| Kalshane |
I took a break from gaming for a few years and just started getting back to it in the last month or so. It was for a variety of reasons, and every time I thought about starting again, something would come up and I would put it off. The most recent reason being that my younger brother, who had been a constant presence in nearly every RPG I've run since we were kids, passed away unexpectedly last year. So it took some time for me to be ready to play and GM again.
Since I'd been out of the saddle for so long and my remaining players didn't care what we played, just that we played something, and none of them had played RotRL before (my only remaining player who had played Rise bowed out because the long drive to the sessions just wasn't feasible for her with her current situation), I decided easing back in with an AP I was very familiar and comfortable with would be the way to go.
I did have a thread from the second time I ran RotRL many years ago, but I didn't really keep up with it. Hopefully this one will go better.
I'm running this in 5E (2014 rules with a few things pulled from the 2024 rules that were easy enough to slot in and I liked better than the old rules) and, for the first time ever, in-person. (The previous campaigns were on Roll20.) I have 5 players, with rolled stats (I gave them the choice or roll or PB and they all chose roll) starting at 3rd level and with a free feat. So if some of these encounters seem overtuned, that would be why. :) Each PC also has a modified Campaign Trait (you can check out my previous thread linked above if you want to see what I did for those).
Our Dramatis Personae:
Amber CG Half-Elf Urchin Trickery Cleric of Desna
An orphan, Amber spent her time between the Turandarok Academy and the town church. Even though she felt a calling to Desna at a young age, she also found herself easily swayed into trouble by Gorvi and some of Sandpoint's other young ruffians (Campaign Trait: Black Sheep - Dungsweeper.) Eventually, Father Tobyn had enough and sent her away to Magnimar to complete her clerical training away from Gorvi's "bad influence." Having returned to Sandpoint for the dedication of the new cathedral, she's not sure how she still fits in to her old home (or if she even wants to.)
Ella Roywyn Lilli Garrick NG Gnome Folk Hero Swarmkeeper Ranger
Previously a wanderer, Ella happened to be in Sandpoint when the great fire occurred five years ago and was grievously wounded saving five kids from a burning building. Over the weeks she spent recovering from her injuries she fell in love with the small town and decided to make it her home, at least for now. Later, when Ameiko Kaijutsu returned to town and took over the Rusty Dragon the two of them became fast friends after the little gnome put herself between a couple of drunken Shoanti barbarians on the verge of a fight and got them to back down. (Campaign Trait: Favored Daughter - Tavern Owner) Now Ella splits her time between Sandpoint and patrolling the Hinterlands accompanied by her swarm of pixies and occasionally teaming up with Shalelu Andosana to deal with whatever particularly stubborn threats arise. She has returned to Sandpoint in time for the Swallowtail Festival.
Nissa CG Gnome Outlander Wildfire Druid
The quiet gnome known as Nissa mostly keeps to herself, often spending her time sitting on bluffs over Junk Beach in silence alongside her firepelt cougar Ember, watching the goblins of the Seven Tooth tribe dig through Sandpoint's trash (Campaign Trait: Goblin Watcher) or wandering the wilds around Sandpoint in search of interesting herbs she can tinker with. --Nissa's player is brand new to RPGs so we're still working out the details of her character.
Seraphine Blacktide CG Half-elf Pirate Swashbuckler Rogue
Formerly a sailor under the notorious Captain "Red Shiv" Bilger --I know he's just a highwayman in the book, but his name always felt piratey to me so I took advantage of the opportunity-- their ship took shelter at an island populated by friendly stone giants after being damaged in a storm. Seraphine took a liking to the giants (Campaign Trait: Giant SlayerFriend) and when Captain Bilger tried to reward the giants' hospitality by attacking them over a treasure horde he believed they were hiding, Seraphine rallied some of the crew to mutiny against their captain in defense of their hosts, leading to the newly-repaired ship being damaged again and forced to limp back out to sea. Eventually catching a ride on a merchant vessel, Seraphine has arrived in Sandpoint just in time for the Swallowtail Festival.
Vylathel "The Midnight Sun" N Tiefling Gladiator Eldritch Knight Fighter
Born of a noble's indiscretion with a devil and abandoned to be raised a slave in Cheliax, Vylathel's incredible strength, wits and charm led to him being trained as a gladiator and murder play actor. Having bought his freedom, he's come to Varisia to test his skill against foes outside of the controlled circumstances of the arena and the murder play stage (Campaign Trait: Monster Hunter). Intriguing rumors of The Sandpoint Devil have lead him to the creature's namesake town just in time for the festival. --Originally he was just a regular gladiator, but once we discovered the Chelaxian murder play tradition we both agreed it was absolutely perfect for the character.
As I mentioned, we rolled for stats and everyone rolled ridiculously well (which is definitely better than everyone rolling bad except for one player or vice versa) and as result the party's average Charisma is 14.4, even though Seraphine is the only one playing a class that gets any mechanical benefit from Charisma at all. It almost puts the old "Pretty Party" (Paladin, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock) from my friend's old Wrath of the Righteous game to shame.
This is my first time running of RotRL without anyone playing a wizard, so that might be interesting once the Thassilon stuff starts taking center stage, though Vylathel is an EK and his player has said she might take a wizard dip for more spell versatility later. We'll see. She already switched Vylathel from Dex-based to Strength-based when she realized no one else in the party could wear heavy armor or lift anything moderately heavy.
I'm also keeping a close eye on Nissa/her player. As mentioned her player is brand new to D&D and glommed onto the Wildfire Druid and the fact that it would allow to have a "flaming emotional support kitty" but she's finding the class a little overwhelming. We're all doing her best to help her out and encouraging her, but I've also let her know that if it feels like it really is too much we can rework her character into something with a few less moving parts.
| Kalshane |
Session 1: Festival and Fire (Part 1)
The party all arrived in town (or were already in town, in the case of Ella and Nissa) and found their way to the Swallowtail Festival. The town was a riot of energy and color, with excited throngs of people on the streets and the town decorated in bunting and ribbons in the blue and white of Desna and featuring moons, stars and butterflies.
The Festival opened with speeches from Mayor Deverin, Sheriff Hemlock, Cyrdak Drakkus (the theater master) and Father Zantus. The nobleman Lonjiku Kaijutsu was supposed to speak as well, but was home ill.
At the Festival, the characters, ate, drank and socialized, but only one of them tried their hands at any the games, resulting in Vylathel suffering a crushing defeat in the Sack Joust (a game in which the participants balance on a beam over a sawdust-filled pit and hit each other with sacks stuffed with hay until one of them loses their balance and falls) at the hands a young dockworker named Varik Trivashti. --Vylathel has a literal "Grudge Book" that he carries with him and made sure to find out the young man's name so he could record it. In retrospect, I should have made the young man be Banny Harker instead.
At noon, Father Zantus told the parable of when Desna fell to earth and was nursed back to health by a blind orphan whom Desna transformed into an immortal butterfly as thanks. At this the cover was a removed from a wagon and hundreds of swallowtail butterflies burst into the air to be chased by happily shrieking children. Ember leaped into the air and caught a butterfly between her paws before slamming it to the ground and eating it. Nissa apologized to Father Zanthus, who wryly commented that he hoped that wasn't an omen.
With lunch served, the characters partook their fill.
As sundown approached, what sounded like a crack of thunder brought all eyes on Father Zantus. As the priest was about to begin the dedication of the new Cathedral at sundown, screams began to fill the air and wicked shapes raced amongst the crowd, their forms low to the ground and screechy voices became raised in song. Goblins!
