Tag: role-playing

D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 58 Recap

The Hunt for Hekaton begins as we follow-up with clues pointing to The K Society, and return to The Grand Dame.

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Previously on “Storm King’s Thunder”

The Grand Dame looked exactly as we remembered, complete with surly captain outside demanding we turn over our weapons. We were in no mood for subtlety this time around.

I reached out with my mind, attempting to convince him that we were on official business, and needed to be escorted immediately to the captain’s quarters.

Whether through exhaustion at being teleported hundreds of miles in a matter of minutes or through sheer overconfidence, the man sneered at me in response. “You ain’t on no business.” He drew his weapon and the guard next to him did the same.

I switched tactics, spreading out my arms as a sign of complacency. “Hey friend, have you heard of the Graham Cracker Crew?” 

The man sneered even further, the corners of his mouth threatening to leap off in opposite directions. “I heard of the Graham Cracker Crew. I don’t give two shits if that’s who you are. No weapons on this ship.”

I stumbled my way through a bullshit response, as Halfred crept up next to him. The Captain took a single step forward and Halfred launched himself, planting his head directly in the man’s gut. His eyes bulged, knees buckled, and his whole form seemed to fold in on itself as he teetered for a moment, then toppled over into the water below.

He cried out a yelp as he fell, and the other guard screamed and drew his weapon. We were getting in there, one way or another.

I originally named last week’s session “Into the Maelstrom p1,” but I cannot in good conscience name this week’s session part 2. Thanks to our dumb luck we skipped through the huge Storm Giant dungeon and were able to secure a private audience with their leader, Reagent Serissa, without so much as bumping into any other giants, and from there have already received our next quest – to find King Hekaton and restore the Ordning. Continue reading “D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 58 Recap”

D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 57 Recap

We teleport inside the Storm Giant lair known as the Maelstrom, and immediately discover all the shortcuts.

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Previously on “Storm King’s Thunder”

I felt the minutes tick by slowly, furtively glancing toward both the staircase and the pool of water.

Korinn returned first, still invisible. She reported that an entire delegation of Giants sat upstairs in some sort of concert or show, hosted by the Storm Giants. It wasn’t the kind of party we wanted to crash.

While we debated on how to handle it, the pool of water began rippling. A gigantic shark head emerged, crashing into the side, sending a water-logged T.I.M. sailing through the air.

He tucked, rolled, and sprang up on his feet. He immediately began babbling like an excited child as he pulled out magical treasures that he and Bryseis had discovered in their underwater excursion. “We found a whale and I made a seahorse friend! I accidentally killed a shark, then I killed two crabs. And I found some stuff. Oh and there’s a bunch of other entrances to other areas of the dungeon.”

We finally journeyed into the Maelstrom, the primary lair of the Storm Giants, via the teleporting conch shell we had grabbed from the Cloud Giants. Then we did what we always do: split the party and skip through the dungeon. Continue reading “D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 57 Recap”

D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 56 Recap

The Weevil puts up one final battle as we move to rescue Bryseis’ mother.

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Previously on “Storm King’s Thunder”

Bryseis hurried upstairs with so much urgency that I half-expected the Weevil to have somehow escaped, despite looking down at his dead body. Then I remembered the banging on the closet door in the middle of the battle and suddenly felt guilty.

We heard some muffled voices, then a pair of tiefling women came downstairs. The other looked only slightly older than Bryseis. The family resemblance was uncanny.

I grinned. “Bryseis, you didn’t tell me you had a sister!”

Bryseis glowered and pointed a finger at my feet. I leapt to the side as a tiny bolt of flame scorched where my foot had been moments before.

The other woman’s eyes sparkled with dangerous amusement. “My name is Leandra. I am Bryseis’ mother, brought here by that dead dwarf over there. Do check his body, I had something special made for Bryseis that he had pocketed.”

She inclined her head slightly to Bryseis, who shifted uncomfortably. “It should help you with your… control issues. Though it looks like you and your friends have been doing just fine.”

With the flawless stealthily infiltration last week, it was just a matter of taking on the Weevil and his final bodyguards, which proved a bit more difficult than we anticipated. Continue reading “D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 56 Recap”

D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 55 Recap

We stealthily infiltrate The Weevil’s urban fortress, aiming to take him out once and for all.

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Previously on “Storm King’s Thunder”

I let my Mask of Many Faces wash over me, transforming me into a haggard, decrepit man. The kind whom people tend to avoid while walking around a city.

I completed the disguise with some quality under-the-breath mutterings as I wandered near The Leaky Barrel Inn, the last known location of The Weevil here in Everlund.

