Pukana La’Aina – Polynesian D&D 3.5 – Game Session 1

by: Charles Plemons - May 13th, 2010   Filed under: Pukana La'Aina Add Comment

Game summary for May 13, 2010; present characters included Kanaka Kohola (darfellan storm druid), Palakelei (human martial warrior), Palu (human ranger), and Vollintine (human berserker).

Long ago, a mighty hero named Auku set out to defile the temple of Mano, the vicious god of the shark-men, deep within the sea caves. Auku was the wielder of a powerful obsidian spear enchanted as a bane to the sahuagin. He never returned from his endeavor. Three days ago, a captured sahuagin admitted to knowing the location of the spear. After a ruthless questioning, a general idea of the spear’s location is determined. According to the shark-man, the spear is well protected, and no one has stepped forward willing to claim it. However, acquiring the spear would result in tremendous renown and accolades.

Determined to recover the spear, motivated greatly by Kanaka’s intense hatred of the sahuagin, the Keiki Manuahis party set out. They boarded a sturdy outrigger and voyaged to the island described by the captured shark-man. Once upon the beach, the team found themselves facing a dense jungle filled with chirping insects and clattering birds. They picked carefully across the rocks and surf, following the outskirts of the jungle.

Before long, a mighty chuul burst from the shallows and attempted to consume the team. Its deadly pincer perforated Kanaka, and it grappled Vollintine. Palakelei slipped behind the behemoth and unleashed his unarmed assault upon it, but many blows were deflected by its chitinous frame. Meanwhile, Palu advanced on the other side, flanking the monster. The crafty ranger slashed away with his obsidian-studded maca and stone knife. Soon, Vollintine wrestled free and delivered a telling blow with his own great maca, sending shattered obsidian shards into the air and embedded others in the monster’s hide. After catching his breath, Kanaka launched into a spell, calling upon the power of the volcano. Molten lava spewed from his hands, burning the beast and coating it in hardening lava. The chuul, now surrounded and weighed down by the rocky coating, fought vainly. It succeeded in drawing blood several times, but ultimately was defeated by Palu’s deadly obsidian dagger.

Leaving the carnage on the beach, the Keiki Manuahis ventured into the cave they sought. Within, Vollintine’s maca was illuminated with magical light. Palu, trailing his longtime crocodile companion Wavy, examined the sea caves finding fecal matter and tracks. He suspected the signs indicated the presence of cave trolls. After a bit more searching, the group discovered the skeletal remains of fish and darfellan. As they emerged from a side chamber, a trio of bloated, gray-skinned cave trolls attacked.

Valiant Vollintine advanced to the front line and laid open one of the monstrosities. Unfortunately, the filthy giant shrugged off the blow and dazed the raging berserker with a series of devastating hits. The troll then sunk the claws from both hands deeper into the wounds and ripped the injury wide open. Another troll slipped up beside the first in time to meet Palu’s powerful charge. Blood and gore flew as the group exchanged blows. Palakelei cleverly unfurled a large net and entangled one of the slavering beasts. The first died under the chopping blows of the team, and the third was able to position itself into the fray. Kanaka arced lightning between the two giants, with devastating effect. While one troll tried vainly to burst the net, the other had to fend off the entire combined focus of the Keiki Manuahis. The battle become substantially one-sided when Kanana caused the cave floor to hurl forth a stalagmite, impaling the third troll. Palu called Wavy into the fight, and the hungry croc mauled the netted troll. Soon, the group had cut down all three trolls and scattered their remains.

A search of the troll lair revealed a couple thousand pink coral “coins” or beads as well as a handful of precious gems. They also recovered a balm of lesser vigor, a sealed scroll with magical healing prayers, and a nearly drained wand of bear’s endurance. After several moments to catch breath and tend wounds, the team prepared to delve deeper.

Why I Love Rifts

by: Charles Plemons - July 6th, 2009   Filed under: Rifts Add Comment

Years ago, Palladium Books released a multi-genre role-playing game called Rifts using their Megaversal system. I never played the game in my youth, although I did collect lots of the sourcebooks. I had some limited playing experience with their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness RPG, which uses the Megaversal system as well. Finally, after many years, I’ve had opportunity to run a Rifts game, and I absolutely love it.

