My First D&D 5e Game

I played in a D&D 5e game run by +Rob Conley last night. Short version: it was great. Rob began running us through the Starter Set module "The Lost Mine of Phandelver," and we had a really good time.

Trivial though it may be, the last time I played a game with an official Dungeons & Dragons logo on the cover...

• Ronald Reagan was president
• There were two Germanies and the Soviet Union was still a country
• People used phone booths instead of cell phones
• The Bangles were walking like Egyptians, Bon Jovi was living on a prayer, and George Michael wanted your sex

What have I been doing in recent years? Playing retro-clones and shouting at kids to get off my lawn.

I'm used to PCs having at least one negative attribute modifier, level-one magic-users with only one spell, and characters dying at 0 HP. I'm also used to kids ignoring me when I shout at them to get off my lawn.

So I will admit I was reticent about some things in the new rules, like the fighter's second wind ability, but man, by the end of the first round of combat our group faced with four stinking "measely" goblins, I needed it! Our two mages (despite all their HP -- what? you get more than 4?) went down in a surprise round volley of arrows (one nearly killed outright), and my own fighter got dropped to 2 hp before he even took his first action. Jeesh. Granted, Rob, our GM, was rolling in the 18-20 range for just about every attack the goblins made, but still. The second wind came in handy. Not a wimpy mechanic for wussy pretty boys at all, but a fairly necessary feature it turns out. The combat can be deadly enough to make even the most curmudgeonly grognards happy.

All in all, I have to say I have decided I really like the rules. The only rough spots were where we ourselves had to look things up, just because the rules were new to us. The rules really are smooth and not excessively complicated. I could probably get my head around them enough at some point to even feel comfortable running a game (which is saying an awful lot, since my motto is: "If it ain't dead simple get it out of my face").

Really a fun game run by Rob and an excellent set of rules. I walked away from my first "official" D&D game since the late 1980's with nothing but good things to say about it.

Read an RPG Book in Public Week

Just saw this reported over at OSR Today and thought it worth passing on:

According to OSR Today, the idea is the brainchild of Bill Walton of The Escapist advocacy blog. Pretty cool.

Bloody Basic: Candidate for an E6 Game

I recently picked up John M. Stater's Bloody Basic – Classic Edition rules from Lulu and I quite like them. They are a "basic version of the Blood & Treasure Fantasy Role Playing Game" that "serves as an introduction to the Blood & Treasure system" (from the cover). My initial impression is that they would do well not only as an intro to B&T but also as stand alone game in their own right for those who enjoy streamlined rules and/or low-powered, low-level games. I definitely fall into both those categories.

Bloody Basic has the usual six abilities (with original-edition-style modifiers ranging from -1 to +1), the four core races, four core classes (with a variety of sub-classes for humans, and multi-classing for demi-humans, allowing for a nice range of class + race choices), ascending AC, three save categories (reflex, fortitude, will), simple combat (including an easy rule for "special maneuvers"), a simple task resolution system, and sections on GM-related material like monsters and treasures. Notable new features that don't appear in Blood and Treasure are the simplified encumbrance system and the automatic acquisition of a (random) retainer sidekick on hitting level 6 (where human PCs max out).

The fact that levels cap at six made me think these rules would lend themselves quite naturally to an E6-style game (if you're not familiar with E6, it's Ryan Stoughton's 3.x edition variant in which PCs stop advancing upward at level six, but continue to advance "horizontally" by gaining new feats as they continue to earn XP). All you'd need to do is create your own list of simple feats and bolt them on. Used this way, it seems to me that anyone who likes a low-power game could get a lot of mileage out of Bloody Basic. Honestly, I'm quite tempted to run a "Bloody Six" campaign at some point in the future.

Author's Description of the Game: http://matt-landofnod.blogspot.com/2014/04/blood-treasure-basic.html

Ebook Edition: http://www.lulu.com/shop/john-stater/bloody-basic-classic-edition/ebook/product-21671413.html

Paperback Edition: http://www.lulu.com/shop/john-stater/bloody-basic-classic-edition/paperback/product-21707881.html

Ephemera Session 9: Space, Time, and Death

Cast of Characters
Conner, Mage +Tim Shorts
Egbert, Mage +Rob Conley
Alfred, Human Torchbearer (NPC hireling)
Tub, Frost Goblin (Charmed NPC ally)
Bob, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Rundt, Hunchback Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Belzar, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Ruger, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Dink, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Gar, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)

The PCs explored the giant hollow tree they had entered at the end of the previous session, slaying eight giant bats, nine woodrot tendrils and two centipedes in the process. They successfully acquired the centipede venom asked for by Cosmo. Returning to Cosmo's tower, they exchanged the venom for the location of the next Star Stone, in a village called Fargus, far to the north. During the course of their conversation, the PCs learned from Cosmo that the world they know is part of a larger multiverse.

