Paizo Plays The Faerie Mound of Dragonkind

Game Master Misroi

Open the dome

Remembering the possible future where you inhaled toxic fumes, you turn your head away as you lift the glass dome. The only scent that reaches your nostrils is the fresh fragrance of spring flowers. But the flowers aren't fresh; in fact, they may never have been real flowers. Closer examination reveals them to have been sculpted of some waxy substance.

You've felt th flowers, and smelled them. Perhaps you should taste them?

Do you:
A: Taste the flowers?
B: Replace the flowers and look at something else?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Replace the flowers and look at something else. Why would I want to eat wax?

Why is there never a cool middle option like "KEEP the flowers, but don't eat them"?

I agree. Sounds stupid to eat them. I am curious about what would happen, but last time something sounded stupid (the getting into the fountain thing), it was also deadly, so I'm going to have to say pass.

So, that means we're back to the previous choices, so let's not waste a whole day just saying we're going back... let's choose.

Go back to an earlier choice AND investigate the firepits.

Sure lets investigate the firepits

Agreed. I definitely want to keep the flowers for later. But as we can't, to the firepits if is.

You place the flowers back in the dome, and turn your attention to the pits. As you study them, you suddenly realize that some of the flame in the right-hand pit is breaking away. It's a fire elemental!

You leap back, hand upon your blade, but then you hear the crackling sounds of flame changing into recognizable sounds - words, in fact.

"IIII cannnn beeee yourrrr guidddde outttt of thissss chammmmber," are the words you think you hear through the crackling noises. Ignan was never your strongest language.

Do you:
A: Think what you're hearing is your imagination and you want to fight the elemental immediately?
B: Feel like you'd better try to hear more?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Hear more. It's polite so I'm willing to listen

Hear more. I wonder if it knows something

hear more, though not sure why we need a guide. Are we trapped and didn't realize it?

Sorry for the delay - these last few days have kicked my ass IRL, so I'm just now getting back to my obligations online. Onward!

"Alright," you reply warily. "I'm listening. How can you help?"

"Jusssst dropppp innnnsiddde thissss ffffirepitttt, andddd youuu willll getttt outttt offfff herrrre."

Your head spins at the horror. Getting away from this hellscape is welcome, but leaping into a roaring blaze? And how can you know if the elemental is telling the truth? You don't have any particular resistance to flame, but perhaps you could follow the elemental's instructions without getting burned - or at least, not too badly.

Do you:
A: Follow the elemental's instructions?
B: Decline and investigate something else?

Voting closes tomorrow evening - I promise this time!

Decline. It might be true, but I'm not interested in trying it when we haven't even explored any further. And burning is a crappy way to die, and I don't really think that elementals are any more trustworthy than fey.

See other things. We can always listen to the elemental later once we're done exploring.

Decline. We only have one crystal left.

You turn your attention away from the firepits.

Do you investigate:
A: The firepits?
B: The bell jar with flowers?
C: The chariot?
D: The road?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Chariot

Chariot then.

The chariot is a magnificently constructed vehicle of fine, stout wood, with hand-wrought decorations covering its surface. The shafts bear tooled leather traces, and mounted on the peak of the front is a huge gem that shimmers with magic as you examine it.

Do you:
A: Take the gem?
B: Hitch the chariot to the nightmare?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Take the gem.

Holy choices batman. Both of those could go oh so very wrong, and this time no choice to back away slowly. :)

I'm going to go with hitch to chariot.

Hitch the chariot to the nightmare. Don't want to tamper with magical thingies.

... The nightmare is a magical thingie too, just saying. :)

... The nightmare is a magical thingie too, just saying. :)

+1

I'm just hoping our sword of Nightmare control keeps working. :)

You drag the chariot forward so the shafts can be fastened to the harness on the nightmare's sides. Cinching the leather straps tightly, you turn the nightmare and chariot around so you face the tunnel entrance. Mounting the chariot, you brace your feet against the front and give the reins a sharp flick, all the while uttering a brief prayer to the gods.

Instantly, the creature bursts into motion, starting the chariot with a sharp jerk. Before you can react, it is out in the open and the sun is pouring down upon you. With flaming, thundering hooves, the nightmare pulls you at such sped that you can't tell where you're going or even where you've been! Then, suddenly, the creature slows and you find yourself beside a narrow bridge over a yawning chasm. You step out of the chariot, and just as you turn your attention to the glowing gem on the chariot, the nightmare races off again, back the way you came. You had no chance to take the gem.

