Planescape Session 5: the Maze of the Melancholy Minotaur

I missed session 4, so this summary follows Session 3.

In previous sessions, the party met a group of Thri-Kreen from the planet Athas. They were in search of a particular botanically-skilled Sensate in the hope that she might help them replenish their magic-ravaged desert planet.

The search for the sensate led them to the gallery of wizards, an art gallery specializing in portraits of powerful mages. The party's visit follows a theft of several paintings in which painting-portals malfunctioned, a sensate disappeared, and a painting of an imprisoned god was vandalized.

This led them into a painting containing a magic labyrinth with a magic healing fountain.

In session 5, we continued to search the maze by the guidance of our four-hoofed colleague. The dwarf barbarian took a piss into what turned out to be a Land Shark's lair(IMHO the DM missed a perfect opportunity to roll on the limb-loss table). The party defeated a Land Shark with the help of a firebolt and Cardinal Sardinius' net, and found the art-thief he had devoured, along with the stolen Wizard portraits.

Ultimately we came upon a strange scene: a sensuously dressed woman, rooted to the ground, staring-down an immobilized Minotaur.

After charming the beast and watering the lady(this time with water- what did you think, you perverts?) she awoke and accepted the mission to revitalize Athas. We left the maze escorted by the Minotaur, returned the paintings to the gallery owner(for a humble 1000GP reward) and headed out to meet our Thri-Kreen sponsors.

Lycanthropy for Fun and Profit!

Due to the Passover holiday, we had 13 gamers turn up for game night, including 8 kids(my daughter included). We decided to "split the party" and run an adults game and a kids game. Avi ran the adults game. I got the kids. It was not dull. Rarely has so much ADHD sat around a single table. We continued our long-running Swords and Wizardry Palace of the Silver Princess campaign. Here is the summary:

Characters:

• Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
• Minionoid- son Minion. A chaotic Elven thief with a two handed sword who has joined the party for obscure reasons
• Ragnar- Chaotic Dark-Elf Assasin who backstabs people with his two-handed sword
• Yoland- Elf Wizard with a staff and a Javelin
• Blitzen- Tough Dwarven Fighter lady
• Aragon- Elf Wizard who aspires to fireballing everything
• Firestorm- Elf Druidess who loves animals

Summary

The party started off in N'Sau, a village full of war-refugees. First everyone got excited about fishing and made skill rolls. Minionoid then decided it was time to avenge his father, so the party started their journey to the Palace. Blitzen decided to stay and fish and was eventually eaten by Bears(I think her player realized she was ~5 years older than any of the other players, so she quickly lost interest)

They encountered a lone Wolf Warrior on horseback. They tried to kill him but he fled. Firestorm befriended his horse, so he was forced to flee on foot and she kept his horse.

At night, they encountered a Bugbear and two Orcs. Yoland charmed the Bugbear, and the Orcs were killed, with much excitement over the division of treasure. Minion was knocked unconscious and bandaged by Firestorm and the party took a few days for him to heal.

Updated map of ground level

(A quick DM note: I quickly realized that with 6 hyperactive kids shouting , having everyone roll for initiative to determine combat order, as I usually do, was simply not going to work. I chose to just go clockwise around the table, with the Monsters going last, which worked much better, especially with kids getting up and changing seats.)

Upon reaching the Palace the next day, the party saw two Wolf Warriors riding in the front gate. They climbed in through the tower window.

They did some exploring, encountered killer bubbles, and purple moss. They found a statue of mother and daughter with a hidden compartment revealing a riddle about My Lady's Heart. At this point, they have explored most of the ground-level of the dungeon, except for the Northwestern and Southeastern quadrants.

Ragnar discovered a treasure, including gold and a silver Wolf Warrior ring, but was discovered by the rest of the party. Princessa and Minionoid beat him up, divvied up the stuff, with Firestorm healing him and taking the ring.

They party then encountered a red-headed amazon. They chased her and when she turned to face them Princessa and Firestorm began to parlay with her. Her name is Aliegha and she is here because of her master. She was happy to hear that the party had killed some Wolf Warriors, since they have been hunting her.

At this point, Minionoid and Ragnar got bored and wanted to just kill Aliegha. This really upset the two girls, who were trying to befriend her. (Was a really funny pre-teen boys/girls dynamic for me to observe.) Finally, Minionoid declared he was shooting an arrow at her, while Ragnar snuck up behind her for the backstab.

