FPR - In Which Kiri Splits the Party

This weeks Family Play Report comes a little late. My cousin plays Kiri the Elven Thief. I named her Kiri for the blog my players don't get to pick names until third level. My cousin has never played D&D before. She is not much of a gamer, or a geek but she's smart. We can fix the rest.

The Hangover, Ea-Reth style

 

This week the party took advantage of Jeff Rients Carousing Rules from the Miscellaneum of Cinder. I read the old rules and as a result gave out more XP than was strictly appropriate per the rules, however the risk vs. reward was equivalent so... next time I am implementing the save vs. poison and will have to work on expanding the table to 100 entries.

The rules as written

• 1) Player rolls 1d6 (1d8 town, 1d10 city) and a save/less than level
• 2) Player expends 1d6 x 100 gp (150 gp town, 250 gp city), if gp exceeds PCs wealth debt is owed to an unsavory NPC
• 3) Player gains XP = GP
• 4) if the value of the die is less than PCs level or the save is failed then roll a d20 on Jeff's table depending which version of the rules are used

4 of my 7 players partook, with Joel the Knave, Francine the Thief and Kristoph of Tyr abstaining. Now the results:

• Kiri and Nathalie both rolled a 15 they are wanted by the guards for a money laundering scheme they are implicated in
• Geoff the Chaotic rolled a 14, he is now a member of secret society, that he can't remember the pass phrases or signs for
• Ara of Yero rolled an 18 falling head over heels in love with the parties henchman Fred the Ranger. The dwarf must have been attracted to his Bluto style beard... Luckily Fred is single at the moment

All the participating players except for the Cleric are now dirt broke.

The party gathered their wits. The wanted disguising themselves to sneak out of town. They used their map to locate the Azure River, the burnt out city and the two mountain peaks. They forded a river, climbed the narrow path and reached the cliff top. Two lonely buildings stood there, no sign of the Keep they expected. The party camped and awaited sunrise. I missed a choice opportunity to have Fred approach Ara on his watch. In the morning the party entered the dungeon via the slate staircase carefully avoiding the oak stairs.

In the Dungeon

The players slew

• A Giant Ant (Warrior) - finding a scaled corpse with a necromantic medallion in its belly
• 9 Giant Rats - guarding 7 stone urns with assorted dangerous goods and 1500 in sp
• 2 zombies from a room full of shriekers

Kiri the Elves Solo Journey

Kiri and Geoff entered a room with two sofas, an ottoman, and two moth eaten tapestries. Kiri moved about the room poking the walls, while Geoff rubbed his aching feet and sat on the ottoman. After a few minutes a rumbling began beneath the room. Geoff, whose player is an experienced 3E and 4E player, decided to bolt for the archway where the rest of the party huddled. Kiri elected to keep pressing the limestone bricks behind the tapestries. The party was shocked to see the entire room descend taking Kiri with it, elevator style.

Kiri now on a different level, sets about mapping and cautiously exploring. She narrowly avoids a confrontation with three undead. Making her way deeper into the dungeon she hears the clack, clack of approaching toe nails on stone. She quickly makes her way back to hide behind a statue of Seelian Coil. The harpy catches scent of her elven blood and taunts, "Come out my pretty, it has been so long since I have had Fey blood!" As the harpy passes by Kiri springs from her hiding place and takes half the beasts life. Kiri takes two more swings unable to connect. A claw attack causes minor wounds 1 of her 3 HP. Kiri shakes off the charm spell before it can take hold and flees toward the elevator room. She rounds a corner, douses her lantern and stands stock still vanishing as only an OSR thief can. The harpy runs by, Kiri following it down the hall silently. The harpy is searching behind the sofas when the Thief's blade erupts from her chest. Kiri catches her breath and the room ascends to the upper level of the dungeon whence it came.

Kiri finds the party just as Ara deftly smashes a zombies head in. Her mace serving her better than Turn Undead.

We ended there.

