Slaughtergarde meets the Savage Tide, Crew 2


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Here is the, slightly edited, introductory e-mail sent out to the prospective roster (of I believe 7 total players) for Crew 2 of the Savage Tide campaign that begins Saturday 1st December '07.

Here's the low-down for "Crew 2". 3 of you have already played through the first 2 chapters (more or less) of the "original" script while still in Crew 1, so we'll go with "The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde" to get everyone from 1st - 5th and heading into Chapter 3 of the Savage Tide Adventure Path.

Everyone starts of with "Book Standard" PHB 1st level characters. 4d6, best 3 dice, roll a stack of 6 and assign them as you see fit. No monster races, no templates, no level adjustment PC races (unless you want your characters to die real bad for some reason). Standard starting gold for your class - your choice of the starting 'kit' or throwing random dice as deliniated in the Equipment section of the PHB.

Books to reference for the campaign are as follows: PHB and PHB 2, Complete Warrior, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Adventurer, Complete Scoundrel, Unearthed Arcana (for class variants mainly, as well as Flaws and Traits). Keep in mind that the long-term campaign - while starting in a mountainous vale - heads onto the high seas and into ... unpleasant places thereafter, so a nautical capability is not a bad thing in the long run.

Prohibited: Leadership (unless the group 'boils down' to 4 players), Ur-Priest, class variants other than those in the books above, 'playable' races not in the PHB. I am discarding most of the 'house rules' that Crew 1 is dealing with, since we have enough players in Crew 2 with firing neurons to make a good game without them.

I advise generating 3 characters each to start with, at least in terms of race/ability scores/class selection - 2 as back up to the one you'll start the game with.

Be advised, I will be posting a blog/campaign journal from the GM's perspective on the campaign as it progresses. Do not fear, I never use a player's real name, although I do come up with a moniker/handle for each player that should carry through the entire campaign. If the players are interested, they are of course welcome to post a "player's perspective" blog/journal on the same forum. Ideally, such a moniker is inspired at the table. <g>

The basic gist of where the PCs are coming from is this:

You're all minor scions of whatever families you choose from Sasserine (at least 2 of the players on the roster have Player's Guides to the Savage Tide), sent packing to the northern mountainous hinterlands to avoid embarrassing one's families without getting too terribly close to the desolate wastelands on the other side of said mountains. (Or anything vaguely similar.) Naturally, such a band of childhood chums buddies up in the new place and attempts to make a name for themselves. Your secondary characters are also of a similar persuasion - thier exact physical location (unless your primary is brought back from beyond the veil) will be dependant upon where your primary buys a plot. If any are pushing up daises in the Vale, your secondary is in that area. If your primary gets all the way back to Sasserine with something to slap the old man around with, your secondaries are involved in Sasserine in some form or fashion.

The "Big Cities" are Cauldron and Sasserine - the Free City (among others) was extirpated about 2 years ago in an orgy of Writhing Doom. About the time your characters hope to return is just ~after~ the annual Wormfood Gathering (this is the second one), wherein all the seriously undesirable elements of the area that still live are rounded up from the outlying settlements of Cauldron and Sasserine as tribute to the Things to the far north/northeast and forcibly marched over those northern mountains into no-man's land, to be devoured alive or worse...

Exile is a serious punishment indeed for most ... far worse than the executioner's mace awaiting them at a headsman's block, or perhaps the mercifully quick death of a good length of rope and a gallows.

In the area your characters hail from, cults of Kyuss and Tharizdun, if discovered, are ruthlessly persecuted by ALL the other religious affiliations that survived the Age of Worms - you are not familiar with the gruesome details. In the wake of two major gawds throwing down with the rest of the pantheon, Kyuss and Tharizdun were sent packing, albiet at great
cost to the rest of the pantheon. The only gawds known to have survived (at least in your area) are the ones in the PHB, most of which are substantially diminished in divine stature and power as compared to just over 2 years ago.

Amongst the organizations of mortals however, the most notable to survive the aftermath is the infamous Scarlet Brotherhood, a band of human supremicists of Suel descent. Thier star is waxing in ascendance once again ... although they are not what they were in days gone by, they are formidable. Sasserine and Cauldron remain independant of thier overlordship from the Greyhawk Wars of less than a generation past, the losses of said war releasing such city-states as Cauldron and Sasserine from the clutches of the Suloise Overlords. The Scarlet Brotherhood is known for both long-term planning and short-term striking power. With the loss of the Circle of Eight and many other famous [read: high-level] heroes who were devoured alive in the attempted defense of the Free City or other locations of perceived great political importance at the time, no one has come forth since then that can truly claim such lofty titles as Archmage, Hierophant, Lord and Marshall of the Grand Army or any other similar nomenclature.

Now the question is - what is your doom? Weal, or Woe?


