Continuing the Summer Game

Well it's been awhile since I have posted an entry and the game has continued on with the Scales of War series Rescue at Rivenroar and we ended up with the group still engaged in exploring the ruins and rescuing some people kidnapped from the village. This was interesting as they had been attacked by hobgoblins but they still had not found the boss.

Then we transitioned to the summer game where the group had just finished off the cleric trying to summon something evil and now they have been hired by the local lord to investigate where some people have gone with hobgoblins taking slaves for the underground. They travel to the Thunderspire Mountains to explore the Labyrinth. Countless tunnels and caverns that lead to the Underdark. This leads them to the Bloodreavers, a gang of slavers that they wipe off the map only to find they have already sold off the slaves to the Duergar or dark dwarves and this has led them to the Horned Hold, the hidden fortress of the Duergar.

Street Battle

Well I continued the next session with the next battle involving the group now out on the street and a large Ogre yoked to a wagon tossing around flammable kegs with a trio of hobgoblin archers picking off anyone who got close, much to the Thri-Kreen's chagrin as he was pin-cushioned to the wall. It was easy to hold off the group until they managed to get close enough to the Ogre to attack it and they finally knocked it down. They have gone from hitting everything in sight with 3.5 to now needing a good roll to hit at 1st level. At least this will slowly change over time.

Starting 4th Edition

Well we have spent the last two sessions making up characters for the new game.
I have decided to start up the Scales of War adventure path from Dungeon Magazine.
I must admit that this edition is much easier to run compared to 3.5.
The group is now ready to go and what a surprise there is only one human in the party with a few strange races to start with. I will have to see how the game goes but for now I am ready to go except for populating the adventure with the loot they will get.
Their first fight was in a bar in the town where the adventure begins and I think the group did fairly well considering two players were absent. Now I wait for the next session with hopefully everyone showing up and continuing on.

The end of 3rd Edition

Well the group surprised me last session by finishing off our epic adventure path that last 8 years. I thought the fight would last longer with Demogorgon but the main fighter managed to do a massive amount of damage in one round but not before I managed to kill off two party members. So with this I have had enough of the mind numbing rules of 3.5 and now we foray into 4th Edition and I think I will start with the next Adventure Path called the Scales of War and I look forward to seeing what the group comes up with for characters.

Finishing Chapter Twelve

Well the group has spent the last month or so accomplishing a few tasks for their demonic leaders in order to be able to try and finish off their task once and for all. This is to find the master pearl responsible for creating all of the savage pearls and somehow finding a way to destroy it. But first they had to find where this was and they finally found the only entrance to Wat Dagon. The group shocked me by using spells to get right to the entrance but then they allowed themselves to be distracted by the guardians entrenched waiting for them. Instead of heading through the doors, they charged off to attack the demons waiting for them. Now they are on the ropes with only a few of them inside the building. Soon this adventure will finally be over and frankly that can't come soon enough...

Returning to the Savage Tide

Well the summer sessions of 4th Edition have finished with the group completing the first adventure in the very last session for the year. So when we start up again the group has gone up a level and that will have to be completed.

Now we return to the Savage Tide with the group now waiting for orders after securing the bunker from the demons. They are then ordered to a portal point as something is preventing the massed armies from gating into the area. Once the two spell casters were healed from their afflictions they traveled to an area that had been devastated from a massive attack. In the distance the group could see a ten foot totem planted into the ground. hanging from it were the tattered remnants of the battle standard of one of the Prince of Undead's vaunted legions. As  they advanced they were attacked by the guardian left behind. One of the Prince of Demon's infamous children.

Clearing out the first level

Well the group has finally explored all of the first level and managed to convince Sir Keegan the fallen lord of the keep and he has gifted his famed longsword Aecris to Kara. Then the group found the secret armory and answered the riddle and Kara then was given black-iron scale armor. The group has taken a much needed rest as the group is now 4th level and everyone has gained in bonuses. Now they need to explore the second level to find the evil priest before it is too late.

Playing with Goblins

Well the last session was interesting as I quickly had the group on the ropes as they investigated the lower level of the abandoned keep. The group walked down the stairs and while the rogue skipped around looking down the corridors. Kara the large dragon-born managed to fall down the pit at the base of the stairs and was swarmed by a pack of ravenous rats. Then the goblin snipers started firing at the group from the shadows and they were forced to flee back to the surface with their tails between their legs as they agreed to retreat and try again the next day.

