Moving On...

 So, my D&D 5e experiment has blown up the lab in a puff of green smoke leaving my face blackened like Wile E. Coyote after a failed roadrunner Acme trap.  

The Wizards can just go stroke their wands. They've destroyed the brand for all time as far as I'm concerned. Their game is pretty shitty. Period. There are plenty of better FRPG games that play better than the cursed Wizards can ever hope to produce.

No worries. Nothing was lost except for some time, precious time. 

What was gained was a better understanding of what I might like in a Fantasy RPG.

Simplicity.

The simpler the better.  

Boil the game down into just it's most basic elements.

That has lead me to Tiny Dungeon and EZD6.

Even Swords & Wizardry, once thought by me to be as close to my perfect game, no longer cuts it.

I don't want rules. I don't want confusion. I don't want to have to think about it much. I just want to play with my friends, tell a good story and have a good time, and roll some dice.

So, I lose those funny dice in favor of just a couple of D6s. I'm totally fine with that at this point. 

Character generation?  5 minutes, tops.  We all know we develop our characters more in game than on paper, right? RIGHT??

So, I'm taking EZD6 and sprinkling in a pinch of Tiny Dungeon - mostly for character advancement, and we're off to the races once again.

More mayhem to come...

More Thoughts on 5e and D&D

Real life has again stepped into the path of our gaming sessions which have stalled - but I'm kind of ok with that.

You see, as an old-school DM running 5e for the first time, I have to say that this is the least fun I've had running a disastrous two sessions in 1993.  

5e D&D is just not that fun to run. There are so many layers of rules buried in books that are filled with fluff and padding. The game gets bogged down in that minutia even if you are trying to avoid it. That's not to say that there aren't good ideas, there are, but the current game, D&D is broken and no fun.

The (super)heroes are too powerful. The game is no longer about resource management as characters 'reset' after a rest and pretty much everyone can see in the dark. There is no thrill, suspense, danger, death. And that has always been the game for me.  

I feel with the original D&D game and with old school clones, there are many 'gaps' in the rules that you either fill in or don't. It gave the game a lightness and allowed you to tweak as you saw fit or not at all.  You see that with all the retro clone rules that have come out over the years. They're all essentially the same, just house-ruled slightly. And that is where the game becomes the game. 

5e, on the other hand, is over bloated with rules that you have to wade through and weed out. It's all spelled out for you in the minuscule of details that it inhibits that freedom of imagination.  Instead of thinking "there's no rule for this, i'll make a ruling or make something up", you find in 5e that there IS or probably is a rule about something and you have to know it, look it up, or if you wing it, you have to retcon it later and explain to you players next session. It's a very subtle thing but I think it gets to the core as to what makes this game work for me and what doesn't.

It's subtleties as well. Those minor elements, from the crude or black and white artwork, rule presentation, the emotion behind the intent of those 'old school' rules creates a certain atmosphere that carries into gameplay on a subconscious level. D&D does not have that anymore for me. The artwork is not inspiring. Faerun is not inspiring. The rules are not inspiring. Dungeons & Dragons is no longer inspiring.

Furthermore, and I've mentioned this before, D&D 5e is ridiculously complex for noobs to RPGs to play.  Even stripped down somewhat, D&D is no longer a gateway game. Sure, in pop culture it may appear to be, but in reality, it's not.  I wish I had started my players with Swords and Wizardry or Tiny Dungeons. I think all of us would have had a much better time.

Dungeons and Dragons is a brand. Even more obvious with the whole OGL fiasco that has recently played out publicly.  I do not care about the brand. I am not brand loyal. I care about the game and I am game loyal.  The game is Swords & Wizardry. The game is Labyrinth Lord. The game is BFRPG. The game is Tiny Dungeon.  The game is Shadowdark.

The 5e and the OGL fiasco has showed me, and maybe all of us, that the brand, as owned by hasbro, is forever tarnished and rotten and is really no longer needed. It was probably true when they ousted Lord Garry Gygax way back when. 

All I know is that my 5e experiment is over. I'm packing up that material and hiding it in the deepest part of the dungeon, forever lost to dim stretches of time.

5e Session VII: Wave Echo Cave

Aurora Boree Alice - Human Cleric
Chuck Norris - Elf Ranger
Purina - Half-elf Druid
Your Majesty - Human Wizard 

With Gundren safe and his map in hand, the party accompanied the dwarf to the entrance of the lost Wave Echo Cave.  There, they met Gundren's two brothers, Nondro and Bluto having just broke through the opening into the lost cave.  

With the brothers guarding the entrance, the party, along with Gundren, entered the Wave Echo Cave.  

Finding a cavern filled with the skeletal remains of a battle between dwarves and orcs, the party was besieged by a swarm of Stirges which sucked the party's  blood to their fill until defeated. 

Heading into a northern passage, they came upon a door.  Hearing nothing Chuck Norris opened the door and disturbed three ghouls sucking on dried bones. Chuck Norris closed the door and the party prepared to ambush the Ghouls as they burst through the door.  Under their biting attack, Purina transformed into a bear, extinguished the torch and knocking Chuck Norris and Aurora to the ground. As the ghouls continued their attack, Aurora cast a light spell and the party continued to battle the ghouls with Chuck Norris splitting them in two and the bear ripping them apart.

After the battle, Your Majesty questioned Gundren about what they were doing here. Gundren said that the cave hasn’t  been explored in hundreds of years and appears to be infested with vermin.  Gundren offered a 10% share of the profits produced by the cave but Your Majesty wanted 20% for each party member. Gundren laughed it off and said at best he could offer 15% to the party as a whole.  Your Majesty was insistent and wanted the larger share for each party member. Chuck Norris started to agree discussed with Your Majesty taking the caves for themselves and killing the dwarf.

Fearing for his life, the dwarf ran off.

Aurora and the bear became angry with their companions and ran off after the dwarf in the hopes to make amends.

When they made it back to the entrance, they heard a commotion in the cave. Chuck Norris climbed to the edge and peered into the cave to see one of the dwarves dead on the ground, the other brother captive by two Red Brands, Gundren in battle with Two Red Brands and the mysterious Glasstaff!

Chuck Norris flipped himself into the cave and fired an arrow at Glasstaff, wounding him. The wizard immediately, casts a spell on the elf and paralyzes him in place. The Bear and Aurora climb up the cave cliff to confront Glasstaff and his Red Brands while Your Majesty attempt to follow.

The Red Brands kill Gundren and began hacking into the Bear.  Aurora and the now free Chuck Norris, battle Glasstaff. Aurora mortally wounds the wizard and he tires to surrender but Chuck Norris finishes him off with an arrow to the face.

The Bear and Aurora defeat the remaining Red Brands who surrender.

(it's about time something fun actually happened in the game!)