And yes, this is the journal for "Crew 2" of the Savage Tide now that Allen's campaign has concluded. They get to play in the aftermath of the conclusion of his Age of Worms ... ~grinning evilly~ ... guess what that means I get to use?


Turin the Mad wrote:
And yes, this is the journal for "Crew 2" of the Savage Tide now that Allen's campaign has concluded. They get to play in the aftermath of the conclusion of his Age of Worms ... ~grinning evilly~ ... guess what that means I get to use?

Umm... (thinks frantically, influenced strongly by seeing recent 'Cthulu in Golairon' posts)... Star Spawn?


Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:
And yes, this is the journal for "Crew 2" of the Savage Tide now that Allen's campaign has concluded. They get to play in the aftermath of the conclusion of his Age of Worms ... ~grinning evilly~ ... guess what that means I get to use?

Umm... (thinks frantically, influenced strongly by seeing recent 'Cthulu in Golairon' posts)... Star Spawn?

I do have the 1st edition Dieties and Demigawds book ... and the CoC book ... and other material ... I cannot help but imagine that such things that have no place in the cosmos should ever surface... why, that might be a tad unfair ...


Turin the Mad wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:
And yes, this is the journal for "Crew 2" of the Savage Tide now that Allen's campaign has concluded. They get to play in the aftermath of the conclusion of his Age of Worms ... ~grinning evilly~ ... guess what that means I get to use?

Umm... (thinks frantically, influenced strongly by seeing recent 'Cthulu in Golairon' posts)... Star Spawn?

I do have the 1st edition Dieties and Demigawds book ... and the CoC book ... and other material ... I cannot help but imagine that such things that have no place in the cosmos should ever surface... why, that might be a tad unfair ...

....But that Sargasso encounter in SWW just pleads with you as a DM for some addition from HP Lovecraft. Especially if a particular alienist happened to have opened a planar rift by calling up creatures from the far-realm to assist in bringing about the Age of Worms in your campaign setting. Don't forget you have certain treats coming up in 'Into the Lightless Depths', (if they get that far) so it would be an act of kindness, really, to foreshadow that *certain* things are around and active...

EDIT:
Okay, maybe not Star-Spawn, even if Allen is in the party, but something else from the Mythos?


Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:
And yes, this is the journal for "Crew 2" of the Savage Tide now that Allen's campaign has concluded. They get to play in the aftermath of the conclusion of his Age of Worms ... ~grinning evilly~ ... guess what that means I get to use?

Umm... (thinks frantically, influenced strongly by seeing recent 'Cthulu in Golairon' posts)... Star Spawn?

I do have the 1st edition Dieties and Demigawds book ... and the CoC book ... and other material ... I cannot help but imagine that such things that have no place in the cosmos should ever surface... why, that might be a tad unfair ...

....But that Sargasso encounter in SWW just pleads with you as a DM for some addition from HP Lovecraft. Especially if a particular alienist happened to have opened a planar rift by calling up creatures from the far-realm to assist in bringing about the Age of Worms in your campaign setting. Don't forget you have certain treats coming up in 'Into the Lightless Depths', (if they get that far) so it would be an act of kindness, really, to foreshadow that *certain* things are around and active...

EDIT:
Okay, maybe not Star-Spawn, even if Allen is in the party, but something else from the Mythos?

I was thinking of Shoggoths. The epitome of the term "ooze" imo. ^_^ Best part, the d20 CoC write-up is floating around in the house somewhere... all I have to do to import them is ... modify them a tad, shall we say.

The of course there are Hounds of Tindalos, Dimensional Shamblers, Nightgaunts, Young of Shub-Niggurath, Fire Vampires and Deep Ones, to rattle off a few mooks. Not counting the really nasty stuff (like Shoggoths and Star Spawn) or the heavens forbid, the Big Boys themselves...


Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:

EDIT:

Okay, maybe not Star-Spawn, even if Allen is in the party, but something else from the Mythos?

Why thank you, Charles.


Turin, I've got two PC's ready. I'll probably go with the elf ranger/fighter as stated, but I reall like my halfling cleric, 'Quin the Cook'. Quin's going to sea to earn money to marry his village sweetheart. Quin wields a shortsword and a cast iron frying pan, and will grab his rolling pin in a pinch. He'll be leading monsters right into the party's clutches with smells of savory roast chicken seasoned with sage and wild herbs, roasted potatoes, onions sauteed with a delicate wine sauce, and stewed carrots. Perhaps a few bonus (humor only) skill points in the profession: cooking might be in order??? If I do stay with the elf, I might give this PC to the resident Artist to use...


