To Gneissvale and Back Again (Greyhawk campaign)

PART 8: FROM HOMMLET TO GNEISSVALE – AND BACK AGAIN

8.1 Back in the Inn of the Welcome Wench (Flocktime 13^th)

 

The stalwart adventurers — Erik (the mountain dwarf fighter from the Lortmils), Althaea (the high elf wizard from the city of Tringlee), and the brothers Godric (the human rogue from the Barony of Shiboleth) and Cedric (the human cleric of St. Cuthbert) – have returned to Hommlet after clearing the Moathouse of Lareth (the golden-haired follower of Iuz) and his vile followers. The party is accompanied by Spugnoir, a squeaky dagger-wielding wizard of Suel descent, and Knarf, a gnome of Gneissvale, who had been captured by the Moathouse brigands days ago. After reaching the inn of The Welcome Wench, Knarf is granted a room and collapses into a deep slumber. 

 

Upon learning of Zert’s treachery, the innkeeper Ostler Gundigoot tells the party that they may take possession of any goods remaining in Zert’s rented room. In addition to some saddle bags and other sundries, the party finds a small chest, which they unlock with Zert’s key. The box clicks open – and out spurts a cloud of vile green mist! Everyone but Cedric flees the room before breathing in any of the dangerous gas. Cedric coughs badly but somehow avoids major harm. Erik then checks out the chest and finds within some platinum and gold pieces, as well as an shiny black pearl. The party moves the chest to their chamber, relocks it, and returns to the inn’s common room for some further drinking.

 

8.2 The Council of Hommlet rewards the party (Flocktime 14^th)

 

The next day, a village council meeting is held. In attendance are: Jaroo Ashstaff, the Druid of Hommlet’s Old Faith Grove; Canon Terjon, head of Hommlet’s Church of St. Cuthbert; Hroth, Captain of the village militia and father of the now-deceased Elmo; Ostler Gundigoot; Mytch the Miller; Burne the wizard; Rufus the warrior (and leader of “Burne’s Badgers”); and the town elder Kenter Nevets. 

 

Cedric recounts the party’s convoluted cleansing of the Moathouse and the subsequent nefarious sneak attack by Ranos Davos and Greemag. Upon learning of the traders’ allegiance to the Lareth and the followers of Iuz, the council grants the party the village trading post and everything within it.

 

The party also receives the following rewards from the council:

·    Althaea asks to study with Burne to learn a few more spells (including “Suggestion,” “Misty Step,” and “Levitation”). Burne agrees, though she will have to pay for the special inks herself.

·    Erik asks for the location of the Tomb of Serten, as part of his ongoing quest for the Helm of Laga Vulin. Recognizing that the party is furthering the goals of St. Cuthbert – in particular, opposing the followers of Iuz – Burne tells him. The wizard notes that the symbol of St. Cuthbert will be needed to enter the tomb, but this should not be an issue with Cedric in the party.

·    Cedric asks to be permitted to continue to serve St. Cuthbert. (Godric rolls his eyes.) Canon Terjon gives the stoical cleric three potions of healing to help with his efforts.

·    Godric asks for any information pertaining to the manor of the renowned mage Quesse the Quick. Burne has heard legends of her manor in the Gnarley Forest. Jaroo knows of some sylvan elves who range throughout the woods and likely know its location – he tells them where to find the elves and agrees to write a letter of introduction for them.

·    Spugnoir asks if he can apprentice to Burne. Burne agrees, albeit with a manifest lack of enthusiasm. 

 

8.3 Taking Care of Business in Hommlet (Flocktime 14^th – 17^th)

 

After the council meeting the party goes to their new trading post. It looks to have been cleaned out by the malevolent Rannos Davl and Greemag. However, hidden away, the party finds a small black scarab, engraved with the letters “TZGY”. Cedric cannot discern its meaning, but believes that it has something to do with the Temple of Elemental Evil.

 

Knarf finally awakens from his slumber. He tells the party that his friend in Gneissvale, Zeno Zacklington, might be interested in purchasing the trading establishment from them. (Zeno belongs to the gnomish Zacklington trading house – with which the party previously interacted back in Hookhill, when they were travelling through the Gran March.) Given his tragic experiences, Knarf is keen to return to his family in Gneissvale and offers the party 100 gold pieces to escort him home. 