5e Session VI: Cragmaw Castle

Aurora Boree Alice - Human Cleric
Chuck Norris - Elf Ranger
Purina - Half-elf Druid
Your Majesty - Human Wizard

At Agatha's lair, Chuck Norris and Purina engage with the spectral banshee. She offers to direct them to Cragmaw Castle if they promise too find an heirloom neckless that King Grol had stolen from her. They agree and Agatha discloses where in Nevewinter Woods they can find the Goblin castle.

Traveling for a few days they enter Neverwinter Woods and find the trail to a ruined castle. Chuck Norris explores around the perimeter and finds a trail that appears to lead to a wall. Upon closer inspection he finds that the 'wall' is just a piece of canvas painted to look like the castle.  They found a safe way inside!

Gathering the party together into the castle, they begin to explore the darkness. Purina leads them to a small hallway and a closed door. Hearing voices on the other side in a heated discussion, they burst in and find King Grol and a dark drow elf in discussion over the body of Gundren Rockseaker the Dwarf!

A fierce battle ensues, with King Grol and the Drow along with his pet wolf Fang and two Hobgoblin bodyguards that appear.

 With King Grol defeated, the wounded Drow magically changes into a bear and run out the castle without her prize.

With the Goblin King and his guards defeated, the party rescues the dwarf, secure the map too Wave Echo Cave and find Agatha's heirloom neckless which they return to her.

They return to Phandalin with Gundren Rockseaker and the map to Wave Echo Cave!

5e Session V: Into the Wild

Aurora Boree Alice - Human Cleric
Chuck Norris - Elf Ranger
Purina - Half-elf Druid
Your Majesty - Human Wizard

Leaving the Stone Hill Inn before dawn the party set out on the road to the Tribor Trail to seek out Cragmaw Castle. Soon, however, they are accosted by Red Brands and a bugbear captain who have been searching for the party for the murder of their companions.

As the battle rages, the party had gained the upper hand when suddenly, the bugbear standing atop an outcropping of rock is blasted by an icy mist and is frozen solid. A fierce White Dragon swooped down and snatched the frozen bugbear in it's jaws.

The remaining Red Brands run off and Chuck contemplates if he somehow knows this dragon.

Continuing into the wild and having set up camp for the night, the party is awoken by a pack of not so hungry wolves. Chuck tosses some food their way and the wolves pad off into the darkness.

The next day they come across a small band of orcs which are quickly dispatched with Purina in bear form.  Searching the orcs, they found crudely drawn wanted posters of themselves. Someone has put a bounty on their heads!

Continuing down the Tribor Trail they come upon a small town long in ruin. Finding nothing in the town the party continued down a worn trail west of town and into a valley where they came across some horses wandering the fields. Chuck conversed with the horses and discovered they they were part of a ranch that was overrun by orcs. Confirming this with a wandering cow, they head back to the ruined town. Your Majesty suggests they take the trail heading toward the fabled Neverwinter Wood.

As they become enveloped by the woods, they come upon a screen made from the warped branches of trees standing close together, woven into a domelike shelter in the shadows. With caution, Purina casts a spell to search for traps and Aurora casts a spell to detect magic. With none found, Chuck and Purina slowly enter the shelter. Searching the remains of once opulent furnishing, the spectral form of an elf appears. Not wanting to antagonize this ghostly figure, Chuck respectfully tries to gain the whereabouts of Cragmaw Castle.  The ghostly elven figure claims she knows all that happens in the woods but does not give up the location of the castle. Purina and Chuck back out of the shelter and the party decides to go on their way when the ghostly figure drifts out into the open following them...

5e Session IV: Looking for Clues

Aurora Boree Alice - Human Cleric
Chuck Norris - Elf Ranger
Purina - Half-elf Druid
Your Majesty - Human Wizard

Having barely defeated Klarg, the bugbear leader of the thieving Cragmaw goblins, our party found itself resting and recovering from their wounds in Klarg's lair. It is in this lair that they discovered stolen goods including some weapons and armor - some of which they appropriate for themselves.

While resting, they discover that they were spied upon by a goblin that had wandered upon the carnage but Chuck silently dispatched the sneaking menace.

Continuing their search for the missing the party's employers Gundar and Sildar, they came upon the rest of the goblins who had prepared themselves for these interlopers. However, Purina entangled most of the goblins which made for easy targets for the rest of the party. The vile creatures were quickly dispatched but only Sildar was rescued.  The party discovered that Klarg sent the dwarf and his map of the lost Echo Cave and the fabled Forge of Spells to King Grol, the leader of the Cragmaw tribe in Cragmaw Castle!

Sildar asked the party to escort him to Phandalin and promised to pay them 50 gold for their troubles, but being so late in the day the party headed west to the Wayfarer Inn. There they tried to ask about any knowledge of Cragmaw castle but only found that the Cragmaw tribe has been harassing travelers on the Tribor trail for months.

The next day the party along with Sildar headed out to Phandalin and arrived in the late evening only to find the town dark and windows shuttered. At the Stonehill Inn they learned that the Red Brands had come out looking for the party after they had murdered four of their companions in town and two in the basements of Tresendar Manor.  The Redbrands had harassed the townsfolk looking for clues to the party's whereabouts. A local woodcarver had stood up to the Redbrands after they had leered at his wife and daughter but the ruffians murdered him and now his wife, daughter and son are missing. The innkeeper could not give them any more information on the location of Cragmaw Castle.

Sildar reminded the party to meet him at the Townhall in the morning for the escort payment but the Your Majesty was more interested in finding Cragmaw Castle and convinced the party to leave the inn before dawn the next morning...

Thoughts on 5e

 As an old school player finally giving D&D 5e a solid go I have quite a few opinions.

The Good

I have to say that I really like how D&D has evolved into a solid ruleset that is 5e. The 5e rules pretty much cover just about anything that may come up in the game.  Earlier versions relied upon the DM and players to customize and build upon the somewhat vague rules. This left the game open for tons of home-brewed customizations.  Having had to add quite a bit of customization to my Swords & Wizardy campaign of a few years back, I have to say that I like not having to have to do the heavy lifting on finessing the rules and balance of the game. I was able to do back in the day but I was no expert. It involved quite a bit of time that I no longer have.  I want to sit down and run a game and 5e has all the rules covered.

I also like that 5e has a lot of flexibility on how you might want to play the game. There is a greater emphasis on role-playing make than the good ol' hack-n-slash.  I'm actually having fun as a DM exploring that aspect of the game a bit more. Character backgrounds are a great idea to help players focus on role-playing their character more. I think the races and classes have been well thought out.

The Bad

Getting brand new players into the game is an outrageously heavy lift. For people that have never played RPGs before, all the nuances of the modifiers and rules and if-thens and the level-ups is just way too much to ask of people to enter the game. I'm having that very experience with some new RPGers. I spend the first 20 minutes of a session going over the next layer of rules and ideas and modifiers. Players are slowly getting pieces of it but when the sessions are spaced weeks apart, they don't recall all the various modifiers needed for various situations.  I've had to create quick-starts and notes for them.  It's a long way from notecards.