You now find yourself in a huge underground cavern. Instantly you see that if you want to get out of the cavern, there's nowhere to go but forward, across the bridge that stands before you. But a mean-looking, huge, and altogether unpleasant troll stands at the other end of the bridge, and you have the distinct impression that it's not going to let you past!

What's the troll doing above the bridge? you wonder. Aren't trolls supposed to be under bridges?

At least the monster doesn't seem inclined to come across to get you, so you have time to ponder your next move. All around you is bare rock, with no crevices or tunnels. In front of you is a narrow, seemingly bottomless chasm. There's no way you can leap across it, so your options are limited.

Do you:
A: Investigate the bridge pillars, which seem to have some writing on them?
B: Take the chance that the troll is too heavy for the bridge and go out to to look at the golden hoop lying in the middle of the structure?
C: March across the bridge and attack the troll?
D: Use a flying carpet?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Investigate the pillars.

Investigate the pillars.

The pillars are decorated with magic writing. You stand by one and trace its patterns with your fingers.

1d12 ⇒ 8

Try as you might, you discern nothing unusual about the pillars, nor can you decipher the writing. As the troll growls at your continuing presence, you decide upon your next action.

Do you:
A: Investigate the bridge pillars, which seem to have some writing on them?
B: Take the chance that the troll is too heavy for the bridge and go out to to look at the golden hoop lying in the middle of the structure?
C: March across the bridge and attack the troll?
D: Use a flying carpet?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Look at the golden hoop.

Again, scary choices. This seems like it will throw us into a chasm, if we walk onto a bridge we think the troll will break. :)

But whatever... fighting him or maybe getting a magic hula hoop, I'm going hula hoop.

Murderhobo the troll!!RAWR!

Hoping the troll won't change its mind and venture out on the bridge, you carefully move out toward the hoop. The troll just grumbles and grunts, rather like a rumbling volcano must sound.

The hoop is just lying there on the bound-pole surface of the bridge. It's god and appears to be about eight inches in diameter. You're somewhat disappointed to discover that it's merely a plain gold hoop with no ornamentation whatsoever, although at second glance, you do see a small bangle hanging from one side. Maybe it's supposed to be a necklace - it looks like it will fit over your head.

The distant rumble of the troll suddenly turns into growling words. "Let me have the hoop, stranger, and I'll let you by." You can barely discern what the troll is saying, it's rather like hearing a rock talk!

Do you:
A: Toss the hoop to the troll and hope it keeps its word?
B: Throw the hoop at the troll and hope you hit it?
C: Take more time to ponder the matter (and, incidentally, drive the troll crazy) by playing ring-toss with the hoop and trying to get it over a bridge pillar?
D: Put the hoop over your head and wear it as a necklace?
E: Throw the hoop in the chasm?
F: Keep the hoop and use it if you ever need a ring?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Told you you should've murderhoboed the troll earlier. Feel like driving the troll crazy, but I think I'll use it as a necklace.

If we'd murderhoboed the trolll earlier we might not have lived to get the hoop. Still I agree with your selection and opt to use the hoop as a necklace

Why would we murder him? Unless he attacks us, we should leave him alone. Trolls are people too... or, um... sentient beings at least. :)

I think testing it on the bridge pillar might have been wiser, to see if it does something to it, but necklace is good too. Find out what it is before we trade it away, for sure.

Well, it's shiny, you think to yourself. Might as well wear it. You place it over your head and with a flash you disappear from the bridge. The hoop drops back down to the bridge slats, remaining behind.

You, however, find yourself in a much more serene environment. You appear to be back outdoors, where little faerie folk laugh and chatter and buzz around. A human-sized swing hangs from a bough, seeming to beckon you to enjoy it. Relaxing beneath the tree where it hangs is an elf dressed in a green tunic, with a sword on his hip.

"A mortal!", he says with a grin, getting to his feet. "What brings you here?"

"My name is Riderch, sir elf, and I am searching the mound for the lute of Danann."

"You have no chance to succeed, mortal," the elf replies, his smile still upon his face. "But fortune smiles upon you this day. While I was resting my feet here, I just got to thinking that I have not helped in a hopeless cause in a long, long time. Then, suddenly, you appeared! I know not whether you came in answer to my thoughts, or if you appeared unbidden, but I will not ignore such a portent. I will accompany you on your quest and fight side by side with you, until death do us part. Lead on, my newfound friend!"