 

To the gnome’s frustration, the party insists on spending a few more days in Hommlet in order to take care of the following matters:

·    Erik commissions Smyth the smith to rework the plate armour that they had looted from a dead cultist to dwarf-size. The party pays the smith with Lareth’s magical armour, which none wish to use because of its dark nature and evil symbol. 

·    Althaea copies some spells from Burne. She lets Spugnoir copy “Shield” from her spellbook into his. She also practices her Draconic with Cedric.

·    Cedric spends time at the Church of St. Cuthbert. There he is reminded by Canon Terjon that the body of Serten no longer resides within his original tomb, as it was moved to the City of Greyhawk a few years after the Battle of Emridy Meadows. However, Terjon believes that there are some important items of power left in the tomb to be used by those who follow St. Cuthbert.

·    Godric gambles a bit and gets to know the village better.

·    The party commissions the village tailor to repair the rip in their Cloak of Elvenkind. 

·    When not trying to “help” Smyth work on his plate mail, Erik drinks vast quantities of Umberdeep Ale.

·    The party stocks up on rations and treat Vick the mule to many carrots and apples.

 

8.4 From Hommlet to Gneissvale (Flocktime 18^th – 22^nd)

 

The party follows the caravan road through the Kron Hills to Gneissvale. The journey is seventeen leagues. After a couple of days, the party encounters a caravan travelling to Verbobonc. The adventurers exchange pleasantries with merchants, Toby, Alphonse, and Lady Violet. 

 

Halfway through their journey (Flocktime 20^th) Godric notices a flying creature high above. The party discerns that it is a griffon! Knarf panics over Vick the mule, as griffons are known to snatch beasts of burden away for consumption in their nests. Althaea casts “Invisibility” on Vick and eventually the griffon loses interest in the party and flies away to the north. 

 

Later that evening Cedric finds a lovely campsite. During the night, though, the party is attacked by a band of scruffy gnolls. After a heated battle, six hyena-headed ne’er-do-wells lie dead. Knarf congratulates the adventurers on dispatching the humanoids with such ease.

 

During the remainder of their trip the party encounters only some mildly belligerent goats.

 

8.5 Spending quality time in nice Gneissvale (Flocktime 22^nd – Wealsun 16^th)

 

Finally, in the early afternoon of Flocktime 22^nd, the party enters the valley of Gneissvale. As they approach the town, the travellers see the following carved upon a stone sign: “Earth & Stone, Man & Gnome, Together Forever!” There are caves up the sides of the valley, while the village lies below. 

Knarf tells the adventurers about the village: it is a mix of peoples, most of whom live in peace; however, there is a split between those who want to join with Verbobonc, while others wish to remain neutral. The town (like many others from the Kron Hills) was allied with the forces that overthrew the Temple of Elemental Evil at the Battle of Emridy Meadows almost a decade ago, at much cost to itself.  Knarf also tells the party about the various pubs in town and recommends the Belching Brownie as a place favoured by adventurers and travellers. 

 

The band goes with Knarf to meet his wife and wee gnomelings. The grateful gnome merchant rewards the party with ten platinum pieces. He also gives Althaea an enchanted waterskin – it refills with fresh water every morning. Knarf reminds the adventurers to meet with Zeno Zacklington about the trading post in Hommlet. He also tells them that they are welcome in his household anytime.

 

The party secures lodgings at The Four Winds Inn, and then sets out on a pub crawl. They drink at the Murky Mead Pub(favoured by gnomes), the Green Tea Tree Inn (favoured by elves), the Sleepy Forge (favoured by dwarves), and finally the Belching Brownie (favoured by all people who enjoy high quality alcoholic beverages). The bartenders at the Belching Brownie are all halflings. The party is seated at a table by the window, overlooking the valley. Althaea orders a glass of the inn’s best wine. Erik orders a glass of wine and two pints of ale. Godric orders a Rocky Hills lager. Cedric orders a glass of milk.  

