DM Brainiac's Dungeon Crawl Classics

Game Master Brainiac

Created a blank spreadsheet you can edit to aid in loot distribution.

almost forgot.

Thanks!

Just want to say a general thanks to DM Brainiac for running this, I know ypu were originally a player looking for a game, but…thanks.

Just want to say a general thanks to DM Brainiac for running this, I know ypu were originally a player looking for a game, but…thanks.

Echoing OSW’s words. Thanks for running this one DM Brainiac!

You're welcome! It's nice to be appreciated! And honestly, I'm having as much fun running it as you all are playing it. :D

This is to my fellow players:

So to be clear, Cur Maxima is here in the chamber with us up above the titan. We have no way to safely get to the titan from here, and our option is to

A) defeat Cur Maxima here and go back down to stab the titan while he sleeps, or

B) everyone but Mr Wanderful fights Cur Maxima while Mr Wanderful throws the spear over 120’ (albeit straight down and assisted by gravity) at the titan.

I’ve been having a bit of trouble following what we are doing…or to be precise, what my characters think they or the other characters are doing, so at this point, all my characters can think of to do is fight the creature who clearly outmatches us, and has every time. Happy to throw themselves at him, after all, they don’t really see themselves as having any other options,

Or am I missing something - why are we interested in the woven cage with the insects in it?

This is the big cage that supposedly holds the Lady in Blue's ally Drezzta, who you have come here to rescue. You can't see into the cage from this vantage point, but will be able to if you climb down to the branch.

Releasing Drezzta may be the edge you need in defeating Cur Maxima without everybody dying in the process, so that should be your primary goal!

if I were to throw the spear into the cage. what would the odds be?

Are you trying to kill Drezzta? :o

If you wan to throw the spear down at the titan, there's a bit going on. There's a penalty for throwing it from so far away, but it's sleeping and helpless, so that cancels the penalty out. The spear is specifically enchanted to kill the titan, so it gives you +3 to hit. So you would roll a missile attack roll at +3.

Mister Wanderful has an Agility bonus of +2, so he'd have a total of +5 to hit. The titan's AC is 13. Don't forget you can burn Luck if you need to!

I thought Drezzta was the blue lady.
So Drezzta is in the woven cage?
I thought the woven cage had insects in it?

I clearly either don’t read closely enough or have major comprehension issues… will go back and reread…everything.

I didn’t really want to get into metagaming probabilities, more wondering wtf was going on. Why kill the titan though, as good as those odds are? He’s not an actual current threat, unlike ol’ Pumpkin breath. Who, even if the titan dies, can still pull is all into halvsies and then swallow us into cinders…

The blue lady simply goes by the Lady in Blue. She is the one who charged you with going to the prison to release her ally, Drezzta.

Drezzta is in the large cage hanging from the branch.

Several fist-sized glowing green insects fly around the whole prison providing light. Some of them were in smaller cages in the side tunnels in the walls, captured by the survivors to light the rooms where they were living.

Does that make it clearer?

***

The titan is sleeping and not an immediate threat, correct. But killing it while it is sleeping will likely be easier than if it were to wake up...

All clear, especially this bit:

”…That world is a prison, and its warden is a titan, a fierce creature that cannot be slain by mortal means. This titan keeps a prisoner in a cage of Alder wood. Its prisoner is our ally, and to say her name aloud would give my presence away to our enemies.”

So. Drezzta the unspeakable. In a woven cage. Rescue. Don’t die. Escape Prison. Don’t die. Return to blue lady. Don’t die. Spin wheel.

I guess killing the titan might ease our escape, unless killing Cur Maxima results in titan staying asleep. Or perhaps freeing Drezzta might result in titan waking up. Either way, the titan is a possible very big possibly not very far into the future threat.

Releasing Drezzta may be the edge you need in defeating Cur Maxima without everybody dying in the process, so that should be your primary goal!

Why? Or more probably, why would that occur to our characters? I’m not seeing why we think freeing Drezzta should impact Cur. I get from a metagame perspective that Cur has been ultra paranoid about us being here, and possibly is inimically linked to Drezzta’s imprisonment, but I’m not seeing a tacit connection for why we would think that freeing Drezzta helps us against Cur.

(Endless apologies for being obtuse…it’s quite the…talent…I…have)

No apologies needed!

It may not occur to the characters, but that's just a bit of friendly advice from the GM. :D

Wow, woke up to lots of discussion! I'm seeing the titan as the prison warden and Cur Maxima as the crazy damn prison guard. If the prisoner gets free, and the warden is sleeping (or dead) who will the now free prisoner go after?

Bad luck, scranford! All your PCs have died!

Perhaps somebody else would be kind enough to lend you one of their PCs for the remainder of the adventure?

Scranford, feel free to take my maniac urchin Mickey, if you'd like! I think she's updated, including some of the stuff taken from the unfortunate Dude, as well as the claimed shortsword. I figure after camping, she's got maybe a day's worth of rations left - same as the rest of my characters.

