Session 6: Gio and the Haunted Mine

Foreword

The campaign appears to be settling in. A new sandbox focused campaign often starts out as a bit of a mess with players casting around the region you've plunked them into trying to deduce the game system, the other players' styles, the setting, and the initial GM introduced hooks. 

Wise PCs gauging risk/reward and
angering the storygamer dm

Regarding the hooks, the players tend to weigh them at the beginning of each session while everyone is still arriving. They try to decide which potential rewards are worth the potential risk. Since they don't know the GM's quirks too well, this can be very hit or miss. I've attempted to have supreme clarity regarding the rewards for my initial hooks, with NPCs clearly defining what the players would receive if they accomplished the goal.

One DM in a campaign I was/am a player in rails on this approach as "muh low hanging fruit". But it's my contention that if players have little or no info about the world in which to engage in the gameplay loop (gold=xp, in the case of TSR era D&D games) then their initial decisions are meaningless. It's akin to a dungeon with a left hall and right hall. If there's no info about the hallways then it doesn't matter to players which they choose. If the GM puts a sound down one, a smell down another, a glimmering light down one etc then the decision suddenly matters. We've all been in sessions where the players joked that it didn't matter if they went left or right.

It doesn't mean a wandering monster might not interrupt the players' quest for the low hanging fruit (that happens this session in my game!) but it means they had an initial goal that, even though their info or expectations may have been wrong, at least they had some info to make a decision on. I'd imagine a GM who doesn't see the value in this rarely plays as a PC. He knows what's going on in the world so he doesn't understand the player feeling of "whatever, what does it matter, who cares?" when dealing with only opaque hooks and adventure locales.

That said, one of my players asked when I'd stop dropping GM hooks and let the players drive the hooks. Soon! Session 7 is likely to have no new GM hook info at all except which the players revealed or instigated on their own. 

At some point a sandbox campaign gathers enough player focused steam that it can run on ahead without much GM pushing. We are about at that point but I don't believe a new campaign can start out that way unless nigh every player is Elite.

This session, however, had the players checking into a GM dropped hook from a few weeks back. Gio and the Haunted Mine!

Session Report

The players debated the hooks for a bit while I helped a returning player roll up his new PC (Mard the PC Mage Level 1). They were down the player of Mandonio (PC Fighter Level 1) and thus deemed it inadvisable to return to "The Blister of Doom" since they'd certainly "muck up his map". Likely, it was meticulous indeed!

Daria (PC Bladedancer Level 1) had been pretty high on a purported haunted mine where a magic blade was rumored to be held and was able to convince the other PC's it was their best bet this week. The player of Broll (PC Barbarian Level 1) brought his long-rested Cleric instead: Leonidas (PC Cleric Level 1). The players devised his ability to Turn Undead would suit them well at the "Haunted Mine".

Real Time D&D, where one real life day = one game in the PCs' world, tends to naturally create a stable of extra characters for players. In AD&D 1e this happens most often from training time required upon leveling: with the least amount of time to train being a week. Want to play next week? You'll need a new PC, pal! 

In Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS) it has happened a few times from results on the Mortal Wounds Table. This table is rolled on when a PC reaches zero hit points or lower. A good roll has the PC hop right back up after a battle only needing a day of rest. Some of the worst results have the PC needing a week or more of rest. A terrible roll on this table, of course, means the PC is simply dead.

Leo needed a week of rest early on in the campaign to recover from a nasty blow and his player seemed to prefer his replacement PC of Broll. But no Broll this week!

The party's guide was Gio Givani, a large and in charge classically trained painter who moonlights as a torch bearer and mule-watcher for adventuring parties. Whilst keeping the mule in good health as his adventurers risk life and limb scrounging gold coins from death holes, Gio paints scenic vistas of happy little trees.

thank you gio very cool

Some weeks ago his (former) party didn't come back to camp for days. Upon investigation of the mine they were delving, he saw an ancient rundown prison camp with undead prisoners going through the motions. Guards barking (eerily silent) orders and prisoners working ineffectually with picks and shovels up against a cliffside. 