 

Althaea notices a striking high elf with silver hair sitting with a flamboyantly dressed gnome. She introduces herself and offers to buy them a round. They accept a glass of the finest wine and a mead. The haughty elf tells the waitress to bring a bottle. He then introduces himself as Eleric, of the Faerie Kingdom of Celene; the gnome is Hilfo. Eleric explains that he has come to Gneissvale because Hilfo told him that the Kron Hills is where gryphon eggs are to be found. Eleric seeks to establish a force of gryphon riders in Courwood, but gryphons can only be trained if they are taken straight from hatching. Eleric offers to pay 50 pp per egg. He has a magical “Bag of Incubation” for egg hunters but does not know where the eggs are to be found. Eleric suggests that if the party is willing to help him in his endeavour that they inquire with gnomish scouts in town. 

 

The next day (23^rd Flocktime) the party meets with Knarf and Zeno Zacklington. They ask about Hilfo, Eleric, and the gryphon egg quest. Knarf tells them that Hilfo is a complete fop, though he does wander through faraway lands and claims to be an elf-friend. Gryphons are a problem for the gnomes, and the explanation for any that go missing. 

 

Zeno is keen to establish an outpost of the Zacklington trading house in Hommlet. After some hard bargaining, the party agrees to sell him their trading post for 290 gold coins plus a potion of healing. Zeno agrees to accompany the party when they return to Hommlet in order to get the shop up and running.  

 

Althaea decides to create a ring of darkvision for Cedric while in Gneissvale, using the ring possessed by Godric (which the party gained from Yorvick the riddle-master back in Veluna City) to guide her efforts. By creating this item, all of the adventurers will be able to see in the dark (Althaea and Erik because of their innate abilities, Cedric and Godric by means of the rings).

 

Althaea’s project will take some twenty days. The cost of the materials to create the ring is considerable. In order to gain sufficient funds, the party sells some of the jewellery they have accumulated over their adventures at the Zacklington goods emporium.  Cedric purchases a simple electrum ring to serve as the target for the enchantment.

 

While Althaea creates the ring in a workshop that she has rented in town, the other adventurers decide to spend the next 20 days pursuing their own interests.

·    Erik carouses his way through the three weeks, mostly at the Sleepy Forge Inn – some nights spent passed out on the floor. During that time, he makes some good drinking buddies and becomes friendly with Ulgor the Gruff, the owner of the establishment.

·    Cedric seizes the opportunity to spread the word of St. Cuthbert, ministering to the town. He is met with nods and faint smiles. He converts no-one but equally alienates no-one – his enthusiasm is widely regarded as charmingly naïve.

·    Godric swans about town, gleaning information and rumours and generally being a social butterfly. He becomes known in Gneissvale as an entertaining and charming fellow.

 

During the three weeks, the party learns the following tidbits of information:

• A troupe of halfling actors is staging a play at the formerly abandoned Gneissvale Theatre. Willy Smallspear, an ambitious halfling playwright, leads the troupe.
• Jegg the Cobbler (a lady gnome) is said to have a special supply of magical boots, available only to those she knows well or who do her a favour. Knarf tells the party that she is reclusive but a very good cobbler. 
• Erik learns that Ulgor serves watered down whisky to non-dwarves.
• The high council of the Kron Hills is debating whether to form a permanent alliance with Viscount Wilfrick of Verbobonc. Ten years ago, the gnomes had fought side-by-side with Verbobonc at the Battle of Emridy Meadows. Some now want a more formal alliance while others wish to remain aloof.

 

Finally, on the 16^th day of Wealsun. Althaea emerges from her laboratory with an electrum ring emanating eldritch power. She gives it to Cedric. He enters a closet to test the ring – and finds that he now can see in the dark!

 

8.6 From Gneissvale back to Hommlet (Wealsun 17^th – 20^th)

 

Zeno Zacklington, his assistant Berta, and two gnomish guards named Fritho and Frothi, accompany the party as they leave Gneissvale. During the party’s journey back to Hommlet they are waylaid by some bandits. Most of the scoundrels are slain with ease by the party; however, the leader and two others flee into the hills. Aside from this unpleasant incident, the party encounters only a gnomish caravan heading to Gneissvale from Verbobonc.

