Tuesday 15 November 2011

Sunless Citadel: Updated Quests

Contracted (Tam and Gregory, shared with Lareth and Oreth):
Another party of adventurers, locally based, delved into the Sunless Citadel a month past.  They have not been seen since.  Two human members of adventuring party were brother and sister, Talgen Hucrele (a warrior) and Sharwyn Hucrele (a wizard).  They are part of an important merchant family based in the town of OakhurstKerowyn Hucrele, the matriarch of the family, offers salvage rights to you and your companions if you find and return with the two lost members of her family – or at least return the gold signet rings worn by the missing brother and sister.  She offers a reward of 125 gp per signet ring per adventurer.  If you bring back the Hucreles alive and in sound mind and body she offers to double the reward.

Solving a Mystery (Lareth and Oreth, shared with Tam and Gregory):
The goblin tribe infesting the nearby ruins (known as the Sunless Citadel, though no one knows why) ransom a single piece of magical fruit to the highest bidder in Oakhurst once every midsummer.  They’ve been doing this for the last twelve years.  Usually, the fruit sells for around 50 gp, which is all any of the townspeople can bring themselves to pay a goblin.  The fruit, apparently an apple of perfect hue, heals those who suffer from any disease or other ailment.  They some-times plant the seeds at the centre of each fruit, hoping to engender an enchanted apple tree.  When the seeds germinate in their proper season, they produce a twiggy mass of twisted sapling stems.  Not too long after the saplings reach 2 feet in height, they are stolen – every time.  The townsfolk assume that the jealous goblins send thieves out to ensure their monopoly of enchanted fruit.  You are interested in piercing the mystery associated with how wretched goblins could ever possess such a wonder, and how they steal every sprouting sapling grown from the enchanted fruit’s seed.

To Rescue a Clan Dragon (Tam, Gregory, Lareth, Oreth) - Completed
Impressed by Gregory’s zeal for retribution and Lareth’s draconic eloquence, Yusdrayl offers the adventurers a reward for the safe return of Calcryx, the clan’s dragon abducted in a devastating surprise goblin raid.  Lareth and Yusdrayl leave the exact nature of the reward unspecified, though the key or some combination of items from the altar are discussed.  Meepo is designated as the kobold’s representative amongst the party and ordered to guide the adventurers to the ‘back way’ from which the goblin attack came.  While not specified by Yusdrayl, the adventurers get the impression that she rather gleefully assumes this task will involve considerable death and destruction for the 'wretched, thieving goblins.'

Hunting 'the Hunter' (Tam, Gregory, Lareth, Oreth)
While Yusdrayl never specified the slaying of any particular goblins when sending the adventurers to rescue Calcryx, the fact that the much feared 'Hunter' Belsag was not accounted for amongst the goblin's dead has considerably dampened Yusdrayl's elation at the defeat of the Durbulak goblins, and her cooperation with the adventurers along with it.  Or perhaps it is just the kobolds' nature not to offer any more assistance then they promised, no matter how much more they have benefited from an agreement than they might have hoped?  Regardless, an exasperated Oreth (trying to stave off brewing conflict between Gregory and the 'Dragon Queen') pointed out to Yusdrayl that the best chance of bringing her the Hunter's head would require her continued cooperation.  Yusdrayl, for her part, seems willing to concede that the adventurers have destroyed the Durbulak when, and only when, they bring proof of the Hunter's demise.

Rules Update: Session 7

I made a few notes after the last session which we should remember in future:

Drawing/Readying Weapons and Shields:

AT FIRST it is a MOVE EQUIVALENT action to do the following:
  • draw a weapon
  • ready a shield
  • loose a shield
HOWEVER, once you have a +1 base attack bonus (this currently applies to Tam, Gregory, and Oreth, but not Lareth), then you can take any ONE of the above three actions in CONJUNCTION with another move action, to reflect your combat aptitude.  Dropping a weapon remains a FREE ACTION.

For example:

  1. Tam is covering the party's retreat before an overwhelming horde of goblins.  On his turn, he decides to (STANDARD ACTION) hurl his spear at the first oncoming goblin, then takes falls back 20 feet (MOVE ACTION), drawing his bastard sword as he does so (as part of the MOVE ACTION) in preperation for the onslaught.
  2. Oreth has been hurling sling bullets into the fray but notices an opportunity to flank the bestial warrior battling Tam.  On his turn, Oreth drops his sling (FREE ACTION) and darts forwards (MOVE ACTION), drawing his scimitar (as part of the MOVE ACTION) and slicing into the foe (STANDARD ACTION) in one graceful movement.
  3. Gregory sees a blasphemous cleric of a dark power and is filled with righteous fury.  Trusting in St. Cuthbert to shield him as he charges (MOVE ACTION), Gregory flings aside his shield (included in MOVE ACTION) and raises his mace above his head two handed as he brings it crashing down on his foe (STANDARD ACTION, deals one and a half times the strength bonus due to two handed fighting).
Standing Up from Prone

This has been bothering me since last session when, despite being surrounded, Belsag 'the Hunter' stood up from prone (after incredibly being tripped by Marrok!) without you guys getting any attacks of opportunity.  Now according to the letter of the 3.0 Edition Rules (see page 128), standing from prone does not provoke attacks of opportunity, BUT, given that movement THROUGH threatened squares provokes an attack of opportunity, it seems ludicrous not to allow this.  Also, I have noted that in 3.5 Edition Rules they make this change.  So while I am normally loathe to mix editions/house-rule unless there is a very compelling reason and I've checked out its other implications for the game - I say that standing from prone counts the same as moving through a threatened square in terms of attacks of opportunity.