Adventures in Adventureland

If I haven't mentioned it previously, I play various tabletop roleplaying games, especially Dungeons & Dragons, and have done so regularly for the past 19 years.  Recently our gaming group has become very partial to the Pathfinder system, which is an offshoot of D&D.  We've had several Pathfinder campaigns running concurrently over the past couple of years.

I used to document our gaming sessions as a sort of blog on another site, usually writing up the session summaries as journal entries or letters told from the perspective of my player-character.  Gradually I found that my hand-written notes were not enough detail to inform these stories, and if I spent enough time taking notes to make it easier to write the stories, I was paying more attention to my note-taking than to participating in the game.  I even tried recording the sessions on a small voice recorder, but found that playing back the recordings to turn them into a coherent narrative was even more work than transcribing my notes.  These days my notes consist of very basic details about what happened during the session:  important names, documentation of any loot my PC received, and any spells cast or wounds received if the in-game day laps over into more than one gaming session.

I decided that since we've started a brand-new campaign in the past 2 weeks, I'll document our adventures here.  Like my note-taking, I don't plan to go into a massive amount of detail, or try to turn the events of our sessions into a basis for fiction.  It will just be a basic description of the high points of what happened in the latest session.

Our gamemaster is running a published adventure module, so be warned that this blog may contain spoilers.

Two weeks ago (Dec. 16, 2012), the campaign began.  The party is made up of five characters: Landon, a dwarf alchemist/ranger; Silverleaf, an elf cleric (me); elf fighter SanKari (my husband), a halfling ranger/rogue named Thim, and a human inquisitor/monk, Garrick.  We started at 2nd level with maximum hit points, using the epic-level point buy system of character creation.  I must say that I don't think 25 character creation points constitutes "epic", since it's nearly impossible to get even one ability score above a 16.  My character ended up with no Strength modifier, which isn't my favorite way to play. 

The premise of the adventure is that the rulers of territory bordering on some disputed wilderness have decided to take a stab at incorporating this wilderness into their lands.  To accomplish this they've given some adventurous folks charters that grant them some law-enforcement powers, and encouraged them to go out and start running off (or killing) any bandits or monsters inhabiting the area.

Our PCs have all signed such charters, and were told to visit a trading post in the disputed area to get more information about their duties as charter-holders.  On arriving they were introduced to each other, and then the owner of the trading post told them about some trouble he'd been having with a local gang of bandits led by someone known as the Stag Lord.  The bandits had been returning once a month to steal supplies from the trader, and had also been plaguing various local landowners and fur trappers.  As it happened, the following day was when the trader expected the bandits to return for their monthly "tax collection".  The adventurers decided to inaugurate their relationship by getting rid of the bandits who came to take the trader's goods, and possibly get some further information about the rest of the gang.

The trader usually saw about a dozen bandits, so the adventurers' first plan was to gain the aid of some dwarves who happened to be spending some time at the trading post/tavern/inn while searching for a lost dwarven mine.  The dwarves were amenable to going along with the venture.  The next day, the party members took up positions around the trading post property to avoid arousing the bandits' suspicions.  The dwarves hid themselves under some furs in a storage outbuilding, while Thim climbed up to the hayloft of the stable to snipe at the bandits with his bow.  Landon waited in his tent in the inn yard, and SanKari lounged around the base of one of the stockade towers (the stockade had been burned down recently so it wasn't possible to fortify it against the bandits).  Meanwhile Garrick and Silverleaf waited inside the tavern.

When the bandits arrived with their wagon, SanKari and Landon in the yard started taking out some of the "mook" bandits, assisted by Thim's archery skill.  Indoors, the NPC dwarves attacked one of the bandit leaders when he made the mistake of going into the storeroom.  The other two leaders went into the inn and found themselves in a fight with Garrick and Silverleaf.  It was a little difficult for Silverleaf to stand up to his opponent, although that was in part because I'd miscalculated his armor class and this was making it too easy for his opponent to hit him.  I did manage to enjoy using one of his special cleric powers, the ability to place an invisible rune on the ground that would explode when stepped on.  That gave his foe a little trouble.  In the meantime Garrick trounced his opponent using a hefty dwarven drinking mug and his ability to improvise a weapon out of almost anything.

