dragonbane ... secret of the dragon emperor, session 3!

how about if we jump right into it? (if you've missed the earlier installments in this campaign, scroll back or wait patiently until i get around to putting them in the rpg link section on the left!)

GM Elle: Okay, you've got 2 live prisoners and 4 dead bandits, for a total of 5 non-broken shortswords and 6 shortbows, plus 6 quivers. The leader also has 12 silvers on him. I'm pretty sure you're all loaded up close to max encumbrance, so what are you going to do with it all?
MSG: Well, as far as I can tell from the rules, once you're past your encumbrance limit, there's basically no upper cap on how much you can carry. You just have to roll a Strength check every shift to make progress. So I say we just heap all the extras on Dolora and Sir Q, since they're not likely to fail the checks.
Claire: Really? You can carry unlimited weight if you make your roll?
GM Elle: I think he's right. I dug around and couldn't find anything else about it. It kind of makes sense, though, because the encumbrance rules are pretty restrictive in this game as far as your ordinary load goes.
MSG: Before we load up and get ready, though, do we want to do a Stretch Rest?
Claire: I'm only down the two WP, so it would be kind of a waste for me.
Ariel: Fidu definitely wants to rest.
Sasha: Really? You didn't get hit and I don't remember you using any special abilities.
Akane: It's the slothfulness. I recall this about our merchant.
Sasha: Right. Not sure why I didn't!
Akane: Zedeja demands we rest due to her depletion of willpower. Unacceptable to have so few points for magicking!
Hettie: Dilfriida took a hit and used her Backstabbing, so I'm game to rest.
Akane: Why is there still discussion? Zedeja's opinion is known!
GM Elle: Sounds like anyone who wants to can do a Stretch Rest.
Claire: I'll watch the prisoners and Lightning Flash them if they try to make a break for it.
Sasha: Quackenscrump's back up to full.
Akane: Bah. Only 1 recuperated WP for Zedeja.
Hettie: I'm back to max.
MSG: Me too.
Ariel: Fidu wishes you would be quiet while he's napping.
Sasha: Sorry, Barky, but it's time to go.
Akane: Yes! Onward to the camp of bandits!
GM Elle: The bandits lead you down the pass and eastward along the foot of the mountains, following what seems to be a game trail. It winds about and turns upslope toward an outcropping where several immense boulders jut from the side of a foothill. "That's it there," says one of the bandits. "Right between those rocks there's a cave we've been holed up in."
MSG: I'm doing a Bushcraft roll to make sure I know how to find my way back along the trail. I succeed on a 2.
Claire: Right! Knowledge! Me too! Grr, though, I roll 18.
Ariel: I'm going to ask the bandits if there's any other bandits waiting in the cave we'll have to fight. If there are, there'd better be a lot of loot for me to go to the effort of climbing up there and killing them.
GM Elle: I'm rolling ... not necessarily because they're Bluffing, but because if I don't roll, you'll know they're not Bluffing. As far as you can tell, they're being honest when they say there are no other bandits.
Ariel: How about treasure?
GM Elle: They say they've scored some trade goods off a few travelers. Not enough to retire on or anything, but a decent amount.
MSG: I just want to know how it feels to have more than the four silvers I've got in my pocket.
Claire: If you find out, you need to tell me, because I have exactly four silvers too.
Ariel: Ooh! I just had an idea! If you guys stand right here with all the treasure you've got, which I know isn't a ton, then I can go halfway between you and the cave and use my "Treasure Hunter" ability to sense which direction it is to the greatest treasure! If it points me toward you guys, then we know there's not much in the cave.
Sasha: What if this hunk of statue we've got is worth a ton, though? The poisoned dude in the cloak seemed to think it was super important.
Ariel: Oh. I didn't think of that.
GM Elle: Keep in mind that even if their loot is only worth half what yours is, that would still be fifty percent more wealth than you've got now.
Ariel: This power is starting to sound very math-y. I'm not sure I really wanted to take it after all.
Akane: Possibly await some real crossroads, not create one in a scheme-ish way.
GM Elle: So. What's the group going to do, then?
Akane: Investigate! Why did these bandits bring us here, if we do not go in and take their treasure!
Hettie: Dilfriida is okay with your suggestion for once, Zedeja.
MSG: So just walk right up then? We could be heading into another ambush.
Claire: Make the prisoners go in front so we've got some cover. Have we tied their hands yet? We should tie their hands.
Hettie: I've got rope. Do I need to roll something?
GM Elle: I think Seamanship and Bushcraft would both apply to rope use. And Sleight of Hand is used for anything that requires fine motor skills. Tying knots would count, I'd say.
Hettie: That one. Bingo. I roll a success with a 13.
GM Elle: They are now well tied.
Akane: Lead us, bound ones! And don't stoop! Stand tall to block any arrows from your bandit allies.
GM Elle: They grumble but move forward. The path gets narrow enough you'll have to go single file, though.
Sasha: Quackenscrump will take the lead if someone behind him can hold these scoundrels' leash.
MSG: I can do that.
GM Elle: All right. As the trail winds its way up toward the boulders, the trees nearby sometimes block the view, and sometimes let you see clearly. Eventually, you round the shoulder of the hill and are high enough to see the opening to the cave, and a more-or-less level patch of earth in front of it.
Akane: Some bushcrafter should check this earth! Are there tracks of recent banditry passage? Wild animals going in and out from this cave?
Sasha: Or monsters, don't forget.
Ariel: Can someone else do it? I'm beat from all this hiking.
MSG: So you're beat about the Bushcraft?
GM Elle: Oof. New experience question for tonight, "Did you make an ungodly bad pun?" If you say yes you have to subtract a mark.
MSG: Oh, whatever. I'll check for tracks since I definitely want to get some knowledge of whatever's in the cave. Eek, that's a Demon.
Claire: Free mark, at least!
GM Elle: I'm going to say while you're peering at the ground for tracks, you overlook a rock and trip on it spectacularly, then desperately and ridiculously struggle to keep your footing and not do a faceplant, which you ultimately fail at.
Claire: Filvius tells Dolora he'll be happy to share the knowledge of how hilarious that was with her.
Ariel: I got even more tired just looking at it.
Akane: Get up, Bushcrafter! What is your report?
MSG: I guess I'll stand up and say nothing more damaged than my pride, and that I didn't see any tracks. All in all, I'll take that kind of Demon roll over the combat ones any day.
GM Elle: You say that now, but at this point I have to tell you that your staggering tomfoolery has drawn a bear out of the cave, and you distracted everyone so much it gets the first initiative card.
MSG: Great. And I draw the 10.
Claire: 6.
Ariel: 7.
Sasha: 2.
Akane: 8.
Hettie: 4.
GM Elle: And the bandits go on 9. By the way, Dolora is still holding their leash, since you didn't say you handed it off to anyone. The bear hits. Are you trying to dodge or parry?
MSG: I don't think I can parry because my club is a two-handed weapon and I've got the rope in my free hand. I do evade though, with a 10. 
Sasha: I'm on 2, so I'll rush up and try to broadsword it. Hit! 14 points of damage!
GM Elle: That was a pretty good whack. It looks seriously hurt.
Hettie: Dilfriida's just going to move over adjacent to the bandits, get her knife out, and warn them not to try to escape. "And don't even look at me funny, or I'll gut you!"
Claire: I can't really Lightning Flash it because the extra bolt would hit Dolora or Sir Q, so I'll just hang back and see if anyone ends up needing a heal.
Ariel: I kinda don't want to fight a bear that was probably just getting a needed nap before Dolora's klutzing around woke it up. I'll let the big tough characters handle it at least for now.
Akane: Zedeja has a sling. Can I move to here and cast my stone without a bane for allies impeding my aim?
GM Elle: That's a decent angle, and the bear's pretty big. Go for it.
Akane: 13. Exactly my Slings number since improvement. d8 and d4 bonus die makes ... 7 damage points.
GM Elle: Your rock goes right through its eye and into the brain. With a bestial groan, it falls dead to the ground. The bandits have their turn next, but they definitely don't want to cross you guys any further, so they stay put.
MSG: I guess if a bear was in there, it means there aren't any more bandits, at least.
GM Elle: Nope. The cave is uninhabited now. Inside, you find six sleeping furs, four intact backpacks, one pack that looks like the bear tore into it to eat a bunch of rations that were there, and one treasure card's worth of goodies. Who's checking through this stuff?
MSG: I will.
Claire: Filvius too.
Ariel: Normally I'd be lazy about it, but my treasure hunting instincts won't let me, so I'll look too.
Sasha: Sir Q is keeping an eye on the bandits.
Akane: Zedeja also.
Hettie: Dilfriida won't pass up a chance to look for goodies.
GM Elle: Okay, I'm rolling a d4 ... 2. Claire, roll Evade.
Claire: I don't like the sound of that! 9 is a success, though.
GM Elle: You find a poison dagger under one of the packs and barely avoid cutting yourself.
Claire: Can I tell what kind of poison it is?
GM Elle: Sure, with a Healing roll.
Claire: Dragon! Sweet!
GM Elle: Without the Dragon I'd probably just give you the type, but your eye is keen enough in this case to determine that it's potency 12 sleeping poison. 
Claire: I'll ask if Dilfriida wants it, since she broke one of hers.
Hettie: Dilfriida will gladly but carefully accept it.
GM Elle: Scattered through the rest of the packs, the group finds 4 additional gold pieces worth of sundries.
MSG: Just 4 gold? Not enough to retire on is right.
Claire: Not enough to fight over either, but with only 4 backpacks, how are we going to decide who gets one? They add an extra 2 items to your encumbrance limit.
Ariel: I've already got one, darn it, or for sure I'd call dibs.
MSG: Honestly, Dolora is strong enough she doesn't think she needs one. Even overloaded, she's really unlikely to blow her Strength check for a shift.
Claire: That's one for each of the rest of us, then. Great!
GM Elle: The bandits ask if you can let them go since they led you to their hideout and you're taking all their stuff.
MSG: I ask them dourly if they really want to be left alone and wounded in the wilderness unarmed.
GM Elle: Put that way, they say no. But they ask if you can at least not turn them in once you all get to Outskirt. They promise to put their bandit days behind them, and they'll be glad to lead the way for you, since they know where it is.
MSG: Is one of these guys that rat-faced leader?
GM Elle: Yes.
MSG: Then I'll tell them we definitely won't turn them in if they help us get to Outskirt. My Bluffing roll is ... another Dragon!
Claire: We seem to be racking those up tonight.
Ariel: I'm not.
Sasha: Oh, just uncross your arms, would you? If you keep not doing anything you're going to keep not rolling any Dragons, right?
GM Elle: Sash has a point there, babe.
Ariel: But I really want to play my character!
Hettie: I just feel a need to point out here that you don't have to play your weakness every second of every scene we get ourselves into. That extra experience mark is just for giving in to your weakness at least once.
GM Elle: Het, also, has a point, Aers.
Ariel: Well ... okay.
GM Elle: Now, if you head back in the direction of Outskirt, the bandits say, it should be about a day's march to get there.
MSG: What was that die roll for?
GM Elle: Don't worry about it.
Akane: Probably just a roll for randomly encountering things, boyfriend.
GM Elle: No, but speaking of that, it's time for me to make exactly that kind of roll. And ... nothing happens for your first shift.
Akane: Wait! Before it's a full shift, oldster Zedeja insists -- time for a break!
Ariel: Fidu immediately agrees. Can I try Bushcraft to look for a comfy stump or a nice soft swatch of grass to sit on?
Sasha: That seems like a pretty brazen attempt to get in some die rolls.
GM Elle: The GM will allow it. Always a chance she'll roll a Demon and something delightfully awful will happen.
Ariel: Oh. I didn't think about that.
Sasha: Too late! Roll it!
Ariel: Fine! I roll an 11, and my Bushcraft is a 12.

