Something I really dig already about running a proper hex-crawl is the maps.
Like Charles has got a pretty simple one here:
Hopefully as you guys explore and create trails these maps will develop over time. Exciting!
We saw the RAW POWER of Hyper-Church Clerics this session, with layered Storm-Shells absolutely wrecking some skeletons.
Even more fun, the skeleton-controlling villain luring pilgrims out into the hills... got one-shot by a literal shot in the dark from new character Zulu Snakebite. Alas, these things happen.
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| Zulu Snakebite herself. We're Into the Luluverse now. |
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| - Charles already laying down those spicy memes |
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| - Tom shows the state of play |
Session 218 - A Deathly Detour
Date:
14 years after the End.
14 years after the End.
March.
Characters:
- Andromeda 237-B, Level 2 Laddite Cleric / Kitty
- Dustin “DJ” Johnson, Level 2 Intergalacticist Cleric / Charles
- Red, Level 2 Fighter / Timothy
- Praise-God-For-He-Gave-His-Only-Son-So-That-We-Might-Be-Saved-From-Damnation Snels, Level 2 Laddite Cleric / George
- Sophia, Level 2 Brackenfrau Elf / Carter
- Volcano Ｂucktooth, Level 1 Barbarian / Tom
- Zulu Snakebite, Level 1 Barbarian / Ollie
- Andromeda 237-B, Level 2 Laddite Cleric / Kitty
- Dustin “DJ” Johnson, Level 2 Intergalacticist Cleric / Charles
- Red, Level 2 Fighter / Timothy
- Praise-God-For-He-Gave-His-Only-Son-So-That-We-Might-Be-Saved-From-Damnation Snels, Level 2 Laddite Cleric / George
- Sophia, Level 2 Brackenfrau Elf / Carter
- Volcano Ｂucktooth, Level 1 Barbarian / Tom
- Zulu Snakebite, Level 1 Barbarian / Ollie
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| Courtesy of Carter |
New Character Origins:
- Volcano Ｂucktooth: A Barbarian from an adjacent reality where the world is dominated by an enormous African kingdom. While being chased by the genocidal Snakebite tribe, he stumbled through a temporal rift opened up by the End War. Now, gripping his cleaver and a necklace of ears, he has found his way to New Moondin.
- Zulu Snakebite: A Barbarian from an adjacent reality where the world is dominated by an enormous African kingdom. Warlord of the world-dominating Snakebite tribe, she chased Volcano through the temporal rift. Her mind was scrambled by the experience of crossing the timelines and she was forced to grovel to survive. Only now is she beginning to regain the memories of her former glory… and she hasn’t yet remembered quite who it was she was chasing through that rift.
- Zulu Snakebite: A Barbarian from an adjacent reality where the world is dominated by an enormous African kingdom. Warlord of the world-dominating Snakebite tribe, she chased Volcano through the temporal rift. Her mind was scrambled by the experience of crossing the timelines and she was forced to grovel to survive. Only now is she beginning to regain the memories of her former glory… and she hasn’t yet remembered quite who it was she was chasing through that rift.
Character Backstories:
- Dustin Johnson: In order to survive for so long in the collapsed mine, Dustin was forced to eat human flesh to survive. They begged him to stop, but he killed them all anyway. When you strike the killing blow on a creature, heal 1HP for each of their HD.
- Dustin Johnson: In order to survive for so long in the collapsed mine, Dustin was forced to eat human flesh to survive. They begged him to stop, but he killed them all anyway. When you strike the killing blow on a creature, heal 1HP for each of their HD.
- Andromeda: A man-farmer by trade, Andromeda kept POWERLADs shackled like cattle. They were not the true POWERLAD - merely lesser copies of the great hero himself. When one them escaped she went out and brought him back with a firm hand... and a hook through the ribs. Once per session, stumble across someone who ran away from you this session.
