XP awards for sessions 34-35, revised

This post is a reissue of the XP initially awarded here. In discussions with the group since we played earlier this week, there are two issues I’d like to correct in favor of the party.

The first is that XP was not originally awarded for the magical longsword and military pick. These were intentionally omitted because they were discovered under circumstances where “there was no real danger associated with obtaining them.” In truth, that shouldn’t really matter: the party still plundered them and we’ve also had at least once previous instance where XP was awarded for items acquired in non-combat situations.

The second is that the XP total was divided evenly among all party members prior to halving the henchman’s share, instead of dividing the total into shares that would consume the entire allotment. This, too, was intentional, and I’ve actually been divvying XP this way for some time. Philosophically, it equates to a henchman requiring two of the group’s points to earn a single XP; the math is also much simpler.

After further research and deliberation, I’ve decided to revert to the approach where the entire XP allotment is used, with no “XP waste.” Either method can be argued as canon, but I’d rather err on the side of the party. Further, I don’t feel that the “divide first, then halve” method scales fairly with multiple henchmen. For example, in a situation where 6,000 XP is earned by a party of four PCs and two henchmen, the “no waste” method awards 1,200 XP to each PC and 600 XP to each henchman (1,200 + 1,200 + 1,200 + 1,200 + 600 + 600 = 6,000), however the “divide first” method gives only 1,000 XP to each PC and 500 XP to each henchman, with an effective “loss” of 1,000 XP (1,000 + 1,000 + 1,000 + 1,000 + 500 + 500 = 5,000) - an entire share!

This definitely feels wrong and, as we now have more than one henchman in the party, I can’t rightly defend the use of the “divide first” method going forward.

In light of these changes, the total XP earned for the last two sessions is 11,500 (10,000 for the behir and 1,500 for treasure plundered). This is divided into sevenths, with two parts going to each of Zargon, Audric, and Zeb, and one part going to Lom. Individual allotments:

• Audric - 3,286
• Zeb - 3,614
• Zargon - 3,286
• Lom (h) - 1,642

Revised updated totals:

• Audric - 19,689
• Zeb - 3,000/40,162
• Zargon - 14,789
• Selben (h) - 11,101
• Lom (h) - 2,892

In addition to Audric and Lom, Zeb also advances, becoming the first PC in the campaign to reach level 6! Hopefully this is agreeable to everyone. While I'm still considering options to improve the way the XP is allocated in our game, I'll plan to continue using this approach until any change is made official.

XP awards for sessions 34-35

Edit: this post is no longer current. See the revised version here.

The entirety of the XP award for the last two sessions is vested in the slaying of the behir in the catacomb below Dagger’s Deep. The sum is a whopping 10,000 points, divided five ways (Selben was not present) and with Lom’s share halved due to henchmen status. Updated totals:

• Audric - 18,403
• Zeb - 3,000/38,748
• Zargon - 13,503
• Selben (h) - 11,101
• Lom (h) - 2,250

Lom inches over the minimum needed for 2nd level, while Audric crests the hill of reattaining level 5 after a long journey back from his setback against the wights. Level ups have already been administered and hit points rolled, so everyone should be good to go next time we play!

#34: Beyond the Cellar

After patching our wounds at Orcdoom and settling affairs with Mycleth, the priest of Lathander and Serrus, captain of Post South, we make our way back to Mirabar to collect our hard-earned bounty.  Though the battles with orcs were exhilarating, the near-death experience has made me thankful to leave the plains and mountains full of orcs behind.  The fortress walls of Mirabar are a welcome sight.

We reconvene with Zargon at The Rusty Sword and recount our tale to the bard.  We have a few errands to finish before we depart for Dagger’s Deep—Audric pawns some of the captured orc weapons and gems collected from our previous endeavors, and I shop around for components needed to research a new spell.  We meet Corin Redbeard, emissary of the Mirabarran Undercity dwarves, as well as a pair of families referred to us by Daegahr, who the fisherman thinks will fare well in the settlement.  Finally, I am surprised to hear that Seirsha has decided to accompany Zargon, and when we are finally ready to depart, it is with a sizable party.

Our progress is slow due to the size of the group, but our journey during the day is not harassed and we find a place to settle in for the night not far from Minstrel’s Glade.  We divide the group into three watches, and I’m given the opportunity to observe some of our new comrades.  Seirsha keeps mostly to herself, eschewing even Zargon’s company.  Abram is quiet and thoughtful, though kind, and Corin is stoic, not the type to initiate conversations.  Seeing his dwarven-crafted axe and suit of chain is comforting, should anything decide to contest our travel.

