My First 5E Campaign Session 2

Like all things 5E, this campaign is kind of laid back.

This is kind of a tester campaign. I’m using it to gauge how to balance 5E combats and other challenges, to test what the “proper” amount of treasure is (in magic items and gold).

When I first tried running a 3E campaign, it ended with me woefully overestimating the PCs. 2E monsters were a cakewalk compared to 3E. So I had a TPK on week 6.

So I’ve not invested as much role-playing data into the campaign.
It’s just a bunch of adventurers going about trying to do the right things (while killing monsters and taking their treasure).

And it showed this past week.

I was “off”. My excuse is that I’ve been exhausted and really need a vacation. (How interesting…I’m going on vacation soon. And why yes, gambling will be involved.)

This week we finally got a new player, and then Justin cancelled at the last minute.

So welcome aboard Everett.
He has played a few rpgs through the years, but mostly has played 4E, and we are his first 5E group.

Our cast:
Aaron playing Rhoanel, half-elf bard with aspirations to be a paladin (or fake it)
Dale playing Rumi, wood elf monk (female if that means anything to you)
Everett playing Markus, halfling rogue
(Justin would have played Cedraic, wood elf two-weapon ranger)

All PCs are level 2 at the start of the night, and level 3 by the end of it.

We stopped with the party having passed the dryad’s test, and looking for the village of Newton.

Cedraic scouted around and found the beach, making it a bit harder to get lost. Then he scouted out off and disappeared into my-player-isn’t-here-land.

Yes, these upcoming fights are generic and boring, but it’s the norm for level 1-3. I’ll more interesting things as time goes along; at least that’s my plan.

So we start with Rhoanel and Rumi traveling south along the beach for a ways until they hear screams for help.

They come upon 4 goblins threatening a pair of fishermen on a small pier.
Also responding to the cry for help was Everett, who’s been getting paid to patrol the roads.

The combat lasted maybe two rounds.
The three PCs did their introductions and swapped information.
Newton is only a few miles away.
Markus was also one of the soldiers to hold back the goblins, but his group managed to kill all the goblins and get back in time to flee on a boat.
The size of Newton has doubled thanks to refugees.
Newton hosts a large number of forges, in support for probable war.
The war has been quite good for Newton.

As the party is chatting, they hear another scream for help.

A middle-aged woman, Esmerelda, screams that there are goblins and rats in her house.

In true PC-RPG fashion the party kills the goblins and rats, and she thanks them and the party continues traveling about the road.

Random encounter!
That’s right I made sure to bring them back in true 1E fashion.

This was another pair of goblins each riding a worg.
The party played it smart and was lucky. No worg hit them, but the goblins got a few good hits in.

After resting for a few, they got back on the road and soon were in Newton.

It was pretty much what Markus said; a basic small town that has a few too many people.

The party rested a few days to level up and then the story pushed them along.

Between Markus, Esmerelda, and the fishermen, the party had become a good target to look to for help.

Most of the town’s soldiers have gone off to war. The few soldiers remaining guard The Overwatch, a tower protecting a fair section of the road.

Unfortunately for Mayor Hal Sern, The Overwatch has been taken.
And unfortunately for Leon, the head of the ironworkers guild, a shipment of iron bars has been delayed.
A scout sent out came back with an arrow, one of many he says, that were all about the place. The arrow looks like goblin-make, and reeks of goblin as well.
With promise of proper remuneration, the party heads out to The Overwatch.

Random encounter!
It was just a trio of monks heading to Newton.
Once the party confirmed there weren’t goblins under the robes, they moved on.

One thing about this group, they’re mostly set up for stealth. Leather armor or no armor equals no penalties for it, and poor rolling by the goblins, meant the party was able to sneak right up to the door.

And then they pounded it open.

Eight goblins were inside. Half of them didn’t survive the first round. The other half fled into a hole in the ground.
Three of the remaining four were killed in the next couple of rounds.
The fourth was able to open up some grates that held in some fire beetles and rat swarms before he was killed.
(Note: I feel like the rat swarms were done right in 5E.)
The party was mostly separated and they were forced to chug several of the healing potions I’d been giving them before they were eventually able to win.

And we stopped there.

So far I’ve given the party several magic items, but not a single permanent one.
Half of the items they’ve received are healing potions, with the other half being mostly scrolls, and a single Wand of Magic Missiles.

I’m hoping this is a balanced setup, and we’ll see soon.