Curse of Strahd Solo Run (OOC)

[RandomWombat]

A thread for keeping track of OOC information for our Curse of Strahd solo game. As important things are learned IC, or (if) house rule adjustments come up, they will be recorded here for reference.

I will be using roll20 (https://app.roll20.net/campaigns/details/8773077/curse-of-strahd-gitp) for maps, since it's a little more accurate than MS Paint. As a plus, the module actually has maps to use.

The IC Thread is here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?620681-Curse-of-Strahd-Solo-Run-(IC)).


Mother Night's Tarokka Deck (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AxDm5jOt2T_-QtH2ZU-WKsqPrBsz2gL7bl587kGMCtc/edit)

True Strike: This cantrip is now a bonus action, instead of a standard action. This is because the action economy just didn't match up, except in very rare cases.

Blade Ward: This cantrip's effect is pretty good on its own, but the caster only being able to use it on themselves doesn't do a whole lot. The caster shouldn't be 'tanking', so it was only good as a last ditch 'pray someone comes to rescue me' defense move. I've allowed it a range of Touch, instead of Self/Personal.

Party Characters



Name and Description
Race and Class
Portrait


Kellon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2321912)
This is the Player Character, a Tempest Cleric of Poseidon.
Tortle Tempest Cleric 5
https://i.imgur.com/DOXC0am.png


Gweyir
An elven woman from the same shipwreck as Kallon, the Spurned Falcon. She has rust-colored hair, hanging down around her shoulders. Tattoos resembling leaves adorn the sides of her neck and face.

Gweyir is a Dreamer Druid from Tethyr, along the coast of the Sea of Swords. Her parents were a high elf and a wood elf, and her younger brother was kidnapped by the pirates the Falcon was hunting, spurring her to join the hunt.

Madame Eva's fortune predicted that Gweyir's brother would be found in a den of wolves, where he fights for his life. Whether in victory or in death, there will be loss.
Elf Dream Druid 5
https://i.imgur.com/FEcAt0J.png


Spider
A giant intelligent friendly talking spider that the party met in the Death House.

Madame Eva's fortune told Spider where to find its next meal.
GIFTS Scout Rogue 5
https://i.imgur.com/g0bJtx5.png


Sokol Sokolov II
A Barovian zombie, and apparently one of the Dursts' victims, as he was chained up in their temple to Strahd. He refers to himself as 'Sokol Twiceborn'.

The party discovered his wife Mary, consumed by grief. She long - and correctly - believed him dead and feared the world outside. Though she tried her best to keep their daughter safe and away from trouble, the girl has either run away or been taken.
Zombie Champion Fighter 5
https://i.imgur.com/doCFMqQ.png


Ismark Kolyanovich
A finely dressed man from Barovia village, he is the son of the village's burgomaster and an influential and trusted member of the community. Ismark seeks to escort his sister elsewhere, to find somewhere she can be kept safe from the vampire Strahd.

When Kellon's party returned from their heist at the hags' mill, they found the Kolyana mansion under attack. With their help, Ismark and Ireena were able to fell the tide of undead and wolves at their gates.
Human Battle Master Fighter 5
https://i.imgur.com/nSuD92x.png


Ireena Kolyana
The sister that Ismark seeks to protect is not the usual damsel in distress. Clad in arms and armor, she is clearly no stranger to defending herself. She acquitted herself well in the battle at Kolyana mansion. Yet even still, her power alone is no match for a vampire lord, and that old home is no longer safe.

Ireena knows not why Strahd obsesses over her, but he has bitten her twice now, and yet restrained himself from turning her. He refers to her as Tatyana, and behaves as if he already knows her.
Human Valor Bard 5
https://i.imgur.com/Vy6sjzh.png


Father Donavich
The priest of Barovia village, he presides over the old run down chapel there. Much of it was torn apart in his struggle to restrain his son, who returned as a vampire after joining a wizard's army to march against Strahd. Father Donavich is a grim and quiet man, though how much of that is a result of circumstance has yet to be seen.

Donavich is a cleric of the Morninglord, the patron deity of the Barovians.
Human Light Cleric 5
https://i.imgur.com/gwgKF1q.png


Parriwimple
Parriwimple is a massive young man, with limbs like tree trunks and a build like a bear. He is the strongest man in Barovia village, and potentially one of its greatest warriors. However, his lisp and friendly demeanor keep him from being as imposing as he could be. Parri's mind is not nearly as adept as his physical frame, and his uncle keeps him from being recruited into anything dangerous despite his willingness to help.

Ismark attempted to recruit Parriwimple onto an otryad to hunt the hags, but was refused by Bildrath.
Human Brute Fighter 5
https://i.imgur.com/5NMLJcG.png


Arabelle
A Vistani girl no older than fourteen, Arabelle was captured by Bluto, a drunken fisherman in Vallaki. He intended to sacrifice the girl in Lake Zarovich at the behest of the Lake Beast, whom Gweyir deduced to be a wily Siren. Thanks to a tip from Dartanya, Kellon's party were able to reach her and save her from a watery grave.

Arabelle was returned by Gweyir to the Vistani camp outside of Vallaki after her rescue, where she reunited with her father.
Vistana Twilight Cleric 5
https://i.imgur.com/vvvciME.png


Baronet Victor Vallakovich
Son of the late Baron of Vallaki, Victor had a troubled relationship with his father, spending much of his time shut away in the attic studying forbidden magic and teaching himself spellcraft. After his father's death, Victor resolved to leave Vallaki behind, knowing that he would no longer be safe there with the cult that wanted his father dead still at large and his secrets sure to come out - not to mention the ire his family had earned from the populace.
Human Untrained Wizard 5
https://i.imgur.com/aaw6T0j.png


Dr. Rudolph "Rictavio" van Richten
An old, experienced vampire slayer and monster hunter who has treveled the Mists of these strange realms for much of his life, fighting the forces of darkness. He has been hiding under the guise of the half-elf Bard, Rictavio, to avoid drawing the attention of Strahd and the vampire's servants. His trained saber-toothed tiger, meant to hunt monsters, was freed during the Festival of the Blazing Sun and mauled Patron Feddick of the orphanage. Feeling responsible, he offered up a scroll of Raise Dead to restore the man to life.

The vampire hunter awaits his apprentice in Vallaki, hoping that she will find her way to him in the main inn of the largest, safest settlement in Barovia. But he has offered up his expertise if Kellon is ever in need of advice.
Human Monster Slayer Ranger 14
https://i.imgur.com/PDMuf3X.png








Other Characters



Name and Description
Race and Class
Portrait


Madame Eva
A Vistani seer and elder, who lives among her people at the Tser Pool encampment. Madame Eva possesses the power to read the flow of fate through Tarokka cards. She offered to read Kellon's fate, but was turned down.
Vistana ???
https://i.imgur.com/6LUhNbX.png


Dartanya
A young wereraven who was sent by her father to watch newcomers to Barovia, and determine if they are good people. She decided to trust Kellon's group after they worked to rescue the children captured by the Bonegrinder Coven, and told them to give her name at a place called the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki.
Wereraven
https://i.imgur.com/8uQwG5E.png


Mary Sokolova
The wife of Sokol Sokolov, she became known as 'Mad' Mary for her paranoia and agoraphobia after the disappearance of her husband. She raised their only daughter, Gertruda, within the confines of their home. When Gertruda also went missing, and Mary was unable to find her, the woman became unable to function due to her grief.
Human Commoner
https://i.imgur.com/MJ9mpXg.png


Gertruda
Sokol's missing daughter, who ran away from home and was 'taken in' by Strahd, with whom she has become enamored. Now she is a willing hostage to the vampire, to attempt to coerce Kellon's party into cooperating with his demands.
Human Commoner
https://i.imgur.com/hAU4ger.png


Bildrath
A grey-haired man who runs the aptly named Bildrath's Mercantile in Barovia village. He is stern and refuses to bargain. When the party came with Ismark, and the latter asked for his nephew's help fighting the hags, he flew into a rage and the two engaged in a heated argument. In the end he told their group to take a scroll and to never come back.
Human ???
https://i.imgur.com/3Iw2aF7.png


Father Lucian Petrovich
The priest who presides over Vallaki's chapel of the Morninglord, Lucian Petrovich is an old friend and mentor of Father Donavich. He is granted the ability to cleanse curses, but his power has proved insufficient to cleanse Kellon's lycanthropy completely.