The immediately PCs rose to the defense of the town, cutting their way through a group of four goblins on the ground supported by two more goblins on the rooftops that started by throwing refuse before eventually shooting arrows from their perches, though one goblin more focused on stuffing food into his pockets than fighting back was missed by numerous blows before Seraphine finally skewered him with her rapier.
As the party tried to catch their breath, flames suddenly arose from the south as a group of torch-wielding goblins started setting tents and wagons ablaze. With a cry of "Not the rum!" Seraphine lead a charge against this new group of foes, supported by one of the goblin warchanters and a cackling goblin that was throwing fire bombs. Quickly dispatching two of the goblin pyros, Seraphine drew the ire of the warchanter, who cast a spell and the swashbuckler found herself overcome with uncontrollable laughter.
After a protracted struggle, the heroes finally took down the last of the goblins in the immediate vicinity, though the sounds of combat, guards yelling and goblins shrieking could still be heard in the distance. Father Zantus rushed to the party's side and healed the wounded. As the party tried to thank him, a high-pitched scream and the sound of a dog frantically barking came from the north. The party rushed off towards this new threat, finding a nobleman attempting to hide behind a rain barrel, while a large black mastiff was engaged with a goblin carrying a crude polearm and astride a hideous, patchy-haired cross between a dog and a giant rat. Before the party could intervene, the goblin cut down the dog with his horsechopper and three previously unseen goblins rushed from hiding to celebrate.
Leaping into action, the heroes took the cheering goblins by surprise and were able to make short work of the three on foot. The mounted goblin proved tougher, but even he fell after Seraphine finished his wounded mount off with her rapier before driving her dagger into the goblin's throat.
The goblin's dispatched, the nobleman approached the group and introduced himself as Aldern Foxglove and promised them all a reward for saving his life should they seek him out at The Rusty Dragon in the next few days.
Returning to the town square, the sounds of battle seem to have faded and all the goblins appear to be dead or fled. As the heroes take stock of what just happened, numerous townsfolk come over and thank them for their actions before retreating to their homes, including Ameiko Kaijitsu, who offers the "goblin slayers" free rooms as the Rusty Dragon for a week. Ella checks in with Ameiko to make sure she's okay and the bartender tells her not to worry before heading off towards her inn.
As she leaves, Sheriff Hemlock approaches and thanks the party for their assistance, as his men were hard-pressed with this many goblins about. As the party begins to discuss the assault with the sheriff and how it could have happened, Naffer Vosk, the hunchbacked town gravekeeper, rushes up to inform the Sheriff that someone has desecrated the vault of Father Tobyn, the former town priest.
--I'm going to cut it here as I need to go to bed. I'll try to post the rest of session 1 tomorrow.
Quote of the Session
"Aren't you glad now that you didn't shoot him in the ass?" -Seraphine after Aldern Foxglove offered to reward the party for saving his life.
--There was some mild friend vs. foe confusion from Ella's player, who didn't realize Aldern's mini was the hiding nobleman and not another enemy. Had she actually shot him like she originally declared, between Aldern being hunched over behind the barrel and Ella's height, her crossbow bolt would have likely struck him directly in the backside.
| Kalshane |
Encounters from 1.1
Initial Assault
6 Goblins (2 on roof tops throwing refuse before switching to bows)
Goblins were standard per 5E MM with the following changes:
Replace "Scimitar" with Dogslicer. Stats remain the same.
Add Action:
Thrown Refuse. Ranged Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, range 30', one target.
Hit: 2 (1d4-1) bludgeoning damage. If target is a creature it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be sickened (treat as Poisoned) until the end of its next turn.
Goblin Pyros
4 Goblin Pyros, 1 Goblin Warchanter, 1 Bomber Goblin
Goblin Pyro As per MM goblin except following changes.
AC: 13
Replace "Scimitar" with Dogslicer. Stats remain the same.
Add Actions:
Torch. Melee Weapon Attack +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target
Hit: 2 (1d4-1) bludgeoning damage plus 1 fire damage.
Multiattack The goblin pyro makes one Dogslicer and one Torch attack.
Goblin Warchanter
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
Armor Class. 15 (studded leather)
Initiative. +4
Hit Points. 24 (4d6+8)
Speed. 30 ft.
Abilities. Str 8 (-1), Dex 17 (+3), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 14 (+2)
Saving Throws. Dex +5, Cha +4
Skills. Acrobatics +5, Perception +5, Performance +4, Stealth +7
Senses. darkvision 60 ft. Languages. Common, Goblin
Challenge 1 (200 XP)Proficiency Bonus +2
Traits. Nimble Escape,
Spells. Cantrips (at will): Vicious Mockery, Minor Illusion; 1st-level (3/3): Cure Wounds, Hideous Laughter, Healing Word, Silent Image, Thunderwave
Actions.
Multiattack: The Warchanter makes one dogslicer and one whip attack.
Dogslicer. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage and target must make a DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Encourage (3/Day). The warchanter targets one ally within 30 feet of it. If the target can hear the warchanter, they gain Advantage on the next attack roll or ability check they make before the end of their next turn.
Bomber Goblin
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
Armor Class. 15 (studded leather)
Initiative. +3
Hit Points. 17 (5d6)
Speed. 30 ft.
Abilities. Str 9 (-1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 10 (+0), Int 11 (+0), Wis 9 (-1), Cha 8 (-1)
Skills. Stealth +6
Senses. darkvision 60 ft. Languages. Common, Goblin
Challenge 1 (200 XP)Proficiency Bonus +2
Traits.
Nimble Escape The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.
Explosion Expert. If the goblin is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half fire damage, the goblin instead takes no fire damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
Actions.
Dogslicer. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Fire Bomb Toss. The goblin throws a bomb that explodes at a point it can see within 50 feet of it. Each creature in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 5 (2d4) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.The fire ignites any flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.
Scrap Bomb Toss (Recharge 6). The goblin throws a bomb that explodes at a point it can see within 30 feet of it. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 10 (3d6) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
--Hat tip to lordfatlabrador on D&D Beyond for this enemy.
Die, Dog, Die!
Goblin Commando, Goblin Dog, 4 Goblins
Goblin Commando
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
Armor Class. 15 (chain shirt)
Initiative. +3
Hit Points. 36 (6d6+12)
Speed. 30 ft.
Abilities. Str 14 (+2), Dex 17 (+3), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 8 (-1)
Saving Throws. Str +4, Dex +5
Skills. Animal Handling +3, Athletics +4, Perception +3, Stealth +7, Survival +3
Senses. darkvision 60 ft.
Languages. Common, Goblin
Traits. Nimble Escape, Favored Enemy (Beasts), Natural Explorer, Fighting Style (Archery)
Challenge 1 (200 XP)Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions. Multiattack, Dogslicer, Shortbow, Horsechopper
Multiattack. The goblin commando makes two Horsechopper, dogslicer or shortbow attacks.
Dogslicer. Melee Weapon Attack +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target
Hit: 6 (1d6+3)slashing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack +7 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target
Hit: 6 (1d6+3)piercing damage.
Horsechopper. Melee Weapon Attack +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target
Hit: 8 (1d10+2)slashing damage.
Goblin Dog
Medium beast, unaligned
Armor Class. 13 (natural armor)
Initiative. +2
Hit Points. 11 (2d8+2)
Speed. 40 ft.
Abilities. Str 12 (+1), Dex 15 (+2), Con 12 (+1), Int 3 (-4), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 6 (-2)
Skills. Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses. Keen hearing and smell
Traits. Allergic Reaction
CR 1/2 (100XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions. Bite
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target
Hit: 7 (2d4+2)piercing damage.