[The Kron Hills are quite gneiss]

Late in the evening of the 20^th day of Wealsun the party returns to the village of Hommlet.

[Links to other instalments in this campaign can be found here.]

 

Credits

 

This log drew heavily from notes taken during the game by one of the players (Marcus K).

 

The colour regional map is from the original World of Greyhawk sets (1980 and 1983) by Darlene. The version used here was fixed up for online use by R Conley. I added Hommlet and the road to Verbobonc (using Preview). 

 

The black and white regional map is from Goodman Games’ revised version of The Temple of Elemental Evil. I added the caravan road to Gneissvale (the thin brown line), and a few other things (the dark green oval is a small forest by Gneissvale; the red hexagon is the sight of the ambush that occurred during the party’s journey from Verbobonc to Hommlet; the blue dot is the Tomb of Serten; the green circle is the wood elf camp; and the purple square is the Moathouse).

 

The map of Gneissvale is from ICE’s old module, The Cloudlords of Tanara (by Terry Amthor). All the names that have been added to the buildings are my own. I also added the “Emridy Meadows” statue. I created the description of Gneissvale and its inhabitants for my campaign (expanding upon the brief notes in the Goodman Games’ book).

 

The photo of gneiss rock was taken in Lake Country, British Columbia.

 

 

Recommended: Swords and Wizardry Complete – Revised Edition

The kickstarter for the revised version of the Swords & Wizardry Complete rules was a great success. Backers (like myself) now have PDFs of the new core rulebook. I’ve looked it over and am very favourably impressed. The organization and layout have been improved from earlier versions. Information is presented in a direct, economical, but nonetheless aesthetically pleasing way. Kudos to Suzy Moseby on doing such a fine job on the layout. The art is solid, with a few very good pieces, and nothing objectionably unappealing. I like all three covers (the Erol Otus one [depicted below], as well as the green and blue designs by Del Teigeler). (But I do miss the original wonderful S&W cover by Pete Mullen.)

It's amazing to me how much content Matt Finch has managed to pack into such a slim package (144 pages) in a clear and accessible way. Roughly speaking, Swords & Wizardry Complete, gives you pretty much everything in the original D&D 1974 box set, and a lot (but not all) from the subsequent supplements (Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and Eldritch Wizardry). What you end up with is something very close to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (as realized in 1979), but somewhat simpler and lower-powered. The main (or at least most noticeable) differences: in S&W there are no half-orcs, gnomes, illusionists, or bards; alignment is three-fold (Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic); hit dice are lower (e.g., fighters have d8 in S&W instead of d10 as in AD&D); and slightly lower level-limits for demi-human characters. Aside from these changes – which, of course, are easy to modify if one wishes – S&W provides a “simplified” version of AD&D, and is readily compatible with most material produced for D&D and AD&D prior to 3^rd edition.

 

There are some minor but helpful innovations in S&W that distinguish it from "0 edition" D&D. Among them: the ‘ascending’ scale for AC is used (which I appreciate and find preferable to the older system, although the old ‘descending’ system is provided as an option as well); a single unified ‘saving throw’ is provided for each class (but with the option to use the older system, broken down into categories like “death rays and poison”); four different options for determining initiative are outlined; rules for morale are provided; and rules for two-weapon fighting are included. These are all helpful additions to the game in my view.   

 

Since it is a “clone” of early (0e) D&D, S&W includes elements from that system that personally I am not that keen on. For instance, the special abilities of thieves (as well as assassins and monks) are quite miserable, with very low chances for success at anything until characters achieve higher (7+) levels. If I were to run S&W again, I’d probably just use my version of the class instead. Likewise, I’ve never been a fan of the way earlier editions of D&D and AD&D implemented “level limits” on non-human characters. I think that there are better ways to “balance” non-human characters against human ones. (S&W does include an optional rule to permit non-human characters to advance beyond their level limits, but with a 50% penalty to experience points earned by those characters. I’d likely either use that option, or simply grant some additional bonus to human characters instead.) Of course, one cannot really fault a retro-clone like S&W for “cloning” such rules from earlier editions, and in any case such things are easy to house-rule.  

