In Which The Warlock's Plans are Put in Motion...

My lovely friends and neighbors...I'm out of ideas. I really don't know what to blog about this week.

Literally, it's been all quiet, here on the front lines of Dayton-area geekdom. I feel like we're just under the surface of a wonderous stew of glorious geeky goulash, ready to hit a rolling boil. With all of the planning for WittCon, FOPCon, and the rest of our annual circuit, preparation's been the name of the game.

As part of this, I decided to take on another game for WittCon. We had something of a D&D void in our schedule, so I decided to pick up my d20 and give it a go. As such, I have slot 1 set aside for "Orcs Gone Wild!"--a wonderous romp through Hamletshire, with the players as orcs, goblins, and kobolds rather than the usual elves and dwarves.

But, even bigger than that...it's official: the WittKids are running events at Origins this year! We just finished up our schedule, sending it off to the GAMA organizers. On this year's docket?

Myself--"Survival of the Fittest" (Dark Heresy) and "WEGS Plume Mountain" (WEGS)
Lionel--"Zombie Park" and "Zombie Graveyard (d20 Modern)
Ebbs--"Ninja Nuttiness: Attack on the Shogun Castle" and "The Plague of Man/Song of Silence" (CthulhuTech)
Karl--"The Relics of Dark Lord Driscar" (Star Wars d20) and "Croaking Dragon, Hidden Tiger" (D&D 4e)
Jules--"Welcome to Zendik Farms" and "If Train A Leaves at Midnight" (Call of Cthulhu d20)

Keep your eyes peeled for the Origins Master Schedule, coming out this May, and come join us at 7 pm each night at Origins!

In Which The Warlock Does Old Skool In a New Way...

For those of you that have been following my blog, you know very well the fondness I have for WEGS--El Willy's "Wickedly Errant Gaming System"--for its old school, 1st edition D&D feel. There's no bones about it: you throw your dice, you roll to hit, you kill the monsters and you take their stuff.

It's simple, it's quick, and it's fun. Easy as that.

So, when I spotted this little gem thanks to a post on RPG.net, I was floored!

Icons by Steve Kenson

I've taken a look at Steve Kenson's work quite a few times, mainly through the products he's done with Green Ronin, and I was legitimately impressed. While I wasn't a fan of the Mutants and Masterminds system (it suffers from the same problems of most d20 products, in terms of rules bloat and excessive technicality), Kenson genuinely shows a great knowledge of the superhero genre.

And, while I love Heroes Unlimited and always will, it's not exactly a game that you can just throw together on a moment's notice. I've been working on characters for the HU game I'm running at WittCon, and it literally took me something in the neighborhood of 8-10 hours to generate the 6 player characters for the scenario. Thank Zombie Jeebus that I have them saved online! I can't imagine having to re-do those, each time I wanted to run the scenario!

But could this be the answer to my hopes, dreams, and desires? A superhero game that's easy to pick up, quick around the table, and still have enough depth to show off complex powers like Iron Man or Green Lantern? Mmmm...*drools*

Unfortunately, I'll have to wait for June on Icons, but it definitely looks like something I'll be picking up.

In Which The Warlock Switches Gears...

With WittCon VII approaching, I had originally been hard at work on a Ravenloft scenario to run during the second session. "In Pursuit of Perfection" was going to be an interesting little romp through Paridon, in which the PCs would uncover some unsavory goings-on in the "Divinity of Mankind"--a pseudo-Freemason group devoted to perfection for all mankind.

Unfortunately, I hadn't exactly anticipated everyone else's offerings this time around. Kat's been high on a new indy game called "Houses of the Blooded", while a group that we met at FOPCon is bringing three sessions of "Fellowship of the White Star"--a game that, thematically, is pretty well identical to Ravenloft. All that on top of Jules' annual Call of Cthulhu game...

...well, I was out luck. I still wanted to run something, but we needed some genre differentiation!

So many options before me, I had some difficulty settling on something. I had thought about doing Clone Wars-era Star Wars game, but was immediately turned off by the d20 character generation, even with the assist from HeroForge. I was thinking about potentially running some Conan or Stargate SG-1, but in both cases...same problem. WEGS? Well, with El Willy planning to make an appearance, that's his domain! Dungeon Slam and SunnyVale Acres still need some work before another big playtest run...

As such, I was at a loss. What to run, what to run?

Ah, yes. My beloved Heroes Unlimited!

With the massive blizzard around us, I've had a few extra days off to work towards putting together a scenario I'm calling "The Near-Orbit Mass Driver Blues".

Five of six characters, complete with backgrounds, are already done with the outline still being put together. I'm excited about how they've all turned out, with some pretty unique power combinations:

Shadowman IX: The perfect corporate spy and master of shadow!

Dead Man Walker: A former Red Cross worker turned undead voodoo horror!

Rebuild: A master of robotics, complete with a bionic arsenal!

High Voltage: An NSA super-soldier and master of close combat!

Rebel Yell: An adorable Southern college student...with the powers of Sonic Manipulation!

and Pinpoint: A peerless archer and weaponsmith, capable of incredible feats of aim!

It'll be interesting to see how our heroes confront the difficulties of saving the former Soviet Republic of Kerplachistan from the horrors of the Ky'yrrr aliens! Can't hardly wait!

In Which The Warlock Indulges His Villainous Side...

One of the greatest things about gaming, which I've always really enjoyed, has been the villains that have the heroes have faced down over the years. Whether behind the GM screen or in front of it, villains have always stolen the show for me. After all, how can you be heroic if you don't have a proper villain to face down?

I mean, I was always proud of guys like Jaegren Lern--the One Living Man--and the illithid mastermind of the Saltmarsh invasion, Xil'ti'Carn. These were creatures that the PCs could really get behind and genuinely hate. And that hate? It's a powerful motivator.

Fred, in his GMing debut, really hit home with his villainous portrayal a few campaigns ago. My old swordmage-artificer Unsere was absolutely paranoid about her boss, Kezar Uzariza, and the corporation he had at his disposal. Kezar always seemed to show up at the most inconvenient times, providing a constant threat of menace that she had to overcome. For a character who was, in essence, a pacifist (at least in terms of humanoids!), this made for high drama.

I've been pleased so far, in Chris II's game, with his portrayal of Nynerin--an NPC from Keep on the Shadowfell that normally would fall by the wayside. As a fellow Valenar, Cyrid absolutely loathes everything that Nynerin pulled, particularly leading numerous villagers into the deathtrap of the titular Keep.

D&D, more than any other game, has always had its classic villains. From the demilich Acererak, to Lord Strahd von Zarovich, to the death knight Lord Soth (a personal fave!), enemies abound!

And, y'know? That's really what drives the campaign.

When I was in Liverpool, studying abroad, my professor for "Chaucer's Narrative Verse" once said something incredibly insightful. He told us, as students, that at the root of all great literature is conflict. After all,

"what would King Lear be like if everyone just sat around saying 'Pass the Cornflakes'?

So tell me, oh devoted few? What are your favorite villains? What makes them so magnetic for you? And, if you're a gamer, how do you carry that into your games?

In Which The Warlock Gets Back to Where He Once Belonged...

Man, oh man. First level.