Aliegha was injured, but suddenly shape-changed into a bear, knocked Minionoid unconscious and chased away Ragnar. Then she told the girls her story.

She is a Werebear, cursed with lycanthropy and hunted by the Wolf Warriors, notorious lycanthrope hunters. She is here because she works for her master, a powerful Cleric, Catharandamus. He made a deal with the Goblin king: he will help the Goblins take-over Gulluvia, and the Goblins will then help him find My Lady's Heart.

Princessa and Firestorm tried to convince Aliegha to revoke her support for this evil plan, but she sadly told them there was nothing she could do. She urged the party to flee this place and go on with their lives elsewhere.

Princessa convinced Aliegha to bite her, thus giving her lycanthropy too! With that, Aliegha bade them farewell and left.

We ended there, and everyone got 500XP, which just pushed Princessa to 2nd Level!

On Running Games for Kids

This was my first time running a game for kids who were mostly not my own. It was fun but hard! The kids' energy was high, but they also occasionally got distracted and wandered off. My daughter, for example, went and made herself an omelette at one point, but was also very engaged at other points and overall told me she had a great time and couldn't wait to play again. Another kid was very engaged for most of the game, but disappeared about 1/2 an hour before the end.

Character creation was a bit hectic with all the new players. Some ported over an existing character from another game to 1st Level Swords and Wizardry, others created characters from scratch. All but one of the kids had played some form of DnD before, either joining for one of our adult games or going to a paid, after-school DnD activity, run by a guy in the neighborhood.

Two brothers who were there were constantly fighting with each other. I didn't manage to separate them, but if I run another game in this series I definitely would. Their dad told me they had an amazing time though, so apparently the fighting didn't hurt their experience, even if it distracted me.

One thing for sure is that, if I run a game like this again, I will implement a "No Screens" rule during play(to be fair, I've had this with adult players, which is infinitely more annoying). One of the players was on his phone the entire time and we had to keep calling him over to the table and explaining him what was happening now. At some point I just stopped calling him over.

Finally, I think that I would cap the number of players at the end. Seven is just too much, and anyway, three of them dropped-off leaving us with four highly engaged characters at the end.

Same Old Princess

What do you do when your group plans a gaming night, but you have nothing to play? Pull out an old campaign that doesn't require much DM prep. So here is yet another session in our Palace of the Silver Princess campaign which ended over a year ago on a cliff-hanger.

Kingdom of Gulluvia

Cast of Characters:

1. Ragnar- a bastard of a Ranger with a bastard sword
2. Minion- a chaotic Elven thief with a two handed sword who has joined the party for obscure reasons
3. Bob the Barbarian- a Human fighter who has been around the block
4. Entrapta-chaotic Fighter/Mage skilled with both sword and spellbook

Bob and Entrapta arrive in village of N'Sau, which has become a refugee camp for those displaced by the Goblinoid invasion of Gulluvia. They met Ragnar and Minion, who told them of their mission to the Palace of the Silver Princess and their hope of bringing peace to the land.

The party bravely embarked on yet another expedition to the palace. They succeeded in hunting meat(Deer and Wild Dog) and preparing dried rations for their journey.

the updated map

Upon reaching the valley, they spotted a group of goblins entering the main gate with a large bear. Ragnar found the tracks of a large Female Bear which strangely were replaced, at some point, with those of a barefoot Human!

The party tried to use their traditional entrance through the tower window, but were met by two dwarves, Boron and Xyzon. The Dwarves tried to convince the party to leave, saying that The Boss would not want them there. They told them there were many Goblins there too who would no doubt kill them. When the party was not discouraged, they turned a blind eye and let them pass.

The party ended up killing a party of Orcs and exploring more of the North East section of the Dungeon. They expertly cleared out a room of Yellow Mold and found a suit of magic chainmail, only for it to turn out to be cursed with making it's wearer(Ragnar) flee combat! They did find a valuable necklace, however.

After a night of resting, the party were discovered by a lone Goblin. It went to fetch it's Hobgoblin buddies and the party was trapped and forced to face a goblin and 5 Bugbears!

Bugbears are SOOO Metal!

Ragnar started shooting arrows into their enemies but was then forced to flee in his cursed armor. Entrapta cast a shield spell which kept the creatures busy trying to hit her but missing. Minion, used the poison he had previously collected to poison his sword and five of Bob's darts. The poison saved the day, with 4 dead bugbears and one fleeing the combat, but poor Minion was killed in the process! Bob picked up his two-handed sword and helped finish-off the Bugbears.