He asked the party for help when they arrived at the chapel, trusting in friends of Father Donavich. The bones of Saint Andral that have kept the town of Vallaki safe for many years have gone missing, on the cusp of the monthly ritual to renew their warded walls.

In the events of the Festival of the Blazing Sun, Father Lucian was able to help Kellon resurrect the fallen Patron Feddick of the orphanage, who died protecting his young charges from the chaos of the festival.
Human Priest
https://i.imgur.com/HqXXraR.png


Milivoj
A young, hotheaded man who performs gravedigging and groundkeeping work for Saint Andral's Church in Vallaki. He was raised at Saint Andral's Orphanage, but is preparing to leave and find his own place now that he is old enough.
Human Fighter 1
https://i.imgur.com/TRpee4o.png


Patron Feddick
The patron of the St. Andral Orphanage in Vallaki. He takes in orphaned and homeless children, caring for them alongside his staff. The man was mauled by a saber-toothed tiger during the Festival of the Blazing Sun, but was resurrected by Kellon and Father Lucian using van Richten's emergency spell scroll.
Human Expert



Willemina
An older woman who was found sobbing in Saint Andral's Church. According to Father Lucian, her son was arrested for speaking out against the burgomaster.

During the Festival of the Blazing Sun, she attempted and failed to assassinate the Baron and was nearly killed in the chaos, if not for Gweyir and Ireena intervening to save her.
Human Commoner
https://i.imgur.com/xIcx6tw.png


Udo Lukovich
The son of Willemina, Udo was arrested for speaking out against the Baron and imprisoned in the Baron's secret torture chamber. He is a cobbler by trade.
Human Commoner
https://i.imgur.com/T1LuXUW.png


Baroness Lydia Petrovna
Wife of Baron Vargas, Lydia stayed with him because she remembered the good man he once was, worn down by the hopelessness of Barovia into the mad creature that he became. She attempted to talk him off of the edge during the Festival of the Blazing Sun, but was blown away by the flames of his lunacy.
Human Aristocrat
https://i.imgur.com/pYykltE.png


Ernst Larnak
A prim and well-dressed man, who works for Lady Wachter. He passed along a note to the party offering them some form of paying mercenary work, before leaving.
Human ???
https://i.imgur.com/uiPInmW.png


Lady Fiona Wachter
A noblewoman in Vallaki, Fiona Wachter is the cousin of the Durst children. According to Gustav Durst, her family owed the Dursts an unpaid debt, and he informed Kellon that it was his to claim as a reward for saving the Durst children from damnation within the Death House.

Lady Wachter has sent out her servant, Ernst Larnak, to seek able individuals for some kind of mercenary work, which she claims is important to the future of Vallaki. This turned out to be an effort to have Kellon help her to overthrow the mad Baron. And though they did not work together, she joined in the fight against the Baron during the Festival of the Blazing Sun, proving herself a capable spellcaster.
Human ???
https://i.imgur.com/7In5AN0.png


Karl Wachter
One of Lady Wachter's two sons.
Human ???
https://i.imgur.com/Mlli807.png


Nikolai Wachter the Younger
One of Lady Wachter's two sons.
Human ???
https://i.imgur.com/xT1cPSC.png


Gadof Blinsky
Barovia's premier toymaker, and proprieter of Blinsky's Toys in Vallaki. A jolly, rotund man, he defended Victor against the Vallaki cult despite a lack of any apparent skill at arms. He is often accompanied by a pet monkey, Piccolo.
Human ???
https://i.imgur.com/BJmZ3Br.png


Danika Dorakova
An organization of wereravens operates using the Blue Water Inn as a base of operations, acting in opposition to Strahd. Danika, the barkeep, is one of those wereravens. She and her family maintain the tavern, and are well known pillars of the community in Vallaki, even as they keep their rebellious cause secret.
Wereraven
https://i.imgur.com/8v79hmJ.png


Margarita
The trained monster-hunting tiger of Rudolph van Richten. She somehow got loose during the Festival of the Blazing Sun and, as tigers do, began mauling people. She was apprehended non-lethally and returned to her cage.
Saber-toothed Tiger
https://i.imgur.com/8ogSNc1.png


Cerya
It appears that not only mortals become ensnared in Strahd's mists. A Siren by the name of Cerya was discovered to be the current 'Beast of the Lake', and responsible for ensorcelling fishermen to bring her Vistani sacrifices. She intended to eat their flesh, that she may gain their power to leave Barovia.

Cerya was convinced by Kellon to cease predating upon the mortals, in respect to his authority as cleric of Poseidon. So long as she is kept informed of Kellon's survival every seven nights, she will stop her plan.
Siren
https://i.imgur.com/ROOuYWc.png


Anton Burrel
A bespectacled man, who claims to be a novelist and amateur occultist. Like Kellon and Gweyir, he has found himself lost in the strange land of Barovia. He was met at the Death House, fleeing the Mist outside.

He claims to have been invited to Barovia by a lord named Strahd von Zarovich. He was transported here by carriage, by a man named Arrigal. Anton's homeland is a place called England, where magic is controlled and suppressed by the government, and Man is in a theological war to drown out the power of the gods.

Anton Burrel met his end battling the Death House, slain by the Flesheating Cloak. After he was dead and buried, Strahd dug him up, had him resurrected, and transformed him into a vampire spawn. Anton professes ambitions of taking Strahd's place as Darklord of Barovia, but does not appear openly antagonistic... so far.
Human Vampire Spawn
Onomancy Wizard ?
https://i.imgur.com/w85wKA2.png








Antagonists



Name and Description
Race and Class
Portrait


Strahd von Zarovich
Strahd's fearsome reputation precedes him. The Barovians fear the Vistani as his spies, the Dursts and their cult worshiped him as a deity, and he is the undisputed ruler of Barovia.

It is said that a powerful wizard once raised a rebel army to face him, but the mere sight of him caused most of the peasants to scatter, and he dueled the wizard to the death above the mountains.

When Kellon and his crew found Anton's grave dug up, they found a note from Strahd claiming responsibility for the deed and inviting them to his castle. At first they ignored his invitation, but after hearing that Strahd may have kidnapped Sokol's daughter, Kellon rushed to the castle with Sokol and Father Donavich, leaving Gweyir and Spider behind with Arabelle.

Strahd claims that he wishes to abdicate his throne to be with his fated love, Tatyana - the name by which he insistently calls Ireena Kolyana. He is in search of an heir, and is putting forth a trial: a candidate must gather trophies from three great evils within Barovia, and deliver them to Strahd to use in the ceremony to transfer the Darklord's title.

Anton Burrel has been selected to compete and offered a second chance; Kellon as well, it seems, is one of the Darklord's chosen candidates.
Legendary Vampire
https://i.imgur.com/utQyWrS.png


Rahadin
A faithful servant of Strahd, the stately and stoic Rahadin acts as his chamberlain.
Dusk Elf ???
https://i.imgur.com/LFEWfNd.png


'Granny' Morgantha
A hag, and the patroness of the Bonegrinder Coven. The coven consists of herself and her two daughters, Bella and Offalia. They sell 'Dream Pastries' to Barovians desperate for an escape from their dreary lives, and those who cannot pay turn over their children instead. Those children are then used as ingredients for new Dream Pastries.

Kellon's party stole three children away from the Bonegrinder Coven, earning their ire. When the hags arrived to take their vengeance, Kellon and Ismark's otryad was ready, and struck her down along with her elder daughter Offalia. The youngest hag, Bella, was able to escape.
Night Hag
https://i.imgur.com/DgImCcm.png


Bella Sunbane
Daughter of Morgantha, Bella is a younger night hag. When the tides turned in her coven's battle with the Barovia village otryad hunting them, she used her Heartstone to flee into the Ethereal plane.

