Session 05: Party of Villains

Foreword

Today a twitter mutual, and PC in my game, tweeted "if you're not playing 1 gp = 1 xp you're not playing real D&D".  So true!

My Week 5 session appeared very fun for the players because they were able to pretty much decimate the many monsters that came across their path. They played very well but, even so, it was easy. There's nothing wrong with easy, of course, and I think PCs should have an easy time of it every now and then. Keeps spirits up. Shows the players how things can go if they plan, coordinate, and play to their strengths.

However, this is Real D&D! ACKS, actually. Meaning an easy time of putting monsters down doesn't always translate into a successful session because it doesn't always translate into treasure gained for the PCs. Little treasure gained = little xp = little progression.

It doesn't seem the Players spirits were dampened due to the low XP gain in Session 5. Quite the contrary, it appeared they were ready to face more challenges. Their plan this session to find treasure wasn't bad (they planned to go back for a chest they left behind) it just failed to take the passage into time into account (the chest, after 2 weeks, was gone). Real time style D&D provides interesting gameplay yet again!

As the DM this is the sort of mentality and play style I'm hoping to foster. To me there is a game within the game of trying to find the low hanging fruit of the least dangerous means to acquiring treasure and thus advancement. This game-within-the-game involves Players feeling out the gameworld and intuiting the DM and his style.

As a Player, when this game-within-the-game is not present; I am bored. Mind numbingly bored. Bored like watching a ww2 film. Bored like reading a news report on fake covid "confirmed cases". Bored like seeing a cakebot tweet.

If my campaign fails it won't be because I don't offer Players the game-within-the-game of GP=XP and its assumed play elements.

Session Report

There's a new pit fighter (PC Barbarian Level 1) and Thief (PC Thief Level 1) in town! Bucky the barbarian joined the group because his player was unable to play Gaius (PC Fighter Level 1) since the Legionnaire was recovering from a serious Mortal Wound from the week prior. Jack Filcher the Thief, however, was a new player. He was weighed down with dungeoneering supplies and was ready to hit the adventuring trail.

The adventurers wasted no time; setting off for the Buried Temple with the intention of recovering the Silver Painted chest they had left behind some weeks back due to needing to carry the unconscious bodies of their compatriots. 

Travel back to the black dome of rock the party is calling the Blister of Doom went by without incident. They again stopped to rest at the Brigand Camp of Inthorn the retired centurion. Spending the evening drinking and talking with him and becoming more convinced that his turn to brigandage is due to some spell, curse, or the clearly magical helmet he wears. His second and third in command, you see, are a Chthonic Mage and Chthonic lady Cleric (and Paramour) of Nasga. Mandonio (PC Fighter Level 1) in particular is becoming quite perturbed indeed by Inthorn's apparent plight.

idk inthorn seems happy to me...

Yet this would be a question for another day; the chest the party left behind in the dungeon was calling to them.

The next day they arrived at the Blister of Doom and the new thief, Jack Filcher, quickly took on a scouting role. The party retraced their steps back to the chamber where they had felled the kobold king nigh a month ago; with Jack listening at doors and checking traps the whole way.

In the room some rats with dragonfly wings were feasting upon kobold corpses and they attacked the returning party of adventurers. Bucky got stabbed by one of the monster's long pointy noses but otherwise the fight was child's play for our heroes.

Sadly, though the rotting corpse of Dama (PC Venturer Level 1) was still in the secret room which held the hefty chests; the silver painted chest was no where to be seen. The bodies of previously fought gnolls were also gone. The party sighed and delved further. 

Yllmetoon (PC Shaman Level 1) sent his owl high into a room which was without a ceiling, seeing that it opened up into the massive dome of rock above. A cave unceasing. The Owl returned and reported to his Shaman friend of an uncapped steppe pyramid with an eerie green glow off in the distance to the northwest of the dungeon somewhere. Beyond that he was chased but escaped some more of the odd ratlike dragonfly creatures the party had previously fought.

There's always jackalmen.

While waiting for the Owl to return from his flight the party dispatched some jackalmen that was loitering in the room around the statue of the old mage with an oblong head. The horrible creatures never successfully struck the strident heroes.

The party delved further and surprised some pigmen who were loitering about a small chamber. The beasts squealed as they were easily dispatched. Beyond their room the party could see an armory of rusty weapons and an oddly glowing pool. They explored neither as time was short and more piglike wails would be heard approaching their position.