This was much easier than I thought as the group has been easy to distract and once they are separated a little bit easy to gang up on and knock down. Now to see if the group can learn to work together to at least survive.

Switching games for the season

Well the time has come to return to the summer game which is now 4th Edition. After a false start from not playing these rules for 7 months we managed to get through two combat situations in one session and now the group is going to try and spend some of the loot they acquired with only a small settlement to spend it in. Now its time to explore the abandoned keep where a major battle was fought only two decades before. 

The Assault of Gaping Maw

Well the group just spent the last five sessions of the season opening a beach-head on the shores of Gaping Maw. The group was assisted by a squad of Eladrin who helped in the attack. The fight lasted just over two minutes of game time and the group managed to either kill or drive off the demons guarding the site. But not before the two party mages were feeble-minded by the flying demon above them. The serious fight was with the three six armed Marilith demons that were a handful. Now thankfully we switch to 4th Edition for the rest of the summer and we will return to the Savage Tide Adventure Path will return with the finale in the fall.

Let the Battle Begin

Well the group has now presided over the council of war and the group has been tasked with taking out a bunker on the edge of the ocean so that an Eladrin army can appear and help in the assault of Gaping Maw. Now the battle to take out Demogorgon is about to begin. We have six sessions left before we switch to the summer game which is now 4th Edition and this will happen when the Savage Tide is done for the season to continue in the fall. I will try my damnedest to take out the party seeing as once the battle starts it won't stop until Demogorgon or the party is dead.

Finally the Last Chapter

Well the group has finally finished off gathering their allies for the war to come but first they need to get all their new found friends together for a council of war. This might be easier said than done as the only place they may be able to hold a meeting will be Sigil and this brings up another series of problems with the group leader, Adla the Lumi Crusader as she fled Sigil over a year ago to get away from her master. There is still another surprise to come before the council happens. I am just waiting for the right time and place. More to come...

Finishing Off the 11th Chapter

 Well the group has surprised me by managing to capture the aspect of a demon lord but not before the group took some serious damage and in fact the group had to use one of the wishes remaining in the ring in order to save the party healer from being consumed by raw chaos. It was a close thing but they managed to get in and out of the supply depot before the guardians even realized that they were there. Now that they have another piece of the puzzle they are headed to try and meet with one of Demogorgon's generals to try and turn him to their side. They have arrived just outside the base of operations of one of Demogorgon's favored legions. This means that the group will have to deal with thousands of demons if things go wrong. The next session should finally get the group to the last chapter, the actual invasion of the Gaping Maw, Demogorgon's home plane in the Abyss.
  Things are getting interesting as the groups travels along the River Styx have been noticed and other beings are starting to take note including the Prince of Demons himself. I am actually looking forward to finishing off this mega-adventure that has taken seven years to play out. The Savage Tide will finish for the season in two months so I am anxious to see how far along we are at the break.

Follow the River Styx

Well the group has spent the last few months using their new found ability to sail the Styx in order to gain new allies in and out of the Abyss. They have managed to get the agreement of the Prince of Undead himself, Lord Orcus. Then they managed to find the Eladrin from the Court of Stars and gained their favor after killing a legendary dragon but not before losing two members of the group to the dragon's disintegrate spell. One was returned to the living but the party wizard underwent a transformation when he was returned as a drow elf sorcerer but with the wizard's memories so things have gone strange for the group. Then they managed to get the Queen of Seductions to help also as they continued their journey. Now they have a minor artifact to use in capturing an aspect of a demon lord for further use. Things are rapidly coming to a head with one more part to go until we get to the last chapter.

First post of the Year

  Well the group has been gaming away during the holiday season and it has been getting very interesting. They have come up with a plan, they think and are now jaunting across the multiverse trying to gain allies in their upcoming battle with the Prince of Demons. So far they have gain valuable knowledge from the fabled Witch Queen of the Abyss but the group has had to sell their souls so to speak to gain her trust. Then they dealt with the Demon Prince of Undead on his own plane and that was very tough indeed. They managed to get the Prince to agree to start building up his fabled legions to assault Gaping Maw itself.
  Now they are climbing around the fabled World's Tree in order to slay Redfang, a fabled Linnorm Dragon who has fed on many of the inhabitants from the Court of Stars. If they managed this they gain another ally in their fight and then they will have to try to contact another demon Lord but in this case it is the fabled demoness known for her seductive powers of persuasion. Then they will still have a few more to gain before the group heads into the last chapter of the Adventure Path and this will finally be done...