Late in our second day of travel we reach Dagger’s Deep and are greeted by Perhegan, who is eager to meet those we have brought with us, and all are welcomed with open arms.  I give a cautious nod to Zeb as he approaches with Bonie, sensing something behind the priest’s dark eyes, but fortunately Audric steps in to share our tale before I am forced to, and I welcome the interruption. 

I don’t relish the thought of speaking alone with my master.  It’s difficult to tell if Zeb will approve of our decision to pursue the orc bounty in Orcdoom, and he will almost certainly hold Audric to task for taking such rash action without him.  Zeb is impossible to read as Audric recounts the tale of our deadly encounters, and when the story is finally finished, the group disperses to their tents.  I seek the solace of my own tent quickly, avoiding any direct encounter with Zeb.

* * *

I hold my breath as I watch Audric and his large party approach, uncharacteristically nervous, and I squeeze Bonie’s hand hard until I finally catch sight of Selben, who has taken on the affectation of a black mage’s robe.  She squeezes my hand back and smiles as I finally exhale, obviously relieved to see my young apprentice again.  Selben’s eyes are sunken and his skin pale, and he seems nervous at meeting my gaze—from what I can tell he and Audric are still recovering from wounds or bruises, though Zargon seems characteristically chipper and gregarious.  I am sure there is a story to be told.

Before I have a chance to talk with Selben about their journey, Audric speaks over the young mage and relates their tales of Mirabar, of their decision to hunt orcs at Orcdoom, and of the nearly deadly encounters that ensued.  I find myself excited by their recounting of the attack on the orc camp, proud at the efficacy of Selben’s use of his powers, and my heart nearly drops at hearing of Audric and Lom’s fall, and of Selben’s hard journey back to Post South with two unconscious warriors in tow.  Selben’s voice wavers as he finishes the story, and when the tale is finally done, the group erupts into claps on the back and congratulations on a successful hunt.  Once finished, Selben dismisses himself quietly and returns to his tents.

We show the acolyte of Gond, young Abram, to the shrine, inviting him to contribute his own addition to our construction or to build a shrine of his own.  I’m confident he’ll find a following among the various craftsmen and women of Dagger’s Deep.  Perhegan’s daughter, Edine, welcomes Seirsha and tries to befriend her, and I throw a questioning eyebrow to Zargon, who explains a little bit about the woman, though I can feel he’s barely scratching the surface.  Corin Redbeard is a welcome visitor, and I’m eager to show him the cellar of the river keep, as it has been difficult to restrain myself from investigating on my own in their absence.  Fortunately, Bonie has allowed for little idle time, and has made sure there were enough distractions to keep me from the cellar.

Excitement over the newcomers quickly returns to matters of business as the sun sets on the horizon, and tents are found for the newly arrived families.  The following morning, our first task is easing the dwarf Corin’s curiosity about the tunnels beneath Dagger’s Deep.  Bonie agrees to let me go as long as Audric promises to make responsible decisions, and slaps my rump playfully as she heads to Edine’s tent, leaving me, Zargon, Audric, and Corin to investigate on our own.

We escort Corin into the cellar, showing him the hidden door, and I watch as he examines the stonework carefully, ere we strike torches and crawl through the tunnel and into the room beyond.  The musty scent encountered before is gone, though the lingering odor of char or ash remains.

“This chamber was indeed constructed by dwarven hands, though it was not originally part of the main keep,” Corin imparts.  He knows that both the keep and cellar are centuries old, the former made by humans and the latter by dwarves, though he cannot determine which was built first.  As we continue forward, we investigate the collapsed catacomb entrance, relying on Corin’s knowledge to tell us more about it.

He explains that it was likely a cave-in, though cannot tell if it was done on purpose.  “The Undercity of Mirabar has no record of this,” he says with some surprise, explaining how rare it is for a construction so close to Mirabar to be unknown to the dwarven scholars.  Discussing options, to the best of or estimation, it would take hard day of work to unblock the entrance, though Audric questions whether it’s a good idea.

Corin intends to document the finding, having already started a crude map with dimensions that he intends to return to Mirabar to discuss with his kin.  His eagerness to learn what lies beyond the collapse is evident, and after some discussion, we decide to put the matter to Perhegan.

