Managal Campaign, Part 1

 

Does anything happen in the week building up to departure? 3d20, any 1 = Yes

Encounter? No. Feature? No. Weather? Yes. Lose 1d6 days food to spoilage.

This doesn’t affect the in-town party much, but we’ll reduce their food from 7 to 6 tomorrow.

Does anyone have a secret agenda? (unlikely, roll 2d6 take lowest). Yes/No only.

Each PC rolled No, Oakhills roll Yes! Oracle = “Exploration” (yawn!) Desires = “Aid a Friend”.

Well that seems pretty on the level, but we’ll keep an eye on it.

The camping and travelling supplies are loaded onto Bess and with cheers and good wishes from the crowd, they depart the town, planning to circle round and clear out any danger.

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1st Day of Last Rain (wet season). Food 7. Normal Movement (30MP).

Encounter 1 in 6 (Day and Night). 3, 5. No

Event 1 in 8 (Terrain, Weather and Tide). 2, 6. No

Feature 1 in 10 (Natural and Construct). 3, 2. No

The weather is warm and a light drizzle begins shortly after Jeddak leads the group into the hills west of Managal. There are no encounters and nothing of interest is discovered after spending the whole day searching. With the daylight fading, Chipper scouts to the North West and reports mountain peaks visible through the red mist. At night the mood is cheerful, but soured when they discover mould in their food supplies and must throw some away.

The next day at breakfast, Jaddek proposes they push themselves (forced march) to enable exploring the forested hills fully in one day. Each member gets a vote, 50-50, but the Oakhills (Explorers) and Morgan (Military) have a better chance (1-4 on d6) to side with Jeddak.

The Oakhills and Morgan roll first and get 3, 3, 4 on 1d6 which carries the vote.

2nd Day of Last Rain (wet season). Food 5. Forced March (36 MP)

Encounter 2 in 6 (Day and Night). 2, 1. Both.

Event 2 in 8 (Terrain, Weather and Tide). 8, 8. Tide.

Feature 2 in 10 (Natural and Construct). 3, 1. Construct.

This is going to be an eventful day … working a timeline:

Roll d12 to see when the encounter happens, 6, so around 1pm, during exploration. 50-50 to use Hills or Forest encounter table, despite rolling Forest the encounter is Hill Giant! Next is a Tide Event, for world flavour: “Sense Watcher (Hallucination): Child” - happens around mid-day. The Construct will be uncovered after the exploration, which in this case should be just before nightfall. This only happens if they are not distracted by the Giant or Tide however. I rolled a Ruined Village, we’ll uncover more later. Finally, the night encounter is rolled the same way as before = Giant Hawk.

Given a Hill Giant and a Ruin, this could be its lair (likely, best of 2d6 = Yes, But … “History”. Some Giants were forced to leave. There are 2d4 in a Lair, let’s say 2 groups. 1,4. So this single Giant was exiled by the group of 4. Why? … “Confusion”. This strikes me as a Tide effect. On the single Giant or the group? 50-50 = the single giant. She has been confused by the “sense watcher child” effect and has left to search for a missing child. Is she calling a name so the PCs are alerted, likely = yes. Do the party wish to avoid the encounter? Very Likely. 4,6,6 Yes, and are able to with no significant loss of time.

The party has spread out and are searching the hills and woods thoroughly, it is slow-going over rough ground and through woodland, but they continue pushing themselves hard. Suddenly the quiet is broken. “Who’s that?” hisses Vasily Oakhill, spinning around. “Little Jia?” Rina rushes over, followed quickly by the rest. “Where, Vasily?”. The party searches but there are no tracks or any other signs. Vasily is on edge, constantly looking out into the mist for watchers that are not there.

About an hour later, a voice is heard, faint but also somehow deep and feminine. “Rina!”. It is getting closer, and louder, repeating the same word over and over, occasionally another unknown word or two, until it is clear the approaching voice is from something larger than human. Crashing of trees can be heard, and the ground starts to shudder. The party spread out and hide behind the largest trees - the voice and sound and rumbling get closer - then suddenly stop, increase in volume and urgency, and head away from the group at speed.

When the party discovers the ruined village/lair, is the Confused Giant present? Unlikely, 2,1 No and nowhere near. Do the lair giants have a watch? Unlikely, 5,5 Yes! The Distance is halved or doubled for each relevant fact, so - (half) force march, hills, woods but (double) it’s a village. 2d6x50 = 350/4 = 90 feet. Chipper would be scouting although due to the forced march he has a reduced chance to stay hidden. 33 = no. Surprise dice next, but with a penalty of 1 to the giants because tree-line humans vs, well, giants in a village built for humans. 3,3 means due to the bonus, Chipper sees the giant patrolling and is able to back-pedal into the trees and alert the party.

It is well into evening when Chipper motions the party to stop, and works his way back to the main group. Everyone is sweating and tired, and the warm rain does little to help. Chipper catches his breath before reporting, “Ruined village up ahead, Hill Giant patrolling”. Jeddak grimaces. “We’re all tired and craving our blankets, but we cannot rest here. While we are unnoticed, let us return to the safety of Managal, recover our strength and plan again”.

Does the party agree? Likely. 1,3 = no but agree to move away to camp. BFRPG gives the first day of forced marching “free” so there are no penalties yet until they either rest (removing all fatigue) or forced march again (risking damage).

“Giants cannot see in the dark, and there’s no sign of that roamer” offers Ghost. “Let’s move away and camp in the woods. It’ll be safe enough and we won’t return home with nothing to show for it”. The group agrees, and Jeddak shrugs and re-shoulders his pack.

That just leaves the Giant Hawks. Reaction roll, with +1 for Chipper’s “Friend to Animals” quality. 2d6+1=10, favourable.

Just as dawn is breaking, there is a great flapping of wings, and crashing of branches. (1d3=) 2 Giant Hawks land in the treetops nearby, boughs bending under their weight. The larger of the pair, the male by the colouration, leaps from the tree to the ground and caws loudly, his wings spreading out to a good 12 feet in length. Most of the group are cursing and reaching for weapons when Chipper stands up openly. He makes some loud whistles and grabs a loaf of bread, breaking it in two and throwing it to the huge creature. It whistles in return, eats one of the pieces, and takes the other to its mate, who eats it, and they fly away. Morgan claps Chipper on the back. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”, he declares. “We’ll have to call you ‘Chirper’!” laughs Vasily Oakhill. “That bread is coming out of your rations,” mutters Ghost to herself.

The party earns half XP (total 240) for “negotiating” with the Giant Hawks.

3rd Day of Last Rain (wet season). Food 4. Normal Movement (30MP)

Encounter 1 in 6 (Day and Night). 3, 3. No.

Event 3 in 8 (Terrain and Weather, Tide). 3, 8. Terrain, Tide.

Feature 1 in 10 (Natural and Construct). n/a

The group plans to use a normal pace to explore the woodlands to the east. Can they go directly there or do they need to circle around the Giant’s Lair? 50-50 = no, and it takes them an extra (1d3+1=) 2 hours. Another forced march will risk killing some of them, so let’s not.

Terrain event is: Vermin eats (1d4=2) days of food. Tide Event is: Sight (misleading)/Home.