The party left the dungeon with a hard-earned victory and 2000 XP to split between them!

Planescape Session 3: Some Can, Others Cant

Today's session summary of our Sigil Campaign is written in Planescape Cant for my own amusement and perhaps yours too...

The Dwarven Market

Our heroic Power Puppet and his cabal of bally Adams cross-piked their way to the finest market in Biterdom. They were seeking a gleaming pip of a Planetouched lass with the keeper on how to get to The Cage from this anthill.

The Wizard

Instead they found some tall, blue dazzler looking to buy a smooth dazzle horn from the windiest biter of then all. They tried to help for some jink, but all they got was a lot of wigwag. They did overhear some wagger, however, about our slippery Planetouched lass. Turns out she nicked a magic bardic harp string from some parochial biter God.

The Dwarven Tavern

Our Power Puppet and his pals decided to go flip a fork to the nearest tavern, navigating using the magic compass he was given, conspicuously marked "tourist". He found the dive to be no oasis, containing only beer, berks, and biters. Some of those berks, however, knew some wagger about the planetouched jester...

Sigil

One of the apple chasers got up to peal on us to the guardians. The puppet used his Power to silence him while the party made a quick exit. We gave a Dwarven Ale Wife some bub and got a pretty poem about death and destruction in return. We found a secret door, followed the gleaming pip's trail inside to a blinged-up wall. Putting the magic compass on the wall opened up a portal. We blitzed the gate and found ourselves in a basement in the Little Wheel herself! All praise the Lady's Grace!

Planescape Session 2: Leprecaun Murder and Dwarfnapping

Well, I guess we're due a session summary from the Planescape Campaign. Authorial credit to our fearless leader and DM:

Our group of tour-guide swindlers found themselves at the crushed portal of their dreams and had given up hope of finding the Thri-kreen delegation when suddenly two thri-kreens show up, talking to them with mental projections of hopes of turn the desert green.  Hope renewed, the team quickly got to work trying to find out something, and heard rumors that somebody had come through, three days prior, warning of a cataclysm and that everyone should get out.  After searching more about this person, they discovered that the unknown visitor had gone to the Dwarven mountain, where many souls go to find their last rest, and where the great iron of Ironridge is mined and forged into the best equipment of the outlands.

On their way to the mountain, the group found odd crystals that came out of the rift and which projected images of entrapment, masks, and feelings of freedom.

When the group reached the mountain, they found 3 dwarven guards (einherjar) who told them that since the rift exploded only the worthy may enter. After failing to solve some riddles, the group was sent back to Ironridge to find a lost petitioner.

In the market they found a gold coin that just kept rolling, even after being picked up and held onto.  They followed the coin to a green house with gold furniture, and also found a dwarf who was chasing the coin.  The house ended up being the home of a leprechaun and his hidden stash of gold.

In the leprechaun's house, they found surprise snakes, and while killing the snakes, they also damaged the floor enough to allow the crazed and highly focused dwarf to pry open the floor boards and find the pot of gold hidden in an inter-dimensional pocket.   The dwarf also turned out to be a petitioner, seeking the Dwarven afterlife, but cursed with greed and the rolling coin.

Confronted, the team killed the leprechaun and took the dwarf and gold pot back to the Dwarven mountain where they were granted access.

Planescape Session 1: Hitching a Ride to Sigil

Well, we did it. We got our ragtag gang together and played some planescape!

Here is A's intro:

Some backstory before we do the first session.
You are already an adventuring group. Your group's main goal is to establish a network of tour guides for the Outlands, taking berks where they want to go, but relieving them of their jink along the way. To avoid a bad reputation, your group has been working to peel the berks into believing that you actually saved their lives, and their jink got lost in the tussle.   Some of you are in it for the Doom and Xoas, some see it as a form of Justice against the planers, and some of you see this as a mean to impart important life lessons that the sods wouldn't be able to learn on their own if they had lived 1,000 lives.
Recently you heard a rumour that a delegation from the Prime Material plane was headed to Sigil to get aid in resolving a never-ending war. Eager for the opportunity that this presents, you've decided to head to the Redmarch Inn in Ironridge to plan your trip, get supplies, and the quickly access Sigil through the famous Side Door to the Sigil, using a sprig of razorvine, and meet up with the delegation before they find other ways to travel the planes seeking the aid they need.

