Greetings again! The adventure begins at a place that the characters have unceremoniously dubbed, "the Mancave". This site is a series of rooms dug into the side of a hill, acting as a sanctuary for them to study and rest from time to time.

The characters recently returned from a subterranean complex called "Darkhaven", where their friend, Karen, was traveling in disguise. She was recently mauled and killed by a deranged Troll, and so now the characters seek to find a way to revive her...

Before I proceed, it should be noted that we've been using the retraining rules for D&D 3.5, so I'll start by providing a basic list of characters, locales, and trivia in the campaign...



=Player Characters=

* Dante (imurrx): Dante is a Human 8th-level Psychic Warrior. He is Lucy's twin brother, and is almost rabidly protective of her. Dante is a skilled unarmed combatant, with a wide array martial art skills at his disposal. More impressive about him, however, are his psionic powers, which enable him to read objects and see auras. He can even alter his physical form to some degree, though he only does so as a last resort...

* Lucy (MeatLips): Lucy is a 7th-level female Human Swordmaster. She is Dante's twin sister, and the first thing you'll notice about her is her almost unearthly beauty. The second thing you'll notice is that she's dumb as a fucking brick. Despite this, she has a kind nature, and is friendly and approachable. After all this, nobody meeting her would realize that she's an absolute hellcat with a sword, as many monsters and bloodthirsty thugs have learned, much to their sorrow....

* Kratos (imurrx): Kratos is a 7th-level Fighter/5th-level Warforged Juggernaut. He is an artificial golem-like being transported from the Eberron campaign setting, and could be classified as a walking, talking tank. Basically, he's renouncing his organic side, and becoming more truly a mechanical construct. He currently resides at "the Mancave".

* Horatio Tortolla (imurrx): Horatio is a 12th-level Human Artificer. He appears as a non-descript Human, but remains a good source of non-magical artillery. He retains his reasoned, scientific mind, and takes the cautious approach, and is constantly researching for some new gadget or magic item. He currently resides at "the Mancave" with Kratos.

* Max (imurrx): Max is a 7th-level Adventurer (from BESM d20). He is a former soldier recruited at Castle Ashlahn with his friend, Rufus. Max is the recipient of a number of bizarre psychic powers, allowing him to teleport and telekinetically move objects....using the power of his mind. His origins are a mystery, as he suffers from amnesia, and is plagued by horrible nightmares. His current whereabouts are unknown.

* Rufus (MeatLips): Rufus is a 7th-level Martial Artist (from BESM d20). He is a former soldier recruited at Castle Ashlahn with his friend, Max. Rufus is a highly-skilled martial artist, gifted with the power of superhuman speed. Despite his talents, he is the recipient of a truly awkward curse, in which he is transformed into a female when splashed with cold water. Needless to say, this has made his life exceedingly complicated...

More to come soon...

Here is a list of some of the more notable NPCs within the campaign...

=Memorable NPCs=

* Meatlips: Meatlips is a unusual bulldog. He's the recipient of a mutation granting him human intelligence and the ability to speak, though he usually pretends to be an ordinary dog. At one point, he was a former wizard's familiar, and another time acted as a guard dog at Castle Ashlahn. Meatlips is a loyal friend to the PCs, and always looking for a tasty treat.

* Jocelyn: Jocelyn is a lusty and highly temperamental dark-haired beauty with bright blue eyes. She was one Araith's concubines, and potential "brides-to-be". When Lucy was captured, Jocelyn was unbelievably rude, and seemingly ready to kill Lucy in order to win Araith's affections, though her behavior may have been influenced by a Charm effect placed upon her by Araith. During the PC's rescue attempt, Jocelyn appropriated Dante's intelligent sword, Sentinel, and fled from the melee, laughing like a lunatic. Lucy chased after her, and after a brief confrontation, managed to free Jocelyn from his magical Charm. The end result of this scenario was Jocelyn embracing Lucy in gratitude, and then kissing her passionately, which was something that Lucy seemed to like...very, very much.

* Sentinel: This is an intelligent longsword, with a quartz crystal pommelstone. It has some unusual magical powers, and managed to magically heal Dante when he was hovering at the brink of death. Its primary purpose is to destroy non-human monsters. Though it originally had no specific name, and its origins are unknown, it has tentatively nicknamed itself "Sentinel"...

* Karen: Karen is a woman originally met by a psychic named Max, and his friend, Rufus at Ashlahn Castle. Rufus became enchanted with her, considering the fact that she was the only woman he met who wasn't immediately smitten with him.

Rufus was recently reunited with Karen at the subterranean complex known as Darkhaven, where she was traveling in disguise. She was recently mauled and killed by a deranged Troll, and Rufus seeks to find a way to revive her...

