Foolish Flagoneers Session 3

Note: This is probably my longest post ever. You’ve been warned.

Summary

I re-calibrate xp for my heroes after updating xp tables. I take them into a new map area, the catacombs (behind the secret door). They explore two rooms. In the first, they defeat two spiders and recover the gear of a fallen paladin, which they divide up. In the second room, they face many encounters. They open 8 sarcophagi, fighting some ghouls, a ghast, and a constrictor. They recover some valuables and magical bracers of might. When they touch the statue, a gem in its helm animates skeletons. After a long battle with skeletons animating each round, the heroes destroy the gem and defeat the skeletons.

Actual Play

I re-worked the xp tables, so I want to re-calibrate their xp (and split three ways with Garek, because that is how the xp works- I shouldn’t modify the rules to help my mains progress faster. And who knows? I might have Garek stick around longer than I expected…).

They have defeated:

3 zombies 1 (4 xp each)

1 bat 2 (8 xp)

1 ghoul 2 (8 xp)

1 gibbering mouther 2 (8 xp)

1 spider 2 (8 xp)

1 rot creeper 3 (16 xp)

1 trap 1 (4 xp)

And found a secret door 1 (4 xp)

68 total xp means that each hero has earned 23 xp. With the 10 xp that’s 33 each, putting the two mains one third of the way to level 2. That’s reasonable.

Onward

I looked at some catacombs maps that others had made, and of course Dyson Logos had an awesome catacombs map that I’ve used for inspiration. The catacombs themselves are relatively small, but the priests dug far enough to hit a natural cave that is flooded, and which has two points of egress. I kept the basic idea of the map, but made changes to the layout to personalize it. I still wanted a decent-sized catacomb area to explore, but this gets me into the Vault of the D’Ro a little quicker.

They descend the stairs into the catacomb entry. They can hear the sound of water pouring at the far end of the chamber, and they investigate, seeing the stairs descend into the water beyond. They do not see the two spiders (natural 12 on the sneak check), so 2 tomb spiders drop on them. One attacks Garek, and one attacks Mim. 

Round 1

• A spider lands a natural 12 on Garek, dealing 8-3=5. He’s at 15 hits. He makes his might check, and ignores the poison. The second spider misses Mim, despite its +1 edge.

• Mim casts an eldritch arrow and gets 11. He deals 9 hits, but the spider makes its reflex check, suffering 5. It is at 15 hits.

• Brand attempts to strike the one on mim, swinging his new magical sword… and he promptly misses. He has to get used to it, I guess.

• Garek also misses his. Quality.

Round 2

• Both spiders roll natural 1s. I would ask what the odds are, but I already know that they are 1 in 144. Everyone gets +1 edge against the spiders for this round.

• Mim casts another eldritch arrow, and hits for 8. The spider gets a 1 on its reflex check, and suffers the full 8, leaving it at 7.

• Brand gets a 12, dealing 12 hits and finishing the spider off. That is a lot of damage.

• Garek hits with an 11, dealing 9 hits, and leaving the spider at 11.

Round 3

• The remaining spider hits Garek for 7-3=4, leaving him at 11. 

•  Mim uses an arcane dart, but the spider evades it.

• Brand attacks with another 12, dealing 12 hits and slaying another spider. Wow. Brand Spider-slayer is his new moniker.

And they find another corpse high up in the webs, against the 30’ ceiling. They manage to pull the corpse down, and it is another paladin. It was carrying a normal longsword, an enchanted small shield, and wearing a suit of enchanted chainmail armor 3/1. NICE. It also has a potion of fire resistance and 10 gp. 

They agree that Garek should get the armor (since Brand got the sword last time), and he will hand his chainmail down to Brand. Brand wins the shield (they draw straws for it) and Mim gets the potion and longsword (to sell). They split the gold.

Garek is able to heal himself to full. The group decides to examine the western chamber.

They descend the stairs (checking for traps and finding none) and come into a crypt with 8 sarcophagi, a 10’ statue on the western wall, and human bones littering the floor. Garek attempts to detect evil, and the whole chamber radiates evil. Mim detects magic, and the statue, specifically the gemstone in its helmet, radiates magic. The bones all radiate faint evil and magic.

