Ok, we had our first post christmas break session and first paragon tier session. Lessons learned:
1. Characters have become quite a lot more complicated. They have more bells and whistles and there is more to keep track of. This will take some getting used to.
2. Fighters are great as defenders. Its especially effective when you leave enemies with no good choices, move and be hit or stay where you are and burn in a Wall of Fire. Add in powers which knock prone and its even more brutal. Add a Warlock which can force creatures to attack to provoke combat challenge and its just evil.
3. Sometimes its better to forget the rules, like imposing a -2 penalty on missile attacks because the Huge creature is prone.
4. Space, lots and lots of space is really important, especially when you have a huge, two large and a bunch of medium sized enemies on the board.
5. Fiddly feat bonuses need to be incorporated in advance not calculated on the spot to speed up game play.
Sunday 11 January 2009
Session 12: The Return, Part 2
Act 2: Into the Pit
Morn has holed up in the trade city of Daal where he serves the Masked Lords as their new arena champion. So far he has beaten all comers. The appearance of a flying ship with a dragon carved prow throws much of the City into chaos. The group is showered with offers of help and questions about who they are, where they are from and if they will sell their amazing craft.
Disentangling themselves from the onlookers they manage to make their way to Morns home, a lush three story villa where he is waited on hand and foot by attentive servants and scantily clad pleasure slaves. Such a thing would have been unheard of before with the old dour uncompromising slave hating Morn. Things it seems have changed.
There is much banter between old companions and the sharing of war stories. Morn rejects their requests for him to join them again. He points out his great wealth, his pleasurable life and the opportunity to unleash violence in the arena. The others counter that he is litttle more than a bird in a gilded cage dancing for the amusement of his Masked Lords. Ultimately he relents admitting to boredom and a desire for travel once again. The old gang is back together!
As they congratulate themselves a message arrives from the Lords of the City, they invite the group to dine with them that evening before the nights entertainment.
Act 3: Betrayal
The group are feted at the banquet held in their honour. All of the city elite are present. Chiniko tells the story of their travels and much wine is drunk. Morn declares that tonight will be his last fight, after tonight he intends to retire and leave the City. This produces much tongue wagging and many wagers and quiet enquiries establish that no previous Champion has ever retired save in a wooden box!
Night falls and the party moves to the Arena. The Masked Lords take their place at the head and Morn waits in the centre of the blood soaked sands. With a crash the great gates open and an enormous desert beast, a Ravager charges out quickly followed by its two Ogre handlers. The group quickly realise the trick, such creatures are known to be immensely strong, capable of rending a man in half. They are also bestowed with the heat haze of the desert, befuddling the mind and confusing their enemies. Morn is doomed unless they act and act they do.
Azhanti and Assamber hurl themselves into the fray and spells fly. Artemis pounds his enemies from great range while his strange new pet, a sleek jungle cat emerges from the sands. The Ravager strikes Morn with incredible force bloodying him in a single pass. As the group interferes, breaking the sacred code of the pit, the handlers engage them and guards start taking pot shots from the walls with crossbows.
The battle would be fierce and deadly but Morn has learned a number of new tricks. The Ravager cannot get a good grip on him and spends much of the battle dazed, down or cursed by Chiniko. It struggles to position itself well but Chinikos curses drive it mad leaving wide opportunities for Morn. Azhanti engages one of the handlers while Assamber immobilises the other. Finally Assamber raises his now trademark Wall of Fire. The handlers find themselves trapped in it, the Ravager dies in a last desperate lunge for Chiniko and the handlers dont last much longer.
On the Balcony there is a hurried conference between the Masked Lords. They are reluctant to allow a Champion to simply retire, it is unprecendented but similarly they have no wish to face the group. In the end they emerge and congratulate the group on their victory. A party is thrown in their honour and the City descends into a night of unbridled debauchery as Morn gives away all of his earnings to the people.
As the sun rises the group head out to sea towards the first of their goals, the Temple of Mael wherein lies his heart.
*cut scene*
The banquet hall of the Masked Lords of Daal. Slumped figures lie all around in various stages of unconciousness, the smell of stale alcohol and poppy fumes fills the room. A tall emaciated figure enters the Hall trailed by a disconsolate looking dwarf. At the head of the table the Masked Lords suddenly become much more alert.
I believe my instructions were clear. The Warrior Morn was not to leave this City. If he died the Hammer was to be delivered to me. Why have you failed to follow my instructions?
The leaders of the City throws themselves on the floor before the tall figure. My Lord, we beg mercy, we could not keep him here. He and his companions were too powerful.
Failure is not acceptable. Now I must prepare a new ground for the sacrifice. You have earned your fate.