GM Elle: You find a fallen log that's not yet too rotten to support your weight.
MSG: I guess we're doing a stretch rest then?
Claire: Looks like. Since I'm an elf, I can meditate and roll 2d6 instead of 1 for the WP I get back, so I'm back at full without having to roll it and see.
Akane: 6 for Zedeja! My capacity for great magic returns!
GM Elle: Anyone else doing anything special during this stretch rest?
MSG: I'll go back to looking at the map, since Filvius is zonked and can't look over my shoulder. Do I spot anything I haven't before?
GM Elle: Make a Myths and Legends roll.
MSG: 2.
GM Elle: Well, early on in the shift, you made it to a trail that more or less follows the ruins of an ancient road. There are occasional mileposts topped with the worn remnants of a stylized horned crown, which looks similar to some of the structures drawn along the roadside on the map. Knowing that there was supposedly a dragon emperor in these lands, you think the horns are likely meant to resemble dragon horns.
MSG: Great, so at least we know this isn't a map of some other valley entirely.
Sasha: Sir Q will chat a little with these bandits. Ask them if they know about any monsters in the area, for instance.
GM Elle: The underling asks if ghosts count as monsters.
Sasha: I'm counting them, absolutely.
GM Elle: Then he tells a tale of village in the northeast, once ruled by a sorcerer. The sorcerer betrayed the dragon emperor, and the whole place was burnt in dragon fire as punishment.
Ariel: That sounds kind of awful and overkill-y, burning the whole village when the sorcerer was the one who misbehaved.
GM Elle: Dragon emperors aren't always the most restrained types, apparently. At any rate, the bandit says the sorcerer's tower still stands there, supposedly haunted by his ghost. He says there are lots of treasures there, but everyone who tries to find them dies.
Sasha: I tell them, "Sounds like the place needs a good de-ghosting!" and I smack the hilt of my sword for good measure.
GM Elle: The rat-faced guy sees you seeming to approve of the story, so he hastily butts in and starts talking about an island of mists in the far north of the valley where there's also supposed to be treasure beyond imagining. But the demonic mists there burn the flesh of anyone trying to get too close.
MSG: Hmm. Here's a lake with an island in it that looks pretty northerly. And here's a village up in the northeast. Does that look like a tower to you? It's so small, I can't quite tell.
Claire: I'm oblivious to the world in my meditation.
GM Elle: Okay, if that's it for the stretch rest, then, you resume your march for the next shift. This time I do roll an encounter on the die. Coming in from a side road, you see three beat-up-looking adventurer types. There's a stealthy-looking human, a wolfkin warrior, and a mallard in robes with a staff. They hail you and ask if they can travel the rest of the way into Outskirt with you.
MSG: Dolora tells them we're not looking for more party members, if that's what they mean.
GM Elle: They say they aren't at all interested in going out for more adventures for a while. Their team went somewhere called Dead Eyes Cave, which they heard a monstrous beast had crawled out of to attack a place called Blind Hildi's farm. On the way there, though, they encountered some vicious cultists they had to fight off, and once in the cave, the beast itself killed half their group. "Turned Vinge to stone, it did -- and slashed Uillis right up with its claws!" says the human. "We didn't find nary of the treasure we'd heard whispers of, but we called it a day before we'd plumbed the whole place. I'd avoid it if I were you."
Sasha: Sir Q says, "Nonsense! Wherever monsters show up, they need killing! Where exactly is this cave?"
GM Elle: The mallard steps in and smoothly says that his name is Gualdmond, and they'd be happy to provide you directions if you make it worth their while. "That way we wouldn't be coming back totally empty-handed."
Sasha: I tell him we're not all that loaded ourselves. But I do have this scimitar we took off the worg rider.
Akane: Stop! You have no permission to give away loot from the triumphs of our entire group!
Sasha: Well, obviously getting info on a monster's lair would be worth a lot to the group, right?
GM Elle: The mallard says they could provide you with more than just directions, in fact. They could advise you on the troubles they encountered so you'll be better prepared than they were. But he'd like at least one other thing the value of the scimitar. Two more would be better.
Sasha: How about a couple of short swords? We've got loads of those to spare.
Akane: What? Cease these offerings at once!
Hettie: Hey, you old bag, we're all tired of you bossing us around. How about if you shut up for once and let us at least hear what they say?
Akane: Bag! See if a bag heals you from your next wounding! (Zedeja will huff away for isolated fuming.)
MSG: Dolora isn't delighted about giving up loot, but she's also not delighted about either shrugging off their story of treasure or going after the treasure without good intel, so I'm okay with the deal.
Claire: I always want to know more. Filvius is down with it.
GM Elle: All right. When you fork over the scimitar and two short swords -- mark those off, by the way -- Gualdmond gets out a quill and some paper and sketches this rough map.

GM Elle: He tells you that the pit full of snakes marked on the map is mostly made up of plain snakes. But there are vipers in there too, and he recommends you take venom antidote with you if you go. The rock of the cave is also full of narrow fractures and tunnels or burrows that a person can't fit through. The monster seems to have no problem doing so, though. It attacked them once in the empty room to the west, then slithered off lightning fast when the mage got a good hit on it with a fire spell. Several of them were wounded, but they pressed on, and then a viper killed the elf in the lead, and they decided to fall back and find some poison antidote to return with. But on their way out, the monster attacked again and killed two more of them.
Ariel: And they didn't get anything out of that? Yikes! That sounds like a lot of work for nothing.
Sasha: Well, if we go we'll kill the monster, so it won't be for nothing for us.
Hettie: Can you ease up with the monster angle? It's starting to get on my nerves.
MSG: Okay, so I'm going to ask them to describe the monster and see if I can make a Beast Lore roll to figure out what it is and maybe some weakness it has.
Claire: Oh, is your Beast Lore pretty good?
MSG: No, it stinks. But even if I blow the roll, I'll be getting knowledge about the creature.
Claire: Well I'm listening too, and my Beast Lore is pretty good.
Ariel: What about Sir Quackenscrump?
Akane: Yes! If trading our goods for monstrous information, he should make use of his Beast Lore knowledge to our advantage!
Sasha: Sorry, my Beast Lore is the worst. Literally one of my worst skills.
Ariel: But ...
Sasha: I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is, "All I need to know is one thing. Where they are."
GM Elle: In response to your question, the adventurers say it looked like a bizarre cross between some kind of giant lizard and a rooster.
MSG: 14 for me against Beast Lore of 6.
Claire: 8 for me, and my skill is 12.
GM Elle: Filvius thinks it sounds like a basilisk. They're terrifying creatures that can breathe poison gas and turn you to stone by locking eyes with you.
Ariel: Wait, does that mean if they're in poison gas they can breathe it just fine, or --
GM Elle: Do you really need to ask that question?
Ariel: I was just trying to be an optimist.
Claire: Do I remember any weaknesses these things have?
GM Elle: Make another roll.
MSG: I'm rolling too, now that we know it's a basilisk.
Claire: I didn't say I identified it out loud yet. I roll a 6 this time.
GM Elle: Strangely, they are deathly afraid of chickens. If the stories you've heard are true, they won't attack anyone holding a chicken.
Claire: Weird, but okay. I'll tell everyone all this.
GM Elle: At the poison gas thing, the roguish human says he guesses they would have needed antidote even if there hadn't been snakes. The wolfkin says it didn't breathe any gas at them, so maybe Filvius doesn't know what he's talking about. The human counters with, "Or maybe we just ran before it had a chance to gas us." Then when you get to the chicken thing, all three of them just stare at you.
MSG: Do they have anything more to add, or can we skip ahead to the town?
GM Elle: I think we can safely skip. The wagon tracks and crumbling ancient road-stones give way to a paved road cutting through high grain fields. You can smell a thousand aromas of human habitation -- smoke, rotting vegetables, manure, freshly baked bread, grilled meat. The road leads to a settlement surrounded by a log pallisade, lots of small houses with smoking chimneys beyond the sharpened logs, and a high hill in the center of town with what looks like a weathered stone ruin from long ago atop it. It's late afternoon when you arrive, and the village gate is closed. Two low but sturdy towers flank it, flat-topped with crenellations. A voice calls down that you should halt and state your business. "This is a place of peace and decency ... if you're not of good character, begone back to the forest!"
MSG: I call out that they shouldn't worry, we're definitely of good character, and to prove it, we've brought these two criminals to turn in to whatever your local law enforcement is.
GM Elle: The bandits have been stumbling along tiredly, so I guess they're just now waking up to the fact that you haven't untied them yet. The rat-faced leader squawks and objects, saying you promised you wouldn't turn them in.
MSG: I reply that I may have told them very clearly that we wouldn't turn them in, but that's not the same thing as promising.
GM Elle: Rat-face yells up to the guy in the tower, "Did you hear that? He's admitting they're liars! You shouldn't let them in!" But Gualdmond vouches for you, and the guy in the tower seems to recognize the mallard. If you give your names, he lets you in.
MSG: Dolora.
Claire: Filvius Factsnacker, good sir!
Ariel: My name's Fidu.
Sasha: Sir Quackenscrump. You'll be hearing of me soon for all the monsters I've killed.
Akane: I am Zedeja of Mind.
Hettie: I give them my name, but I'm not super happy about it.
GM Elle: The town gates open and admit you to Outskirt. I'd say this is a good place to end the session. Ready for Experience Questions?
MSG: Definitely.
Claire: Yeppers.
Ariel: A thouszillion percent.
Sasha: Sure.
Akane: Ready and also eager.
Hettie: Me too.
GM Elle: Participation? Yes, everyone participated. Defeat a dangerous adversary? The bear went down pretty easy, but it was still dangerous, so yes. Explore a new location? I'll be generous and say the bandit cave counts. Solve a problem without violence?
Claire: Does figuring out how to prep for a basilisk fight count?
GM Elle: I'm on the fence about that, and I was on the fence about the cave, so I'll split the difference on this one and say no.
Sasha: It wasn't just picking up some facts, though -- we traded for that info and brought the three guys along with us for their safety.
GM Elle: Hmm. All right, I'm convinced. Or at least convinced enough. And everyone role-played their weaknesses, so it sounds like 5 marks each.
MSG: Nice!
GM Elle: I'll trust everybody to work out their advancement marks out of session. Are we good to go then?
Claire: Yep, good game!
Ariel: The best!
Akane: I think this will be unanimous in every game.
GM Elle: Thanks!

