Tales from the White Box, Session 2

 In which the party...

• Chent the cleric, Maran the Thief, Tarbold the fighter, Eliara the Elven fighter, and Jason the mage all enter the basement of the Anvil to deal with the rats and strange monsters down there.
• They discover the bodies of Jeff and Alia, and the skull with amethyst eyes on the floor - as the teddy mimic attacks them.
• The party fends off and slays the teddy mimic intact, and manage to take the skull with the eyes to sell.
• The party explores the rest of the basement, discovering four doors to new rooms. 
• Find out 2 of the rooms are just empty basement rooms. 
• Finds poison gas trap in one room, and Jason the mage and Tarbold the fire fail their saves and die to the poison gas that is released before the party escapes.
• Finally finds the rats in the fourth room - right behind a pit trap Maran falls into - and thankfully survives the fall.
• Eliara the elven fighter and Chent the cleric fight the rats, one of which is disease, as Maran attempts unsuccessfully the scale the wall up out of the pit.
• Eliara dies to one of the rats just before Chent slays the last one.
• Maran finally scales out of the pit - only for all of the rats to be slain.
• The basement is looted for treasure, and the treasure and bodies are dragged out of the basement as the Anvil's basement rat problem is cleared!

Current level: Chent 1, Maran 1

Guardians RPG, Session 1

 In which I play the Guardians superhero RPG, which is based on the original White Box. I'm using Mythic GME and the City of Crime supplement to simulate a patrol based superhero crawl.

In which...

• Steel Hornet and Superstar enter a burning building and catch one Tarranis the Thunderer, saving “The Crab”, an “innocent” owner of the Mermaid’s Tail Bar, and claim the prize reward money for catching him.
• SH and Superstar rescue some innocent workers from the fire in the building.
• Once they leave, The Crab’s associate Damascus Steel, a radicalized terrorist and underworld boss emerges. Crab tells him to keep an eye on the duo, they may be trouble.
• Elsewhere, Senator Jeramiah Relm also watches the superheroes remotely, who may cause trouble for him as well. He is intrigued as last night he was rescued from the goons of the meta powered rival Invictus’s goons unintentionally by Steel Hornet.
• Invinctus is known to be on the campaign trail for the position of President of the United States, running directly against Senator Relm on a pro meta platform – publicly for meta equality, but privately planning an authoritarian takeover.
• Flower the super activist faces off against Invictus publicly heading into his office – and refuses to use her powers as she faces off against his security and is dragged into a cell.
• SH and Superstar watch from nearby in their civvie disguises, and plan to break her out – and have her join the team.
• Superstar rushes the building and learns that Flower has been shipped off to Invictus’s new super slave penitentiary in central America!
• Superstar gathers the location data – just as Invinctus walks into the room.
• Superstar sprints away but Invictus locks down his base Superstar fails to leave – leaving SH on the outside and Superstar and Invictus and his goons within the complex!

Current Level: Steel Hornet 1, Superstar 1

Tales from the White Box, Session 1

 In which I play White Box FMAG. I will start by playing as Jeff Abernathy the Fighter and Alia Telear the Magic User. With TPKs I will plan on creating new characters to complete exploration as the world is built. 

In which the party...

• In the city of Malisha heads down to the Anvil, a tavern for blacksmiths exclusively following a job ad to clear some rats from a basement.
• Arrive at the job and head down into the basement. 
• Discover a hole in the wall of the basement leading to a catacomb.
• Enter the catacomb and discover strange dead end, with 4 doors leading out of it, with intricate dwarven carvings they are unable to interpret in an alcove, and a strange teddy bear sitting on a dusty shelf built into the wall to the side of the room.
• Jeff searches the alcove and discovers a skull with amethyst eyes, valued at 100 gp.
• Alia investigates the strange stuffed animal - which turns out to be a Mimic!
• Jeff and Alia (mostly Alia, as Jeff consistently swings and misses) fight the Mimic bringing it to the end of its life, but it holds on and takes both of them out - and feasts on their corpses!
• Following the TPK, the strange teddy bear mimic goes back up on the shelf, grinning with a glint in its eye waiting for its next victims as the blacksmiths continue to search for adventurers to clear their basement.

