BrOp's Dragonbane RPG game

Game Master Branding Opportunity

Feel free to "dot" in here.

Your small group has been making its way through the narrow Drakmar Pass in the treacherous Kummer Mountains. Your destination is the human village of Outskirt in the fabled Misty Vale, a place widely rumored to contain ancient sites brimming with gold and magic. The entire journey from the lands beyond was supposed to take a week, with the crossing of the Drakmar Pass being its final leg before arriving in Misty Vale, when your fate took a turn for the worse.

A late spring snowstorm blew up from the mountain peaks and forced you to take emergency shelter under an overhanging rock outcropping for nearly two days, and it was only Archmaster Aodhan's fire magic that kept you all from freezing to death. The delay depleted the last of your food reserves, and none of you think that you will be able to catch anything as large as a hare in the treeless rockiness of the Drakmar Pass that runs through the mountains like an axe gash. You can only hope that you can make it to Misty Vale before hunger takes you all.

This morning the snow storm finally cleared and the sky is a hazy grey that obscures the sun. You now leave your campsite behind and continue on the ancient path through Drakmar Pass.

Below are some questions that any of you can choose to answer as part of your opening posts. This is known as "painting the scene" and is a technique (from a different RPG) designed to share the job of world-building with the players.

Question 1: You have seen or sensed something that informs you that you will soon be descending from these barren mountains into Misty Vale. What is it and what feelings does it rouse in you?

Question 2: There is something nearby or about the path you are traveling that tells you that you are walking on an ancient road left over from a much older civilzation. What is it and how does it make you feel?

Krisanna hummed a lighthearted tune as she trudged along the track that wove its way through the Kummer Mountains. The intrepid halfling smiled as she felt her luck was changing for the better. As if in confirmation a warm breeze brush against her face, ”Hey guys, did you feel that? I swear that breeze was warmer!” She squealed with joy, ”By golly that means the elevation is getting lower. Don’t ya think?”

An elderly yet full of energy man tries to catch up to Krisanna, although doing so makes him breathe heavier. Archmaster Aodhan says "Sure, dear, that can mean that. But not for the reason you think. You see, this entire Vale was once part of a civilization ruled by a so-called "Dragon Emperor". Whoever that is, I'm guessing he wanted people to feel they were entering a dragon's mouth!"

The man leans on his large staff to walk, but his robes and age surely aren't helping him. He is hungry, but that has never bothered him. What bothers him more is that being in this pass feels dangerous. A hungry group of travelers would be easy prey to big animals. He says "We should be on the lookout for predators. If we can't find game, they're probably be hungry and a little more daring too."

Just as quickly as he became worried, he became inquisitive. He says "Kris! Take a look at this!" He is pointing to a stone tile which he cleared of snow by stepping on it. Upon closer inspection, there is something that might look as a marking, if someone is willing to believe it. Aodhan says "This is an ancient rune alphabet, I believe!" He insists on pulling out a book from his backpack and after a few moments searching within, he says "I see. Hummm. This can either mean 'Welcome travelers' or 'Katja's home'." We're close!

Krisanna rushes over to view the mage’s discovery. She crouched down to get a closer view and squints. ”Why would someone put runes on a road,” the halfling wondered aloud

The old man replies "Well, this should be an interesting tale!" After a moment of silence, he says "Uh, I don't know the tale, just think it would be interesting to hear. Likely something here is very unkind to signs? So they have had to write it in stone?"

Satisfied with his own discovery, he says "Yes, this is probably what happened! Good-bye, Katja's home! Or hello Dragon Emperor's domain!"

The halfling looks around warily, ”Sounds about right good mage. Best press forward and hope those who dwell here are more kind to people than signs.”

The shift in the air, thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, signaled their descent into Misty Vale. A low growl rumbled from him, his wolfkin instincts finely attuned to the wild's nuances. Anticipation welled within him for the promise of new beginnings in the Vale, though tempered by caution toward the shadows lurking within its mist.

Crouching by the rune-engraved stone, he brushed away the remaining snow with a clawed hand. "These ancient carvings speak of a civilization long past," he continued, acknowledging Krisanna and Archmaster Aodhan's discoveries with a nod. "They whisper tales of forgotten histories and unseen perils. This road is old and treacherous; we'll need to tread carefully."

Rising to his full height, Bastonn scanned the path ahead with a watchful gaze, his lupine features marked by an intense focus. "Predators might be near, especially with us low on food. We need to watch each other's backs."

Then he took the lead as usual, his senses sharp, ready for any threat that might come their way.

