Delvers Guild – Arc 2, Session 11 – Elves, F*ck Yeah!

[December 14 – 3rd session for December 14 and the Delvers find the Shrine to Elven Imperialism.]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  This session happened April 18, 2022.]

Player Characters:

Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studier of Pact Magic with a focus on shadows

Ozrel Runeweaver – human male – Pugilist and Rune Magician

Ricky the Astrologer – human male – Newly-minted specialist in Magic Circles and Teleportation Gates

Via Roll20

Zarek the Red – fox male – Golem-mancer

Vorgand – human female – Guildmaster and Chief Combatant for the Delvers Guild

Non-Player Characters:

Torsten, Fish, Harek – ex-bandits, now The Torchbearers for the Delvers Guild

Lars – Chamberlain of the Delvers Guild

Unit: Z0-E – Zarek’s first golem, looks like a fox made of iron

Yggsday, December 14th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman

Immediately After the Fight

Vorgand placed her sword on the unconscious Zarek to attempt waking him up from the multiple explosions he had suffered during the fight with the blue flame skeletons.  The sword healed him enough so that he gradually awakened on his own.  [It gave him back 4 Stun, which was just enough to move him from “GM’s Option” to “Recover Once a Minute”.]  A couple minutes later Zarek woke up and asked, “what happened?”  Vorgand provided a recap of the end of the fight with the blue flame skeletons and the party’s retreat from the Stone Forest chamber.

Clearly needing a different plan before attempting to enter the Stone Forest and the spaces beyond, the Delvers climbed into the entry room well and descended the chimney to the sloped galley.  Using the guide ropes for safety, they descended the sloped galley to the bottom level, past the anti-magic zone.

Reviewing the murals of the elves in the hall that crossed the bottom of the sloped galley, they noticed that rather than simply lording over lesser races, the murals actually showed each elf attacking different peoples.  Counting the elves shown, there are 14 elves or elven commanders shown.  Ricky took the time to memorize each mural [using his eidetic memory].

The Delvers took the hall left and went around the corner at the end.  The murals on the walls here showed various scenes of elves in the previous hall doing things, each mural having a door in it.  Discovering on their previous expedition to the Stone Halls that these mural doors covered real doors to tombs, their plan was to loot the tombs of wealth.  Ricky used his sledgehammer to fracture and clear away the thick layer of plaster over the first door depicted on the right wall.  Once the granite door was fully exposed, he cast Dark Leaching on it twice.  Ozrel then punched the depleted door and is collapsed into dust, exposing a narrow [3 foot wide] passage to a chamber.  The dust started to harden almost immediately, so the Delvers waited a bit before entering.  [Dark Leaching is a Body Drain with no delay in the return of points, so the Body points start returning each Post-Segment 12.]

After squeezing past the narrow passage, the Delvers discovered a large chamber instead of a small tomb.  Six pillars supported the roof and there was an altar at the far end of the chamber.  Every surface was covered in heroic elven art, showing strong-jawed elves with flowing hair and muscles, marching in formation and heroically staring off to the horizon or the future [imagine Soviet-era Heroes of the Soviet Union propaganda art, but with elves].  A particular set of colors repeated on every surface, including the floor.  Every surface was a celebration of elves in an exuberant, if tacky, style.  [I told the players to imagine the elven equivalent of “America, Fuck Yeah!” decorations with red, white, and blue everywhere, eagles holding M-16s while smoking cigars and wearing Ray-Banz sunglasses with a red, white, and blue headband, 80s style.  Super jingoistic, super tacky.]

Once they got over the décor, the adventurers enter the chamber and explored it.  The only thing of note in the chamber was the stone altar against the back wall, 4 feet tall and wide and 3 feet deep.  On top of the altar was a rectangular gold offering tray inscribed with a similar motif as the rest of the room.  Ricky looked over the altar and his sharp sight noticed a well-hidden concealed door on the right side of the altar.  It was locked, but Jala had recent experience working with tough elven locks and was able to open it.  Inside a 1 foot by 1 foot by 2-foot-deep hollow were 3 golden urns, a jewelry box, and two large scrolls in cloth protection sleeves.

Zarek floated over and cast Detect Magic, discovering that only the scroll covers were magical.  While Zarek still had his spell up, Jala opened the three urns so Zarek could check their contents.  The first one held incense sticks that detected as magical, the second fine sand that was not magical, and the third a two part incense holder wrapped in rich velvet.

Jala spent the next five minutes picking the lock on the jewelry box.  The box was made from high quality wood and was 9 inches long and tall enough to suggest multiple layers of drawers.  While Jala was working on that, Vorgand noticed that the air was no longer cold.  She checked out in the main corridor and found it the same.  She had Ricky check the weather with his magic mirror and he determined that it was warm outside [wherever that was] with the temperature quickly climbing.  This suggested to him that it was still morning, but he was not certain when in the morning it was.

Jala eventually unlocked the jewelry box and opened it.  The side came out on a hinge and there were three trays contained inside the box.  The top tray contained three scrolls, which Zarek could see were magical.  The second tray held two magic potions with empty spaces for two more and the third tray, deeper than the other two, held a gold circlet with a lens and a necklace with several large beads attached, both pieces of jewelry detecting as magical to Zarek.

Zarek quickly identified the two potions as a Potion of Longears [clairaudience, 1 kilometer range for 5 minutes] and Liquor of Will [4d6 Ego Aid, fades 5 points per hour].  Cautious checking of the scrolls determined that each was a spell: Protection from Air [5 minutes of +3 DCV and 5d6 Suppress versus all air/gas special effects at once], Lifekeeping [if used within 5 minutes of death, it keeps the soul in the body so healing will still work to revive the target, lasts 1 day], and Thaumatic Harness [per the 5E Spell Grimoire].  The jewelry took longer to identify, but Zarek drew deep on his readings about magic items [and rolled really well on his Knowledge Skill], identifying them as a Mindlens of Hardiness [1d6 Ego Attack per 10 EGO at 3x END cost, plus cannot be Stunned] and a necklace of Stormbeads [11 beads, 1d6+1 RKA electrical, if hit target triggers linked chain lightning effect (AoE Radius, Selective)].