Learn some planescape slang here:  https://cold-blood.obsidianportal.com/wiki_pages/guide-to-planescape-cant

A recap of last night:

Hearing rumours of the Thri-kreen delegation from Athas, hoping to get the Society of Sensates to bring some greenery back to the desert planet and end the impossible war with the cannibalistic halflings (that's a mouth full!) our group of "tour guides" set off to Iron Ridge to use the door to Sigil.  But first they had to spend some time coming up with a plan, and the group decided that no plan is the best plan. (Long live Xoas!) 

The group went off to the market and bought some iron jewellery to wow the natives of Athas, as well as to harras a giant slug selling razorvine.  After finally deciding to just pay the 20 gold for the overpriced razorvine, our group encountered a rich merchant from the Minder's guild ( a group of bodyguards for hire) and had a long conversation about the theology of gold, and how it can help bring Cthulu.

During the conversation, a bright light and deafening roar suddenly appeared over the city of Ironridge and a giant rift opened up into the sky.  Out of the rift can a group of Astral seekers, undead spectres who kill and then posses the bodies of their victims to go out and kill some more.   Running for their lives the group was able to accidentally slay one astral seeker and then ran past a pair of majestic warriors who were fighting off hoards of seekers all on their own.

Finally reaching the Redmarch inn for a quick escape to Sigil, the group discovered a giant boulder-sized meteor, which had crushed the gate to Sigil.   <fade to black>  Till next time!

Planescape is Weird

Well, A is planning to run a 5e Planescape campaign for us. He got five of us together last night to create characters. One of the new players in our group summed up that session as follows:

So my character rocks. I told my wife last night yeah so im half devil spawn that plays a flute and molts skin and believes in reincarnation. Theres a man with a fish head who gets powers from his god chatulu. Theres a horse with a womans upper torso and ram horns who as a monk partcularly finds peace of mind and meditates in the middle of battle and chaos. Then there is a cubic shaped fighting macine thats animated and loves to slash his flesh and others and watch the decay . Oh then there is just a plain old elvish wizard who aspires to cast fireballs for breakfast lunch and dinner and she was like gaping in shock. Id have to say its an ecclectic party.

It is a rather rag-tag bunch. I think there is something about the Planescape setting that really brings out the gonzo in people.

As for my character, I am the fish-headed lad:

Sardinius is a Kuo Toa agent living in Sigil. As a particularly talented young acolyte among his race, he was selected to dwell amidst the planar nexus to help further the ultimate mission to return Great Cthulhu to the Prime Material Plane. Since the performance of the great ritual that sent him to Sigil, he is occasionally called upon by the Kuo Toa clergy to perform minor tasks. Most of the time, however, he is left to fend for himself. He sustains himself by working for the Xaositects, acting as a guide for visiting Chaotic Primers. He occasionally double-crosses them for the loot. He has become cynical with the passage of time and his long absence from the city under the waves, but deep down he is still a true believer. He would love an excuse to visit the elemental plane of water.

Lost in the Dungeon

We had another good turnout this session with my 3 eldest plus A&L came over. They brought their 3 year old, so when my 5 year old's attention span went he went off to play with her. He was reluctantly recalled to the table whenever thieving skills were needed.

The Lineup

1. Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
2. Melech Yisrael- Elf Fighter/Magic User. He carries a longsword and longbow along with his spellbook
3. Lavi- Dwarven Fighter/Thief with leather armor, magic longsword, and light crossbow
4. Ragnar- a bastard of a Ranger with a bastard sword
5. Moriah- a Cleric lady with a warhammer. Yay, a healer- oh wait, it's S&W so she's waiting to get some spells at second level...

Session Summary

The party decided to change directions and explore the Southwest side of the dungeon. I rolled a random encounter and got 9- Scouting Party of Wolf Warriors.

Now, module B3 may say who the Wolf Warriors are, but if so, I couldn't find it. Also, a quick google search fails to turn up anything. So, I did what DMs do and made something up!

The Wolf Warriors are an evil mercenary band(think The Black Company) scouting out the location to use as a base for their next nefarious plan. Their plate mail has the face of a snarling wolf stamped into it.

After some tense parlay with the party, they decided to team up against the monsters. The party took them to the room with the giant invincible monkeys. The monkeys were defeated at last! One Wolf Warrior was injured, so they took half the treasure in the room and left the dungeon. We may see these guys again though!

The party mapped out most of the West side of the dungeon, with it's weird caves and cult areas. They killed some more monkeys and found treasure locked away in a cell. After failing a few lock-picking rolls they heard boots and harsh voices approaching!

We ended the session there!