- Damnation Snels: When his mother was sick, he turned to dark and magical acts to save her. To his credit, she went on to have a long life. It’s quite likely that this witchcraft was blamed on his wife, leading to her murder by Damnation’s evil son Adam. +1 Arcana.
- Sophia: She tried to help the town of New Moondin through the poisoned years, but they wouldn’t listen. Her childlike looks and demeanour led to her advice being ignored by older voices. Gain a reroll against any fallout from someone disregarding your advice.
- Red: Red’s father, Sir Robyn, was insistent that his child was a boy. Before he could do anything rash, the thirteen year old Red talked him around. Once per session, de-escalate a verbal confrontation.
Valuables:
- 15 vials of Last Breath (750 exp)
- 16 longswords (320 exp)
- 10 Powerspider Meat (10 exp)
- 8 obols (8 exp)
- 6 Longcap Mushrooms (6 exp)
- Various trinkets (3 exp)
Total: 1097 exp
- 15 vials of Last Breath (750 exp)
- 16 longswords (320 exp)
- 10 Powerspider Meat (10 exp)
- 8 obols (8 exp)
- 6 Longcap Mushrooms (6 exp)
- Various trinkets (3 exp)
Total: 1097 exp
Overland Exploration:
- First to visit the Saviourbone Mine (500 exp)
- Explored 2 square miles (100 exp)
- Set 1 Forage (50 exp)
Total: 650 exp
- First to visit the Saviourbone Mine (500 exp)
- Explored 2 square miles (100 exp)
- Set 1 Forage (50 exp)
Total: 650 exp
Events:
--- Armed to the Teeth
--- Armed to the Teeth
- After the success of the last expedition, there is a flurry of activity as heavy wasteland gear is purchased and money is deposited in various accounts.
- Sophia splits her funds, putting half of her excess cash in the Goblin Bank and investing the other half in Julgoor’s rapidly blooming side-business - funding expeditions out into the wastes.
- News of their success has spread, and soon a couple of new additions to the team are hired on for a promise of a cut of potential loot. Zulu Snakebite and Volcano Ｂucktooth - dark-skinned Barbarians from another reality. Stranger things have happened.
- Zulu is an amazing chef, and Volcano is accompanied by a teenage Spider-Kid on Rumspringa named Mandible. Both good additions!
- Rumours are swirling in town, not least that the electric ghost of POWERLAD recently led home some pilgrims who were caught in a storm. Andromeda’s ears perk up - she was planning to go to the bones of POWERLAD anyway!
- The party plans next steps, eventually voting to head out to the POWERLAD skeleton and see what’s up. Sophia, thwarted in her desire to take some labourers out to the white rock field to the south, stays back in New Moondin.
--- Expedition Day 1: To POWERLAD’s Bones!
- Leaving a grumbling Sophia behind, the group heads out into a hazy morning. They are following the directions they’ve been told - head north-east past the bend in the river, climb the path up the hillside until you reach the cairns, then follow the cairns as they turn north towards the Saviourbone Mine.
- The weather soon turns to a welcome rain. It fizzes when it hits the ground, sign that the Storm-Shell is keeping the worst of the acid away. The Barbarians, despite their lack of wasteland gear, are fine out here. They joke about the harsher conditions of the desert.
- With several members of the party laden with heavy wasteland gear and equipment, it’s slow going. Nevertheless they find the trail easy to follow. A long path snakes up the hillside at the bend in the river, leading up to a shallow valley marked by cairns and set with lightning rods on the hilltops.
- They reach POWERLAD’s bones - the Saviourbone Mine - in the early afternoon. They see the grand draconic skeleton of the Power-Dragon kneeling heroically at the top of the hill, a single wing spread wide. It’s still upright, the joints are held together by crackling plasma.
- Sophia splits her funds, putting half of her excess cash in the Goblin Bank and investing the other half in Julgoor’s rapidly blooming side-business - funding expeditions out into the wastes.