Each hex is a day's march.

The party retraced their steps toward the village of Tarn on the way to Fargus. En route, they stopped at the cabin where they had met Mariana, the keeper of the Obelisk, in the previous session. The cabin, which only a fortnight before had been clean, well-kept and cozy, now appeared in a completely different state. In disrepair, dust-covered and cobweb-ridden, it looked as if no one had lived there for centuries. The obelisk remained, overgrown with moss, but Mariana, the Keeper of the Obelisk was nowhere to be seen.

The next morning, the PCs awoke to a cold snap and the first frost of the season,* and continued on their way.

Arriving in Tarn, the PCs re-equipped and spoke to the new village leader, Helen, a young cleric met in the previous session. Conner inquired as to whether Helen had ever heard of any phenomenon like the one they had just experienced with Mariana's cabin. Helen replied that she was not as knowledgeable as her late mentor, Regina,** but that Regina used to think that time did not necessarily flow like a river, in one direction only. Helen, however, admitted she did not fully understand what Regina meant by that.

The party left Tarn the next day, and made their way to Fargus, which (now 16 days after the information they received from Cosmo), was completely destroyed. The village had recently been raided and burned to the ground. Hacked up bodies were strewn everywhere, nearly everything of value taken, houses in smoldering ruins. The party looked around for the Star Stone Cosmo had told them of. On the ground, trampled into the dirt, the party found an open, empty box with a small brass plate on it reading "The Star of the Warrior."

A path trampled by many booted feet led northward out of Fargus. The party followed this until they came to a wooded hill, just north of a stagnant pond. The trail wound round to the north side of the hill, where it led into a cave.

And here we ended the session.

*Footnote: The campaign began on September 1, in game. The current in-game date is October 24.

**Footnote: Regina, the Cleric of Tarn, was killed by King Gor when he invaded, prior to the PCs first arrival there.

Brother Barley – Second D&D 5e Character

Not sure if I want to play a fighter or cleric in our group's upcoming D&D 5e game, so I've created both.

Same sheet as before from: 

 http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1057

Vognur – First D&D 5e Character

Rolled up my first D&D 5e character this morning, a fighter named Vognur. I used random rolls for the personality traits, ideals, etc., and just picked from the standard class equipment list to save time. Character creation still took me about an hour, but I expect that will decrease as I get more familiar with the process. I'm going to try rolling up a cleric later this weekend, and I'll be using either the fighter or the cleric in the 5e game +Rob Conley is planning to run for the Ubergoobers in August. The character sheet came from a collection of them posted over at:

 http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1057

Ephemera Session 8: The King is Dead, The Keeper of the Obelisk, Cosmo the Curious

Cast of Characters
Egbert, Mage +Rob Conley
Conner, Mage +Tim Shorts
Darius, Mage +Ken H
Alfred, Human Torchbearer (NPC hireling)
Tub, Frost Goblin (Charmed NPC ally)
Bob, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Rundt, Hunchback Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Belzar, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Ruger, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Dink, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Gar, Swarthy Dwarf (NPC ally, newly charmed this session, just for good measure)

In the preceding session the party charmed the Minotaur "King" Gor who had taken over the village of Tarn. The Minotaur was now their best friend, but, as king, insisted they swear fealty to him. Egbert said, "Well let's do this ceremoniously – go get into your best finery, and we'll await you down the street in front of the main hall."

Meanwhile other party members had the villagers scrape up what weapons they had available to them, and set them up as a "reception line" leading to the hall, which was in reality to be a gauntlet where King Gor would meet his doom. Heartened by the fact that Gor no longer had 20 some odd dark dwarves protecting him (the party saw to that in the preceding session), the villagers set themselves up as directed.

Long story short: Gor returned in all his regal splendor, walked down the gauntlet and, with a loss of only one of their own, the villagers swarmed on him and beat him to death. Villagers in Ephemera are a tough and very unforgiving lot.*

The villagers nearly went after the party's own charmed dark dwarves. But as a favor to the Cindarrin, to whom they felt they owed their liberation, the Tarnsters agreed to leave the party's dwarves unharmed.

