Summary
The three heroes cross through a revised area 1, battling shadelings and a magical pool of blood. They overcome this obstacle with relative ease. They enter area 3, seeing a similar setup as their last encounter, albeit with no bones on the ground. They end up fighting and defeating the eight zombies that emerge from the sarcophagi and get lucky to recover the gem and open the trapped door, even though they fail to identify the gem. After dividing up xp, my level 1’s are inching ever closer to level 2.
Actual Play
My heroes cross back through area 1 (having finished area 2). I decide to revise this area, because I got an idea for an encounter here. I’m adding a pool of blood to the middle of the room (a stone fountain that runs with blood). The fountain summons shadelings every round. The fountain will stop running with blood and begin running water again if any healing is used on it - a healing word spell or pouring a potion of healing into the fountain. It will summon shadelings every round to get back to the starting number of 3. Shadelings will not leave the chamber.
Round 1
Okay. Mechanics are worked out. The heroes enter the chamber and are set upon by 3 shadelings (this would have happened a while ago, but whatever). My three ‘heroes’ win initiative. Garek misses, Brand destroys one, and the third evades Mim’s arcane dart. Two remain, and attack. The first misses Garek, but the second deals 3 hits to Mim, leaving him at 5. A new shadeling appears.
Round 2
I’d much prefer to roleplay this, but I know stuff my characters wouldn’t, so I have to resolve this through dice. I contemplate a mind check at -1 edge, but I end up with a bog standard mind check for each of the three. They all fail anyway. MM-kay.
Garek misses again! Brand misses. Mim’s arcane dart finally works, destroying the one on him.
Brand is hit once for 3 damage, which his armor mostly absorbs. He suffers 1 hit, leaving him at 14. Another shadeling appears from the fountain.
Round 3
Each attempts a mind check again. Garek barely makes it, realizing that the blood is ‘fresh’. He attempts to heal it, and successfully casts healing word. This turns the blood to water. Garek destroys a shadeling, Mim destroys one with an arcane arrow, and the final one attacks Garek for neutralizing its pool. It misses twice.
Round 4
Garek destroys the final shadeling.
In retrospect, there should be more shadelings here, since 3 is not much of a challenge even against a new level 1 group. However, if it takes them a few rounds to figure it out, then it could be a more challenging encounter. I think I’ll leave it as is. They destroyed 4 shadelings. There is no treasure in the fountain.
They continue to area 3. They find a similar hall to the hall of bones, expecting that the statue is magical in some way and will cause them harm. They also see the 8 sarcophagi. I’m going to change this encounter entirely - messing with any of the sarcophagi or the statue animates the 8 zombies that are in the various sarcophagi, and drops a door shut. The door will only open for someone carrying the gem from the statue. That makes this room quite a bit different from the other room.
They go to the first sarcophagus and open it, and the other seven immediately open and zombies come to life, moving towards them. The door at the stairs slams shut. Only two zombies are in melee range this round, but all of them will be next round. Unfortunately for Mim, he is closest to many of them… and he’s still at 5 hits because I forgot to heal him! (I have to get in the habit of doing that)...
Round 1
Garek attacks one for 10-1=9, leaving it at 2 hits.
Brand hits the other zombie for 12-1=11, destroying it. 7 remain.
Mim uses his action to jump up to the corner behind the two warriors so he has cover. Probably a good idea.
One attacks Garek, but misses with both claws. The other attacks Brand and deals 4-3=1, leaving him at 13.
Round 2
Mim attacks one with an eldritch arrow, dealing 8 hits. It fails its reflex check (which it attempted at -1 edge because it’s a zombie). He destroys the damaged one.
Garek attacks one and nearly botches (rolled a 2 and a 1).
Brand destroys another one, dealing 12-1=11. 5 remain.
Three attack Garek, landing a total of 2 claws, dealing 3 and 2 hits, leaving him at 15.
Two attack Brand, dealing a total of 2 points, leaving him at 12.
Round 3
Mim attacks with another eldritch arrow, hitting for 8. The zombie is at 3 hits remaining. It botches its reflex check.
Garek considers repelling them, but goes with his sword instead. He hits for 8-1=7 on the one Mim had struck. 4 zombies remain.
Brand swings his sword, hitting for 12-1=11, destroying a full one. 3 zombies remain.
1 attacks Garek, dealing 3 hits from a natural 12. He’s at 12 hits remaining.
2 attack Brand, dealing 4-3=1 from two hits, leaving him at 10.
Round 4
Mim casts an eldritch arrow and deals 9 hits, leaving that zombie at 2 after a failed reflex check.
Garek hits it and destroys it. 2 remain.
Brand misses.
One attacks Garek and misses with both claws.
One attacks Brand and also misses with both claws.
Round 5
Mim hits with an eldritch arrows for 8. Failed reflex check leaves that zombie at 3.
Garek finishes it, dealing 8-1=7.
Brand misses again! Only one zombie remains.
It deals 1 point to Brand, leaving him at 9.
Round 6
Mim deals 4 from an arcane dart.
Garek deals 10-1=9, destroying it.
Brand looks at his sword to see if something is wrong with it because he’s suddenly whiffing a lot…
They search the bodies and the sarcophagi, finding a total of 17 gp in valuables.
They detect magic but not evil from the gem. They pry it loose and Mim examines it. He has no idea what it does, but it’s got to be worth something. They take it and go to examine the door to find their way out. As soon as the gem is within 30’ of the door, it pulses once and the door opens. All righty then.
They have defeated 8 zombies (4 xp each) and 4 shadelings (2 xp each). They eventually figured out the fountain (level 2, so 8 xp) and got out of the ‘trapped’ room with the zombies (level 1, so 4 xp). They have earned a total of 52 xp, which works out to 17 xp each. They also each get 6 gp each (I’ll round it up, because I rounded the xp down a little). Brand and Mim are each only 15 xp from level 2… probably next session!
My plan was to have Garek accompany them only through the end of level 1. I might stick with that, although his healing is very handy… Brand has Mind 0, so I don’t see any way he decides to follow in Garek’s path (and that’s not his character anyway). I also can’t see Mim picking up light magic. I have decisions to make…
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