The group circles to the south to avoid the Hill Giant Lair. Unfortunately some steep elevation changes force them much further off their route than anticipated, and it takes them half the day in travel to move clear of the hills. At the last rise, Ghost waves and points. She claims to be able to see Managal’s rooftops rising through the mist. The others gather round and after some time and discussion, the wind shifts and merely more tree canopy is revealed. It is then they discover that one of Bess’s saddlebags has been chewed open by some large-toothed vermin and lies flat and empty. Ghost curses at the beast, but Chipper rubs the pony’s nose and gives her an apple. They are frustratingly close to finishing their exploration when night falls, and occasionally this frustration leads to raised voices. Morgan, however, points out that the rain is now only a trickle and eventually the night passes easily.

4th Day of Last Rain (wet season). Food 1. Normal Movement (30MP)

Encounter 2 in 6 (Day and Night). 6, 1. Night.

Event 1 in 8 (Terrain, Weather and Tide). 3, 7. No.

Feature 1 in 10 (Natural and Construct). 1, 6. Natural.

The party is running out of food, and is surrounded by difficult terrain. The only reasonable course here is to finish exploring the hex, scout the surroundings, then return home.

The Feature rolled was a Cave. The Encounter is Grizzly Bear. Is the cave the lair of the Grizzlies? 50-50 = No. The Grizzly will approach their camp if the party is still in the hex at night. Is the cave some sort of dungeon? Likely = No, but a trap with treasure. Trap = Environment. (Gas, Pit, Rockfall, Water. d4 = 1, gas)

In the first hour of daylight, the party finishes their exploration, discovering a cave entrance in a rocky mound where the woodland is clear. Bess is not willing or able to go inside, so the Oakhill siblings stay outside on guard while the PCs enter. Jeddak does not need a torch and enters first, reporting that the cave splits into 3 natural-looking tunnels each heading deeper underground. 2 of them can have 2 people walking abreast, the last only one person. No noises can be heard ahead. They choose one of the large paths at random.

Clues to trap? Likely. 6, 1, Yes and obvious. Jeddak is a Dwarf (1-2 on 1d6 to spot traps underground) and is “Educated, Scholarly” which will apply a +1. He will also get assistance from another party member (1d3 = Ghost) for another +1. 1d6 (1-4) = 4.

“I don’t like this” huffs Jeddak, “the smell is not right”. Ghost pulls on his sleeve. “And look here, there are no droppings or other signs of rodents like the other tunnels”. Jeddak nods. “You three, wait here with those torches. I will explore a little further”. He tears some fabric from his sleeve and sloshes some water over it - then advances alone.

I decide that the treasure here is worth 1d100 gold worth of items. 51gp.

Ahead the tunnel stretches on. Jeddak starts to get light-headed and is about to turn back when he spots a body sprawled on the rocky floor. The woman has been dead for some time, evidently poisoned by the bad air. Her furs are falling apart, but the Light Crossbow and quarrels look intact, as does the shortsword and money-pouch at her belt. Jeddak stumbles as he kneels to retrieve the items, and knows he needs to get out.

Jeddak needs to save vs poison, needing 12 (+4 Dwarf, +1 Con, +2 for precautions). Rolls 2. He takes a few steps, then crashes to the ground. The rest of the party can make Hear Noise checks to immediately understand the trouble. That’s 1 in 6 for each character, and an additional 30% Hear Noise for Chipper. Chipper and Ghost hear the noise.

“Wait!” says Morgan as they make light and more wet rags. He empties out his whole waterskin. “Ghost, you are the fittest, and have the best chance of saving Jeddak. Seal your lips around this spout, and only breathe the good air within. Take a deep breath before pulling out our Dwarven friend!”. Ghost considers arguing but the steely glare of Morgan has stared down rougher characters than Ghost. She nods.

Does this plan work? Very Likely. 5, 2, 1 = Yes. Can they retrieve all items? 5, 5, 3 Yes.

Prize = Shortsword, Light Crossbow, 10 quarrels, 10 gold and 30 silver coins.

What is the effect on Jeddak? Damage, KO, Vomiting, Headaches. d4 = Headaches. -1d3 to all rolls for 1d3 days. The lucky Dwarf rolled 1,1.

There is enough good air in the waterskin to drag Jeddak out to safety, and return for his weapons, shield, and the loot from the corpse. Out in the fresh air, Jeddak coughs and takes many deep breaths, and endures the good natured jibes about “toughness of Dwarves” from the rest of the group. Ghost lays out the treasures and weapons - the group decide that the Oakhill siblings will get the weapons, and the treasure will fund provisions for the next trip.

There is plenty of daylight remaining, and the group scout out the unknown wilderness to the north and east (taking 3 hours) revealing more forest to the NW, and plains to the NE and E. 

The group find a little forage of wild mushrooms (+0.1 Food) as they break the tree line and enter the plains to the SW, and return to Managal, the guards on the crumbling walls waving in welcome. The group look at each other, picturing how easy a Hill Giant would stride through their weak defenses. Something to mention in their report.

Normally the PCs would need to pay for more rations, room and board etc. Until they get a bit more treasure in their sacks, the town will waive this in lieu of the updated maps, monster reports and so on. Also Duke Rolf does not want to give them a reason to not go back out!

The Campaign continues in the next post!

Managal Campaign, Character Creation

 

PC creation time!

Stats are the traditional 6 from D&D/Basic Fantasy:

3d6 - allocate each number to a stat as it is rolled. (if total bonus < 0, switch in a 16).

Choose race - switch 2 stats to put lowest as per race, if applicable (eg Halflings lowest STR).

Roll Scarlet Heroes pg 14 for an “Innate Quality” (+1 bonus if relevant). Humans roll 2.

Rolls:
Jeddak: STR 14 DEX 9 INT 13 WIS 10 CON 11 CHA 13. Classical Education
Chipper: STR 8 DEX 16 INT 10 WIS 9 CON 12 CHA 7. Animal Friend, Light Sleeper
Ghost: STR 10 DEX 9 INT 14 WIS 8 CON 16 CHA 8. Keen Vision
Morgan: STR 11 DEX 8 INT 14 WIS 14 CON 9 CHA 12. Terrifying Mien, Swimmer

The undisputed leader is Jeddak, a male Dwarf warrior known equally for his physical prowess and his educated, scholarly ways. Jeddak is muscular, well-spoken and has a bushy black beard, which his wide smile penetrates often. His right-hand-man is Morgan, a male Human Cleric who was a Sergeant in his youth and can still terrify recruits with his withering stare and harsh words. He is beginning to grey, yet always ensures his hair and clothes are clean and tidy. Next is Ghost, a female Half-Orc Magic User, the sharp-eyed hulking spell-for-hire who many will be glad to see leave town. Ghost is stubborn, has many scars and an ever-present sneer. She brings an animal companion, Bess, a Pony. Finally they are joined by Chipper, a male Human Thief who calls himself a Scout and Archer - and often spends time with Bess or feeding wild birds rather than with his companions. He is thin and wiry with a mop of black hair and ragged, ill-fitting clothes.

They are joined by Vasily and Rina Oakhill, Human Retainers, brother and sister who are known to Jeddak and Morgan as assistants to the teachers and priests in the Temple Quarter. The Oakhill family is vast in Managal through young marriage and a prolific birth rate. Both are tall and blonde, hard workers and eager to get started.

They are equipped as best that Managal can readily spare - the martials have Chainmail (with Axe for Jeddak and Mace for Morgan). Chipper and the Oakhills have Leather, but the siblings carry Spears while the “Archer” has a Short Sword and a Longbow. Ghost is ready with a Silver Dagger and has prepared Detect Magic and Protection from Evil.