I shall watch events here with interest. (I'm already a reader of your Savage Tide #1 posts, and looking forward to seeing what cunning tricks Allen has up his sleeve for use when he sits on the other side of the screen.) I'm unfamiliar with the 'Slaughtergarde' that you mention (I take it to be a module) and so the events there will seem more hazy to me than the regular adventure path from Dungeon. (Unless you are successful in coaxing a fine crop of campaign journals out of crew #2, to match those that we see posted from crew #1.)

I'm slightly surprised that you're not allowing players source material from the Dragon Magazine Savage Tide articles, since I thought that these were supposed to be designed to accompany the AP, but then again it is a *LONG* time since I picked up a Dragon magazine and some of the stuff that they may have printed could be along the lines of the dreaded Crusader class, or infamous FR spells, I realise.

Spoiler:
Isn't there destined to be a slimy visiter to the side of the Sea Wyvern before they even get to the Sargasso in The Sea Wyvern's wake? And there is of course the mysterious 'cult of the hopping frog' that could be adapted to mean anything that you want it to...

To conclude you and Allen have cheered up many of my evenings recently, with the accounts of your gaming groups, and I'd like to say a big thanks for that.


Allen Stewart wrote:
Turin, I've got two PC's ready. I'll probably go with the elf ranger/fighter as stated, but I reall like my halfling cleric, 'Quin the Cook'. Quin's going to sea to earn money to marry his village sweetheart. Quin wields a shortsword and a cast iron frying pan, and will grab his rolling pin in a pinch. He'll be leading monsters right into the party's clutches with smells of savory roast chicken seasoned with sage and wild herbs, roasted potatoes, onions sauteed with a delicate wine sauce, and stewed carrots. Perhaps a few bonus (humor only) skill points in the profession: cooking might be in order??? If I do stay with the elf, I might give this PC to the resident Artist to use...

Ah, but the hobbit-chef would be so much more entertaining in your hands ... the thoonk! of the skillet followed by the schlorp! of the shortsword into tender soft anatomical regions just wouldn't be the same without the creating player's handling.

Granted, Le Artiste might very well find the concept appealing... :)


Charles Evans 25 wrote:

I shall watch events here with interest. (I'm already a reader of your Savage Tide #1 posts, and looking forward to seeing what cunning tricks Allen has up his sleeve for use when he sits on the other side of the screen.) I'm unfamiliar with the 'Slaughtergarde' that you mention (I take it to be a module) and so the events there will seem more hazy to me than the regular adventure path from Dungeon. (Unless you are successful in coaxing a fine crop of campaign journals out of crew #2, to match those that we see posted from crew #1.)

I'm slightly surprised that you're not allowing players source material from the Dragon Magazine Savage Tide articles, since I thought that these were supposed to be designed to accompany the AP, but then again it is a *LONG* time since I picked up a Dragon magazine and some of the stuff that they may have printed could be along the lines of the dreaded Crusader class, or infamous FR spells, I realise.

** spoiler omitted **

To conclude you and Allen have cheered up many of my evenings recently, with the accounts of your gaming groups, and I'd like to say a big thanks for that.

Your are of course correct good Sir Charles, as there are plentitudes of nawstiness settings liberally sprinkled throughout the flavor text of the Bullywug Gambit, Sea Wyvern's Wake and Here There Be Monsters.

I am not encouraging them to requisition that material you've mentioned. You surmise correctly, 'Slaughtergarde' directly references the Shattered Gates of ... module by David Noonan.

It is most humbling that our posts bring genuine cheer to other readers. May we continue to bring good cheer to your evenings for years more to come. Hopefully, someday soon you can be similarly posting a campaign journal of madness and mayhem of your own!


Allen Stewart wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:

EDIT:

Okay, maybe not Star-Spawn, even if Allen is in the party, but something else from the Mythos?
Why thank you, Charles.

Good Sir Quin, I do believe that it may be Sir Charles was insinuating a certain Star Spawn-ish resemblance to yourself ... ^_^


Brother Faust the Elder wrote:
Allen Stewart wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:
Charles Evans 25 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:

EDIT:

Okay, maybe not Star-Spawn, even if Allen is in the party, but something else from the Mythos?
Why thank you, Charles.
Good Sir Quin, I do believe that it may be Sir Charles was insinuating a certain Star Spawn-ish resemblance to yourself ... ^_^

laughs

Actually I meant that even at first level, I thought that his presence might at least give a six person party *a chance* of beating one, from the way that you have so consumately sold his skill in creating and playing a character. He sounds a highly effective wielder of the monster-dispatching implement known as the PC....


I can see it now ... Fort Blackwell's inhabitants all have a disturbingly amphibian cast to thier features .... there's a new lodge in the place with the mysterious anacronym B.P.o.F. on the entryway ... yet, the place has a reputation for impeccible churigury using a minimum amount of leeching... not to mention a nice, new sanitarium...

