Myst 4e - The Audio/Video Club

Greetings, All!

As many of you know, I've been working on a 4e campaign set within the Myst universe. My approach to this has been multi-modal, utilizing all sorts of special terrain, rules, handouts, and other varied types of presentation.

If you're not familiar with Myst, it was an innovative game from the mid-90s that utilized a unique universe of linked worlds (or ages). The focus was on beautifully rendered (but originally static) scenery combined with a immersive story & enigmatic puzzles.

Of these elements, of particular interest to me are the puzzles within the game. These puzzles are interesting to me, because they rely on the observation of the environment and the components that contribute to the puzzle itself, in order to solve them. In other words, if you're not paying attention to where you are, you're probably going to be at a disadvantage.

For me, this is the perfect kind of puzzle for a Dungeons & Dragons game. It makes the players observe the environment and come to conclusions, without having to resort to the character sheet for a quick & easy answer.

Last Saturday, the Dead Orcs Society (which has become trapped on Myst Island) managed to find a linking book to a another age (Selenetic). Being rather bold, they immediately linked to the age. The area is interesting, as they have to solve a puzzle related to sound before they can unlock the chamber that will eventually allow them to escape.  One of the key parts to solving the puzzle is a main "control antenna array" at the center of the area. Now the trick here, was to attempt to describe rather modern (but not "ultra-modern") objects into terms that post medieval characters might understand. Here's what the players (and thus their characters) were confronted with:

Such a mechanism would be very difficult to describe without a lengthy treatise. As you can see there are a number of buttons (2 arrows, 5 pictographs, and 1 large button (which is actually a summation symbol, I believe), a video readout, and a number readout (which is actually a frequency). The trick is to use the arrows to point at locations around the island matching the picture. As you get close, the arrow begins to flash and the sound unique to each symbol comes in clear. You then click the big "E" button to see the order of the sounds.  That's important, because you have to enter those sounds later into this panel:

Again, it's all rather complicated to explain, but the gist here is that each of those sliders has several sounds attached to them, so as you move a slider, the sounds play. In addition to the legitimate sounds on the island, there are several dummy sounds as well. It's challenging, even for a group, because at one point, they had to revisit the main antenna array in order to hear one of the sounds more clearly.

However, there's a catch to all of these panels & such. That last image? Yeah...that's actually the first puzzle component they encounter. The panel is completely baffling, you have to explore the rest of the island in order to figure out its purpose. The second catch, is that you have to visit each of five areas on the island, and push a button to activate the microphone so that the main antenna (which you haven't arrived at yet) can read the signal.

The puzzle helped accomplish what I'm trying to do with this campaign. I'm more interested in player interaction than character interaction at this point. Anyone can roll a die, look at the character sheet and say, "I did it". While that's a completely legitimate way to play, it's also sort of takes the fun and mystery out of exploration. Instead of having the characters muck about making a bunch of useless skill checks or perception checks, I just loaded up Myst (in this case, RealMyst, the real-time version of the game), popped it over to the external monitor, and then watched the fun on my own screen, as they used the mouse to manipulate the elements of the puzzle. To avoid players "spoiling" certain elements of the map (and to prevent them from jumping ahead), I had them move their figures to the desired location on the map before revealing the area on the screen. (see image below).

It was actually pretty cool watching the players explore this puzzle without having to do a lot myself. Between the 4 of them (I was missing a player), they solved it in about 30 minutes. It was a great utilization of the time, and it wasn't boring for them.

If I could wish for some new thing at my gaming tabletop, it would be to run puzzles like this more often. I'd love it, if I could load a mini app on my screen, that contained the elements to a puzzle. I could then operate that component without having to launch an entire game to do so. Not really sure if that would work or not, but I know I'll be trying to utilize such audio/video aides in the future. 

While I'm not sure if an AV component will figure in to the rest of the Myst Campaign, I now have a tested reference and know it will work.

Thoughts? Questions? I welcome them. Let me know what you think of this experiment, and whether or not you have utilized AV in a similar way at your game table.

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.

Dead Orcs Society - House Rules Edition

Greetings, All!

It's been awhile since I've done any blogging, as I've been working on a pretty big project that was finally completed. In a few days, I'll be posting pics and information on my Myst Island campaign for 4th Edition. However, in the meantime, there's something else I'd like to talk about.

There's been a lot of talk on Twitter (my main hangout) as of late regarding the various conceits of Dungeons & Dragons and particularly 4th Edition. Monte Cook's various Legends & Lore articles never fail to encourage in-depth (and often unnecessarily heated) discussion on how the game of Dungeons & Dragons is really to be played.

As a Dungeon Master, I love 4th Edition. It's balanced play, ease of encounter construction, and flexible presentation make it the easiest game I've ever had the privilege to DM. It's because of this flexibility, that I feel comfortable modifying certain rules to help our own game group better enjoy the game. No game is perfect, but 4th Edition allows me to change things up and improve our group's experience without having to invest in yet another game that tries to fix those gaps.

Listed below are most of the house rules I've either implemented or intend to implement. I've avoided listing the ones that are "campaign specific". Thus, these rules are applicable to whatever 4e game I'm running and are listed in no particular order:

1 - Extremely Curtailed Perception Checks.

