Monthly session: Salamanders, salamanders everywhere

The party found themselves in the room where they defeated the fire elementals last session. By now, all protection spells had worn off, and the pary started to feel the burn of the extremely hot environment. In order to dig deeper, the party decided to rest, heal and up the protection again the next day.

The next day

A large semi-natural corridor connected in the back of the elemental room. The adventurers followed the corridor looking for traps as they went along. After a few minutes, Martijn found a rune that looked suspicious. Some investigation learned that the rune was a rune of stunning, and quite some time was spent debating what to do with the rune. When Zull remembered the stunning lasts a minute or so at max, Budrik and Bronco decided to just trigger the rune and see wat happens. It turned out it was an old defensive rune with no active defense mechanisms left. After some waiting the team continued further down the corridor.

That smells like BATTLE!

After decending for another few minutes, the corridor connected to a new room. Martijn cautiously investigated this room, but had difficulty seeing here because of the turmoil in the air from the extreme heat. One thing was clear here, though. There was a sizeable battle being fought here. When we came closer, it became apparent that a group of salamanders was battling a fire giant. Although the fire giant was not in any real immediate danger, we decided to step in and help him, to come on his good side. Just to be sure, Martijn hid and kept a firm lock on the giant with his bow.

The battle that followed was short but fierce, mainly because of the superior grappling skills of the salamanders. The battle was harder in terms of combat mechanics than in challenge rating. When the Salamanders were extinguished, we tried to reason with the fire giant. We learned that he was part of a scouting party although he would not say what they were scouting for. He was uninterested in temporarily joining our ranks to het a mutual benefit. The discussion lasted until Martijn, who remained inactive during the preceding battle, lost his temper and shot the giant. Budrik and Zull tried to persuade the DM that cast pit and wall of stone is an excellent deadly combo, but he was not convinced. So, as an alternative, Budrik casted airwalk on Martijn, who walked over the pit and finished up the giant.

Salamander city, population: 1000

Continuing through the back of the rook, the adventurers soon learned why the fire giant was stuck at this side of the dungeon. behind a small blockade of stones lay an entire village of salamanders. Bad news. Agains better judgement the party decided to try and bargain with the salamanders. They cut off the giants head and Magnum took the honors. This was.... bad. He tried his very best, but the salamanders were not convinced and started to get more aggressive with each succeding argument. Things went horribly bad then Magnum tried to intimidate the captain of the guard, who ended that night's session with the words: "Boys, get him!".

Outstanding questions and actions

• What is this holy symbol of Beorn and why is it so important
• Why does Magnum always have to get caught
• How are we going to free him in a city of salamanders
• How can we get past the salamander village without murdering each and every one of them
• Or could we get away with that?

Monthly session report: Down the dwarven forgery

So, during my sabbatical I missed a lot. The party had put up base in the city Sundabar. In the Silver Marches region of Faerun. The city has been under siege by shadows in the last few months. The quest has been a continuing struggle against these shadows as well as some side quests cleaning out dungeons.

The session began by Magnum waking up in an alley without any of his gear. He missed the last session, so as is customary he was held captive in some stupid place. This time local street kids had stolen his gear. Unfortunately for one of the kids, Magnums patience was not endless as he threw his hammer through the punks head trying to retrieve his geiser. Yikes! Fortunately, some local priests were willing to raise the boy for free, otherwise he would have been in a more nasty situation.

Meanwhile, Budrik, my dwarven priest of Tyr, was summoned to the town hall by Helm Dwarf-Friend for a quest. He was offered 50000 goldpieces to retrieve the holy symbol of Beorn, that is presumed to be lost in the dwarven forgeries beneath the city. Budrik seeks out a party willing to help him on this quest. By great coincidence he finds a party hanging round in a local pub who are willing to take on this quest for 40000.

The forgeries are normally closed off and guarded, but the adventurers are let in by the city guard. The temerature of the complex begin to rise the deeper they come. After some time, the group is ambushed by three fire mephits. Zull sees this as the perfect opportunity to try out his new cloud kill spell. And with much effect. All three mephits were killed on the spot.