They decide to deal with the sarcophagi first (so they don’t get surprised by them), and then to deal with the statue. For each sarcophagus, Mim will stand towards the middle of the room (about 20’ away); Garek will open (with his sword at the ready), and Brand will stand near the head, with his sword ready. A combined might of 3 is required to open a sarcophagus lid. Garek can do this solo. They light a candle of blessing, which Mim will carry. They will burn through the candle while opening the sarcophagi (it will take about 9 minutes to get through them all).

Sarcophagus 1 - Normal body. No treasure.

Sarcophagus 2 - Normal body. No treasure.

Sarcophagus 3- Ghoul! The heroes win initiative.

• Mim casts arcane dart. The ghoul evades it.

• Brand swings his sword. He hits for 10-2=8, leaving the ghoul at 8.

• Garek swings his sword but misses. He uses his bless to try again and hits, and deals 8-2=6, leaving the ghoul at 2. 

• The ghoul attacks Garek, hitting with 1 claw for 8-4=4. Garek is at 16. 

• Mim casts an arcane dart, and this time the Ghoul fails to evade. The 4 damage destroys it.

• They recover a ring worth 2 gp.

Sarcophagus 4- A normal body with a Dread Python nesting on it. The python wins initiative, attacking Brand.

• It misses with its first attack.

• Mim casts an arcane dart, which the snake evades.

• Garek hits for 9-2=7, leaving the python at 13.

• Brand hits for 10-2=8, leaving the python at 5.

• It attacks Brand again, hitting for 4-3=1. Brand is at 13. It did not roll high enough to wrap around him.

• Mim casts an arcane dart, hitting for 4. The snake is at 1. It makes its morale check with a 12 - it’s staying until the end!

• Garek hits for 9-2=7, cutting it in half.

• The body in the sarcophagus has a chain worth 2 gp.

Sarcophagus 5 - Ghast! The heroes win initiative. This should be a difficult fight for them… but they have the candle going, and they are in good position for this fight.

• Garek misses.

• Brand hits with a 12 for 12-2-10, leaving it at 14. Good start.

• Mim casts an eldritch arrow, hitting for 8. The ghast makes its reflex check, suffering 4 and down to 10.

• The ghast attacks Brand. It hits with one claw for 6-3=3, leaving him at 10.

• Brand hits with a 12 for 12-2=10, hacking the ghast’s head off. Wow. I thought that fight would be more difficult. 

• The ghast is wearing a pendant worth 12 gp.

Sarcophagus 6- A ghoul. It wins initiative.

• The ghoul attacks Garek, who is at 16 hits. It misses with both claws.

• Mim hits with an arcane dart for 4, and the ghoul fails its evade. It’s at 12.

• Garek hits for 8-2=6, leaving the ghoul at 6.

• Brand misses.

• The ghoul attacks Garek again, missing with both claws.

• Garek finishes it with a natural 12.

• The ghoul wears a pair of gauntlets of strength. Garek and Brand flip for it, and Brand wins. Wow. That dude is jacked for a level 1 character.

• No treasure.

Sarcophagus 7- Normal body. No treasure. 

Sarcophagus 8- Normal body. No treasure.

They have recovered a total treasure valued at 16 gp. They split this, with Garek getting the extra 1 gp.

Mim casts Vestments on himself (barely successful with a 2) and goes to examine the statue, while Brand and Garek stand 30’ away, at the base of the stairs. As soon as Mim goes to check for traps, the gem on the statue’s forehead pulses once, and 3 skeletons arise from the pile of bones and attack. Each of the three may check mind to realize that the pulsing of the gem caused the skeletons. Mim realizes it right away, and calls this out to the group. The blessed candle has burned out.

Round 1

• Mim uses an eldritch arrow against his skeleton, dealing full damage - this 8 points destroys the skeleton.

• Brand uses his sword against his skeleton, hitting for 12-2-10, destroying it.

• Garek deals 8-2=6 damage, leaving his skeleton at 2.