Once the battle was over, only the two bandit leaders who'd gone into the inn and one mook survived.  We took them prisoner, and after treating their wounds just enough to keep them from dying, we threw them in the midden pits behind the stable to consider their deeds while our intrepid adventurers discussed how to persuade them to divulge the location of their encampment.

Today we took up the story again.  That same evening, we decided to set out for the bandit camp before our captives could be missed.  Garrick and SanKari convinced one of our prisoners to act as guide in exchange for his freedom.  We took the bandits' wagon, and the dwarves who had helped us agreed to come along for the assault on the camp.  Our guide told us that there would probably be at least a dozen people in the permanent camp, including a drow mage and a dual sword wielder whom he considered pretty skilled.  On the way there the rest of the group discussed whether to try sneaking into the camp or going in disguised as the gang we'd eliminated, while Silverleaf meditated in the back of the wagon to prep for recovering his spells in the morning.

It took us all night to get to the bandits' lair, which meant that Silverleaf was fully loaded with spells the next morning.  On the way we came across some fey denizens of the area, who were convinced by Garrick (the only sylvan speaker in the party) to give us some assistance.  The fey distracted/restrained some sentries outside the camp.  When we arrived we were initially mistaken for the returning group from the trading post visit.  It wasn't until SanKari accused one fellow of having killed his brother (a ruse) and then chopped the bandit in twain with one blow of his mighty great-axe that they realized they were under attack. 

That led to a pretty intense combat (at least, intense for 2nd-level characters).  The drow mage cast mirror image on herself, making it hard to injure her, and the dual sword wielder was also pretty challenging.  A swarm of lesser flunkies prevented most of the PCs from getting into melee with those two NPCs.  SanKari took some very serious wounds (thank goodness for the Diehard feat), and both Landon and Garrick were badly hurt as well.  Silverleaf couldn't use his ability to channel positive energy to heal them, because there were too many bandits who would also have benefited from his aid since he can't pick and choose who is affected by the energy.  At least Thim was free of injury; he had been befriended by a fairy dragon that kept him invisible while he fired arrows at the bandits from outside the camp.

Eventually, with the help of the dwarven NPCs who had come with our party, we managed to get rid of most of the lesser bandits and focus our attention on the two female "level bosses".  Silverleaf got rid of one of the mirror images using his other granted domain power, which allows him to shoot a bolt of fire.  But that wasn't until after he had to resort to using his mundane bow because he had already cast his only offensive spell.  It's a good thing SanKari is a combat monster, because some of the other characters are not.

Finally after a lot of hacking, blasting, chopping and shooting, the swordswoman was dead and the mage was sorely wounded and taken captive.  Our adventurers hope to interrogate her to learn more about the ultimate bandit leader, the Stag Lord.  They're also encouraged by the discovery that she had what seems to be a magical potion storage box, which appears to replenish its contents whenever a bottle is removed. 

And best of all, we leveled!  Third level here we come!  Woohoo!

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Update 1-31-2013
And already I"m falling behind on this.  We've had a couple of sessions since the one described above. Sadly I missed one due to chemo (stoopid chemo), but that didn't prevent my character from getting an ability score boost by drinking from a magic spring - yay for +2 Intelligence! - or from getting his share of the loot from the bandit camp.

Our characters have been tasked with mapping the area we're in, since it has long been forgotten and no reliable maps exist.  We've also been asked to look out for a temple of Erastil that was lost long ago, though it is known that it was recently protected by a mad bear (not sure how that was known if the location wasn't).  We had additionally discovered that some bugbears were causing trouble in the area, and we also wanted to find the stronghold of the mysterious Stag Lord who runs the bandit gangs.  A full plate of potential adventure hooks.

