The Big Finish

Moritz took some photgraphs!

An Arrow too far?

‘Challenge Ratings’ are pretty lame. Would 17th level Estaban have lasted more than 12 seconds if he stood against the Party alone?
The way I see it is that a 'Challenge rating' equal to the Party is only a quarter as powerful.
Just out of curiosity though, would one of you ‘Techies’ work out what the ‘Challenge Rating’ was for the final battle?

The Party:

1) Eolar: 17th level Cleric/Ranger
2) Thesis: 17th level Fighter/Barbarian
3) Bodush: 16th level Sorcerer
4) Durin: 14th level Barbarian
5) Mara'ch: 13th level Rogue/Sorcerer thingy

Party assets:

1) Ragnar: 13th level Fighter/werebear (Don’t say he doesn’t count just because he’s a sidekick)
2) Roly: 5th level Cleric (Would have healed ‘certain’ Party members)
3) Lizard-folk slaves. x 2 (CR:2)

Neutrals:

1) Meldo
2) Children x 7
3) Siren children x 3
4) Sailors x 3
5) Hamster-men x 2

Opposition:

1) Estaban: 17th level Bard (With only one offensive spell that he could only use once)
2) Dorgon: 12th level Fighter. (Meant to have targeted Mara'ch)
3) Valdis: 13th level Fighter/Barbarian (Silver-sheened Halfling of death!)
4) Mendoza: 12th level Fighter (Hit and run specialist)
5) Hawkmoon: 14th level Fighter/Wizard (Traitorous turncoat)
6) Mendez: 17th level Fighter/Barbarian/Ranger (Geased to attack any that attacked family)
7) Benidict: 7th level Rogue (Law hating backstaber)
8) Eris: 3rd level Wizard (Sweet 18 year old little sister)
9) Brothers x 11: 4th level Fighters (Completely safe on their 10' wall...)
10) Thugs x 12: 1st level Fighters (Completely worthless)
11) Servants x 4 1st level commoners (Even more completely worthless)

As for the encounter setting...
Estaban had planned against you but the courtyard itself was only a minor obstacle and the tactics were pretty straight forward.

Buried in Experience

Whoopsy.
After two years of giving the Party soft encounters I finally pitched an equal force at you.
We can pull apart the encounter later but I think our arrogance was our undoing.
Despite knowing that Estaban was prepared the Party still just ran around individually and hit separate targets.
Eolar actually did more harm to his own Party than the enemy!
Only Mara’ch showed any trace of self-preservation and so unsurprisingly he was the only one to survive.

The final scores (In experience order):

Mendez: Level 18: 153,026xp (Guilt ridden)
Eolar: Level 17: 147,998xp (Dead)
Thesis: Level 17: 143,195xp (KO’d but saved by Mendez and the Lizard lady)
Chen: Level 16: 127,436xp (Plotting against the Dragon)
Bodush: Level 16: 120,199xp (Dead)
Durin: Level 14: 105,213xp (Dead)
Wer: Level 14: 102,312xp (Plotting against the Pit fiend)
Hawkmoon: Level 14: 93,396xp (Guilt free)
Mara’ch: Level 14: 93,199xp (Still plotting how to get the diamonds back)
Ragnar: Level 13: 86,420xp (Dead)
Elogyn: Level 12: 74,556 xp (Saving the world regardless of if you want her to or not)
Ned: Level 6: 19,264 xp (Married and happy)
Kruddo: Level 6: 17,668 xp (Went back to the family mining business)

Worst Father Ever!

No not Estaban...
Me!
It's my Boy's birthday on Tuesday.
Game date change to Wednesday 28th.
I hope no-one minds and everyone can make it.
Please, please. Pretty please.
So sorry.
Everyone make it and I promise this'll be the last session of this adventure.
I'll also bring jelly snakes as well as the beer.
Oh and sorry!

The Babies on the Boat go Whaaa Whaaa Whaaa

The journey back is surprisingly uneventful. This is lucky because there’s scarcely room to swing Hawkmoon’s cat.

The Elven Box-Ship contains:

Thesis the hulking Lizard-man.

The two Lizard-folk slaves.

Durin the stout Dwarf.

Eolar the tall Half Elf.

The (thankfully) human sized Ragnar.

Bodush the Sorcerer.

Gajapan the tiny viper.

Mara’ch the slightly larger Kobold.

And his unnamed rat.

Hawkmoon the Elven Archer.

Rou the cat.

Roly (the annoyingly obese) cleric.

The two Hamster-men.

