Gunderholfen – Stinky Halls of Level 3 (session 9)

Second session at our cabin. The boys nearly got themselves killed the previous session in Level 2 so the logical thing to do is to go deeper, of course!

Gunderholfen by G. Hawkinshttps://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/265629/gunderholfen

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Forka (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Ghardeet (me) Hobgoblin Mage/Shaman
  • Expendable & Nameless Goblin (me)

Having fled from Living Deads and Giant Ants, their wounds magically healed by Ghardeet their hobgoblin honorary mage, the PCs are ready to explore some more. They start by opening the door in the large boulders room and it’s not long before they find a set of stairs that goes down and down…

Level 3

  • With Expendable Nameless Goblin now officially the group’s torchbearer (he tries hard to be useful and is obsequious to Forka, his savior), the PCs exit the stairway into a dwarf-made room with layered stone and bricks and 3 sets of double-doors.
  • Listening to each doors, the PCs finally opt to open the northern ones and enter into a very long hallway that goes well beyond their torchlight.
  • Aracyne listens to the first door at their right and hear some metallic scrapings and they decide to let it be.
  • They go the next and see that it’s staked to make it unopenable.
  • Still further on the hallway, in an open area at their right, they see a sun-face carved on the wall. They interact with it, manage to make it open its mouth but it doesn’t seem to do much else.
  • Everything is quiet at the next door and they open it to reveal a small room with a pedestal in the middle, with drawings of dwarves holding something up. Ghardeet casts sense magic and says there’s some dwarven-affiliated magic at work here but isn’t able to do anything with it.
  • Next room, after opening the door, Forka’ sense of smell is assaulted by overwhelming body odors, rot, excrements and other unpleasantness. A trophy of sort is in the middle of the room, with non-human (pointy teeth, giant bat? feline?) skulls on display and with a crude drawing of large matchstick men smashing smaller figures with their clubs.
  • Listening to the door they can hear several loud snorings coming from nearby.
  • The PCs get out of this smelly den of brutes and continue north, still in the long hallway.
  • Now in a large doorless room, full of large mushrooms, something is moving amongst them but hidden from view. They send in E & N Goblin (thus proving that his expendable status still applies), he wearily moves into the mushrooms and soon let out a surprised yap and flees back to the adventurers, pursued by a Giant Beetle. The beast is obviously heavily-armored so Aracyne aims at a weak spot with one of his newly-acquired magic arrow and inflicts a severe wound. A massive blow from Forka’s 2H hammer is enough to slay the dangerous monster before it could do much (slow iniative). A good search of the floor beneath the mushrooms revealed an impressive hoard of coins as well as dozens of semi-precious and precious stones. Treasure, at last! They also collect several rations worth of edible mushrooms.
  • Thence, the PCs get out of the mushrooms room, continue their way north and, after a 45 degree angle turn, get in front of a large cistern, water dripping in it from the ceiling – and more importantly, before 4 surprised, hairy humanoids that were busy filling many waterskins (more than for their own use for sure).
  • The adventurers quickly fell 2 Kiigoths before they even reacted. Those, despite being mortally wounded, still had the will to fight but one more blow each and they stopped moving. The 2 surviving creatures proved no match for the PCs who won the fight without a scratch.
  • The PCs refilled their own waterskins and then checked the great double-doors across the cistern but couldn’t open them, even with their combined strength – they were blocked from the other side most likely.
  • They then got back to the stairway room and went east from there, past another set of double-doors.
  • They got into a large rectangular room with a basin within filled with murky, smelly water full of algae.
  • They open a door and get into a long hallway with many doors and openings. Aracyne listens to the first door at their right but is immediately assaulted by some kind of psychic attack and is disheartened.
  • Not opening this door, they go further in the hallway and turn right, into a side corridor and then left, which gets them back in the main hallway. (it wasn’t obvious beforehand, proceeding forward with torchlight hides much) They see a small, sooth-covered room in front of them but also, oddly enough, there’s a floating sword (in its sheath), very near them at their left.
  • Forka try to seize the sword but screams in pain as he forcibly pulls back his forearm, acid goo dripping from it. The sword (and its near-invisible Gelatinous Cube holder) then lunges forward but Forka and his companions retreat hastily.
  • Seeing that they run faster than the « sword », the PCs calmed down a little and lured the monster in the side-corridor just enough so they could then have time to get to the unexplored area.
  • They opened a door (didn’t have time to listen) into a narrow corridor and came face to face with two armed rat-persons (rat-headed humanoids, clothed, not too unkempt). Both facing them, obviously ready, one in front with a wicked dagger, one behind with a spear. As the PCs didn’t attack outright, the rat-person with the dagger started talking, said that he was named Jedri and his companion was Tlali and enquired who they (the PCs) were. Aracyne told them they were adventurers, that they came in peace and reassured them enough so that the two rat-persons invited them to their dinner in the adjacent room. There, a cauldron of broth was put above a small fire and the PCs added mushrooms and fish and thus enhanced it considerably, making everybody one step happier.

Closing Comments:

  • Level 2 is now mapped something like 85% but several rooms were barely entered because they seemed to hold danger in them.
  • Related to this, before finding the Mushrooms room hoard, Isaac complained of the lack of treasure (they found nothing significant since the meagre kobolds’ treasure) but, well, it’s a push-your-luck game. There IS treasure, but it often comes with danger.
  • If Level 1 was mainly humanoids and Level 2 mostly populated with critters (with a few surprises here and there), Level 3 is more mixed, having two groups of humanoids within (among other things). Still pretty vanilla stuff, but it gets weirder the deeper you go in Gunderholfen, oh, yes it does.
  • The encounter with the Gelatinous Cube was fun, a beginner’s mistake by 10 yo Edmond for sure, but we have to do them in order to learn… I was lenient, giving them time to react (rolling ini) instead of being surprised, next time though…
  • Jedri and Tlali in the book are supposed to be evil wererats that will try to murder PCs with a devious plan but I’ve changed them into cursed adventurers and potential allies in my game. They know some useful stuff about the dungeon too (not shared yet) and at least one could become an hireling if the players wish so.

