hard mode

I'm at an interesting place in gaming right now, where I'm able to play in games nearly as often as I'd like.  There are a wide variety of systems being run--Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Pathfinder, and the perennial favorite, Advance Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition.

Containing all the charm, complicated systems, page-long spell descriptions and inconsistencies of the beloved first edition of the game, yet presented in a much more readable format with all the nostalgic late 80s and early 90s artwork and cutting edge layout. 

I was recently asked why I like AD&D 2nd Edition so much--is it a better game?  Is it more fun to play?  Is it just the nostalgia?  Nostalgia certainly plays a large part; even though it's not the first game I ever DMed, it's the system which ruled over my longest, most memorable campaign.  It will be hard to replace those memories, and they certainly guide my judgment here.

Whether it's "better" or "more fun" is certainly subjective; that really depends on what your players find fun or interesting.  I've learned that there are several player types--some live for the thrill of tactics, mechanical computations and maximization of character efficiency, others enjoy the narrative that their characters help create, with many different strata in between, all perfectly good reasons to enjoy a roleplaying game.

For me, I appreciate that the system allows a certain grittiness--resources are limited, and character abilities need to be supplemented by using tools or the environment to succeed in prolonged encounters.  Characters cannot create light at will, so you need to carry around light sources.  Spellcasters can't fling unending cantrips in combat, so they need to be creative on turns in between casting spells to be effective.  Healing can't be generated spontaneously, so priests need to manage their spell availability carefully.  Fighters are sometimes simply outmatched, so retreat is often a perfectly good strategy.

I also appreciate the lack of skills (we don't currently use non-weapon proficiency) and tracked abilities.  Without a perception or diplomacy check to rely upon, players have to listen to the DMs descriptions carefully, be creative in using the clues they provide, and it's more important what is said than how skillfully a player rolls in social encounters.  Sure, there are rules to guide a DMs adjudication in these matters, but the open-endedness of the mechanics gives players great faculty to be creative.  Modern editions of the game certainly don't preclude this, but older editions don't necessarily provide skill checks as crutches.  Because most melee-oriented characters don't have "x times per day" abilities, they have to find other ways to contribute in encounters when their sword won't work--whether it's engaging NPCs in social encounters, carrying around a lump of wax or pouch of crushed chalk for those times where you just need to jam a lock or blind a guard, or tipping over a burning brazier onto foes their other weapons are unable to harm.

Finally, I appreciate the lethality of the game.  Surviving the early levels is hard.  Even if you manage to somehow do that, at any time the bite of an errant venomous creature or undiscovered poison needle can end your character's life instantly.  And if you're unlucky enough to encounter the undead, paralysis can fell the mightiest warrior, and level drain can undo weeks or months of progress (if you somehow manage to survive).

I don't think anyone can argue that AD&D 2nd Edition is the tightest rule set; certainly Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons 5e have built upon decades of gameplay to provide systems that are both functional and easy to understand.   If you and your players enjoy tactical combat (especially if miniatures are involved), if you enjoy rewards for making efficient, effective choices in character building and equipment selection, and you enjoy having flexible rules to create and adjudicate encounters, then these systems certainly excel in that.  I run a Dungeons & Dragons 5e game currently, and love these aspects of the game.

As a player, however, nothing quite scratches the itch the same way that Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition does.  It's like gaming on hard mode--it's lethal, unapologetic, and rewards caution and calculation and creativity in ways that I don't think are matched by any other game.

Happy gaming, whatever system you're currently playing!

dungeons & goblins

Something interesting happened this weekend--I killed a dragon.  Helped kill one anyway, manning a ballista while others slung spells and arrows.  Had a conversation with Matt about it, told him that in over 25 years of gaming across multiple editions, I'd never once encountered--let alone killed--a dragon, one of the game's namesake opponents.  His response was fitting.  "Isn't that funny how it goes?  It should just be called Dungeons & Goblins."


It was a pretty exciting night, though laced with a lot of frustration and planning fatigue.  I really liked that every conceivable course of action, every plan, seemed bad.  Too risky, suicidal, too unlikely.  Every plan seemed a hopeless longshot, with most destined to put us in the dirt or leave the town of Brithem open to destruction.  We were the best equipped to deal with the menace, but lacked the resources to turn the fight in our favor.


The planning paralysis seemed very real--we disagreed on the best course of action, the town's trust in our ability to combat the threat waned, and all the while townsfolk and farms were being slaughtered and ruined by the vengeful dragon.  What could we hope to do, in light of such a threat?


In the end, it was only after several outlying farms were destroyed that the remaining targets were narrow enough for us to stand a reasonable chance of laying ambush, and fortunately it worked.  My character, a dwarf thief named Lincoln, proudly cut a black scale from the beast as a keepsake.  Cliché?  Sure.  But I don't care, I just helped kill a dragon.


This session came at just the right time, in a period of renewed love and interest in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, when I don't have access to a regular game.  The battle came down to planning, tactics and execution, and never devolved into the hackfest that modern games can become against such foes.  I'm not saying that modern games have to be hackfests, but with a greater reliance on mechanics and with creatures having loads of hit points compared to their older edition counterparts, the games I have both run and played often end up that way (I'm looking at you, 3.5e, Pathfinder and 4e).


You can find details of the session, as well as excellent recaps from Matt's campaign, here:


http://1eadventures.blogspot.com/

outer reaches: lost and found

Though it's been a year, we picked up the tabletop campaign where we left off.  There were a few minor retcons to adjust the story for my campaign plans--most notably that the Master of Songbirds was being held somewhere against his will within the Spiderwood, as opposed to somewhere ambiguous outside of town.