Pleased with the acquired loot and finished with the gaudy room, the Delvers exited the chamber.  After a quick discussion, they decided to try one of the other potential doors, selecting the door furthest down the corridor on the left wall.  Ricky again used his sledgehammer to fracture and clear away the thick layer of plaster covering a granite door.  He cast Dark Leaching on it twice and Ozrel punched the door, turning it to a pile of dust.

Looking in through the narrow entrance passage while the dust congealed, they could see this was another tomb, with a sarcophagus and two spirit jars.  The spirit jars started shaking, their lids sliding to the side as a skeleton in each jar started assembling itself.

End of Session

Guild Postings

[Some good exploring and loot acquisition this session.  I didn’t really have this section fully flushed out, so I had to randomly determine what treasures were hidden in the altar.  They came together rather well and suggested to me a unified theme for why they were there.  In hindsight, I wish I had put the effort in and detailed this section ahead of time as there were things I thought of afterwards that would have improved things.  I’m good at improvisation, but much better when I take the time to actually plan things out.]

Delvers Guild

Guild Organizational Document

Arc 1

Arc 1 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 1 sessions

Arc 2

Arc 2 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 2 sessions, as they post

Last Session: Arc 2, Session 10

Next Session: Arc 2, Session 12

Delvers Guild – Arc 2, Session 10 – 10 Skulls Exploding

[December 14 – 2nd session for December 14 and the big fight I screwed up.]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  This session happened April 11, 2022.]

Player Characters:

Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studier of Pact Magic with a focus on shadows

Ozrel Runeweaver – human male – Pugilist and Rune Magician

Zarek the Red – fox male – Golem-mancer

Vorgand – human female – Guildmaster and Chief Combatant for the Delvers Guild

Ricky the Astrologer – human male – Newly-minted specialist in Magic Circles and Teleportation Gates

Non-Player Characters:

Torsten, Fish, Harek – ex-bandits, now The Torchbearers for the Delvers Guild

Lars – Chamberlain of the Delvers Guild

Unit: Z0-E – Zarek’s first golem, looks like a fox made of iron

Yggsday, December 14th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman

Approximately 10:00 AM (Moon Manor Time)

[Paragraphs show phases, the players going on segments 3, 6, 9, and 12, the skeletons on 4, 8, and 12.  The first paragraph is segment 12, where all combat starts.]

Realizing they were in for a tough fight, every adventurer took a swig of the potions of speed that Zarek had handed out earlier in the day.  The ten blue flame skeletons advanced on the Delvers through the Stone Forest, triggering the two Lightning spells Zarek had pre-cast.  One of the bolts hit the lead skeleton (skeleton 1) soundly.  [Post-Segment 12 recoveries were taken.]

Ozrel advanced and attacked the lead skeleton, striking it for some damage.  Vorgand advanced on the skeletons to the right and threw one (skeleton 7) into another (skeleton 6).  The surprisingly dexterous skeletons were able to land on their feat and avoid most of the damage [both made Breakfall and Acrobatics rolls].  Jala threw her magical dagger at the lead skeleton but missed, the dagger returning to her hand.  Ricky moved to a point in the middle of the adventurers and cast Dark Leaching at the lead skeleton, but missed.  Zarek reset his Lightning spell [to Armor Piercing and Burst] and then cast it at the lead skeleton.  Only the first bolt of the burst connected, but it was enough to shatter the skeleton.

The remaining skeletons as one lighted their flaming heads from their shoulders and flung them at the adventurers – 3 at Vorgand, 1 at Ricky, 2 at Ozrel, and 3 at Zarek.  [The attacks are 2d6 RKA, Explosive, Personal Immunity, so the skeletons are targeting the hex the PC is standing in, which is DCV 3.]  Vorgand dove for cover behind a pillar, avoiding the brunt of the three explosions targeting where she had been standing.  Ricky was stunned by a direct hit.  Ozrel dove for cover but was too slow to react – luckily one of the skulls thrown missed widely and he shrugged the effects of the other [low damage roll].  Zarek was hit by all three targeting his space, but a combination of high defenses and low damage meant he shrugged most of the effect [he took a little Stun].

Ozrel kipped up from being prone [which is how a character lands after a dive for cover] and punched the next skeleton (skeleton 2), hitting solidly.  Vorgand also kipped up and swept the skeleton she had thrown (skeleton 7), hitting 4 times and destroying it.  [Ozrel’s and Vorgand’s actions should not have happened as both had aborted this action to dive for cover when the skeletons attacked.]  Jala shadow walked to a better position and threw her dagger, missing again.  Ricky shook off the effects of being stunned.  Significantly depleted of endurance from his previous attack, Zarek reconfigured his Lightning spell [to 0 Endurance, Burst] and cast it at the skeleton Ozrel was fighting (skeleton 2).  Zarek hit all three times and destroyed the skeleton.

The remaining seven skeletons advanced on the adventurers, 4 attacking Zarek [identified as a spellcaster and therefore a priority target], 2 on Vorgand, and one on Ozrel.  All three adventurers dove for cover, Zarek and Vorgand successfully, Ozrel not.  Luckily the attack on Ozrel was weak [rolled low damage] and he shrugged the effects.

Ozrel kipped up and punched the next skeleton (skeleton 3) solidly, damaging it.  Vorgand failed to kip-up and stood normally before performing a sweep attack on the skeleton next to her (skeleton 6), hitting all three times but failing to destroy it.  [Ozrel’s and Vorgand’s actions should not have happened as both had aborted this action to dive for cover when the skeletons attacked.]  Jala threw her dagger again and hit, but to no appreciable effect.  Ricky stood up and cast Dark Leaching on the skeleton Vorgand attacked, hitting it and destroying it.  Zarek flew to the right corner of the room to get some distance from the skeletons attacking him and cast his Lightning at a nearby skeleton (skeleton 10), hitting once for minimal damage.  [Zarek’s action should not have happened as he had aborted this action to dive for cover when the skeletons attacked.  This is when we realized that I had made the mistake and we corrected the issue going forward.]