Gunderholfen – Mud Spa of the Living Dead (session 8)

We’re back from our first trip of the season at our cabin. Just in time to catch some morels too! Weather was good at first but got rainy afterward – no matter, I had brought something to entertain me and the boys…

Short session: 1 1/2 hours

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Forka (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Ghardeet (me) Hobgoblin Mage/Shaman
  • Expendable & Nameless Goblin (me)

Level 2

  • We start inside the dungeon, in the southern part of Level 2 (which is about 80% natural caverns), in a large cavern lit by a sofly-glowing green moss.
  • Checking his map, Aracyne first leads the group to an unexplored, low-ceilinged area nearby where they find a message scribbled on a wall: « Find the Floating Level. Nym ». Their second reference to the « Floating Level » to date.
  • Otherwise it’s a cul-de-sac and they go back at the large-boulders cavern (where they fought the Vilstraks) and check the door they found earlier, see that it’s locked and decide to go explore another area instead.
  • They go into a long, twisting and ascending passage and get into new territory in the south-west corner of Level 2.
  • There’s a chasm to their right with Giant Ants on the other side, with some bigger ones too but they don’t seem too agressive for the moment (good reaction roll).
  • Further on they get at the entrance of a room covered by mist that reeks of rot and decay and Forka can also smell the presence of some unknown predatory beasts lurking nearby. They don’t enter the room and prefer to go in another area.
  • In a smaller cavern they find broken crates and searching them they find 2 quivers full of arrows. Five of the arrows are rather deadly-looking and Aracyne is happy to take them all.
  • In the next cavern they find an obelisk with writings on it (dwarven?) but unfortunately nobody can translate it in the group.
  • Thence, they get at the entrance of a warm cavern obscured by steam. Mud covers the floor and there’s several bubbling pools that let out jets of steam interminently. And Forka detects a faint odor of rotting flesh. The PCs get inside to investigate and immediately find what is obviously a gravestone.
  • A rotting hand emerges from the mud! Several corpses, dwarf-sized, with dead flesh half-boiled half-rotten, slowly extirpate themselves from the ground – enough to send the PCs running for their lives.
  • They get back to the broken crates area where they decide to make a stand against the incoming Living Dead. Aracyne shoots an arrow and manages to miss. Forka is charged by a Living Dead and almost get his heart torn out, he takes big damage! The PCs are now gueninely worried and start to flee again with Expendable & Nameless Goblin, already scared (a condition in DB), going first and Aracyne taking the back and shooting his bow when he can.
  • They near the chasm but E&N Goblin get assaulted by a Soldier Ant, is severely wounded and trapped under it. 2 Worker Ants are also blocking the way and threaten the adventurers.
  • With the Living Dead coming behind (they’re typical zombie-slow fortunately), the PCs do an all-out attack against the Ants. Ghardeet wound a Worker Ant with his magic-augmented Iron Fist Staff.
it looks like this
  • Aracyne wounds the Soldier Ant with an arrow and Forka finishes it with a big blow of his 2H hammer. Aracyne then kills the wounded Worker Ant, Ghardeet shove the other one down the chasm. E&N Goblin is still stuck under the corpse of the Soldier Ant and pleads for his life, Ghardeet reminds his companions of his E&N status but Forka takes upon himself of saving him and pulls him out of his predicament.
  • Aracyne takes a parting shot at one Living Dead and has aimed well but his target doesn’t seem to care much that he’s supposed to be dead. The PCs then hurry away because several other Giant Ants are coming from the walls and ceiling to cross the chasm. Some go at the Living Dead and some others at the adventurers.
  • The PCs interrupt a moment their flight to throw food at the Giant Ants, some rations and fish they had caught earlier (but not all), and that seems to distract the insects out of their pursuit.
  • They reach once again the big cavern with large boulders and unite their efforts to move one of the boulder to block the way they came (there’s another way to the north-east and a door to the south-west). Ghardeet then heal Forka and reluctantly, after being convinced to, also E&N Goblin.

Closing Comments:

  • My nephew Olivier was supposed to come along with us at the cabin but couldn’t make it unfortunately. I’ve found the solution to still have a decent group of PCs with the addition of the hobgoblin shaman and expendable goblin, putting their prior efforts to the forefront in this manner.
  • I try as much as I can to feed inputs for Forka’ superior sense of smell and telegraph things to the players accordingly. I’m quite amazed in fact at how a great sense of smell could be even better than darkvision in a dungeon environment and more appropriate to nuances in many cases. Quite the revelation to me.
  • They truly got themselves between a rock and a hard place with the Living Dead and Giant Ants. Pushing forward with enemies at your flank wasn’t a sound exploration strategy and I think the boys learned that.
  • I think the Living Dead in Dragonbane are a lot more dangerous than classical D&D zombie meatbags, maybe a bit too much even. They’re not unbeatable either, I think I’ll keep them as is, the players just have to be careful about it.

A RPG campaign that emulates Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon

Here’s some concepts I’m stealing from Delicious in Dungeon for my ongoing megadungeon campaign. It’s not even the food aspect of it, don’t care much about that, but there’s plenty other things that are worth borrowing.

