Campaign Journal - Session 4 - Boss Fight and Leveling Up

April 6, Northern Reckoning Year 707, Continued...
When we left our heroes last, they were in "room 27" of the goblin caves, having fought and killed over a dozen goblins, using up most of their daily allotment of magic, and taking some damage...

The party moved north through the narrow passage, which began to descend and widen. Because three of the six party members are human and do not have darkvision, torches were required, which would announce their presence to any monsters waiting up ahead.

Niam the rogue and Malachy the barbarian were in the first rank as the party advanced. The presence of the enemy was announced by an arrow whizzing by the rogue and clattering off the rock wall behind him. Quickly spotting the goblin archer, Niam returned fire with his short bow, and missed, but Malachy was more successful, skewering the goblin with a well-placed javelin, and tumbling the assailant off his ledge.

As the party advanced to reconnoiter, a general melee ensued. Additional goblin archers were shooting from the right and left flanks, and a trio of larger creatures were rushing at our heroes from across the cavern. As hand to hand combat ensued with the barbarian, it was believed (correctly) that the assailants were a pair of hobgoblins and a very large goblin. The melee in the center of the chamber was close fought, with Malachy and Badric (the dwarven cleric) going toe to toe with the three bad guys.

Tower Dungeon and Eastern Caves

Badric, in his haste to rush up and support his hard-pressed friend, failed to notice the goblin shaman lurking off to the side, and was blasted with the lightning of a Witch Bolt spell. Badric was staggered by the attack, which was countered by a Magic Missile cast at the three main melee opponents (from Duncan the wizard). Melior (the Druid) rushed to support Malachy, while Niam and Mordechai (the fighter) rushed to deal with the shaman, whose Witch Bolt was still toasting Badric...

The shaman was hit, breaking his concentration and ending his spell, but Badric was hit with a melee attack shortly after and fell to the ground unconscious (gaining the honor of becoming the first "man down" of our campaign). Mordechai would also be incapacitated before the melee was over, but our heroes prevailed after a tense fight. Malachy performed admirably, but had taken some damage, as had the Druid from prior fights. Mordechai had served his "meat shield" role admirably, and the quickness of Niam and the firepower of Duncan all contributed to the success in this, the party's first "boss battle."

When the fight was over, the party agreed that it was best to find a safe place to hunker down for the night and rest, healing up as best they could.

During the night, the members of the party were all independently haunted by similar dreams of fighting undead creatures in a temple graveyard at night, utilizing abilities and powers that they didn't know that they had. This proved to be the way in which their respective higher powers bestowed on them the benefits of advancing to 2nd level.

The morning of April 7 was spent investigating the few known corners of the dungeon that had not been dealt with before. The only incidents of note, in the large natural caverns in the southwest corner of the dungeon, were a brief battle with 7 stirges (large blood-sucking birds), and the discovery of a rune and glyph covered door in the deepest depths of the far western cavern. Approaching the door, an apparition appeared in the pool of water nearby, saying "I Zaratha of Kel-Vandiir have sealed this portal. Open it at your own risk." Having neither the means nor necessarily the desire to open the portal, the party went about gathering their treasure and heading back to Fulcher's Hold. [Note that despite the map nobody knows what is behind the door - that chapter remains the be written - it may be a room and stairs, it may be something else entirely...]

Temple Dungeon and Western Caves

The party decided that they would be careful about what information they divulged to Fulcher and his friends. Fulcher was glad to see them, and healed what wounds they had left. The party shared general information about dungeon and about the goblin tribe, but kept the discovery of the rune-sealed doorway and certain other details to themselves. Fulcher indicated that the news of goblins roaming the area was consistent with what Valtan, a Ranger in his group, had noticed. Fulcher then invited the party to stay as long as they needed, giving them the use of a cabin in the worker's village area.

The party has a number of potential leads to follow up on, and it remains to be seen where they will go next. Back to town seemed like an option that was getting some discussion.

Next...Where to?...

The Sage's Commentary - We have now played four sessions of approximately 2.5 hours each on average. This "boss battle" session to finish the dungeon was the first time that all 5 of us have all been together, which was very nice. Two of our four players have staggered their appearances, missing each other the first three times.

We seem to have settled into a good groove from a play perspective (and you would expect as much since we are practically all family), and I am becoming more and more comfortable running things. I am re-learning some old lessons and learning some new ones, but in general I think the flow is pretty good. This session taught me a few things I will do differently going forward, but there haven't been any major "oopses."

With all of the characters now at level 2, there is more flexibility in what the characters can do, and therefore a lot more options for what I can throw at them. Everybody's hit points are nearly doubled (you get max to start, but not after that, although I made sure they all got a good roll), and they have a 50% increase in daily spellcasting ability (3 slots instead of 2 each). Advancement to levels 2 or 3 are the first big step in choosing a "career path" specialization for most character classes, and the Druid and the Wizard both got theirs at 2nd. Melior, the Druid, is now of the Circle of the Land (Forest), and can shape shift with the Wild Shape ability. Very cool. Barbarians, Fighters and Rogues get their big choice at 3rd level, which won't be too far away. Everybody got some nice new abilities to play with.