* Lars: Lars appears as an earthy sort...with a long, bushy moustache. He was briefly met by some of the characters at Castle Ashlahn a not-inconsiderable time ago. Lars currently works as either a coachman or charioteer within the various realms of Omegus. The characters again encounter him in the small town of Bresby.....where he is drinking away his sorrows at the local gambling house and watering hole, known as "the Frosty Mug".

The characters hire him to first take them to the Temple of the Elder Gods, to heal one of their friends, Jocelyn, after she is mauled by a pack of bloodthirsty Ghouls. Later, they hire him again to take them to Gaxaral's Grove....in order to find a way to revive their dead friend, Karen. He currently travels with the characters towards Gaxaral's Grove...

* Sandria: Sandria is the friendly and beautiful Half-Elven barmaid at "the Frosty Mug" in the small town of Bresby. The characters encounter her when searching for a coachman to take them to the Temple of the Elder Gods...

* Ovidius: Ovidius is a man acting as the primary caretaker of the Temple of the Elder Gods. He is the recipient of various unusual abilities which allowed him to heal Jocelyn of the wounds she suffered from a pack of bloodthirsty Ghouls...

* Festus: Festus is an unassuming young fellow who provides assistance to Ovidius at the Temple of the Elder Gods, and also helps to receive visitors on the temple grounds...

* Gaxaral: Gaxaral is an incredibly ancient red dragon of massive size and indeterminate age, which has ruled over a place known as "Gaxaral's Grove" for countless years. This beast, a towering monstrosity with blood red scales, is said to be large enough to swallow a horse whole. It harbors a crafty intelligence and a wide variety of magical powers. It appears in town very infrequently, letting its police force of bloodthirtsy Orc soldiers patrol the area in its stead. A saving grace for the community is Gaxaral's absolute command to never attack or molest the working citizens of the town. This rule does not apply to strangers, however....

More to come soon...

Here is a link to some BESM stuff from a fan page

http://www.goofansite.com/index.php/downloads/BESM-D20/

Not much new here.

BTW. I will be probably converting Sar-Alec 2nd AD&D S&P to the BESM. I think it is more in line of how he would have been. Perhaps we can create some custom abilities to make up the deficience that the BESM had.

Oh. I have been fleshing out character X. I need to ask you a few questions.

Quote from: imurrx;650894Here is a link to some BESM stuff from a fan page

http://www.goofansite.com/index.php/downloads/BESM-D20/

Not much new here.

BTW. I will be probably converting Sar-Alec 2nd AD&D S&P to the BESM. I think it is more in line of how he would have been. Perhaps we can create some custom abilities to make up the deficience that the BESM had.

Oh. I have been fleshing out character X. I need to ask you a few questions.

Fair enough. I still need to finish writing this chapter. After I do so, I'll also need to ask you some questions about psionics. Then we can talk about Character X...

Ok, the adventure begins with the characters having recently returned from a subterranean complex known as "Darkhaven". They made their way to their stronghold known as "the Mancave", where they had the lifeless body of their friend, Karen. Karen and Rufus were previously in some kind of relationship, and he seeks to find a way to revive her. The characters were given some information that the key to reviving her was in the small realm of Gaxaral's Grove, but before they went there, they needed to pick up some supplies in Bresby...

Horatio and Kratos decided to stay home, and keep an eye on things....where Karen's perfectly preserved body also resides. So the journey began with Rufus, Lucy, and Dante, Jocelyn and Meaty. Horatio then most graciously provided them with the use of a Mount scroll, which summoned a magical horse that they could use to hitch to their wagon....and provide them with some much-needed transportation.

Initially, the characters wanted to walk, but Meaty wasn't too keen on that, so they cut him some slack. :cool:

Anyway, they traveled southeast towards a stone bridge overlooking a river, when their fate then began to change...



To be continued...

....and then some Ghouls leapt out from under the bridge and attacked.



At the time, the players didn't know their assailants were Ghouls, as they just appeared to be messed-up looking people. The attack was swift. The Ghouls lunged forward, and bit the horse....soon causing it to slump helplessly to the ground.

Lucy had taken point, and suffered some bruises and scratches....but was otherwise unharmed. Well, Rufus just leaps over the wagon, and joins Lucy in fighting off the Ghouls....

......but then things went wrong.

Meatlips, the bulldog, and Jocelyn engaged one of the Ghouls, which then turned on Jocelyn in a rage. Its attack induced paralysis in Jocelyn, thus causing her to helplessly slump to the ground. The characters then desperately fought off their remaining attackers, with Lucy tearing through at least half of them with a flourish of her swords. The PCs didn't know how badly she was hurt, so they decided to make their way to the town of Bresby, which was only half-a-mile away.

