So, the Dark Heresy (Warhammer 40k Roleplay) game is definitely a go for Mondays, and I've been putting some thought into it as I wait to receive the core book. Reading Eisenhorn has given me quite a few ideas, as well as fleshed out the setting alot for me, likely in ways that the game book won't.
I have set a rule that might not sit well with some of the gamers that want to come to the table, but since we're a group used to using minis for our games, and since the parent game is a miniatures game, I want everyone who is playing to have their own mini from the Warhammer line, preferably painted and assembled.
I know Taylor is rolling Tech-Priest, but I'm eager to see what combination of paths will hit the table when it comes game-time.
I've thought about my Inquisitor quite a lot, and I think I might make him a monodominant member of the Ordo Xenos or a puritan from the Ordo Malleus. The first option would give reason to include various members of the other star-faring races, but the second option, in my mind at least, would give the opportunity for a more investigative-oriented game. I know, also, that the Inquisition has the Ordo Hereticus, but I don't think I want to place the PCs in the Daemonhunters. I just feel that it's the more expected and 'flash-bang' style, whereas I want a slower-paced game that will give my players more shades of grey to work with, whereas, when a member of the Inquisition finds a daemon, they have to kill it and everyone associated with it.
I really know nothing of the star map in 40k, and barely anything about the worlds, but I'm hoping I can dig up more information on sectors, systems, and planets that might help me out a little. Making my own isn't out of the question, but I would like to be more informed on the structure of terraforming practices, etc. before I make a sector that makes no sense.
I've also been looking for rules on Grey Knights or Deathwatch to include as player options, so if anyone knows where to find that information, please let me know. Homebrew stuff is A-OK for me right now, since I'm going green into the system.
I'm also hoping Rogue Trader will be compatible with Dark Heresy, so that maybe the players can pick up new paths down the road.
12.19.2008
Apologies to the Game Group
I'm truly sorry for not showing up yesterday for Vampire. I had a headache and lay down to ease it at around 2 and slept through til well after game time.
I hate letting people down, and I know I have the character sheets for that game, so I feel horrible about it all. The weight of my absence registered as soon as I came to fully.
Hopefully we can make up lost ground when the game resumes in the new year.
I hate letting people down, and I know I have the character sheets for that game, so I feel horrible about it all. The weight of my absence registered as soon as I came to fully.
Hopefully we can make up lost ground when the game resumes in the new year.
Eisenhorn Omnibus
I had never read any of Dan Abnett's work until David let me borrow this collection, but he balances his characters well and the narrative and dialogue are superb. After reading the introduction by the author, I had some doubts, as he mentioned the stories were written in 1st person. Though that's not a style I generally care for, I find myself getting swept up in the story and thoughts of the Inquisitor.
I'm about half-way through, but I still highly recommend this. It's a solid read, fast-paced and fun.
New Alternating Wednesday Game: Goblin Raid Party!
So, Taylor has decided to run a game every other Wednesday in which the party is comprised of nothing but Goblins. At the beginning of every session, each player will be handed a random gobbo (There is one made for every single class in D&D 3.x) and will run with it. If that greenskin dies, the player will be handed a new one and the game will continue with the dead pc removed from selection.
Wednesday was our first foray into the raiding profession and we had a blast. Tony led the charge into zany when he started up the session playing his Archivist (18 Int) as primarily Goblin, not so much smart. The rest of the group ran with it and before long, a couple of us were convinced that writing "dead" on our boars would make the enemy tribe think they weren't worth stealing because they were dead, of course...
We lost the Barbarian due to in-party fighting when he decided to kill the "zombie boars," but other than that, it was pretty much smooth sailing through the enemy tribe and into the "King's" chamber, where we convinced him to send his guards away with other goblins who had come to warn him, then we spun a lie about being a troupe of historians and kingmakers who needed to anoint him with oil and perform a ceremony in which we named his axe. This gave us a huge advantage as he had handed over his axe to David and poured Alchemist's Fire all over himself, giving us a goblin ablaze, which was fun to whack with sticks and such til it died.
After this, we discovered a door behind the king's throne which was locked. A search of his now extinguished body gave us a key, which we then used. The passage inside was a downward slope, slick with moisture, in which David and I jumped immediately. There, in a dank pool lay a kraken, which made short work of us and at which point Taylor called the game.
I think we all had a lot of fun in the game. It was fairly fast paced and zany. This was Taylor's first go at DMing, but he was quick on his feet when it came to unexpected stuff and didn't let the game drop. Maybe next time, most of us won't die.
Wednesday was our first foray into the raiding profession and we had a blast. Tony led the charge into zany when he started up the session playing his Archivist (18 Int) as primarily Goblin, not so much smart. The rest of the group ran with it and before long, a couple of us were convinced that writing "dead" on our boars would make the enemy tribe think they weren't worth stealing because they were dead, of course...
We lost the Barbarian due to in-party fighting when he decided to kill the "zombie boars," but other than that, it was pretty much smooth sailing through the enemy tribe and into the "King's" chamber, where we convinced him to send his guards away with other goblins who had come to warn him, then we spun a lie about being a troupe of historians and kingmakers who needed to anoint him with oil and perform a ceremony in which we named his axe. This gave us a huge advantage as he had handed over his axe to David and poured Alchemist's Fire all over himself, giving us a goblin ablaze, which was fun to whack with sticks and such til it died.
After this, we discovered a door behind the king's throne which was locked. A search of his now extinguished body gave us a key, which we then used. The passage inside was a downward slope, slick with moisture, in which David and I jumped immediately. There, in a dank pool lay a kraken, which made short work of us and at which point Taylor called the game.
I think we all had a lot of fun in the game. It was fairly fast paced and zany. This was Taylor's first go at DMing, but he was quick on his feet when it came to unexpected stuff and didn't let the game drop. Maybe next time, most of us won't die.
12.16.2008
Magic: The Gathering League Play
...and why it makes me tired of the game.
In November, Tony announced that we'd have the opportunity to participate in M:tG League Play, which would extend a full month and we'd be able to net promos and have a chance to net a deck case at the end of the timeframe. To all of us at the shop, this sounded like an awesome idea, so when we got the product in, we all devoured it, taking our Shards of Alara product and running full tilt trying to get as many tick marks as possible through playing matches.
After 10 marks, you have the ability to buy a new pack and add it to your current list to better refine your deck, so we were enhancing our deck building skills for those cards while playing in a fun format for us.
At the end of the month, though, we all loathed the thought of playing block tournaments, or doing anything, really, that had to do with Shards. Now December is here and we're doing League with Champions and Betrayers of Kamigawa and already some of us are tired of the sets. It's not that we don't like league, or even that we don't like the sets, it's just that when you do something every day, you sometimes get tired of it, and it's making Magic less appealing to some of the guys (including me) for the time being.
I'm thinking that after the Elder Dragon tournament, I'm not going to do much Magic playing beyond the upcoming Conflux release events and some League, just to build a card base for sets I might not have much of.
In November, Tony announced that we'd have the opportunity to participate in M:tG League Play, which would extend a full month and we'd be able to net promos and have a chance to net a deck case at the end of the timeframe. To all of us at the shop, this sounded like an awesome idea, so when we got the product in, we all devoured it, taking our Shards of Alara product and running full tilt trying to get as many tick marks as possible through playing matches.
After 10 marks, you have the ability to buy a new pack and add it to your current list to better refine your deck, so we were enhancing our deck building skills for those cards while playing in a fun format for us.
At the end of the month, though, we all loathed the thought of playing block tournaments, or doing anything, really, that had to do with Shards. Now December is here and we're doing League with Champions and Betrayers of Kamigawa and already some of us are tired of the sets. It's not that we don't like league, or even that we don't like the sets, it's just that when you do something every day, you sometimes get tired of it, and it's making Magic less appealing to some of the guys (including me) for the time being.
I'm thinking that after the Elder Dragon tournament, I'm not going to do much Magic playing beyond the upcoming Conflux release events and some League, just to build a card base for sets I might not have much of.
