Chronicles of Arcania: B/X Homebrew game.

Game Master Peet

"Or he could be taking a nap."

Nods to Fistep and Ferrous

pulling punch is fine

1d6+1=>4

*crack!*

Fistep smacks Fineos in the side of the head with the flat of his blade.

Fineos collapses like a sack of bricks. He lies on the floor, blood trickling out of his ear. He is dead. Apparently Fistep doesn't know his own strength!

FYI normal humans have 1d4 hp. And Fineos was an old man. If you wish to knock out someone fragile a punch is a better bet.

Also FYI you have already received XP for encountering Fineos (5XP) so you get no extra XP for killing him. But you do get XP for the water and food he still had on him.

Fineos' waterskin contains a quart of water. His bag contains the 6 half-meals the party traded him earlier, along with a partly-cooked dead giant centipede (worth 1 half-meal). There are also 15 cp. His mask is worth 10 gp.

1:10 PM, Day 2

Using a hammer and iron spikes, the party manages to assemble a barricade against the south door that is braced against the north wall. Though a sustained assault would get through sooner or later (it is made of wood, after all) it will hold up to some serious force for at least a short time.

The party sets down for a break and each person eats one half-meal each and drinks a pint of water, saving the rest.

...they aren't out adventuring and fighting trying to find the water and such. We die, they die.

BTW, if you die, they start adventuring. The NPCs represent a "pool" from which new characters can be drawn from.

+1 to all of that

Someone check to see if that door opposite this one is locked.
Ferrous set about moving furniture around to in front of the door.

The north door has no lock, but is barred from this side, much like the door you came through.

6d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 2, 3, 5, 1) = 19

The party cannot hear anything coming from the room to the south. But after they are finished, Zynazyr hears something from the hallway to the north. Something is moving the debris in the hallway around!

Ana goes to the peephole and looks out. Though there is no light, with her infravision she can see two four-legged shapes in the hallway to the north. They could be lizards like the one the party saw in the room to the north.

It occurs to her that if someone was watching from this point they would have easily seen the party as they stood outside that door.

"His spirit seemed so young, but perhaps his mind had failed in his agedness, even wisdom deserted him."

Montague simply shrugs as the crazy old bat dies, and helps loot the body. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for a nap".

Well I am not wasting tears on the old crazed frogman. Although Fistep maybe save your strength for those actually fighting against us.
Ferrous exclaimed as Finneos body slumped to the floor.
He would have been a useful bargaining chip with the people behind the door. Now we have enemies but no friends.

Shakes his head, Bah.. he wasn't going to be a help anyways, not that I think he should have died. He gestures to the other dead, But I also think he got a bunch of folks killed that may not have needed to die.

He would have been a useful bargaining chip with the people behind the door. Now we have enemies but no friends.

I don't know... maybe better dead than alive. I'm not convinced he had anything to do with a 'king'.

Walks over to the door and bangs on it, Hey you in there... it appears that the 'jester' has laughed his last laugh. Lets put down weapons and talk about this here rebellion or whatever is going on! he calls out.

FYI normal humans have 1d4 hp. And Fineos was an old man. If you wish to knock out someone fragile a punch is a better bet.

Also FYI you have already received XP for encountering Fineos (5XP) so you get no extra XP for killing him. But you do get XP for the water and food he still had on him.

bah... hadn't realized he was old.

1:10 PM, Day 2

Fistep wrote:

...they aren't out adventuring and fighting trying to find the water and such. We die, they die.

BTW, if you die, they start adventuring. The NPCs represent a "pool" from which new characters can be drawn from.

May be true, doesn't mean the PCs know that :)

Walks over to the door and bangs on it, Hey you in there... it appears that the 'jester' has laughed his last laugh. Lets put down weapons and talk about this here rebellion or whatever is going on! he calls out.

Fistep calls beyond the door, but receives no answer.

The party takes turn listening at the door, but no-one can hear any noise coming from the room to the south.

He would have been a useful bargaining chip with the people behind the door. Now we have enemies but no friends.