I can't wait to get to work on what comes next, and I hope we can get together again soon.

The Standing Stones of Andreth

On the grasslands near the northwestern border of the Kingdom of Alsberg is one of the most famous known sites of the Ancients; the Standing Stones of Andreth. They are located on a low hill on the plain east of Redstone Lake, north of the Traverna Hills and south of the Iron Heath.

The Standing Stones of Andreth (Map in Hexographer)

The central part of the feature consists of a ring of standing rectangular stones, each approximately ten feet wide, 5 feet thick and 15 feet tall. Twelve of these stones are arranged in a ring surrounding one central black stone pillar that is five feet in diameter and over 20 feet tall. The pillar is carved with an ascending  spiral of runes that nobody has been able to decipher. Radiating out from this central feature are six lines of smaller stones, each spoke consisting of 6 stones approximately 8 feet tall, spaced 20 feet or so apart, and trailing down the low hill. Most of the stones at Andreth are still standing, although some are leaning and a few have broken or toppled completely.

The Stones get their name from the explorer that first re-discovered them a few hundred years ago.

Nobody knows what the purpose of this monument is, or who built it, but like some of the other sites of the Ancients, it is said to radiate a faint primal magic. Local tales tell of a circle of Druids and Rangers to whom this place is sacred, and who protect it and keep it safe.

The Monastery at Darnisol

Beyond the western borders of the Kingdom of Mercia, in the rugged foothills of the Tellarn Mountains above Pelican Lake sits the fabled Monastery of Darnisol. Darnisol is home to a secretive group of warrior monks of strange and wondrous abilities.

Darnisol Monastery (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

The Monastery itself is carved high into a series of nearly inaccessible granite cliffs, and towers over the  hills and valleys below. It is said that the visible cliff-hugging walls and fortifications hide a vast complex of tunnels and chambers carved into the living rock behind. The Monastery is home to an order of monks who are famed for practicing the art of unarmed combat and whose amazing agility and body control is legendary. Many of the monks of Darnisol train from a very early age, and the blue and gold robed monks of the order can sometimes be seen in Mercia and the surrounding lands where it is said they are selecting those gifted few children who they believe can learn the discipline of their order.

Darnisol

Some of the Darnisol monks never leave the monastery, but there are those who venture out into the outside world and follow many different career paths. Some become great warriors fighting for the cause of good, protecting the defenseless and the weak. Others become the very terrors that others of their order serve to protect against. While many great warriors have come out of Darnisol, it is also said that some of the most dangerous assassins in the Northlands have also trained there. Disciples of Darnisol practice their art to good or evil as each sees fit.

Darnisol was founded in the year 499, when the North was still a very wild place. It served as one of the original bastions against the hordes of evil creatures then inhabiting the area. This may not necessarily have been purely in the interests of good, but may just have been because, as Master Kermon has been quoted by the sages as saying, "monstrous hordes are good practice."

Commentary - 5th Edition D&D

So, a few months into a renewed interest in D&D, with all three new rulebooks in hand, and with three playing sessions under our belt, where do I (and we) stand with D&D?

First and foremost, D&D is about story. That hasn't changed. The creative part is the same in terms of the imagination. The tools are light-years better, with computers, the internet, software, color printers, and all the other trappings of the modern age (things which either didn't exist at all or were in their infancy when we were kids). How I think about approaching creating a world and an adventure is pretty much the same as it was all those years ago, but the ability to execute on those thoughts and imaginings is so much better with the tools at my disposal now. And a few decades of life experience, education, reading, and all that do help to provide a better foundation to build from as well.

As for playing, I think we have had a lot of fun, and the feedback from the players on their experience to date has been gratifying. It seems like we will be continuing, sporadically, as time allows. I hope so.

Regarding the new 5th edition of the game (product-wise), overall I would have to say I am very pleased. Physically, the three books are of absolute top-notch quality and production values, with fantastic artwork and a wealth of good material. One complaint I have read in several places in reviews elsewhere is that the rules are written in such a way that it assumes you already have a fairly good idea of how to play. I can see this point of view, as there have been a few things I have tried to figure out, been unable to find in the rules with any clarity, and have been left wondering whether I am missing something or whether I am being bogged down by pre-conceived notions carried over from the 1980's and 1990's with several editions in between that I never played. On the bright side, there is a very active  and helpful forum community on the company website.