Family Home Game Session Report - Dead Henchman

Paul, Dead Henchmen

Just wrapped up our weekly session of D&D, using Sword & Wizadry. This week the party bargained with a local Ranger Guild. They would clear off the local giant badgers that were raiding farmers live-stock. In exchange the guild would provide a map to the Keep of a long deceased warlord. The party hopes to gain a cure for Lycanthropy from the warlords tomb.

The eight party members (Joel the Knave, Paul the Beggar, Nathalie the Fighter, Geoff the Wizard, Francine the Ranger, Kristoph the Paladin, Ara the Cleric, Kiri the Elf) met with two farmers in the Valley of Kuln. The farmers were fleeing a drake that broke into the hen house. Joel, Francine and Paul slowly approached. The deafening squawk of chickens and flying feathers concealed them. The side of the chicken coop had been opened by gigantic claws. Inside a winged lizard crouched. It greedily gulped eggs and pinned chickens from fleeing. Francine mouthed "not a badger" and backs off. The drake, drawn by the movement, smells the delicious trail rations in the halflings pack. It snakes its long neck about sniffing here and there. Francine empties her pack but not before her bedroll, pack and a crowbar are lost to the beast. Meanwhile, Geoff notices that the farmers field has large furrows in it. The Paladin and Elf move up to investigate. At their approach a giant badger bursts from the ground. The paladin lashes out with his sword. The badger reels in agony and immediately turns and flees.

After the parties brush with the beasts. Joel the knave, our 7 year old player, determines that these drakes and badgers must have some kind of symbiotic relationship much like a honey badger and a honey guide. Francine convinces the party to gather animals from the surrounding farms and attempt to lure the beasts out into the wilderness where herds of game are known to water. The party splits up to buy livestock 17 chickens, 4 goats, 5 sheep, 6 lambs and a cow are purchased.

The Paladin escorts the mage back to Kuln. They cross paths with a raiding party of bugbears but hide in the woods. Kuln is a different sight then when they left as the High Thane is no longer in charge. They bargain their way into town and manage to trade a found spell book for a scroll.

The rest of the party implements their plan to lure the badgers to the new hunting grounds. The plan works too well when all three wandering monster checks come up 2's. A running battle ensues. The party dragging the herd through the forest while fending off drakes and badgers. The rapid pace soon takes its toll and only Francine is able to keep running. Paul lagging the farthest behind is dragged into a tunnel with two sheep. Joel turns back valiantly rushing to aid his follower. Kiri, Nathalie and Ara rush into the woods. A cry of rage causes Ara to turn back. She sees Paul decapitated as he climbs from the tunnel. Joel screams in anger and attacks the badger. His rage is not enough and the badger bites into him. Ara hefts her hammer and screams "Moradin" rushing into battle. A blow of her hammer slays the beast and a healing spell revives the fallen knave.

The exhausted Nathalie and Kiri are treed by another badger. A pint of lamp oil and a bit of fire drive off the badger but sets the pine needles a blaze. The two leap to a nearby tree and quickly douse the fire in dirt, not water. Francine finishes leading the badgers on occasionly cutting a sheep loose when a drake or badger gets too close. Reaching her objective she frees the remaining live stock and ducks into the woods circling back. On her way she is visited by the strange apparition that has appeared to several other party members beseeching their aid. The woman in a velvet green dress wears a diamond tiara. In this instance her hair is raven black, despite the fact that the two previous times the woman's hair was described as blonde and red.

The party burns the badger corpse and buries Paul's headless corpse with a few flattering words about his selfless sacrifice. The party returns to Kuln. Geoff sets out the next day to cast his scroll on the farms. A last resort to ensure the farms remain safe. Francine returns to the Guild collecting a map and a pin inducting her as a member in probation. Joel sets about hiring a replacement for Paul. Fred of Narmox was once a forester before his entire crew was slain by orcs. He has sworn a vendetta against the species. Joel convinces him that for a third of a single share of treasure and 1 gp per day that the party could help him to kill orcs. Fred agrees. Ara enters the Kuln Rift and begins searching for proof regarding the Green dressed lady.

Open Quests:

• Mysterious Apperation of the Sorceress in Green
• Cure the Rat-King Kersus Rodemus
• Find the Cure in the Smoke de Krag Keep
• Of Charms and Raiding Bugbears