The Campaign begins in the next post!

Managal Campaign, Set-up

 

Managal is the name of the central base town in my latest Scarlet Heroes / Basic Fantasy solo game. As per the Introduction, it is a post-apocalypse / points-of-light fantasy world where the land is covered in a demonic red mist that can drive men and monsters insane, and conveniently for a solo point of view means that nobody can see what's in the next hex until you get there.

I ran my IRL gaming group through their own version of this game - the town and map were randomly generated, and my plan was essentially to hexcrawl until the dice showed a dungeon (lair, ruin, whatever) and then pick a free online adventure of the appropriate level and run it. I think it went pretty well, and I looked forward to playing in my own creation once I switched from GM to player.

Systems and references:

Basic Fantasy RPG - https://www.basicfantasy.org/index.html

Scarlet Heroes - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/127180/scarlet-heroes

Mapper: "Hexcel" - https://goblinshenchman.wordpress.com/excel-mapping/

Again, I started with a blank "Hexcel" map, and filled it in using Scarlet Heroes random tables.

Setting: World

The Scarlet Heroes setting is a large island with a mountain range splitting north-south across the centre, dividing the civilised and uncivilised lands. In my version, the civilised lands have fallen and the points of light are generally unaware of each other, but eventually once they reach stability will begin to explore the lands and attempt to grow. The calendar in my world has 6 seasons of 60 days each - New Winter, First Rain, Low Summer, High Summer, Last Rain, Old Winter. These equate to the Cold/Wet/Hot seasons in the Scarlet Heroes setting - there are long summers and winters, with rain in between as the temperatures rise or drop. Rolling for random season (to avoid snow - it took me 2 starts to realise starting on new years day was just strategically bad no matter how conveniently it fits in the world calendar), we start in Last Rain, in the 300th Year of Prophet’s Landfall.

Setting: Local

Flip open a random book page to get inspiration for a town name, "Managal". Random Town Facilities/Flavours: Respectable Home, Tea House, Tavern, Decrepit Shrine, Sewer Passages, Tong Hall, Urban Palace, Social Club.

We fill in the town-surrounding hexes on the blank map, and get basically everything but plains.

The titles of important people in town are stylised after noble names of old, we'll roll on Scarlet Heroes Names tables for inspiration for the ‘head of departments’ in town:

Headperson: Duke Rolf

Head of Housing: (Land)Lady Irina 

Head of Social Events: Governess Mae

Head of Brewing (Tea / Ale): Mistress Tavie

Head of Worship (in charge of Temple Quarter): Sir Conordon

Master Thief (a rumour / alias - or is it?): "Grey Wolf"

Town Flavour:

Managal was a prosperous place by all accounts, having a Noble Quarter that survived much of the destruction wrought by the Witch Queen. It contains many large mansions which have been converted to barracks and communal housing, yet still retain some level of respectability due to the efforts of the populace. The locals appreciate their drink, be it tea or ale, and gather at large social events regularly. In the remains of the Old Town lie ruins of the Temple Quarter, where the religious townsfolk have built makeshift shrines on the remains of consecrated grounds. Rumour has it that followers of the old Thieves Guild ways have made their lair in forgotten sewer passages beneath the ruins.

Default Goals:

Map surroundings and make safe

Locate allies and grow community

Donate coins and open trade routes

The head-man “Duke Rolf” (not a real Duke) makes a speech bringing to a close the Day of (Oracle=) Compassion festivities, where those least fortunate in town are provided gifts, meals and assistance from their better-off friends and neighbours.

“People of Managal - friends! - it is fitting that I make this speech on Compassion Day, but this time it is Managal herself in need of compassion. We are fortunate to be protected from all sides in our respectable community, and we have grown in strength. And yet we know nothing of our surroundings! I fear we will wither without this knowledge. After discussions with my fellow Nobles, we have decided to send a small party out to explore the misty lands, to seek out news of humanity and allied races, to trade and grow and meet new friends, to spread our way of life and discover how we might reclaim the land from the Tide. Please, make yourselves known to us and the most suitable applicants will leave a week from now.”

"Managal Campaign" (Character creation) continues in the next post!

Managal Campaign, Introduction

300 years ago, the Great Prophet’s flotilla escaped the Imperial Lands, while the insidious mist called the Red Tide and its Whispering Demons consumed our people. Landing on the Sunset Isles, our ancestors fought the Orc-kin to claim a foothold on the great island of Ektau, to build cities in the East and settle new lands towards the foothills of the immense Godbarrow Mountains, beyond which the Orc-kin tribes fought each other endlessly.

We learned the Orc-kin beliefs - their god Shakun sacrificed himself in days gone by, to protect his people from a great disaster. Buried under the mountains, Shakun’s bones and his worshippers’ faith repelled the Mist, which roiled and swirled impotently offshore.

100 years ago, a great Orc-kin Horde led by the Witch Queen Agrahti came across the mountains to our settled lands, killing and burning. In a twenty-year war the carnage and slaughter was horrific and the Horde laid siege to our strongest cities in the East.

But while - eventually - humanity and our allies prevailed, it was a pyrrhic victory. So much Orc-kin blood was spilled that the Red Tide swept in over the lands. People fled the coastal cities, wandering blind in the mist, falling to starvation, monsters or the Whispering Demons. But some found shelter in the ruins that the Horde had left behind. The remaining people are isolated, the misty lands are dangerous, and the Whispering Demons of the Tide are ever-present. Yet Shakun’s protection is not fully gone, and so once again we build anew.

The Heroes of Bisset

Above is the "Hexcel" exploration map. I designed trees, swamp, hills etc from keyboard characters and cell rotation, then put the town in the middle of the blank spreadsheet screen (R17, red circle). These are kept to one side and filled in as the party enter or scout. I do make reference to the hex co-ordinates occasionally (eg R17) which are not replicated above but I usually refer to the direction, if you want to follow along.

Year 4042. Janvar 8th. Hex R17. Cold Season. Clear and windy weather.

Party plan to patrol nearby hexes.

Encounter 1 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 8 (per day). Event 1 in 8 (per day).

Yes (reset), No, No.

Type/Name: Village of Bisset

Recent Event: Great fire. Abandoned by original occupants. Repaired by refugees.

Valuables: Tobacco crops (Hex QR18, SW of Bisset) symbol = $$.

Facilities: Labourers, Public Well, Blacksmith, Brothel, Tavern, Shrine

Goals: Secure the future of the settlement by rebuilding and growing, making land safe and re-opening trade routes.

At the New Year celebrations, the Head Woman of Bisset calls the village together and explains their situation. The village must be rebuilt after the Great Fire, they must secure from monsters, re-open trade for their tobacco and grow the population. Volunteers are called to make themselves known. 

So, a week after celebrating the arrival of the New Year, the party heads out. They spend 1 day patrolling the barren plains EE and E, in hexes RS18 and S17. In the badlands East of Bisset, at (roll=) 3pm the party encounters a Slaver “Lord Noble” and 5 of his gang looking for victims. (roll=) All are mounted and they have a caged wagon with (roll=) 1 occupant. A scouting/perception success vs DC9 ensures they get advance warning, but do the Slavers have an effective scout? I rolled for the troops 5d6 with 6=yes, and no sixes, the PCs can get surprise, evasion etc. Distance = 2d6x50 feet (x2 plains) = 300 feet. Relative direction to the enemy is NW.

Is Bisset leaving smoke that can be seen? 50-50, yes and the Slavers are heading there!