Bella (and her late coven) have been named as quarries in Strahd's hunt for 'great evils' throughout Barovia. He has declared that all three Heartstones must be gathered together to qualify as a single trophy.
Night Hag
https://i.imgur.com/7eXw7H2.png


The Alpha
During an encounter with a group of werewolves by the Tser Pool, Kellon's party learned of their Alpha. The Alpha's pack seem to have a connection to the pirates that the Spurned Falcon was chasing, and are seeking children to induct into the pack for unknown reasons.
Werewolf



The Wolf God
A pale apparition that appears to Kellon in his dreams, ever since falling victim to the lycanthrope curse. His attempts to tempt Kellon into yielding to the curse have failed thus far, and the transformation subdued for a time.
Deity
https://i.imgur.com/WbuudgE.png


The Tooth Fairy
A wicked and subtle archfey whose followers offer up the teeth of children in sacrifice. This creature appeared to be the patron of the Bonegrinder Coven, and its worship has desecrated the sacredhenge upon Bonegrinder hill.
Archfey



Henrik van der Hoort
A bitter and self-serving old coffinmaker from Vallaki. He was responsible for smuggling vampiric servants of Strahd into the town using his coffins, and for stealing the sacred bones which powered Vallaki's protective wards.
Human Commoner
https://i.imgur.com/4Li1a2J.png


Baron Vargas Vallakovich
The ruler of Vallaki, a weathered man known for his paranoia and obsession. He holds constant festivals in an attempt to disperse the despair hanging over the town, succeeding only in exhausting his citizens of revelry and becoming (silently) reviled by many. Those who question him are marked as dissenters or worse and charged with cruel punishments.

In the culmination of his madness, during the Festival of the Blazing Sun, Vargas nearly ascended to become a Darklord with Vallaki as his dread domain. But Kellon and his companions put an end to the mad baron before his power could fully awaken. During the battle, his own wife was slain by his paranoid violence lashing out.
Human Conjuration Wizard 6
/Champion Fighter 3
https://i.imgur.com/7VlkWdI.png


Izek Strazni
A massive bear of a man with cold, lifeless eyes. He was the guard captain of Vallaki, and the right hand of Baron Vargas' despotic rule. One of Izek's own hands reflects his twisted nature, spiked and red like a fiend's and able to shoot flame. Yet the man often prefers to fight up close, with his mighty axe.

Following the events of the Festival of the Blazing Sun, in which he attempted to abduct Ireena, Izek fled and vanished into the rain.
Dread-touched Human
https://i.imgur.com/8cjAuFN.png








https://i.imgur.com/anmLl9t.png

https://i.imgur.com/SRFua6Y.jpg

[Prehysterical]

I think I have a rough idea of what kind of character I want to try, but I forgot to ask: how are we handling starting wealth? Background and class equipment or money?

[RandomWombat]

Starting wealth will be background and class equipment, yes. If there's any equipment you don't want, you can trade it in for gold equal to its value, and/or use that gold to get something else.

[Prehysterical]

Thought of a backstory, but getting tired. At the very least, most of the crunch is ready. Decided to go nuts with this one. (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2321912)

[RandomWombat]

You know, I think this is actually the first time I've seen someone play a tortle.

[Prehysterical]

I saw the supplement for it and though, "I have to play that at some point." A solo game seems like the perfect opportunity.

Can I just do my own thing for parts like Bonds, Flaws, etc? I find the base ones pretty limiting.

[RandomWombat]

Yeah, I think those are there for the kind of situation where players are rolling up a character on the spot. Easier to pick or roll from a list of options.

[Prehysterical]

Okay, got his personality stuff figured out. His backstory is pretty simple. Since tortles become orphans around their first birthday, Kellon spent most of his childhood alone on an island. As a child, he was terrified by the powerful storms that wracked the island, but he grew to revere their power and recognize his own strength in surviving such hardship. When he finally came into contact with other beings, Kellon was quick to advocate for the storms and the sea. He warned sailors to respect the elements or suffer a test of their survival. Some dismissed him as a doomsayer or fearmonger while others came to respect his ability to anticipate the weather and survive in harsh environments. Of course, when your ship is wrecked during a storm, even a tortle can only hold their breath for so long....

According to the Hermit background, he needs some kind of big Discovery that influences the campaign. What would work for this module?

[RandomWombat]

With the Tempest domain's connection to storms and weather, his Discovery might have been a prophetic dream about the Mists of Barovia, and their effects, possibly giving him an awareness of their movements.

If there's a shipwreck, he could experience the dream before waking up washed ashore beside one of the rivers in Barovia, the Mists having taken him while drifting unconscious.

[Prehysterical]

I mean, that works, but what knowledge does that impart mechanically?

So, I am a little confused. It is a pocket dimension meant to serve as a prison for Big Baddies, but there are rivers and such?

[RandomWombat]

Correct. When Strahd was drawn there, the land of Barovia - which he and his family had conquered and come to rule - was drawn in with him. It's a country that has effectively become its own pocket dimension, as part of Strahd's titular curse.

Mechanically, he is aware that the Mists cause extreme exhaustion to those who breathe them in, and those who try to traverse them are invariably turned around to find themselves back where they began. He will also be aware of when the Mists are moving around the map, which would allow him to avoid being boxed in by them, or possibly use them to evade pursuers.

[Prehysterical]

Huh. Neat.

That... is a perfect blend of his previous life skills with the weird stuff going on in this new land. I imagine some of the residents will be put off by his ability to anticipate the Mists, but it will prove especially useful to his companions. The more I think about it, the more excited I get.

[RandomWombat]

Ob a side note, I did mention buffs to a few cantrips. I don't think either of them are on your spell list, but some allies or enemies might use them and they work a little differently. The spells True Strike and Blade Ward are notoriously useless in most situations, so I've given them some buffs.

True Strike is normally an action, to get advantage on your next attack. You spend a turn that could be used to attack, to roll your next attack as if you attacked twice. But you could have just attacked twice, for the same chance of hitting once, and a chance of hitting twice.
Instead, I have True Strike as a bonus action. You can cast it, then attack with it in the same turn, giving it a role that can actually help a spellcaster who prefers to use weapons over cantrips for basic attacks.

Blade Ward is normally an action, to get resistance to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing attacks for one round. The effect is actually really good; usually only Barbarians can resist physical damage that way. The problem is that it's a most often squishy caster using it, and it's self-target only. So for most it's a last ditch (heh) turtling option to not die while praying for someone to make the problem go away.
Instead, I give it a range of Touch. A caster can still use it as a last ditch attempt to survive, but they can also use it to put up protections on a fighter or barbarian (if they're out of rages) - or someone squishier like a rogue - before they go running into danger. Keep them from getting blown down if surrounded.

I think we're about ready to start, then. I'll start working on an IC Thread introduction.

[RandomWombat]

The IC thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?620681-Curse-of-Strahd-Solo-Run-(IC)) is now up.

[Prehysterical]

About to go to bed, but quick question:

Kellon has the Thaumaturgy cantrip. Could he use the spell to scare the wolves away using tremors or the sound of lightning striking?

[RandomWombat]

I would allow that to give you an Advantage on the Animal Handling check, used to warn them away, if you want.

Normally any amount of Advantages and Disadvantages cancel out, but I prefer to have them stack with each other. So under normal rules it would have no effect, since Elf is already providing Advantage. But as I play it, the two Advantages will overpower the Disadvantage, and you will have proper Advantage.

[Prehysterical]

Religion check for information regarding the Morninglord (guessing that I am at a Disadvantage)
[roll0]
[roll1]

[RandomWombat]

No disadvantage, though the first roll was worse anyways.

Kellon would recall a sun deity named Lathandar, who is sometimes called by the title Morninglord.

[Prehysterical]

Insight check to make sure that these kids are A) telling the truth and B) that they are actually little kids.
[roll0]

[RandomWombat]

I also realize that I corrected you wrongly before, with the Religion check. It would have been Disadvantage due to the Fatigue.

'Elf' can give you Help on this one though with her helping question them, so no Disadvantage here.

The children don't seem to be lying. Whether there really is a monster, or they just don't know what's going on, is too early to say. Children can get strange ideas sometimes. To Kellon's eyes, they don't look unusual, aside from the eerie tricks played by the Barovian lighting. They're better dressed than the rest of the locals, so their family might be wealthier.

He can roll Perception to read the name on the plaque as well, if he would like. Disadv on that one, since Elf can't give him her eyes.

[Prehysterical]

Sure, I'll roll for the Perception:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[RandomWombat]

The plaque reads:


Durst Residence

[RandomWombat]

We are now officially in the titular Death House, and from here the brief railroading with the Mist stops, and exploration of the house begins.

[Prehysterical]

...I don't like the sound of that. Shouldn't have left the STARS uniform at home.

[RandomWombat]

I also fixed your token, so you should be able to move it around the map yourself now. For some reason the one on this map didn't register the change.

[Prehysterical]

Extra damage die for the critical hit: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

Kellon has scored a critical hit! How this works, is that he rolls the attack's damage dice again (without bonuses) and adds that to the damage total.