[Post-Segment 12 recoveries were taken.]

Ozrel held his action to respond to the skeletons, as did Vorgand.  The remaining 6 skeletons attacked the adventurers – 1 on Ricky (who aborted to a dive for cover), 2 on Ozrel (who used his held action to dive for cover), and 3 on Zarek.  Ricky took a little damage [Stun only] from the attack on him and Ozrel avoided any effect at all, but Zarek was hit all three times and knocked out, falling to the floor deeply unconscious [all the way into GM's Option as to when he would wake up again].  Jala saw this and shadow walked to the fallen fox, scooping him up in her arms.  Vorgand used her held action to advance and attacked an nearby skeleton (skeleton 8), solidly hitting it once.

Ozrel kipped up and attacked one of the skeletons on him (skeleton 3) and missed.  Vorgand swept her target (skeleton 8) with three attacks, hitting all three times and destroying it.  Jala shadow walked with the unconscious Zarek to the entry chamber and dropped him of with the Torchbearers before shadow walking back into the Stone Forest.  Ricky stood back up and cast Dark Leaching against the skeleton Ozrel had swung at (skeleton 3), hitting and destroying it.

The remaining four skeletons attacked the delvers – 2 on Vorgand, 1 on Jala, and 1 on Ozrel.  Vorgand mis-timed her dive for cover [failed the DEX roll] and was hit twice, stunning her.  Jala also failed her timing but the attack on her was weak [rolled low damage].  Ozrel made his dive for cover and took minimal effect from the explosion targeting him.

[Ozrel and Vorgand aborted this action for their dives and so did not go.]  Ricky cast Dark Leaching at his next target (skeleton 4), hitting and weakening it [Drained 7 Body].

The remaining four skeletons attacked – 1 on Ozrel, 2 on Ricky [who they belatedly recognized as a threat], and one clawed at Vorgand.  Ozrel was stunned by the attack on him and his magic runes deactivated.  The two attacking Ricky hit, knocking him out [but not stunning him].  The claw attack on Vorgand scrabbled off her helmet to little effect.

Ozrel and Vorgand both shook off the effects of being stunned.  Jala shadow walked on top of Ricky and then shadow walked him out to the entry chamber, where he woke up [he took a recovery, which brought him back to a positive Stun total at the end of the segment].

Vorgand kipped up and ran away from the skeletons, heading deeper into the Stone Forest and off to the right, where she found some stairs down.  She leapt down them to exit the chamber.  Ozrel kipped up and ran to the breech between the Stone Forest and the entry chamber so he could see into the entry chamber.  He then fire teleported into the entry chamber.  The skeletons sought targets to attack in the Stone Forest and found none.  Jala and Ricky both took recoveries in the entry chamber, doing their best to not draw the attention of the skeletons.  The Torchbearers, following orders, picked up the very unconscious Zarek and started working their way down the well to the sloped gallery below.

[Post-Segment 12 recoveries were taken.]

Vorgand gulped air at the bottom of the stairs, catching her breath as quietly as she could [she took a recovery].  In the entry area, Ozrel and Jala did the same.  [Jala has to push her teleport to move a second person with her and was very low on Endurance.]  Ricky peeked through the breech into the Stone Forest and sniped one of the skeletons (skeleton 4) with his dark Leaching, turning it to dust.

The remaining three skeletons moved to the dust of skeleton 3 and looked for the source of the attack but could not determine its location [I rolled an 18 on their Perception roll].

Vorgand continued to recover her breath.  Ozrel reactivated his runes.  Jala used her shadow veil spell to look through shadows to find Vorgand.  She was successful and shadow walked to her.  Ricky tried to snipe another skeleton (skeleton 10) but missed.

The remaining three skeletons, finding no intruders, walked back into the darkness and out of sight of the adventurers.

[End of combat]

Over at the bottom of the stairs to the right, Vorgand and Jal looked around.  They found themselves at an intersection.  A 15-foot wide passage led to the west with stone doors along its length on both sides.  Small passages to their left and right [north and south] each led to a long room or a wide galley.  With the danger past, Jala’s curiosity resurfaced and she wanted to explore the area.  Vorgand was much more level-headed [and concerned what fresh hells might be discovered] convinced Jala it was time to go back to the rest of the group, not explore further.

Jala shadow walked the two of them back to the entry chamber.

End of Session

Guild Postings

[This is the fight where I screwed up on the rules for Dive for Cover.  I let the players dive for cover, an abort action, but then also let them take their next action, the one that they aborted to dive for cover.  We noticed this at the beginning of Turn 2 of the fight and it led to the PCs fleeing as they no longer considered the fight winnable.  I tried to explain that they fight might not be not winnable through the tactics they had been using (frontal assault) but they might work out other tactics that would work.  It was late, so the discussion did not end with a resolution and not all the players were convinced the fight was winnable at all.]

[From an Old School perspective, this (the super tough opponent, not the rules mess up – that was entirely my fault) is not a bug but a feature.  Encounters should be as tough as they need to be and not always winnable by the PCs _at their current level_.  There are several possible ways to defeat the blue flame skeletons, but frontal assault with steel is not one of them.  The players need to work up a better plan, possibly one with different means of attacking.]

[Also during this combat we discovered another change between the 5th edition Hero System and all previous editions.  The Sweep attack maneuver has a cumulative -2 OCV for each target after the first.  In previous editions, this negative modifier was added as you went, so the first attack was at full OCV, the next at -2, the next at -4, etc., until an attack misses or the PC stops attacking.  In 5th edition, the attacker declares the total number of attacks up front and gets a -2 to OCV for every planned attack after the first, applied to all attacks.  So if the attacker declares they are making 3 attacks, all 3 attacks have a -4 to OCV but the sweep still stops at the first miss.]