Allergic Reaction
A goblin dog's dander is highly irritating to all creatures save those with the goblinoid subtype. A non-goblinoid creature damaged by a goblin dog's bite, who deals damage to a goblin dog with a natural weapon or unarmed attack, or who otherwise comes into contact with a goblin dog (including attempts to grapple or ride the creature) must make a DC 12 Con saving throw or break out in an itching rash. A creature affected by this rash has disadvantage on Dexterity and Charisma ability checks for 1 day (multiple allergic reactions do not stack). Lesser Restoration or any magical healing removes the rash instantly.
My goal was to challenge the PCs enough that they didn't feel like the goblins were push overs, but still make them easy enough that they could get the feel for their brand new characters without the risk of anyone dying unless the dice went really weird. Since I knew Father Zantus would heal them after the battle with the Pyros, I made that the most difficult of the three fights.
This early in the campaign, Serpahine and Ella are the big threats on the battlefield. With 2d6 Sneak Attack dice and the TWF style (she spent her free feat to pick that up) she's doing damage on par with a great weapon master, but without the penalty to hit. As for Ella, the +2 from Archery style makes her the most accurate of the PCs if she has a clear shot and then adds the extra d6 from her swarm on top of it. She hit the Bomber Goblin in the first round and rolled nearly max damage, dropping him to 1hp before he even had a chance to act. (The party then proceeded to miss him repeatedly and the warchanter was able to heal him some with a cure wounds in the second round, so he got a chance to blow quite a few things up.) On paper, Nissa is probably the most dangerous, but her player is still learning the ropes of the game and figuring out when to use a spell slot instead of a cantrip and hasn't really exploited Ember's wildfire spirit abilities yet.
| Kalshane |
Session 1 (Part 2)
The Sheriff asks the party to accompany him to the Boneyard as he doesn't want to call any of his men away from securing the town and they have all just proven themselves very capable.
As they walk to the boneyard, the out-of-towners ask who Father Tobyn was and how he died. The sheriff and the locals explain that he was the head priest of the Sandpoint church until he was killed in the same fire that burned the church to the ground.
Reaching the Boneyard, Vosk gestures towards the vault with his lantern, the stone door sitting ajar. The group approaches cautiously, the two gnomes observing a significant number of tracks in the dirt around it.
Before they can investigate further, the door is suddenly flung open as a towering skeleton, horns rising from either side of its bovine head, charges forth, a rusty great axe clutched in its bony fists.
The Sheriff draws his sword and shield, meeting the creature's charge while Vosk scurries to safety behind a monument. Vylathel and Seraphine move to aid Hemlock, ducking as arrows fly from the darkness within the vault. Peering past the minotaur skeleton with their darkvision they spy two human skeletons bearing shortbows within.
However, the undead quickly lose the momentum afforded by their initial attack and are soon brought low by weapon and spell with minimal injury to the group.
After confirming there were no further foes lurking about, Seraphine, Vylathel and Amber investigate the interior of the vault with the sheriff while Ella and Nissa inspect the tracks outside, determining several goblins and a human or humanoid came over the northern wall, broke into the vault and then returned the way they came.
Meanwhile, the group inside the vault discover that Father Tobyn's sarcophagus is open and his remains missing, while the remaining graves are untouched. Vylathel asks if one of the undead they fought could have been a reanimated Tobyn, to which Hemlock replies that the Father's bones would have been a good deal more..."crispy" than those that they had just dispatched. Further investigation uncovers a black robe laying discarded in the corner, giving an uncomfortable chill to anyone who touches it. Calling upon his arcane knowledge, Vylathel surmises that this was once a Robe of Bones, but its patches have all been used, rendering it inert.
Finding nothing more of note within, the group exits the vault to exchange discoveries with the gnomes. Naffer Vosk gives a wail of despair when it is mentioned that Tobyn's remains have been stolen. Meanwhile, Vylathel, being the tallest, goes to peer over the north wall and spots a discarded ladder lying on the ground below him.
Various theories are banded about as to who would have staged a goblin attack as a distraction from graverobbing or why the Father's remains in particular were stolen, but none of them seem satisfactory. Ella suggests speaking to Father Zantus to see if he might know of any enemies Tobyn had, or if the old priest had been buried with any items of significance. As they leave the Boneyard, the sheriff agrees to let the party assist with the investigation, but asks that they keep quiet about the theft so as to not further alarm the populace who will be surely on edge already after the goblin attack.
Returning to the town square, the party finds an exhausted Father Zantus sitting on the cathedral steps. He apologizes for his state and explains he has been healing those wounded in the raid and he has expended as much of Desna's blessings as she has deigned to grant him. When asked, he unfortunately can shed no additional light on the theft, knowing of no enemies the man possessed in life and assuring them that he was buried with no more than his ceremonial robes of Desna, which beyond their religious significance, were entirely mundane and looked nothing like the black robe that Ella has slung around her arm.
The party briefly considers attempting to follow the goblin tracks beyond the wall, but agree with the sheriff's assessment that they would be better served to rest and pursue them in the morning. He tells them that he needs to check in with his men and says he will meet them at the Rusty Dragon in the morning to discuss next steps.
The party bids the priest and the sheriff goodnight and make their away south across town to the Rusty Dragon. Once there, Ella asks Ameiko if she could join them in one of the private dining rooms. Turning the inn over to Bethana, the tavern keeper leads them to one of the rooms off the common room and closes the door behind them.
Ella begins to explain what has happened to Ameiko in Minkaian, but after a minute or two, Ameiko cuts her off, switching to Common and saying they should probably speak in a language everyone understands. Ella says she's trying to avoid anyone overhearing and Ameiko laughs, saying the gnome is even more paranoid than she is, and that she's pretty sure she doesn't have any goblin spies in the inn listening at closed doors.
Ella explains that she's just trying to keep to Hemlock's request to keep quiet about the theft, to which Ameiko points out she's already breaking that by telling HER. Ella waves that off, saying the sheriff should know that she was going to tell Ameiko everything, but consents to sticking to Common so everyone can participate in the conversation.
The group asks about Father Tobyn's death and The Late Unpleasantness, and Ameiko explains that her knowledge of the situation is second-hand, as she was off adventuring when it happened, and only returned briefly for her mother's funeral between the Chopper's rampage and the Sandpoint Fire, missing both events.
However, Ameiko is a bard, and telling stories are her bread and butter, so she tells them all about the eccentric woodcutter who turned out to be a demon-worshipping serial killer; how he originally sought to free the birds he saw in wood, but in the end shaped the eyes, tongues and extremities of his victims into a mockery of those birds on his dark altar and how the town still bears the scars where Stoots work was crudely cut away from the buildings that previously bore it.
She looks at Ella and says the gnome knows more about the fire than anyone in the room, but the gist of the story is a fire started in the living quarters of the old church and the blaze burned it and several other buildings to the ground, killing Father Tobyn, his daughter Nualia and several other acolytes. The new cathedral was Mayor Deverin's brainchild, a new, triumphant structure of glass and stone risen from the ashes of the old wooden church.
Seraphine remarks that the goblins attacking and stealing the old priest's remains so close to the five year anniversary of his death seems incredibly suspicious. Ameiko replies that five years might as well be a lifetime to a goblin, and they probably don't pay that close attention to human events anyway. But still, she agrees, the timing is odd.
Ameiko is unfortunately unable to tell them anything more about Father Tobyn than Father Zantus did. Deciding there is likely nothing more to be discovered tonight, the group heads off to their rooms and sleep, though Ella takes a moment to string the Robe of Bones up in a tree outside, above the reach of any passersby, not wanting to have it inside the inn, just in case.
--End of session--
I'm a big fan of jumping right into the Desecrated Vault off the goblin attack, because it avoids the somewhat awkward scene of Hemlock seeking the PCs out days later to come look at an open door. I've done it all three times I've run it, and all three times the PCs immediately volunteer to help the sheriff check it out.
