grand coliseum

Session 37a – Sand of the Coliseum

David Skelector Actual Play, D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Homebrew, jeux de rôles, Roleplaying Game

Mon neveu a passé quelques jours avec nous pendant le congé des fêtes et après qu’il m’ait demandé pour la huitième fois (ou peut-être dix-huitième) de faire une game de D&D j’ai finalement cédé… Il voulait spécifiquement un combat d’arène (pas compliqué d’en inventer un et même plusieurs) et une chasse au trésor (à venir).

Personnages Joueurs

  • (Olivier) Leon, (level 7) Human Monk (way of shadow), Outlander, revenu à la vie grâce à Zotzilaha à condition qu’il élimine un esprit renégat, ce qu’il a fait, maintenant libre de faire ce qu’il veut
  • (Isaac) Anfi, (level 7>>8) Locathah Fighter (eldritch knight), Outlander, venu sur la terre ferme en passant par la Caverne-Tunnel, là pour découvrir ce nouvel environnement
  • (Edmond) La Salamandre Géante, fidèle compagnon d’Anfi

L’Arène de Port Nyanzaru

Oui, c’est un Clown Tueur

Léon, Anfi et Ed la Salamandre quittent à nouveau leur repère de Port Castigliar pour se rendre à Port Nyanzaru pour fouler à nouveau le sable du Colisée. Ils sont rassurés d’apprendre qu’Ifan, le maître du Colisée n’est pas dans l’assistance, ils n’auront pas s’inquiéter des décisions arbitraires de ce dernier!

Ils choisissent d’affronter le redoutable gladiateur Go-Morg le Minotaure (1) mais celui-ci se désiste et son remplaçant est Gruthmuth le Clown Tueur. Ce dernier est un Géant des Collines bien gras, déguisé en clown (jusqu’à la fleur qui envoi un petit jet d’eau au visage et tout) au maquillage plutôt tristounet. Malgré son apparence pathétique, c’est un redoutable adversaire avec sa grosse massue et Anfi et Ed vont tous deux se faire assommer. Léon, un peu lâchement, va passer le combat à distance, se téléportant d’une ombre à l’autre, en canardant Gruthmuth de ses flèches (2) et bientôt le Géant en a assez et abandonne le combat.

Non, ce n’est pas Gaara

Les PJs retournent dans le Colisée 2 jours plus tard, cette fois ils participent à une “démonstration” de magie du Désert. Le Sorcier des Sables (3), à l’abri dans une loge, fait surgir 4 diablotins (Dust Mephits) ainsi que 4 scorpions de bonne taille. Les diablotins sont plus une nuisance qu’autre chose, ils envoient du sable dans les yeux mais heureusement Ed la salamandre peut nettoyer tout ça de sa longue langue! Après quelques quelques piqures de scorpions très douloureuses, les trois compères ont fait le ménage mais le Sorcier des Sables n’a pas dit son dernier mot, un énorme Scorpion surgit à son tour.

Sa carapace est difficile à percer et son attaque de dard, si elle atteint sa cible, est presque fatale. Encore une fois Anfi et Ed sont les cibles de l’adversaire tandis que Léon se téléporte plus loin (4)… Anfi fait deux Melf’s Acid Arrow d’affilé mais se fait ensuite saisir dans une pince et est dans une très mauvais posture. Par chance le monstrueux arthropode l’échappe (botch) et Anfi en profite pour lui donner de puissants coup de son marteau magique du Maître-Masson. Finalement, avec les PJs très blessés, mais avec le scorpion aussi amoché, le Sorcier des Sables rappelle sa créature (pour la préserver pour une autre fois) et le combat prend fin. C’est un match nul!

Notes du DM

  1. Je n’ai pas trouvé ma figurine de minotaure, j’en ai pigé une autre presque au hasard
  2. Il y aurait pu avoir des restriction d’armes comme règle d’affrontement, pour forcer le “spectacle”
  3. Gaara de Naruto qu’Oli me dit
  4. je reviendrai dans un autre post sur cette histoire de téléportation des ombres en série qui tombe dans l’abus

Session 13 – Naumachia

David Skelector Actual Play, D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Homebrew, jeux de rôles, Roleplaying Game, RPG, ruins of chult , , ,

Characters (1)

  • Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
  • Rufb, Half-Orc Barbarian (berserker), Mercenary Veteran; captured by pterafolks, his fellow mercenaries killed, seeks riches and glory
  • Lucky, Half-Elf Cleric of Tymora (Trickery), Street Urchin; the lowly will be exalted

Massacre at the Tej House

With their mission with the Gripplis finished, Flyzus and Rufb were going back to Port Nyanzaru. Near the river’s mouth they met scouts from the city and they learned that the Tiriky’s Tej House had been attacked by bloodthirsty gnoll reavers, with many casualties. Here with the scouts was Lucky, and whilst the others departed to report to Port Nyanzaru’s authorities, he decided to join his erstwhile companions to take a closer look at the site of the massacre.