Session zero. What adults who have never played the game before have the time to sit though a session zero? I don't and I'm the DM. Time is precious for everyone and spending the first three hours going over rules and how to play is not a very friendly entry point for people that want to just get a flavor of the game. Plus, this is the session where you roll up characters? As a group? New players will most likely WTF the game and move on. Sure, pre-gens could help with that but there is still the issue of trying to go over all the minutia of just whats on the character sheet. 

The Ugly

The organization of the Player's Handbook and DM Guide are completely for shit. Faction information is split across multiple books including the starter set rules.  Does WOTC expect you to purchase every single product so you can have all the information to run a Forgotten Realms campaign it's fullest?  Yeah, I don't want to spend a ton of money on this stuff and then have to store it. I'm a quick and dirty player / DM. Give me everything I need where it is expected to be and I'm good to go. Lets face it, there is a shit-ton of fluff and color in the paragraphs of these books to sift through to get to the important information that you need. 

Creating a character is such a bizarre complicated process of back and forth in the PHB that it takes all the fun out of what should be a very fun process. I end up relying on 5e character generators online or at D&D Beyond. As a DM I'm still going to kill off PCs if they do something stupid (or try to anyway) but having a player quickly roll-up a new character during the session is going to be pretty sad. 

This should be all about keeping players in the session having fun, not having to have players and DM look 101 things up per game session.

The adventure books follow that same pattern.  The organization is not for actual gameplay but to casually sit back and read.  Again, as with the PHB and DMG there is way to much flipping back and forth for content that is buried somewhere within the pages. 

Okay, this is going to be an "get off my lawn" moment but the old classic modules were utilitarian.  Printed on cheap paper, you were able to make notes, scratch-out monster HPs, tear out handouts and artwork, encounter charts right up front.  Those modules were made to be used and abused. These new adventure books are designed to sit on your bookshelf and be 'collected'.  To make any of these adventure books even remotely usable, I have to rewrite most of it into accessible notes for the DM. It's sad because I do think that some of these adventures are great fun but the time I have to dedicate to be able to run one of these is not practical for a casual campaign.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater of 5e, I do like it as a matter of course. I thought I'd be saving some time and energy with a more polished rule-set than my ol' cobbled together S&W game. 

On a side note, I've also been a player in a 5e campaign and have really enjoyed that quite a bit. But I'm an experienced gamer and didn't have to struggle with the rules too much. 

We have gotten back to our 5e campaign with some noobs and I will be posting a session summary of that shortly.

5e Session III: A Goblin Hideout, Finally!

The next morning it was decided that the party should finally seek out the whereabouts of Gundren and Sildar. Not sure where to begin, they ask the Stonehill Innkeeper and he pointed them to speak with Halia in the Miner's exchange.

Speaking with Halia, they didn't learn much about any goblin hideout but she tells them that she heard a rumor that there was a goblin hanging out with the Red Brands and they it might know where the hideout was.

The party decided to head out on their own back to where they were attacked by the goblins on their way to Phandalin. 

Heading back to the Tribor Trail, they rediscovered the half-eaten bodies of the dead goblins and horses. Chuck was able to pick-up the goblin trial and lead the party into the woods. It's not long, however, that Chuck triggers a snare and is pulled up into the trees. Purina, with the help from Aurora gently lowered the ranger back to the ground.

Proceeding on with more caution, Chuck is able to avoid another trap that that goblins had set.

As dusk approached, they came across a small clearing with a dead body. It was the dead and mutilated body of a naked half-ogre pierced by the same black feathered arrows that fell Gundren and Sildar's horses.

They headed off trail and camped for the night in the wilderness each taking a turn as a night watch.

In the morning they continued to head down the trail but Chuck found that now there were dog prints with the goblins.

It's not long before the forests breaks and they stood before a cave opening in a hillside. Chuck, snuck quietly over to the opening and discovered two goblins poking and torturing a wounded dog. The Ranger signaled his companions and Purina snuck over to assist Chuck as Aurora and Your Majesty ready themselves. Purina transformed into a bear and her and her and Chuck attack and slay the goblins.  Aurora came over and healed the wounded dog and now had a new companion.

The party finally entered the cave and discovered three wolves chained up in a side passage but they continued forward. With Aurora and Your Majesty blind in the dark, they climb on the back of Purina in bear form and Chuck lead the way deeper into the cave.

It's good he did as he spied a goblin on a bridge spanning across the passage.  The Goblin tossed a spear which stuck into the bear but Chuck was quick and fired an arrow which killed the goblin.

Following the winding cave, the party discovered a room with a waterfall and two pools of water  guarded by a couple of goblins. Your Majesty and Chuck attacked the goblins but one escaped to bring reinforcements. 

The leader of the gang, Klarg the Bugbear arrives with more goblins and a fierce wolf. A battle to the death ensued and left Aurora very near death and the bear defeated but with some luck and magic, the party prevailed and defeated Klarg and his minions.

5e Session II: Putting the Red in Red Brand

Aurora Boree Alice - Human Cleric
Chuck Norris - Elf Ranger
Purina - Half-elf Druid
Your Majesty - Human Wizard

The party continued their conversation with Sister Garale and she pointed out two Red Brands that were watching. She told them that Farmer Alderleaf’s son had a run in with the Red Brands. It was decided to chat with Farmer Alderleaf and his son Carp.

Finding the farm on the edge of town they meet Qunlin Alderleaf and his son. Carp told them that he had found a cave in the forest and saw a couple of Red Brand talking with an ugly furry creature.  He was scared that they might catch him so Chip hid until he had a chance to escape.

The party asked Carp to lead them to the cave which he did.  Exploring the cave opening they didn't find anything of interest so decided that they would explore the cave themselves. Chuck and Aurora, wanting to protect the boy from any dangers walked him back to the edge of the forest and back to his farm, but, peering out from the cover of the trees, they spied the two Red Brands that were spying on the party earlier.  The Red Brands climbed over the wall and head towards the woods.  

The party headed back to the cave entrance and took cover as the Red Brands arrived.  After looking around for the party, the Red Brands surmised that they must have entered the cave. The Brands drew their swords and entered the cave.

The party waited to see if the Red Brands came back out but they never did.

It was decided to head up to Tresendar Manor and take a look around for the Red Brands. From the ruins they found stairs leading down to the cellar door.

Descending into the cellar they discovered crates and barrels full of stored food and supplies. Filling most of the cellar was a large cistern full of water.  Within the pool of water, Chuck found a waterproof bag with clothes, gold and some potions.  While the party argued about which door to go through they were discovered by the slumbering Red Brands in a room next door.  A fight broke out and two of the Red Brands are killed and one surrendered. 

Your Majesty interrogated the prisoner and they learned that the Red Brands had only arrived in Phandalin a couple of months ago and that they are being lead by Glasstaff who is taking orders from someone going by the name of the Black Spider.

Your Majesty murdered the prisoner and they dumped all the bodies into the cistern.

