Session was played on 02/02/2022 with PCs adventuring for 2 days. Needing 1 day of rest as per ACKS rules the PCs can make downtime requests and participate in sessions on and after 02/07/2022.
Foreword
Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.
Session Report
The party told me they were going to spend a day in the Dubzaron market buying military oil and such. After this, on the following day, they delved into the sewer on their way to the Nethercity megadungeon beneath the streets.
In the travel through the sewer they got a random encounter with 15 giant rats. Thief Two (NPC henchman Thief Level 1 for MadEye) was quickly killed and eaten by rats since he was walking in the front of the marching order checking for traps. The giant rats then got underfoot of many PCs and NPCs but weren't able to kill or seriously injure anyone else.
Gaius (PC Fighter Level 4) said of Thief Two to "bag and tag the bastard and lets get back to delving". So they did.
They traveled down the sewers without any other random encounters and arrived at the entrance to the Nethercity without further incident. The Nethercity itself is a disgusting place, reached by passing through a wrecked cesspit. Down the waste covered steps they delved an searched here and there. I wasn't rolling any random encounters so the party got pretty deep into the large complex of caves and crypts.
They found a crypt with an ablution fountain which they investigated pretty closely, particularly MadEye (PC Venturer Level 2) who's template background is a bookish historian type. Oh lets back up. MadEye recently lost the use of both his legs from a Mortal Wounds. So during Downtime he hired two henchmen fighters to carry him around dungeons when he delved.
That's right folks. The BROSR has handicapped PCs delving dungeons just like the wotc 5e community of pibs and weirdos say they really want to do. They put out books for combat wheelchairs and other stupid shill content yet it's the brosr that is actually PLAYING the scenarios that other gamers talk wistfully about doing some day.
MadEye's henchmen fighters were specially hired for this purpose but also for the purpose of opening the massive stone crypt doors that have been giving the PCs trouble in this dungeon. So the party did alot better getting into crypt sections of the dungeon.
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| 5e talked about this and made this ugly picture brosr just did it |
The first major section they found was a massive gallery with like a million wall graves which Daria (PC BladeDancer level 5) detects as ALL evil. The party said "nah" to this situation (until another session later on... stay tuned!) and exited the massive complex looking for a smaller crypt.
MadEye's fighters were able to get a stone crypt door open and came upon a handful of animated skeletons. Gaius and Daria charged into the room with the fighters and easily dispatched the undead. Before all were destroyed, however, a powerful looking elite mummy came bashing through a side door.
Mummies have this Hammer Horror thing where they scare everyone in the room to freeze in place until they can slowly lumber across the room to rip off someone's face. Most of the party failed this save but not Gaius. He charged at the mummy and was hitting it pretty hard with his magic sword. The mummy was returning serve on the fighter, despite Gaius very nice equipment incluindg a Magic Shield +3 he got from Drakon (Patron Domain ruler of Turos Spen & Turos Aster) a while back for some mission.
Daria shook off the paralyzation and came to help Gaius attack the mummy. She had cast some spells giving her extra attacks or something so it was pretty helpful. Yet the real problem was that Gaius had caught the disease Mummy Rot which prevents any kind of healing, including magical healing, until a Remove Disease spell can be cast on the victim.
Xanthos (PC Cleric Level 2) is pretty powerful but he doesn't have Remove Disease yet. He had braved into the combat fray behind Gaius and Daria to try and healbot them by slapping them on the back like an MMORPG but that was to no avail with both front line warriors catching the mummy rot. Eventually the mummy warlord (they learned later he was a warlord in his past life) felled Gaius to 0 or less hit points.
After the party realized the mummy couldn't be hit with mundane weapons that left the henchmen unable to actually damage the mummy. So MadEye, during all the fighting, was sitting on the floor with his broken legs directing his henchmen to cover the floor at their entrance with lots of oil.
The party devised a nice last second strategy of Xanthos pulling Gaius out of fray so the mummy wouldn't beat upon his near dead corpse (pushing him into lower negative HP) and Daria fleeing melee so that the mummy would chase the PCs across the oil and fire that MadEye laid down.
The play worked and the Initiative rolls were in the PCs favor. Gaius pulled to safety. Then Daria fled. Then the oil was touched off. Then the mummy came barreling through all the flaming oil on the floor. Took alot of damage but didn't quite die. Before he could come through the fire and kill anyone else while he was all singed with flames, Daria made the killing blow.
The session had ran late so I told the PCs they got all the loot in the two crypt rooms and sent them any historical or rumor info in there later in downtime requests. We confirmed that Gaius could get topside to the city and pay for a Remove Disease cast from the Temple in time to be healed and not die the death. He'd still need 1 Week of Bed Rest before he could delve again so he wouldn't be in the next session.
Then we logged.
Afterword
Daria's player pointed out that this was classic D&D play: "no lead time, no adjusting - a random grab bag of characters goes delving and lo and behold, using all of our combined abilities (including a character who had to be carried) we had one of those 'balanced encounters' nuskool gms put hours into prepping".
So true so true.
MadEye is of particular interest to me in this session. This is a PC whose main abilities are about market forces and selling stuff. But in REAL D&D play his info gathering abilities were helpful. I didn't outline it much in the session report but he was checking the grave dates and things like that, working out what this place is and why it's here etc. See, we even do storygaming better than the storygamers.
But then one must consider wotc d&D and this idea that everyone needs to be equally useful in combat and making classes with 9000 combat abilities to assure they can keep hitting buttons on their sheet until the combat is over. Unnecessary. MadEye doesn't have much combat ability and, with his legs all broke, he has nil. None. Zero. But through planning and use of his henchmen he was a major player in a high difficulty combat. Player ingenuity and thinking outside one's character sheet and class abilities likely helped save the day or at least prevented another dead PC.