Run From the Killer Monkeys

Characters:

1. Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
2. Melech Yisrael- Elf Fighter/Magic User. He carries a longsword and longbow along with his spellbook
3. Lavi- Dwarven Fighter/Thief with leather armor,  magic longsword, and light crossbow
4. Minion- a chaotic Elven thief with a two handed sword who has joined the party for obscure reasons
5. Ragnar- a bastard of a Ranger with a bastard sword
6. Moriah- a Cleric lady with a warhammer. Yay, a healer- oh wait, it's S&W so she's waiting to get some spells at second level...

Dungeon Map

Picking up from last session, the party rested a few uneventful days, then ventured out into the dungeon. They went downstairs from the tower level and opened the door to the killer monkeys. They immediately changed their minds and closed the door, securing it with a Hold Portal spell. They quickly met two new PCs, Ragnar and Moriah who were lost in the dungeon. They decided to team up in search of slaying Evil critters.

The party did a lot of exploring. They met an even greater than themselves, and found lots of good treasure, including a magic throwing dagger. That said, they don't seem to be any closer to discovering My Lady's Heart or the source of the Goblinoid invasion...

Silver Princess NPCs

I've been attending the free Yoga class at my work for a few months. One piece of advice the teacher likes to give is to notice where your body is 'weak' and focus your efforts there. I'm going to apply this lesson to the DnD campaign I'm currently running.

So where am I weak? One place I've noticed is in coming up with fully-fleshed out NPCs. So here is a list of some NPCs for the campaign:

Cpt. Vallaria Amazonus

An officer in the Galluvian army. She is haughty and misandrynistic, yet dedicated to her job to the point of self sacrifice.

The party encountered her in session 2. What will she say when she sees them next?

Human F Law F3

HP18 AC17 AB1 Save12

Plate Mail, Shield, Spear, Horseman's Axe, Warhorse, Saddlebags with rations, 10GP

One Eyed Jack

A local bandit of some note. He was born with unnaturally lucky, such that however many times he has lost everything, he always seems to turn up again with a new lot of ruffians.

The party encountered him in session 4. He still holds a grudge over them taking his "eye".

Human M Neutral Th2

HP8 AC15 AB0 Save14

Long Sword, Leather, eye patch, horse

Mooncow the Artificer

A prestigious Gulluvian gem dealer. He old and a bit eccentric. He may give the party escort missions, fetch-quests, etc. He will also buy any gems, jewelry, or other fine relics, though he is a discerning customer. He wants his daughter home to help him with business, rather than running around adventuring.

The party gained his good will in in session 4 and started session 5 in his house..

Mooncalf

Daughter of mooncow. She is a dutiful daughter, participating in her father's business, but she is also well trained in her true passion of sorcery. A bit clumsy on occasion. She has been feeling the itch to go adventuring. As such, she may join the party or meet them after having run away.

Human F Law Mage2 slots2
HP5 AC10 AB0 Save14
Nice but practical dress, emerald necklace, 3 rings, sharp gem file, spellbook: read magic, detect magic, comprehend languages, shocking grasp, Monster Summoning I

King Gob

Big green mean Goblin King. He rules the largest tribe of goblins and has united the hordes, but to what end?

HP22 AC14 AB3 Save14
Battle Axe, armor
Intricate silver ring

Warg Mount

Palace of the Silver Princess

And finally, let's not forget the NPCs mentioned in the module;

• Tinker and Daughter
• Catharandamus
• Xyzom, Boron
• Aleigha

Palace of the Silver Princess Season 2

With the change to Winter time, the kids and I are picking-up our Swords and Wizardry campaign again where we left off half a year ago. Not only that, but one of our neighbor's kids just got into Magic Cards, so he jumped at the chance to join our DnD game when I mentioned it. So the party as it currently stands:

1. Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
2. Melech Yisrael- Elf Fighter/Magic User. He carries a scimitar and longbow along with his spellbook
3. Lavi- Dwarven Fighter/Thief with leather armor,  magic longsword, and light crossbow
4. Minion- a chaotic Elven thief with a two handed sword who has joined the party for obscure reasons

Gulluvia

Gulluvia City

The party begin in the house of Mooncow the Artificer, a Jeweler(and his daughter) who they had previously saved from the goblins.

The three veteran members wanted to head straight for the Palace of the Silver Princess, while Minion wanted to know where he could earn large quantities of coin. They managed to convince him and the party headed out.