You carefully make you way through Drakmar Pass, and the path slowly begins to slope downwards. As you travel, the air around you becomes thicker and warmer and a you can see that the valley ahead is covered in a thick layer of fog. After less than an hour of trudging through melting snow drifts, you notice that the walls of the mountains begin to close in until they are no more than three wagons' lengths apart. The only way through this narrow channel seems to be the path ahead, as the walls of the canyon are craggy and covered in snow and ice.

As you approach a bend in the trail, you hear a soft humanoid-sounding whimper coming from somewhere around the next corner corner.

A brown mallard drenched in plate metal tramps up behind the party.

Makander scowls at the group. "My dear fellows, are you all not aware of fire safety? Archmaster Aodhan's magical fire was not dying out as quickly as that which occurs in nature. Quack! It took a mean minute and a small pile of snow to be sure it was finally done smoldering."

GM BrOp: Do we roll Awareness, or is that a GM roll in these rules?

I'm not rolling anything until I'm told to.

Archmaster Aodhan drops his guard a little bit and says "Forget the snow, someone is suffering nearby! Let's find them!" He makes a motion forward, but does not walk past Bastonn and sir Makander. Instead he tries to rush them forward.

The more I play, the less I like 'proactive rolling' :P

Bastonn nodded at Sir Makander, acknowledging his concern. "Fire safety is important Sir, but right now Master Aodhan is right," he growled, urgency in his voice.

The soft whimper tugged at his instincts, reminding him of a vulnerable pup. "Stay alert and ready," he cautioned, drawing his spear and shield, and moving cautiously toward the sound, senses on alert. With a final glance to ensure the others were following, he advanced carefully around the bend, prepared for whatever they might find.

Seeing Bastonn arm himself prompts Aodhan to do the same. He readies some fire from his right hand, in case he needs to heat up the situation.

Not sure how spells work in this game yet, but I fully imagine the old man firebending a flame over his hand.

Seeing Bastonn arm himself prompts Aodhan to do the same. He readies some fire from his right hand, in case he needs to heat up the situation.

Not sure how spells work in this game yet, but I fully imagine the old man firebending a flame over his hand.

I'm happy for you to describe it in this manner and it makes sense. You can find the rules for casting spells in the Quickstart Guide.

The group carefully moves around the bend, weapons at the ready. Turning the corner, you see a cloaked humanoid figure lying in the middle of the rocky trail, only 20 meters ahead of Bastonn in the lead. He (at least you assume it's a he) is wearing a simple but thick gray robe and clutching a dark bundle to his chest. He continues whimpering, which then turns into a rattling wheeze, making you believe that the person is gravely wounded. From your current position you can't see his hooded face, but judging by his overall phisiology, you guess that he is human.

In general I will let you know if you need to make a skill or attribute roll. I generally won't ask for them unless it makes sense in the story, is required by the rules (such as in combat), or being unsure of the outcome of an action would be interesting.

Aodhan freezes when he sees the scene. He says "We should help him, but... it could be a trap." He looks around to see if someone is hiding, ready for an ambush. Or something...

At the sound, Makander lifts his bill and sniffs the air.

Bastonn nodded at Sir Makander, acknowledging his concern. "Fire safety is important Sir, but right now Master Aodhan is right," he growled, urgency in his voice.

"Aye. Keep your wits about you, everyone. Back home in Halfbay, we have creatures in the deep wilds called weepers which mimic the sounds of people or animals in distress to lure in their prey."

Makander unlimbers his shield and places his hand on the haft of his battleaxe, but he leaves it undrawn for now. He nods approvingly when the others draws their weapons and says, "Watch my back. I'll head in first without weapons as to not frighten them if it is indeed some poor unfortunates."

Without hesitation, Makander moves towards the whimpering, eyes darting everywhere.

Edit:

The group carefully moves around the bend, weapons at the ready. Turning the corner, you see a cloaked humanoid figure lying in the middle of the rocky trail, only 20 meters ahead of Bastonn in the lead. He (at least you assume it's a he) is wearing a simple but thick gray robe and clutching a dark bundle to his chest. He continues whimpering, which then turns into a rattling wheeze, making you believe that the person is gravely wounded. From your current position you can't see his hooded face, but judging by his overall physiology, you guess that he is human.

Makander acknowledges the mage's wise words with a grunt, but continues to move towards the figure.

"I am Sir Makander of Halfbay," he announces. "You appear hurt. Would you allow us to assist you?"