See my highlights of the manga:

(Note that the manga go further than that (14 books) but from book 10 and on it diverges from my main interest/obsession, the dungeon, as the story devolves into a big crisis and final resolution for the last few books.)

In bold is stuff I want forefront in my Gunderholfen campaign.

Dungeons, Demons and Masters

There’s two kind of dungeons in Delicious in Dungeon. Natural dungeons are simply places where magic happens to be strongly concentrated. Unnatural/real dungeons are different and are basically prisons for demons (entities from another world), one demon per dungeon to be more precise. Dungeons of this latter type are huge, sprawling, expanding and sometime changing to fit the need of its Master.

Part demon’s accomplice, part roadblock to its liberty, the Master of the Dungeon is the one who controls the physical object that detains the demon, somewhere in the deeper levels of the dungeon. Probably already powerful, a Master gain extra powers once they take over a Dungeon, like the ability to create monsters, modify the dungeon, and have access to unique spells. This comes at a cost as the demon’s influence slowly erodes the Master’s grasp on reality and leads to madness down the line.

Demons have some limited abilities to interact with interlopers and can try to influence them in some way. Adventurers can also become unwittingly the demon’s liberators if they manage to kill the Master without further precautions.

Aside: a Player Character managing to become a Master most probably become an NPC and a villain for another campaign…

The Deeper you go, the more Magic/Mana there is

Mana is everywhere but there’s a lot more mana inside dungeons than outside. It has two main effects. The first is allowing the presence of monsters as they need ambient mana in order to exist at all, and larger amounts the more powerful they are. Thus, powerful monsters cannot normally venture on the upper levels without seriously comprimising their health. (if you ever needed an explanation for monster placement here you go).

The second effect is on magic-using. Spells are easier to cast and are more efficient inside the dungeon. (and to go further than the manga on this particular point>>) The deeper you go the truer it becomes. This also means that more powerful magic can only be cast on deeper levels (or a special place like a wizard’s tower perhaps) and isn’t purely in proportion to it’s caster’s might/high level. (If you follow my meaning, this implies a system that is probably NOT D&D).

The all-important, well-rounded Magic-User

Magic-users are absolutely essential to a party of adventurers to the point where not having one would be a serious issue. Potions, scrolls and other one-shot items are non-existent, you MUST rely on the magic-user for utility spells (water-walking comes to mind), protection spells, sheer firepower and most of all, healing (resurrection even). It’s a world without clerics where mages can cast fireballs AND heal (but some are better at one or the other). Protecting the party’s magic-user is not to be taken lightly. This implies that magic-users are polyvalent, have large ressources (are not depleted that quickly, have also an additional reserve with their mana-staff) but must manage them as there’s nothing else to fall back to.

Know your Monsters: Dungeon Ecology

Monsters, except the very weakest, should always pose a threat if you don’t know much about them. You have to have knowledge of their abilities, weaknesses, favored tactics, etc. if you wish to reliably be victorious in encounters with monsters. Theoritical knowledge (from a book say) is fine but isn’t always reliable. Hard gained practical knowledge is best of course but isn’t widely shared and often kept to one’s group to have an edge over others.

Adventurers Guilds

Adventurers work in guilds (the same as a party), with each members having signed contracts (with terms that could differ from one another). The guild’s leader owns the party’s equipment in its entirety (weapons and armors included). He’s the one who buys provisions and equipment for everybody each delve. The guild members can leave the guild if they wish so as long their contracts allows it.

Fatigue and Resting

The food aspect of Delicious in Dungeon (i.e eat properly in your dungeon-delving or suffer dire consequences) is interesting but hard to put in place in a ttrpg I think. A more general approach that includes stamina/fatigue that player characters have to take into account is something I wish to put more emphasis on (resting as something more that regaining hit points or abilities) in my campaign.

Conclusion

The fluff about the Dungeon/Master/Demon isn’t that important to be honest, though it fits with the module I’m actually running (Gunderholfen). What I find much more interesting is to play, to adapt (as the dungeon master) with:

  • how magic is applied in this setting, changed by how deep you are in the dungeon
  • player characters doing a rest as something more significant than in classical D&D
  • and also, and this gives me some work to do, how many monsters should be puzzles to solve for the players (they have to learn how to fight them efficiently).

Gunderholfen – Unsavory Characters – Session 7

I would like this game to be bi-monthly at least – this is the kind of rpg campaign that needs the players to be invested in and remember things, but y’know, between my weekly frosthaven session with my brother-in-law, work, family life and, well, everything else, my ttrpgs ambitions often get the shorter straw…

Short session, 2 hours, with two thirds in town (Longfelt) with players trying to find – and obtain membership, of disreputable organisations.

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Forka (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter

Longfelt

  • Upon hearing of the existence of an Assassins’ guild, J Lebeau is determined to become a member.
  • After a stroll in a bad neighbordood in town, trying his best to be both intimidating and inquisitive, he finally hears from some locals that he should go to the Gasping Playhouse.
  • Here he talks to the owner, an half-elf named Rufina. She quickly guesses that he’s more interested in the real-life applications of the arts of assassination than in theatre.
  • She can introduce him to some friends be he has to prove that he’s got potential first. As he’s a dogman, the arts of impersonation isn’t that relevant but is he good at hiding and acrobatics? He shows, in front of a live audience, that he’s very good at it.
  • J Lebeau is introduced to the Assassins’ Guild, somewhere beneath the city.
  • ______________________
  • Upon hearing of the existence of a Thieves’ guild, Aracyne is determined to become a member.
  • Aracyne goes talk to some shady merchant and asks him to whom he should talk if he has some not-quite-honest merchandises he would like to procure. He’s told that everybody knows (in this part of town) to go to the Ashen Bandit tavern for such dealings.
  • At the Ashen Bandit, Aracyne meets with Belita of the Thieves’s guild. He will be put to the test if he wants to join. How about he goes outside of Lady Keritsa’ Parlour, wait for some foolish fop to come out and come back with something of his?
  • Aracyne finds an easy target, cuts his purse without being seen and goes back to Belita. He gives her the purse and (after a small hesitation) its content .
  • Aracyne joins the Thieves’ Guild.
  • Meanwhile. Hédralynn wishes to find an artisan specialised in security/defensive installation, the kind that uses decapitation apparatus, boltshooters, poisonous gases, etc.
  • She spends some money on spreading the word and soon enough is introduced to a dwarf named Oshida. She wants to hire him and do some work inside Gunderholfen.
  • He assures Hédralynn that he’s an expert in this kind of work but, of course, his expertise don’t come cheap.
  • After a bit of negotiations, helped by the fact that (as a dwarf) he’s interested in Gunderholfen, he asks for 300 gp (100 now) for him and his team to make one very lethal room inside the dungeon at a tbd location.
  • Hédralynn takes most of the party’s collective gold and pays the fore payment.

Gunderholfen

  • Travel through Ganfal swamp went well.
  • PCs talk to their hobgoblin allies, give some suplies. Agree to block other adventuring parties from getting in. Chief Nerulf a bit suspicious of letting a dwarf team in but agrees if they split the spoils (of dead adventurers) 50/50.
  • The PCs then go explore below.
  • They kill some stirges from the nesr at the entrance of Level 2.
  • Past the Wind Corridor (remove their shoes) and flooded cave (walk on water spell), they get to a natural cave room with puffball mushrooms (the unmoving kind, charged with mana) that they’ve seen before. They linger in this room this time, Hédralynn to recharge her mana staff.
  • 4 giant ant workers intrude (random encounter) in but the adventurers react quickly. Alfred wound one ant with his sword. Aracyne aims his bow for an unarmored spot and kills an ant with an arrow right between its mandibles. Forca just smash another with his 2-hands hammer. Hedralynn hurls two fireballs, one normal at the wounded ant and one supercharged to calcinate the remaining unhurt ant.
  • With the ants all dead, the PCs go further south. They get into the room with glowing crystals all over. Hédralynn again takes some of the mana to replenish her staff whilts her companions take some crystals with picks.
  • Now in unexplored territory, south-west, in a room full of mold, they get ambushed by 5 land lampreys. Two latch on Forca to suck his blood, the others miss their targets. Forca burns one to death with his torch. J Lebeau decapitates the other with his hand axe, its head still hanging from Forca’s thigh. Both Aracyne and Hédralynn manage to shoot another one with their bows. Alfred slay the last one with a sword slash. Forca removes the land lamprey’s head lacthed to him a bit messily with a dagger.
  • Further west, they get into a large room with its walls covered with pale moss. A whitish, oval rock stands out in the middle of the room. There’s 9 buttons on it. J Lebeau press them all to no visible effect. Forca and J Lebeau smash the stone to pieces, nothing happens.

Closing Comments;

  • As is my habbit, I did a preamble to our session, laying out a few things about the campaign, information about the home base/town this time around, mostly, and mentionned the guilds (the openly visible ones: fighters’, mages’ and the hidden thieves’ and assassins’, classical stuff). Both Olivier (made him think of Skyrim) and Isaac jumped on the idea of being part of secretive organisations and acted accordingly. In a different campaign I could have made a bigger deal of getting in, making it more difficult to find, with several steps, etc.
  • Marjorie/Hédralynn is trying hard to make it difficult for the competing adventuring parties (I made clear that competition would be a key component of the campaign, more on this another post). Her efforts should amount to something certainly but of course, it can’t be foolproof. I’ll let the dice decide in large part what happens to other parties.
  • I have some critiques of dragonbane (I’ll lay them out if I ever get around to do a proper review of the system) but combat isn’t one of them. It’s fast, fun and full of interesting options. PCs hit about 70% of the time, which is about right IMO, can topple an adversary, aim for a weak spot, try to evade a dangerous attack, etc. PCs are capable without being overpowered, it’s great.
  • Dungeon exploration was rather short this time so no going back to town, we’ll start where we left next session.

Gunderholfen- Breaking the Blockade – Session 6

It’s been a while since I ran any ttrpg, the good thing is I had time to figure out how I want to manage an osr mega-dungeon campaign with the not-quite-osr and incomplete system that is dragonbane. More on this another time.

Full group of players. 2 hours session.

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Forka (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter

Level 1C, hobgoblin territory

We start with the PCs safe in hobgoblin territory. As the adventurers wish to get back in town (they’re low in rations and have accomplished their official mission) they have to come up with a plan on how to deal with the goblins who block their only (known) path towards the outside world. The hobgoblins also badly wish to have access to an exit so they’re more than willing to help the PCs and will provide half a dozen warriors for the initial assault (and will join en masse in the next phase if it succeeds).

It all comes down to how to manage to cross the « Corridor of Death » between the two factions.

Aracyne had the idea for them to craft two improvized, over-sized shields so they have cover whilst they advance. Hédralynn and Ghardeet the hobgoblin shaman cast Stone Skin on the warriors who’ll be in front and then they open the portcullis.

The group slowly advance in the unlit first tier of the corridor and it’s not long before the goblin sentinels become aware of their presence, yell at the guards room behind them and start peppering the invaders with projectiles. The large shields come in handy and are opened-up for one split-second as the allies let go of their own volley, wounding two goblins in the process. Hédralynn uses a levitate spell on the nearest makeshift barricade and throws a big chunk of it away. The remnant of the barricade is smashed aside by the two shield-bearers and the group is now midway into the Corridor of Death.