There is, however, a drawback, and that is the immediacy results in the PCs wanting to hare off after the graverobbers right then and there (and if their tracking rolls are good enough, follow them all the way back to the end of the chapter), as we'll see in the next session. Thankfully, this can be countered by another scene I originally saw suggested on this forum, the goblin ambush. :)
I will say, the biggest complaint I've had from my players about this section, and this is from all 3 games, is that they're presented with a mystery with no real way to solve it or take action on until other events come into play. Part of that is probably on me and how I present it, but part of it is just how its written. (Though now I wonder if maybe delaying the start of the mystery by sticking to the book, alleviates that somewhat, even if the scene itself feels awkward.)
Writing this out and reading it makes me realize I need to do a better job of getting Amber and Nissa's players involved. They're participating and having fun, but the players of Vylathel, Ella and Seraphine have very strong personalities and I need to do a better job of giving the quieter members a chance to shine.
| Kalshane |
Session 2: Closet Goblins and Rodents of Unusual Size
After a night's rest at the Rusty Dragon, the party was approached by Sheriff Hemlock as they ate breakfast. According to the Sheriff, the goblins were composed of three different raiding parties. One entered through the North Gate, which was left open despite normally being closed at sunset and Corum, the guard responsible for the gate that night, was killed during the raid, leaving no answers as to why the gate had not been secured. The second had somehow been smuggled into the town inside a covered wagon. The third came over the Boneyard Wall with the aid of a ladder and then left the same way.
While the first two groups caused violence and mayhem, the third apparently used the distraction to break into the vault holding Father Tobyn's remains and steal them. His men had also managed to capture three goblins, the interrogation of whom was frustrating, at best. The sheriff offered to let the party try to see if they had any better luck.
After Ella took a moment to burn the Robe of Bones, the party followed the Sheriff to the town garrison and the cell beneath where the goblins were held.
The only party member able to speak Goblin, Nissa took the lead on the interrogation. Although scatterbrained and rude, the vile creatures did divulge that their leader was a "one of you longshanks" but could not offer any more detail than that other that the leader was on some sort of secret mission (and it wouldn't have been secret if everyone knew, obviously) and their goal was to simply kill everyone. While cowed by the threat of an immediate execution if they didn’t offer any more information, the goblins simply didn’t have anything more to give.
Realizing that there was nothing to be gained from interrogating them further, they turned the goblins back over to the Sheriff and went to speak to Father Zantus again. The priest was feeling better than the night before, but had no additional information beyond what he had divulged previously.
Deciding they should try to follow the goblin tracks, the party stopped back at The Rusty Dragon for a quick check-in and encountered Aldern Foxglove, the nobleman whose life they saved the night before. He once again thanked them for saving his life and complimented their prowess before inviting them to accompany him on a boar hunt to the nearby Tickwood as a reward. To Vylathel's disappointment, Aldern was unaware of any monstrous or magical boars in the woods, though he did say the woods were named for the ticks the size of a man's head. As the party had a pressing need to try to follow the goblins' tracks, they told Aldern they would need to take a rain check on that hunt. He was disappointed, but informed them he would still be in town for a couple more days and to seek him out when they had time.
Heading back towards the North Gate the party was approached by a young boy who claimed he needed help with a goblin in his closet. The boy's mother, Amele, apologized for him bothering them and said Aeren was merely having nightmares after the goblin attack the other night. Insisting that checking the boy's closet would not be a bother, Amber was able to convince her to lead them to her home.
While the two gnomes occupied Petal, the family dog, the rest of the group went up to the Aeren's room to investigate. Moving aside a fur on the closet floor, Vylathel uncovered a hole hacked into the floorboards, but barely had time to note his discovery before a shrieking goblin leapt from the hole, trying to stab him with a crude shiv that seemed to be the remains of a broken dogslicer. Quickly dispatching the goblin (and making a mess of the child's room in the process) Vylathel offered the shiv to the shocked child as a trophy.
While Ella cleaned up the mess and Nissa comforted the distraught Amele, the rest of the group summoned the sheriff to explain what happened and to dispose of the goblin's body. They also suggested he spread the word to have the citizens double-check their closets and crawlspaces for hidden goblins. The sheriff was skeptical, but agreed to do so.
While I believe James Jacobs has said that Alergast's death is supposed to be unavoidable to show the PCs that they can't save everyone, that's too cynical for my tastes. I want heroics in my heroic fantasy. I can't save everyone in real life, but I sure as heck want to be able to try at the gaming table. Also, if the party dismisses Aeren like his parents do, they feel way worse than if they just weren't able to get there in time. (As happened with my previous party.)
Finally heading out of the town to try to track the goblins, Ella and Nissa were able to find the remains of the goblin tracks that hadn’t been washed away by the rain and the party followed the trail north-east from the town. However, once it met up with the Lost Coast road it became nearly impossible to distinguish the goblins’ trail from the other traffic. Following the road east, while keeping an eye out for the trail leaving the road again, the party came across a burning caravan, with a number of goblins cavorting among the wreckage and corpses. Amber took note that some of the bodies sported arrows much bigger than those used by goblins and quietly advised her companions to keep an eye out for other dangers.
Catching the celebrating goblins by surprise, the party fell upon them, only to be surprised in turn despite Amber's warning when a bugbear archer began sniping them from the trees, swiftly dropping Amber and Seraphine with magical arrows.
As the party fought back and tried to revive their fallen companions, a black dire wolf burst from the woods, grabbing a goblin by the head and snapping its neck with violent shake before tossing the limp body aside. Moments later a flurry of arrows tore into the goblin ranks as Shalelu Andosana, an elven ranger of Ella's acquaintance who patrolled the Sandpoint Hinterlands, stepped into the road. With these new allies, the party was able to dispatch the goblins and force the bugbear to retreat, a furious Vylathel cursing and calling the creature a coward in every language he knew.
While taking a moment to catch their breath and heal their injured, Shalelu informed them that she had urgent news for Sandpoint and advised that the party should accompany her back to town. The wolf padded up beside her and suddenly changed shape into a rough and muscular human woman whom Shalelu introduced as Tera. Agreeing with Shalelu's assessment, Tera said she would ensure there were no further goblins skulking about and then try to find the trail of Bruthazmus the bugbear. When Shalelu told her to be careful, Tera gave a feral smile and said she had nothing to fear from him as she didn't have pointy ears, before shifting back into her wolf form and loping away.
So years ago, when I was planning my second RotRL campaign, my brother had asked if I was planning any cameos of the first party in the new game. I told him I would do them if it made sense, but I wasn't going to try to force them in there just for my own amusement. As we talked about it, he suggested this scene as a cameo for his character, a human Barbarian/Druid/Ranger who he originally introduced into the campaign at the beginning of chapter 3 as a friend of Shalelu's. It ended up not happening in the second campaign because that party turned back as soon as they lost the goblin's trail among the road traffic, so I was really happy to be able to incorporate it into this one as a way to honor him.
Even my players were stoked when Tera transformed and I dropped her mini on the table, as my brother had played a version of Tera for awhile in my previous homebrew campaign that all of them except Nissa's player had been a part of. I was very grateful when I talked to them after the session and they told me that they loved that I had found a way to bring a part of him into our new game.
As for this scene as a whole, I can't remember who here suggested it originally as a way to keep eager PCs from trying to follow the goblins all the way to Thistletop after the raid, but it's worked well for me both times I've needed to use it.
Shalelu explained that she and Bruthazmus had been warring for years without either being able to gain the upper hand. The bugbear had a particular hatred for elves, but otherwise spent most of his time bullying the local goblin tribes for alcohol and supplies. The elf-bane arrows he had struck the party's two half-elves with were something of a signature for him.