For anyone who's ever played an RPG, it brings on ton of mixed emotions. It brings excitement--that first rush of adventure, as kobolds or skeletons fell beneath your sword. It brings fear--memories of being so fragile, so frail, that those very kobolds or skellies might bring you to your knees (oh, the horror!). And, for some, it brings outright frustration, particularly for anyone who played a 1st level wizard, and could be taken out (legitimately!) by a housecat.

It's been absolutely ages since I've actually played in a campaign starting at 1st level. Most of the games that I run, or have been involved in, have been starting at a low-middle level, in what this Age of 4e has been calling "late heroic tier". Mainly, this was to avoid those last two issues: no one wanted to play a game in which you could be ganked by a tiny little lizardman with a loincloth and a stick.

So, when Chris II took over the GMing reins, I was a little shocked and...well, nervous. While he mentioned wanting to start the "actual" campaign at 6th level, he wanted to run a few flashback sessions, starting us at 1st level. It had been so long...and my concept for Cyrid was one for a scarred veteran...and first level sucked, right?

I'm happy to say I was wrong.

Yes, level 1 brings its own challenges, but it's spectacular to go back to it--to the core of what D&D is: setting out on an adventure with your good friends, not knowing what might be around the next corner, finding that first +1 weapon, and having fun.

We just hit level 2 at the end of last week's session, and Cyrid actually came away with the first magic item of the game. (Sometimes it helps to be the only character wearing heavy armor, it seems!) We're marching our way off to the actual Keep on the Shadowfell, and my Valenar warrior already has a vendetta out on a betrayer-elf named Nynerin.

Can't wait to see how it turns out!

In Which The Warlock Introduces His New Character...

With Chris II taking the GMing reins for a while, I actually get the chance to play some 4e for once! After much agonizing deliberation and uite a bit of back-and-forth deciding, I decided on an elf paladin for this game. As such, enjoy the background of my newest character: Cyrid Alamein, Valenar mercenary!

Name: Cyrid Alamein
Age: 52
Race: Elf (Valenar)
Homeland: Jal Paeridor, Valinor
Parents: Elladir (father) and Malaenir (mother)—both alive, in grasslands surrounding Jal Paeridor
Siblings: None.
Faith: Believes in the divinity of his ancestor spirits, particularly his grandfather, Jhordaen.
Fav. Food: “Buried” lamb, with roasted root vegetables and flatbread.
Pastimes: Drinking, darts and other games of skill,
Party Role: Primary defender, secondary damage-dealer.
Strengths: Intense melee damage, strong defenses, marking abilities, physical skill use.
Weaknesses: Mobility, ranged combat, social interactions, no arcane ability.

Cyrid Alamein is, as are all Valenar elves, a warrior. He was raised from birth to fight in the name of his country, his family, and honor. Cyrid’s father, Elladir, was a noted cavalryman, who lost an arm when his company was hired by Karrnath to fight off the Talenta Halflings. Malaenir, Cyrid’s mother, was also a member of the company, serving in amongst the infantry. She, too, was injured, during the battle, and spent several weeks recuperating with Elladir. Their time together blossomed into romance, and they were wed.

The fruit of that marriage was Cyrid, who was raised to be a soldier from birth. Few children within the Valenar encampments could best him, despite the fact that many were stronger, quicker, or more intelligent than he. Cyrid’s natural bloodthirst, coupled with an uncanny knowledge of both offensive and defensive technique, earned him many commendations. One of these commendations led Cyrid into the Krak Cormanthus—an elite guard of Valenar mercenaries, who used their devotion to their ancestors as a literal weapon. There, Cyrid’s training expanded to include the channeling of the dead members of the Alamein clan through his weapon of choice.

While many of the Cormanthine Guard chose typical elven weaponry to wield, Cyrid instead picked a flail—a weapon rarely seen in the hands of an elf. While Cyrid rarely speaks of it, he chose the flail out of respect for his grandfather, a powerful elf marshal known as Vadykar. Vadykar’s legend has only grown since his death, as the Last War made him into something of a figure of legend. Cyrid always appreciated the stories of Vadykar’s death, as he fought off an entire legion of Thranish shock-troops with only one arm and one eye, his flail brutally smashing into the Silver Flame cultists.

As part of the Cormanthine Guard, Cyrid was dispatched to Cyre, to fight against the Brelish forces. There, he rose to the rank of Second Field Sergeant, beneath Field Commandant Raviar Tslan. While on reconnaissance, dissension began to grow between Tslan and Cyrid, over the path being taken. The men were swiftly becoming split between Cyrid and his commander, and he was pressured into a coup. However, when the time came to confront Tslan, none of the men stood with him. Rather, they aided Tslan in flogging him, and hanging him in a tree by his own flail, leaving him behind to die.

Shortly thereafter, Cyrid was found by a Brelish reconnaissance force and was rescued. Unconscious, he was taken to a House Jorasco healing house for treatment of his wounds. Upon awakening, Cyrid found himself without focus and without company, and deep in Brelish territory. Deciding to make his fortune before visiting bloody vengeance upon his former squad-mates, Cyrid left with a Brelish caravan for Sharn.

Cyrid is a fairly insecure character who lurks behind a mask of bravado and brash action. He has been raised since birth to be a warrior, and is quite good at it, but he finds battle for battle’s sake unfulfilling. He desperately wants vengeance on his former squadmates, particularly Raviar Tslan, but knows the near-impossibility of this task.
Cyrid has never known romance, and often wonders if his path will lead him to find love, as his parents did. However, he doubts that he will ever be able to reconcile his path of vengeance with a woman to love. Further, Cyrid desperately wants to live up to the model of his grandfather, Vadykar, who seems to be larger-than-life.

Cyrid’s only real friend in Sharn has been Gharthen, a tiefling barkeep at a watering hole in the depths of Sharn. Cyrid regularly goes there to drink, and to play darts against the sardonic tiefling. He has not had much luck finding mercenary work, as he refuses to register with House Deneith or House Tharashk.

In Which The Warlock Tells Luke His Father Was Named Rosebud...

To round out our last bit of "Pirates of the Underdark," I wanted to give just a little bit of face time for our lovely villains, who didn't manage to make it to the game table. They had big plans, for sure, but no recompense was to be had.

Jaegren Lern--"The One Living Man"--Level 22 Elite Controller

After ambushing The One Living Man on his ship, at the behest of the lich-loremaster Tsaron Mindweaver, the party found themselves being pursued halfway to hell and back by the necromancer-turned-pirate.

But who is Jaegren Lern, really? Believe it or not, he's one of my old characters, when I was playing at Wittenberg. Lern was a wizard, with the Pale Master prestige class and a heavy necromantic flavor. He used Create Undead and Animate Dead spells numerous times to create a zombie crew, which even included an Undead Dire Octopus. The kicker for Lern, though, was his arm--a skeletal graft that comes with the Pale Master class. Very flavorful stuff.

I designed Lern to be a sniveling, arrogant bugger, who had allied with the enigmatic Dread Pirate Tim, only to be hired by the rest of the party, as they traveled to IceRazor City. As it turned out, Lern betrayed the party (a week before finals week, no less!), resulting in a TPK. Lern, however, escaped (yes, really!), taking Lauryn's sorceress-turned-vampire with him.