I discussed why I did this HERE, but the short version is that I wanted more Player participation instead of Character resolution. What I mean by that is that if there is a puzzle or mystery or search, I want my Players to be able to set the course of action, not the character. I now reserve Perception checks only for combat situations involving invisibility.

2 - Minions Have 1 Hit Point Per Level.

It's always bugged me that even a 23rd level Minion has only 1 hit point. I understand that there are reasons for this rules conceit, but I changed it anyway. Minions have 1 hit point per level. Powers that are keyed to taking out Minions are modified to scale up. Missed attacks still do not harm Minions. 

3 - Death Is Not The End.

While my own players haven't had their characters experience this yet, they will find that Death is not necessarily the end. Heroes have the option to continue play as a Ghost, with limited abilities. Since Rituals exist to bring back life to a Hero, the Ghost option (based on the Ghostwalk Campaign Setting) allows the Player to continue to participate.

4 - Curtailed Opportunity Attacks.

The only opportunity attacks that occur is when a character attempts to use a ranged or magical attack against an adjacent enemy. Those adjacent enemies get opportunity attacks. This rule applies to monsters as well.

5 - XP Is Not Handed Out.

While I base my encounters on the party level (so they are balanced), I do not hand out XP for said encounters. Instead, I level up the party when I feel it is appropriate. This process saves the Players some math, and I don't have to worry about keeping track of every little bit of XP.

6 - DM Controlled Magic Item Distribution.

I do not allow my players to really "shop" for appropriate magic items (although I have made exceptions for characters joining the campaign "mid stream"). Instead, I monitor what types of items the characters say they'd like, and if appropriate place them in the campaign as needed. Under most circumstances, the items will be random. In larger towns, there may be magic "shoppes", but these places will only carry Common magic items, alchemical reagents, and the occasional ritual.

7 - Action Point Usage (Daily Powers).

If a Player would like to insure that a Daily Power hits, he or she may expend an Action Point in order for that to happen. Because the hit is automatic, it prevents the hit from ever being critical in nature. An Action Point can only be used in this way once per encounter.

8 - Encounter Power Fallback.

If a Player misses his or her enemy with an Encounter Attack Power, the Player has the option to expend a Healing Surge and instead strike the enemy with a Melee or Ranged Basic Attack. This attack must be rolled, but the Character gains a +2 on the attack roll.

9 - Rare Magic Item Challenges.

Characters do not get to automatically determine the powers/effects of a Rare Magic Item. Instead, I have them do a brief skill challenge. You can read about how that works HERE.


10 - Extended Rests Are More Challenging.

Extended Rests are a little more challenging in my game. Not every resting spot is a nice comfy inn or safe castle. I wrote all about how I changed it up right HERE.


That's basically the list. It's not very long, but it's enough to fill in the gaps where the game (for our group) can become "un-fun".  I want to hear about the rules your game groups have created to either fill in a gap or improve play. Leave a comment and let me know!

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.

DeadOrcs Rolls Initiative on Skills

So despite spending all morning yesterday waiting for jury duty that never materialized and a trip out to the company's super-secret fortress of research and development, I managed to pop on to Twitter a few times to find it ablaze with talk of skills and how they work (or don't work) in 4e and other versions of Dungeons & Dragons.

Skills have been talked about a lot, but recent articles over at WotC's "Legends & Lore" column, and fellow 4Geeks4E host, Tracy Hurley's column over at her Sarah Darkmagic blog, have sparked considerable chatter about skills. Some of that chatter, in fact, led my wife & I to have a lengthy discussion about skills over dinner. I can tell you it's the first dinner conversation we ever had that focused exclusively on some element of the game. Safe to say, skills are the hot topic.

Skill, skills, skills.

When we look at 4e, there does seem to be a disconnect between how skills are presented, and how they work out in practice while actually playing the game. While the 4e skill system is pretty solid overall, there are a couple of issues that seem to crop up fairly often. The first is this bit about Religion skill. Boiled down, the problem is that Religion skill is based on Intelligence, while most of the character classes that would use this skill frequently, have high Wisdom scores instead. You end up with situations where a Wizard would have a better success rate with Religion than a Cleric would. While this might not be a problem for those that consider Religion a Knowledge type skill only, materials in both home brew and published adventures make use of Religion in a far more broader sense. Consider, for example, a situation in which a hero needs to manipulate Divine energy in some fashion. While this task would seem to fall obviously to the hero with a Divine energy source (say, a Cleric, for example), you have instead, the party's Wizard tackling the problem since his Religion score is actually higher. The Angry DM has a fairly decent solution to this issue over at his recently posted blog, so check that out. For my own campaigns, I would just re-key the skill to Wisdom. At the same time, I remove Religion from the Knowledge skills list, and it becomes instead, the Divine equivalent of the Arcana skill.

A far more sticky issue is the one Monte Cook brought up in the Legends & Lore article I mentioned earlier. While the article is really not to be taken as gospel, he posits that some kind of "ranking" system be used to describe a character's "level of Perception" if you will. While that might group the ranges of Perception chances into easy-to-grasp chunks, I think it's missing the point. If I dust off the ancient text, and put on my Grognard hat for a moment, I can show you that Perception in 4e used to be Search in 3e, and before that it was...well, that's just it. Before 3e you didn't use a die roll to determine the results of a search.

