Sport Date: 1/29/2023 left Stericksburg, delved on 2/1/2023.
Characters:
Ambassador Durinn, dwarf cleric (264 factors)
Belmek Battlebeard, dwarf barbarian (255 factors)
Desmond MacDougall, human wizard (285 factors)
Kaylee, half-elf knight (250 factors)
Lenjamin Gundry of Cornwood, human knight (250 factors)
The PCs gathered in Stericksburg and headed out to the brotherhood complicated, aka the Unopenable Doorways.
Low-Key was sidelined with the Dwarven Sprue, a respiratory situation endemic to the realm throughout the winter months. The others headed out to attempt to plunder the Brotherhood Advanced. There weren’t any rumors as the realm between Stericksburg and the complicated is comparatively secure, and the instant space across the complicated could be very low visitors. There simply is not something to listen to.
The PCs rigorously inspected the cave and tunnel as they went via, wound their means into the complicated, and got here to the doorways. Desmond stood earlier than them and proclaimed, “I’m of the Brotherhoood. By the Brotherhood, allow us to move.” Nothing occurred. “Me” not “we,” identified Durinn. Desmond repeated it appropriately they usually headed in. They rigorously went via the illusionary wall, sending Belmek first. He felt round rigorously together with his booted foot for a tripwire or bear entice, however nothing was discovered.
As soon as down the steps, they moved into the vast hallway the place they’d had battles on two earlier events. They moved ahead, debating going “south” (down on the visible of the map, not really south) or in the direction of the barracks, “simply to verify.”
Virtually instantly, they had been jumped by cone-hatted cultists on either side. These guys had been in full cult regalia – cone hats with face veils, burgundy and black robes, black footwear. Two had crossbows, the remainder golf equipment and shields. They rushed in and attacked as Belmek, Lenjamin, and Kaylee shaped a line.
Desmond rapidly forged Panic on a small space with three of them. He critically succeeded, forcing all three to run. Earlier than one may flip and run, Lenjamin attacked him . . . however critically missed and dropped his warhammer. The three fled into the darkness. The combat rapidly turned on the cultists, who fought exhausting, with no quarter requested, till the remaining seven had been down. Three of them went down in a single collection of swings – Kaylee was swamped with foes and determined to chop her means out. (Kaylee’s participant was groaning about how Cleaving Strike can be useful – so I mentioned you possibly can simply AOA with out it.) Kaylee swung at three of them (AOA Double, splitting one right into a Speedy Strike) and reduce one’s leg off, the highest of the second’s cranium off, and the third’s arm. The final survivors went down a second or two later; one was cold-cocked with a strong hit from Desmond’s employees – from behind, in fact. It was a fast combat – about 10 seconds – however loud, because the cultists yelled and referred to as out “For the Brotherhood!” as they struck.
The PCs debated looting the our bodies, chasing the cultists, or going “south.” They did so for a pair minutes, whereas Durinn checked the our bodies for straightforward loot. He discovered nothing he may simply seize apart from helmets, however taking out a sack, filling it, after which tying it off was extra time than they wished to spent. The elected to go “south.”
They headed round a pool of nonetheless water and headed to the closest door. Belmek pried it open, after which wound their means round an extended hall. On the finish was a door; they compelled it open and located a room lined with garments pegs with robes and hoods. Durinn forged See Secrets and techniques they usually started to tug robes and hoods off the partitions and toss them on the ground. As they did, this lunged out from behind a gown that Desmond pulled off the wall:
A spectre! It clawed at Desmond, who, regardless of being occupied with pulling robes off, merely used Blink and defended towards it. The spectre adopted up and struck him a number of extra instances, wounding him with its life-draining contact for 10 damage. It then focused on a spell as Belmek ran in and hit it – to no impact! Durinn efficiently turned it, however just one yard’s price. It forged Loss of life Imaginative and prescient on Desmond . . . however rolled a 17 and failed! Because it tried once more, Durinn put Have an effect on Spirits on Belmek’s axe. Belmek hit it and wounded it, and a second later it vanished with a bit of “whoosh” noise.