Edit: Nevermind, you were a step ahead on that one.

[Prehysterical]

I think it's time for a little Wrath of the Storm. Kellon uses a reaction to activate it (use whichever damage type is more effective, if the question of resistance comes up.)

[RandomWombat]

Alright, edited the reaction into the last post. It passed its save, but the ability rolled nearly max damage, so it still chunked it good anyways.

[RandomWombat]

Turns out my game today has been cancelled, so I'll be around this evening.

[Prehysterical]

Cool. Just wanted to say that I am loving this so far! It's good to be back, RW, especially since you put so much effort into the characters.

[RandomWombat]

Glad you're enjoying it, it's nice with solo games when schedules line up and some good posting sessions can settle in.

[RandomWombat]

That's my last post for tonight. I have another game later tomorrow night, but I might be able to get a post or two in before it starts.

The milestone condition for leveling up to level 2 in the Death House is discovering the secret staircase to the basement. So congratulations, and you can advance Kellon to his second level!

[Prehysterical]

Cool! How do you want me to handle hp on leveling?

[RandomWombat]

You can choose to roll, or take average. I'm treating averages as half with a .5 leftover, which becomes a +1 when taking the average again.

If you choose to roll and the result is a 1 or a 2, you can either choose to roll again and take the final roll, or take the average instead.

[Prehysterical]

Live by the dice, die by the die: [roll0]

We livin', boys.

[RandomWombat]

The dice be with you, this day.

[Prehysterical]

I'm super hyped about this encounter, but I am falling asleep in my chair right now. Hopefully, we can wrap this up tomorrow and get out of the House of Death.

[RandomWombat]

Alright, sounds good. Sleep well.

[Prehysterical]

Nature check to get more information about centipedes: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

They are centipedes, not particularly menacing when there is one, but there are a lot of tiny bites. They could wriggle into small spaces, but the crypt slab might slow them down even if they manage to get through (DC 15 Athletics to move it more quickly during combat).

Kellon is at least aware that they are not a species that is poisonous, at least not on a level that would affect something the size of a human or tortle.

[RandomWombat]

The potions are regular healing potions, so 2d4+2 healing.

[Prehysterical]

So, characters who attack prone enemies get Advantage, right?

[RandomWombat]

Correct, same with Restrained. So both of the ones next to Kellon are at Advantage.

I've been doing the same with Dex saves for certain things, like lying Prone in a bonfire. But for other things like Burning Hands I'd probably give Prone Advantage instead. I'm kind of flexible with how Prone would logically help or hinder things, since it's a weird kind of debuff that can be a buff sometimes.

[RandomWombat]

Also, if you'd like to you can roll the save and damage for cantrips/save spells you cast. Just leave the saving throw without a modifier, and I'll add it to the roll. I've had 5e GMs do this on here before, and I find I like having the 'rolling agency' more than having things happening behind a screen.

[Prehysterical]

It doesn't really matter to me. I trust you.

[RandomWombat]

Alrighty, whatever you prefer.

[Prehysterical]

Do the elixirs behave identical to health potions?

[RandomWombat]

Yes, it's got the same statistics as a regular healing potion.

[Prehysterical]

I'll just roll that here.
[roll0]

[RandomWombat]

Damn, Gustav has really had it. Rolled a 19 on the die to hit and max damage.

[RandomWombat]

Also, since you did say you were new to the system, I should clarify the Thunderwave spell - it can be very confusing.

The way the spell is worded sounds like it's a 15-foot cube that radiates around you, with you at the center. But it's a 15-foot cube originating from you. This means that you can be anywhere inside or on the edge of the cube - it's actually one of the most flexible areas of effect in 5e.

So if that changes your plans at all knowing it's not going to explode the whole team, feel free to alter your post if you wish.

[Prehysterical]

Oooooh, see, I was thinking to myself, "Is this supposed to be a spell for lone wolves or something?" That makes much more sense.

I am happy with my roll last post, so just something for next time.

[RandomWombat]

Alright. I made the same mistake myself, actually, when I was considering taking it before. A GM of mine had to reveal to me its secrets.

The key thing that was pointed out was how it compares to the spell Thunderclap, the 'cantrip version' which is a 5-foot radius effect radiating from you, not a 15-foot cube originating from you; and Arms of Hadar, another spell that is worded the same way as Thunderclap and is also a radiating burst around you.

[Prehysterical]

Gustav missed even with Advantage? Damn, that's unlucky.

[RandomWombat]

Actually, hold up. I forgot the Advantage.

The timeline might change.

[roll0] aiming for a 13!

[RandomWombat]

Gustav took her down! Unfortunately, the enemies already there are not gone. But you can redo your turn.

[Prehysterical]

All right, I have made the edits.

[RandomWombat]

Last post for me tonight. I'll be running a session game again tomorrow, so might be a slow one.

[Prehysterical]

Okay, quick question before you go: is flanking a thing or no?

[RandomWombat]

Yes, it's an optional rule in 5e and I'm using it. When you're on the opposite side of an enemy from an ally, you get Advantage from flanking.

[Prehysterical]

It literally just occurred to me with that last post that this is twice that I've had a character in your campaigns that worships a thunder god. It's not on purpose, I swear!

[RandomWombat]

Wow, I didn't even realize either! I had the other players poke fun at me in one of my gaming groups for a while, since for two campaigns in a row I ended up playing an undead character of some kind.

I've got no session games tomorrow evening, so I'll probably be able to get the final room and the Death House finished if all goes well.

[Prehysterical]

So, based on his current location, Kellon can only see the corpse mound, right?

Religion on the mound: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

Ah, sorry, I missed the post here.

Yes, currently he can only see the mound and hear Spider calling out about the skellies.

The mound is unfamiliar to him.

[RandomWombat]

Sad to say, this time he did miss even with Advantage. A 4 and a 5 on the dice.

[Prehysterical]

Making the Intelligence save here to save headache: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

You have survived the Death House!

This milestone marks your advance to 3rd level.

[Prehysterical]

I have the sneaking suspicion that you were a little too nice with that blade trap...

Hit die roll for new level: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

Not at all - but I think I did forget to write down how much damage it actually did. I'm pretty sure it was 7.

[Prehysterical]

So, since Feats are a variant in 5e, are you cool with me taking the War Caster Feat?

[RandomWombat]

Feats are totally fine, but you can take a Feat instead whenever you would take an Ability Score Increase, which is every 4th level (plus some extras for Fighters). So he'll have to wait for 4th level, but it is allowed, yes.

[RandomWombat]

And now, the time has come for sleep. Good night.

[Prehysterical]

Good night.

Except for Anton.
https://e.lvme.me/mwq8kch.jpg

[RandomWombat]

Anton was a most unfortunate case of a low level wizard who dumped Con. He had only 7 hit points, and that was at level 2. I actually had to give him his second level early so that he wouldn't die if he stubbed his toe, and he had only one get out of jail free card voodoo doll.

[Prehysterical]

I also feel bad because Kellon might have been able to heal him a turn earlier, but that runs the risk of Kellon going down and Anton being left grappled anyway. That and I am still fuzzy as to what actions warrant Attacks of Opportunity in this system.

Yeah, I read up on spectres and they seem ridiculously strong for their CR. I suppose Anton's death gives some dramatic stakes to the situation.

[RandomWombat]

The Death House as a whole hits pretty hard for its weight class, considering the party goes in at 1st level. It's my first time running it, so I wasn't aware just how much the Death was really accurate.

I took some liberties with it though, particularly in the dungeon level. Gustav and Elisabeth were originally throwaway baddies in a completely different room, and the final encounter was just a Shambling Mound. I lowered its hit chance a little bit and added the manifestations as an optional way to bring its health down, with the skeletons tossed in to give a bit of a distracting threat.

[Prehysterical]

Yeah, I watched XP to Level 3's video on it today and I have to say that I like your version better than the base version.

[Prehysterical]

Strength check, if necessary: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

It should be simple enough, if a matter of time. Rolled some Con saves. Kellon is fine, but Gweyir took a Fatigue - which will fade after she rests, anyways.

[Prehysterical]

What kind of Intelligence check is that for Blights?

[RandomWombat]

You can make a Nature check for their qualities and a History check for their origin.

[Prehysterical]

Nature: [roll0]
History: [roll1]

Mostly, I'm just curious about what languages they speak.

[RandomWombat]

Kellon is aware that they are a predatory species of plant, but doesn't know much about them other than that.

