D&D General How Was Your Last Session?

[el-remmen]

My in-person group has spent the last session and a half on the same encounter and it has not been resolved yet! We'll see next time, I guess. Both sides took serious casualties.

 

[Sulicius]

Wednesday our Ixalan game the heroes got very close to one of the most important dangerous zones: The Radiant Scar

They were sailing up a river on a stolen ship with two of their most trustworthy NPC’s, when a huge golem amalgam rose up from the river and attacked! It was a beefed up Runic Colossus from Bigby’s, and it was 100% too strong.

Still, it was tons of fun to make it clear that this thing stops folks from reaching the Radiant Scar, and how it almost destroyed the ship.

After this, the party met some of the River Heralds, merfolk native to Ixalan. One PC is now a merfolk themselves, so we had a really good RP scene. The heroes keep impressing NPC’s by being so goddamn heroic! They tell tales of the cool things they have done so far, and I love it. I love that the players understand how monumental the cool things they have done are.

It really gave some depth to the current mission, and the players know what the stakes are.

—-

We’ve moved over to the 2024 Roll20 character sheets, and they are not quite easy to use yet. They have become a lot more DDB-ish, losing out on the flexible old character sheet design. There are some little bugs that keep popping up, and I can’t help my players because I don’t use character sheets. It slows us down sometimes.

On the transition side, everyone is digging the revision giving their characters more power but mostly more flexibility.

Except for the Sorcerer 3/Paladin 7. His entire goal was to optimize the f* out of his attacks and bonus action quickened spells. Now that all smites take a bonus action, it messed with his build. He was ok with transitioning, but this session he forgot about the smite change, and when I reminded him, I broke him for a full 10 seconds before he continued. I think it is all good fun.

I am worried he might take his power for granted, so I gave him a cool reward from the NPC. The paladin can now cast tidal wave, AND alter the spell so he can ride the wave. He loved it.

He was also not enthused that probably most monsters in the Radiant Scar (known for being magically filled with deadly radiance) have resistance to radiant damage.

Anyway, next session is gonna be great! Exploration using a magic compass into a crazy environment with 3-headed tyrannosaurs, radiant zombies and hostile plant life! Only to reach the ruins of a golden city and be tested by a sphinx!

 

[el-remmen]

The summer dry spell is going to end tomorrow with a remote game we've been playing since 2020. I finally got around to cleaning up the session summary, so I figured I'd share it here. It was a good session, but no combat.
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Quick recap​

The group traveled to Saltmarsh ahead of the lizardfolk queen and her entourage, observing significant changes upon arrival. They learned of recent attacks by sahuagin forces and met the Prefect and the bailiff, later arranging a meeting between them and the Lizardfolk queen. They also gathered intelligence and prepared for potential conflicts. While coordinating plans and meetings in the Sea-Grove of Tethys, a mechanical sphinx arrived, a herald of mysterious wizard. It challenged them to solve its riddle and when they did it gave them a mysterious poetic invitation that seemed to be a riddle in itself, suggesting the location of the legendary weapons Whelm, Wave, and Nightrazor. In the end it was decided the Revenants of Saltmarsh would explore Silver Stand seeking council of the elves there, while a new adventuring band in town hired by the prefect, The Unbroken Chain, investigated the bullywug and sahuagin activity in the Drowned Forest.

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Full Summary​

Saltmarsh Arrival Strategy​

The group discussed their plan to travel to Saltmarsh, deciding to get there ahead of the Queen's barge to prepare and notify the Prefect of her arrival. They agreed to be vague with the prefect regarding the details of the sahuagin lair and proximity of two dragons until the meeting with the Queen. As the party traveled to Saltmarsh, Yaakov also proposed avoiding sharing information with the prefect's butler, who is allegedly part of the Scarlet Brotherhood, and suggested potentially feeding the prefect false information to expose the butler's involvement.
Upon arriving in Salt Marsh, they noticed significant changes, including the demolition of the building that one held the vampire lair, and new warship defenses. The group stopped at the inn to clean up before meeting with the Prefect and eventually heading to the Sea-Grove of Tethys, where the queen would be staying.