Of the detailed entries along the coast, what exactly laid waste to Fort Greenrock? Is it a certainty that only mere lizardfolk are responsible ... or are there a few small dried crusts of some kind of resin on the occassional roof edge and windowsill? And just what exactly resides atop the jungle-crowned thousand-foot cliffs of the isle of Ruja? Based on the map in SWW, Ruja is not tiny ... at a guesstimation, the place measures roughly 80 miles SW to NE by a minimum of 10 miles, for 800 square MILES of unexplored island, none of which has a beach. And what of its nameless 25 - 50 square mile companion, roughly 25 leagues to the west?

Of the mentioned entries:
* The Great Web - Who is to say that its sole inhabitants are unintelligent? A one Rhan-Tegoth could lurk in the mist-and-web shrouded jungle not too far inland...

* The Sacred Forest - Lizardfolk are fairly hardy, especially in thier native habitat. Yet, for a 10 mile stretch of coastline, enormous Kapok trees are filled with strange totems, dessicated lizardfolk carcasses, fetishes and masks. What strangeness indeed could do so readily yet not find the carcasses removed and attented to by lizardfolk's customary funeral rites?

* The Vast Burning - A decade or more aged 'huge blackened valley' used as a vast sacrificial fire pit into which hundreds of what appear to be humanoid apes were thrown, then burned alive and horribly. What ever did the deed left enough of a taint that neither plant nor vermin nor eater of carrion will broach its boundries... nothing known to demi-human and human sages explains this - the wisest keep away... yet a similarly eerie lack of vegetative erosion occurs on the midnight-black stones of the immense stepped pyramid of the ruins of Chekitewan not more than 12 leagues or so due south southeast of Sasserine herself...

And as to this campaign's starting point, the Valley of Obelisks ... it lies on the northernmost frontier of mankind... beyond it, only exiles and those condemned to become Wormfood travel afoot...

What is a bummer is that I do not seem to be in possession of the Dragon magazine issue that discusses the Nasty Nine critters of legend that call the Isle of Dread and its environs home...


Someone on one of the Savage Tide Threads asked or discussed the nine monsters of legend of The Isle of Dread- I think someone brought up 'other' objectives that might be used to earn Victory Points in the Tides of Dread adventure, and dealing with ones other than

Spoiler:
Temauhti-tecuani at the tar-pits
had been mentioned as another possible way that PCs might seek to 'raise morale'. If you have the time to search the Savage Tide Threads you might be able to pick up some details.

Looking forward to seeing the posting of the starting characters/classes of crew #2.


Update: I believe that the thread that I may have been thinking of was

Spoiler:
'The Infamous Seven - The Hunt Begins', first posted by Hierophantasm
. Although this differs by two from the 'nine' that you mention, some of the posts mention a Dragon article, although it appears that the only 'stat blocks' given for any of the critters in question are for those already encountered in the Adventure Path. Some of those who post on the thread are kind enough to give their home-brew interpretations of some of the other critters in question, and since I see that Turin the Mad posted on the thread, this may have been at the back of your mind when thinking of the legendary critters in question...

Sorry I can't directly supply any more useful information, but it has been a while since I actually bought, much less read a Dragon magazine.

EDIT:

Spoiler:
As part of the 'Adventure hooks- is an NPC hiring the PCs Lame?' thread, Hastur's post on the 7th of November for this year mentions how he introduced his PC's to the Savage Gates module, just in case you're interested.

And do you prefer to be addressed as Brother Faust or Turin on this thread?


Allen Stewart wrote:
Turin, I've got two PC's ready. I'll probably go with the elf ranger/fighter as stated, but I reall like my halfling cleric, 'Quin the Cook'. Quin's going to sea to earn money to marry his village sweetheart. Quin wields a shortsword and a cast iron frying pan, and will grab his rolling pin in a pinch. He'll be leading monsters right into the party's clutches with smells of savory roast chicken seasoned with sage and wild herbs, roasted potatoes, onions sauteed with a delicate wine sauce, and stewed carrots. Perhaps a few bonus (humor only) skill points in the profession: cooking might be in order??? If I do stay with the elf, I might give this PC to the resident Artist to use...

Allen...pure awesomeness with playing the iconic 'Samwise Gamgee' sort. I would highly suggest watching the LotR trilogy (if you have it) for some gainful playacting for the character in question. Sam kicks rear...

And I am indeed here and following this thread...how in the world could I miss it!


Sam Gamgee was nice and devoted to Frodo. This little bastard is mean, honry, and sadistic. And if any 'Frodo prototype' threatens me over his insane fears of my trying to take his ring, I'll be serving him his kidneys for dinner.


Allen Stewart wrote:
Sam Gamgee was nice and devoted to Frodo. This little bastard is mean, honry, and sadistic. And if any 'Frodo prototype' threatens me over his insane fears of my trying to take his ring, I'll be serving him his kidneys for dinner.

