DinbinFanfoom
10th August 2009, 02:19 PM
Level 4 at 3,750xp.
Erik: 2410
Crashing: 2435
Damelon: 2460
Sigurd: 2400
Tzana-Cao: 2410
Scene: "The Wayfarer" & "Abandon Ship!"
We find our group onboard The Wayfarer, a brigantine. All are present for different reasons, but a fateful storm nearly sends the adventurers to a watery grave. All manage to escape the wreck, and wash up, bedraggled, on the sand of an uncharted island.
XP Awarded to all: 100
DM's Notes: These were a pair of fairly straightforward skill challenges chosen by the characters. You all did nicely, with just the right amount of danger.
Scene: "The Cove"
Our adventurers are scattered around the bayshore, but after a few mishaps, including an serendipitous encounter with a giant crustacean, our water-logged heroes manage to find each other and warm themselves near a hastily constructed fire where they dine on the aforementioned crab, and some coconuts. Save one crewman that has returned to the wreck for the remainder, the party has found no survivors, only a few wet supplies, including a soggy spyglass.
XP Awarded to all: 25xp (for finding each other)
XP Awarded to KT & Sigurd: 25xp (for battling the evil crab)
DM's Notes: The wash-up sites were randomly chosen for each character or pair of characters. That KT was the one to find the crab was not pre-set, for example. This scene might have been a bit slow, but it eventually introduced the characters to each other, and made some sense from a stage-setting vantage point.
Scene: "Brookside"
The ragtag group seeing a violent confrontation out on the wreck of The Wayfarer, deem it wise to head inland, following a trail next to a stream. Sturdy Togar manages to get caught in a snare trap, but the party works together to free him. As they progress further, they discover the scene of an attempted abduction, where they drive off several bloodthirsty jungle dwellers.
XP Awarded to all: 20xp for trap, 70xp for combat
DM's Notes: This intro combat encounter was the first "real" one... there were no minions and the NPC's were modified bandits... the darters had the ability to immobilize (darter 1) or daze (darter 2) but do little damage, the clubbers were mediocre fighter types. All had stealth capabilities, though those were not needed until they were trying to escape. Note that driving off an NPC will grant the same XP as killing it... it's still a "win". It was quite funny that Damelon pursued the one that he did... he actually nearly circled it. Clubber 3, when it saw this happening, went stealth mode and simply lay still until Damelon left. Out of sight of the party, the also-nearly-dead Clubber 2 was about to whomp Crashing's companion (he did make a nice roll) but the party decided to quit the pursuit instead.
Scene: "Meet the Natives"
After rescuing a young woman from her attackers, the party struggles at first to understand her and her people. Several breakthroughs lead to the party being welcomed to the village of "Lamsi" and "Mokdi", the latter being the prime elder. Mokdi describes the island that the party now finds themselves on, and elaborates on the struggles and challenges that he and his people face.
XP Awarded to all: 25xp (for peacefully negotiating their way into the village)
XP Awarded to Krashi/Crashing: 25xp (for healing Nauroki)
DM's Notes: Nothing spectactular to all of this. You now have a base of operations on the island, some allies, and a few possible routes to take as far as what challenges you wish to tackle.
Scene: "Welcome to the Jungle"
The group, accompanied by Lamsi the hunter and Darganti the warrior, trek down a jungle path towards where they believe the main "Eater" outpost to be. On their way, they traverse a muddy, crocodile-infested creek. Erik plummets into the mire, and the party jumps in to help him fight his way out.
XP Awarded to all: 75xp
DM's Notes: Pretty straightforward stuff here too. The crocs were all soldier types and none managed to hold characters long enough to use their 2d8 crunching bite attack. Phooey. :D
Scene: "Trapping the Trappers"
Having overcome the muddy creek on their way to the Eater outpost, the intrepid party manages to ambush a party of the cannibals that were about to head out on a "hunt". This was the group's most difficult encounter since landing on the island, and cannibal reinforcements entering the fray nearly meant the end of brave Togar.
XP Awarded to all: 110xp
DM's Notes: You did great getting the jump on the Eaters in this one. Even with the darter's dazing attacks, you did very well, though this was certainly the toughest fight you've faced yet. Good job!
Scene: "Wastin' Away Again in Island-Eater-Ville"
The party continued their trek to the Eater outpost in efforts to dissuade them from attacking the peaceful islander village. Damelon was able to do some scouting which proved valuable (even creating a small diversion) but in the end the party was overwhelmed when they encountered more enemies than they had been led to believe existed there. Lamsi disappeared in the fray, and Darganti is nowhere to be found. With the entire party either captured or dead, their fate appears sealed.