The group are not sure what to make of this - are they a lawful patrol or nefarious villains? Bisset is in the middle of nowhere, so this is unlikely to be the law - but they agree the riders must not find Bisset unchallenged. They calculate that the riders will not reach Bisset before dark so they decide to follow along stealthily to learn more, then act depending on circumstances. All characters stay out of sight apart from the scout Omarn who stays behind ridges, scrub, boulders, whatever is available. She makes a Stealth roll easily and thus the party are able to follow to the camp. Along the way they see the lack of uniforms, mistreatment of the prisoner, and Sleine the Elf’s sharp ears hear them refer to the prisoner as “slave”, so they decide the riders are evildoers. The party decides on a rest, cold dinner and attack at night.

Anything interferes? Unlikely = yes but Guilt. One of the Slavers takes the captive out for a stretch, toilet, etc. They are jeered by their comrades. Will this change the PC plan? They may get a turncoat and a helper, so they attack now in the open gloom.

They can safely get to 100 feet, which is in range of bows and Sleep. Sleine the Elf Fighter and Roil the Dwarf Cleric will run in, throwing spears and Javelins at -2. They both have an oil flask that they will attempt to throw in the campfire, should the situation require it.

Roll says the Slavers are a Tank + Thugs:

Lord Noble: HD2, HP10, AC3, Att +2, Dmg d8, ML10, Skill +2, Move 20’ (slow)

Slavers (5): HD1, HP2,4,6,6,7. AC8, Dmg d6, ML9(7), Skill +1, Move 30’ (average)

What are they doing? Locations are Campfire, Horses, Watch, Tent.

The camp is set up in a diamond pattern with the Campfire in the middle. A spellcaster can target the campfire and 2 other adjacent points.

Centre = Campfire, 1 Slaver.

North point = Horses: Lord Noble, 1 Slaver.

South point = Watch: 1 Slaver.

East point = Tent: 1 Slaver

West point = Wagon: 1 Slaver

Vidane the MU fires his Sleep at the Fire/Horse/Watch sections for 2d4=5HD. Nobody saves! That gets the men at the Fire (1HD) and Watch (1HD) but the 2HD horses might protect the men nearby (and they do - 1 horse falls asleep, the other is unaffected). Omarn has no easy targets, given that they want to avoid shooting the wagon-man. So he attempts a difficult shot on the Slaver among the horses. +4 (ambush) will be countered by -4 (cover). Rolls 1! The arrow sails by far away. Does the camp notice? No but, the tent-man comes out and heads toward the fire. Roil and Sleine keep running, they get to about 50’ when the tent man reaches the fire. Vidane moves closer to hope to throw daggers. Omarn attempts to shoot the tent-man. 1d20=18! 1d8+2 (doubled for stealth) cannot fail to kill the evil man.

Anyone notice? No, but the men with the horses spot the watchman lying down. Lord Noble yells and orders the other horse-man over. The men at the wagon and horses get checks to spot the runners: rolls 6+1 and 7+1 both fail!

Roil and Sleine let fly their spears: Roil 7 (miss) Sleine 2 (miss). Omarn 17! Kills tent-man.

Vidane calls out “throw down your weapons and surrender!” Lord Noble surrender? (v unlikely) = Yes! But instead he flings himself on a horse to ride away. Wagon-man? (v likely) = Yes, and in fact he gives his weapon to the prisoner.

Results:

2 slavers dead, 3 captured, 1 escaped (“Lord Noble”), 1 prisoner freed.

5(-3) Horses and (a wagon) secured, as well as about 1 man-month travel supplies. 

5 Leather armour, 5 short swords, 3(-1) bows, 60(-40) arrows. 21 gold. (Camping gear).

XP 25x5 (slavers) + 50 (escaping boss) + 25 (rescuing a prisoner) + 150 (hexes) = 350.

The party returns to Bisset. 

Year 4042. Janvar 9th. Hex R17. Cold Season. Clear and windy weather.

Party plan to stay in town (reset all).

Encounter 1 in 20 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 1 in 20 (per day).

No, No, No.

The party spends a day catching up on sleep, re-learning spells, splitting treasure and deciding the fate of the prisoners. The rescued captive is an acrobat taken from a travelling circus. They accept an offer to stay in town! (Population +1). Donate 2 horses, 20 gold and most of the weapons/armour to town = full sell price = 400xp.

Of the captives, there is no provision for a prison, so the headwoman proposes exile to the West for the slavers, death upon their return. Does the “guilt” slaver object? 50-50 = yes and (Alertness) - he will be an excellent watchman/herdsman ... or he will watch for an escape! Do the others object? No and (Rot) - their fate will be discovered later. Do the PCs object about anything? Yes! Does the Headwoman listen? No!

Year 4042. Janvar 10th. Hex R17. Cold Season. Clear, still, chilly weather.

Party plan to check tracks of Slavers.

Encounter 1 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 1 in 8 (per day).

No, No, No.

In the morning the PCs go back to the camp (30 Movement Points) to look for tracks (6/30 MP): After (d4=) 3 hours (15/30) Sleine the Elf is stumped but Omarn manages to find the main slaver tracks heading E (DC9) but not the single rider tracks heading NE (DC10). They decide to follow, moving E into the light woods (24/30) in hex T17. They cannot move further (Grassy Hills) but Sleine and Omarn make the terrain checks for (lowest 2d4=) 2 hours (30/30) and by nightfall pick up the trail’s direction E.

Year 4042. Janvar 11th. Hex T17. Cold Season. Clear, still, chilly weather.

Party plan to follow tracks.

Encounter 2 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 2 in 8 (per day).

No, No, No.

The PCs decide to force march (60MP. CON checks at the end of the day). They head E into the grassy hills in U17 (9/60), and again into densely forested hills at V17 (27/60). Taking a short rest but eating on the move, they travel E into W17 lightly wooded plains (36/60) forcing another track check, which only Omarn succeeds (48/60) but fast enough to allow travel into the thicker woodland of X17 (60/60). At camp, the group discovers that 2 of the horses are exhausted and cannot force march tomorrow (and suffer -2 on all rolls).

Year 4042. Janvar 12th. X17. Cold Season. Cold and frosty weather.

Party plan to follow tracks.

Encounter 3 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 3 in 8 (per day).

Yes (reset), Present (reset), No.

At dawn they track E (30MP) once more into the grassy swampland of Y17 (12/30). Unfortunately here they lose the trail, so instead spend the day exploring the hex. The random encounter is going to happen right at the end of the ‘day’ (last watch at night). But in the meantime (only 2 hours after breaking camp!) the group discovers the slavers’ hideout!

In Swampy Grasslands the hideout could be (d3) Tents, Ruins or Stilt-Huts = Stilt-Huts. 2d6x50 = 250 feet away they spot the roofs through the tall grass. Is there a lookout? Likely = Yes but, the party has a chance to hide. Assuming that the roofs and mounted men/wagons are about the same height, the PCs have to quietly dismount and get in the water or find another low point to reduce their profile. Low point/water nearby? 50-50 = No, but not far. Need (worst) Stealth (DC10) and (best) Animal roll (DC9) to turn quietly & hide.

Stealth roll Fails! A Tree lookout spots the PCs. he yells an alarm. At 250 feet, no missiles or spells can hit. The camp hosts 4 Slavers + Lord Noble. 10 crude huts, stables and cages on Sturdy Ground.