[Prehysterical]

Forgot a Survival check in case of shenanigans: [roll0]

Good thing we have a druid...

[RandomWombat]

That's it for me tonight, time to hit the hay. G'night, hope you enjoyed the Spider Vision.

[Prehysterical]

Thanks for the awesome little side adventure. Any chance for more Spider is always good.

[Prehysterical]

Were the stairs that Spider saw to the basement hidden, or would they have seen them on the way up?

[RandomWombat]

Those were just stairs down to the first floor, since the windows Spider was peeking in were on the second floor.

[Prehysterical]

Religion check on what is needed for scrying: [roll0]

Forget I asked.

[RandomWombat]

Yyyup, no clue.

As for the missing portion of the map, it's just the first floor again. I found a map that had both the first floor and some of the exterior, so I used that and then the map from the book for the other floors. And then slapped a google image on since the mapmaker forgot stonehenge was outside.

[Prehysterical]

Rolling crit damage: [roll0]

[Prehysterical]

RW, I don't know if you missed it, but you forgot the crit damage.

[RandomWombat]

Oh, so I did. Added that on.

[Prehysterical]

Crit damage part deux: [roll0]

Crit harder: [roll1]

[Prehysterical]

Nature: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

Kellon is aware that, like vamparism, lycanthropy is a curse that can be spread like a disease. It can be passed along by the bite of a creature which carries the curse. However, he does not know the symptoms and signs leading up to the transformation.

He does know that the transformation typically happens on the first full moon after infection... and that apparently every night in Barovia is a full moon, because the moon has not waned an inch.

[RandomWombat]

With this long rest, the party advances to Level 4! That means that Kellon can take that War Caster Feat you wanted.

[Prehysterical]

Time to roll the dice for HP!

[roll0]

[Prehysterical]

I am going to go ahead and take that reroll:

[roll0]

Yikes. The funny thing is, that's not even that much worse than average.

[RandomWombat]

Can't win 'em all.

[RandomWombat]

I've also updated the first post with some of the side characters and antagonists, and known information about them.

[RandomWombat]

I think some of the tokens have occasionally been appearing in the wrong place, as well. Roll20's been acting up with desync issues again lately. I refreshed to make sure and most of it seemed correct, except where Ismark ended up, which I've corrected.

[Prehysterical]

That explains some things. I saw a wolf right on top of Ismark and wondered how it could occupy the same space.

As for Wrath of the Storm, it has been a combination of forgetting and my natural video game mentality of hoarding resources in an unproductive manner. I'm that guy who dies in Call of Duty while holding all of my grenades.

Considering how much craziness is going on in this battle, I've got reactions to burn. Zap him.

[roll0]

Good night, RW.

[RandomWombat]

Post updated. The Barovian noble was able to finish it off, which freed Tsymbaly to ready an attack against the armed zombie approaching. It was unfortunately not enough to make it miss, so the noble is still unconscious, but the armed zombie is now somewhat damaged and prone.

Edit: Oh right, I can do Spider's turn too now.

[Prehysterical]

All right, so mechanically, how does closing one of the doors work?

[RandomWombat]

Opening or closing a door takes the Use/Pick Up Item action, I believe.

[RandomWombat]

Bildrath's Mercantile

Bildrath sells any item in the Adventuring Gear section of the Player's Handbook at a 20% markup, rounded up to the nearest coin.

Club - 1 sp
Dagger - 3gp
Javelin (3 available) - 8 sp
Sickle - 3 gp
Battleaxe - 50 gp
Shortsword - 30 gp
Longsword - 100 gp
Whip - 10 gp

Padded Armor - 5gp
Leather Armor - 15 gp
Hide Armor - 20 gp
Chainmail - 80 gp
Ring Mail - 50 gp

Scroll of Protection from Good and Evil - 500 gp
Scroll of Identify (2 available) - 500 gp
Scroll of Darkvision - 800 gp

Ingots of Silver - 20 gp
Alchemist's Ice - 60 gp
(Inflicts 1d4 cold damage on hit and at the start of target’s turns. Target may use an action to make a Dex save to remove the substance. Can also be used to freeze a 10ft. radius area of standing water)
Opium - 30 gp
(Opium is a drug used for both its pain numbing effects and for recreational enjoyment. The drug grants 2d6 temporary hitpoints when smoked, and suppresses pain effects for 1 hour.
Wis save vs addiction. Withdrawal causes 2 damage to Wis per day. Two successful saves in a row are required to shake addiction.)
Decorative Tarokka Card (Merchant) - 20 gp

[Prehysterical]

Insight check on what going into the cave might mean: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

Kellon isn't quite sure. He can tell that something is inside, but not what it is.

[RandomWombat]

So, we're not even halfway through the adventure yet, but it's been pretty enjoyable running a solo module. Would you be interested in running more of them in the future? I've been looking at other modules and reviews of them, and most of them look pretty fun. A few might work better as a duo adventure as well if we can find someone reliable. They require the players to manage larger numbers of NPCs and sometimes control them in battle, which would normally be split among a party of 4-6.

Here's a little list of the ones that look the most interesting:

Baldur's Gate - Descent into Avernus: Despite the name, only the first chapter is in Baldur's Gate. This one follows the storyline of the city of Elturel, which was dragged into the first layer of the Nine Hells, Avernus. Most of the module takes place in Hell, so it's a pretty major departure from the mundane, and it's supposed to be pretty fast paced. There is a lot of dealing (sometimes in the business sense) with high level powers like devils, demon lords, and Tiamat.

Icewind Dale - Rime of the Frostmaiden: This would feel a little like revisiting Children of the Snow again, as it takes place in the far north. The first half of the adventure is fairly sandboxy, much like Curse of Strahd, exploring the Ten-Towns and getting stronger for the more intense second half. It doesn't hold hands much and has multiple branching decision points and endings.

Tomb of Annihilation: This has been compared to an Indiana Jones adventure. It takes place in a tropical land and extensive jungles, exploring ancient ruins for mysterious artifacts to solve why resurrection magic around the world suddenly stopped working right. Some of the criticisms are that it requires a party that's comfortable with roleplaying, as there is a lot of just traveling around and they kind of have to make their own fun outside of random encounters between the important bits.

Out of the Abyss: This is one of the big whoppers. It starts with the party captured by Drow and needing to escape, and segues into leading an actual army against Demon Lords in the second half. The players are expected to divvy out responsibilities for the NPCs during what are more or less mass battles. The PbP structure makes this easier of course, but this is one of the ones that might be best with a duo party. One side benefit is that, like Curse of Strahd, it comes with plenty of potential Companion Character NPCs baked in ready for me to make into party members.

Storm King's Thunder: This is another big whopper, but admittedly not as huge as Out of the Abyss. It revolves around the giants competing to determine a new hierarchy of their kind, with political intrigue and very high stakes combat - giants are no joke. It may not require a second player beyond some NPC, but I might recommend running two characters for this one if going it solo.
Due to its place on the timeline, it happens concurrently with Out of the Abyss and Tyranny of Dragons, but it would generally be better to run those first - their effect on it is more profound than its effects on them.
It also takes place in many of the same locales as Rime of the Frostmaiden, so if running them before or after one another in the same continuity makes for some interesting potential ripples.
It is also designed to easily use other low tier shorter modules, such as Lost Mines of Phandelver or Waterdeep Dragon Heist as a lead up to it. This adventure seems to be designed around weaving into and interacting with other modules, kind of like an MCU crossover.

Tyranny of Dragons: Another big whopper, but also not as huge as Out of the Abyss. It involves a dragon cult attempting to free Tiamat from her prison in Avernus. This could either take place before or after Descent into Avernus, probably determining just how ticked off Tiamat is if a player pops in for a visit during Descent into Avernus. This one is somewhat notorious for being railroady, mainly the first half. It also has some balance issues in the encounters, being one of the first adventures printed for 5e, but that's nothing that can't be adjusted.

[Prehysterical]

Glad to hear it! :smallbiggrin: I feel like Icewind Dale would be most up my alley, even if it is somewhat of a retread of Children of the Snow. I feel like I've been spoiled too much on Baldur's Gate and Tomb of Annihilation. Tyranny of Dragons would be my second choice.