While I really like The One Living Man as a plot device, he doesn't really have any far-reaching machinations, so he was fairly one dimensional as a villain. However, his prescence was enough of a threat to keep the party on their toes and make them really strategize when he came calling.

Lascer, Lord of the Shadow Shoal--Level 19 Solo Skirmisher

I first came across Lascer in an issue of Dragon magazine, where he was tossed in amongst the "Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Apocrypha". The image for Lascer is what stood out most, though: a roughly stitched together albino body, with jagged teeth and shards of broken glass jammed into the joints, hands, and feet. I knew I had to use this guy.

The players came across the cult of Lascer early in their adventuring, but only began to put together the pieces of his true agenda once they managed to meet up with the Cult of Dagon at Tsaron Mindweaver's tower. Lascer, having been Dagon's personal assassin for milennia, had broken free of Dagon's control and had escaped to the Prime Material. Set on vengeance, Lascer began founding a cult of his own amidst the kuo-toa and sauhagin of the Underdark.

Had the game continued, the players would have had to hunt down the Iron Flask of Tuerny--a 2e relic!--which was capable of holding the essence of a being as powerful as a demon lord. However, upon finding it, disaster strikes--the Flask is inhabited by a powerful demilich...the one, the only, Acererak.

And the rest?

The Gith--As mentioned in my last post, a rogue faction of Githyanki sought to use the Midnight Romance plant in a bid to dominate Sigil. This would have culminated in a cross-planar chase, as the PCs try to track down the Gith to their home-base and eliminate them, all without rousing the ire of the Lich-Queen, Vlaakith. Mind you, all of this would have only been compounded by the party's "acquisition" of a Gith Silver Sword...

The Weavers--Ah, yes. The powerful, enigmatic merchants guild, located on Skull and Stars. The Weavers were, of course, much more than they seemed. In fact, they were spider-people, known as "chitines". The Weavers had cornered the market on silk in the region, and weren't about to be undercut by some no-good scallywags. Unfortunately, their vengeance never took shape.

The Drow Houses--of course, in true back-stabbing style, both Mathir's and Zara's houses were going to come back to bite them in the behind. Mathir's mother was intent on letting her foolish daughter upgrade the Red Mourning as much as she wanted...then calling in the debt on it, taking the powerful ship as her flagship. Zara's sister intended on dragging her back into the Menzoberranzen political situation, intent on a second coup.


Ah, but all that's in the past now. Now, it's time for some Eberron! And let me tell you, Cyrid Alamein--elf paladin--is ready to bring some righteous pain!

In Which The Warlock Posts a Spoiler Alert...

As I mentioned earlier, our weekly "Pirates of the Underdark" game went out with a whimper, rather than a bang. We didn't really reach any sort of climax before the game collapsed, and many of the side plots went unrevealed.

That is, until now! Below are the assorted "tier 2" NPCs that the players helped to create, along with their "dark secrets" which the players were on the verge of finding out...

Durgrek--Dwarf Wizard (Tome) 18

What They Knew:
Throughout the game, the players came upon quite a few mysterious slabs of slate, covered in archaic dwarven runes. The stones radiated a mysterious form of magic, indecipherable by the party's arcanists. And, the more of these that they found, the weirder Durgrek seemed to get, as he lusted over the items. He, in fact, made a deal with Captain Zane to provide the ship with both navigation and alchemical/ritual services, with his only payment being...those enigmatic runestones.

What They Didn't Know:
Durgrek was the last of his clan. After being shipped off to a wizard academy, his clan was defeated in battle by duergar, and sold into slavery. Durgrek returned home on a sabbatical, only to find his home delve totally empty. Enraged, Durgrek turned to his arcane talents to view the past, finding the duergar that enslaved his clan. He rained fiery vengeance upon the offenders, but did not stop there. Durgrek sought annihilation.

Using his arcane contacts, Durgrek began to research the lore of "truename magic". Rumor had always been that the duergar, when they forged their eternal pact with Asmodeus, turned over a set of runestones with their ancient clan's truename emblazoned in it. Asmodeus, seeking to keep the clan subjugated, split the stones apart and spread them across the Underdark.

The Next Step?
Durgrek would have procured the final runestone as the players approached the endgame, enacting a ritual at the Hulks of Zoretha--a series of ancient monoliths imbued with arcane energy. There, the players would have been forced into a terrible choice--trust the seemingly insane dwarf, or stop him. Had Durgrek succeeded in his ritual, the truename linking all duergar would have been erased, instantly slaying all duergar on the Prime Material (including Zendax's comrade-in-arms, Ettik!).

Velenthi of House Nehlet, Drow Dark Pact Warlock 13

What They Knew:
Velenthi ambushed her big sister, Zara, in an alley in Freeport. Zara, in turn, bullied her into joining the crew of the Red Mourning. Zara and the crew were shocked to see Velenthi's strnge abilities, but even moreso when she was spotted speaking to hobgoblin and (*gasp*) surfacer mercenaries. The group believed that she had fled the fall of House Nehlet in Menzoberranzen, but there was little proof to go on.

What The Didn't Know:
Velenthi did, in fact, flee the fall of House Nehlet, but only after she actually caused the house's fall! She led the male slaves in a coup on the Matron Mother, only to be backstabbed by them, and being subjected to the same punishments she inflicted on them! Velenthi escaped, turning first to the Acolytes of Moil, a nihilistic cult that worships the ancient demilich Acererak! With them, she learned the warlock arts, then abandoned them, in favor of finding her errant sister and some hired goons, to help her re-take House Nehlet.

The Next Step?
Had the players spent any time in Menzoberranzen, Velenthi would have come clean about the fall of House Nehlet, appealling to the crew to assist her in the ultimate "battle of the sexes"--men vs. women with the leadership of House Nehlet on the line. However, their support of her would have drawn the attention of the Acolytes of Moil...leading to a climactic encounter in Skull City, right outside of the Tomb of Horrors!

Nalen the Quicker, Shadar-Kai Rogue 16

What They Knew:
Artemis--Fred's second character, following Captain Zane--grew close to Nalen, finding out much of her backstory while the crew was docked in Gracklestugh. Nalen became incredibly nervous while in port there, and confided in Artemis over a bottle of brandy in the crow's nest. This nervousness grew even further after the group was ambushed by Githyanki, in the midst of a harrowing encounter with the necromancer-pirate, The One Living Man.

What They Didn't Know:
Nalen was actually native to the city of Sigil, and grew up to be a private investigator. Nalen had taken on a case from the Sons of Mercy to look into the appearance of a mysterious viney plant in the city called Midnight Romance, which was incredibly toxic. Nalen trailed the plant to githyanki smugglers, who captured her. Before she escaped, Nalen deduced the giths' true plan--to use the Midnight Romance plants from Gracklestugh to poison and zombify the citizenry of Sigil, then use it as a launching point for further planar incursions.

The Next Step?
After the climax of the game, the players would have had the option to traverse the planar waterways, ending up in Sigil in the midst of the githyanki invasion. Working alongside Doomguard Marauders and the Sons of Mercy, the PCs would have helped to fight back against the gith and restore Sigil to its prior state.


