Adventures in a Doomed World: Session 18

The map as it stands at the end of this session. C means cleared of monster lairs.

I'm playing a mashup of Scarlet Heroes and Basic Fantasy RPG with a few supplements to turn it into a solo fantasy hexcrawl in the world of Eilobar, a doomed land entering its end times. I'm using the Level 0 Character Tumbler, Hexcrawl Aventures and also 47 Critical Hit Tables to Spice Up Your Game. The characters started as level 0 peasants and have since levelled up to become heroes.

Introduction

The party has recovered six hundred gold pieces from the home of Erdulf, a dwarf who stole it from a group of ragged strangers who need to be moved on from a cave in the wasteland outside Keyham.

The Adventure

The heroes wake up and meet early. It's the 93rd day of the wet season and a light rain is falling. As they leave Keyham a rider enters the village and proclaims that the King died in his sleep one week ago and has been succeeded by his son Robert. The new king is five years old so a regent will advise him and be de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Lond until the boy's sixteenth year. The heroes shrug at this - they doubt it will make any difference to their lives.

They travel southeast to the wasteland and the cave where the group of strangers live. They hand over the six hundred gold and the seven people thank them and move off (212 XP). Bryne watches them leave, suspicious of their nature but unable to decide why. This hex has been cleared. They receive 100 XP between them and can claim 25GP from the villagers. It will now only generate wandering monsters on a roll of 1 on a D12 instead of a D6.

Cyna reaches level 2! She receives +1 to her attack bonus making it +2, 5 to her maximum HP making it 14 and she raises her Animal Handling trait by 1 point, to 3. She can now use her fray die against creatures with 2HD or less.

There's still time for travelling today so they head west into the grassy plains they previously searched for monsters. Right away they find small humanoid tracks leading to a cave entrance in the ground nearby. Following them into the cave they recognise the unmistakable smell of goblins.

Helia slips into the cave entrance, sticking to the shadows and attempts to recon the goblins. (Average: DC11)

12 +1 Adventuring Thief, +1 Dex bonus = 14

Success!

She counts fourteen goblins in the cave at the end of the tunnel, and she can see another tunnel leading off into the gloom. She takes aim at the warrior leading them and releases an arrow, killing it. All hell breaks loose as the goblins realise they're being invaded and swarm towards Helia, who is hit by two arrows and a shortsword before the rest of the party can catch up. Bryne rounds the corner of the tunnel and shoots a goblin dead, saving her Sleep spell for the right moment.

Two goblins rush into the tunnel but Bryne brains one with her donkey's jawbone and then throws a magical bolt of energy at the other, killing them both. Helia is shot again, reducing her to 1HP. Another goblin archer shoots at her but hits the first one instead, killing it.

Bryne casts Sleep and six goblins fall to the ground. The others hold their nerve and run towards the heroes. One manages to slash Cyna with a dagger but they are both quickly killed by the two fighters. 

There is a second cavern filled with goblins. Have they heard the fight? (Almost certain)

Yes.

While the heroes are stabbing the sleeping goblins they hear a loud commotion coming from the other tunnel and a large group of goblins rounds the corner, charging straight for them. Helia shoots one and everyone prepares for another battle. The fight is long and bloody, with Stilda and Cyna both taking wounds. Eventually there is one goblin warrior left, and while clashing with it they see a goblin king coming round the corner (the goblin chieftain they fought in a previous session was supposed to be a king - I got the name wrong). Clad in chainmail and wielding a shield and handaxe, it trudges slowly towards them.

The heroes retreat back into the first cavern and wait for it to come fully into view so they can shoot at it. We should really buy Stilda and Cyna a couple of crossbows or something so they can join in at times like this. They manage to hit it twice before Helia fumbles her bow. Cyna steps up to it and swings but it blocks with its shield then hits her with its axe.

Stilda and Cyna both hit it, and Bryne shoots it again, the arrow piercing its neck but it somehow fights on, enraged. It swings wildly at Cyna and she thrusts her pitchfork at it hard, punching through the chainmail and deep into the goblin's side, finally killing it.

Wow, another huge goblin battle. That was thirty of the buggers! Bryne has reached level 2. She gains 2HP, one third of a point towards her attack bonus (it's still zero) and one point for her Lore trait, making it 3. In the Scarlet Heroes rules it says when a wizard levels up a new spell will form in their mind. I'm going to have this happen the next time Bryne goes to sleep so she can dream it into existence, and I'll use the brilliant spell creation system from Maze Rats to do it randomly.

For now though, they'll search the caves for loot. The goblin king had a huge treasure hoard. They recover 200GP, an electrum amulet, a silver bracelet, a pair of copper earrings, two pairs of finely made sandals, a potion and nine gems. The potion's label says "Rapture". Does Bryne recognise it? (Simple: DC9)

5 +3 Lore, +2 Int bonus = 10

Success!

Bryne explains that rapture is a kind of rare magical drug that will put the user into a state of ecstacy for about an hour after taking it. This could be useful if they ever need to bribe someone who likes that kind of thing, or they could even try throwing it in the face of an enemy to disable them.

They load the treasure onto Stilda's horse and set off back to Keyham. Although it's not far they have to make camp for the night.

Arriving in Keyham the following morning, they spend three days resting up. They collect 25 gold from the villagers for clearing out the goblin lair and they're able to sell their massive haul for 828.20GP! Let's generate Bryne's new spell. I've decided this is what I'll do not only each time she levels up but also if she ever does magical research and creates a new one herself.

Rolling on the table we get ethereal element + physical form: Warp Throne.

Hmm... Ok, let's say it's a spell that can be cast on any chair, which will teleport the chair and anyone or anything on it up to 1D4 per caster level x 6 miles away. Who knows if it'll be useful!