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View Full Version : Journal The Savage Tide begins!



curious-puzzle
2014-04-17, 01:16 AM
So after a long time of me Dming D&D, or playing L5R, my wife has stepped up and started running our group through the Savage Tide adventure path! It's going to be every two weeks for now, but I'm really looking forward to it: We're playing 3.5 with just a couple very small tweaks (you die at negative hit points equal to your CON, one or two others as they come up). Here's the motley crew, with one more expected to join next time:

Brandt Orozlan, human sorcerer 1 (played by myself): a hedonistic noble, well educated and a natural at most things he puts his mind to. Unfortunately, he often puts that talent towards aggravating or manipulating others. I'm aiming to go into Fiendblooded, and be relatively toolboxy. I am planning on taking Scorching spell with a metamagic reducer as well; I just really like the idea of being able to burn a hole through a fire elemental.

Priest Vallon (yes, he looks like Liam Neeson's character from Gangs of New York), human paladin of St Cuthbert 1: Wields a big warhammer and a heavy shield so far (and a moustache of stern authority +3), not sure if there are plans for a prestige class. I'll probably encourage him to take battle blessing at least.

Booker, human rogue 1: This is the man who knows a guy who can get a guy to bring another guy in for the stuff you want. Might be going towards an arcane trickster, probably with wizard...I think?

Griff, human (I know, none of us could say no to an extra feat) cleric of Boccob 1: An entirely new player, seems to be enjoying himself so far. Took the knowledge and Magic domains, don't think we'll worry about a prestige class unless something catches his eye as he gets more comfortable.

Griff and Booker had grown up together, their merchant families business partners. Griff was sent to become a priest when his family was killed by pirates, but recently traveled back to Sasserine and reunited with his old friend Booker. As for myself and Vallon, we managed to encounter each other at one point before being invited to the Vanderborens...

Booker's deed to gain a bit of fame/notoriety was that he managed to sell a ship that technically wasn't his to sell (hence his starting with the Merchant's tongue feat). Griff's player hadn't come up with too much, but ended up going with completing his schooling as a cleric of Boccob with top grades and a mark of distinction. Mine was starting a tavern brawl that spilled into several nearby streets and almost became a full blown riot. Vallon's was to stop said brawl by wading in, cracking a bunch of skulls together, and walloping me unconscious with a massive right hook.

I'll type up the actual adventure after work tomorrow. Hope I can make it entertaining!

BWR
2014-04-17, 02:04 AM
My gf is running through ST with her gang now, and I was lead to believe that it didn't really lend itself to law-abiding characters. At least her DM recommended everyone playing somewhat mercenary characters because it would make a number of the scenes and plot points work better than having to try to explain why lawful characters break the law for no good reason (that they know beforehand, at least).

Mrc.
2014-04-17, 05:50 AM
I found that Savage Tides had some really good bits to it but, like a lot of the full campaigns that ran in Dungeon, got a bit silly towards the end. Can't remember whether it was this or Age of Worms but there was one encounter where you are helping to defend a fortress of giants against some dragons and it got a bit ridiculous if I'm honest. However, the background it gave to some of the NPCs was incredible, and to this day every new campaign world I make borrows heavily from Savage Tides, not through a lack of imagination but because it is so good.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy it just as much as I have and I look forward to following your progress. Best of luck!

curious-puzzle
2014-04-17, 08:49 AM
BWR, you're probably right that a non-lawful party would be smoother, but I'm sure we'll be able to make it work. We've played together a long time, so situations that occasionally make our characters butt heads can be lots of fun. :)

MRC., I think that's from Age of Worms (which I'd enjoy running or being run through).

And my brain has decided I should be awake now, so might as well write:

All 4 of us immediately accepted Lavinia's invitation, with Griff and Booker arriving a little early. Priest Vallon was next to arrive, with myself sauntering in on the edge of fashionably late. Spotting the man who Falcon Punched me just a night or two ago, I went with the route of diplomacy.

"Oh no, it's you. You're not going to hit me again, are you?"

