May Ramblings

Just an update on what’s been happening lately

Gaming

So I’m back to being a player now.

My Monday online group has been playing 5e - I’m a Firbolg Nature Paladin. We’ve been fighting demon cultist nobles. We’ve sorted them out so we’ll be back to Doctor Who and Hero System Space 1888 for a bit. Then maybe Starfinder.

On Fridays I’m playing pathfinder 1e - specifically a half-orc fire oracle called Keef. After some encounters with some elves and kobolds he’s decided he really hates elves.

Current plans - try to persuade one of my groups to play Brindlewood Bay. Possibly try to run some Pathfinder 2e. 

Good News

I was lucky enough to win a box of technical paints from Moonhopper games!

As a thank you here’s a plug for them… they do a wide range of basing materials, paints, minis… loads of useful stuff if miniature games are your thing.

Willow inspecting the paints

https://moonhopper-games.com/products/big-box-of-technical-paints

Bad news: now I’ll have to paint something.

Kickstarters

So a few kickstarter things have arrived in the past month or so (drivethru links are affiliate ones, sorry)

Darkened Hill and Dale. A great collection of system-neutral English folk horror scenarios.

Outgunned Adventures, the Yahtzee pulp game from Two Little Mice (and Free League).

Bit odd init - a one-dice game from Cakebread and Walton. A game about teens living in a weird English village.

Chill air by Blue Fox Comics, I heard about this via Julian Simpson’s Cartoon Gravity/Pleasant Green community. This one surprised me with how rapidly it delivered. I ordered a load of other stuff as part of this and have read Clodagh (a dark fantasy series) and the mountains of madness so far - good stuff.

I’ve also have a huge pile of preview pdfs from other things: Shadowlands games CoC scenarios, Handiworks game 5evil, Lemurian Chronicles, sanction…

Reading

After deciding earlier this year that I would not buy any books until I finished off my too read pile… I decided to sign up to a subscription to the British Library’s Tales of the Weird. So far I’ve read Medusa, which is 18th century sea-faring tentacle-y horror adventure that was originally published in the same year as Call of Cthulhu, and also ploughed my way through Return of the Ancients, which is a collection of stories about ancient gods and myths breaking their way into the 19th-20th century. 

Conventions

I managed to spend a couple of hours at Portsmouth Comic-Con at the start of May. Lots of people seemed to be having a good time and I picked up a few interesting bits and pieces.

I would like to get to a RPG convention later in the year but it looks like I won’t be free when any are on so maybe next year…

Nights Dark Terror - Review, links and thoughts

Review 

At long last my run through of Night’s Dark Terror is over.

36 sessions over 10 months. Each session around two to two and a half hours long. YMMV - I thought I’d be done by Christmas when we started. 3 PCs and many monsters dead.

I think it went quite well given my lack of experience behind the screen. I made a few mistakes along the way and I was lucky that my players knew the rules so could help me out.

But is the module actually any good?

I still think so. There’s some great set pieces, the first half is particularly good as there is the siege and then loads of places to explore.

The second half is more of a railroad and I think my players struggled with the plot - we were selling horses but now we’re looking for treasure somewhere.  Why is this NPC tagging along again? And why are you killing off our mules?

There is such a variety of stuff in this module that with a bit of work you can fit it all together. And there is a lot of adventure for your money as can be seen from the number of sessions.

In comparison to modern adventures, the short descriptions can be a bit of a pain but on the other hand they give you hints to improvise - I could play up the trader aspect of Fyodryll (and also decided she was the half-sister/black sheep of the family of Prestell in Riflian).

 From a 5th Edition D&D point of view, some of the fights are a bit unwieldy. In particular, there was a fight between the PCs and their allies in the Lost Valley that ended up as me pretty much playing against myself, which was no fun for anyone. 

I do have some ideas for some changes to make the whole thing more cohesive. I'll stick the at the end of the article as they'll likely include spoilers.

I do heartily recommend this adventure. I’m not sure all the encounters are needed when you run the adventure but there are a lot that would work as short standalone encounters or adventures - elves tormented by pixies, strange tombs, gnome mines and even with a little expansion the Threshold bits that I didn’t run.