A Short Rant
You know, I've noticed a continuing trend that really brings up this wellspring of opinion and emotion whenever I see or hear it continue to worsen.
This "thing" is the elitism that seems to be gripping people by the crotch and leading them around within the hobby.
It's not like I lose sleep over it all, and it doesn't put me in a funk whenever I read or hear someone declaring the supremacy of mechanic v. mechanic, old school v. new school, et al., but it does disappoint me, I guess, that so many now...some, people who I valued the opinions of, championing that their way is the right way, when before, quite a few of these people were of the opinion that all games have the potential to be a good game, if you dig it.
I'm still of that opinion. I say that if you like it, then it's a good game. As gamers, I think we should all feel that way, at least a little. The game is what gives us our title, and we should at least accept the concepts behind that, rather that railing on something we don't really dig because it's "NOT" what you think it should be.
The "in" thing to do now is to bash D&D 3.x and 4E and Vampire/World of Darkness. Sure, those games might not be the D&D you played as a kid, and you might not like the dice pool system, but just because you feel that way, doesn't mean they're abominations to the hobby. To those who enjoy those systems, they present solid systems that facilitate the fun achieved around a game table with friends. I think, in spirit, that if a game can produce those results, then it's as good as it needs to be.
Everyone has preferences and opinions, but more and more, those opinions are coming down to hate, not just on the systems, but on the players who enjoy them, and I think that's when it has gone too far.
That's my opinion, and I know that not alot of people will read this, but you know? I don't really care. If anything, it will serve as a reminder to myself to not go down that road.
This "thing" is the elitism that seems to be gripping people by the crotch and leading them around within the hobby.
It's not like I lose sleep over it all, and it doesn't put me in a funk whenever I read or hear someone declaring the supremacy of mechanic v. mechanic, old school v. new school, et al., but it does disappoint me, I guess, that so many now...some, people who I valued the opinions of, championing that their way is the right way, when before, quite a few of these people were of the opinion that all games have the potential to be a good game, if you dig it.
I'm still of that opinion. I say that if you like it, then it's a good game. As gamers, I think we should all feel that way, at least a little. The game is what gives us our title, and we should at least accept the concepts behind that, rather that railing on something we don't really dig because it's "NOT" what you think it should be.
The "in" thing to do now is to bash D&D 3.x and 4E and Vampire/World of Darkness. Sure, those games might not be the D&D you played as a kid, and you might not like the dice pool system, but just because you feel that way, doesn't mean they're abominations to the hobby. To those who enjoy those systems, they present solid systems that facilitate the fun achieved around a game table with friends. I think, in spirit, that if a game can produce those results, then it's as good as it needs to be.
Everyone has preferences and opinions, but more and more, those opinions are coming down to hate, not just on the systems, but on the players who enjoy them, and I think that's when it has gone too far.
That's my opinion, and I know that not alot of people will read this, but you know? I don't really care. If anything, it will serve as a reminder to myself to not go down that road.
It's Tuesday...
And I'm iced in at the house. Last night, David, Taylor, and I were pretty much stuck at the shop and we goofed off all night and got pissed off at video games. This morning, we were able to each make it home safely and then when I went to go to the shop today, I couldn't leave because of the refrozen ice.
So, that knocked out one night of gaming. Hopefully the ice will clear off some tomorrow or Thursday so that the whole week isn't a bust.
I hope everyone out there is safe in whatever weather you happen to be in.
So, that knocked out one night of gaming. Hopefully the ice will clear off some tomorrow or Thursday so that the whole week isn't a bust.
I hope everyone out there is safe in whatever weather you happen to be in.
12.15.2008
Piling it on...
So, I've just now added 4 more games to the list found here.
You may have noticed that one of the old games on the list is no longer there. Well, that's because I run it on Tuesdays now, and there's no reason to have it on a list of games I might run when I'm running it.
Dark Heresy might become a Monday night venture, if those who have already shown interest in it confirm that they would be able to make it. We'll see!
On an unrelated note... Josh D., since gas prices have dropped, maybe you can swing down our way sometime. *HINT HINT*
You may have noticed that one of the old games on the list is no longer there. Well, that's because I run it on Tuesdays now, and there's no reason to have it on a list of games I might run when I'm running it.
Dark Heresy might become a Monday night venture, if those who have already shown interest in it confirm that they would be able to make it. We'll see!
On an unrelated note... Josh D., since gas prices have dropped, maybe you can swing down our way sometime. *HINT HINT*
Vampire: The Masquerade - Revenge A Go Go!
Due to my eldest nephew's Christmas choir program, I wasn't able to participate in the full session of this one, but at the beginning, my new character came into the game in the morgue, executing Paul for killing my sire.
There, Heinrich and the others came upon me, at first thinking I was a hunter, but then being recognized as one of the kindred by a clanmate. After cross words were exchanged between me and the coterie and between some in the coterie with others in the coterie, and likely between individuals and themselves, knowing some of the characters in this game (I had to run after my introduction, so I'm a bit fuzzy on it all), everyone decided to leave the morgue.
This is when it was discovered that the coterie (or maybe even me?) was being tailed by a vampire adept in the skills of stealth, spoke only Spanish, and wore a ceramic mask. He called himself Santiago, according to Rene. Not sure on who he is, but he said he was there on business of the Prince, and I was able to convince the rest of the group that he was not to be trifled with if this were true.
That's pretty much all I know about the session, but I'll be there for the whole thing this week, and hopefully we can get back on the right track, which to my character means trying to win the Malkavian primogen spot that was left vacant with the death of my sire.
Cast of Characters
Ysodr Chulmayev, 8th Gen Malkavian - Me
Heinrich Himmler (Yes, that one.), 10th Gen Malkavian - David
Santiago, 8th Gen Caitiff - Taylor
Masamuri, 8th Gen Gangrel - Darrell
Mary, 13th Gen Toreador - Jon R.
Renesmee Cullen, 12th Gen Toreador - Racheal
Grizzz, 9th Gen Gangrel - George
Demetri, 11th Gen Tremere - Steve C.
Kara, 13th Gen Ventrue - Lauren
Joseph, 8th Gen Tremere - John C.
There, Heinrich and the others came upon me, at first thinking I was a hunter, but then being recognized as one of the kindred by a clanmate. After cross words were exchanged between me and the coterie and between some in the coterie with others in the coterie, and likely between individuals and themselves, knowing some of the characters in this game (I had to run after my introduction, so I'm a bit fuzzy on it all), everyone decided to leave the morgue.
This is when it was discovered that the coterie (or maybe even me?) was being tailed by a vampire adept in the skills of stealth, spoke only Spanish, and wore a ceramic mask. He called himself Santiago, according to Rene. Not sure on who he is, but he said he was there on business of the Prince, and I was able to convince the rest of the group that he was not to be trifled with if this were true.
That's pretty much all I know about the session, but I'll be there for the whole thing this week, and hopefully we can get back on the right track, which to my character means trying to win the Malkavian primogen spot that was left vacant with the death of my sire.
Cast of Characters
Ysodr Chulmayev, 8th Gen Malkavian - Me
Heinrich Himmler (Yes, that one.), 10th Gen Malkavian - David
Santiago, 8th Gen Caitiff - Taylor
Masamuri, 8th Gen Gangrel - Darrell
Mary, 13th Gen Toreador - Jon R.
Renesmee Cullen, 12th Gen Toreador - Racheal
Grizzz, 9th Gen Gangrel - George
Demetri, 11th Gen Tremere - Steve C.
Kara, 13th Gen Ventrue - Lauren
Joseph, 8th Gen Tremere - John C.
Gnomad and the Masters of the Multiverse! - The Old Switcheroo
This session was INSANE. After spending a much needed night just resting before setting on our course, we rose in the morning to find that our hatches have been sealed with a glue-like substance and the only way out other than that having a note on it that instructed us not to wake Iviss. I decided to sneak through the room so as not to wake him, but spotted his body laying next to the elemental engine of the Gnomad.
