Session 3: Side Campaign

3rd Weekend of July 2010

Since many players couldn't come this weekend, and since those who could are too addicted not to play, Aaron, Arbeen and I decided to start a side campaign. I thought we should try the races and characters in Player's Handbook 2 just for kicks.

New Characters!

Aaron plays Erdan (17 Charisma), an Elven Paladin who's the Jace of this campaign (i.e. misses a lot, gets knocked out a lot).
Arbeen plays Urza (18 Charisma), a Deva Sorcerer who dreams of planeswalking someday.
Derick plays Justin TimberBieberLake (20 Charisma), a Half-Elf Bard who likes to punish enemies both with ridiculous swordplay and even more ridiculous singing and dancing.

Having only 2 Player Characters (PC) is too hard for me, who has to adjust the encounter difficulties of the adventure (which was originally designed for 5 PCs) to have just the right amount of challenge. So I added my own character but adopted a support and laid back role so the real players are in charge of what they do.

Background Story

We decided to call our adventuring group The Jonas Brothers (or maybe DMC?) as we were a cute but tough trio out to make a name (and riches) for ourselves in a harsh, unforgiving world. With our high Charisma scores, no music loving crowd can resist us, men will shower us with gold, women will shower us with kisses and hugs and other hopefully indecent behavior, our fans will triple-double after every completed quest, and we will skyrocket to the top of the Hellboard Charts. That's the plan anyway.


The story so far:

Brindol

The wanderings of The Jonas Brothers led them to Brindol, a small town on the south shore of the Elsir River. While relaxing in the Antler and Thistle tavern, shouts, crashes, clangs, and other assorted noises ring through the early evening and suddenly, hobgoblins wearing armor imprinted with a red hand break the tavern door down shouting, "For the Red Hand! For Sinruth!" They attack several patrons while one of them throws a burning torch near the bar and sets it aflame.

The Jonas Brothers quickly respond in kind, being one of the several aforementioned patrons themselves. They fell hobgoblins, by the dozens, by the hundreds, nay, thousands! At least that's how the bard will sing about it later.

Red Hand of Doom

Arbeen's Urza bounces off Chaos Bolts that make bowling pins of the minions. Sick.

Aaron's Erdan becomes this Daven's campaign and misses a lot of attacks. He also gets hit a lot and misses his other character, a Dragonborn Fighter wearing scale armor, too.

When they finish dispatching the hobgoblins, and cleaning up the mess (including some spilled coins from a gambling table), a wounded city guard asks for Erdan's aid. It seems several attacks have unbelievably occurred inside the town, which with its high walls thought impervious from such incursions. Smoke and flames rise from several buildings all around, and the sound of battle can be heard over the panicking shouts and screams.

Ogre

A moment later a huge ogre strapped to a wagon turns the street and notices The Jonas Brothers. Erdan charges forward and feels the hugeness of the ogre as it pummels him with a club long and large enough to be a Meralco post. The wagon was also carrying 2 hobgoblins armed with longbows that punctuated the club swing with arrow piercings.

Not to be left out of such an exciting clubbing event, the rest of the party joins in and shoots some long range lyrics and bolts and arrows of their own. This is where I felt that 3 PCs can be really hard for both the players and the DM, since even though I already adjusted the monsters' stats, it was still a bit too difficult.

After Justin's incredible shooting percentage (2 hits out of 13 attacks), along with Erdan getting knocked out twice in typical Daven style, the party eventually brings down ogre and co.

The next day, they get summoned to the Council Hall where they are interviewed by Council Member Eofram (as a skill challenge) as possible rescuers of the townsfolk who were captured in the attack. 7 people were taken, along with some historic items in the Hall of Valor. The Jonas Brothers fail the skill challenge but get the quest anyway for half the reward.

They then interrogate a captured hobgoblin and attempt to force the Red Hand's lair from him. They fail this skill challenge too but he points out a location on their map anyway.

They then journey north to where the hobgoblin said they were camped, the catacombs at Castle Rivenroar. Traveling without getting lost was another skill challenge they failed, and they ended up at, instead of the entrance to the catacombs, the entrance to a cave bear's cave. Where Erdan also gets knocked out. They eventually find the right path and reach Castle Rivenroar anyway.

So, multiple skill challenges failed, Erdan practically hugging the floor all the time - seems like a good start!