Isn't that the way it is meant to be in a dungeon crawl? :) FYI Fineos' principal function was to attract wandering monsters, as he is constantly making noise.

May be true, doesn't mean the PCs know that :)

The PC's are certainly aware though that their death doesn't mean the death of the people outside. They would just have to fend for themselves.

SO: What do you want to do now?

* Take down the barricade and investigate the room to the south?
* Attack the Lizards in the hallway to the north?
* Return to camp, trying to avoid the Lizards?
* Go down the stairs and explore the next level?
* Something else?

Lost City DM wrote:

FYI normal humans have 1d4 hp. And Fineos was an old man. If you wish to knock out someone fragile a punch is a better bet.

Also FYI you have already received XP for encountering Fineos (5XP) so you get no extra XP for killing him. But you do get XP for the water and food he still had on him.

bah... hadn't realized he was old.

Lost City DM wrote:

1:10 PM, Day 2

Fistep wrote:

...they aren't out adventuring and fighting trying to find the water and such. We die, they die.

BTW, if you die, they start adventuring. The NPCs represent a "pool" from which new characters can be drawn from.

May be true, doesn't mean the PCs know that :)

Murder hobos.

"If you want a suggestion, it might be better to open the south door and try to overcome our natural instincts to slay things long enough to get this sorted out."

Zyanzyr shakes his head in disapproval when Fistep drops the jester. "You fighters seem very adept at dispatching helpless people. Now he won't be able to help us with the king below, assuming he would have been helpful. I'm not sure why he would be up here if he really was important. I agree the encounter with these "rebels" might have gone differently without him. Anyway, with him gone, I think we should try to parlay with this group behind the door."

After Fistep tries to talk with the group and gets no response, he looks concerned. "It's certainly possible that they are just being quiet in the hopes we leave. However, they obviously have access to some water, so maybe there is another exit from the room." He peeks into the cell room to make sure no one has entered the room from a secret door.

"I doubt his aid would have been useful, had he truly been a chief's man he would have been guarded and not so far out alone."

Taklishim shrugs "I tried to not fight them, but they....."
seem to be murder hobo's

Laughs at the wizard's comments. Well, he did say he knew how to fight. After all he did manage to kick the dwarf in the bearded nether regions! He then considering the door, Maybe the leader is dead... he had a grievous wound.

SO: What do you want to do now?

* Take down the barricade and investigate the room to the south?
* Attack the Lizards in the hallway to the north?
* Return to camp, trying to avoid the Lizards?
* Go down the stairs and explore the next level?
* Something else?

Im for going to camp, then down the stairs.

After all he did manage to kick the dwarf in the bearded nether regions!

Actually he missed and landed on his ass. :)

So Ana and Zynazyr vote for going into the south room and trying to negotiate, while Fistep wants to return to camp then head down the stairs. Any other votes?

I suppose trying to negotiate couldn't hurt anything, then return to camp before heading down. How's that for a decisive answer :-)

I would rather we make peace if possible with those inside than have them sneak up on us in our sleep tonight.
The Dwarf said while glaring at Fistep.
The crazed man came nowhere close.

Okay, that's four votes for negotiating, so let's move ahead.

6d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 6, 4, 3, 6) = 23

1:30 PM, Day 2

It takes the party a fair bit of time to undo the barricade they set up. While doing so, and after their side of the door is clear, the party calls out to those on the other side. There is no response, and no-one in the party can hear any noise coming from the other room.

The door is neither locked nor trapped, but it takes a fair bit of work to dislodge the furniture stacked on the other side. Eventually the party gets the door open. There is no-one there.

The room looks similar to the one to the north. There are three bunk beds (all of which were pushed up against the door) along with other incidental pieces of furniture, such as small tables and chairs.

The party makes a quick search of the room. Ana discovers a trap door in the floor, which was poorly concealed by a worn rug.

Montague checks the trap door. It is not locked, nor do there seem to be any traps.

SO: What do you want to do now?

* Follow the men through the trap door down?
* Go down the stairs and explore the next level?
* Return to camp?
* Something else?

"They know this place, their home, they hold the advantage..No one follows the badger into it's den."

