Once more unto the Rift, dear friends...
On Sunday 11th April the Wandering Monster Table had its 45th session, with Halvor, Berg, Inarra and Kate deciding they needed to stock up on silver and magic weapons to fight were-creatures in the ruins in the Rift.
At last everyone was equipped with something that could do damage to lycanthropes and other similarly-enchanted creatures, and they set off for the ruins, under which they encountered the were-creatures in previous visits. Ostensibly, they were there to rescue some adventurers that had been captured by Ogres and enslaved (or worse) by the lycanthropes.
Ironic, given what happened.
Lyracian at the 'Playing Dice with Universe' blog has already written up the session (link here). All I have to add is that the adventure was proceeding in distinctly un-lucrative fashion until killing an NPC party gave the PCs a bonanza of magic items; and, as I just hinted, slaughtering the NPC party was a pretty bizarre end to a session in which our 'heroes' (I use the term very loosely) were supposed to be rescuing some NPCs...
Well in our defense they did fire first and even when most of them were dead carried on fighting. I do not know if you made a reaction roll for them? (yes I have been reading your blog).
ReplyDeleteThe way I visualize it is we have two groups of shadowy figures moving around in dim light. Both jumping at every shadow. There is also no way to tell a band of brigands or slavers from another group of Heroes. Sometimes people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Thanks for the comment Lyracian.
ReplyDeleteI did indeed make a reaction roll, as well as surprise rolls for both parties, and ultimately an initiative roll... they may have got their spell off first (probably not the best they could have done but a good enough start) but I think it's safe to say they did it because they realised you were going to attack them. Conceptually, one of their Halflings shouted 'look out! Someone's there!' before Kate did. But the point is, they clocked you as hostile, and you were, because the party decided to attack them before they decided to attack you. They just managed the attacking quicker.
Maybe they thought you were lycanthrope guards or bandits or something. Fog of war, and all that.
Previously you have described adventuring parties as such. This time you just said "some people". We were expecting lycanthropes as they probably were.
ReplyDeleteHalvor will be down the pub telling Miranda that we have not found her friends yet but did wipe out another pack of werewolves who had a Witch with them this time.
It would have been interesting if they had opened up with a fireball. Kate would be dead, Halvor in single figures. The whole battle may have rested on if Inarra passed her save and was still alive to respond with her own fireball. The probable outcome was Berg being the only survivor and having all that loot to herself.
I am also not sure why you expect us to do anything different? You are running a game that only rewards murder-hobo play. We got less XP last time for rescuing the prisoners that if we had either killed them or just left them tied up.