The four Sailors.

The three boys.

The four girls.

The three Siren children.

A Riding horse.

And last but not least: Meldo the donkey.

A total of thirty-one creatures in a ship designed to hold fifteen.
Still if you get hungry…

Volcanic ash stops play

As Sven is stuck somewhere is Europe and Moritz is sticking around in England for an extra week, tonight's game is cancelled...
Unless Assif, Scott, Josh and Moritz fancy a game today AND next week
If not, see you boys next week.

Boxy but Good

The magical Elven box-ship is considerably smaller than the Gnomish Sky-ship but it can just about support the sailors, the Hamster-men, the adventurers and the assorted rescued refugees.
All eyes are on the sea for several days, but everyone relaxes when they realise that the dreaded Kraken won’t be resurfacing again.
Days turn into weeks but eventually the surviving Sailors inform you that Shalalah is only a few more days away…

Alternative Alignments

After the last email, I thought about what are Party would be if we used a combination of traditional and personality based alignments…

Mendez: Flamboyant Good
Thesis: Chaotic Selfish
Eolar: Lawful Rigid
Durin: Erratic Good
Hawkmoon: Cynical Neutral
Bodush: ‘I swear I’m Neutral’ Evil
Mara’ch: True Newt-ral
Ragnar: Awful Hairy.

:)

Delving Deep for Experience

Good fun but not the toughest of opponents.
(You did manage to evade the Kraken again AND get an Elder Wind Elemental to 'blow' you though.)
;)
Only Durin managed to level up…
Sorry Mara’ch.

The current scores (In experience order):

Mendez: Level 17: 149,616xp
Eolar: Level 17: 147,998xp
Thesis: Level 17: 140,095xp
Bodush: Level 16: 120,199xp
Durin: Level 14: 105,213xp (Goes up to 15th level!)
Hawkmoon: Level 14: 93,396xp
Mara’ch: Level 13: 90,499xp
Ragnar: Level 13: 86,420xp

No one's changed positions despite Bodush's repeated absences.

Hag’s Swag

Mara’ch and Hawkmoon swim to the treasure room and open up the door with the keys found on the old Hag’s dead body.
The room is wide but the ceiling is low. Both adventures are slightly built and the blue kobold has magically shrunken himself.
Still this room gives them a claustrophobic feeling.
The treasure litters the floor in piles but just as Mara’ch reaches for some an eel like creature shots out from its hiding place!
Mara’ch feels a shock of electricity shoot through him but before he can even register it, the eel is gone.
Realising that this might be a problem, Hawkmoon and Mara’ch wait for the others to deal with the annoying eels...

Treasure from the treasure room:

24,000sp
4,000gp
224pp
29 gems
A pearl encrusted comb
A crystal hourglass
A golden cup.

Treasure from the dead Sirens

19 Javelins
8 gems
8 golden tiaras.

Treasure from the dead Hag

A Crystal bowl
A jet-black amulet
3 gems

And a Spell book:

1st) Shield / Feather Fall / Obscuring Mist / Magic Missile / Sleep

2nd) Protection from Arrows / Mirror Image / Blindness / Gust of Wind / Continual Flame

3rd) Lightning Bolt / Water Breathing / Clairvoyance

4th) Ice Wall / Invisibility (Greater)

The Most Interesting DM Ever!

Short on Experience

Although I annoyingly keep ending sessions half way through encounters, it's not fair that certain characters don't get rewarded.

If he doesn't drown before the finish, Durin will get enough experience to go up to 15th level!
Josh, roll your new d12 for HPs in front of Dag or Sven and have your character sheet ready.

As for the last round of level ups, I allocated one above average HPs just for the sake of the sheets.
Assif's boys rolled him a disloyal minimum of 6 for Thesis but what did Hawkmoon and Bodush really get?
Are their character sheets correct?

End Game

As a few players have pointed out, I’ve been hogging the Dming duties since November last year.
In an attempt to finish, I will not force the Party to search the mainland of ‘Sirenity Island’ or turn around and head for ‘Savage Island’ or ‘Cob Island’ or even to stop at ‘Mammouth Island’.
All the Party has to do is finish/escape the current situation with the Sea Hag and get back to Shalalah for the final showdown with Estaban.
I’m happy to play any week and any day.
Please help me work out when all six of you are free at the same time.
I don’t want to delay the next session but I NEED everyone present.
It would be mean to kill you all piecemeal.
;)

Railroading trick Number 2

What the Sea Saw

The old crone lets her gnarled hand dip into the seawater.
‘I sense a disturbance in the depth. Someone has angered the Kraken. Someone travelling by ship. Someone very powerful. Come my beautiful daughters, let us prepare them a suitable welcome.’