and thanks everybody out there for reading. until next time, then!

dragonbane ... secret of the dragon emperor, session 2!

okay, so we finished off the next session of our dragonbane campaign, and it was a doozy! (i'm actually writing this introduction before we played, so it's sort of a fib, but i'm pretty sure we're going to play, obviously, and even if it's a super-short session, when we're done we will have finished it. and honestly, most of our play sessions are doozies, so i'm not apologizing for calling it before it's actually happened.)

if you want to read up on session 1 (so you're not totally confused about what's going on), it's here.

Ariel: Hey, Elle?
GM Elle: (from inside bathroom) Um, what is it?
Ariel: If you're going to be a while, can I hand you in the dice and you can roll to see if we have an encounter when the party takes a shift rest? That way if there's no encounter we can get all our hit points and willpower points back.
GM Elle: Sure. Whatever. Just what I wanted to do while I'm on the can. Door's unlocked.
Ariel: Awesome! Here you go! (I have my hands over my eyes, I'm not looking.)
GM Elle: What? It's just me on the toilet with my pants down. You've kind of seen that all before, you know.
Ariel: Well, yeah, but, um, your voice sounded like you might be a little annoyed, so I don't want to see you being annoyed if you are.
GM Elle: Great. Keep your hand over your eyes, then, because I wasn't all that annoyed, but I'm getting more annoyed now.
Ariel: Oh no! I'm sorry!
GM Elle: I roll a 9. Pretty sure the table says 1-6 means nothing happens but 7 and up means something does.
Ariel: Crud. Do you want me to get you the book so you can see what it says?
GM Elle: No, honey, I kind of don't right now. And I'll be out in just a second anyway.
Ariel: Well ... can we assume we took a stretch break and roll for that while you're finishing up?
GM Elle: (flushing) Seriously, Aers, I'll be right out.
Ariel: Oh. Okay. See you in the other room, then!
GM Elle: (washing hands) *sigh*
MSG: Hey, Elle! Did Aers tell you we rolled for a stretch break while you were in there?
GM Elle: No. No, she did not.
Sasha: It was great. We all rolled sixes on all our hit point and willpower point rolls.
Ariel: What? No we didn't! They're fibbing, Elle. I mean, not about us rolling for the stretch break, just about the sixes.
GM Elle: Well, I wasn't going to roll for an encounter during a stretch break anyway, so it's fine. Are you guys ready to start?
MSG: Yes. We didn't roll that great on recovering during the stretch break, so we'll be taking a shift rest now, if you want to roll for encounters.
GM Elle: Well, you'll be glad to know that Ariel brought me the dice, and I already rolled an encounter.
Claire: Sorry, did you say you already rolled for encounters, or you already rolled an encounter?
GM Elle: The second one. Let me just look up what it says in the Adventure book. Hmm.
Ariel: Uh oh. Why are you making that face, Elle? Hey, why are you making that face, Sash?
Sasha: You just had to go and bother her while she was in the bathroom, didn't you?
Ariel: That doesn't make it my fault! She still could have rolled whatever it is if I'd waited!
Akane: It's logical.
Ariel: Thanks, Akane.
Akane: But, there's still the battle between this logic and the emotion of, if Ariel didn't do that, would we be in the identical outcome?
Hettie: Yes, peculiar, isn't it. Highly irrational to blame Ariel ... and yet still somehow emotionally attractive.
Claire: Guys, please. You're going to give Aers a complex.
Ariel: I only wanted to get the game going faster!
Sasha: No prob. I'm sure it will go even faster if we push your character out in front of whatever's about to attack us.
Hettie: Speaking of which, possibly we should move on to the actual encounter?
GM Elle: That would be the Game Master's preference. Is anyone going to be on guard, or are you all conked out in Fidu's tent?
MSG: I'm still pretty beat from that fight.
Claire: Filvius is too.
Ariel: I can be on guard! I didn't get hurt at all.
Sasha: Sir Q is conked.
Akane: Zedeja can guard, even though she is old and has feebleness. The party's lesser mage healed her, so she's missing only a few points of willpower.
Hettie: Dilfriida's fit as a fiddle as well.
GM Elle: So are you three inside the tent but awake, or outside the tent keeping an eye on things?
Ariel: I'd hate to have a bear or something sneak up on us and tear into the tent while we're in there and couldn't see him.
Akane: Yes, Zedeja also is concerned for bears.
MSG: I told you guys it was a mistake watching that Cocaine Bear movie right before game time.
Hettie: Dilfriida has no particular Bushcraft or Beast Lore skill, so it doesn't occur to her to be especially worried over bears.
GM Elle: Okay, well, about two hours into your shift, the people on watch should all roll awareness. It's late afternoon, and the mists from the valley below have risen to cloak the pass downslope from you beyond about 20 meters.
Ariel: Do we get a boon because bears are really big?
GM Elle: If there was a boon, I would tell you, I promise.
Ariel: 13 for me then. Hey, I just barely made it because of my Awareness going up last session! Woohoo!
Akane: Zedeja rolls 2. Which means, not the word "too" that possesses the same meaning with "also," but the number 2. Which is successful for her Awareness.
Hettie: Dilfriida, unfortunately, remains oblivious.
GM Elle: Okay, Zedeja and Fidu hear some noise in the fog and are able to draw initiative cards. Dilfriida will go last in the round.
Akane: It's card 3 for Zedeja.
Ariel: I get 6. Please please please let the bad guys do worse!
GM Elle: They pull card 9. The noise allows you to spot some shadowy figures moving forward through the mist, which ends about here on the map. They appear humanoid, and are spread out in a line, it appears. Akane, what does Zedeja do?
Akane: These figures look dastardly. If they have bows like the goblins, look how many arrows we may receive! I demand my allies take cover behind the tent. Since the thief appears oblivious, I attempt to Levitate her. There's a warning to her before I do it.
GM Elle: Hettie, will Dilfriida allow herself to be levitated? If you're unwilling, Zedeja will get a bane on her spell.
Hettie: I'm entirely satisfied at being removed from harm's way.
Akane: Then: magic! The Mentalism of Zedeja succeeds with a 9. After moving the thief here, I move here.
Ariel: Since I got this short bow from the goblins last time, I'm going to shoot one of those figures with it even though my Bows skill stinks.
GM Elle: You'll also get a bane on the roll because they're hard to spot in the fog.
Ariel: Boo. Okay, well, I roll a 5 and an 11, swish. So I'll duck behind the tent too. Oh, and I'll say, "That was a warning shot! You better get out of here if you don't want a lot worse!"
GM Elle: You see a bunch of unwashed-looking bandits rush out of the mist. Their leader is a rat-like man with horrible teeth and greasy hair. He tells you to surrender your valuables or they'll take them off your corpses. Three of the bandits double-move because they can't get a good angle past the tent on a single move. These other four position themselves to fire, but will get a bane because you have cover from the tent.
MSG: If I'm awake in the tent, I'll say loudly, "You guys give a holler if you need any help out there!"
GM Elle: Well, you don't say that until initiative 10. Meanwhile, the bandits are holding to see if the three on watch surrender. Hettie?
Hettie: Dilfriida thinks we can probably scare these guys off, unless they actually look tougher than you made them sound. So she'll take a pot-shot at them with her new bow. I can step out from cover and then step back after I fire, right?
GM Elle: Yes.
Hettie: Great, I roll a 4, so I hit that one on the end for 7 points.
GM Elle: Dolora says her piece from inside the tent, then, and it's a new round. Anyone in the tent who wants to be able to act this round needs to take a card, and your rest will be interrupted, so you'll have to start over.
MSG: Nobody hollered back, so I'm waiting and listening.
Claire: I'm an elf, and we're deep sleepers, so I'm guessing I'm still out. Plus I'm pretty hurt and don't have many WP left to spend.
Sasha: Doesn't sound like they're monsters, so I'll keep cooling it in the tent for now.
Akane: My card is 5.
Hettie: I'm 10 again, apparently.
GM Elle: 7 for the bad guys.
Ariel: I get to go on 2! I'll do what Hettie did last turn and take a shot at that one who's already hit. Twang! That's a miss, but I'll go ahead and push it and get angry. Urk! Demon.
GM Elle: There's a Demon table for ranged combat. I roll a 6, so you hit some valuable item nearby. I get to pick. Let's say ... it's Dilfriida's bow, since she's right there. Roll your damage to see if it breaks.
Ariel: Um, 10, so yeah. Sorry, Hettie!
GM Elle: Akane, your turn.
Akane: I move close to these three and attempt more Levitation. There's a bane for their unwillingness. This assumes they do not think it sounds enjoyable.
GM Elle: They definitely don't.
Akane: 12 and 18 fails, so, pushing the roll. So exhausting! 7 and 14! Success! All three rise 6 meters and fall for 3d6 damage. This one 8, this one 9, and this one 7. And prone?
GM Elle: Actually, the rules don't say so, but I think they should at least have to make an Agility check to stay upright. Two make it.
Akane: Now, back behind the tent. Also, I say, "Our stronger members are still relaxing inside! Flee, or it's doom for you!"
GM Elle: Normally that would be a Persuasion check, but it would take an action for that, and you used yours on the spell. But ... half of them are now really hurt, and as far as they know they haven't touched you. I'll let you roll Persuasion with a bane.
Akane: Unlikely, but let's see. Aha! 4 and 5, both success!
GM Elle: It's their turn then, and the injured ones break and run, so the others do too.
Akane: Triumph! I order their retreating cowardice to not come back.
GM Elle: We'll see.
MSG: Nice. I go back to sleep.
Ariel: Kind of wish we'd killed some and gotten loot off them, though.
Sasha: The best kind of loot is your skin, all in one piece. Unless there's a monster to fight, I mean. In that case, it's the satisfaction of ridding the world of another monster.
GM Elle: You finish up your shift rest, then, and the three in the tent heal all their lost HP and WP, and remove any conditions they have. It's a new shift, so your stretch rests and round rests reset too, even if you didn't rest this shift. By now it's full night. Are you going to try to move on in the dark, or stay camped.
