New Rest Rule

When it is time for a rest for the night after travel or combat, players can declare that they are setting up camp.  This can be as simple as laying out a bedroll or as elaborate as creating a campfire, grilling for everyone, or even a bardic performance. Regardless of how much work gets put into it, the DM adjudicates the penalty to the coming Constitution check on a good night’s rest.

   A good nights rest means 8 hours of sleep and eating enough food to nourish them. The players need to make a Con. check the next day. If successful, the PC negates any negative effect from roughing it in the wilderness. Failed checks mean the PC did not rest well. Two unsuccessful rests make the PC uncomfortable resulting in the SPENT condition until succeeding a rest check. Spent conditions stack. A successful rest removes one spent condition.

   If very successful, pass the check by more than 10, the PC either (roll 1d3) 1) heals 1d4 hp, 2) loses a negative (non-magical) effect (sickness, etc.), or 3) gains +1 to saves, thac0, or NWP check until the beginning of the next rest.

 

Gear	Bonus
Bedroll*	+2
Blanket*	+1
Fire	+2
Food & water	+1
Tent**	+2
NWP use***	+1
Inspirational activity	+3

 

Terrain or conditions	Penalty
Dense forest	-6
Desert or tundra	-16
Grassy plains	-2
Hills	-6
Mountains	-16
Rough wilderness	-6
Ship	-10
Swamp or Jungle	-16
Fair weather	-2
Bad weather	-6
Harsh weather	-12
Very hot or cold	-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choose terrain then condition. Apply all modifiers from gear. Result is penalty applied to the rest check.

 

Food: when eating in the morning, roll 1d6. On a 1, that day’s rations are spoiled. Discard or sickened for 1d2 days.

Water: If carried in a skin and fought in a battle earlier, roll 1d6. On a 1, the skin is punctured and empty.

 

*Cannot be combined with each other

**Can be combined with either blanket or bedroll

***Creative use of NWP applicable to the situation at the DM’s discretion.

 

 

Visuals

 These were some pics of the battle

The Next Leg

After waiting at Castle Justheart for a few days, to make sure the brigands do not attack, the party leave and head to Stoneash. Their plan is to go to Fallcrest and take the statue of Artemus to his Guildmaster hoping he can cast Stone to Flesh. As the party travel across the land, they feel trepidatious. It is winter but there are even fewer normal creatures about than normal.

 

   The elven ranger, Elesara, feels that there may be a fiendish or undead increase in the land. Thondami feels the disquiet of the land but only discerns that undead eschew the daylight. Strangely, after some hours of travel, they find what appears to be a large footprint. The breadth and width of so large a foot would have been much deeper if it were a giant, Galin notes. Given the oddness, nothing happens during travel.   Speculating, the party believe the queer feeling is due to the death knight, the witch-king of Myth Nathar now roaming the land.

  

   That night Thondami has visions of shadowy creatures  attacking a small town.  He was able to identify the town as Stoneash. The party aren’t sure whether this maybe a past or future vision.  Coming to Stoneash, the party see the town had been attacked the previous night. A troop of soldiers was camped outside town as well, and they seem to be helping with the clean up efforts of the town. The leader of the soldiers is one of House Anasazio’s generals, Alura. She tells Galen everything that occurred. Galen’s man-at-arms is with the soldiers.

 

   The attack was from shadows, shadow mastiffs, and shadow fiends. The creatures came from the north and seemed coordinated. Humanoids slain by the draining power of shadows become shadows in a few hours. The corpses are being burned in the hope that it will stop them from returning as shadows. The shadows targeted dwarves after a while and it is believed that the shadows did that thinking that dwarves slain by shadows would come back as stronger than normal shadows.

 

   The monsters attacked at dusk, seeming to only wreck havoc. The shadow mastiffs caused great mayhem baying. While the shadows killed many people, turning them into more shadows. It appeared the shadow fiends were in control but that is confusing as one is a demon and the other undead. When the monsters fled at dawn, they went north into the swamp.

  

   The party decide to stay in Stoneash that night to help if another attack occurs and indeed another attack does come. The party meet Sir Darian Conan, leader of this province, Stoneash being it’s seat. Ilyander learns that Sir Conan’s mage was slain in the attack and that there are no other mages in town of power. Ilyander asks to go through the mage’s personal belongings, much to Sir Darian’s chagrin. Ilyander returns with Lord Galin to speak with Sir Darian and they are able to convince him to allow Ilyander to rummage through the dead mage’s room. After an explosive runes goes off from the mage’s spellbook, Galin pays Darian some coin for the damage.

