Ox ---> Tiger --->Rabbit Campaign Session #97

 

Session 97-  A Dimensional Detour to Castle Ravenloft Part 1

10/29/2023

• During the 2nd watch, the Rams on watch observe a strange mist move 

  into Room #44 where they have set up camp for the night.

• Tim and Shelby dream of Tiamat’s green head telling them “By blood or 

  by deed you and your companions are sworn to aid and protect the 

  hunted from the devil of Barovia.”  Fecus and Ferika have a similar 

  dream, but instead of Tiamat delivering the message, it’s a version 

  of themselves.

• Tim, Fecus, Ferika, and Shelby wake up in a fast moving carriage 

  sitting opposite from a veiled gypsy woman (Madame Eva).

• Madame Eva pulls divination cards for the four Rams.

• Warrior (Strahd’s Tomb) location of Sunsword

• Merchant (Wine Cellar) location of Icon of Ravenloft

• Priest (Chapel) location of Tome of Strahd

• Tempter (Treasury) location of Strahd 

• The carriage pulls up to Castle Ravenloft.

• Rams are greeted by the castle chamberlain Rahadin and led into the 

  dining hall, where Strahd is playing the organ and Rams meet Ireena.

• Strahd tells Rams that they must defeat him to save the soul of Ireena 

  and if they fail she must become his bride.  Then he disappears like he 

  was an illusion.

• Rams eat some of the sumptuous looking food and are surprised how 

  bland it tastes.

• Ireena offers to show them around parts of the castle she is familiar 

  with, and Rams follow her to the chapel where the Tome of Strahd is 

  located.  A bowl of Holy Water is set on the altar and Rams fill up vials 

  and water skins.

• Shelby acquires a Mace of Terror from a corpse in the chapel.

• Rams decide to explore the balcony and encounter 2 Strahd Zombies.

• After killing the zombies, Rams are led to the wine cellar by Ireena.

• Searching the casks, Shelby encounters a Black Pudding and Rams 

  kill it and discover the Icon of Ravenloft in the shattered cask.

• Tome of Strahd

• Icon of Ravenloft

• Mace of Terror

• 2 Strahd Zombies killed = 400XP

• Black Pudding killed = 1100XP

• Total XP = 1500XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive 500XP

• Shelby and Ferika each receive 250XP

A Dimensional Detour to Castle Ravenloft for Halloween

    I got the idea to do a Castle Ravenloft Halloween game while watching Sly Flourish videos on YouTube last winter. Here is a link to Mike's article that details the method he uses to run Castle Ravenloft as a one-shot game.  Here is a link to James Introcaso's article that outlines a similar approach that I also found helpful.

    About 5 or 6 weeks before Halloween this year, I asked my players if they had any interest in doing a special game for Halloween.  They expressed enthusiasm for the idea, so I started planning the details for how I would go about running Castle Ravenloft from the 5e Curse of Strahd adventure.  I knew for my game I wouldn't be able to pull this off as a one-shot due to our tight 2 hour weekly sessions.  So I planned for a 2 to 3 session Halloween Extravaganza.  

    My players' characters are currently exploring the 1st level of the mega dungeon Dwimmermount.  The Mists of Ravenloft would be their conveyance into that demi-plane/dimension.  The session before Halloween, the PCs chose to rest within Dwimmermount which was convenient for me to have the Mists arrive and pull the PCs out of a deep sleep and into a carriage with Madame Eva.

    After deciding how to get the PCs into Ravenloft, next I started thinking about win conditions and I determined that death in Ravenloft wouldn't be perma-death in the campaign.  If they died in Castle Ravenloft, they would wake up in Dwimmermount as if from a terrifying dream.  I also started thinking about PC level.  The 4 characters going into Ravenloft were LotFP; a level 8 Magic-User, a level 8 SPC, a level 6 Fighter, and a level 4 Cleric of Tiamat.  It has been quite the grind to level for the two level 8 characters.  I had read that the recommended character level range for Castle Ravenloft was 7-9 for 5e characters.  With my limited knowledge and experience of 5e, I knew that LotFP characters might be at a disadvantage.  I decided on a temporary character advancement to 9th level that would carry through to the regular campaign if the PCs defeated Strahd.  I did all the rolling for the temporary leveling hit points and spells.

