Torrian Race Rules

Here are the Torrian race rules, for Giants players:

+2 Constitution, +2 Strength or Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 8 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, One other
Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Nature

Vitality: +1 Healing Surge
Leap: Treat all jumps made as if they had a running start.
Roar: You have the roar power.

Roar
Encounter * Fear
Standard Action Close Burst 3
Targets: All enemies in area
Attack: Strength +2 vs. Will, Constitution +2 vs. Will, or Wisdom +2 vs. Will
Hit: 1d6 + chosen attribute modifier damage and target is immobilized (save ends). Increase to +4 bonus and 2d6 + chosen attribute modifier damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus and 3d6 + chosen attribute modifier damage at 21st level.
Special: When you create your character, choose Strength, Constitution, or Wisdom as the ability score you use when making attack rolls and to determine damage with this power. This choice remains throughout your character's life.

Tomb of Horrors-Character Gen Guidelines

Hey gang. Okay, looks like Eberron for sure, just a few hoops to jump through for me, no sweat.

Characters are to be of NINTH level. This is a change based on an extra pc and some guidelines from the adventure. Standard array, just like our other Ebberon campaigns. Assign equipment and gold as per the rules for higher level pc's (it's in the character generator).

The first adventure will begin in the Spring of 998, location on Khorvaire tbd after I see the character builds.

It is imperative because of level and the start year that you know what your character was doing during the Last War because undoubtedly you were of a level to be involved just a few short years ago, four since the fall of Cyre, two since the Treaty of Thronehold. Background may not always affect this particular adventure cycle, but it does affect what happens in between and how you deal with each other, of course.

You will begin play as an established adventuring company in part or as a whole so previous connections are necessary. You will begin play with a drama die if you are connected to another pc in a significant way. Make sure you know your character because I am likely to put you in bonus situations where it will matter. :)

It is generally my style to smooth out problems during play so play what you want, I dig variety as long as it doesn't cross over into silly, not something I expect from this group.

So far I have these sketches:

Ben-Hafling Rogue-Traditional Sneak

Chris-Human Warlord-Did I hear that right?, Cyran would be great, angst!

Randy-Elven Paladin from Aerenal-Cool and prolly a hair creepy, much fun.

Nate-Minotaur Monk-Cannot. Wait. For. This.

Dan-Cool Psion with a touch of Bard or Gnome Slinger Rogue or something else....

Paul-I can't remember what you told me, sorry, I wouldn't know the others if they weren't written.

So:

Striker, Leader, Defender, Striker, and Controller or Striker (ranged) and Paul. (I think Paul is a Bard with a touch of Psion! LOL)

Okay, let the games begin. Send me some backgrounds! I'll post this on the blog.

Oh, yeah, it is possible, however unlikely, that you will need a backup character. Or, um, two. :) tie them to your PC or the party and they will start with a drama die as well.

Mini-Review: D&D Miniatures Game

So I picked up the actual D&D Miniatures Starter Set (the latest one, which has 4E-type rules, not the original 3E-based one). Mostly I wanted to get the five exclusive minis in the box, because I'm a mad collector nom nom nom. But it also comes with a d20, four nice maps, a rulebook, and some miscellaneous counters. So I figured, maybe I'll try these rules out.

I was very pleasantly surprised! I played a couple of double-handed games in about 45 minutes. I had imagined that the included creatures would be too basic to make an interesting game. But as it turned out, Wizards did a really good job of balancing the starter kit, and each game I played had a good balance of interesting tactical options and straightforward speed of play. I credit the maps, which are carefully crafted, and the lack of damage rolls. The fluid initiative system (initiative is re-rerolled every round) adds a surprising amount of interest.

I don't know how the game will change by adding in all the booster pack monsters — I imagine it will get a lot more crazy and complex, the way that Magic: the Gathering did. But at least as an inexpensive ($15) evening's distraction, the Starter Set gets an A.

Product link (wizards.com)

Getting My Map On

Can you tell:

• Which creature is bloodied?
• Which creature is healthy?
• Which creature has initiative?

Crossposted at Behind the Screen

PC: Terath Smoke

Terath Smoke - Razorclaw Shifter Rogue 9

History:
Unlike many of his race, Terath Smoke wasn't born in the forests of the Eldeen Reaches. Instead, he was born amidst the lower class homes and businesses of Middle Tavick's Landing in Sharn. His mother did his best to raise him and his half-dozen brothers and sisters, while his father was off fighting in the war for Breland and sending money back to the family.

From the time that he could walk, he was a natural climber and jumper, and it wasn't long before he was joining in on children's games of Hrazhak, a full-combat sport not unlike rugby played by shifters in Sharn. The children who played and watched these games also engaged in a petty theft, begging and other activities for money and thrills, and before long, Terath was the de facto leader of his own small gang. He quickly realized that it wasn't in his best interests to rob the merchants that his mother bought food from, and so he and his friends started sneaking up to rob the residences and shops in Upper Tavick's Landing. Terath was probably headed for jail or maybe an unceremonious drop off a high tower at the hands of the Watch if he hadn't met Vosh.