 

   Thondami meets the dwarven leader, a priest of Moradin named Drunsk. Thondami aids Drunsk in blessing the bodies which prevents them from rising as shadows, two thirds of the dwarves of Stone ash were killed but only 25% of those returned as shadows due to the efforts of the priests and their lay clergy.

 

   During the evening, the shadows, shadow mastiffs and shadow fiends return. The party are able to save many of the townsfolk and notice a huge shadowy creature that seemed to be observing. They learn later that the huge creature was a nightwalker. As the party began defeating more and more of the shadow creatures, a shadow dragon swooped down on the group and attacked.

 

   The party were able to drive the shadow dragon off by throwing and hitting it with a stone enchanted with continual light. The nightwalker melded back into the night, taking it’s minions with it. It seemed to be observing and gathering information, not hostile.

 

   After the battle, when the party decide to leave, the dwarves all decide to head to Gardmore Abbey. One dwarven acolyte decides to follow Thondami, hoping to become a priest of Marthammor.

Sadness...

Much discussion and planning before assaulting the castle was made. The plan had flaws but was workable. Unfortunately, the plan included warning the castle of trouble by lighting fires outside and only two characters were able to get over the barrier. Galen and Thondami tried to get the drop on the bandits but the elven mage in the tower was having none of it. Thondami tried a Silence spell but the elf wasn’t sounding an alarm anymore, he went back into the castle.

   Outside, Ilyander and Elesera skulked about but made no attempt to climb the barrier. They decided to wait at the shrine to Marthammor.

   Slowly, Thondami followed the elf. As a mist, Galen explored the third level of the castle but found no one. On the second level, he found the brigand leader, Malvira and one of her men, Bald Balonry. As Galen coalesced, the brigands knew something was amiss and readied themselves for battle. As Galen fought the two bandits, Malvira called for more of her minions and two showed up, a resting thief, Yarik, and the mage from the tower with Thondami hot on the mage’s heels. In a tense but short hallway battle, the Bald Balonry fell to Galen. With a hefty backstroke, Yarik was nearly killed but surrendered. Malvira proceeded down the stairs while the mage vanished completely.

   As Galen ran down after her, Thondami electrocuted the prisoner to near death then tied him up and brought him down after Galen and Malvira. Galen left the stairs on the first floor thinking the leader was headed to the main entrance for escape but she actually went down another level to get her trump card, Lord Harkon Justheart. As Galen explored the great hall, Thondami and Malvira met in the stairwell. Seeing this as an opportunity, Yarik quickly shed his bonds and drew a hidden dagger. Surrounded, Thondami prepared for a beating but Malvira only demanded that he let her and Lord Harkon pass. Thondami refused, so Yarik threw a tanglefoot bag at his feet, rooting him to the spot. Laughing as she passed, with a dagger to Harkon’s neck, Malvira ordered Yarik to open the main doors. Galen hearing the door being opened quickly ran over and attacked Malvira. Not felling her, Malvira cut the lord’s throat, slaying him instantly. She then ran for the door.

   Outside, Ilyander and Elesera watched the leader exit the castle and killed her just five steps outside on the drawbridge. A total accounting showed the party killed three of the brigands (Yarik was slain by Galen as Malvira fled.) Meaning Octavio and the elf mage escaped.

   With the current issue resolved, the party decide to wait for the rest of the brigands to return before leaving, in case they are called upon to defend the castle. A service for Lord Harkon Justheart was held with Thondami officiating.

   Next, the Windswept Guardians must find a stone to flesh method of helping Artemis. Choices include, a male medusa, basilisk saliva, or a powerful mage. It’s said there are basilisk dens in the Serpent Hills and to the south they may ask Artemis’ guild leader, Nimozaran the Green, about it. Both Ilyander and Thondami know that a mage will require payment and possibly a service as well.