And the rest?

Ettik--Duergar Fighter 13
Ettik revolved primarily as a foil to Durgrek, as he would have been slain in Durgrek's mad quest for revenge. Had the PCs returned to Gracklestugh, they would have found themselves trapped in the midst of a duergar love triangle, as Ettik had accidentally impregnated a clan mistress, who was about to marry a clanthane.

Elkantar--Drow Bard 11
Elkantar was, pretty much, what the players thought he was--Mathir's slave. However, he would serve as the cause of a major difficulty as Mathir's Matron Mother would have come calling, after a time, wanting both her ship and her slave back. Needless to say, this would have earned the party one more enemy...

Khalar--Goliath Swordmage/Artificer 15
Khalar, the gigantic pistoleer/swordsman, was about as mercenary as it came. He was willing to support any cause, any person, as long as he was well supplied with gold, rum, and fine weaponry. He had a growing crush on both Mathir and Nalen, both of which hid from the group at large.

James "The Goddamned Jim Bob" Robertson--Human Ranger/Horizon Walker 19
The Goddamned Jim Bob had no plot. He showed up as an homage to a past game, and just was happy to go along with the flow. Jim Bob loved travel, and the Red Mourning was as good a method of travel than any.

Stay tuned for the villains of "Pirates of the Underdark", including Jaegren Lern, the enigmatic One Living Man!

In Which The Warlock Looks Back, Then Forward...

Man. Who knew?

After all this time, I actually managed to hit 150 posts since starting this blog. Even posting once a week, it seems like a massive number--something that's taken me, in real life, over 3 years. Hard to believe!

I still don't exactly have a lot in the way of readership--about 10 people, in all--but it at least lets me get out my thoughts on gaming and the like. Plus, it keeps me writing, which is something that tends to get lost in amongst the chaos and mess that takes up 'normal life'.

What's harder to believe is that all this started with a simple character blog. My old dwarven sorcerer from Eberron, Harrigan Grimgem, provided the bulk of the first few entries, with things expanding from there. Being able to show off the pictures at our various Origins trips, as well as the other cons we've made it to, really provided a great change of pace.

It's kind of funny. As the new year dawns, I've been absolutely aching for a "normal year". Between the wedding, a new job, a new car, a new house, and all of the other madness from 2009, 2010 looks like a wonderful change of pace.

That said, I know better. As it stands now, 2010 is going to be even more packed with gaming opportunities, with the Witt-Wegger crew hitting even more cons than last year: FOPCon II, AnCon, WittCon VII, C2E2, and even GenCon! It's going to be one heck of a year, no doubt.

All of this on top of my work on SunnyVale Acres (which is a board and some playing pawns away from being playtestable!) and Dungeon Slam!...man, oh man. No rest for the weary gamer.

Mind you, in the midst of all of this comes our normal campaign, which is restarting after the New Year. This time, though, I actually get to play! Now, what type of character I'm playing....no idea yet! We'll see how that goes.

I guess, all in all, I just want to thank you, readers. O noble few that you are, you keep me doing this and ready to chuck the dice once more, if for no other reason than to report on the carnage.

Enjoy your New Years' festivities, and have a good holiday all! There's more to come in the new year!

In Which The Warlock Celebrates a Multitude of Things...

Sorry, to those of you that were hoping for a full-bore update yesterday. Since it's the holiday break, I'm relaxing and taking the Yuletide off.

However, I had failed to realize that, with my last entry, I hit 150 entries!! Next week, expect an extra special "blog-in-review" for both the year's end, and for hitting the 150 post milestone.

Cheers!

The Cathedral of Erudition and the Influence of Bane

(This is a part of my continuing series on the Cathedral of Erudition--a multi-faith temple found in the infamous city of Blackfall. For more on Blackfall and the Cathedral, search for "Cathedral of Erudition" or "Blackfall" on the Google search-bar to your right! Enjoy!)

As mentioned previously, the Cathedral of Erudition is one of the few places in civilized society where Bane is openly (if grudgingly) worshipped. The Cathedral maintains a small shrine, specific to Bane, in its open-worship chamber, which has created no small amount of controversy within the Blackfall community at large. Within the Cathedral, Bane is typically viewed in his aspect as “The Steadfast General,” as opposed to ‘The Lord of Tyranny” or “The Slave-taker”.

As any historian may note, the city of Blackfall could not have been founded without Bane’s influence. In centuries gone by, Blackfall was once a massive orc encampment known as Mahalek Manshalan (the Magma Lord’s Salvation) which had stood for years, after escaping from an elvish war-tribe. This encampment was destroyed by a human-led army, under the command of Dorian “Helmcrack” Dalathon, who was well-known to be a worshipper of Bane and counted numerous priests of the Lord of Chains in his war-band.

When the orc-camp was decimated, Dorian built the first stone keep along the Moonraked River, which later became the foundation for Castle Blackfall. A city sprung up surrounding the fortified keep, and the rest, as they say, is history. Bane, whether the populace likes it or not, is a part of their history.

Bane is included in iconography within the Cathedral of Erudition, but usually in a lesser role than in a Cathedral of his faiths’ own creation. One notable example is of a mural found in the Cathedral’s antechamber, depicting Bane and Moradin in full battle-garb, as the two fight back-to-back against a series of savage humanoids.

The community at-large is not pleased with having any worship of Bane ‘tainting’ their Cathedral or their community, and often rails against Bane’s inclusion in Cathedral worship. The two newer heads-of-faith—Delia and Garius—feel this pressure the most, though both believe that Bane has his place within the walls of Blackfall, given the foundations of the city.

True followers of Bane occasionally make pilgrimages to the Cathedral of Erudition, from points unknown. Only one such follower actually makes his home in Blackfall, Wesley Baracus (human paladin/warlord 16), who maintains the shrine to Bane and occasionally runs some of the daily worship services.

Baracus, contrary to popular opinion, is not a slaver, nor is he a vicious butcher of men. Rather, he is a devoted soldier who continually advocates for the proper defense of Blackfall, and for the well-being of its defenders. Few know that Baracus actually runs and funds a clinic, specializing in traumatic injuries and wounds suffered in the line of duty. While not a gregarious man, he stoically continues to make Blackfall a better place to live, and cares little about what people think about him.

In Which The Warlock Reaches The End of Things...

They say that all good things must come to an end. If that's the case, I've had it way too good for far too long. It seems that, with the end of December, both of my weekly D&D games will be ending.

In our "Pirates of the Underdark" game, we have two sessions left to wrap up the conveluted plot points, the circuitous undercurrents, and a massive trip to the heart of the Abyss left to go. I can't bear to spoil the plot here, at least not until the last few sessions play out, but rest assured that you'll get all of the details here.

I will, however, spoil the remainder of the plot for my "Echoes of the Last War" game, which I was running at Wittenberg. When we last left off, the players had been trekking through the Xen'drik jungle, in search of a House Cannith archaeological dig, which they had found evidence of in a shady lab in the Cogs of Sharn.

At the dig site, our players would have found a mysterious series of runes which, when translated, would have dealt with the missing Mark of Death, and particularly the combinations thereof with other dragonmarks. Notes left behind by the previous dig manager would have led the heroes back onto Khorvaire, to the Citadel of Twelve, in Karnnath.