During the walk back to town, Shalelu said that while she does her best to keep the local goblins in check, there had been an unusual uptick in activity recently and a farm near the Mosswood had been raided and burned to the ground the day before. She had managed to save the family, but the farm itself was a loss.
The ranger then gave a rundown of the local goblin tribes (Seven Tooth, Licktoad, Birdcruncher, Mosswood and Thistletop) their territories and their assorted "heroes." The Seven Tooth hero Koruvus with his jealously-guarded magical sword and murderous temper seemed to catch Vylathel's attention, while the rest decided that Chief Ripnugget of the Thistletop goblins clearly had the best name of all the gobin’s heroes.
Returning to town, the party accompanied Shalelu and Sheriff Hemlock to the Town Hall and a meeting with Mayor Kendra Deverin. The mayor welcomed them warmly and thanked them for their service to the town, but grew grim as Shalelu relayed her tale. As the meeting finished, the sheriff declared he would take a couple of men with him to Magnimar to ask Lord Mayor Grobarius to send some additional soldiers to help protect the town until the goblin threat was dealt with. He asked the party to stick around town and be visible to keep up the citizens' morale while he was gone.
The party returned to The Rusty Dragon to recuperate after their ordeal, though it wasn't entirely peaceful, as later in the evening Ameiko's father Lonjinku Kaijutsu stormed into the inn looking for his daughter, before yelling at the party for being thugs sticking their noses where they don't belong. The party tried to explain themselves, but the belligerent elder man angrily dismissed their claims. When Ameiko finally appeared, the two had an argument in Minkaian (with Ameiko using some very colorful language) before Lonjinku attempted to grab his daughter by hair only for her to twist free and brain him with her soup ladle, covering him in potatoes and fish stock. A red and sputtering Lonjinku stumbled from the inn, though not before informing Ameiko "You are as dead to me as your mother!" before slamming the door behind him. Ameiko pauses a moment in shock before picking a hair off the ladle and announcing "Looks like I need a new ladle, since jackass stew's not on the menu." This elicits some laughter from the regulars as Ameiko returns to the kitchen, though as Ella follows, she knows that her friend is trying to put on a brave face and does what can to comfort her.
The next day the party takes the sheriff's order to be visible to heart, particularly Seraphine (who was gifted a fresh loaf of bread by a grateful Alma Avertin, though the ex-pirate could have done without the baker’s assessment that she was too skinny) and Vylathel, who loudly advertised that he was available for checking the closets of any who would be interested. It's not long before he's approached by Shayliss Vinder, the daughter of the general store owner, who informs the Midnight Sun that while she doesn't have any goblin trouble, she does have an issue with rats in the basement, some of which might be the size of goblins. Vylathel quickly offers to assist the young woman and soon finds himself in a basement notably devoid of rats, but instead containing a comfortable-looking cot and a disrobing Shayliss. Realizing the actual nature of her "problem", the tiefling readily tries to assist.
Unfortunately, he misses the sound of Ven Vinder, owner of the general store and Shayliss' father, coming down the stairs. After an attempt to diffuse the situation with a lie goes very poorly, the warrior is forced to dodge the enraged father's wild haymakers and flee the store while trying to tie up his pants. As he races down the street he hears Ven roar that Vylathel better not show his face in his store again.
We had some fun role-playing with the aftermath of this, with the players of the three "locals" (Amber, Ella and Nissa) immediately playing off the idea of Shayliss had a reputation for these sorts of shenanigans without any comments from me suggesting that this was the case. Sadly the specific details of these interactions, beyond our quote of the session, have faded from my brain during the 3 weeks since we played through it at the table.
Thankfully, Vylathel's other visits of the day (to the Turandarok Academy and The Way North) are much more amiable, with him acquiring a map of the Hinterlands from Parooh Veznut and an invitation to see Master Gandethus' collection of trophies and oddities from his adventuring days.
The next morning, the party sits waiting for their breakfast in mild confusion that Ameiko hasn't been out to serve them. Ella is then approached by Ameiko's elderly halfling assistant Bethana, who informs her that the innkeeper is missing and Bethana found a crumpled note from Ameiko's estranged half-brother Tsuto telling her to come to the family's Glassworks at midnight the previous night.(Note is in the Google Drive Handouts folder.)
Bethana and Ella explain to the rest of the group that Tsuto is a half-elf, while neither of Ameiko's parents were elves. His birth was quite the scandal and Lonjiku gave the boy away to the Turandarok Academy to be raised with the other orphans and forbade his wife Atsuii from contacting him. Ameiko was born a year later (Lonjiku stubbornly remained married to Atsuii and was determined to produce an actual heir so that there was no chance his wife's half-elven bastard would inherit. He was gravely disappointed when the only child his wife bore him was a girl.) When Ameiko was ten, she learned of Tsuto's existence and started sneaking out of her house to meet with him but when she was 13 they had a fight and Ameiko left town. She returned a year later for her mother's funeral. At the funeral, Tsuto accused Lonjiku of murdering his mother (rather than The Chopper doing it, as was believed) and Lonjiku nearly broke the boy's jaw with his cane. With that, Tsuto left town and wasn't heard from again, despite Ameiko's best efforts to find him.
The party heads to the Glassworks, finding all the curtains drawn and the doors locked, though the furnaces are obviously running. After hearing the sounds of breaking glass and shrieking laughter from listening at one of the windows, the party decides to try the loading dock door and find it locked. After the party chased off some gaping locals, Seraphine picked the lock and the party crept into the dark and quiet (beyond the low, pervasive rumble of the furnaces) Glassworks. After some searching (and discovering an open and empty safe) the party discovered a horde of goblins in the glass working room, engaged in mayhem with the glass (both molten and solid) and the dismembered bodies of the factory workers. In the center was an immense construct of thick sheets of runny glass, encasing something which could not be identified from the doorway.
Quote of the session:
Amber: “So how big were those 'rats'?”
Vylathel: (gestures) “They were f-ing enormous!”
| Kalshane |
Encounters from 1.2
The Desecrated Vault
2x Skeletons and 1x Minotaur Skeleton, per MM.
Sheriff Hemlock
Medium humanoid (human), Chaotic Good
Fighter (Champion) Lv 4
Armor Class. 18 (Breastplate, Shield)
Initiative. +7
Hit Points. 36 (4d10+8)
Speed. 30 ft.
Abilities. Str 16 (+3), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 10 (+0)
Saving Throws. Strength +5, Constitution +4
Skills. Animal Handling +3, Athletics +5, Insight +3, Intimidation +2, Investigation +3, Perception +3
Languages. Common, Shoanti, Varisian
Traits. Fighting Style (Dueling), Second Wind (1/1, Short or Long Rest), Action Surge (1/1, Short or Long Rest), Feat: Tavern Brawler, Feat: Alert
Actions.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack +6 to hit (crits on 19 or 20), one target Hit: 9 (1d8+5) slashing damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack +5 to hit (crits on 19 or 20), range 150/600 ft., one target Hit: 7 (1d8+2) piercing damage.
The Monster in the Closet
Gresgurt
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
Armor Class. 15 (chain shirt)
Initiative. +2
Hit Points. 25 (3d6+6)
Speed. 15
Abilities. Str 14 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (-1)
Saving Throws. Str +4, Dex +4
Skills. Animal Handling +3, Athletics +4, Perception +3, Stealth +6
Senses.Darkvision 60’
Languages. Common, Goblin
Traits. Nimble Escape, Fighting Style (Archery), Favored Enemy (Beasts), Natural Explorer
CR 1/2 (100XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions. Multiattack.Shiv
Multiattack. Gresgurt makes two Shiv attacks.
