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Author Topic: The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]  (Read 2605 times)

Sacrificial Lamb

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« on: August 23, 2014, 04:31:18 AM »


Hello, there! It is I, the ever-humble Sacrificial Lamb. It has been an astoundingly long time since I've posted on this forum, but I feel the urge to contribute again since our group just started playing again for the first time in a dog's age.

We played last night for the first time in a very long time. In doing so, we decided to go back and do something a little more "old school". We are playing the new game known as Adventures in the East Mark. This game is a variant of Basic D&D, translated from Spanish into English. As a first adventure, we're using the fabled adventure module known as The Keep on the Borderlands. This is the cover:



It's important to take note that this game is very simple, and is mostly compatible with Basic D&D. It looked great, so we decided to give it a try.

Before I continue, take note that some house rules were made for the sake of this brand new campaign:

* maximum hit points at 1st level
* material from Rules Cyclopedia, Basic D&D, and limited AD&D material is allowed
* characters start off with something called Fate Points. You can expend a Fate Point to avoid death (and fall unconscious instead), reroll a die roll, or randomly roll on a table (akin to Deck of Many Things, but less powerful; PC's receive starting Fate Points equal to the number of hirelings for their Charisma score)
* a natural 20 on an attack roll either causes double damage or permits a second attack
* characters die at -10 hit points (rather than -3 hit points, as explained in the rules for AitEM)

To speed things up, the characters started off at the Caves of Chaos. It's late, so I'll continue this tomorrow. More to come soon...
« Last Edit: August 26, 2014, 11:28:47 AM by Sacrificial Lamb »

The Butcher

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2014, 10:41:04 AM »
Welcome back!

Not really familiar with AotEM, but you can't go wrong with B2. Do keep us posted. :)

yabaziou

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2014, 05:45:36 PM »
I also have AotEM and B 2 and I am interested by any mix of the two. I am waiting for your futur posts.
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Sacrificial Lamb

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2014, 02:28:41 AM »
Quote from: The Butcher;782085
Welcome back!

Not really familiar with AotEM, but you can't go wrong with B2. Do keep us posted. :)

Thanks! :)



http://xdpublishing.com/adventures-in-the-east-mark/

Adventures in the East Mark is a Basic D&D variant translated from Spanish to English. The production values are extremely high, and the book is intuitively designed and well-organized. The only flaws are that the book reads a bit like Japanese stereo instructions translated into English; strongly needing an editor. Kinda weird. It also lacks an index. Despite these flaws, the game is solid...though characters are a bit weak in strength. The game uses the following rules:

* d6 (roll high) is used for initiative
* d20 for attack rolls
* old-school saving throws
* descending armor class
* percentile rolls for Thief abilities
* electrum pieces are used


There's more, but you get the picture.

Quote from: yabaziou
I also have AotEM and B 2 and I am interested by any mix of the two. I am waiting for your futur posts.


Also, thanks! :)

I think I'll have to wait until after I get a good night's sleep before I finish writing this campaign journal, as I had a very long day seeing my cousins today, and I now feel an overwhelming urge to pass out on this keyboard. :)

But yeah, I felt that The Keep on the Borderlands would be a welcome return to gaming after such a long absence away.



Before I end this post, I'll mention that we were very rusty in regards to playing D&D....so I decided to skip all the foreplay, and have the characters appear right in front of the dungeon. My two players used a total of four characters, spontaneously arriving in front of the Caves of Chaos via dimensional portal.

I know my players won't memorize this, so here's a map of the area where the caves are located at:



Ok, guys. More to come after I get a good night's sleep! :)
« Last Edit: August 24, 2014, 08:25:14 PM by Sacrificial Lamb »

yabaziou

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2014, 11:27:54 AM »
By the way, there is something that bothers me when I read the rules of AotEM : it is written that the hit point dice for the thief is 1d4 but in the PC creation example the hit point dice is 1d6, and the warrior gains an additional attack at 15th level (+ 1 every 5 levels with a 4 attacks cap).

It makes more sense to me if the hit point dice for the thief is 1d6 and if the warrior gains an additional attack at 5th level.

I don't know if it is a typo or it is the way it is in the original spanish book (I should probably contact the publisher about it).
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Sacrificial Lamb

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2014, 06:33:26 PM »
Quote from: yabaziou;782304
By the way, there is something that bothers me when I read the rules of AotEM : it is written that the hit point dice for the thief is 1d4 but in the PC creation example the hit point dice is 1d6, and the warrior gains an additional attack at 15th level (+ 1 every 5 levels with a 4 attacks cap).

It makes more sense to me if the hit point dice for the thief is 1d6 and if the warrior gains an additional attack at 5th level.

I don't know if it is a typo or it is the way it is in the original spanish book (I should probably contact the publisher about it).


I didn't notice that. Do you remember what page it's on? I can't seem to find it. In Basic D&D, Thieves had d4 Hit Dice, and in AD&D, they had d6. I also prefer it if the Thief receives d6 for Hit Dice. While I prefer the Hit Dice configurations for AD&D, the simplicity of Basic D&D really makes things easier.

