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Post by Scott on Nov 1, 2016 21:59:56 GMT -5
We're just about done with this. The party cleared out the upper works as efficiently as you can. Took out the sleeping guards, and then went right for the feast hall. Two high level M-Us slinging fireballs wrecked havoc on the giants, and the rest of the level was mop up. They went down the secret stairs first, found the treasure, and almost left without an encounter in the dungeons when they remembered they were looking for clues to what was behind the giant alliance. More exploring and they rescued the elf who will join the party, and they managed to charm one of the stone giants and he's now helping them. I'm curious as to whether they will find the EEG stuff before they move on.
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Post by Scott on Nov 9, 2016 17:23:55 GMT -5
The party finished the Steading. The elf in the cell and the dwarf working for the fire giants have joined the party. They found the EEG temple, but were too afraid to explore it. They looked around, got creeped out, and decided to move on. One of my favorite lines in reference to the charmed stone giant: "Well I wish our friendship could last forever but I guess we will kill the giant in his sleep". His gold filled chest was just too tempting.
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Post by Scott on Nov 11, 2016 20:58:42 GMT -5
Rather than writing a traditional campaign journal, I am going to try just pasting the chat log from the game. They are just now leaving for the Glacial Rift.
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Post by Scott on Nov 11, 2016 21:02:13 GMT -5
DM: Background: You’ve spent a week in Duloc healing, training, and preparing. The time has come to move on. Some dozens of leagues to the north and west of the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, amidst the tallest peaks of the Crystalmist Mountains, is the stronghold of Grugnur, Lord of Frost Giants. As frost giants have been amongst those who have been in the reaving bands, your party is to deal with them as the hill giants have been dealt with. Death and destruction are to be meted out to the frost giants in the same measure they gave to the people below. You are reminded that your most important mission, however, is to garner intelligence as to what or who is behind the unholy alliance of hill, stone, frost, and possible other types of giants as well. Any such information gained is to be delivered by the fastest means to the nobles of Sterich, while your party is to follow up clues in order to prosecute offenders. Any treasure taken is yours to keep; this is your reward for the perils you must face—and you are bound to face many in the weird ice caves and rocky caverns of the Jarl. The evil is strong in the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, far worse than among the hill giants.
DM: You are assembled outside of Castle Duloc. Lord Farquaad and several of the other nobles are present to see you off. The Party: Holgar: a mountain dwarf fighter Volgar: a human fighter Leoric: a human fighter Vindril: a high elf fighter/magic-user Roaky Swerked: a human cleric Ronan: a human cleric Cloyer Bulse the Magsman: a human thief Mirzod: a human monk Maylin: a human magic-user
The date is Wealsun (equivalent to June) 8th, and Duloc is located around 27 degrees north (think Tampa, Florida on Earth) and you are all dressed for an artic expedition. Before you start passing out from heat stroke the long chain of weird black metal you found in the hill giant chief’s treasure room is brought forth and looped into a large figure 8, half the party standing in each of the loops. Maylin, holding the map found with the chain, is the last member of the party to step into a loop. In an instant there is a flash, and a wave of nausea as the world shifts. One moment you are sweltering in the sun and heat of Duloc, the next you are standing in a frozen wasteland. The temperature is below freezing, snow is falling and the wind is howling around you. You are in the mountains, standing on a vaguely discernable track.
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Post by Scott on Nov 11, 2016 21:56:43 GMT -5
Doug: Ok we will do a scout around the area. DM: Movement is slow and visibility is limited. It takes a few hours to search the area, but you eventually find a cave suitable to use as a base, and the location of the frost giants’ rift. Image of the Rift. The track you are on can be seen on the bottom right of this image: You can't see from that angle, but there are ledges going down both sides of the rift. You can see several cave mouths along the ledges.
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Post by Scott on Nov 12, 2016 11:33:33 GMT -5
I'm curious to see how the party does here. Unless they totally muff it, G1 almost steers a party into overconfidence. The jump in difficulty from G1 to G2 is huge.
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Post by Scott on Nov 12, 2016 20:32:26 GMT -5
I don't think I like that. I guess I'll mix quotes and summary.
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Post by grodog on Nov 13, 2016 14:44:30 GMT -5
I'm curious to see how the party does here. Unless they totally muff it, G1 almost steers a party into overconfidence. The jump in difficulty from G1 to G2 is huge. Agreed, although G1 can easily turn into a bloodbath if the PCs blow it, too. Allan.
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Nov 13, 2016 21:15:40 GMT -5
I'm curious to see how the party does here. Unless they totally muff it, G1 almost steers a party into overconfidence. The jump in difficulty from G1 to G2 is huge. Agreed, although G1 can easily turn into a bloodbath if the PCs blow it, too. Allan.
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Nov 13, 2016 21:17:06 GMT -5
Yes, I had the bloodbath experience the entire party slain trying to bullrun the feast hall! So I never got to DM a party past the Steading!