Simply genius. So no... "Have you had enough bacon Mr. Frodo?"...more like this?

"Have some more bacon you ungrateful little git!" said Samfoul, waiting "Its all laced with Strychnine, just so you know."

I have been having visions of vicious little hobbits ever since Turin mentioned his Carnivorous one...wonderful imagery.


Charles Evans 25 wrote:

Update: I believe that the thread that I may have been thinking of was ** spoiler omitted **. Although this differs by two from the 'nine' that you mention, some of the posts mention a Dragon article, although it appears that the only 'stat blocks' given for any of the critters in question are for those already encountered in the Adventure Path. Some of those who post on the thread are kind enough to give their home-brew interpretations of some of the other critters in question, and since I see that Turin the Mad posted on the thread, this may have been at the back of your mind when thinking of the legendary critters in question...

Sorry I can't directly supply any more useful information, but it has been a while since I actually bought, much less read a Dragon magazine.

EDIT: ** spoiler omitted **

And do you prefer to be addressed as Brother Faust or Turin on this thread?

Charles,

I would stand corrected regarding the Seven Infamous Critters of the Isle of Dread - at the time, I for some infathomable reason thought there were nine of them... must be tropical brain fever...

Either name will be sufficient - Brother Faust will be the narrator for this campaign journal, while posts as Turin (should) be "OOC" as a commentator/spectator of one stripe or another.

And Good Sir Al of N, please be so kind as to use Quin the Cook instead of the vanilla archer... the more entertaining the hobbit, the likelier the hilarity to ensue. Granted, some small amount of this may come at the expense (funereal or otherwise) of one's fellow player characters... ^_^


Yasha0006 wrote:
Allen Stewart wrote:
Sam Gamgee was nice and devoted to Frodo. This little bastard is mean, honry, and sadistic. And if any 'Frodo prototype' threatens me over his insane fears of my trying to take his ring, I'll be serving him his kidneys for dinner.

Simply genius. So no... "Have you had enough bacon Mr. Frodo?"...more like this?

"Have some more bacon you ungrateful little git!" said Samfoul, waiting "Its all laced with Strychnine, just so you know."

I have been having visions of vicious little hobbits ever since Turin mentioned his Carnivorous one...wonderful imagery.

Quinfoul Skillethammer ... could be rather catchy I imagine...


Allen Stewart wrote:
Sam Gamgee was nice and devoted to Frodo. This little bastard is mean, honry, and sadistic. And if any 'Frodo prototype' threatens me over his insane fears of my trying to take his ring, I'll be serving him his kidneys for dinner.

"It rubs the lard on its skin or it gets the flail again..."


Both you (Yasha) and Turin make good observations. The halfling cleric character is in some ways a contridiction of terms. On the one hand, the halfling is like Sam Gamgee or Wesley from the Princess Bride (from whence I took the idea actually), but is at the same time resentful of the fact that he must risk his butt time and time again, just to earn lots of money to marry the lousy, entitled wench back home. I'd imagine that he'd frequently be apt to say, "yeah, forget the lousy tramp. I'll just go and get drunk, abandon this lame quest, and she can end up stuck marrying the fat and smelly baker's kid who's always fancied her..."


Incidentally, the last post is about the extent of the "role-playing" that I do. And in reality, it's just a bit of background to justify the character's existence and purpose. Once the game starts, I shift into my other ("Okay guys, let's clear out rooms 14-25 of dungeon level #2, now MOVE IT") mode.
I've got to come up with a back story for my likely character #1, the elf fighter/ranger.


Incidentally Turin, I have identified the desired official 3.5 adventure for the WDM 3.5. I'll furnish you with a copy soon. It's awesome, and yes, I get to save the world yet again.


Allen Stewart wrote:
Incidentally Turin, I have identified the desired official 3.5 adventure for the WDM 3.5. I'll furnish you with a copy soon. It's awesome, and yes, I get to save the world yet again.

Finally located the 3.5 romp for the Walking Death Machine to grease its gears on have we? I do indeed look forward to seeing what you wish them to brigandige thier way through once more...


Allen Stewart wrote:

Incidentally, the last post is about the extent of the "role-playing" that I do. And in reality, it's just a bit of background to justify the character's existence and purpose. Once the game starts, I shift into my other ("Okay guys, let's clear out rooms 14-25 of dungeon level #2, now MOVE IT") mode.

I've got to come up with a back story for my likely character #1, the elf fighter/ranger.

