I was really bored today and started surfing my usual haunts for something to do. One of those places is Drive Thru RPG. I have made many a purchase from them over the years and while browsing through my list of purchased items, I came across one that I actually wrote. Well most of it anyway. A few years back I was having a hard time finding a job after moving back west so I thought I’d try my hand at doing some freelance work in the game industry. Let’s just say that my writing skills leave a lot to be desired. Fortunately a few people thought some of the drivel I produced was worth a few pennies so if you’re curious, or a masochist, here are the three products in which I have credits:

• Into the Future: Derelict Starships from Tabletop Adventures. I think I only wrote a single passage for this book, but it’s been so long I don’t remember.
• Bits of the Wilderness: Into the Mountains from Tabletop Adventures. My involvement with this title is also hazy, but I think several of my entries made it into the book.
• Liber Sodalitas: The Wayfinders of Talus from Highmoon Games. My freelancing piece de resistance, if you could call it that. Before it was complete I had found a job so I left the project hanging. Big thanks to Daniel Perez from Highmoon for putting the finishing touches on it and actually publishing it.

Until next time…

Added a few new books to my RPG collection this week:

• RuneQuest II by Mongoose Publishing. I really like what they have done to clean up the RuneQuest system, especially using maneuvers in combat resolution.
• Hero System Sidekick by Hero Games. This one was a gift from Indie Press Revolution. I’ve never played any of their games before, but the GURPS-like system is pretty cool.
• How We Came to Live Here by Brennan Taylor (Galileo Games). A well written story game based on a mythical southwest Indian culture. Was nominated for an ENnie in 2010.
• Contenders by JJ Prince (Prince of Darkness Games). Another story game were the players take on the roles of fighters trying to make it in the tough world of boxing. Won a Ronnie award in 2005.
• Remember Tomorrow by Gregor Hutton (Box Ninja). The latest game from the creator of 3:16. Remember Tomorrow is a quick and easy cyberpunk system that can be used for any setting that takes place in the near future.

Until next time…

D&D 4.5, er, I mean D&D Essentials is almost upon us. Products start releasing late this month with the new Red Box. After reading quite a bit on forums from Wizards and EN World I am actually now looking forward to the new edition, even if Wizards is not calling it one. Especially after seeing the pics of the unboxed Dungeon Master’s Kit and Monster Vault. I am really liking the digest sized paperback rulebooks. They are far more portable than all the hardcover books ann are the same size as many of the good indie rpgs I’ve been acquiring lately (like Spirit of the Century or Burning Wheel). I am a little concerned about the durability of their spine and the claim that they will lay flat, but only time will tell if their is any need for worry. Aside from the new books, I am actually looking forward to seeing how well the new martial classes operate using basic attacks (something I though they should have done from the start) and am very excited about dwarves gaining the possibility of a +2 to strength. What can I say? I like dwarves. They are stubborn and tough and a party is not a party without a dwarf fighter.

Anyway, I am looking forward to this reboot of 4th edition and crossing my fingers the changes are good.

Until next time…

August 21st is the worldwide D&D Game Day for the new Dark Sun setting (new to 4th edition at least). The Campaign Guide and Creature Catalog go on sale this coming Tuesday, but fortunately my local game store, Little Shop of Magic, is a premier store for Wizards and is able to sell them almost two weeks earlier. I’ve picked up my copies and like what they have done to bring the post-apocalyptic fantasy world of Athas into 4th edition.

I have signed on to be the DM for the first session of the Dark Sun Game Day at Little Shop of Magic and am hoping to have a good time exploring Athas with some good players, even if it is only for a few encounters. Some players may be curious about the pre-generated characters for the Game Day so I thought I’d post them here. Everyone is 4th level and has slightly improved gear so players have a  few more options than are typically available to a starting character.

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Bost, level 4 Male Mul Fighter Wilder
ABILITY SCORES - Str 20, Con 13, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 8.
AC: 20 Fort: 20 Reflex: 13 Will: 17
HP: 46 Surges: 11 Surge Value: 11
TRAINED SKILLS - Athletics +12, Endurance +10, Intimidate +8
POWERS - At-will: Brash Strike, Vicious Offensive; Encounter: Incredible Toughness, Punishing Charge, Sweeping Blow, Psychic Surge; Daily: Tempest Dance, Unstoppable.
OTHER ABILITIES - Resilience of Stone, Combat Challenge, Combat Superiority
ITEMS - +1 Gouge of Terror, +1 Wall Scale Armor, +1 Cloak of the Walking Wounded

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Dai’Lo, level 4 Female Halfling Ardent Wasteland Nomad
ABILITY SCORES - Str 10, Con 16, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 18.
AC: 19 Fort: 18 Reflex: 17 Will: 19
HP: 43 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 10
TRAINED SKILLS - Diplomacy +11, Endurance +9, Insight +7, Streetwise +11
POWERS - At-will: Demoralizing Strike, Distracting Strike, Ire Strike; Encounter: Wasteland Fury, Second Chance, Ardent Surge, Ardent Outrage, Dimension Swap; Daily: Implanted Suggestion.
OTHER ABILITIES - Nimble Reaction, Mantle of Elation.
ITEMS - +1 Thoughtspike Longsword, +1 Magic Chainmail, +2 Amulet of Protection.