When I approached, I found that Iviss' throat had been cut and at that instant, multiple bombs of some sort exploded within the engine room. (As an aside, I still need to ask Paul how this happened, since he described the bombs as sonic in nature, and most of the ship is held in an antimagic zone for the crew's protection.)
The explosion shattered the gem housing our bound elemental and let it loose within the ship to rampage at will, dropping me quickly and almost making short work of some of my comrades in arms.
In the aftermath, Belaraphon called upon the help of 'Momo,' his intelligent sword, but the psionic intelligence dealt a cruel blow to our angel, trapping him in the body of a very old human and flying off in the everlasting body of the deva.
As we dealt with the choas of the ship's and angel's incapacitations, Chobham raised Iviss back to life, at which point Nelsie was blamed. The group then put the pieces together and realized that the mirror double of Nelsie must have made this guerilla attack on us. Iviss was sent off to find our fire elemental compatriot while we tried to decide the best way to rid our ship of a crafty water elemental, that we assumed to have gained access to the water pipes of the ship.
Who knows how things are going to go for us as we endeavor to complete the last leg of our quest.
When I approached, I found that Iviss' throat had been cut and at that instant, multiple bombs of some sort exploded within the engine room. (As an aside, I still need to ask Paul how this happened, since he described the bombs as sonic in nature, and most of the ship is held in an antimagic zone for the crew's protection.)
The explosion shattered the gem housing our bound elemental and let it loose within the ship to rampage at will, dropping me quickly and almost making short work of some of my comrades in arms.
In the aftermath, Belaraphon called upon the help of 'Momo,' his intelligent sword, but the psionic intelligence dealt a cruel blow to our angel, trapping him in the body of a very old human and flying off in the everlasting body of the deva.
As we dealt with the choas of the ship's and angel's incapacitations, Chobham raised Iviss back to life, at which point Nelsie was blamed. The group then put the pieces together and realized that the mirror double of Nelsie must have made this guerilla attack on us. Iviss was sent off to find our fire elemental compatriot while we tried to decide the best way to rid our ship of a crafty water elemental, that we assumed to have gained access to the water pipes of the ship.
Who knows how things are going to go for us as we endeavor to complete the last leg of our quest.
Eberron: Prophecy of Ascendence, Part 12 (Le Gasp! Name change!)
I haven't liked the "Bastions" title since I started using it and I was reading through some old posts the other day and remembered that I had posted this adventure path here, so I looked and got the old name...one I'm much happier with, even though changing the name of the campaign doesn't change anything else.
I'm weird like that.
Also, I'm going to skip ahead to the last session because it's fresher in my mind. I know alot of things have happened since I last posted on the game, but there's quite a bit of jumble in my head as to the timeline. Suffice it to say that the heroes have been heroes and some of them have died or otherwise changed. The roster at the end of the post should help a little with the understanding.
Our heroes decided to press on from Brindinford, leaving Baron Althom's employ to search out personal leads and to look for an overarching cause of the strange happenings of late. They chose to travel by boat to Lakeside, where they hoped to refresh supplies and find out a little more of their enemies through research and old fashioned detective work. They weren't expecting what they found...
Upon docking in the city, they were greeted by nothing but animals...cats, dogs, rats, and mice who were scurrying about looking for food as well as an abundant amount of birds. Nobody was working the docks and the ships moored there had no sailors. People simply weren't around.
Deciding to venture further into the city, the party found more of the same. Not a single human, elf, gnome, or dwarf anywhere in the city. Baskets were put down on the ground, tables were set, some logs and journals found were cut off mid-sentence. It was as if everyone left at once.
The whole population of Lakeside appeared to had walked out into the woods, suggested by a trail leading off from various spots in town that Talin picked up. Following the trail for about two hours, Mac stumbled upon (literally) a rotting arm that had been gnawed on by a smallish animal, likely a dog of some sort. This sent a wave of fear through the party, and some were wary of continuing the search while others protested that perhaps the arm was unrelated or someone who had been trampled in the chaos of almost 10,000 people leaving at one time.
Around this time, Allura decided to go back to the town while Murmur and Talin decided to move ahead of the group in the search. After a few more hours, their fears were realized when they came across a sea of decaying bodies in a large clearing. The whole of Lakeside's inhabitants dead, apparently from some form of poisoning, to the best estimation of those in the group with decent Heal rolls.
The PCs started to arrange the bodies for proper rites, but found the task daunting and didn't want to be caught out at dark with this amount of corpses, not knowing what curses may animate the dead when the sun fell. They hurried back to Lakeside and found the House Sivis office and sent out a call for help through the speakstone there, then made their way to the barracks and then the Church of the Host, where they holed up for the night, barring the doors and windows as best they could in case a zombie horde broke upon them.
The next morning, they were awoken by pounding on the front doors of the church, which they opened to find an old man dressed in the robes of office of a high priest demanding to know who they were and why there were there. The party's fears of undeath were somewhat realized when they noticed that he and everyone they could see from the door were transparent and wispy. After moments of delegation, they convinced the priest they had something to show him and prepared while he gathered other members of the town heirarchy, including Dragonmarked House representatives, and took them to the site of the bodies.
None of the dead took it well to peer upon their own bodies and those of their friends and loved ones, and so decided to end their unlives by wading into Lake Dark in search of the rumored portal to Dolurrh.
As we left off, almost half the town's population had wandered into the water as the PCs and horrified ghosts looked on, wailing that they were drowning and in disbelief at their current state. Help is supposed to arrive soon, and the party needs to decide how they will explain or rectify this situation.
Cast of Characters
Allura Fellhaven, Female Half-Fiend Psion(Telepath) 6 - Carl
Devin "Lucky" Nel, Male Cleric of the Host 5/Human Paragon 2 - Paul
Guy Veir "Mac" d'Cannith, Male Human Artificer 6 - Taylor
Kadav, Male Elan Psion(Telepath) 6 - Steve J.
Murmur (formerly "-"), Male Personality Warforged Paladin of the Silver Flame 5 - David
Soh, Changeling Fighter 4/Warshaper 2 - Josh
Talin Shiri, Female Elf Ranger 3/Warblade 2/Revenant Blade 1 - Chris
Vacht, Male Human Wizard(Evoker) 7 - Steve C.
I'm weird like that.
Also, I'm going to skip ahead to the last session because it's fresher in my mind. I know alot of things have happened since I last posted on the game, but there's quite a bit of jumble in my head as to the timeline. Suffice it to say that the heroes have been heroes and some of them have died or otherwise changed. The roster at the end of the post should help a little with the understanding.
Our heroes decided to press on from Brindinford, leaving Baron Althom's employ to search out personal leads and to look for an overarching cause of the strange happenings of late. They chose to travel by boat to Lakeside, where they hoped to refresh supplies and find out a little more of their enemies through research and old fashioned detective work. They weren't expecting what they found...
Upon docking in the city, they were greeted by nothing but animals...cats, dogs, rats, and mice who were scurrying about looking for food as well as an abundant amount of birds. Nobody was working the docks and the ships moored there had no sailors. People simply weren't around.
Deciding to venture further into the city, the party found more of the same. Not a single human, elf, gnome, or dwarf anywhere in the city. Baskets were put down on the ground, tables were set, some logs and journals found were cut off mid-sentence. It was as if everyone left at once.
The whole population of Lakeside appeared to had walked out into the woods, suggested by a trail leading off from various spots in town that Talin picked up. Following the trail for about two hours, Mac stumbled upon (literally) a rotting arm that had been gnawed on by a smallish animal, likely a dog of some sort. This sent a wave of fear through the party, and some were wary of continuing the search while others protested that perhaps the arm was unrelated or someone who had been trampled in the chaos of almost 10,000 people leaving at one time.
Around this time, Allura decided to go back to the town while Murmur and Talin decided to move ahead of the group in the search. After a few more hours, their fears were realized when they came across a sea of decaying bodies in a large clearing. The whole of Lakeside's inhabitants dead, apparently from some form of poisoning, to the best estimation of those in the group with decent Heal rolls.
