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Dragons_Ire
2018-05-30, 04:22 PM
Behold! Watch with fascination (horrified or otherwise) as I take the DM seat with a decent grasp of the rules, lots of ideas, and absolutely no DM experience!

I've wanted to run a campaign for ages, so roughly a month after I got the PHB, DMG, and Xanathar's, I asked my sister if she wanted to play. She agreed, and Dad showed interest, so he's playing too!

The setting is my own, a perhaps-not-so-original fantasy world where elves, dwarves, and hob-*cough* halflings are fairly common, and half-elves less so but still not rare. I might even get a continent map up someday.


Mist clouds your vision, and a robed figure whispers to you: "Not yet, child, not yet..."



Dragons_Ire - I'm the DM for our first campaign. My sister wants to try her hand at some point, but she doesn't really know the rules yet, so she's getting some experience on the player's side of the screen.
~The DM
~NPCs

My sister - Only a couple years younger than me, we've been exploring fantasy worlds together in our imaginations together for years. She would typically take the DM role, so to speak, as she would describe the world and the results of my actions. She originally balked at D&D due to the rules - she prefers a more freeform style.
~(Name coming soon), a Half-elvish Sorcerer (Storm). Is extremely paranoid and rather haughty. Uses storm and cold themed spells.
~Grayvic Thunderfist, a Dwarvish Paladin. Has a pony. Fights with a shield and hammer.
~(Name coming soon), a Human Rogue. A friendly rogue, he might swipe your money but he'd never hurt you. Pretty much always uses nonlethal damage.

My dad - Hasn't played since college (using 2e), where he was usually the DM. He seems to really like many of the changes in Fifth, especially the hit point rules. Back in his day, casters got a d4, you rolled for HP at first level, and there was no taking the average :smallbiggrin:. He has an uncanny ability to roll 20s when I'm talking and no rolls are required, and to not roll 20s otherwise.
~Rowan Greycastle, a Human Fighter. Fights with two longswords. Is CG, but plays more lawful.
~Caebrek Ironfist (originally Oskar, but I guess I made one too many Oscar the Grouch jokes during character creation), a Dwarvish Barbarian. Fights with a dwarven claymore (refluffed battleaxe, 1d12 slashing, heavy, two-handed).



Chapter 1: Daggers in Riverton


Our tale begins right outside of Riverton, a bustling port town where the river runs into a large bay. Trade Bay, they call it, and for good reason. Fishing boats, small trading vessels, and even a pale gray, sleek Corvalish longship line the harbor. Even as the party approaches the south gate, sturdy wood doors set between two wooden towers, they can tell it is a busy town. The streets aren't crowded, but there are a lot of people moving about. Different characters have heard about different taverns, so they take a vote to determine which of the 5 taverns they will go to. The five taverns are the Roaring Hearth, the Wobbling Cask, the Cracked Flagon, the Foaming Tankard, and the Harp and the Fiddle.


I had notes for each, including menu prices, and different NPCs and rumors for each tavern, even though I knew the party would probably only visit one of them.


After some discussion and a vote, which is 4-1 against the half-elf, they decide to visit the Foaming Tankard, which is owned by Grayvic's cousin, Darrak Thunderfist. Inside they can see two dwarves at a table talking, one of them somewhat upset, a tough-looking man, and various other tavern-goers. Darrak greets them heartily, and asks if they would like to get anything, perhaps a fine dwarvish ale? (Dad asks what the prices are, and I read the menu). A dwarvish ale is 3 silver, but since they're travelling with his cousin, it'll be 2 for them. Rowan sets down a gold and buys them all a drink. The half-elf declines his, none too politely, but the rogue takes it :smallbiggrin:.

The door opens, and a man in merchant's clothes walks in. He nods to Darrak and purchases a light ale. Darrak smiles at Grayvic and says that he hasn't got Ansel (the merchant) to try a dwarvish ale yet, but he's working on him! Ansel greets the party, and asks what brought them to Riverton. Rowan replies that they are travellers, seeking adventure. The rogue sidles up to Ansel, looking to pick his pocket, but Rowan puts his hand on his shoulder and kindly but firmly tells him that they don't need that right now. So he just akwardly holds out his hand instead. Ansel tells them not to trust the merchant Othellos (his main business rival), and bids them farewell. Shortly after he exits the tavern, the party hears shouts for help!

Meanwhile, out of character jokes are being made about 'Ansel and Gretel' and breadcrumbs :smallsigh:

They rush outside the tavern (Except for the half-elf, who walks), and see that 8 armed thugs are trying to kill Ansel!
Initiative! The rogue goes first, and flings a dagger at the thug nearest Ansel for decent damage. Then the thug goes, and misses Ansel. The next thug, however, crits! Two more thugs run by the players, towards Ansel, and the next thug lands a hit on the rogue. The paladin charges at the thug who attacked his friend... and misses. Rowan charges forwards, throwing handaxes at the thugs who ran by... and misses.

Dad asked if he had advantage due to the thug's backs being turned. I said no, but thinking about it I should have said yes. Still getting the hang of using advantage/disadvantage properly, I guess.