The party then looted Gor's "keep" and found a locked chest amid the filth. Conner opened the chest with a key taken from around Gor's neck, and as he did so felt a needle prick his finger (fortunately making his save). Inside was a bucket load of loot, including some religious items revered by the villagers whose gratitude overflowed when the items were returned to them.

After a feast and a good night's rest, the party planned to set out westward in search of the sage Cosmo the Curious, who might help them find the remaining Star Stones. Tarn's new leader Helen, confirmed what little the party knew of Cosmo's location, and gave them slightly more precise directions she had gleaned from a wanderer who passed through Tarn before the occupation. It would be about a 10-day journey.

The party headed off and, on their way, came upon a log cabin inhabited by an old woman, Mariana, "Keeper of the Obelisk." She took them behind the cabin and showed them a stone obelisk, explaining that she had been here for the 230 years since Armageddon, and that her job was to reveal the obelisk to any Cindarrin who might pass by, and to aid them with food and lodging as well as she could. The sides of the Obelisk were carved with additional cryptic messages about the Cindarrin's nature and their role in Ephemera.

One side of the obelisk.

A second side.

A third side.

Mariana also informed the party that she had encountered one other Cindarrin apart from them – named Rukkus – who some weeks earlier arrived from the west and then departed toward the east.

Another good meal and good night's sleep later the party continued west, and a few days later they found Cosmo's Tower. They were greeted outside by Cosmo's familiar "The Hand" who was, effectively, a pair of gloved hands (and a mouth), that appeared out of nowhere and floated in mid-air to speak with them and open doors along their way into the tower.

Cosmo knew who the Cindarrin were. He explained that he was an information broker, trading information for services. His particular interest in life being the acquisition of magical knowledge, he was always in need of materials for experiments. Having spoken with another Cindarrin some weeks earlier, Cosmo was already aware of what the party was seeking. He presented them with a price list of information he had in stock.

The party perused the list of items and agreed they would attempt to acquire the venom of a man-sized centipede. Cosmo explained that the centipedes made lairs burrowed into the giant trees of a forest near his tower.

The party entered the forest and found a likely burrow in the trunk of a 100' diameter tree. They lit torches and entered it.

And that's where we called it a night. Again, little danger, but a lot of marching, talking, and information-gathering by the party. In the dark confines of what is likely to be a giant centipede burrow, I'm guessing the next session will be rather more hazardous and see some significant dice-slinging.

*Footnote: Regarding the ferocity of villagers in Ephemera, session 3 saw the inhabitants of Alden summarily execute their mayor, of whose betrayal they had just learned.

Ephemera Session 7: Stirges Suck, Blud Brothers, The King and We

Not a lot of fighting last night, but lots of talking, with some charm and sleep spells thrown in for good measure.

Cast of Characters
Sandy, Dwarf Fighter +Daniel McEntee
Egbert, Mage +Rob Conley
Conner, Mage +Tim Shorts
Darius, Mage +Ken H
Alfred, Human Torchbearer (NPC hireling)
Tub, Frost Goblin (Charmed NPC ally)
Bob, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Rundt, Hunchback Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Belzar, Swarthy Dwarf (New Charmed NPC ally)
Ruger, Swarthy Dwarf (New Charmed NPC ally)
Dink, Swarthy Dwarf (New Charmed NPC ally)
Gar, Swarthy Dwarf (New NPC ally)

Following the destruction of the minor demon Vagroth in the preceding session, the party took one last look around Vagroth's poison-producing complex, killing some stirges, picking up loot, and discovering, with the help of Rundt – the hunchback dwarf they charmed earlier – that Vagroth was creating an extremely corrosive acid in order to destroy at least one of the "Seven Stars" spoken of earlier in the Prophecies of Millenia and Galen.

   

They learned from Rundt that Vagroth had evidently engaged Gor – whom the party had already heard of – to find a star and bring it to him. Vagroth's hope was that in doing this he could gain favor with his own master, Anorax, Lord of the Abominari, whom he believed was returning from the oblivion into which he was cast at Armageddon.

Gor or "King" Gor as he was wont to have himself called, was a known threat, as the party was already aware that he had taken over the village of Tarn with a band of swarthy dwarves, and had  been sending young people of the village up to the abandoned Temple of Balus to find one of the "Stars." The party had explored the Temple in an earlier session, recovered the "Star of the Maiden" and found that the reason the young folk never came back to Tarn was because they were being turned into undead. Now the party left the Vaporous Vaults of Vagroth and headed to Tarn to deal with "King" Gor.