- News of their success has spread, and soon a couple of new additions to the team are hired on for a promise of a cut of potential loot. Zulu Snakebite and Volcano Ｂucktooth - dark-skinned Barbarians from another reality. Stranger things have happened.
- Zulu is an amazing chef, and Volcano is accompanied by a teenage Spider-Kid on Rumspringa named Mandible. Both good additions!
- Rumours are swirling in town, not least that the electric ghost of POWERLAD recently led home some pilgrims who were caught in a storm. Andromeda’s ears perk up - she was planning to go to the bones of POWERLAD anyway!
- The party plans next steps, eventually voting to head out to the POWERLAD skeleton and see what’s up. Sophia, thwarted in her desire to take some labourers out to the white rock field to the south, stays back in New Moondin.
--- Expedition Day 1: To POWERLAD’s Bones!
- Leaving a grumbling Sophia behind, the group heads out into a hazy morning. They are following the directions they’ve been told - head north-east past the bend in the river, climb the path up the hillside until you reach the cairns, then follow the cairns as they turn north towards the Saviourbone Mine.
- The weather soon turns to a welcome rain. It fizzes when it hits the ground, sign that the Storm-Shell is keeping the worst of the acid away. The Barbarians, despite their lack of wasteland gear, are fine out here. They joke about the harsher conditions of the desert.
- With several members of the party laden with heavy wasteland gear and equipment, it’s slow going. Nevertheless they find the trail easy to follow. A long path snakes up the hillside at the bend in the river, leading up to a shallow valley marked by cairns and set with lightning rods on the hilltops.
- They reach POWERLAD’s bones - the Saviourbone Mine - in the early afternoon. They see the grand draconic skeleton of the Power-Dragon kneeling heroically at the top of the hill, a single wing spread wide. It’s still upright, the joints are held together by crackling plasma.
- The fate of the other wing is obvious when they reach the summit - it’s fallen to the ground, and a number of people are hacking at it with picks and hammers.
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| Artist's impression of chopping the wing off |
--- The Saviourbone Mine
- A bedraggled priest comes to greet the party. Dustin Johnson, aka DJ, steps forward to greet him. Andromeda and Damnation, the Clerics of POWERLAD, fall to their knees in prayer before the mighty skeleton.
- DJ asks why they would destroy the body of their god, and the priest explains that his skeleton is POWERLAD’s last gift - by crafting this miracle material into weapons and disks, rune magic becomes much more useful.
- DJ asks for some raw Saviourbone, but is rebuffed. This stuff is tightly controlled by the Ex-Drakencult - he was their lord more than most. If you want to buy some, please make your way to the shops in New Moondin.
- Damnation Snels approaches the priest, who is happy to talk to another person at this point… but is shocked when Damnation has the same request! They make a deal - 10 obols for enough of a Saviourbone offcut to create a shrine to POWERLAD.
- The Barbarians ask about local issues, and they’re told about flying creatures which occasionally harass the miners. “Ah, must be seagulls” muses DJ. After some discussion, the priest offers to give a Saviourbone disk (50 ob RRP) to anyone who brings him the corpse of such a creature.
- DJ asks why they would destroy the body of their god, and the priest explains that his skeleton is POWERLAD’s last gift - by crafting this miracle material into weapons and disks, rune magic becomes much more useful.
- DJ asks for some raw Saviourbone, but is rebuffed. This stuff is tightly controlled by the Ex-Drakencult - he was their lord more than most. If you want to buy some, please make your way to the shops in New Moondin.
- Damnation Snels approaches the priest, who is happy to talk to another person at this point… but is shocked when Damnation has the same request! They make a deal - 10 obols for enough of a Saviourbone offcut to create a shrine to POWERLAD.
- The Barbarians ask about local issues, and they’re told about flying creatures which occasionally harass the miners. “Ah, must be seagulls” muses DJ. After some discussion, the priest offers to give a Saviourbone disk (50 ob RRP) to anyone who brings him the corpse of such a creature.