Several levels down we found a sort of anvil or table that had a faint trace of magic still lingering. Connected to the table were two empty sockets where orbs of about 10 cm could be placed. Guessing this would be the best lead to go deeper into the forgery we went looking for the orbs. The first we found in the possession of a bunch of steam mephits. It took some battle, but this one was quickly in our posession. The second was located in a water bassin we found behind a hidden staircase. A careful perception check revealed that the bassin was not empty, so we suspected that there would be water mephits living in the bassin.

Nobody particularly cared for some fresh under water combat, zo Zull summoned a large shark who had the mephits for lunch. The water mephits had the second orb, so we went back to the magic anvil. When the orbs were inserted into the sockets, the anvil table began to drop revealing a round staircase. The staircase led to a big hall, in which the temperature was even higher than in the level above. As soon as we set foot in the chamber we were attacked by 10 medium sized fire elementals. The battle that followed was long, but thanks to the protection spells cast, not too damaging.

The session ended when we defeated the last fire elemental.

Back from sabbatical

Last year and some more I did not sit at the game table. After almost 25 years of playing RPGs I guess I was tired of the same old grinding. But that will end next friday. I will join the old party for a good old game of Pathfinder.

And, in addition, this is also the 100th post on the blog, go figure :p

Pathfinder session 3: The Golden Baby

Tracking the white light

Standing in the debris of the battle, the adventurers decided that the best lead they had was the white lights. They searched the battlefield for valuable remains , and set off south again.

Fighting the owlbear

After some hours on the forrest, Rupert spots a bear-like creature with small, pointy ears. Cautiously he sneaks back and informed the party. It is decided that the safest thing to do is to rid the forrest of the animl. So, Bronco and Gladwin do some massive damage, Rupert is an owlbearhat richer and there was much rejoicing.

The crater

During one of his scout flights, Edgar found a big crater in the forrest. The party went and investigate it. It is clear that whatever it was, it must have made a big impact. The crater was a couple of meters deep and trees in the perimeter were knocked down.

Following the wolf

The party was observed by a wolf. Rupert approached the wolf because he sensed that the wolf was trying to communicate. The wolf moved deeper into the forrest, amd the party followed. After a while they arrived at a large open spot in the forrest with a big old oak in the middle. Around the oak, a large number of animals was gathered. Amongst the animals were wolves deers, and even a unicorn. The animals were all facing something in the middle of the circle

Golden baby

Upon closer investigation, the adventurers saw a baby near the base of the oak. The child was surrounded by a golden glow. Zull thought is was of etraplanar origin, but couldn't figure out which plane. Suddenly, a dryad emerged from the oak. She asked whether the adventurers were worthy to guard the baby. Rupert explained that they were as loyal as the highest bidder, and stayed loyal to them for the duration of a quest. Apparently economics had not entered the forrest in this region, as this explanation was met with stale glances.

The quest

Instead, the dryad transported the party to a forrest nobody recognized. Some explorarion revealed a little village nearby. The people in the village were very friendly, and received the party for dinner. They knew nothing about faerun, its lands or cities, so we either were not on faerun anymore, or in some very remote area. After a simple meal, one of the villagers sounded alarm about a living fire in the forrest. The party went to investigate and found an unusual fire elemental. The battle almost cost Bronco's life (again), but they manage to slay the elemental. Only problem: it went out with a bang, setting a portion of the forrest on fire.

Too pragmatic to guard a baby

With the forrest still ablaze, a portal appeared. Zull did not have to think long to take the portal. Rupert quickly joined him. After some hesitation(dont split the party) Bronco and Gladwin followed. The portal led back to the Dryad. She was dissappointedthe that we didnt put out the fire and deemed the party unworthy for protection of the celestial baby. Bad luck for the baby, good luck for us as we managed to grab a good load of xp.

Back in Thurmaster

With no options left, we set directions for thurmaster to report to Thauster about the events.thauster warned the party that a whole lot of nasty people wanted to get their hands on the lantern, and it would be a matter of time before they would get to us. The party decided that the current best plan was to go and search for clues in ...

Outstanding questions

• why did the dryad want to give the baby to the party
• who is the silent observer?
• What is the golden baby
• Who was Malnoc?
• Is anything known about Lisara's vampire family?
• What about the noble in Everlund?

Traveller - the last past months

So, where do we actually stand in the Traveller campaign. Here a writeup from the gamemaster about the major events of the campaign. Pending are the smuggle runs of the last two sessions.