Sahuagin Attack on Isle of the Abbey and Dwarven Invasion​

The party learned of recent events in town from Hanna Rist, innkeep at the Snapping Line and around town, including an attack by sahuagin forces on the Isle of the Abbey that resulted in the capsizing of a warship, damage to two others, and casualties among soldiers and sailors. The attack came from an unexpected inland direction, but the presence of deck wizard, Garo Imari, and the Unbroken Chain (an adventuring band hired by the Prefect, Anders Solmor, at the recommendation of his butler, Skerrin Wavechaser) helped prevent further damage. They also learned unease among Saltmarsh residence about rumors regarding the imminent arrival of dwarven troops. The party paid the innkeeper for an extended stay, before taking the the time to dump gear and clean up, and arranged to send a message to the Prefect about their return in the meantime. They then headed to the Prefect's mansion to report on their visit to the Lizardfolk queen.

Meeting the Prefect​

At the prefect's house, the party, the prefect and bailiff Fireborn discussed recent events. The party also met the prefect's new bodyguards, the Unbroken Chain. A meeting was planned to in the Sea-Grove since the place promised wards against scrying. The prefect also suggested the party visit Kelendek the Sharp. The supercilious wizard offered spell scrolls to aid in the defense of the town and the defeat of the sahuagin. The bailiff also explained that several war-priests dedicated to Nereus had recently arrived to pledge themselves to the effort. They could be found at the local temple. The group agreed to regroup at the grove to discuss their findings with the Lizard Folk Queen, after dealing with some things on their own.

Lamech and Yaakov accompanied Eliander FIreborn as far as the guardhouse to learn more about recent events in town. He warned them about the Unbroken Chain's mercenary reputation. Yaakov tried to return the favor by voicing his suspicions about the prefect's butler, but Eliander was skeptical, suggesting this would be quite surprising given the Wavechaser family's long-standing service to the Solmors. Afterward, Lamech and Yaakov went on to check on the refugee camp.

Grandinar visits Untermeister Manistrad Copperlocks to brief her and invite her to the meeting at the Sea-Grove, while Temo checks on boat repairs and Xpyali, who had stayed behind.


Sea-Grove Meeting
Eventually, Queen O'Thok'ent of the Dunwater Lizardfolk and Prefect Anders Solmor, the former accompanied by her entourage, the latter by Bailiff Eliander Fireborn and the Unbroken Chain meet at the Sea-Grove along with the Revenants of Saltmarsh and Untermeister Copperlocks. The discovery of a Sahuagin lair located inland in the swamp is revealed. The Queen emphasized the need to plan an assault on the Sahuagin, suggesting that waiting for their attack could be risky. The Prefect agrees. Lamech proposed addressing the environmental issue of gray water, which he believed might be drawing the sahuagin, as a secondary goal. The group agreed to take a few days to prepare and wait for Oceaus's return with information from the sea elves. In the meantime, more intelligence needed to be gathered. The queen continued to push for the party to investigate the Drowned Forest, but the Prefect suggests that the Unbroken Chain look into that while the Revenants seek out aid from the elves in Silver Stand.

Another Sea-Grove Meeting​

The meeting reconvenes at the Sea-Grove four days later when Oceaus returns from briefing his Prince. He brings a new companion, lore master Anemone Serain, sent by the prince to assist with information and attack planning. Oceaus reports that the sea elven prince is mustering forces for a future attack, though it may take at least a fortnight. Furthermore, the Merfolk want a strategy meeting before committing troops. Oceaus has been given authority to help plan an assault, and sea elven forces will be available in the future once a plan is made. Some sahuagin attacks on sea peoples have occurred recently.

An Unexpected Visitor​

While privately conferring with the prefect and the queen away from the ears of others, a clockwork sphinx arrives and offers them a choice of price they must pay for the information it brings. They can sacrifice a living thing they love one and a magic item, answer a riddle with the consequences for failure being death, or just fight it. They decided to try the riddle. The Queen offered to take the Prefect to safety, which the group agreed to.
The sphinx asked its riddle,

“I can be cracked,
But cannot break.
When I am played,
I’m hard to take.
I make some smile
And others sigh,
And when I’m killing
I can’t die.
What am I?”