Meh, screw the ranger/fighter - the grumpypuss hobbit-chef will be far more entertaining to read the posts about. " Lemme get this straight, short, grumpy and lonely there just critted me in the 'nads with a frickin' SKILLET?! "


DO NOT MOCK THE HALFLINGS. For they are mean, nasty, psychotic little buggers. Seriously. Every halfling I've gamed with or GMed for has been dangerous, ill tempered and moderately to extremely psychotic. It may just be the groups I play with, but watch out for those little buggers. Although Gnomes aren't much better apparently. I've got one in a game I'm running who has the personality of a pimp more or less. For those of you who are familiar with Dark Sun, the halflings in our neck of the woods would find it quite well there.


Cap'n Jose Monkamuck wrote:
DO NOT MOCK THE HALFLINGS. For they are mean, nasty, psychotic little buggers. Seriously. Every halfling I've gamed with or GMed for has been dangerous, ill tempered and moderately to extremely psychotic. It may just be the groups I play with, but watch out for those little buggers. Although Gnomes aren't much better apparently. I've got one in a game I'm running who has the personality of a pimp more or less. For those of you who are familiar with Dark Sun, the halflings in our neck of the woods would find it quite well there.

Gnomes shall never achieve better than Pimpdom, for they are doomed for having Bard as thier favored class. Granted, they can achieve significant wuss-slapping ability with proper dedication, culminating in the crowing glory of Gnomish Pimps, the Byotch-Slap of Humiliation.

Naturally, such a Gnome craves the legendary HackMaster item "Gauntlets of Wuss-Slapping".

Us hobbits now, we gotta stick together. Hobbits made an entire game world with thier mind-squeegeeing awesomeness [Dark Sun], hobbits are the most successful at destroying the mightiest of artifacts without getting killed in the process, hobbits are the supreme master of culinary arts in whatever world they wander into. The elite carnivorous hobbits of course sneer upon any non-carnivorous hobbits, classifying them all as another source of food...


Turin: I seem to recall a carniverous hobbit called Gollum worshipping a spider called Shelob, so are spiders special cases in the food chain, or only if the mother was Ungoliant?
I agree with you thought that hobbits (eg the aforementioned Gollum)are definitely in the artifact destroying mould.

Anyway: Enough foolery (on my part).

We are agog with excitement and anticipation. Give us the gory details on the classes/races of the PCs.


Charles Evans 25 wrote:

Turin: I seem to recall a carniverous hobbit called Gollum worshipping a spider called Shelob, so are spiders special cases in the food chain, or only if the mother was Ungoliant?

I agree with you thought that hobbits (eg the aforementioned Gollum)are definitely in the artifact destroying mould.

Anyway: Enough foolery (on my part).

We are agog with excitement and anticipation. Give us the gory details on the classes/races of the PCs.

Gollum was a weakling, he hid underground, subsisted on raw fish, feared/worshipped food and craved a bauble. He is not worthy of being a hobbit.

I will give the details on party composition when I have them to give. :)

My present estimates however:

Sir Al of N: hobbit fighter/chef 1, sword-and-skillet style - unless he plans to be sneaky and use the elf ranger/fighter to soak up a character death before bringing in the more entertaining hobbit.
Baron Morose: human favored soul
Le Artiste: human fighter or paladin
Ebil M: elf something (class ytbd)
Da Pimp: human wizard
J: dwarf fighter
Baron Red of Neck: human cloistered cleric (heading mystic theurge)
Pit Jumper: human fighter, two-weapon blender

In the case of unknown elements, or for that matter elements simply unknown (perhaps they have been smart enough to cut me out of the e-mail loop and plot thier character designs in advance and in utmost secrecy) only to me, it seems safe to bet they intend to make my bad guys suffer horribly in turn.

Naturally, the idea will be for the baddies to return the favor in spades. ^_^


Charles Evans 25 wrote:

Turin: I seem to recall a carniverous hobbit called Gollum worshipping a spider called Shelob, so are spiders special cases in the food chain, or only if the mother was Ungoliant?

I agree with you thought that hobbits (eg the aforementioned Gollum)are definitely in the artifact destroying mould.

Anyway: Enough foolery (on my part).

We are agog with excitement and anticipation. Give us the gory details on the classes/races of the PCs.

If I beat the odds and find myself tasked to design a country, there shall certainly be (to me) a most interesting place...


Turin the Mad wrote:


If I beat the odds and find myself tasked to design a country, there shall certainly be (to me) a most interesting place...

Oh no....I think I see where that thought is going...

shudders...


Yasha0006 wrote:
Turin the Mad wrote:


If I beat the odds and find myself tasked to design a country, there shall certainly be (to me) a most interesting place...

Oh no....I think I see where that thought is going...

shudders...

Fear not Yasha, for Crew 2 is in a WoG with far fewer 'established' locales any more ...


Ah well, my entry didn't pass muster in the contest, so I can focus once more upon GM'ing these two campaigns.

Now, where did I put the super deathbug statblock at ... rummages through the older posts of his first STAP campaign journal...