What's that? No die roll?

That's right. In older editions of the rules, searching was the result of the Player's (not Character's) intuition, combined with the descriptive abilities of the Dungeon Master. Both used common sense to determine what could and could not be seen or recognized in a given situation. Take the following over-simplified example:

A hero is running away from an Ogre. He runs past a corridor and asks the Dungeon Master if he can tell if there's an exit in that direction. In the current 4e rules, the DM might call for a Perception check. The DM knows that the hero is moving quickly so sets the difficulty to the Hard column and sets the DC to the level of the character. Even if the character doesn't have a high Perception score, he still can roll a 20 (5% chance) to tell what's down the corridor. Now, while I understand we're not playing a simulation game, common sense tells us that being chased by an Ogre is pretty horrible, and that you're probably concentrating more on not falling down (and becoming an Ogre Slim-Jim) than you are looking carefully at every passage you zip by. In an older version of the game, the DM might simply say, "You pass a corridor alright, but you're moving too fast, you can't tell if there's an exit."  While the DM can say that in 4e, as well, there's an expectation that if you roll high enough on a given Perception check, something will be revealed. That expectation needs to go away.

I would like to see adventures & the DMs that run them, move away from using Perception. Let's take it out of the skill list altogether. As a DM, you should be able to categorize the descriptive parts of your encounters by how much you reveal. Try this example:

Let's say the encounter takes place in a Wizard's laboratory. The room is about 40' by 40', has no visible exits (but contains a concealed one behind a tapestry), there are several tables with equipment on them (including 3 potion bottles), a shelf of old tomes (including a trapped book), a magic circle inscribed on the floor, a Wizard, 3 Stone Golems, and a large tapestry on each wall. Now consider how we can group these items together, so that describing them is based on the player's actions instead of the character's skill states:

The Brief Glance: This category is for when a hero is literally only getting a brief glance at a specific area, either by passing by it quickly, viewing the area in a limited way, or simply being too distracted to note further details.  For example: "Peering through a crack in the door, you see what looks like a workroom of some kind. It is lit, and there are creatures moving about the room."

The Once Over: This category is for when a hero can take a moment to view his entire surroundings. It's good for when the heroes have busted down the door and are just about to have to roll initiative. It's also effective when invisible characters are sneaking around and detailed investigation would risk discovery. For example: "Standing at the entrance to the room, you see what appears to be a Wizard's laboratory. There are tables full of equipment, a strange glowing circle drawn on the floor, and a large bookcase. A man in robes directs creatures that look like moving statues about the room. Old tapestries line the walls."

The Combat Assessment: This category is for heroes focused on any foes that might be in the room. It's basically a combat threat assessment. For example: "The Wizard speaks words in a strange tongue and the statues move towards you in a threatening manner".

The Detailed Investigation: This category is for heroes investigating specific areas of the room. These descriptions would be unique for the various features described above. Investigating the work tables reveals the potions (although they may not be labeled in an obvious manner). The book shelf would eventually reveal the trapped book. The magic circle would reveal (to a character trained in Arcana) that it was a summoning circle. The tapestries would eventually reveal that one of them is hiding a concealed passage. You get the point. The Detailed Investigation eventually reveals what the DM wants the players and their characters to know. Not once is a single Perception check rolled, as it's the Players that are guiding their character's actions.

I'll admit, this style of play takes a little more work on the part of both the Players and the Dungeon Master. However, it does get the Players involved in really interacting with the environment. Instead of just declaring, "I roll a Perception check to see what I can in the room.", the Player instead must direct his character to actively investigate his surroundings. As the Dungeon Master, listen for your Players to say things like, "I pick this item up." or "I try to move this item". If a specific action is called for (for example, lifting a heavy object, or figuring out what a specific rune might mean), then a skill check of some kind is of course, appropriate.

In full disclosure, I've not yet used this method in my 4e games. However, as I'm starting my own home brew campaign in a month or so, I'll be going over my notes and removing Perception from the equation. We'll see how it goes!

I'm sure there's more that can be done to tweak the skill system, but that will have to wait for another blog post. I welcome comments and want to hear what you have to say about skills. Let me know!

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.

Dead Orcs Society Solo Adventures - Sovelis

Once again, from the Dead Orcs Campaign Files comes another solo adventures. Featured today is the solo adventure of the party's Wizard.

Sovelis (no relation) is an Evocation Wizard whose former master was Nimozaran, most recently from his tower in Fallcrest. Sovelis studied under Nimozaran for a number of years, and this adventure was one of Sovelis' last before leaving the tower and beginning his career. The adventure occurred quite by accident, and Sovelis hates talking about it. However, the adventure is notable, as it is where Sovelis acquired his faithful familiar, Bubo.

As a reminder, each adventure follows a simple (but easily adaptable) formula:

Encounter one uses minions and sets the hero on the path.

Encounter two utilizes a simple skill challenge.

Encounter three uses both minions and a level appropriate "boss" figure roughly equal to the hero's strength. The difficulty of this encounter is based on how well the hero does during the skill challenge just prior. If the hero fails the skill challenge, this challenge will likely include several minions as well as the "boss" figure.

Here's what the encounter looks like (encounter created in Masterplan 11.1). Please note that when writing adventures for myself, I often leave out the minor details of certain things so that I have room to ad-lib with the player. If the notes from the adventure below do not seem polished, this is why.