 So leaving Jarrow's tower, the Windswept Guardians head back to Castle Justheart. As they travel, Thondami takes stock of treasure claimed in the tower, a vast amount of potions and various sorcerous items. Bringing the petrified Artemis and Jarrow’s probable foot, the group tries to formulate a plan to penetrate or circumvent the barrier at the castle. Only 5 days remain before the deadline for Lord Justheart’s ransom. Also, Mandrake’s band of brigands are due to arrive at the castle in five days as well.

   Elexa Justheart tells the heroes that the barrier goes around the castle completely except above where rain water can enter the reservoir for water storage. It also goes down approximately 15 feet to prevent sappers. She does not know how high the barrier rises. But trebuchets rarely get above it. Straining his memory, Thondami realized the barrier was an altered Force Field spell.

   Riding next to a fast flowing, 20 foot wide river, they came under fire from archers and javelins. It seems a hobgoblin patrol was there and a small skirmish ensued. The battle was over quickly but the hobgoblin leader and the human mage with them managed to escape. The hobgoblin camp remains.

Recap

 

Lawcon 2023 recap

 

The party did lengthy exploration of a “funhouse” dungeon in the town of Stoneash. They explored four levels, mapping and adding to the map carved on a table in (tavern name). This earned them accolades from the Adventurers Guild they are members of. Several PC’s also leveled and trained.

 

The party then accept an escort mission for a diplomat to aid the war effort. However, they felt compelled to investigate Ashtar’s temple while travelling. Handling that situation, the party was forced to return and report that the temple mission was completed and the hobgoblins vanquished but they lied about the what they found, the Subtle Knife, and what the hobgoblins most likely sought. The party also failed to stop many hobgoblins from escaping from the temple.

 

Arriving at Castle Justheart, they were greeted by Melvaria, a brigand that had seized the castle, threw the lord in the dungeon, and erected a barrier that prevented entry to the party. Elexa Justheart told the party of her plight (her uncle, Lord Justheart will be slain unless she can pay 10,000 gp to the brigands within a tenday). Additionally, the brigands leader, Mandrake, was broken out of jail and will be arriving soon as well.

 

Elexa tells the party that the mage Jarrow created the barrier and may know how to take it down before Mandrake arrives. The party know they will be outnumbered if Mandrake returns before time, the bulk of the band went to free him. Elexa tells the party, there are about 5 brigands in the castle and that Lord Justheart sent most of his men-at-arms to the war effort and that the only servants remaining were constructs.

 

The hobgoblin forces seek the party for the knife and the Duchy of Haran will be confused and ill prepared for what’s to come. It has been approximately 1 tenday later when the party encountered some strangers disguised as druids. The bard regaled them with tales of the party’s prowess. Unbeknownst to the Windswept Guardians, these strangers were actually looking for them. Once their identity was confirmed, the “druids” summoned the Witch-King of Myth Nathar.

 

When the Witch-King arrived, Abernathy opened a portal at random and jumped through with Thondami, the rest of the party fled. Thondami returned immediately but Abernathy chose to open another portal and step through, never to be seen again. The Witch-King boldly stepped through the portals in pursuit of his prize.

 

The next day, the party returned to their camp, gathered their gear and went on to Jarrow’s Tower. At the tower, the party discover that Jarrow was slain by a three headed dragon-kin. Looting the tower (Artemis wanted to claim it before being petryfied) the party head back to Castle Justheart trying to figure out what to do next.

Subtle Knife Lore

 

Long ago the Dragon Queen Tiamat & Arch Duke of Hell Titivilus, fought in this region. They annihilated much of the countryside in their battle, killing hundreds of folks. No one knew why the devil and Tiamat battled but it could have something to do with the Blood War. No one could stop them so an adventurer with a knife that could cut the very fabric of reality suggested that he use it to trap both beings “somewhere else”. To get rid of the beings, a portal was opened in their path of destruction.

   The adventurer did not know how to close the portals once made and therefore used the knife sparingly. Unfortunately he was killed after making the portal, incinerated by lightning and flame. It took a Cabal of Mages to close the portal, trapping the beings in another plane.  More than half the mages died in the process of closing the portal.  No one knows which plane they were trapped in and the mages took the Knife, hiding it so no one could open a portal and free the dread creatures.

 

The Subtle Knife allows you to cut reality and open stable, permanent portals. The portals go just about anywhere, most are planar portals. How to close a portal is currently unknown.  The Knife has been not seen in many decades.