 

In short, this revised, updated version of Swords & Wizardry is excellent, the best version yet. It was the “retro-clone” that helped inspire this blog in 2009 – and for which I wrote a number of house-rules – and it remains my favourite. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the spirit of old school Dungeons and Dragons!

 

(For a more comprehensive review, check out this one at the blog “It’s Okay; Gary Sent Us.”)

Rest and Recovery in Into the Unknown versus 5e D&D

One of the things that I dislike the most about the standard 5^th edition Dungeons & Dragons rules is its system of “rests.” Even if adventurers have been in the savage wildlands for several weeks, so long as they can manage to camp for eight hours, i.e., take a “long rest,” all of them will be (almost) as good as new. After a long rest, characters recover all their hit points, spells, abilities, and so forth. The only minimal kind of attrition that they experience is that they can recover only half of their hit dice (but another long rest a day later can get them back to full).

 

The potency of long rests greatly reduces the roles of attrition and resource management in adventuring, things that were very important in earlier (TSR era) versions of the game. Attrition and resource management make the game more interesting and challenging, in my view. And while D&D has never been very good with respect to “simulation” (to say the least), completely “recharging” after a nap in a sleeping bag is “video-gamey” at its worst. 

 

Now there are options that DMs can use alter the unfortunate nature of rests and recovery in 5e D&D. The Dungeon Master’s Guide mentions a few decent ones in Chapter 9. One is “Healer’s Kit Dependency,” which requires the use of a healing kit in order for a character to spend any hit dice (healer’s kits come with 10 ‘uses’ each). Another is “Slow Natural Healing,” which eliminates the automatic recovery of hit points after a long rest (characters have to spend hit dice in order to recover any hit points, whether after long rests or short rests). And then there is the “Gritty Realism” rest variant, according to which a short rest is eight hours, and a long rest one week. A version of the latter option is used in Adventures in Middle-earth (now Lord of the Rings Role-playing), with “long rests” possible only in ‘safe’ locations (e.g., Rivendell or Lake-town), which perhaps explains why I was so thrown off by the standard 5e rules after having run an AiME campaign in the past.

 

The Into the Unknown rules make rest and recovery somewhat less easy than do the standard 5e rules, although they don’t go as far as AiME or the “Gritty Realism” variant. Below I’ve summarized them. I also added “safe rest,” although I think that it just makes explicit what is already implicit in the rules. Obviously, these rules could be used in any 5e D&D game (given the compatibility of ItU with 5e). 

 

Short rests: One segment (10 minutes) with no strenuous activity (e.g., combat).

 

·       No more than one short rest can be completed in any given hour. (Characters can “rest” for longer than one segment if they choose, of course, but they will gain the benefits for only one short rest in doing so.)

·       Characters must consume rations (one-third of one day’s worth) in order to gain any benefits from a short rest.

 

·       During a short rest, a PC can:

 

o       Spend one hit die to recover hit points (only once/PC).

o       Use a healing kit to spend one additional hit die to recover hit points (only once/PC).

o       Regain “Second Wind” (fighters).

o       Regain “Mighty Deeds” (fighting style – fighters).

o       Regain “Action Surge” (fighters).

o       Regain “Indomitable” (fighters).

o       Regain “Channel Divinity” (priests).

o       Use “Arcane Recovery” (magic-users).

o       Regain “Arcane Study” (magic-users).

o       Regain “Spellcraft” (magic-users).

 

Long rests: Two watches (8 hours) with no significant disruptions (e.g., combat, strenuous actions, chases, etc.).

 

·       No more than one long rest can be completed every 24 hours. (Characters can “rest” for up to 24 hours if they choose, but they will gain the benefits for only one long rest in doing so.)

 

·       After a long rest, a PC:

 

o       Recovers one used hit die.

o       Can spend multiple hit dice to recover hit points (these rolls are made with advantage, unlike rolls after short rests).

o       Recover one level of exhaustion.

o       Prepare spells.

o       Regain spell slots.

o       Regain “Arcane Recovery” (magic-users).

o       Regain any abilities that would be regained after a short rest (see above).

 

Safe rests: At least one full day (24 hours) of rest in a safe, civilized location (e.g., a well-protected keep, an inn within a friendly town, an elf-lord’s haven, etc.).