Let your Wind Blow Free

Eolar finds it impossible to meditate over the incessant whispering of the Iron flask in his pack.
Turning it over in his hands, he can see the writing engraved upon its smooth surface.
It is written in ‘Infernal’ but that is of little consequence to a cleric of St Cuthbert.
A simple prayer deciphers the two phrases:
‘May this flask be your home’ and ‘Be free only to serve’.
By the cool temperature of the flask and the howling whispers he can hear, Eolar can guess that a powerful creature of air is currently trapped inside.
A useful ally in any situation.
The only issue will be when a situation's bad enough to warrant its release.

New Banner: Knowing When To Stop

Oh brave valiant heroes ... not!

So, having masterfully executed a less than perfect plan and taken out all the male giants and any threat, we find ourselves again close to death through sheer stupidity.

The female Fomorians were ready to surrender and bow to our wishes, but we attacked them in their caves. Coming out in a rage they trampled all over us sending us scattering, but still they offered surrender.

Did we take it, no we didn't.

Ragnar chose mistook raised arms for menace and carried on with the attack.

Eventually, barely alive (especially Durin) we took their final surrender.

On the upside we got a magic boat and armfuls of fancy treasure and useful magic.

Onward to the conclusion of this Odyssey of Lunacy ...

The Bigger they are, the more experience for all

At last the Party managed to fight worthy creatures and gain vital xp.
The Giant snakes gave shed loads and the Fomorian giants gave massive amounts.
:)
Working out what Bodush deserved was difficult but worthwhile in the end as he still (just) managed to level up, as did Thesis and Hawkmoon!

The current scores (In experience order):

Mendez: Level 17: 147,696xp
Eolar: Level 17: 146,253xp
Thesis: Level 16: 138,350xp (Up to 17th level!)
Bodush: Level 15: 120,099xp (Up to 16th level!)
Durin: Level 14: 103,468xp
Hawkmoon: Level 13: 91,651xp (Up to 14th level!)
Mara’ch: Level 13: 88,745xp
Ragnar: Level 13: 85,062xp

Dag, Scott and Assif roll your new HPs in front of the first available witness and let me know.
Regardless of the dice roll, Thesis is the first of us to break the 200HP barrier!

Let’s Kill the Battered Women and take their Stuff!

The remaining giantess sends one of the children to fetch the ‘boat’.
Hawkmoon , suspecting treachery trails after the boy and watches him like his namesake.
Making his way to the dead leader’s cave, the boy pulls aside a heavy rock and exposes a secondary, smaller cave.
Inside are piles of gold and silver coins, gems and various items that can only be magical.
The giant boy retrieves a small box and moves to come out of the cave.
Despite their obvious size difference, Hawkmoon blocks his path and indicates the rest of the treasure. Simple gestures make it clear that Hawkmoon expects the boy to bring it all.
Scowling, the giant boy does as bidden.
Pulling out sacks, the boy drags the treasure out of the cave and down to where the Party are waiting.

It’s a big haul.
4,012gp.
6,829sp.
241pp.
18 gems.
A golden statuette of Moradin (God of the Dwarves).
An ornamental silver shield of St Cuthbert.
A golden crown set with rubies.
A Tapestry showing a victorious battle of Hextor.
A leather quiver containing 20 arrows.
An Arcane scroll: Identify/Sleep/Web.
An Arcane scroll: Dismissal/Arcane Eye.
Potion.
Potion.
An impressive looking Tower shield.
A Throwing axe.
Some sturdy leather gauntlets with iron rivets.
A chain shirt.
A wooden box that has some Elven words caved on it’s lid: 'Size of a: Box/Boat/Ship'.
And finally a silver flask. (When Durin put it to his ear, he could swear he could hear the sound of the wind and a voice pleading for release.)
Also, Hawkmoon hands over the Masterwork, 'flaming' sword he found tied onto the Fomorian chief’s spear.

Not wanting to hang around for the returning giant warriors, the Party make haste back to Bodush’s ‘Magnificent mansion’ where they can divide up their 'earnings' in safety.

Short-handed against Tall Fee Fi Foes

Well, apart from Dag and possibly Moritz, we stil have four players for next TUESDAY (the 9th of March).
If you four survive the rest of the 'Giant' encounter, I'll try to get you all back to Shalalah.