Sure enough the members of the Tej House’ staff were all dead but there was also 2 half-eaten gnolls amongst the corpses, killed by defending fishermen by the look of it. The Ranger sensed that something was amiss, the awful odor of a Giant Hyena was terribly overwhelming and very much recent, like less than an hour-recent. They knew that they had to prepare for a fight…

Lucky hid in a damaged hay house and summoned his illusory double. Rufb and Flyzus prepared their weapons. A Giant Hyena emerged from the jungle, followed by a Gnoll Hunter. Another gnoll, a large and scarred Pack Lord howled a warcry and the 2 dead gnolls got up on their feet: Whiterlings!

The Barbarian filled his soul with rage and cursed the gods that he had lost his great axe in a chasm… He only had this ridiculous lameass trident (however well-balanced), not a true warrior’s weapon at all (2)! Nonetheless he charged the Gnolls with abandon. Flyzus’ skillful swordmanship did great damage while Lucky’s double provided opportune distraction and soon, the PCs had triumphed (for the third time) against the savage Gnolls.

Naumachia (3)

Finally back in town, the PCs  spent well-earned gold and learned that the next big gladiatorial event was near ready. The captured pirates of the Stirge were to meet justice in the arena, and the organizers were quick to publicize the participation of the “Lord Elf “(Flyzus), the very one that had helped capture them!

naumachia_by_flaviobolla_d65jmrg-pre

At the Grand Coliseum:

The Pirates vs the Mercenaries!

1 swashbuckler, 2 thugs, 6 bandits

vs

Flyzus, Rufb, 4 bandits, 1 halfling acolyte, 1 halfling archer

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Water pumped in the arena wasn’t deep, 4 or 5 feet max, but it was sufficient for sharks to swim in, adding to the spectacle. The pirates couldn’t hope to surrender this time and thus were determined to fight ’til the end. The pirate captain, showing off his acrobatic skills, jumped behind his foes while his men crossed the planks. The Barbarian got in a duel against a tough pirate lieutenant while Flyzus got in a confused melee at the center. The pirate captain tried to take advantage of a busy Flyzus and wounded him with quick rapier stabs but the latter killed the outclassed men around him and focused his attention on the dishonorable scoundrel.

The so-called “mercenaries” had only  lost 2 men and another had fell in the water but had been helped out just before a shark could bite him. As for the pirates, they were decimated… With the Ranger and Barbarian responsibles for most of it. The pirate captain fell last, but not before attempting some daring manoeuvers. With multiple wounds already from Flyzus’ swords, he couldn’t escape the enraged Rufb dead-set on killing him.

Victory to the Mercenaries!

DM’s Notes

  1. The passage of time in my campaign got a little fuzzy so I could accommodate players to have their characters together…
  2. It was funny as hell as Chris seemed to botched rolls every 2 rounds and blamed the trident!
  3. It was many sessions ago that we had an arena fight. I figured that an aquatic set-up would be suitably memorable!

Session 5 – Tournament of Liberation Day

David Skelector Actual Play, D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Homebrew, jeux de rôles, Roleplaying Game, RPG, ruins of chult

Ditching the Death Curse of ToA gives me, and the players, time to do as we please. The downside, maybe, is the possibility to, huh, not advance anything at all, as this session demonstrates…

Characters

  • Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
  • Varis, Drow Elf Rogue (Thief), Far traveller; exiled scion of a noble family on the losing side of a feud
  • Lucky, Half-Elf Cleric of Tymora (Trickery), Street Urchin; the lowly will be exalted
  • Phileas, Half-Elf Bard (College of Swords), Archeologist; “it’s not tomb-robbing if you do it respectfully”
  • Shin, Tabaxi Fighter (Arcane Archer), Outlander; big-game hunter, has no patience for weakness
  • Pocor, Human Druid (Circle of Spores), Outlander; member of Chultan Diaspora, returned to his roots, literally
  • Corpos, High Elf Wizard, Archeologist; antiquary, strange fixation on the undead

Also, show me something like a Grand Coliseum as a location, and of course I will want to stage battles in it!

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I’ve purchased this flip-mat  arena from Paizo

I offered the players a 8 teams Gladiatorial Tournament. The way I planned it, I told them that as first time participants (low-level characters)  they really had not much chances to win this. The point would be to go as far as they could in the competition.

