What I can tell you is DM Vince McMaximus DMed this wild sounding session. It’s funny that DM VM, despite being the most moral guy among the regular players/patrons of Dubzaron, has been tasked with being the co-dm in charge of adjudicatingcrime based downtime stuff (thieves guild things) and was tasked with DMing the evil party.
You’ll notice there are quite a few session report numbers missing from the last report. Those DMs didn’t write good reports. Shame! And you’ll notice some of these evil PCs were running with my elven enchanter doing the Guido’s Fort stuff. Well DM JD was taking a break so Guido’s Fort was abandoned as an adventuring locale (for now) and these evil bastards went out to find a Bugbear Camp to make their safe parking place between adventures. This camp is near and dear to DM VM’s heart since it is tied in with the story of his favorite henchman Smokey the Bugbear.
Smokey has had many adventures including going to BROVenloft with Vince and losing his gf (what a shame). In so doing Vince replaced my own DM Dubs concept of bugbears being the South Park inspired “manbearpig” and players instead embraced the Smokey version of bugbears. Lovable but dangerous and very angry if you don’t put out your campfire! That’s how the cream rises to the top in a BROSR campaign (and multiverse!) Learn more about Smokey here.
As far as game theory goes I will point out that the DM loved running a zero prep session and leaning on reaction checks and random encounters. This really is the way to make a world come alive and work with the players to allow real player autonomy in your d&d campaign. Try it right aaay if you haven’t! -DMDubs 08/24/23
In game dates covered: 4/12 - 4/22: Characters available for downtime action on 4/23
As far as game theory goes I will point out that the DM loved running a zero prep session and leaning on reaction checks and random encounters. This really is the way to make a world come alive and work with the players to allow real player autonomy in your d&d campaign. Try it right aaay if you haven’t! -DMDubs 08/24/23
In game dates covered: 4/12 - 4/22: Characters available for downtime action on 4/23
PCs Present:
-Sage Possumhaw L2 Halfling Burglar
-Altair L1 Nosferatu
-Hunter L1 Barbarian
-Jefe L1 Elven Nightblade
the crew, which had previously been hanging out with a group of goblins at a place called “Guido’s Fort” somewhere along the Blood River, at the frontier of the Borderlands, caught a rumor from the goblins of mysterious happenings in the west. Because beastmen are chaotic, they’re notorious gossips - a particularly nasty trait - and so the rumor traveled among the gossip networks and bing bam boom, our group of creepy ne'er do wells had a quest. The rumor was that a group of beastmen, hiding somewhere in the Miniri Mountains, was looking for an artifact connected to a mysterious prophecy. Unsure of much more than that, the creeps listed above said, “Let’s do it!” They traveled across the map, using the beautiful Auran roads they despise so much, avoiding many encounters, and eventually arrive at Turos Telle, glittering in its rather recently wished back into existence by the Prefect Drakon who seems to have a solution for everything. All they knew was to head upriver - which is south - with the hopes of finding signs of bugbears. Like scat or something? Hard to say. The rocky hills offered few places for cover in the shadow of the Miniri Mountains, save for the occasional grove of large cedar trees. They got VERY lucky and avoided a few encounters that surely woulda killed them. First the purple worms that were resting, coiled around a small ruin, and then there were centaurs they surprised while they were grazing among the hills.
After a hard day’s travel their sleep was interrupted by some clumsy kobolds. Someone speaks kobold so they parlayed. Immediately these kobolds thought the PCs to be cool dudes so they shared some bug cakes and it turns out, these kobolds work for the guys who work for the guys looking for the artifact. So off they went. The PCs entered the village and bribed their way to the tent of Chief Durr of the Bugbears. Someone made a friendship bracelet for chief Durr but one of the bugbear guards tried to steal it. Hunter wants to fight that bugbear for the friendship bracelet…yet to be determined how that plays out.
Durr tells the crew how to find the artifact - he thinks - but also gives the PCs the chance to go on a vision quest! What does this entail? We’ll have to find out! Durr’s kobold slaves escort the PCs to where they think the cave holding the artifact is. On the way the meet a lone figure at a campfire and plot to kill him. Just before they attack, the mysterious figure turns into a red dragon somehow! The dragon charges and by stroke of luck Jefe hits it with his first bow shot. The dragon disappears. Hunter, being impetuous, charged at the last location of the man who turned into a dragon. Somehow he landed a strike and killed the man in one blow. That was a weird encounter. He had a ring and a funky medallion that Hunter put on and started hearing voices so he took it off. There was also a blank parchment. Well that was that and they kept moving.
In a valley, in the shadow of the mountains, they next met a troop of about 45 goblins on the march. The PCs attempted parlay. Successful! The leader and 2 body guards came out to parlay. Conversations were actually going well until someone - Sage the halfling I think - whispered to Hunter “Kill this fool” or something. Hunter, being impetuous and easily manipulated by peer pressure, cut the goblin chief’s head off in one stroke. I ruled he had surprise cuz even I, your handsome DM, was surprised. Hunter cleaved the bodyguard and nearly got the 2nd bodyguard as well. During the round the goblin was easily dispatched. Despite outnumbering the PCs and kobolds 2:1, the goblins failed their morale check miserably and withdrew from the field. Sheesh.
Eventually the party found a cave entrance on the side of a mountain. At this point it was basically pretty late and really the best thing to do, after ascertaining that this cave was probably the right one, the PCs went back to the village to prep for a future cave delve where they hope to recover the artifact and see how it helps the Bugbears find their missing prophet.
Grades: Everyone gets an E cuz no one acted out of character really. The closest to getting docked would have been the Nosferatu, Altair, because he drank the dead guy’s blood and that seems un-vampire-like and more like some gross bird or something. But the idea of this dude being extra skeezy is funny to me, so I wouldn’t want to discourage that. We are amused.