• Garek’s skeleton attacks Garek with a natural 12, dealing 7-4=3 damage, leaving Garek at 13 (he was still at 16 from before - forgot to have him heal himself).

• The gem pulses, and 3 more skeletons arise.

Round 2

• Mim turns and attacks the gem. He hits it for 8-3=5 damage. It is at 10 hits remaining. Garek runs across the chamber and attacks (-1 edge), hitting with a natural 12 for 10-3=7, leaving it at 3. Brand also runs across the chamber, swinging (at -1 edge) and missing.

• One skeleton attacks Mim, but misses. One skeleton attacks Brand as he runs by, but misses. Two skeletons attack Garek as he runs by, and one hits with a natural 12, dealing 7-4=3 damage, leaving Garek at 10.

• The gem pulses. Three more skeletons arise. There are now 7 skeletons (one at 2 hits).  

Round 3

• Mim casts eldritch arrow at the gem and hits for 9 damage. It soaks 3, but 6 is enough to destroy it. It crumbles to dust.

• Garek attacks one skeleton, destroying it with a natural 12. He also casts healing word on himself, recovering 7 hits because he rolled an 11. He is at 17. 

• Brand attacks one skeleton, but misses. Six remain (one at 2 hits).

• 1 skeleton attacks Mim. It hits for 5-2=3 damage, leaving him at 5. This is the last round for his Vestments spell (since there was a round before combat where it was active.

• 2 skeletons attack Garek. One hits, dealing 5-4=1 hit. He’s at 16 remaining.

• 3 skeletons attack Brand. One hits with a 12, dealing 7-3=4 damage, leaving him at 6 (he was at 10).

Round 4

• 6 skeletons remain. Garek casts healing word on Brand, restoring 7 hits (he rolled 11 again), and Brand is at 13.

• Mim attacks his skeleton with an eldritch arrow, dealing 8 hits. It fails its reflex check, and he destroys it.

• Garek attacks one of his skeletons and hits for 8. He destroys the injured one.

• Brand hits one for 12-2=10, and destroys it.

• One skeleton attacks Garek but misses.

• Two skeletons attack Brand, and both miss.

Round 5

• Mim casts eldritch arrow at one skeleton and succeeds. It fails its reflex check, and he destroys it.

• Garek hits one for 9-2=7, and it is at 1 hit remaining.

• Brand misses.

• Garek’s skeleton misses, but Brand’s hits with a natural 12, dealing 7-3=4 damage, leaving Brand at 9.

Round 6

• Mim holds his spell until he sees how the melee guys do…

• Garek hits and destroys the damaged skeleton.

• Brand hits for 12 and destroys the final skeleton.

Whew. That was just two rooms, but that was a LOT of fighting. Time to divide up some xp. They defeated…

2 spiders (at 8 xp each) = 16 xp

9 skeletons (at 4 xp each) = 36 xp

2 Ghouls (at 8 xp each) = 16 xp

1 dread python (at 8 xp) = 8 xp

1 ghast (at 16 xp) = 16 xp

 

92 total xp (that’s pretty good). They also destroyed the gem (that’s another 16 xp), so a total of 104. Each earns 35 xp. Two rooms was a third of a level of advancement. Nice.

Notes

• I really liked how the mechanics worked in that skeleton room with the pulsing gem. That encounter worked the way I hoped it would, with the idea of 3 more skeletons popping up each round quickly getting out of hand for the players. 

• I think I’m getting closer to being able to publish these rules. I’m going to say that if I go three sessions without making any changes, I’ll do a final edit and publish the rules. They are very, very close to being ready. I like the rule that a hit always deals at least 1 damage, an 11 always deals at least 2, and a 12 always deals at least 3. This helps to offset high armor and magic resistance ratings a little bit. I also like the new xp tables. They feel reasonable. The heroes are two thirds of the way to level 2 after 3 sessions. That means they should hit level 2 around session 5, which seems fair to me. Besides, their improved gear every session is a form of advancement. They are far more capable than they were when they started this adventure.