Continuing through the one of the doors Chuck discovered that there was a false floor in the hallway.  As they traversed, around the trap, Aurora fell into the pit. After pulling her back up on the other side, they opened a set of double brass doors and found a crypt with skeletons lying on the floor on the other side.

Deciding it best to avoid any more dangers, they turned around to leave but had quite a bit of trouble getting back to the other side of the pit.  Purina fell into the pit and is knocked unconscious.  Chuck, tried to help her but also fell in.  Eventually Aurora and Your Majesty were able to pull them up and they leave the cellars the the ruins of the manor.

Heading back to town and passing the Sleeping Giant Tap Room, they were accosted by a gang of four Red Brands.  Purina and Aurora approached them try to seduce them with the cleric attempting to preach to them but the Red Brands harassed the ladies and dismissed their gentlemen companions.  

Your Majesty had enough and cast Fog Cloud to engulf the Red Brands which also engulfed their compatriots.  Your Majesty and Chuck reached in and pulled out Aurora but also a Red Brand.  Purina ran out of the cloud on the other side along with a couple of Brands. A fight ensued and Chuck went down before the rest of the Red Brands were defeated and dead.  

The Grista of Sleeping Giant Tap Room along with some townsfolk witnessed this confrontation. Grista is shocked and dismayed at the Red Brand's defeat, however, the townsfolk celebrate the party as heroes for standing up to the Red Brands and they all head to the Stonehill Inn. 

Rookie Mistakes

 Yes, I have plenty of years of DMing experience as you probably already know if you've followed or poked around this classic blog.

You would think that would be enough to avoid a couple of DMing rookie mistakes.  After years being absent working behind the screen I guess even mad skills can get a bit rusty.

Now, my DMing experience has always been running Old School games. I've been wanting to run a 5e game for quite a long time and, in fact, have just recently been a player in a couple of sessions that my friend Brian started running.  On the surface, 5e is not much different than any other classic version of the game with some rules even being very large improvements.  This was enough to loosen that arrow and get a session going.

Taking my baby steps into running the world of 5e, it was obvious that I would run the Lost Mines of Phandelver. 

Now, I was going to give the game rules a good try and play it as it was intended. Of course, I'm going to try to push the boundaries of the sandbox concept of this adventure and blend it with the Dragon of Ice Spire Peak to keep the campaign going

I had some rookie players and thought I'd start with a brief role playing encounter with a boy and his lost dog. Meeting the boy the party attempts to find the trail of the lost dog and the Ranger attempts to find the trail. Skill test rolled and...... failure.  Now this is me setting up encounters as the game intended.  Well, what the fuck is supposed to happen when the skill check fails when it was really needed to be made to keep the adventure going? True, I never planned for that because it was never intended for the player to 'fail'.

As I processed this adjustment in real time, the game continued with the players somewhat mystified by this lost dog.

Next came the infamous goblin encounter which went fine. As the characters did exactly what they were supposed to do and look for the goblin trail, the skill check was rolled and..... failure! Another failure on a significant plot point.  Again, I let the roll stand and pondered what the hell else to do to keep the game going. 

At this point, in my mind, the game kind of derailed and I had to scramble to keep things going in a sensible manner. Thank the gods I was able to wing it and they had some 'unplanned' adventures around the town (which involved yet another failed roll which I ended up fudging because.... seriously).

The game wrapped up and I was slightly disheartened as I expected batter of myself behind the screen.

Why did I let skill check die rolling derail the game I intended?

Why are players rolling dice for checks that they shouldn't know if they failed or succeed?

By default, I always try to play a game or cook a recipe as intended and the game seemed to intended for players to roll dice for checks they shouldn't know the results on major plot points.  Sure you can play it that way but there will be some bad game play as players know they failed a check yet keep rolling to until they make the success that they and the DM need them to make.

I had to make some adjustments and pretty much got rid of dice rolling things that the players obviously would or should succeed in. I also had to 'hide' some of those rolls from the players.  In other words, I needed to run this modern version of the game just like I would any old school sandbox game. I let go of the ridged grip on the rules as, I think, WOTC intended and work and mold 5e into something that made much more sense with how I prefer or think the experience of the game should go.

I made those adjustments and session two was much more magical.

5e Session I: The Road to Phandalin

Aurora Boree Alice - Human Cleric
Chuck Norris - Elf Ranger
Purina - Half-elf Druid
Your Majesty - Human Wizard

Leaving their homes and temples to seek out a name and fortune for themselves in the land of Faerun within the Forgotten Realms, our various party members have journeyed to the largest city in the northern region along the Sword Coast; the city of Neverwinter.  But their naïveté played a disservice as the growing city of merchants, thieves and worse greedily preyed upon their innocence and ignorance and has left them penniless.  

The past few days living in squalor in the bowels and back alley ruins of Neverwinter has made them desperate to rise above their current state.  An opportunity came in the shape of a posted ad that asked for “...competent souls needed for a 5 day wilderness journey! Earn gold!  Skill with a blade a must!  Magic a plus! Inquire Gundren Rockseaker at the Cock & Bull!"

Hoping it’s not too late the party members had made their way over to the Cock & Bull and after asking around were introduced to a bearded warrior by the name of Sildar Hallwinter. He, in turn, introduced them to a weathered dwarf… who introduces himself as Gundren Rockseaker.

Gundren hired the party to carry some supplies for him to the frontier town of Phandalin and drop the cart and supplies off at Barthen’s Provisions.  Before Gundren and Sildar left that evening on horses, Gundren paid for the party’s lodging in the barn and paid for their morning breakfast.

The party traveled down the coast road and on the second day came across an elvish boy, Haldir, searching for his lost dog Naquoo. The party tried to assist the boy and look for the any sign of the dog but no trace was found.

They continued on to the Wayfarer Inn for the night at the crossroads of the Triboar Trail and the Coast Road.

The next morning they set out down the Tribor Trail and ran into the slain horses of Gundar and Sildar and found an empty map case. There they were beset by goblins which they quickly slew.  Trying to find signs of the fate of their employers they found no trace.

They continued on to Phandalin arriving in the evening and there they met up with Barthen and handed off their delivery for an additional fee and stayed at the Stonehill Inn.

The next day they traveled to Umbrige hill to purchase some healing potions from the midwife but found her windmill under siege by a wild Manticore.  After Purina entangled the beast the party attacked it from a distance.  The wounded creature broke free and flew off.

Adabra the midwife rewarded the party with 1 healing potion each.  

Returning to Phandalin, they stopped at the Shrine of Luck and met Sister Garale who informed them about the troubles with a gang of bullies and thugs calling themselves the Red Brands who were taking it upon themselves to 'guard' the town. As she spoke, two Red Brands were watching her conversation with the party from a distance...