Vosh was a half-orc, a former Brelish scout who had been crippled in the war and sent home. He had opened a weapons shop in Tavick's Landing, where he could put his vast experience with a variety of weapons to use. He had served alongside Terath's father and promised to look after Terath's children when he got back, and for Terath, that took the form of taking his undisciplined brawling style and teaching him to fight. Vosh helped Terath develop his own fighting style that took advantage of his natural athleticism and acrobatic talent, moving around and using his momentum to fight, and he gave him a gift, a magical Dhakaani blade that Vosh had used in the war. He also cautioned Terath to stay out of Upper Tavick's and to get out of the thievery, lest he draw the attention of one of the powerful guilds of Sharn.

Terath learned some of the lessons, but what he learned was that he and his friends needed to expand out of Upper Tavick's Landing. They became a group of freelance thieves, working throughout Sharn. They also drew the attention of the Daask and the Boromar Clan, interfering with several of their smaller operations, and many, if not most, of Terath's friends have been killed by those guilds, which has only made him more determined to stay independent. Although he is thinking that it might be time to get out of Sharn for a while. Maybe go looking for his father, who disappeared in the closing days of the war, and whom Terath has only met once or twice in his entire life.

Personality:
Terath was raised by a gods-fearing mother and sisters, a former soldier who believed in the tenets of the Gatekeeper druids and any number of older friends on the streets of Sharn. As a result, he's developed a personality that is part military dedication, part good-hearted servant of the gods and many many parts roguish street dweller.

Perhaps most notable about Terath is that he's cocky, fully confident in his physical abilities. He's got more than a little bit of "jock" about him, he still loves and plays the sport of Hrazhak and not a day goes by that he doesn't spend some time exercising and some time climbing and running among the towers of Sharn. He has little respect for those who can't handle themselves physically, although his mother, sisters and Vosh did drill into him that only a bully uses his physical superiority to take advantage of the weak. His run-ins with the bullies in the Daask has reinforced this lesson, and he's fairly likely to take the side of the underdog in any given fight.

Terath is an exuberant fighter, given to mockery of his foes and boasts to his friends as he flips and jumps and runs about the battlefield, but Vosh taught him to always be thinking tactically, and so while he might seem little more than a chaotic, uncontrolled force in battle, he's always mindful of what he's doing, and he has learned, while working alongside his gang, to watch out for his friends and take advantage of their help even as he helps them when he can.

Terath worships the Sovereign Host, although he's especially partial to the teachings of Dol Dorn (the god of courage and physical prowess), Baldrei (goddess of hearth and home) and Olladra (goddess of luck and plenty). He believes in helping and protecting your community, maintaining and testing his physical prowess and living a bold life. He has less devotion to the other gods, but he will offer small prayers to them in situations where he thinks they could be of help.

How I Roll

Thought you guys might get a kick out of seeing what I'm doing on my laptop during game play. I created this Numbers* file to track William's status during play. It provides a very concise, one-page view of his status, powers, and modifiers. Click on the image to view a PDF file version of the first page of the spreadsheet. Other pages have my feats, skills, and the notes I take during the game.

I use the same spreadsheet template for Fargrim, my dwarven invoker in the Circle of Love game.

* Numbers is Apple's spreadsheet app, part of iLife '09.

Fargrim son of Thorgrim of etc etc.

Leveled up to 8^th, in expectation of the beginning of next session. I swapped out my slighty lame Grasping Shards at-will power in favor of Avenging Light, boosted his Wisdom and Constitution, and picked up the Scouring Wrath feat, which adds vulnerability 2 to the radiant damage that a foe takes if it's unwise enough to attack me.

Two things I forgot about ol' Fargrim in our last session:

• He has the 6^th level utility power Astral Step, which is a daily teleport all allies power. Might have been handy to remember.


• His 1^st level at-will Sun Strike power, which I used a lot, slides its target 1 square on a successful hit. Again, handy.

Download Fargrim's D&D Character Builder file

PC: Tengri, Dragonborn Sorcerer

Tengri was born and lived his first several years among the Redcrest clan of dragonborn like any normal child, raised among his clutch by his parents. Strong and curious, he grew quickly, made friends fast, and learned well. He seemed well suited for the life of a warlord someday, until the eighth anniversary of his hatching, when his hidden talents appeared. At a celebration for his clutch, Tengri suddenly exploded into flame, badly burning his family and scaring his clan. Half-memories of ancient times exploded into his mind, fragments of power floating on a river of ghosts, and for days he lay in a coma. When Tengri awoke, he could feel his connection to the power and majesty of the ancient dragons pulsing like a heartbeat, and his scales had changed to a deep green.