The group discussed but quickly came to agree with Lamech's answer, "a joke." Upon speaking the correct answer, the sphinx's chest cranked open and from within came a rolled piece of parchment. THe creature then flew off. The parchment held a poem giving clues on finding the lair of the infamous mad wizard Jocose the Farceur, where three legendary weapons could be retrieved to help fight the sahuagin, if those who dared, braved his dungeon funhouse. The invitation was written onto a palimpsest and the image of a smoke-topped mountain on a map with other notes are barely visible on it.

When shown the poetic invite Oceaus declared it a distraction that would threaten the alliance with different peoples wanting to claim the weapons.

The topic was put aside and the next immediate steps were decided upon. The Revenants of Saltmarsh would travel to Silver Stand with Oceaus to seek out the aid of the elves there, while the Unbroken Chain would be sent to the Drowned Forest to investigate the strange happenings there. In the meantime, Queen of O'Thok'ent would begin to draft a plan for assault on the sahuagin lair.

 

[Richards]

In tonight's "Middle of Elsewhere" campaign, the PCs:

• Returned to their home town of Elsewhere, where the human shadow druid bonded with his new dire fell fox animal companion and my fiendish human cleric puzzled over the workings of the broken device said to be able to track the movements of the plane-hopping town, and the celestial elf witch discussed events with her mentor, an elf druid/witch born on the Positive Energy Plane
• Returned to the field the next evening (Elsewhere just recently plonked down on a layer of Hell) to explore, and met up with a group of six fiendish goblins searching for the three missing hell hounds they were responsible for (and which we helped slay last adventure)
• Played dumb (fairly easy for our fiendish orc fighter) about the hell hounds, explained away why we were traveling with an "overling" (meaning a celestial; my cleric explained she was just a slave, which made sense to the goblins but irritated the witch - but allowed me to call her PC "slave" for the rest of this encounter and the next)
• Declined the goblins' offer to help them find the hell hounds or die, instead, we helped them die (but only after keeping two alive for interrogation; we learned their camp is about two days away and is one of several led by a barbed devil who rotates between the camps on a monthly cycle)
• Killed the two goblins after we got all we could out of them, and tossed their bodies behind some rocks, just as we heard the stomping of approaching boots, which belonged to a trio of hobgoblins (2 fighters and a warlock)
• Told them we hadn't seen "the little ones" they were sure we would have met up with, and then got into a fight with them after they decided to kill our fiendish orc for his weapons
• Took out the two fighters fairly easily, but had to work a bit against the warlock, who was of a higher level
• Stripped the warlock of his masterwork studded leather armor (which went to the shadow druid) and his unholy keen falchion (which went to the orc fighter), and continued on our way: allowing the dire fell fox to lead us to the cave where her (slain last adventure) master had been camping out awaiting Elsewhere's arrival, which was supposed to contain some sort of treasure they never did find

And that's the focus of next adventure, when we get to the cave and check it out.

The dice were not our friends tonight; the players continuously rolled low (I think I only managed to roll double digits for initiative), while the DM rolled four threats, one of which became an actual crit. And I need to start remembering my PC, as an evil cleric, can spontaneously convert his spells into inflict spells; they'd do more damage than my quarterstaff can do, plus all I need to do is touch the foes. Food for thought for next week's game session.

Johnathan

 

[THEMNGMNT]

50 sessions into my 13th Age campaign. Eyes of the Stone Thief expanded to cover all 10 levels. Five player characters who are 5th level with one incremental advance. I'm going to begin accelerating leveling as I'm hoping to wrap this campaign in about 6 months.

I've not been posting regular updates, but we are playing on the regular.

Since I last posted, the characters:

• Were rescued by a mysterious, Gollum-like figure. Unbeknownst to them, this is the First Master who founded the Cult of the Stone Thief ages ago.
• Descended the Maddening Stair to the depths of the Stone Thief.
• Fought and destroyed the giant spider and her brood who guarded the Stairs.
• Fled her collapsing castle that was webbed to the side of the Stair.
• Entered Marblehall and met with the Witch, who is the sister of the Rogue player character.
• Learned a great many secrets and clues about the campaign.
• Formed an alliance with the Witch.
• Planned for their assault on the Pit of Undigested Ages, where they can gather magical artifacts that will help them destroy the Cult.