One night during their journey, just before dawn, a vampire named Vladimir Bludstok entered the party's camp. Vladimir wished to talk rather than fight. He knew the Cindarrin had been destroying the resurgent demons that seemed to indicate Anorax's return. He also knew that the Cindarrin had been recovering the "Stars" necessary to stop Anorax. Vladimir claimed to be the leader of a group of rebel vampires who were part of Anorax's army but turned against him just before Armageddon (since Anorax was not fulfilling his promises to them). Vladimir explained that he wanted to make an agreement with the Cindarrin to work together against Anorax. If the Cindarrin continued to collect the Stars, Vladimir and his rebels would work against Anorax from within and without. Once Anorax was defeated, the rebel vampires promised to set up their own realm outside the lands of Ephemera, if left alone and allowed to do so. The party basically said "that seems reasonable (if fishy) but let's wait and see." Vladimir said "very well, I will return later."

The party moved on toward Tarn where they encountered four of Gor's dwarves patrolling the woods outside the village. The party put them to sleep, then woke them one by one and charmed them.

(GM Note: The band of charmed NPCs had now grown to the size of a small army. Someone's  unfortunate comment that the PCs were now leading a charmy led to howls of pain and disgust. The maker of that comment wishes to remain anonymous. Despite the fact that the punster deserves the deepest derision the RPG-playing public can muster, we shall nonetheless respect his wishes, since even the worst criminal has rights). 

Unfortunately, the party had only three charm spells. There were four dwarves. Sandy, the party's fighter, took the last dwarf out of sight of the others and charmed him in his own fashion. He banged the scoundrel's head against a tree trunk and threatened to kill him unless he agreed to join the party. Eventually the grumpy dwarf gave in to the force of Sandy's violent charisma, and the implacable logic of blunt force trauma.

With their ever growing band of charmed muscle, the PCs exited the woods west of town. They marched straight down the main road into Tarn, stepping confidently forward in the morning sunlight. The few villagers who were out dashed back into their homes. Frightened people peeked out of windows and dark doorways. Not a sound was heard but the tramp of the party's feet on the dusty street.

GM Note: I wanted Ennio Morricone to write theme music for the session,

but he was unavailable.

As the party approached the hill where Gor resided in a badly ruined keep overlooking the town, the villain stepped forth and demanded the party account for themselves. The dwarf minotaur and self-styled "king" of Tarn, stood defiantly before them. His 20 dwarves came out of the keep ruins as well.

A sleep spell put half the enemy to sleep. Egbert charmed Gor himself, then convinced the so-called king that his own band of dwarves was trying to depose him and put their own man in his place. Gor got enraged and attacked his own henchmen, decapitating one and putting the others to flight.

King Gor, the terror of Tarn, was now the party's new best friend and he agreed at Egbert's suggestion to personally accompany the party to find the "star" he sought (which unbenknownst to him the party had already acquired) to bring to his master Vagroth (who, also unbeknownst to him, was now dead). He promised to make Egbert his new first minister. But friends though they now might be...

...the party would have to swear fealty to him.

And there we ended the session.

Prepping for Monday's Game

I'm looking forward to running Ephemera with Swords and Wizardry for the Monday Night Group this week. This weekend, I'm doing lots of mapping, keying and table-making (instead of finishing my read of D&D 5e Basic, but there'll be plenty of time for that later).

So far I've completed the following:

• Customized General Wandering Monster Tables for all regions of Ephemera (9 tables in all, with monsters stats for quick reference)
• "Special" Wandering Monster/NPC Tables (significant much more detailed monsters/NPCs that could be enounterd on a "special" result from the General Tables in the areas surrounding the Party's current location).
• Maps to two new locations
• A key to one of those locations

A GM from centuries past, crafting his world

Ephemera is a world with lots of small locations (villages, dungeons, wilderness sites) peppered across the map, so each location map/key combo isn't too time-consuming.

Before Monday, I'd still like to complete the key to the second location map I did this morning, and the maps and keys to at least two more locations. I think that's quite doable. I should probably update my current NPC list too.

With all that in hand, I should have substantially more hooks, villages, adventure locales, and random encounters prepped for Monday than I'll actually need. That's always a nice feeling to have going in.