They healed up Desmond and completed their job – they checked for secret doorways and located nothing.
The group moved again to the vast hall and headed “south.” Down the lengthy hall they went, bypassing a door noticed off on a aspect offshoot. Out of the blue they discovered themselves confronted with a useless finish, after seemingly having a lot hall forward of them. They had been simply abruptly on the finish. In order that they rotated and headed again . . . and located themselves abruptly on the useless finish once more. A teleport entice!
Queue the standard solutons – in search of strain plates, debating if Mage Sight would inform them the way it labored (it does not try this, but it surely’s all the time steered), making an attempt to go “alongside the partitions” or “up the center,” stepping one after the other up hexes and chalking the spots to see the place it triggers, Levitating low after which excessive – nothing labored.
Finally they determined to strive Dispel Magic – after which despatched Belmek via. It labored! In order that they moved out . . . and located themselves, sans Belmek, on the useless finish.
Aargh. They rested a bit, after which did it once more – however this time everybody ran up the hallway. Out of the entice!
They turned left down a aspect hall and moved alongside it. Durinn and Desmond rushed forward, with Belmek, they usually blundered into an evil runes entice. Durinn was injured however the different resisted the Dehydrate assault. They backed off and went the opposite means.
They headed to the door they’d handed earlier. As they tried to power, it, although, crossbow bolts got here out of the darkish. Two missed, however one hit Belmek. It got here from the “south.” He ran that means, the others following as quick as they may. He was hit with crossbow bolts the entire means, blocking just a few as properly, however his native DR saved most from hurting him too badly. On the finish of the hallway was a semicircle of foes at a bent intersection. Most had swords out, three golf equipment, and two had two-handed weapons and plate peeking out from their sleeves.
Belmek halted and waited for the others to reach. Lenjamin arrived first, they usually stepped up collectively, backs to the nook wall. The cultists rushed them. In a brawl marred by crucial failures, the cultists began with just a few. One ran at Belmek who knocked him down. One other ran up and fell whereas making an attempt to assault. One other dropped his weapon. Belmek and Lenjamin attacked these round them – Belmek concentrating on those who’d fallen, making an attempt to complete them. The cultists moved to chop them off from the oncoming mates. Durrin ran subsequent to Lenjamin and put his again to the wall. The 2 armored cultists – revealed by the fight tracker to be Brother Cedric and Brother Alester, of whom they’d been warned – attacked Lenjamin. Alester attacked together with his dueling halberd. Cedric ran up together with his two-handed mace to have interaction from one other angle.
Kaylee ran as much as the combat. As she did, although, Cedric moved to have interaction her – as was their plan. One other cultist ran up and slammed down Desmond, standing over him. Kaylee tried to parry somebody and critically failed, flinging her sword into the wall behind her. Cedric attacked; she tried to Dodge his flail strike however her left arm was crippled by the hit. Extra cultists ran via the hole to chop off the PCs from Desmond and from Kaylee’s sword.
Desmond threw up just a few Psychological Stun spells at his foe, succeeding every time – critically the primary. However his foe simply saved recovering instantly or simply about so. He was unable to do extra than simply lay there making an attempt to get respiration area.
Belmek and Lenjamin layed about them, placing down just a few of the cone-hatted swordsmen. Belmek critically missed and unreadied his axe; he merely dropped it the following flip, fast-drew a substitute, and attacked. Lenjamin exchanged ineffective blows with one other cultist. Then Brother Alester spiked him within the vitals with the backspike of his halberd. Lenjamin was badly injured, and caught! Belmek attacked Alester and crippled his arm. B.A. dropped his halberd and rush off towards Kaylee. Lenjamin saved preventing on towards the cultist going through him. Durinn defended and forged therapeutic spells on Belmek, Lenjamin (with the halberd nonetheless in), and Kaylee. Kaylee drew her knife and rushed into shut fight with B.C., who promptly head-butted her. She parried that, and tried to chop him again. She reduce and dodged and moved however was quickly penned in on all sides by cultists. In the meantime, Lenjamin critically failed an assault and tossed his hammer over his head – previous Belmek, and it landed on the cranium of a cultist preventing Belmek! It did 7 injury (15/2 spherical down) which grew to become 4 damage . . . however the cultist made his HT roll and stayed up.