Using some diplomacy and guile, the players would have infiltrated the Citadel, only to find little to no evidence (or help) from the dragonmarked heirs there. However, some further investigation of both House Cannith and House Thuranni would have given the indication that the group's old buddy, Thondred ir'Dayne, was still alive! Shocked, they would be confronted with an impossible task: infiltrating the prison of Dreadhold and breaking out their friend.

After another bit of sneaking, the party would find Thondred deep in the "Stone Ward" of Dreadhold. There, he'd enlighten them on the real plot: Cannith and Thuranni were in cahoots all along. The Mourning? Yeah, it was their fault, as they attempted to formulate an arcane/alchemical replacement for the missing Mark of Death. And, using the information from the dig sites in Xen'drik, House Cannith now has a prototype for a "Dragonmark Bomb"...a miniaturized Mourning that they intend to sell off to the highest bidder at the city of Thronehold.

Amazed, the PCs would have had to sneak back off of Dreadhold's island and into the Lhaazar Principalities, seeking passage with a pirate captain. Said pirate captain was, of course, deep in House Lyrandar's pockets, and set the PCs ashore in the midst of the Mournland!

After several challenges in traversing the Mournland, the PCs would have met one of the most dangerous individuals in the realm: the Lord of Blades. Obviously, the option to flee would be there, but should they negotiate, they'd find a kindred spirit! The Lord of Blades has no interest in seeing the world annihilated (even if it does mean the fall of the 5 nations), and so sends the PCs on their way to Thronehold with an escort of Warforged infiltrators.

The game would have ended with the PCs racing against time to stop the auction, and stopping the heads of the two dragonmarked houses--Thuranni and Cannith--from selling off their weapon.

Ironically, this game would have ended with the PCs becoming, essentially, fugitives and 'terrorists', sending them on the run for good. A definite strange ending, but one I hadn't explored yet.

As for what comes next? We'll see. I have some ideas rattling around my brain right now, but my focus has been on SunnyVale Acres for the last few weeks. Here's hoping I'll have my prototype out by New Year's!

The Cathedral of Erudition--101 Cathedral Adventure Hooks

(This is a portion from my continuing series on the Cathedral of Erudition, a multi-faith temple in the infamous city of Blackfall. Enjoy!)

101 Adventure Hooks for the Cathedral of Erudition

1) The local thieves’ guild breaks into the Deep Crypts, hoping to steal artifacts.
2) The party is recruited by Aida Ballard to scout the Vanalthian Wastes.
3) Church services begin taking odd turns as citizens begin speaking in tongues.
4) The shrine to Bane is defiled—the PCs must find out who was behind the vandalism.
5) Plague spreads across Blackfall, and the Cathedral is overrun with victims.
6) In the middle of weekly services, The Triune Idol shatters.
7) A street hawker named Marius preaches heresy outside the Cathedral steps.
8) The Necronomicon has disappeared! The only clue is a broken fingerbone.
9) Gareth Dolanian, a recently landed noble, has learned Yvain’s secret and plans blackmail.
10) Citing religious reasons, the nobles plan a coup, and seek the Cathedral’s support.
11) One of the paladins of Ioun begins stealing small artifacts from the Deep Crypts.
12) The city faces siege, and the Cathedral is called to the front lines.
13) Strange lights float through the monastery halls. Is the Cathedral haunted?
14) A frightened man corners the PCs at a tavern: he claims that illithids have infiltrated the Cathedral!
15) Illuminated Scriptor Delia vanishes for two weeks, and her predecessor, Jaris, seems to retake control.
16) The Cathedral is chosen for a massive summit of Erathian clergy.
17) A hobgoblin high priest of Bane makes a pilgrimage to Blackfall.
18) The Cathedral bells have fallen utterly silent. No attempt to fix them has worked.
19) Every image of Ioun in the Cathedral begins to weep ink.
20) The library is ransacked during the night; the guards are baffled by it…
21) Adjudicator Juris Aida asks the PCs to investigate the lost colony at Renning’s Run.
22) Pages are missing from the Triplicate Folio.
23) A text is discovered, implying a romantic link between Erathis and a now-dead deity.
24) A Vecna cult begins spreading throughout the sewers, with designs on the church of Ioun.
25) A dao djinn feels slighted after the Cathedral refuses to sell holy tomes to him.
26) The king reverses an old precedent, now choosing to tax the Cathedral.
27) Acolytes begin claiming that a chain-bearing horror now roams the cemetery.
28) The colors in a grand mosaic of Moradin’s battle against Mual-Tar begin shifting.
29) The halls near the shrine of Bane begin to radiate magical energy.
30) A crusade is declared, to find the lost sword of Prelate Guillaume.
31) The hammer, Whelm, is discovered! But who among the faithful should wield it?
32) Three bloody arrowheads are left on the Cathedral steps on the morning of each ten-day.
33) The PCs must transport an evil artifact to a remote outpost so that it can be destroyed.
34) A thief has taken the weekly tithe box!
35) The color in the stained-glass windows begins to blacken and fade mysteriously.
36) A paladin of Erathis faces tribunal on trumped-up charges and seeks aid.
37) A paladin of Erathis seeks assistance at his tribunal…for crimes he committed!
38) A set of prayer beads is found around the Triune Idol’s feet. The owner has long been dead.
39) A planar conjunction occurs, cutting off divine characters from their powers.
40) The runes engraved on the altar actually hold a powerful ritual of binding.
41) The monastery catches fire!
42) A mysterious yellow sigil is painted on the Cathedral doors each night.
43) A devilish assassin seeks to make a name for himself by slaying Yvain.
44) An inevitable negotiator requests the Cathedral’s involvement in creating a demi-plane.
45) A kenku trader arrives and begins selling holy symbols in the marketplace.
46) A disastrous harvest overtaxes the Cathedral’s soup kitchen.
47) Frost giants attack the city during a raging blizzard.
48) The Cathedral is asked to assist with a dwarven clan reunion.
49) An eladrin prince claims that the Iounian priests have stolen one of his items.
50) A PC is asked to second for a Dragonborn avenger during a duel.
51) A celibate Erathian monk finds love, and is torn between duty and romance.
52) A notorious merchant-house begins attending services.
53) Church property is being auctioned off from a gold-barge.
54) A zealous invoker of Bahamut begins a campaign of conversion.
55) Each night on St. Altair’s eve, a portal in the vestibule opens, leading to the Shadowfell.
56) A recent sermon has drawn the ire of many nobles, including the king.
57) A beam splits during services—can the PCs save the endangered innocents?
58) A powerful diviner contacts the PCs—his scrying ball can see inside the Deep Crypts.
59) A long dormant egg in the Deep Crypts hatches; the Cathedral is swiftly overrun!
60) An entire section of the Cathedral is sucked through a planar gateway.
61) A rival faith petitions the king for land to build a temple.
62) Inquisitors of Tiamat are transporting an evil artifact via gold-barge.
63) The annual Warriors’ Games are held.
64) An astral diamond is left in the offertory bin.
65) A homeless man is found, mutilated, in one of the rear pews.
66) A shipment of holy oils and balms needs guarding as it heads south.
67) A schism occurs between the faiths of Erathis and Ioun.
68) A series of gigantic golems is unearthed beneath the graveyard.
69) A magewright forge of Moradin goes haywire, loosing fire elementals into the streets.
70) Tieflings picket the Cathedral following a controversial sermon.
71) A ‘mock church’ arises to challenge the Cathedral: Gruumsh, Vecna, and Tharzidun.
72) One of the Trio is blackmailing another, in order to influence a key vote.
73) The Preceptor of Bane seeks an audience with the king.
74) A candlelit shrine to Pelor is left on the Cathedral steps.
75) One of the High Prelates collapses during mid-ceremony.
76) Street preachers, preaching apocalypse, begin hawking in the streets.
77) Biblical plagues infest the cathedral: especially insects and other vermin.
78) A nearby druidic cult declares a war of the faithful.
79) The Holy Beads of Saint Marguerite—an ancient relic—go missing.
80) Sixteen rusted shards of iron replace the gem-eyes in an inspirational mosaic.
81) The Raven Knights come to take the head of Yvain.
82) A local vineyard grows grapes emblazoned with the Anvil of Moradin.
83) A besieged barbarian encampment cries for ‘sanctuary’.
84) A lack of funds makes basic healing rituals almost impossible.
85) Disease runs rampant through Blackfall…but only amongst the faithful.
86) A beggar child foundling is believed to be a prophetess of Ioun.
87) Roads in Blackfall follow ley lines; if a major project is completed, a sigil is formed.
88) The smithies of Moradin accidentally tap into the Elemental Chaos.
89) A new branch of monks seek to move into the Cathedral, amid much opposition.
90) An ancient sage believes that something evil is buried beneath the Cathedral’s foundation.
91) A ribald troupe of bards composes a play implying risqué relations at the Cathedral’s highest orders.
92) A lowly cleaner stumbles upon a powerful relic…and keeps it for himself.
93) The Cathedral’s corridors begin transporting members through time, teleporting monastics to all points of the Cathedral’s existence.
94) The Sentinel Marshal returns from crusade…and begins suffering continual flashbacks.
95) An ‘enlightened’ university springs up in Blackfall, challenging much Cathedral doctrine.
96) The exarch of Moradin is expected to arrive, bearing an important message.
97) Several Cathedral members are seen wearing ornate signets, which they refuse to discuss.
98) The Arbiter’s Scales suddenly tip, and cannot be righted.
99) An apology must be sent to a neighboring kingdom, following an inflammatory sermon.
100) During an eclipse, the entire clergy is driven mad!
101) A serial killer begins slaying low-ranking monks…but what’s their connection?