More to come!

 

[Richards]

In this afternoon's "Down to Erthe" campaign session, the PCs:

• Entered an "Isle of Challenges Showdown" contest sponsored by the local Adventurers Guild at the instigation of the thieves guild two of the PCs are associated with - the thought being an adventurer is a nice cover story
• Went through a series of 10 challenges, some of them physical (archery, climbing up and down ropes) and some of them mental (figure out the puzzle lock that opens the door and allows you to continue on to the next challenge)
• Made it through all 10 challenges without anyone dying, but placed 11th out of the 11 teams that completed the course (5 teams dropped out partway throughout the challenges)
• Got membership into the Adventurers Guild anyway, as they're more interested in those who can finish than in how fast they can finish it in

And at the end of the session everyone advanced to 2nd level (including the NPC adept healer, who leveled up off-screen, as it were).

This was something like a modified "Challenge of Champions" adventure, only it ran continuously from challenge to challenge, more like an obstacle course, and each station took as long as it took - there was no artificial 15-minute time limit per station. Their final time was about 10 minutes behind the next-slowest team, but that didn't end up mattering, and (I think) everyone had fun.

Johnathan

 

[Richards]

In tonight's "Middle of Elsewhere" campaign session, the PCs:

• Followed the human shadow druid's dire fell fox animal companion to the cave where her former mistress, a planar scout from Elsewhere who got separated from the plane-hopping town years ago, camped out in wait for Elsewhere to arrive on the plane of Hell
• Found a pile of rotting bodies (and an undead bone devil dragging more on the pile) and a quasit having a slap-fight with an imp (as neither could deal enough damage to overcome the other's damage reduction)
• Fought off the quasit, who dared to attack my fiendish human cleric of Boccob (he dealt a single point of damage, but that was enough for my cleric to demand his immediate death for the insolence), only to have it turn invisible and flee despite our best efforts to slay it
• Watched as the imp likewise high-tailed it, not wanting to get on our bad side
• Found the hidden door that led from the back wall of the cave to the former lair of a lich who'd been destroyed centuries ago, and ended up fighting six skeletons, four zombies, and a corpse creature of the 3rd-level cleric of Boccob entrusted with protecting the lich's arcane library (one of four rooms in the lair), all in an area enhanced with a permanent desecrate spell that made the undead tougher and harder to kill
• Managed to slay all the undead (finally, after a long battle) and ended up with some nice loot for our troubles: a suit of masterwork plate mail (that went to the fiendish orc fighter), Boccob's tome of knowledge (a book that grants its owner - my PC, now - untrained access to all Knowledge skills, a +2 to Knowledge checks, and allows me to use a turn/rebuke undead charge to spontaneously "flip" a cure/inflict spell over to the other side), plus several thousand gp in black onyxes (used by the corpse creature cleric to create undead)
• Decided to head back to Elsewhere (a 3-day trek) to alert the leaders about the lich's arcane library, since the books all teleport back to the shelves when we try to put them in our Heward's even handier haversack; stronger magic than we currently possess will be needed to overcome that effect

We're now so close to 3rd level that we'll likely level up at the end of next week's session. I'll be purchasing a wand of cure light/moderate wounds with my share of the loot so I can finally prepare other spells than cure spells.

Johnathan

 

[el-remmen]

Session #64 of “Revenants in Saltmarsh” (played yesterday)
Quick recap​

After defeating the wight, Elemenger, and his zombies minions, the party looted their holes and then continued along the treacherous rocky bank of the Willidiri stream. After being attacked by animated skeletons, their guide offered to go on ahead to give "Old Man Rock" and "Mister Stately Tree" warning of the PCs imminent arrival. The talking owl said he'd meet back up with them near "the old outpost tower." While waiting there, they were attacked by giant spiders.