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Post by Scott on Nov 13, 2016 22:09:04 GMT -5
After storing their supplies at the base cave. The party headed to the rift. There was a debate on spending the day scouting the rift from the outside, or entering. Swayed by limited rations, they decided to enter. Just outside of the entrance Vindril the elf cast a wizard eye spell to scout ahead. He told the party that the entrance passage split, and he guided his ‘eye’ west. He described a cave with yetis, a smoke filled cave that prevented him from seeing anything, and a cave that seemed to be empty, and then the spell ended. Before entering the rift Vindril cast a strength spell on himself, raising his strength from 17 to 18/60. The party entered the Rift and took the west fork. They came to the first cave entrance and entered knowing yetis awaited them. Maylin cast a hold monster and four of them failed their save. The remaining three, including the leader with the magic sword fell quickly to the party.
“Party: Is that the last of them DM: Yes
Party: Ok we will kill the held ones, search there lair. A few of us will keep watch on the 2 exits DM: You can see piles of bones, the remains of previous meals, and spots of yellow snow, etc. No signs of valuables. It looks like the yetis makes piles of snow with bowl like depressions for beds.
Party: Did we search the <leader’s> area yet DM: Same as above.
Party: And if we dig around in the snow under there beds still nothing? If not we will Head south. Does anyone have any other spells or familiars to look ahead DM: In the mound in the alcove where the yeti with the glowing sword came from you find 11 ivory tusks, but they're about 40 lbs each
Party: Do we have any idea what there worth? Also we take the sword I'm guessing that's the only magic we detect DM: (I rolled a D20 to determine the party’s ability to appraise the ivory. The result was a 3) You've heard ivory is valuable, and that's about the extent of your knowledge. And the sword is the only magic
Party: Ok we will put the ivory back where it was and come back for it. We will head south
The party continued south along the edge until they came to the next cave, the smoke filled cave. The crept cautiously inside. The hit the ice floor and I rolled to see if anybody slipped, and Leoric did, losing his giant slayer sword and shield as he went down. They both slid towards a crevice in the ice, but stopped before sliding in. The party tossed him a rope and he was able to retrieve his items. They pulled him back and made a quick exit, heading further south.
FYI: I think the last time EGG played D&D it was the G series, with Ernie DMing his group. Gary was playing the dwarf member of the Co8 sometimes referred to as Digby (by Rob), sometimes Zigby, or Zig (by Gary). The dwarf slipped in this room and lost a +3 shield in the vent.
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Post by Scott on Nov 15, 2016 17:09:19 GMT -5
An interesting rules related line I came across in G2: "they will always attack intruders by surprise (1-3) or complete surprise (4-6)". 1E surprise is already a mess. I think somewhere in the rules it mentions surprise and complete surprise, but I can't remember how clear it is. I was thinking 1 meant surprise and 2 meant complete surprise, and the number rolled determines the number of segments of surprise, but this doesn't fit my current understanding.
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Nov 15, 2016 18:47:11 GMT -5
An interesting rules related line I came across in G2: "they will always attack intruders by surprise (1-3) or complete surprise (4-6)". 1E surprise is already a mess. I think somewhere in the rules it mentions surprise and complete surprise, but I can't remember how clear it is. I was thinking 1 meant surprise and 2 meant complete surprise, and the number rolled determines the number of segments of surprise, but this doesn't fit my current understanding. Isn't this surprise system variation because the G series modules were written prior to the DMG?
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Post by Scott on Nov 15, 2016 20:25:38 GMT -5
Initiative and surprise are a mess even without the G modules.
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Nov 15, 2016 21:09:40 GMT -5
Initiative and surprise are a mess even without the G modules. So how do you house rule initiative and surprise different than 1E rules?
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Post by Scott on Nov 15, 2016 22:22:49 GMT -5
Maybe I'll write out some examples for the next fight the PCs get into.
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Post by geneweigel on Nov 15, 2016 23:15:31 GMT -5
Its just a special case they're all over the Gygax designed modules. Its referred to with this line in the DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE (1979):
In this case roll the dice mentioned and the cats are either surprise 1-3 (where the party gets a chance to roll normally) or 4-6 complete surprise (no chance for party). Its basically saying they're out of the loop.
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Post by Scott on Nov 16, 2016 7:39:44 GMT -5
I'm not sure about that, since complete surprise is mentioned in the PH or DMG and I think it has more to do with how long a party is surprised. But I'll have to find it again. It's one of those concepts that was never fully explained.
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Post by geneweigel on Nov 16, 2016 8:02:27 GMT -5
Its like a swallow whole or a bear hug.
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Post by Scott on Nov 16, 2016 8:29:18 GMT -5
The snow leopards ended up attacking with complete surprise, but then the monk talked them into relaxing with his speak with animals ability. Did the same thing in the Steading with a bear.
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