Frightened by this new power, and the damage it had caused, the Redcrest clan elders concluded that Tengri was possessed by an ancient dragon spirit. Though it would be taboo to kill him, they directed his family to abandon him in nearby Darkholme Forest, for his presence in the clan would bring great sorrow. Weeping, his parents did as ordered, and Tengri found himself alone and clanless for the first time.

The first few weeks were the roughest, but using his new powers, Tengri was able to survive long enough to find a pack of Longtooth shifters who also made Darkholme forest their home. The shifters were content to let him watch them from afar so long as he did not disturb them, and from these observations he slowly learned how to survive better in his new home- what to eat, how to hunt, how to make armor for protection from the skins of what he caught. In time he made contact with the shifters, becoming friendly with some pack members and trading with them. He never became close enough to be considered a true pack member by the wary pack leaders, but he was known as an ally in the region.

Eventually, Tengri felt it was time to leave the forest and test his power elsewhere, and when he did a barbarian from the shifters left with him. They still travel together, just wandering, looking for anything of interest.

Personality: Tengri is unused to the company of people, so he tends to stay quiet. His draconic power shines strongly from within him, however, giving him an aura of confidence and ancient might that is almost palpable. He firmly believes that he is a throwback to the ancient days of the dragonborn, when they were first created from the blood of a dying dragon god, and thinks of himself more as a dragon than a dragonborn.

Appearance: Tengri's scales are a deep green and are wide and thick. He is large and heavily muscled. He wears hide armor, as he learned to do in the forest, and uses a dagger as an implement because it reminds him of a dragon's claw.

PC: Mmirg, half-orc warden

Mmirg was born, his father is fond of saying, to the wild.

Less than two decades ago, Mmirg Lightstep entered the world and the village of Threeflower as the first and only son of a human woodsman and a half-orc barbarian woman. Years earlier, Capen Lightstep was discovered pinned beneath a log after an amateurishly created deadfall he was trying to dismantle fell apart around him. His rescuer was Annat k'Brek, an orc barbarian who had left her homelands to wander in search of adventure. Annat left Threeflower shortly after saving Capen, but came back often over the years, eventually taking the quiet woodsman as her husband.

Threeflower is a trading village on the Western slope of the Shrouded Vale, and dwarves, halflings and even the occasional tiefling are not uncommon sights; the birth of a half-orc was unusual, but barely worth comment among the locals. This would change, however, as Mmirg grew from a rambunctious child to a thrill-seeking and often brash young man.

Gossip of Mmirg's latest exploits — throwing himself from the Council House roof, gleefully fighting a gang of trappers single-handedly, shamelessly attempting to bed any and all women in the village — became common currency in the community. Combined with his tendency to loudly proclaim himself, "Mmirg the Mighty," "Mmirg the Magnificent," or any of a dozen other honorifics, the villagers came to view Mmirg with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

With Annat often joining an adventuring party for months, sometimes years, at a time, Capen took it upon himself early to try and balance his son's fiery disposition. In youth Mmirg would join his father in the forests and glens of Shrouded Vale, learning lore and surprising himself by finding a measure of peace in the wilderness. He also surprised himself — and everyone who knew him — when he somehow tapped into the primal force of nature.

Some said it was because Mmirg was a force of nature himself, but his father knew nature unrestrained was heavy with the potential for disaster. He sent his son to a Warden's Hall, where he could learn to expand and use his gifts in service to the wild.

Now after years of training Mmirg is as confident as ever, fiercely protective of the natural world he feels has chosen him as a favored son, and following his own path to adventure and what he is sure will be a celebrated destiny.

PC: Taiha Lakar

(Updated 20090416)

Taiha, spear, is not just a weapon to my people, not just a tool. It is our way of life. Taiha is everything, life, death, happiness, survival. It is how we say Hello and Goodbye, and is our beginning and end.

I am Taiha Lakar. Taiha is my clan. Lakar is me. Bear is me. I follow the spirit of Bear. Bear teaches us Caution, Healing and Leadership. Many men honor me by calling me Taiha. I understand now that your ways are different.

I am Skywatcher, teacher of my people. Like the bear, I led the young Skywatcher cub to grow strong. Proud I felt to see him stand tall like bear. Now I am free to wander as goliath do, as the spirits guide, to find what is beyond the next mountain.

The spirits and travels are my taiha. I learn about those not of my tribe and their strange ways. I teach of the spirits, the bear and the old ways.

My armor is the prize from first battle without my clan. Like the bear, I rose above my enemy. It is not what I expected from metal (Eladrin Chain +2). It does not slow me down. The spirits are pleased.

Ti was our neighbor clan in the tribe. They also follow bear. Ti Aukan, Skywatcher of Ti gave his banner as a gift of brothers. The banner summons spirits of healing and makes me part of Ti.

I do not like to fight animals. They fight by instinct, not hate; fear, not vengance. This is not always true of magic beasts.

I met viper at the taiha of the great mountain. A great battle of bear spirit and snake spirit. Viper was slain. I apologize to the spirits. I thank the spirits. Now his skin protects me from poison. I am one with the spirit of snake.