Good news! You've encountered the Elf bookmark on this page, which references Elf 5. He'll be following Riderch, and can fight in his place until he runs out of Life Points. Once he's defeated, though, he will disappear into the mound, and will be randomly placed in the book again. For now, though...name him!

As you stand there enjoying the sunshine and lazy drifting clouds, several of the little faeries fly over your head. You look up at them and smile...until you see them preparing to sprinkle you with something!

"Is...is that faerie dust?" you ask, somewhat alarmed. Your bardic training had stories that faerie dust could make humans do weird things.

"Yes, it is," a tiny, lilting voice says. "Please let us sprinkle some on you. We guarantee that it will only be helpful."

Helpful?, you think. But for whom?

Do you:
A: Let the faeries sprinkle you with faerie dust?
B: Refuse the faerie dust?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Refuse. It could have us ejected from the mound

Nope not trustin any faeries.

The Elf's name is Zade. And the decision has already been made, but yeah... toss up on whether it would be good or bad. They might get mad if we refuse, but then again, letting them might do something bad too, so I'm fine with what you guys went with.

You shake your head and reply, "No, thank you." The faeries stamp their tiny feet and insist, but if anything, that galvanizes your resolve in having made the right decision. The faeries leave in a huff, casting dire warnings of doom and disaster as they go.

Free to look around at last, you weigh your options.

Do you investigate:
A: A sizable mushroom?
B: A pouch hanging in the tree?
C: A wrought-iron gate?
D: The swing?
E: A bottle held by two flying faeries?
F: A path through the flowers?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

The bottle,

the pouch.

The swing

Three-sided Coin Flip: 1d3 ⇒ 1

You look up in the sky, where two faeries are flying around carrying a bottle between them. You chuckle as you try to imagine what they're doing with it. Suddenly, you notice that the bottle has an inviting green glow it. The faeries deliberately fly near to you and drop the bottle at your feet.

Do you:
A: Pick the bottle up and examine it?
B: Ignore it and investigate something else?

Pick up the bottle and examine it. With luck we won't end up getting sucked in like a genie.

A. Why else would I want to annoy the fairy.

This is a set up, but I hope investigating it won't kill us. Pick it up.

The bottle certainly looks ordinary enough. You turn it around and give it a cautious sniff. There's no hint of aroma or anything, so you uncork the bottle. Instantly, there's a great rushing shriek and a whooshing sound fills the air. This does not issue from the bottle, but from the huge red dragon that has been called forth by the bottle of summoning you've opened!

"I knew this was a lost cause!", Zade says, drawing his blade with glee. "I shall protect you from the dragon!" He prepares to leap at the beast, but you draw Cwythia and pipe the same tune you used to put a different dragon to sleep in the mound.

Cwythia: 1d12 ⇒ 3

Just as Zade is about to close the distance and attack the dragon, you finish your tune, and the dragon lows, quickly succumbing to slumber. "Perhaps your quest is not as impossible as I thought," he says, sheathing his elf-steel blade. You hear a faint flutter near your head, and you see the faeries turning to the meadow.

"Couldn't you have warned me that was a bad idea?", you ask peevishly.

"We did," they reply. "In our own sort of way, that is." They release a few grains of faerie dust into the breeze.

"Oh," you reply, as you consider your next move carefully.

Do you investigate:
A: A sizable mushroom?
B: A pouch hanging in the tree?
C: A wrought-iron gate?
D: The swing?
E: A bottle held by two flying faeries?
F: A path through the flowers?

Voting closes tomorrow evening.

Pouch it!

Welcome to the Faerie Mound of Dragonkind, the first of the Catacombs series of solo adventure books published by TSR back in the late '80s. There were several different solo adventure series back then, from Fighting Fantasy to Lone Wolf and so on. These books were much larger and featured much better art, however, none of which is important in a digital format.

So, let's talk about how the game mechanics work. Combat is remarkably simple - all die rolls involve a d12, and are successful if we roll below a certain number, either 7 or 8 (more on that later). Nonmagical weapons that aren't daggers and darts do 5 points of damage, while daggers and darts do 3. There's no initiative - we strike first against any baddies unless the game text says otherwise, and then it's back and forth until one side or the other runs out of life points.