    If you want to find out how this game preparation turned out, keep reading the blog over the next several days as I post session reports.

Ox ---> Tiger --->Rabbit Campaign Session #96

 

Session 96-  Meeting the Spawn of Arach-Nacha

10/22/2023

• Rams explore Rooms #26 and #27 and fought 3 Crab Spiders

• Room #36 Shrine to Tycho

• Room #39 4 Spider Crabs fought

• Room #41 meet and bargain with Spawn of Arach-Nach who is 

  willing to make Kobolds from Dwarven Statues for Rams if they kill 

  the Mad Guran.

• Rams kill Guran, his last 6 Kobolds, and 1 Crab Spider.

• Room #44

• Room #45 Burn Yellow Mold and finds stairs that go down (2A)

• Rams set watches and camp in Room #44

• 8 Crab Spiders killed = 200 XP

• 6 Kobolds killed = 60 XP

• Guran killed = 25 XP

• Yellow Mold killed = 50 XP

• 6132 CP 61 XP

• Dwarven Chain Mail +1

• Dwarven Warhammer 1d6+1

• Total XP = 396 XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive = 132 XP

• Hirelings each receive = 66 XP

Ox ---> Tiger --->Rabbit Campaign Session #95

 

Session 95-  Are Kobolds Really just Rabid Wiener Dogs?

10/15/2023

• After taking an uneventful rest period in Room #57, Rams 

  continue their exploration of the Path of Nirgal (Mavors).

• Rooms #48 and #49

• Room #47 is a map room with 6 Orcs…treasure

• Room #46 Storage and 9 Giant Rats… treasure

• Room #43 Storeroom with Thulian Chainmail (pg 327)

• Room #42 Mosaics defaced with Dwarven Graffiti.

• Room #38 16 Kobolds with 9 CP each (144 total)

• Room #37 1 gallon of Azoth is collected

• Room #34 Dwarven Statues and 8 Kobolds with 14 CP each (112)

• Room #35 Holy Phalange  (pg 322)

• Room #33 5 Barrels of oil.

• Room #32 10 Kobolds 8 CP each (80)

• Room #31 Bone Cave

• Room #28 Moon Pool Fecus drinks

• Room #24 700 SP and 40 GP

• Room #25 Key

• Room #23 10 Kobolds 22 CP each (220)

• Room #29 Shriekers, Rams leave them alone

• Room #30 Dwarven Entrance Cave

• 6 Orcs killed = 60 XP

• 9 Giant Rats killed = 90 XP

• 44 Kobolds killed = 440 XP

• CP 2556 = 25 XP

• SP 700 = 70 XP

• GP 1940 = 1940 XP

• Comb 30 GP = 30 XP

• Gold Necklace 200 GP = 200 XP

• Jeweled Pin 800 GP = 800 XP

• 4 Rhodochrosites (50 GP each) = 200 XP

• Sardonyx (75 GP) =75 XP

• Rock Crystal (100 GP) = 100 XP

• Star Rose Quartz (100 GP) = 100 XP

• Total XP = 4130 XP

• Tim and Fecus each  = 1376 XP 

• Hirelings each = 688 XP

Ox ---> Tiger --->Rabbit Campaign Session #94

 

Session 94-  Rescuing Balfar from the Orcs

10/8/2023

• Rams find 3 dead dwarves in Room #16.  Fecus drinks the wine he 

  finds on one of the dead dwarves.

• Room #17 contains a training apparatus that Rams play with and one 

  of the party incurs a minor injury.

• Exploring Room #59, some apparitions playing a strategy game are 

  observed and Tim and Fecus sit down at their table, but find the 

  apparitions don’t interact.