Akane: Zedeja is old and tired, plus exhausted, plus disheartened. She insists it is her turn to rest.
Hettie: Dilfriida isn't going to argue with that. We need sleep even if we're not down any hit points or WP, right?
GM Elle: Correct. But I'll be rolling another chance at encounters.
MSG: Claire, Sash, and I can keep watch through the night. If the other three could handle those bandits, the three of us should be fine.
Claire: I also want to spend some time looking at that map.
MSG: Oh, right! Me too!
GM Elle: You'll need light for that.
Ariel: You can use my oil lamp! Dig it out of my backpack, though, I'm too tired and lazy to search for it myself.
GM Elle: All right, here's the map for the two of you to look at, then.
MSG: What are these things in the corners?
Claire: They look like chunks of something.
GM Elle: Any skills you want to apply?
MSG: I dunno ... Myths and Legends? Spot Hidden to make out the details?
GM Elle: You can try either of those.
MSG: I'm way better at Myths and Legends. I roll a 12.
GM Elle: Well, you remember that dying guy you got the map from, right? He said something about the dragon emperor, and four parts. You feel like there are any number of legends about artifacts or idols broken into parts and lost to time. 
Claire: I'll try Spot Hidden to see if I can see how those four pieces might go together.
GM Elle: You can have a boon. Or, you know, you could even just look closely yourselves and see if you could figure it out.
Claire: I already figured it out, I'm just roleplaying. I blow it with a 9 because my Spot Hidden stinks.
Sasha: While they're doing all this, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for those bandits coming back. Or for monsters.
MSG: More power to Claire for roleplaying, but I'm assuming Dolora's 15 intelligence is close enough to mine that it looks like the upper left and lower right corners show two parts of a figure's chest and upper legs. The top right is obviously a head, and the bottom right looks like feet.
Claire: Are you pointing this out to me?
MSG: Of course. I'm always eager to show off new knowledge I've acquired.
Claire: Great, because I'm remembering we also found a chunk of black basalt that looked like a pedestal with some feet and lower legs on it. Does it look like that lower left one, Elle?
GM Elle: Pretty much exactly.
Claire: Hot damn! So we haven't even made it into the valley yet, and we've already got one quarter of some crazy-important statuette that's going to lead us to solve the mystery of this dragon emperor.
GM Elle: Possibly. At any rate, the shift ends with the barest hint of twilight crawling up into the sky to the east. You can't really see it directly east because you're still in the pass, but there's a faint lightening of the sky over the mists of the valley ahead and to your right.
MSG: Great! Everybody ready to go, then?
Ariel: No! Why are you waking me up so early? The sun isn't even out yet!
Sasha: Honestly, I'd just as soon wait for full dawn so we can keep an eye out for any ambush those bandits might have set up. Also, obviously, monsters.
Akane: This is acceptable to the aged Zedeja. She demands additional sleep until after sunrise. Then, breakfast is due, so have it ready!
Hettie: Aren't we supposed to survive off our own rations in this game?
Akane: It's not needed if someone hunts. Look how many bows we have! Now go and archer some food while Zedeja sleeps.
Claire: I do have a pretty good Hunting and Fishing skill. Can I give that a try?
GM Elle: It takes a full shift to track down an animal with that skill. But I'll let you roll with a bane, and you'll also have a bane on your shot with your bow, since it's dark.
Claire: I wasn't actually going to use a bow, because I don't have any arrows. The metal tips would interfere with my magic. I figured I'd just Lightning Flash anything I spotted.
GM Elle: Okay, sure. Do you take anybody with you then? Because I'll also be making an encounter roll when you split off from the main party.
Claire: Ehhh, in that case, I'll just talk to somebody like we're planning to go out on a hunt until Zedeja falls asleep.
Akane: If you try to lie later, it's your Bluffing in opposition to my Awareness, right, Game Master?
GM Elle: Correct.
Claire: I don't see much reason to lie. I'll just tell her it seemed like my chances of running into the bandits were better than my chances of tracking down a deer. Plus, then we'd have to take the time to cook it.
Akane: Let's make assumptions that the argument occurs, then. No added details are mandatory, I think.
GM Elle: Works for me. A couple of hours later, then, you pack up camp, eat your day's rations, and continue down the last bit of the pass.
MSG: Carefully watching for ambush points where those bandits might be lurking.
GM Elle: All right, everyone who's keeping an eye out, roll Awareness.
MSG: Well that didn't take as long as I expected. I miss with a 7.
Claire: I miss with a 10.
Ariel: I make it! 11!
Sasha: Ouch. 18.
Akane: The Awareness of Zedeja is mighty. Far above the 4 I roll.
Hettie: Made it with a 7.
GM Elle: As you're walking along, Fidu, Zedeja, and Dilfriida see a place farther down that looks like a perfect ambush spot. You don't actually see anyone lurking there, but they could definitely be waiting to bushwhack you from the rubble and boulders along the sides of the pass here.
MSG: Assuming they roll their Bushwhackcraft skill.
Ariel: Haha! Bushwhackcraft!
Akane: Zedeja points the unawares to the boulders and insists they be more aware while approaching. Hmm. And these piles of boulders ... could any of them be seen over from 6 or 8 or 10 meters of height?Zedeja could Mentalism someone to scout from above.
GM Elle: 6 meters, I don't know. But 8 probably and 10 for certain.
Akane: Good. Seems like the best choice is someone very armorly.
Sasha: Quackenscrump's up for it.
Akane: Yes, up is the plan of Zedeja.
MSG: Dolora wonders if we should have some sort of plan of what to do if our reconnaissance drone plan actually reveals an ambush. Can we creep up within striking distance by staying near the walls of the pass until we're almost to the boulders?
GM Elle: Sounds like we'd better set this up on the board. So ... these big piles of boulders and scree on either side are high enough they're blocking the downslope view, but also blocking the upslope view of anyone down there. But as you go farther along the pass, there are some shorter heaps that stick out a little more, and that's where someone could be hiding. You'd need to either use the Dash action to double-move around all the boulders, or use Acrobatics to climb or vault over the lower ones in order to get into melee combat with any possible ambushers without them getting a round to shoot at you. And that's assuming you manage to sneak along the walls of the pass to get right up near the big boulder piles.
Ariel: That seems like an awful lot of work when they might not even be there.
MSG: I agree ... but it also seems like Elle has maybe put more effort into setting up this map than she would if there's nothing there but boulders.
GM Elle: It's the burden of the Game Master to give even innocuous situations a sense of reality for the players.
Claire: What if ... instead of floating Sir Q up where he can scout, Zedeja lifts me onto of one of the big boulder piles where I can Lightning Flash the suckers?
Akane: Or ... if these boulders have less than 8 meters of height, I could Levitate us both to the top and then it's a hail-storm of magic down on the bandits. No! Wait! From high atop boulders there's no Levitating enemies. They will be too far away.
Sasha: Plus they'll be shooting at you if you stay up there casting on them.
MSG: I could use my horn and my Musician ability to give all enemies within 100 meters a bane on all their rolls.
Claire: Yeah, but Sash is right, there might still be who knows how many of them shooting at me.
Ariel: Fidu is starting to get tired and wants to take a nap, if we're going to be planning this for hours.
Sasha: Let's just go back to the version where I helicopter up and see what's what, and if they're there, we charge them. Dash or whatever.
Akane: Zedeja agrees, since it was her original plan.
MSG: In that case, I can use my Musician ability to give us all boons on whatever rolls we need to make, whether it's dodging if they see us coming and open fire, or Acrobatics if we catch them by surprise and need to jump over the smaller boulders.
Claire: I'm good with that.
Hettie: Dilfriida as well.
GM Elle: All right, so anybody sneaking closer needs to make a sneaking roll.
Ariel: I'm pretty sneaky! Ooh, but my roll is a 15. Seems awfully early in the day for me to push it and get a condition.
Hettie: Dilfriida succeeds with a fourteen, going along the other wall in hopes of surprising them from at least one direction.
Akane: Zedeja sneaks with a 5.
Claire: Filvius does with a 13.
MSG: My sneaking sucks, so I'll stay put.
Sasha: Mine too. Plus, I'm in plate armor.
Akane: Time to Levitate! Ah. It's a 19. This disheartens Zedeja, so she will push ... nnnh. Demon.
GM Elle: Uh-oh, that's a magical mishap. We get to roll on a new table! d20, Akane.
Akane: The roll is 8.
GM Elle: Ootch. d6 WP per Power Level, and you were casting it at level 3. Hmm. And that result also implies that you're supposed to state the Power Level before trying to cast. Which makes me think we've been doing it wrong and you spend the WP before the roll and you're just out the points if it fails.
Claire: Yikes. That makes those Power Level 3 spells a lot bigger risk.
Akane: This means 6 points before rolling added to 3d6 ... 11 extra points of mishappening -- Zedeja is already out of spell ability!
Hettie: And we still don't know if there's an ambush waiting for us between the two piles of boulders.
Sasha: Eff it. I'm just going to speed-waddle my way up along the left side and keep those boulders between me and anybody that might be behind them. My armor ought to take care of any pot-shots from whoever might be on the right if I end up where they can see me.
MSG: I'll follow a little behind and see if any arrows come flying out at Quackenscrump.
GM Elle: Sash, roll Awareness to see if you spot anyone behind those boulders on the right now that you've got the angle.
Sasha: 12. That's a big no. Oh, and I've got a bane on Awareness, so I have to roll two dice.
Akane: But ... it's already a failure?
GM Elle: Sasha is very ethically recognizing that the second roll could be a Demon, which would mean something bad happens to her.
Akane: Ah.
Sasha: Actually, I was thinking if the second roll was a Dragon, I'd get an experience mark for my awareness ... and it is!