After some days of travel, without incident, the party arrived nearby the adventure locale at night. They opted to rest in a nearby cave and brave the old mine in the morning. 

During the night Gaius (PC Fighter Level 1), recently returned to action from a week of bedrest from a mortal wound, heard the sound of massive wings outside the cave. Then a large horse sized creature landing among the bushes of the hilly forest. He awoke the party's thief Jack Filcher (PC Thief Level 1) to go investigate.

The thief checked it out and described an abominable bull sized creature of chaos: dragons wings, scaly body, and a lions roaring head with a lizard's flicking tongue. Chaos!

The party was contemplating a plan, certain the creature was going to enter the cave from its sniffing and tongue flicks, when Yllmeeton (PC Shaman Level 1) sent his Owl totem animal out of the cave. If this was to investigate or escape, I'm uncertain. I rolled a chance the monster would take notice (it did) and would care (it did). It jumped and attacked the Owl to pull him from the air without injury. The two creatures began to talk in animal gibberish. Most of the party waited to see what it would mean while Jack Filcher snuck into a better position for a future backstab attempt he was certain was coming.

The Owl then hopped closer to the cave entrance to holler out in Owl-ese to the Shaman, the only one who could understand him, that the Monster would let the party live if they sent out "the fat one" for him to eat. 

This is when all hell broke loose on the mics with planning, schemes, and accusations (at poor fat Gio who they now thought knew the creature and would betray them). Eventually the party decided they were too Lawful to offer an innocent to a Monster even to save their own skin. They were certain an attack on the creature would get them all killed but they pledged their sacred honor to fighting to the end against odds surely lost. The thief wasn't in the cave and did no such pledge.

Fight!

They pretended to bring Gio out as a snack wherein some hid behind the big fella, pushed him to the ground, and attacked with spears. Daria charged the beast and attempted to clamber onto its back to no avail. Jack the Thief thought this a good idea indeed and did the same; success!

Soon the party was in an all out brawl with a dragonlion from the nightmare realm. Mard the Mage attempted to use a Sleep spell on the beast to no avail: too many hit dice! Jack rode its back getting a backstab in as the beast bucked here and there. Gaius took a harsh bite but kept fighting and landing stabs with his spear alongside Daria doing the same. Even Leo the Inquisitor swung his mace at the monster.

Eventually the party were the victors. Miraculous! Surely the Empyrean deities of Law shone down upon their bravery. The shaman's Owl was quite annoyed that his partner refused the deal he had cut with the monster.

this but with one head bc reasons

Yllmeeton wasted no time in looking over the monster to see if chopping some bits off of it could be worth cash. His Loremastery told him mages would pay dearly for its wingtips, goat horns (??????) and lions paws. The fur, though worthy indeed, has been cut to shreds by the wildly waylaying adventurers. Worthless.

The items were heavy but the party encouraged Gio to carry them. He could use the exercise.

Now is the time when most adventurers would cash out. The night was getting late and the players were certain the killing of the beast would be worth vast sums of XP. Daria's player, more familiar with old school gaming, correctly estimated a value of about 200 XP for each PC.

Yet no. No cash out, double down! The party sent Jack Filcher to check out the Haunted Mine they had originally come to raid. He found much what Gio had described, a ramshackle fence abutting a cliffside, some tilting guard towers along the fence and a wooden building of some sort between the fence. Jack looked in one of the many windows and saw an undead man of blue standing listlessly in a corner avoiding the piercing sunlight. So Jack set the building on fire.

One military oil later and the place was aflame. Yet, sadly, the blue shambler came out with a magical looking sword with an icy blue dragons tooth, slapped the side of the flame with the blade and the flames magically went out completely. Jack wisely returned to the party and reported his findings.

The party, despite the night being indeed late now, decided they must needs have the Magic Blade. The prior week an NPC adventuring party had stumbled into and messed up one of their hooks, they were loathe to have that happen now.