DM Grade: I dunno, C I guess. We didn’t know who was DM’ing until we got on the mic’s so I had nothing prepped except that there was an artifact. I ran everything off the dice and basically made only 1, maybe 2, decisions myself the whole night and this was relating to things that just kinda had to be done related to the hooks. LOTS of reaction rolls, lots of encounter charts…it was GREAT. As a DM I had a ton of fun just making up stuff that the dice and tables were giving me. I hope the players had as much fun. I did do some stupid things like blurt out the names of some monsters encountered instead of describing them. Once a creature type is established this doesn’t matter but I like how it keeps people in game if you say, “there’s a dozen half man, half horse things in the ravine” as opposed to “you see 12 centaurs, what do?” So I woulda given myself an F for minor errors but I’m very handsome so that A averages the F out to a C.
P: Xp from Kills: 75 Xp from Loot: 21875 Total XP: 21950 Cuts: 4 PC: 0% 5469 5% 5742 10% 6016
the crew, which had previously been hanging out with a group of goblins at a place called “Guido’s Fort” somewhere along the Blood River, at the frontier of the Borderlands, caught a rumor from the goblins of mysterious happenings in the west. Because beastmen are chaotic, they’re notorious gossips - a particularly nasty trait - and so the rumor traveled among the gossip networks and bing bam boom, our group of creepy ne'er do wells had a quest. The rumor was that a group of beastmen, hiding somewhere in the Miniri Mountains, was looking for an artifact connected to a mysterious prophecy. Unsure of much more than that, the creeps listed above said, “Let’s do it!” They traveled across the map, using the beautiful Auran roads they despise so much, avoiding many encounters, and eventually arrive at Turos Telle, glittering in its rather recently wished back into existence by the Prefect Drakon who seems to have a solution for everything. All they knew was to head upriver - which is south - with the hopes of finding signs of bugbears. Like scat or something? Hard to say. The rocky hills offered few places for cover in the shadow of the Miniri Mountains, save for the occasional grove of large cedar trees. They got VERY lucky and avoided a few encounters that surely woulda killed them. First the purple worms that were resting, coiled around a small ruin, and then there were centaurs they surprised while they were grazing among the hills.
After a hard day’s travel their sleep was interrupted by some clumsy kobolds. Someone speaks kobold so they parlayed. Immediately these kobolds thought the PCs to be cool dudes so they shared some bug cakes and it turns out, these kobolds work for the guys who work for the guys looking for the artifact. So off they went. The PCs entered the village and bribed their way to the tent of Chief Durr of the Bugbears. Someone made a friendship bracelet for chief Durr but one of the bugbear guards tried to steal it. Hunter wants to fight that bugbear for the friendship bracelet…yet to be determined how that plays out.
Durr tells the crew how to find the artifact - he thinks - but also gives the PCs the chance to go on a vision quest! What does this entail? We’ll have to find out! Durr’s kobold slaves escort the PCs to where they think the cave holding the artifact is. On the way the meet a lone figure at a campfire and plot to kill him. Just before they attack, the mysterious figure turns into a red dragon somehow! The dragon charges and by stroke of luck Jefe hits it with his first bow shot. The dragon disappears. Hunter, being impetuous, charged at the last location of the man who turned into a dragon. Somehow he landed a strike and killed the man in one blow. That was a weird encounter. He had a ring and a funky medallion that Hunter put on and started hearing voices so he took it off. There was also a blank parchment. Well that was that and they kept moving.
In a valley, in the shadow of the mountains, they next met a troop of about 45 goblins on the march. The PCs attempted parlay. Successful! The leader and 2 body guards came out to parlay. Conversations were actually going well until someone - Sage the halfling I think - whispered to Hunter “Kill this fool” or something. Hunter, being impetuous and easily manipulated by peer pressure, cut the goblin chief’s head off in one stroke. I ruled he had surprise cuz even I, your handsome DM, was surprised. Hunter cleaved the bodyguard and nearly got the 2nd bodyguard as well. During the round the goblin was easily dispatched. Despite outnumbering the PCs and kobolds 2:1, the goblins failed their morale check miserably and withdrew from the field. Sheesh.
Eventually the party found a cave entrance on the side of a mountain. At this point it was basically pretty late and really the best thing to do, after ascertaining that this cave was probably the right one, the PCs went back to the village to prep for a future cave delve where they hope to recover the artifact and see how it helps the Bugbears find their missing prophet.
Grades: Everyone gets an E cuz no one acted out of character really. The closest to getting docked would have been the Nosferatu, Altair, because he drank the dead guy’s blood and that seems un-vampire-like and more like some gross bird or something. But the idea of this dude being extra skeezy is funny to me, so I wouldn’t want to discourage that. We are amused.
DM Grade: I dunno, C I guess. We didn’t know who was DM’ing until we got on the mic’s so I had nothing prepped except that there was an artifact. I ran everything off the dice and basically made only 1, maybe 2, decisions myself the whole night and this was relating to things that just kinda had to be done related to the hooks. LOTS of reaction rolls, lots of encounter charts…it was GREAT. As a DM I had a ton of fun just making up stuff that the dice and tables were giving me. I hope the players had as much fun. I did do some stupid things like blurt out the names of some monsters encountered instead of describing them. Once a creature type is established this doesn’t matter but I like how it keeps people in game if you say, “there’s a dozen half man, half horse things in the ravine” as opposed to “you see 12 centaurs, what do?” So I woulda given myself an F for minor errors but I’m very handsome so that A averages the F out to a C.
P: Xp from Kills: 75 Xp from Loot: 21875 Total XP: 21950 Cuts: 4 PC: 0% 5469 5% 5742 10% 6016
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