There was one major change, however, and one generally contrary to the spirit of the blog--for this session, as a test, characters were converted to the DragonAge system by Green Ronin, which is most definitely NOT old-school in mechanics.  It is rather rules-light however, and is a system that provides some narrative possibilities for the players with the "stunt" system.  I think that much, at least, was appreciated by the players.


I also adopted a new approach, one I've never really embraced--instead of providing all of the details, such as the final powers of the artifact, once it was found, I asked the players to tell me what it did.  I intend on using this method going forward, so that the players have more influence in crafting the setting.


With the scholarly (and only slightly alcoholic) venerable dwarf Olin in tow, the group--consisting of Granny, Daisy and Kanaen--heads back to the Spiderwood to investigate the mystery of the glowing webs, revealed by moonlight, and the ancient tomb they discovered.  Olin, having studied the region's archeological record extensively, and having been disappointed by the lack of any evidence of dwarven civilizations in the region (above or underground), has nevertheless made some study of the known elven civilizations that called the Spiderwood home, and was intrigued to learn more.


The trip to the Spiderwood having been uneventful, the group made excellent time returning to the site of their discovery--and as hoped, the thin light of the quarter moon once again revealed the glowing strands of web, creating an ephemeral pathway into the darkness.  The group took much caution, with the nimble Daisy scouting ahead, to avoid making noise, lest there be enemies lurking in the wood.


Daisy discovered, however, not long after taking the path following the glowing web, that they were indeed not alone in the wood.  Sounds ahead, those of a furious combat, alerted the halfling, and almost immediately, they began to approach Daisy's position.  The noise grew to a crescendo, the sounds of battle and cries of the fallen literally all around her, though no sign could be seen of any foe, neither by Daisy nor her companions.  Suddenly, ghostly forms of dwarven warriors began to manifest, being driven back by other ghostly forms, those of orcs and goblin-kin.  It was clear that the dwarves were being routed, and driven deeper into the wood.  The ghosts took no notice of the group, that is until Daisy interacted with one of the spirits--suddenly a trio of ghostly orc focused on her and rushed to attack, their own forms seeming to become more substantial as the boundary between the spiritual and physical seemed to evaporate.


Though pressed into hiding by the attack, stalwart Kanaen was able to force the foes off of Daisy, and with assistance by Granny (in the form of flung caltrops at the opponent's faces), the three manifested orc ghosts were slain.  All evidence of the battle, including the sounds and other ghostly forms, disappeared, though Olin's interests were keen having finally found evidence of the dwarves.  Theories arose, regarding the thinning of the border between the physical realm and "the Fade" in this region...perhaps explaining some of the inconsistencies in time experienced in the Petunia and Magnolia's clearing.


Not long thereafter, the company reached the tomb--though they searched for some sort of marker or identification, none could be found.  The tomb was constructed to last the ages, and though they searched for some sign of there being a hidden tunnel or entrance to an underground crypt, none could be found.  Once again, however, sounds could be heard around them--this time of muffled speech, which quickly turned into heated debate.  Ghostly forms of elves and dwarves took shape around the group, though this time the company took care not to interact with any of them, even when the elves drew their weapons and began to slay the dwarves over some disagreement.  Olin had some inkling what this may be, at least partly--the "Dusk King", identified by the elf-stone worn on a necklace, was a legendary antecedent of the elven civilizations he studied.  Little was known of this Dusk King--at least, little that Olin could recall--and as the ghostly forms faded away, it seemed clear that the tomb was some monument--either to the slain dwarves, or to some other event unknown.  With somber moods, especially Kanaen, having watched his kindred be slain, they continued deeper into the wood.


Daisy, again scouting ahead, discovered a tower--this time, fully material, with no sign of any ghostly presence--with only one entrance, a sturdy door with hidden hinges, barred from the inside.  Olin confirmed it was of dwarven construction--a purely defensive building, meant to keep the unwanted out.  There would be no way, short of a battering ram, to breach the entrance.  That is, of course, until Daisy discovered, while crawling on the ground looking for an alternate way in, that ghostly evidence of a siege appeared--along with the bodies of several fallen dwarf soldiers.  She searched for a ghostly axe to try and cut through the door, and when she found one, learned she could take it from the ghost world into her own--also revealing that the door had a ghostly overlay, this one battered and broken, allowing entrance to the tower, but only by entering the ghost realm of the Fade.


The only clue Olin could provide as to the tower's purpose was a reference to yet another legend--the "Heart of the Wood," an artifact of unknown power and origin, presumably wielded by the elves...though in context of the violence witnessed at the ghostly debate, the truth of the Heart of the Wood could be altogether different.  And it could very well be possible that this is indeed the object being sought by Petunia and Magnolia.  Given that the Master of Songbirds may also be held within the tower...presumably seeking the Heart of the Wood himself, for purposes unknown to Granny, the company decides to venture forth into the ghost realm to investigate, passing through the door as if it were indeed insubstantial.


Within, the company found signs--in the form of skeletal dwarven deceased--that the tower's defenses had been breached by orcs and goblin-kin.  Granny, more than anyone else (being of half-elven heritage), felt a supernatural sense of unwelcome, which was proven to be more than just a feeling when the skeletal remains awakened to repel the intruders and protect the Heart of the Wood.


Kanaen, sensing the honor of the dwarven fallen, if not yet fully comprehending their purpose, issued a challenge to the skeletons--in the form of single combat, allowing the company to pass, should he prove the victor.  The dwarf skeletons assented, though proved unequal to Kanaen's challenge, eventually conceding defeat and allowing the group access to the second floor.  Feeling more in charge of the environment, they ventured onward.