Mickey the Urchin

STR 9 (+0)
AGI 12 (+0)
STA 12 (+0)
PER 9 (+0)
INT 10 (+0)
LCK 9 (+0)

AC 10
HP 1

Starting Equipment:
Shortsword
Stick
1 Days of rations
Small sack
Small sack
Candle
50' Rope
Begging bowl
5cp

Attack Shortsword (+0 melee, 1d6 damage)

Birth Augur The Raging Storm (+0 to spell damage)

Scranford I can offer Mirinde the Elvish Sage if you are interested:

STR 10 (+0)
AGI 6 (+0)
STA 12 (+0)
PER 10(+0)
INT 10 (+0)
LCK 10(+0)

AC 9
HP 4

Starting Equipment:
Dagger
2 Days of rations
Rope 50'
Parchment and Quill pen
Vial of Holy Water
16cp

Attack Dagger (+0 melee, 1d4 damage)

Languages: Common, Elf
Elven traits: Heightened senses, iron vulnerability
Lucky Sign: Survived the plague (Magical healing) (+0)

Ok, nice shot Mr Wanderful!. Are we still in initiative, or can people start the DC 6 Strength check to climb the rope to the cage door?

I’m pretty sure a 10 foot jump is not much of a reach for an eight limbed jack-o-fire-pumpkin…

Feel free to take Pip, scranford. He has 17 Str, and 15 luck left!!!

Still in initiative. Will post shortly.

I…feel terrible. Pip would have stayed if I had realised Cyne was staying. I’m not sure how much clearer Cyne saying “I can hold it off” could be. And I *read* that post.

*sigh* RIP Cyne. The bravest 0-level character ever.

First to step onto the invisible bridge. Wounded Cur Maxima before his demise. He held the line.

[hand over heart, head bowed, eyes closed] He held the line.

The Dude abides...

Stiehle, Fennik gets +2 on the roll since he opened the cage, which makes it an 8.

Also, CucumberTree, Eyehope spoke Drezzta’s name so he should have -1 to his roll which makes it a 7.

Thanks for running the adventure GM, would be VERY cool if we can continue on with these characters in a Level 1 game! :)

Yes, that is the plan! Once we wrap up this adventure, everybody can choose one of their surviving characters and level them up to level 1!

Thanks again for running the game DM Brainiac! I always kinda felt like Pip was my “main character” but as I have an aversion to the small folk I secretly hoped Dell and Dee could one day become a FIGHTER and a MAGIC USER (“Wizard”)….

Well, if Pip ends up dying, maybe Dell or Dee might somehow find their way back to an adventuring life... :)

Or if you really dont want to play a halfling, I'll let you say the Wheel of Destiny made Pip a human as well.

Stiehle, Fennik gets +2 on the roll since he opened the cage, which makes it an 8.

Also, CucumberTree, Eyehope spoke Drezzta’s name so he should have -1 to his roll which makes it a 7.

I Thought it was a +1, not that I want a character named Eyehope Eudie.

I'm going with the ambiguously gay Mister Wanderful.

67 sp, 7 gp and a brilliant blue topaz of rare clarity and depth (100 gp value)
1 holy symbol (Justicia), made of platinum and copper and hung on a silver chain (1000 gp value).

185.6 gp per player

We're rich!! That's awesome DM, thank you! Alas, I already gave Fennik that +2, but he rolled very, very low indeed. That's OK though, I'll keep Clucky and make him a cleric, I do believe. Maybe of Justica? :)

Luck Score: 1d30 ⇒ 3

Fortunate date: Missile fire attack rolls

Not sure what that means, I guess a bow it is

HP: 1d6 ⇒ 2

This change either adds or subtracts 1d12 months to the character’s age, and causes minor physical changes (hair or eye color, sleight adjustment to height, etc.).

Not sure the month thing matters for an elf with no defined age.

But Mister Wanderful's John Thomas is much larger now.

I think I would stick with Artemis as a Thief.

Luck would now be 15.

Lucky Roll: 1d30 ⇒ 23
Lucky Roll: 1d30 ⇒ 24

Would probably go with the first = Charmed House: Luck modifier applied to AC.

Thief HP: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Tough call here, but I think I'll stick with Mirinde the Elf as my PC (with Gauward as a backup).

Luck increases to 11. Mirinde Lucky roll: 1d30 ⇒ 14 The raging storm: Spell damage. That fits beautifully I think.

As for her physical change I would say she now has a streak of white hair that runs through her normally black hair.

Elf HP roll: 1d6 ⇒ 4 8 HP total.

Finally she will exchange the iron dagger she has been carrying for a mithril one.

Well it’s been a fun ride, but I’ll call it quits here folks. Scranford, if you want, Pip is yours!