Goliath Bear Shaman
Str 13
Con 16
Dex 12
Int 13
Wis 16
Cha 12
Feats: Protector Spirit Adept, Combat Medic, Chainmail, Imp Init
Skills: Nature, Heal, Perception, Insight

Equipment:
Hungry Spirit Totem +2
Eladrin Chain +2
Amulet of Protection +2
Spear
Javelin (2)
Adventure kit (with mods)
Climbers kit
Battle Standard of Healing
Viper Belt

Being on his own, he has had to develop certain "social" skills (4th level ability increases: Str & Cha).

Backgrounds: Skywatcher (+2 Religion), Mountain birth, Scholar (as goliaths go)

Fargrim son of Thorgrim of Black Mountain (updated)

Fargrim is my character for the upcoming Open Grave one-shot. Ashanti Sunborne, who appears in Fargrim's story, will be my character for the ongoing game.

Fargrim was born 35 years ago to his parents Helja and Thorgrim, leaders of a small but prosperous dwarven mining clan in the mountains above a pleasant, fertile river valley. The Grimfell clan traded precious metals and finely wrought metal goods with the larger human town of Rivervale down along the riverbanks, and with the human merchant caravans that occasionally made their way through that town, by road and by river.

Even as a young child, Fargrim displayed an interest in clan politics and relations with the humans. He would often sit at his father's knee during negotiation sessions with local merchants and human leaders. It was during one of these, discussing prices and trade markets for goods produced from a newly-discovered vein of mithral deep in the roots of Black Mountain, that young Fargrim's life changed forever. The clan miners, eager to find the extent of this new vein, broke through into an ancient crypt hidden in the depths of the mountain. Their surprise quickly changed to alarm as first dozens, then hundreds of undead lizard-like creatures swarmed through the opening towards them.

Shouts and screams echoed up through the tunnels and chambers of the clan's home to the audience chamber. The King Thorgrim thrust his young son Fargrim, then only 4 years old, into the arms of his human guest, bade him depart, and then took up arms and led a counterattack of the remaining dwarven warriors into the depths.

The human merchant party fled the mountain, taking young Fargrim down into the human town with them. A militia was quickly called out to assist the dwarves, but by the time they arrived it was too late. All of Clan Grimfell had been slain, and the undead creatures lay in wait.

Fargrim was taken in by a traveling priest of Pelor, Ashanti Sunborne. Ashanti had been traveling with the merchant caravan, and when the trade delegation returned with their grim news, he saw something in young Fargrim. A spark of divine power lay dormant in the boy. Undead monsters had ravaged his home and taken his parents, but Ashanti believed Pelor had given a destiny to the child. The pair traveled together for many years, living on the road during Ashanti's missionary work, and as the boy matured into a young adult, his power grew by leaps and bounds.

Meanwhile, with the loss of Black Mountain and its trade, the human town of Rivervale withered. The trade caravans no longer visit the town, and no river barge captain dares sail upstream so close to the undead-infested mountain. Darkness fell upon the once-shining river valley.

Now, at age 35, Fargrim son of Thorgrim has entered into the final covenant of the invoker. Like Ashanti, Fargrim also believes that Pelor invested him with divine power in order that he might avenge his clan and take back his ancestral homeland from the unliving enemy. He bade farewell to his foster father and mentor, and has set out on his own mission, righteous fury burning in his stout heart.

Gzipped D&Di Character Builder file

And here's Ashanti's CB file (updated 8:48 PM Sunday April 5)

Recap: "Pointy Eyes? That's Fucked Up."

After killing the warlock and finding proof of the mage's treachery, we headed back to the Seven Pillared Hall to return Longtusk to his rightful owner, get our reward, and question the mage there. Of course, he wanted us to go kill the traitor for him, but he offered some decent pay, so we agreed. He also warned us about bronze minotaur golems that the traitor may have. We followed the silver key to a hidden door in the Labyrinth that opened into a chamber empty except for a teleport circle, and when we entered it, a spectral image of the God Vecna appeared.

Vecna, apparently, wanted our secrets but had no interest in the key to the Court of Bones. We all spent some time telling the bored ghost stories except for Brynn, who just sucked up to it and told it it had nice protoplasm or something, and eventually it said it would let us through if we each gave it a little life force. Everyone agreed except Alaric, who as a paladin of the Goddess of Death said there was no way he was giving a God of the Undead any such thing, and offered it his magical shield instead, which it accepted, and teleported the group.

We found ourselves in an area filled with pillars carved with faces, some with gags and some with blindfolds, and as soon as we moved to investigate it were attacked by a group of 5 norkers. These bitey little bastards were fairly tough, and as we fought them lightning that slowed us and mental attacks that stole our powers came from the pillars. Soon, a second group of norkers joined the fray, and after beating both groups we found that around the corner there were two fleshslicers using some device to create the pillar attacks. These two freakjobs tore off their own faces after we bloodied them, which was a fine how do you do, but we took care of them quickly and moved on to another teleporter.