You'll also note that I while Masterplan assigns XP to the various encounters, I did not track this. These adventures were designed as flashbacks. Skip to the bottom to see the followup.

DeadOrcs_Solo_Sovelis

An adventure for 1 character of level 1.

By Randall Walker

---

A Wizard's Errand

It is really late. You're not sure why your old mentor, Nimozaran is wanting Parrow Mushrooms this late at night, but an apprentice's job is not to ask too many questions.

You've never been down to the dungeon level of the tower unaccompanied before. But it's just a simple request. What could possibly go wrong?

A lot actually. A lot can go wrong. This is what you remember thinking as you pressed the wrong stud on the secret wall, and the trap door opened underneath your feet. The fall bruised your ego more than your body, but now you're in a dark room on a cold floor somewhere in your Master's dungeon. You can hear an unnerving skittering sound echoing in the distance.

Late one evening, a servant awakens you asking you to report to your mentor, Nimozaran. The wise mage is in the midst of an experiment and asks you to retrieve some fresh Parrow Mushrooms from the dungeon of the tower.

Encounter		75 XP
Level 1
Opponents		3
Carrion Crawler Hatchling		x3

Illumination:

Total darkness. Illumination will change based on the lighting provided by the hero.

Features of the Area:

Stalagmites 
The stalagmites are considered difficult terrain to the hero, while the carrion crawler hatchlings ignore this terrain.

Setup:

The hero begins at the center of the cavern. The carrion crawler hatchlings begin at the only exit from the cave.

Tactics:

The carrion crawler hatchlings are eating machines placed here years ago by Nimozaran to aid in "mess clean-up". They attack any living creature dropped into the cave. The creatures will attack until destroyed.

Items:

There are no items of interest in the cave.

Carrion Crawler Hatchling  Small aberrant beast		Level 1 Minion  25 XP
HP 1		Initiative +3
AC 15; Fort 12; Ref 14; Will 12		Perception +4
Speed 6, climb 4		tremorsense 5
Standard Actions
Tentacle Brush (necrotic) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
The small but potent tentacles of the Carrion Crawler Hatchling brush against you, painfully rotting your flesh. Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 4 necrotic damage and the target is slowed (save ends).
Rotting Grasp (Necrotic) ♦ At-Will
Seeing a still opponent, the Carrior Crawler Hatchling latches on, dissolving the prey with its tentacled grasp. Range: Melee Touch The target takes 4 ongoing necrotic damage each round until the Carrion Crawler Hatchling is removed or the prey is dead. While the Carrion Crawler Hatchling is attached to its target, it grants combat advantage. Sustain: Minor
Skills Perception +4
Str: 10 (+0)  Con: 13 (+1)	Dex: 16 (+3)  Int: 1 (-5)	Wis: 12 (+1)  Cha: 2 (-4)
Alignment Unaligned

Treasure Parcels

Scattered coins worth 25 GP

25 GP

Negotiate the Crystal Cavern

Glowing multicolored light pointing the way, you leave the cave of the carrion crawlers only to find yourself in another cavern. 

Filling the cavern are strange crystals. Brilliant sparks of energy dance between the crystals, and the smell of ozone fills the air. From across the cavern, you see a bulbous humanoid waving a satchel in the air. Over the sound of the sparking crystals you hear a warbling voice call out, "If that fool Nimozaran wants his mushrooms, you'll have to go through me, Bubo the Enlightened, first. The power of the shrooms is MINE!"

Having escaped the rotting tentacles of the carrion crawlers, you stumble into a cave filled with strange energetic crystals. You must make your way across the cave and climb the balcony to reach the strange foe you've suddenly acquired.

Negotiate the Crystal Cavern		200 XP
Level 1  Complexity 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures)
Primary Skills
Acrobatics (DC 19): Dodging the sparks isn't the easiest way to get around the crystals, but it's possible. You can use this abiity score any number of times to complete this skill challenge.
Success: Your clever dodging and weaving has allowed you to avoid the sparking crystals. You move your movement rate through the cave and gain 1 success.
Failure: Your attempt at clever movements has failed, and you have misstepped. You take 2 points of lightning damage and can only move 2 squares. Bubo spawns a minion and you gain 1 failure.
Arcana (DC 19): Using your mastery of the arcane sciences, you quiet nearby crystals in order to move past them. You can use this skill any number of times to complete the challenge.
Success: The sparks between the crystals quiet down and you are able to move your speed through the cavern. You gain 1 success.
Failure: Despite your efforts, sparks cause you 2 points of damage and you move only 2 squares. Bubo spawns a minion and you gain 1 Failure.
Other Skills
Endurance (DC 12): Summoning your reserves of energy, you decide to push your way past the sparking crystals, disregarding their arcing lightning. You may use this ability once during the skill challenge.
Success: You gains a +2 on the next Acrobatics or Arcana check made for this skill challenge.
Failure: None.
Insight (DC 12): You attempt to time your passage through the crystals, in order to avoid the sparks. You can use this ability only once during the skill challenge.
Success: You gain a +2 to the next Acrobatics check made during the skill challenge.
Failure: None.
Magic Missile (DC 8): You use your Magic Missile power to destroy a group of crystals. This ability can be used twice during the skill challenge.
Success: The hero blasts a section of crystals into oblivion moving past them at your normal movement rate. You gain 1 success and one of Bubo's spawned minions tumbles off the ledge and is impaled on the crystals below.
Failure: None.
Victory
If the hero succeeds in the skill challenge, you make it to the opposite wall of the cavern where a notches in the wall allow you to climb toward the ledge above. Bubo flees to an unseen location.
Defeat
You make it to the other edge of the cavern, but you are beaten and worn. Bubo has gained some additional allies (spawned from his own body) and together they flee to an unseen location.
Notes