Most roleplayers really enjoy making characters. I am no exception. As I mentioned in my previous post I acquired a copy of the Dark Sun Campaign Guide and am intrigued by several builds now possible. So without further ado, here are a few characters I’d like to play in Dark Sun:

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Rikard, level 1 Mul Ranger Wilder (Two-Blade Fighting Style, Running Attack)Background: Occupation - Military (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 20, Con 13, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 18, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
AC: 15 Fort: 16 Reflex: 13 Will: 10
HP: 30 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS - Nature +5, Perception +5, Acrobatics +6, Athletics +11, Endurance +7
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Intimidate -1, Religion, Stealth +1, Streetwise +1, Thievery +1
FEATS - Level 1: Dwarven Weapon Training
POWERS - Ranger at-will 1: Shield of Blades, Ranger at-will 1: Twin Strike, Racial encounter: Incredible Toughness, Theme encounter: Psychic Surge, Ranger encounter 1: Off-Hand Strike, Ranger daily 1: Jaws of the Wolf
ITEMS - Waraxe (2), Hide Armor

Rikus is the build I mentioned in my last post. An absolutely devastating striker, especially if he manages to crit with his daily after hitting with Psychic Surge. The two round nova damage I outlined in that post (except using Jaws of the Wolf in round 1 instead of Twin Strike) would be 1d8+5, 2d12+7, 2d12+7, 1d12+7, and 1d6 on the first turn then 1d12+2, 1d12+2, and 1d6 on the second turn. That’s if each attack hits, but that’s still an average of 87 damage over the two rounds if all attacks hit, with a max of 134 damage. That’s a ton of hitting power…at level 1.

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Dorn, level 1 Mul Fighter Gladiator (Combat Superiority, Tempest Technique) Background: Athlete (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 20, Con 15, Dex 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 18, Con 13, Dex 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
AC: 18 Fort: 17 Reflex: 12 Will: 10
HP: 30 Surges: 12 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS - Intimidate +4, Endurance +8, Athletics +11
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Acrobatics, Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Nature, Perception, Religion, Stealth, Streetwise +1, Thievery
FEATS - Level 1: Dwarven Weapon Training
POWERS - Fighter at-will 1: Dual Strike, Fighter at-will 1: Grappling Strike, Racial encounter: Incredible Toughness, Theme encounter: Disrupting Advance, Fighter encounter 1: Passing Attack, Fighter daily 1: Ruinous Assault
ITEMS - Chainmail, Gauntlet Axe (2)

Dorn is a new derivation of my dual whip/scourge fighter build I’ve been toying with lately. Instead he uses the magnificent new weapon from the Dark Sun book, the gauntlet axe. Like the scourge, the gauntlet axe is an off-hand weapon so it benefits from the +1 to attack rolls and +2 damage from Tempest Technique, but instead of being a flail it is an axe so it also gains +2 damage from Dwarven Weapon Training. Dual Strike will be +8 vs. AC and do 1d8+4 damage at level 1. At Paragon tier Dorn will take the Shock Trooper Paragon Path which makes the gauntlet axe a d10 weapon, along with the Deadly Axe and Devastating Critical feats. The other two benefits of a gauntlet axe over a flail are  gauntlet axes are Defensive (which gives him +1 to AC) and the character is considered to have an open hand when wielding a gauntlet axe so Dorn can use Grappling Strike if he needs to. Dorn is not as overpowered as Rikard, but he’s a cool character concept anyway.

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Ka’cha, level 1 Thri’Kreen Monk (Stone Fist), Background: Occupation - Military (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 16, Con 10, Dex 20, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 14, Con 10, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8.
AC: 19 Fort: 14 Reflex: 16 Will: 12
HP: 22 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS - Endurance +7, Perception +5, Acrobatics +10, Athletics +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Intimidate +1, Nature, Religion, Stealth +5, Streetwise -1, Thievery +5
FEATS - Level 1: Unarmored Agility
POWERS - Monk at-will 1: Crane’s Wings, Monk at-will 1: Five Storms, Monk encounter 1: Open the Gate of Battle, Monk daily 1: Masterful Spiral
ITEMS - Club.

Ka’cha really starts to shine at level 4 when he gets Crashing Tempest Style to go along with Four-Armed Flurry (take at level 2). He could get those faster by dropping Unarmored Agility and taking one of them at level 1 and the other at level 2, but with his low hp he could really use the AC of 19. Once he has those feats though, his Crane’s Wings will hit at 1d10+5 damage with an additional 8 damage to the target or 10 damage to another target with a further 2 damage applied to either target. 1d10+15 against a single target is pretty good at level 1, although not in comparison to Rikard. Not yet sure which theme would be best for him. Probably Noble Adept, Veiled Alliance, or Wilder since most of the other themes rely on weapons.

Until next time…

My War of the Burning Sky campaign appears to be over after three sessions. As I have mentioned before I have a good case of Gamer’s ADD so as a DM I need to be kept focused on the task at hand in order for a campaign to last over an extended period.  That was the reason I had scheduled the campaign on a regular basis so it became routine and sought players who were dedicated to the schedule. Unfortunately things didn’t quite work out that way. Real life (i.e. work) issues came into play which have caused one of our players to no longer be available for our regular Friday nights. I grew tired of trying to herd everyone together to find an alternate time and none of the players have tried to take on the mantle of coordinator. It’s been a few weeks since we last played and since then my ADD has kicked in for the latest shiny objects (specifically the 4e Dark Sun Campaign Guide and 4th Edition L5R).