Since Rufus is, by far, the fastest member of the group, he scooped Jocelyn up in her arms, and ran with her in his arms to Bresby....at superhuman speed.

=BRESBY=

(1.) Apothecary
(2.) Green Dragon Inn
(3.) Watch Tower
(4.) Stables
(5.) Pug's Corner Store
(6.) Blacksmith
(7.) The Frosty Mug
(8.) Town Square



The other characters reach town very soon thereafter, and they seem to have difficulty finding a healer....as the local apothecary is temporarily closed, and the nearest healer is miles away, beyond King's River. Well, the PCs are provided with maps and directions on how to get there, so Rufus wastes absolutely no time....and just runs there, since he can actually approach speeds of 100 mph.

Since their own horse and wagon has been neutralized, the other PCs decide that they needed a coachman to transport them, first to the Temple of the Elder Gods, and then to Gaxaral's Grove. They're told that the coachman they need is named "Lars", and is inside "the Frosty Mug", a local gambling house and watering hole. Therefore, they decide to go inside to look for him...

They go into the bar....and talk to the beautiful Half-Elven barkeep, Sondria, who directs them to Lars, where where he is quietly drinking away his sorrows. Well, the PCs have briefly met him before, and then haggle with him a bit in order to quickly acquire passage to the Temple. So they go, but not before paying off some of Lars's bar tab, which Sondria is quick to acquire.

So....Lucy, Dante, and Meatlips (the bulldog) depart from the tavern, and are quickly shuttled by Lars in his carriage towards the temple....

.....and so Rufus races to the Temple of the Elder Gods with superhuman speed. He carries Jocelyn to the temple, and finds the attending caretakers on the grounds. Standing outside are a black-robed man, Ovidius...and his assistant, Festus. Rufus explains the situation, and asks for their help, so Ovidius attempts to treat her wounds....

....and Jocelyn's body begins to show signs of life again.

It seems that whatever Ovidius did has restored her to health, and the characters are grateful. They even stay for a warm bowl of stew.

A short while later, the other characters arrive at the temple, and reunite with the others. Lucy and Jocelyn are very pleased to see each other...

So everyone chills out for a bit, while Dante haggles with Lars for a bit to try to negotiate for their passage to Gaxaral's Grove. They come to an agreement, thank Ovidius for his assistance, and then proceed to continue on their journey.



And that's where the session concluded...

I should probably run a tally of monsters fought, and treasures acquired.....so I'll add that as well.

MONSTERS DEFEATED

* Ghouls (6)

INVENTORY

ITEM.................................................. ...........................VALUE

* Rock Crystals [clear quartz] (6)....................................50 gp each
* Resonance Crystal (1)................................................200 gp
* Vial shaped like frog's head..........................................?
* Rabbit's foot.................................................................?
* Pile of pebbles (6).......................................................?
* Pirate scarf...................................................................?
* Tiny stone statue of a gargoyle....................................?

Okay. Another thing that I want to do is provide an updated version of one of the incantations that Hrothgar created. I decided to make it a bit more dangerous, and also a little more expensive, so I aim to fix that...



REAGENT OF LIFE-GIVING
Conjuration (Healing)
Effective Level: 7th
Skill Check: Knowledge (arcana) DC 22, 2 successes, Craft (alchemy) DC 22, 4 successes, Heal DC 22, 1 success
Failure: Attack
Components: V,S,M,(SC),B
Casting Time: 70 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: Dead creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

The Reagent of Life-Giving restores life to a deceased creature. You can raise a creature that has been dead for no longer than one day per caster level. Additionally, the subject's soul must be free and willing to return. If the subject's soul is not willing to return, the incantation does not work; therefore, a subject that wishes to return receives no saving throw.

Returning from the realms of the dead is an ordeal. A raised creature has a number of hit points equal to its current Hit Dice, and suffers the effects of exhaustion. Otherwise, ability score damage is fully restored. Also, normal poison and normal disease are cured in the process of raising the subject, though magical diseases and curses are not undone. While the spell closes mortal wounds and repairs lethal damage of most kinds, the body of the creature to be raised must be whole. Otherwise, missing parts are still missing when the creature is brought back to life. The subject of the incantation suffers no loss of level (or Constitution points) or prepared spells. None of the dead creature's equipment or possessions are affected in any way by this incantation.

A creature who has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect cannot be raised by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures cannot be raised. The spell also cannot bring back a creature that has died of old age.

The Reagent of Life-Giving takes the form of three smoke-filled potions of one color each: blue, green, and red. Individually, they do nothing, but when applied together, they have the potential to restore life. These potions are inert until applied to a largely intact corpse. It is then that the caster attempts his skill checks. The caster temporarily supplies the subject with just a spark of his own vitality, thus rendering himself exhausted, immediately after the Reagent of Life-Giving is applied.