The nominal ruler of Dagger’s Deep trusts our judgment and agrees to assign Ailbeart Stonehand, the lead mason, to oversee the excavation, and once given leave to commence our work, we head back into the cellar to begin.  The labor is tedious and hard, and before breaching the opening, we decide to rest for the night and finish our excavation in the morning.

As we emerge from the cellar, we are confronted by Bonie who calls to us urgently.  “Come quickly!” she says, gesturing towards Odesia’s tent.  During the day she has given birth, and with a weary smile Odesia introduces us to her newborn boy, young Laerch.  There were no complications during delivery, and a small celebration breaks out, with Laerch being the first baby of Dagger’s Deep.  Audric holds the child, and I can see Zargon and Seirsha in hushed conversation nearby.  I withdraw one of my knives and gift it to Odesia, a present to be kept until the child is old enough to wield it.

On that glad note we retire for the evening and arise refreshed and ready to confront whatever waits in the catacomb.  On our request, Renwal agrees to bestow a magical light spell upon a small rock for us once we breach the opening so that we may potentially see what lies beyond before fully unearthing the entrance.  Corin agrees to enter first, gifted with the ability to see in the dark, and we hold our breaths and listen as he disappears into the black.  We hear the scuffle of rocks on the ground before he finally calls back.  “This is interesting indeed,” he says, and indicates that no immediate threat waits beyond.  One by one, we struggle through the hole.

As we step beyond the wreckage, our magic bauble illuminates the tunnel, which continues past the blockage.  The ceiling is low, somewhat confined for humans but perfectly suitable for Corin.
  

Searching around us, we see skeletons—dozens of skeletons—and Corin identifies them as goblins.  Scorch marks can be found on the tunnel walls, and one skull appears as if it may have been immolated.  We also find the remains of a larger skeleton, mostly intact, appearing to be that of a human.  Shards of broken javelins and spears, sharpened stone and fractured blades, litter the floor.  Near the human skeleton, we see shattered glass and a few unstopped, empty glass vials.  Covered in dust is a fully intact longsword, and not far removed is a similarly untouched footman’s pick, weapons surviving the ravages of time.  Audric takes both items.

We decide to continue, and Corin indicates that the tunnel descends slightly.  We pass for nearly a half hour before encountering a fork; to the right, the dwarven stonework continues, but to the left, the tunnel is earthen and unfinished.  Questioning Corin, the dwarf looks rather nervous about the discovery of the undocumented complex and offers no insight on the nature of either path.  Turning to Lom, I ask him to examine the dust on the tunnel floor to see if there is any sign of passage evident.  He investigates carefully and doesn’t note any footprints, but indicates a strange pattern of score marks at various points along the edges.  They are swept away easily if the debris is disturbed, but none of us can discern what may have caused them.  We make note of the curious marks and continue down the dwarven tunnel.

We advance for what seems to be another half mile before all of us stop at once, hearing a faint noise ahead, an erratic tapping that echoes through the catacomb.  The sound begins to grow louder, and we get the sensation that it is approaching, the tapping or scuttling noise increasing in volume and speed.  Finally, glittering in the darkness ahead, we see a brief reflection of our torchlight: two red slivers, on what appears to be a pair of eyes.  We brace for a confrontation.

The tunnel suddenly illuminates with a brilliant flash.  Everything goes white, and in the space where we saw the eyes, we see a long, serpentine body with several sets of legs and the head of what appears to be a dragon.  A current of electricity erupts from it, striking Corin, and the dwarf is instantly incinerated, his body crumpling to a heap.

Bonie looses an arrow from behind us which sails into the cavern beyond as Audric utters a conjuration, filling the tunnel ahead with glittering motes of light, illuminating the creature and revealing just how massive it is, easily 40 feet long from snout to tail.  I finish an evocation that summons the hazy form of a wyvern between us and the creature as Zargon fires an arrow that penetrates the creature’s hide.

Bonie and Lom unleash another volley, both striking the serpent.  Audric completes a second incantation, this time summoning a small, whirling tornado of dust and air in front of the beast, while I blind it with a blessing from Malar, its red eyes turning a glowing white.  It roars in defiance and charges forward, opening its great maw full of hundreds of sharp teeth, lunging towards me…and stops a mere handful of feet away.  The ephemeral wyvern springs to life, triggered by the beast’s charge, and its magical sting paralyzes our enemy.