The PCs started to arrange the bodies for proper rites, but found the task daunting and didn't want to be caught out at dark with this amount of corpses, not knowing what curses may animate the dead when the sun fell. They hurried back to Lakeside and found the House Sivis office and sent out a call for help through the speakstone there, then made their way to the barracks and then the Church of the Host, where they holed up for the night, barring the doors and windows as best they could in case a zombie horde broke upon them.
The next morning, they were awoken by pounding on the front doors of the church, which they opened to find an old man dressed in the robes of office of a high priest demanding to know who they were and why there were there. The party's fears of undeath were somewhat realized when they noticed that he and everyone they could see from the door were transparent and wispy. After moments of delegation, they convinced the priest they had something to show him and prepared while he gathered other members of the town heirarchy, including Dragonmarked House representatives, and took them to the site of the bodies.
None of the dead took it well to peer upon their own bodies and those of their friends and loved ones, and so decided to end their unlives by wading into Lake Dark in search of the rumored portal to Dolurrh.
As we left off, almost half the town's population had wandered into the water as the PCs and horrified ghosts looked on, wailing that they were drowning and in disbelief at their current state. Help is supposed to arrive soon, and the party needs to decide how they will explain or rectify this situation.
Cast of Characters
Allura Fellhaven, Female Half-Fiend Psion(Telepath) 6 - Carl
Devin "Lucky" Nel, Male Cleric of the Host 5/Human Paragon 2 - Paul
Guy Veir "Mac" d'Cannith, Male Human Artificer 6 - Taylor
Kadav, Male Elan Psion(Telepath) 6 - Steve J.
Murmur (formerly "-"), Male Personality Warforged Paladin of the Silver Flame 5 - David
Soh, Changeling Fighter 4/Warshaper 2 - Josh
Talin Shiri, Female Elf Ranger 3/Warblade 2/Revenant Blade 1 - Chris
Vacht, Male Human Wizard(Evoker) 7 - Steve C.
12.08.2008
Happy....so happy...
Yeah, I'm not dead yet, I've just been too lazy to update in a while. I'm gonna run through a short recap of what's been happening, but first, I'm going to explain why I've not been on posting as much.
A couple of my friends have caught the Warhammer bug, but they're running Warhammer 40k, and I'm doing fantasy, and I've made it a point to finish my Vampire Counts army before I even buy the Eldar codex. I've been painting and assembling quite a bit lately.
Also, I'm playing Magic pretty regularly, and preparing for an Elder Dragon Highlander tournament that's coming up on the 20th, so deck building has been taking alot of time that I could have spent on here. I plan to get back to posting after every game starting this week, though.
Now for recaps...
That's the gist of things. With more detailed writeups coming, maybe everyone will be able to catch up fairly well. For now, however, I'm going to bed because I have to work a double tomorrow. YeY inventory!
btw, give yourself 2 cool points if you got the reference in the header.
A couple of my friends have caught the Warhammer bug, but they're running Warhammer 40k, and I'm doing fantasy, and I've made it a point to finish my Vampire Counts army before I even buy the Eldar codex. I've been painting and assembling quite a bit lately.
Also, I'm playing Magic pretty regularly, and preparing for an Elder Dragon Highlander tournament that's coming up on the 20th, so deck building has been taking alot of time that I could have spent on here. I plan to get back to posting after every game starting this week, though.
Now for recaps...
- The Drow War - The party made it to the Ragged Man and got information on where the Starborn items are held and more information on their destinies. This game has been put on hiatus until after the holidays due to family commitments.
- Bastions of the Broken Road - The group made their way out of the hold of Durgeddin and after relaxing for a while, found employ under the flamboyant Baron Althom, who they accompanied to the town of Brindinford. There, they encountered all manner of evils, from Khyberspawn to the alien beings of Xoriat and, through befriending a rogue band of shifters, were able to remain somewhat safe while rooting out evil. A few PCs found death while in the city.
- Gnomad and the Masters of the Multiverse - After completing the locking of all the Inner planes, we went to Mechanus as the first stop of the Outer, where we have been for weeks, trying to figure out how to improve the Gnomad with a planar navigation system and trying to lock the plane. It's looking like Sigil will be our next destination, as we must go there to find a formula for the Modrons which holds the key for manipulation of the Hourglass on Mechanus. It's frustrating.
- Vampire - The neonates have struggled to find more clues to the murders of the Nosferatu primogen and the Gangrel sheriff, but the only information that's turned up is that the Tremere are either responsible or are covering up something, and that there is a Sabbat influence in the city which may or may not be involved. We lost Doug's Gangrel in a raid on a location we knew to hold Sabbat, and Taylor's Brujah had his memory rewritten with Dominate, so that he thought he was Sabbat as well. This eventually led to his diablerization of my character followed by mayhem. He blew up an Elysium in the city and this week's game will have the aftermath of that incident.
That's the gist of things. With more detailed writeups coming, maybe everyone will be able to catch up fairly well. For now, however, I'm going to bed because I have to work a double tomorrow. YeY inventory!
btw, give yourself 2 cool points if you got the reference in the header.
10.17.2008
The Gnomad and the Masters of the Multiverse!
Not an update here, the old "Arcane College" game (Because Paul never has named it, I've taken the liberty), in quite some time, but as of Wednesday night, we finally completed locking the Inner Planes by defeating the guardian of the Elemental Plane of Fire's hourglass....a colossal great wyrm red dragon!
It was almost two months in the making, so to speak, but we finally got to play the 25th level characters we made for the epic side quest that is the locking of the Plane of Fire. Sadly, it was a little anticlimactic...
We started off with our epics getting a ride to the volcano-lair of the dragon in the Gnomad then travelled up the side of the mountain where we spotted an entrance to the side that was guarded by two Initiates of Orcus who let us pass, without question, into a larger chamber that held an Infernal and 4 Balor, which we dispatched without too much effort (other than John C. dying) and then moved further, where we found a large settlement of kobolds within the mountain, some of which had obvious dragon blood in them. There, we made sacrifices to Tiamat by giving up an item of worth to us, after which we agreed to escort 4 of the kobolds to an altar area.
On the way there, we encountered a Paragon Steel Predator, which also killed John C., that was one of, if not the toughest things we faced, though getting past it simply took giving the creature enchanted items of metal to eat, which we did, then I Wished to duplicate Fabricate and created 250 cu. ft. of iron for it to gnaw on while we continued on to the altar room, in which an altar to Tiamat was present. Throughout the adventure, Carl's epic was frustrated because he was a Dragon Reborn Cleric of Bahamut who chafed under working with Tiamat followers and being around Tiamat icons. His discomfort became all of ours when the altar spit forth a Disjunction, which my character failed to counterspell and which stripped most of our magic items of power, causing Tony's character to give up the quest.
The rest of us decided to press further, encountering a huge lava pit containing a dragon of immense size, who reared up and shocked us when we saw that the thing had two heads! Alot of useless combat with the thing gave me time to cast my epic save or die spell three times, which is all it took for us to finish the thing off and then we made way with its loot and locked the hourglass, all of which the thing had inside of him.
Exiting the mountain made us cringe as off in the distance, we spotted a dragon flying toward the mountain off in the distance. Carl's character turned into a smaller dragon and gave us a ride to the Gnomad and we shifted out before the dragon got to us.
What does the future hold for us? I don't know quite yet, but it should be pretty freaking fun.
It was almost two months in the making, so to speak, but we finally got to play the 25th level characters we made for the epic side quest that is the locking of the Plane of Fire. Sadly, it was a little anticlimactic...
We started off with our epics getting a ride to the volcano-lair of the dragon in the Gnomad then travelled up the side of the mountain where we spotted an entrance to the side that was guarded by two Initiates of Orcus who let us pass, without question, into a larger chamber that held an Infernal and 4 Balor, which we dispatched without too much effort (other than John C. dying) and then moved further, where we found a large settlement of kobolds within the mountain, some of which had obvious dragon blood in them. There, we made sacrifices to Tiamat by giving up an item of worth to us, after which we agreed to escort 4 of the kobolds to an altar area.