Let me start by saying Rifts is rules lite, leaving many things untouched. Many GMs and players may view this as a problem, and it does cause lots of in-game questions. However, having run hundreds of game sessions in a variety of game systems, making rulings on the fly is old hat. What this has allowed is opportunity to create House Rules to cover various holes in the ruleset or make the system work for us. For example, we converted the speed and movement to a “square” system to let us make the game a miniatures game as well as RPG. Where these can be seen as work, I see them as opportunities to make the game into something that fits our needs. Palladium Books provided a fine shell, and we’re filling in the rest.

Rifts is rather unique in that it seemlessly incorporates fantasy, sci-fi, and horror all together. Anything you want the game to be, it can be. One session can be a fast-paced vehicle race and combat. The next can be a dungeon-crawl style session. Follow that with some mass combat warfare. There is plenty of background story to lean on to build up world history and such and plenty of non-scripted areas to allow your imagination run wild.

I heartily recommend the Rifts game for any experienced gaming group looking to customize their gaming and experiment with blended genres.

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 9

by: Charles Plemons - May 17th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for April 30, 2009; present characters included Adran Thorn (half-elf ranger), Galinndan (eladrin wizard) and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue) accompanied by mercenary Bree Shinbreaker (halfling cleric).

Still within the caves beneath the keep, the Unspeakables set out to explore. They soon found a door leading to a subterranean pool of water. At its center glittered the sparkle of gold and silver coin amid a pile of bones! Within a few moments, the water surged forward, disgorging a blue slime. The mindless ooze attempted to consume the party and badly injured the entire group. It was finally Galinndan who succeeded in slaying the monster, grabbing the treasure, and dragging his unconscious friends back to safety.

Later, with Adran comatose and dying, the trio proceeded further into the caves. They discovered an area riddled with two-foot wide tunnels. Before long, they stumbled into the middle of a kruthik hive! The reptilian menaces attacked immediately, attempting to turn the intruders into a snack. After a pitched battle, the Unspeakables defeated these vermin as well.

Upon returning to the secret chamber they had discovered earlier, they found Adran alive and recovering, although badly injured. He was nursed back to health and ready to proceed.

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 8

by: Charles Plemons - April 30th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for April 23, 2009; present characters included Galinndan (eladrin wizard) and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue) accompanied by mercenaries Bree Shinbreaker (halfling cleric) and Skald Konietzko (dwarf warlord).

The team advanced down the stairs into the caverns and discovered numerous giant rats scurrying along the ceiling. The vicious creatures ran up and down stalactites, biting the Unspeakables as they moved through. Before long, it became apparent why the rats traveled on the ceiling—a massive ochre jelly soon sloshed up to the party and tried to consume them! Fighting broke out in earnest, with rats falling from the ceiling and oozes splitting into smaller, still vicious, puddles. After a long, pitched fight, the Unspeakables won out and defeated all the vermin, but not without taking substantial injury.

After the battle, the team discovered a secret room in the caves and holed up. After six hours, the team awoke refreshed and alert, ready for whatever additional dangers the dungeons would hold.

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 7

by: Charles Plemons - April 18th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for April 16, 2009; present characters included Adran Thorn (half-elf ranger), Balasar Scaleskin (dragonborn fighter), Galinndan (eladrin wizard), and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue).

Wasting no time, Balasar slashed through the curtains blocking the adjoining passageway. He plunged through to find goblin cutters and warriors waiting. Vicious fighting ensued, but the Unspeakables soon put down all the goblinoid vermin.

They proceeded through a pair of doors to find another goblin warrior, and Balgron the Fat. Balgron launched crossbow bolts while the warrior engaged. Adran ran forward to press the pudgy goblin and got swatted in the knees with Balgron’s club for his efforts. Then, the overweight injured goblin waddled through some curtains and disappeared. The group quickly advanced on the curtains and found they surrounded a bed and Balgron’s mate, but no Balgron! The screaming female goblin was convinced to tell them Balgron had fled through the wall. A quick search unveiled a secret door!

Through the door, down the steps and through another secret door brought the Unspeakables into a hallway. Following a trail of blood, they found themselves back at the entrance of the keep. They decided to head the opposite direction to investigate some voices they had heard. They discovered a large chamber being excavated by a trio of goblins. The floor was dug up all over, and wooden beams connected islands of flagstone in a sea of open pit. Down in the dirt, a pair of guard drakes snarled and spat.