Delvers Guild

Guild Organizational Document

Arc 1

Arc 1 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 1 sessions

Arc 2

Arc 2 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 2 sessions, as they post

Last Session: Arc 2, Session 9

Next Session: Arc 2, Session 11

Delvers Guild – Arc 2, Session 9 – R and R Wrap-up and back to the Stone Halls

[December 13 and 14 – Last of the Advancement Guidelines set down and then back to Delving!]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  This session happened April 4, 2022.]

Player Characters:

Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studier of Pact Magic with a focus on shadows

Ozrel Runeweaver – human male – Pugilist and Rune Magician

Zarek the Red – fox male – Golem-mancer

Vorgand – human female – Guildmaster and Chief Combatant for the Delvers Guild

Ricky the Astrologer – human male – Newly-minted specialist in Magic Circles and Teleportation Gates

Non-Player Characters:

Torsten, Fish, Harek – ex-bandits, now The Torchbearers for the Delvers Guild

Lars – Chamberlain of the Delvers Guild

Unit: Z0-E – Zarek’s first golem, looks like a fox made of iron

Freysday, December 13th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman

Later the same day, the founders of the Delvers Guild [the player characters] finished setting out the Advancement Guidelines and some supplemental bylaws.

Advancement Guidelines (Conclusions)

Expert Delver to Master Delver

• Demonstrate proficiency in [60%] of Expedition Competencies [specified in game, but TBD out of game]
• Participate in a minimum of 20 expeditions as an Expert Delver
• Lead a minimum of 3 supervised expeditions with endorsement
• Each endorsement from a different Master Delver

Guildmaster

Guildmaster is an elected office, held for life or until relinquished.  A No-Confidence vote by 80% of the current chapter Master Delvers may compel relinquishment.

To run for the office:

• Candidate must submit a Letter of Interest to the Grand Master
• Candidate must receive a Letter of Approval from the Grand Master
• Candidate must win an election by the chapter Master Delvers with the grand Master breaking ties.

Grand Master

To run for the office:

• Candidate must be a current or retired Guildmaster
• Candidate must win election by all current and retired Guildmasters with a simple majority

Torchbearer to Senior Torchbearer

• Minimum of two years in service as a Torchbearer
• Submit Letter of Interest to your assigned master Delver
• The Master Delver will take the letter to the Guildmaster
• The Guildmaster must approve the appointment

Random Bylaws

1. Expert Delvers forming an expedition need a minimum of 3 Expert Delvers signed on before approval.
2. The Guildhall the Grand Master works at does not need an additional Guild Master – the Grand Master meets that need.
3. The Grand Master and all Guild Masters meet every 5 years to examine and adjust territory boundaries where needed.
4. [New] Any candidate running for election to become either a Guildmaster or Grand Master may vote in the election they are running in.
5. [New] If there is no majority in the Grand master election, the top two candidates participate in a run-off election.

Yggsday, December 14th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman

8:30 AM

The founding Delvers met at the gate in the Guildhall basement and used it to teleport to the receiving gate under the Moon Manor ruins.  Vorgand went up to the surface and picked up Torsten, Fish, and Harek.  When she returned to the corner office that was acting as the gate room under the ruins, they other Delvers put on the various elven magic items they were concealing from the elves back in Aegea City.  Zarek played a prank on Ozrel, who had not used the magic earrings before, by barking loudly through the connection.  It startled Ozrel but only for a moment.  [I ran the prank as a Presence Attack to refresh the players memory on how those work.]

Zarek cast his Stoney Skin spell on himself, Vorgand, Ozrel, and Jala.  [He could only place it on 4 people and Ricky specifically avoided getting into combat, so he was left out.]  Zarek then handed out potions of speed to all the group.  [In addition to being a wizard, the fox is also an alchemist and regularly keeps a stash of potions available: +1 Speed for 1 Minute, 4 doses.]

The group then spent the next 30 minutes carefully making their way down through the [mostly] empty dungeon to the Portal Room at the bottom.  [See Arc 1, sessions 6 through 8 for the Portal Room’s location.]  Once there, the Power Gem was placed on the console and the Portal activated.  Vorgand set the control cubes to 5.2.2 and the portal blinked before showing the entry area of the Stone Halls [see Arc 1, Session 31].

Ricky cast Nightvision on himself and stepped through the Portal.  The air on the other side was cold enough to make his breath visible.  He put on the warm coat he brought and gave the all-clear signal to the rest of the Delvers.  They put on the coats they brought and stepped through to join Ricky.  Zarek, having no coat but his own fur, cast Cool Canine [Life Support: resist extreme heat and cold] on himself before following.  [Zarek, despite being a fox, does not know the proper reference term, hence the inappropriate spell name.]

The Delvers made use of the safety ropes they left here back in November [Arc 1, Session 31] and eased their way down the sloped gallery to just past the second stone bracket supporting the ceiling.  There hung the climbing ropes up into the small chimney-like passage in the ceiling.  Zarek flew up through the chimney and the others followed by climbing the ropes.

At the top, the chimney opened as a small well in a 20-foot square room.  The last time the delvers were here, Ricky had used a sledgehammer to smash through the immense granite slab that sealed the doorway to the next chamber.  After 20 minutes of hard work, he had broken through enough for Zarek to squeeze through into the next chamber, see many blue flame skeletons, and flee.  The slab was still missing the chunks Ricky had broken away and the chamber on the other side was dark.

Jala attempted to use her Shadow Veil spell to peer through the shadows in the chamber beyond, but all was darkness there and there were no shadows for her to peer through.  [Her spell requires shadows, not darkness to work.]  Ozrel lit a spare torch off the one Fish was carrying and popped it through the small opening in the slab, into the next chamber.  This provided shadows for Jala to peer through.

The chamber was very large – larger than the 30-foot diameter the torch lit, with many pillars supporting the ceiling.  The pillars were carved to resemble trees with the ceiling being covered by their branches, a stone forest.  Jala saw no sign of the blue flame skeletons that had driven away Zarek the last time and reported this.