We ended it there – Belmek up, wounded badly. Lenjamin needing a brand new weapon, Durinn penned in subsequent to them. Kaylee mobbed. Desmond nonetheless on his again making an attempt to Psychological Stun his strategy to security. And a very good variety of cultists down – however a good bigger quantity nonetheless up and preventing fanatically towards them.
Notes:
– Ah, the door move phrase. Desmond’s participant mentioned, “I obtained it fallacious however Desmond would have gotten it proper.” Nope, that is not the way it works in DF Felltower.
– After all, the PCs mocked the blokes who fell sufferer to a critically profitable Panic spell as cowards. It is a group with a robust Bully streak in it.
– Looting our bodies is not as fast as PCs would love. They’d typically wish to have individuals with purses on their belts, inside straightforward seize. I assume a fast search of an individual takes one minute, together with checking for and in purses, pockets, across the neck, and so forth. A full search – to completely loot somebody – takes longer. So you possibly can’t simply have the our bodies hit the ground at second 10, loot the our bodies in seconds 11-20, after which run, say.
– Desmond blinked to get away from the spectre. I most likely should not have allowed him to strive. He is out of fight, no Fight Reflexes, and grabbing robes off the partitions and throwing them to the ground. As he does, a spectre behind one reaches out and assaults him. He Blinks after which defends. Appears iffy, proper? GURPS is, by default, very beneficiant on the protection. I get the entire, “A child with a pointed stick can kill you” factor about GURPS, however in actuality, it is far more typically, “A spectre attacking at level clean without warning when you’re occupied doing one thing else in a giant rush will be defended towards with out a lot downside.” Gamers like this, as they’re not often within the place of attacking without warning. I’ve complained about this earlier than – and it is sort of annoying. It is too straightforward for PCs to get a number of very excessive probability of success rolls to get out of the dangerous results of poor selections. I want to make use of the shock guidelines extra vigorously, and ignore the complains of people that rationalize that “we’re in a dungeon, so how can we be stunned by hazard?”
– I made some spell rulings – they’re going to have to attend till tomorrow or Thursday, although. Cease Bleeding, Panic, therapeutic spells and crippling accidents, and Mage Sight, for just a few.
– Charging the ambush labored, principally as a result of Belmek has like 6 pure DR and the crossbowmen did not have any bodkin factors. It wasn’t one of the best ways to take care of ranged fireplace. A number of good Per rolls allowed some blocks, too.
– I say this many instances, however I will need to do one thing about it – I want guidelines for a weapon staying caught in you. It is unreasonable and damages suspension of disbelief when Lenjamin has a 7′ halberd caught point-first in his vitals, dragging on the bottom, and he fights with no penalties to dam, swing, transfer, and so forth. And he is had the wound principally healed across the impale, which is simply weird. There must be some sort of cheap penalty. I will provide you with concepts and put up them later this week.
– MVP was Kaylee for her “triple homicide” stroke. I made a decision after the session to offer an Superior Bonus – +1 to all PCs – for the actually enjoyable brawls they obtained into. They definitely aren’t making an attempt to again off and combat later. The primary was a walkover with some unlucky rolls. The second is a chaotic catastrophe because the PCs attempt to combat as a staff towards foes equally preventing as a staff . . . but it surely’s superior. Plus, everybody was on the right track, there was little unhelpful serving to, and plenty of attention-grabbing fight strikes. I give these not often however this appears like a session that earned it. So, 2 xp to Kaylee, 1 xp to everybody else.
– Total, nice session. It was a whole lot of enjoyable. I want we had time to complete the combat but it surely was late. I hate to finish throughout a combat, however we’ll play subsequent week and end out the session. Might all of them be this loaded with enjoyment, if no more!