Sacrificial Lamb

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2014, 08:15:00 PM »
...continued from before.

The characters are adventurers from a place called Omegus Prime.

Rein (the Mystic) was drawn from the Rules Cyclopedia, but the rest were drawn from Adventures in the East Mark. The PC stats are as follows:

* Rathe; 1st-level Warrior: (AC 5; MV 10, HP 11; #AT 1; DMG 2d4+2 [bastard sword] or 1d6 [shortbow]; STR 16, INT 13, WIS 13 DEX 13 CON 13, CHA 13; SD +1 to saves vs Poison or Death; AL Chaotic; SZ M; XP -; equipment: studded leather armor, bastard sword, short sword, shortbow, quiver, 20 arrows, Lucky Penny, Maxmillian's Magically Replenishing Jug of Tea)

* Sarkis; 1st-level Cleric: (AC 5; MV 10, HP 7; #AT 1; DMG 1d6 [mace] or 1d4 [sling]; STR 11, INT 13, WIS 17 DEX 13 CON 14 (15 in water), CHA 13; SD spells, water breathing, +1 Constitution when immersed in water; AL Lawful; SZ M; XP -; equipment: studded leather armor, mace, sling)

* Rein; 1st-level Mystic: (AC 6; MV 10, HP 6; #AT 1; DMG 1d4+2 [unarmed] or 1d6+2 [spear]; STR 16, INT 9, WIS 16 DEX 18 CON 12, CHA 10; SD Thief abilities; AL Lawful; SZ M; XP -; equipment: spear)

* Ezra; 1st-level Mage: (AC 9; MV 10, HP 4; #AT 1; DMG 1d4 [dagger]; STR 11, INT 17, WIS 8 DEX 10 CON 12, CHA 14; SA spells; AL Neutral; SZ M; XP -; equipment: dagger)

Characters started off at the Caves of Chaos...



To be continued...

Edit: The map disappeared for some reason, so I re-posted a different version of the map from somewhere else.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2014, 11:14:51 AM by Sacrificial Lamb »

robiswrong

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2014, 08:26:55 PM »
Quote from: The Butcher;782085

Not really familiar with AotEM, but you can't go wrong with B2.


It's basically Mentzer Basic.  He even wrote the foreword.

Skywalker

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2014, 08:30:14 PM »
Quote from: Sacrificial Lamb;782243
Before I end this post, I'll mention that we were very rusty in regards to playing D&D....so I decided to skip all the foreplay, and have the characters appear right in front of the dungeon. My two players used a total of four characters, spontaneously arriving in front of the Caves of Chaos via dimensional portal.


You may have skipped the best part of the adventure by skipping the Keep IME. Then again, as 1st level PCs, they will likely need to head back there before too long :)

Sacrificial Lamb

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2014, 10:35:04 PM »
Quote from: Skywalker;782405
You may have skipped the best part of the adventure by skipping the Keep IME. Then again, as 1st level PCs, they will likely need to head back there before too long :)

You're more right than you could ever know. :)



We had a near TPK, and I can't yet go into full detail, but I will say this:

We had instituted the use of Fate Points (4 or 5 in total, depending upon Charisma). The players could expend a point, and make a random roll...where something random would happen. This is what happened...

Rathe first rolled an 87 on Table 3B...

Lucky Penny: You find a copper piece with the image of a four-leaf clover on one side and a leprechaun on the other. It provides you with luck. You gain a permanent +1 modifier to one of your saving throws (your choice).

Rathe then rolled a 51 on Table 3B...

Maxmillian's Magically Replenishing Jug of Tea: You find a jug that can pour any kind of tea, a total of seven pourings a day maximum. The quantity per pouring is 1 gallon each time.

Sarkis rolled a 90 on Table 3C...

Water Elemental:  You are invigorated by the essence of a water elemental. It grants you the ability of water breathing, as well as modifying your Constitution by +1 when you are immersed in water.

Rein rolled a 44 on Table 3B...

Berserker Rage: You are prone to black moods and bouts of rage. If someone insults you or otherwise belittles you or angers you, you have a 5% chance of entering an apelike berserker rage, granting you a +2 damage bonus to melee and thrown weapon attacks. This chance increases to 10% if you are engaged in mortal combat. You must attack all opponents until they are defeated or dead (and will even pursue fleeing opponents if you fail a Wisdom check). The rage lasts for 1d6 rounds after the combat ends, and you must make a Wisdom check to avoid attacking allies after all enemies are gone.

Ezra rolled a 16 on Table 3B....

Festering Wound: The next attack against you inflicts double damage. You lose an additional hit point per round until the wound is bandaged or healed.

The players hilariously pontificated the possible ramifications of how these rolls would influence their PC's, and thus used the rolls to flesh out their backgrounds a little bit. Meanwhile, Rein (the Mystic), climbed up a tree to see if he could see anything important.