Chapter 1 - Rat Hive Exodus

The Travellers are in the backwater Inchin system, in the Spinward Marches. Inchin is a poor desert planet owned by a guy named Iarl Rowri, an eccentric rich guy who bought his own planet, sure he could make a lot of money there. He has met a lot of setbacks and has not succeeded as of yet. Inchin now has a kind of totalitarian regime. Rowry apparently lives in a palace at the only town on Inchin, called Rowri's Folly by people off-planet.

Takeda Station orbits Inchin, clutered with neon signs. All the Travellers are stranded there one way or another. It used to be a mining/industrial base, but Rowri sold it to the mysterious Takeda because he needed the money. This was 15 years ago. Takeda station has the greatest bar this side of the galaxy, Murphy's Bar and Grill, completely filled with old-earth memorablia and culture. He even has a radio station that broadcasts Solomani songs (especially Creedence and Hank Williams).

Of course there is a rat problem in the cellar. The Travellers find the (radioactively mutated) pests, extend the range of the radio station and discover that Takeda Station contains a lot of scrap metal, including pieces of a huge ship called "The Galactic Dragon".

Chapter 2 - Beetlejuice

Old man Finkle is a drunk and completely broke. He loses his ship, Beetlejuice, to the Travellers in a poker game (but his pilot and stripper slash mechanic daughter keep their share). The Travellers also inherit the mortgage on the ship.

The Beetlejuice is a weird, green, 100 ton experimental ship, without jump capabilities. It is filled with non-standard tech.

In the meanwhile the only Traveller with a set goal is Max. A few years back, he received a mysterious marble of mercury-like substance through his girlfriend (later referred to as “Vril”). He researched this material at his university, far away in another sector. All his research, including the strange material, was stolen however. He traced the crime back to the Inchin system, and wants to retrieve his life's work.

Chapter 3 - Spacetruckers

Together, the Travellers launch the “Lone Star Trading Company”. Their first job entails doing some mining runs for an independent group of miners. These old geezers try to keep independent from the League of Miners and Prospectors, which slowly destroys their business. During the mining runs, the Travellers are bugged by a trader named Bachus, who owns a 500 ton far trader "Predator" and works for the League.

Chapter 4 - The Lion and the Dragon

Security Inspector Reichmann of the Inchin Police asks the Travellers check out Bachus, because he appears to deliver weapons to the Inchin resistance. They break into the Predator to discover a small ships boat inside, which could be used for smuggling runs. The Travellers engineer a makeshift tracking device with short range. They want to try to catch Bachus red-handed.

More importantly, the Travellers discover that their ship, the Beetlejuice, used to belong to an alien (Aslan) named K'syah. He discovered the ship in the system, at a dangerous place he refers to as the "Galactic Dragon". His journal claims that there are many more parts available for the ship at that location. The Travellers conclude that it must be a vessel, because Takeda station contains scrap metal belonging to a ship with the same name.

The Aslan apparently was murdered about 10 years ago, right after he hid the Beetlejuice on a Junkyard moon. It's unclear who murdered him or why, but he was very paranoid just before he was murdered, saying he was being followed because of something that had to do with the ship.

Furthermore, the Travellers discover that K'syah had a girlfriend (Pam) who might still be on the station. She should be employed at the upper section, which is off limits to lower section residents. She is the only lead who might lead the Travellers to the Galactic Dragon, to upgrade the Beetlejuice with parts that might be present there.

Chapter 5 - Deadly Choices

Bachus approaches the players in person, and asks them to make a delivery to Inchin. He has discovered the tracking device the Travellers planted on his ship. He assumes, however, it was put there by the Inchin Police. He intends to kill two birds with one stone by sending the players to make his final delivery.

At the drop-off point, the Travellers hide and wait for the “resistance” (who are plain smugglers and drifters) to pick up their shipment. They follow them into a large canyon. The smugglers inhabit a large technical facility, long since abandoned. The Travellers start their assault on the drifter’s base.

In the meanwhile, Bachus flees the system.

Chapter 6 - Assault

The Travellers continue to gain access to the facility. After defeating the drifters located there, they discover it used to belong to a cooperation named TechNet. They also find out that it's a back up power station to another facility. They follow the power traces to that second facility, deep in Inchin's dessert.