Session notes: This was our first session of 5e. All the players are fairly inexperienced with D&D and one had never played role playing games at all. I figured I would skip the "Session 0" idea and just get into the game figuring we'd teach and learn as we go. Also, we're all adults and busy and who wants to spend that whole first session doing the 'homework' of building characters that new players really don't understand?  We're all adults and busy with real life things so spending hours just building characters seemed somewhat ridiculous to me and my quick, down and dirty old school ways. I asked most of the players what character race and class they would like to play and then built them as pre-rolled characters for them just to get them into the game play.

Session 0 probably would have been a bit more helpful as all the elements of the the character sheets and rules to go along with them are a bit challenging for new players to understand and grasp.  In fact, I'll get more into that in a future post. 

More thoughts on the first session coming soon...

Yet, Another Rekindling...

 As you can see from the previous posts, my D&D gaming experience has been quite.... sparse.

During the pandemic, I ran a Swords & Wizardry sandbox campaign on Roll20 for my wife and friends, most of whom never really played D&D. It was an actually pretty fun campaign and I had every intention of recording their exploits here as I had done with my previous S&W campaign. These adventures existed in the same campaign world that I've been running in my previous years long sandbox setting.

This "COVID Campaign" was also my longest Roll20 campaign as well. Roll20 served nicely for all of us to get together and play for a few hours each week during the world's apocalyptic pandemic.

Swords & Wizardry was a great ruleset for getting noobs into a fantasy RPG. Simple rules and mechanics got everyone up and running pretty quick. Everyone enjoyed the game, we all had lots of laughs and it was a great way to kill long hours at home. With characters like Karona Viress the cleric, George Michael the wizard and BuFoo the assassin, you can imagine the good times that we had as I ran them through everything from the Keep on the Borderland's Caves of Chaos to Rahasia and the Endless Tunnels of Enladin to all manner of one-shots and home made dungeon crawl adventures. 

Running the sessions on Roll20 evolved into me having to prepare a lot more assets for game play. We ended up relying quite a bit on the maps, tokens and interfaces to 'enhance' gameplay. This meant I spent more and more time preparing maps and tokens. This took a bit of a toll on me especially when my job was becoming more and more demanding.

We wrapped up the campaign with everyone's characters hitting about 5th level or so. I really do wish I recored the campaign because it was quite wild and fun.

So, let us flash forward to 2022.

Friends from my old group were looking to get together for at least a one-shot and maybe more if things went well.  Well, we're all a bit older and have more responsibilities and, after weeks of scheduling conflicts, we finally go together to play some D&D. This time it would be D&D 5e.

Yes, the cool-aid has been sipped.

I stepped back as a DM and slipped in as a player.  

Brian (Teabag and Arg form our old S&W campaign), our 5e DM ran the classic Sinister Secret of Salt Marsh.  It was a fun romp through the infamous 'haunted house' scenario and beyond. And 5e wasn't so bad either.  Brian played very loose with it so it pretty much ran like a classic D&D game.  

Annnd, of course, this piqued my interest in running a 5e game myself.  There are some mechanics I really liked, and, I will soon fine, some I will need to tweak.

So, yes, here we are again. I'm diving into 5e and seeing where that takes me....

A Campaign Begins for Newbies

Like many of you, the affects of the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted how hundreds of millions of us fellow mutants interact and function in our jobs, communities and the world. It's a scary time for many people and, in my experience, a majority of the general population has been dealing with this in a pretty positive manner. Everyone has had to make adjustments in everything they do and all of us are experiencing a collective experience on many levels.

So.... gaming.

As you've probably noticed, The Warlock's Home Brew has been shuttered for quite some time (since late 2017). This had happened for a number of reasons. Work had gotten very busy and I didn't really have time to dedicate to blogging or gaming.  Plus, after eight years of running a continuous face-to-face campaign with my friends (all documented here), I was pretty burnt out GMing.  Finally, most of the players slowly started to disperse and go their separate ways so it felt like it was a good time to wrap up for a while.

But, lo!  Fast forward to our current timeline!

With communications with friends and family moving online, I thought now might be a good time to give online rpg'ing another try.

I had worked with Roll20 years ago and found it to be a fantastic system though, for me, time consuming and a bit clunky for a more fast-paced game such as Swords & Wizardry.  It was a fun experiment and would dabble on the platform every once-in-a-while but always just stuck with face-to-face play.

As my wife and I and a couple of our good friends that we travel with began meeting online for chats, I put it out there for us to use that time to dive into some fantasy adventuring!

Recall, if you will, that my wife is not at all a RPG gamer.  I did get her to play in our S&W campaign for a short while but it just didn't click with her. The role-playing just wasn't her thing.  Plus, we were playing with all of my friends, seasoned role-players so she felt a little out of her element.  I guess killing her character off with a Gelatinous Cube wasn't helpful either - though she fondly jokes about that experience!  See, PC deaths are a good thing!

Our friend David hasn't played the game since he was in grade school some 45+ years ago (that is crazy when you think about it), but he recalled enjoying the game enough to give it another try.

And finally, our friend Paul who has never, ever played and only knows of the game from watching Stranger Things said, "Sure, why the hell not."

So it had begun!

In short, we've had 3 sessions so far with two lasting more than four hours! We've been playing twice a week and our 4th session will be this evening.  It has been very successful and everyone has been having a great time. I've been working to streamline our Roll20 play so things run smoothly and I'll share some of what I learned about that here as well as covering our campaign summaries like I did before.

Oh, and yes, Swords & Wizardry is my game to play!

So stay safe, everyone, and...

A Dim Light Flickers in the Tower....

Watchful eyes of travelers and journeymen have noticed a dim light glowing at the top of the old tower. Does this portend good or bad omens? Has the old Warlock returned or is it some dark gloom from the dim distant past? Only the curious may approach. Only adventurous souls may seek the secrets of the Warlock's tower. As those brave souls cautiously advance, the entrance door creeks open...

The Warlock's Tower

For over eighty years, the Warlock lurked in his tower of stone, crafting all manner of trinket and bauble for the many curious novice and veteran travelers that had passed through his portal.

Often, the Warlock would narrate his many wild tales of Swords and Wizardry chronicling the many heroes to have crossed his path to those that would stop by and listen while having a smoke of the ol' pipe-weed and a sip of sweet mead, home-brewed by the Warlock himself. Some say that the Warlock would enchant his brew with a magical reagent said to be none other than the poisonous Black Lotus, used in such a precise portion with which t

o grant one's mind the key to unlocking the door to the veiled world.  This would leave those that partook in the sweet nectar with a sure-foot on the path and spirits lifted.

Throughout the many seasons, the Warlock had shared his craft with those who traveled on the same mystical path. Alas, there came a day when the tower grew dark, and the vines once speckled with sweet scented flowers withered and died, and the ancient stones decayed and fell to ruin.  The Warlock had vanished without a trace.

The gears of time ground on and the tower remained vacant.  Those same curious travelers searched the tower for trace of the Warlock and his fate but no clue was found.  Only rumor and conjecture now filled the minds of traveler and peasant alike.  Some say that a hidden passage had been found leading to tunnels beneath the tower itself. It was in these tunnels that the Warlock may have discovered other mysteries and portals and had left this mortal realm behind and met his mysterious fate.