Foolish Flagoneers Session 2

Summary

They ascend the bell tower and fight a spider on the stairs. Mim almost dies, but they manage to defeat the spider. They climb the tower, surprising the bat in the belfry (sorry, I had to). They recover significant gear, and descend to defeat a ghoul in the priest’s chambers. They open the secret door in the main chapel, prepared to descend into the catacombs beyond. 

***

Actual Play

There is one area left to explore (at least so far as Garek knows…), the bell tower. The group enters the dusty and weather-beaten tower, starting to climb the stairs (Garek had successfully healed himself to full). The spider hiding under the stairs attempts to sneak. It is successful. The dice decide that it waits until they pass, and then it attacks from behind. 

Round 1

• The spider bites with an 11, dealing 7 hits. Mim would not have activated vestments, so he’s at armor 0. He’s down to 1 hit. He has to check might to withstand the poison. He fails. Uh oh. He falls on the stairs, but has to make a reflex check from falling over the edge… he makes it with an 11, so he collapses on the stair he’s on, but suffers no further damage. He’s at -3.

• Brand turns around to see his best friend fall, and a huge spider flashing its mandibles at him. He attacks with his spear, but he misses.

• Garek cannot get to the spider (Brand is in the way), but he uses a healing word spell to revive Mim. He succeeds, and Mim wakes up, now at 3 hits. Garek also lights one of the candles of blessing.

Round 2

• The spider bites at Brand, hitting for 6-1=5 damage. Brand is at 9 hits. Brand makes his poison resist with a natural 12. Go Brand.

• The spider has stepped over Mim, so he’s behind it and can attack it. He uses one of his 3 edges on his eldritch arrow casting. He succeeds with an 8, dealing 8 hits. The spider makes its reflex check, and is down to 16 hits.

• Brand attacks with his spear, missing. He claims one of his 3 edges, but still misses (the third die was a 2. Ick)

• Garek throws his dirk, using a +1 edge. He rolls a pair of 3s and also misses, as his dirk clatters to the floor 20’ below. He holds on to his final healing word spell in case someone else really needs it.

Round 3

• The spider bites at Brand again (although it is not happy with Mim at all. It hits him for 6-1=5, leaving Brand at 4. Brand makes his might check to ignore the poison.

• Mim casts another eldritch arrow, hitting with a 4. He deals 8, and the spider fails its reflex check this time. It’s down to 8 hits. 

• Brand attacks (using his second edge from the candle) and gets a 10, dealing 8 damage (the spider has no armor). This kills the spider, and it falls off the side.

Garek attempts to heal Brand (using his +1 edge from the candle) and is successful. Brand is up to 10. After blowing out the candle and waiting a minute, he successfully heals both Brand and Mim. Both are now at full health. They tie a rope around Mim and hold the end, letting him go over the side to investigate the spider’s nest… He finds 34 gp! Garek tells them that they have been valiant allies thus far, and lets them split it (he already got the candles and holy water, anyway). They are both richer than they have ever been. Mim wants to go gambling soooo bad. He challenges Brand - 1 gp on a coin flip. Brand accepts. Mim calls heads. It’s tails. He hands Brand the coin and frowns. They continue up the stairs.

Despite wearing chainmail, Garek is able to sneak up to the bell tower, where he finds a giant bat hanging near the bell. The team gets a free attack at +1 edge, as they move into position around the bat. I’m going to say that if the bat gets an 11 or 12 on an attack, it tries to drag the target off the edge of the tower… and a might check is required to prevent that from happening (because a 60’ fall kills any of them).

Round 1

• Mim casts eldritch arrow, and succeeds with a 7. The bat botches its evade (it is asleep after all), suffering 8 hits. It’s already down to 8. 