As he walks out of the Palace behind him can be heard the screams of the dying. The sun rises on a charnel house, the City covered in a cloud of flies which swarm around the bloated corpses of its citizens. As the day heads towards noon the bodies begin to twitch, stand and shamble out of the City heading south.
Morn has holed up in the trade city of Daal where he serves the Masked Lords as their new arena champion. So far he has beaten all comers. The appearance of a flying ship with a dragon carved prow throws much of the City into chaos. The group is showered with offers of help and questions about who they are, where they are from and if they will sell their amazing craft.
Disentangling themselves from the onlookers they manage to make their way to Morns home, a lush three story villa where he is waited on hand and foot by attentive servants and scantily clad pleasure slaves. Such a thing would have been unheard of before with the old dour uncompromising slave hating Morn. Things it seems have changed.
There is much banter between old companions and the sharing of war stories. Morn rejects their requests for him to join them again. He points out his great wealth, his pleasurable life and the opportunity to unleash violence in the arena. The others counter that he is litttle more than a bird in a gilded cage dancing for the amusement of his Masked Lords. Ultimately he relents admitting to boredom and a desire for travel once again. The old gang is back together!
As they congratulate themselves a message arrives from the Lords of the City, they invite the group to dine with them that evening before the nights entertainment.
Act 3: Betrayal
The group are feted at the banquet held in their honour. All of the city elite are present. Chiniko tells the story of their travels and much wine is drunk. Morn declares that tonight will be his last fight, after tonight he intends to retire and leave the City. This produces much tongue wagging and many wagers and quiet enquiries establish that no previous Champion has ever retired save in a wooden box!
Night falls and the party moves to the Arena. The Masked Lords take their place at the head and Morn waits in the centre of the blood soaked sands. With a crash the great gates open and an enormous desert beast, a Ravager charges out quickly followed by its two Ogre handlers. The group quickly realise the trick, such creatures are known to be immensely strong, capable of rending a man in half. They are also bestowed with the heat haze of the desert, befuddling the mind and confusing their enemies. Morn is doomed unless they act and act they do.
Azhanti and Assamber hurl themselves into the fray and spells fly. Artemis pounds his enemies from great range while his strange new pet, a sleek jungle cat emerges from the sands. The Ravager strikes Morn with incredible force bloodying him in a single pass. As the group interferes, breaking the sacred code of the pit, the handlers engage them and guards start taking pot shots from the walls with crossbows.
The battle would be fierce and deadly but Morn has learned a number of new tricks. The Ravager cannot get a good grip on him and spends much of the battle dazed, down or cursed by Chiniko. It struggles to position itself well but Chinikos curses drive it mad leaving wide opportunities for Morn. Azhanti engages one of the handlers while Assamber immobilises the other. Finally Assamber raises his now trademark Wall of Fire. The handlers find themselves trapped in it, the Ravager dies in a last desperate lunge for Chiniko and the handlers dont last much longer.
On the Balcony there is a hurried conference between the Masked Lords. They are reluctant to allow a Champion to simply retire, it is unprecendented but similarly they have no wish to face the group. In the end they emerge and congratulate the group on their victory. A party is thrown in their honour and the City descends into a night of unbridled debauchery as Morn gives away all of his earnings to the people.
As the sun rises the group head out to sea towards the first of their goals, the Temple of Mael wherein lies his heart.
*cut scene*
The banquet hall of the Masked Lords of Daal. Slumped figures lie all around in various stages of unconciousness, the smell of stale alcohol and poppy fumes fills the room. A tall emaciated figure enters the Hall trailed by a disconsolate looking dwarf. At the head of the table the Masked Lords suddenly become much more alert.
I believe my instructions were clear. The Warrior Morn was not to leave this City. If he died the Hammer was to be delivered to me. Why have you failed to follow my instructions?
The leaders of the City throws themselves on the floor before the tall figure. My Lord, we beg mercy, we could not keep him here. He and his companions were too powerful.
Failure is not acceptable. Now I must prepare a new ground for the sacrifice. You have earned your fate.
As he walks out of the Palace behind him can be heard the screams of the dying. The sun rises on a charnel house, the City covered in a cloud of flies which swarm around the bloated corpses of its citizens. As the day heads towards noon the bodies begin to twitch, stand and shamble out of the City heading south.
Session 12: The Return, Part 1
We started our Paragon Tier journey tonight. The session was a fairly short one to get the characters back together, introduce our new player and get everyone used to how their characters worked after the Christmas break and hitting Level 11.
Before the report a quick recap of who our heroes are and an introduction for our new member.
Morn: Former Paladin of the Unfettered God. Morn lost the woman he lusted after and his faith in the City of Kings. He wields the Hammer of a Titan with an attitude to match. After overthrowing Darius he declared that he had had enough of Gods and Demons and walked off into the desert. As the game starts he is the Lord of the Pit, Arena Champion of the City of Daal (Fighter/Pit Fighter).