• Room #11, 2 large hallways intersect and an altered statue is at the 

  intersection.

• Room #58 is a pump room filled with plumbing and basins.  Fecus 

  considers putting Hruz or poison in the plumbing, but doesn’t go 

  through with it.

• 7 Orcs are encountered and killed in Room #67.

• 4 Orcs are holding a dwarf hostage in Room #68.  Rams kill the Orcs 

  and rescue Balfar.  Balfar is a member of the dwarven party whose 

  corpses were found in Room #16.  More of the dwarven party were 

  hauled off by another group of Orcs.  Balfar offers 500 GP to Rams 

  to accompany him safely to Muntburg.  Rams agree, but aren’t ready 

  to leave Dwimmermount, yet, so Balfar joins them for more exploration.

• Room #66 is a small theater.

• Room #63 contains 6 Orcs that Rams easily defeat.  The Orcs had 

  1000 GP.

• Room #62 is a throne room.

• Room #61 has a basalt pillar with strange symbols inscribed on its 

  surfaces.  Tim copies the symbols down.  Gunda touches the pillar 

  and has to make a Save Vs. Magic or fall into a hypnotic trance. 

  She makes her Save.

• Room #60 is an empty lounge that connects to Room #59 that 

  contains the apparitions.

• Room #64 has a large metal face on the northern wall.  Fecus 

  applies an oil to the mouth’s hinges.  The mouth is saying two 

  phrases in a language no one understands.

• Rams encounter 6 Giant Centipedes in Room #57.  They quickly 

  kill the creatures.

• 17 Orcs killed = 170 XP

• 6 Giant Centipedes killed = 60 XP

• 6000 GP = 6000 XP

• 2 Gems = 250 GP & 10 GP = 260 XP

• 3 Pieces of Jewelry = 700 GP, 30 GP, & 20 GP = 750 XP

• Potion of Giant Strength

• Philter of Love

• Total XP = 7240 XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive 2413 XP

• Hirelings each receive 1206 XP

Ox ---> Tiger --->Rabbit Campaign Session #93

 

Session 93-  First Foray Into Dwimmermount

10/1/2023

• Tim and Fecus buy potions from Jasper.

• Fecus buys a silver chain with an obsidian pendant with a spider 

  carved into it from Jasper for Ewald.  (Choker of Arach-Nacha).

• Rams travel from Oberstdorf, past Muntburg (Muntburg guards 

  notice them as they pass by heading toward Dwimmermount) 

  to the foot of Dwimmermount fortifications.

• Copher, all of Fecus’s dogs, and Robin are left with the vehicles.

• Rams investigate the Alchemist’s Door, making note of the 

  symbols of Moon, Venus, and Mars and the stains of different 

  substances on the door.

• Further up the fortifications, Yuri notes the Dwarven 

  Stone-Wrought Stairs.

• Rams continue to the Red Doors and enter Dwimmermount.

• In the entrance chamber (Room #1), Rams make note of the 

  6 statues.  Shelby is able to recognize 5 of them as representations 

  of the Thulian gods, even though the heads have all been swapped 

  out for an unidentified bearded man.  They remove the five heads 

  of the male gods and investigate the statues for any hidden 

  compartments (none).

• Room #2 is an empty guard room.

• Room #4 is a dust filled store room.

• Room #3 is a Thulian Reception Hall with 7 Orcs that retreat from 

  Rams to the hallway south of Room #1.

• Rams and the Orcs fight, Rams kill all but the leader.

• After talking to the leader Rams learn there are more Orcs, 

  a Magic-user that “created them”, and kobolds. Rams kill the leader.

• 7 Orcs killed = 70 XP

• 5000 CP = 50 XP

• 6000 GP = 6000 XP

• Potion of Fire Resistance

• Potion of Levitation

• Total XP = 6120 XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive 2040 XP

• Hirelings each receive 1020 XP