Akane: The roll of Demon would also be a mark, though.
Sasha: Whatever. As long as it's a mark and I'm not screwed by the result table like Zedeja was.
GM Elle: Your failure means that the ambushers on the right spot you before you spot them and get to draw the #1 Initiative card. Time for all of you to draw next.
Ariel: So it is an ambush!
Sasha: I'm not surprised. I mean, I am surprised, because I failed that roll. But I'm not surprised in real life.
Akane: Initiative 7.
Hettie: 2!
MSG: 10.
Claire: 9.
Ariel: 5
Sasha: 8.
Akane: So bad at initiating, this group.
GM Elle: All right, Card #1 is three bandits who pop up from behind the right-hand rocks and fire their bows at Sir Q. First one hits, second one rolls a Demon, ouch, and third one hits. The Demon roll guy shoots himself in the foot for ... cripes, 10. Are you dodging or parrying either of the others?
Sasha: Nope. Bring it.
GM Elle: 9 points and 3 points.
Sasha: Or, 1 point if you're in plate with a great helm. So you're next, right Het?
Hettie: Yes. I think maybe I want to try to climb to the top of these rocks I'm near and -- hang on. No, what I actually want to do is trade cards with Sir Quackenbush so he can go up and tie some of them up in melee before I get into view.
GM Elle: Nice tactics. Sash?
Sasha: Well, those three guys over there already went, so I'm going to rush around and check out who's behind this other rock pile.
GM Elle: Looks like three more bandits.
Sasha: Great! I'm on them. Kill-iffying this dude here. Broadsword! That's a 6, for --
GM Elle: Hang on, maybe he wants to evade or parry. His parry is a little better, so he'll try that. Nope.
Sasha: 15 points!
GM Elle: So dead.
Sasha: I still have two squares of movement, so I'm getting right in these last two guys' faces.
GM Elle: It's their turn next. They drop their bows and whip out short swords. That's a miss ... and a hit. For 10 points!
Ariel: Oh no!
Sasha: Actually, two points. Plate armor, baby!
Claire: I go on 5. If I move to here, can I see those three who shot at Sir Q?
GM Elle: They popped up, fired, and ducked back down, but you can roll Awareness to spot this guy because he's partly visible around the last boulder.
Claire: Well yay. My lame-o Awareness strikes again. I roll a 15. In that case, I'm going to use my action to Dash over here behind the big pile of boulders from them.
GM Elle: Akane, looks like you're up next.
Akane: I am so old and slow. I will only move here, next to Filvius. Ah! And Round Rest ... for 6 points of Willpower!
Hettie: I'm next. I'll use a Dash action past the boulders next to Sir Quackenscrump. That may let me do a Backstab next round.
GM Elle: Aers?
Ariel: I'll move over here. Fidu is old like Zedeja, but not slow, so I think that gets me an angle where I can shoot my shortbow at the guy Claire couldn't see, right?
GM Elle: Yes, easily.
Ariel: Of course my Bows skill is total stinko ... Oh! But I roll a Dragon!
GM Elle: Roll two weapon damage dice instead of one.
Ariel: Come on ... 6 ... and 6 ... oh, and 3 for my Agility bonus die!
GM Elle: Skewered. He's a bandit-ka-bob.
MSG: I think I'd better get between Fidu and the two remaining bowmen. That's going to require me to Dash.
Claire: Where's that horn of yours you were going to give boons or banes with?
MSG: Honestly? I forgot about that. I'll just have to settle for pounding them with my club next round.
GM Elle: Speaking of which, that's where we are now.
Sasha: Yes! I got the 1 card!
Akane: At last, our curse of lastness breaks! No, only for a mallard. I get the 10 card.
Hettie: 7.
MSG: 6.
Claire: 5.
Ariel: 9.
GM Elle: The bandits will be acting on 3.
Sasha: Broadsword! This dude here. I roll a 2 -- he parrying?
GM Elle: Desperately. And a 7 succeeds.
Sasha: Oh yeah? Watch me bust his sword in two! 13 points!
GM Elle: That's more than the durability of his short sword, but only by a little. You put a big bend in the blade or loosen it from the handle. It's useless now.
Sasha: Hah! Take that!
Akane: No more sword-breaking, Quack-knight! Those are worth money!
GM Elle: The guy who didn't parry looks pretty scared, like he might run. But you and Dilfriida have him hemmed in behind the rocks. He'll try to get Dilfriida out of the way with a sword blow. Dragon! He'll take the double damage.
Hettie: Bosh. I'll definitely want to parry that. Easily, with an 8.
GM Elle: 11 points of damage.
Hettie: That will wreck my dagger. Luckily, I have two.
GM Elle: This guy by Dolora shifts a little so his buddy can move in and attack too. He rolls a 14 and misses. The buddy moves over and gives it a try too. Hit!
MSG: I've got decent hit points and our healer hasn't used up her WP yet, so I'll take it.
GM Elle: These guys are hot on their damage rolls tonight -- another 10.
MSG: Ouch, maybe not my smartest move.
GM Elle: Claire, your turn.
Claire: I guess I'll move over and try to heal the bard. Power level 1 this time. I make it with 2, so that's 8 points back.
MSG: Thanks, I feel a lot better.
GM Elle: Your move, then.
MSG: I'm clubbing the dude who hit me. Payback time. That's a hit, for 10 points.
Ariel: Okay, on my turn I'll drop my bow, move over here, draw my dagger, and stick this guy. Hit!
GM Elle: Dead. He has two hit points left from shooting himself in the foot.
Ariel: Oh, this is that guy? Man, not his lucky day.
Akane: Zedeja takes her turn, lastly. She only moves to here, with readiness to sling someone if they appear from around a boulder.
GM Elle: New initiative, then. The bandits draw ... 3, again.
MSG: 7. For me.
Claire: 10.
Ariel: I'm 2!
Sasha: 5.
Akane: 4.
Hettie: And Dilfriida draws the ace.
GM Elle: She's up, then.
Hettie: I feel a bit sorry for these guys ... but considering that they were dumb enough to attack us twice, not all that sorry. I'm Backstabbing, which gives me a boon ...6 and 7, easy hit! And it can't be dodged or parried. 8 points.
GM Elle: He's looking pretty ashen.
Ariel: My turn! Fidu is slothful, but all this fighting has his hunting instincts up, so he'll move up and knife this last dude on our side. 5!
GM Elle: He's definitely parrying. And he makes it.
Ariel: Dang. And only 6 points, so it doesn't break his sword.
GM Elle: Their turn. The guy you just shivved is going to strike at Dilfriida to push her back in hopes he can make an opening to run. That's a hit. For 3 points. Oh, but looking at the rules, you compare your damage bonus die, and he only gets to shove you if his is higher ... which isn't likely, since his is zero. Three points of damage, though.
Hettie: Well, my odorous goblin armor soaks up one, at least.
GM Elle: This guy over here sees a snarling wolfkin out for his blood and a greatclub about to swing his way from the dwarf, and he drops his sword and falls to his knees begging you to spare his life. "I'll tell you where our hideout and all our loot are!"
MSG: Damn it. I'd think about bashing him anyway, but I really want to know where his hideout is. Stupid craving for knowledge.
Akane: Zedeja is next? More watchfulness and sling readying.
Sasha: Well, we've already got a volunteer to lead us back to the hideout, and neither of these guys in front of me is surrendering, so ... time to broadsword. That's a hit ... but only 5 damage.
MSG: For my turn I just menace this guy with my club.
Claire: I'm moving right here to smack this dude with my staff. Whack! Nope, whiff.
GM Elle: New initiative -- they go on 5.
Claire: I got the ace this time. Staff! Got him! And he's the one with the busted sword, so he can't parry, right?
GM Elle: No, but he can dodge, and he does.
Akane: On 2, Zedeja continues as last round.
Ariel: I'm 3. I guess I'll just go back over here and pick my bow up again.
Sasha: I'm gutting the guy who dodged Claire's staff. He can only do that once, right? Hit.
GM Elle: If you roll your minimum damage, he'll still be alive.
Sasha: What!
GM Elle: Wow, I totally jinxed you. He's still up! But now it's their turn, and he throws down his busted sword and begs for mercy too. That guy is the ratty-looking leader, which leaves this last guy here, who's going to try climbing over the boulders to run. Blows his Evade roll, though, so Quackenscrump gets a swipe at him.
Sasha: Yessss -- no! 19! Dammit, I'm pushing the roll and becoming Angry. Hah! Dragon!!! I pick double damage dice and do 18 points.
GM Elle: Dilfriida and Filvius are both drenched in gore by the savagery of your attack.
Sasha: Yes! Grr!
GM Elle: All right, then, I think this is a good place to stop for the night. Ready to do experience?
Ariel: Absolutely-dutely!
Sasha: Me too. I've got a couple of Dragon/Demon marks already.
GM Elle: Okay, then. Running through the standard questions really quick -- everyone participated in the session. You didn't explore any new locations
Ariel: A little more of the last part of the pass doesn't count?
GM Elle: Um, no. You defeated some dangerous adversaries ...
Sasha: If you want to call them that.
Akane: I do! It's for experience marks!
GM Elle: Did you overcome an obstacle without using force? No. That leaves giving in to your weakness.
MSG: I specifically didn't kill that guy because I wanted to know what he'd tell us.
Claire: Wait, wait ... back to obstacles. We did figure out what was up with the four pieces of that statue in the corners of the map.
GM Elle: Okay ... I'm persuaded on that.
Claire: I didn't really give in to my weakness, though.
Ariel: I think I did several times ... but I guess I also did volunteer for guard duty last night, and then I was pretty active in that fight.
GM Elle: I think on the whole you played your weakness well.
Sasha: Not even a hint of a monster, so no mark for me there.
Akane: Does anyone dispute the overbearingness of Zedeja? It's a mark, I think.
Hettie: I'm trying to remember if I was particularly thin-skinned this session. Not really coming up with anything.
GM Elle: Okay, so four marks for everyone who gave in to their weakness, three for the rest of you.
MSG: Well, I got one skill increase this time, so better than last session, I guess.
Claire: I improved three, including my magic skill!
Ariel: I got a little better with my bow.
Sasha: Big score for Quackenscrump! Blew up my Acrobatics even more, boosted my Evade, boosted my Swords ... good times.
Akane: Some improvement in slinging for Zedeja. That's all.
Hettie: Bows and Knives went up for me.
GM Elle: Sounds like a pretty good haul.
MSG: Hopefully these bandits will have some decent loot back at their hideaway.
Claire: And not twice as many more guys guarding it.
Ariel: We could take them!
Sasha: As long as we actually make it down into the valley next time, I'm good.