The panicking goblins still have a trick down their sleeve, or so they thought, as they throw a Poison Bomb Hédralynn « catches » it midair with her magic and throws it back at the goblins feet! Choking from their own bio-weapon, abandoned by their fellow goblins who’ve shut the door closed behind them, the poor sentinels are not long for this world.

With the Corridor of Death taken, the chain of events is inevitable. The hobgoblins break the door open (they use a stone statue as a ram) and overwhelm the chiefless goblins who, after a brief attempt at resisting, break and flee wherever they can. Some flee northward and escape the dungeon by the side-entrance, the others are eventually rounded up by the PCs and hobgoblins and forcefully conscripted yet again. A bit later, under the suggestion of Hédralynn, those goblins then spearheaded an attack against the surviving kobolds in the section west of there, resulting in the taking over of the entire Level 1 by the Hobgoblins and their very happy chief, Nerulf. The latter gives something to the PCs, a scrollcase containing a message from one Danfelt that mentions something special way down at Level 7, an entrance to the « Floating Level » if one manages to get past the dangerous gray dwarves…

Getting Back to Town

  • Ganfal Swamp encounter: a group of 7 hobgoblins, not from the dungeon, parlay and persuaded to join their ally Nerulf whom they’ve heard of, instead of attacking the PCs
  • Farmlands encounter: peasants tending their fields
  • Town of Longfelt: the PCs went to High Constable Vandehaut with their report on the state of Gunderholfen and with proofs (body part) of monsters inhabiting the dungeon, received their pay and told to come back next day for next course of action
  • Stayed at the Purple Cloth Inn where they see two women have a fight, each claiming to be an adventurer’s paramour, referring to Bayard, leader of a rival adventuring guild
  • Next day, went to see Vandehaut, now accompanied by High Priestess Evadne and anorther city councilor. It has been decided that Gunderholfen will be officially opened to adventurers. Evadne in particular is hopeful that the Rod of Harvest will be retrieved and brought back at her temple.
  • It is believed that the fact that the Ganfal swamp is now expanding and gobbling up fertile lands north of Longfelt is due to the disappearance of the Rod of Harvest from Longfelt.
  • There’s mention also of payment in exchange of mapping the dungeon (which probably has changed over the last decades since the time of the last frenzy of exploration)
  • Hédralynn tries to convince the three councilors of having the exclusivity over other adventuring guilds but her arguments are turned down

Closing Comments:

  • Fun tactical challenge within the Corridor of Death
  • The fighting after this we just handwaved, the PCs & hobgoblins together were obviously the superior side
  • Hédralynn made good use of the flexibility of the Levitate spell on the goblins’ makeshit barricades
  • Hédralynn’s plan ultimately gave the entire Level 1 to the Hobgoblins which won’t be without consequences in the future.
  • Important Hand Out given by the hobgoblin chief if they ever reach Level 7
  • I chose to put forward the idea of the expansion of the swamp as a kind of looming threat to the civilized world. This also puts an incentive to retrieve a powerful artifact and gives a concrete goal for the players aside from mere dungeon exploration.
  • Marjorie didn’t like the idea of having competing adventuring parties involved but it’s part of the game, the PCs aren’t the only heroes in town. And possible rivalries with other parties can be fun to play, for me at the very least!

Dungeon Design: Catacombes de Paris

I have a in mind a series of posts I would do on real-world places that are inspiring in some way or the other for D&D.

The Catacombes of Paris make for an easy choice to include. I’ve visited them once myself, only the small part open to public mind you, and it was fascinating! If only I could go around the corner past the cordon I said to myself repeatedly on the visit. Of course on the whole of the catacombes are much bigger than the tourists part (1,7km), with around 300 km of tunnels the sheer size of the place is hard to fathom.

Here’s two interesting related articles for your edification:

https://venturetheplanet.com/an-adventure-into-the-un-official-paris-catacombs-a-mecca-for-urban-exploration/

(excerpt from the above link) « Colorful graffiti lined the ancient limestone walls, giving the place an odd, almost medieval funhouse vibe. But as we descended deeper, the graffiti gradually disappeared, swallowed by darkness and silence. »

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/strange-maps-paris-catacombs

(excerpt from the above link) « The general public’s “discovery” of the underground network led the city of Paris to officially interdict all access by non-authorized persons. That decree dates back to 1955, but the “underground police” have an understanding with seasoned cataphiles. Their main targets are so-called tourists, who by their lack of knowledge expose themselves to risk of injuries or worse, and degrade their surroundings, often leaving loads of litter in their wake. »

Takeaways:

  • What if the primary goal of a mission is mainly to map a confusing maze? Not kill monsters (even if there are), not even treasure-hunting, just mapping?
  • XP for mapping! An amount for each squares? More for important discoveries.
  • Accurate maps should be rare and greatly coveted by would-be explorers and their patrons.
  • Underground mapping is actually really hard. There’s the fact that you don’t have any point of reference to evaluate distances. Worst still is the possibility of tunnels criss-crossing and some going beneath others.
  • In most tunnels you’re lucky if the ceiling is 6′ high, forget about the 10′ D&D norm! Often you’d have to walk all hunched-like and sometimes you have to crawl… And beware the flash floods.
  • Graffitis should feature prominently in well-traveled areas.
  • There’s also something interesting to do with the concept of legality or lack therof of catacomb-going or dungeon-crawling where the dungeon is right beneath the city. The more accessible sections being patrolled by cops/guards could mean trouble for illegal exploration… Bribes or legal permits could be part of the game.