Zarek cast two triggered versions of his Lightning spell on himself.  They would discharge as soon as he saw the first blue flame skeleton.

Once Zarek was ready, he squeezed through the gap in the granite slab and entered the Stone Forest.  Ozrel and Ricky used their teleportation magics [Ricky Shadow Jumped, Ozrel Fire-Walked] to enter the Stone Forest while Jala Shadow Walked, bringing along Vorgand.

The Delvers looked around to see what there was to see and Ricky noticed a set of stairs at the edge of the light on the left wall, going down.  Then the adventurers heard the distinctive sounds of skeletons approaching from the darkness, just before 10 skulls lit up with blue flame.

End of Session

Guild Postings

[We were running just long enough that after I set out the battle map, we realized there was no way we could start and finish the fight before it got very late.  So we took a picture of it and called it a night.  Next session starts with the combat, the one I really messed up.]

[I’ll update the Guild Organizational Document later this week with the roles and responsibilities, the Advancement Guidelines, and the associated bylaws.  I should also be able to get Session 10 typed up and posted this week as it looks to be a slow week at the Dayjob.]

Delvers Guild

Guild Organizational Document

Arc 1

Arc 1 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 1 sessions

Arc 2

Arc 2 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 2 sessions, as they post

Last Session: Arc 2, Session 8

Next Session: Arc 2, Session 10

Delvers Guild – Arc 2, Session 8 – Roles and Responsibilities

[December 13 – With actual applicants accepted into the Guild, the Founders needed to set actual roles and responsibilities for those applicants.]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  This session happened March 28, 2022.]

Player Characters:

Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studier of Pact Magic with a focus on shadows

Ozrel Runeweaver – human male – Pugilist and Rune Magician

Zarek the Red – fox male – Golem-mancer

Vorgand – human female – Guildmaster and Chief Combatant for the Delvers Guild

Ricky the Astrologer – human male – Newly-minted specialist in Magic Circles and Teleportation Gates

Non-Player Characters:

Torsten, Fish, Harek – ex-bandits, now The Torchbearers for the Delvers Guild

Lars – Chamberlain of the Delvers Guild

Unit: Z0-E – Zarek’s first golem, looks like a fox made of iron

Freysday, December 13th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman

The founders of the Delvers Guild [the player characters] spent the day hammering out roles and responsibilities.  They also outlined guidelines for advancement in the Guild.

When they finished, they added the following to the Guild Organization document.

Roles and Responsibilities

Trainees

• Trainees are apprentices that need training to become functional Guild members.

Torchbearer

• Expected to have basic Guild training
• Are exempt from combat on expedition – they hold the light source for the expedition
• No pay – room and board paid by designated Master Delver

Senior Torchbearer

This role is a fork in the advancement path.  It is for Guild members who have extensive delving experience as a Torchbearer but no plan to ever follow the Delver path.

• Are exempt from combat on expedition – they hold the light source for the expedition
• Paid a flat amount per expedition

Delver

• Expected to have a primary competency
• May participate in combat on expedition, based on competency
• Must be able to take care of self and follow orders
• Earns 1 share of expedition payout

Expert Delver

• Expected to have multiple competencies
• Expected to be flexible and adaptable
• Will not embarrass the Guild on expedition
• May go on expedition with other Expert Delvers without a Master.
• Earns 1.5 shares of expedition payout

Master Delver

• Expedition leaders
• Responsible for health and safety of all others on their expedition
• Fiscally responsible for the expedition
• Earns 2 shares of expedition payout

Founder

• A Master Delver who founds a new branch of the Guild
• Earns 3 shares of expedition payout

Guild Master

• Runs local branch of the Guild
• Has expedition approval authority in branch territory
• Must go on a minimum of 1 expedition per year, designating an authority delegate to run the branch while they are on the expedition
• Earns 5 shares of expedition payout

Grand master

• Runs entire Guild
• Has expedition approval in all Guild territories
• May designate “No-Go” locations – locations too dangerous for Guild activity
• Approves new Guild branches and sets territories
• Must go on a minimum of 1 expedition per year, designating an authority delegate to run the branch while they are on the expedition
• Earns 5 shares of expedition payout

Advancement Guidelines

Trainee to Torchbearer

Complete orientation training by demonstrating:

• Ability to pack a backpack properly and carry it
• Ability to light a torch reliably
• Ability to set up a camp site
• Ability to correctly respond to Guild field orders
• Familiarity with a weapon or magic [have a Weapon Familiarity or Fam: Power]

Torchbearer to Delver

• Demonstrate proficiency with weapon or magic [2 combat levels or Power 12-]
• Participate in a minimum of 10 expeditions
• Recommendation from a Master Delver who led at least one of those expeditions

Delver to Expert Delver

• Demonstrate proficiency in 5 Expedition Competencies [set in game, but TBD out of game]
• Combat proficiency in weapons or magic
• Participate in a minimum of 30 expeditions as a Delver
• Recommendation from 3 different Master Delvers who each led at least 5 of those expeditions

Expert Delver to Master Delver

[Set next session]

Master Delver to Founder

• Establish a Guild branch

Random Bylaws

1. Expert Delvers forming an expedition need a minimum of 3 Expert Delvers signed on before approval.
2. The Guildhall the Grand Master works at does not need an additional Guild Master – the Grand Master meets that need.
3. The Grand Master and all Guild Masters meet every 5 years to examine and adjust territory boundaries where needed.

End of Session

Guild Postings

[This session was 100% roleplay with no dice rolled with zero prompting from me.  From my perspective, this rocked!  All the players were involved in the discussion of each point for the entire session as everyone had an opinion they wanted to express.  There was debate over several points until they came to a consensus they could all live with.  This is the first game I’ve ever been in where the player characters formed a guild and set up their own bylaws.]

[We ran long, so the final advancement guidelines were set at the next session and then the group went on an expedition.  I’ll update the Guild Organizational Outline after I type up the notes for the next session.]