 

·       After a safe rest, PCs recover all lost hit points, hit dice, spells, class abilities, etc. 

o       Certain unusual conditions (e.g., specific diseases) may require multiple safe rests or special treatments (e.g., potions, spells, rituals, divine intervention, etc.) to remove.

 

 

Against the Darkmaster – June sale

 

To celebrate its 5^th anniversary, for the month of June Open Ended Games is offering the PDF of the Against the Darkmaster rulebook at 50 percent off.

I'm not sure if this is part of the same sale, but physical versions of the core rules and GM screen are available as a "bundle" for 75 USD (instead of 90 USD) here.

 

I’m a big fan of this game – indeed, I wish I was running it right now! 

If you’d like to learn more about VsD, the quick start rules are available for free ("pay what you want") here. In addition, here is a review, and here is another, and here is one more. 

 

(The illustration above is a draft of the cover, found at the artist’s website.)

Victory in the Moathouse (Greyhawk campaign)

PART 7: Victory in the Moathouse and an Unpleasant Ambush

(Flocktime 578 CY)
 

7.1 Confrontation with Lareth the Beautiful (Flocktime 12^th)
 
Our doughty adventurers — Erik (the mountain dwarf fighter from the Lortmils), Althaea (the high elf wizard from the city of Tringlee), and the brothers Godric (the human rogue from the Barony of Shiboleth) and Cedric (the human cleric of St. Cuthbert) – find themselves within the lair of Lareth, the “Master” of the ruined Moathouse. The party is accompanied by Spugnoir (a scrawny and squeaky Suel wizard). But they no longer are accompanied by the traitorous Zert (who lies lifeless, with a thoroughly pulped head, among the bodies of many black-clad followers of Iuz). 
 
The party leaves the area that had been occupied by Lareth and his followers. They explore further into the underground complex beneath the Moathouse. Eventually, the party confronts Lareth again – this time, the foul champion of Chaotic Evil is accompanied by a horde of zombies and a terrible ogre (whom Althaea recognizes from her earlier encounter when first exploring the Moathouse ruins). Lareth laughs maniacally as the shambling undead and hulking humanoid assault the adventurers.

Things look quite bleak initially, as the ogre smashes its club onto Erik’s head, knocking the dwarf out in a single blow. Althaea retaliates with several magic missiles. Astonishingly, it is Spugnoir who manages to finish off the ogre, with a couple of well-placed thrusts with his dagger. Cedric calls upon the holy might of St. Cuthbert and manages to repel some of the zombies. At the same time, though, Lareth calls upon the unholy wrath of Iuz, and compels Althaea and Godric to drop what they’re doing and grovel before him. The situation looks dire, but Cedric blasts Lareth with a divine bolt. Althaea and Godric recover their wits. The elf then hits Lareth with some magic missiles and the rogue follows up by slicing open Lareth’s jugular. The golden “Master” of the Moathouse is no more! Ultimately, it is the adventurers who have the last laugh.
 
The remaining zombies collapse with the death of their master. Cedric quickly heals Erik, returning the dwarf to consciousness.
 
The party loots Lareth’s body and returns to his lair. There, the adventurers assemble the various items they’ve found, and Althaea casts detect magic. Lareth’s black plate mail, ring, and staff all radiate arcane energy, as does Zert’s sword “Betty.” The party rests for the remainder of the day (about eight hours). Later, the ring is discerned to grant “free movement” to its wearer. It is given to Godric. The staff is of “striking” power, and “Betty” is unusually sharp. 
 
7.2 The Rescue of Knarf and Departure from the Moathouse (Flocktime 13^th)
 
After recovering some of their strength, the party explores much of the remaining complex beneath the Moathouse. While doing so, Erik, full of bitterness, smashes in Lareth’s head with the sword “Betty.” Eventually, the party triggers a trap that releases a portcullis in a passageway, preventing further investigation of the western area. 
 