Immediately, we rush forward and rain attacks onto the creature, Audric dropping his axe in lieu of the discovered footman’s pick, using it to strike deadly blows.  Lom, Bonie and I do the same, a final blow from Bonie cutting deep into the serpent’s neck and its writhing stills, having succumbed to our vicious onslaught.

I ask Audric take up his axe and sever the creature’s head, but he appears to have a moment of indecision before ignoring the request, instead beating on the dead creature with his pick, almost as in a berserk rage.

“Are you alright?” I ask the warrior, clearly concerned.

“I’m fine.  Everything’s fine.  We’re all fine.”  Audric briefly explains that he felt compelled to use the pick instead of his axe, a potentially troubling revelation given Audric’s history with items of magic.  I ask Bonie to complete the deed as I sever tendons to remove the creature’s stunted legs.  Meanwhile Audric loots Corin’s body, explaining his intention to return anything found to the dwarves in Mirabar.  Unfortunately, the notes being kept by Corin pertaining to the tunnel’s discovery were destroyed in the dwarf’s conflagration.  Zargon and Audric take scales from the serpent as trophies, and I nod at the with approval.

With the immediate threat gone, we scout ahead.  Slightly beyond the skirmish, the tunnel forks again, and once again the dwarven stonework continues to the right, though this time a pair of earthen tunnels branch off to the left.  We decide that any further investigation should wait, and after some discussion regarding harvesting the serpent’s hide, we determine the task too great for us now, and agree to return the next day.

I take the serpent’s head with us, dragging it and the brace of severed, clawed legs behind me as we turn back towards Dagger’s Deep.

Short bows and arrow types

Henceforth, I’ll be correcting a rules error that we’ve been making for several years in allowing “sheaf arrows” to be fired from short bows. Despite the 2e PH not explicitly stating (to my knowledge) that short bows are limited to using “flight arrows” only, I think we have enough suggestive data points to know that it’s not intended for short bows to deal 1d8 damage:

• The “Missile Weapon Ranges” table on p. 69 lists both arrow types under “Longbow,” but no specific type under “Short bow,” implying that either the arrow ranges for short bows are indistinguishable or that only one type of arrow can be used.
• The “Bows” section on p. 73 states that “Arrows for long bows of all types are divided between light-weight flight arrows and heavier sheaf arrows. Flight arrows have longer ranges and are normally used in hunting. Sheaf arrows have a stronger metal head but a reduced range. They are often used in times of war.” It makes no distinction with regards to usable arrow types for short bows.
• It simply doesn’t make mechanical sense for short bows to be able to deal 1d8 damage in the context of the available weapons in the PH.

From this point forward, characters and NPCs using short bows will deal only 1d6 damage per hit. Any preexisting inventory of sheaf arrows on record sheets may be freely converted to flight arrows. Short bows can be “traded in” for longbows in Mirabar or Dagger’s Deep for an “upgrade cost” of 45 gp (the cost difference between the weapons in the PH). Note that certain classes are permitted to use short bows only (the Thief class, in particular), but I don’t believe that any current PCs are subject to this restriction.

XP awards for sessions 31-33

I’d like to make sure that XP is shored up prior to heading into tomorrow’s session, when the full party is set to reconvene. There are three sessions to cover; the first of these was the foray into the hidden cellar below Dagger’s Deep, where the party discovered the parchment and bloodstone (among other effects), worth 1,000 XP for each primary PC and half that amount (500 XP) to Selben.

The venture to Mirabar and subsequent investigative work there garners a nominal award of 500 XP to each of Audric, Selben, and Zargon, with half that amount (250 XP) awarded to Lom.

The orc-hunting expedition at Post South reaps a lofty 2,000 XP to each of Audric and Selben, and 1,000 XP to Lom. This is fairly generous awards, by the book, but in addition to enemies slain, reflects both relationships forged amid the outpost and knowledge gained of the area west of Mirabar.

In total, the awards for the three sessions sum to:

• Audric - 3,500
• Zeb - 1,000
• Zargon - 1,500
• Selben (h) - 3,000
• Lom (h) - 1,250

Adding in Zeb’s 10% prime requisite bonus, the updated party totals now stand thus:

• Audric - 16,403
• Zeb - 3,000/36,548
• Zargon - 11,503
• Selben (h) - 11,101
• Lom (h) - 1,250

This puts Selben solidly over the threshold for level 4 (for which he’ll need to train), a fitting reward for Jason’s choice to elevate him to a full PC for a short stretch and surviving the excursion from Orcdoom. Audric is also now reasonably close to reattaining 5th level.

