New Fantasy Setting Seeds.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by ajardoor

Faust Patrol (Couldn't think of a better name)

(SNIP)

This one is fun, and as long as the creatures weren't over-the-top powerful, I'd play in it.
If they got Robin-Williams-Genie powerful, though, I'd take a hard pass.

[Astromancer]

Session four of the campaign. A new player joined, I figure players coming and going will be the norm. He's an Owlin Warlock.

Everyone is now fifth level.

They were on the lake caught between the Lucrottas on the main shore and the island.

Needing a way to introduce the Owlin I introduced the party to the gigantic predatory fish in the lake. I also noted they were very decorative and glowed in the dark.

The shadow of the friendly Harpy kept the lovely glow in the dark predatory fish at bay and directed the PCs to a house in the lake. Only the chimneys and a widow's walk were above water. Smoke came out of the chimneys.

They carefully climbed up onto the top of the widow's walk and found a trapdoor. They then climbed down into the tower room. The air was fresh and sweet smelling. From there they climbed down a staircase to the attic hallway.

The Fairy Wizard tried the smallest door first. He found the attic broom closet.

The next door was a bedroom. Checking the bookcase he found it was full of texts on magic. The kind of books Wizards read to understand magic, and some popular fiction. He found a hatbox under the bed with a human sized Wizard's hat in it.

He found Adventuring gear in the closet. Then the fairy wizard searched the rolltop desk. Meanwhile the Kendu Healer Monk found the main staircase, the actual attic storage area, and a locked door.

The Kenku then joined the fairy and they jimmied the lock on the rolltop desk. (That sentence was fun.)

They found scrolls and a glass jar with a tiny Owlin in it.

They pried open the jar lid and took out the Owlin. He soon grew to his full size.

I told the Warlock that other than his pact weapon, his clothes, and his magical vest (which gives him the same protection as chainmail, but doesn't interfere with flight) he had nothing. He soon found his hat as well.

The party found some treasure. The Kenku monk got a magical frying pan that cooks without a heat source, always has the right cooking fat, and seasons and spices the food to the user's taste. The frying pan is also a plus two mace.

They also found a magical tent and a stash of coins and jewels.

Then they went to the locked door. The Owlin used Eldritch Blast on the door. The door was no more.

The room inside was a lab. It had been largely cleared out.

It did have seven jars like the one the Owlin was imprisoned in. These jars contained...

1) A young Red Dragon

2) a Gryphon

3) an Androsphinx (label noting the Androsphinx is a rare evil Androsphinx)

4) a drow woman labeled a priestess, sorceress, assassin.

5) a man labeled an assassin.

6) an Owlbear.

7) a Lucrotta pack leader.

They also found a Bag of Devouring that was sent to the Wizard with a request that he study the thing and develope countermeasures.

Unknown to the players, the jars are unbreakable as long as the lid is in place. Remove the lid and whatever is in the jar is restored to full size and free will. Although they will be groggy.

The also found copies of the Manual of making Flesh Golems. The author was V. Von Frankenstein esq.

The Owlin also found his footwear. The Kenku monk also found appropriate footwear.

Then they started to go down the main stairs. As soon as they started they heard music like the ringing of bells.

As they climbed down the stairs they smelled a scent of dried flowers and potpourri. It was sweet but oppressive.

When they came to the first floor they found what they assumed was an old lady playing a keyboard instrument, this was the source of the bell sounds. The old lady then got up and went over to work on her embroidery.




A parrot then flew into the room and landed on its perch.

The Kenku monk's player, assuming all parrots in fiction are chaotic evil, grabbed the parrot.

He was surprised that the parrot made no resistance and was cold to the touch.

The party soon learned that the old lady, the parrot, and her servants, were all flesh golems.

They went back to searching the house.

In the parlor they found stereopticon pictures and a stereopticon viewer. On the cover of the box of stereopticon pictures depicting the old form of Little Red Riding Hood were the words "I say the wolf and not wolves/ for all wolves are not of the same kind." written in the same hand as the labels and letters in the attic. And on the last card of a set of punch and Judy pictures was written, in the same hand, "the devil is dead, there's no more hell ..."



More later.

[ajardoor]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

This one is fun, and as long as the creatures weren't over-the-top powerful, I'd play in it.
If they got Robin-Williams-Genie powerful, though, I'd take a hard pass.

No, the outsiders can be killed by guns, if you're good enough or have enough people on your side.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Session four of the campaign. A new player joined, I figure players coming and going will be the norm. He's an Owlin Warlock.

More later.

As the Owlin Warlock's player had to go home, the Owlin carried part of the loot back to the boat.

Most of the upstairs rooms turned out to be guest bedrooms. The exception was the bedroom belonging to the old lady that was made into a flesh golem.