These rumors proved too tempting for some as explorers entered the tower to pilfer some left behind treasure.  Some, however, never returned at all.

The ruined Warlock's tower still stands to this day, inviting those that wish to explore the maze of tunnels for tales and treasures left behind.

Session XCIII: One Pissed Off Dragon!

Our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign...

Current Player Characters:

Thenus (Ranger)

Wang Du (Monk)

Wolfheir (Viking)
Arg (Half-orc)
Sir Gwain (Paladin) 

Su (Cleric) 

Grop (Kobold Wizard)
Tadashi (samurai)

NPC
Koshan (Ogre-mage)

 After having infiltrated Agatheron's lair and defeating his army of Fire Giants, wounded and weary, the party made their way back to the village of the Firbolgs.  

With the power of Mithra, Su brought Wang Du back from the dead.  Through his travels in the Realm of Death, Wang returned more powerful than before to face his destiny with Agatheron.

Resting and recuperating in their hidden village of stone, the party began to make plans for their final assault on the Ancient Dragon. Some, such as Thenus, even questioned why they should risk their necks in the first place.

Lord Boomish, who fought Agatheron along with Baron Blackmoore many years ago, died from his wounds and old age. The Boomish family shield was given to Sir Gwain.

However, on the third evening, a fierce rumbling was heard throughout the canyon and the Flaming Pass.  In the skies above the mountains, a sight not seen for nearly 80 years; the fearsome and massive Ancient Red Dragon, Agatheron, flew off in a fit of burning rage heading to the foothills and the village of Litafjord.  From a distance they saw the the dragon raze the village to the ground, undoubtedly killing the remaining innkeeper and his dwarven wife.

With a bone-chilling and wrathful roar echoing in the mountain canyons, they saw Agatheron rise in the air and fly south towards Berkenstoke and Blackmoore... 

There was much debate as to whether take advantage of the Dragon being gone to plunder his treasure and set a trap or to continue healing.  Arg and Sir Gwain were persuasive and the party departed for the fortress once again, leaving the recovering McDagger, Biggs and Lothar behind.

Once again at the entrance, they saw it was guarded by a Fire-giant and his Hell Hound.  Without waiting, Sir Gwain rushed out and charged the Giant who let loose his beast.  Thenus fired arrows at the giant and wounded him as Arg, Wolf and Sir Gwain hacked first through the Hound and then the Giant.  

Entering the hall once again, they were soon surprised by two more Fire-Giants hiding in alcoves and firing Balistas.  The party splits and attacked their foes. Arg, Wang and Wolf attacked one giant while Sir Gwain and the rest of the party attacked the other. 

After the battle, there were two more dead Fire Giants and some wounded party members.  

It was decided to explore the rest of the alcoves in the great hall and then hunker-down to rest through the night to recover from their wounds. 

The next morning, as healing spells were cast, they heard a rushing of wind and a fierce and angry roar.  Fearing the Dragon's return, Grop turned Wang invisible and the Monk stepped out into the Great Hall.  The rest of the party thought it best to make a run for it across the hall to the opposite alcove and a hidden door.

As the party ran through the hall, the great winds were felt and heard when suddenly, the invisible dragon appeared and tried to bite the invisible Wang who successfully dodged the attack.

With the dragon present, the party went into action.  Su blasted a Cone of Frost at the dragon, wounding it as well as Wang Du who was in the line of fire. Thenus fired off her arrows and Sir Gwain, Arg and Wolf charged the ancient Red Dragon.  Koshan tossed the last Eye of Hithata which transformed into a Beholder!

Turning toward the party, Agatheron bellowed, "You have thwarted my plans in the valley and killed my army of Giants. Now I will kill all of you!" Taking a deep breath, the Red Dragon let loose a ball of flame!  

Su and Grop disintegrate into ash!

Wolf was singed but is still alive.

Sir Gwain ducked behind the Shield of Lord Boomish and survives unscathed.

Koshan and the Beholder burst into flame and die.

Thenus survived but is near death.

Wang attacked the Dragon, drawing his attention back to the Monk.  The dragon tried to claw Wang but the Monk quickly dodged the attack.

Turning back towards the party, the Agatheron attacked the rushing party with his Breath of Fire, wounding Sir Gwain and killing Arg, Thenus and the valiant Wolfheir.

With only Sir Gwain and Wang Du left and near death, they fought with sword, shield and fist against the Dragon's claw and tooth.  With a mighty blow to the dragon's neck and the mystical flying kick, Agatheron, the Ancient Red Dragon died with not so much a roar but a whimper.

With the loss of all their companions, through many adventures, Sir Gwain and Wang Du stood victorious over their greatest foe!

EPILOGUE

With the Ancient Red Dragon, Agatheron vanquished, and all their companions dead, Sir Gwain and Wang Du wearily marched back to the Firbolg's village.

Met by the recovering McDagger and Lothar, Sir Gwain and Wang Du related their final battle with the Fire Giants and the Dragon.

After their full recovery, the remaining party members along with the Firbolgs explore the abandoned fortress in search of the fabled treasure hoard of Agatheron.  Eventually it is found and it is, indeed, beyond imagination.  This long chamber is filled from end to end with unimaginable wealth. Gold is piled knee-high and speckled with jewels, weapons and artifacts of ages past - truly a dragon's hoard.

With the help of the Firbolgs, the treasure is mined out.

Without much need for treasure, the Firbolgs accepted only a small portion, preferring to live simply and peacefully in the mountains.

Wang, Sir Gwain and McDagger headed south to the village of Litafjord only to find it a charred ruin including the Keep of Lord Boomish, who was laid to rest near the Firbolg's village.

Abandoning the village and heading south, they came across the the innkeeper of the Craggy Inn and his dwarven wife.  They had left the village when they saw the dragon coming down the mountain and survived his attack.

Wang donated a portion of his treasure to the innkeeper so that they would be able to start anew.

They all travel south to the village of Berkenstoke which was destroyed by in the Dragon's wraith.  The sturdy townsfolk had already begun to rebuild the village and once the news of Agatheron's death spread there was a big celebration in honor of all the heroes that died; Wolfheir the Viking, the priest of Mithra - Su, Grop the mighty wizard, Todashi the samurai, Thenus the ranger, and Arg.

Sir Gwain and Wang donated gold to the rebuilding of  Berkenstoke and headed west to Blackmoore, which was also in ruin.

As donations and rebuilding began there as well, Sir Gwain and Wang said their farewells for now and chose separate paths to travel with the hopes that some day their paths may cross again.

Session XCII: The Half-orc and the Fire Giant

Our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign...

