Age of Worms Playtest

[jakoov]

Hi to all!

I’ll use this topic to relate the development of my Age of Worms campaign. The campaign will, as usual for my campaigns, have some of the encounters (those I don’t care for) cut off from the adventure, since I tend to focus a bit more on RP, less on exploration and even more less on combat. I’ll relate more about combat encounters and application of powers/skills, of corse, and leave the narration for my campaign log (in Italian only… Sorry).

The players

Spoiler:

One is moderately expert (more from reading manuals than playing, he’s been playing for three years now), one is moderately competent (cares more about roleplaying than rules) the last one is almost a new player. In general, they are not concerned with optimization of their characters, nor with precise application of the rules.

The characters

Spoiler:

There are three characters, two of them native to Diamond Lake, the last one coming from a nearby small community.

Generating ability scores

Spoiler:

Modern (PF Beta, pag. 5). Three tiers. The usual method I always used. In one case, one the player did not choose the best one, but the one he though could represent her character better.

Hit Points

Spoiler:

Racial variant (page 14)

XP progression

Spoiler:

I stopped caring about XP four years (and three campaigns) ago, and I don’t really think I’ll ever be motivated to go back.

Owen Forger

Spoiler:

LG Human male cleric 1 of Heironeous
Init -1
Languages Common
AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16
(-1 Dex, +5 chaimail, +2 shield)
Hp 16
Fort +3 Ref -1 Will +5
Melee battleaxe, longsword or gauntlet
CMB +2
Special actions channel positive energy (1d6, DC 13) 7/day
Abilities Str 15, Dex 9, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 15
Feats Extra Channeling, Selective Channeling
Skills Craft (weaponsmithing) +4, Knowledge (religion) +4, Spellcraft +4

“Idgie”

Spoiler:

NG half-elf female celestial sorcerer 1
Init +1
Languages Common, Auran, Elven, Draconic
AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10
(+1 Dex)
Hp 13
Fort +1 Ref +1 Will +2
Melee unarmed strike
Ranged darts or touch attack
CMB +1
Special actions heavenly fire (1d6+1)
Abilities Str 12, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 18
Feats Improved Unarmed Strike
Skills Appraise +6, Bluff +8, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Spellcraft +6, Use Magic Device +11 (with Skill Focus)
Spell known
1- color spray, cutting hands (SC 57, unarmed strike inflicts more damage, 1 round/level)
0- detect magic, dancing lights, read magic, mage hand

Evelyn Grace

Spoiler:

LG Human female paladin 1 of Heironeous
Init +1
Languages Common, Orc
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16
(+1 Dex, +4 splint mail, +2 shield)
Hp 19
Fort +4 Ref +1 Will +1
Melee battleaxe, longsword, club or gauntlet
CMB +4
Special actions smite evil (+3 bab, +1 damage) 3/day
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 16
Feats Extra Smite, Quick Draw
Skills Diplomacy +7, Knowledge (religion) +5, Ride +5, Sense Motive +5

The first adventure they faced was D0: Hollow’s Last Hope (which became, well… “Lake’s Last Hope”). On the RP side, adapting the city was quite easy. I managed to give it a feeling of “Milano 1630”, with “Igienic squadrons” created by Sheriff Cubbin roaming the night in search of strangers to beat up. The “contagion” of the fungus, in fact, was believed to be brought by strangers, sometimes affiliated with the church of Incabulos, some other spred by the lizardfolk of the swamp. Only a few (Laurel among them) really know where the sickness was originated.
I felt no need for adapting monsters and characters, aside from calculating their CMB (in many cases the same as their grapple modifier).

I’ll post the results of the first session (essentially, the whole adventure) as soon as I can.

[jakoov]

All right... The PCs have cleared D0 without much problems.
The adventure helped us understanding a bit something about grappling and CMB (BMC in Italian :-D).

Spoiler:

The most interesting thing that happened was during the battle with Greypelt. They were fighting inside the room with the dwarves' bunks. As soon as Greypelt appeared (he sneaked around the party and took the cleric flat-footed), he tripped him after biting, thus blocking the way for the sorcerer and the paladin.
The paladin tried to find a way around, went in the corridor and found herself against a kobold rogue she dispatched in three rounds by smiting evil. The cleric chose to enter grapple with the worg, inflicting damage with his armor's gauntlet while the sorcerer was busy heavenly firing it. Essentially, the worg was killed by punching it on the nose, and finished by a critical smite evil.

Sunday, they began Crown of the Kobold King, and... Well... The adventure is a true killer.
They expended all of their Channel Energy and smite evil, while the sorcerer is almost out of spells...

Spoiler:

BTW, I had to remove the fast healing quality from the forge spurned, otherwise, the adventure would have ended with a TPK...