Mushroom Madness

If Bubo spawned no minions, read the following: Bursting into the final chamber, you finally get a clear look at the creature calling himself, Bubo. He stands near the back of a cave filled with row upon row of mushrooms. There are many varieties, but the patches of parrow mushrooms have been picked bare. Wide eyed he shouts at you, "These mushrooms hold the key to my freedom! But since you don't seem to understand that, I will send Nimozaran your CORPSE! 

If Bubo spawned one or more minions, read the following: Bursting into the final chamber, you finally get a clear look at the creature calling himself, Bubo. He stands near the back of a cave with creatures that look similar to himself, only smaller. The cave you're in is filled with row upon row of mushrooms. There are many varieties, but the patches of parrow mushrooms have been picked bare. Wide eyed Bubo shouts at you, "These mushrooms hold the key to my freedom! But since you don't seem to understand that, I am forced to send you back to Nimozaran as a CORPSE! My children! Destroy him!

Racing to retrieve the mushrooms, you confront Bubo in order to stop his madness.

Encounter		175 XP
Level 4
Opponents		4
Bubo the Enlightened
Spawn of Bubo		x3

Illumination:

Darkness, unless the hero brings their own light.

Features of the Area:

Fungal Gardens 
The cave is filled with rows of mushroom beds and other fungal gardens. These areas are treated as difficult terrain for the character, but do not block line of sight. 

Elevator Shaft 
At the far end of the cave, and carved out of the very cave wall, is a rectangular shaft containing a wooden platform. Pulling on the rope that runs through the middle of the platform, raises & lowers the platform. If the platform is raised as far as it can go, it leads to a secret door that gives egress back into the tower.

Setup:

The hero begins at the entrance of the fungal garden cavern. 

Bubo starts anywhere within 1 square of the elevator shaft. Any of Bubo's Spawn start adjacent to Bubo.

Tactics:

Bubo is really upset that Nimozaran is stealing his brethren and putting them to use as an ingredient in his spells. Having only reached sentience a little while ago, he is driven only by the desire to protect the mushrooms and carry away the most valuable ones. 

During combat, Bubo will send his Spawn to fight the hero before engaging in combat himself. Bubo does not know how to work the elevator platform, and considers it just another part of the cave. Both Bubo and his Spawn fight until they are killed or incapacitated.

Items Of Note:

When Bubo is slain, he leaves behind a bright red mushroom. This mushroom becomes Bubo, the Familiar of Sovelis. Bubo the Familiar has dreams of his previous (and rather brief) life, but is loyal & faithful to Sovelis.

Bubo the Enlightened  Medium natural humanoid (plant)		Level 1 Skirmisher  100 XP
HP 28; Bloodied 14		Initiative +2
AC 15; Fort 13; Ref 13; Will 13		Perception +1
Speed 6		darkvision
Resist 5 poison
Traits
Spore Cloud (Poison) ♦ Aura 1
Aura 1: Any creature that begins its turn within 1 square of Bubo, takes 5 poison damage.
Fungal Born
Bubo can move through any terrain composed primarily of fungi, as if the terrain were normal terrain.
Standard Actions
Deadly Puff Ball (plant, poison) ♦ At-Will
Pulling a strange growth from the top of his head, Bubo hurls a glob of strange plant-like material at you! Range: Ranged 10 Attack: +6 vs AC 1d8+4 poison damage.
Rhizome Stick (plant, poison, weapon) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
Bubo jabs at you with a sharp plant-like growth that extends from his body! Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 1d6+3 poison damage.
Skills Nature +6, Thievery +8
Str: 9 (-1)  Con: 12 (+1)	Dex: 17 (+3)  Int: 9 (-1)	Wis: 12 (+1)  Cha: 10 (+0)
Alignment Evil
Languages Common

Spawn of Bubo  Small natural humanoid (plant)		Level 1 Minion  25 XP
HP 1		Initiative +0
AC 15; Fort 13; Ref 13; Will 13		Perception +1
Speed 6
Resist 5 poison
Traits
Fungal Born
A Spawn of Bubo can move through any terrain composed primarily of fungi, as if the terrain were normal terrain.
Standard Actions
Rhizome Jab (Poison) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
Range: Melee Attack: +4 vs Fortitude 4 poison damage
Skills Stealth +8
Str: 7 (-2)  Con: 7 (-2)	Dex: 17 (+3)  Int: 5 (-3)	Wis: 12 (+1)  Cha: 10 (+0)
Alignment Evil

Here is the stat-block for Sovelis' familiar, Bubo. This was built in the original monster builder. While it doesn't have the same formatting as familiars in official resources (Arcane Power, etc.), it has all the information required to run one.

