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.

• 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!

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. 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
• 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.

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…