Caebrek enters a rage and charges, striking a thug and killing him with a single blow! I tell him to make a Strength (Intimidation) check, and he passes it easily. Several thugs, seeing their companion chopped in half, break and run.
The sorcerer stands in the doorway and watches. The next round rolls around (see what I did there? :smallamused:), and Ansel is stabbed by the first rogue. He's not looking good. The rogue repositions and throws another dagger. He misses, but hits the thug behind his target! (Eh, I thought it was cool)! A thug hits the noble for some damage, and the other two facing him (his targets with his axes), move towards Ansel (using Disengage). The Paladin swings again... and misses. Rowan's up next, and he's not pleased with the thug who hit him. He cuts down one thug, and strikes another! Caebrek finishes off another thug with a savage blow, and the fight is pretty much over.

Ansel is, of course, immensely grateful to the party for saving him, and thanks them heartily. The man they saw earlier in the tavern steps out, and asks what happened. Rowan replies that they didn't think eight against one was a fair fight, so they intervened. The man looks impressed, and introduces himself as Angus MacOwyn. He helps Ansel inside the Foaming Tankard to get him patched up. Meanwhile Caebrek interrogates one of the two thugs that were captured, and learns that they were sent by a 'Black Dagger'. The thug gives him a letter he received from the Black Dagger as proof.

With some jingling of armor, the town guard arrives! Well, three of them anyway, one of which is the captain. Rowan explains what happened, and tells the captain of the Guard what they've found. The captain sends the two guards who were with him to track down the thugs who escaped, and speaks with Rowan quietly. "I've located what I believe to be the Black Dagger's residence, but there are enough corrupt guards that I can't risk bringing them along. Would your party be interested in helping? There is a sizeable reward for his capture." Rowan agrees, but says they'll need to rest first. The captain agrees, and leaves them to rest.

I explain short rests to the players, and they take one. Rowan and the Rogue heal using hit die.

The captain returns, and they follow him to a small two-story house in the East Ward. The rogue picks the lock, and they move inside veeeeeery carefully aand quietly.

I didn't make them roll stealth checks, because nobody was home. In hindsight, it would have been funnier to have them roll anyway. Imagine the suspense if someone rolled badly! Ah well, something to keep in mind for next time.

The quieter party members, and the captain of the guard, head upstairs. They find an empty bed with the sheets rumpled, a closet, and a desk. The closet is immediately checked, but it is empty except for clothes.

Eventually I'll lull them into a false sense of security, and ambush them! MUA-HA-HA-*HACK*-*SPLUTTER*-*COUGH*

The rogue puts his hand on the bed to see if it's still warm. I'm very impressed by this (I hadn't thought of that at all), and reply that it is cold. So the rogue checks the desk. I call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check, and the result after modifiers is over 20. The rogue finds a vial of poison, various letters, and an unsigned message offering money if Ansel is killed. The seal is two crossed dolphins, and the guard captain doesn't recognize it. A plan is formed, and the characters decide to set an ambush for the Black Dagger. After about an hour, a man wanders down the street to the house. I call for a stealth check from the character nearest the door, the barbarian. He rolls okay, and has a +3, so it's unlikely but possible that the BD will notice him. And he doesn't, as I roll a 1 :smallsigh:

The fight is extremely one-sided, I don't think the Black Dagger even made an attack. He got hit by a prismatic orb, grappled by the noble, crit by the guard captain, and hit by others as well. He's tied up and interrogated. Rowan asks who hired him. The Black Dagger spits and swears, but is otherwise silent. Rowan rubs his neck and makes some meaningful comments about how nooses are rough on the neck, and that he might get off easier this way, so he cracks and accuses Othellos of hiring him. The rogue spots a copper ring lying on the floor by the doorway, and inspects it. There is an inscription in Thieve's Cant on the inside, and he reads it aloud: "Under the bridge, seventeenth plank." The Black Dagger looks furious. They send the paladin with the guard to lock up the Black Dagger while they check the bridge.

They attempt to pry up the plank, but it won't budge, so the rogue hops into the water - not without some discussion though. It's like they think there's a monster or ambush under there or something. Players. Always so paranoid.
The rogue can see a chain connected to the bridge, so he climbs out of the water and tells the other two. They pry up the 15th and 16th planks and reel in the chain. I announce smugly that they pull the chest out of the water, but it's stuck, as the opening is too small (I'm picturing the 16th and 18th planks, :smalltongue:). Dad clarifies what they're trying to do and they get the chest up. They decide to take it back to the captains office to open it. The chest contains a good amount of money, 3 gems, 3 healing potions, and a Cloak of the Manta Ray (My sister is filled with glee, this is one of her favorite items in the DMG).

Dad's a little disappointed, as there's no evidence they can use against Othellos, so they go to the Black Dagger's cell. After some more swearing and spitting, they're able to get the following information: Othellos and the Black Dagger are scheduled to meet tomorrow inside the Customs House, and there won't be anyone else there. They decide to bring most of the party anyway, and Rowan notices that the Black Dagger is less than happy about that.

