My gaming group recently started playing through Rise of the Runelords. Tonight was our first session, and led to one of the little roleplaying accidents that create great gaming stories.

Flush with their success against the goblins raiding the Swallowtail Festival, the PCs returned from the boar hunt with Aldern Foxglove, whereupon he took them to the Hagfish to show them a good time (and to continue putting the moves on their cleric of Sarenrae)

Of course the PCs were met with dozens of challenges to drink from Norah the Hagfish's tank. I'd set the task as a simple DC 13 Fortitude save. Just maybe easy enough for a first level PC, but rare enough for an NPC to make.

The first character to try was the Fighter, Valeros. Stepping up and taking a swig of the slimy water, the warrior rolled a 12, and spit the stuff out after only a few seconds.

Laughing, Malgrim, the dwarven rogue, told the human to stand aside and leave such things to dwarves. Taking a drink, the dwarf rolled a 10, immediately spewing the foul water all over the bar, much to Valeros' amusement.

Everyone in the tavern was shocked when the petite gnome sorceress, Cirilli, declared her intention to drink Norah's water next. When handed the mug, she took a whiff, made a face, and chugged. The 'lil devil rolled a 17!

Standing on Valeros' shoulders, the tiny gnome sorceress became the 29th person to carve their name into the ceiling beam above the bar. And also won a good chunk of change in silver pieces.

And everyone said she was crazy when she put a 16 in Constitution...

I'm glad to hear that your game finally got off the ground. I know you've been prepping it for a couple months. I expect you know how helpful people on the boards can be, so jump into some conversations and brainstorm with the rest of us. :)

Of course the PCs were met with dozens of challenges to drink from Norah the Hagfish's tank. I'd set the task as a simple DC 13 Fortitude save.

You're not from the coast, are you? :) Hagfish slime is gross. Really gross. My players knew right away that it was a sucker's bet, and laughed at all the people who tried and (universally) failed. It's been interesting to see how the various GMs have adjudicated hagfish slime, so thanks for sharing your story!

You're not from the coast, are you? :) Hagfish slime is gross. Really gross.

Haha. I'm thouroughly inland in Pennsylvania, so no, nowhere near the coast. Plus, I figured if 28 people had done it, I'd at least give my PCs a little bit of a chance. They are after all, a little above the ordinary. That's why they're heroes after all.

Thanks, btw. I'm really excited my game got off the ground too. I'll be sure to post more now that my players are giving me great material.

Plus, I figured if 28 people had done it, I'd at least give my PCs a little bit of a chance. They are after all, a little above the ordinary. That's why they're heroes after all.

I just assumed that it was a scam, and that the twenty-eight names weren't actual victors of the contest. :)

Thanks, btw. I'm really excited my game got off the ground too. I'll be sure to post more now that my players are giving me great material.

Excellent! I look forward to it! Also, let us know if we can help with anything.

I went with it being a "legit" contest, but put the DC at 20 (though I know that it could/should have made it higher. I know about hagfish slime.)

Even so, none of my players made that roll.

I went with it being a "legit" contest, but put the DC at 20 (though I know that it could/should have made it higher. I know about hagfish slime.)

Even so, none of my players made that roll.

I had the same thought, and none of mine even tried it. My Varisian pickpocket managed to steal the coins with Jubrayl being the only one who noticed, though.

I set it at a DC 15 save where if failed by 5 or more you had a DC ten save to avoid throwing up. The ranger in my goup rolled a 7 followed by a 5 and threw up while the sorcerer rolled a 17 and chuged the nasty water. What was funny was that the sorcerer had no intention of trying but when surrounded by a crowd the ranger said "sure we accept" the crowd took it as both of them accepting the challange and the sorcerers immeadiate protests where drowned out by the cheers of onlookers so when the glass came not wanting to look cowardly he grudingly drank it.

Not knowing there are real hagfish I told them it looked like a mud dauber, a rather ugly fish that can go up on land for brief periods of time, but is slimy as heck (in order to not dry out while crossing land) they had fun with it.

I had actually never heard of a hagfish until reading through the adventure, so I made up my own description of the fish. I said that it looked like a deep sea angler with a face that, if drunk, looked like an old hag. The water in the tank is green in most areas, with a pale green slime swirling around - Norah is constantly excreting green fluids as a defense mechanism. Seems disgusting enough.