Full Summary​

Burial Site​

After the final zombie had been destroyed, it became clear that these undead had once been militia from the Saltmarsh area, though they had probably been dead a decade of more. The party searched the five shallow graves from which the undead had emerged, finding personal effects, including coins and, in Elemenger's hole, a pair of letters. One had a broken wax seal depicting the fish and reed of Saltmarsh. Despite the smeared ink and the crumbling paper, Yaakov identified them as orders commanding this Elemenger to bring a squad of soldiers into Silver Stand to find the "source of the hobgoblin undead." The orders came from the then bailiff of Saltmarsh, Tarin Aquilar.
None of the undead fought here had been hobgoblins in life.
The other crumbling paper was an ornate love letter from someone named Doreen.

The group decided to continue along the stream bank, even as it grew taller and steeper, causing them to walk at times with one foot in the water or through ankle depth. They could have walked the overgrown trail above, but preferred to stay closer to the clear path.

Skeleton Combat​

As the bank grew shallow, rejoining with the path above and curling around a tall pile of huge rocks, Yaakov stopped short. Here were eight skeletons coming to life along the path and on the other side of a fallen tree being used as a makeshift bridge across the stream.
Lamech cast Aid on Yaakov, Temo, and Grandinar. The party split up and took the fight to the skeletons, Oceaus leaping to the stream to climb up the other side, followed by Grandinar using his Helm of Underwater Action. Xpyali and Dodi put their slings to good use and Yaakov engaged as many as he could as once to keep them occupied.

Once defeated, the party noticed that three of the eight skeletons had not been human. The shape of their skulls made it clear they were goblinoids - most likely hobgoblins.

Asked about it, Sir Argris the Talking Owl said that undead hobgoblins had been a recurring problem in this place since before he arrived (though he could not quite remember how long he had lived here).

Lamech was wounded from several blows from the skeletons rusted blunted swords, and had to call on Josiah to heal him.

Sir Argris offered to go ahead and let "Old Man Rock" and "Mister Stately Tree" know that the party was on their way in hopes of lessening the chance of their "getting smashed." The party agreed, and the owl told them to continue to follow the stream on this side until it splits again. "You'll see the old outpost tower. Wait there and I will come to guide you the rest of the way."

Starving Wolves Across the Stony Shore​

After the owl flew off, the party continued to march upstream, finding the bank increasingly rocky. Soon they came to an area where the bank was a steep slope covered in rocks, most of which were the size of fist and shifted easily and treacherously under the weight of the adventurers. Just inland from the rocky bank was a line of trees beyond which was a boggy pond that reached back into the gathering gloom.

On the other side of the widening stream, the land sloped up even more suddenly and was covered by a tangle of vines and plants. Beyond it a tall but rather small tree-choked hill with a flat or recessed top loomed. Here, once again, Yaakov stopped short, as he was taking the lead, and saw a group of tawny wolves with mangy coats tearing at some carrion among the stones of the opposite bank. They obviously sensed the party and took off into the brush, leaving their find behind.

While the party was distracted by the starving wolves, Temo saw a flash out of the corner of his eyes at the top of the rocky bank on their side. He turned to see a light bobbing among the line of trees at the top. It looked like a torch or dim lantern. He alerted the others, who also saw it momentarily, as it disappeared as if whoever carried it was moving away from them and into the boggy bowl up there. Yaakov called out a "hello!" But there was no response.

The party decided to ignore the light and focus on traversing the patch of rocky bank before them. It was about 120 feet long and they each took turns going out about halfway and then guiding the others following, traversing it in a staggered formation. Oceaus dove into the deep cold water of the stream, and bypassed the hazard, so when Xpyali slipped and tumbled into the water, hitting his head, the sea elf was able to catch him and swim him to safety.
Grandinar came last, and he was getting down on his knees to crawl across more safely (as everyone but Yaakov had), he noticed the light has come closed to the top edge of the embankment. I was white, but different colors swirled within it orb-like shape. The dwarf felt a tingling behind his eyes, but shook it off, and turning, simply hurried across the rocks on his hands and knees and did not look back. The light retreated.