The second floor proved to be a puzzle--four statues, two elf and two dwarf, were arranged on the walls, with a door of unequaled strength opposite the group.  In the center of the chamber was a fountain, from which protruded eight objects, each designed to fit within the statue's hands.  There was a sword, an axe, a wheat sheaf, an unidentified plant, a scepter, a set of merchant's scales, a miner's pick and a jewel, similar to the elf-stone seen at the tomb.  After carefully examining the statues, the group divined that the elf was indeed the Dusk King, and anointed him with the stone.


Olin confirmed that the Dusk King's wife, known as the "Black Widow", was thought to have poisoned her husband--Granny, confirming that the unidentified plant was indeed the toxic "Adder's Kiss," gave this relic to the statue.


The dwarf king's maiden wore plain clothes and utilitarian boots, driving the company to bestow the miner's pick upon her, and so it was that only the dwarf king--unrecognized by both Kanaen and Olin--was left without a relic.  After fighting off dwarven ancestor spirits, after incorrectly assigning him the scepter, they settled upon the merchant's scales, causing the door to open as if by magic, allowing them entrance to the third and final floor of the tower.


At the top, they encountered the dwarf king, overcome both physically and mentally by a twisted spirit of greed.  In his hand was a tiara, upon which was set a large green stone--presumably the Heart of the Wood.  Beside him lay his wife, in a restful pose, slain by a knife through the heart.  The Master of Songbirds was present--bound to a chair, having been thoroughly tortured and worked over, the dwarf king believing him to be the Dusk King, having arrived to challenge the king for control of the stone, and also believing that he murdered his wife--though it would be proven that the dwarf king himself struck that blow, in a fit of uncontrolled rage, incited by the spirit of greed.


The company brought battle to the dwarf king, though it became apparent that he was bolstered by the Fade and by the spirit of greed, and the group suffered a rain of attacks both magic and physical, unable to wrest to the tiara from his grip.  Finally understanding the tangled mess of emotion and motivation guiding the spirit's actions, they appealed to the dwarf king's sense of honor, hoping to overcome greed's influence.  They managed to convince him that the Master of Songbirds was not an agent of the Dusk King, and also that they would become protectors of the stone--for present times, as the dwarf king's enemies were long since dead--and finally he handed over the tiara.


As he did, the tower began to recede into the Fade, though the company was able to escape--with both the tiara and the Master of Songbirds--before it finally disappeared, leaving the company in the middle of the Spiderwood, with dawn not far off.

the rule of cool

A situation arose in my pbp game involving the use of the invisibility spell.  Here's the text, from OSRIC:

In this situation, "King" Corbin, a bandit lord that the party encountered previously while guarding caravan, is waiting to ambush an oncoming wagon in order to steal a delivery of jewels meant to seal an alliance with a nearby lord.  He has 14 men, half on each side of the road, waiting in cover to rain missiles on the caravan in the case that there is any resistance.

What Corbin doesn't know is that the delivery is a trap--the party's fighter, Ithel, is posing as a nobleman, and the party's henchmen make up the caravan crew and guard.  What Corbin also doesn't know is that Aditsan, the party's hunter, lies in wait in the woods nearby, and that Raith, the party's mage, is currently under the effect of the invisbility spell, standing just behind Corbin.

As the bandit lord raises his bow to fire upon the caravan, Raith wishes to foul the shot by tapping the bow with his staff, thus raising the question as to whether that constitutes as an "attack", negating the invisbility spell.

By the rules as written, and certainly by intention, I think that this would indeed constitute as an attack, and that it would negate the spell.

By the "rule of cool," however, by which players are encouraged to stage interesting, flavorful and entertaining actions and scenes, I think this is a brilliant use of the spell, and I've ruled that Raith can indeed foul the bandit lord's shot without cancelling the invisibility spell.

Thoughts?  How would you rule it?

outer reaches pbp: cheshire and environs

Showing the area between Chimney Rock and Cheshire, including the location of the ambush while headed into Cheshire, as well as the suspected location of King Corbin's hideout.

The ruined keep, in the north Darkwood, is also shown--lands and structure having been given to the heroes by Lothar.

outer reaches pbp: cuprum and environs

 

A map of Cuprum, protected by Lothar's Keep in the mountains, as well as the surrounding wilderness.  Abandoned copper mines dot the mountains and hills.

 

Gnolls were encountered in the wood west of the Trade Road, south of the Copperflow.  As for the giants, they are reported to have come west, out of their mountain holds, by way of the Cyprus Pass, and currently torment outlying farms east of the Trade Road, north of the Copperflow.

 

ogrespotting

The cavern went dark.

Silently, Raith cursed himself for being ill-prepared. His final torch vanquished, he began uttering a cryptic incantation, then waved his arms in a mystic pass. The torch still in his hand flickered to life again, though not by any form of natural fire.

"We've not long to secure the tunnel," he said, taking up his staff and treading onward. "Let us move quickly."

The halflings that followed him hardly needed the magical light to see, but having a sightless mage at the party's forefront was far from an acceptable liability.

Besides, Raith knew that he would serve as a fine distraction when the hin fanned out to either side upon finding their quarry: the vile ogre responsible for murdering more than a dozen halfling villagers. And likely more by now, had Raith not recently been passing through the low valley that harbored their undersized huts and cottages.

Nevertheless, that he was forced to expend a valuable spell distressed the wizard greatly. Raith and the halflings had burned through a liberal number of torches dealing with a goblin encampment near the cave's entrance, a reckless use of supplies that would see the halflings leading Raith out like a blind beggar if they couldn't end their mission soon.

Raith narrowed his dark eyes and swallowed his anguish. Hitherto, nary a hin had been lost, even seriously injured, and Raith very much intended that his full accompaniment would return to their families safely.