In Which The Warlock is "Mal Carne"...

As I've mentioned several times throughout this blog, I'm a self-proclaimed foodie. Our TV is nearly always turned to the Food Network or Travel Channel, and I'm a fiend for the original run of Iron Chef. As such, it's really no surprise that one of my favorites is the culinary outrider Anthony Bourdain: author of Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly and host of Travel Channel's No Reservations. I've read all but one of his books--can't find the last one!--countless times, and I rarely miss an episode.

About 2/3 of the way through Kitchen Confidential, Tony gives us a culinary glossary: all the lingo that you might hear if you wandered into one of his kitchens. Among them are standards that you'd expect--"burnt" for a steak well-done, "a deuce" for a two-person table--as well as assorted Spanish and Portugese profanity, usually used as a term of endearment.

However, only one term fits where I'm at right now: I'm in the weeds.

To paraphrase Bourdain, a chef that's "in the weeds" is the guy getting slammed with orders left and right, his tickets backing up and stacking up, and his mise en place (his prep station) running out of everything. A chef in the weeds is one that's in over his head and sinking quickly, with literally too much on the burner.

I've always said that I often feel like a juggler at certain times of year, tossing up knives, chainsaws, balls, and priceless Ming vases. In terms of my gaming schedule, it's just best that I don't look up, and just keep on slinging.

--My Pirates of the Underdark is headed towards its climactic finale...a little earlier than anticipated. With one of our players bowing out, and a second about to move to northern Ohio, I have exactly three sessions to wrap up our convoluted plot, tie in all of the various sub-plots, and reach a plane-shattering end with the demon lords Dagon and Lascer.

--Simultaneously, I need to wrap up my Tuesday Eberron game before the Wittenberg semester is out. My players just managed to find their way deep into the Xen'drik jungle, in search of a House Cannith archaeological dig. The game's been going well so far, and it's a shame to pull it to an end, but it's been pretty rough on me as I've been running it mid-week in Springfield...and waking up for work at 6:30 the next morning. Much fun, but rough on the sleep schedule.

--After hitting a new set of playtests with Draft 4 of Dungeon Slam!, it's appearing more and more like I need to do a full board revision for the next go-round. Draft 5 will hopefully be tighter and faster, especially considering the time the last playtest took; I thought I had the time-issues under control...apparently not.

--In addition, I'm currently in development of another board game! Yes, you heard it here...I'm already starting my second game, even before DS starts getting submitted.

SunnyVale Acres, my second game, centers on the geekiest, most brutal gated community in the Nine Worlds, with cowboys, pirates, ninjas and more vying for the coveted position of Community Chairperson. I'm hoping to have a draft out in time for either the New Year or for WittCon VII.

--Speaking of our con schedule, we've all got to get locked and loaded for this year. We're averaging about one con per month, starting in March with WittCon VII! Afterwards, we'll hit FopCon II, C2E2 in Chicago, Origins, and possibly even GenCon (as it's a week earlier, and will come before I start up back at school!). Plus, with the WittKids looking to run events at Origins this year, we'll be up to our eyeballs in planning.

That's just a sampling of the balls in the air right now. I'm still waiting on one last chapter of WEGS 101--Dice Rules!, which will rock the WEGS community's socks off, once it's finally out...

Let's just hope I don't drop the ball, here!

In Which The Warlock is Mystified by "Good"...

I've been running, in addition to my Friday "Pirates of the Underdark" game, a newbie-level session of D&D, set in Eberron, for the WittKids. At the beginning, it had been kind of rough, but things have been moving apace, and the players seem to be really enjoying the game, now that we're picking up steam.

However, with our session last week, something unique came up which really echoes one of the biggest issues with D&D since its inception.

Arriving in Stormreach--a piratical town if there ever was one--the players began looking for a guide to take them to a House Cannith archaelogical dig deep in the Xen'drik jungle. To do so, they entered a bar (the eponymous "Styx Oarsman", which features in entirely too many of my games) only to be confronted by a conundrum: a group of orcish hooligan regulars sat there, growing angry from the noise coming from a group of dwarves who had "taken over their bar".

Needless to say, I was pushing for a bar-fight, as a GM, and nearly the whole group saw this inevitable resolution coming. One, however, tried negotiating.

Wait, negotiating? Negotiating! This is D&D! Kill them and take their stuff, right?!

Immediately, the other players asked him, "What's your alignment?"
His response? "Lawful good, of course. I always play Lawful Good."