and on that note ... end of session!

dragonbane ... and here it is!

so, like i said, we got this new game and i have been getting pretty hyped about it. it's called dragonbane, and it's from sweden (where actually they call it drakar och demoner, which i guess means dragons and demons, probably too close to that other rpg's name to use it here in the u.s. of a.) and i guess it's been around for forever but these guys decided to do a kickstarter for a new edition, which we pitched in on and just got the boxed set for this week!

elle said she would gm this time, so the rest of us rolled up characters and got set to go!

(a couple notes! we're going to play the campaign that came with the boxed set, so if you don't want it spoiled for you, you should probably sit this set of posts out. also, the usual thanks to msg for his note-taking, which explains the capital letters from here on!)

GM Elle: Okay. Your characters are traveling through the Kummer mountains toward this place called the Misty Vale. Supposedly humans abandoned the valley ages ago and there's a crap-ton of treasure there for the taking, because the orcs were running the place all that time and have started leaving over the last couple of decades. That means the ruins and abandoned castles where old-timey empires kept all their loot are up for grabs, and settlers and adventurers have been making their way into the valley in recent years. It's hard to get to, because the entrance isn't well known and the mountains are tough, but you've been traveling a while now and you think you're close.

MSG: So ... there was all this loot lying around that the orcs didn't bother messing with? And the orcs are just up and leaving for no particular reason? Like, there's not something crazy dangerous scaring them off?

Ariel: Ooh! That's a good question!

Akane: Yes! MSG, your character must have great intelligence.

MSG: Err ... guess I'd better check my sheet. Okay, yeah, 15 is pretty good.

GM Elle: This might be the right time for everyone to describe your characters to each other. And double-check to remember what kind of character you're playing, right, MSG?

MSG: Okay, okay, I should have looked at my sheet before I started snarking about whether this is a suspicious set-up or not. My character is Dour Dolora, a young dwarven bard with dark skin and thick braids. She has a horn on a cord around her neck, and she carries a big-ass wooden club. I rolled pretty sweet stats, so in addition to typical bardic attributes, she's really strong and tough. Her weakness is that she has a craving for knowlege.

Claire: Sweet! My elf craves knowledge too. He's not so good on people skills, though, so when he finds out, he's probably like, "That's cool, as long as you don't get in my way when we find some primo knowledge." His name's Filvius Factsnacker, and he's got silver eyes, short, messy silver hair, and a long, thin silver moustache that doesn't really look all that great on him. Oh, and he's a mage who can do healing and summon lightning and shit.

Ariel: My character is slothful, so does that mean I can be kind of lazy and not really say so much about him?

Sasha: Oh, come on. We've been traveling for days. Even if he's not saying much about himself, we have eyes, right?

Ariel: Well, I mean, I just haven't worked all that much on the details. I guess he's got dark grey fur that's kind of shaggy around the edges, maybe even a little matted here and there because he doesn't brush it ... um ... he's old, so some of the fur is going white. Maybe around his ears?

Sasha: So you're saying he's one of those wolfkin?

Ariel: One of which wolfkin? I didn't know there were different kinds.

Sasha: I just meant any wolfkin. You started talking about his fur but you didn't actually mention why he has fur.

Ariel: It's because he's a wolfkin.

Sasha: Right. Obviously. I'm saying I figured it out, but you could have made it easier on us by actually telling us that.

Ariel: Sheesh. Sorr-ry. Anyway, I guess if we've been journeying along together, you've all been sleeping in my tent, since I have a big one that will fit six people.

Akane: That's so spacious! What character gets a tent of this size?

Ariel: He's a merchant. And his name is Fidu Greymane. And he's got a backpack to carry some of the stuff in, but that tent is super heavy, so if somebody stronger wants to carry it, that would be great.

Sasha: Well, I don't know whether I'm stronger or the dwarf is stronger, but my character's a knight, so I'd probably be chivalrous and offer to help carry something for an old pup like you. My guy is Sir Quackenscrump. He's a dashing young mallard with shiny emerald headfeathers that he keeps really nicely preened. I have plate armor and a great helm and a big-ass broadsword, so I'll probably be tanking it for the group. Don't really have a weakness, unless you count thinking all monsters are evil and need to be slain.

Claire: Isn't that literally one of the weaknesses listed in the random weakness table we all rolled on?

Sasha: I mean, if you want to consider it a weakness. Sir Quackenscrump doesn't think it's one.

Akane: My character also has no weakness. Except for weak strength ... she is so weakling there. But she rolled "overbearing" on the table of weaknesses, so she thinks it's natural leadership for her. Her profession is magic, but not the healing kind or lightning kind of Claire's elf. She'll tell you if those magics are needed, Claire.

Claire: I can't wait. What's her name?

Akane: She is Zedeja of Mind. Scrawny! Wild white hair! Her eyes ... so squinty! These are signs of her agedness. Not so great in physique, but very smart and willful.

Hettie: Interesting. Looks like we all went either young or old, no one in the middle. My character is a young halfling called Dilfriida Sidewise. She's a bit on the mediocre side, as far as her ability scores go, though reasonably healthy and very agile. Her build is on the slim side, her hair long and black and worn in twin tails. Her skin is swarthy and a bit pocked, and her face appears set in a constant grimace. She hasn't much equipment of note, just two daggers and some bandages she picked up in case anyone gets hurt. She doesn't know how to use them, but if the someone who gets hurt is her, she'd just as soon there be bandages at hand. It won't have taken much traveling with her to recognize that she's rather thin-skinned. I'm afraid it's unlikely she's getting along well with Zedeja, Akane.

Akane: It's not a problem. I can tell you how to do better with this. You just need to be more heedful to the words of Zedeja. For instance, give me your bandages; I am obviously the party's best at healing with them.

Hettie: Splendid. That's my assessment, not Dilfriida's -- she loudly asks if anyone else has healing skills besides Zedeja.

Ariel: I'm pretty bad at it.

Sasha: Me too.

MSG: Yeah, not Dolora's thing either.

Claire: I'm aces with healing, but if I can learn something from the old bag here, I'm game for that too. Maybe you should split your bandage supply between us.

Akane: I disagree. Accept my tutelage and then I will dispense bandages when I see that you have acquired enough skill.

Hettie: Dilfriida's going to give nine of the bandages to Filvius and keep one in her pocket. That way if I get hurt and need healing, Zedeja can use it to prove to me she's so much better than Filvius.

Akane: You receive a scowl from Zedeja.

Hettie: Dilfriida feels validated by that.

Akane: This insolence! It's unacceptable from a person who is only a ... a what? Explain your occupation, you dawdler.

Hettie: Let's say I'm a ... handy appropriator.

Akane: Guile! Your dishonesty announces itself. I tell everyone to be on guard against thievery from this one.

Hettie: Fine. Dilfriida says to placate Zedeja, she'll give her the last bandage instead of keeping it in her pocket.

Akane: At last, some sense from this thief.

Hettie: Then I will immediately try to pick it from her pocket using Sleight of Hand.

Akane: What!!!

GM Elle: Okay, that's a skill roll ... let me make sure I have the book open to the right spot ... aha! It's also an opposed roll. Het, you roll your Sleight of Hand while Akane rolls Awareness to see if she notices your shenanigans.

Hettie: Ouch. I roll a 19.

Akane: Zedeja's roll is success with 14! I spot this burgling before it happens!

GM Elle: Not for certain. Hettie could still do what's called "pushing" her roll. She rolls again, but she also suffers a condition that will give her a bane on some of her rolls until the next time the group rests.

Hettie: Dilfriida will absolutely push the roll.

Akane: This feels conspiratory.

Hettie: Ah, this time I roll a 2, an easy success. I'll say I'm frightened by nearly getting caught, though, so my condition is "Scared."

GM Elle: Nice rationale, Hettie. That makes complete sense to me.

Ariel: Is the game starting anytime soon?

Sasha: Shh, you.

Akane: So my Awareness is now a failure?

GM Elle: Unfortunately, yes.

Akane: Hmm. Then Zedeja remains satisfied by the gift of bandage. And later if she tries to heal Dilfriida, she will wonder where her bandage went, but since she knows the scoundrelous thief gave up her last one, there's no need to search the bleeding body of Dilfriida when trying to help. Possibly not so smart in outcome as Dilfriida thought.

Hettie: Well, I never said Dilfriida was smart, did I?

Ariel: It's true, Akane, she never did.

