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View Full Version : Journal The Menagerie- A sandbox romp through the Jade Regent



ArendK
2016-03-25, 04:02 AM
So we got a group going here in the glorious sandbox, and due to the nature of such business ventures, you never know IF you’re going to get a game going, much less if it’s going to be any good. But alas, after watching a group disintegrate due to Railroading and player stupidity, a small group of us broke away to try to build our own group (with blackjack and hookers!) and get the dice rolling. This little campaign journal is written by myself and the GM, Tony with his notes in italics.
We found out AS WE WERE STARTING, well after character generation, that we were doing the Jade Regent on day one. Note that several of the players didn’t join until a little bit later and we have a few people dropping in and out (much to our annoyance).
[GM Notes] I had no idea that we were going to be starting a new campaign due to the last GM destroying the world while half the party was absent. After 3 min at the table and finding out we were going to start a new game we took the characters we generated for another game and started a random adventure path (Jade Regent). I made a goblin character and john made a druid that spoke goblin so we could form a party, then separated form the plot wreckers and world destroyers and was to lazy to rebuild. [GM Notes]
Meet the Plot Wreckers Characters-
Daniel- Tiefling Ranger, can’t remember his name, primarily working towards the maw and claw combat style. Attempts to optimize, marginally efficient at it. Is often slightly annoyed at the Mwangi druid for being referred to as the “Horny Demon Thing.” Is primarily quiet during anything that doesn’t involve killing the enemy. Due to work, Daniel originally left us a few sessions in and recently rejoined.

Jeremy- “Broo-Suh”, a kobold monk with an unhealthy fixation on strength. Originally tried a kobold (that resembled the unholy result of a cow and a kobold according to its illustrations) variant he found on the SRD with a strength bonus, GM put the kibosh on it when he finally saw it. Rebuilt as a standard kobold, has 14 strength on 20 point buy….that left us scratching our heads for a long time...

Fred-“Alan Rickers” half-elf fighter. Literally brand new to Tabletop gaming and this is his first adventure. Originally built around a phalanx fighter archetype, gradually transitions and rebuilds into a fighter magus. Decent role-player, playing off the “I need to adventure to get away from my wife” character to a T.

Dustin-Originally a Rogue, rebuilt into the Summoner Elias. Decent knowledge of the game, but sporadic scheduling keeps him in and out. Summoner is built off an Avian eidolon, specializing in scouting and bleed effects. Role-plays as necessary, serves as one of the statistical “Faces” of the party, even though he says little.

John (Me)- Kirik the Saurian Shaman (Druid archetype) from the Mwangi expanse. I couldn’t initially find a reason to have him involved in the Jade Regent storyline, so we decided he was on a “WalkAbout” to earn his place as a shaman. Druid and Allosaurus companion (Crom) are both competent melee, but completely lack social skills and I’d decided that a 10 Intelligence combined with 4 languages spoken resulted in a lot of broken English. I consider myself equal parts Power-Gamer and Role-Player at the table, so everything has a purpose and reason behind it.
[GM Notes] This heathen is the biggest problem in the campaign; not due to his power-gaming, but the terrifying efficiency with which he blends role-playing and system mastery. [GM Notes]

Tony (GM) – Scribbleface the barely coherent goblin alchemist and other shenanigans; he is often described as the world ruled by a mad god. Tony will be periodically adding his notes in the various margins throughout this journal. Scribbleface, especially in the early sessions was played by equal parts me and Tony, with him taking over Scribbleface as a full on NPC after he deemed that me having control of both the druid and the alchemist was “stunning amounts of bulls#!t”

