My First 5E Campaign Session 3

Everyone was here this night. And we may have another join us soon (scratch that, since I originally wrote this the person who was going to join us has had his offer rescinded).

I was a bit more capable this session, able to think a little more on my feet instead of some “uh…um…er” moments like I had the week before.

I also handed out several magic items by the end of the night. I’m a DM that tends to put the good magic items and other equipment towards the big fight at the end. Of course I had the boss use the items, which can make things scary for the party.

I like that 5E is making sure the first couple of levels go kind of quick. I’ve never really liked the fragile low levels and tend to bypass them or make them go by quickly. The drawbacks of bypassing the lower levels are that you’ve not had a chance to grow into your PC and develop teamwork with the group, and you might be a bit overwhelmed if you bypass too much and have to deal with too many abilities all at once.

Aaron playing Rhoanel, half-elf bard (level 3)
Dale playing Rumi, wood elf monk (level 3)
Everett playing Markus, halfling rogue (level 3)
Justin playing Cedraic, wood elf archer ranger (level 3)
We started by fast installing Cedraic into the game.
He found his way to Newton and eventually heard about some people that sounded like Rumi and Rhoanel off to investigate The Overwatch. So he found his way there and did snuck into the place and found the party.

Unfortunately they did a bad job of being quiet about it. Between Rhoanel playing his music and the conversations by talking too loudly to each other, the goblin leader in the upper level of the place heard them. And Cedraic heard the sound of the door to the upper level being barred.

And then they all heard the all too familiar sound of a goblin battle horn.
And Cedraic was then not happy to see a large shadow outside of something flying, land on the top of the tower.

The group immediately got to work barring everything up and fortifying the place as best they could.

Within minutes there were at least two worg riding goblins circling the place and several other goblins hiding with bows waiting to shoot at a moment’s notice.

When the PCs took a shot through an arrow slit, the goblins shot back. The PCs killed a worg rider with this quick exchange, so the worg riders stopped circling and hid out of sight.

Then both groups waited.

After a time, the party decided to flee out of the backdoor.

The area behind the tower had a near mountainous section to it, with a giant vulture waiting for them with its keen eyes. It shrieked out a warning to its master and the goblins came running.

For this fight, there was too much for the party. So I staggered the goblins in. And that was still almost too much.

Round 1: 4 goblins in hiding, and 1 giant vulture
Round 2: 4 more goblins
Round 3: 2 worgs and 1 goblin (the other had been killed)
Round 4: 1 goblin boss and 2 goblins

The party pasted the vulture on round 1, so the goblins did the same to Rumi.

The next couple of rounds involved ranged attacks and maneuvering. And once again the party got a bit separated but Rhoanel was able to get Rumi back up.

By round 6 it was pretty much just some goblins and the goblin boss, and 4 very beat up party members.

Rhoanel goes up to the goblin boss and crits. The boss has a special ability where he can switch places with a nearby goblin and that goblin takes the hit. That goblin took 14 damage.

Three more goblins died thanks to that ability. Two of those 3 died by a crit as well.

The DM rolled poorly for the goblin bosses attacks, who was +8 to attack and did 1d6+7 damage thanks to all the bonuses it had. But it’s not like the party didn’t get hurt in the process. I think their total hit points were under 20.

They searched and collected their treasure (and finally got some real magic items).

Earlier, on his way to The Overwatch, Cedraic found the iron shipments; 10 carts full of iron bars and rods, with a lot of horse skeletons (stripped of meat by the goblins and the giant vulture).

Random encounter! I had the encounter chart set up already…and humorously they rolled the “Caravan of iron ore” encounter. This happened while the party was investigating the iron carts near the road, which made the initial bit of the encounter a little tense.

The party guarded the iron shipment and upon return to town they aided the return trip of the caravan to get the “lost” iron.

While the lost iron was being setup for the horses, Cedraic used the time to check out the stairs up the steep hills behind The Overwatch. At the end of the goblin boss fight, he found a wooden tower (or dread gazebo if you will). While investigating it he had made a nat 20 spot check he saw where the ocean and steep hills met, and what looked like a small landing at the bottom. While at town he bought out their rope (300’) and climbed down to investigate it more closely.

He found a small cave opening, but people were waiting on him, so he rejoined the group and noted this for later.

The party collected their rewards for getting rid of the goblins and returning the iron. And of course this added to their minor levels of local fame.

Quest reward: the party now received 5 temporary hp after a long rest for the duration of them being in this region, with a chance of that becoming permanent.

This made them targets for other people needing tasks done.

While Rhoanel was looking to buy a pearl, the jeweler, Merit, asked that the party check out the stories of sea monsters destroying boats to the point that no one would come to the town’s small pier.

While at the inn a few people approached them saying that there was a fork from the main road that some evil witch that kills anyone who enters her territory. Without a local militia, they’ve just stopped using the road.

A man named Talbert, from the church of Arimu, offers the party everything he has if they can find a golden candle holder relic he’s searching for. Legend says it was lost long ago in this area.

Rumors heard at the tavern:
- I saw a wrinkled old woman talking to a dead tree.
- The king fled from the capital to hide in his summer palace.
- The Church of Hallus is on another crusade, looking for some old cup or something.
- Old Merton is always looking for weird things. He once told me he’d pay 10 gold for live snake eggs. He thinks he’s going to train them or something.
- Mayor Sern is only mayor because I didn’t expose his secret about him being a warlock.

And they met a very old man named Tonus that many in the town are fond of. He mostly just sits on his porch and snoozes or watches. He was once a wizard, and was lucid enough to swap some scrolls for the party (something they couldn’t use, to something they could use…but random and of lower level).