The Gamers Arms

So due to things being a bit delayed here this evening, I'm going to be eating dinner around 8pm... I'll be at my desk and will log in and everything, but I'll spare you guys the sound of my chomping and keep my mic muted throughout the grisly process. I can chime in via text on the Roll20 thingy, though.

Thanks again WB, good fun as always

I don't think I've ever been so conflicted about fighting a monster for the prospect of phat loot, but I just couldn't countenance taking down poor Jeff!

I’m very much looking forward to next week with Slythe in his false moustache going “Hello, I’m the loot inspector.”

Hot damn, I missed a trick there. I was going to suggest I befriend him by forming a two-piece a cappella skiffle band

The balance of bemusing RP with combat is far more even with this campaign, in fact we seem to be getting better at talking our way through scenarios than we are at fighting through them.

Mantis wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 05, 2019 11:04 pm

The balance of bemusing RP with combat is far more even with this campaign, in fact we seem to be getting better at talking our way through scenarios than we are at fighting through them.

*Remembers the shop and townmaster's hall debacles*

That's why I said we were getting better. Case in point, our disguises and ruse worked perfectly this week, a marked improvement!

Fair point

Mantis wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 05, 2019 11:04 pm

in fact we seem to be getting better at talking our way through scenarios than we are at fighting through them.

That's because talking frequently doesn't require rolling any dice. Dice are the enemy.

*Note to self*

*Double the enemies on the map*

*Ask for random dice rolls to instil fear*

Last night's summary:

The party followed the druid Reidoth through across the hills and through a canyon maze to the entrance of Wave Echo Cave, whereby he left them with little more than a hastily sketched exit route on their map and a terse farewell. Proceeding inside, the party found the apparently murdered body of a dwarf with similar features to Gundren - presumably one of his two brothers. After a second or two of mourning and compassion, Slythe ripped the dwarf's fancy boots off his cold, dead feet and put them on to find they enhanced his ability to jump.

Sage sent Raven ahead to scout the tunnels, but the poor magical rat was attacked by a swarm of bat-like creatures (stirges) and vanished into thin air. The party engaged the stirges, who were also attacking a Redbrand bandit and a goblin, and after much blood-sucking and air-swatting the stirges were all killed, as was the goblin. The Redbrand was taken for interrogation, having been mercifully crippled by an arrow to the knee (which scuppered his future adventuring plans). The Black Spider had recently arrived at the cave, it seemed, and had ordered an exploration. Another Redbrand strolled round the corner and was promptly shot in the head by Slythe, after which their captive was summarily executed after promising his freedom, thereby breaching every wartime convention ever ratified in the Sword Coast.

Having spied some ghouls in a nearby room, Sage and Charr took on the forms of the Redbrand and his goblin friend and proceeded down the tunnel to scout further into the cave. A conversation was overheard between a dragon cultist, a Redbrand, a hobgoblin, a goblin and a drow - a congregation of every group they had pissed off over the past week. Sage lured them back down the tunnel, calling for help with the ghouls, and led them into an ambush where Charr gave them a good charring with all of his fire (or at least a good portion of it). The drow came last and was almost subject to another merciful kneecapping and interrogation until Truss cleft his head from his shoulders in a fit of rage.

Moving onward, the party found an ancient, out-of-action watermill on a dry canal, guarded by a skull wreathed in green flame. After a brief discourse with the skull, it was made clear that it wanted them to leave. Immediately. They tested the skull's patience with some loitering before investigating some humming to the east, which came from a floating betentacled green eye monster guarding the Forge of Spells - a magical brazier of enchanting and an anvil. The monster, pleasantly surprised to see people for the first time in 650 years and apparently oblivious to the fact that the mine was no longer in operation, explained that he had never been given a name, and so the party (inevitably, some would say) named him Jeff. Jeff told them how he had been summoned to guard the equipment produced in the Forge of Spells from being stolen, and seemed quite happy bimbling about waiting to intervene in some thievery. Whether the party would attempt to pilfer the phat loot in the room remained to be seen...

Wrathbone wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 06, 2019 12:49 pm

Slythe ripped the dwarf's fancy boots off his cold, dead feet and put them on

Man, it sounds bad when you put it like that.

Also:

Wrathbone wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 06, 2019 12:49 pm

their captive was summarily executed after promising his freedom, thereby breaching every wartime convention ever ratified in the Sword Coast.

Wrathbone wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 06, 2019 12:49 pm

The drow came last and was almost subject to another merciful kneecapping and interrogation until Truss cleft his head from his shoulders in a fit of rage.

*reaches for that Mitchell & Webb sketch again...*

Good Guy Black Spider is an equal-opportunities employer who promotes gentrification of dilapidated areas, and you guys just keep murdering his peeps.

#prayforphandalin

We aren't the heroes Phandalin deserves... nor the ones it needs, either, really. I'd like to say that at least we have the best of intentions, but, well...

A friend has just found a stack of notes and character sheets from the first campaign I ran. From one of the characters:

I paid a wizard to cast a spell as a prank which resulted in me being teleported naked to a mountain peak. I recently started thinking Pavel [another character] is immortal. We are both being trolled by a deity.

This is why I love this game.