I never did have the chance to play Dark Sun back in the day, but it has always been one of my favorite settings. I love gritty and down to earth rpgs. The 4e version is pretty cool and for the most part makes me excited to play. There are some very nasty new game mechanics that are probably a little overpowered. I have a feeling people will start seeing a lot more Mul or Dwarven (more on that in a bit) Rangers dual wielding waraxes. At 1st level with a Str of 20, Twin Strike hits on +7 vs. AC and does d12+2 damage per hit plus the +1d6 hunter’s quarry damage. That’s a ton of damage in comparison to any other striker, especially if you consider the increased odds of getting a crit due to the increased number of attacks. At Paragon it gets worse with feats like Deadly Axe and Devastating Crit. Dark Sun pushes the envelope further if the character has the Wilder theme. The theme’s encounter power increases the crit range (to 18-20) of all attacks the character makes until the end of his next turn and a Paragon level feat increases the crit range to 16-20. Talk about a two round nova. Character uses theme power against target then moves into melee, uses minor action for Off-Hand Strike, action points and uses Twin Strike and uses Twin Strike again the following turn. All of those attacks get the increased crit range. Add in a leader that grants attacks (like the warlord) and you can have even more crit fishing fun. I can’t think of another build that has that kind of explosiveness.

Two other builds that have caught my eye from the Dark Sun book are the Thri-Kreen Monk and the new Sorcerer-King Pact Warlock. The latter simply because they have a feat that adds 1d6 psychic damage to their curse damage to go along with their fell scorn ability. Assuming they have said feat along with Killing Curse and spend their fell might they will do 3d8+1d6+ability modifier damage with their at-will against a cursed target. Now 1d8 of that is from fell might which they won’t be able to do every turn unless one of their cursed targets is killed each turn, but it’s still a good amount of damage. Puts the warlock more on par with the rogue’s sneak attack damage.

The Thri-Kreen monk has a feat which adds 2 damage to one target of their flurry of blows. This doesn’t sound like much, but added with the Crashing Tempest Style feat, a Dex of 20, and a Str of 16, you are looking at 1d10+15 damage against a single target with a d10 at-will. The flurry damage has a few other options in regards to multiple targets as well. Added with the Thri-Kreen’s racial power and you have a very interesting multi-target striker. Not overpowering, but very cool nonetheless.

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So apparently Wizards of the Coast has been actively denying that the new D&D Essentials line of products is not D&D 4.5. I find this concerted effort of denial interesting. Understandably from their perspective it is important to market the revisions as best as possible so sales do not lag, but I get this feeling I’m being lied to whenever I hear it. Now I’m sure that everyone has their own definition of what they would consider to be version 4.5, but the old adage is true: if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. I don’t recall the exact game mechanics that were changed when Wizards released 3.5, but there were some that were pretty different from 3.0. Enough so that they printed new core rulebooks. With 4.0 they are refusing to do that even though they are making some significant changes to the game and several rules have been errata’d since the core books came out. Instead they are printing new books that will overwrite some of the rules from the original books. To me that screams new edition, but to each his own I guess.

For the most part I am excited to see what changes they make to D&D in Essentials. One change they have confirmed that I fully endorse is Dwarves gaining +2 Con and either +2 Str or +2 Wis as their ability mods instead of strictly +2 Con and +2 Wis. This fixes the main problem I’ve had with D&D 4.0 dwarves since the game was released: dwarves are not great at their iconic classes (fighter, warlord, melee cleric, runepriest) since they lack a Str bonus. It does mean we will see a lot of dwarven rangers like the one I wrote about above, but that’s fine with me.

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I recently picked up the 4th edition of the Legend of Five Rings rpg and must say they have done a very good job of getting rid of the broken components of 3rd edition. I really like the setting and played in a wonderful, albeit short, campaign a few years back. My only real disappointment with the new edition is the lack of ronin techniques beyond rank 1. I understand that these will likely be in further books, but since my previous character was ronin I was very interested in them.

Also acquired a few other new games for my rpg collection:

• Dresden Files Volume One, Your Story by Evil Hat Productions. Wizards and the like in the modern world. Not my typical cup of tea, but interesting nonetheless. Made me watch a few of the episodes from the short-lived SyFy show. I still need to get Volume Two, Our World.
• Savage Worlds Explorer’s Edition by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. The generic version of the rules used in Pinnacle’s Deadlands rpg. I have been meaning to get this one for a while since two cool settings (Hellfrost and Sundered Skies) from Triple Ace Games use it.
• Reign Enchiridion by Greg Stoltze. I’ve always liked fantasy nation building from back in the days of CM1 Test of the Warlords to the Birthright setting to Last Unicorn’s Aria. Reign follows the same theme and I’ve been interested in the One Roll Engine the game uses for a while.

Anyway, that’s enough for now. Until next time…

Chapter 1 is here.

The main room of the Nentir Inn was well lit by lanterns and a very large fireplace at the far end from the front door. A long bar dominated the left side of the room with the right wall hidden by a row of booths. Benches, tables, and stools filled the majority of the middle of the room. The dank smell of wet straw mingled with the ashy smoke from the fireplace and unwashed patrons to assault Thordek and Alanna’s senses. They shut the door behind them to keep the rain from making matters worse. Thordek removed his cloak and hung it from a peg near the door. He chose an empty table and set his pack and warhammer on the floor underneath. The warmth of the nearby fire began to chase the chill from the chain of his armor. Alanna flopped her drenched self into the chair across from him.