• Garek misses! (rolled 1, 4, 5)

• Brand hits for 11, dealing 9-1=8… which is just enough to kill the bat. Drat. I wanted to see what it could do… I roll just to see. It would have hit Brand with a 10, so some damage and no might check required. They would have been okay going into round 2… as it is, the bat is dead. It has both monetary treasure (4 instances!) and magical treasure (2 instances). Wow. It killed an adventurer who had come up here… the body is lying nearby, and it has on it…

Bat’s Treasure:

• 90 sp

• A ring worth 8 gp

• A suit of ring mail armor 2

• An enchanted bastard sword 5/1 (wow)

• A crossbow 3

• A potion of mana 1

Well… Garek and Brand flip a coin for the sword. Brand wins. Dang. He now deals 10 hits with each successful attack. That’s impressive. Brand also gets the armor (which makes sense). Garek gets the crossbow (which would have helped against the spider). Mim gets the potion of mana and the ring. Each takes 30 sp. Garek recognizes the tunic as belonging to another order of paladins.

They have one more area to explore… the priests’ quarters. I accidentally missed that when I was moving them around the map. Oops. 

The door to the priest’s quarters is locked. Mim fails to pick the lock, so Brand will try to force it open with a might check. He fails. Sir Garek tries… he succeeds with an 11. By this point, the ghoul is near the door and ready to fight… but it’s initiative. The ghoul rolls 12 and the team rolls 1, so I’m giving the ghoul +1 edge to its attacks in round 1. By the way - Mim cast Vestments on himself as they were breaking open the door.

Round 1

• The ghoul attacks Brand (since he was first one through the door). The ghoul hits with a 12 and a 9. Dang. It deals 8-3=5 with the first claw, 6-3=3 with the second claw, 4 with the bite (ignores armor), and forces a might check or Garek is paralyzed. Garek is down to 8 hits, and fails his might check with a 2. He’s paralyzed for two rounds (he’ll be back in round 3).

• Brand swings his new sword, hitting for 10-2=8, leaving the ghoul at 8 hits.

• Mim casts an eldritch arrow, getting a 12 for 10 damage. The ghoul makes it reflex check, suffering 5 and down to 3.

Round 2

• The ghoul attempts to claw at Brand. It hits with 1 claw for 6-2=4, leaving Brand at 10 hits.

• Brand attacks again with his sword, hitting with a 10. This deals 10-2=8 hits, and slices the ghoul’s stomach open, dropping it. For good measure, Brand chops its head off.

After Garek’s paralysis wears off, the group searches the room. They find 80 sp in a drawer and a potion of healing. Mim and Rand split the 80 sp, and the potion goes to Garek.

Now that they have cleared the temple proper, I’ll divvy up experience. They have defeated a gibbering mouther 2 (5 xp), 3 zombies 1 (6 xp), a ghoul 2 (5 xp), a spider 2 (5 xp), a bat 2 (5 xp). This is a total of 26 xp. Garek takes none of this, and the two friends split it (13 xp each).

Mim found a secret door (5 xp) and disarmed a trap (5 xp). He gets a 10 xp bonus.

I’m going to give everyone a 10 xp bonus for clearing the temple, getting past the hobgoblins, and just making it this far. So, 10 xp to Garek, 23 to Brand, and 33 to Mim. Nobody is close to leveling… considering his options, Mim suggests that they search around the main temple again. Garek manages to find the secret door this time, and opens it to reveal stairs leading down into the darkness…

Notes

Putting the spider fight on the narrow stairs made it a much more interesting encounter. The bat encounter was quick, but that’s what happens when you have surprise sometimes. The ghoul fight was decent, and it did some major damage to Garek. I like how I have the bite linked to the claws, and that only the bite causes paralysis. 

FWIW, my changes to the rules have slowed to a trickle. I made some major changes over the last few days, but now things seem to be pretty stable. I added a rule for finesse-type weapons today and I'm very happy with. Brand deals a lot of damage for a level 1 character, but he got very lucky with the dice rolling and weapons (that's a level 3 weapon easily). XP progression feels a little slow, but the reality is that the game only has six levels, so progression has to be a little slow. I'm only 2 sessions in and the characters are about 25% of the way to level 2 (33% in Mim's case). This means they should be in range of level 2 around session 6 or 7. That's about how long it took the twins to get near level 2, so that seems pretty good. However, if they were dividing xp four ways, it would be half as fast. I'm thinking of increasing the XP values of monsters a bit... I'll play with it.

Updated Stat Blocks...