Shakes his head, We should block the trapdoor by piling all this furniture on it, then head back to camp to distribute some food and water. Not to mention rest before heading down to the next level and seeing if we can find this 'King'.

He looks over at the 'frog' on the ground, Lizards can use some food too, I suppose

Zynazyr shakes head in approval of Fistep's plan. "I will need to rest to regain my spells before we move on."

I see two votes for returning to camp, and no dissenting votes, so we will go ahead with that.

1:40 PM, Day 2

The party finishes the sweep of the room and prepares to return to their camp.

Before leaving they check the hallway to the north to see if the Lizards are still there. They are not in sight any more. They could have gone into any of the rooms adjacent to the hallway as the doors are all open. One party member takes a peek out the barred door to see if they are there; they are not.

This also reveals that the little hallway at point "A" ends at that point. This means that aside from any possible undiscovered secret chambers, you have explored the whole level.

Deciding to try and avoid the lizards, the party takes the southern route back to the western hallway.

6d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 5, 2, 1, 4) = 15

Upon reaching the western hallway, some sounds can be heard from the north end of the corridor, though it is beyond the range of your torchlight. The party advances slowly and quietly in the hopes of not attracting attention.

At the point at which the party reaches the smashed door that leads to camp, one of the lizards is revealed by their advancing torchlight. There is blood on the floor and on its muzzle, and it may have been feeding on the dead goblins at the corner.

It looks up at the party and gives a coarse bark, and takes a couple of steps towards the party!

I am now rolling initiative, but it may be possible to avoid combat if you wish, and you are not yet certain that the lizard will attack. But whatever people want to do will be resolved in initiative order.

Also Note: the party could probably fall back to the room immediately to the west. However, the wooden door there has a big hole in the bottom and is not secure. The secret door would be pretty solid though.

Round 1 Initiative:
Block 1: Ana, Ferrous, Fistep, Montague, Zynazyr
Block 2: Lizard
Block 3: Talikshim

Everyone except Talikshim is now up.

Steps up with his sword and shield ready in case the lizard starts coming this way... Let's get through to the camp!

At the sound of Fistep's voice the Lizard barks again, loudly.

Fistep... are you "delaying?"

Yes

Ferrous will ready his action. He will attack if the lizard makes an aggressive move.
Ferrous grips his axe tightly and readies himself to charge to meet the lizard if it continues towards the party.

I guess its more of a readied, ala what Ferrous did, than a delay

Ana, in like fashion, nocks an arrow, but does not draw back the string.

Ready attack action if the lizard becomes hostile.

reaction: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 3) = 6

A second lizard appears out of the shadows and stands beside the first. The Lizards eye the party warily, barking loudly. However, they do not advance.

Round 1 Initiative:
Block 1: Ana, Ferrous, Fistep, Montague, Zynazyr
Block 2: Lizard
Block 3: Talikshim
Block 4: Other Lizard

Montague, Zynazyr, and Talikshim are now up.

Montague whispers. "Let us find a way to bypass these creatures. We do not need the nourishment they might provide at the moment, and I am tired and need rest. Do you think throwing a little of the food to them might distract them, or are they sated by their current meal".

"Likely with so much to scavenge they will not attack us, though they might try and defend the food from us."

"It looks like they have been feeding already. Let's hope they are just protecting their meal and will leave us alone. Maybe we can block the hole in this door with something from the room beyond the secret one," Zynazyr says as he moves into the room.

Zynazyr, Montague, and Talikshim quietly file into the side room.

The first lizard growls, while thrashing it's tail about and bunching up it's shoulders, making itself seem larger. Clearly this is some kind of threat display. But the Lizard does not approach the party any further, beyond taking a step or two.

Ana, Ferrous, and Fistep are able to cautiously enter the room to the left, and shut the door behind them.

The party is able to return to camp without further incident.