Playing with Demon Lords

     The group has managed to do the unthinkable and that is to release a prisoner from the Wells of Darkness. The group was able to negotiate with Ahazu the Seizer, lord of the Wells and have agreed to replace the Demoness with another creature of equal power within 60 days. After releasing her and getting the information required the group was then forced to deal with another trap set by the Prince of Demons. This was a rupture in the Abyss that caused a rupture in the Layers that caused the River Styx to pour into the Wells of Darkness causing most of the group to lose the last eight hours of memory while that had to find more guardians sent by their master. They overcame these demons and moments later a strange fog billowed out from the water pouring down and a long narrow skiff poled by a gaunt skeletal figure wielding a long boat pole. To their horror they realized that this was Charon the fabled boatman of the Styx and looked very angry. With a gesture he stilled the roaring water as he asked the group why they had diverted his river.
     The group tried to blame the Prince of Demons but ultimately they apologized to Charon and he accepted it and then asked them onto his skiff. The group decided this was a good idea as it was time to get away from the Wells before the Prince decided to attend personally. Charon was full of anger with the Prince and told the group that he would help them with their problem and after sailing the Styx for close to a day he deposited the group along side the Sea Wyvern somewhere in the layers of the Abyss. He also gave the group permission to ply the waters of the Styx while they were fighting the Prince. The group was told to speak with the Lord of this layer and it was the fabled sorceress Iggwilv and they would need her assistance to start their plan of attack against the Demon Prince.
     More to come as the group tries diplomacy instead of combat to accomplish their deeds.

Taking a Weekend Off

Well our group will not be gaming over the holiday weekend so I get an extra week of planning on what happens next. In our last session the group had tried to overcome the guardians of the demoness trapped in the well. I managed to kill off one of the PC's with a brutal ease and have damaged some of the others with damage that can't be healed while they are in the Abyss. They finally got past the four armed gorillas and are now attacking the massive construct sitting on top of the well.

Back to Role Playing Again

     Well we have been back to role-playing the last two weeks and the first session was a bit scrambled but we managed to get in one short fight before we ended for the night. The last session was much better with us getting into two fights in the same time period. I must say I am liking the quicker combat with 4th compared to 3.5.

     I am looking forward to the next few sessions as we build into the first adventure of maybe many. I will have to see and I am still debating on whether to keep a log or journal.

Gaming with 4th Edition

Well we have started a new summer role-playing game with the ending of the Birthright Game that has run for over 15 years.  I convinced the group that if we wanted to continue role-playing then I had 4^th Edition ready to run and the group has surprised me in agreeing.

So the first session was the group making up characters and thankfully I have the program for making the PC’s so I had everything printed up for the entire group. They have surprised me with the choices they made with their characters and now we get to start with the group getting into their first fight when we start the next session. They even managed to give me the roll needed at the time so the entire group all started with a minor magic item.

The names of the characters are fairly standard other than our usual player who seems to come up with outlandish names and his name for his human was no exception. I will have to see if I want to continue with my writing as a GM for the sessions I have been running. We will have to see.

Summertime Gaming

Well the Birthright game has finally ended its run with one epic battle. The fight lasted just over two minutes of game time but took four game sessions to finally complete. Our group consisted of eight with the late addition of two NPC's to bolster our forces as we went up against the evil Lich and his two remaining minions were waiting for us. We had encountered the warblade before but not the big nasty fighter with a very big weapon who proceeded to butcher us until a failed saving throw brought him down. By the time the fight was over only one character was still standing and he was down to single digits.

This has ended a summer run of over fifteen years that Jeff has GMed and I thank him for that. I know its a pretty big commitment to plan and run a role playing game. Now we have spent a few sessions playing the board game Settlers of Catan and have even hosted Murdock's Marauders for a tabletop skirmish session. It seems the plan for the rest of the summer is for a random game to be played until the main Savage Tide game starts up again. We will see I suppose...