On the way there, we encountered a Paragon Steel Predator, which also killed John C., that was one of, if not the toughest things we faced, though getting past it simply took giving the creature enchanted items of metal to eat, which we did, then I Wished to duplicate Fabricate and created 250 cu. ft. of iron for it to gnaw on while we continued on to the altar room, in which an altar to Tiamat was present. Throughout the adventure, Carl's epic was frustrated because he was a Dragon Reborn Cleric of Bahamut who chafed under working with Tiamat followers and being around Tiamat icons. His discomfort became all of ours when the altar spit forth a Disjunction, which my character failed to counterspell and which stripped most of our magic items of power, causing Tony's character to give up the quest.
The rest of us decided to press further, encountering a huge lava pit containing a dragon of immense size, who reared up and shocked us when we saw that the thing had two heads! Alot of useless combat with the thing gave me time to cast my epic save or die spell three times, which is all it took for us to finish the thing off and then we made way with its loot and locked the hourglass, all of which the thing had inside of him.
Exiting the mountain made us cringe as off in the distance, we spotted a dragon flying toward the mountain off in the distance. Carl's character turned into a smaller dragon and gave us a ride to the Gnomad and we shifted out before the dragon got to us.
What does the future hold for us? I don't know quite yet, but it should be pretty freaking fun.
Eberron: Bastions of the Broken Road, pt 4
Tuesday's adventures continued as the group traversed further into Durgeddin the Black's old hold of Kundrukar, making this our second session in The Forge of Fury adventure.
The party moved upon a chamber that held 6 orcs and a multitude of trade goods that were obviously taken during raids of caravans. After slaying the brutes, they then moved on to another chamber wherein, sat upon his throne of discarded junk, was an Ogre who named himself as the Great Ulfe as he stood and roared a challenge, unleashing two wolves on the adventurers as he did so. Robert tried to move in, presumably to flank, but was tripped and then hacked by a hidden orc halberdier. The battle was short but very violent, culminating in the group having fell the wolves and two hidden orcs, as well as the ogre, and Robert dying to a spray of crystal shards conjured forth by Allura.
Ulfe's throne room held the treasure amassed by the bully-king and a prisoner, a changeling by the name of Soh who had taken the guise of a human man, who decided to join the group as they ventured further through the caverns, and who stayed to aid Devin in the funerary rites of Robert as they carried him back to the entryway to the hold.
In light of the death and needing some healing, the group chose to withdraw to a secure room and make camp to heal and regain their focus. Resolving to go further, the group first decided to make sure that there were no survivors of their last battle only to find that one of the orcs and both wolves' bodies weren't present, though the ogre's and another orc's throat was slit, which more than a few found unsettling, but didn't deter, as they pressed ever on, Ghyrsum and Devin being affected by a poison gas trap before entering a room with half a dozen more orcs, one of which, an old, battle-scarred orc calling himself Yarrack, negotiated safe passage through the caverns (by way of a payment of 500 gold) with the party, sold them a slave, a shifter calling himself Mohkan, and also sent a guide for them to make direct passage through the orc holdings.
The guide led the party to a locked door and said he would take them no farther, saying that blood bugs were on the other side and restating that their chief only promised safe passage through the orc-held caves.
The "blood bug" room and places further in led the PCs against a multitude of stirges and against a group of troglodytes and their pet brown bear. This battle, which saw the party slightly outmanned, due to stirges, trogs and the bear, also saw the death of the nameless Warforged Paladin that had been a part of the group as Vacht used his wand of Lightning Bolt and took down 4 party members, the bear, and a trog. Poor David.
After that battle, they found an elf that had been imprisoned by the trogs and passageways into a huge cavern that sparkled in the light of Eberron dragonshards all over the ceiling, which held gricks that the PCs quickly dispatched and a door on the far side.
Cast of Characters
Allura Fellhaven Kalashtar Psion(Telepath) 5 - Carl
Bellosh Feral Razorclaw Shifter Barbarian 3 - Tami
Devin "Lucky" Nel Human Cleric 5 of Olladra - Paul
Vacht Human Wizard 4 - Steve C.
Robert (R.I.P.) Human Rogue 3 - Chris S.
Bant Wildhunt Shifter Druid(Child of Winter) 3 - Jesse
Xen Human Monk 4 - Taylor
" "(R.I.P.) Warforged Paladin 3 of the Silver Flame - David
Soh Changeling Fighter 3 - Josh H.
Mohkan Shifter Soulknife 3 - John H.
Calcryx White Dragon Wyrmling - NPC
Meepo, Keeper of Dragons Kobold Dragon Shaman 3 - NPC
Fellim Human Marshal 3 - NPC
Ghyrsum Human Fighter 3 - NPC
Vey Human Sorceror 3 - NPC
The party moved upon a chamber that held 6 orcs and a multitude of trade goods that were obviously taken during raids of caravans. After slaying the brutes, they then moved on to another chamber wherein, sat upon his throne of discarded junk, was an Ogre who named himself as the Great Ulfe as he stood and roared a challenge, unleashing two wolves on the adventurers as he did so. Robert tried to move in, presumably to flank, but was tripped and then hacked by a hidden orc halberdier. The battle was short but very violent, culminating in the group having fell the wolves and two hidden orcs, as well as the ogre, and Robert dying to a spray of crystal shards conjured forth by Allura.
Ulfe's throne room held the treasure amassed by the bully-king and a prisoner, a changeling by the name of Soh who had taken the guise of a human man, who decided to join the group as they ventured further through the caverns, and who stayed to aid Devin in the funerary rites of Robert as they carried him back to the entryway to the hold.
In light of the death and needing some healing, the group chose to withdraw to a secure room and make camp to heal and regain their focus. Resolving to go further, the group first decided to make sure that there were no survivors of their last battle only to find that one of the orcs and both wolves' bodies weren't present, though the ogre's and another orc's throat was slit, which more than a few found unsettling, but didn't deter, as they pressed ever on, Ghyrsum and Devin being affected by a poison gas trap before entering a room with half a dozen more orcs, one of which, an old, battle-scarred orc calling himself Yarrack, negotiated safe passage through the caverns (by way of a payment of 500 gold) with the party, sold them a slave, a shifter calling himself Mohkan, and also sent a guide for them to make direct passage through the orc holdings.
The guide led the party to a locked door and said he would take them no farther, saying that blood bugs were on the other side and restating that their chief only promised safe passage through the orc-held caves.
The "blood bug" room and places further in led the PCs against a multitude of stirges and against a group of troglodytes and their pet brown bear. This battle, which saw the party slightly outmanned, due to stirges, trogs and the bear, also saw the death of the nameless Warforged Paladin that had been a part of the group as Vacht used his wand of Lightning Bolt and took down 4 party members, the bear, and a trog. Poor David.
After that battle, they found an elf that had been imprisoned by the trogs and passageways into a huge cavern that sparkled in the light of Eberron dragonshards all over the ceiling, which held gricks that the PCs quickly dispatched and a door on the far side.
Cast of Characters
Allura Fellhaven Kalashtar Psion(Telepath) 5 - Carl
Bellosh Feral Razorclaw Shifter Barbarian 3 - Tami
Devin "Lucky" Nel Human Cleric 5 of Olladra - Paul
Vacht Human Wizard 4 - Steve C.
Robert (R.I.P.) Human Rogue 3 - Chris S.
Bant Wildhunt Shifter Druid(Child of Winter) 3 - Jesse
Xen Human Monk 4 - Taylor
" "(R.I.P.) Warforged Paladin 3 of the Silver Flame - David
Soh Changeling Fighter 3 - Josh H.
Mohkan Shifter Soulknife 3 - John H.