XP Awarded to all: 180xp
XP Awarded to Damelon: 25xp (Nice recon/ambush/escape)
DM's Notes: This was winnable, generally speaking, until a certain change in party dynamics had to be accounted for, which caused the difficulty to crank up a bit. Not anyone's fault.
Scene: "Once Upon a Time There Were Cannibals... There are No Cannibals Anymore!"
The party wakes up in captivity, being held until Eater reinforcements can arrive and take them back to one of the larger islands to a grisly fate. Instead, the party breaks free and turns the tables on the remaining Eaters, though they find that they have permanently lost two of their number, the brave Togar and the courageous Darganti. They decide to set up a grim warning to the cannibals, hoping to scare them off for good.
The party returns (without Togar and Darganti) to the islander village where they are treated as heroes and rewarded with gold and gems after KT's stellar retelling of events. All get some well deserved R&R while they decide what to do next.
XP Awarded to all: 70xp
DM's Notes: Great job working your way out of this. Bummer that Sigurd/Erik never made it free, dem's the breaks. I forget why I blindfolded Sigurd; I think I originally intended both Erik and Crashing to be gagged, but messed it up and discovered the problem too late, and had to run with it.
Scene: "Now I Ain't Sayin' They Are Gold-Diggers...!"
The party sets out to investigate the cove of the mysterious "tall-rafters" who are assumed to be pirates who have a hidden cache of treasure near the shore there. On the way, they run afoul of a small herd of jungle boar, who protect their territory and wreak havoc. The "Warriors From Far" recover their wits quickly, however, and defend themselves ably.
XP Awarded to all: 110xp
Notes: I've upgraded the xp reward, as these were L2 mobs.
Scene: "Race Among The Ruins"
On their way to the Tall Rafter Cove, the party stops to examine some ancient ruins. They soon encounter that the ruins have bestial tenants... and some aren't of this realm...
Dining Hall: XP Awarded to all: 170xp (8 x 125 / 6)
Notes: Lamsi is getting XP from now on, as she's participating more. I originally had given you credit for 5 bats at L1 and 3 rats at L2 but that wasn't right. All mobs were L2, so I've adjusted the XP.
Bazaar Hall: XP Awarded to all: 65xp (3 x 125 / 6)
Scene: "Race Among The Ruins, Basement"
The lower level of the ruins prove interesting... and creepy. What ARE these things? After skirting lots of traps and fighting lots of ghastly wall-walkers, the group faces off with Dizi Kova, insane monk and caretaker of the Shrine of the Two Waters. They are victorious, though they lose their beloved bard, KT.
Pit Trap Encounter: 25xp each
Tainted Pool Encounter: 75xp each (3 x 150 / 6)
Dead End Pits Encounter: 100xp each (4 x 150 / 6)
Guardroom Encounter: 140xp each (3 x 50, 4 x 125, 1 x 150 / 6, roughly)
Two Waters Encounter: 150xp each (750 / 5), 25xp bonus to Erik for risking his life and limb to climb 30' up to read Common-tongue writing on the ceiling.
Notes: This was my first time throwing together a totally customized set of creatures (Dizi and his minions). I didn't want you to just say "oh... mummy lord... here's what we do..." but have it play out like an MMO-type encounter where you have to figure out the best strategy on the fly and execute it. Which you did, quite well. The orbs never hit someone on the turn they appeared, and moved slowly (3) and you could keep away from them (mostly) if you wished to, but you shot at them and took several out that would have likely healed Dizi even more and dragged the fight out. Well done. (Each orb had 15hp, which made them one-shottable, but only with a GOOD shot).
Scene: "Zombie Music"
The party decides to let their dead companion, KT, stew in a bath of otherworldly embalming fluid for the night. Alas, the next morning KT is not quite ready to lovingly embrace them; his regenerative soak has indeed got him up and walking again, but with the same sort of insanity as the rest of the denizens of this ruin that have been encountered. Crashing attempts to coax the last vestiges of humanity forth from the deranged bard, but after KT pounds their guide, Lamsi into the floor, he resignedly changes tack and KT is finally destroyed.
KT Encounter: 50xp each (250 / 5), 25xp bonus to Crashing for literally exhausting all effort to bring KT back and never giving up hope that the bard would come to his senses until the huntress was nearly slain.
Notes: The "revive KT" arc was ad-hoc. Wasn't planned from the beginning, but when you went that route, it only seemed to make sense and hold out the promise of fun. Your rolls likely made it drag on longer than normal, but it showed me what a mob with decent defenses can do, too!