I had him attempt a surprise check. One failed d6 roll later, and he determined that he didn't really see anything relevant, other than the fact that they were in a valley, and there were various entrances in the hillside.

So the characters decided to explore entrance A at the Caves of Chaos, and that's when everything when to complete shit in a near-campaign-ending melee.

But I'll save that for my next post. :)

Skywalker

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2014, 10:43:10 PM »
When we played B2 "by the book" a while back (when the D&D movie came out), I remember rolling up a 1 HP M-U with magic missile.

The first room we came across had a pile of rubbish in it. The text said that for every round you searched the pile, you found XdY gp. Thinking we hit a bottomless gold mine, we stayed and searched for several rounds.

Of course, we forgot wandering monsters. Before long, we got a large group of giant rats, each tougher than any PC. I cast magic missile and then ran for it as I had not much else to offer. My PC was the only one to survive our one room delve into the Caves of Chaos :)

yabaziou

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2014, 04:20:33 AM »
Quote from: Sacrificial Lamb;782385
I didn't notice that. Do you remember what page it's on? I can't seem to find it. In Basic D&D, Thieves had d4 Hit Dice, and in AD&D, they had d6. I also prefer it if the Thief receives d6 for Hit Dice. While I prefer the Hit Dice configurations for AD&D, the simplicity of Basic D&D really makes things easier.


The hit point dice for the thief is 1d4 on pages 27 and 28 but becomes 1d6 on page 30 (it is the 1st PC creation example).

I don't think it is a big deal but I don't know which dice is the right one since AotEM is a hybrid of basic D&D/AD&D (1d10 for the warrior but 1d6 for the cleric).
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Currently reading : 13th Age, Cypher System, Polaris

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Currently playing : The Chronicles of the Devouring Lands using D&D 5.

Sacrificial Lamb

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #12 on: August 25, 2014, 09:59:10 AM »
Quote from: yabaziou;782451
The hit point dice for the thief is 1d4 on pages 27 and 28 but becomes 1d6 on page 30 (it is the 1st PC creation example).

I don't think it is a big deal but I don't know which dice is the right one since AotEM is a hybrid of basic D&D/AD&D (1d10 for the warrior but 1d6 for the cleric).


I see it now; you're absolutely right. I'm gonna use d6 for Thieves, since that somehow seems more appropriate to me.

Thanks. :)

yabaziou

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #13 on: August 25, 2014, 01:03:28 PM »
You're welcome !

The more I think about it, the more I find that AotEM and The Keep on the Borderlands will mix very together. The East Mark is a frontier land so putting the Keep there is quite easy (and I am kind digging the map of the East Mark).

The 2 regrets I have about AitEM is the descending AC and the lack of information about the deities who are worshipped by the clerics.

I hope the XD Publishing can do the translation of the blue box quickly. I cannot wait to have more informations (and illustrations which are gorgeous !) about the East Mark !

By the way, how D&D does the multi-attacks of the warrior/fighter and the weapon specialisation ?
« Last Edit: August 25, 2014, 05:03:54 PM by yabaziou »
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Currently reading : 13th Age, Cypher System, Polaris

Currently planning : Project Scourge : the battle for the Soul of Mankind using 13th Age

Currently playing : The Chronicles of the Devouring Lands using D&D 5.

Sacrificial Lamb

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The Keep on the Borderlands [Adventures in the East Mark]
« Reply #14 on: August 26, 2014, 11:37:10 AM »
Quote from: Skywalker;782428
When we played B2 "by the book" a while back (when the D&D movie came out), I remember rolling up a 1 HP M-U with magic missile.

The first room we came across had a pile of rubbish in it. The text said that for every round you searched the pile, you found XdY gp. Thinking we hit a bottomless gold mine, we stayed and searched for several rounds.

Of course, we forgot wandering monsters. Before long, we got a large group of giant rats, each tougher than any PC. I cast magic missile and then ran for it as I had not much else to offer. My PC was the only one to survive our one room delve into the Caves of Chaos :)


Nice.

The PC's in my game our sturdier than that, but it didn't help them much.

When the characters went to one of the entrances, they were bushwhacked a group of unruly kobolds.



I never took these little buggers seriously; probably because my players usually had characters that were incredibly tough for their level.  But this time, it got bloody. The Warrior basically acted as a damage soak for the little bastards (with his superior hps and AC), while the Cleric and Mage both got gibbed...and nicked into unconsciousness. :(

Meanwhile, the Mystic (a Monk variant) was miraculously and furiously beating the living crap out of the kobolds.

Remember how Rein (the Mystic) gained the ability, "Berserker Rage"? Well, his player rolled a 01 in the midst of combat....

....so it was on.

When half of the kobolds were finally beaten bloody, I had them attempt a morale check (which they failed), and so the little buggers tried to flee into the cave.

The Warrior and the Mystic dropped two of them, while the other two rushed into the shadowy entrance of the cave. Of course, the Mystic was in full kill mode now, and was in hot pursuit. And after that...

...well, to be continued. :)