We started off by trying to locate the bugbears.  That led us to a cave, which turned out to contain some kind of mage who could raise dead, tougher undead than we really had resources to fight.  After killing a hoard of them and depleting most of my PC's magic, we decided the undead creator was probably over our heads and made up our minds to come back later when we felt better able to combat him/it. 

Eventually we found another nest of bugbears, with another cave, but fortunately no undead.  These bugbears just had some nasty worgs, gnolls, and an ogre hanging around.  We had a tough but thoroughly enjoyable fight with them, which again depleted all my cleric's spells and clerical special abilities.  Clerics rock in Pathfinder, but they don't get a lot of spells at 3rd level. 

After magnanimously telling the female bugbears we found in the cave to leave and never come back, we had a rest to let us recover and let my cleric pray for more spells, then decided to look around for the lost temple.  It turned out not to be too difficult to locate, but not until we first had a nasty fight with some giant spiders in a creepy thicket full of moving, malevolent trees.  I thought we were doomed when Mama Spider showed up with a vast swarm of new spiderlings, but our dwarf alchemist/ranger thought we could take her, and to my surprise he was right.  It wasn't easy, but we did it.  My cleric blasted the spiderlings with his fiery domain power to keep them off everyone else while the other PCs tackled the mama spider. 

The nastiest fight of all turned out to be when we finally did reach the temple.  The rumor of a mad bear was right - only it was two mad bears.  Whatever made them mad also made them tremendously hard to hurt.  We fought until we could barely fight anymore.  Our human inquisitor/monk went down right at the feet of the bigger and tougher of the two bears, and my cleric had to use a stabilize spell to revive him. But once the human was conscious, he didn't bother getting up - he did a 'flurry of blows' from the ground, rolled natural 20s on both attacks and confirmed the critical on one, then basically kicked the bear's legs off.  It nearly fell on one of the other PCs when it toppled.  We discovered the bears were both wearing medallions with the emblem of the Stag Lord, which we suspect is probably the cause of their unnatural behaviour, though we don't know why the Stag Lord would want to keep people away from the ruined temple.  Guess we'll have to find him and ask him.

In-link-erator

Clever and artistic arachnid.  This spider even knows how many legs it has.

Mistletoe's not just for kissing.  As usual, when we investigate, we find that even things we think are bad are really necessary.

Christmas sweaters - ironic or sincere?  To me it doesn't matter - I still won't wear them. 

Saruman sings metal.  I love it that Christopher Lee is still going strong at 90, but I draw the line at listening to him sing metal versions of Christmas favorites.

It's fun time in Krampus town. Seriously, why don't we have parades like this in the US?

What to do when the world doesn't end.  The world didn't come to an end on December 21st.  What will the doomsday prophesiers do now? 

Where have all the trees gone.  Yet more worries for the environment.  When will we get our priorities straight?  What's happening to the trees is far more important than legislating who can marry whom.

The story in the bones.  Our ancient ancestors can be shown to have cared for those who couldn't care for themselves, even if it required them to give up precious resources to individuals who could do little to benefit their societies.  Maybe not always, but often enough that we have hard evidence of it.

But as a contrast to that, this:  Amazing photos of incredibly well preserved Inca mummy.  Yet even this shows that all lives were valued.  What better to sacrifice than your most precious resources?

What shaped the evolution of the human hand?  It might have been violence. But the need to fight, for territory or for mating rights, has shaped many animals.  Why should we be ashamed that it may have shaped us, too?

Links, anyone?

Tesla buses charge as they go.  This is just cool. From Discover's 80Beats blog.

North Korean 'archaeologists' discover unicorn lair. "Archaeologists"?  I don't think so.  From the UK Telegraph.

Robot socks. Tweeted by Wil Wheaton @wilw, who has a pair.