For enough halfling blood had been spilled at the hands of the wretched creature they sought.

outer reaches pbp: expanding horizons

As time passes, so do new catastrophes arise, and sometimes, new heroes arise to meet them. As an expansion to my tabletop game, I am starting a small email-based play-by-post (pbp) game with new players.

While their actions will take place in the same setting and perhaps the same timeframe, they will not necessarily overlap.  The pbp game will take place upriver and across the mountain range from my tabletop group, commencing in the town of Nulrest en route to a militarized keep in the mountains, as well as the nearby village of Cuprum along the Copperflow River.

So if you see new faces and stories on the blog, never fear!  

becoming the hunter

Aditsan was born to poor parents in a small village. What little income the family had came from his parents knowledge of the woods surrounding them. His mother, Aiyana, would collect herbs and fungi from the forest and his father, Chaska, was an expert hunter. Between the two of them, this provided enough to get by.

The couple took turns caring for Aditsan, so he spent his childhood wandering the woods instead of playing with other children. As such, he generally relates better to animals than people. Aditsan is short and thin with a pinched rat like face, yet is incredibly strong despite his outward appearance. After reaching adulthood, he decided to move to the city to experience more of the world. He quickly found that he was able to monetize his knowledge of the woods and has started to build a reputation for tracking and capturing fugitives. Now know by his clients as The Hunter, he enjoys that he gets to spend most of his life out in the woods while making enough money to support his parents back in the village.

When The Hunter is working in the woods, he can always be found with Fang, the Catahoula Leopard Dog that he found as a pup and trained to help him track. Fang knows how to look mean when necessary, but is really a gentle dog who just loves to work. He also is usually found with his horse, Nevarra. He doesn’t ride her often as he tracks better on foot, but she walks behind carrying his equipment and frequently an injured fugitive.

Aditsan is highly skilled with a long sword, however he does not often use it against the fugitives he hunts because they are often required to be returned alive. For that reason, he often uses his extraordinary strength to grapple an opponent into submission before clamping them into the mancles he always carries in his belt pouch.

ithel maccarrick: background and description

Description
Ithel MacCarrick is the youngest son of the Earl of Kierney. He is tall, about 6 feet, with brown eyes, and dark brown hair that he keeps cut short. He can usually be found in an inn drinking, dicing, laughing, and hoping to hear about a chance at treasure and glory.

While he might be drinking with the commoners in the inn, it is quite obvious that he views them as beneath him. He is always quick to accept a free drink, but can rarely be found buying drinks for others.

He always has his trident by his side, and when it is in his hand it is almost like it is an extension of him.

Background
Ithel is the sixth child, fourth son, of the Brion MacCarrick, Earl of Kierney. Due to his noble upbringing, he was trained in weapons from a very early age. He sat in on discussions on running the earldom, even though he knew he would never inherit it. Because of this knowledge, Ithel rarely paid attention, and did little to learn these skills. He would much rather be in the practice yard fighting.

Ithel was trained in all manner of weapons, but did not excel with any of them. He would practice just as hard as anyone else, but just did not become proficient with them. It wasn't until he started to work with pole-arms that his talent began to show. In particular, he loved the trident. He began to work with it exclusively, and soon he was able to master the use of it. He was able to hold his own against three others wielding long swords.

In addition to his formal weapons training, Ithel could be found spending time with the court bard. It was not music or stories that he was interested in though. He discovered that not only was the bard a talented musician, he was quite adept with a dagger. Ithel wished to learn those same skills, as they could be quite useful if he ever found himself without a larger weapon. The bard taught him how to throw a dagger with deadly accuracy.

After mastering the dagger training, Ithel could be found with any number of daggers on him at any point in time. Everyone noticed the dagger at his belt, but only the more perceptive noticed the dagger handle sticking out of his boot sheath. However, anyone that thought those were his only weapons were sorely mistaken. With a flourish of his hand, he could make a deadly dagger appear in his hand. Another flourish and is was gone, back up his sleeve. This was true of both arms. In a flash these could be thrown with, and quite accurately.

As he got older, Ithel became tired of sitting in meetings all day and discussing business of the household. Wheat and hay just did not hold his attention. He decided to join the king's army. His father was proud of him, though saddened to see him leave. Ithel left home and made his way to Specularum. Once there he went to the barracks and inquired about joining the army. He me with some men there, and after a long discussion with them, plus a demonstration of his skills, he was in the army. Due to his noble birth, they made him a corporal.

After a couple of years in the army, and a few successful campaigns, he had attained the rank of captain. He had even been praised by the king for his deeds. His men followed him willingly and without question.

Then one one day, everything changed. His company was out in the countryside practicing, and in general keeping the land clean of brigands. Late one day his men brought a band of brigands before him in his tent. What happened next is a matter of speculation, as everyone involved is either dead or refuses to speak of the incident. The only thing that is known is that there was some yelling, then everything got quiet. When Ithel's Lieutenant and several of his Corporals entered his tent they found Ithel hunched over the dead bodies of the brigands wiping the blade of a dagger clean. When questioned, Ithel refused to say what happened. His Lieutenant, took him into custody, and the company began the long march back to the city.

Ithel was brought before the general, and when he refused to tell what happened, was court-marshaled and told to leave the city. Ithel, found an inn for the night and drowned all of his sorrows in ale. The next morning he struck off into the countryside to find glory and treasure on his own.

outer reaches rumors: greymarsh

While away from the others, Kragh has been in the nearby town of Greymarsh, hoping to discover some clues about the goblin illness, as well as to consult other healers in the town about possible remedies. 