A hired guard kept me from wandering too close down an adjoining alley, but through the window I could spot the sellsword Bryseis had told us about. As the guard escorted me away I reached out with my mind, informing the well-groomed man that there was more coin in it for him if he came outside and had a little chat a few blocks away.

It was risky, but it worked. As I shuffled away I could hear the man give out a loud laugh and open the door, slapping the guard on the back as he stumbled, presumably on the noble quest of booze-hunting.

He followed me around the corner, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms. I turned, and a smile crept along his face. “Standard rate my friend. You double his cost, I turn on my employer.”

Back in Everlund we had one very important loose thread dangling in front of us: The Weevil. Krowen informed us that, thanks in large part to Bryseis’ clandestine networking, we knew not only that The Weevil was in town, but also that he was staying at a specific abandoned inn in a rough part of town. And this time we weren’t aiming to capture him. Continue reading “D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 55 Recap”

D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 54 Recap

We meet Countess Sansuri of the Cloud Giants and attempt to bargain for the magical shell.

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Previously on “Storm King’s Thunder”

The 30-ft tall queen of the cloud giants strode into the room, carrying all the haughty annoyance that I had expected. She stopped, her mouth practically hanging open as she surveyed us standing there, our hippogriffs nervously pawing at the ground behind us. 

I took a deep breath and bowed deeply with all the respectful flourish I could muster.

“Your majesty,” I began. My mind was spinning. We were conch inspectors – no – we were hunting that foul group who just made off with her dragon. And stole all the treasure from her study! Those rascals. We’d catch them for sure. 

But we still needed that shell, and only she could summon it. Behind us Cressaro spoke up in a monotone that made me smile: “It is of the utmost importance that we retrieve the shell.” He was still under my influence.

I then offered to give her what she wanted – the location of some ancient dragon magic. The Countess began to slowly lower her guard. 

I was on a roll as she retrieved the magical chest, spoke the words, and brought forth the shell. “Tell it to me now,” she demanded, while holding the shell.

Before I could speak I felt my spell dissipate from Cressaro, its command full-filled. I instantly reached out with my mind to warn the others around me, starting with nearby T.I.M. <GRAB THE SHELL> I screamed into his mind.

Somehow the enlarged construct gracefully leapt forward and gingerly snatched the shell from her hand. Then the room exploded.

Storm King’s Thunder has been mostly bereft of large-scale dungeons, making it almost the complete opposite of our previous campaign. It’s ironic that when we finally reach a big dungeon, we skip almost all of the content.

Yet Lyn Armaal still took us a solid four sessions to get through, thanks to complex planning and strategy. We turned it into a heist mission, a rescue mission, and finally some hilarious diplomacy as we meet with Countess Sansuri, acquire the magical conch shell of teleportation, and get the hell out of dodge. Continue reading “D&D 5E “Storm King’s Thunder” Session 54 Recap”

DMs Guild Review: The Theocracy

Infiltrate a militant temple of Tyr to recover a magical artifact in this heist adventure for 11-16th level.

A review copy of The Theocracy was provided for the purposes of this review.

Designed by: JVC Parry

dms guild reviewJVC Parry is one of my favorite creators on the DMs Guild. He’s produced many quality one-shot adventures with neat ideas and well-designed miniature dungeon crawls.

“The Theocracy” is Parry’s latest adventure, and while the actual title is hopelessly generic, it offers a substantially deeper, higher level dungeon crawl with a unique, richly detailed theme.

The twist is that the “dungeon” is actually a Temple of Tyr (the Forgotten Realms’ militant God of Justice), and the PCs are tasked with retrieving an important magical item – hopefully without declaring war on a bunch of paladins, priests, and a gods damn angel. Continue reading “DMs Guild Review: The Theocracy”

Roll20 Review: The Twilight Child (War for the Crown 3)

Confront nightmare demons, traitorous guards, and a sinister cult in the city of Yanmass in the third adventure for the War for the Crown.

A press review copy of the module was provided. Find more Roll20 Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

The War for the Crown returns to an urban setting in the third Pathfinder Adventure Path module, The Twilight Child. It’s designed for a party of 7th level heroes who have completed the previous two modules, and they should reach 10th level by the end, making it a solid Tier 2 adventure.

The Twilight Child provides a bounty of interesting side quests within the mercantile city of Yanmass, and more importantly for a Roll20 module, plenty of quality maps to support them.

Continue reading “Roll20 Review: The Twilight Child (War for the Crown 3)”