After some further exploration, the party returns to the secret exit located to the east of the main complex, the place where they had first entered the tunnels. As they had noted earlier, the rope ladder had been cut and the trapdoor closed. Althaea uses her mage hand to secure a rope and grappling hook to an iron rung just beneath the trapdoor above them. Erick climbs up the rope and (after several attempts) manages to prod open the trapdoor with “Betty.” He clambers onto the surface, only to be hit immediately with a frosty orb cast at his head by a nearby fiendish gnome. Despite this icy shock, and with a surge of energy, Erik scrambles toward the gnome and hits him with his sword. The gnome squeals in agony and subsequently disappears in a puff of mist. Given the fogginess of the night, and the pounding of his head, Erik cannot locate where the gnome has gone. By the time the rest of the party reach the surface, the vile gnome appears to have fled the area.
 
The party re-enters the underground complex via the other secret entrance, the one within the bandits’ headquarters within the Moathouse itself. They find the ogre’s lair. While exploring, Erik thrusts his sword into a pile of rugs and mats, accidentally tearing a finely made cloak buried within the pile. The party opens a barred door, revealing an imprisoned, emaciated gnome, and two dead humans. Cedric aids the poor gnome.
 
After gulping down some much-needed liquid, the gnome creakily introduces himself as Knarfallan of Gneissvale – or “Knarf” for short. He explains that he, and his two guards (the dead humans), were captured days ago while travelling from Gneissvale to Hommlet. Knarf reveals that there were three “evil” gnomes in league with the bandits, along with the ogre, Lareth, and the cultists. In gratitude for being rescued, Knarf gives Althaea an iron ring that indicates that the bearer is a “gnome friend.” 
 
The party returns to the bandit lair and rests for a few hours. Erik attunes himself to the staff of striking, while Althaea discerns that the torn cloak is in fact a “Cloak of Elvenkind.” She hopes that it will be easy to repair, and asks Spugnoir to use his prestidigitation cantrip to clean it of the ogre’s foul stench and lice.
 
The party conducts a final investigation of the underground complex. They find the gnomes’ dwelling place. There they uncover three scrolls (“Disguise Self,” “Hold Person,” and “Misty Step”), and a letter written in gnomish. Spugnoir is delighted with the scrolls – finally his participation in this adventure is paying off! Knarf translates the letter, informing the party that it is addressed to an unnamed “friend” in Nulb, and that it concerns the activities of the brigands over the past few weeks, including some trouble with “meddlesome adventurers” – no doubt the party! The letter is signed “Moth-Gar” – presumably one of the evil gnomes.
 

Exploring a bit further, the party defeats a few ghouls, and then decides to abandon the damnable place. They go to the above ground ruins in order to recover an ivory box that they had left within a ruined tower days ago. Erik enters the tower to pick up the box, but is immediately attacked by a giant spider. However, the spider is instantly pulverized by a number of magic missiles launched by Althaea. The party then loads their mule Vick up with recovered loot (including two suits of black plate mail, one of which is Lareth’s enchanted armour). After a short rest, the party begins their march back to Hommlet.
 
7.3 Ambush! (Flocktime 13^th)
 
It is a grey, dreary morning as the party trudges back to Hommlet. The bleak weather matches the adventurers’ sense of exhaustion. After a couple of hours of slow progress, Godric spies something ahead. It is a wagon behind a dead horse, slain by several arrows, with a rather frustrated gnome looking on. Althaea casts invisibility on the Godric. Scouting unseen, the rogue spots a dead archer to the east. It looks as though the archer slew the horse before being himself slain. A quick search of the body reveals it to be wearing a “Burne’s Badger” tunic.
 

The party cautiously approach the gnome, who gestures at them for help. Alas, it is an ambush! Appearing out of nowhere – presumably previously invisible – the malevolent “traders” Rannos Davl and Gremag attack, along with a couple of warriors who burst out of the back of the wagon. Spugnoir is badly wounded by a deadly thrust from one of Gremag’s daggers. The gnome tries to cast a spell, but it fizzles. Enraged, Erik smashes in Rannos Davl’s fat head, and kills the gnome in a gory explosion with his deadly staff of striking. The two warriors also are slain with little difficulty, but the surprisingly deft Gremag disappears in a dusty cloud, managing to escape the wrath of the party.