They made a plan to set the building on fire again and launch missile attacks into the undead creature when it exited the building again. It took a while and we had a great deal of confusion with Theater of the Mind and communicating the layout of the place but we eventually came to some semblance of coherency.

I'm not sure if it was my tone, my being new at using "Theater of the Mind", the late hour, or the scout believing he had investigated more than he actually had; but players were convinced that Jack had scoured the location, learning all there was to learn about it. And they were certain there was only one undead creature there.

Upon arriving with their plan of action I had to inform them the frozen undead guy was gathering a troupe of skeletons and zombies from some nearby caves. And there were a handful of ghastly sorts the same as him as well. The party was quite shocked indeed. But they still wanted the magic blade. Let loose the missiles!

The players were mostly getting the better of the undead who had no missile attacks and were far away and mostly slow. Leo turned the skeletons away by waiving his holy symbol about and uttering words of exorcism. But the frozen dead kept shambling forward. The apparent leader, the one with the sword, taunting the party as he approached. As he did so, snow and sleet began to twist around the frozen dead and cover the entire camp with a harsh winter. The adventurers could see their breath.

the PCs hate him already

The players decided this wasn't going the way they would like and decided to flee before starting the third round of combat. The only question was, would they win initiative. Well, Jack Filcher did and he fled into the wood. Yet the frozen dead were faster than most of the other party members and, upon getting close enough, did 2 damage to all within range of his frozen aura. Enough to kill Leo the Inquisitor (RIP) whose skin crackled and turned blue and he fell to the ground in instant full body frostbite. The same happened to the brand new wizard Mard, the player losing his second PC in this oft lethal campaign.

The party fled and made it back to Turos Tem with no further incident. Some were holding their breath as I rolled for random encounter rolls for the day long trip back to the keep as they were very beat up. But nothing hit. 

Maybe next week. Fingers crossed.

GM Notes

Gio the NPC, as appreciation for the party refusing to feed him to a monster, will never tell any other adventurers where the Magic Blade is hidden. Sadly, he may have already run his mouth a bit in the past.

Surviving PCs Present

Daria (L1 Bladedancer 0% xp bonus) played by JB. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 6 was 45 GP. XP gained in Session 6 was 244. Current Total: 367

Gaius (L1 Fighter 10% xp bonus) played by VoC. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 6 was 45 GP. XP gained in Session 6 was 269. Current Total XP:1,704

Jack Filcher (L1 Thief  5% xp bonus) played by Chant. Liquid treasure Gained in Session 6 was 45 GP. XP gained in Session 6 was 256. Current Total: 283

Yllmetoon (L1 Shaman 10% xp bonus) played by SS.  Liquid treasure Gained in Session 6 was 45 GP. XP gained in Session 5 was 269. Current Total:394

Henchman: Marina the Corcani Wench and Congregant of the Mountain Owl Cult. Level 0 henchmen to Yllmetoon. XP gained in Session 6 was 122. Current Total: 135 

Inactive:

Broll (L1 Barbarian 10% xp bonus) played by RR. Current total: 105. Location: Turos Tem

Bucky (L1 Barbarian 5% xp bonus) played by VoC. Current Total: 27. Location: Turos Tem

Mandonio Terkikos (L1 Fighter 10% xp bonus) played by RM.  Current Total XP:867. Location: Turos Tem

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

Leonidas the Inquisitor (L1 Cleric) played by RR.Current Total XP:498  DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Mard the Mage (L1 Mage) played by Nicholas. DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Alexa this is so sad play "liquid cure" by bright eyes

 

Session 06 12.09.20 quick notes 

XP from kills: dragonlion 1,100 xp 

Split by 4 PCs and 1 henchmen. 9 cuts with 2 going to PCs and 1 to hench 

244 XP for PCs 

5%: 256 

10%: 269 

Hench: 122 

Liquid Treasure 1 liondragon paw sold for 180 GP. 45 GP for each PC (38.25 to Ylllmetoon as 6.75 goes to Marina 15% cut). No XP gain for this as the XP value of material components is factored into the XP from killing the creature(s) in question