 

The Feedback:

Like Alex, I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons with Trey for over 10 years. Trey is the math genius at the table, and his mind can crunch numbers faster than most people I know. He's great to have at the table, because if there's a calculation error, or problem with dividing the monetary aspects of treasure, he's all over it.  Trey is a reluctant role-player, but once he gets into a situation, he can play his character to the hilt. He can be a bit aloof & arrogant (although not in a douche-bag type way) so his characters are often Wizards or Sorcerers. He certainly enjoys wielding Phenomenal Cosmic Power™

As we played through the adventure, I wanted to challenge Trey's assumptions about what to expect in any given encounter. The adventure brought him pretty close to death a couple of times, so I know I stretched the boundaries of what a solo adventure can manage as far as balanced play goes. Being a reluctant role-player, I spoke to him about using a quirk, but he's not entirely sure how to approach that. There's a chance that his quirks will be subtle, even to the point of being "the character that has no quirks". Of course, that in itself, becomes a kind of quirk. He's eager to try on Themes for size, and I know he'll enjoy the additional benefits. However, he's not especially open as to the details of his background. Hopefully, this adventure will help fill in some of those gaps.

Feel free to steal any or all the elements of the brief encounters listed above. As always, I'd love to hear your feedback regarding solo adventures, skill challenges, or anything else for that matter. In among other posts, you'll see the remaining adventures as my players schedule time with me to play.

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.

Dead Orcs Society Solo Adventures - Akumahn

This post begins a series which will highlight the brief solo adventures I used to introduce themes for the heroes in my campaign (and to buy time in order to finish another project related to the group's overall campaign).

Akumahn is a Goliath Warrior. The son of a dragon slayer, Akumahn grew up in a warrior's tradition, training others even at a young age. Tribal politics got to Akumahn's father before the dragons did, however. One day, his father disappeared, and his rivals took no time in besmirching his father's good name. Fed up with the politics, Akumahn left his tribe to wander the world, hoping beyond hope to find his father.This adventure takes place not too long after Akumahn left his tribe.

I thought it might be interesting to show off the brief solo adventures and report on the feedback I received. I required only that my players bring a 1st level version of their character. Each adventure follows a simple (but easily adaptable) formula:

Encounter one uses minions and sets the hero on the path.

Encounter two utilizes a simple skill challenge.

Encounter three uses both minions and a level appropriate "boss" figure roughly equal to the hero's strength. The difficulty of this encounter is based on how well the hero does during the skill challenge just prior. If the hero fails the skill challenge, this challenge will likely include several minions as well as the "boss" figure.

Here's what the encounter looks like (encounter created in Masterplan 11.1). Please note that when writing adventures for myself, I often leave out the minor details of certain things so that I have room to ad-lib with the player. If the notes from the adventure below do not seem polished, this is why.

You'll also note that I while Masterplan assigns XP to the various encounters, I did not track this. These adventures were designed as flashbacks. Skip to the bottom to see the followup.

DeadOrcs_Solo_Akumahn

An adventure for 1 character of level 1.

By Randall Walker

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Ambush!

The afternoon sun is bright, but not unpleasantly hot as you make your way down the mountain towards a mining town. Just around a small drop-off, you are surprised to see two hillsmen blocking the lightly forested path. 

The hillsmen are dressed in the garb of a nearby friendly tribe, although they are brandishing their weapons. A determined look of malice clouds their faces. 

Curioius, you take a couple of more steps only to have one of the hillsmen shout, "Stop right there, mountain-born. Give up your weapons and armor, and we might let you go."

Making your way down the mountainside one afternoon, you are surprised by four hillsmen from a nearby tribe.

Encounter		124 XP
Level 2
Opponents		4
False Hillsman Warrior		x4

Illumination:

Bright light. This encounter takes place in the mid-afternoon.

Features of the Area:

Trees & Rocks 
The various trees and rocks that dot the hillside are considered difficult terrain. 

Sloping Ground 
This encounter takes place on sloping ground. Any creature that is uphill and fighting an enemy that is downhill from them, gains a +1 on its attack roll. In addition, creatures must make an Acrobatics check (DC 12) at the end of any running or charging movement, or fall prone.

Setup:

The hero begins at the north end of the map. The false hillsman warrirors begin at the opposite end of the map.

Tactics:

Virtually none. The false hillsman warriors are bloodthristy thugs intent on waylaying any travelers they come across. Their bloodlust forces them to fight until they are slain.

Items:

Animal Skin Note 
One of the warriors has a rolled animal skin. Scrawled upon it, in crude Common, is a note: Take all you wish from travelers, but DO NOT lead them to the camp. My power is growing, but I must remain disguised until I can decide what to do about Chief Steady-hand 

The note can be found with a simple search of the warriors. 

Coinage 
Each warrior has 3 SP on his person.

