#ttrpgs #dungeonsaddragons #VaesenRPG #FreeLeaguePublishing
It's been an eventful week in Nook RPGs.
Tuesday was D&D. I'm playing. It's a home-brew setting, sort of Under the Dome meets Monster Hunter.
I'm on my 2nd character because the party decided to free a powerful demon and let it raze a city, for shits and giggles. I couldn't square this with my Assassin character, who only killed for money or survival. This was neither.
So after discussion with the DM we decided that he would turn on the party, try to stop them, and I'd play a new character.
My Assassin did turn, and after popping up a couple of times as a recurring antagonist, was killed.
And the party freed the demon, the city was destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people died.
Then the rest of the party did something... The whole thing had been the Warlock's idea. She's promised 'rewards' from her internal patron and father.
They didn't materialise.
So the rest of the party killed the Warlock.
Kind of justifying my Assassin's position, but nevermind.
Then this week's session... We met a wanderer in the middle of a desert, and they vanished into thin air.
Turns out it was my old Assassin.
But they're dead!
No. He's now a Revenant.
Nice.
He's out for revenge against his evil killers (because the rest of the party are basically evil now).
So we fight him off, but can't kill him.
There's some banter, and the reason is discussed again.
Turns out that the party Sorcerer didn't know that the Demon was a demon (doubt), and now feels genuine remorse.
I mean, he knew that the creature they freed has subsequently destroyed a city, and knew that it probably would destroy a city before he freed it, so not sure where this guilt is coming from, but ok.
It's worth noting that the Warlock's player is now playing a Lawful Good Monk, who's investigating the destruction of the city, because their [unknown, wasn't listening] died.
So the character learns that their new companions are the criminal murderers they're actually looking for.
[Awkward]
DM gives the Sorcerer's player the option to have his character arrested and to create a new one.
The Sorcerer's player is wrestling with this, when I suggest an alternative:
We open a planar rift (we're level 10, so we're getting to the level where this is easily done), face God and walk backwards into Hell. We then find the Demon Lord, the Warlock's patron, and kill it lots until it's dead.
Redemption or death, baby.
This is obviously far more metal than simple surrender and legal proceedings, so it's the preferred course of action at this stage.
I'm happy with the outcome. The party navigated a difficult Roleplay challenge, and didn't take the meta way out.
The solution was Metal AF, and presents even more roleplay challenges.
And the DM will now have to tear up the rest of his campaign ideas, because we're off on a side quest that will ultimately kill us all
So that's the D&D events.
Into the #Vaesen from #FreeLeaguePublishing events.
I ran Vaesen last night, and we concluded a short mystery. A Wood Wife has been angered by a Hunter who's been over hunting, and making bad taxidermy. So she's lured the majority of the village into the woods and let them die.
The resolutions I had in mind were:
1. Let her kill the Hunter, then appease her
2. Offer her something worthy in exchange
3. Seduce her and have one character be magically aged by elf sex
4. Violence
Initially they decided on a mix of 1 & 2.
Fine.
They sacrifice the Hunter (who they took an instant dislike to) and bargain with the Wood Wife.
Then one of them rolled exceptionally well on his Manipulation roll, so she became enamored with him (that was his stated aim) and made the counter offer to take him as a lover, and he'd lose 20 years.
They didn't like this, believing that the character would be removed from play.
I didn't disabuse them of this belief.
So they chose 4. Violence.
They detonated a barrel of oil at the base of the large tree at the heart of the forest, and started burning the trees outward from it.
They initially did well against the enraged Wood Wife, destroying her initial form and causing her to regen for 1d6 (3) turns.
Then they slowed down, and took their time.
By the time the Wood Wife had regenned, half the trees were on fire. But not all.
So she comes out swinging.
Commands the Wolves, Bears, Eagles, Reindeer etc gathered around the clearing to attack, and attacks herself.
One player, the lothario and best close combatant, is burned by fire and goes down.
The party Hunter is attacked by a bear, and uses his Coward Talent to deflect the damage onto the Party Occultist (the only one keeping a cool head).
So at this point, the plan they had; burn the heart tree and the trees around the clearing; falters.
It had been going well, but now they're preoccupied.
In the end, they take the Wood Wife out again and force her to regen in the tree, then they quickly continue to burn the trees in the short timeframe they have.
Whilst dodging bears and wolves and eagles.
At the conclusion of the session
The Wood Wife was dead
The centre of the forest was on fire
The NPC Hunter was dead
One character was Broken, with a pulled ligament (he rolled well on the table)
All the other characters had at least 2 Physical Conditions.
The woods, which the village depends on for game and materials, is now dying and turning into marshland.
And the Occultist is pissed with the Hunter for dropping a bear on him.