Though he was unable to turn up information of much use to that situation, he was made aware of the encroachment of the swamp to the east of town.  It has been expanding for years, perhaps by a few yards, but the last two years especially have shown rapid growth of the swamp's borders, and those within the town have begun to worry.  Several parties of scouts, along with a few knowledgeable trackers and herbalists, have been sent to investigate--each time, however, they are turned away by aggressive swarms of bees before they are able to penetrate the swamp's borders.

There are rumors of a local druid, the Keeper of Bees, and some blame him for the swamp's expansion.  Others claim that danger lurks within the swamp, and that only he is able to keep it at bay--the bees are to protect those who would otherwise be in danger, by keeping them out of the swamp.

In any case, no one has been able to contact the Keeper of Bees for several months, and many have begun to worry.  At the current rate of expansion, it could be as soon as two or three years before the swamp overtakes the road, and begins to eat away at Greymarsh!

outer reaches rumors: sylvan tomb

Once the group returns to Riverside, they gather Kanaen and discuss their findings in the Spiderwood, and begin to plan a second trip to investigate the forest tomb.

Kanaen, while absent, had actually encountered another dwarf, who is visiting Riverside from the dwarf kingdoms in the mountains far to the north along the Whitewater River.  The dwarf is an elder of the merchant caste, and is named Olin.  He listens attentively as you share the details of the tomb, and shares his knowledge on the matter.

"Dwarves did not always toil beneath the ground--at least, not all of them.  Several clans lived on the surface, farmers and shepherds, same as those folk who call Riverside home today.  Our race has declined, and now shuns the surface, but this land once rang with dwarven hammers and speech.

The elves also inhabited this land long before humans came, and built their treehouses atop dwarven ruins, long since claimed by the forest.  Not all of these ruins have faded with time, however, and some were repurposed by the elves, serving as homes, temples, that sort of thing, before the elves themselves were driven away.  It sounds like you may have stumbled upon such a ruin, and one of significance!  I would be interested in seeing this ruin myself, if you've a mind to have me along!  My arms may be too old to wield an axe with much skill, but my legs still work, as do my eyes!"

outer reaches rumors: the master of songbirds

At the Gilded Goblet, in Riverside, after their venture into the Spiderwood...

Having sent her hawk, Huck, with instructions to seek out the Master of Songbirds, Granny waits anxiously for a response from the druid.  Though they've never actually met, there's a mystical kinship between the two--it's almost as if the wilderness around Riverside has been shaped by the druid's presence, or perhaps is a reflection of it.  All of these feelings lead Granny to believe him to be a warm, caring person.

Many of Riverside's folks have met him--he breezes through town on occasion, usually to consecrate the earth when a new farm is started, or to attend a local festival.  And all tales of the Master of Songbirds tell of his namesake companions, a loyal flock of songbirds that fill the air with harmonies day and night when the Master is about.

The silence of the chill night air, after imagining the pleasant background noise of songbirds, is foreboding, and Granny can't help but fear for the safety of Huck.  So it's not altogether surprising when the night's silence is disrupted by the awkward flapping of heavy wings, announcing Huck's return--and in an injured state.

Rushing immediately to examine the hawk, it's apparent that one of his wings has been pierced by a bolt, or perhaps an arrow.  It's not a grave wound, and should heal in time, but explains the hawk's ungainly flight.  Nestled gently in the hawk's talons is a tiny songbird, alive but weakened as with some malady, as well as a small bunch of purple flowers. 

Granny recognizes the flowers immediately, having stumbled upon them in her wanderings with Kragh.  The flowers are not native to the region, thriving instead in the wetlands further south, but the pair encountered several patches of them in the woods north and west of Riverside, perhaps a half-day's walk from the town.

The full context of the message, however--as clearly both the songbird and flowers were meant to serve as a message from the Master of Songbirds--remains a mystery.

outer reaches #2: rewards!

Here's a breakdown of the XP rewards from the second session.  It was a short session, and there wasn't a lot of combat, though the group did cover a lot of ground and accomplished a fair bit.

Goblins: 81 XP total
Award for averting the lumbermen's attack on Magnolia & Petunia: 200 XP
Award for discovering the source of the goblin malediction: 750 XP
Bonuses: 250 XP

Total:  1,281 XP

Divided by four players at the session, result is 321 XP per player, plus any applicable bonuses due to ability scores.

No loot to divide, this time!

outer reaches #2: spinning threads

Wherein the heroes make new friends in the Spiderwood, sample some tasty treats, and save some townsfolk from themselves.

Having come together again after a season of downtime, our heroes reconvene at The Gilded Goblet (this time, minus Kragh, who is off investigating the source of the goblin malediction) to discuss new plans.

After some discussion--spurred by rumors of lumbermen and townfolk who want to "burn the witches" out of the Spiderwood--the heroes decide that their own investigation is in order, if for no other reason than to save the lumbermen from a grisly end entirely of their own making.  If they aren't witches, then the townsfolk aim to murder and if the they are, they're likely to be murdered in the attempt.  Ultimately, the decision is made for the heroes to seek out these "witches," and to make their own judgment.

The Spiderwood is not nearly as ominous as rumored, though it is heavily populated by its namesake arachnids.  Before striking into the wood, they meet with Ford--chief among the lumbermen antagonists who aim to confront the witches--to dissuade him from pursuing the task without further investigation.  By virtue of the charisma of the heroes, they succeed in delaying the group--at the same time gaining maps to the forest trails, along with the location of the witches' hut.

The hut, situated in the middle of an unnatural clearing in the Spiderwood, is found in short order.  In front of the hut is a bubbling cauldron, attended by a haggardly old woman who occasionally samples the contents of the cauldron with wooden spoon.  Upon approaching the hag, her companion--a bubbly, gentle old woman--enters the conversation, and introductions are shared along with a tray of candied spiders, which everyone enjoys.  Petunia and Magnolia are new to the area--they leave the source of their arrival, and of the hut & clearing, shrouded in mystery--and offer their help to investigate the goblins, claiming that to best do so, they need a live specimen.