Akane: Yes, but Zedeja thinks, I am intelligent, so I should have authority. If this is a challenge to my authority, it is also a challenge to my intelligence. This means if she learns Dilfriida tricked her, it is much better if Dilfriida suffers from her unintelligence even before Zedeja realizes the trick. It proves the masterful brain of Zedeja compared to all others.

Hettie: Beautiful, really, but definitely in a way Dilfriida will never appreciate.

GM Elle: All right. With that brief argument behind you, you continue on. You crested the high point in the pass and began the downhill trek earlier in the day, and now you catch glimpses through the mists that suggest you may be getting close to the valley floor. As you round a bend in the pass, you start hearing sounds -- whimpers of some kind, possibly an injured person or creature.

Sasha: I'm going on high alert in case there's some monster involved.

MSG: I definitely don't want to get into a situation without every bit of knowledge I can get, so I'm looking around carefully as we get closer to the sound.

Claire: Same.

Ariel: Not me. Fidu can't be bothered to put in that kind of effort every time there's a noise.

Akane: Zedeja cannot tolerate anyone being lackadaisical. She insists for everyone to be careful and pay attention. Sad fact, though: she is paying attention to whether everyone is paying attention to her order to pay attention. This means, the attention of Zedeja is not on the whimpering or other surroundings.

Hettie: I'm specifically not paying any extra attention as a response to Zedeja ordering me to.

GM Elle: All right, then. Ahead, through the mists, you see a figure lying on the cold, rocky ground of the pass. Sir Quackenscrump, Dolora, and Filvius can make an Awareness roll.

MSG: 17.

Claire: Uh, yeah, 17 also. I don't notice squat.

Sasha: Ye--no. It was right there on the 2 and then it rolled onto the 12. My Awareness is 4. I guess I lead us closer to the figure.

GM Elle: You see that it's a man in dark robes, and as you get closer, you notice that there's a black arrow jutting from his right thigh. He's moaning and struggling to lift his head. You can see blue streaks branching across the pallid, damp skin of his face.

Hettie: I think the arrow makes Dilfriida worried enough about an ambush to overcome her spiteful resistance to Zedeja's orders. I'll look around to see if there's any sign of where the arrow came from.

Akane: Zedeja feels satisfaction that almost everyone has now minded her commands. She says, "Fidu! Be observant!" Then she looks around herself.

GM Elle: The man suddenly sits upright! You see that he's been clutching a bundle to his chest, and now he thrusts it out toward Quackenscrump. "Quick!" he says, "Take it! Message from Master Weatherman ... Leanara will understand ... must find all four pieces! The secret of the Dragon Emperor!" Ariel, does Fidu listen to Zedeja's advice?

Ariel: I mean, this dude seems pretty interesting, and he's not acting like there's ambushers around, so probably not.

GM Elle: All right, then. Zedeja and Dilfriida get to make Awareness rolls.

Akane: 9. That is easily a success for the 14 Awareness of Zedeja.

Hettie: Hmm. I roll a 17, which is a suspiciously high number of 17s so far in this encounter. Are we certain this die is fair?

GM Elle: It came with the game. I couldn't tell you any more than that. But I can tell you that at this point, a band of goblins springs an ambush from the clusters of boulders ahead of and behind you. Three of them are attacking from each direction. Akane, you get to draw an initiative card for the round. Everyone else gets dealt from the bottom of initiative order.

Akane: Hmm. Exceptional. My card is 5, so I am equally at the bottom with the rest of my group.

GM Elle: Then the order is goblins first, then Zedeja on 5, then Quackenscrump, 6, Dolora, 7, Fidu, 10, Dilfriida, 9, and Filvius, 8.

Akane: Fidu should have been more heedful. Now he is last.

GM Elle: The goblins attack with short bows. There's one of them for each of you. The ones on Zedeja, Quackenscrump, and Filvius hit. You can use your action for the round to dodge, or you can parry if you have a shield, or you can just take the damage and retain your action for later. A short bow does d10, plus any bonus die the goblins might have.

Claire: I'd really like to Lightning Flash these guys ... the most you can have for a bonus die is d6, right? So how likely are they to toast my whole 12 hit points? My math is failing me. What's the expected damage on d10 + d6, MSG?

MSG: 5.5 plus 3.5, so 9. So if they have a d6 bonus, They need at least a 6 on the d10 to cream you, so it's somewhere under 50/50 that you'll drop.

Claire: That's not very reassuring, but I'm young and foolish and I want to find out if this will work, so I'll let it hit.

Sasha: I've got 8 armor points, so there's no way they can get me.

Akane: Zedeja also has 12 hit points. Probably, she should dodge. The roll for evasion ... ei! 13, so a failure.

GM Elle: They only have a d4 bonus die, so Claire takes ... 8 points. Quackenscrump ... 3 points. Zedeja ... 11 points.

Sasha: ptink!

Akane: ai!

GM Elle: Zedeja used her action, so now it's Quackenscrump's turn.

Sasha: I'm running up to broadsword the first goblin. 5! That's a hit. And they attacked already, so they can't dodge or parry, right? I get 8 points on my 3d6. Kind of sucky for 3d6, but whatever.

GM Elle: It's still on its feet. Dolora?

MSG: I'm attacking that same one to try taking him out ... or ... how hurt does he look from that?

GM Elle: Pretty hurt.

MSG: I'd hate to roll better on my 3d6 than Sash did and kill a guy with 2 or 3 hit points when I could kill one who's at full strength. I'll hit the guy to the left of him. 8! Oh, dang, my club is 2d8, not 2d6, so I end up doing 20 points of damage.

GM Elle: His leather armor is 2 better than normal against your bludgeoning weapon, but you still crush his thorax like an eggshell.

MSG: Yes!

Claire: I'm next, right? I'm going to try to cream these 3 behind us with Lightning Flash. I roll a 10, so I get the spell off, and I think I'll pump it to max with 6 willpower points to do 4d6 to the first guy and 4d4 to the second one. 11 on the first guy. Whoo! 14 on the second guy.

GM Elle: They both do a spasming, screeching dance and collapse smoking to the ground, totally fried. Dilfriida, then Fidu.

Hettie: I can swap initiative cards with anyone after me, right? I'm going to let Fidu go first so I can use my backstabbing ability. 

Ariel: That sounds like more work than I'd like, but I guess I'll do it. That's a 12, so I hit and knife him for 7 points.

Hettie: Great. I move in to strike. That's 3 WP to backstab, and I roll with a boon ... which is good, because one of the two dice is a 20.

GM Elle: Close one. That would be a "demon" if you rolled it without a boon.

Ariel: I think I'm glad I'm too lazy to ask what that means.

Hettie: Well, since I hit, it means I do 2d8+d6 for a total of 8 points.

GM Elle: Kills him. Time for a new round. BUT -- from behind more boulders ahead charges another enemy -- a Worg Rider on a huge wolf. His attack surprises you, so he gets initiative card 1 automatically. And because he's a monster with 2 Ferocity, he gets to draw a 2nd card as part of the normal initiative draw. Here, everybody take an initiative card.

MSG: 6.

Claire: 7.

Ariel: 10.

Sasha: 5.

Akane: 9.

Hettie: 8.

Ariel: Wow. We really suck at initiative in this game.

Sasha: No kidding!

GM Elle: In addition to card 1, the Worg Rider gets card 4, and the goblins get 2. First action for the Worg Rider is a Battle Cry! All of his underlings now get a boon to attacks until his next turn. First goblin attacks Dolora ... hitting for yikes, 10 points of damage. That was a straight d10, they don't get a bonus die for their swords.

MSG: You didn't give me a chance to dodge, but that's okay because I would have sucked it up and taken it anyway. But if this next one hits, I'm definitely dodging.

GM Elle: Unfortunately, his boon gives him two dice, and one of them is a natural 1, which is a Dragon. So you'll need a Dragon of your own to dodge it, and he can choose to roll double damage dice or get a free attack on a different character. Still want to dodge?

MSG: I mean ... I might as well. Even with one die, he's got a 50/50 shot of dropping me. But I roll a 10, so no Dragon, no dodge.

GM Elle: He rolls only one die, but it's an 8, so you go down. Now he gets a free attack on Quackenscrump and holy moley, another Dragon!

MSG: You stole my Dragon.

GM Elle: Sorry. Is Quackenscrump dodging or parrying?

Sasha: Hell no, baby, I'm armored out the wazoo.

GM Elle: 18 points, then, meaning you take 10.

Sasha: Uh, yikes.

GM Elle: Second turn for the Worg Rider. This one does 2d10 damage and hurls you 2d4 meters to fall prone.

Sasha: Yeah, I'm definitely dodging that one if it hits.

MSG: Monster attacks always hit.

Ariel: What!!!

GM Elle: That's right. You really don't want to fight monsters very often in this game. Roll your dodge, Sash.

Sasha: Wait, my plate armor gives me a bane on Evade rolls, and my Evade sucks, so I'd better parry instead.

MSG: Monster attacks can't be parried unless the attack description says so.

Ariel and Akane: What!!!

Akane: Ridiculous and unfair!

GM Elle: Still the rules.

Sasha: A 6, but a 19, so no dodge.

GM Elle: 7 points, so it doesn't get through your armor, but it does hurl you 4 meters, and you're prone.

Ariel: So ... Sash is okay, but is MSG just ... dead now?

GM Elle: No, he's at 0 hit points and will have to make a death roll on each one of his turns until he dies or stabilizes. He can Rally to keep fighting with a WIL roll at a bane, or if someone uses Persuasion to encourage him. Who's got initiative card 5?

Sasha: Me, but I dodged.

GM Elle: 6?

MSG: Me. I guess I'll try to Rally. Nope. But I do succeed on my CON roll, so I'm not any closer to dying.

Claire: Card 7 is me, so I'm going to try to blast that monster with another Lightning Flash. 10 makes it, and I have no idea how many hit points this guy has, so I'm pumping it to max which will shoot my whole wad of Willpower Points. Oh. Great. For a total of 9 points on him. and 4d4 on the goblin 2 meters away ...

GM Elle: Don't bother, he's got 2 hit points left. Who's card 8?