Ever the headstrong hero, Balasar lunged out across one of the beams, which cracked and collapsed under his weight! The dragonborn crashed to the earth below and was hounded by a guard drake. Meanwhile, the goblins scrambled up onto islands and lobbed volleys of crossbow bolts at the group. The ferocious attack drove the group back. Galinndan unleashed a sleep spell, which knocked out one archer. Balasar struggled to get away from the drake, and Gloombrood launched sling stones at the crossbowmen. Bravely, Adran stepped forward and shot one drake and one goblin, killing them both. His allies rallied and pressed the advantage. Gloombrood attempted to cross over to the goblin island but lost his footing. Were he not so agile, he would have landed heavy, but instead he rolled to a comfortable stop in the dirt. Galinndan continued a barrage of magic missiles while Adran launched bolts. Soon, the enemies were slain.

Nursing a severely injured Adran, the team moved on. They discovered a dark stairway descending into some sort of cave. They tossed down torches and a sun rod to reveal scattering rodent-like forms the size of a dog. What horrors lurk in these depths?

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 6

by: Charles Plemons - April 10th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for April 9, 2009; present characters included Adran Thorn (half-elf ranger), Balasar Scaleskin (dragonborn fighter), Galinndan (eladrin wizard), and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue).

The Unspeakables wasted no time proceeding deeper into the complex. They headed North and heard goblin voices from beyond a door. The group kicked open the doors to find some goblins who had heard the commotion from a few moments earlier. These goblins were lead by a cruel hobgoblin torturer swinging a burning poker. Battle was joined, and Galinndan took up a position in the doorway, where he was riddled with crossbow bolts. The torturer went about setting Gloombrood and Balasar on fire.

Soon, the goblins spilled out into the hallway and brought the fight to the Unspeakables. They put away their crossbows and engaged in melee. The mighty Balasar went down under a flurry of brutal strikes. Grievously injured, Adran and Gloombrood kept up the fight. Eventually, they killed the last of the monsters and dragged their defeated allies into the torture room.

Inside, they discovered a cell occupied by Splug the goblin. Splug claimed to be awaiting his execution for sleeping with Balgron’s woman. The Unspeakables learned that Balgron is the chief of the goblins, and Splug agreed to show the team where he is. In addition, the goblin revealed himself a follower of the King that Crawls. The foul goblin made a horrendous salve that he forced into the nostrils and mouths of the fallen allies. He then danced about and invoked dark powers, which resurrected the dead and healed the injured. Then, true to his word, Splug took the group 15 feet to a doorway he claimed led to Balgron.

The team proceeded into the hallway beyond the doors and found a pair of goblin guards. They dispatched them quickly, but not before they could yell for assistance. Behind them, the Unspeakables caught a fleeting glimpse of Splug running from the complex, flying them the bird all the way. From beyond the curtains in the room, feet scuffle, doors slam, and blades hiss from sheathes. How many goblins are coming to play?

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 5

by: Charles Plemons - April 4th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for April 2, 2009; present characters included Adran Thorn (half-elf ranger), Balasar Scaleskin (dragonborn fighter), Galinndan (eladrin wizard), and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue).

The team asked some more questions around town for a while and finally decided to set out to the north toward what they believed to be the ruins of an old keep. The traveled the King’s Road into the evening, following a set of tracks they believed belonged to Ninaran. After a while, the tracks diverged from the main path into the dark, gloomy woods. In a clearing, the tracks mingled with a number of smaller prints, perhaps from goblins.

The Unspeakables trudged on into the night and finally made camp. They rested fitfully in the wet, murky, foggy, forest. Shadows moved about, and wolves howled in the distance. Eventually, the group broke camp and marched on in the pre-dawn light. After a short while, the Unspeakables discovered a burned out ruin with a cleared area exposing a stairwell into the darkness. Numerous muddy boot prints came and went from the stairs. The team descended into the torchlit catacombs.