A middle-aged woman approached their table. “Hello. Welcome to…I thought I told you to stay out of this place. There’s no free room and board here girl.” She glared at Alanna.

“She’s with me,” Thordek replied.

“Oh, my apologies sir. Her little gang of thieves come in here every now and then to steal food or find a place to sleep. Keep an eye on her or Erandil will hold you responsible. Now what can I get you?”

Thordek hesitated to answer, his attention elsewhere for a moment. “Why do you want me to get you an ale? You can’t drink.” Another pause, “No I’m not going to buy one so you can look at it. Let me eat in peace will you?”

“Pardon sir?” the waitress asked confused.

“Um, not you. Sorry, let me have a bowl of whatever stew you’ve got and a beer.” The waitress turned to leave. “Oh, and some porridge for the child.”

“Hey! Who are you calling a child?” Alanna demanded.

“You want something to eat right?” Thordek said.

“Um, yes. Please, “Alanna replied meekly.

“Then shut it!”

While waiting for their meal, Thordek glanced around the room at its patrons. Many of the tables and booths were occupied by folk who appeared to be laborers and farmers. The usual citizens of Nentir Vale. A few however caught his attention. Like Thordek himself, they did not appear to be from around Fellcrest.

A gnome woman was chatting the ear off a massively muscled, and shirtless, half-orc a few tables away from Thordek and Alanna. The huge man was well tanned and wore studded leather breeches. A pair of hardened leather shoulder pads were anchored by large straps that crossed his chest and fastened to his belt. Twin whips coiled like snakes made their nests at his hips. His hands and forearms were covered by spiked leather leaving only his fingers exposed. His long black hair was pulled into a single ponytail leaving nothing to hide the long sideburns that ran to the sharp teeth protruding from the corners of his mouth. He paid the gnome little attention concentrating on drinking whatever was in a large mug.

The gnome did not seem bothered by her audience’s inattention. She continued gabbing about this and that while the half-orc drank. She was a small woman, even smaller than Thordek. Her white hair tangled wildly in all directions and her charcoal eyes glistened as she spoke. Shre wore a full suit of leather armor with patches here and there and several mismatched buckles. A short sword sat in a scabbard at her waist on one side and a dagger on the other. Her tiny pack lay on the floor at her feet. Tied to the outside were a small round shield made of wood, a quiver and small bow, and a coil of rope that was almost as large as the pack itself.

The third intriguing character Thordek noticed was seated at the furthest booth from the fireplace. He was facing away from Thordek and still wore his cloak indoors. The man’s silhouette reminded Thordek of the loggers he had seen in Nenlast years ago and the large waraxe on the bench next to him confirmed his suspicion.

The waitress soon returned with their food. Thordek thanked her and asked for a room and bath.

“Eberk asked if you would like to stay with us tonight,” he said to Alanna.

“Is he your imaginary friend?” She replied.

“Sort of. I’ll explain sometime. Well do you?”

“I had an imaginary friend once. When I was a kid.” Alanna said.

Thordek glared at her.

“Um, yes please,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Yes, you’re right. At least she has some manners,” Thordek answered someone.

“Who has some manners? Me? Oh yes I do, hi, my name is Nissa, what are your names?” the gnome woman appeared out of nowhere and dropped her pack onto the floor next to Thordek. “So do you two like to adventure…”

“Excuse me,” Thordek interrupted.

“… I love to adventure, maybe we can adventure together, do you need a job? I know of someone who is looking to hire people like us, maybe you can join us…”

“Excuse me.”

“…I already have two men who need some work and want to join us, hopefully you can join us too, that would be great, the four of us, we could take on anything in Nentir Vale, they’ll tell stories of us someday, like the stories of Aranda Marklehay, we’ll be known as the Heroes of Nentir Vale…”

“Excuse me!”

“What? How rude, well maybe you’re not the kind of person we are looking for, but if you decide to be more cordial, meet me and my friends here in the common room tomorrow morning, have a good night!” The woman picked up her pack and disappeared up the stairs.

“What was that all about?” Alanna asked.

“I don’t know,” Thordek replied. “But I sure could use the work. You’re free to stay in my room for the night, but tomorrow we part paths.”

After finishing their meal in silence, the two retired to welcome warm baths, then to a moderately furnished room. There was only one bed which Thordek gave to the girl. The wooden floor was nothing new to the hardy dwarf and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the floor.

Spoiler: This series of posts covers actual game play of the War of the Burning Sky campaign arc from EN Publishing.

The previous episode is here.

The heroes awoke early on the morning of the second day of the year to a moderate snowfall. The weather blanketed the city of Gate Pass with peace as it prevented the Ragesians from continuing their aerial assault on the city. While preparing for their confrontation with the eladrin mage Shealis, the party overheard conversations from the refugees indicating the Ragesians have given the city an ultimatum: let the Inquisitors into the city by nightfall or the army would attack in force the following day. The party quickly came to the conclusion they need to secure the case and get out of the city today.

The group headed west to the next district where Gabal’s School of War was located. Omicron knew its confines well having been a student there. He lead them to the main gates where a crowd had gathered clamoring for entrance. The heroes inquired about what was happening. When someone said the crowd was trying to get into the school to hand over the mages to the inquisitors the heroes quickly departed fearing the mob would identify Omicron or Athos. Omicron informed the group there was a back entrance. A hidden tunnel in a nearby stable. The heroes agreed that would be the best way to get into the school to find Shealis.