Hettie: That would be me. I suppose I'll move closer and try to Rally Dolora, though my Persuasion is terrible. 19.

Akane: Zedeja has 9. She attempts a spell ... but it's 18, so a failure. Time to "Push!" My new condition is "disheartened," and the second roll is ... 12! Success! I give myself Stone Skin of power level 3, which is 8 armor points.

Ariel: Okey-doke, then, if it's time for card 10, that's me. I'll move up next to Dilfriida and make the Worg Rider my "prey" so I can get a boon to attack him. If I'm not dead by the time it's my next turn!

GM Elle: If that's it, then we need to draw initiative cards.

MSG: Any chance you could draw first this time, Madame Game Master? It seems to go really bad for us when we draw first.

GM Elle: Sure. Wolf Rider gets a 2 and a 7, Goblin gets a 4.

MSG: Great, so at least one of us will go before one of the bad guys' turns. I draw the ... 8. That sounds about right.

Sasha: Sir Q draws 5.

Akane: Unusual! Zedeja has initiative of 3.

Hettie: Dilfriida gets a 9.

MSG: Oh, actually now that I think a little harder, at least 3 of us have to go before initiative 7.

Claire: Well, at least I'm one of them. 6!

Ariel: I got the 10. Again.

Sasha: So ... 6 tries for the 1 card out of 7 cards that were left, and it's the one we don't get. Super.

Akane: Maybe we will live another round and have a chance for initiative 1.

GM Elle: We'll see. The Worg Rider's first action is ... oh, lucky you, it's the battle cry again. So his one flunky gets a boon to attack.

Akane: It's time for 3, first, though! I will move close enough to the final goblin to Levitate him! Success! Wait though. There is a bane. Okay, pushing again, now for exhaustion. 2 and 6! Success! I lift him 8 meters to drop for 4d6 falling damage. 19 points!

GM Elle: He pancakes on the rocky ground.

Sasha: Sir Quackenscrump! Up and at 'em! Does it take all my movement to get up?

GM Elle: No, actually, it's a free action.

Sasha: Sweet! Broadsword to the brain, Mister Worg Rider! Hit! Damn, I'm really liking this system where I always know whether I hit or not. Screw that armor class crap from now on. Dammit ... only 5 points of damage, though. Can I push a damage roll?

GM Elle: No, only a skill or attribute roll.

Sasha: Dammit. Who's 6 then? Put this guy down before his second turn!

Claire: It's me.

Sasha: Yes! Mage power!

Claire: Except that I'm out of willpower points, and I don't have a ranged weapon, so all I can do is a round rest. And move up a little. Ooh, but at least I roll a 6 for the WP that I get back!

Ariel: Here's hoping we're alive for you to use it!

GM Elle: Monster's turn. This time his monster attack is ... 6!

MSG: That's got to be bad.

GM Elle: Spear charge! 3d8 piercing damage ... but it can be parried. It's going for Quackenbush again.

Sasha: Dang it. All right, I'll try to parry with my shield. What. Demon. How bad is that on a parry?

GM Elle: No specific rule, so GM gets to decide, and I'm going to roll on this table that's normally for rolling a Demon while attacking. Mostly the results make sense for parrying too. Urk. Especially this one -- you expose yourself to the enemy --

Ariel: (That's what she said.)

Sasha: Shh!

GM Elle: -- who gets a free attack that can't be dodged or parried. The attack you tried to parry does 16 damage. The free attack --

Sasha: I'm already down.

GM Elle: Then it counts as a failed death roll.

Sasha: I'm not too worried because my Con is awesome.

GM Elle: Who's got the 8?

MSG: That's me. First, my Death Roll. Made it. Now I'll try to Rally myself. Nope.

Hettie: 9 is me. But I'm switching initiatives with Fidu again so maybe we can bring this dude down.

Ariel: Okay, well I'm definitely spending that extra willpower point for a boon attack against my prey! Hit! 7 points of damage!

GM Elle: Still up.

Hettie: I'll give it a backstabbing shot then. Aha! That's a Dragon, I believe.

GM Elle: You normally have 3 options, but the only one that makes sense here is to roll an extra weapon damage die.

Hettie: That's 19 points, then.

GM Elle: He is very, very dead. Now --

Ariel and Sasha: Loot!

GM Elle: On the goblins, you find 6 short swords, 6 suits of goblin-sized leather armor, 6 short bows, and 6 quivers of arrows. On the Worg Rider you find a scimitar and a long spear. He's not wearing any armor.

MSG: Will we even be able to carry all of that?

GM Elle: Well, you can have up to 3 weapons "at hand" that don't count against your encumbrance. Mages can't cast spells with metal weapons at hand, though, so only 4 of you can pull that trick. And the armor will fit Dilfriida, so if she's willing to abide a little goblin stink, that's another item that doesn't count toward encumbrance. Before you start divvying things up, though, you've still got two characters making Death Rolls.

Ariel: Oops! 

Sasha: Sorry, guys. 

MSG: I fail, so that's two successes to one fail.

Sasha: I make it.

Claire: Since I got willpower points back, on that turn I cast Treat Wounds on somebody for 3 points. Let's say Quackenscrump since Dolora is closer to recovering on her own.

Akane: I attempt a Healing roll on Dolora then. But look! I have no bandages. How can this be? I suppose it's a bane for my roll, then. Still, success. 1d6 hit points return ... 3.

MSG: Thanks!

GM Elle: Now each person who went to zero has to make a CON check or receive a severe injury.

MSG: Yikes. 16 fails for me. Can I push it?

GM Elle: I don't see anything that says you can't.

MSG: Dragon. Kind of a waste.

GM Elle: I'll let you recover an extra d6 hit points or skip the condition.

MSG: Sweet, thank you. I'll just become Angry though, since my Int skills are already crap anyway. That's 3 more from the d6.

Sasha: I roll a 15. That's a save for me.

Hettie: Dilfriida is happy to wear the goblin leather.

Sasha: Hey, wasn't that dying guy holding some kind of package out toward me right before the goblins attacked?

Akane: Possibly we should also be concerned about his dying? I tell skillful healer Filvius to check.

GM Elle: He's very dead. The bundle he was holding contains a map and a portion of a black basalt statue. It looks like a pedestal with two feet and lower legs standing on it, and the bottom half of a sword attached to the pedestal near one of the feet. The map looks like this.

Ariel: Ooh, cool!

MSG: I grab it immediately because I crave the knowledge on it.

Claire: I grab it away from her.

GM Elle: Make opposed STR checks. If either of you gets a Demon, the map rips.

MSG: I make mine.

Claire: I blow mine, but no Demon. I'm pissed though, and I tell her I won't cast any healing on her if she doesn't let me see.

MSG: When I'm done looking. And if you won't heal me, I won't be able to stand between you and whatever the next monster we meet is.

Ariel: Yawwwnnn. Guys, I'm getting tired. Is this a good spot for us to finish the session?

GM Elle: Sure. You can divide the loot next time. We have to do experience now, though.

MSG: Excellent. I feel myself becoming more knowledgeable already.

Claire: Me too.

GM Elle: First ... oops. You were supposed to be keeping track of any Demons or Dragons rolled when using a skill. You mark the tick box next to a skill when that happens.

MSG: I was taking pretty good notes. Here, everybody can look them over and mark wherever they need to.

Claire: Looks like there weren't many of them, and Hettie got most of them on the same skill when backstabbing. Sash got one for parrying too.

Sasha: Marked.

Hettie: Thank you, Claire.

GM Elle: Now, for each of these questions, you can make another mark next to a skill of your choice. Once we've got all the marks, you roll a d20 for each marked skill, and if you get higher than the skill, it goes up by 1.

MSG: So even a Demon is good now, right?

GM Elle: Right. The questions are, did you participate in the game session? I think everyone gets credit there. Did you explore a new location? I'll say getting to the valley counts. Next, you definitely defeated one or more dangerous adversaries. Now we're up against one that's not as obvious. Did you overcome an obstacle without using force?

MSG: Do arguments we had with each other count as obstacles?

GM Elle: I'm going to say no or that tick mark becomes a gimme.

MSG: Worth a try.

Claire: I can't think of anything. And I just looked at MSG's notes, so I think we pretty definitely didn't do that.

Ariel: Is how to divide the loot an obstacle? If it counts, I can try to stop yawning long enough for us to do that.

GM Elle: I think that would be overly generous too. Let's go to the last one. Did you give in to your weakness?

MSG: Nearly tore the map over it.

Claire: Which counts for me too.

Ariel: I didn't bother doing those Awareness checks because I was too lazy.

Sasha: Does it count that I attacked the monster and I'm a monster slayer?

GM Elle: Wellll ... I guess I'd better count it, since we could easily go whole sessions without the party fighting monsters, which would put you at a disadvantage for getting the tick mark.

MSG: But a major advantage for getting it when there is a monster.

Claire: Dear, didn't you notice how annoying everyone was with their weaknesses? I think that mark is going to be pretty easy to get every session.

Akane: Do not call Zedeja "annoying!"

Claire: Sorry.

Akane: It's okay, still role-playing.

GM Elle: So everybody gets that mark for tonight too. Mark them and then roll for all your marks.

MSG: Four whiffs for me.

Claire: Whoosh. Me too.

Ariel: Ooh! I bumped up my Awareness, Persuasion, and Knives!

Sasha: Kudos! Let's see what Quackenscrump can do, learning-wise. Yep Acrobatics, nope Evade, nope Performance, nope Bows, nope Blades.

Akane: My Awareness and Evade both benefited.

Hettie: I rolled quite well. Plusses to my Spot Hidden, Bows, and Knives.

GM Elle: Right, then. So how's everybody feel about Dragonbane?

MSG: Terrific. You did a great job running the game too.

Claire: Yeah, it totally did not disappoint. And of course you never do, Elle.

Ariel: I had tons of fun!

Sasha: Ditto!

Akane: More personality than the "Fantasy Trip" game we played! I enjoyed both, but Zedeja entertains me more than my Zamez character.

Hettie: High marks from me as well. To the game and to the Game Master.

GM Elle: You're all too kind. Thanks. I'm interested to see what happens next time.

and there you have it! i hope you had as much fun reading this as we had playing it!