The Outpost & the Spiders​

There were maybe two hours of good light left in this thick forest before sunset forced the PCs to make camp or travel with light, when they came to the place the talking owl had described. Once again, a stream of nearly the same width spilled into the Willidiri from the northeast. In the wedge of earth between the streams stood a ruined tower on the high embankment that cut up sharply from the tumultuous confluence. The beach on their side was wider and sandier. The far bank was made up of natural walls of stained stone that served as the base of a cluster of nearly bald steep hills.

Unclear if Sir Argris meant for them to wait at the outpost, the party decided to wait here where the flying bird would be sure to see them as it approached.

It was a long wait, during which Lamech caught his second wind and saw to his wounds.

It had been just over an hour when giant wolf spiders, the size of serving platters, crawled out of the brush and attacked, taking the party by surprise.

Xpyali had fallen asleep under a tree and suffered a terrible poisonous bite, as did Temo who had been looking in the opposite direction towards the ruined tower. Lamech was also attacked. Dodi came rushing out of the brush where he he had been wandering bored, when a spider attacked him. Grandinar rushed forward to investigate where that spider went, when all the others had been slain, but he saw it take off into the brush and disappear.

More Waiting​

Lamech was wounded again and had to call to Josiah for more healing, helping Temo as well. Yaakov laid hands on Xpyali wounds and healed the xvart with his divine power.

Soon it was nearing on two hours that they had been waiting for the return of Sir Argris the Talking Owl, and talk of making camp came up again. The gloom of dusk was gathering and the light grew long. It was then that more movement was heard in the brush, the party prepared for another encounter, taking defensive positions, as perhaps a dozen more giant spiders came surging towards them from under the brush.

 

[Richards]

In tonight's "Middle of Elsewhere" campaign, the PCs:

• Were in the middle of a three-day trek back to Elsewhere when they were approached by the invisible imp they'd met up with last session, who informed them the quasit who had escaped my PC's wrath (for daring to attack him, the wretch!) had been making his way due south "to some strange town" (obviously. the town of Elsewhere)
• Returned to Elsewhere, informed Father Solaire (one of the four leaders of elsewhere - he's a solar) of what we had discovered thus far, and got him to agree to send a contingent of spellcasters to go "free" the books we'd unearthed last session
• Were told to go see the town's azer blacksmith, as he had some equipment he wanted us to "field test"
• Found him covered in bites, hanging in the air from an immovable rod while two hungry rat swarms milled about beneath him
• Attacked the rat swarm, and discovered four dire rats (one celestial, one earth element, one fiendish, one normal) in the alley nearby
• Had my fiendish human cleric and the fiendish orc fighter take on the rat swarms, while the human shadow druid, the celestial elf witch, her celestial owl familiar, and the druid's dire fell fox animal companion took on the four dire rats
• Slew the celestial dire rat and chased off the earth element dire rat (he was staggered at 0 hp), then "deduced" the "normal" dire rat was most likely a wererat (which would explain why he didn't have a template, as the other three did as they must have been "local" rats born on different outer/elemental planes)
• Ended up in a scrum against those last two, and finally caused the "normal" dire rat to reveal itself as the quasit we'd met up with days earlier (which was excellent news for my cleric PC, as he'd already sentenced the quasit to death for having had the temerity to bite him)
• Finally slew both of them after a hard fight, and were given four enhancement stones by the blacksmith (which add a +1 bonus to any armor or weapon to which they're attached)
• Bought some items with the black onyxes we'd found in the lich's lair last session (and which Father Solaire had said we could spend as we wished as payment for unearthing the lich's arcane library).

And we leveled up to 3rd at the end of the game session. My cleric took the feat Spell Focus (conjuration) as a prerequisite for Augment Summoning that he'll take at 6th level, at which point he'll be summoning all kinds of creatures to do his fighting for him (rather than have to stoop to the indignities of personal combat, as he's been forced to do thus far). I've also decided he'll be summoning specific individual creatures, so for instance when I have him cast summon monster I to bring forth a fiendish hawk, it'll always be Kriegsfalke who shows up, since I'll have had him specify him by name during the spellcasting.

Johnathan