Current Player Characters:

Thenus (Ranger)

Wang Du (Monk)

Wolfheir (Viking)
Arg (Half-orc)
Sir Gwain (Paladin) 

Su (Cleric) 

Grop (Kobold Wizard)
Tadashi (samurai)

NPC's

McDagger (thief)

Biggs (fighter)
Koshan (Ogre Magi)
Lothar (Firblog)
Lord Boomish 

Having miraculously defeated a large onslaught of Fire Giants, the beleaguered party began to explore the grand hall. Arg, Lothar of the hill people and Grop examine the massive obsidian alter and the magic circle holding a burning Fire Elemental.  Grop dispelled the Elemental back to it's plane and Lothar read the inscription on the alter.  But the respite is short lived as a massive Fire Giant in flaming armor and carrying a flaming sword burst out from behind another of the curtained alcoves.  The party and the Giant charge each other and a bloody battle takes place.  The Giant chief falls!

Grop detects that the armor, sword and the giant's two rings are magical along with the Fire Giant's obsidian alter.  But as they decide what to do with all this, the Giant's wounds begin to heal and he begins to rise once again.  Sir Gwain draws his Frost Blade and beheads the giant.  Arg takes the flaming sword for himself and the Giant's rings are split among the party, which they wear as crowns or armbands.

As they loot the corpse, yet another Fire Giant poked his head out from another curtained alcove and shouted in shock at the site of his dead companions and Chief.  He rushed back behind the curtain.

Fearing another attack from the Fire Giants and naturally concerned over their weakened state, the party decided it best to try to hide and recover.  They sought shelter behind the curtain of the Giant Chief but only find a dead-end.  A search for secret doors turned up nothing.  

Suddenly, they heard angry shouting coming from the main hall.  Arg peeked out from behind the curtain and  saw that the Fire Giants are arguing among themselves and that the two strongest began to fight each other for the right to be chief.  Letting the fight play out, the party watches as one of the giants is defeated and the other claims chief.

Arg decided to go out and challenge the new Fire Giant chief.  He stepped out with the flaming sword and the rest of the party follows, walking in a uniform line across the hall towards the giants.  Arg challenges the new Chief to a one-on-one duel for the ownership of the Giant's Flaming Sword.  The challenge is accepted and the party and Fire Giants circle around the the two combatants.  Thenus slips Arg a gourd of speed to aid in his combat and the battle in engaged.  Arg matches the Fire Giant blow for blow, both wounding each other but both not giving in.  Suddenly, the flaming sword flies from Arg's grip and is picked up by another giant.  Grop casts a web around that giant with angers the other Giant onlookers who start to push and attack the party.  Sir Gwain tosses his Ice Blade to Arg who caught it and then cut the leg off of the giant and then beheaded the mortally wounded creature!  In a rage the rest of the Fire Giants attack.  In the battle, Wang fell, mangled and dead, but not before he stunned one of the Giants which was quickly dispatched.  Biggs also fell. With everyone near death, the nearly finished party with one last effort dispatched the remaining Fire Giants.  They are once again victorious! 

In no shape for another battle, the party gathers their wounded and exits the fortress and heads back to the hidden village of the Firbolgs....

Session XCI: Fire Giants!

Our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign...

Current Player Characters:

Thenus (Ranger)

Wang Du (Monk)
Centari (Elf)

Wolfheir (Viking)
Arg (Half-orc)
Sir Gwain (Paladin) 

Su (Cleric) 

Gorp (Kobold Wizard)
Tadashi (samurai)

NPC's

McDagger (thief)

Biggs (fighter)
Koshan (Ogre Magi)
Lothar (Firblog)
Lord Boomish

With McDagger invisible and tiny Gorp just inside the giant iron doors to the entrance of the ancient dragon Agatheron's lair, the rest of the party peered in and saw a massive hall almost one thousand feet long.  At the far end were five fire giants.

As they discussed what to do, eventually one of the giants started to head towards the open door.  Hiding on the outside, they prepared to ambush the lone fire giant. When the Giant stuck his head outside the party attacked, but not before he screams out a warning.  The Giant, however, stumbled and the party hacked him to death.

Dragging him out of the doorway, McDagger warned that there are two other giants heading towards the doors.  The party waited for the two Giants outside the doors.  When they stepped out they were also attacked.  McDagger warned that one of the other two Giants at the far end had rushed behind a curtain.

They dispatched the two Giants and enter the grand hall.  Searching behind massive curtains they found a ballista. Lothar rolled it out into the hall as Arg and Wang Du searched the hidden alcoves for more.  They noticeed that Koshan had disappeared by turning himself invisible. 

As they made their way up the hall, a distant alarm sounded and the party prepared for battle with the Giants.

From behind a curtain rushed a number of Fire Giants.  Gorp tried to fry them with a Fireball but the giants only laughed and charged on.  Arg and Wang fired off their ballista as does Lothar damaging two of the giants.  Gorp blastsed them with cold, wounding a number of the Fire Giants.  Finally the two groups engaged in hand to hand combat, Thenus firing damaging arrows to her favored foes.

Meanwhile, a Beholder appeared out of nowhere and shocked the party into fear until they notice that the magical beast started attacking the Fire Giants.

There was one robed Fire Giant that raised a wand by the Beholder turned him into a giant rat.  Koshan, now in his true form as a Ogre Magi, and McDagger attacked the Giant Rat and eventually kill it.

Arg and Wang charged the giants and the fierce battle continued.  Another blast of frost from Koshan defeated some of the Giants and Todashi almost fell to their attacks more than once. Sir Gwain saved him but has trouble fighting the Giants as he keeps dropping his magic sword. 

Suddenly, two Hell Hounds burst from the curtains and attacked McDagger, killing him.

Eventually, the party prevailed over this initial onslaught of Fire Giants. Su raised the dead McDagger who hobbled out of the hall shaken and wounded.

Surely there are more that lie in wait...

Session XC: Knock, Knock, Knocking On The Dragon's Door

Our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign...

Current Player Characters:

Thenus (Ranger)

Wang Du (Monk)
Centari (Elf)

Wolfheir (Viking)
Arg (Half-orc)
Sir Gwain (Paladin) 

Su (Cleric) 

Gorp (Kobold Wizard)
Tadashi (samurai)

NPC's

McDagger (thief)

Biggs (fighter)
Koshan (Magic User)

Having finally exited Hidatha's maze with his enemy Koshan as their new ally, our fearless party once again headed north towards the Grey Mountains and their face-off with Agatheron, the ancient red dragon claiming dominion over the land.

One evening at camp, Thenus shouted out a warning as the ground beneath their feet shook and opened and out crawled a group of Giant Ants.  The party responded and soon dispatched the insects. They resumed their rest and soon also their journey.

Entering the foothills, they saw in the distance the twinkling lights of a small village.  Su knew this village to be Litafjord.  They decided to make for the village and rest there before their final trek into the pass.  Upon entering the village, however, they found it to be mostly deserted save for the Craggy Inn run by the inkeeper and his dwarven wife.