On the second level a quick look around saw a hallway, with a bronze minotaur patrolling at the very end, and a door. Finjaq quickly looked in the room, saw a giant glass container with a bronze minotaur head floating in it, several tables with alchemical crap on them, a fleshslicer, and a norker, and decided that if we could all get inside before the minotaur saw us we could avoid fighting it. This worked well until, with Finjaq, Brynn, and Quij in the room, it noticed Bakun and Alaric and charged.

It still seemed better to try to slow it down, so Bakun and Alaric moved into the room, Quij cast a web outside the doorway and shut the door, and Alaric and Quij barricaded the door. This allowed the rest of the party to focus on the two idiots who had been in the room originally, and they were quickly taken down. When the minotaur knocked the door down, Alaric moved a table in the way, and when it went around to another door, Brynn moved a table in the way there too. As the minotaur chopped at the second door, Brynn and Quij damaged it at range, another fleshslicer and norker attacked and died, and Alaric and Bakun, bored, decided to trash the glass case.

Upon the destruction of the case, the head rolled free, and the acidic liquid inside it splashed all over the two vandals, but most importantly it pissed the traitor mage Paldomar off enough that he teleported down into the room. He started to yell at us, but quickly got an arrow in the chest, and then we all joined in the curbstomping. At one point, he tried to run for both of the two teleporters, but Brynn stood on one and Finjaq the other, slowing him down long enough for us to finish him off. Alaric, meanwhile, kept the minotaur occupied until the party returned, and it didn't last much longer. A quick rest later, and we decided to go up to the third level and see what loot he may have.

MVPC: Alaric, for starting the breaking of the case.

Recap: "Show Me Balls In The Hallway!"

This one is a bit late.

With all four summoning items in hand, we were ready to perform the ritual. That required four of us each taking an item and heading to the four different ritual areas, where the items had to be put down at the same time. Alaric went to the door that it should open, to grab the attention of whatever emerged. Upon dropping the four items, the door very slowly started to open, but more importantly a trap activated in each of the four ritual areas, a green dragon flew up out of the pit in the center of the complex, and a giant spiked ball began quickly rolling around in a track that circled the pit area.

To get everyone out of the traps and back together, we gathered in the central pit area, just inside the deadly rolling ball.The dragon used its maneuverability to the fullest, avoiding the death ball and flying around to the backside of the room using the ball track. It also spit poison and lashed with its tail. Its most effective attack, though, was hypnotism, which it used to make Alaric jump in front of the death ball and Bakun jump into the hundred-foot pit, something that would have killed him if Brynn and Finjaq hadn't jumped down with a rope to save him. Eventually, though, the dragon was killed, and we got the party up out of the pit.

By then the door had opened, leading to a passage filled with mist. We headed through and found a demonic gnoll warlock with wings performing some sort of ritual on two humans in a magic circle, as well as a Bar-Lgura, a skeletal minotaur, and three carnage demons. There were also several giant cauldrons bubbling over with some crap that hid the enemy and were dangerous if we got too close. The fight got pretty nasty, with the carnage demons able to trap Brynn and Quij in a corner and Finjaq going down at one point, but we were able to knock a human out of the circle to stop whatever the hell the warlock was doing, and eventually take him and his crew down. On him we found a silver key that magically told Alaric where the door it fit was, and a letter from one of the mages of the Seven-Pillared Hall tying him to what was going on.

MVPC: Brynn, for saving Bakun in the pit.

Recap: "Do you think this is a load-bearing pile of bodies?"

We took our newly-gained demonic knowledge and moved farther into the Well of Demons, where we next encountered a trio of spirits. They claimed to be adventurers of song and legend, testing us to see if we were worthy to destroy the champion of Baphomet, but they were actually a group of annoying fuckbags, who wanted us to flex a bunch and tell them stories about how we help old ladies cross the street. Alaric gave them the spiritual finger, but not before they told us a bit about the area in exchange for all our posing and rhythmic gymnastics. There were four items we needed to find, one of which we already had, and when all four were simultaneously placed on four runed circles, the champion would appear.

Setting out in search of the items, we discovered a room which ended in a curtain. On the other side of the curtain was a long hallway filled with mirrored pillars that complled people to look at them, as Alaric discovered when he stepped through, looked in a mirror and was teleported to a small room with no exits containing an angry gnoll who wasn't long for this world. He was joined there soon by Brynn, then Bakun, and finally Finjaq. Meanwhile, the party had been doing some experimenting, finding another curtained area around the corner via another teleporting mirror. In this new area was an altar with a palmprint recessed in it, as well as the item we needed. As angry skeletons attacked him, Quij desperately slammed his hand into the palmprint, bringing everyone back to the first curtained area again. In Alaric's haste to save Quij, he teleported to him and stupidly tore down the second curtain, setting off a chain reaction of teleports that just made getting out an enormous pain in the ass. Eventually, though, the party made it out with the item, a mask.