Calcryx White Dragon Wyrmling - NPC
Meepo, Keeper of Dragons Kobold Dragon Shaman 3 - NPC
Fellim Human Marshal 3 - NPC
Ghyrsum Human Fighter 3 - NPC
Vey Human Sorceror 3 - NPC
10.09.2008
My Tuesday Campaign, Sessions 2 and 3: The Sunless Citadel, pt 2 and The Forge of Fury, pt 1
I've gotten to run this campaign 3 of 5 weeks, and while I'm hoping the skip weeks don't contine (I work at the shop on that day, after all,) that's not made me mad or anything. I just have a blast with this game. The group has expanded to currently larger than Paul's Wednesday night game and even though it's a book campaign, it seems to flow well with the high numbers.
The party's further venturing led them deeper into the sunken ruins and natural caverns surrounding it, with quick thinking by Lucky leading them past tons of rooms and what would be armed resistance with a Bugbear guiding them the whole way. When you're able to convince the bad guys that you work for their boss, things just kinda work out like that.
Their guide led them into a grove of brittle looking bushes, what the PCs knew to be budding Twig Blights and to a shattered husk of a keep, in which a gigantic tree, resembling an oak and bearing ripe fruits resembling apples, grew in the pale light of phosphorescent fungus. There, they found the fate of two of the four adventurers that delved into the lightless passages, as Sharwyn, a local mage of small talent, and Sir Braford, a questing knight of the Silver Flame, stood before them, seemingly carved of wood and attacked alongside a man whose name they had learned from the goblins was Belak, a Child of Winter who was branded with a Mark of the Outcast, and his large praying mantis companion.
A fight ensued between the two groups, but went well for the adventurers, except for Steve, who couldn't hit a twig blight to save his life and was surrounded by them. The bugbear was put to sleep by Sharwyn, since his HD took up most of the spell and blocked it from affecting the PCs, who then charged in and took Sir Braford and the mantis out quickly, then Sharwyn and the twig blights in short order after. Belak, however, stepped into the great tree and disappeared.
After having gathered the effects of Braford and Sharwyn, the party ascended back up out of the sunken citadel, encountering their kobold and dragon companion bathed in illusory fire in a shrine dedicated to dragons, where the two reptilians rejoined the group, then moving further and finding many a charred gobbo corpse and the Thoqqua responsible. Lucky decided not to press his luck against the 5 fire beasts there, so they left out, slipping unnoticed through kobold territory and encountering a human adventurer named Robert, who they convinced to leave the place and travel with them, convincing him that there was nothing further to find in the deeps.
Having gone back to town and dealt with the Hucrele family, who originally set them on this quest, they were rewarded for the information and signet rings returned and then decided to pursue riches to the north, following the lead of the legend of Durgeddin the Black, said to be the greatest smith to have ever lived, and whose weapons are valued highest among all others. Having found a small stash of weapons with his mark in the citadel and making bank off them, Allura, who is also on the path of the fate of her father, decides to push north. The rest of the party agreed to this and Allura recruited 5 mercenaries (two of which are PCs) to accompany them on their quest.
Having travelled a few days north, they finally reached their destination...the Stone Tooth, a mountain where it is said that Durgeddin's last hold was. Outside, they encountered a scouting party and were able to eliminate that threat, then they were able to move unnoticed on the guard-orcs that were positioned at the door and killed them before any alarm could be raised. A short skirmish with two more groups of orcs just inside has been their only resistance as they have ventured deeper, and other than two human slaves, who were eventually released, the only signs of life inside the large compound.
Cast of Characters
Calcryx White Dragon Wyrmling - Racheal
Meepo, Keeper of Dragons Kobold Dragon Shaman 3 - Darrell
Allura Fellhaven Kalashtar Psion(Telepath) 3 - Carl
Devin "Lucky" Nel Human Cleric 4 of Olladra - Paul
Vacht Human Wizard 4 - Steve C.
Bellosh Feral Razorclaw Shifter Barbarian 3 - Tami
Bant Wildhunt Shifter Druid(Child of Winter) 3 - Jesse
Robert Human Rogue 3 - Chris S.
Xen Human Monk 3 - Taylor
" " Warforged Paladin 3 of the Silver Flame - David
Fellim Human Marshal 3 - NPC
Ghyrsum Human Fighter 3 - NPC
Vey Human Sorceror 3 - NPC
The party's further venturing led them deeper into the sunken ruins and natural caverns surrounding it, with quick thinking by Lucky leading them past tons of rooms and what would be armed resistance with a Bugbear guiding them the whole way. When you're able to convince the bad guys that you work for their boss, things just kinda work out like that.
Their guide led them into a grove of brittle looking bushes, what the PCs knew to be budding Twig Blights and to a shattered husk of a keep, in which a gigantic tree, resembling an oak and bearing ripe fruits resembling apples, grew in the pale light of phosphorescent fungus. There, they found the fate of two of the four adventurers that delved into the lightless passages, as Sharwyn, a local mage of small talent, and Sir Braford, a questing knight of the Silver Flame, stood before them, seemingly carved of wood and attacked alongside a man whose name they had learned from the goblins was Belak, a Child of Winter who was branded with a Mark of the Outcast, and his large praying mantis companion.
A fight ensued between the two groups, but went well for the adventurers, except for Steve, who couldn't hit a twig blight to save his life and was surrounded by them. The bugbear was put to sleep by Sharwyn, since his HD took up most of the spell and blocked it from affecting the PCs, who then charged in and took Sir Braford and the mantis out quickly, then Sharwyn and the twig blights in short order after. Belak, however, stepped into the great tree and disappeared.
After having gathered the effects of Braford and Sharwyn, the party ascended back up out of the sunken citadel, encountering their kobold and dragon companion bathed in illusory fire in a shrine dedicated to dragons, where the two reptilians rejoined the group, then moving further and finding many a charred gobbo corpse and the Thoqqua responsible. Lucky decided not to press his luck against the 5 fire beasts there, so they left out, slipping unnoticed through kobold territory and encountering a human adventurer named Robert, who they convinced to leave the place and travel with them, convincing him that there was nothing further to find in the deeps.
Having gone back to town and dealt with the Hucrele family, who originally set them on this quest, they were rewarded for the information and signet rings returned and then decided to pursue riches to the north, following the lead of the legend of Durgeddin the Black, said to be the greatest smith to have ever lived, and whose weapons are valued highest among all others. Having found a small stash of weapons with his mark in the citadel and making bank off them, Allura, who is also on the path of the fate of her father, decides to push north. The rest of the party agreed to this and Allura recruited 5 mercenaries (two of which are PCs) to accompany them on their quest.
Having travelled a few days north, they finally reached their destination...the Stone Tooth, a mountain where it is said that Durgeddin's last hold was. Outside, they encountered a scouting party and were able to eliminate that threat, then they were able to move unnoticed on the guard-orcs that were positioned at the door and killed them before any alarm could be raised. A short skirmish with two more groups of orcs just inside has been their only resistance as they have ventured deeper, and other than two human slaves, who were eventually released, the only signs of life inside the large compound.
Cast of Characters
Calcryx White Dragon Wyrmling - Racheal
Meepo, Keeper of Dragons Kobold Dragon Shaman 3 - Darrell
Allura Fellhaven Kalashtar Psion(Telepath) 3 - Carl
Devin "Lucky" Nel Human Cleric 4 of Olladra - Paul
Vacht Human Wizard 4 - Steve C.
Bellosh Feral Razorclaw Shifter Barbarian 3 - Tami
Bant Wildhunt Shifter Druid(Child of Winter) 3 - Jesse
Robert Human Rogue 3 - Chris S.
Xen Human Monk 3 - Taylor
" " Warforged Paladin 3 of the Silver Flame - David
Fellim Human Marshal 3 - NPC
Ghyrsum Human Fighter 3 - NPC
Vey Human Sorceror 3 - NPC
9.19.2008
The Arcane College Update
A lot has happened since I last posted about this game, but we've still not dealt with all of the Inner Planes in our quest to "lock" them temporally from the machinations of Orcus, whom we found out is on his way to trying to take over the universe and remake it to suit him. He's weaseled deals with some planar beings and has almost guaranteed that the gods won't be involved, as far as we can tell.