Session 1 (The GM doesn’t even know what’s going on.)
We start with just myself, Broo Suh, as Demon Thing’s player was running late. Kirik, upon coming to the swamps outside Sandpoint, notes that goblin ears are being bought in Sandpoint for 10 gold a piece, and as Kirik thought it out; while he didn’t need an abundance of gold, he would need some to simplify some supplies. So he sets about tracking a collection of tracks and encounters the mysterious Cow-Lizard/Kobold Monk “Broo-Suh” who has been trying to navigate the Brinestone Swamps for some days now. Kirik, with his limited mastery of the common tongue, introduces himself as a “Mighty Hunter” and “Mighty Shaman.” Kirik and Broo-Suh set off, randomly picking directions until they come across something interesting (a horrible series of failed Survival checks). Eventually, they come across a collection of ramshackle huts that are home to the local Licktoad tribe of goblins. As Kirik prepares a strategy to capitalize on the wealth of potential goblin ears to turn in to the nearest town, Broo-Suh seeks cover, noticing that a horde of skeletons are about to roll into town. While Broo-Suh is more than happy to let the druid and his animal companion perish in the attempted raid, both Kirik and Broo-Suh are distracted by a sound in the nearby brush. They uncover the form of a whimpering goblin bleeding profusely from various wounds in his forehead.
[GM Notes] The druid was still going to drop into town even though it was about to be raided by 15 skeletons. I had to come up with a distraction. I had no idea how successful I would be till several sections later.
After the kobold tries unsuccessfully to heal the wounds (mostly because the goblin won’t let him touch him), Kirik sighs, picks up a clump of dirt, grass, leaves, spits on it, rubs the collection onto his forearm, then places his hand on the wounded goblin as the injuries begin to fade from the goblin. The goblin is stunned (as is the GM since we didn’t kill him on principle). It is determined that this little goblin only speaks Goblin, and conveniently, only the druid spoke Goblin. He is introduced as Scribbleface, and explains that he was tortured by his other goblins for committing the most unholy of goblin sins (writing something down).
As we are discussing this, the boneheads are promptly slaughtering the hordes of goblins in the village. Wisely, we lay low and notice the skeletons are taking treasure out and drop a scroll tube. Ever the opportunist, Kirik begins gleefully removing ears from the goblins slaughtered by the horde of undead. At this point, Demon Thing’s player has arrived to the table and is promptly dropped into the situation being given the plot hook that he was sent to kill Licktoad goblin Chief Gutwad and collect his head for 100 gold pieces. Upon walking in on the aftermath in which all he sees is 40 goblins mutilated as another goblin, a Mwangi human, a dinosaur, and the Cow-Lizard are sweeping and clearing the huts looking for loot. Upon stopping the party, it is painfully evident not one of us is equipped to do any kind of talking and socializing.
“Who are you and why are you here?” Demon Thing inquires to the closest person this ragtag group has to a leader (the druid). In lieu of much else to say, the druid replied simply and proudly.
“Kirik, Mighty Hunter.” As the druid gestures to the dozens of bodies around the village.
The tiefling, without much of a response (or argument), starts looking for Chief Gutwad. A surviving goblin attempts to ambush the party, and is promptly introduced to the take few prisoners attitude of the growing party.
As we continue our sweep, we are attacked by the few goblin survivors. One hiding in a tower, the rest scattered about. The rest of our team (Scribbleface included) enters combat with the mob while the druid ducks under the watchtower to deal with the sniper. The village is filled with the sound of battleand the joyous songs and laughter of Scribbleface, who commences to throwing bombs with limited skill and dangerous enthusiasm. Not wanting to get shot in the face more than necessary, the druid casts Light on his spear and shoves it through the floorboards of the watchtower screaming “FIRE” in Goblin. A failed check by the sniper results in him believing the ruse and leaping out of the tower onto his head and into the waiting arms (and claws and teeth) of Crom.
With the remaining goblins defeated (and disfigured), we set about the search for Chief Gutwad. Before we found him we find the hut the goblins use as a nursery. Oddly enough we didn’t kill them due to the druid saying some bull**** about angry nature spirts protecting babies. So instead, they were strapped to the lizard in a makeshift carriage.
Gutwad was found cowering in his treasury of fireworks and limited gold, which he promptly attempted to use to attack us (the fireworks, not the gold). After a prolonged (read; 3 rounds of crappy rolling), Gutwad is on the receiving of a lobotomy from the druids spear on a crit for max damage.
After walking off with the fireworks (read; gave to Scribbleface since none of us knew anything about them), we start our journey towards Sandpoint to end the first session as a ‘team.’

There will be more to come, especially with continued interest in reading it from our fellow giants.

wobner
2016-03-25, 12:26 PM
*snip*

There will be more to come, especially with continued interest in reading it from our fellow giants.

i'm amused and interested to see how this progresses, looks like there should be some entertaining interactions between the players if this opening is any indication. looking forward to more.
(the world needs more campaign journals)

no giant though, still but a pixie