Thanks for memorable moments, interesting characters and a great game. Thanks yet again to DM Brainiac…have fun all!

Thanks Oceanshieldwolf. Us wolves have to stick together.

Is the character sheet for Pip somewhere easy to access?

Here’s “Pip” as he ended the game, before adjustments from the Wheel:

Strength: 17

Agility: 7 

Stamina: 12 

Intelligence: 13 

Personality: 13 

Luck: 14 

HP: 4 

Lucky Sign: 18 Guardian Angel: + 1 bonus to escape traps

Occupation: Halfling glovemaker

Equipment: 
Awl

Spear 

1 pair gloves
4 candles (4 cp) 

1 piece chalk (1 cp) 

Flint and steel (15 cp) 

1 torch (1 cp)

And Pip scored this on the Wheel of Destiny:

Major change to the character’s stars:
The character receives a permanent +2 to his Luck score;

re-rolls his birth augur and lucky roll twice, and chooses which of the three (including the one he already has) to keep.

The character also chooses one of their ability scores and re-rolls it, keeping the new score if it is higher than their old one.

The character’s identity changes significantly – they age plus or minus 1d4 years, they might be from a new family, city, or even a different country, and can have major physical changes (the character’s gender or racial sub-group might even change). They might have a new name.

I would suggest rerolling Pip’s Agility, and giving him a new name! Pip started with 15 Luck, it is now 14 - I’m not sure if you replenish Luck over time….anyway…Enjoy!!!

Thanks I shall play him doughtily in your honor.

3d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 3) = 14 Agility score.

He is now Roscoe Nimblepip

I guess I'll make a profile for him soon as the new game begins.

And now his agility score is marvelous. Looks like a good halfling character.

Well it’s been a fun ride, but I’ll call it quits here folks. Scranford, if you want, Pip is yours!

Thanks for memorable moments, interesting characters and a great game. Thanks yet again to DM Brainiac…have fun all!

I see Mister Wanderful's profusely raw sexual magnetism has overwhelmed you.

I get it.

It is definitely a recurring theme, that’s for sure.

Oceanshieldwolf wrote:

Well it’s been a fun ride, but I’ll call it quits here folks. Scranford, if you want, Pip is yours!

Thanks for memorable moments, interesting characters and a great game. Thanks yet again to DM Brainiac…have fun all!

I see Mister Wanderful's profusely raw sexual magnetism has overwhelmed you.

I get it.

By Pip’s torn sack, you’ve…exposed me!

Alright, so our five erstwhile level 1 heroes are as follows:

Artemis the Thief, Clancy the Cleric, Mirinde the Elf, Mister Wanderful the Elf, and Roscoe Nimblepip the Halfling!

If everybody would kindly post a short story in the gameplay thread similar to Clancy's, that would be great. Just a little bit about how you feel surviving the first adventure, how the Wheel of Destiny changed you, and why you chose to pursue your class and the life of an adventurer. Once that is done, I will move us along to the next 1st-level adventure!

If you need help leveling up from 0 to 1, let me know.

Wait, I can re-roll an ability? Agi?: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 5) = 15

@Brainiac: I am currently traveling (back home on Thursday), but will try to find time for a blurb of some sort.

Also, anybody who burned Luck during this adventure can restore 1 point of that Luck as a reward for surviving!

Woot! Thanks for the Luck boost, DM!

How much is mithril chain, and it's stats?

DM Braniac: How did you want Mirinde to select her spells? The Quick start rules say to select randomly, but I have not purchased the Rulebook yet, though I do plan on getting it soon.

How much is mithril chain, and it's stats?

At 1st level, an elf character may purchase one piece of armor and one weapon that are manufactured of mithril at no additional cost. Mithril armor weighs slightly less than iron or steel armor of the same type and can be worn by the elf without the pain normally associated with metal armors.

Keep in mind that wearing armor may interfere with your spellcasting.

DM Braniac: How did you want Mirinde to select her spells? The Quick start rules say to select randomly, but I have not purchased the Rulebook yet, though I do plan on getting it soon.

You’ll still determine them randomly. In addition to the 3 random spells, an elf automatically receives the spells patron bond and invoke patron at 1st level.

Roll 1d27 for each spell, rerolling duplicates. I’ll post the relevant spell info for your results.

Additionally, when a wizard or an elf learns a new spell, he rolls on the mercurial magic table to determine how that spell manifests in his hands. This percentile roll is adjusted by his Luck modifier x 10%; i.e., a +2 Luck modifier counts as +20% on the check. Roll those for each spell and I’ll tell you the results as well.

OK here are Mirinde's spell rolls:

Spell #1: 1d27 ⇒ 15; Mercurial: 1d100 ⇒ 43
Spell #2: 1d27 ⇒ 18; Mercurial: 1d100 ⇒ 3
Spell #3: 1d27 ⇒ 7; Mercurial: 1d100 ⇒ 25