New XP Totals

Ana: 2748
(Next Level at 4000)

Ferrous: 1883
(Next Level at 2250)

Fistep: 1748
(Next Level at 2000)

Montague: 1407
(Leveled up at 1250! Next Level at 2500)

Talikshim: 1318
(Next Level at 1500)

Zynazyr: 2032
(Next Level at 2500)

Some XP Notes:

* You gained bonus XP for successfully using the Skyrockets in a useful way.
* You gained XP for monsters that fled (like the masked men) but only gain XP for treasure you actually obtained.
* You got half XP for avoiding the lizards. If they reacted poorly they might have attacked, but they were uncertain about you so they weren't going to attack unless provoked. If they actually attacked and you escaped or drove them off either case would have granted full XP.
* Fistep and Talikshim are very likely to level up over the next game day. Ferrous and Zynazyr are further back but a good day (better than the one you just had) might get them there.

12d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 3, 2, 3, 3, 2, 4, 3, 1, 1, 5) = 29

Through the afternoon, Ana and Zynazyr pore over the items the party has collected, trying to determine if they are magical and what their properties are.

They discover that the copper ring once worn by Smelldox, the goblin "magician," is magical, and Zynazyr identifies it as a Ring of the Apprentice.

Neither Ana nor Zynazyr have any luck reading the unidentified scroll.

Ana realizes that the cones of incense are magical, and Zynazyr identifies them as Incense of Perception

Ana is able to decipher the writing in the ruined spellbook. It is a Light spell. Thus Ana may use the book to add light to her spell book if she wishes. This will use up the ruined spellbook.

Food & Water:

Food:

So far all members of the party have eaten two half-meals and were planning on eating a third. This will count as "half-rations" which you think you can survive on (though it's not that fun). I will assume you will do this unless I hear otherwise.

I will also assume you feed the goblin prisoner a meal of cooked rat meat unless I hear otherwise. He hasn't been fed since the morning and is complaining.

Water:

You have had a pint of water each so far today. You feel about as refreshed as you did yesterday, so you can probably manage with this amount of water. You have 30 cups (15 pints, or 1.75 gallons) of water remaining. So:

* Do you drink any more water today?
* How much water do you want to give the NPCs? They haven't had any water today but since they were eating fresh food (the rat meat) this counts as a little bit of water.

Ana spends part of the evening scribing light into her spellbook. She does not take any more water today.

Fistep eats another half-rations (for 3) but doesn't take any more water at this point. I think we should give the pitcher to our friends at camp.

Taklishim eats a half ration as well.

Okay, I will assume that all the people in the party are taking a third half-meal.

How much water do you wish to give the NPCs?
* None?
* A half-pint each (half of what you have drank)? This will leave 12 pints.
* A pint each (the same as you have had)? This will leave 9 pints.
* More than that?

Both Ana and Zynazyr could use the ring of the apprentice. Who will take it?

The incense of perception can be used by the whole party at once. Who will carry it?

8:00 AM, Day 3

The party awakens rather refreshed and ready for a new day.

Assuming we resolve the above, what now?
* Head to the stairs and explore down?
* Head to the trapdoor and go down there?
* Check some other area of the current level? (example: you never did search the room you first saw the lizard in)
* Something else?

"Still we must search for water, do we continue downward as the spring is likely deep calling to deep."

Vote to go down, but no tactical reason to choose one way over another, and see no point to possible loot in the lizard room (over locating a water source)

Down sounds good to me. Ana will take the ring if Zynazyr doesn't want it.

I agree with down. I saw a pint each

I'm fine with a pint each and taking the stairs down to the next level. I don't think we want to risk walking into an ambush by going down the trapdoor.

I too would like the ring as I have limited ability to attack. With the ring, I would have a 5 in 6 chance of casting a cantrip 3x a day.

give it to the wizard!

I'm fine with a pint each...

Okay, that's two votes for 1 pint each to the NPCs, and none against. So we'll go with that.

I too would like the ring as I have limited ability to attack. With the ring, I would have a 5 in 6 chance of casting a cantrip 3x a day.

Ana will take the ring if Zynazyr doesn't want it.

If I were to arbitrate I would say that Zynazyr gets the ring because Ana used the spellbook and can now cast light. But it seems Ana is okay with Zynazyr taking it.