Now, RW, please don't take this as me knocking your DMing of 5e, but would you be willing to consider doing some PF stuff again? There are several character concepts that I have wanted to try that just can't work in a group setting. For example:

A dwarf metal wizard specializing in clockwork. Group play never allows for time to craft the really cool clockwork stuff.
A disgraced hobgoblin luchador looking to regain his honor.
A tiefling grimspawn with deathsight (yes, very specific) working as a midwife and laypriest of Pharasma. His primary concern is acting as a doctor and delivering babies. He would either be an alchemist or an investigator.
A snow elf mounted skirmisher on an elk mount.
A half-orc beast rider. I originally made him up for Serpent's Skull, so I have a backstory in mind if we did that. Ultimate goal is to put him on a dinosaur.
A kasatha blade dancer (think she's a bard). Made for Jade Regent, but we didn't even finish the first book. I hear that the caravan mechanics need some work, but I like the idea of traveling in a caravan.


I completely missed the boat on PF 2, so I have no idea if you even look at the old rules anymore, but a lot of these character concepts just don't translate well into 5e. How do you feel about that?

[RandomWombat]

Glad to hear it! :smallbiggrin: I feel like Icewind Dale would be most up my alley, even if it is somewhat of a retread of Children of the Snow. I feel like I've been spoiled too much on Baldur's Gate and Tomb of Annihilation. Tyranny of Dragons would be my second choice.

Those two are probably some of my favorites from a brief read, mainly because of one thing they do that none of the other modules really do: provide a selection of background hooks to get characters directly involved and invested in some element of the adventure or its setting. Icewind Dale has the 'Character Secrets' section, many of which come with some benefit not unlike the campaign traits in a PF Adventure Path. Tyranny of Dragons has a special Bonds section replacing the usual backstory-generating assistance that the backgrounds have, full of direct connections to the adventure's main allies and antagonists.

They are also conveniently a really good way to build NPCs that have that same connection to the story.


Now, RW, please don't take this as me knocking your DMing of 5e, but would you be willing to consider doing some PF stuff again? There are several character concepts that I have wanted to try that just can't work in a group setting. For example:

A dwarf metal wizard specializing in clockwork. Group play never allows for time to craft the really cool clockwork stuff.
A disgraced hobgoblin luchador looking to regain his honor.
A tiefling grimspawn with deathsight (yes, very specific) working as a midwife and laypriest of Pharasma. His primary concern is acting as a doctor and delivering babies. He would either be an alchemist or an investigator.
A snow elf mounted skirmisher on an elk mount.
A half-orc beast rider. I originally made him up for Serpent's Skull, so I have a backstory in mind if we did that. Ultimate goal is to put him on a dinosaur.
A kasatha blade dancer (think she's a bard). Made for Jade Regent, but we didn't even finish the first book. I hear that the caravan mechanics need some work, but I like the idea of traveling in a caravan.


It's a shame Tomb of Annihilation got spoiled, cause that half-orc would be right at home in Chult!

I have nothing against the PF setting, but the game itself just started to feel bogged down and bloated to me. The sheer number of features meant combing for something you wanted could take hours, and despite all the fun flavorful options the high-end content really seemed to expect players to powergame hard. Making important NPCs takes a long time, and a lot of monsters need to be rebalanced on the fly. One of the things I like about 5e is how simple and easy it is to run.

That said, I don't think it would be terribly difficult to convert a PF Adventure Path to 5e. I've converted 3.5 and PF creatures before, and it's usually as simple as lowering the absurdly bloated numbers. Jade Regent is one I really wanted to play, but never got a chance to, so I'd be down to convert that if you want.

[Prehysterical]

Well, background hooks do provide an easier way to get into the narrative of the story when you're not super familiar with it.

I will admit that the only part of Tomb of Annihilation was the tomb of that archlich whats-his-face. It just sounded like an exercise in pure metagame misery. I think if we found a way around running that particular part, I would be more inclined to give it a try, especially if there is the opportunity to ride dinosaurs.

I can respect that sentiment. So long as we find a way to translate mechanics, I'm up for continuing with 5e. I would love to finally be able to play Jade Regent, even if having a four-armed player character might be a bit of a challenge. At the very least, her build might be easier to translate since I don't have to pick up very specific traits to make her abilities work.

[RandomWombat]

I haven't looked super deep into Tomb of Annihilation, so I can't speak to how it plays out later on. I'll take a look sometime and see what it's all about.

And the blade dancer bard should be pretty easy to translate, College of Swords is thematically similar. Converting kasatha shouldn't be too tough either, they share a lot of similarities with thri-kreen which already have a pretty decent 5e conversion (https://darksun-5e.obsidianportal.com/wikis/thri-kreen) that could be adjusted in a few places, like shifting the claws and bite into something else.

Are there any PF Feats or such you'd want to see translated in some way?

[Prehysterical]

Yeah, seems like College of Swords would work just fine.

*looks at list of thri-kreen abilities*
Wow, they seem stacked. Here are my suggestions for tweaks:

Remove darkvision, reduce speed to 30 ft, get rid of natural armor, chameleon carapace, natural weapons, poisonous bite, and sleepless.
Keep standing leap. I would suggest swapping out the thri-kreen weapons for the spinal sword for balance sake, but I'm never going to use the spinal swords. Stat adjustments are fine.
Something along the lines of "additional +2 bonus to Dex AC" or "treat Dex score as 4 higher for the purpose of AC".
Either advantage or proficiency on Constitution and Survival checks in desert environments
Proficiency in Stealth and Perception
Not sure how terrain rules work, but ignore terrain penalties in desert


What do you think?

I think everything I need is actually in 5e. The changes to how knocking creatures unconscious (and choosing to leave them at 0) was the hardest part of the character to get right. The Dual Wielder feat also lets her eventually go blade blender. I am assuming that whenever rules specify off-hand, that counts for all of them? How are the attack options affected? Does she get to attack with all four arms or only two?

[RandomWombat]

Yeah, kreen have a lot of stuff. Though they also have the disadvantage of not being able to talk to most people. The main things that can be pulled from it are the multiple limbs and the standing leap, since Kasatha have similar.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Dex, +1 Wis

Base Speed: 30

Defensive Training: When unarmored, you have a base AC of 12 + your Dex modifier. When wearing light armor, your AC receives a +1 bonus. When wearing medium armor, your maximum Dex modifier is +3 instead of +2.

Standing Leap: As part of your movement, you can make a long jump up to 30 feet, or a high jump up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.

Multiple Limbs: Your four arms let you wield multiple weapons. However you can wield only one two-handed weapon at a time. When wielding more than one weapon, the regular rules for fighting with two weapons still apply. When you use the attack action, as long as you wield light weapons, you get to make an extra attack using your bonus action with any of the other weapons you wield, without adding your ability modifier to the damage roll (unless negative).
Also, you can only benefit from the use of a shield once, no matter how many you carry.

Kasatha Weapon Training: You are proficient with the spinal sword.
(Spinal swords will be treated as having the stats of a shortsword, plus a +1 DC bonus to poison saves)

Desert Runner: You have Advantage on ability checks and saving throws to resist Exhaustion from running, forced marches, thirst, starvation, and hot or cold environments. Difficult terrain caused by sand imposes no penalties upon you.

Proficiency: You have Proficiency in Stealth.

Languages: Common and Kasatha

Does that seem about right?

With the bonus action to attack with an off-hand weapon she would only get to use one of them in 5e, but there are other benefits to having a bunch of free hands. Don't need to drop a weapon to tag in a new one, fight while holding a macguffin, shield doesn't prevent dual wielding.

I'll also be including Bucklers, which will be smaller shields with a +1 bonus instead of +2, and will be available to bards and rogues (and classes usually proficient in normal shields) in addition to their other proficiencies. Sandru uses one, so I had it added for him already.

And what plans do you have for backstory/campaign traits as to how she joins up with the Sandpoint caravan?

[Prehysterical]

Those racial traits look pretty good, except I still think that they should have proficiency in Stealth and Perception.

Before we get too much further along the tracks, should we make another OOC thread to get that started? Just so we don't have two pages about building a character for another game?

[RandomWombat]

Proficiencies as a racial bonus are pretty rare, so it'd probably have to be one of the two rather than both.

And of course, this is all plans for a future project. Probably after we finish Curse of Strahd.

[Prehysterical]

In that case, the proficiency bonus would be more fitting to go with Stealth.