Scene: "Worst Bridge Ever"
The party decides to cross a deep gorge on a treacherous, decaying rope-bridge. After several near catastrophes, the group traverses it, each seeing their lives pass before their eyes at least once. Erik looks visibly greyer.
75xp each.
25xp bonus to Damelon for the rope belt idea, which also could have gone badly, but ended up going very well.
Notes: Turned out to be a lot more complex and lengthy than I'd planned... tried to bring real-world physics into it as much as possible. It was fairly realistic, but took too long and got tiring, I admit. Sorry!
Scene: "What's Up With This Guy?"
The party sets off a jungle alarm and stumbles upon the camp of Tzana-Cao, a fellow maroonee (that SHOULD be a word, it's AWESOME!) who after a bit of cryptic banter, agrees to join the group.
Scene: "Bay of the Tall Rafters"
Finding the fabled "Bay of the Tall Rafters" spoken of by Mokdi, the village elder, our intrepid group begins exploring three caves. They are run out of the first, a den, by it's inhabitant bears. The second is a dead end that nonetheless, provides a clue going forward. The third looks promising...
Crab Encounter: 3 x 100xp / 6 = 50xp each
Pictograph Puzzle: 25xp each, 25xp bonus to Erik
Trundle of Death: 25xp each, 25xp bonus to Tzana-Cao
Scuttlers In The Brig!: 150xp each, 0xp bonus to Damelon :P
Pirate Shares Puzzle: 25xp each, 25xp bonus to Damelon
Barracks Monolith: 200xp each (1200 / 6)
Deserter's Platform Puzzle Trap: 50xp each, 25xp bonus to Damelon
Overall adventure arc bonus: 100xp each, 25xp bonus to Crashing, 15xp bonus to Sigurd just cuz
Notes: Just WOW on the fails vs DC20 that lock in the brig, Damelon.
Scene: "The Metal Marauder Mark I"
The adventurers find the islander camp partially destroyed by Big Thunder Man. Racing after him, they catch up and manage to defeat him and are reaquainted with Darganti the islander warrior they previously assumed dead. They manage to capture a mysterious dwarf, who seems to be some sort of technician.
Giving Chase: 50xp each.
Metal Marauder Encounter: 100xp each
Erik: 2410
Crashing: 2435
Damelon: 2460
Sigurd: 2400
Tzana-Cao: 2410
Scene: "The Wayfarer" & "Abandon Ship!"
We find our group onboard The Wayfarer, a brigantine. All are present for different reasons, but a fateful storm nearly sends the adventurers to a watery grave. All manage to escape the wreck, and wash up, bedraggled, on the sand of an uncharted island.
XP Awarded to all: 100
DM's Notes: These were a pair of fairly straightforward skill challenges chosen by the characters. You all did nicely, with just the right amount of danger.
Scene: "The Cove"
Our adventurers are scattered around the bayshore, but after a few mishaps, including an serendipitous encounter with a giant crustacean, our water-logged heroes manage to find each other and warm themselves near a hastily constructed fire where they dine on the aforementioned crab, and some coconuts. Save one crewman that has returned to the wreck for the remainder, the party has found no survivors, only a few wet supplies, including a soggy spyglass.
XP Awarded to all: 25xp (for finding each other)
XP Awarded to KT & Sigurd: 25xp (for battling the evil crab)
DM's Notes: The wash-up sites were randomly chosen for each character or pair of characters. That KT was the one to find the crab was not pre-set, for example. This scene might have been a bit slow, but it eventually introduced the characters to each other, and made some sense from a stage-setting vantage point.
Scene: "Brookside"
The ragtag group seeing a violent confrontation out on the wreck of The Wayfarer, deem it wise to head inland, following a trail next to a stream. Sturdy Togar manages to get caught in a snare trap, but the party works together to free him. As they progress further, they discover the scene of an attempted abduction, where they drive off several bloodthirsty jungle dwellers.
XP Awarded to all: 20xp for trap, 70xp for combat
DM's Notes: This intro combat encounter was the first "real" one... there were no minions and the NPC's were modified bandits... the darters had the ability to immobilize (darter 1) or daze (darter 2) but do little damage, the clubbers were mediocre fighter types. All had stealth capabilities, though those were not needed until they were trying to escape. Note that driving off an NPC will grant the same XP as killing it... it's still a "win". It was quite funny that Damelon pursued the one that he did... he actually nearly circled it. Clubber 3, when it saw this happening, went stealth mode and simply lay still until Damelon left. Out of sight of the party, the also-nearly-dead Clubber 2 was about to whomp Crashing's companion (he did make a nice roll) but the party decided to quit the pursuit instead.