"That depends entirely on you, young man."

We were interrupted by the Jade Dragons leaving, and all had a silent bonding moment over how they must all be jerks who were nowhere near as cool as us. After dinner with Lavinia and agreeing to help her out, we all agree to meet up near Pier 5 the next day. To make it to the Blue Nixie, we hire a rowboat and come up with the cover story of the two priests coming out to help any wounded or administer last rites to the dying (since there must be something wrong for the ship to be not docked properly). We receive rude threats and the business end of crossbows pointed at us. Right before people start shooting, though, I notice that the three thugs above us on the ship are relatively close to one another. Spaced out perfectly for a magical spray in fact. So I play this on my laptop, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Bbu_prxJk , and hit them with a color spray. 2 out of 3 froth at the mouth as their eyes roll to the back of their head and fall over, thoroughly out of the fight (I roll a 7 and then a 4 for duration). Initiative!

Griff pops a shot at the remaining crossbowman, and misses horribly. I zap him with a magic missile (for a whopping 2 damage), and fail to climb the rigging onto the ship. The thug responds by calling out an alarm, and then blasting me with a crossbow bolt critical that drops me to -4. Then the DM realizes that she used too big a damage die, and rerolls with d8s. I am instead left with one hitpoint. Not as bad, but ow! Booker shoots the thug with his hand crossbow for a little more, and Vallon manages to scramble up onto the ship and draw his weapon and shield. More thugs burst onto the deck, and Griff finishes off the first thug we were fighting. Not wanting to die, I quaff my potion of mage armor. The new thugs try to shoot Vallon, and miss horribly. Then one of them tries to stab Vallon, and misses even more. Booker climbs to the edge of the ship, waiting to try and hop over to ambush someone, and then Vallon goes. Mustache bristling, he informs the thug who tried to stab him how ill-advised that was, and cranks him in the temple with his warhammer...for max damage, dropping him instantly. Griff and I manage to make it onto the boat, and then Soller Vark and his companion thug enter the fray. The woman misses by a country mile, and Soller manages to land a bolt in Vallon's leg for almost half his health. I miss, Griff misses (I have this image of a gangster shootout with crossbows instead of tommy guns, everyone deking and dodging back and forth while crossbow bolts zip around), and Booker hops over the side and stabs thug #4 (1 and 2 being blind stunned and unconscious, 3 dead, and 5 dead). Then Vallon charges Vark with his mighty power attack of 1...and crits for almost 30 points of damage, and drops him like a sack of ugly kittens.

The female thug tries to stab Vallon, and does a pretty pathetic job of it, missing. She then screams to burn the ship. Thug # 4 decides this isn't worth it, and jumps over the side to try and hijack the rowboat we hired to get us to the Blue Nixe. Griff leans over and snipes him with his crossbow before he can threaten the old rowboat owner. Booker and I head towards the stairs leading belowdecks. Booker makes it partway down the stairs before seeing another thug at the bottom of the stairs, who gets chomped by a big angry spidermonster (after hearing the sounds of burning, screaming animals, and then someone dying messily, I ready an action to magic missile the next thing that isn't Booker who comes out the stairway. Vallon makes a half-hearted attempt to knock the female thug out, and tells her to surrender before she dies. She sneers at him and withdraws over the side of the boat.

Booker gets a lucky shot off on the spider, and hastily retreats upstairs. It skitters after the rogue, and bursts onto the deck...which triggers my magic missile for max damage. It then tries to seize Booker in its pedipalps, and misses horribly. Griff and Booker flank the spider, and between Booker's first crit, my magic missile, and a nice sneak attack, we put the spider down before it can treat any of us like a tasty cookie. Vallon sees the female thug threatening the rowboat owner with a knife, and passes judgement on her with arrow shot, finishing her. Victory for the (mostly) good guys!

So a bit of bad luck at first, but then everyone's dice turned on something fierce. I have to say, Color Spray is awesome, but I think Vallon gets MVP for one-shotting two people, including Soller Vark.