Shiv. Melee Weapon Attack +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Hit: 4 (1d4+2)piercing damage.
Deranged. Gresgurt's time living under the house has left him deranged and worn out. He is suffering from 2 levels of exhaustion (Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Speed is Halved) and his crazed fervor grants him Advantage on attack rolls while granting Advantage on all attacks against him in return.
Grim News From Mosswood/ Caravan Ambush
6x Goblins, 1x Bruthazmus
Goblins per MM (scimitar replaced with dogslicer)
Bruthazmus
Medium Humanoid (Goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
Hit Points 75 (10d8+30)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +2 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| 18 (+4) | 17 (+3) | 17 (+3) | 8 (-1) | 12 (+1) | 11 (+0) |
Saves Str +6, Dex +5
Skills Intimidation +2, Perception +3, Stealth +8, Survival +3
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Goblin
CR 4, Proficiency Bonus +2
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the bugbear hits with it (included in the attack).
Surprise Attack. If the bugbear surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
--Actions--
Multiattack. Bruthazmus makes two attacks.
Bramblebow. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8+4) piercing damage.+2 damage vs elves
Bramblebow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10+4) piercing damage, +2 damage vs elves
--Bonus Actions--
Guerilla Fighting. Bruthazmus can Hide or Dash as a bonus action.
Hail of Thorns 1/day. Upon hitting with a ranged weapon attack the target of the attack and each creature within 5 feet of it make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 16 (3d10) Piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
--Gear--
Bruthazmus’ Bramblebow, 20 arrows, 4x elf bane arrows, potion of greater healing
Magic Item: Bruthazmus' Bramblebow
(Requires Strength 14)
This magic longbow is made of an incredibly strong wood and covered in large thorns, allowing it to also be used as a melee weapon (treat as a morningstar.)
In addition, this weapon has 3 charges. When making a ranged attack with this weapon you can use a Bonus Action to use up to 3 of the charges to cast the spell Hail of Thorns (Save DC 13). The slot level of the spell is equal to the number of charges used. The bow regains 1d3 charges each day at dawn.
Magic Item: Elfbane Arrow
These magic arrows grant a +1 to hit and damage and deal additional 2d6 damage to any creature that is an elf. Once a magic arrow hits a target it ceases to be magical.
Shalelu Andosana
Medium humanoid (wood elf) , Chaotic Good
Ranger (Hunter) Lv 6
Armor Class. 17 (Studded Leather \+1)
Initiative. +4
Hit Points. 52 (6d10+12)
Speed. 35
Abilities. Str 12 (+1), Dex 18 (+4), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 8 (-1)
Saving Throws. Str +4, Dex +7
Skills. Acrobatics +7, Athletics +4, Nature +4, Perception +5, Stealth +7, Survival +5
Senses. Darkvision 60'
Languages. Elven, Common, Goblin, Varisian, Giant
Traits. Favored Enemy (humanoids, giants), Natural Explorer, Extra Attack, Fighting Style (Archery), Primeval Awareness, Feat: Sharpshooter, Horde Breaker
Spells. 1st-level (4/4): Hunter's Mark, Cure Wounds, Hail of Thorns
2nd-level (2/2): Pass without Trace, Spike Growth
--Actions--
Multiattack Shalelu makes two attacks.
Longbow +1. Ranged Weapon Attack +10 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target Hit: 10 (1d8+5) piercing damage +3 vs goblins and giants.
Longbow +1 (Sharpshooter). Ranged Weapon Attack +5 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target Hit: 20 (1d8+15) piercing damage +3 vs goblins and giants.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack +7 to hit, one target Hit: 7 (1d6+4) piercing damage.
No need to actually add Tera here if you're not me, Shalelu is more than competent enough on her own.
The Shopkeeper's Daughter
Ven Vinder
Medium Humanoid (human), lawful neutral
Use the Thug stats from the MM, with "mace" renamed "fist"
- Perception check DC 12 to notice Vin's arrival (though feel free to grant the PC disadvantage if you feel Shayliss has him sufficiently distracted.)
- Deception check for PC to talk their way out is 15 (DC 20 for no hard feelings with Shayliss.)
| Kalshane |
Session 3: Glass and Wrath
After taking a moment to take in the grim scene within the glassworking room and no sign of Ameiko among the dead, the party decides to ambush the goblins currently entertaining themselves with the glass and remains of the slain workers. The party dispatches nearly half their number before the surprised goblins are able to counterattack and despite a cry from one of them "It's those longshanks from the raid, run for lives!" they are quickly cut down before they can even attempt to flee or surrender. Investigating the room, the party finds nothing of interest among the carnage beyond the large, runny glass "sculpture" set beneath one of the skylights. Ella soon realizes it contains the remains of Lonjinku Kaijutsu, Ameiko's father, strapped to a chair. Leaving this grotesque sight behind them, the party moves to explore the rest of the glassworks, finding more carnage and destruction from the invading goblins throughout, but no sign of Ameiko. Seraphine does make an interesting discovery in Lonjinku's office: coded records and messages between the deceased lord and the local Sczarni, indicating he had rented out his furnaces to them for the disposal of bodies.
The AP mentions Lonjinku's connection to the Sczarni mostly in Tstuo's backstory and as a passing reference in the description of the furnaces, but when the most shifty character in your party scores a 19 on their Investigation check while going through the old man's papers, it felt like the appropriate "reward."
Already having a poor opinion of the man from his treatment of Ameiko and interaction with them the previous evening, this new information seemed to dispel any remaining misgivings the party had about his gruesome fate.
Moving to the basement, Amber spots a half-elven man with a bow attempting to ambush them and raises the alarm. The party moves into action against the man Amber and Ella recognize as Tsuto Kaijutsu, only to be ambushed in turn by two goblin commandos they had not seen.
Amber, Vylathel and Nissa move to engage the goblins while Ella and Seraphine try to pin down the elusive Tsuto, who they find surprisingly mobile despite the remains of broken brick walls providing uneven footing in parts of the basement. Seraphine manages to exchange blows with Tsuto a few times while Ella struggles to hit the nimble half-elf with her crossbow. Their last exchange goes poorly for Seraphine as Tsuto strikes her with a knife-hand blow that stuns her and then follows up with an arrow straight to her chest, sending her to the ground and bleeding out.
Tsuto moves to assist the goblins only for Vylathel and Nissa to finally take them down, bringing The Midnight Sun face-to-face with Tsuto. The half-elf tries to trip the former gladiator without success before dashing back the way he came, tumbling past a surprised Ella and landing awkwardly on the dying Seraphine for a moment before recovering. Despite Nissa's and Vylathel's attempts to cut him off, Tsuto manages to escape down a tunnel in one of the basement walls, moving too fast for any of the party to keep up.
I'm really happy with how well this fight played out. Even with me rolling terribly for Tsuto, his mobility, the corners and the difficult terrain (even though the AP doesn't call it out, it only makes sense for the rubble on the floor from the broken walls to be so) made for a running battle between him, Seraphine and Ella while the rest of the party were kept busy by the commandos.
If I was going to change anything, I might have given him the equivalent of the Mobile feat for more movement and the ability to ignore the difficult terrain when dashing, though it's possible that would have been overkill as the players already found the difficulty to pin him down frustrating. We use the Tumbling and Overrun optional rules from the 2014 DMG, which kept them from being able to completely box him in. Vylathel even tried to use an overrun on Tsuto to push past him and block him out, but rolled a 1 on his Athletics check.