As an FYI, I'll have to ponder the concept of writing up the aforementioned country over the next year's time, along the same vein as the current contest's stages are unveiled. 'Tis a long-term thing I think, albiet probably not terribly vexing.


Turin the Mad wrote:

Ah well, my entry didn't pass muster in the contest, so I can focus once more upon GM'ing these two campaigns.

Now, where did I put the super deathbug statblock at ... rummages through the older posts of his first STAP campaign journal...

As an FYI, I'll have to ponder the concept of writing up the aforementioned country over the next year's time, along the same vein as the current contest's stages are unveiled. 'Tis a long-term thing I think, albiet probably not terribly vexing.

Turin: If you can't find your super deathbug stat blocks a

Spoiler:
CR9 advanced 'Blackfang Rhagodessa' version features in area J (Hall of the Dreamers) of 'The Lightless Depths' section of the Savage Tide Adventure Path.

I was just going to mention the same stat block Charles. Well done. Beat me to the punch.

As for your comment Turin...a land populated by bloodthirsty hobbits and Goblyns would be frightening.

By Goblyns I of course mean the Ravenloft nasties...as you mentioned before...

"It ate my face off?!"


Yasha0006 wrote:

I was just going to mention the same stat block Charles. Well done. Beat me to the punch.

As for your comment Turin...a land populated by bloodthirsty hobbits and Goblyns would be frightening.

By Goblyns I of course mean the Ravenloft nasties...as you mentioned before...

"It ate my face off?!"

^_^ Basically, yes. I had in mind for the carnivorous hobbits to be mutant (level adj +1 hobbits as a race) modelled on a blending (butchering?) of historical Spartans and the Roman-exterminated 'wee folk' Picts of what are now the northern British Isles - or Ireland, I don't remember the details at present.

And I fondly recall the Goblyns of Ravenloft ... eating of face while still alive is a hideously gruesome fate to contemplate...


I hope this campaign actually resembles the savage tide after you guys finish egging Turin on to turn this into a Lovecraft-feakshow-splatterfest...


Allen Stewart wrote:
I hope this campaign actually resembles the savage tide after you guys finish egging Turin on to turn this into a Lovecraftian freakshow-splatterfest...

This coming from the Captain of the Walking Death Machine? ^_^

You took on 72 maxxed-hp Lizard Kings with that crew, and as I recall, had no fatalities despite my best efforts to the contrary...

'Sides, it'll be fun to sicc the occassional Kyuss or Tharizdun (or Kyuss+Tharizdun) inspired critterbeasties in Crew 2's direction.

Of course, the gawds help them if they get incarcerated... the Wormfood Gathering is not far off after all...


Behold, the gawds reveal unto Me those who stir the threads of destiny intertwined with Fate.

From an insignificant hole of a valley littered with ancient obelisks they rustle, irritating my dreams like unto a chancer of the brain.

They must be nutured, yet remain lean and hungry, ever eager to secure thier ambitions. Better still if the baser sins motivate them to achieve what My Lord needs them to achieve, what I need them to achieve.

I turn to the font of blessed vitae, focussing my Will to observe them in more detail, mayhap even to discern the essential salts of those who may some day become a new threat to my most sacred existence...


We finished session 1 just after 4PM today. We're waiting for Turin's post, before we pontificate. Turin...


" Eight there are, with 3 mercenary veterans in tow, hired to recover a shipment of spices from a long-abandoned laboratory. I wonder if they realize they'll need a wagon to extricate everything when all is said and done? The place is just over a day's travel South-southwest of the final destination of those shipped north for the Wormfood Gathering prior to the Last March, a small latrine of a town called Slumberton I believe.

" At first things proceed predictably enough, the inattentive goblinoids not being too dense did hear the nigh-cacaphonous din of a dwarven paladin of Moradin and 2 dwarven fighters - all beer swilling brothers of course - tromping down the sloped passage from the surface, along with an elven wizard with the trio of veteran elven mercenaries, an elven ranger, a human cleric of Boccob, a human favored soul of Kord and a human bastard-and-short sword fighter.

" The welcoming committee of four half-plate and heavy pick wielding hobgoblins with a duo of archers was quickly butchered in place. The next room, with a smaller guard of 3 goblin ambushers, was also quickly put to rest - permanently. Minor wounds were doled out by the vigorously foolhardy defenders. I am certain the blackhearted creatures would have fled had they lived long enough to regret thier final few moments of existance before being shuffled off to a sudden and unexpected audience with Gawd unknown...

" They bear right, down a hall to a muddy chamber guarded by a monitor lizard that is rapidly rendered into substitute chicken and luggage, followed by a slightly more durable goblin ranger and his hyena getting similarly rendered into broth components. After these first 4 fights, they rest the night to regain thier strength and prosecute hostilities anew.