The Slaver Camp Looks like this:

2 Slavers get into the trees with bows. The others fan out and crouch-move towards the PCs location (north) slowly and keep to cover, looking for signs. They will not enter close missile range to the last known location. Not knowing this, or how many enemies there are, the PCs decide to flee and potentially approach again with surprise or reinforcements. Their Scout passes a DC10 check to avoid getting lost after fleeing.

The party left the hex early (after 2 hours, 18/30) so it is not “explored” or “safe” (even if the camp is cleared later). Moving NW to XY16 Barren Swamp takes the rest of the day (30/30). Here is where the random night/dawn encounter occurs! Giant Serpent! Let’s say 1d4 = 2 Crocodiles, swimming (d8) E-W. HD2, HP10,11. AC15, Dmg d8, ML7, Skill +2, Move 30’. What’s That Animal Doing? (d12) = Playing! We’ll say chasing/mating ritual.

The PCs camp looks like this:

(1d4=) Sleine the Elf is on watch. He easily hears the splashing of “playful” crocs and given the hour, quietly wakes the party. We’ll say this plus the fire alerts the Crocs, but also negates any surprise rounds. Reaction is “unfavourable”. The Crocs hiss and snap. The party throws 2 rations to try and urge the Crocs to leave: New Reaction +1 is “favourable”, and the party lobs more rations far. Reaction +2 is “unfavourable” … Crocs charge! Sleep spell fires off, none of the Crocs save so they slump on the ground, and Sleine the Elf beheads both Crocs with his halberd. A successful Survival check vs DC10 replenishes the spent rations and more, plus some intact pieces of skin. XP 150. GM note - I'm too used to players not having Sleep, this was surprisingly easy!

Year 4042. Janvar 13th. XY16. Cold Season. Cold and frosty weather.

Party plan to head home via circular route.

Encounter 1 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 4 in 8 (per day).

No, No, Yes (reset).

Vidane discovers 5 of his rations got wet and are useless - they share the remaining out and decide to head West at travel speed and discover grassland (6/30MP) before the swamp returns at VW16 but with light forestation (24/30). As the hour grows late, they spend 2 hours (30/30) climbing the tallest trees to scope the areas north and west, and see more swamp W and NW, but plains opening up to the E.

Year 4042. Janvar 14th. VW16. Cold Season. Mild weather with clouds.

Party plan to head home.

Encounter 2 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 1 in 8 (per day).

No, No, No.

The group push NW to the boggy but clear V15 (12/30) and find more of the same at U15 (24/30). They spend 2 hours (30/30) scanning S and W to see the swamp finally giving way to wooded plains.

Year 4042. Janvar 15th. U15. Cold Season. Cold and windy, light snow.

Party plan to head home.

Encounter 3 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 2 in 8 (per day).

No, No, No.

The group can use all their 30MP to return to Bisset, via TU16, T17, S17 to R17.

Settlement during Party absence:

Encounter 1 in 20. Feature 1 in 100. Event 1 in 20.

No, No, No.

Year 4042. Janvar 16th. R17. Cold Season. Clear and windy weather.

Party plan to stay in town (reset all)

Encounter 1 in 20 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 1 in 20 (per day).

No, No, No.

The party rest and resupply, trading crocodile skins for feed, rations and supplies. Excess is donated. The map is shown to the headwoman and elders, and copied for town records. 13 hexes mapped (not explored) = 325 (round to 85 each after donations).

Year 4042. Janvar 17th. R17. Cold Season. Cold and windy, moderate snow.

Party plan to start early and head SE to explore.

Encounter 1 in 6 (per day). Feature 1 in 8 (per day). Event 1 in 8 (per day).

No, Yes (reset), No.

The group move E-SE and discover a swampy grassland at ST18 which they thoroughly explore - there is a monster settlement! Troll Holes! (1d8 = 5 adults 1xAlpha 4xTroll, 1 ‘child’). Lets see who’s here (50-50) in groups of Alpha (no, but home soon), 3xT (yes and watchful), T+C (yes and in proximity to each other). Trolls are about as tall as a mounted man, and probably the groups are about as noisy as each other, so the 3 Trolls on lookout will gain 1 bonus on Surprise, Sleine the Elf has 1 bonus against being surprised. All others will surprise as standard. Rolls are 4-6, nobody is surprised. Standard range is 2d6 (11) x50 but quartered for marsh and snow ~ 140 feet when both sides spot each other.

The lookout trolls shriek and scream and charge. The Party sees 3 large humanoid shapes charging out from some large holes in the raised swampland, and a pair of large/small shapes moving back into the lair. At 80’ per round (run) they cover over half the distance - the Party scrabble to dismount, cut the wagon loose (Omarn), help their Dwarf friend (Sleine) onto a double-mounted horse (with Vidane) and re-mount.

Initiative! Simply put, the horses out-distance the Trolls as long as the rider wins Initiative.

Vidane/Roil are at +0, Sleine and Omarn are at +2. Trolls roll 2, Vidane rolls 4, Sleine and Omarn can’t fail, so the party escapes … However Roil needs to make 1 extra save vs Death Ray (STR), being a Dwarf on a full size horse. Vidane can help with a STR Feat (2 in 6). Roil fails, but Vidane makes it!

The horses pull away from the Trolls, who pursue for almost an hour, shrieking and shouting even after they have lost sight and the night closes in. The Party force-marches into the night to gain extra movement and reach the tree cover in T17. Vidane survives the forced-march, as the only PC (or horse) with under 6 HPs. There is no night-time encounter.

Year 4042. Janvar 18th. T17. Cold Season. Clear and windy weather.

Party plan to travel home at best speed.

Encounter 2 in 6 (2/day). Feature 2 in 8 (1/hex). Event 2 in 8 (1/day).

No, No, No.

The Party returns to Bisset.

Year 4042. Janvar 19th. R17. Cold Season. Clear and windy weather.

Party plan to stay in town (reset all)

Encounter 1 in 20 (per day). Feature 1 in 100 (per day). Event 1 in 20 (per day).

No, No, No.

..................................

At this point I changed a lot of rules, and redefined the campaign setting ... so the Heroes' story ends here.

The Heroes of Bisset, setup

 

By the time Graggar's stories had finished, I was looking at if I could incorporate solo gaming with my IRL gaming group. Might solo gaming be a type of prep for a group game? I had run a few friends through the "find out what happened to Graggar" section of the solo adventure, and while I thought it went well, my players (being used to AD&D, and some D&D 5e) were looking for something with a little more crunch and options than World of Dungeons. Fair enough.

The Heroes of Bisset was a first pass at making a solo or group game using mostly Scarlet Heroes but mixing in BFRPG combat and character creation. One thing I struggled with was the re-skinning of the familiar D&D spells into Scarlet Heroes names. I seem to have used the names interchangeably so apologies for any of my confusion that seeped onto the page.

Systems and references:

Basic Fantasy RPG - https://www.basicfantasy.org/index.html

Scarlet Heroes - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/127180/scarlet-heroes

Mapper: "Hexcel" - https://goblinshenchman.wordpress.com/excel-mapping/

I hacked around with "Hexcel" until it was essentially a blank hex map, and filled it in using Scarlet Heroes random tables. The hexes are oriented with the flat sides E/W instead of N/S but this was something my poor old laptop could handle, and as a group GM share (eg as a Google doc) with my players - which as it happened was a useful feature, as a player could be designated "mapper" and update it instead of the GM.