Delvers Guild

Guild Organizational Outline

Arc 1

Arc 1 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 1 sessions

Arc 2

Arc 2 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 2 sessions, as they post

Last Session: Arc 2, Session 7

Next Session: Arc 2, Session 9

Delvers Guild – Arc 2, Session 7, Parts 1 and 2

[December 12 – Exhibition Fights 8 and 9 plus a bonus fight!]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  These sessions happened March 14 and 21, 2022.]

Player Characters:

Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studier of Pact Magic with a focus on shadows

Ozrel Runeweaver – human male – Pugilist and Rune Magician

Zarek the Red – fox male – Golem-mancer

Vorgand – human female – Guildmaster and Chief Combatant for the Delvers Guild

Ricky the Astrologer – human male – Newly-minted specialist in Magic Circles and Teleportation Gates

Non-Player Characters:

Torsten, Fish, Harek – ex-bandits, now The Torchbearers for the Delvers Guild

Lars – Chamberlain of the Delvers Guild

Unit: Z0-E – Zarek’s first golem, looks like a fox made of iron

Cromsday, December 12th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman

11:00 AM

Fight 8: Ozrel Runeweaver vs. Tamara Greenshield

Both combatants stepped into the arena inscribed on the ground, each with empty hands.

Ozrel activated the runes tattooed on his arms [Strength and Dexterity Aids] and then advanced on Tamara, expecting an easy victory over the healer.  Tamara surprised him by performing a Whirling Rose Lunge, an acrobatic dodge that involved spinning from one foot to another and allowed her to move away from Ozrel to a far corner of the arena.  [She aborted to a custom Dodge that includes a Full Move as part of the maneuver, the downside being is only provides a +4 to DCV.]  Ozrel attempted to pursue her but ended up a bit short.  Luckily for him he was significantly faster than Tamara and closed the gap to deliver a Branding Strike.  He was able to just connect with her shoulder, breaking her clavicle [he did Body] and temporarily knocking her out.

Tamara quickly regained consciousness and then cast Blooming of the Rose [her healing spell] on herself with some difficulty due to the broken clavicle.  Once she was healed, Ozrel helped her up and the crowd applauded politely.  [Ozrel may have received some side-eye from the crowd from beating up on a healer.]

[This is where we paused Part 1.  Everything that follows is Part 2 of Session 7 and happened a week later.]

With what appeared to be the headline bout about to take place, there was a flurry of last minute betting happening with the bookies.  Vorgand called out to Fisk and asked if he was willing to up the interest in the fight by switching to live steel.  There was a pause in the placing of bets to hear Fisk’s response.  Fisk replied he was willing, but demanded “proper attire” for such a fight.  Vorgand agreed and betting resumed, now including bets on first blood as well as who might win.

Fisk took off his outer coat and started donning a metal chest plate [DEF 5 Armor from locations 9 to 13], suggesting he might have anticipated this challenge.  Vorgand buckled on her sword belt and used her magic whet stone to hone the blade [and gain a +1 to OCV].  Just before the fight started, she also snuck a swig from Zarek’s potion of speed [temporarily raising her Speed from 3 to 4].

Fight 9: Vorgand vs. Fisk Greenling

Both combatants stepped into the arena inscribed on the ground, Vorgand holding her elven rapier, Fisk holding a rapier and a short cinguedea in his off-hand.

Vorgand, having the edge due to the potion, stretched her legs to reach Fisk [pushed her Running 1"] and attacked, but missed [bad roll].  Fisk attempted to disarm Vorgand, but she twisted out of the way [aborted to a Martial Dodge] and he missed.  Fisk followed up with a Precision Strike, connecting with Vorgand, but to little effect [minimal damage roll].  Vorgand responded with a Martial Strike of her own.  Fisk attempted to parry the strike before it landed and failed, but his metal chest plate absorbed all the damage.  Vorgand attacked again and hit Fisk on the chest plate again, this time to some but minimal effect.

Vorgand attacked Fisk again.  This time Fisk was successful in Parrying the attack, nullifying it.  Vorgand never let up and attacked again, just getting past Fisk’s continuing parry, and striking Fisk in the arm to no effect.  Fisk essayed a Precision Strike again that Vorgand failed to dodge [Fisk rolled low enough to hit despite Vorgand aborting to a Martial Dodge] and Fisk landed a solid blow to Vorgand’s chest.  Having enough of Fisk’s shit, Vorgand went for a sword-assisted throw.  Fisk saw it coming and attempted to parry the attack but failed!  Vorgand sent him sailing out of the arena space to immediate applause from the crowd!

Fisk was indignant, claiming there was no throwing in proper Umbrian Fencing, but no one was listing to him as the fight had been exciting and loss by being tossed out of the arena space was a known rule for these fights.  Fisk eventually stormed away, trailing his lackey, sputtering about the crassness of it all.

Once things had quieted down a little [and the potion of speed had worn off], Vorgand asked Bear if he was up for a bout with her, wooden weapons but no throwing the other out of the ring.  Crow immediately stepped in and asked if this would increase the chance of getting into the guild and Vorgand readily agreed.  Bear agreed to the fight and it was announced to the crowd, who applauded, greatly entertained.  The bookies asked for some clarifications on the rules [surrender or knock-out only, wooden weapons only] and then posted odds on the fight.  Betting was lively.

Bonus Fight: Vorgand vs. Bear

Both combatants stepped into the arena inscribed on the ground, Vorgand holding a wooden practice sword shaped like a rapier, Bear’s hands empty.

Vorgand advanced on Bear, not quite closing the gap, and held.  Bear took the invitation to close and grapple.  As he moved in, Vorgand interrupted and struck him on the arm [doing Stun].  Bear ignored this, grabbing and squeezing Vorgand.  Vorgand attempted to escape [Matrial Escape] but Bear held the grapple [he rolled more Body on the Strength check than she did].  Bear squeezed again, but was not able to get much effect [rolled low damage].  Vorgand was able to twist free on her second try and Bear failed to grab her during his follow-up.