But before they could escape the city, a roving Goblin patrol, led by a huge Bugbear, overpowered them(despite Melech's excellent shooting and successful charming of one of the goblins). They woke up in a house that had been modified as a holding cell.

Together, the party members managed to break the lock and Minion found his sword in a pile of equipment and backstabbed the Orc guard into the netherworld. The party managed to find all their equipment, but gave up on recovering their mounts from among the goblin camp laying siege to the castle in Gulluvia. Instead, the party snuck down an alley and made for the nearest exit from the city, killing a couple wandering Goblins on their way out.

Overland

Kingdom

The party shunned the main road and took the less used path to N'Sau. They avoided fairy trickery at night and chased a bear. After two days' brisk hiking, they arrived at the village. After buying some supplies, they headed North.

While heading through the forest, the party was held up by a band of bandit archers hiding in the trees. Minion managed to sweet-talk them into accepting 10GP and leaving the party alone.

The Palace

Arriving at the palace, the party climbed back up the tower and started searching rooms. They found a room full of spare short-swords but were discovered by an angry looking bugbear. The Thieves jumped to attack him. They dispatched the beasie, but Minion was left wounded and unconscious, so they decided to bunker down in an unoccupied room and heal-up.

Norwegian Metal Campaign

Mythic Norway

While wasting time reading about Black Metal bands on Wikipedia, I couldn't help noticing what great stage names some of these guys have. Building a Norwegian Black Metal band lineup looks sort of like an adventuring party, doesn't it?

• Fafnir- vocalist
• Shagrath- guitarist/vocalist
• Silenoz- guitar/songwriter
• ICS Vortex- bass guitar
• Winter- keyboard
• Hellhammer- drums

"Hellhammer" is a great name for a metal drummer, isn't it? This really makes me want to run a campaign where where the party are a Dark Metal band questing through mythic Norway. What might that look like?

Soundtrack

This is easy. Play some Black Metal music from youtube to set the tone. Burzum, Emperor, and Darkthrone are a good place to start.

The Hook

A strange cultic symbol

The adventure hook is simple. The party is a black metal band. Their last gig got a little too intense. It was a show in the old Cathedral of Nidarosdomen in Trondheim. Suddenly, in the middle of the show, there was a dark flash and some sort of gateway or portal opened up and sucked you in! But to where? It looks like the Norwegian countryside, but, somehow...darker. And there is a strange cultic symbol nearby.

Game System

Pick an old school DnD of your choice.

Character Creation

This should be fun. The party is a band. Have the players create their character,

1. Pick a really metal name
2. choose musical specialty
3. Starting level 3 is good
1. Since there are no starting weapons, PCs will need to be a bit resilient...
4. Alignment: choose between Pure Black Evil and Nihilistic Neutral
5. Choose a class. Some of you may soon discover you've gained strange cultic ability. Choose between Viking, Anti-Cleric, and Witch/Wizard)
1. Regarding spells, I need to go through the list and find the most metal spell list possible...
2. DCC Spellburn and Ritual rules would be a good fit
6. Equipment

1. your instruments(not too helpful since Mythic Norway doesn't have electricity)
2. your clothes(probably count as leather, studded, or padded armor?)

Adventure

As DM, you really want to sell the mystery of where they are and how they might get back. Point out how bummed they must feel unable to play their instruments. Have them run into places/people they know, but that are different. Tease them with hints at a way back to the normal world.

As for setting, have strange, run-down castles, haunted forests, bleak snow-covered peaks.

Encounters can include:

• Huge dumb Trolls
• Rowdy Vikings
• Cattle-riding Huldra
• Pale alluring Nattmara Werewolves
• Depressive, man-eating Mermaids
• Ship devouring Krakens
• Cryptic Witches
• Hungry Fossegrimen
• Black-Metal Nøkken
• Plague-ridden Pesta
• Forlorn Draugen
• Cattle-tending Wights
• Greedy Svartálfar and Female Elves
• Fanden- the devil himself

ODnD Kids 4: Flummoxed by Faeries

Well, here's another session I didn't write up, until now that is! Hopefully, my memory isn't too foggy, it was only a month ago or so...

This one was a bit different than previous sessions in that my two boys were in bed, while my eldest stayed up to play with me and two friends.

The Party

1. Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
2. Kevin Lockbuster- burly Halfling Thief with a longsword on his hip and darts up his sleeve
3. Jad the Witch Hunter- zealous cleric with a mace in his hand and retribution in his heart!