Setting:

I had a blank map, and really no thoughts beyond the idea that the party would go out, explore, and help the town grow by killing monsters, clearing hexes and donating treasure. I rolled a few "features" which would give an idea of the town flavour.

Type/Name: Village of Bisset

Headperson: Scarlet Ree

Notable NPCs: Master Thief

Recent Event: Great fire. Abandoned by original occupants. Repaired by refugees.

Valuables: Tobacco crops (Hex QR18)

Facilities: Labourers, Public Well, Blacksmith, Brothel, Tavern, Shrine

Goals: Secure the future of the settlement by rebuilding and growing, making land safe and re-opening trade routes.

Character Creation:

Homebrew BFRPG (The 6 D&D stats, 3d6 with some bonus/switching, HPs as per AD&D1e)

Vidan the Deft (Male Human Magic User)

STR 13 (+1) INT 16 (+2) DEX 10 WIS 14 (+1) CON 10 CHA 9

Skills: Superb Balance Arcane Study 1 Blacksmith 1 Physics 1

Spells: Amber Sleep, Detect Magic, Daifu's Mantle, Least Alchemy

Roil Eagle Eye (Male Dwarf Fighter / Cleric)

STR 10 INT 10 DEX 7 (-1) WIS 13 (+1) CON 16 (+2) CHA 13 (+1)

Keen Vision Dwarf Senses 1 Toughness 1 Sergeant 1

Spells: Cure Light Wounds

Sleine the Sly (Female Elf Fighter / Magic User)

STR 14 (+1) INT 15 (+1) DEX 16 (+2) WIS 11 CON 9 CHA 10

Skilled Liar Elf Senses 1 Elf Resist 1 Survival 1

Spells: Amber Sleep, Detect Magic, Shield, Charm

Omarn Strider (Female Shou-Blood* Thief)

STR 14 (+1) INT 11 DEX 17 (+2) WIS 10 CON 15 (+1) CHA 5 (-2)

Skilled Liar Elf Senses 1 Elf Resist 1 Survival 1

Distance Runner Resist Tide 1 Appraisal 1 Steady Hands 1 Bandit Scout 1

* Shou-Blood = essentially a half-orc.

"The Heroes of Bisset" begins in the next post!

Graggar Stories, Part 7

 

The forest is quiet but in the mid-afternoon they discover a clearing with a sloped entrance leading underground. The burrow is home to a colony of Large Flying Ants, hunted by Giant Spiders. Are there spiders above? Unknown = No but … on their way. Are there any Ants outside or in the first chamber? Unknown = No but … on their way!

The group decides to explore, and Wushir lights a torch. I decided for simplicity that the burrows go room > corridor (repeat) and the 6th room is the queen and brood chamber. Each room or corridor has a chance of encounter as per Scarlet Heroes. Corridors are short and narrow and humans need to stoop and go single file.

Encounters are - Mini Ant Swarm (corridor/room), Drone wave (c/r), Soldier (room only), Queen (last room). It is possible to mix and match, and the Queen is never alone

Entry Room 1: Empty. Ants coming now? Likely = Yes. From above/below? 50-50. Below.

Mini Ants or Drones? 50-50. 1d6+1 Drones = 4. Armour 1 HP3 Bite 1d3 XP 25.

The heroes hear a clicking noise from ahead, and some Ants about 1 foot long march into the chamber. They get ready quickly with missiles.

Rokav Volley = Success, auto kill. Wushir Sling = Success! 3 damage almost kills another.

The Ants turn and flee, Wushir’s stone bounces but Rokav downs the injured one. (50 XP). The group advance into the narrow corridor. Rokav goes first, melee weapons drawn.

Corridor 1: Hidden treasure. There is a small rockfall that the group have to climb over. Nobody spots the treasure hidden under the rocks, maybe on the way back.

Room 2: Empty: Corridor 2: Empty. Room 3: Encounter, 1d6+2 Drones = 7.

Ash Assist = Success. Rokav Melee = Fail. He is half encircled by drones. Wushir drops the torch, Stays lit? Likely = Yes. Melee = Fail! They are now completely surrounded.

Ash Assist = Partial. He’s a potential target. Rokav = Crit! Rolled 7 damage, and I rule 2 kills.

Wushir Partial = 7 damage, kill. 4 left, 2 on Rokav/Ash and 2 on Wushir. Ash and Wushir have Drones up close. Rokav Melee Fail, he is in bad position. Wushir can’t use the staff so he tries to Defy Danger to pick up the torch. Partial, he succeeds but takes a bite for 2(+1)-1 = 2. Ash Defy Danger = Partial, Rokav can volunteer to take the hit, he does 1(+1)-1 = 1.

Rokav can only use the dagger, and doesn’t want to risk Ash. Melee = Partial, 1 kill but the other one climbs on Ash’s back while distracted. Wushir Melee = Partial, 1 kill, but gets singed by the torch (1d3 = 2-1). The last 2 drones flee, 150 XP. Wushir applies bandages.

Corridor 3: Encounter, 3d6+2(x10) = 80 mini-swarm. These are “large” flying ants (like the size of your thumb) each 10 count as 1. 1HP, 1 damage per 10. XP 25. Small weapons like shortswords or daggers or most missile attacks can’t really hurt the swarm. The group hears a buzzing, they spread out and draw weapons. Can they retreat? Unknown = no. Any missile opportunity? Unknown = Yes but … quick shot (-1). Rokav fails a “smarts” type roll and fires, wasting a point of ammo, but sees the shot basically passing through the swarm.

Rokav Melee Partial = dagger ineffectual, but sword kills a swath of creatures (10), but he can’t stop them swarming around him to Ash, who is snapping at them but not achieving much. Wushir Melee = Partial, flaming torch is effective and kills a swath (10) and is now mobbed by the bugs. There are 60, but we’ll split to Rokav (in front, 30) Ash (next, 20) Wushir (behind, 10).

All must make Defy Danger CON. Rokav partial, take damage/escape or no change? No change. Ash Partial, also chooses no change. Wushir success, he swats the cloud away and backs out of it. He swings with the torch, Melee = Partial, he kills a swath (10) and a cloud moves from Ash to him.

Rokav still has 30 so Defy Danger again = Success, he moves forward out of the cloud. Ash has 10. Defy = Crit! He is able to break through 2 swarms to join Rokav’s side.

Wushir swings at the nearest Cloud (Fail) and they swarm into him causing 1 damage and Ash’s previous 10 move onto him, now 20. Ash cant hurt these things or really assist so Rokav Melee = Partial, Kills a swath (10) and is mobbed again by the other 20. Wushir Defy = Crit! He flails the torch moving toward Rokav, and they scatter off everyone!

Rokav Melee = Crit! He kills a huge swath (20) and the others flee. 150 XP. Wushir uses another bandage, and they continue.

Room 4: Encounter, hidden treasure. 1d3+1 (3) Soldiers and x2 (6) drones.

Soldiers: Armour 2, HD1/HP5, Jutting Mandible (sword reach) 1d6+1, XP 150. 

Drones. Armour 1 HP3 Bite 1d3 XP 30. The drones attempt to aid the soldiers..

The group spread out. The Drones rush in. Rokav Javelin = Partial. Kills a drone but is swarmed by 3 others. The other drones engage Ash and Wushir while the soldiers advance. Ash Aid = Crit! He can cause damage if Rokav does. Wushir swings the flaming torch. Melee = Partial, a drone catches fire and runs in circles screeching until it dies. It’s passing attack causes no damage.