The knight stops out of arms reach concern evident in his frown as he regards the human-like individual.

None of you see, hear, or smell anyone else in the vicinity other than your group and the apparently heavily injured man ahead of you.

EDIT: The wind is still blowing through the canyon you're in,

The man turns at the sound of the mallard's voice, looking up at him with pale, pain-stricken eyes. He winces as he turns to better see you and all of you can see that he has a black-fletched arrow sticking deep in his right thigh. Even from a distance you can see that the man has strange, purple-blue streaks running across his face.

"Help me! Please!" he mutters, before collapsing on the ground with a groan and a shudder.

None of you believe that this man is faking an injury.

Makander rushes forward to lift the man in case he has arrows in other wounds which would be driven in deeper upon his collapse. His feathered brow furrowed, he looks to his companions. "I have no training in the healing arts, so I'm loathe to make an attempt before one of you who may know such things."

Makander kneels cradling the man's form slightly to relieve any unwanted pressure until he can be examined.

The man barely winces when Sir Makander picks him up and it seems he is not long for this world.

"Here, please take this!" he mutters as he pushes the small bundle into the mallard's hands. "Leanara will understand ... message from Master Weatherman ... must find all four pieces ... the secret of the dragon emperor!"

He then collapses seemingly into unconsciousness.

Aodhan rushes to the mallard holding the man and asks for a moment so he can check the man.

Healing level 14: 1d20 ⇒ 3

And, we start the rolls!

Aodhan says "This is a poison arrow. Whoever shot him really wanted him gone. I don't think I can save him."

The halfling looks around nervously, ”Whoever did this may still be around.” She moves to the side of the trail and tries to find a shadowy spot to conceal herself in.

Sneak <14: 1d20 ⇒ 8

This really took off! Welcome aboard everyone

is there a cropping or high tree to climb and get a better look around?

Rex scurries with stealth a speed. He looks for a proper vantage point as he moves.

Aodhan suddenly doesn't care about attackers anymore. He asks sir Makander for the bundle he just received and takes a look at it.

Bastonn watched Sir Makander and Archmaster Aodhan tend to the wounded man, noting the urgency in the air. He kept his spear and shield ready, alert for any signs of danger around them.

"We need to secure the area," he growled, nodding to Krisanna and Rex as they moved. "Stay sharp, everyone. We can't afford any surprises."

The poisoned arrow and the man's words about the dragon emperor were troubling. Bastonn scanned their surroundings, ensuring there were no immediate threats while the others examined the bundle. "I'll keep watch," he muttered, moving a bit ahead to stay vigilant against any approaching danger.

Archmaster Aodhan also carefully wraps the poisoned arrow in a piece of cloth to store it, thinking Perhaps I can look at this poison more closely when there is more time. We may have more insight into this dreadful death.

He only says "I know this is not ideal, but we should try to bring him with us. He still breathes. If we're lucky, we may find a healer before... well, before it's too late."

Krisanna shakes her head from her hiding place at the mages words and urgently whisperes, What do you propose? There doesn’t seem to be anything to build a litter from.”

Her curiosity gets the better of her and she moves out of hiding and back toward Aodhan, ”What was he carrying? Something valuable?

"No need for a litter," Makander says as he pulls the man's cloak tight and tucks in the edges. Then he hoists the wrapped form onto his plated shoulder. "If Archmaster Aodhan has cleared the man of injuries aside from the arrow, this will be good enough. We don't have the time to waste."

The mallard looks around the area for any obvious threats and begins to trundle down the path in a slow but steady jog.

Awareness 5: 1d20 ⇒ 4

Aodhan frowns at Krisanna trying to rob the man who isn't even fully dead yet. Before he can answer her, sir Makander takes the initiative and starts carrying the man. The old sage nods in approval and says "Now that's a ducking knight!"

As Sir Makander is hoisting the body of the injured man onto his back, you hear a high-pitched screech that echoes through the canyon. The heads of five goblins come into view from both in front of you and behind. They are carrying greasy bows and are clothed in furs. They cackle in glee and yell out in a cacophany of voices: "Drop the treasure! Treasure ours! Treasure ours!"

Just to save time, I am going to make Awareness rolls for everyone except for Sir Makander who already rolled it to see if you were taken by surprise by the goblins (who are very sneaky). I'm going to give Bastonn and Rex a boon on the roll (meaning they get to roll twice and take the better result) because they were "looking out" for danger. Everyone who fails their Awareness roll will get the "bottom" cards for initiative for round 1 of combat. Remember that we "draw cards" again next round, so you'll get a new initiative point. I'm not going to use the forum's built-in dice roller to do this, however, because of the pain of rerolling duplicates and will just draw cards here at my desk.