It's decided that Caebrek and the rogue will infiltrate Othellos' house and look for some evidence while the others (including the guard captain) wait for Othellos at the Customs House, remaining in hiding while the sorcerer impersonates the Black Dagger.

The next day, just minutes before the meeting with Othellos, Caebrek and the rogue walk past the front of Othellos' house. There are two guards by the gate, so they sneak around to the back and use the servant's entrance. The servant notices them but pays them no heed. They sneak upstairs, and into a fancy bedroom. Inside is a desk, and the rogue goes to search it while Caebrek keeps watch. The rogue fails two investigation checks, but rolls really well on the third.

With each check I'm rolling to see if the head servant, the only one really loyal to Othellos, heads to the room or hears something.

He finds the seal with two dolphins, and a hidden compartment. One thieves tools check later and he's in... jackpot. Othellos' diary, and it's very incriminating. They leave the seal, but take the diary and vamoose. They can hear someone getting chewed out in another room, but they both pass their stealth checks and leave quietly, completely undetected.

Meanwhile, at the customs house, the rest of the party waits for Othellos. He arrives right on time... with 6 thugs. Guess the Black Dagger was lying about being alone! The sorcerer asks for more money, he needs double so he can hire better thugs. Othellos squirms, but agrees. Now they have witnesses of his guilt. So the captain of the guard steps forward and declares that he is under arrest! The sorcerer, thinking quickly, accuses Othellos of betraying him! Othellos is confused, but the thugs step forward, and combat is joined!

I made a mistake here. The thugs I'd been using before were CR 1/8 that I designed, but these were the CR 1/2 ones from the MM. I should've used a mix. As it is, without having them break and run it probably would have resulted in several PC deaths.

The guard captain acts first, attacking a thug... and crits. So I roll 4d6 for his greatsword - 5, 5, 6, and 6. One thug is nearly dead already. Then things go downhill. The thug hits back, but not very hard. Rowan swings twice at the thug in front of him... and misses both times. The paladin misses as well. Othellos retreats, and the sorcerer hurls an Ice Knife, which hits, but not hard. The noble and paladin are both hit, and are at about half health. I have the thugs retreat, as a couple of guards heard the captain and are coming, and they weren't paid enough for this. The captain drops his thug, and two more fall as they retreat, being slowed in their escape by Othellos, who barely fits through the door.

We end the session there, as it's been 5 hours and is now past midnight. Hello, Saturday :smalleek:



I'm getting a feel for how my players play. The first word I'd choose for them would be paranoid :smallwink:
Sometimes the players beat a boss with little effort by using a good plan... and that's okay.



My encounter building on the fly needs work. 6x CR 1/2 monsters was far, far too many for a combat the PCs were supposed to win.
My improv needs a bit of work, or my pregame notes need to be a bit more extensive.
My session log was almost nonexistent, making the write up much harder and less precise.
I need to get better at using advantage/disadvantage. After all, the rules do not cover every possible situation.
For a real mystery, I need to add more suspects.



Everyone had a good time. I had fun, Dad had fun, and my sister had fun. She said it was a lot more fun than she thought it would be.
They aren't total murderhobos! Hooray!


Feel free to leave ideas, comments, thoughts, feedback, or advice! I'll try to get the rest written up later, the next day I handed out exp and the players divided the loot and went shopping.

Dragons_Ire
2018-07-09, 12:45 PM
Ugh, I'm so behind on updating this.

The Saturday after we finished the session the players divided up the loot, then decided to do some shopping.

Everyone got an equal share of the money, and the Manta Ray cloak went to the rogue. The paladin, fighter, and barbarian got the healing potions, if I remember correctly.

First they visited Aeric's Fabulous Treasures, in hope of some magic items, but didn't end up buying anything, due to a lack of money and interest (mostly common items for sale). When offered a Wand of Smiles, Caebrek tells the sorcerer that he needs one, and the sorcerer responds scathingly. "I suppose you like having that dorky expression plastered all over your face all the time." Caebrek just raises an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, the rogue went to Healthful Tinctures, and bought some snake oil, as the shopkeeper claimed it would prevent hangovers if smeared on the chest. :smallsigh:

As they are leaving, the rogue wants to pickpocket someone. I let him make two checks. He fails the first one, but not by enough to be noticed. He succeeds on the next one, so I roll on the CR 0 single monster loot. I rolled rather high, so the rogue becomes the new owner of 18 shiny gold pieces! There are some groans and comments about 'from hero to zero' from Dad's side of the table :smalltongue:

Grayvic had his heart set on buying armor for his pony, so he finds an armorer and commissions a set of armor, getting a decent discount.

In the evening, they are approached by a man they'd spoken to previously, Angus MacOwyn. He tells them that there have been skeletons spotted up north, near several outlying villages. He was impressed by the ability they showed taking on the thugs outside of the tavern, and so asked them first. They agree to help, telling him they'll set out the next day.

Next morning, they pick up the pony armor and head out of the town. As they are leaving, they see a figure in white robes following them. As he approaches, they see that he is an elven cleric. He tells them that he has heard that they are hunting skeletons, and asks if he can join them. They agree, happy to have a cleric in the party.


*Aelar Sunblade (NPC) joins party*

We end it there.