On their escape from the dungeon the party come upon some brigands who were sneaking a chug at some expensive wine. They appeared happy to see the party and prepared to share their wine with them. Yet happiness turned to horror when, just after pointing out where their leader Drusus made his lair in the dungeon, Jack Filcher backstabbed a bandit and the party dispatched the rest. The bandits never had time to draw their weapons, leading one adventurer to ask "are we the baddies?"

The party grabbed up some of the bandits' equipment to sell back in Turos Tem, and headed back to civilization. Their blades were quite bloody but their pockets little heavier.

Surviving PCs Present

Broll (L1 Barbarian 10% xp bonus) played by RR. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 5 was 4 GP 32 SP 6 CP. XP gained in Session 5 was 28. Current total: 105

Bucky (L1 Barbarian 5% xp bonus) played by VoC. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 5 was 4 GP 32 SP 6 CP. XP gained in Session 5 was 27. Current Total: 27

Daria (L1 Bladedancer 0% xp bonus) played by JB. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 5 was 4 GP 32 SP 6 CP. XP gained in Session 5 was 26. Current Total: 123

Jack Filcher (L1 Thief  5% xp bonus) played by Chant. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 5 was 4 GP 32 SP 6 CP. XP gained in Session 5 was 27. Current Total: 27

Mandonio Terkikos (L1 Fighter 10% xp bonus) played by RM.  Liquid treasure Gained in Session 5 was 4 GP 32 SP 6 CP. XP gained in Session 5 was 28. Current Total XP:867

Yllmetoon (L1 Shaman 10% xp bonus) played by SS.  Liquid treasure Gained in Session 5 was 4 GP 32 SP 6 CP. XP gained in Session 5 was 28. Current Total: 125

Inactive:

Briarwhisper (L1 Elven Ranger) played by RM. Current Total XP: 570 

Gaius (L1 Fighter 10% xp bonus) played by VoC. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 4 was 10 GP 5 SP. XP gained in Session 4 was 97. Current Total XP:1,435

Heath Pawn (L1 Thief 5% xp bonus) played by MB. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 4 was 10 GP 5 SP. XP gained in Session 4 was 92. Current Total: 97 

Leonidas the Inquisitor (L1 Cleric) played by RR.Current Total XP:498

Ravakor (L1 Mage 10% xp bonus) played by Oghma. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 4 was 10 GP 5 SP. XP gained in Session 4 was 97. Current Total: 97

Ulf (L1 Fighter) played by Maoi. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 4 was 10 GP 5 SP. XP gained in Session 4 was 88. Current Total: 88

Henchman: Marina the Corcani Wench and Congregant of the Mountain Owl Cult. Level 0 henchmen to Yllmetoon. XP gained in Session 4 was 13. Current Total: 13

Deceased:

Dama (L1 Venturer) played by RR.  Current total xp: 75. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Darius LeVay (L1 Assassin) played by JB. Current Total XP:451. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Donald the Guardsman (L1 Fighter) played by MP. Current Total XP:570. DECEASED. Intra-party justice in Session 3.

Felix (L1 Thief) played by Nicholas. Current Total XP:431. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Hektor (L1 Paladin) played by Moai. DECEASED. Cause of Death: goblin warg rider throat removal surgery in Session 2

This is so sad. Alexa play padme's ruminations from revenge of the sith motion picture soundtrack.

Notes:

5 stirges: 1* HD 6 = 30 xp

3 gnolls: 2 HD 20 = 60 xp

6 orcs: 1 HD 5 = 30 xp

5 brigands: 1 HD 5 = 25 xp

Treasure: 

15 gp on jackalmen: 15 xp   2.5

48 sp on pigmen: 4.8 XP    8

25 sp on drunk brigands who were murdered: 2.5 xp   4 s

13 GP from scavenged items (no xp)

Treasure Cut: 4 gp 32 sp 6 cp

Total: 167

 13 cuts. 2 for PCs and 1 for hench. 

12.84 for hench and 25.68 for PC

5%: 27

10%: 28

Items: 3 short sword (7 gp), 2 = -10% (6.3 gp) , 1 - 20% value (5.6 gp). 1 sold for 6.3 gp

4 short bow: (3 gp) 2 -10% value (2.7 gp). 2 -20% value (2.4 gp). 1 sold for 2.7 gp

 4 quivers. serviceable. 4 GP total. all sold for 4 gp