Feeling that this is a task easily accomplished, the group leaves Petunia and Magnolia--only to find themselves shrouded in darkness, and that hours have passed outside of the clearing while they were only within a short while.  Unable to explain the phenomenon, they leave the forest, passing by an iridescent trail of spider webs which seems to beckon the group further into the forest.

Following trails discovered previously by Granny and Kragh, the party heads to the barrens north of Riverside, to the last known location of goblin attacks.  Knowing the goblins to be feral and vicious in their attacks, leaving the slaughtered and eaten corpses of their victims, Nash lays a trap for the goblins, which succeeds in drawing the attention of seven diseased goblin warriors.

By the virtue of Granny's forest magic and the shafts of the heroes, all but one of the goblins are defeated and the other is brought in due course back to the Spiderwood.  Hoping to discern the nature of the seeming magical passage of time, the party splits to deliver the goblin--but this effort is fruitless.  Is it some magic of the witches?  Of the Spiderwood itself?  Or is it some property of the candied spiders, eaten earlier?

Petunia, the haggardly witch, receives the goblin and, before anyone can react, unceremoniously dumps it into the cauldron, sampling the result.  As a sign of good will, Granny also samples the "stew," and her stomach roils.  Magnolia directs her to consume a tea of amaranth to soothe the ill feeling, and Petunia holds up her end of the bargain.  She claims to have known the source of the problem all along--a foul, bubbling pit far to the north of Riverside--giving the party more clues as to the origin of the problem, if not much help as to actually remedy the problem.

The heroes make to part ways with the witches, and they offer their own task to the group, with promise of reward.  They seek a bejeweled diadem, which apparently lies somewhere in the Spiderwood, and while sharing no information regarding the properties of the item, they express gratitude that the group may deliver information about the diadem, should they come across it.  The group leaves on good terms, disappointed in that the temporal phenomenon does not happen again.

The party delays until night time, hoping to encounter the iridescent spiderwebs again--but are again disappointed.  Not willing to give up quite so easily, the party investigates further and eventually Daisy--following a hunch about moonlight--uses her mirror to discover the strands, which the party follows to an old stone tomb, covered in shadows and overgrowth, deeper within the Spiderwood...

in-character comments and replies

First, a general update.  Things are going well with the newest addition to our family, Lucile, and I'm hoping to be able to host a game some time in the coming weeks.  More on that as details become available.

Second, regarding in-character posts and comments.  Several players have posted character backgrounds or stories, and I have provided XP rewards for this.  I encourage anyone interested to submit their own!

Some have also replied in-character to some of my posts, and I've followed up to progress the story.  In doing so, however, I have learned that players don't necessarily receive notifications of new comments, only new posts.  So if you've responded to a post at any time in the past, please check in to see if I've managed a response.  You can subscribe to each post, if you're interested, when leaving comments.  I've tried to create interesting new story threads--whether or not these make it into the next session, or whether they're discarded is entirely up to you guys.

I'll send out a pre-session recap with any new developments resultant from the blog comments, so that you guys can decide on a course of action prior to the session.

off topic: is that even possible?

My friend Matt & I both run games using older editions--Matt is currently running an ADnD 2nd Edition game set in Ravenloft, and I am running the Outer Reaches campaign using ADnD 1st Edition rules.  From time to time, we get players who ask why we choose to run games using the rules that we do--aren't there newer editions or different game systems that do things better?

Without getting into an argument about which edition or tabletop RPG system is "best" (the answer is, of course, that it doesn't matter--playing RPGs with your friends is fun, regardless of what rules you use), it is worthwhile, in my opinion, to share insights that help explain the "why" when choosing a system for our games.  

This post is a recap of one particularly memorable session, from an unnamed campaign I ran with Matt & Rich, ADnD 2nd Edition rules set in the Forgotten Realms, some time between 1998 and 2000.  Their respective characters were Cadazcar Trelorn, a transmuter, and Erik Estrada, a warpriest of the god Tempus.  It was a defining moment in the campaign, one of the coolest moments in gaming I've ever been a part of, and one of the reasons why ADnD 2nd Edition continues to speak to me, as a game master.

At this point in the campaign, Cadazcar and Erik were somewhere around 8th or 9th level, and we were a couple years into the game (having started at 2nd level).  The characters were looking for someplace to establish roots--Erik had a small band of followers due to heroics in the city of Scornubel, Cadazcar was actively pursuing spell research--and the nearby ruins of Dragonspear Castle seemed the perfect place for a warpriest of Tempus to establish a stronghold.  Erik had worked with a smith in Scornubel to craft a magical maul, a talisman of his faith to the war god, and this was to be the symbol upon which the new stronghold would be built--the name given the maul was Making Friends.

It bears mention that I was never overly generous in the distribution of magical items.  Cadazcar had authored a unique spell or two and was in possession of a +3 dagger and a few scrolls.  Erik had a suit of +2 chainmail, won from a battle with undead at the site of the Battle of the Bones, and his maul--which at this point, if I remember correctly, bore a simple +1 or +2 enchantment.

Dragonspear Castle, however, was not currently fit for habitation.  A small band of priests, also followers of Tempus, resided therein.  Their task was to keep a lid on demons that were coming through a breach in the tunnels below the castle--a task which Erik immediately took upon himself to help accomplish, dragging Cadazcar along with him.  This was a common enough occurrence--the warpriest's zeal was the source of many plots throughout the campaign.