We then tried to rest, which didn't go so well as a Bar-Lgura appeared from space in our camp. We killed it, and our second rest attempt went better. The next room was filled with a lake of blood, and had two enormous statues holding chains on either side of it. We could see the two pieces of the item we needed, a dagger, on the other side, but were pretty sure that the statues would turn into whirling death machines if we just tried to take them, so Alaric knocked the door down to use as a raft and Finjaq jumped over to a statue to disarm it. It was at this point that all hell broke loose, as the statues did what we expected, except they knocked Finjaq into the blood (which turned out to be poisonous), and three carnage demons came out, all gory and gross. We beat the closest statue to rubble so we'd have a place to stand and so it would stop knocking us into the damn blood, then fought the demons, which were a pain in the ass. Finjaq almost died after being dragged underneath the blood, despite two weak attempts by Alaric to pull him up, but Bakun was able to heal him. Finally, we killed the demons, destroyed the other statue from range, boated over to the dagger on the door, used magic to pick them up, and got the fuck out of there.

The worst was yet to come, however. The last room looked fine- just a room with a bunch of pillars made of stacked, writhing, wailing corpses, no biggie- but when we went in, six carnage demons came out of the pillars and a Bar-Lgura appeared. A serious fight was on, with Alaric drawing the attention of nearly all the demons, while everyone just tried to kill them as quick as possible. Meanwhile, the pillars did weird shit to everyone like grab them, spit acid, throw them around, and more. Bakun made a run for the item, a bell, and the Bar-Lgura went after him, sticking its boot up his ass. When he picked the bell up it shot spikes through his hand, nearly killing him, and he ran for his life back to the rest of us, chased by the big demon. It was at this point, as Alaric was surrounded by demons, barely holding on due to his high AC and HP, that Bakun figured he'd ring the bell and, you know, see what happened.

What happened was everyone went berserk, making them much easier to hit and also do more damage, so suddenly every demon could hit Alaric easily and tear him a new asshole. "I'm bloodied... and I'm pissed!" was the paladin's statement as he dropped from near-max health to 15 in one round. Thankfully, attrition also kicked in around then, as demons started to drop, and some desperate healing and last-minute heroics managed to keep everyone alive long enough to see them all dead. Finally, we have all four items, and it's time to kick some Baphomet ass.

MVPC: Alaric, for his mad tanking skillz.

Finjaq Asks (2/4/09)

(per a suggestion from the randy-minded Randy)

“Tell me ‘bout yer first love. Or hell, if ya even believe in love at all!”

Finjaq's Beastie-ary, Part 2

It's time fer another round o' scallywags an' ne'er-do-wells, straight from me own life experiences...

Hobgoblin – I never been much for the military (too regimented fer this rascal’s taste) but I give ‘em a healthy respect. An' every time I see Hobgoblins in action I remember why. They fight like soldiers, they do. Got better armor than plain ol’ Goblins, fight in formation with shields locked, an’ they don’t get fazed in all that battlefield chaos. They’re big, too, big as a tavern lout. For that alone you’d never mistake ‘em fer Goblins, but they also got skin colored like dried blood. Truth is, they’re like a whole race a’ soldiers - small wonder they’re the boss ‘round their Goblin an’ Bugbear cousins. Best yeh can do against ‘em is break their coordination an’ try ta split ‘em up. One-on-one (or three on one – that’s Finjaq-style!) ya got a chance. Oh, an’ hey, keep a special eye out fer their shamans. “Warcasters” they call ‘em an’ they’ll be the ones in robes. Got several tricks up their sleeves, an’ the worst by far’s a blast wave that hammers an area big as a house. Knocks every man jack on his ass an’ feels like the worst hangover ever.

Ghoul – Vile. Nasty. Rancid. I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout me table manners, friend, I’m talkin’ ‘bout them nasty cousins ta zombies: Ghouls. They got the same stomach-turnin’ desire fer flesh, but no zombie ever moved so lightnin’-fast as a ghoul. What they look like’s a bone-thin man with rottin’ flesh an’ teeth filed ta cut an’ tear. They’re cunning as the taxman, an’ just a touch more like ta outright kill ya. They’ll come at ya quiet-like from the shadows, cut on ya with claws that’ll make yer legs sieze up, and then comes the bite. They’ll near unhinge their damnable jaw for that big chomp, an’ if it hits…if it hits yeh better pray yer friends are nearby ‘cause then yer whole body’s gonna stiffen. I can’t imagine no worse way ta go. Frozen stiff, but still alive when it gets ta chewin’ on yer insides. I figure you wanna let the archers chew ‘em up a’fore ye even think of gettin’ in close, and if yeh got a holy man who lives ta smite undead bastards back ta their graves, for Pelor’s sake let ‘im!