Now, if you're familiar with these types of books, then you also know they're often incredibly unfair - it's fairly easy to find yourself choosing a section on limited information and finding out that your decision ends up getting you killed. That's not fun, so we will have three "life gems," which will allow us to ignore three insta-deaths or defeats due to combat. After that, though, we're on our own.

Finally, exploration decisions will be based upon popular vote. This game is completely public - people can join in and vote at any time to influence what actions they'd like to take, and the majority rules after voting has closed will determine the next action.

So, let's talk about our first decision point! You'll notice I haven't said anything about our character - that's because there are two!

Option 1: Brennies, the fighter. A charioteer in service to a lord who has been afflicted with a strange wasting disease, the only cure to which lies within the mound. Brennies will be leaving behind his horse and chariot to enter the mound, but is not going in empty handed. He wears his bronze platemail and wields Heartseeker, a magical sword. Brennies strikes foes on a roll of 8 or lower, but Heartseeker's +2 enhancement increases that to 10 or lower, and deals 7 damage on a successful strike. Additionally, he carries a potion of healing, which can heal 3 life points of damage, a ring of protection, which negates the first life point of damage he receives in each new battle, and a sphere of time, which when smashed allows him to completely redo an unsuccessful encounter from the encounter's beginning. He can also use any weapon he finds within the mound, and has 50 life points.

Option 2: Riderch, the bard. Already a skilled musician, performer, and songsmith, Riderch is questing to find a mystic harp that lies within that will allow him to create masterpieces that will live on for centuries. Riderch's music is he primary weapon - and he has relied on Cwythia, his enchanted pan-pipes, to avoid fights whenever he can. Before fighting starts, Cwythia can charm a creature into harmlessness on a 6 or less. If that fails, though, he must draw his sword and attack, hitting on a 7 or less and dealing 5 damage. He also brings a potion of extra healing, which can heal 6 damage, a ring of the faeries, which prevents him from being blinded by any sort of magic, and a sphere of defense, which when smashed allows him to always defeat one type of creature in the faerie mound. Riderch's weapon skills are more limited - he can only use axes, daggers, spears, and bows and arrows, and has 40 life points.

I'll leave the voting up for this initial round until Sunday evening - after that, we'll embark into the Faerie Mound itself!

I vote for Riderch the bard. I’ve always preferred magic-and-guile type heroes as opposed to beatsticks. Besides I suspect you won’t be going into faerie mound without faeries..and how can you succeed in your epic quest if not by speaking nicely to the faeries? And that’s where the bard comes in.

I’m also not fond of murderhoboing everything I meet.

I'm fine starting now :P

About me:

I’ve played the entire Lone Wolf series – I like disciples like Kai Alchemy, Sixth Sense, Pathsmanship, Healing(especially the first 5 books, after 10 it isn’t that good). Not so much of a fan of weapon mastery or the more offensive kai disciplines.

In Pathfinder – I generally play some kind of spellcaster – divine/arcane doesn’t matter so much, though I seem to go towards divine spellcasting fairly often.

I can’t for the life of me keep track on where we’ve been in a dungeon, being directionally challenged, so I will need help with that.

I’m not what I’d say phenomenal at riddles and solving random puzzles when you get to them – but I suppose I am passable – since I managed to solve the thornkeep riddle at 3 am at night. Though I suspect my answer was yelled generally out of frustration at having to solve the riddle at 3 am in the night…

I have what most would call crazy activity. I’m on GMT +8 timezone, I start the day at 7 am and usually go to bed by 11pm latest. If its just us both - assuming you’re of a compatible timezone, we could probably run through several decisions per day. Which would make me very happy since I always love to see things moving.

I also vote for the bard.

I check the boards a lot. I don't think I will slow you down.

I like the bard because it seems like more of an interesting choice, and I want to see how he solves things rather than the more blunt way that a fighter might.

Bard

I feel that despite the fighters better combat stats, the bard stands a better chance due to his ability to completely take a creature out at the beginning of a fight. potentially saving him some particularly draining fights.

Bard it is, then! sets Brennies aside

I'll add Riderch's stats to the adventure description, so they'll be easily accessible during play. It will include your life points, along with your inventory. You can carry three potions, two weapons, three rings, and three other objects, in addition to the stuff you're bringing into the Faerie Mound. Conveniently, this mirrors how the gamebook did it - Brennies and Riderch had a bookmark where this information could be written, with the elf being the third.