 

 

Useful links  - Note that DTRPG/DMs Guild links are affiliate links (sorry)

 

The complete module can be purchased here as pdf and/or POD:

 https://www.dmsguild.com/product/17119/B10-Nights-Dark-Terror-Basic?affiliate_id=307673

 

 Some  5e conversions are also available to buy, which I found very useful:

 Classic modules today (DMs Guild)

 Iconic Encounters (DMs guild)

There's lots of useful free stuff on the Vault of Pandius, including:

https://pandius.com/B10_Nights_Dark_Terror_5E.pdf - a free conversion document

Maps for VTTs in Italian

Many other maps...

And it's also worth checking on The Piazza Forums

 Mystara forum at the piazza

Possible changes to the adventure... (probable spoilers ahead)

From the module as written, several months before the adventure starts, the Traldar defeat the Hutaakans and force them from this temple. It is implied that this prevents the Hutaakan from conducting the rituals required to stop the dead from rising in the valley.

The majority of the undead are not dangerous - instead just mindlessly repeat actions they carried out during their lives.

Now what happens if this doesn't just occur in the lost valley - there are sightings of strange undead activities in the wilderness regions of western Karameikos. Now the authorities in Kelven may not be too bothered but the homesteaders (possibly also gnomes and elves) are concerned and ask the adventurers for help.

Meanwhile, Golthar is also interested. I've got this vague idea of the Iron Ring's goal is to unlock the forbidden secrets of the Nithians or maybe they're all ghouls and thouls. Maybe they only have half a tapestry and think Xitaqa is where they need to be. 

Anyway, they need prisoners for some purpose and trick the goblins into attacking the homesteads to get them. And then the PCs arrive at Sukiskyn...

NDT session 36: This is the end

 Int. a cavern below the temple.

The battle against Kartoeba (totally not a Shoggoth)

The party descended down the pit into thaw cage to the cavern below. It smelled foul and was ankle deep in slime.

They decided that they just would leave but before they could find an escape route, Kartoeba emerged, all oozy and tentacly.

Ham was swiftly grappled but despite this was able to cause significant damage to the beast. However, others were also restrained by the tentacles and Han was badly bitten in return.

It became apparent that attacking the tentacles was futile as it seem to have an endless supply. In the end, Ham, aided by healing from Xianti caused most damage and the creature was slain.

A key was found in it’ remnants - it looked like it would fit the secret door in the temple. In another cave there was a trapdoor in the ceiling with a ladder leading up. And up. 

Eventually they emerged in a room they hadn’t been in before - full of treasure. The stuffed as much as they could  in their bag of holding, and another magical sack they found , then left. (Unfortunately, the second sack was a bag if devouring but they still had a sizeable fortune).

They emerged from the temple, blinking in the noon-day sun. Stephan was outside, he had fetched the Hutakaans to help free the PCs from the Traldar but the adventurers ignored him and left.

After travelling a few hours, it still seemed to be noon. And even when they felt tired it was still noon. They found some shelter to sleep and the next day they reached the edge of the valley. The statues allowed them to pass but outside the gates… things were different.

After following a pass for a short way they turned a corner to behold a stunning view. Below them was a lush jungle but more bizarrely the horizon wasn’t there. Instead the world seemed to curve up around them until all was lost in haze…

The End.

The Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French -review/inspiration

Over the past few months I’ve been reading the excellent Dublin Murder Squad novel series by Tana French

Unlikely most crime fiction, each novel is told in a first-person point of view of a different detective (except The Secret Place which is half flashbacks told in third person). However, the protagonists aren’t isolated - for example,  the main character in The Likeness is the partner of the lead in Into The Woods. And the lead in Faithful Place has a significant role in a couple of the other books.

Each story has a crime that has a personal connection to the detective - they all end up changed in some way. And the stories don’t have happy endings that are tied up in a neat bow.

However, the main draw is the writing. I really felt engaged with the characters and plots and have read them all at a rapid pace (at least rapid for me lately).

Finally, from a Role-Playing Game point of view most of the books have ideas that you could steal for investigation or horror scenarios. Why is there a large animal trap in the attic of the house where a murder occurred? What actually happened to those kids that disappeared in the woods? Why does the murder victim have the fake identity of an undercover cop?