Scene: "Meet the Natives"
After rescuing a young woman from her attackers, the party struggles at first to understand her and her people. Several breakthroughs lead to the party being welcomed to the village of "Lamsi" and "Mokdi", the latter being the prime elder. Mokdi describes the island that the party now finds themselves on, and elaborates on the struggles and challenges that he and his people face.
XP Awarded to all: 25xp (for peacefully negotiating their way into the village)
XP Awarded to Krashi/Crashing: 25xp (for healing Nauroki)
DM's Notes: Nothing spectactular to all of this. You now have a base of operations on the island, some allies, and a few possible routes to take as far as what challenges you wish to tackle.
Scene: "Welcome to the Jungle"
The group, accompanied by Lamsi the hunter and Darganti the warrior, trek down a jungle path towards where they believe the main "Eater" outpost to be. On their way, they traverse a muddy, crocodile-infested creek. Erik plummets into the mire, and the party jumps in to help him fight his way out.
XP Awarded to all: 75xp
DM's Notes: Pretty straightforward stuff here too. The crocs were all soldier types and none managed to hold characters long enough to use their 2d8 crunching bite attack. Phooey. :D
Scene: "Trapping the Trappers"
Having overcome the muddy creek on their way to the Eater outpost, the intrepid party manages to ambush a party of the cannibals that were about to head out on a "hunt". This was the group's most difficult encounter since landing on the island, and cannibal reinforcements entering the fray nearly meant the end of brave Togar.
XP Awarded to all: 110xp
DM's Notes: You did great getting the jump on the Eaters in this one. Even with the darter's dazing attacks, you did very well, though this was certainly the toughest fight you've faced yet. Good job!
Scene: "Wastin' Away Again in Island-Eater-Ville"
The party continued their trek to the Eater outpost in efforts to dissuade them from attacking the peaceful islander village. Damelon was able to do some scouting which proved valuable (even creating a small diversion) but in the end the party was overwhelmed when they encountered more enemies than they had been led to believe existed there. Lamsi disappeared in the fray, and Darganti is nowhere to be found. With the entire party either captured or dead, their fate appears sealed.
XP Awarded to all: 180xp
XP Awarded to Damelon: 25xp (Nice recon/ambush/escape)
DM's Notes: This was winnable, generally speaking, until a certain change in party dynamics had to be accounted for, which caused the difficulty to crank up a bit. Not anyone's fault.
Scene: "Once Upon a Time There Were Cannibals... There are No Cannibals Anymore!"
The party wakes up in captivity, being held until Eater reinforcements can arrive and take them back to one of the larger islands to a grisly fate. Instead, the party breaks free and turns the tables on the remaining Eaters, though they find that they have permanently lost two of their number, the brave Togar and the courageous Darganti. They decide to set up a grim warning to the cannibals, hoping to scare them off for good.
The party returns (without Togar and Darganti) to the islander village where they are treated as heroes and rewarded with gold and gems after KT's stellar retelling of events. All get some well deserved R&R while they decide what to do next.
XP Awarded to all: 70xp
DM's Notes: Great job working your way out of this. Bummer that Sigurd/Erik never made it free, dem's the breaks. I forget why I blindfolded Sigurd; I think I originally intended both Erik and Crashing to be gagged, but messed it up and discovered the problem too late, and had to run with it.
Scene: "Now I Ain't Sayin' They Are Gold-Diggers...!"
The party sets out to investigate the cove of the mysterious "tall-rafters" who are assumed to be pirates who have a hidden cache of treasure near the shore there. On the way, they run afoul of a small herd of jungle boar, who protect their territory and wreak havoc. The "Warriors From Far" recover their wits quickly, however, and defend themselves ably.
XP Awarded to all: 110xp
Notes: I've upgraded the xp reward, as these were L2 mobs.
Scene: "Race Among The Ruins"
On their way to the Tall Rafter Cove, the party stops to examine some ancient ruins. They soon encounter that the ruins have bestial tenants... and some aren't of this realm...
Dining Hall: XP Awarded to all: 170xp (8 x 125 / 6)
Notes: Lamsi is getting XP from now on, as she's participating more. I originally had given you credit for 5 bats at L1 and 3 rats at L2 but that wasn't right. All mobs were L2, so I've adjusted the XP.