In this series so far:

Gunderholfen – Bug Squashing – Session 5

I’ve mentionned last session that I thought that the boys relied a bit too much on their aunt when we play together so here’s a session with only the group’s two younger players, my sons, just to remind them how to be more active in the decision-making process.

short session, 1hr

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Forka (changed his name), (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Alfred (Me), Hobgoblin Fighter

Last time we ended up with the party having explored a good chunk of Level 2 and standind beside another flooded area. Three adventurers (I’ll be playing Alfred the Hobgoblin to help them a little) will continue to explore while the two others are resting or something.

Level 2

  • They can see another passage beyond the water but don’t have an easy mean to get across without getting wet. Whilst they think about it, two Walking Puffballs come on sight from the other side ot the water but Aracyne quickly dispatch them with two arrows.
  • They decide to backtrack a little and explore more to the south.
  • They get to the passage where they’ve fought a rats swarm, a Fire-Beetle is busy devouring a fireballed-crispy rat. The insect monster is kind of blocking their way so the PCs decide to attack it. Forka miss with his big hammer but Alfred plunges his dagger in a weak spot and kills the Fire-Beetle. Forka remoces its hard chitin carapace and takes it with him, not without some difficulty.
  • They get past the glowing mushroom area and take the south-east passage. They’re in a small room with crystals on the walls reflecting purple light. There’s a sense of calm in the place but the adventurers are worried that they’ll fall asleep if they linger. Aracyne takes one crystal and they move on.
  • They go further south in a large rooms with boulders here and there. Once they take a few steps in they’re suddenly ambushed by three Vilstraks.
That’s a Vilstrak in case you don’t know what it is. I didn’t.
  • These bipedal insectoids are not very strong but they’re well-armored. Forka misses his first swing and bend his hammer on the hard rock floor. He’ll have to fight with a weird-angled weapon from now on. Alfred slays one foe with a well-placed dagger hit. Aracyne dodges on attack. Three more Vilstraks get out from behind the boulders and several others within the next rounds. Fortunately, Forka, despite his damaged weapon (or because of it we’re joking), is very efficent and smash one foe after the other. Alfred hits more often than not and kill his share of opponents. Aracyne has to focus more on dodging as he’s already wounded from earlier. The last two foes try to flee but are quickly cut down.
  • « Hey boss » Alfred says, « we bleedin’ all over the place, might be a good idea t’make a strategic retreat? » Aracyne takes notice of their many wounds and gives the order to start their way back to safety.
  • They get to the grand hallway’s door without incidents but they can hear the humming of the stirges behind the door. They open the door, shoots down a few flying stirges and then dash to the stairway and upstairs into Hobgoblin territory.
  • The PCs made some dealings with the Hobgoblins. Aracyne paid a 10 gp fee to stay one more day in the territory (plus a room to rest). Forka paid a weaponsmith to unbend his hammer. They also learned that the hobgoblins don’t have food stocks for very long and are worried about that. The fact that they’re cut off from the outside (by the goblins) and don’t have easy food sources inside the dungeons is problematic.

Closing comments:

  • Fun session. There was one dangerous fight against the Vilstraks. Armor in Dragonbane substract damage, something that I’ve always preferred to the usual making you harder to hit. Combat is very fun in Dragonbane, I’m happy with it.
  • Edmond was very happy of his character’s martial prowess with his 2-h hammer. He kept hitting his target despite having a disadvantage with his damaged weapon.
  • Having more than one weapon become a lot more important in a system when damaging one’s is possible.
  • Isaac has thought of a clever plan to help the hobgoblins go through the goblin barricade. That’ll be interesting to see!

Gunderholfen – Stirges & Rats- Session 4

Short session ( 2 hrs). Isaac is mapping as usual. Edmond has decided that he’s taking notes, so he writes furiously in his little notebook. Olivier is mostly waiting for fights to happen. And Marjorie works hard to solve non-combat challenges.

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Malique, (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter
  • Alfred (Olivier), Hobgoblin Fighter

We start in hobgoblin territory (level1C). The adventurers had permission from chief Nerulf to rest before going to Level 2 and that’s what they do.

Hobgoblins accompany them until they reach the stairs that goes down. They tell them that the grand hallway that they’ll soon get into is infested with stirges. They also tell them that the passage after that has some sort of powerful magical wind activated when walked through.

