Tuesday 11 September 2018

Scarlet Heroes Further Adventures

A few weeks ago I ran a solo Wilderness adventure of Scarlet Heroes on the Isle of Respite. The Wilderness adventure and an encounter with an Ogre allowed Shenhong Long to advance to Level 2.  Now it was time to enter the Palace of the Jade Sorceress which had proved so deadly to my level 1 magic-user, Ti Yasho.

Session 2 - Palace of the Jade Sorceress


Shen continues his journey across the island. He spends the better part of the day reaching Haven. Reaching Haven without incident he finds the town is in an uproar. There is a crowd of people leaving the town fleeing to the coast. Above the town, the Palace of the Jade Sorceress can be seen rising above a thick red mist.

Shen pushes his way through the crowds and makes his way to the local armorer. He sells his leather armor for 2 gold and manages to buy a set of Banded Armour. Shen sets up his camp on the edge of the red mist near the gatehouse of the Palace. He cannot see any way to get inside.

Just before dusk, a path to the gatehouse opens in the mist. Shen leaves his camp and carefully approaches the entrance. The portcullis to the gatehouse is up. Shen enters but breaks a tripwire triggering a poison dart trap. The dart misses. Shen continues into the gatehouse and the portcullis crashes down behind him.

In the gatehouse, Shen discovers a secret room with some weapons and armor in it. He also fights a pair of skeletons and later a giant rat. Killing all of them without taking any damage.

Heading east he enters a flooded cavern but flees from three giant ferrets. In the next hall, Shen spots a door and listens. Hearing nothing he opens the door to a room with a green slime in it. He quickly slams the door and jumps back. The slime starts dissolving the door to the room. Shen runs down a corridor and scrambles down a stair. Deciding this is a good spot for an ambush he sets down his naginata and readies his longbow.

Two minutes later the green slime slithers along the hallway. As it comes down a 20-foot stair Shen opens fire. Striking it several times without effect. Shen angrily tosses his torch at the green slime and sees that the slime tries to avoid the flame and appears damaged. Shen throws another torch and the slime lights up and is burned to ash.

Fighting Green Slime

Continuing east, Shen finds some damaged areas of the Palace and a room with a tapestry showing the Jade Sorceress. Shen is attacked by two crystalline statues and destroys both of them. Entering a library, a giant crab spider lands on Shen’s shoulder. He tosses it off and crushes it underfoot.

Continuing south, Shen enters what appears to be a kitchen. Unfortunately, he steps on a trapdoor and is dropped ten feet into a sewer. The water in the sewer sweeps Shen up against a metal barrier. Three starved looking giant rats attack Shen and he is bitten by one on the hand. He quickly kills the rats. Against the metal gate, Shen finds the skeletal remains of an unfortunate adventurer. Searching the corpse he finds a sack filled with mixed coins and a jade ring with dragons carved into it. The ring looks very valuable to Shen’s untrained eye.

Eventually, Shen manages to clamber back up into the still open trap door to the kitchen.  He collapses in exhaustion.

Fighting Giant Rats in the Sewers


Report

The second level fighter did a lot better in the Palace of the Jade Sorceress then my first level magic-user managed. The +2 attack bonus plus +2 Strength bonus allowed Shen to hit frequently and his AC was low enough to prevent monsters from hitting him. I assume I am doing it correctly. I judged that the monsters should have at least +1 attack bonus. Possibly I should have given them +1 per HD. Shen benefited from some lucky rolls but was only hit once (by a giant rat). The Fray die was less helpful for Shen. Many of the monsters encountered were at least level 3 so he could not use the Fray die.


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