I was flabbergasted. The first D&D character I ever rolled up was a 2e Paladin (complete with heavy flail), though I never actually played him. To be honest, I've only once ever played a LG character--the hybrid paladin/fighter Maxwell Craedon, in Callon's epic level "Dark Tower" saga. Even then, I found it immensely difficult. Put in a situation where a great evil lurked (a fetus lich, if you can imagine that) and I was unable to act, I literally had to call a "timeout" in the game, telling my fellow players that they had better "hold me back, because Maxwell's going to go down swinging".

That situation, by itself, was agonizing enough, trying to play a character that wants nothing more than to "save the world", while being exposed to hideous evil. This is to say nothing of the "lawful stupid" attitude, or the archtype of the 'bland, selfless knight' that seems to pollute fantasy (Dragonlance, I'm looking at you!). Lawful Good is...boring, right?

Meanwhile, I've always been a fan of moral ambiguity. "Pirates of the Underdark" notwithstanding, My characters have always had some strange balance between good and evil, law and chaos. Garius ir'Dolanian--my human ranger in Jules' last Eberron game--coldcocked his own mother with a tequila bottle, because he thought he could save her from the cultists that had brainwashed her. Hell, Jaegren Lern--the One Living Man--was utterly amoral, raised by necromancers and trained to be an undead master.

I guess the thing that shocks me most is not that my player is actually trying to play LG, but rather that he always plays LG. It's been a struggle for me even to play the alignment well once, but he seems to know nothing but it.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess, but some understanding would be helpful. What are your experiences with the Lawful Good Syndrome?

The Cathedral of Erudition (Part IV--Ioun)

(This is the fourth section of my continuing series, detailing the Cathedral of Erudtion--a Blackfall-based cathedral dedicated to three major deities. Enjoy!)

Ioun: The Scribe of the Obsidian Hall

Ioun, the Recorder of History and Mistress of Twisting Fate, is viewed most primarily in her aspect as the Scribe, constantly etching the annals of knowledge into her massive tome, while simultaneously weaving and interpreting the tangles of fate. When found in iconography, Ioun is often seen as a young maiden, clad only in unfurled scrolls, her hands stained with the ink of a common scribe. The primary duties of the faith of Ioun within the Cathedral are as follows:
• Provide schooling to all those who seek it.
• Maintain two libraries of tomes: one for public use, and one specific to the clergy.
• Procure information for the Cathedral, including reconnaissance on foes.
• Illuminate manuscripts for use in Cathedral services.
• Uncover ancient archaeological sites, in the hopes to procure lost lore.
The current Illuminated Scriptor is Delia Sen-Maleth (tiefling Invoker 21) who has held the post for 8 years. She is a feisty, quick-witted tiefling, quick with a wry response and a wicked sense of gallows humor. Her predecessor, Jalen Aspenbreeze, is a grim elf (Avenger 24) is still within the church, and utterly disproves of his replacement’s leadership. This has led to something of a power rift within the faith—while all follow Delia’s lead, a significant population yearns for Jalen’s regime, which focused more on copying texts and teaching than active adventuring and excavation of ruins.

The Iounian church holds simultaneously the most and the least amount of power amongst the three churches at the Cathedral of Erudition. While they hold the least amount of membership, the faith of Ioun specializes in information-gathering and lore-keeping. As such, the two other faiths rely on them exclusively for information on cults in the area, on major figures within the populace, and for other “less-accessible” information.

Further, the Iounians often serve as scouts and messengers to other lands and other political factions. This includes less-reputable establishments within the community, including certain thieves’ guilds and black markets. While they certainly are not proponents of such illegal entities, it’s said that “if the Scriptors don’t know about it, it didn’t happen yet.”

The Unstoppered Inkwells of the Recorder of History

Currently, only about 15% of the initiates at the Cathedral of Erudition have display their devotion to Ioun exclusively. While this number is relatively limiting, Illuminated Scriptor Delia has been more than adept at keeping her Inkwells active in pursuing knowledge and storing it in the vast Cathedral library.
Racially, humans, elves, and eladrin take up the majority of the Inkwells, with tieflings and dwarves also making up sizable minorities. Much of the teaching done by the Inkwells is done by elves and eladrin, while Inkwell dwarves typically work towards copying and illuminating manuscripts for the library.
Classwise, the Inkwells hold the most amount of arcane ability. Wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks are not uncommon, in addition to bards and swordmages. Avengers are also particularly common, as are rogues, as both serve as expert ‘reconnaissance agents’. Many Inkwells choose to multi-class significantly (at the paragon level), and often choose training in various social and knowledge skills.

In Which the Warlock is Disappointed with the Day of Dagon...

So, this weekend held the much-anticipated “Day of Dagon (and Friends)” one-shot, which Ebbs and I had been preparing for several weeks. While the basic premise was a pretty simple one, and it seemed like everyone had fun (at least on some level), I can’t help but feel like the whole experience has left a bad taste in my mouth.

The format was a simple one: the rise of 4e brought with it the concept of the “delve” style dungeon—a 3 encounter dungeon, culminating in a “boss fight” during the 3rd encounter. We followed this format near-exactly, with a Blood War skirmish to start, followed by a raid on an Abyssal fortress, then a confrontation with our BBEG du jour, Grazz’t.

The first encounter was a massive series of minions, each with an aura that deals additional damage to adjacent foes. While the vast majority of the characters were melee characters, their natural resistances and their sheer number of hit points made the auras negligible. Rather than weakening the characters, it strengthened them, giving them quicker access to a milestone (and the action point/item use combo that comes with it).

My own responsibility, the second encounter, was meant to be a highlight of 4e encounter design. The Abyssal fortress featured Doomlight crystals (crystals which exploded with force damage when hit by area-effect powers), several traps (a soul-stealing mosaic and “kissing maiden” push traps), and a rickety bridges flowing over a river of psychic fire, which in turn powered a demonic generator.

Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. The encounter ran for almost 15 full rounds, with each round taking what felt like forever. The PCs were pinned on one side of the river of fire, never encountering most of the traps. When one of the characters—Will’s assassin—stepped onto the mosaic and his soul was consequently attacked, he grew frustrated with his alternatives and many attacks were wasted trying to destroy the 300 hit point trap.

While this encounter weakened the party, it took over 3 hours to complete. On paper, it was a balanced encounter—several of the monsters were minions, and none of them exceeded Level 28 (including the traps)—but in reality, poor tactics and design (on both sides of the table) slowed down play.

The final encounter with Grazz’t was almost a joke, once we got there. Grazz’t won initiative, immediately dominating two of the party members—including the paladin/invoker who had been buffing everyone’s defenses heavily. On her turn, Grazz’t forced her to blow her major defense buff and began forcing the party into attacking one another. In between blasts of Unholy Blight and Waves of Sorrow, Grazz’t continued to dominate the group, including the artificer, from whom he sucked off a Healing Infusion.

When at last we called it a night, at 11pm, Grazz’t was still in quadruple-digit hit points, while the party were down to naught but at-wills. Game was called with a pretty convincing battle-of-attrition win for the demon lord. While I was reveling before the game in table smack-talk, the actual event resulted in no deaths, no maiming, and no climax.

