Here's the latest session of my D&D campaign; previous play report here.

Session Five: Dungeon!

OK, this was our first "Dungeon Crawl. . .a pretty simple one, just a hallway and a couple of side rooms, with the Elven Shrine at the ende (not technically part of the "dungeon," since the Gnolls couldn't unlock the mystic seals to get into it. This was also the first time I got to use my Dungeon Tiles. Yay cool toys!

Before the session everyone had some leveling up to do, which seemed to me the perfect time to introduce my proposed modification to the Skill system. As discussed on this board awhile back, I definitely wanted to fold Hide and Move Silently into Sneak, and Spot, Search and Listen into Notice. I proposed that, and everyone was enthusiastically approving. I proposed a bunch of other possible combos, and a couple, like Ride and Handle Animal, were shot down, we did go with Open lock and Disable Device, and the most ambitious of all: Jump, Tumble and Balance into Acrobatics, and Jump, CLimb and Swin into Athletics. I may be overdoing it, and unbalance something-or-other, but so far it's cool, everyone's got a bit more skill economy (especially the Monk), and now Shirley's Druid has a rank in Climbing, Jumping AND Swimming, instead of just Swimming.

So we're talking about a small underground complex--living quarters and a storeroom--that was overrun by a small band of Gnolls, a splinter group from a larger tribe. The complex is just a simple tunneling exercise. . .basically just a place to stay until the Shrine was prepared (why just "until" will become clear later. . .). Side question: I put a lot of thought into everything being internally consistent--what the Dungeon's for, what it contains and how it was designed, why the Gnolls are there, and so forth. Is this really worth it? It doesn't seem likely that the players are going to go "Cool, that Dungeon was entirely logical and internally consistent! Good job, Joel!" They probably won't notice much at all. And regarding the Gnolls, well, they're not likely to extract their life story or anything, especially since nobody even speaks Gnoll. It seems like this sort of prep is more a negative reward thing--if you don't do it, players are likely to start going, "this doesn't make any sense!" and start grumbling on you. anyone have any experience with this phenomenon?

Anyway, so the PCs are sneaking into this Gnoll lair, unaware of what awaits them. Actually, I made a last-minute decision regarding that--last session when they had a middle of the night encounter, and I asked if they wanted to get up early and arrive in daylight, or rest more fully for spell recovery, and arrive afte rnightfall? Well, my original thought was: Gnolls are nocturnal, in the day they can catch them sleeping, at night they're aware and ready. But then I further extrapolated--wait, if they're nocturnal, then at night they go out hunting. So the heroes encountered a token force left behind while the chief and his best warriors are out procuring food.

The players got to make use of their dungeon-y skills like Sneak and Search and stuff, as well as encounter the combat system in a bit more detail than before. They spied on a couple of Gnolls in the storeroom, and ambushed and beat them easily. They searched the room, which was piled high with Gnoll plunder (mostly junk and refuse), for anything valuable. Shirley got the highest Search result and found a shiny ring of fine Elvish make in the muck (A ring of Protection, chosen with her AC in mind). Her response was interesting: "I pocket the ring before anyone can see what I've found." This didn't really play to anything about her character personality or alignment, but was just a bit of meta-level playfulness that was kind of amusing. And funny enough, she's now walking around with +1 AC in her pocket that she could be getting some use out of!

At the living quarters, they encountered as barred door and growling sounds behind it. It was funny, while the guys were all debating how to get in, starting to settle on kicking it in, when Shirley goes: "Oh, c'mon, guys, it's easy, you just slide your sword in, and push the bar up!"

And so they did, and busted in and wasted the Gnoll warrior inside. Actually, Shirley kind of called a halt as they were moving in to attack. . .she said "Jeez, we're really violent. These Gnolls have never done anything to us, we've always attacked them on sight. What's so bad about Gnolls again?" I responded, well, they're pretty vicious, and they do like to eat Elves. They've given your village a pretty hard time." She asked, "couldn't we try to reason with them?" I said, "well, it would be difficult to comunicate because you don't speak their language. . ." at which point Shirley entirely abandoned "conscientious voice of reason" stance, joked "well, if we can't understand 'em they're obviously talking bad about us," and everyone attacked.

I kinda feel bad because I flubbed my chance to convey that there are more options than "kill on sight." I was just about to. . .I was gonna say something like ". . .but you could try to get through to them somehow" when Shirley cut me off. Hell, maybe I'd have even let her try a Wild Empathy check (a bit of a stretch, but hey). Oh well, hopefully I'll get a chance to explore this some more with everybody. I DO plan to delve more into WHY the Gnolls are vicious and cruel killers and all, since "They're just evil" doesn't cut it for me. "Result of a disastrious magical experiment is my current fave.

The group did face an interesting dilemma after that though--a couple of female Gnolls, backed defensively into a corner and guarding their pups. There was some debate over whether they'd have to kill them just to protect themselves, but I made it clear that they were clearly defensive and making no moves to attack. They decided that killing the Wimmen and Children was father than they were willing to go, and moved on.

So they unlocked the Shrine with the Crystal Crest and their Royal blood. Inside there was a pedestal around which four Elven ghosts appeared. They were the contingent of the deposed king's personal guard who were dispatched to safely hide the bastard twins. After doing so they came and build this shrine, and sacrificed their lives to safeguard its secrets, and the secrets of the hidden twins. So they went over the whole "this is your destiny" thing, and told the twins that the kingdom was doomed in the hands of the Usurper, and only they could save it, and all that. They entrusted the Crest to the Monk as the "Heart of the Kingdom" and a vial of earth to the Druid as "the Heart of the Land," and said that both must be made whole for the nation to be saved. They also handed over the royal Scepter, to keep safe for their sister the Princess, or failing that to be taken up by one of them (This would have been a whole lot more interesting if Tommy was able to play right now, but i'm trying to roll with the punches). I'm not sure if I liked this while thing; it IS pretty railroady, but I felt it was a decent Fantasy hook to get the plot rolling; all the player choice and cool plot surprises can come along later as the PCs decide what to DO with this divine mission.

I had this crazy idea that, besides being information dispensers, maybe they could get the head ghost to accompany them, inhabiting the scepterand appearing to aid them in dire need. But I had no idea how to lead to that; i wanted it to be a reward for creative roleplay in the scene or whatever, but no ideas of what line of inquiry would lead to it. When they jokingly told the ghost he could zap the Gnome who was annoying him, I almost had him respond "I WILL smite an enemy if you wish it." But I got interrupted and the moment passed. Oh well, maybe something will come up before they leave the shrine.

Anyway, they left the chamber to see. . .the entire Gnoll hunting party returning from their hunt! Battlestations! (And we left it there since it was getting late. Fun cliffhanger.) Perhaps if they retreat to the chamber they can get the ghost to help or something.

Peace,
Joel