Vorgand went to strike Bear with her sword, but he stepped out of the way [aborted to a Martial Dodge] and she missed.  She went all in on another attempt [put all levels into OCV] and landed a solid blow on his chest, stunning him.  Bear shrugged off the effects of the blow just in time for Vorgand to hit him in the arm for little effect.  Bear lunged in and successfully grabbed Vorgand and squeezed hard, making her eyes bulge a bit but not quite stunning her [after subtracting her defenses, he did exactly her Constitution in stun].

Vorgand twisted free of Bears grasp, but she was now too close and he grabbed and squeezed her again.  She twisted free yet again, but this time Bear was unable to resecure his grasp on her.  Vorgand wisely backed away from Bear and held to see what he would do.  Bear closed and attempted to grapple Vorgand, but she danced out of his reach [used her held action to Martial Dodge].

Vorgand went back on the offensive and struck at Bear, who in turn dodged her blow.  Vorgand again did her best to strike Bear, hitting one of his hands to no effect.  Bear tried to grab Vorgand again but missed.  Vorgand got in a quick low blow to Bear’s vitals [hit location 13], but it was not enough to cross his eyes [she rolled very low damage].  Bear took advantage of her being close and successfully grappled her, squeezing the air out of her and Vorgand went limp.  Bear quickly raised her above his head to indicate he had won and then gently set her down.   The crowd went wild!  Vorgand was conscious again by the time Bear set her down.  He helped her up and they shook hands, both satisfied by the fight.

Noon

Over lunch and drinks at The Library, the Guild Founders discussed the applicants and did a final sorting of their starting ranks.

Trainees: Bork, Kettle, and Lukyan

Delvers: Bear and Crow, Bellinus Dragonkiller (Provisional), Erian Eldergold, Fadeyka, Leopard, Stefan the Wanderer, Tamara Greenshield, Victor Yakokovitch, and Yngvar Copperarrow

End of Session

Guild Postings

[At the last minute, Vorgand’s player could not make the initial game session, so I did the next bout with Ozrel and then we chatted about the game and things going on in it.  This included working the math for an elf-exclusionary ward for the guildhall, which Ricky and Ozrel would need to team-up to accomplish.  Turns out it is expensive points-wise due to the need for a Conforming Area of Effect.  This drove the Active Cost up to where neither character could make the roll and they both have extremely high Magic rolls.  As the GM, I have a solution to their problem, but I think it a player-generated solution would be better.  There is no urgency (yet) for the ward, so they have some time to think it over.]

[A week later we did Part 2 of this session and wrapped up the exhibition bouts, plus the PCs sorted out all the named applicants.  I’ve told them there are numerous unnamed applicants that they can draw on later to fill out expeditions.  There are only so many NPCs a GM can be expected to create, and name, at one time.]

[Vorgand’s player had purchased Martial Escape after Vorgand was nearly crushed by the beithir in the desert city.  Since then, she had never needed it and was keen to see how it worked.  A fight with a grappler seemed to be a good opportunity.  I made a small error during the fight with Bear, applying the +10 Strength from the Martial Grab to damage when it should only apply to resisting a target trying to escape.  I retroactively fixed this by giving Bear +2 Damage Classes with his Martial Arts, but Vorgand’s player now considers this fight a draw, which is fair.]

[Also, this is the third of the three posts I wanted to post before May 5, so I feel caught up at this point.  We just finished Session 12, so I might keep up an elevated posting level until I get closer to current, maybe another 3 posts before May 20th?  We'll see how it goes.]

Delvers Guild

Guild Organizational Outline

Arc 1

Arc 1 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 1 sessions

Arc 2

Arc 2 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 2 sessions, as they post

Last Session: Arc 2, Session 6

Next Session: Arc 2, Session 8

Delvers Guild – Arc 2, Session 6 – Exhibition Fights 4 through 7

[December 12 – Some of the longest and the shortest bouts in the tryouts happen.]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  This session happened March 7, 2022.]

Player Characters:

Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studier of Pact Magic with a focus on shadows

Ozrel Runeweaver – human male – Pugilist and Rune Magician

Zarek the Red – fox male – Golem-mancer

Vorgand – human female – Guildmaster and Chief Combatant for the Delvers Guild

Ricky the Astrologer – human male – Newly-minted specialist in Magic Circles and Teleportation Gates

Non-Player Characters:

Torsten, Fish, Harek – ex-bandits, now The Torchbearers for the Delvers Guild

Lars – Chamberlain of the Delvers Guild

Unit: Z0-E – Zarek’s first golem, looks like a fox made of iron

Cromsday, December 12th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman

10:00 AM

Fight 4: Ozrel Runeweaver vs. Bear

Both combatants stepped into the arena inscribed on the ground, each with empty hands.

Ozrel activated the runes tattooed on his arms [Strength and Dexterity Aids] and then waited for Bear to approach him.  Bear advanced but stopped short of Ozrel and waited in turn.  Ozrel moved in on Bear, who then attempted to grab Ozrel but was blocked.  Ozrel followed his block with a counterstrike that Bear attempted to block but failed, Ozrel hitting Bear in the chest.  Ozrel next attempted a leg sweep on Bear but failed to connect.  Bear took the opportunity presented to grab Ozrel and fling him out of the arena space, winning his bout.

While the audience applauded enthusiastically for Bear, Vorgand and Ozrel thought over what they had observed [they both applied their Analyze: Style skill].  Vorgand believed that she could take Bear in a fight and contemplated a separate challenge at the end of the exhibition [she just made her skill check].  Having directly experienced Bear’s fighting style, Ozrel was certain that Bear was self-taught and quite capable [Ozrel made his roll by two and learned that Bear did not use a known fighting style].

Fight 5: Vorgand vs. Yngvar Copperarrow

Both combatants stepped into the arena inscribed on the ground, each holding a wooden practice sword, Vorgand’s shaped like a rapier, Yngvar’s a bastard sword with a buckler strapped to his left arm.