Upon arriving at the stables, the group found a scruffy man pitching hay into the stalls. He glanced over the heroes and said, “Ah Omicron. Long time no see. What brings you here this morning?” The group moved towards the man, who identified himself as Rufus, knowing that he was between them and the tunnel entrance at the rear of the stables. After a brief conversation where the party finally demanded entrance to the tunnel Rufus said, ” I can’t do that. Get ‘em boys!” His form shifted and morphed into the body of a very large rat with bony protrusions from his spine. Several other such rats emerged from hiding places in the hay and rafters above along with two large groups of dozens of smaller rats. Aukan and Vandalis quickly engaged Rufus and another large rat nearby. Athos, Thaikou and Omicron were swarmed by the remaining foes from the other side after moving in behind the warriors. The heroes did not have too much difficulty in slaying the myriad of rodents, especially after Omicron used his new found beastbane amulet to create some of the material beasts find so foul. He dropped it at the feet of Vandalin next to him causing several rats to scurry away from them and attack Athos near the stable door. He had flown over to the entrance to get away from the rats. Unfortunately that was their only escape route from the beastbane. But the heores proved to be too much for the rats and overcame them without difficulty. They found 10gp and a potion of healing hidden in the hay.

The tunnel was a hundred yards long and led to a small gardener’s shack on the grounds of the school. The door opened away from the school’s tower with a large expanse of open courtyard, now covered in snow, between it and the wall. Omicron knew the apartments where Shealis lived were to the south so the group headed in that direction. Athos attempted to sneak by low crawling through the snow (since there was no cover to be found), but his efforts were quickly neutralized by the twin goliath’s lumbering steps.

The apartments were numbered one through six with no names on their doors. Two of them (numbers three and five) had lights on inside. The heroes decided to try number three and listened at the door. Thaikou and Athos heard the sound of someone inside but could not see through the curtains. The front door was locked, which Omicron easily picked, but the heroes were wary of rushing into the home of a powerful mage uninvited. They noticed that the light coming from the window tot he right of the door was unnaturally bright. Omicron went to the window and used his arcane powers to push the curtain aside slightly so he could see inside. A familiar small floating sun was in the small room. The very same one they met the previous morning at the depository. After trying to converse with the solon through the window, he opened it, which was surprisingly unlocked, and asked the wisp if Shealis was home. It answered yes, said to come on in, and disappeared in a burst of flame. The door click and opened slightly.

The party entered Shealis’ home to find her arranged her belongings and packing. Her familiar, the wisp solon, was hovering nearby.

“Hello Omicron. Gabal will not be happy to see you. I take it you and your friends are here for the case. It is property of Shahalesti now. You will not convine me to turn it over to you,” she said.

Omicron and the group feebly (they’re not much of a talking bunch) attempted to change her mind, but Shealis was adamant about keeping the case for herself. Omicron even tried invoking some infernal powers to aid his efforts, but to no avail. Vandalin spoke to the solon, “pay it no mind, but we are going to have a little tussle with your boss here.”

To which Shealis replied, “Very well then.” most of the group was still near the front door when they saw her split into four and throw a small fireball in their direction. The Suicide Squad broke into action with Aukan and Vandalin charging the mage. They hacked at one of the quartet only to find it was not the real Shealis. Each swing destroyed one of the images and she was soon back to her solo self. The solon blasted a searing bright light at Athos dazing him. The woman disappeared and reappeared several feet away in bursts of flame. Aukan again engaged the mage and summoned all of his divine strength to impart a heavy blow with his maul to the eladrin. She was hit very hard, but barely stumbled from the blow. Thaikou and Vandalin also moved to engage, but the wizard put both hads up and used magical force to push all of them back. Vandalin had managed to knick the shifty mage once with his greataxe and Omicron shot her with an unerring magic missile, but the group was finding that her quickness and arcane power prevented most of their attacks from connecting. Uncharacteristically for the protective and loyal Vandalin, he left his new friends and ran out the door. Athos soon followed through the open window leaving only Aukan, Omicron, and Thaikou to face the mage.

Thaikou had been pushed by the wizard to the corner of the room near the mage’s desk at one point in the fight. He noticed a small map on the desk and grabbed it thinking it might be important. Nobody, including Shealis, seem to notice his filching the parchment.  Thaikou told the woman their fight was not with her and that they should leave, but Aukan, nearly unconscious from the mage’s attacks but full of Kord’s fury, tried to attack the her again. Before he coudl do so, his brother moved to his side and drew his throwing hammer swiping at him futilely in an effort to knock him unconscious. His backswing connected though and Aukan slumped to the floor. Shealis demanded that they depart her quarters to which Omicron immediaely complied. Thairkou hefted his brother’s large form and carried him outside. The heroes rendezvoused at the gardener’s shack where Thaikou revealed the map.

The map led the group to a walled house in the eladrin quarter of the next district to the west. The wall was about eight feet tall and covered with vines at the top. When Aukan grabbed the top of the wall to peer over, the vine began to move over his hands. He quickly let go. A single gate led into the property. On it was a bas relief carving of an eladrin hero fighting a demonic citadel with a leonal and solon assisting him. Omicron recognized this as depicting and old eladrin legend. He also saw that the pieces moved and after a misstep in moving the solon first, he realized they must be moved in a particular order to unlock the gate. Inside, they found the courtyard covered in trellises and vines. A narrow path led to the front door of the house.