To answer a previous question, Arra is part of the story because she was actually adopted by Koya. She was born with purple skin and golden eyes, which mark her as Voidborn among the kasatha. They view her birth as a curse and her parents are forced to abandon her in the desert to die to avoid drawing unwanted attention from the stars. Koya hears the unwanted babe's crying and takes her in. Arra views Koya as her true mother, even if they are not blood family. She has a tenuous relationship with Sandru. They both love Koya, but it's obvious that Arra is the adopted child and the odd one out.

[RandomWombat]

Coolio, that should give me plenty to work with.

[Prehysterical]

What I am about to ask is unorthodox, but here me out:

Kellon's pride is still stinging from the encounter and he feels like he has something to prove now. Can we have some sort of battle scene play out in Kellon's mind where he confronts his inner beast? Actual combat and everything? No magic, just a straight-up brawl, claw-to-claw.

[RandomWombat]

I had had something like that in mind, for if he decided to resist the curse. A battle to determine if he's able to resist transforming.

[Prehysterical]

Woo! Crit damage!

[roll0]

[Prehysterical]

Arcana: [roll0]

[Prehysterical]

Religion: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

As with all hags, Night Hags are most dangerous when together as a coven. All of the coven's members have access to their powerful spells, though all are also drawing on the same resource of magic.

They are resistant to fire and frost, and to non-magical attacks from non-silvered weapons. They can see easily in the dark even across great distances, and they are immune to charms.

Hags also have a set of very important items. The Hag's Eye, a divination tool of the coven. The Soul Bag, which the hags use to harvest the souls of those they tempt to evil, by invading their nightmares. This is where they obtain their soul larvae. And lastly, the Heartstone, a stone which can cure any disease, and which allows the hag holding it to phase into the Ethereal plane and back again as she pleases.

[Prehysterical]

Morgantha procs Wrath of the Storm.

[roll0] Thunder damage

[RandomWombat]

One of my groups on here that's been pretty reliable for a while has taken an interest in doing Out of the Abyss. There's room for one more player if you want in as well?

[Prehysterical]

I appreciate the offer, but I enjoy responding to the game in my own time. When several people are waiting on me to do something, it makes me feel anxious.

[Prehysterical]

Would putting a stake through the kid's heart work in this case, or would it destroy him completely?

[RandomWombat]

A stake would work to preserve the body, yes. There's plenty of broken wood upstairs that could serve. A thorough swording and a Sacred Flame to cauterize it would also work. True Sunlight or running water would reduce him to dust.

[Prehysterical]

So, does Kellon need to cast Gentle Repose or not to preserve the corpse and/or keep him from reanimating?

[RandomWombat]

He does to preserve the corpse for the purposes of Raise Dead, even though it won't really rot due to desiccation.

[RandomWombat]

I also can't remember if I said this when I was supposed to.

Properly burying the Durst children and putting them to rest granted Inspiration. Inspiration works a bit like a Hero Point, letting you roll again after making a check, taking the better result. With Advantage this means taking the best of three, and with Disadvantage it means you take the extra roll, or the worst of the two Disadvantaged rolls.

[Prehysterical]

Yeah, you didn't say anything about that. :smalltongue: Still, now I know so I can make a Hail Mary save or something.

[RandomWombat]

My bad :thog:

[RandomWombat]

Been working on some Jade Regent prepwork today, photoshopped a fantasy styled kasatha to have purple Voidborn skin. This look good for an Arra token?
https://i.imgur.com/M2G6IiO.png

[Prehysterical]

Not to be picky, but could you make the purple darker? I suppose it would be more fair to call it indigo or something. I won't trouble you to make the eyes gold.

[RandomWombat]

How's this? I attempted the eyes, but it didn't look quite right, so I left it alone.

https://i.imgur.com/LD21SCL.png

[Prehysterical]

Looks great. Thank you. I don't understand, though. I thought you said we weren't going to touch it until we were finished with Strahd?

[RandomWombat]

As far as actually running it goes, yeah, it's slated for after Strahd. I'm still getting some prepwork done in advance.

We have a pretty fast posting rate back and forth as far as PbP goes, so I feel like running both at once would end up causing burnout or slowing both down.

[Prehysterical]

All right, just curious. Btw, can we just completely skip the stupid relationship mechanic in that adventure? I get why it's there for PCs that want to compete for a character's affections, but it would be completely ridiculous for Arra to not be close to the woman who raised her.

[RandomWombat]

Yeah, that's fine. Loyalty systems are something that works well in video games, but in narrative games it's a bit too gamey.

[Prehysterical]

Con save: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

My bad, I mixed up the time of rituals and short rests. The ritual should only take 10 minutes.

[Prehysterical]

I am leaving tomorrow morning to go celebrate the holidays with my family. I might be able to post, but it will be very spotty for the next two weeks.

[RandomWombat]

Alright, thanks for the heads up. Have a good holiday and stay safe on the road!

[RandomWombat]

Happy new year!

[Prehysterical]

Happy New Year, RW!

[Prehysterical]

So, I'm reading the notes and I am a little confused. It says the minor cards have no effect on their own, but the Collector gives a bonus by itself. Does Kellon have to collect that whole set before gaining any benefits?

[RandomWombat]

Yes, collecting a full set gives its passive benefit without any attunement required. Each set has a second set linked to it that grants a synergy bonus if both are completed, in addition to that set's normal passive.

[Prehysterical]

So, to be clear, the card offers no benefit at the moment, correct?

[RandomWombat]

Correct. The cards of the minor suits - Coins, Swords, Stars and Glyphs - only grant their benefit once the suit is collected.

[Prehysterical]

Knowledge (Religion) on Festival of the Sun: [roll0]

He's trying to figure out if it's like anything he's ever heard of or if it's just a Barovian thing.

[RandomWombat]

With that, Kellon is aware that a lot of small local municipalities have their own little traditions and festivals. There are no major holidays of Lathander or otherwise that he knows of by this name. From the way Ireena said the name she didn't sound familiar with it, so it might be local to Vallaki or just something the baron made up.

[Prehysterical]

I'd like that motive to be a little more clear.

Insight: [roll0]

[RandomWombat]

The guard doesn't seem to want Kellon around. But the speed with which he replied suggest he wasn't looking around for somewhere to send them, or coming up with something to get them to leave.

[Prehysterical]

Can I use Inspiration to reroll that Strength check?

[RandomWombat]

Sure, go ahead.

[Prehysterical]

Cool, thanks.

Strength (Athletics): [roll0]

[Prehysterical]

Crit damage for the warhammer: [roll0]

[Prehysterical]

Sorry, I just remembered that in previous combats, the ruling you told me was that the spiritual weapon could benefit from flanking, but would not provide flanking. I'm sorry; I should not have gotten that crit.

[RandomWombat]

Ah, alright. It's no biggy worth retconning anything about.

[Prehysterical]

The timing is kinda funny... I just learned today that you can't cast two spells in the same round unless one is a cantrip. I didn't realize that. Won't happen again.

[RandomWombat]

Ah yeah, I forgot about that myself. Not a huge deal, he was tossing a spell onto a random mook to keep them alive, not like it was a gamebreaking exploit.

[Prehysterical]

How far out is the boat?

[RandomWombat]

The boat's about 170 feet out.

[RandomWombat]

You can make an Intimidate check, with a circumstance Advantage. An angry turtle man being an agent of a sea god is fairly believable to a superstitious fisherman.

[Prehysterical]

I mean... is he lying?

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Prehysterical]

Happy Easter, RW.

[RandomWombat]

I mean... is he lying?

Of course not, then I'd ask for Deception :smallwink:

Happy Easter, dude.

[Prehysterical]

I'm curious, do Spider's relatives talk like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53sOND2AuL4

[RandomWombat]

No, no, that's a Lolth spider. Spider spiders talk like this.

https://youtu.be/kRUFw1OfrgI?t=2724

[Prehysterical]

Sense Motive: [roll0]

Mainly, Kellon's trying to figure out whether she's just trying to get off the hook (ha).

[RandomWombat]

Kellon gets the sense that she's being truthful about her motives, in getting back to the sea. And knowing what he knows about superstitious Barovians, the fisherman may have come up with the whole ritualization of the process himself, whereas the Siren sees only a trade - or a tool. Even if he was under a magical compulsion, it would be tinged by his own perspective.

[RandomWombat]

With his status as a Cleric of Poseidon, Kellon can roll Persuasion at circumstantial Advantage.

[Prehysterical]

Cool. Thanks, RW.

[roll0]

[RandomWombat]

On the subject of rewards, I was going to save it for when he officially left, but leaving the Vallaki chapter behind (for now) will bring Kellon to 5th level, so you can go ahead and apply that now.

