A quicky for newbies

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Just Jeff
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Posts: 224
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 4:12 am

A quicky for newbies

Post by Just Jeff »

We had a couple of guests this week, both board gamers and video gamers, but they'd never played a pen-n-paper RPG and wanted to give it a try. In order for me to have some time to plan the adventure, they and my wife discussed via Skype what kind of characters they wanted to play. It quickly got silly.

"We're three half-orcs, all clerics. Mom is a shaman with a thing for humans."

I can do silly. "Cleric/fighter, cleric/wizard, cleric/rogue. That's a solid party. I could even throw in a paladin. Obviously clerics of three different gods...god of fright, god of light, and god of night. So...little brother is in debt to an ogre magi, and he's got a task for you." Funny what you can manage in a dozen seconds when inspiration strikes.

I decided 4th level characters would be a fun starting point. I spent an hour with random map generators and map repositories. Eventually found a nice little two-level dungeon that, with some strategic rubble added, fit the bill.

The mission was to collect the eyes of blight from the dungeon, the biggest room of which was dedicated to the god of blight. A frog god, obviously, because why wouldn't I go with a frog god? Also obviously, the eyes of blight were the large jewels used for the shrine's eyes. His priest was a toned-down mummy-priest with a frog's head and a bunch of skeletons and zombies at his side.

Also in the dungeon were a gelatinous cube, a gray ooze, a ghost naga, a fleshcrawler, three shadows, and three thieves (formerly four) cornered by a group of hobgoblins.

At the entrance to the dungeon they met Archie, a paladin with a dazzling smile and a sharp eye for evil. He'd learned in a vision that if he came to these ruins, he'd find help for his mission. His mission? Destroy the eyes of blight. (I wanted to establish conflict early. ;))

A grand time was had by all. Characters were paralyzed and lost strength. Traps were tripped. Secret doors were unsecreted. It rained frogs, and giant frogs kept popping out of the shrine's mouth. No, the paladin would not go for a walk with the sister while the two brothers questioned a prisoner, thank you very much. The shrine had a giant tongue that shot out at enemies who passed in front of it. (Alas, it never connected.)

The three siblings survived (just) and returned with the eyes of blight and only one case of mummy rot. Archie, sadly, did not make it. He gave his life to allow his comrades in arms a few critical moments to regroup. Two of the three siblings were saddened by this. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had Archie survived.

We'll probably all be in the same place again sometime next year. I wonder what the ogre magi has in mind for the eyes of blight...

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Relaxo
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Re: A quicky for newbies

Post by Relaxo »

dude, that is totally AWESOME!!!
Bill D.
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Just Jeff
Red Cap
Posts: 224
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 4:12 am

Re: A quicky for newbies

Post by Just Jeff »

I'm happy to report that after the above Christmas session, the two newbies returned home and set up their own gaming group, with one of them GMing. Sadly, they're playing D&D, but hey, hobby expanded.

Round two, Thanksgiving. The youngest half-orc lost his soul in a game of chance. Mom fetched it back from the ogre magi (nobody messes with mom), but in return her three kids (now 5th level) had to again reunite and collect the shadowstaff from a lost altar to the god of spite.

Nasty business involving bugbears, an assassin/cleric and a hag, but in the end all three were standing (or at least alive, if prone and bleeding) and they had the staff. Curiously, rather than leaving while ahead, they've decided to stay and finish exploring the dungeon. (Wouldn't you know it, they went straight to the hidden alter. Two-thirds of the dungeon is unexplored.) When next they gather, we'll see whether or not this was a wise decision.

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