On their way down the path, Aukan noticed something moving int he vines. It spoke to them in eleven, “You should not be here. Go now.”

Vandalin, the only party member who spoke elven, told the group what it said and replied, “We have been invited by Shealis.” The figured did not reply, but moved away from view towards the back of the house.

The front door was locked, but again another lock proved to not be beyond the efforts of Omicron and his handy picks. The heroes went inside to find four eladrin sitting around the room and jumping to attention when they entered. The group began to explain they were sent by Shealis to recover the case when Aukan, scorched, tried, and bruised from the fight with the mage, grew weary of talk and charged one of the eladrin. A fight ensued that did not last long. Two more eladrin joined the group from upstairs. One dressed in leather and wielding a glowing longsword and another carrying a longbow. The swordsman began dancing among the heroes slashing at them with his blade, but his armor and agility did little to protect him from the mighty blows of the Suicide Squad. The archer fared better unleashing flaming arrows and a forceful blast knocking several of the heroes down at one point. His fate was sealed when Omicron unleashed a flaming sphere next to the archer, but not before two flaming arrows felled Aukan.

Thaikou quickly revived his brother once the fight was over. Athos went upstairs while the rest of the heroes searched the bodies downstairs. When they went upstairs Athos was gone, but they found some boots of spider climbing, an amulet of protection, 290gp, and the case. They found it at last!

Now if only they can get out of Gate Pass before the Inquisitors get in.

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We took a week off due to one of the players having to work Friday night and I think that affected my abilities a bit. I was not as prepared and wasn’t on my “A” game this sessions so it wasn’t quite as good as I hoped. The confrontation with Shealis was kind of lame. I hate skill challenges and tried to go free form, but the players did not provide any enticing arguments and for the most part refused to try any skill checks to change her mind. Once the fight went a few rounds, math and metagaming led to a decision that I thought was way out of character for Vandalin. Erik confirmed that Shealis was at least 10th level because she had used Mirror Image and Ryan realized they would have a hard time hitting her and bolted without waiting or aiding his friends. I may have misunderstood Vandalin’s background, but I thought this was completely out of character for him and was disappointed. Tom (Aukan) on the other hand played his character very well, falling to the bloodlust of battle in his efforts to follow Kord, regardless of the outcome. If it wasn’t for Thaikou knocking him out and carrying him from the house, Aukan probably would have died there to save the rest of the group. I also forgot about an effect that should have taken place after the first encounter, but I should be able to throw that in after their next short rest. We have two weeks until our next session. Hopefully I will be more prepared and things go a little better.

Until next time…

A lone stout figure shuffled along the muddy road towards the hazy red of the setting sun. Cold wind grabbed at his cloak permitting the light drizzling rain to enter its lukewarm confines. He grasped the flapping ends and secured them with renewed determination to keep out the early chill of winter. The straps of a small backpack and the warhammer slung over his shoulder aided his efforts. The wind tugged with the ebon braids of his beard sneaking them out of the cover of his cloak so they could play in the rain.

“We are almost to Fallcrest?” He asked no one. “Good. Been a long walk from the Fiveleague House and you know I’m not in the best shape.” A sudden gust overcame the figure’s grip and pulled off his hood revealing a bare pate to the rain. He grumbled and tugged the errant hood back over his head. “And this weather has become annoying. I miss the comfort of my shop in Hammerfast. My former shop.” He paused to adjust his grip to combat the efforts of the wind. “You know very well you’re the reason I left.”

The figure trudged on through the muck towards his destination. Rolling hills and copses of trees passed by and gave way to small farmsteads, some in use, some in ruin, indicating the increasing presence of civilization. After many twists and turns through the hills a bend around one such hill revealed the figure’s destination at last, Fallcrest.

The traveler pushed his slumping shoulders back as he approached the gate. The twenty foot walls flanking the gatehouse stretched for several hundred feet before falling off a bluff to the south and climbing a hill to the north that was topped by a small keep.

“Halt! State your name and business,” a gruff voice called out from the shadows of the gatehouse.

The figure stopped and peered into the shadows. His vision able to see clearly through the darkness. A dwarf clad in scale armor was between two human guards wielding halberds. The figure replied, “My name is Thordek from Hammerfast. Locksmith by trade. I am passing through and need lodging for the night.”

“You alone?” the dwarf asked.

Thordek paused, whispering a hush to no one in particular. “Yes,” he replied.

“Very well then, move along. ” The guards made way for Thordek to pass through the gatehouse into the town.

“It has been a while since I’ve been here. Can you tell me where I can find lodging?”

“Silver Unicorn by the Knight’s Gate, but by the looks of things you might not be able to afford them. Try the Nentir Inn across the river,” one of the guards said.

“Thank you. Good to see a fellow dwarf outside of Hammerfast,” Thordek replied and began walking. “What? You want to stay at the Prancing Pony?”

“Excuse me?” the dwarf guard asked.

Thordek turned. “Oh sorry, just talking to myself.”

“Hmmph. I thought you asked about the Prancing Pony. That place burned down before the Bloodspear War before y’er even born kid,” the dwarf replied.