--- Expedition Night 1: The Ghosts in the Hills
- Despite an offer to stay out near the Mine, the party decides to head home as dusk is falling. Hopefully they’ll see the rumoured ghost of POWERLAD!
- They head south again, following the path of the cairns. It’s dark and the rain has stopped, replaced by a stinging haze. The moon looms large and close overhead, the gibbous moon glimmering through the mist.
- Where the cairns begin to turn back towards New Moondin, they see a light in the hills! It’s exactly as promised! They head uphill, leaving the cairns behind, heading south towards the light. On the way they come across a small clutch of Longcap mushrooms - lucky!
- The haze makes the going exhausting. Andromeda ditches her cooking gear as they go, but by the time they reach their destination almost everyone is exhausted. They find nothing except a twisted and broken lantern, still warm…
- Despite an offer to stay out near the Mine, the party decides to head home as dusk is falling. Hopefully they’ll see the rumoured ghost of POWERLAD!
- They head south again, following the path of the cairns. It’s dark and the rain has stopped, replaced by a stinging haze. The moon looms large and close overhead, the gibbous moon glimmering through the mist.
- Where the cairns begin to turn back towards New Moondin, they see a light in the hills! It’s exactly as promised! They head uphill, leaving the cairns behind, heading south towards the light. On the way they come across a small clutch of Longcap mushrooms - lucky!
- The haze makes the going exhausting. Andromeda ditches her cooking gear as they go, but by the time they reach their destination almost everyone is exhausted. They find nothing except a twisted and broken lantern, still warm…
--- Skeletons!
- DJ lights up a lantern of his own, and sees them in time! White bone faces leering from the mist - skeletons! The party fans out in a wide defensive circle, unsheathing their weapons.
- The undead strike quickly with shuddering speed, slashing in with cold swords. Zulu’s shield shatters as she parries a deadly blow, and poor Mandible the young teenage spider is killed instantly.
- The undead strike quickly with shuddering speed, slashing in with cold swords. Zulu’s shield shatters as she parries a deadly blow, and poor Mandible the young teenage spider is killed instantly.
- Damnation and Andromeda yell at the party to fall into a tighter defensive circle, then call forth simultaneous Miracles. Andromeda slams her Saviourbone hammer against the ground and Damnation opens his arms wide as layered Storm-Shells are called forth between the party and the skeletons!
- The mindless skeletons close in unheeding. They move through the Storm-Shells… and there is a series of rapid thunderclaps as the skeletons are blasted apart! Only three make it through, and between Red and Zulu they are easily dispatched.
- Zulu hears a mocking giggle from beyond the Storm-Shell and casually chucks her spear in its general direction. There is a faint “hyurk” and a splatter - direct hit!
- The coruscating electrical shields keep out the mists, allowing those within to breathe clean air for the first time in days. They loot the skeletons while they wait for the shells to dissipate - claiming swords, daggers, and a few other bits. While the party loots the bodies, Andromeda takes the opportunity to quietly “Lay on Hands” herself.
--- Ephraim Gatsby
- The Storm-Shells soon fall and the stinging haze blows back in. They head out with the light of DJ’s lantern, soon coming across a quivering and spasming body pinned to the side of a hill by a spear. Their hands cover their face - palms up - as if they’d tried to protect themselves.
- Red pulls the spear out and the man thanks her. There’s a hole straight through his forehead, but that does little to mar his perfectly coifed hair and fancy cravat. He looks into Red’s eyes and is immediately lovestruck - “Why, you’re just like me!”
- He admits easily to attacking them - he’s been luring weary pilgrims from the path and turning them into skeletons. Last Breath is at a premium, you know.
- Zulu immediately chops off his head and grabs the big cleaver that he’d dropped to begin mincing the body, which quickly rots. DJ steals his brogues and finds a bandolier of 15 Last Breaths. Red begrudgingly nicks his cravat.