Homunculus – Alright, here’s the thing – little impish flyin’ beasties, look like they’re made’a clay, right? Kind of bad-things-come-in-small-packages critter only some damn fool wizard would cook up, but far from the worst thing lurkin’ in most underground lairs? An’ yet…an’ yet…they got some tricks up their sleeve that’ll make ya want ta pitch the next wizard ya see into a lake. I suggest yeh do it, I really do. Their first line o’ defense is them bitey teeth – a few good chomps an’ yer walkin’ ‘bout as fast as a cripple. Plus they got some magic lets ‘em get in yer head and rattle ya good so’s ya can’t hit ‘em. They’ll even have ya swingin’ at yer own mates instead! Poor ol’ Finjaq near met his end that way, one dark day. See, this half-elven lass he used to trust near turned him into a pin cushion tryin’ ta put an arrow through one’a them little sodders. To this day I’m workin’ through me trauma.

Recap: "Be at peace, Robot Boar, Be at peace"

Heading further in to the old minotaur temple that we would later learn was called the Well of Demons, we quickly found some of the gnolls we were looking for, along with their nasty hyena pets. Those things smelled like ass and apparently ate their own shit, but weren't much of a challenge, so after a short battle we moved on, stumbling into a large room that held Longtusk, the dire boar we were semi-looking for. He was in a pen and staked down, being harassed by more shithound hyenas.

Brynn quickly found that there were also four gnoll archers hidden behind a barricade of haybales when they filled her full of holes, so a new plan was needed. Quij filled their end of the room with poison gas and Brynn lit the hay on fire, forcing them out of their defensive redoubt. For the rest of the fight Quij kept the poison gas on as many as he could, damaging them (and occasionally Alaric, who ignored it). Finjaq moved in to take on the hyenas, supported by Bakun and later Alaric, and Brynn moved on to calming Longtusk, which worked until she used the boar for cover and it took an arrow in the ass. Amazingly, it stopped paying much attention to her then. After the enemies were all dead, though, she and Baku were able to calm and heal Longtusk and she rode him around while joyfully exclaiming "PONY!"

After a long rest to recover our strength, we moved on again, looking for the missing slaves, but finding instead a pair of Tieflings. A short parlay later, when they asked us why we were in the temple, Bakun answered "Charge!", so it was on like Donkey Kong. The Tieflings were caught in a corner, so they somehow vanished and teleported away, but we heard them enter a room at the end of the hall. Quij quickly filled the area outside that room with poison gas, and Alaric and Bakun moved to block of the hallway. Some crazy gnoll priestess bitch burst from the door and into the poison, charging at Bakun, and the Tieflings followed, and it continued to be on.

Attempts to keep the enemies in the poison gas failed, and Finjaq went down momentarily, poisoned, but Alaric got him back on his feet and got rid of the poison before it could hurt him. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong himself burst out of a side door and attacked (or maybe it was a Bar-Lgura demon), causing even more chaos. Despite having enemies among us, we quickly pulled our shit together and ruled the day. As we searched the area, a quasit servant of Demogorgon appeared and offered information for money or bits of soul. Alaric wanted nothing to do with this and left the room, but the rest of the group was cool with dealing with a demon and Finjaq paid it for some info in coin.

MVPC: Quij, for his poison cloud, especially when it accidentally killed the Tiefling who was trying to escape during the big battle.
Note: Max's father-in-law had herpes, so Ben played Bakun this session.

Finjaq Asks (1/21/09)

Okay, here's the first outing of Finjaq Asks for the Circle of Love D&D crew, with new questions to follow maybe every few weeks or so. The idea is to flesh out our characters a bit between sessions, have some roleplay fun, maybe earn some bonus points from our kindly DM ;)

Just answer in the comments section. You can be brief or be a blabbermouth, but if at all possible, I highly recommending answering in-character. Finjaq's first question is...

"Tell me 'bout yer weapons..."

Finjaq's Beastie-ary, Part 1

Many a monster's had a cool makeover as of the new edition, and what began as me just keeping a list of everything we'd fought is emerging as Finjaq's Beastie-ary. Simple idea: scurvy but loveable rogue, Finjaq, offers up his own bestiary based on personal experience. For me it's a way to make the monsters more "real," less a collection of stats and numbers. Plus I'm working in any notable info we've acquired on bringing these guys down, so there's some practical stuff, too. (SPOILERS for the alt. D&D group, incidentally)

Here's round one, and I'll add a few more each week. If you can imagine it in Finjaq's vaguely piratical growl it'll probably work best...

Bugbear – Goblins are wee little nasties, so when they want somethin’ flattened, they call in their big cousins – Bugbears. They’re about thick as a tree trunk an’a a full head taller than most (‘less yer a big northman like meself). What they mainly seem ta be into is knockin’ in heads with big ol’ morningstars. Worst part is, they’re not quite so dumb as they look – they’ll come at ya from the side, all sly-like, an’ they actually work with their littler cousins in a scrap. That cunning's how ye’ll know they ain’t just small ogres, that an’ their ratty brown fur. I don’t know no special weakness on ‘em, but if yeh stab ‘em again and again and again they do eventually fall over. I guess that’s somethin’.