Amber heals Seraphine back to consciousness and she decides she’s had enough for now, leaning against the wall while the rest of the group takes stock of the situation. It appears the section of the basement containing the tunnel and a small office had been sealed off by walls until somewhat recently. The existence of abandoned smuggler's tunnels beneath the town is a poorly-kept secret, and the town's teenagers (including Amber in her youth) occasionally use them for youthful shenanigans, likely explaining both the existence of this tunnel and why it had been sealed off. Digging through the desk in the office finds crumbling ledgers of smuggling operations long past that add confirmation.
What is more interesting, however, is the discovery of Tsuto's journal apparently dropped or forgotten prior to their battle. From this journal the party discovered that Tsuto had planned the goblin raid on Sandpoint, under the orders of his lover Nualia Tobyn, the supposedly-dead adopted daughter of Father Tobyn. Nualia had used Father Tobyn's remains as part of a ritual to begin purging her "celestial taint", a process that gives Tsuto trepidation. The journal also alludes to a quasit leading "an army of freaks" below Sandpoint and that Nualia is trying to release something called Malfeshnekor from the depths of Thistletop island. Once accomplished she plans to lead an even larger raid, with the goal of burning Sandpoint to the ground.
Vylathel recalls coming across the name Malfeshnekor in a book as belonging to a fiendish being with aspects of a wolf and a goblin known as a barghest. Meanwhile, Ella recognizes a quasit as a type of minor demon and remembers that they are resistant to any weapon that isn't magical or forged of cold iron.
After getting over the surprise revelation that Nualia is still alive and apparently the mastermind behind what they've been dealing with, the party also discusses the nature and quality of Tsuto's lewd drawings of Nualia within the journal.
Searching the rest of the basement they find a wounded Ameiko bound and gagged in one of the store rooms. Ella quickly frees her and asks if she's okay. Ameiko explains that her brother has gone mad, and when she slapped him after refusing to join him in trying to destroy Sandpoint he unleashed his goblins on her and they overwhelmed her. She then says she needs to warn her father, to which Ella gently informs her of his demise. Ameiko takes this stoically and then says she needs to alert the mayor. As they head back to the surface, Ella fills Ameiko in on what they encountered and the contents of Tsuto's journal.
I really love the RP and the investment that Ameiko's friendship campaign trait adds to Chapter 1. I've had a player take it in all 3 campaigns and it really helps the story to have one of the PCs being highly invested in Ameiko beyond just being the cool bartender who lets them room for free.
Arriving at the town hall, the party is quickly ushered to Mayor Deverin's office. After Ameiko and the party relay their tales to the Mayor, she asks them to explore the tunnels and discover what the army of freaks Tsuto alluded to are and to deal with them if possible. She then informs them the town council will likely need to wish to speak to them, though it can wait until tomorrow. The party accepts and makes a suggestion that some town guards be sent to keep an eye on the tunnel under the Glassworks in the meantime, to which the Mayor agrees.
The party takes Ameiko to the church to be healed and asks for an audience with Father Zantus, asking the priest for more information about Nualia, though being evasive as to why they wish to know. Zantus explains that she was found on the doorstep of the church as a baby and raised by Father Tobyn as his own. She was what the local Varisians call "touched by Desna" and the scholars refer to as an aasimar, someone with divine or celestial blood. He mentioned that Nualia struggled at times, her being special leading to teasing from some of the other kids and often being asked for blessings or a lock of hair from the more superstitious citizens of the town. Zantus said Father Tobyn was perhaps overly firm with her, but wanted only the best for her. When asked if she ever spent time with Tsuto, Zantus was confused, but said he couldn't recall it, but the young man wasn't the religious sort and that it would be a better question for Master Gandethus at the Turandarok Academy. The party thanked him and, after escorting Ameiko back to the Rusty Dragon, went to pay the schoolmaster a visit.
Master Gandethus welcomed the heroes of the town, expressing surprise but not alarm that Vylathel has brought his friends to view his collection. The party explained that while they would love to see his collection, they would also like to ask him some questions. Gandethus agreed and led them to the basement, where he had multiple rooms dedicated to strange weapons and armor, trophies, heads, skulls and other preserved parts of numerous monsters and maps of fantastical locations.
As they explored, Ella kept an eye out for any indication of any construction to seal off tunnels like there were in the Glassworks but did not find anything.
Asking Gandethus about Nualia and Tsuto, though again keeping their motives hidden, the schoolmaster describes them both as loners who didn't interact and his recollections of Nualia do not bring to light much more than Father Zantus had already told them. Of Tsuto, he recalls him as an angry young man with a chip on his shoulder who eventually left Sandpoint after a fight with his father. When they asked him if Tsuto had studies of any particular interest or focus, Gandethus says he can't recall any, until Vylathel mentions that he was apparently an "artist", to which the schoolmaster recalls that yes, Tsuto did excel at drawing, and that he also enjoyed playing the flute in his free time. The party thank Master Gandethus for his time and leave, with Amber mentioning to the party she didn't think he had shown them everything based on the stories he heard growing up in the academy and that Gandethus had to have a secret room where he kept the really crazy and dangerous stuff.
The party returns to the Rusty Dragon for dinner. Ella finds Ameiko resting in her room, where the innkeeper mock-angrily informs her friend that Bethana is forcing her to stay in her room, and that the halfling woman had insisted the rest of the staff has things handled. Ella confirms that everything seems to be in order and makes sure Ameiko doesn't need anything before returning to the party's table. Dinner finished, Serpahine and Vylathel announce they plan to visit the Pixie's Kitten, as Seraphine almost died and Vylathel had the unfortunate incident with Shayliss the day before that left things unfinished. Ella, Nissa and Amber wish them a good time and retreat to their rooms to rest.
The next morning brings Vylathel and Seraphine strutting back into the Rusty Dragon obviously in a good moods. The party finds Ameiko is already back in the kitchen and behind the bar, though dressed in white instead of her typical red. This produces some confusion and potentially insensitive comments among the party before Ella explains that white is the color of mourning in Ameiko's culture and indicates her own white outfit that she chose for the day. She assures her companions that they do not need to follow suit, as they barely knew the deceased. Ella checks in with Ameiko and is informed that they all have been summoned to a meeting with the town council at 10am, which Ella relays to the rest of the group.
After breakfast, the group heads across town to the town hall, where this time they are led to the council chamber. The large room has a galley on either side, where some of the more prominent citizens are seated, as well as a dais with four large podiums and chairs behind which are seated the 3 remaining heads of Sandpoint's ruling families: Mayor Kendra Deverin, Lord Ethram Valdemar and Lord Titus Scarnetti. The chair assigned to Lonjinku Kaijutsu sits understandably empty.
Mayor Deverin asks Ameiko and the party to relay their experiences the previous day. When Ella resists and asks that the gallery be cleared, Mayor Deverin declines, saying that while Belor likely meant well, it is in the best interest of the town to know what they are facing. Ella relents and the party and Ameiko all relay their experiences the previous day.
As expected, the room reacts with incredulity to the tale of Nualia Tobyn being alive and behind the goblin attack on the Swallowtail Festival but Mayor Deverin quickly restores order. Once Ameiko and the party finish their tale, they find themselves accused by Lord Scarnetti of lying and/or conspiring with Ameiko and Tsuto to murder their father and take his holdings. Mayor Deverin points out that Ella is well-known for her service to the town and that the others risked life and limb to protect Sandpoint from the goblin attack and have also agreed to investigate whatever creatures are lurking in the tunnels below Sandpoint. Lord Scarnetti admits that Ella is likely trustworthy, but states he is less sure about her companions. After some back and forth the party produces the records of Lonjinku's dealing the Sczarni (which Lord Valdemar states appears to be authentic) and Tsuto's journal. Eventually Lord Scarnetti grumpily concedes. That concluded, the mayor informs the party the council will need to discuss how to address the threat from Nualia and the Thistletop goblins and asks them to investigate the tunnels.