The adventurers take the body of the dead archer, placing it on the back of poor Vick, in order to return it to Burne’s Badgers. Althaea examines the loot recovered from the ambush. She finds that Rannos Davl’s shortsword and dagger both radiate magic. The dagger is given to the shaken Spugnoir.
 
7.4 Return to Hommlet (Flocktime 13^th)
 
As evening approaches, the party arrives back at Hommlet. There they meet immediately with Canon Terjon at the Church of St. Cuthbert. Cedric updates the priest on the events that took place at the Moathouse, as well as the treason of Rannos Davl and Gremag. Canon Terjon is astonished and worried. He tells the party that there will be an emergency town council meeting the next day, at which the party can convey their news to the other council members. 
 
The party returns to the Inn of the Welcome Wench. They collapse in exhaustion. 

 [Cedric, warrior priest of St. Cuthbert]

[For other instalments and more information about this campaign, check out the Index.]

Tales of the Variants

As I noted back in February, following the great “OGL Crisis” of Janurary 2023, a couple of companies that produce materials for 5^th edition Dungeons and Dragons decided to produce their own versions of the game in order to avoid being subject to any future deleterious decisions by the Wizards of the Coast (even after WotC backed down on scrapping the old OGL).

 

One of those companies, Kobold Press, recently announced a kickstarter for its 5e variant, Tales of the Valiant. If you’re curious about it, there is a free preview PDF that you can download from the kickstarter page (available even if you don’t want to be a backer).

 

The name is terrible in my opinion (I think I preferred its previous name, “Project Black Flag”), but the company is solid. I'm mixed on what I’ve seen of the system so far. (I mean, it’s 5e with tweaks, but I'd rather have something more stripped down.) Nonetheless, I’m more likely to use it as a resource in the future than the revised 2024 version ("5.5e") of D&D that WotC is currently working on. 

 

Cubicle 7 is also coming out with its version of 5e later this year. C7 did very good work on Adventures in Middle-earth – indeed, in terms of the rules, I liked running it a lot more than standard 5e. And I’m going through C7’s Uncharted Journeys book now (which adapts the AiME travel rules to standard 5e fantasy). It also is very good, and I’m thinking of using it in future games. So I’ll be interested in checking out “C7d20” whenever it’s released.

 

(Regarding AiME: as mentioned last year, the game is now the Lord of the Rings 5e. The system has been revised and is now published by the Free League, just as the Free League also has taken over publishing The One Ring 2^nd edition. I just got my "physical" version of the LotR 5e core book, and it looks excellent. AiME/LotR shows how 5e can be used to create something better than the original WotC 5e game. But I digress…) 

For 5e D&D, I remain very happy with my version of it: Into the Unknown with some houserules. However, I do sometimes wish that ItU had similar production values to TotV and the like. But, well, it's only an “indie” game. The kids these days sadly prefer fantasy super-heroes to gritty old-school dungeon delving.

Russ Nicholson RIP

Some sad news: the amazing artist Russ Nicholson has passed away. 

Nicholson probably is best known for his art in the Fiend Folio (1e AD&D), as well as his work in many of the classic “Fighting Fantasy” gamebooks, including the first one, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. 

Fellow fans of Mythras may recognize his work from Monster Isle. 

One brilliantly disturbing example:

Back in 2011, I identified Nicholson as my 5th favourite FRPG artist of all time – and Nicholson was kind enough to post a “thank you” comment.

Many great works by Nicholson can found at his blog, The Gallery: Art of Russ Nicholson. (All of the illustrations in this post, except for the one of the Githyanki [which is from my PDF of the Fiend Folio], were taken from Nicholson's blog.)

RIP.

The Hedge Knight: Dunk and Egg coming to HBO

 

The first four seasons of The Game of Thrones HBO series are among the best ever produced for television. (The later seasons were weaker, especially the last two, although I didn’t loathe the final season.)

The recent House of the Dragon series was fine. But it lacked any especially sympathetic or engaging characters in the mould of Arya, Tyrion, of even Jon Snow. 

Fortunately, some stories written by G.R.R. Martin in the world of Westeros that do include a couple of sympathetic and charming characters — “Dunk” (Ser Duncan the Tall) and “Egg” (Aegon V Targaryen) — will be made into a series: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. 

I’m cautiously looking forward to this.