The teams:

  • The Seven Associates (PCs) (strength ?): newcomers, have done a couple of prelims combats in the past two weeks

And the other teams, roughly in order of strength:

  • Disciples of Kossuth (+0): cultists dedicated to Everburning Kossuth – forced to fight
  • Flaming Fist (+2): mercenaries based at Fort Beluarian – here for the money
  • Sons of Malar (+4): local gang of thugs – here for the fame
  • Resilient Ferns (+5): Jungle Dwarves in town for the event only – here for the thrill
  • Gnoll Marauders (+6): evil, mangly typical gnolls – here for the blood
  • Claws of Destiny (+10): Tabaxi monks – here to test their skills
  • Liberators (+16): All-Stars Team of Chultans – here to win

Quarter Finals

The teams were randomly picked for the quarter finals as follows:

Block 1:

  • Seven Associates (PCs) vs Gnoll Marauders
  • Disciples of Kossuth vs Resilient Ferns

Block 2:

  • Flaming Fist vs Liberators
  • Sons of Malar vs Claws of Destiny

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Seven Associates vs Gnoll Marauders

The Maurauders: 3 gnolls (2 with longbows), 2 gnoll whiterlings, 1 Dire Hyena, 1 Pack Lord.

Gnoll58

A well placed entangle spell from Pocor ensured that the 7As had time to make the most of their ranged firepower: arrows and spells bombarded the Gnolls. Shin’s explosive arcane shot in particular proved very lethal. Unfortunately, he missed his second shot. The two gnoll archers tried to retaliate but weren’t very successful. The Whitherlings were blasted to bits before they even reached the middle of the Arena. The Dire Hyena moved fast but only managed to get itself impaled on Pocor’s waiting spear.

The confidence of the PCs was understandably high at this point but it was soon to be shaken as the Pack Lord and another Gnoll reached their side of the Arena and rampaged through their ranks, felling three of them in no time.

Judicious use of healing – Pocor, Phileas and Lucky all had such magic at their disposal, ultimately made them prevail, but not without a bit of luck.

Rewards: 50 gp and an Ikakalaka +1 sword

Semifinals

Block 1: Seven Associates vs Resilient Ferns

Block 2: Liberators vs Claws of Destiny

Seven Associates vs Resilient Ferns

Resilient Ferns: 1 Girallon, 1 Albino Dwarf Druid, 5 Albino Dwarves Warriors (two with a barkskin spell effect on, one with a triflower strapped to his back).

téléchargement (1)

The opening round was much like the previous fight with the 7As peppering their opponents with arrows and spells while the Jungle Dwarves dashed forward to get in melee quickly. Three RFs were slowed by a grease spell from Corpos. The Girallon (with its aggressive feature) got to the other side of the arena and pummelled Flyzus the very first round. The Wood Elf then retaliated with two sword slashes that inflicted heavy damage (one critical hit). Phileas then played a mind trick on the beast with a dissonant whisper, that made it flee. Flyzus killed it with a sword stab in the back.

The Jungle Dwarves joined the fun and soon everyone, except Shin who, again, had climbed up a spike on the wall, was in a confusing brawl. Varis got into deep trouble when the triflower covered him in corrosive sap AND poisoned him with its grappling pistil. Meanwhile, Lucky’ scale mail offered good protection against the wooden clubs of the jungle dwarves but that made him the target of the druid’s heat metal spell that nearly did him.

Phileas’ quick thinking saved the life of Varis as he correctly guessed that pouring water would  wash away the corrosive sap. He even asked the assistance of the spectators to shower the poor Drow with, well, anything they had!

Flyzus slashed and stabbed, right and left, very efficiently. The triflower was dispatched with a firebolt and an arrow. The Seven Associates yet again managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!

rewards: 100 gp each and a ankylosaurus breastplate

Final

Seven Associates vs Liberators

Liberators: 7 gladiators (4 with added quirks)

It was already surprising that the newcomers had managed to get to the final. An impressive feat indeed, but they were clearly not in the same league with the local favorites and long time gladiators: the Liberators. The best of the best of the Grand Coliseum assembled in one team for the Tournament of Liberation Day.

The Seven Associates did all they could but predictably, they could not avoid defeat. Between Sukomo the Fragrant and his unnaturally good scent, Wèwè the Killer, a ferociuous woman who didn’t seem to feel pain, Mkongu Lightfooted, faster than even a Wood Elf, Skanga the Ripper and his many shongo throwing knives and the other fearsome gladiators, there weren’t any way to win for the less experienced team.

Nonetheless, the Seven Associates gained valuable combat experience and a challenge for later.

DM notes:

  • Before the session, Corpos’ Player asked to change his rock gnome to high elf, he read somewhere that gnomes are silly, duh…
  • Corpos’ Player finds the 5E grease spell underwhelming and  changed it for cause fear.
  • This session was pure, undiluted, tactical combat. It did help us get used with combat options that we had skipped, somehow, in the previous campaign.
  • I was a bit creative with the Resilient Ferns, with the girallon and triflower added to the jungle dwarves and it was a great fight!