As Ameiko turns to leave with them, the mayor informs her she must stay, as she is Lonjinku's heir and his seat on the Council now belongs to her. This prompts Ameiko to mutter some colorful words in Minkaian under her breath and a sympathetic look from Ella before the innkeeper moves to take her new seat.
Leaving the town hall, the party decide they seriously dislike Lord Scarnetti and wonder if he's somehow involved with Nualia's conspiracy. However, they don't know how to find such information, even if it were true, and have the more pressing need of investigating the tunnels for whatever threats exist there.
If your players don't hate Titus Scarnetti, you're doing something wrong. :)
Realizing the party doesn't have any weapons for dealing with the supposed quasit, they first hit up Master Gandethus, who says he unfortunately sold off the magical weapons in his collection years ago, but he could make one of their weapons magical for an hour, if necessary. Realizing that that is unlikely to be enough time, they thank him and go to visit Savah's Armory. Savah welcomes the heroes and offers them 20% off anything in her store, but unfortunately that's not enough for them to afford much in the way of demon-hunting weaponry, Savah decides, due to Ella's reputation and her service to the city, to loan her a magical crossbow named Vansaya for the duration of their expedition into the tunnels. After Savah politely declines to accept some "colorful" offers in exchange for some cold iron weaponry, she agrees to give them a cold iron dagger in exchange for the 3 vials of alchemist’s fire they have. Now slightly-better armed the party heads back to the Glassworks.
And this is where I realized I had screwed up. The party hadn't been looting and selling the goblin's equipment because it was fashioned from garbage and logically wouldn't be worth anything. But outside of Aldern's reward, which they haven't received yet because they haven't taken the time to go boar hunting with him nor have they turned him down completely, the AP doesn't really give the party any treasure that isn't looted equipment until Thistletop. All the treasure to be found in the Glassworks is on Tstuo's person and he ran away with it. I should have had them receive a reward from the mayor or placed other opportunities for them to earn money to replace the lost masterwork and other gear from the AP.
Descending into the Glassworks basement, the party follows the tunnel, discovering a branch that had been previously bricked up, but was now torn down. Opting for stealth over perception, they forgo light sources and rely on their darkvision.
Past the broken wall they follow a long tunnel and encounter a side room where a pair of hideous pale-skinned creatures with large vertically split mouths and wielding ranseurs. Seraphine leaps into the fray but gets her weapons tangled up and is unable to land a blow on the creatures before retreating back up the tunnel. At Nissa’s command, Ember erupts into flames, scorching the odd creatures before teleporting away in another flash of fire and filling the tunnel with light. The remaining party members move up to engage with their foes and are eventually able to bring them down with minimal injuries to themselves, with Seraphine redeeming her earlier flub by driving a rapier through the back of one's skull and Ella taking down the other with a crossbow bolt and her swarm of pixies.
Quote of the session:
“Really? I heard he was quite the artist and closely studied the human form.” - Vylathel when Master Gandethus stated Tsuto didn't have any notable studies while at the Academy.
| Kalshane |
1.3 Encounters Part 1
Against the Goblins
8x Goblins
Goblin
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
Armor Class. 15 (studded leather and shield)
Initiative. +2
Hit Points. 7 (2d6)
Speed. 30 ft.
Abilities. Str 8 (-1), Dex 14 (+2), Con 10 (+0), Int 10 (+0), Wis 8 (-1), Cha 8 (-1)
Skills. Stealth +6
Senses. darkvision 60 ft. Passive Perception 9
Languages. Common, Goblin
Traits. Nimble Escape
--Actions--
Dogslicer. Melee Weapon Attack +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Hit: 5 (1d6+2)slashing damage.
Glass Tongs. Melee Weapon Attack +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Hit: 1 (1d4-1)bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage.
Thrown Glass. Ranged Weapon Attack +4 to hit, range 30 ft, one target Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage plus square hit becomes caltrops.
Glassworks Basement
Tsuto, 2x Goblin Commandos
Goblin Commando
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
Armor Class. 17 (chain shirt and shield)
Initiative. +3
Hit Points. 36 (6d6+12)
Speed. 30 ft.
Abilities. Str 14 (+2), Dex 17 (+3), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 8 (-1)
Saving Throws. Str +4, Dex +5
Skills. Animal Handling +3, Athletics +4, Perception +3, Stealth +7, Survival +3
Senses. darkvision 60 ft. Passive Perception 13
Languages. Common, Goblin
Traits. Nimble Escape, Favored Enemy (Beasts), Natural Explorer, Fighting Style (Archery)
CR 1, PB +2
--Actions--
Multiattack. The goblin commando makes two attacks.
Dogslicer. Melee Weapon Attack +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Hit 6 (1d6+3)slashing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack +7 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target Hit:6 (1d6+3) piercing damage.
--Gear--
Healing Potion
Tsuto Kaijitsu
Medium Humanoid (Half-Elf), Neutral Evil
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 60 (11d8+11)
Speed 40 ft.
Initiative +7 (17)
|- STR -| DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| 12(+1)|16(+3)|12(+1)|13(+1)|16(+3)|8(-1)|
Saves Str +4, Dex +6, Wis +6
Skills Acrobatics +9, Insight +6, Perception +6, Stealth +9
Senses passive Perception 16, Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages Common, Elven, Goblin, Minkaian
CR 5, Proficiency Bonus +3
Unarmored Defense.[b/] While Tsuto is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, his AC includes his Wisdom modifier.
[b]Melee Archer. Tsuto does not have disadvantage on his ranged attacks when an enemy is within 5 ft.
Fey Ancestry. Tsuto has advantage on saving throws he makes to avoid or end the charmed condition on himself, and magic can't put him to sleep.
Cunning Action. On each of his turns, Tsuto can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Tsuto deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Tsuto that isn't incapacitated and Tsuto doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
--Actions--
Multiattack. Tsuto makes three unarmed strikes or two shortbow and one unarmed strike attacks.
Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+ 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, the adept can choose one of the following additional effects:
- The target must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
- The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of Tsuto's next turn.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage.
--Reactions--
Deflect Missile. In response to being hit by a ranged weapon attack, the adept deflects the missile. The damage it takes from the attack is reduced by 1d10 \+ 3\. If the damage is reduced to 0, the adept catches the missile if it's small enough to hold in one hand and the adept has a hand free.
--Gear--
Potion of healing, bracers of archery, composite shortbow w/20 arrows, 5 silver arrows, 5 cold iron arrows, thieves’ tools, fine silver flute (30gp), silver earrings (25gp), journal, 6 pouches of gold dust (50gp each). 8 pouches of silver dust (5gp each), 10pp.
I started with the Martial Arts Adept from Volo's Guide to Monsters, then added Half-elf traits, Cunning action, Sneak Attack, Melee Archer and the shortbow.
The Catacombs of Wrath
B1 Guard Cave
2x Sinspawn
Sinspawn
Medium Monstrosity, neutral evil
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 32 (5d8+10)
Speed 40 ft.
Initiative +6 (16)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|15(+2)|13(+1)|14(+2)|10 +0)|13(+1)|12(+1)|
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Aklo
Challenge 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Magic Resistance. The sinspawn has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
--Actions--
Multiattack. The sinspawn makes one ranseur and one bite attack, or one bite attack and one claws attack.
Ranseur. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d10+3) piercing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature it must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or be overcome with wrathful thoughts (treat as poisoned) for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature already suffering from wrathful thoughts is hit with a second bite attack they are stunned for the duration instead.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d4+4) slashing damage.