- Red grabs the head and asks him if he’ll live, then blows up his windpipe. “Maaaaaaybeeeeee” moans the head. Using this macabre method, she discovers that his name is Ephraim Gatsby.
--- A Hot Meal
- They return to the battle site and the curled-up corpse of poor Mandible the spider-teen. Zulu puts the cleaver to work - dressing and butchering the carcass. There’s a lot of good meat on there!
- Others get a fire going with long-dead wood. Combined with honey squeezed from a honey-bun and the Longcap Mushrooms found earlier, Zulu soon has a nice little meal going - Honey-Glazed Spider with Shrooms. It’s palatable.
- Red refuses to eat her “cousin”, so sits and reads her book on the Iounians of the Moon. Zulu eats the meal with relish - slurping the honey off the carapace before really getting in there to suck out the meat.
- They return to the battle site and the curled-up corpse of poor Mandible the spider-teen. Zulu puts the cleaver to work - dressing and butchering the carcass. There’s a lot of good meat on there!
- Others get a fire going with long-dead wood. Combined with honey squeezed from a honey-bun and the Longcap Mushrooms found earlier, Zulu soon has a nice little meal going - Honey-Glazed Spider with Shrooms. It’s palatable.
- Red refuses to eat her “cousin”, so sits and reads her book on the Iounians of the Moon. Zulu eats the meal with relish - slurping the honey off the carapace before really getting in there to suck out the meat.
--- Expedition Day 2: Exhaustion
- The sun rises and the haze persists. Joy. The rest and food is enough to get them back on their feet, but only just. Everyone has a persistent cough behind their filter-mask. Even the Barbarians are looking a bit the worse for wear.
- They stumble northwards, eventually seeing the lightning rods atop the hills ahead. They trudge through the mist, down into the valley, and follow the cairns north towards the Saviourbone Mine.
- When they reach the mine it’s past midday. It’s taken a long time to drag themselves this far. The priest sees them coming and runs down, so they tell him what transpired out in the hills. He’s very grateful and offers to let them rest in safety for a while, finally giving them some much needed rest.
--- Expedition Night 2: Sweet Respite
- It’s a fortifying night of rest for all. Andromeda hooks up with another Laddite and heads to a private room, Damnation Snels looking wistfully after.
- The sun rises and the haze persists. Joy. The rest and food is enough to get them back on their feet, but only just. Everyone has a persistent cough behind their filter-mask. Even the Barbarians are looking a bit the worse for wear.
- They stumble northwards, eventually seeing the lightning rods atop the hills ahead. They trudge through the mist, down into the valley, and follow the cairns north towards the Saviourbone Mine.
- When they reach the mine it’s past midday. It’s taken a long time to drag themselves this far. The priest sees them coming and runs down, so they tell him what transpired out in the hills. He’s very grateful and offers to let them rest in safety for a while, finally giving them some much needed rest.
--- Expedition Night 2: Sweet Respite
- It’s a fortifying night of rest for all. Andromeda hooks up with another Laddite and heads to a private room, Damnation Snels looking wistfully after.
--- Expedition Day 3: The Return
- They awaken to a stormy morning and head off. They travel back along the cairn trail, sticking to the path as it bends back towards New Moondin. They eventually come to the zigzag trail down the hillside to the river, and walk downstream along the bank until they reach the town.
- It’s with a sense of relief that they finally arrive back in New Moondin, returning to a town whose filter-plants keep the poison from inside the buildings. This “quick detour” wasn’t as quick as they’d hoped, but at least they all survived!
- They awaken to a stormy morning and head off. They travel back along the cairn trail, sticking to the path as it bends back towards New Moondin. They eventually come to the zigzag trail down the hillside to the river, and walk downstream along the bank until they reach the town.