After some investigation in the ruins above ground, Cadazcar and Erik encountered a pair of demons--a cambion, which is essentially a cross between a dark elf and a demon, and an alu-fiend, a female demon with the appearance of an angel with feathered wings.  Spells were slung and Making Friends brought to bear on the fiends, but the battle was not going well for the heroes--the fiends conjured spheres of darkness that could not be countered by Cadazcar, and the fiends had summoned lesser demons to the fray.  The cambion was seemingly unaffected by the darkness, striking Erik several times from behind, rapidly depleting his health.  Both suffered several wounds, Cadazcar was nearly out of spells that would contribute to the fight, and Erik was at the ends of his strength.

Suddenly, Matt (playing Cadazcar) remembered that he had a scroll that I had rewarded him very early on.  He'd been holding on to it for a few levels, as the spell was well beyond his ability to cast.  Hesitantly, Matt announced "I take out my scroll and cast Mordenkainen's Disjunction."

To those of you not familiar with the spell, this is a Big Deal.  It's a 9th level spell, well beyond Cadazcar's ability to safely or reliably cast, and it essentially erases all magic within a certain radius.  It doesn't just dispel spells or temporarily shut down magic items and affects like dispel magic--it undoes magic.  It can even destroy artifacts, which are typically "throw it into the fires of Mount Doom" difficult to unmake.  What this means in actual play likely varies from DM to DM, but here's how I ruled it...

"Is that even possible?"  It was the only question I could come up with--all of us had pretty much forgotten about that scroll, it was actually rolled randomly off an encounter ages ago, and I don't think that anyone ever thought it would play such a big role in the campaign.  We scrambled for rulebooks, calculated chances of disastrous failure (due to the power level of the spell, relative to Cadazcar's own level)--the chances of something really bad happening were high, 55% if I remember correctly.  That, and I wasn't even sure what would happen IF the spell were cast successfully.  The spell description is vague as to how it actually interacts with stuff like summoned creatures or creatures from another plane, leaving much to be decided by the DM.  With little other recourse or hope of survival, however, the roll to cast the spell was made...successfully!

Decisions were made on the fly as to what the spell's resolution actually meant in play.  I mean, it's a 9th Level Spell, so it should be awesome...right?

Almost instantly, there was an implosion of magical energy.  Cadazcar's dagger and Erik's weapon and armor, including the maul Making Friends, which was a cornerstone to his identity, disintegrated.  The spheres of darkness were dispelled, the lesser demons summoned by the cambion and alu-fiend banished...leaving the fiends themselves.  I had no idea what to do with the spells effect, but it made sense at the time that it would force them back to their home plane, so that's what happened.

Completion of the spell left Erik & Cadazcar beaten, battered, and practically unarmed...but it worked.  Their foes were driven off.  The battle was over, and they would live to fight another day.

outer reaches rumors: trouble brewing

The taverns are abuzz with talk of the farmer Chadwick, and his findings in the Spiderwood.

The Spiderwood is a rather small, though dense forest to the south and west of Riverside.  It takes its name from a native variety of small, green-gold spiders who spin elaborate, delicate webs.  The venom of these spiders is known to be mildly toxic, though seldom fatal.

There are lumberers that work the wood, and several farmers who maintain large farms of root vegetables that benefit from excellent soil quality.  One such farmer is Chadwick, famous for turnips of exceptional size and quality.

Chadwick has farmed the Spiderwood for a decade, living on a humble farmstead near the wood.  He knows the forest trails well, and on a typical afternoon walk, he encountered something altogether surprising--a small grove of poplars in a ring, surrounding a dilapidated hut, in front of which boiled a huge black cauldron over an open flame.

Confident that he was neither lost, nor had the grove been there on walks past, Chadwick made to investigate the hut, but was confronted by a pair of hags who charged forth from the hut with cudgels, threatening to boil the skin from his back and, as Chadwick reports, still terrified from the encounter, "To turn me into a newt!"  Gripped by fear that Chadwick insists was supernatural, he fled the grove.

Some of the townsfolk who live nearest the Spiderwood, especially a few lumberers who camp nearest Chadwicks farm, are concerned--hushed conversations of witches dominates the common rooms of taverns and homes, and there are rumors of folks planning to gather to "burn the witches out of the Spiderwood."

nash: while you were farming

Donnel pushed back the thick brush with the end of his walking stick and worked his way through the thorny mass. It was already mid afternoon and he had found only fleeting passage marks of his fathers lost sheep. “The wretched creatures are probably rotting in the belly of a snape by now.” He cursed.

A sudden crash in the brush behind him sent Donnel leaping to one side, his long wooden staff poised to strike like a woodcutter's ax.

A man of medium build stumbled through the thicket, briers clinging to his clothes and enough red scratches on his face to question if he had recently had another disagreement with one of the many disgruntled barn cats back on the farmstead.

If the scratches hurt him, the man showed no realization of it. He just stared at Donnel with his dull eyes and his mouth locked in that same wit-less grin he always had.

“Henry!” The young man’s voice cracked, “what the crows are you doing here? You just about scared the life out of me.”

“Follow Donny, where’d he goes? Follow Donny, Henry knows!” The dim man chimed proudly.

“Pa send you? I told him I don’t need no help to find some crow begotten sheep,” Donnel began to protest, “but of all the hired hands, why did he have to send you? With all that crashing racket you make’n, you prolly sent every living thing running for the Green Hills.”

Donnel finished his rant uninterrupted by the witless man. One could never really tell if Henry understood much of what was said to him, or if he even heard it. His dull eyes always wandered, though he nodded his head in a steady rhythm of feigned understanding, his lips stretched in that same witless grin. 

“Trees,” Henry responded, as if none of Donnels rant had even reached his ears.