Sir Garek - Noble Human Paladin 2; 16 gp (110 xp) Armor 3; Hits 20; Move 60’; Sword (+3*/8) or Crossbow (+2/4)  Traits: Might 3; Mind 3; Reflex 1  Tags: Mystic (Common, Light); Two Handed; Warrior  Gear: Chainmail Armor 3; Bastard Sword 5; Holy Symbol                  4 Candles of Blessing (1@2); 4 Vials of Holy Water                  Crossbow (3); Potion of Healing (6) Spells: (2 mana) Glimmering Weapon; Healing Chant

Brand - Stoic Human Fighter 1; 23 gp; Leather Armor (23 xp)  Armor 2; Hits 14; Move 60’; Spear (+2*/8/40’) or Sword (+2/10)  Traits: Might 4; Mind 0; Reflex 2  Tags: Brawler; Toughness; Two Handed; Warrior  Gear: Ringmail Armor 2; Ench. Bastard Sword 5/1; Spear 3

Mim - Clever Gnome Trickster 1; 34 gp (33 xp) Armor 0 (2); Hits 8; Move 40’; Dirk (+1/3) or Bow (+1/4)  Traits: Might 0; Mind 4; Reflex 2  Tags: Charisma; Mystic (Common, Arcane); Thievery  Gear: Shortbow 2; Toolkit; Potion of Mana (1) Magic: (Mana 1); Command

Foolish Flagoneers Session 1

 Summary

The three successfully bypass the hobgoblin gate, making their way up the steps to the temple. Inside, they encounter a gibbering mouther that they destroy after suffering significant wounds. They find some holy items that Garek takes, and Mim discovers a secret door, keeping that to himself. They defeat 3 zombies in the kitchens. In the cellar below the kitchen, they slay a rot creeper, soon finding and disarming a trap. They find no treasure here.

***

Having come to terms and rested for the night (in a quality room, thanks to Sir Garek’s generosity), Mim and Brand are ready for the day!

They arrive at the hobgoblin gatehouse, ringing the bell and surprising the hobgoblins inside. Garek demands, as leader of the expedition, to do the talking (despite Mim’s clear superiority at it). He incants tongues to speak hobgoblin, and rolls a 12; he not only manages hobgoblin, but he captures the unique cadence and articulation of a hobgoblin officer. He makes the reaction check, explaining that he seeks to worship at the temple, and to purify the grounds, cleansing them of defilement.

The hobgoblins shrug and say sure, as long as they pay the 1 gp to open the gate. Garek gladly does so, and the gate lurches open. As the gate falls closed behind them, Garek, Mim, and Brand ascend the stairs to the dark and tattered temple proper.

As they approach, they hear the sounds of voices speaking prayers in a cacophony of worship and lament. They open the door to see a gibbering mouther sliding up and down the main walkway between the door and altar.

The Flagoneers attack this foul defilement. It’s initiative! The mouther wins. There is a free round of casting before melee in round 2 (because all have to close the distance for combat).

Round 1

• Mim casts an eldritch arrow, hitting with a 2 (!). The mouther fails its check, suffering 8 hits. It is at 18. Garek casts glimmering weapon and succeeds. Brand readies his spear to attack. 

Round 2

• The mouther attacks 4 times (2 on each of the warriors). It hits each of them once (Garek with an 11). To Garek, it deals 6-3=3, leaving him at 17. To Brand it deals 5-2=3, leaving him at 8.

• Mim attacks with an arcane dart, but the mouther evades it with an 11.

• Garek makes his mind check with a 12, blocking out the gibbering entirely. Garek attacks at +2 edges (two handed and glimmering weapon), rolling an 11. He deals 9-2=7 damage, leaving the mouther at 11 hits.

• Brand botches his mind check, and is disoriented by the horrid sounds the creature makes. This cancels his +1 edge from two handed, so he attacks normally. He hits with a 9, dealing 8-2=6 damage, leaving the mouther at 5.

Round 3

• The mouther attacks 4 times (2 on each warrior), hitting Garek twice (once with an 11), and Brand twice (once with an 11). It deals 6-3=3 and 5-3=2 to Gareth, leaving him at 12. It deals 6-2=4 and 5-2=3 to Brand, leaving him at 1.