Within the dungeon, the Unspeakables found a group of vicious goblins. After hurling several insults, the diminutive goblinoids hurled javelins and crossbow bolts. The Unspeakables responded with equal violence. Adran stumbled into a pit trap and had to fight his way free of hundreds of rats. Meanwhile, the others traded blows with goblins warriors and sharpshooters. With much cursing and copious amounts of bloodshed, the Unspeakables proved victorious. With the goblins dead, and every inhabitant of the dungeon undoubtedly alerted to their presence, the Unspeakables prepare to explore. What horrors await in the ancient catacombs?

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 4

by: Charles Plemons - March 28th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for March 26, 2009; present characters included Galinndan (eladrin wizard) and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue) accompanied by mercenaries Bree Shinbreaker (halfling cleric) and Skald Konietzko (dwarf warlord).

With the kobolds defeated, the Unspeakables returned to their original mission of finding Douven Staul. They again set out toward the supposed dragon burial site. Following the map, they eventually came upon the place and found it being excavated by a group of humans, a halfling, and a gnome, accompanied by two guard drakes. The gnome beckoned the group to come down to the site, but something just didn’t seem right. Without warning, the thugs attacked.

Skald advanced position and was quickly cut down by the halfling’s hail of sling stones. Quickly, Bree used her clerical prayers to restore the fallen dwarf. Galinndan waded in and unleashed blasts of flame and magic missiles upon their foes. Meanwhile, Gloombrood slipped into the trees and crept toward the halfling. The guard drakes tore into the Unspeakables with brutal ferocity.

Galinndan killed two of the human rabble with his spells. Bree swung her mace with terrible ferocity, felling two rabble herself. Skald swung about with his hammer, killing one of the drakes. Gloombrood succeeded in sneaking upon the halfling slinger and catching him by surprise. He viciously slashed the halfling from hip to shoulder, nearly cutting him in half. The slinger’s body hurtled over the ledge, and Gloombrood followed down to kill the last guard drake. Finally, Skald brought down the gnome skulk.

Following the battle, the team discovered a man bound and gagged under a blanket. He was none other than Douven Staul! They quickly released their friend, and he explained how he was waylaid by the bandits and forced to continue his excavating. The team sent Douven heading back home to his wife, and they returned to Winterhaven.

Inside the town, they found the people nervous and frightened, but of what, no one could say. Gathering provisions, the Unspeakables decided to investigate the light Gloombrood had seen to the north a few days before.

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 3

by: Charles Plemons - March 20th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for March 19, 2009; present characters included Adran Thorn (half-elf ranger), Balasar Scaleskin (dragonborn fighter), Galinndan (eladrin wizard), and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue).

After nursing their wounds, the Unspeakables set off to find the kobold lair they were told was hidden behind a waterfall. Following a bit of travel, the group found a clearing guarded by kobolds around the waterfall. A brutal fight ensued, with slashing blades and blazing magical fire. After a short time, the monsters were all put down. The team wasted no time storming the kobold lair and finding over a dozen more battle-hardened kobolds led by Irontooth the goblin!

The Unspeakables suffered serious injuries in their struggles but continued to press the kobolds and slay them left and right. Soon, the fighting had condensed into two groups, one inside the caves and one in the woods. Galinndan pitted his spellcasting against the swordsmanship of an armored kobold dragonshield. Meanwhile, Balasar, Adran, and Gloombrood circled about Irontooth, taking advantage of openings and slicing him up. Although the goblin fought in a bloodied frenzy, he was unable to keep the Unspeakables off of him. Soon, he too lay dead in the cave.

The Unspeakables wasted no time looting the corpses and gathering the treasures within. They also found a disturbing letter to Irontooth from a mysterious Kalarel regarding a rift. What have they stumbled onto outside the idyllic town of Winterhaven?

H1 – Keep on the Shadowfell – Game Session 2

by: Charles Plemons - March 14th, 2009   Filed under: H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell Add Comment

Game summary for March 12, 2009; present characters included Balasar Scaleskin (dragonborn fighter), Galinndan (eladrin wizard), and Gloombrood Sorrow (tiefling rogue).

As morning dawned, the Unspeakables set out to find the old dragon burial site on their map. Along the way, they encountered another band of kobold brigands. Fierce fighting ensued, leaving Gloombrood dead and Galinndan unconscious. Balasar defeated the last kobold and dragged his friends back to town. Once there, the lord of Winterhaven traded a raise dead ritual in exchange for the party eradicating the kobolds in their lair once and for all.