“What?” Donnel started in frustration, “What about the trees? You afraid of the forest or somp-thin?”

“No.” Henry said with a hint of apprehension, “birds live in trees.”

“Birds?” Donnel was growing impatient. “We aint got time to be gawking at no birds in no forest. I need to find them sheep and head back home before supper.”

“What about those birds Donny?” Henry gestured above the treeline of the encroaching forest.

Donnel suddenly became aware of a distinct lack of sound around him. The thicket had become silent save a distant caw-cawing. Where one caw rang out a dozen more answered. Donnel forced himself to look up to see a black cloud of wings. “Crows…” Donnel whispered. His throat suddenly very dry. 

The scavenger birds had amassed and were circling over the edge of the nearby forest.

Donny swallowed and tensed his stomach against a fear that washed over him. Where there were crows in mass, there was death. He wanted nothing more than to turn and run back to the safety of his families farmstead but he could not return empty handed. He had to bring something to his Pa about the sheep, even if it was news of their deaths.

The young man gritted his teeth and pushed nimbly forward through the brush, Henry clumsily crashing behind.

As they reached the edge of the briers, their senses were assaulted with what Donnel had feared most, death. A dozen or so sheep lay butchered at the edge of the forest. Their bodies and life-blood strewn among the trees in a grisly display of brutality. Limbs and entrails alike lay torn across the grass, the blood still seeping gently into the soil. 

Donnel’s stomach lurched and his lunch escaped him in a sudden fit of vomit.

A crow called out nearby and Donnel looked up from his misery in time to see a set of sharp claws rake toward his face. Instinctively, the young man threw up his hands in defense. There was a red hot burn as the goblin tore a streak of flesh from Donnel’s forearm sending him falling backward into the carcass of a dead sheep. The creature shrieked in frustration and bounded toward the young farmer, fangs bared in feral rage.

Time seemed to slow down. Donnel could hear the crunch of each step the creature took on the forest floor. The creatures sickly looking maw was covered in blood that ran generously down its chin. Its skin was pock-marked and covered with ruptured sores and blisters. Two fingers were missing from its left hand, and several of its claws were broken in jagged edges. Donnels heart beat, violently pounding blood through his brain. Was this where he would die? Chasing runaway sheep? Mauled by this creature. His entrails strewn about the forest like the lambs before him? The creatures glazed eyes burned with hatred, pain, and rage as it dove for Donnels throat. That hideous face, those terrible claws, it was all too much. The young man closed his eyes and braced himself for the end.

But the end didn’t come.

There was a sickening hiss and wet thump.

Donnel looked up to see Henry standing over him, steel in hand, and the headless body of the goblin writhing at his feet.

“Stay down,” Henry whispered, and turned to give Donnel another one of his witless grins. 

Nash stood over the young man, the dead goblin before him and three more of the creatures hissing and screaming nearby. 

Nash took a deep breath, sized up the field, and the creatures charged.

At the last moment, Nash lept forward to meet them, his booted foot catching the first square in the face with a sick crunch. Nash twisted to the side mid-kick and dodge the second goblins clawed strike. He lashed out with his blade and cleaved the creatures arm from its body. Spinning, Nash flicked his wrist and a dagger blurred though the air to bury itself up to the hilt in the third creatures throat. The first goblin staggered back, clutching its face where its nose had been. Nash followed through the spin and in a blur of motion used the momentum to part the creatures head from its neck. The second creature raked wildly at Nash with its remaining arm but Nash ducked under the blow and swept the creatures legs from beneath it before driving his sword deep into the creatures heart.

Nash exhaled.

With a flick of his wrist, Nash removed the blood from his blade and the sword disappeared onto his person.

“How... Wha... What the? What the crows just happened?!” Donnel stammered, his mouth gaped open in dismay.

The dim witted farm hand turned back to Donnel with his same witless grin and blank look he always had. “Henry hungry,” He mumbled.

outer reaches rumors: goblins!

Spring turns to Summer, Summer to Autumn, and and our companions find themselves at ends in Riverside...

Several months have passed since the Sowing and the adventures surrounding.  The citizens of Riverside met the return of the companions with much celebration--having saved several of the crew and much of Holden's goods, they were rewarded as promised, and given places of honor during the numerous ceremonies and feasts of the Sowing.

Despite the successful resolution, a nagging interest tugged at the attentions of Granny and Kragh--that of the feral goblins encountered early in their journey.  Begging some time to investigate the matter and further help the town, the companions settled in for some time, finding work and recreation among the town's common folk.

Several outlying farms suffered from ferocious attacks of goblins and their diseased hounds. In the aftermath of one such attack, a suspicion of Kragh and Granny was revealed to be true--all of the goblins seemed to suffer from some kind of skin rash, and showed signs of disease such as pox marks and cloudy, though blood-shot, eyes.  It is unlike anything that anyone, including the town's healers and herbalists, have ever seen.

As Summer fades to Autumn, the occurrence of attacks, as well as their ferocity, only seems to increase--spurring the companions to act.  Is there some evil presence at work, a fell leadership behind the goblin attacks?  Is it just that the goblins themselves are raiding in preparation of Winter?  Is there magic at work, or is it some sickness that has affected the goblins' behavior?

Bonus!

In preparation for the next session, and as an offer to earn some extra experience (even for those that might not make the session, or that have yet to join in), any character may contribute posts detailing how they've spent the past few months in Riverside, or how they may have investigated the matter of the goblins.  I'll progress any sub-plots as necessary within the comments of the post, for questions and such.

As always, anyone who hasn't yet may also submit character backgrounds and descriptions.

I'm hoping to host the next session just prior to Christmas, perhaps Saturday, December 21st?  Please let me know if you think you might be able to make it!