The party learned that everyone had left the village on account of the reemergence of the Dragon and that he had gathered an army of Fire Giants to aid him.  The stubborn Innkeeper had decided to stay along with the village's lord, Lord Boomish.  Thenus recalled having worked for a Lord Boomish a while back in the town of Berkenstok when they recovered the family shield from the Ruins Beneath Xlarthan's Tower (back in session 75). They learned that this Lord is a cousin of the one that they had previously helped.

The next day they met Lord Boomish and he recognized the party as the ones that recovered his family's shield from the ruins beneath Xlarthan's tower.  The shield was used to defeat the dragon with Lord Blackmoore many years ago.  Lord Boomish decided that it is his destiny to face the dragon one last time and will aid the party.

The next day the party, along with Lord Boomish, left the village of Litafjord and head out into the mountains. They soon ran across the corpse of a fire Giant with it's head on a pike. Examining the ground for clues, Thenus discovered a trail leading off the path and into a canyon.  Following the trail, the party soon got the feeling that they were being watched. Arg shouted out their hatred for the Fire Giants and soon after, a Firbolg steped out.  The party befriended the giant hill people and were welcomed into their village.

They learned that the Firbolg's have been attacking their enemies, the Fire Giants, every chance they could.  The Firbolgs will not attack the Giants directly as the Fire Giants are too strong and are using hit and run tactics to weaken their enemies. The Firbolgs decided to help the party and will lead them to the entrance of the Dragon and his army.  One Firbolg, Lothar, volunteered to join the party and help infiltrate the Dragon's lair in search of his missing brother that was captured by the Fire Giants.

Lothar lead the party through the canyons and into the mountains and one evening they are standing before a pair of massive iron doors.  The great doors, outlined with a glowing dragon are discovered to by barred from the other side. Su turned McDagger invisible and uses his magic to unbar the door.  Arg and Wolf pushed the iron door open just a crack and Su and McDagger slip inside. The rest of the party peered in and saw and expansive long hall lit by torches made of trees.  At the far end were a number of Fire Giants....

Session LXXXIX: Emerson, Frank and Tor

Continuing our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign...

Current Player Characters:

Thenus (Ranger)

Wang Du (Monk)
Centari (Elf)

Wolfheir (Viking)
Arg (Half-orc)
Sir Gwain (Paladin) 

Su (Cleric) 

Gorp (Kobold Wizard)
Todashi (samurai)

NPC's

McDagger (thief)

Biggs (fighter)
Emerson (bard)

Having found the green portal which they believed to be the exit, Sir Gwain lead the way to confirm that this was indeed true.

Back at the main entrance, they passed through the portal once again and began to retrace their steps, heading deeper into the labyrinth.

Down a passage that they had not explored they found an up sloping passage with a door at the end painted with a rams head.  The door was stuck and McDagger failed to open the door. Sir Gwain pulled the door open. Suddenly, a heavy cart with an iron rams head sprung from the closet beyond, rolling over and crushing members of the party.

Emerson the bard was gravely wounded and was screaming in shock and terror when he discovered that his hand, with which he performs upon his lute, has been shattered.  He pleaded with Su to heal him but Su had already healed the near death McDagger.  Su handed Emerson a clear potion that they had previously found in the wizard's chamber.  Emerson quickly downed the potion but immediately died from it's poisonous contents.

Leaving the body of the bard behind, they continued winding their way though the maze. Sir Gwain narrowly avoided falling into a pit trap in which an entire 40' section of the hallway teetered open.  After wedging spikes into the pivoting floor, they carefully made their way across.

They passed though the Hallway of Water once again and headed down a new passage.  Turning some corners they found themselves in front of a locked door.  McDagger picked the lock but failed to discover that the door was trapped and the thief was nearly killed again as the ceiling fell in on him. After recovering the thief, they found that the door only opened to a blank wall!

Continuing down the main passage and through a curtain,  they were attacked by two scorpions which Arg and Sir Gwain quickly dispatch.

They came across another door, but this time Arg was smart enough to trigger the arrow trap from a distance. This door turned out to be false as well.

Through some more curtained hallways they found another pool with a copper statue at the far end.  Arg leaped across to the statue and discovered two keyholes.  Using the keys he had found earlier, a small copper box rose out of the platform.  Upon opening it, Arg was electrocuted to near death!  Inside the box, however, he found a small black sphere.

Heading down another passage while consulting their map, they discover that the map appeared to be mostly complete except for a center portion.  It is in this space that they determine the prisoner they were sent in to dispatch must be. However, they decided to head back to the surface to rest and recover for a few days.

Once on the surface, though, the kids that had befriended them and wished to join their quest questioned the party about what happened to their friend Frank. Stretching the truth, Arg said that he died bravely fighting Minotaurs.  The kids were sad but asked why they left his body down in the dungeon. Arg responded with... something less than comforting.

After a couple of days rest, they headed back into the depths with the aspiring adventurers in tow, retracing their steps from the entrance.  They recovered Franks body, who had died from a deadly portal accident, and Emerson's body, who died from a deadly potion accident, and carried them up to the beach room.  There they buried the bodies with their companion Tor the dwarf who had died from a deadly Ettin accident.

They headed to one final arched opening that they had failed to explore and discovered stairs leading down. The stairs passed a landing with an iron statue of a bear but they found nothing odd about it.  The stairs wound down to a door which also proved to be false, but opening the door had brought the Iron Bear to life.  Arg, Wolf, Sir Gwain and Thenus charged the Iron Bear and fought it at the top of the stairs.

Having seemingly explored the entire maze, they headed back to one suspicious wall, and upon careful examination, discovered three small holes about the size of the discovered sphere.

After much debate about which hole to drop the sphere into, Wolf and Sir Gwain inserted the sphere into the first hole while the others stood back. A trapdoor opened and dropped the two into a pit of spikes.  The sphere rolled out of a slot at the base of the wall.

The companions were rescued from the pit and with the sphere in hand, tried another hole.

Wolf reached over and dropped the sphere into the third hole and was sliced by a bladed pendulum that dropped from the ceiling.

With one hole left to put the sphere, they finally opened the magic door and entered into a larger round chamber with a circular formation of pillared stone. Inside the stones, a forcewall distorted the image of a prisoner.  It was Koshan, who has been imprisoned by Hithata!

Would you trust this guy if he told you to go into a maze?

Talking with their prize, Koshan learned that Hithata had sent the party to kill him for taking the old wizard's eyes. Koshan told the party that he was a pupil of Hithata but that the wizard had grown corrupt and had destroyed Koshan's entire village. In vengence, Koshan confronted Hithata and had stolen his eyes. In a final desperate effort, Hithata imprisoned Koshan in his maze.

Koshan offered to aid the party if they set him free.  Thenus, who was quite angry for being sent by Hithata into his deadly maze was all for siding with Koshan.  However, it was the samarui Todashi who determined that Koshan is indeed telling the truth. Wang pulled the lever to remove the forcewall and Koshan was free.

With a new ally, they gathered their loot and left the maze to hunt down Hithata who was nowhere to be found.