NDT Session 35: A family reunion

 After deciding there were nothing further to explore in the temple the group decided to leave to find if the Traldar or Hutaakans had the key to the treasure room.

However, outside a different band awaited - the Iron Ring, including a mage who looked very similar to Golthar and the mysterious dark haired priestess who had been following them.

It appeared Stephan had been somehow coerced into aiding them but on admitting that he failed to find the treasure he collapsed holding his head and screaming.

After a brief negotiation where neither side agreed to surrender a battle started. Things went well for the party as a fire ball and a hasted Ham ploughed through most of the evil slavers forces. However Rosie was unable to damage a bunch of wererats and Ham was stopped in his tracks by the dark haired priestess who suddenly shapeshifted into his missing ‘wife’ Keothi, the Goliath. 

The reunion was not a happy one Keothi heaped abuse on Ham saying he wasn’t really married to her and he responded by beating her unconscious with the flat of his sword.

The rest of the Iron Ring members were either dead, or had surrendered or fled. Angus and Rosie had been badly bitten and Stephan had been stabilised.

However, any questioning of Keothi was put on hold by the bulk of the Traldar warriors arriving to ‘request’ that the party enter the pit in the temple to deal with Karteoba. 

The PCs managed to convince them they need to rest overnight but they awoke to find themselves in the cage over the pit…

DM notes: this entire battle was sprung off of Ham and Rosie’s back-story (and also because they didn’t hang around in Threshold to meet the Iron Ring there) and seemed to work quite well (well not combat wise which was a cakewalk really but that wasn’t the point).

I’m not sure about my railroad to the finale afterwards… the PCs (2 of them on the way to becoming evil wererats ) now want to get revenge on the Traldar.

NDT Session 34: Wraith? Fine…

 Int. Temple of Pflaar

The trap on the secret door was removed and the party moved along the passageway beyond. At the end was a corpse collapsed in a doorway to a room. Before this could be examined a spirit rose from it and attacked Rosie who was at the front.

After pushing the wraith into the room the party were able to finish it off but not before Rosie had been badly drained of health.

The corpse was holding the golden bowl for the ceremony, which the party returned to the main temple to perform. 

The ritual had some effect but exactly what remained to be seen so the party ventured into other parts of the temple. 

In some side chambers they found some recently collapsed corpses and skeletons. The ceremony seemed to have stopped the undead. They also found information about the history of the Hutakaan and the Traldar. 

Eventually they found a deep crypt with a conceal tunnel that lead deeper underground to room both a barred off view above a large cavern. The party used dancing lights and namfoodle’s familiar to determine that this was where the large pit in the temple above ended up.

TBC

NDT33: Temple of Pflaar Room Hire. Friday: Fight Club

 Int. Temple of Pflaar

The party began to explore the main room of the temple. 

Firstly, they approached the altar. Unfortunately, the bowl for the ritual was missing. As Rosie examined the altar closely 4 statues sprang to life and moved to attack. The statues were tough to kill be were eventually defeated.

The PCs then inspected the pit and its surrounding flames. The actual pit was enshrouded in darkness so Namfoodle prepared to cast Detect Magic. However, Xianti decided to throw a stone into it. Almost immediately an ooze slithered out to attack her. Thus was swiftly killed but further oozes followed it. However, Ham was prepared and they were all slain rapidly. 

But before they could have much respite a group of skeletons and zombies emerged from some side chambers and moved to attack. They were fairly rapidly dealt with but the constant battles were wearing the party down.

Namfoodle’s spell revealed that the flames weren’t magical but the darkness was. It also revealed a magically sealed secret door that seemed to require a special key.

The group decided to investigate the rooms the undead had come from. Both seemed to be robing rooms but the second also had three hideous ghouls in.

They proved to be a fairly tough fight and only Xianti’s cure spell saved Ham from having to make death saves.

After these ghouls were defeated Namfoodle’s spell detected another secret door in this robing room but this one had a magical trap on. The party decided to barricade themselves in the other room to have a quick rest before dealing with the trap.

TBC

DM notes: we are approaching some sort of conclusion although I’m not sure how many sessions we have left now.