Having an edge in reaction time, Vorgand chose to hold and see what Yngvar would do.  Yngvar advanced towards Vorgand, stopping short and holding in turn.  Vorgand shrugged and stepped up to Yngvar, triggering an attack that she dodged.  Vorgand then attacked, hitting Yngvar in the stomach, stunning him.  Yngvar shook off the stun before Vorgand attacked again.  This time Yngvar dodged and was able to avoid getting hit.

Vorgand put everything into landing a blow on Yngvar and, even though he was still dodging, she hit him…in the arm and to little effect.  Luckily for Vorgand, Yngvar’s swing also went wide.  Vorgand attempted another Martial Strike with her rapier.  Yngvar dodged but wasn’t able to completely avoid getting hit as Vorgand again landed a blow on his arm.  Pressing the attack, Vorgand attacked again despite Yngvar’s defensive fighting [he was still dodging] and missed.  Yngvar took advantage of the miss and landed a blow on Vorgand, hitting her in the chest [doing stun].

Frustrated with the lack of results in her strikes, Vorgand switched tactics and attempted to throw Yngvar, using her rapier for leverage.  Yngvar was able to completely avoid the attempt [he dodged and she missed], but Vorgand pressed, attempting another throw and missed again.  In return, Yngvar put maximum effort behind his next attack [he pushed his Strength for more damage], but hit Vorgand in the arm to no effect.  Gaining control of her frustration, Vorgand waited for Yngvar to commit to his next attack before launching her own.  When Yngvar puts his all behind the attack and started swinging [he pushed he Strength again], Vorgand launched her own, speedier attack [she won the DEX roll roll-off], hitting Yngvar in the chest.  Yngvar still landed his attack, but only hit Vorgand’s off hand.

Vorgand held off her next attack, hoping to repeat her interruption of Yngvar’s attack.  Yngvar noticed the pause and asked Vorgand for a draw.  Vorgand declined, so Yngvar attacked.  This time both attacked simultaneously [both failed their DEX roll for the roll-off].  Yngvar’s attack failed to land, but Vorgand was able to lift and throw him out of the arena space and into the crowd.  The crowd went wild.

While Yngvar got back to his feet and the crowd kept applauding, Vorgand returned to her sword stand and rested her hand on her magic sword, making use of its restorative magic.  Once she was recovered, she shook hands with Yngvar.

Fight 6: Vorgand vs. Bork

Both combatants stepped into the arena inscribed on the ground, each holding a wooden practice sword, Vorgand’s shaped like a rapier, Bork’s a short sword.

Vorgand looked over Bork, who was clearly nervous and had a terrible stance.  After the marathon fight she’d just had with Yngvar, she was ready for this fight to be done quickly.  She stretched her legs to close with Bork [pushed her Running by 1”] and attacked, easily hitting him in the stomach, knocking the air and consciousness out of him.  The crowd attempted to be polite and clapped, but there was some snickering at how quick Bork folded up.

Fight 7: Vorgand vs. Erian Eldergold

Both combatants stepped into the arena inscribed on the ground, Vorgand holding a wooden practice sword shaped like a rapier, but Erian a medium bow with blunted arrows and as far away from Vorgand as he could stand and still be in the arena [this put him 5” away or outside a half move for her – he had been carefully watching her movements in the previous fights].

Vorgand stretched her steps to almost close with Erian [pushed her Running by 1” for a 4” half-move] and then held to see what the archer would do.  Erian attempted to shoot the rapier out of Vorgand’s hand, to which effort she dodged and he missed widely, his arrow skittering across the packed dirt.  Vorgand closed the distance between the two and struck Erian on the arm for minimal effect.  In response, Erian retreated to the far corner of the arena [this took his full phase].  Vorgand approached Erian, not closing the entire distance, and waited.  Erian drew and shot at Vorgand, so she dodged and he missed again.

Vorgand closed with Erian and attacked, landing a solid blow on his shoulder.  Erian took a moment to perform a precise shot [the attack has a 1 segment delay], hitting Vorgand in the vitals, stunning her.  Vorgand shook off the effects of being stunned and Erian shot the rapier out of her hand.  Vorgand kicked up the rapier to her hand [Acrobatics roll] and moved to the middle of the arena space so she could follow Erian and attack him no matter where he moved to in the arena.  Erian held position and took a moment to perform another Precise Shot.  Vorgand dodged in response [used her held half-action].

Erian’s shot missed [due to extra time, it happened in Segment 1 of the following Turn].  Taking advantage of Vorgand not being right on top of him [and winning the roll-off for initiative at the same Dexterity for the first time] but knowing she would attack him, Erian attempted a Defensive Shot, but failed to hit.  Vorgand stepped up to Erian and struck him solidly on the chest despite his defensive stance, stunning the archer.  Erian was able to recover from being stunned, only to receive a blow to his thighs from Vorgand, which dropped him.

The archer recovered his senses quickly and Vorgand helped him up while the crowd applauded.  Ozrel recognized Erian’s style as Thornwood Archery, a style common in the northern parts of the kingdom.  Jala approached Erian and asked if he could teach her the ranged disarm maneuver.  He asked her if she could use a bow and when she said no, he apologized and said he could not teach her.  Jala was disappointed but understood.

End of Session

Guild Postings

[Just the four duels this session, but I was able to try out several different styles of combat and the fights were fairly dynamic.  Except Bork’s, but he’s really just a greenhorn from the city who earnestly wants to adventure and see wonders.  At this point we have a strong grip on the combat system…until I totally flub it in Session 10.  You’ll see what I mean when we get there.]

[This is the second posting of the three than I’m trying to get done over last week and this week in order to catch up.  Session 7 ended up being split across to sessions as Vorgand’s and Zarek’s players missed the game due to real life stuff.  I’ll provide more detains in the next blog post.]

Delvers Guild

Guild Organizational Outline

Arc 1

Arc 1 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 1 sessions

Arc 2

Arc 2 Landing Page – Links to all Arc 2 sessions, as they post

Last Session: Arc 2, Session 5

Next Session: Arc 2, Session 7 [Not Yet Typed Up]

[5/3/22: Updated to correct fight numbering.]