The old lady had once been a warrior. Her favorite battle axe was still in her bedroom. While looking at the display case with the axe, the party noticed that the display area wasn't as deep as the cabinet. They soon found the false back to the display case and retrieved a fairy sized magic rapier (+1, and a light enchantment), and the old lady's trophies from murdering fairy monarchs. These were the royal crowns. (Not the major state crowns, more like formal ware corners).

They then discovered the old lady's jewelry box. One of those three foot high miniature wardrobe looking things. (The lady liked silver and pearls).

Just as they found a trap drawer marked " Magic Rings" (They fell for it.) in came the person who had been locked up in the basement.

They mistook the interloper for a vampire. In spite of hints dropped by their opponent, they simply attacked. The Kenku Monk was thwarted by a varient Shield spell. In spite of being warned that the interloper had defenses against spells the fairy wizard cast Thunderwave on the man in the doorway. The interloper's Ring of Spellturning pitched the spell right back at the wizard.

The Thunderwave spell slammed the fairy wizard into the plaster ceiling of the bedroom and reduced the plaster to powder. The fairy wizard landed on the bedding that the interloper had animated to attack and restrain him while the Monk rolled low on a constitution check and got a lung full of plaster.

The interloper then stole the jewelry box and left.

The interloper had also done something to the house and it was now filling with water.

The PCs, including the Owlin got into the boat with large amounts of loot. But few answers.

When dawn rose they were still stuck between the packs of lucrottas on the mainland and the fay island. But they were further south.

They got lured back towards the island. A Fay enchantress lured them to the island with her baking. She admitted she was a bad person, but a very good baker. The Fairy Wizard and the Kenku Monk were lured off the boat. The enchantress admitted she wasn't anywhere nearby. But she could still touch them. She also pointed out that she had used illusion magic to trap them.

As the PCs couldn't see the boat, the far shore, or the other shore of the island they admitted this was true.

The enchantress swore she'd let them go if they'd kill an enchanted wild boar for her. As a bonus, the boar had a magic razor and a magic comb stuck in its hair. The razor would perfectly shave anyone and could never cut or scratch living flesh. The comb could painlessly straighten out any hair and cure baldness if used regularly.

The PCs went forth with boarspears to kill the beast.

More later.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Session four of the campaign. A new player joined, I figure players coming and going will be the norm. He's an Owlin Warlock.



More later.

During the PCs journey through the woods they figured out they were being followed. They soon realized that the malicious "child" with razor sharp teeth, who had tried to give them booby trapped flowers, was following them.

They chased the evil Peter Pan wannabe away.

Then they found the boat. They realized that the razor toothed brat was going to help the boar.

The fight didn't go as I had planned. The Fairy wizard flummoxed the brat and the Kenku Monk got lucky. The boar was stunned (the guy rolled a natural 20) and then the monk speared the boar through the eye.

They took the comb and the razor from the boar.

The Fay returned them to their boat. She also gave them food and water (they gently refused the wine) and a favoring wind to the south of the lake.

They then saw the lake was held in place by a dam and a series of locks. Once again unnatural preservation.

More later...

[Daigoro]

Might the session recaps be better served in a different thread, saving this one for setting descriptions?

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Yes, please.

[Astromancer]

Songs of the Harpies

This is a military campaign idea that can be dropped into many different settings. It assumes the following.

A) Harpies are fully intelligent and are also the sirens of myth. As an aside, the sirens were often pictured as bird women much like the Harpies.

B) The Harpies are fully capable of organizing on at least the tribal level. And can appreciate material wealth.

C) Harpies are fully capable of making alliances, especially if they make a substantial profit.

Basically, a powerful tribe of harpies have settled down on some hard to reach cliffs near an important trade route. They are teamed with pirates and acting as wreckers. Although, if high tolls are paid, ships may pass.

These activities are crushing the local economies. Several local rulers have allied together to attack the harpies and pirates from the landward side.

This won't be easy. Rough terrain including swamps and jagged hills protect the pirates and harpies from the back. Also a couple of local rulers take bribes to help protect the harpies and pirates rear. And if neither the harpies or pirates are loved, they do pay well.

This is meant to be a low fantasy medieval military campaign.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Songs of the Harpies

(SNIP)

This is meant to be a low fantasy medieval military campaign.

In my Facets campaign, I had a nasty sequence of encounters with upgraded Harpies set for the Orbital Realm of Jupiter, toward the end of the party's time, there. 😈

Unfortunately, they managed to avoid it. 😕

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

In my Facets campaign, I had a nasty sequence of encounters with upgraded Harpies set for the Orbital Realm of Jupiter, toward the end of the party's time, there. 😈

Unfortunately, they managed to avoid it. 😕

Always a dire problem. I knew my players wanted to do some looting, and I thought to indulge them in a sandbox mystery setting. They managed to avoid the treasures and ran smack into the animated toys of a long dead sadist. Not what was planned at all.