Rokav has a dagger and stabs at a distracted drone. Success = bounce off armour although Ash gets a good bite in on his for 2. Ash has to Defy Danger DEX which is Partial. He now also has a Soldier on him. The other 2 soldiers move in on Wushir!

Wushir decides to chug a mistletoe and turn into a Bear! Spell WIS = Partial. It’s not the most fearsome bear. STR+2 and Armour 1, +6 temp HP. Claws count as d6+1r. The bears arms are a good match for soldier mandibles so Melee = Partial. Damage 0. Soldiers do 2+1+1-1 = 3.

Rokav Defend Ash. Fail. Golden Opportunity for his drones who attach themselves to his arms. Ash is desperate enough to attack. Melee = success! But no damage even to a drone.

Wushir Melee success. Damage = 5-2=3 to a Soldier. Rokav Defy Danger STR to break away = fail. The drones scratch at him through his armour for d3+2 pierce = 3. Ash Defy Danger = Partial. D6+1+1=3!

Wushir swipes again, Melee Partial. Kills the wounded soldier. Takes 6! Rokav tries to defend Ash. CON = success. He gets scratched again badly for 5! Ash attack Fail. 8 damage! Rokav can halve that, cause 2 (killing the Drone) and give +1 to Wushir vs Ash’s soldier. Ash drops to -2 which is alive but not curable easily.

Wushir either flees or attacks the free soldier with +1. He thinks like a bear and attacks! Melee +2+1 = success, 4 damage. Rokav stabs at the drones with his dagger. Melee = Partial, kills a drone and takes … 4. He’s on zero. Wushir attacks again Success! Another 4 damage kills the last soldier. The drones flee. 570 XP. 

Wushir's bear form cannot cast spells and is too big to fit down the tunnels so he cancels the Shape and quickly bandages his wounds, then Cures and bandages Rokav (1d6=5+1). Wushir says that Ash is alive but beyond his abilities, so they bandage Ash as best they can then place him on the bedroll - and arduously pull the young Wolf through the tunnels. Wushir recalls the rockfall near the entrance so the Druid and the Hunter return to Corridor 1.

Safely make it? Likely = Yes. Can they expand the rockfall? They have a pick axe so Likely = Yes.

Wushir works on the tunnel while Rokav returns to scout the entrance. They light another torch.

Did Spiders web the burrow? Very likely = Yes.

Rokav returns to Wushir leaving the webs undisturbed. They are able to create a blockade across half the tunnel limiting the swarming ability of the Ants. The hidden treasure is revealed by the digging, and the heroes find a sheathed dagger clasped in a skeletal hand: It is untarnished and the point is (magically) needle-sharp. (The dagger gives +1 pierce when used in melee or thrown).

They set up a fire trap using an oil flask and a set of precarious rocks, so they can throw a torch or brand to knock it and set it ablaze. They find (likely=yes) some assorted wood from fallen branches etc equal to 1d6=6 hours of brands. The first torch dies as they set this up, and now they can rest.

Safe rest 1 hour? Very likely = Yes but … Ash’s wounds start to seep and Wushir needs to use 1 more bandage. The humans use up some HD to heal wounds and the 2nd torch goes out, so they light a lantern. Undisturbed 4h? Unknown =No!

2 Soldiers and 2d3=5 Drones

Suddenly 5 Drones rush in, but the group is alert so they automatically set off the firebomb and prepare missiles for anything making it through the flames.

The firebomb normally does 1d6+1 for 3 rounds but as the Ants fly we’ll say rounds 2-3 are half damage. The bomb catches 2d3=3 as it’s set off.

Their trap kills 2 outright and the 3rd blindly slams into the ceiling until it too perishes. 

Are the other drones ahead, behind or split? 1-6 = split, so 1 drone is behind with the soldiers and the other is in the cave, about to be shot.

Wushir triggered the bomb so Rokav Volley = Partial, he kills it but the body is flying right at him! Defy = Partial, only 1 damage from a minor impact. The heroes prepare volleys for a charge, as the Ants are buzzing around behind the fire. They decide to fire through the smoke - Wushir Fail, loses 1 ammo. Rokav Partial = max damage! Kills a (d3=) soldier!

Offscreen move - more spiders!

The flames die and the last 2 Ants buzz in. Rokav lobs his Javelin, (Partial =) and he wants to kill the soldier but the drone intervenes - dead. Wushir steps up with staff while Rokav draws his sword.

Wushir Melee = Partial, 2 damage but the Ant is up close. Rokav can only use the dagger safely now, so he strikes Partial = 6+1pierce = dead! What a killer! XP450.

No more trouble yet. So in total after 4 hours:

Bandage Wound. Use 1.4 oil and 2 torches. 2 “brands” remaining. Retrieve Javelin.

Restore Cure spell, use on Rokav (6!)

Rokav insists that they leave as soon as possible, to find the Forest Spirit who cured Ash earlier, Kalimi. Wushir suggests he can try turning to a Bear again, to give him the Strength to carry Ash, break spider webs and so on. Night has closed at this time (“mid-afternoon” plus something like 6 hours). They make this Plan: Wushir performs the Shape ritual, strap Ash to bear form.

Rokav throws an Ant into the web to try and trigger something, then they throw their last brands into the webs and try to break out. Bears see well at night (apparently, says Google) so Rokav will keep the lantern dim, but otherwise they run back the way they came, as best they can.

Wushir Shape Ritual = auto success, no mistletoe overdose.

The Ant corpse triggers a Spider which drops down and starts to cocoon the Ant. Fire melts web (apparently, says Google again), so when they lob the brand the spider pulls away but the breakout is no roll required.

My “fill out the map rule” says they accidentally head south. Defy Danger Wushir = Snake Eyes! He gets the biggest spider right on him. Defy Rokav = success! Evades all attacks.

Defy Danger Wushir (CON) as the Spider injects her venom … Fail! 1d6+1p = 3.

One more to get away before collapse … Crit!

Wushir in his bear form is in a rage and shaking his back, running under low branches and swatting at his own body. He runs and runs until he can’t any more, then collapses.

Due to the Crit, he is able to stay awake and chug his final mistletoe to cast a Cure (detoxify). Under the circumstances, a WIS roll is appropriate: Partial. He neutralises the poison and collapses unconscious for 1d6 hours = 5.

Rokav can easily track the bear’s destructive path, can he do so safely? Partial. 2 encounter rolls to see if anything happens. Yes, the first dice is 1 so a Spider tracks him from above. First he gets Defy Danger DEX as it drops on him: Success! He rolls aside and slashes out at the Spider as he runs off. Success! 1 weapon only due to the lantern, but 6 damage! I don’t know spider stats yet but that sees it retreat for sure.

100 XP each for surviving the Spiders and the Ants!

Wushir managed to get south into 2413. Rokav catches him and sees Wushir in human form. He makes a branch shelter for them all, then douses the lantern and sits a lonely watch in silence, taking his rations, feeding water to them both, hoping for a safe night. No! There’s an encounter! I’ll try the Dragon Warriors forest encounter this time: “Elven Community” … so we’ll say that’s a patrol from a nearby Elf settlement. They are resting and re supplying at a cache. Will they get involved? Unknown = No. Does Rokav hear the Elves scouting them? Partial Success says he hears noises in the trees but they don’t persist or come near.

5 hours later, Wushir awakens. He assures Rokav he is fine and takes over the watch. By morning they have both had 8 hours rest, taken food and water, and been attended by a Healer (so they recover 4 hit points). They sit down to plan how to find aid for Ash.