Current Levels: None.

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 74

 In which Badger...

• Decides to return to the ruined town of the former elven maiden Rahasia.
• Learns the evil Rahib has gained much power and is driving a large slave enterprise based from the temple he had briefly explored before.
• Feeling guilty, decides to continue to explore the temple.
• Heads to a roadside shrine he has visited many years ago with Rahasia, and discovers a portal behind it.
• Enters the portal, only to be transported in to a cell within the slave lord's lair, as a gong rings out and guards rush in.
• Is knocked out and stripped of his belongings, and locked in a cell in the Rahib's dungeons.
• Learns from a fellow prisoner Hasan that the Rahib has locked their belongings in a room at the end of the hall.
• Tries to raise a ruckus without success as no guards show up to answer.
• Learns from Hasan the guards only arrive to feed the prisoners gruel once a day.
• Waits until a guard arrives and grabs him, pummeling him to unconsciousness - but not before he alerts 3 other guards.
• Fights 3 guards who let themselves into his cell, locking the door behind them, to beat him up.
• Grapples the chief guard, and steals his keys letting himself out of his cell and rushing to the location his weapons are stored.
• Manages to grab the Staff of the Watchful Shepherd, but only paralyzes one guard.
• Manages to switch out his staff for Knutsvar, and unarmored continues to fight the other 2 guards.
• Luck is not on his side as the other two guards manage to defeat and strike him down - as Badger dies in the dungeon, bleeding out from his wounds!
• Watches as his items are locked away in the Rahib's dungeon as he loses consciousness - and dies!

Current (and final) level: Badger 13

Post Mortem: 

And that's where Badger's story ends. He traveled a long way, made friends, made more enemies, led numerous retainers to their deaths, destroyed civilizations, ruled kingdoms, fought demigods, traveled into different planes, shirked responsibilities, and had countless adventures.

But he ended just as he started. Stripped of his magical artifacts and powers, escaping a prison cell, and getting beaten to death by a handful of guards while trying to escape. Perhaps future adventurers will travel to the Rahib's dungeon and discover the artifacts, and perhaps even find the corpse of the fallen Badger. But for now, he has become part of history.

I don't think there could be a more fitting end for our adventurer. So all I have left to say is this. 

Farewell Badger. So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 73

 In which Badger...

• Meets on LXXI, the prophet Tarataro, a cyclops like being who offers a deal - protect her sheep from jealous shepherds while she travels, or be eaten.
• Opts to protect the sheep, and keeps watch over them as shepherds scheme.
• Hears the scheming shepherds and uses his rope to climb into the rafter, and drop on them to surprise attack the unsuspecting farmers.
• Manages to fight of multiple attacking shepherds until they are all defeated.
• Puts the heads of 4 shepherds on stakes outside the Tarataro's hut and barn, and manages to keep the remainder of wily shepherds looking to steal the cyclops's sheep at bay.
• A little over a month passes when LXXI returns, and pleased, keeps up her end of the bargain and gifts Badger with the Staff of the Watchful Shepherd, a staff which stretches out and paralysis those attacked by it.
• With thanks, a new ally made and weapon gained, Badger heads back onto the road once more to keep traveling.

Current Level: Badger 13

Generation Ship to Proxima B, Scene 2

 Scene 2: Ryo Kasumi follows D-Sec officer Calyra Okoro to get answers - one way or another.

Plot Beat: Modify your proposal. Cause frustration, stress, or worry. Advance plot - the Disappearance of the Dex cook - Exposition 2. Node: Pending questions: Why is Destiny Sec kidnapping people?

