In two games each had a player character accused of being evil by peers so players actually increased their evil alignment scores and adopted crazier oaths. You could see character grow more likely to be killed by the public or other party members as the developed odious habits. One game in last fight had players turn on each other.
I have a quick level advancement system for short campaigns and a longer campaign one. This worked well too. Still some min maxing possibilities in system but a big improvement over all.
Today several players were earlier and rolled on carousing tables in Snake City.
Barbarian crazy warrior was in a pub raided for traitors and had to bribe a judge 100gp to be let free. While in prison sold some other inmates to a gang and lived pretty well. The goat man warrior cheated at drinking contests and did pretty well. They got hired to kill a mystery beast in Fester village (see my last post for monster with plot generators for the creature i used).
Arrived and were pretty suspicious of villagers. Goat man talked to local goats and heard a cult killing chickens and goats. Locals were found dead in bed and their homes were offered to party. Asked lots of locals and searched for rumours. Goatman hid on roof by night and watched in direction of ruins the beast lived in.
Saw tentacle reach over wall and to chimneys looking for prey. Heroes attacked and some wounded by acid blood. Drove the beast off and saw full 22m long form. Bard and rogue arrived mid fight to help.Creature fled wounded to regenerate. Next day investigated a cult in town used chicken blood to lure the creature to select villagers mostly strangers or goats. Also the priest who left town had left a lot of blood behind and shrine made non holy which was suspicious. Finally invited to dinner by lord Fester who offered them money to kill bandits and kill the creature. Bard used ESP to determine the lords guilt.
A day trek to wilderness they found priests grave and marked it. Then went into mountains where they met bandits who were rebels who fled the ruined fort garrison after commander killed by lord. The priest died 12 weeks ago about time of great storm and monster arrived a few weeks later to occupy ruined castle. Made deal with rebels and arranged to call on them soon and met mountain goats who offered to fight the beast. Bard using clerical magic used augury and speak to dead on the priest to learn what the gods wanted. The land was cursed ank the gods wanted the lord punished for hubris and his evil. Took body to village and told locals and instigated mourning. Spread rumours among crowd about lord while bard implied the priest was murdered due to some unknown conflict while looking at lords manour. Rogue offered gold to bury the priest and the lord and his guard appeared to match the offer and blamed the bandits.
While some drank to mourn the tentacle returned while the rogue slept with a bakers daughter. He defended the girl and cried out while others came and drove away the beast again. Bard questioned the corpse again about the curse and the party prepared to attack the lord. Found the cult and realised they only wanted to sate the beast to spare locals which is how some cults start. The beast it turned out was loaned by sea gods to local gods to punish the land and rouse the mob against the lord. The goat warrior and the rogue the next night got on the roof while the bard rallied an angry mob around the manse house. Rogue sneaked in to find lord preying to Nergal and attacked him with a axe. Surprisingly the lord cast hold person and the goat hearing the noise rushed in to wrestle the lord priest of nergal which made spell casting hard. Meanwhile the mob attacked the ground floor with the rebels led by bard and barbarian. After a tough fight they won and had lord bound.
Drank the town dry and the rogues girlfriends father, a baker announced the marriage.
Bard called in her magistrate friend as the lord was nobility and kin of the king and a legal execution was safest for all. Sentenced to burning for murdering a priest, heresy and witchcraft. The gods were pleased and now the monster could be driven away. As party leveled up they got some new followers and marched to the ruins with three billy goats from the mountains. The party now of 14 entered the great pit under the castle and the beast confronted them. Very hard to hit and regenerate most of the followers were knocked out and only seven made it to the end. The creature went to depart as the gods fortold but the mad evil barbarian who enjoyed sacrilege tried to finish the beast off but the rogue and goat stopped him from killing the beast. It recovered and jumped into the river before death saving party from sacrilege and wrath of the gods.
Besides magical long life fuel beast turds (over 60!) they found remains of a structure in the great chasm from the dawn time. In the pyramid size construction was a control room where 40 evil priest remains with consoles in thrones. Each panel had a evil holy symbol and a grid of crystals. Deep in the machine was a furnace of flawed crystals worth a fortune but waggon loads. A chamber of manuals written in daemon cult toungue of the outer planes provided instructions and a story to the complex. It was a apocalypse machine that 40 priests could operate if fueled by a million in gems (devalued them as used up) and the souls of several priests per day. It was determined by divination the machine was hard to destroy but devils had sabotaged it. Some hoped the machine if plane shifted could destroy a daemon world instead of Exilon.
So party retired .
Goat man with his new girlfriend follower joined a free mountain goat folk clan.
Bard married magistrate and built a palace.
Rogue bought out a thieves guild and built palace for new family.
Barbarian went off to cause more trouble.
It's been good to actually use what I write as I write it again. The monster tables from last post worked great will try again. Investigation stuff has been almost like Call of Cthulhu.
Cudos on the successful campaign. I hope the next one goes as well or better. Cheers.
ReplyDelete