" The elven ranger, crawling across the narrow plankage of a room o' quicksand, after two or three tries and bieng drug through the muck by brute force and a rope around his waist, recognizes goblin chanting echoing down the hall from a chamber ahead. He does not particularly understand what is being said.

" However, at least one dwarf did, who promptly taunted the chanter mightily, and in rather provocative phrasings in Goblin. Once the ranger was returned to the folds of the party, the group elected to use the bookshelves in the previous room to provide themselves a sturdier means of crossing the quicksand in order to take the fight to the goblin foe ahead.

" Naturally, the goblin, hearing the commotion of the room being dismantled, was not a total idiot. He went and gathered every warrior and creature he could get to quickly, setting a battle formation against the hard-to-miss entry point of the party.

" The first line was 4 zombified hobgoblins, wearing leather armor and packing battle axes. Behind them a trio of 3 spear-wielding skeletons. The 2 dark creepers took up flanking positions out of immediate line of sight of the entry way. The rooms illumination was shadowy ... at first, and especially in thier vicinity. A break and another line of 3 goblin skirmishers, javelins at the ready. The last line was the goblin cleric and his 2 half-plate clad goblin veterans.

" The plan was successful at first, bottlenecking the intruders within the passageway for about 30 seconds or so. All too soon however, the defense unravelled, a trio of turn undead attempts (the latter two sufficiently honest in thier faith to Boccob to overcome the hobgoblin cleric's own bolstering), two memorized sleep spells ~the first slumbering the 3 goblin skirmishers {who had already discharged thier 3 javelins apiece} and the second similarly the 2 dark creepers who were almost utterly useless~ dealt the twin hammer blows of the assault. The defenders put up a valiant defense, the one zombie that was never turned brought down at the very last. Four of the intruding party was brought to within a morning star's cranial smash of death, but close does not count unless one has flame strikes or fireballs.

An impressive tactical performance in spite of starting out in the weaker position. I must make certain to recruit better minions tomorrow... "

All told, the carnage for the first session was staggering. Going on memory, 9 CR 1/3rds, 12 CR 1/2s, 6 CR 1s, a CR 2 and 4 CR 3s totalled the tally of the first session, awarding EIGHT PC's a total of 1,088 - rounded up - xp apeice, and thus 2nd level.


All in all, a very good game session, and a very good gaming group. I didn't quite know what to expect with several players entering from another gaming group, and several new players I had no experience with, but the group dynamics went very well. The game went terrific, and I anticipate a very good 12-18 months to come. Everyone's playing capable characters and is contributing to the group's success (and by definition, survival). Good times.


Turin the Mad wrote:
Allen Stewart wrote:
I hope this campaign actually resembles the savage tide after you guys finish egging Turin on to turn this into a Lovecraftian freakshow-splatterfest...

This coming from the Captain of the Walking Death Machine? ^_^

You took on 72 maxxed-hp Lizard Kings with that crew, and as I recall, had no fatalities despite my best efforts to the contrary...

'Sides, it'll be fun to sicc the occassional Kyuss or Tharizdun (or Kyuss+Tharizdun) inspired critterbeasties in Crew 2's direction.

Of course, the gawds help them if they get incarcerated... the Wormfood Gathering is not far off after all...

This Killer GM does not like receiving a taste of his own medecine...


Allen Stewart wrote:
This Killer GM does not like receiving a taste of his own medecine...

Mwahaha! Hey at least be glad my suggestion for a side-trip to the Spire of Long Shadows (Kuluth-Mar) isn't likely to be used. I imagine that location is rather nasty with the success of the Age of Worms. And it is very very close by too....


Yasha, there weren't a ton of monsters left in the city of Kuluth Mar, in the Killer AoW campaign I ran, after the PC's finished the adventure. Those that did remain would have been freed when Kyuss succeeded in beginning the Age of Worms. Until that point, the occupants of the city were trapped therein. Once freedom was achieved, I suspect that many (if not all) of the remaining residents, would have abandoned their 'prison' and made the trek northward. Turin could naturally decide that a few of them remained. Naturally, I'll be denying Turin any peek at my AoW Dungeon Magazines for the stats for any creature of Kyuss, should he get any creative ideas:)


And I won't be going anywhere close to Kuluth Mar either...


Allen Stewart wrote:
And I won't be going anywhere close to Kuluth Mar either...

^_^

It was actually a suggestion I made quite some time back, just should Turin decide for a little Age of Worms vengeance. Of course, at the time, there was no way of knowing that the AoW would succeed.

And yeah, I am aware once the AoW was successful, the inhabitants of the ruins would then be free of the Obsidian Ring. At this point it was more of a running joke between Turin and I that I thought I'd bring up. I also thought there would be no way in hell that your character could ever be convinced to go there.

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