- It’s with a sense of relief that they finally arrive back in New Moondin, returning to a town whose filter-plants keep the poison from inside the buildings. This “quick detour” wasn’t as quick as they’d hoped, but at least they all survived!
Total: 2000 exp
Team Bonus:
- Bookworm bonus
- Coitus boners
- Classic Charles bonus
- Dramatic Battle bonus
- Headtaker bonus
- Henchman Abuse bonus
- Holy bonus
- I Immediately Regret This Decision bonus
- Leave a Man Behind bonus
- Long Deliberation bonus
- Masterchef bonus
- Noblebright bonus
- Pundemonium bonus
- Rumour Investigator bonus
- Split the Party bonus
- SpoOoOoky bonus
- Total Exhaustion bonus
Total: 850 exp
- Bookworm bonus
- Coitus boners
- Classic Charles bonus
- Dramatic Battle bonus
- Headtaker bonus
- Henchman Abuse bonus
- Holy bonus
- I Immediately Regret This Decision bonus
- Leave a Man Behind bonus
- Long Deliberation bonus
- Masterchef bonus
- Noblebright bonus
- Pundemonium bonus
- Rumour Investigator bonus
- Split the Party bonus
- SpoOoOoky bonus
- Total Exhaustion bonus
Total: 850 exp
Individual Bonus:
- Chronicler (Carter / Sophia - 100 exp)
- Expedition Leader (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Cartographer (Carter / Sophia - 100 exp)
- Paymaster (Charles / Dustin - 100 exp)
- Quartermaster (Ollie / Zulu - 100 exp)
- Vanguard (George / Damnation - 100 exp)
- Triage (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Chef (Tom / Volcano - 100 exp)
- Art Attack bonus (Carter, Charles, Ollie, Tom, Timothy - 100 exp ea.)
- Artapalooza bonus (Carter, Charles - 100 exp)
- Attacco d’Arte bonus (Ollie, Carter, Charles - 100 exp)
- JÜGBRINGYR bonus (Charles, Tom - 500 exp ea.)
Death Toll:
- Chronicler (Carter / Sophia - 100 exp)
- Expedition Leader (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Cartographer (Carter / Sophia - 100 exp)
- Paymaster (Charles / Dustin - 100 exp)
- Quartermaster (Ollie / Zulu - 100 exp)
- Vanguard (George / Damnation - 100 exp)
- Triage (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Chef (Tom / Volcano - 100 exp)
- Art Attack bonus (Carter, Charles, Ollie, Tom, Timothy - 100 exp ea.)
- Artapalooza bonus (Carter, Charles - 100 exp)
- Attacco d’Arte bonus (Ollie, Carter, Charles - 100 exp)
- JÜGBRINGYR bonus (Charles, Tom - 500 exp ea.)
Death Toll:
- Sweet Mandible the Spider-Teen, slain in his first engagement.
Experience Totals:
- Charles / Dustin “DJ” Johnson, Level 3 Intergalacticist Cleric: 4917 (Level up at 7000)
Level up: +1d6 HP! +1d6 Healing Pool! +1 Starting Faith! +Backstory!
- Kitty / Andromeda, Level 3 Laddite Cleric: 3517 (Level up at 7000)
Level up: +1d6 HP! +1d6 Healing Pool! +1 Starting Faith! +Backstory!
- Carter / Sophia, Level 2 Brackenfrau Elf: 3917 (Level up at 4500)
- George / Praise-God-For-He-Gave-His-Only-Son-So-That-We-Might-Be-Saved-From-Damnation Snels, Level 2 Laddite Cleric: 3017 (Level up at 3500)
- Timothy / Red, Level 2 Fighter: 3017 (Level up at 4000)
- Tom / Volcano Ｂucktooth, Level 1 Barbarian: 1357 (Level up at 2000)
- Ollie / Lulu Snakebite, Level 1 Barbarian: 957 (Level up at 2000)
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