Bazaar Hall: XP Awarded to all: 65xp (3 x 125 / 6)
Scene: "Race Among The Ruins, Basement"
The lower level of the ruins prove interesting... and creepy. What ARE these things? After skirting lots of traps and fighting lots of ghastly wall-walkers, the group faces off with Dizi Kova, insane monk and caretaker of the Shrine of the Two Waters. They are victorious, though they lose their beloved bard, KT.
Pit Trap Encounter: 25xp each
Tainted Pool Encounter: 75xp each (3 x 150 / 6)
Dead End Pits Encounter: 100xp each (4 x 150 / 6)
Guardroom Encounter: 140xp each (3 x 50, 4 x 125, 1 x 150 / 6, roughly)
Two Waters Encounter: 150xp each (750 / 5), 25xp bonus to Erik for risking his life and limb to climb 30' up to read Common-tongue writing on the ceiling.
Notes: This was my first time throwing together a totally customized set of creatures (Dizi and his minions). I didn't want you to just say "oh... mummy lord... here's what we do..." but have it play out like an MMO-type encounter where you have to figure out the best strategy on the fly and execute it. Which you did, quite well. The orbs never hit someone on the turn they appeared, and moved slowly (3) and you could keep away from them (mostly) if you wished to, but you shot at them and took several out that would have likely healed Dizi even more and dragged the fight out. Well done. (Each orb had 15hp, which made them one-shottable, but only with a GOOD shot).
Scene: "Zombie Music"
The party decides to let their dead companion, KT, stew in a bath of otherworldly embalming fluid for the night. Alas, the next morning KT is not quite ready to lovingly embrace them; his regenerative soak has indeed got him up and walking again, but with the same sort of insanity as the rest of the denizens of this ruin that have been encountered. Crashing attempts to coax the last vestiges of humanity forth from the deranged bard, but after KT pounds their guide, Lamsi into the floor, he resignedly changes tack and KT is finally destroyed.
KT Encounter: 50xp each (250 / 5), 25xp bonus to Crashing for literally exhausting all effort to bring KT back and never giving up hope that the bard would come to his senses until the huntress was nearly slain.
Notes: The "revive KT" arc was ad-hoc. Wasn't planned from the beginning, but when you went that route, it only seemed to make sense and hold out the promise of fun. Your rolls likely made it drag on longer than normal, but it showed me what a mob with decent defenses can do, too!
Scene: "Worst Bridge Ever"
The party decides to cross a deep gorge on a treacherous, decaying rope-bridge. After several near catastrophes, the group traverses it, each seeing their lives pass before their eyes at least once. Erik looks visibly greyer.
75xp each.
25xp bonus to Damelon for the rope belt idea, which also could have gone badly, but ended up going very well.
Notes: Turned out to be a lot more complex and lengthy than I'd planned... tried to bring real-world physics into it as much as possible. It was fairly realistic, but took too long and got tiring, I admit. Sorry!
Scene: "What's Up With This Guy?"
The party sets off a jungle alarm and stumbles upon the camp of Tzana-Cao, a fellow maroonee (that SHOULD be a word, it's AWESOME!) who after a bit of cryptic banter, agrees to join the group.
Scene: "Bay of the Tall Rafters"
Finding the fabled "Bay of the Tall Rafters" spoken of by Mokdi, the village elder, our intrepid group begins exploring three caves. They are run out of the first, a den, by it's inhabitant bears. The second is a dead end that nonetheless, provides a clue going forward. The third looks promising...
Crab Encounter: 3 x 100xp / 6 = 50xp each
Pictograph Puzzle: 25xp each, 25xp bonus to Erik
Trundle of Death: 25xp each, 25xp bonus to Tzana-Cao
Scuttlers In The Brig!: 150xp each, 0xp bonus to Damelon :P
Pirate Shares Puzzle: 25xp each, 25xp bonus to Damelon
Barracks Monolith: 200xp each (1200 / 6)
Deserter's Platform Puzzle Trap: 50xp each, 25xp bonus to Damelon
Overall adventure arc bonus: 100xp each, 25xp bonus to Crashing, 15xp bonus to Sigurd just cuz
Notes: Just WOW on the fails vs DC20 that lock in the brig, Damelon.
Scene: "The Metal Marauder Mark I"
The adventurers find the islander camp partially destroyed by Big Thunder Man. Racing after him, they catch up and manage to defeat him and are reaquainted with Darganti the islander warrior they previously assumed dead. They manage to capture a mysterious dwarf, who seems to be some sort of technician.
Giving Chase: 50xp each.
Metal Marauder Encounter: 100xp each