Kobold – Ta hear some old-timers tell it, ye’d think these little buggers would die of a stiff breeze. Ol’ Finjaq thinks them old-timers need ta cut back on the Elven wine. Not that Kobolds’re much ta look at. Seem like some wee bastard children hatched from a Dragonborn, but Dragonborn got what they call “honor” and Kobolds got what they call “none.” They run in packs, see, and they’ll jump ya like a pack of bandits – shameful tactics! First time up against I thought a big man like meself would scatter ‘em, but the next thing I knew I was on the ground, all poked with holes from them spears an’ javelins they use. They’re too quick, blast their hides! All scurryin’ about and leapin’ a’fore ya can put ‘a blade through ‘em. Seen ‘em use slings too, throwin’ out burnin’ pitch or some glop ta get ya all stuck in place. Oh, they’ll fall easy enough if ye can hit ‘em and sure as hell bolt if they’re losin’ - even the bolder ones what fight with sword ‘n’ shield - but ye can’t be underestimatin’ ‘em. I guess the wretched things must even have religion, ‘cause once or twice I seen a priest with ‘em, gettin’ ‘em all puffed up ta fight harder. Fair sure I seen one spew out fire or lightnin’ once, too, so maybe them rumors that connect ‘em to dragons got some truth.

Cavern Choker – I’d tell yeh to watch for these beasties in high corners of dark dungeons, but what’d be the use? They hide like nobody’s business an’ their skin changes colors like octopi I seen in me sailor days. Blends ‘em in with the caves an’ walls they scurry up an’ down like bugs, not that ye’d want to see one up close anyway. Bit like a man, but pale as a corpse, not a shred of hair on ‘em, an’ worst of all is them overlong legs and arms they flip around like monkeys on. They bend like rubber, but they’re strong as ship’s rope an’ they’ll stretch out unnatural long ta wrap around some poor fool’s throat. Got little toothy spines all along their palms, all set ta lash ya if they ain’t chokin’ ya. I couldn’t tell ya if they got any smarts to ‘em or even know how ta talk, but they’re cunning, that they are.

PC: Quijlardunk "Quij"

Background
Born Andrew to human parents, his adopted father dubbed him Quij at an early age. His natural father was an adventurer, a fighter/mage torn between two professions and master of neither. He died when Quij was only a year old. His mother found comfort in the arms of an elf, Carric, who eventually made her his mate and gave her four more children.

Being the eldest of five, independence came natural to him. As a human living among elves, he has always been an outsider and has adapted. Still, he is more comfortable around elven kind than men and prefers to speak elven whenever possible.

Not fitting in to begin with, he felt little effect of the traditional lines between elves, half-elves, and the Eladrin. Being free to wander among the Fey, he found himself most comfortable with the Eladrin, and many of their traits have rubbed off on him including a love for magic and a bit of arrogance and detachment. While the Eladrin never accepted him as one of their own, they did bestow better treatment than an older human might have recieved, one who had already developed some of the undisciplined, bad habits of men. He relishes every moment with the Eladrin.

Personality/Skills
Perhaps from feeling outcast, or from too much time with the Eladrin, Quij does tend to be a bit elitist and perhaps even arrogant. Being a jack of all trades, he seems convinced that he really does know everything, or at least a little about everything. He enjoys observing others to learn new things, but doesn't take instruction well. He prefers to just watch, and then practice in private. The one notable exception to this is his study of magic, always willing to take instruction from a more experienced wizard.

He is a bookworm. His first stop in a new town is the library; failing that, the magic shop. As a student of mannerisms (Insight T +6), he knows that people perceive him as arrogant, but he doesn't care (Charisma 10, Diplomacy +2). Finally, he does have a penchant for the dramatic, often choosing the most spectacular course of action, if not the most efficient.

He is slow to make friends, but once a comrade proves himself to be a friend, he forms a strong bond.

Quij is a Wand Wizard but carries a staff. He does this for two reasons: both for the element of surprise, hoping his foes will assume he is a staff wizard, and because it just doesn't hurt that much when someone whacks you in the head with a wand...and you never know when you'll need to resort to violence.

20 Questions
- Why adventurer? To learn quickly, lots of exposure to many things, thirst for knowledge, especially magic
- Training? Elven magical "academy"
- Starting equipment? There isn't much really, staff, wand, robe, Adventuring pack. Saved his copper pieces. His spellbook was a surprising, and perhaps uncharacteristic gift from Carric, his adopted father.
- Worst thing that ever happened? Crappy life, mother and him only humans in family, few in tribe, outsider most of his life
- Best thing? Time with the Eladrin
- Family opinion? Father & siblings supportive, perhaps jealous, Mother disagrees after natural father died that way
- Short-term goals: New spells/rituals, magic wand
- Long-term: Find a ritual to become Fey, earn full acceptance of Eladrin