Chapter 7 - Biodome

The Travellers clear out the second abandoned TechNet facility on Inchin, which has been overtaken by insectoid predators. Their hivemother resides in the giant bio dome in the centre of the facility. They kill the aberration by flooding the dome. After that they discover the main function of the site: it's an archeological dig, a huge shaft that descends deep into Inchin. They discover that the site is meant to recover ancient artefacts. More specifically, they dug for the same strange substance that was stolen from Max by Takeda. It is reffered to as "Vril". Furthermore, they mine the computers and find an intact datalink with the Galactic Dragon, enabling them to find its current location.

They return to Takeda station and find that Bachus has fled. Instead, they are approached by a beautiful woman named Pam. She was the Aslan's girlfriend, before he got murdered by Takeda. She tells them Takeda is after them because they have information about Vril in their possession. The Travellers flee the station, accompanied by Pam. They locate the Galactic Dragon in the Inchin system, with the information they obtained in the TechNet facility, and decide to pay it a visit.

Chapter 8 - Enter the Dragon

After Baron Rowry of Inchin discoverd the presence of TechNet sites on his planet, he attacked the sites and destroyed most of them. The TechNet employees sent SOS messages, and the cooperation responded by sending their prime vessel, the Galactic Dragon. But the paranoid Rowry anticipated retaliation, and invested heavily in surface-to-space defence systems. While their mission was diplomatic, Rowry attacked the Dragon the moment it was in range. The vessel was not equipped for warfare on that scale, and was destroyed. The loss of the Dragon was the downfall of the struggling TechNet cooperation. Remaining employees were fired, the main assets were sold, and everything else was abandoned.

When the Travellers visit the Galactic Dragon, they discover it has since then become a town of sorts, home to Spacecowboys, Drifters and Pirates. It's led by a one armed Pirate named Ramsey. They trade with the locals and upgrade the Beetlejuice. Also, they hack the ships database and find out a lot more about their ship. It was an experimental TechNet ship employing the power of Vril as an alternative to normal Jump Technology.

The actual drive that is needed to jump with Vril was present in the Dragon, but it was sold to the three notorious junkers, and brought to their Junkyard moon of Elthan. Coincidentally, this was the same Junkyard where the Aslan hid the Beetlejuice, some 10 years ago. Luckily, one of the brothers visits the city, and takes some of the Travellers and Pamela to the moon to get the so-called "Fridge". With that device, the Travellers will finally be able to jump.

Chapter 9 - Takeda

On the Junkmoon of Elthan, things go horribly wrong. While Jack and Stacey are lifting the Vril drive into the spacetruck, Charles is out riding a space bike with one of the brothers. They discover a small fighter vessel, which attacks them. At the same time, Pam reveals herself to be Takeda. Obsessed by Vril technology, she attacks the Travellers on the junkmoon. Powered by Vril, her cybernetic body is capable of immense feats. Two of the brothers die in the battle, but in the end the fighter crashes into the junkyard, and Takeda is defeated with a huge amount of explosives. The Travellers flee the blazing moon, leaving the charred cybernetic remains of Takeda, but not without retrieving the piece of Vril that powered her. After returning to Dragon City, the Vril Drive is installed on the Beetlejuice, along with a gatling gun. They've defeated their opposition and are free to go where they want.

Session 10 - First Jump

When making the jump, it becomes apparent that jumpspace is fundamentaly different when using the Vril drive. Halfway the jump, the Beetljuice co-exists with another vessel for some 8 hours. The laws of physics are abandooned completely as they are able to pass through walls between the two ships. They explore the other ship, a huge, abandonned generation vessel from centuries ago. The horror ammounts to a climax as the see the shape of a huge, leather clad soldier through one of the doors. They escape the ship, and safely return from Jumpspace in the Tarsus system.

Another Youtube treasure

See here another Youtube treasure. A seriously misguided, tendentious, piece. Kind of funny to see after all these years. Nowadays it's video games taking the blame, but back then it was Dungeons and Dragons.



Have half an hour to spare, look at the following review of Mazes and Monsters:

Longbow vs Crossbow

Magnum, the dwarven ranger of our party is currently wielding a crossbow instead of a longbow. Hopefully, the next clip will pursuade him to change to longbow.


Unless he opts for the following weapon: Badass Automatic Crossbow, or even this one.