Which leads me to how the gamebook handles wandering encounters! The elf bookmark is randomly placed somewhere in the book, and if your decisions lead you to the pages where the elf is located, then you have to deal with the elf before you can deal with the repercussions of whatever you had planned. So, let's randomly place him!

Elf Roll: 1d140 + 10 ⇒ (35) + 10 = 45

There, the elf is now settled into page 45. If our travels take us there, then we'll see what we have to deal with.

Let's begin!!!

Oh noes. So many choices. I am confused!

I think if votes are tied, just random number roll to break them.

I still think we need more life gems considering my last diasasterous attempt to play through fighting fantasy - the diamond key.

It's a great book though :)

Zanbabe - if I'm shocking you with my rampant murderhoboism, my reaction is mainly because the first thing he did when he saw us was yell smash the ant and try to stomp squish us. If he had asked us why we were trespassing, I would have been willing to leave him alone or even help him. You don't reason with a mad dog, you put it down.

Oh I enjoy Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and fun, happy cartoons in general. Odd coming from a murderhobo cat? Yeah I suppose, but like onions, cats have many layers ;-)

So, wait... you are a Pixarian Onion Cat, with levels in Murder Hobo?

No, I'm a multiclassed ranger/wizard/assasin who may have arcane trickster levels.

I question my alignment but peg it to LN, and I have a special feat to let me ignore the evil alignment pre requisite of assasin.

I used to be fluffy, then things happened and I picked up those assasin levels(too many people trying to turn me into a fur coat). And I hide my inner self under a cold, cynical, uncaring exterior - thus the reference on onions.

And like all adventurers since time immemorial, I'm loot-greedy and love my shinies.

Might be in part due to playing fighting fantasy as the books tend to be a treasure hunt. Get to BBEG without a certain item? Splat.

Zanbabe - do you think we should write character profiles for each of us voices in Riderch's head?

Interested. (If I'm allowed a say: Investigate the fountain, but do not drink yet)

Post in gameplay please.

Also: we earlier filled a bottle with the fountain and this was what we got.

You now have a potion of magic resistance, which will allow you to negate all damage from a single magical attack when you drink it.

You are allowed a say, but just post in gameplay... jump in.

There is a series called Grailquest, where you are expected to die, restart, repick up your items, and do it again until you complete the book.

That is because things have to be done in a particular order, and without playing through there are no hints to tell you what order it is.

So far more likely on your first try, you will get halfway, realize you don't have a particular event checked and die horribly.

So restarting to me sounds fine, since we will remember where we got the items, just need to backtrack to them. Standard Grailquest Operating Procedure.

Might sound cheesy, but that's the premise of the entire book. The death scenes in there are fking funny as a consolation, like you can be torn apart by chickens.

That does sound like a fun series, but also very frustrating. I want to find out what happens at the end, not play the beginning 34 times. ... I mean, if we lose all our gems, we'll have to anyway, so why rush it?

You have a point.

That is also why I suggested more then 3 life gems at the start.

Gamebooks can be of the you can get it right on first try(Lone wolf series, though bad rolls can still fk you up), to you're expected to playthrough multiple times(I'm still trying to complete Hellfire from Fighting Fantasy). Don't ask how many times I've restarted, I've lost track.

In Grailquest I basically see how many amusing ways I can get myself killed.

I have completed most of my FF books on the third or fourth try (admittedly I only have 3 or 4) but that is mostly due to my habit of trying all the possible paths no matter how stupid or absurd they are

I challenge you to do hellfire.

Don't read the walkthrough, tell me when you're done ;-)

Even with reading the walkthrough, I'm still not done yet...ahahha

Secondly, I'll be going on vacation from 6th October to 9th October to hike in the jungle.

I will have very limited internet access during those days, since there is no wifi in the jungle and only when I am at my room in guesthouse at night and in the morning will I have internet access(which is likely to be spotty), so my apologies in advance. Feel free to not bother to wait for my vote during those days.

Have fun in the jungle. :)

I apologize for being rather short these days but I'm a tad busy at work.

Totally cool - this game is designed to be 'drop in, drop out.' Make it if you can, don't sweat it if you can't. :)

Bump.

Are we going to continue this?

I'm guessing no. Before you brought the thread back from the dead, the last post was mid-November. That's two months. I liked the game, but it was probably taking a chunk out of Misroi's day that he might not have anymore. If he's here and he wants to continue, he'll respond. If not, let it die, and don't bump it anymore.

Just checking. Sometimes when their are no new posts people can forget about a game.