Thinking back, I’m pegging a few reasons for this:

1) Fear of dailies.
Hands down, the second encounter would have been over much, much, much quicker had anyone actually used some of the abilities that they get on a daily basis. The entire party seemed to have a preternatural fear of “wasting a daily” on Encounter 2, which only shrank their damage output to smaller levels. Had they actually used their dailies earlier on, they might have escaped with less overall resources spent in Encounter 2.

2) Poor Party Design
Ugh—this was a killer. All but 2 of the characters in the one-shot were melee-based characters, with minimal (if any) ranged abilities whatsoever. This created bottlenecks at several points on the battlefield (which allowed my artillery/controller monsters to blast away with impunity), and created several conflicts over marking/paladin-challenge. Further, the party had absolutely no ability to control the battlefield, and few characters had any multi-target effects, much less status effects to level against the enemies. Needless to say, in terms of battlefield rights, they got pushed around.

3) Lack of Player Knowledge
This one’s hard to get around, especially considering that most of the group were playing these characters for the first time. However, with a month of notice with which to build a character and a test-run during the previous week from Ebbs, it’s almost not an excuse. However, at countless times, we had to double-check rules and basic, fundamental abilities were forgotten. As an example: When Jules and I built her character—Jesus de la Morte—two things drove her character: the ardent vow ability (which adds damage to her next attack) and dark reaping (which, again, adds damage to an attack, and heals her). Neither ability was used once through all 3 encounters. This isn’t meant to rag on her—the above is just a good example. Similarly, the warden never once marked a target, despite having absolutely stellar marking abilities and the artificer barely touched his encounter powers or dailies, instead opting for Magic Weapon or Thundering Armor. Further, aside from the aforementioned defensive buffs, I can’t remember anyone using a single utility power. Surely there should have been something? However, that lack of knowledge/execution was murderous.

I guess I make it sound like it’s all the players’ fault. It wasn’t. A lot of this came down to our end as GMs. Some examples:

1) Too much at once.
This fault lies solely with me. I had endeavored, at the beginning of the planning, to create a “complete” encounter…at least as it’s defined in DMG II. In that, I succeeded, but perhaps a little too well. I included interactive terrain, unique (and difficult!) monsters, traps, and a skill challenge (which was summarily ignored). All in all, it was way too much to keep track of, for both the players and myself. With nearly 15 separate initiatives on the table, the encounter quickly became a bogged-down mess. Looking back, I almost can’t imagine doing the same thing again, as it’s simply too much mess on the table.

2) Inconsistency in the speed.
One of the things we were pressing for, as GMs of this event, was to keep everyone moving quickly, so that things would stay fresh. Unfortunately we had forgotten to bring the “Karl-o-meter” (a 2-minute egg timer) to keep everyone on their toes. As such, players (and us, too—we were at fault just as much) began taking longer and longer on their turns. This really reached a head about halfway through Encounter 2, when I actually snapped at a player who wasn’t ready, and who was being exceptionally unclear about weighing his options. Driving home, I felt really horrible about that…while I smack-talk quite a bit around the table (and don’t exactly shy away from profanity while I’m at it), I’ve never really spoken with spite like that…and it’s not something I like. I guess I chalk it up to being irritable over the inconsistencies, but those are things that could have been prevented in the first place.

3) Impossible situations.
When designing the encounters and prepping the monsters, both Ebbs and I desired to go “no holds barred”. This was 30th level play, after all! If the players can whip out divine apocalypses at a moment’s notice, why shouldn’t we? The problem with this comes with the various discrepancies held between characters. The aforementioned paladin/invoker and her cleric companion both utterly refused to cross the bridges in Encounter 2, as doing so required an Acrobatics check (neither of which they were trained in, nor did they have an alternate method of movement).
Similarly, the bullywug ranger, in Encounter 3, would simply be dominated for the entirety of the rest of combat had we continued—his Will defense was so low that Grazz’t would be able to dominate him on any roll but a 1. (Ironically enough, he was nearly unable to hit the paladin/invoker, who abused the hybrid-multiclassing rules to pick up a massive daily defense buff as an encounter power, sending her defenses soaring above 50.)
In essence, we ended up putting characters in situations that made it impossible for them to succeed. “But Warlock,” you say, “they’re fighting in Hell! It’s supposed to be impossible.” Well, yeah…I agree, there’s always supposed to be a chance of success. Here, it became an exercise in futility. And that’s not fun for anyone.

I hate to say it, but I feel like much of this whole experience has only further soured me on really-high level D&D. The disparities between overly-specialized characters, coupled with the continual one-upmanship of the GM/Player relationship, makes for a Gygaxian nightmare of attack-parry-counter that loses the fundamental appeal of gaming.

Ironically enough, I did feel positive about one major thing. As we were packing up, the player of the paladin/invoker mentioned that she wished we had played this in 3.5e, saying “It’d be like Laser Tag with rockets!” I disagreed. If anything, that’d be worse—with no drama, no tension—just a simple matter of who failed a saving throw first. Despite its problems, I’d rather spend 6 hours in 4e, and end in a stalemate, than spend 15 minutes in 3.5e, and utterly fail to deliver any excitement.

In Which The Warlock Sums Up the Chaos...

Man, since the beginning of this month, it's been nothing but non-stop madness out here. On the plus side, though, we've been getting in some sweet gaming action.

Our Friday night game has been rocking and rolling, as our heroes--the crew of the Red Mourning--found themselves up against the enigmatic and powerful One Living Man in game of SpellBones...with their souls on the line!

Coupled with all that, I've decided to start a wiki for the Pirates of the Undedark Campaign on Obsidian Portal. You can follow all of the (slow-developing) details here: PotU Campaign Wiki

Further, the mighty Ebbs and I have been in deep preparation for the "Day of the Dagon (and Friends)" epic level one-shot. You see, for the longest time, we've been aching to whip out some of the high-level 4e stuff. No, no...I mean the really high level baddies. Dagon, Demogorgon, Vecna, Tiamat...all of the classic ones.

As such, Ebbs and I have designed a delve-style one-off to punish...er, um...I mean, to reward our beloved WittKids. They're taking up the mantle of level 30 characters, in the hopes to survive a lethal encounter with one of these massively powerful baddies. While I can't divulge the details on my own encounter-building strategies yet, I must say: I'm really impressed with Jules' character--Jesus de la Morte!

Jesus is, in fact, a Revenant Paladin (formerly a warforged)/Gray Guard/Exalted Angel. Nothing like throwing down a zombie robot angel paladin!

I'll be sure to keep you posted on how the "Day of Dagon" throws down, as well as provide my latest installment of the "Cathedral of Erudition", as well as some encounter design ideas from both "Day of Dagon" and "Pirates of the Underdark"! Stay tuned!

In Which the Warlock Gets His Laptop Back!

With a newly fixed laptop in hand, I can finally show off the pics of our glorious wedding cake! Enjoy!

Pirates vs. Ninjas Cake!

Some of the minis on our cake.

In Which The Warlock's Computer is Broken

Sorry gang--my laptop's power connector (the little prong that you connect the AC adapter to) died off finally.

Due to the lack of a regular computer, the cake pics and the continuation of the Cathedral of Erudition will have to wait until next week.

Sorry!