arch represented Vissus; an old goddess worshipped by cults of death, poison, and snakes. They opened it anyway.
The party brushed off the stale and rotting stench coming from within and marched inside, soon discovering a short flight of stairs into a landing area with four exits. Fenric spent some time listening to get some insight; and upon discovering nothing of interest, encouraged the group to start west and rotated clockwise.
The western hall was short and lead into what appeared to be a giant chamber for worship. The bare-breasted and voluptuous form of Vissus decorated the center of the room in glittering, emerald-colored tiles. As the party moved around it, they discovered and altar and a pair of pillars where ritual candles used to burn. Dalinar was curious about the floor mural, as there was the husks of several dead beetles on it. He crossed the threshold and was immediately shunted with energy. His brute force resisted the effects of crippling pain and he stepped off of it. Satisfied with that, the party returned to the central room and picked their next hallway.
A player had decided to map this session (a rarity for my players), and Dalinar had Mapping. Narratively, Dalinar was noting the various turns, lengths, and sizes of the dungeon. Physically, Zen Po was sketching. Their mapping quickly revealed they were moving in a square, and upon finding a narrow hallway, discovered more rooms. The first room was full of sarcophagi bearing the likeness of Vissus and her servants; mutated snake-men of various morphology. Dalinar and Fenric took time opening a couple of them to discover bronze bangles and desiccated remains. Lucky for them, nothing sprung to life.
The party spent a few more turns faffing about with the lids before deciding it wasn’t worth it, and tucked themselves in to rest for a few minutes. Just as they got up to continue their venture, their position was attacked by snakemen cultists. The party charged in and began their assault.
It was a simple fight, and included an explanation on Cleaves and Flanking. Once it was over, the group picked through the remains and discovered nothing of value. They then pressed further down the narrow hall and discovered a widening to the west that ended in a portcullis. The wheel was on their side as well.
Zen Po set down his sketch for a moment and encouraged Dalinar to lift the port while he spiked it in place. A feat that was simple enough for the buff lion man. The resulting screeching of the old chains and iron, as well as the frantic hammering, drew attention. Fenric managed to hear the rushing patter of steps coming up from another path and warned the party. They set battle lines with the portcullis at the center.
Two abominable monstrosities with gaping guts and vapid flailing snake arms charged out of the dark. The party was ready, but I was not. They quickly slew the creatures without remorse. It was at this point I decided to take a moment and review the “Ready on the First Round” rules. My brain, for some reason, filtered out the “long melee weapon” part that allows spear, poles (and archers for the ranged variant) to fire at charging foes before their initiative; so long as they aren’t surprised, of course. Alas, I made the mistake of allowing it for whatever they were wielding. I paid the cost, but noted it down as a lesson learned.
With the abominations slain, the group hit up the tiny room beyond the portcullis, ignored a statue surrounded by ash and bones, and kicked down a stuck door into what looked like an embalming room with an “encounter.” Yeah, randoms are fun. Tucked into a sarcophagus on the opposite corner of the room was a dull orange light. As the group approach, a single luminous beetle crawled out. They tossed it a ration snack and checked inside its home. The beetle had chewed through the gut of an old body and was using it as a “lair.” Alas, nothing inside.
Saddened by the lack of valuables, the group returned to the narrow hall where they fought the abominations and headed further in. They barely rounded a corner before being set upon by a swarm of the damned things. Dalinar held the line while Zen Po attempted to Rebuke whatever he could. Fenric could only try to pop pot shots across the main line and hope to clip something. Zen Po’s purity forced back half the mobs before petering out the following round. Meanwhile, Dalinar resisted Paralysis and shrugged off the various claws and bites of his enemies.
The battle was bloody, and I fully expected a party wipe. The group managed to pull through, create an opening to allow the backline to join the melee, and slay every last abomination. Once the battle was settled, they looked around to see a large chamber of standing sarcophagi with open lids surrounding a beautiful one on a raised dais. The players were in no mood to fight whatever was inside, so I pulled the curtain back a touch and said, “Just open it.” Players gotta learn, right? Sometimes positive reinforcement helps.
Dalinar forced open the lid of the Vissus-laden sarcophagus to discover… a nameless bunch of shiny things? That’s right. Just like last session I went ahead and let the party do their treasure rolls. They chose Classic this time, hoping to rely on the “swing” to give them something fancy. They didn’t hit the jackpot like the last group, but coming out with a +2 Emerald Chain, an unidentified potion, and some liquid wealth was a solid grab.
Rewards (Totals)
970xp
556gp
+2
Emerald Chain
Afterword
Many mistakes were made this session, specifically involving Dalinar’s wearing of armor and immense tankiness. It was a last minute decision to try one of the playtest classes and I was trying to introduce the newest person to the system. We reviewed things afterward to make sure everyone was on the same page (not retcons here boyos).
I’ve had playtest classes pop up a couple times in the session reports. I can’t offer good feedback on the system, but I like the framework of it. I learned early on that the trade-offs can sometimes be a pain in the ass. I also learned that I know jack about the system’s expectations, niche protection, et al. I’ve seen others run numbers for powers and abilities, and it solidifies that I missed something. The Ravager, for example, gets Second Wind; Laying on Hands, but only self-target. It seems it should be worth more than 1 power (the Ravager had extras so it gets a lot of uses by max level).
Another point of interest is that I steal things I think are flavorful without consideration for niche protection or “balance.” The Ravager’s damage resistance is lifted straight from… Dwarven Pugilist, I think? Whatever the one with the DR tattoo/runes are. It’s a cool power, and Ravager definitely steps on those toes.
What I’m more or less getting at is that I’ll be relying on playtesting and experience to show me how bad things really are; and that so far the class/race system is robust even from a mix and match perspective. Too bad I can’t just hire someone to do the work; haha. Until next time.
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