Assamber: Mage and one time devotee of the Primordial Mael. Assamber is a member of the ocean going Lokarnos people. He has plumbed the depths of the Maelstrom, the font of all magical power and returned changed. Once a worshipper of the Gods now he sees himself perhaps as their equal (Wizard/Spellstorm Mage).
Azhanti: Dragonborn Priest of Vulcan, Lord of Storms and father of the Dragonborn race. Vulcan is a dead God but his spirit lives on. Azhanti intends to correct that mistake and elevate himself to the position. He seeks allies in various elemental Courts (Cleric/Radiant Servant).
Artemis: A wanderer, Ranger of the Pashtun desert people. Artemis came to the City of Kings to seek revenge on Akaran Trak'Ar for kidnapping and raping his mother. Trak'Ar is dead and Artemis has sought new purpose for his life. His wanderings in the Shrouded Oasis, a fragment of a forgotten past, have attracted an ancient spirit which now travels by his side, a giant hunting cat which is more than it seems (Beastmaster Ranger/Battle Archer).
Chiniko: An Orcale of a strange people of the freezing lands of the south. They are worshippers of Sopias in his aspect of the Lord of Dreams. Chiniko has been dispatched to help the group to find the Heart of Sopias and the other Primordials. It is unclear yet whether Chiniko seeks to free the insane Sopias, kill him or cure him (Warlock/Divine Oracle).
Act 1: The Prequel
It is now six months after the events in the City of Kings. Morn has left, rejecting his destiny and our three remaining heroes have trecked through the snowy wastes of the south. They are greeted warmly by the local people and consult with their elders. Recognising the danger of Sopias being released they agree to yield the Heart to the group. Venturing to the ancient Shrine of Madness they are shocked to find the Heart there is a fraud. The real version has been stolen and an illusionary duplicate has been left in its place.
Pledging their aid the Elders dispatch Chiniko and their flying ship to help them on their way. Chiniko is an Oracle and can trace the presence of the Hearts. The Elders also reveal that they will need five people to open the Labyrinth of Reptos, one for each Heart.
The group resolve to recruit Morn, if he will join them.
Before the report a quick recap of who our heroes are and an introduction for our new member.
Morn: Former Paladin of the Unfettered God. Morn lost the woman he lusted after and his faith in the City of Kings. He wields the Hammer of a Titan with an attitude to match. After overthrowing Darius he declared that he had had enough of Gods and Demons and walked off into the desert. As the game starts he is the Lord of the Pit, Arena Champion of the City of Daal (Fighter/Pit Fighter).
Assamber: Mage and one time devotee of the Primordial Mael. Assamber is a member of the ocean going Lokarnos people. He has plumbed the depths of the Maelstrom, the font of all magical power and returned changed. Once a worshipper of the Gods now he sees himself perhaps as their equal (Wizard/Spellstorm Mage).
Azhanti: Dragonborn Priest of Vulcan, Lord of Storms and father of the Dragonborn race. Vulcan is a dead God but his spirit lives on. Azhanti intends to correct that mistake and elevate himself to the position. He seeks allies in various elemental Courts (Cleric/Radiant Servant).
Artemis: A wanderer, Ranger of the Pashtun desert people. Artemis came to the City of Kings to seek revenge on Akaran Trak'Ar for kidnapping and raping his mother. Trak'Ar is dead and Artemis has sought new purpose for his life. His wanderings in the Shrouded Oasis, a fragment of a forgotten past, have attracted an ancient spirit which now travels by his side, a giant hunting cat which is more than it seems (Beastmaster Ranger/Battle Archer).
Chiniko: An Orcale of a strange people of the freezing lands of the south. They are worshippers of Sopias in his aspect of the Lord of Dreams. Chiniko has been dispatched to help the group to find the Heart of Sopias and the other Primordials. It is unclear yet whether Chiniko seeks to free the insane Sopias, kill him or cure him (Warlock/Divine Oracle).
Act 1: The Prequel
It is now six months after the events in the City of Kings. Morn has left, rejecting his destiny and our three remaining heroes have trecked through the snowy wastes of the south. They are greeted warmly by the local people and consult with their elders. Recognising the danger of Sopias being released they agree to yield the Heart to the group. Venturing to the ancient Shrine of Madness they are shocked to find the Heart there is a fraud. The real version has been stolen and an illusionary duplicate has been left in its place.
Pledging their aid the Elders dispatch Chiniko and their flying ship to help them on their way. Chiniko is an Oracle and can trace the presence of the Hearts. The Elders also reveal that they will need five people to open the Labyrinth of Reptos, one for each Heart.
The group resolve to recruit Morn, if he will join them.
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