Level 2

  • Down at Level 2, inside the grand hallway, the light of their torch doesn’t reach the ceiling above. The PCs eye suspiciously the dark corners but don’t see any stirges so they advance tentatively and inspect the double doors at the end of the hallway. There’s an inscription, it’s in old dwarvish and Hédralynn only manage to comprehend the general sense of the words – something about welcoming, politeness and cleanliness she thinks. Acting on that, she remove her boots and tell her companions to do the same but as they do they begin to hear a humming sound coming from the north-east corner. The stirges are coming!
  • The PCs hurry up and push the heavy doors together, quickly get in and close them behind them. They can see a stone visage carved that looks like a dwarf with puffed-up cheeks on the opposite door. Nothing happens, they get to the other side, opens the door and put back their boots on.
  • A bit further they see a stone mouth carved on the wall with its tongue sticking out. They mess with it for a while and discover a small coin-sized depression on the tongue. After losing a few gold pieces to it, they discover that it changes copper coin into silver and change a bit more than a hundred coins that way.
  • Thence, in the next room with a small crevice splitting it in the middle, two walking puffballs run towards them. Malique throws his cloak on top of one to cover it as Hédralynn shoots it with an arrow. It deflates with a hissing sound and stay still. Alfred tries the same manoeuver with his cloak but misses, Lebeau shoots it anyway, kills it, releasing a cloud of spores. Aracyne hurries to cover it but inhales some spores and feels sick.
  • After that, they get to a natural cavern filled with murky water. Hédralynn levitates and ties a rope with a grappling hook on the ceiling and then levitate some more to get herself to the other side. Aracyne get to the other with the rope but Alfred falls halfway and splashes into the shallow pool, disturbing four giant toads nearby. The toads miss their attacks and two get kill in no time. The others, wounded, dive back inside the murky water.
  • Now all across, the PCs continue their way in what is now a series of unworked natural passages. They see an old campfire, there’s graffitis on the walls.
  • Next, they get into a room with faintly glowing mushrooms and they try their best not to walk on them.
  • Thence, they get into a passage with three small tunnels on the side. There’s fur and droppings on the floor. Big rats get out of the tunnels and jump on Aracyne who gets many painful scratches. More rats are coming from the tunnels but the Mage let go of three fireballs, one for each tunnel, ending the threat instantly. Aracyne’s other companions help him get rid of his rat problem.
  • TBC…

Closing Comments

  • Edmond’s character has almost all the group’s torches on him, if he had get wet as Alfred did, their expedition would have suddenly getting much more complicated…
  • Walking Puffballs is my first nod to Delicious in Dungeon, more annoying than dangerous (on this level).

Gunderholfen – Never trust an Elf – Session 3

There’s three minor factions on Level 1 of Gunderholfen: the kobolds, the goblins and the hobgoblins, all hostile to each other. The hobgoblins are closer to Level 2 but are stuck inside the dungeon as they don’t have access to any exit (in my version, as written their area has its own entrance). My own explanation for the presence of these three groups is that the goblins were serving the hobgoblins mostly as cannon fodder for exploring the lower level until they had enough, revolted and claimed a part of Level 1 for themselves, The kobolds simply invaded in the ensuing chaos. Of course my players didn’t know any of this but learned of it in this session.

For this campaign we’re using Free League’s Dragonbane as the rpg system and we’re spicing up the whole thing with a Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon flavor so to speak.

Gunderholfen by G. Hawkinshttps://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/265629/gunderholfen

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Malique, (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter
  • Alfred (Olivier), Hobgoblin Fighter

The adventurers buy a few more goods in town.

It was decided that Alfred the hobgoblin would be Lebeau’s hireling, paid by him, and not a full member of the guild for the moment.

Aracyne pays some gold pieces to Cedric the Sage to learn of the history of Gunderholfen in broad strokes.

Ganfal Swamp:

The PCs leave town, cross through farmlands and reach the Ganfal Swamp. This time, two-third of the way in they have a fight against giant poisonous toads. Alfred is wounded and poisoned but survives. The PCs make camp to rest a moment.

While they lunch they ask their new hobgoblin companion, what he knows of Gunderholfen (about time) and they learn a few useful things.

  • He was outside the dungeon with a hunting party, came back after a few days and he and his companions were surprised to find kobolds at the main entrance. They tried to force their way in but were outnumbered. He was the only survivor and was thrown in prison.
  • When he left the hobgoblins controlled almost all of Level 1, so something happened to change that.
  • Negruf is the hobgoblin chief.
  • The hobgoblins were in the process of exploring Level 2, cautiously, using goblin patrols. Level 2 is made of natural caves and there’s some monstrous critters roaming around.
  • There’s two entrances to Level 1 (not quite true), the Snake Door and another tree shrouded gully entrance on the northern side of the hill.

(Unbeknownst to him, things changed a lot since he left hunting)

North Side Entrance (Level 1B)

  • The party goes around the hill and reach the entrance that their new hobgoblin companion told them about.
  • There’s five goblins guarding the entrance and they tell the PCs that this is goblin territory now. Alfred tells them to stop messing around but they’re serious, they no longer take order from any damn hobgoblins.
  • Seeing that Aflred can’t make them enter, Hédralynn comes forth and show the goblins the dead kobold chief’s headdress and tells them that they (the PCs) could be useful to the goblins. One of the goblin go fetch their chief.
  • Chief Yurt arrives with his bodyguards. Hédralynn makes it known that they wish to get to Level 2. After some discussion between them it’s agreed that the adventurers could pass this one time through goblin territory in exchange for 30 gp now and more gifts on their way out.
  • 10 goblins (including the chief) escort the PCs to the eastern end of goblin territory. Behind a reinforced door, beyond a long, dark passage with columns and corpses (both goblins and hobgoblins) littering the floor, is where the hobgoblins are now confined.
  • As Chief Yurt says farewell to the party, Hédralynn executes her plan, she lobs two fireballs at once, one at Yurt and another to the goblin in charge of this guard post! The latter dies instantly but Yurt survives just to be finished by an arrow from Aracyne. The surviving goblins, still outnumbering the PCs 8 to 5 yells angrily and try to take advantage of their superior number. One lucky goblin pierces Malique’s boot with his spear and cuts his big toe off (injury). But three more fireballs from the mage definitely turns the fight to the adventurers’ advantage, not too soon though as more goblins are coming in.
  • Malique snatches Yurt’s body from the floor, Alfred takes back the gift of gold and then they all flee through the passage to the east. The last two in the passage, Lebeau and Alfred, are hit by stones from goblin slingers and almost don’t make it but they see the hobgoblin guards and Alfred yells at them to open fast and they do.
  • After a discussion with the hobgoblin guards, helped a lot by the fact that they are accompanied by Alfred, the PCs are escorted to chief Negruf. They tell him of their objective of going down a Level and explore. They give him the corpse of Yurt, whom the hobgoblins sees as a traitorous rebel, and the gold. They tell him of how they saved Alfred from the kobolds too.
  • Negruf is pleased and allows them safe passage and also let them have a room to rest.