By way of example of the above, after/during our next session, all of the characters in the party will be leveling up from level 1 to level 2. The Player's Handbook (PH) has the requisite wealth of detail on experience points needed to advance levels and the multitude of skills and abilities to be gained on reaching new levels, spell slots, "career path" choices etc. Nowhere in the book does it say how you actually advance from level to level in the PH. The preconceived notion (or burden of past knowledge) is that back in the day (1st ed.) once you gained enough experience to advance a level, you needed to find someone to train you on the necessary skills and abilities to actually gain the benefits. I assumed there would be something similar, or at least some guidance on how the process occurred (i.e. do you just wake up one morning with more hit points, more spells, and just feel "better" than when you went to sleep?). I figured since there was no mention of any of this in the PH, it would be in the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) when that was released last week. It wasn't. No guidance at all. In a single paragraph in a section on "Downtime Activities", it mentions as an optional rule that the DM can require characters to undergo some sort of training as a part of level advancement. So I guess that means that the default is that you just gain benefits of new levels automatically. This was confirmed by asking the question on the forum and getting a few people to respond that "yes, you just get them, although if you want to do it differently, go ahead." OK.

I could also interject here that the books could be indexed a little better.

As for the rules mechanics themselves, and how the game plays, it will take a little getting used to. I don't mean that in a bad way, but it is different. The best simple summarization would be to say that everybody is better at everything. Players have more and better abilities right from day one, magic is much more powerful (and widespread), and the proliferation of more and more skills and abilities even in the lower-middle levels seems...imposing. There are big die roll bonuses and special abilities everywhere, even for all the monsters. The biggest thing with this for me will be to get a better feel for what will be a challenge to the party, as there is a balancing act to be performed there that I don't think I have really achieved in our first few sessions. But I am learning.

Overall, it has been a very enjoyable experience that I hope will continue.

Campaign Journal - Session 3 - Goblins Aplenty

April 6, Northern Reckoning Year 707, continued.
When we left our heroes at the end of session 2, they were in room "8" of the map below, having fought and killed a total of 6 goblins.

Having dispatched 5 goblins in room 8, the party moved south into chambers 9 and 10. These were found to be used as living areas, and there were a half dozen other goblins to be dealt with here. A little damage was taken, but the characters cleared out the area quickly and efficiently.

The party then moved back through the fungus room (area 7) and headed north. Climbing up the passage, they came into room 6, an oblong chamber with a very uneven rock floor. Picking their way carefully across the room, they were forced to shimmy single file through a narrow passage heading further north. Coming out into a wider hallway, the party decided to go northwest. As the first few party members headed in that direction, an arrow whizzed out of the darkness to the east and skewered Melior Ardenshade (the wood elf Druid), taking him down to a single hit point. Ardenshade collapsed back into the passage while the Cleric and the two Fighters charged into a large chamber to the east. Five goblins were crouching among the rocks, shooting at the characters. A couple of hits were made, and two of the goblins ran away, exiting down a narrow passage further east. As the combat types were fighting the remaining goblins, two more burst into the room from the north. Soon, all had been taken care of, with some damage taken by the party.

Session 3 dungeon crawling (up is north)

The group did some healing (especially on the Druid), and then followed the passage that the fleeing goblins had taken. This narrow passage climbed steeply upwards, and opened into a medium sized low ceilinged chamber with exits in four directions. Sunlight was coming in from the south passage. A short climb up in that direction brought the party past an empty watch post and out into the sunlight via a cave entrance on the far side of one of the hills they had explored before going underground. From the sun's position in the sky, it was seen to be late in the afternoon.

Going back into chamber 2, the characters decided to go down a steeply winding passage leading east. This brought them to a long narrow chamber sloping down into the darkness to the north. As they moved cautiously in that direction, they noticed a few small side passages, and what seemed to be signs of recent excavation near these tunnels. Investigating what were apparently a few more small living areas that had been dug out fairly recently, it was becoming obvious that the goblins had not been here for more than a month or two, and had been digging out some of these areas since they arrived. At the far northern (lowest) end of the chamber was a pool of water.

After investigating the two small chambers on the east side of the long chamber, one unexplored passage remained on the west wall. This passage appeared partly natural and partly dug out, and was very small. For the characters to fit through, they would have to crawl on hands and knees, single file. With the rogue going first, a small widened area was found where the party regrouped. The rogue continued on, went right at a spot where the passage forked, and found a medium sized chamber to the northeast. The remainder of the party shimmied and crawled through to the chamber, where they could all stand up again. There was another pool of water in the lower southeast side of the chamber, and a narrow (but tall) opening in the north wall.

Not a sound or sign of goblins had been heard or seen since back in chamber 5...

To be Continued...

The Sage's Commentary - Our third session, a brief two hours due to schedules (and played back in mid-November), covered a lot of fighting, but not much map space. I am beginning to get a feel for how much "ground" we can cover in a session, be it literal in the sense of how much can be explored, or figurative in the sense of how much time needs to be allocated to role playing certain facets of the adventure. Combat, even relatively straightforward combat, eats up a lot of time. In two hours (including some socializing of course) we covered a mere 10-12 areas and the passages in between, and three combat sequences. It was an eventful two hours.