Another guy named John has joined us, playing a Half-Gold Dragon/Half-Drow Wizard 4 (was 5, but he got Circle of Death'd on the Elemental Plane of Water. We've fought aspects of Orcus a few more times, and have been threatened with beings such as Concordant Killers and mirror doubles who have yet to strike. Of the Inner Planes, we only have Negative and Positive left, and I think that things are just going to get tougher.
Cast of Characters
Belaraphon Astral Deva 10 - Carl
Chobham Sohes (Human Cleric 11 of Nerull) - Tony
? (Human Fighter/Reaping Mauler) - Steve
Nelsie (Elf Rogue 5/Rogue) - John C
? (Half-Gold Dragon Drow Wizard 4) - John
Nastrond Esyllo (Sun Elf Beguiler 10) - Me
I'll be back to giving weekly updates starting next week, so look for those.
Another guy named John has joined us, playing a Half-Gold Dragon/Half-Drow Wizard 4 (was 5, but he got Circle of Death'd on the Elemental Plane of Water. We've fought aspects of Orcus a few more times, and have been threatened with beings such as Concordant Killers and mirror doubles who have yet to strike. Of the Inner Planes, we only have Negative and Positive left, and I think that things are just going to get tougher.
Cast of Characters
Belaraphon Astral Deva 10 - Carl
Chobham Sohes (Human Cleric 11 of Nerull) - Tony
? (Human Fighter/Reaping Mauler) - Steve
Nelsie (Elf Rogue 5/Rogue) - John C
? (Half-Gold Dragon Drow Wizard 4) - John
Nastrond Esyllo (Sun Elf Beguiler 10) - Me
I'll be back to giving weekly updates starting next week, so look for those.
My Tuesday Campaign, Session 1: The Sunless Citadel, pt 1
So, I've ran this one once when we should have played it twice by now, but eh.
Back in 2001ish, I bought all the published adventures that WotC put out as the adventure path. I was stoked. I thought there would be plenty of opportunity to run them, and I was right, but 3.x came out at a time when I had become really comfortable with running my own homebrew stuff, so the adventures always turned into an "after this campaign..." project.
Fast forward all this time and I'm running them for only the 3rd time. First was solo with John Davis' Ogre Fighter Denain. He was already a Ftr5 when he started through the adventures, so, as you can guess, he amassed tons of xp and wealth, ending as a lv 23 (I think) Fighter. The second run was played "green," using the generic rules from 3.x UA. That game was a blast, and sadly ended in a TPK. There was also a 3rd go at them (which I don't count) when I had the original idea to run them as an Eberron campaign, but everyone was working on their backstory and chargen and never got around to playing.
Moving ahead to now, the adventures are set in Eberron (with a few changes to flavor to match the setting) near the mountains in Karnnath. So far, the PCs have been sent to find out the fate of a group of adventurers that went to investigate what happened to the goblins with which they had been trading for vital curative magics.
Travelling to a crag that recently opened due to earthquake, they delved in to find a castle that had sunk into the earth (the Sunless Citadel!). Venturing further in, they made contact with a group of kobolds and were able to negotiate their way through the territory held by them to move on into the goblin-held warrens. At first, the kobolds, who know the larger races deal with the goblins, were apprehensive to let the big ones move through, since they war with the gobbos, but they sent Meepo, Keeper of Dragons along and tasked the group with finding the clan's dragon and bringing it back safely both as a sign of good faith and as payment for safe passage.
Having found the dragon and wiped out the goblin clan, they found a signet ring belonging to one of the previous adventurers that descended into the Citadel, which has led them to want to investigate further.
Meepo and the dragon, a white wyrmling named Calcryx, both wish not to rejoin the kobold clan, as though they both hold revered position within the clan, they are both virtual prisoners within their society, and have thus pledged themselves to joining the PCs.
Where it goes from here, you'll find out in a couple of weeks!
Cast of Characters
Calcryx White Dragon Wyrmling - Racheal
Meepo, Keeper of Dragons Kobold Dragon Shaman 3 - Darrell
Alerz Fellhaven* Kalashtar Psion(Psychokineticist?) 3 - Carl
Devin "Lucky" Nel Human Cleric 3 of Olladra - Paul
Vacht Human Wizard 3 - Steve
Bellosh Feral Shifter Barbarian 2 - Tami
*You may have noticed that Carl has given his characters in both my games the last name Fellhaven. The Drow War is not set in Eberron, nor are his Elf or Kalashtar related, but, he explained to me that they are the alternate universe versions of each other. I thought that was nifty and decided to share. Carry on.
Back in 2001ish, I bought all the published adventures that WotC put out as the adventure path. I was stoked. I thought there would be plenty of opportunity to run them, and I was right, but 3.x came out at a time when I had become really comfortable with running my own homebrew stuff, so the adventures always turned into an "after this campaign..." project.
Fast forward all this time and I'm running them for only the 3rd time. First was solo with John Davis' Ogre Fighter Denain. He was already a Ftr5 when he started through the adventures, so, as you can guess, he amassed tons of xp and wealth, ending as a lv 23 (I think) Fighter. The second run was played "green," using the generic rules from 3.x UA. That game was a blast, and sadly ended in a TPK. There was also a 3rd go at them (which I don't count) when I had the original idea to run them as an Eberron campaign, but everyone was working on their backstory and chargen and never got around to playing.
Moving ahead to now, the adventures are set in Eberron (with a few changes to flavor to match the setting) near the mountains in Karnnath. So far, the PCs have been sent to find out the fate of a group of adventurers that went to investigate what happened to the goblins with which they had been trading for vital curative magics.
Travelling to a crag that recently opened due to earthquake, they delved in to find a castle that had sunk into the earth (the Sunless Citadel!). Venturing further in, they made contact with a group of kobolds and were able to negotiate their way through the territory held by them to move on into the goblin-held warrens. At first, the kobolds, who know the larger races deal with the goblins, were apprehensive to let the big ones move through, since they war with the gobbos, but they sent Meepo, Keeper of Dragons along and tasked the group with finding the clan's dragon and bringing it back safely both as a sign of good faith and as payment for safe passage.
Having found the dragon and wiped out the goblin clan, they found a signet ring belonging to one of the previous adventurers that descended into the Citadel, which has led them to want to investigate further.
Meepo and the dragon, a white wyrmling named Calcryx, both wish not to rejoin the kobold clan, as though they both hold revered position within the clan, they are both virtual prisoners within their society, and have thus pledged themselves to joining the PCs.
Where it goes from here, you'll find out in a couple of weeks!
Cast of Characters
Calcryx White Dragon Wyrmling - Racheal
Meepo, Keeper of Dragons Kobold Dragon Shaman 3 - Darrell
Alerz Fellhaven* Kalashtar Psion(Psychokineticist?) 3 - Carl
Devin "Lucky" Nel Human Cleric 3 of Olladra - Paul
Vacht Human Wizard 3 - Steve
Bellosh Feral Shifter Barbarian 2 - Tami
*You may have noticed that Carl has given his characters in both my games the last name Fellhaven. The Drow War is not set in Eberron, nor are his Elf or Kalashtar related, but, he explained to me that they are the alternate universe versions of each other. I thought that was nifty and decided to share. Carry on.
9.04.2008
What Vampire: The Requiem Clan Fits You?
Regal, commanding and aristocratic, the Ventrue are the harsh lords of the Danse Macabre. The Ventrue most often come from the closest the modern world comes to feudal nobility: the ranks of professionals, the cream of high society, the scions of old money or political dynasties. As new professions and new forms of power arise, the Ventrue bring them into the clan. Through whatever means necessary, the Ventrue rise to the top of the undead heap.
Click here to find out which one suits you!
Wow, Almost 3 Months...
Why, hello there...
Yeah, it's been way too long since I posted, but eh. There's been multiple reasons for that and they aren't important to this post, or any, for that matter.
There's been quite a bit of gaming since I last posted, save for a short lull in July for my game and August for Paul's.