Ryo continues to tail the woman as she walks down wire laden pathways, her pace seemingly varied, her movements erratic. She eventually ducks into an gap in the wiring, and he turns - to suddenly be blinding by light!

Will save: 20, fail. 

Ryo stumbles backwards, tripping and sprawling down onto the metal sheeting, rubbing his eyes. He opens them, and the lady is gone. He staggers up...looking around - when he feels the hard metal of a gun at the back of his scalp.

"Who are you? Who do you work for?" It was Calyra Okoro, pistol to his head. "Any false move and I'll blow your brains out. Now talk."

Ryo raises his arms, "Look lady. I'm sorry. I'm nobody, alright, a LOST. Just someone who wants to help his community. I heard you might have information, and I have credits."

Mood - Reaction: Of curiosity, interest, wisdom. 

He hears her let her let out a breath, but she keeps the gun to his scalp, "If - and that's a big if - I was willing to believe you, why should I?" She scoffs, "All you snakes are the same, try to get us to spill our guts. Never."

"I got no idea what you're on about lady. I swear, I'm just trying to find our cook."

Is she worried that he is a spy? Weak yes.

How is this all related to the DEX cook? Explain (how): An accident, a side effect.

She keeps the barrel of her gun pressed against him, "Well here's your answer. Your precious DEX cook was in with the wrong people. Just like you, snooping around a little too deep, asking a few too many questions. So he had to be...dealt with."

"He's dead?!"

"That's on a need to know." And he felt a hard blow to the back of his skull.

Attack with barrel of gun - d6, 6 damage. HP 3 -> 0, Armor 1. Str 9 -> 7. Str save -> 5, manages to stay up!

With that, he felt a cold pain - and blood trickle down the back of his skull, but even woozy, he was still up! He turned around and used his knuckle puncher to slam back!

Calyra Okoro, HP 5, Armor 2, Str 16. 

Attack with knuckle punchers! 4 dmg! Calyra HP 3.

He manages to strike back with his shockwaves, with the punches going to ricochet off her D-Sec armor as she's bounced back! He takes off sprinting away from her.

Does she pursue (unlikely)? No

He runs down wire filled corridors, feet slamming on metal sheets until finally, he seems to have lost her. He stops, hands on his knees, taking a deep breath...once more at a dead end. Except now he knew - Destiny Security had something to do with the cook's disappearance. He'd been investigating something that had pushed D-Sec far enough to do something about it...

Generation Ship to Proxima B, Scene 1

Scene 1: Ryo Kasumi approaches D-Sec officer Calyra Okoro to help find information on the missing DEX cook.

Plot Beat: Modify your proposal. Learn someone's dark secret. Advance plot - the Disappearance of the Dex cook - Exposition 1. Node: Pending questions: Why is Destiny Sec kidnapping people?

Meet reaction: Act with motivation, high energy and engagement
Honesty check: They are obviously lying and trying to deceive

Calyra beckons the open chair in front of her, as Ryo sits down to discuss his request. After a brief bit of talk, he brings up that he's looking for some information on a certain DEX cook that has gone missing. The D-Sec officer's demeanor changes at the drop of a pin. She goes from all smiles to reciting a line, a bottled phrase she's clearly been paid to recite. 

There was more to this. This proved it. Ryo places his knuckle dusters on the table, and tells her it would be good for her to spill the beans, going to intimidate her.

Yes/No - Intimidation? No, I think not

She gives him a look, and stands up. "No, I think not." She leaves the credit chip on the table and goes to leave the bar, the raucous music playing as she shoves through the crowd. As she does, Ryo spots something, a small anatomical defect that could otherwise be ignored - bilateral polydactyly.  A marker of those who had special abilities. The type that D-Sec had been reputed to be kidnapping. Was this a possible victim, trained into becoming a D-Sec soldier?

Ryo gets up to follow her. He wasn't about to let this lead go to waste.