Tavern Tales

I didn't want to have Kevin and Jad meet Princessa in the Palace of the Silver Princess, where the party left off, so we said that they had returned to the village of N'Sau to resupply. They met up in the local tavern but couldn't find sleeping arrangements since the town was flooded with refugees from Gulluvia. The party decided to seek their fortunes in Mere to the East, they decided to leave immediately in the afternoon and camp at nightfall.

That said, the second watch was interrupted by strange, beckoning lights in the forest. The party dressed and left their tents to investigate. They followed the lights deeper into the forest, then deeper, then deeper still until hopelessly lost. They ended up fighting an bear, Kevin was badly injured, and they spent a difficult night in the forest. At dawn they managed to find their way back to their camp, though all their food had been eaten by animals.

The party returned to N'Sau to heal up and resupply and tried again the trail to Mere. This time, they found themselves being followed by riders. They hid in the forest and saw a whole band of bandits was on their trail. Their leader, a cunning looking old coot with an eye-patch, ordered them to sweep the forest in search of the party. The party engaged the bandits. It was a close battle. Jad was badly wounded, but the bandits were defeated and their leader captured. A close investigation of his person revealed a very nice emerald in his eye.

The party made it to the Halfling village of Mere. The locals were very hospitable, especially to Kevin. They took charge of One Eyed Jack, the notorious bandit leader, pointing out that his gang would surely ransom him(yet again) in a few days. He was angry with the party for taking his gemstone and swore revenge.

The party decided to check out war-ravaged Gulluvia. They defeated a group of Goblin Scouts and entered the city. They found a jeweler, but his residence was besieged by a squad of Orcs. The party defeated the Orcs and the jeweler was so thankful he gave them a good price for Jack's Eye-Socket Jewel.

ODnD Kids 3: Horse Cleaning Service

This session picked up where Session 2 left off, with the party in dire straits. Deep in the dungeon, Giant Killer Monkeys finished off Frog and Toad and the rest of the party barely escaped with their lives. The survivors decided to make a hasty exit and rest up in the forest. But first, the lineup:

1. Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
2. Melech Yisrael- Elf Fighter/Magic User. He carries a scimitar and longbow along with his spellbook
3. Lavi- Dwarven Fighter/Thief with leather armor, longsword, and light crossbow

They made their way back up the stairs, avoided a Bugbear, and rappelled right back out the tower window. They then mounted up and rode deep into the forest to rest up.

In the Forest

The first afternoon of resting, the party heard voices. Lavi snuck into the brush to investigate. Two evil priests were walking along a game path towards the Palace, discussing the success of the goblinoid invasion of Gulluvia. The party ambushed them. Melech Yisrael's Charm Person spell failed, as did Lavi's backstab, but the party still managed to overwhelm the surprised clerics.

Their rest continued undisturbed a couple days longer. That said, they only have a few more days of rations before they'll need to resupply...

Map of Entryway, Explored Territory

Palace: Take 2

Upon returning to the palace, the party decided to try entering via the main entrance with it's raised portcullis. Together they managed to lift all the barriers and they chose the branch ahead and to the right. They debated whether to leave their horses outside to graze or bring them in, ultimately opting for the latter approach this time.

The party searched room by room, hoping to discover the legendary gem, My Lady's Heart. Instead they found rotting food, filthy dishes, and a carrion crawler. Their search didn't go entirely unrewarded, though, as they found 3 GP of a strange old coinage and a wand of Detect Secret Doors.

We ended the session there, but The Campaign will continue next time...

ODnD Kids: Session 2

Well, me and the kids got together for another session of Palace of the Silver Princess. Here's the scoop:

The Party:

1. Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
2. Melech Yisrael- Elf Fighter/Magic User. He carries a scimitar and longbow along with his spellbook
1. Frog- a charmed Goblin
2. Toad- a charmed Orc
3. Lavi- Dwarven Fighter/Thief with leather armor, longsword, and light crossbow

Last time, the party escaped from Gulluvia, a city under attack.

This time, the party headed North towards the Palace of the Silver Princess to see if they could get to the bottom of the invasion and My Lady's Heart. They hitched a ride with a tinker and his daughter, but parted with him when he headed to Dead Mule.

Mysterious Sponsors

The party met a group of Elves, out hunting Orcs. When Melech told them of their mission, they gave him a Potion of Extra Healing, before continuing on their way. When Princessa and Lavi asked for a boon, they were rebuffed as mere mortals.