Archmaster Aodhan Awareness: 1d20 ⇒ 18, that's a failure, so he'll go last at number 10.
Sir Makander already rolled a 4, which is a success!
Krisanna Awareness: 1d20 ⇒ 4, success!
Bastonn Awareness with boon: 1d20 ⇒ 141d20 ⇒ 1, hey that's a Dragon! I'm going to rule that in this situation, he was so aware that he will get a boon for when it rolls for initiative for Round 1. Bastonn, dont' forget to BOLD your Awareness skill in the Online Character Keeper (once you enter your PC, that is), so that you get an Advancement Roll on it when calculate experience.
Rex Awareness with boon: 1d20 ⇒ 81d20 ⇒ 15, success!

OK, so everyone will go before Archmaster Aodhan, who goes on initiative "card" 10.

Initiative Order
Krisanna: 2
Rex: 3
Sir Makander: 4
Bastonn: Gets two draws and gets 6 and 8, so 6
Goblins: 7
Archmaster Aodhan: 10

A few things to remember about combat in Dragonbane and this combat in particular.

1. Dragonbane combat is quick and deadly, so it's better to err on the side of caution.
2. You get to move and perform an action every round. Remember that both Dodge and Parry are actions, which means that if you have used up your action for a round (say by attacking), you don't get to use them.
3. Movement listed on your character sheet is in meters and each square in 2 meters. We'll use Pathfinder rules and say that every other diagonally moved square counts as 3 meters of movement.
4. There are enough boulders around to give you cover if you are standing next to a drawn boulder or the wall of the canyon on the map. Dropping behind cover is a free action and means that those making ranged against you get a Bane on the roll (meaning they roll twice and take the worse result). You may stand up as part of your movement as a free action.
5. If you are standing next to an enemy they have to make an Evade roll to move away, otherwise you get a free attack on them.
6. The goblins are carrying short bows (drawn) and have short swords (not drawn). Both weapons do 1d10 damage.
7. The walls could be climbed with a successful Acrobatics roll, but you would be a clear for the archers target while climbing.

Please feel free to ask questions. I am still learning the rules as well, so figuring out how this all works is to everyone's benefit.

COMBAT MAP

Rex monitors the goblins down the canyon path. The hunter felt the situation sparked of a deeper trap. He eyes up to the ridges of the canyon while half expecting more goblinoids up top. The imagined goblins would be in a perfect position to pin down their group from there.

Rex looks over at Bastonn who he had nicknamed Nibble when they were pups. "Nibble..." Rex says quietly to his kin. The archer points to his eyes with the first two fingers of his right hand and then to the canyon top on both sides. Rex's warning to him of possible additional danger. The hunter motions to Bastonn that he was sneaking forward to get closer to the visible goblins.

I'm using the terrain to sneak in closer to the goblins. Hopefully another teammate can keep them occupied, while I move into optimal position :) I'll add what I think is accurate to the sheet. Please roll and move for me.

I'm using the terrain to sneak in closer to the goblins. Hopefully another teammate can keep them occupied, while I move into optimal position :) I'll add what I think is accurate to the sheet. Please roll and move for me.

In what direction do you want to sneak? You should be able to move your token on the map, Rex. In game terms, you'll be making a Sneaking roll vs. their Awareness roll.

”Crud nuggets,” the halfling cursed in consternation at leaving concealment. She crouches down waiting for the goblins to attack.

She would like to delay and switch initiatives with the goblins.

Rex Bloodjaw wrote:

I'm using the terrain to sneak in closer to the goblins. Hopefully another teammate can keep them occupied, while I move into optimal position :) I'll add what I think is accurate to the sheet. Please roll and move for me.

In what direction do you want to sneak? You should be able to move your token on the map, Rex. In game terms, you'll be making a Sneaking roll vs. their Awareness roll.

So I can move 4 squares?. Just roll for me please.

She would like to delay and switch initiatives with the goblins.

That would mean they would go first in the initiative order. You sure you want to do that? You could switch with Archmaster Aodhan. He goes on 10 (last).

So I can move 4 squares?. Just roll for me please.

You should have a movement of 14, which means you can move 14 meters in a round with a single move. Each square on the map is 2 meters or 3 meters every other diagonal square you move through.