Thordek thanked the guards and left. Following the guard’s directions, he turned right when he reached a temple topped by white minarets. The building sat on the edge of a large bluff that divided Fallcrest. Other than several large warehouses along the riverfront, most of the buildings in the lower city were ruined. A small stream on Thordek’s left flowed into the town from the east and careened down the bluff in a waterfall filling a small pond below before meeting up with the Nentir River on the western side of town. Further south of the stream in the lower portion of the town was a steep hill with a pale green spire perched atop it. The only access to the tower was via a bridge from the upper section of the town.

Thordek turned his attention back to the temple and his trek through the town. He recognized several symbols of Sehanine, the goddess of the moon and autumn. And trickery and illusions, Thordek thought.

“Yes I know I am being followed,” he said to himself. “It’s just a little girl.” He continued walking.

“Fine! I’ll ask her,” he said turning around and seeing the girl duck behind a building. The sun was set, but there were enough lights to permit Thorde’s dwarven vision to see the girl peering around the corner in the shadows. “Come on out little girl and tell me why you’re following me.”

After a few moments, the girl slowly left her hiding place and approached Thordek. Taller than the dwarf by several inches, the waif was dressed in rags, although the drizzling rain had washed away some of the grime from her body. He could see the glint of her red hair and the abundant freckles on her face in the dim light. Thordek asked again who she was and why she was following him.

“I’m sorry sir. I saw you talking to some invisible person and thought you might be able to help a poor orphan,” she said.

“Rob me is more like it!” Thordek replied.

“No! Never! I’m not like those other kids.”

“What’s your name?”

“Alanna.”

The dwarf listened for a moment. “Fine. But if we get into trouble because of her, it’s your fault.”

“What?” Alanna asked.

“Nevermind girl. Come on.” Thordek headed back towards the river and the Nentir Inn, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the girl was following. The two soon crossed over the only bridge over the Nentir River in the entire valley. A wooden structure set on old stone arched pilings. Thordek figured they have been around for a few centuries, but the wood was no more than a few decades old. The Nentir Inn lay just beyond the bridge. Thordek opened the door for Alanna and escorted her inside.

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The heroes of Nentir Vale is my feeble attempt at fiction using some of the more off the wall D&D characters I have created lately. Since I don’t get the opportunity to play D&D much, I figured this would be one way to do so. Anyway, hopefully somebody out there gets a little enjoyment from these tales, but if not, at least I will.

Spoiler: This series of posts cover actual game play of the War of the Burning Sky campaign arc from EN Publishing.

Part 1 is here.

When we last left our heroes, they were resting at the Mercineum (a temple dedicated to Pelor and a headquarters of the Gate Pass resistance) before they set off to investigate the Eladrin mage Shealis at Gabal’s School of War later that morning. The main floor of the Mercineum was full of refugees when the heroes arrived so they, along with more incoming refugees, made their way downstairs into the temple’s crypt to rest. Buron Watcher and Torrent escorted the ailing Rivereye Badgerface to a side chamber off the crypt where an infirmary had been set up. All of the heroes except Athos made their beds to the right of the main door to the crypt. Athos decided he needed some distance from his new companions and laid his bed next to the sarcophagus on a dais at the far end of the room. Refugees scattered themselves around the dark chamber in small groups.

A few hours after the group laid to rest, Omicron and Aukan were awakened by the sound of chanting. coming from somewhere near the large statues in the center of the room. Omicron quickly realized it was some form of summoning ritual. They woke Thaikou and Vandalin and crept around the statue to locate the source of the chanting. They spotted a robed half-orc with a scroll who was just finishing the chant. He then yelled “For Ragesia!” and threw a pot of alchemist’s fire at his feet consuming several nearby refugees and himself in flames. The noise woke Athos and the other refugees. Clattering from the alcoves around the room revealed a dozen skeletons awakened by the ritual. The sarcophagus on the dais slid open and an undead horror dressed in armor pulled itself from the coffin. Refugees screamed in terror as Buron yelled from the infirmary doors, “Save the refugees!” He closed the doors sealing himself inside with the wounded and whatever horrors arose in that chamber.

The heroes immediately began to attack the skeletons, who seemed to be focused on the refugees. The armored creature that came from the sarcophagus was identified as a wight. Athos’ bed was nearly atop the wight and the creature began to hack at the warlock with his longsword, immobilizing him when he hit. Athos was in dire straights until Thaikou was able to make his way through to chaos to assist him. Following his brother’s lead with the massive maul attack Aukan hammered on the bandit at the Poison Apple Pub early that morning, Thaikou slammed his maul down on the wight crushing him into the stone floor. Omicron, Aukan, and Vandalin had all moved on to other skeletons at this point in the chaotic battle.

Free from the wight’s immobilization, Athos telekenetically flew atop the statues at the center of the chamber and began shooting at the remaining skeletons around the room. The remainder of the heroes engaged them in melee with Omicron sniping off several smaller skeletons that were waylaying the few remaining refugees. A few minutes later and the fight was over. The aftermath was dire. Out of 30 refugees sleeping in the crypt, only 6 remained. Buron was disappointed, but the survivors were grateful. An old man and his granddaughter who escaped from the crypt offered their savings, a small ruby and 200sp, to the party hoping it would help them protect the city from the oncoming army. Athos offered to give the valuables back, but the old man insisted and left before they could argue further.