He'll also receive Inspiration for dealing with the Siren non-violently, playing into his affinity for the aquatic.

[Prehysterical]

Awesome.

Also, evil beware! Call Lightning is finally online!

[RandomWombat]

I recently had the revelation that Aura of Vitality is just Call Lightning, but for healing.

Do you want to roll for hit points, or take average this level?

[Prehysterical]

I shall roll, as is tradition:

[roll0]

[RandomWombat]

Nice, that should even out some of the slump from last level.

[Prehysterical]

Gonna need a few more days. We are having an extremely busy week at the museum and my head is in another place right now. Should be able to update this weekend.

[RandomWombat]

S'all good. Hope things are good-busy, and not bad-busy.

[Prehysterical]

Oh yeah, good busy. We are starting to do evening social events again and I just want to make sure that everything goes well.

[RandomWombat]

That's good to hear, then. Things are finally starting to open up again.

[Prehysterical]

I am suddenly finding myself hosting my grandfather this weekend, so it will be a few days before I can reply. I had meant to do it this weekend after things calmed down, but that's not how it worked out.

[RandomWombat]

Alright, no worries. Have a good weekend, man.

[Prehysterical]

Insight check to tell if the Baron really does think that someone (or thing) is listening:

[roll0]

[RandomWombat]

As far as Kellon can tell, the Baron's demeanor is one of paranoia. Whether the Baron has need to be overtly cautious right now is unclear, he seems like a very twitchy kind of person.

[Prehysterical]

Sorry about the quiet. In the middle of conferences and planning for the fall event at my work place. Will try to get a post up tonight, but no promising. Just giving you an update.

[RandomWombat]

It's cool. I've been pretty busy lately as well, between work, game sessions and other projects, so my PbP posting has slowed down as well.

[Prehysterical]

Merry Christmas, RW!

[RandomWombat]

Merry Christmas dude, hope you had a good holiday!

[Prehysterical]

Merry Christmas dude, hope you had a good holiday!
I most certainly did! My brother got me the first two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 on DVD and we got to go see the new Spider-Man movie in theaters. My only regret is that the weekend was too short!

[RandomWombat]

I'm gonna be seeing the new Spiderman in theaters soon too, I hear it's great. Honestly Spiderman movies lately have just been hitting great nonstop.

[Prehysterical]

Oh, I went and saw it last Thursday! It is, indeed, really good. I like it much better than Far from Home.

[Prehysterical]

Happy Easter, RW!

[RandomWombat]

Happy Easter! Hope things have been going well on your end. Things are settling back to normal for me.

[Prehysterical]

So, update on my end:

I know the pace has slowed down, but I suffered a family tragedy two weeks ago and had to step back from my RP games in general. Slowly working my way back in and trying to catch up. There is a wedding coming up this weekend, so I make no promises.

[RandomWombat]

Take all the time you need, man. Sorry to hear things have been that way, but hopefully the wedding will be a good time for you.

[Prehysterical]

Sorry for the nearly two month quiet period, but I finally found some time to sit down and hammer out a speech for Kellon. I'm not exactly happy with it, but... with those rolls, perhaps it is fitting.

[RandomWombat]

No worries, I've been between bouts of writer's block off and on lately as well. I'll probably get a post up tomorrow after work.

[RandomWombat]

Father Lucian will be providing Help on this, so I'll roll Advantage here, plus the rerolled Advantage from the Inspiration reroll. Hopefully better than a 5!

[roll0]
[roll1]

15 is indeed better than a 5.

[Prehysterical]

So, question: the storm is still active and so is Call Lightning, but it seems like the edge of the walls is way past 60 feet away. Would Kellon have to break the Baron's concentration to enable a lightning strike?

[RandomWombat]

Call Lightning and its self-contained cloud is still working as normal, but the natural clouds have parted. Sorry if I was confusing there.

[Prehysterical]

Dexterity saving throw: [roll0]

...Can I, uh, get something cool for that?

[RandomWombat]

For the clutch crit evade, he can have an Inspiration.

https://www.mariowiki.com/images/0/06/PMCS_Bowser_shell.png

[Prehysterical]

Oh, almost forgot to make the Concentration save. Thank goodness for War Caster!

[roll0]
[roll1]

[RandomWombat]

Whoops, missed Donavich's turn. Will edit it in.

Edit: Nevermind, he flubbed every roll.

[Prehysterical]

Dex: [roll0]
Concentration 1: [roll1]
Concentration 2: [roll2]

So, fun fact, I forgot that Spiritual Weapon is a bonus action and does not take your action or concentration... I feel very silly now.

[RandomWombat]

Yeah, the only real downside is you can't set it up alongside another 'full' spell. Once they're both up, Call Lightning and Spiritual Weapon make a pretty potent combo for field presence.

[Prehysterical]

I think I forgot to ask this a while back, but is the Trident of Riptide considered an Attune item?

Also, how many cards are in each suit of the Tarokka deck? Four? Do the pairing benefits for the minor cards only happen if both suits are complete?

[RandomWombat]

There are 10 cards in each suit, and yes the paired suit bonuses apply when both are completed. There are also 14 in a Tarokka deck's Major Arcana.

No Attunement needed for the Trident.

[Prehysterical]

Ugh, formatting.

Intimidate: [roll0]

[Prehysterical]

Happy Thanksgiving, RW!

Sorry for the quiet, but I was distracted earlier this month by reaccreditation at the museum. Our non-profit status depends on it, so had other things on my mind!

[RandomWombat]

Happy Thanksgiving as well! Mine was a month back, up here in Canada.

And no worries on the quiet. Had projects coming up as well to work on so I've been busy as well. I have done some more prep work on the Jade Regent on the side, as well.

[RandomWombat]

Alongside working on Jade Regent prep, I made some 5e conversions for the Oracle (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1anRqykoXz0q910SRB-TWwvBSuV66LnfGph6ZnqcWKLI/edit#) and Witch (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R3lcZYmOipb5VHB-g2GpdIgRd33w_DWlO1GFhWRcca8/edit#heading=h.39vvz3uhfykk). Not that I expect either is relevant to Arra, but there are a few NPCs they're relevant to.

Kasatha do come from Numeria though, so a dip in my Artificer rework (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G6puJyXKPqkozxRo3GtAnHhQCvOjx18C7EjtLt0iXhs/edit#) might be tempting for a Numerian gadget. Maybe an heirloom left with her by her parents when they left her in the desert. If you wanted to lean more martial, I also have an Athasian (spell-less) Bard (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lOBeqxUNBDN0R1PdsBrCAVFd3G5qHp9iOMgQyQqn6do/edit#heading=h.39vvz3uhfykk) I homebrewed. It's got Int synergy with poisons, tricks and maneuvers.

[Prehysterical]

Cool. Now that I'm more familiar with 5e, I'm seriously considering a different class for Arra. Might go Celestial Patron Pact of the Blade Warlock or something. While you can't specialize in 5e as hard as you can in Pathfinder, it also means that there's a lot less barrier to entry for certain things, e.g. dual-wielding effectively and having benefits for non-combat skills such as performance.

[RandomWombat]

I do like how flexible 5e is. It's easy to modify as well, since the base systems aren't too complicated. And things it's not hard to make an 'off-meta' build that's still perfectly viable and contributes, like a Strength monk, or a Dex-based barbarian. Not necessarily great, but it's also very easy to modify some stuff to make them work. Trying to be goofy with Pathfinder builds often ends up with a character who struggles to keep up.

[Prehysterical]

I apologize for my extended absence. It was the one-year "anniversary" of my father's death and there has been significant workplace drama resulting in several of my coworkers leaving. All the tumultuous goings-on have left me with a withered will to write, but I am trying to get back into it.

[RandomWombat]

No worries, I get it. I've felt a bit of burnout for a while as well, trying to balance work and getting my weekly session-based games wrapped up to get some free personal time back when it feels like it's shrinking. So I've been feeling the writing block pretty often as well.

Hope things are on the upturn for you.

[Prehysterical]

So, uh... They weren't on the upturn for a while, but I think it's finally happening. Trying to get caught back on everything.

Could you please update the battle map on Roll20? I know that Kellon needs to get out of the fire, but I need to see if he even can since the character tokens are currently outside of the manor.

[RandomWombat]

Glad to hear things are getting better! And uh, I may have forgotten to change the active map to the correct one. Fixed now.