False Hillsman Warrior  Medium natural humanoid		Level 2 Minion  31 XP
HP 1		Initiative +1
AC 15; Fort 13; Ref 11; Will 11		Perception +1
Speed 6
Traits
Bloodlust
Seeing the spilled blood of their companion, the false hillsman warrior is invigorated by bloodlust. If a false hillsman warrior begins his turn within 2 squares of a fallen ally, the false hillsman warrior gains a +2 on his attack rolls until the end of the encounter.
Standard Actions
Sword (Weapon) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
Range: Melee Attack: +7 vs AC 5 damage.
Skills +6 Stealth
Str: 14 (+3)  Con: 12 (+2)	Dex: 10 (+1)  Int: 9 (+0)	Wis: 10 (+1)  Cha: 11 (+1)
Alignment Evil
Languages Common
Equipment sword, leather armor
Tactics Essentially thugs, these false hillsmen will attack out of bloodlust until slain.

Treasure Parcels

Silver coins worth 12 SP

12 SP

Harem Scare Em

TEXT 1 - With growing anger, Glou reads the note. Shouting to his fellow tribesmen, Glou approaches the harem tent. With a bellowing shout he calls for his father. 

Moments later, Glou's father appears at the entrance to the tent. He is disheveled and his lip has a small cut on it. Glou points at him and shouts, "Imposter! Where is my father?" The Chief looks at Glou and says, "What do mean? I'm your father. 

No sooner is that said, Glou thrusts the animal skin note towards the Chief. Looking up, the features of his face flicker just a moment, giving him away. "Simpletons! I am Phlenx the Finest! You'll never find your father..and you'll never find me!" With that, Phlenx dives back into the harem tent. 

TEXT 2 - After discussing things with Glou for a short time, you hear a scream coming from the direction of the harem tent. Rushing over, Glau shouts for his father. 

Moments later, Glou's father appears at the entrance to the tent. He is disheveled and his lip has a small cut on it. Suddenly, the familiar visage of the Chieftain gives way to that of a strange man. Shocked, Glou points at him and shouts, "Imposter! Where is my father?" The Chief looks at Glou and says, "What do mean? I'm your father. 

No sooner is that said, the features of the Chieftain's face flicker again for just a moment, giving him away. Realizing he's been exposed, the false chieftain shouts, "Simpletons! I am Phlenx the Finest! You'll never find your father..and you'll never find me!" With that, Phlenx dives back into the harem tent.

Concerned about the note you found on the false hillsman, you decided to check in on what you remember was an otherwise friendly tribe. Getting to the camp, you are immediately pulled aside by Chief's son, Glou Rockwalker. 

Glou tells you that for days now, his father has been acting strangely. He spends all of his time in the harem tent, and on several occasions, screams have been heard coming from the same tent. Glou goes on to tell you that because of his father's standing as Chief, no one has confronted him, and he's not sure what's wrong. It's almost as if someone has replaced his father, for he knows his father would never behave so poorly. 

IF YOU HAND the note you found to Glou (and relate your encounter with the hillsmen), read text #1 to the player. 

IF YOU DO NOT hand Glou the note, read text #2 to the player 

The harem is essentially a large pavilion like tent filled with all kinds of luxurious pillows, silks, rugs, etc. A large number of beautiful men & women inhabit the tent (the Chief has a variety of interesting tastes). As Phlenx flees, he shouts to the harem, "Distract that fool and you will earn my undivided attention!"

Harem Scare Em		200 XP
Level 1  Complexity 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures)
Primary Skills
Athletics (DC 12): One of the easiest ways to get through the harem throng is to simply move them out of the way. You may use this skill any number of times for this skill challenge.
Success: You carefully push enough harem girls and boys out of the way to make some progress through the tent. If Plenx has any spearman allies, 1 gets distracted by the harem. You gain 1 success.
Failure: Hey! That pinching hurts! The harem is particularly aggressive. You make no progress, and suffer 2 hit points of damage. Phlenx gains 1 spearman ally and you gain 1 failure.
Bluff (DC 12): The harem can't always be pushed out the way, but they can be swayed by your clever words and boisterous demeanor. Puffing yourself up, some of the harem members can't help but swoon, enabling you to ease your way past them. You may use this skill any number of times during the skill challenge.
Success: Awed by your masculine/feminine charms, the harem gives way, allowing you to pass. You make additional progress through the tent and gain 1 success. If Phlenx has any spearman allies, 1 becomes distracted by the harem.
Failure: Don't put your hand there! Your blustering and bragging mean nothing to a harem determined to distract you thoroughly. You take 2 points of damage and make no progress through the tent. Phlenx gains 1 spearman ally and you gain 1 failure.
Other Skills
Acrobatics (DC 19): Even in the close confines of the tent, you see the opportunity to use a quick step or subtle dodge in order to make some progress through the harem tent.
Success: Your clever movements allow you to make considerable progress through the tent. You gain 2 successes. If Phlenx has any spearman allies, he loses 1 of them.
Failure: Despite your attempt at clever footwork, you slip on a stray pillow and fall prone, making no further progress through the tent. The harem members begin "distracting" you with earnest and you gain 2 failures. Phlenx gains 1 spearman ally.
Insight (DC 12): With the discerning eye of the warrior, you attempt to determine your next best course of action. You can use this ability only once during the skill challenge.
Success: You gain a +2 to the next skill check made during the skill challenge.
Failure: None (you were distracted by someone taking off their top).
Intimidate (DC 12): Frustrated by these distractions, you bellow angrily in an attempt to scare the harem away from you.
Success: Your angry & challenging shouts scare the harem members who shriek and allow you to pass. You gain 3 successes. However, your challenges also allow Phlenx to gain 2 spearmen allies.
Failure: The harem laughs and attempts to "distract" you all the more. You gain 1 failure.
Victory
If the you succeed in the skill challenge, you make it to the opposite side of the harem. You can clearly see where Phlenx has made his escape up the side of the hill. Phlenx will likely have few spearman allies.
Defeat
You make it to the other side of the tent, but you are winded from all the distractions. You think you might know where Phlenx escaped to, but you're not entirely sure. You lose a healing surge, and it is likely the Phlenx will have several allies awaiting you on the hill where he escaped.
Notes

The Imposter Exposed

Bursting out of the tent, you look around quickly. Suddenly, you hear a shout from above you. 