Closing Comments:

  • Olivier’s love of hirelings and Marjorie’s usual craftiness led in this session to their party shortcutting a big chunk of Level 1 and they’ll be able to go to Level 2 next session. They also have a potential alliance with the hobgoblins already in the going but they’re now enemies of the goblins.
  • Eventually they’ll have to figure a way out of the dungeon but all in due time…
  • How Negruf should see the adventurers? They can help him with his goblin problem so I think he clearly has something to gain out of it for the moment.

Gunderholfen – Against the Kobolds – Session 2

First session of what should be the main dish ot this new campaign: the Gunderholfen megadungeon. It’s mostly vanilla fantasy (less so the deeper you go!), but after years of kinda atypical D&D I think it will still feel refreshing. We’ll see how it goes.

For this campaign we’re using Free League’s Dragonbane as the rpg system and we’re spicing up the whole thing with a Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon flavor so to speak.

Gunderholfen by G. Hawkins: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/265629/gunderholfen

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Malique, (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter

We start in Longfelt. The PCs hear that the mutants that they had saved are slowly getting back to normal at the town’s sanatorium. Hédralynn sells a scroll of diminution to a gnome magic-user and buys some goods in exchange. The characters leave town, walk through farmlands until they reach the Ganfal Swamp. They have several hours of walking on a treacherous path but they manage to reach the ancient dwarf hold without incidents (no encounters rolled).

Snake Door Entrance (Level 1A)

  • There’s a lot of small, clawed footprints and piles of damaged bones around the entrance. The interior is dimly lit with flickering light.
  • Three kobolds stand guard and threatens the adventurers with their spears. One is slain quickly and the two others flee inside, side-stepping one area on their way.
  • The PCs ran after the fleeing kobolds but took care of not stepping on the suspicious area themselves. Aracyne broke his bow trying to shoot down a kobold. Malique managed to catch one and slew him with his warhammer. The other suffered from the same fate soon after.
  • This wasn’t discreet at all however and now the PCs could hear kobolds coming from the east and from the north at the same time. Aracyne borrowed Hédralynn’s bow and killed an incoming kobold as Malique got in melee against two others. Malique is very efficient with his warhammer but also got stabbed by a spear but nothing serious.
  • Meanwhile Lebeau was facing two other kobolds that tried to bait him into a trap but weren’t subtle enough. One even fell headlong into the hidden pit when he tripped on his own feet in the course of the fight.
  • After taking care of the last kobold together, the adventurers inspect a half-rotten blue curtain and find a passage behind.
  • They get into the chief’s hall. A fearsome kobold, as fearsome as a kobold can be, is flanked by three large weasels and there’s also 5 kobold guards.
  • A big fight ensues. Hédralynn starts to lob fireballs (dragonbane’s fireballs are single target 2d6 dmg, or more if boosted) with abandon. Aracyne finishes a giant weasel with a well-placed arrow. Malique does his best to block spear thrusts at the front. The adventurers prevail but Malique sports many wounds now. Hédralynn does her best to heal him with her magic.
  • Lebeau finds a door behind a wall hanging, this leads to the chief’s modest treasure of copper pieces.
  • Another door in the chief’s hall leads to a larger room that smells of charred flesh. A kobold shaman starts to casts a spell at them as his guards charge the adventurers. Lebeau has a hard time fighting as the shaman unleash a swarm of insects at him. Fortunately the shaman isn’t long for this world as he gets a fireball and an arrow from the elves PCs. One kobold surrenders after his colleagues die and gives some information on the lair’s layout, where the jails are after being asked.
  • Backtracking a little, the adventurers go the kobolds’ jails but a portcullis is blocking their way. The two dogmen manage to force it open. There’s a brief fight thereafter against two kobold guards.
  • There’s two prisoners still alive, the daughter of Clement the tailor and one severely wounded hobgoblin. For some reason Lebeau is convinced that the latter will be a fine addition to the party and asks Hédralynn to spend her last bit of magic on healing him. Lebeau offers a full treasure-part to the hobgoblin if he joins the guild but it will be up to the Aracyne the guild leader to make such a contract or not.
  • The adventurers leave Gundeholfen, go across the Ganfal Swamp safely and get back to town.

Closing Comments:

  • Dragonbane characters start as capable adventurers but they don’t really ever have access to game-changing spells or abilities, unless they find magic items that is. I’m not sure how it wil impact the game later on to be honest.
  • I’ve shortened the walk to the dungeon through the Ganfal Swamp but nonetheless I have to remember that crossing the swamp should be seen very much as an irritating and serious logistic issue to solve before long i.e having a base nearer.
  • They’ve gone through a big chunk of the Kobolds lair and killed 2/3 of them but it wasn’t that easy either. Malique got almost injured despite being the most heavily armored until Olivier reminded Edmond that he could try to block one Kobold’s fatal spear attack with his shield and he succeed in doing so.
  • As we’re not playing a gold>>xp game I’m cutting dramatically on the amount of treasure they find. In fact, most creatures won’t have anything of value. Sorry, but not sorry!
  • The first kobolds that have fled should have alerted 2-3 more kobolds immediately in the next room instead of going farther on the lair. My first mistake of the dungeon happened really quick! I have to look at a few adjacent rooms whenever they advance into a new one just to be sure. I’ll prepare an enemy roster per area next time and won’t be caught off-guard…