.....

To fill out the map I next would probably have the PC encounter the Elves, or find their cache - as returning to Kalimi again seems a bit tacky, even though she owes them. But this is where Rokav, Ash and Wushir's adventure ended. At the time I had no interest in developing an Elf community, so I moved onto the next project. I feel a bit different about it now, but it's likely to be a long time (if ever) before I return to Koshaar and the Forest of Ghosts.

The End of "Graggar stories"!

Short Break

Apologies but no Graggar Stories update yet - I've been finishing another game to a stopping point, and then had an extended holiday out of country to see some relatives, leaving no time to post my sessions. I've now returned to work and need to get back into all my routines.

I've also caught up on a few of my favourite blogs (see "My Blog List") which I recommend you take a look at, for some excellent stories and advice.

"Graggar stories" continues soon!

Graggar Stories, Part 6

Rokav and his pet wolf Ash stand in the scorched Tower at 2114. (Red hex)

The fire damage is extensive and the smell of smoke is strong. Normally there is a haze in the air, although last night a thick mist crept in and visibility is poor, even worse than under the normal canopy of trees in the Forest of Ghosts. Rokav knows that beneath the mist is a few hundred yards of black stumps and charred earth before the normal tree line returns. Out there somewhere is a crater where the fireball had struck.

Rokav looks out into the mist, feeling weary but otherwise fighting fit. He cannot return to his tribe, the Nehar, for many reasons. But the hunter has supplies, treasure, and is in a lush unexplored forest with Ash by his side. The Forest of Ghosts is not so terrible, he thinks. With a wry smile, he scratches Ash’s ears, and waits for the noon sun to burn away the mist.

Loading up his supplies, Rokav turns back to the tower and scratches a rune into the door that indicates Graggar and Silvar’s bloodline. Then he turns his back on his tribe. The mist has burned away, so he gets his bearings and strikes north. From his days spent ranging, he has made some friends in the people of the eastern Steppes, and will seek them out.

As he is weary (0HD) he only moves north to 2113 (empty) in the afternoon, no special events for the rest of the day, they take rations and water, and Rokav heals 3 HD, pretty much fully fit. As they are out of water, Rokav and Ash both spend the day hunting and foraging, and looking for a place for the Traps. Nothing happens during the daylight hours. Ash automatically sustains himself, and Rokav gets partial success, finding enough food for 2 days, and enough water for himself and the skins. Overnight there is an encounter! It happens right at the end of Ash’s watch, so Rokav is fully restored before it happens.

Looking online, a D&D5e encounter table says “Blights” which are like small animated twigs, vines, thorns etc. I prefer a “forest imp” type creature which is a small (like 1-2 feet tall) humanoid but with thorns for fingertips, holly as hair, roots for legs and so on. Ash’s animal sense will assist here.

Animal Sense (WIS) 4+6-1 = partial, so yes, we’ll rule here that the Imps want to steal something and they are in Rokav’s pack as he awakens.

Rokav rolls to his feet as Ash growls and nudges him with a wet muzzle. They are surrounded by 6 Forest Imps, plus another who is rummaging in his backpack. It pulls out the (random item=) lantern and turns to run, holding it in both hands. The Imps scatter.

Rokav “Catch Imp” (DEX) 5+5+2 = Crit! He can capture the Imp and regain his item. 1d6=5 of the Imps return to the campsite and chitter angrily. (Speak common? Unlikely = no). Ash snarls, but Rokav picks up all his belongings then pushes the Imp away to his friends, making a “go away” gesture with the back of his hand. Imps retreat? Likely = No but … they aren’t aggressive. They move back into the trees and bushes, watching. Rokav shrugs and packs his kit, then they head out to the Trap site (Did the imps find it? Unknown = yes but they don’t like the food. Survival (WIS) 1+1+0 = only 1 ration found). The Imps follow in the treetops, climbing or swinging like monkeys. Rokav tuts in annoyance. 50XP.

Rokav heads north to 2112 (middle of the yellow oval) in the afternoon, yet another encounter! Half Orc patrol from the tent village? Likely = No, but … Charity. An offering from the half-orcs to the forest imps!

Rokav spots some … shelves? … nailed high up in some trees in a clearing. Metal glints off some of them. The Imps suddenly start chittering excitedly and rush up to the shelves, where they excitedly examine a bunch of brik-a-brak of mostly little value. There are a decent amount of human-type tracks here, heading northwest. Rokav suspects this means he is close to the north edge of the Forest, as such frequent passage indicates a settlement or regular route, as civilised humanoids rarely live or travel in numbers in the deep forest. The Imps seem distracted, and Rokav decides that evil folk wouldn’t try to placate the Imps, so he will follow the tracks northwest to 2012 for the chance of human company and a warm bed.

The Half Orc Settlement at 2012 is a combination of tents at forest level, and single or twin room “tree houses” connected to each other and the ground by vines, rope ladders, planks etc. There are over a hundred souls here by estimate of the lodgings.

Rokav presents himself to the leader of the settlement:

“Drilu?” asks the chief, referring to a nearby tribe. “Nehar” answers Rokav.

“Why are you here?” asks the chief. “Nomad” answers Rokav.

“You are welcome, as long as you head south or east when you leave”.

Rokav agrees. The “man’s business” is at ground level, which includes weapons care, fletching, lumber, racks for skins and hooks for meat, there is even a “bar tent” of sorts, Ash is welcome inside for a tip. Silver is only worth half here, although items not easily obtainable are worth double, and “pretty things” can be found buyers for wives and mothers etc. He trades the “innkeeper” the pretty coral for some silver and all his board, food and drink for 2 nights and arranges a deal with the fletcher and barkeep for some arrows. He also gets some trinkets for offering to the Imps.

He learns of the history of the place by chatting with the locals, and meets an “orphan” called Wushir who wants to accompany him when he leaves. He has no family and is treated badly by the Half Orc tribe. Rokav sizes him up, he has some basic equipment but looks a tough lad. He agrees. Rokav hands over his old sling when he sees that Wushir has no ranged weapon and they agree to meet after first food in 2 days - Wushir looks for Mistletoe (Quicksilver) in the forest and finds 1 each day (weak success x2).

The group head southeast to 2112 back to the Offerings Place and leave some trinkets, then in the afternoon strike out northeast to 2212 intending to skirt the Imp nest. There is an Encounter - Imps? Likely = Yes, they are returning to the Nest with their trinkets and avoid the group. 50 XP. The group are travelling relatively fast so they have some time in the evening, Rokav will set his traps while Ash will forage for himself and Wushir looks for water.

Wushir Survival partial = 2 days water (they can refill their skins in the morning)

Rokav Survival Crit! 2 days rations each, in the morning.

Overnight events = no.

Picking up their supplies, the group head east to 2312. Every so often they leave some trinkets for the Imps, until they leave their domain with no encounters, and strike out northeast to 2412. The forest is quiet but in the mid-afternoon they discover a clearing with a sloped entrance leading underground. Interesting! What’s also interesting is they fail to notice the cocooned animals and humanoids concealed hanging in the treetops above! The burrow is home to a colony of Large Flying Ants, and the cocoons are the remains of meals hunted by Giant Spiders. Are there spiders above? Unknown = No but … on their way. Are there any Ants outside or in the first chamber? Unknown = No but … on their way!

"Graggar stories" continues soon!