Open Table Session Report (#22) - Ghoul Country
Player Characters
Helios (Elf Fighter 1).
Poppy Tumbletop (Halfling Thief 3), accompanied by a heavy footman.
Robin Redwood (Human Magic-User 3), accompanied by a bowman.
Nameless Elf (Elf Magic-User 1).
Prep
No change in the dungeon. Robin hired a bowman (15sp). Poppy hired a heavy footman (50sp).
Robin was elected Captain of the delve. Poppy took on mapping duties. Helios acted as Quartermaster.
The party chose to link up their maps of the second level.
Events
The party ventured into the dungeon via the Black Talons' secret entrance and ventured south, finding a peaceful room with a pool of clear water and sunlight reflected from a mirrored shaft in the ceiling. They listened at a nearby door, hearing heavy scraping footsteps and reptilian hissing, and moved on to a large room littered with bones, scraps of armour, broken weapons, and numerous charred lumps. A large number of routes led from this room, several of them were barricaded by Black Talon sentries who warned them that the Red Court occupied the south side, and large lizards dwelled in the northern chambers.
The party quietly stole across the room, being joined by a nameless Elf Magic-User who stepped out of the shadows. As they neared an archway, they heard the demented ravings of Red Courtiers debating art styles, aesthetics, and pleasing the baron's tastes. The nameless Elf stepped forward and cast Sleep, sending the 6 ghouls tumbling to the ground. The party stepped in, noted the stretched hide canvases, brushes, oil paints, and other foul artworks, and slew the ghouls.
While beheading the bodies, a group of hooting fungus-men burst through the southern door of the chamber and fell upon the party. The battle was short but vicious. One myconid was felled by the party but their heavy footman was slain pummelled to death and dragged off into the darkness, while Helios barely avoided a lethal wound by sundering his shield. The myconids retreated and the party considered their next actions.
They decided to head south via another route, finding the strange parade ground they had previously encountered and spiking the door closed against the unit of armoured ghouls which rushed at them. Heading back north, they knocked at a closed door and a gruff voice told them to go away unless they were bringing a message from the Talons. They obliged and delivered the ghoul heads to Ent-Sha-Nur, receiving 1,200sp for their efforts.
Heading to the main stairs, they heard Ironcursed noises from the north and so ventured west, encountering a trio of strange figures in stone dog masks. They had a civil conversation with the figures, who claimed to be hunters looking for good sport. The party informed them of the Ironcursed they had heard and the hunters departed, delighted to be on the hunt.
Heading further west, they entered a room with a mysterious cylindrical machine extending from floor to ceiling, with a glass door through which a man could fit. A large group of skeletons clustered around the machine and advanced at them. The party spiked the door closed and headed back, only for a group of bloodied Ironcursed to enter the passageway from the opposite end, pursued by dog-like howls. The party attacked and the Ironcursed were slain, pinned from both sides by the party and the hunters, who bid them farewell as the party departed with hissing, smoking blades.
Outcomes
Treasure retrieved: 1,200sp
Combat XP: 6 x ghouls (2HD) - 1,200XP | 1 myconid (3HD) - 300XP | 5 x ironcursed (1HD) - 500XP
Anon: 3,200XP - 2nd-level
Helios: 3,450XP - 3rd-level
Poppy: 3,450XP
Robin: 3,700XP
Thoughts
The new system has held up, there's a lot less for me to check during a session and the players are enjoying it. I'm not sure if I should have awarded XP for the silver paid for the ghoul heads but I think it's fine - the highest level player has reached the point where even with shared XP it's taking them a while to progress.
We had a new player today - a kid and his mum who I'd met at a local convention joined to try out a game. He didn't speak much but he really enjoyed himself, and his mum is considering rolling up a character which would be cool. They were a little late arriving but rolling up Sleep as part of his starter spells came in clutch.
I really do wonder about the party's risk management process. They killed the ghouls by putting them to sleep and murdering them, then barely survived an encounter with the myconids (who nearly killed a PC before failing their morale check), then decided to just push on after the myconids into the undead territory with no well-armoured front-line or clerics. They struggle with understanding that they need light to see and most of the monsters don't, so being stealthy in the dungeon is really hard! As it stands, they pulled back when confronted with a stronger force and explored orthogonally, beating some more encounters with good planning and quick thinking, so well done to them!
The random encounters came pretty quickly this session - I'm still using the underclock but was rolling a lot of 6s! I'm enjoying the difference it can make to the pace of a session.
A few other folk I met at the convention were interested in playing, so hopefully we'll get a few of them along soon as well!