You should have a movement of 14, which means you can move 14 meters in a round with a single move. Each square on the map is 2 meters or 3 meters every other diagonal square you move through.

Moved and observing

Switching with Aodhan makes sense. Let’s do that.

It seems I have a matching personality with Aodhan. I, too, think he is going to die...

Does this mean I act now?

Yes.

Awesome. This is gonna feel good.

Aodhan, who was a little too preoccupied with the wounded man, completely missed the goblins' sneak attack. Only Krisanna's efforts to bring his attention is able to break his trance. He looks up and looks terrified. So much so that he almost burns his face with the flame he was holding over his hand. Instinctively, he just throws the flame forward.

Elementalism level 14 power level 1: 1d20 ⇒ 15

The archmaster is clearly terrified of the new situation, especially since he didn't see this coming. He pushes himself from his fear.

Pushing the roll with Scared condition: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Well then... FML...

The archmaster, due to his fear, throws a fireball completely off course, hitting the mountain, and spraying a large amount of snow upwards harmlessly.

I guess I can mark my Elementalism in bold, so I have that going for me, which is nice.

Also, moving into cover.

Bastonn Awareness with boon: 1 = 1, hey that's a Dragon! I'm going to rule that in this situation, he was so aware that he will get a boon for when it rolls for initiative for Round 1. Bastonn, dont' forget to BOLD your Awareness skill in the Online Character Keeper (once you enter your PC, that is), so that you get an Advancement Roll on it when calculate experience.

My PC was already entered in the Character Keeper - is it not visible? Bolded, in any case ;)

Question to GM BrOp - would you like us to post regardless of Initiative order, or should we wait for our turn. It feels like this might be important in Dragonbane?

Another question - so if I understood correctly, it is enough to stand next to the canyon wall to be considered as having cover? (For example where Bastonn is right now?)

I think I'm up?

Upon seeing the hostiles in front of him, Makander immediately turns so his opposite shoulder is blocking the goblin's line of sight to the dying (possibly already dead) man's body on his shoulder. Unfortunately, he hears the goblins are now behind them as well, so he dashes to gully's steep walls to the southwest (assuming map's oriented to up as north and lays the poisoned fellow behind some rocks.

A fireball explodes from the elementalist's hands unexpectedly. Assuming he's still alive, Makander retrieves his battleaxe and shield and calls out to their attackers.

"Quaaaaaaack!! Flee now goblins! As you can see we have mighty magic on our side. This is your chance to keep your lives!"

My PC was already entered in the Character Keeper - is it not visible? Bolded, in any case ;)

No, sorry, you were. I was mixing your character up with the other wolfkin.

Question to GM BrOp - would you like us to post regardless of Initiative order, or should we wait for our turn. It feels like this might be important in Dragonbane?

Let's play this combat with the rules as written where we have a specific order we act in. For future combats I will probably move to how I generally run combat initiative in PbP games, which is that initiative order is broken down into groups that are structured around opponents' initiative order. So if you have PCs going on initiative points 1, 3, 6, and 9, and opponent's going on 5, then we'll break posting into two PC groups: 1 and 3, and 6 and 9. So first 1 and 3 go in posting order (meaning whoever posts first goes first), then the opponents, after which 6 and 9 go in posting order. Does that make sense?

Another question - so if I understood correctly, it is enough to stand next to the canyon wall to be considered as having cover? (For example where Bastonn is right now?)

Yes, you understand correctly.

"Quaaaaaaack!! Flee now goblins! As you can see we have mighty magic on our side. This is your chance to keep your lives!"

Sounds like you're trying to persuade them to do something. Can you please give me a Persuade roll? I will give you a Boon on the roll due to the spectacular nature of the fireball :)

Fiery Persuasion 12: 1d20 ⇒ 10
Fiery Persuasion Boon 12: 1d20 ⇒ 2 Almost!

Initiative Round 1
Archmaster Aodhan: 2
Rex: 3
Sir Makander: 4
Bastonn: 6
Goblins: 7
Krisanna: 10

The goblins hesitate at the sternly voiced threat from the mallard. They briefly look at one another, unsure of what to do. They do not flee, but they seem unwilling to attack.

I'm going to say that they will not attack you this round, unless someone attacks them first.

Bastonn is up!

COMBAT MAP

Bastonn stays behind cover, and waits for the goblins to take action. He also wants to allow his pack brother to get in place.

So I guess I swap my Initiative Card with the Goblins :)

As mentioned, the goblins are not attacking this round. If Bastonn swaps with the goblins, then Bastonn is up again followed by Krisanna.