"Idiot sword swinger. I will defeat you and bring ruin on this tribe. You'll never find the real chief!" 

Above you, on the slope of the hill, stand Phlenx and several of his allies. Raising their spears, their murderous intent is obvious.

You manage to get free of the perils of the harem tent. Now if only you can defeat the imposter that has taken over the tribe.

Encounter		175 XP
Level 4
Opponents		4
Phlenx The Finest
Allied Spearman		x3

Illumination:

Bright light. The encounter takes place in the afternoon.

Features of the Area:

Sloping Ground 
This encounter takes place on sloping ground. Any creature that is uphill and fighting an enemy that is downhill from them, gains a +1 on its attack roll. In addition, creatures must make an Acrobatics check (DC 12) at the end of any running or charging movement, or fall prone.

Setup:

The hero begins at the bottom of the hill, just outside the harem tent. 

Phlenx begins at the opposite end of the map (uphill). If he has allied spearmen, one will be adjacent to him, while the others will be at least 3 squares away.

Tactics:

Phlenx's tactics are pretty simple - kill the interloper (the hero). He will urge his minions to attack, and won't close until they are slain. He will then charge in (if possible) and use his brutal sweep power. Phlenx may flee if the conditions are right.

Items Of Note:

Map of Nearby Area 
Phlenx has on his person, a map. The map describes a small cave where the true chief of the hillsmen is being held captive. 

Horn of the Goat 
This item was stashed away when the chieftan was kidnapped. The magic items allows its possessor to suffer no movement penalties when fighting on a sloping surface. In addition, anytime a move action might cause you to fall prone, roll a saving throw. If you succeed, you do not fall prone.

Phlenx The Finest  Medium natural humanoid		Level 1 Brute  100 XP
HP 32; Bloodied 16		Initiative +1
AC 13; Fort 14; Ref 13; Will 12		Perception +0
Speed 6
Traits
Allied Defense
Bolstered by his nearby ally, Phlenx seems better prepared to brush off your attack. As long as one of Phlenx is adjacent to an ally, he gains a +1 on all of his defenses.
Standard Actions
Long Sword Slash (Weapon) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 1d8+4 damage.
Brutal Sweep ♦ Encounter
Rearing back with his sword, Phlenx makes a powerful sweeping attack. Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 1d10+6 damage and the target is slowed until the end of its next turn.
Skills Acrobatics +6, Intimidate +5
Str: 16 (+3)  Con: 12 (+1)	Dex: 12 (+1)  Int: 10 (+0)	Wis: 10 (+0)  Cha: 10 (+0)
Alignment Evil
Languages Common
Equipment Leather Armor, Long Sword

Allied Spearman  Medium natural humanoid		Level 1 Minion  25 XP
HP 1		Initiative +0
AC 14; Fort 12; Ref 10; Will 10		Perception +0
Speed 6
Standard Actions
Spear Throw (Weapon) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
The allied spearman hurls a spear at you! Range: Ranged 10 Attack: +6 vs AC 4 damage.
Spear Thrust (Weapon) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
The allied spearman jabs a spear at you! Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 4 damage.
Str: 14 (+2)  Con: 12 (+1)	Dex: 10 (+0)  Int: 9 (-1)	Wis: 10 (+0)  Cha: 11 (+0)
Alignment Unaligned
Languages Common
Equipment spear x3

Treasure Parcels

Horn of the Goat

This magic item allows its possessor to suffer no movement or combat penalties when fighting on a sloping surface. In addition, any time a move action might cause you to fall prone, roll a saving throw. If you succeed, you do not fall prone.

The Feedback:

I was fortunate that my first player to participate in these solo adventures is also my DM in another game we play in together. His experience as a DM is not as extensive as mine, but he's coming along nicely and has pretty good chops. Before we even started the adventure, though, we had a discussion about his character. I talked about how I wanted to introduce themes into the campaign, and that there were several listed in DDI already (my players heavily utilize this for creating their characters). I told him that themes could be made an integral part of character development "bridging the gap" as it were, between players who want background "fluff" for their characters, and players that really don't care for fluff unless it has some accompanying "crunch".  Nate and I quickly discovered we were on the same page. After the adventure concluded, he spent some time browsing the themes in DDI. He has yet to decide on one, but we identified several possibilities.   In the long run, it was nice to hear directly from the player what background assumptions he was making in regards to his character.

Feel free to steal any or all the elements of the brief encounters listed above. As always, I'd love to hear your feedback regarding solo adventures, skill challenges, or anything else for that matter. In among other posts, you'll see the remaining adventures as my players schedule time with me to play.

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.