The party arrived in the village of N'Sau. They bought rations at the general store and paid a farmer for board in his barn. At night they heard an owl hooting. Lavi went out to investigate. A great owl appeared to him and showed him to a tree with a bottle of powerful poison. Princessa went out to check on Lavi and saw the transaction. She asked the owl for a boon and was shown the way to a magic scroll. Not herself a wizard, she traded it with Melech for his potion.

Mount Up

Cpt. Vallaria Amazonus

The next day, the party hiked to the village of Thorold, known for it's fine horses. The party bought mules and donkeys. The local guard captain ordered the party to go to Gulluvia to help fight the invaders. Princessa told her that that is where they are headed and talked the good Captain into providing her with a fine horse from the Queen's stables. Melech and Lavi asked for horses too, but were rebuffed due to their inferior gender. The party pretended to leave in the direction of Gulluvia but then doubled back towards the mountains.

Grin and Bear It

They camped that night in a cave. While heating up their food, a huge, grumpy bear entered. Lavi fed it rations mixed with his bottle of poison. It lay down feeling sick. Lavi decided he wanted to be the bear's friend, but it died in his arms. The rest of the party celebrated the quick victory against the beast.

The Palace

The next day, the party crested the mountains and saw the valley stretching out before them, with the half-ruined palace in the middle. They descended on the desolate valley and approached the castle. Seeing the entrance blocked by a heavy portcullis, Lavi climbed up to the tower window, but was met by a smirking goblin. He stabbed it, and lowered a rope for the rest of the party, who left their animals to graze.

There was some cat and mouse with goblins and hobgoblins in the rooms of the tower, culminating in a short, but decisive fight. The party found a weapons rack with glowing weapons. Lavi picked a glowing sword while the other two took a quiver of arrows each. A voice praised the Lawful adventurers and the remaining weapons disappeared.

The party descended the stairs and fought some gigantic monkeys in a room with a checkered floor. The monkeys killed Frog and Toad and the rest of the party fled into the hall and Melech cast Hold Portal to keep the door shut. That was where we ended the session.

ODnD Kids: Session 1

Well, last weekend me and the kids kicked-off the Swords and Wizardry campaign I planned for them.

The Party

Warrior Woman, Magic Elf, and Dwarf Thief

1. Princessa- Human Fighter with a bastard sword, ring mail and a shot bow. Watch out for this one!
2. Melech Yisrael- Elf Fighter/Magic User. He carries a scimitar and longbow along with his spellbook
3. Lavi- Dwarven Fighter/Thief with leather armor, longsword, and light crossbow

The Setup

The party are visitors to the city of Gulluvia during the Great Festival. They woke in the morning to screams of terror from the street outside the inn. Lavi rushed to the window and saw, on the street below, a huge Hobgoblin fighting an ill-equipped city guard as residents fled in terror.

With some well-placed bow shots, the party dispatched the Hobgoblin and saved the guard, who told them the city is being invaded. They ran with him towards the city center to defend the royal palace.

Baby Snatching

Thanks, Maurice, for all the nightmares!

"My baby!"

The party sees a terrifying sight. A group of 9 Goblins have overwhelmed a mother and snatched her baby away.

Melech Yisrael cast Charm Person on the goblin holding the baby and ordered it to "Give it back to it's Mommy!" The Goblins attack and the party dispatches them. Their Guardsman friend goes down, pierced by Goblin barbs.

They ran to the central palace but saw it was under-siege by thousands of Goblinoid troops.

The Hook

The kids wanted to heal up their characters and they don't have a Cleric so I showed them where a Temple was on the map. The avoided a large melee on the way their and convinced the priests to open the door and let them in(along with their charmed Goblin buddy).

The priest healed them up and asked the charmed Goblin why the invasion is happening. The little guy told them that it was "to obtain My Lady's Heart". The Priest explained that there is a legend of a great ruby hidden in the cursed Castle in the mountains to the North. He suggested the party might investigate since the city troops are occupied.

Escape from New Gulluvia

The party decided to depart the city. They encountered a small patrol of Orcs ransacking a neighborhood. They charmed one Orc and dispatched the rest. They escaped the city and headed West on the Queen's Road, with friendly Orc and Goblin in tow.

So that was how it ended after about 90 minutes. The kids really had fun. Even my 4-year-old was really engaged until about an hour in, at which point his attention span ended and he wandered off. My daughter had fun but was a bit disappointed. Apparently she had the impression that DnD is something you play past midnight while gorging yourself on soda and junk food! (I have no idea where she got that impression...)