This is why Real D&D requires henchmen, or allowing players the ability to hire henchmen. And why some gray area in the rules is required so crazy PC schemes can be given a fair shake and the DM can adjudicate the likelihood a scheme will work.
Next session report or the one after I'm going to review the ACKS Module "The Secrets of the Nethercity" which we have been playing and ponder yet again what modular materials mean to Real D&D.
Surviving PCs Present
Daria (0% xp bonus) Level 5 BladeDancer. 1,184 xp gained. Total: 23,159
Gaius (10% xp bonus) Level 4 Fighter. 1,305 xp gained. Total: 16,054 [LEVELED UP TO 5!]
MadEye (5% xp bonus) Level 2 Venturer. 1,243 xp gained. Total: 4,895
Xanthos (10% xp bonus) Level 2 Cleric. 1,302 xp gained. Total: 3,628 [LEVEL UP TO 3!]
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.
Yolo Baggins "My friends call me Swaggins" (L1 Gnomish Trickster) played by J. DECEASED. Paralyzed and eaten by ghouls in Session 12. Body not recovered.
Jack Filcher (L1 Thief) played by C. DECEASED. Shot full of arrows by Inthorn's brigands in Session 12. Body not recovered.
Swoleous Maximus (L1 Paladin). DECEASED. Captured then drawn and quartered by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.
Damianus (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Captured and beheaded by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.
Bucky (L1 Barbarian). DECEASED. Became a illegal pit fighter during his downtime. Had two bouts to the death, winning the first and losing the second. Was killed by Young Jack Sparrow who sashayed into the ring, drank rum, and mogged on Bucky before putting a dagger into his ribs, killing him. This happened during downtime between Session 17 and 18.
Broll Wolf-Eater (L1 Barbarian). Current total XP: 1079. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.
Brother Franklin (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Decapitated by a mad cultist of a Lovecraftian slime thing in Session 19.
Felix the Elder (L1 Bard). Total XP 825. DECEASED. Captured by mad cultists and fed to a Lovecraftian slime monster in Session 19.
Templar Flavius Africanus (L1 Cleric). Total XP 7. Killed by the claws and beak of mad harpies in Session 19.
Xendi (L1 Explorer). Total XP 6. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.
Yllmeeton (L3 Shaman). Total XP 4,563. Bludgeoned by the corpse of a bowmen by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.
Longinus (L2 Assassin). Total XP 2,036. Had his face ripped off by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.
Mandonio (L3 Fighter). Total XP 4,779. Charred to a leprous crisp by diseased Dragon breath in Session 22.
Corydon (L1 Joker). Total XP: 0. Burnt to a crisp by chimera breath so thoroughly his corpse wasn't even fit for the crows. Died with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. that's life and as funny as it seems... some people get their kicks, stomping on a dream... In Session 25.
Donny Keebler (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP 2,238. Had his legs burned completely off by chimera fire breath in Session 25.
Marina (L2 Fighter). Total XP: 2,204. Burnt into ash by a chimera fire breath in Session 25.
Gundro (L2 Gnomish Trickster). Total XP: 2,575. Had his mouth and tongue bitten off by a lizardman ambusher in the dank sewers below Cyfaraun in Session 26.
Polydoros (L1 Fighter). Total XP: 0. Had his legs ripped off and eaten by Akira monsters in the dark canopy of the Viaspen Forest in Session 28.
Odrum (L1 Explorer). Total XP: 287. Javelin to the heart from the hands of weird vine goblins hidden in the walls of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.
Garvin the Nutless Wonder (L1 Mage). Total XP: 0. Fell off the side of Ferigno's lair 20 feet to his death in Session 30.
Blackmoon (L1 Assassin). Total XP: 768. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while stealing treasure from Ferigno's dragon horde in Session 30.
Xanthus (L2 Cleric). Total XP: 2,364. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while hanging out on the roof of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.
Lord Zyklon (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP: 0. LORD ZYKLON DISEMBOWLED LORD ZYKLON upon finding himself on the losing side of the Desolation of Turos Tem.
Turin (L1 Cleric). Total XP: 0. Eaten by Wargs in Session 32.
Rat Face (L2 Thief) Total XP: 1,577. Seemingly grabbed in the dark by a Xenomorph in Session 36. In a sinkhole your party can hear you scream!
Smarticus (L1 Mage) Total XP: 0. Captured by a Xenomorph in Session 36 for all the party to witness. Taken deep into a sinkhole.
Hearticus (L1 Cleric) Total XP: 0. Gored to death by giant horned beetles in Session 39 after projectile vomiting all over himself from the stink of sewer sludge.
Mickey Mouser (L1 Thief) Total XP: 0. Gored to death by giant horned beetles in Session 39 in the happiest place on earth: the Cyfaraun sewer!
Aenes (Level 1 Paladin) Total XP: 62. Swarmed by giant flies in the sewer beneath Cyfaraun in Session 40.
Acianus (Level 1 Mage) Total XP: 0. Chopped to pieces in Session 42 by a six armed demon statue from behind and quickly forgotten about by his compatriots who saved MadEye and lamented Hardar instead. But I'll never forget you Acinanu nanu...nanite... nananaa...
Hardar (Level 2 Mage) Total XP: 2,832. Chopped up in Session 42 by a six armed demon statue as he held his Darth Vader Choking Grip spell long enough for his compatriots to escape an unwinnable battle. His dream to become the most evil being in the universe suffers eternally the indignity of being remembered for self sacrifice and laying his life down for his friends.
Alexa this is so sad play "Trollopulous: Gnomes VS Undead" video by Mr Wargaming at this link right here
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