Recovered Items

Not a ton to review on this front, but I’ll remind briefly that the bloodstone radiated a faint magical aura, while the parchment did not. The coinage found among the orcs was minimal, but a 120 gp bounty is awarded to the party by the city of Mirabar upon their return.

AD&D 2e combat

It feels high time to get a revision of this post up to overview how combat works in our AD&D 2e campaign. Here are the key points/rules I want to highlight:

• Surprise. Determined by rolling 1d10 for each side (as deemed necessary by the DM) at the start of an encounter; a result of 1-3 means that each opponent gets to make a free round of attacks (using melee weapons, missile weapons, or magic items, but not spells) against the surprised party. Various modifiers can be applied, for example a +2 bonus to account for a cat familiar’s keen senses around a camp at night.
• Initiative. Determined by rolling 1d10 for each side at the start of each combat round. Lower roll wins, with the results indicating the count on which each side will begin its actions during the round.
• Melee and missile attacks occur on the initiative count. Combatants with multiple weapon attacks (e.g., missile weapons with a high ROF and Fighters with weapon specialization) take any subsequent attacks at the end of the round; monsters with multiple natural attacks (such as claw/claw/bite) and PCs/NPCs with two-weapon fighting make all of their attacks immediately. (Note that, if we used weapon speed, the speed factor would be added to the initiative count for each combatant.)
• Movement and charge attacks begin on the initiative count and consume a number of “segments” necessary to complete the associated movement.
• Spellcasting begins on the initiative count and completes after a number of segments equal to the spell’s casting time. If the caster is damaged while the spell is in the process of being cast, the caster’s concentration is lost and the spell is thwarted.
• Other single-round combat actions include turning undead, lightning a torch, drinking a potion, binding wounds, etc. (also see the 2e PH, p 93).

Other/special combat actions and modifiers:

• Attacking from higher ground grants a -1 bonus to initiative and a +1 bonus to attack rolls.
• Charging allows an attacker to increase his or her movement by 50% and make a single attack against an opponent at +2 to hit. In return, the defender gains a -2 bonus to initiative and the attacker suffers a -1 penalty to armor class in addition to losing his or her Dexterity bonus to AC for the round.
• A critical hit occurs when a combatant rolls a “natural” 20 on an attack roll. In these cases, maximum damage is awarded without rolling.
• Firing into melee results in a -4 penalty to attack rolls to account for the difficulty of avoiding one’s allies. (Note that this is not, in fact, “by the book” for 2e. Per the PH, p. 99, ranged combatants firing into melee do not take a penalty, however targets are chosen at random and being hit by friendly fire is possible. This rule probably warrants further discussion.) This post provides details on how firing into a melee actually works.
• Melee combatants may select specific targets for their attacks when the ability to distinguish one opponent from all others is practical (this is up to the DM’s discretion). When it’s not, the opponent being attacked is determined at random. 
• Withdrawing allows a combatant to disengage from melee at 1/3 speed. Fleeing allows the combatant to run from melee at full speed but draws a free attack from each engaged opponent. (In either case, the combatant exiting the melee may be pursued, unless each pursuer is explicitly blocked off by an ally.)
• Invisible opponents can be attacked with a -4 penalty to hit, as long as the attacker is aware of the opponent.
• Prone opponents can be attacked with a +4 bonus to hit. Only sleeping, held, or fully immobilized opponents can be slain automatically.
• Cover and concealment make it more difficult to hit an opponent with missile fire. Cover (or “hard cover”) means that an obstacle (like a wall or boulder) is blocking the intended target; concealment (“soft cover”) means that the target is obscured by entities (such as fog or foliage) that hide the intended target. (See the 2e PH, p. 99 for details and modifiers.)
• A called shot may be made against a target in an attempt to achieve a specific result, such as forcing an opponent to drop an item. Called shots are made with a -4 penalty to hit, and a +1 penalty to initiative.

In closing, while the above points cover the majority of combat situations in our games, I highly recommend that each player read the full “Combat” chapter in the 2e PH (pp. 89-106) prior to our next session.