The Drow War is still going strong in 4th Edition, though I must admit I'm having a kinda hard time working on encounters. The game either doesn't support high player numbers well, or I don't have a grasp of encounter building yet in the edition. Everything seems too easy. Despite this, we're almost done with the first book, and I'm thinking that things will just get tougher for me, not necessarily for the players. I don't want to drop the game, but I can honestly say I'm not "feeling it" right now. What that means for the game, I can't say. The Drow War WILL be finished, though.
On Tuesdays, Big Mike and I have started taking turns pulling DM duty as he tackles the WotC-published 4E adventures (Keep on the Shadowfell, etc.) in his campaign and I'm running the published 3E adventure path that WotC put out (The Sunless Citadel, etc.). Mine has yet to be played, but everyone now has characters, so we're good for Tuesday after next. In Mike's game, we all have a blast. Paul, Steve, and I are playing our characters as kinda "green" so we have alot of fun in the roleplay of it. I also can brag that my Warlock is the only character NOT to have been knocked to dying in the game. Carl will be joining us on Tuesdays now that his work schedule has changed, so that will give us some much needed help.
Paul's 3.5 game on Wednesdays is still going strong, and we've finally made it to 10th level. This is actually one of the best games I've ever played in. We always have so much fun and just last night, Carl, Steve, and Tony took out an Iron Golem while I was breaking into jewel cases around them. They didn't resent the fact once I split the loot evenly. We're back on the Elemental Plane of Earth after going to the Plane of Fire. Things are terribly amiss, as everyone in the city we had went to on the outskirts of the Great Dismal Delve had been slain. We resolved to press on to get to the bottom of things, though it looks like we're messing with more than just Orcus and some Void Mages, or whatever the hell they call themselves.
Thursday nights now are dedicated to Vampire (character creation still in the works.) Tony has been putting together a Chronicle, of which I have next to no details as of yet, for our undead to maneuver through. Racheal (Toreador 12th Gen), Steve (Tremere 11th Gen), Jon (Toreador 13th Gen), Lauren (Ventrue 13th Gen), and I (Ventrue 13th Gen) have all signed up for the game. So far, not sure who else will be in, but I can't wait. I've been wanting something other than D&D for a while, and I think this will really, really be awesome.
Chris Hedler has talked about doing a 2E Dark Sun game on Sunday evenings, and I've mentioned a late night 3.5 Ravenloft game at the Hedler's house. That should be pretty cool, methinks, if those get going.
I'm still craving some non-D&D rpg'n, and I can't seem to escape the funk I'm in about it. I don't want to drop any of the D&D games I have going, or any of the games I play in, but I think after the run of one of my games, I'll definitely be doing something different. Superheroes, or something. Tony's Vampire game will definitely help there, but yeah.
I'm back to semi-regular posting now! Gonna try to find a pattern I'm good with as far as posting goes, so maybe I'll step it up even more than March! That'd be crazy, right?
Yeah, it's been way too long since I posted, but eh. There's been multiple reasons for that and they aren't important to this post, or any, for that matter.
There's been quite a bit of gaming since I last posted, save for a short lull in July for my game and August for Paul's.
The Drow War is still going strong in 4th Edition, though I must admit I'm having a kinda hard time working on encounters. The game either doesn't support high player numbers well, or I don't have a grasp of encounter building yet in the edition. Everything seems too easy. Despite this, we're almost done with the first book, and I'm thinking that things will just get tougher for me, not necessarily for the players. I don't want to drop the game, but I can honestly say I'm not "feeling it" right now. What that means for the game, I can't say. The Drow War WILL be finished, though.
On Tuesdays, Big Mike and I have started taking turns pulling DM duty as he tackles the WotC-published 4E adventures (Keep on the Shadowfell, etc.) in his campaign and I'm running the published 3E adventure path that WotC put out (The Sunless Citadel, etc.). Mine has yet to be played, but everyone now has characters, so we're good for Tuesday after next. In Mike's game, we all have a blast. Paul, Steve, and I are playing our characters as kinda "green" so we have alot of fun in the roleplay of it. I also can brag that my Warlock is the only character NOT to have been knocked to dying in the game. Carl will be joining us on Tuesdays now that his work schedule has changed, so that will give us some much needed help.
Paul's 3.5 game on Wednesdays is still going strong, and we've finally made it to 10th level. This is actually one of the best games I've ever played in. We always have so much fun and just last night, Carl, Steve, and Tony took out an Iron Golem while I was breaking into jewel cases around them. They didn't resent the fact once I split the loot evenly. We're back on the Elemental Plane of Earth after going to the Plane of Fire. Things are terribly amiss, as everyone in the city we had went to on the outskirts of the Great Dismal Delve had been slain. We resolved to press on to get to the bottom of things, though it looks like we're messing with more than just Orcus and some Void Mages, or whatever the hell they call themselves.
Thursday nights now are dedicated to Vampire (character creation still in the works.) Tony has been putting together a Chronicle, of which I have next to no details as of yet, for our undead to maneuver through. Racheal (Toreador 12th Gen), Steve (Tremere 11th Gen), Jon (Toreador 13th Gen), Lauren (Ventrue 13th Gen), and I (Ventrue 13th Gen) have all signed up for the game. So far, not sure who else will be in, but I can't wait. I've been wanting something other than D&D for a while, and I think this will really, really be awesome.
Chris Hedler has talked about doing a 2E Dark Sun game on Sunday evenings, and I've mentioned a late night 3.5 Ravenloft game at the Hedler's house. That should be pretty cool, methinks, if those get going.
I'm still craving some non-D&D rpg'n, and I can't seem to escape the funk I'm in about it. I don't want to drop any of the D&D games I have going, or any of the games I play in, but I think after the run of one of my games, I'll definitely be doing something different. Superheroes, or something. Tony's Vampire game will definitely help there, but yeah.
I'm back to semi-regular posting now! Gonna try to find a pattern I'm good with as far as posting goes, so maybe I'll step it up even more than March! That'd be crazy, right?
6.19.2008
To Boldly Go Where Gnome Man Has Gone Before...
So...I've spoken at length in other posts about how amazingly awesome Paul's Wednesday night "The Arcane College" campaign is, and it just keeps getting better, in my opinion.
Since my last update, we've only moved on to one more plane...The Elemental Plane of Earth (this game is still 3.x)...and while that might make it seem like we've not made much progress, ALOT has happened in the sessions leading us to where we are.
Among those things has been discovering that Orcus has made some sort of deal with a high power that deals with godhood and noninterference in his quest to destroy the world and effectively remake it to his liking. The Caliph of the Plane of Air almost went along with it, but interference by a member of the royal line disrupted his dangerous course of action and gave us the edge.
With this victory, we were able to locate the hourglass and lock it on this plane, thus saving the plane and (hopefully) ensuring that we had started off on our mission with a solid pick-up. After departing there, we then traveled to the Elemental Plane of Earth and spent very high fees on gems to please a Xorn who we ended up acquiring the services of and who is currently leading us to the Great Dismal Delve.
It is our hope that we will come to face the Dao who hold dominion over the hourglass and we'll convince them easily of what we need and that it's for the best.
That's all for now. Sleepy.
Since my last update, we've only moved on to one more plane...The Elemental Plane of Earth (this game is still 3.x)...and while that might make it seem like we've not made much progress, ALOT has happened in the sessions leading us to where we are.
Among those things has been discovering that Orcus has made some sort of deal with a high power that deals with godhood and noninterference in his quest to destroy the world and effectively remake it to his liking. The Caliph of the Plane of Air almost went along with it, but interference by a member of the royal line disrupted his dangerous course of action and gave us the edge.
With this victory, we were able to locate the hourglass and lock it on this plane, thus saving the plane and (hopefully) ensuring that we had started off on our mission with a solid pick-up. After departing there, we then traveled to the Elemental Plane of Earth and spent very high fees on gems to please a Xorn who we ended up acquiring the services of and who is currently leading us to the Great Dismal Delve.
It is our hope that we will come to face the Dao who hold dominion over the hourglass and we'll convince them easily of what we need and that it's for the best.
That's all for now. Sleepy.
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