Refugees and resistance members began the task of clearing the bodies from the room. The party noticed that the small infirmary held the piles of nearly a dozen skeletons, all of which Buron had destroyed single-handedly. Buron approached the heroes and offered a pair of healing potions to aide them. When asked about Torrent’s absence, he told the heroes that she had been sent out to meet an illusionist named Diogenes at Gabal’s. Diogenes was sympathetic to the resistance and Buron hoped he would have information on Shealis. The heroes, still tired from the morning’s activities, resumed their rest.

The morning of the first day of the Ragesian siege was cold and a heavy snowfall began. The harsh weather limited the aerial assault that had begun at midnight. Upon their awakening, Buron told the party that a few survivors of the morning’s terrorist attack identified the half-orc. They said he frequented a warehouse in the next city quarter. Torrent had not yet returned so Buron asked the heroes to investigate the warehouse in case there were other terrorists in Gate Pass.

The heroes decided they wanted to stop at a merchant on the way to the warehouse to purchase some other supplies. They located a decent sized shop that had an attached storeroom behind it. After haggling for a few minutes with the shopkeeper for a few items, the merchant’s assistant came running from the storeroom and fled out the front door screaming, “We’re under attack!” The Suicide Squad immediately went into action with Athos rushing into the storeroom to find that a scarab beetle had dug its way into the room through the dirt floor. The other party members followed and quickly surrounded the hole through which the beetle had emerged. A strange beast soon crept from the hole and immediately attacked Aukan, drawn to his plate armor like a moth to a flame. The creature attacked him, little feather-like tendrils sweeping over his armor. Rust spots followed in their wake. Vandalin swung his greataxe at the creature, but his weapon began to rust after connecting on a heavy blow. The beast was still drawn to Aukan’s armor and, after another attack, his plate rusted completely through and dropped from his immense frame. Aukan was now completely unprotected from the creatures attacks, but it turned its attention towards Vandalin and began to eat at his chainmail. Two ebon-skinned dwarves emerged from the hole during the fight. They were clad in hide armor and wielded greatclubs and shortbows. Their tactical options were limited since the party had them hedged in near the hole and after a few minutes the fight was finished. The beetle and rust beast had been slain along with the two dwarves. The merchant was jubilant that none of his goods were damaged in the fight. He accepted the weapons and armor of the dwarves in return for a new suit of plate armor for Aukan and a new suit of chain and new greataxe for Vandalin. The heroes found a magic amulet on one of the dwarves that protected the user and created the alchemical substance beastbane, which repels beasts. The merchant surmised that the amulet allowed the dwarves to push the beetle and rust beast to do their bidding. They also found a potion of healing, 110gp, and a small sapphire.

After leaving the merchant’s shop, the party continued through the snowy streets towards the warehouse of the reported terrorists. They found it without difficulty and before they could discuss tactics Vandalin kicked the doors in and rushed inside. The warehouse was long and narrow with a small office in the far right corner. Stacks of boxes, baskets, and crates left small walkways through to the rear of the room. Stores had been cleared from the left back corner were come form of summoning circle had been etched and outlined with candles. Four humans with clubs and three orcs clad in chainmail with halberds gawked at the intruders.

The heroes made their way through the aisles towards the back of the warehouse after Omicron quickly felled a thug with a magic missile fired from outside the doors. Two thugs rushed forward and kicked over a pair of baskets on either side of the room. Swarms of snakes slithered forth and attacked the nearest creatures. The halberdiers quickly engaged the three largest heroes, one each on Aukan, Thaikou and Vandalin. Athos scurried back and forth across the entrance of the room in a shadowy haze shooting eldritch blasts at the enemies. Omicron moved forward slightly in the center aisle so he could better see and dropped a few scorching bursts of fire on their foes.

Shortly after the fight began, the office door opened. A man clad in black and purple robes carrying a sickle emerged and maneuvered behind the line of halberdiers. Athos identified the man’s necklace as a holy symbol of the Raven Queen. Aukan hammered his way through his attacker with a massive slam invoking Kord’s name for divine strength and filling his blood with mighty power. He felled the man in a single blow and rushed the priest only to be teleported away to the side of the warehouse next to one of the snake swarms. Omicron responded by diabolically grasping the priest and yanking him towards the other snake swarm. The priest was unable to withstand their poisonous bites and soon died. The fight raged on for several minutes with a few of the party members hinging on death, but the Suicide Squad prevailed.

One of the halberdiers broke off from the melee and ran into the office closing the door behind him. Athos followed and barely listened to the orc’s pleas for mercy before slaying him with an eldritch blast of blue flame. The rest of the party was a little put out by Athos’ actions. The heroes searched the warehouse for other snakes and found none. The crates were filled with clothing and foodstuffs. They also located a small locked chest in the office. Omicron was easily able to pick the lock. Inside were a small opal, 350gp, and several letters that appeared to be orders to conduct terrorist attacks on the city from the inside while the army attacks the gates. More letters alluded to other cells within the city who were ordered to round up several mages, two names the party recognized: Diogenes and the city councilman Erdan Menash.

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This session consisted of a lot of combat and little roleplaying, but I think everyone had fun. After fairly easily completing the encounters in the first session, I think the players (other thank Erik who has played with me as DM before) were a little off guard by how difficult the first and last encounter were. Vandalin was unconscious by the end of the last encounter and Aukan went down in both (failing two death saves in the last one before being stabilized). However, they did survive and have proven themselves to be true heroes of Gate Pass.

Now if only they can find that case of Ragesian secrets…