• Mim attacks with an arcane dart, which it again evades.

• Garek hits for 8-2=6, destroying the mouther.

Garek is able to heal himself and Brand without incident. They explore the chapel proper. While Garek explores the altar, finding a secret compartment therein, Mim explores the larger chapel area, discovering the secret door in the north wall. For the moment, he keeps this bit of information to himself… because nothing in his contract specified revealing everything he found on his own during their adventures. He can always bring it up later…

The altar has silver candlesticks valued at 6 gp, but the secret drawer contains 4 vials of holy water and 4 blessed candles.

Blessed candle. Use 1 action to light the candle. As long as it burns, it grants the bearer and all living allies within 30’ the effects of a bless spell, refreshing every minute. Each candle will burn for a total of 10 minutes.

Garek considers this for a moment, and decides that the candlesticks must remain (taking these would just be stealing for wealth), but that the candles and holy water can be used in the service of good, taking them.

My team moves into area 4 (the kitchen) and discovers 3 zombies. They automatically win initiative.

Round 1

• Mim casts Eldritch Arrow, rolling a 1. C’mon, man! He fails and loses his 1 mana point.

• Garek casts glimmering weapon and succeeds. He attacks a zombie, hitting for 8-1=7. The first zombie is at 4.

• Brand hits with an 11 for 9-1=8, finishing the first zombie.

• A zombie is on each of the warriors. The first zombie hits Garek with a 12 and an 11, dealing 6-3=3 and 5-3=2, leaving Garek at 15. The second zombie hits Brand once, 4-1=3, leaving Brand at 11. 

Round 2

• Mim hits a zombie with an arcane dart for 4; it fails its reflex check and is at 7.

• Garek hits with a 12 for 10-1=9, destroying the zombie that Mim just hit.

• One zombie remains. Brand misses it.

• It attacks Brand, hitting once for 4-1=3. Brand is at 8.

Round 3

• Mim casts arcane dart, and the zombie fails to evade. He deals 4 hits, leaving it at 7.

• Garek hits for 8-1=7. The zombie falls.

After combat, Garek is able to restore Brand to his full hits. They search the kitchen, and (beyond the normal items of a kitchen) they find a staircase leading into the cellars. I hadn’t designed the cellars, although I assumed there was a chance that there was something down here. They come down the stairs and are attacked by a rot creeper. It fails its sneak check, but it wins initiative with a 12. I’ll give it the +1 edge to its attack anyway…

Round 1

• The rot creeper attacks Garek, hitting with a 7+3=10. It deals 6-3=3, leaving him at 17 hits. He just makes his might check, and keeps on fighting. Whew.

• Garek attacks with his sword, hitting for 8-1=7, leaving the creeper at 17.

• Brand attacks but misses.

• Mim uses an eldritch arrow, narrowly avoiding losing a mana point (rolled a 2) and dealing 8 hits. The rot creeper fails it reflex check, and is at 11 hits.

Round 2

• The creeper bites Garek again, missing this time.

• I forgot that magic should get resolved first in each round… so Mim uses another eldritch arrow and easily hits for 8. It botches its reflex check, so I’ll rule it suffers another hit, and is at 2.

• Garek attacks and hits for 8-1=7, slaying the creeper.

They search the cellars and mim finds that one of the casks down here is actually trapped. It would emit a gas. He decides to disarm the trap, because he’s hoping there’s something valuable hidden inside the cask. He has the other characters step back. He also takes a deep breath and puts a cloth across his mouth and nose (he’ll get +1 edge to resist the poison gas if it goes off). He makes his thievery check to disarm the trap. He looks inside and there is nothing of value… he is disappointed. 

Note:

I really like the imagery of the first encounter. The heroes enter a temple filled with the sounds of wailing, and a monstrous creature making these sounds. The gibbering mouther actually makes sense for this encounter (and I’ve never figured out a way for that monster to make sense before now). If the creeper had been able to paralyze Garek, that fight may have been much more challenging than it was.