Racial stereotyping much? Maybe Disney should monitor manufacturers who put their name on products a little better.  Shared by my husband.

50 Best Cosplay Ever.  Okay, that's probably debatable, but they are pretty awesome.

From the BBC:

Star Wars fans begin joint project to build full-size Millenium Falcon replica.  See, Star Wars fandom isn't just about whether Han shot first.  This is a cool project.  I wish them success. 

New Contender for World's Oldest Known Dinosaur.  

How Companies Test Skyscraper Elevators (video).  Ever since I saw the episode on elevators of The Secret Life of Machines, I've found them interesting.

Ancient Raindrops.  I love science.

 

If I Ruled the World

When I become Master of the World, lording over all from my massive control center aboard a zeppelin, I will institute these requirements and restrictions.  Violators will be subject to suitable torture and/or execution.
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Bus passengers must have their fare ready before boarding.  Anyone who does not must disembark immediately and wait for the next bus.

If there are empty seats on the bus, sit down.  Standing is only permitted when all seats are occupied.

No eating, sleeping, cell phone conversations, doing homework, or making yourself comfortable on the bus.  Keep your coat on and your personal possessions in your lap or under your seat.

Passengers who put their stuff - or their feet - in a seat must buy a second ticket.  And if you put your feet in the aisle you're going to lose them.

 Also no opening the windows.  You're only on the bus a short time.  You won't die if you're a little warm. 

No children under age six in movie theaters.  Ever. 

Movie theaters will also be required to have showings of animated films during which no children under 18 are allowed, so the grown-ups who like Pixar and Dreamworks movies can enjoy them without being distracted by little kids squirming or teenagers talking.

If you turn your cell phone on after the theater lights go down, your fellow moviegoers are permitted to stone you. Stones will be provided.

Handicapped parking spaces will be equipped with explosives rigged to go off and cripple the vehicle if the vehicle doesn't have a handicapped parking permit.

Medical certification will be required before you can purchase a scooter or power chair, and you'll have to take a driving test.

Bicycles must be equipped with headlights, taillights, and reflectors to make them visible in profile.  Automobile drivers who hit cyclists who aren't wearing proper visibility gear are not liable for any damage or injuries.

Every kid must learn a second language.

Schools will not teach Creationism.  If you want your kids to learn about religious beliefs, send them to religion classes.

Home schooling will not be permitted.  People who teach kids must be trained and certified and use an approved curriculum - which will be nationalized, so Louisiana can't say that Creationism is science.

Teachers will earn as much or more than professional basketball players. 

There will be a national healthcare system.  Everyone will have access to the same level of healthcare.

Employers will be required to pay you at least part of your usual income while you're on FMLA. 

No political action committees.  And corporations will not be considered people.

Everything will be recycled, except for medical waste.  Garbage bins will be rare and recycling bins will be provided on every street corner.  Over-packaging will be strongly discouraged - with pointy things if necessary.

People will be allowed to marry whomever they choose, so long as both partners are consenting adults and not too closely related.  The government will have no involvement in it except to prevent creeps from marrying their own children or their dogs.

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I'm sure there will be further decrees from the future Master of the World, but for now the Master is tired. 

Linkmania

Copy of lost Da Vinci masterpiece recovered.

Pythons sued over Spamalot royalties.  Some people will do anything for money.

Skyfall fails tech test.  (Warning:  Spoilers)  I notice stuff like that, too.  But it's a movie.  Movies aren't realistic.

UK stand on teaching Creationism.  Can we do this too?

Australia bans cigarette branding.  Wish we could do this, too.  It seems Big Tobacco doesn't have the Australian government in its pocket as it does in the US.

Scientists detect 12 billion year old supernova.  We already have time travel.  It's called astronomy.

Easter Island statue walks

What we can learn from poop. 

Bendamustine as a treatment for indolent lymphomas.  This is pretty technical, but I still found it of interest since I'm receiving Bendamustine as part of my treatment.

More info about Bendamustine.