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Post by Scott on Aug 24, 2014 10:39:08 GMT -5
Saturday, 8/23
We started with some Nuits-Saint-Georges and Brie before hitting the dungeons.
Party:
Finn (Gavin): 3rd level human fighter.
Hagerstad (NPC) 1st level dwarf fighter
Leoric (Mike) 1st level human fighter
Barton (Doug) 1st level human fighter
Tharendel (NPC) 1/1 gray elf fighter/magic-user
Saul (NPC) 1st level human cleric
Ingo (NPC) gnome 1/1 fighter/thief
Andor (NPC) 1st level? human magic-user
My cousin Doug rolled up a fighter and joined Gavin and Mike’s party. The party had suffered several beat downs on the 1st level, so logically they decided to move on to the 2nd. A one-way door and teleporter later, and they were regretting that decision. Hagerstad went from full to dead in a single round when an owlbear hit him with 2 claws, a bite, and a hug. They fought some gnolls, troglodytes, retreated from a room where goblin archers were firing at them from balconies before finding stairs going up. The stairs led to a chamber occupied by kobolds. They handled them pretty quickly, and soon found their way to a part of the dungeon they previously explored and headed back to town.
A suit of plate mail they found in the owlbear's lair was magic, Saul got it, which helped him reach 2nd level.
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Post by Scott on Aug 25, 2014 11:06:57 GMT -5
The party made two trips to the dungeon that night. Both times they opted to explore the 2nd level. They spent about 10 minutes in the dungeon the first time.
The party made it to the dungeons safely. They entered the cave that took them to the elven gate keepers cavern. After a short conversation with the elves the party decided to try level 2. The elves raised the portcullis. The party walked down the steps and entered a chamber. A wandering monster check turned up 6 gnolls, and they surprised the party. First attack was a hit that knocked the cleric out. The party finished off the gnolls, turned around, and went home. The elves made some skeptical, 'Maybe you should stick to the first level' type comments, but the party responded, 'Hey, that was a fluke. We'll be back in a few days'.
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Post by GRWelsh on Aug 25, 2014 11:40:14 GMT -5
What is up with the elves as gate keepers? And the dwarves, and ogres, as well, for that matter? I think this was a feature of EGG's original version of the Greyhawk Dungeons -- but why? What were they doing there, and what was their purpose? I think Dave Arneson's Castle Blackmoor dungeon also had elf gate keepers, who operated a turnstile and even some kind of souvenir shop. What was the story with these gate-keeper types in these old dungeons?
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Post by Scott on Aug 25, 2014 12:06:40 GMT -5
Dave's were a little different. Blackmoor Castle was still occupied, and the elves helped control it. the dungeon was locked to keep the critters from getting into the castle. The turnstile was just home campaign comic relief.
Greyhawk's gatekeepers are strictly dungeon denizens. I don't really question their reason for being there anymore than I question any of the other denizen. That's sort of anathema to the Greyhawk Dungeon setup. There is no logic to any of it other than an environment for PCs to adventure in.
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Post by GRWelsh on Aug 25, 2014 14:37:54 GMT -5
I remember a story about how some PC's early in the history of Greyhawk Dungeons took over a level or a portion of a level. Was it Tenser? And then they either kept other PC's out, or forced them to pay to enter and leave. It was perhaps an early example of meta-gaming... and even a carry over from table-top war-gaming by holding a tactically valuable and defensible location. Maybe that is what I was thinking was up with those demihuman gate-keepers as well -- if enough people were coming and going into Greyhawk Dungeons, then setting up a fortified toll booth would be a viable way to make some money.
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Post by Scott on Aug 25, 2014 14:41:27 GMT -5
Tenser, Terick, and Robilar shared the 1st level for a short time, and charged a toll on other PCs who wanted to explore the dungeons.
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Post by Scott on Aug 25, 2014 21:47:02 GMT -5
How's this sound? I would say the ogre and the dwarves are opportunists that use their entrances to earn a little extra gold. The elves were followers of Zagig in his mortal days, and they continue to serve him now.
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Post by GRWelsh on Aug 26, 2014 11:15:49 GMT -5
How's this sound? I would say the ogre and the dwarves are opportunists that use their entrances to earn a little extra gold. The elves were followers of Zagig in his mortal days, and they continue to serve him now. I like it. Even if the players never find out the reason, I like knowing there is a reason. |
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Post by Scott on Oct 17, 2014 8:05:24 GMT -5
Mike and Gavin decided to give level 2 another go, and the recently departed dwarf would have really come in handy. After descending the same set of stairs as last time, they decided to explore in the other direction. I said 'wait, I need your marching order'. they provided it. We continued, and the front rank, and half of the second rank immediately fell into a 20' deep, spiked pit. They avoided rooms after that and mapped out a section of the passages.
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Post by Scott on Nov 3, 2014 13:22:21 GMT -5
The party decided to try the 3rd dungeon level for the first time. After a short time roaming the maze of passages they came to a door. Listened. Nothing. Checked for traps. None found. Tried the door: stuck. Force it. D6 = 6. Try again. D6 = 6. Try again. D6 = 6 (no lie). By this time, the inhabitants of the chamber behind the door, a 5th level fighter, a 5th level thief, and a squad of men-at-arms are in perfect ambush formation, the thief in a backstab spot, a volley of missiles ready, etc. but it never came to that. All the noise the players were making succeeded in attracting some wandering monsters, five bugbears, with surprise. The bugbears had one segment of surprise, and were at max distance, or the party would have probably been TPKed. Also in the party’s favor was the fact that it was the first encounter and everybody had full HPs, full spells, etc. Even so it was a tough battle. After 3 rounds of combat with the bugbears the humans in the chamber decided to emerge to investigate/clean up, forcing the party into a two front combat. The cleric got backstabbed for triple damage, ruining his first hold person, but he is a HP beast, and he got his second spell off, which probably saved the party.
The limped away with some silver and gold, as well as magic plate, shield, and sword from the fighter (all +1), and a ring and dagger from the thief.
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