Once the process of Life-Giving has begun, for every round of interruption, the DC of all subsequent skill checks to complete the casting increases by 1. Time spent during the interruption of an incantation does not count toward the incantation’s casting time.

Failure: If any of the casters fail two consecutive skill checks, the subject's body instantly transforms into a malevolent undead creature that seeks to slay everyone in its vicinity. The type of undead created is based on the level of the deceased, as shown on the table below.

Deceased Subject Undead Created
1st-3rd Ghoul
4th-7th Ghast
8th-13th Mummy
14th or higher Mohrg

Material Component: Alchemical concoctions worth 6,000 gp, and a drop of the caster's blood.

Backlash: After applying the Reagent of Life-Giving, the caster is exhausted.

Extra Casters: None required; though one to five extra casters are allowed.



That should make it a little more interesting....

Well, we ran another gaming session the other night....and one thing we found very interesting was this app called, 3D Virtual Tabletop.

http://rpgvirtualtabletop.wikidot.com/3d-virtual-tabletop



It's pretty cool, and we may very well be using this on our tablets for our games. Oh, and it's only 99 cents! So I guess that means I need to start scanning in more of my maps.

To be continued...

....continued from before.

For personal reasons, Horatio and Kratos decided to bring the body of Karen, and follow the rest of the characters. So they travel on the road, and eventually reach the bridge where that earlier undead clusterfuck took place. They're pretty shocked to see half-a-dozen corpses littering the ground, and the wagon that they loaned the others has been abandoned right there on the road....

Then they hear the "clip-clop" of a horse's hoof steps, and the shuttering sounds of a wagon off in the distance. They see a dusty-looking guy seated on a horse-drawn cart slowly making its way to the stone bridge.



The cart comes to a halt.

The man on the cart eyes the PCs warily. Horatio and the man speak with each other, and Horatio explains their mission to find their friends. The man explains that his job is to remove the corpses. This parley continues a bit longer, and then Kratos helps the man remove the corpses. They manage a natural 20 on a Diplomacy check after helping to remove the mess, after which the man becomes much more friendly, and introduces himself as Sedrik.

Sedrik explained that such Ghoul attacks have become more prevalent, after an undead incursion managed to pierce Darkwall, and travel further south. The PCs wish him well, and depart, but not before Sedrik gifts them with a vial of holy water, just in case...

To be continued...

You have no idea how pissed Horatio was. Remember that was the wagon that we had a 10 minutes argument wether or not it could fit through the opening of the cave. He was pretty attached to that wagon. He had bought that at 1st level or during our first gaming session  of this thread. CHeck out post #12

http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?p=276485&highlight=wagon#post276485

Quote from: imurrx;653177You have no idea how pissed Horatio was. Remember that was the wagon that we had a 10 minutes argument wether or not it could fit through the opening of the cave. He was pretty attached to that wagon. He had bought that at 1st level or during our first gaming session  of this thread. CHeck out post #12

http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?p=276485&highlight=wagon#post276485

I remember.

Hopefully, we can get Mike and Mark to join us again soon. That would be nice. Anyway, it looks like I'll have to finish writing down the journal for our previous session later, as we will be playing again tonight. More to come soon...

Good game last night, even though I was almost falling asleep.

Quote from: imurrx;653513Good game last night, even though I was almost falling asleep.

Yep. It was a very good game. Tonight's session was a little slower, but still good too. Anyway, I will continue from before...

Lucy, Dante, Rufus, Jocelyn, Meatlips, and Lars were traveling via horse and carriage on a large cobblestone road eastward to the city of Delzar. Eventually, they stop to rest the horses, and just chill out for a little while. Thus far, their journey has been uneventful...

...until they suddenly hear screams.

With the appropriate Listen and Knowledge (local) skill checks, they determine that the voices are the panicked screams of human women, and the guttural voices of Orcs.....

The characters immediately spring into action.

Lars exclaims:

"Hey, where are you guys going?"

The guys don't answer, and instead make their way down the road. They're greeted by a disturbing sight. Three lovely young women, fair of skin and hair....are being menaced by dozens of Orcs. A couple of the girls are tied up, while a third is being brutally shoved back and forth, from one Orc to another. The roughhouse ends when the characters arrive...

The Orcs seem a bit shocked at the PCs arrival...



...but they quickly recover their composure.

One of them steps forward, a sinewy Half-Orc in a tattered cloak by the looks of it. He puffs out his chest, and addresses the PCs:

"Hey, assholes! Get outta here!!"



Of course, that just gets them riled up. Dante and the Half-Orc get into an argument, and verbally insult each other. Dante then challenges the Half-Orc to single combat, and the two slowly circle each other...

To be continued...