DM Yourself Phandelver

I received my hardcopy of DM Yourself (author Tom Scutt) in the mail a month ago. I was not in on the Kickstarter but I saw a review on Youtube and emailed the author to buy a copy. Delve is a handbook for Solo Adventuring using D&D 5th edition. While the principals could be of use in any system it is designed for D&D 5th edition. While I am not really interested in being a DM in a 5th Edition game (too many rules) I am fine with DMing myself. I can take my time checking to see which rules apply.

DM Yourself is a very different method of solo adventuring from what I am used to. This is not a random oracle. The booklet (running 60 pages) gives you rules, suggestions, and guidance to running a solo character (with Sidekicks) through published D&D adventures. It even gives specific guidance on many of the already published adventures. It is a chance for me to run some of the official D&D 5th edition adventures I purchased and read but never ran.

DM Yourself does this but adding in a few rules to make the published adventure survivable. This starts with the suggestion to start your PC at Level 2 for that 1st level adventure. From there the PC should get maximum hit points at every level. There are suggested additional rules like Hero’s Luck, Plot Armor, using average monster damage. Nothing is game-breaking. But if anyone has tried playing D&D 5th edition solo before they know that character death at first level is very likely. The published adventures are designed for 4-8 players.

The meat of the DM Yourself book is suggestions on how to play through a published adventure without spoiling it for yourself. How to attempt to immerse yourself in the play to provide an enjoyable experience, and how to roleplay encounters. Many of the suggestions are things that you could probably come up with yourself but it is a handy journal.

I decided to run a 2nd level cleric with two sidekicks (one expert, one warrior) through Lost Mine of Phandelver. I have read this adventure before but it was years ago so I remember nothing. I had planned to run it on a tabletop with stand-up minis, paper character sheets, and dice to go full old school. But I immediately found that less than ideal. So I decided to run it using the Phandelver module in Roll20. This gave me a partial method of using fog of war on the maps but more importantly it made tracking the character and the NPCs much easier. The first two sessions are complete and went reasonably well. I think I enjoy it more than the times I have tried solo play with a random oracle generating the plot and it is definitely better than any pick-a-path solo playbook.

Lost Mine of Phandelver

Session 1

Day one

Nate Fallcreek a cleric of Torm is in the City of Neverwinter. Nate recently left the militia after hearing the call of Torm. He is in need of work and an old friend named Gundren Rockseeker (a dwarf) has hired him and two others to escort a wagon to the village of Phandalin. Gundren has gone on ahead accompanied by his bodyguard Sildar Hallwinter to attend to urgent business in the town. Nate and the two others are each expecting to be paid 10 gold coins by the owner of Barthen’s Provisions in Phandalin once they deliver the goods. This is the first time Nate has met the female, human warrior Marit and the male human expert Arjen.

The route they are to travel with the cart is south on the High Road until they meet the Triboar Trail. Then it is east to the road to Phandalin.

Day Three

The three heroes head east along the Triboar trail moving at a slow pace. Up ahead they see something in the middle of the trail. Nate is currently driving while Marit and Arjen are dozing in the back of the wagon. Nate whistles to get the attention of his companions. Arjen jumps down from the wagon and moves ahead to investigate. He finds the horses belonged to their patron Gundren. The saddlebags have been looted. Just then arrows fly out of the forest striking Nate twice. Two goblins run onto the trail to attack Arjen hitting him. Marit runs over to help. Nate casts Cure Wounds on himself then runs over to help Marit. Arjen kills one goblin and Marit kills another then they both crash into the woods to attack the goblin archers. Arjen badly injures one goblin who turns and runs away. Marit kills the remaining goblin. They try to hit the running goblin with arrows but miss it. After the battle, Nate prays to Torm to heal Marit and Arjen.

Arjen spots a trail headed north and the three set out in pursuit. Arjen spots a snare on the trail and the trio avoids it. But Arjen doesn’t spot a pit trap that opens beneath his feet. However, he is quick enough to leap over it. Following the goblin trail north, they come to a stream exiting a cave in the hillside.

Session 2

They approach the cave. As they prepare to splash across the stream they spot 2 goblins hiding in a thicket just as the goblins spot them. Nate reacts first by rushing across the stream and storming the goblins. He kills one on the spot with a blow to the head. The other goblins darts away to the cave entrance shouting in goblin. Nate signals to Arjen who stabs the goblin in the back killing it.

Nate lights a torch and the three adventurers head into the cave splashing across the stream Arjen in the lead. Arjen spots a cave with wolves tied up in it. They quietly walk past. Up ahead Arjen just barely makes out the sight of a bridge over the stream and a tunnel off to the left. They decide to go left and run right into a cave full of goblins. Marit and Nate rush in to attack while Arjen readies his bow at the entrance. Marit and Nate are immediately surrounded by goblins. Nate calls down Sacred Flame as he advances. The Goblin immediately in front of him is engulfed in flames and staggers to the back of the cave, but another goblin steps up to take its place. Marit is attacked by 2 goblins but quickly kills them. As he fights Nate spots a goblin boss atop a ledge holding Sildar. He shouts at Arjen to get the boss pointing up at the goblin. Arjen brings down the boss goblin with an arrow. Eventually, all but one of the goblins are killed. Marit doing almost all of the killing.

Nate goes up on the ledge and frees Sildar. He also searches the goblin boss and finds some gold teeth. They tie up the remaining goblin in the ropes that were holding Sildar. Marit questions the goblin as he speaks their language. Nate questions Marit on where she learned goblin but she does not answer the question.

They learn that there are fewer than 20 goblins in the lair and they count the dead and see they have dispatched eight of them. The goblin says their leader is a bugbear named Klarg. The goblins here are part of the Cragmaw tribe. They ask about Gundren and learn that the dwarf has been sent to Cragmaw Castle. Marit threatens the goblin and gets rough directions to the castle which is in Neverwinter wood.

Nate can see that Sildar is badly injured. Sildar tells him that the goblins took turns working him over and kept promising to eat him. Nate uses Channel Divinity/Preserve Life to give some healing to Sildar. Sildar says he is ready to fight and grabs one of the goblin scimitars. Marit uses Second Wind to recover some hit points. Finally, Nate casts Cure wounds on himself. Now that they know Gundren is not in the caves they discuss whether to leave immediately and continue the journey to Phandelvin, detour to Cragmaw Castle or continue on to confront Klarg. The group vote with Marit voting to continue fighting goblins but Nate and Arjen voting to continue to Phandelvin. Sildar does not vote and tells them he will abide by their decision.

Sildar also tells them that the goblins did not waylay Gundren by chance. They were instructed by someone called the Black Spider. Whether that is a name for a goblin or someone else he does not know. He mentions his contact in Phandelvin is Iarno Albrek who has gone missing. When asked to speculate why the goblins were after Gundren, Sildar suggests it was because the Rockseeker brothers found the long-lost Wave Echo cave a famous mine.

The group sneak out of the caves and head back to the road. Their wagon is still there waiting. They set out for Phandelvin.

Programmed Solo Adventures

 I bought a few solo system adventures from Pacesetter Games & Simulations. I have a long history with this style of solo play. The first one I purchased and played was M1: Blizzard Pass in 1983. I recalled enjoying actually getting a chance to play. I was our game group DM and I never got a chance to be a player. It was not the same of course. The most disappointing thing was that when my hero was killed entering with a new hero was not really the same. I also quickly used up the invisible ink revealing pen and never got to see everything in the adventure. When I purchased M2: Maze of the Riddling Minotaur later that same year I carefully managed the ink of the pen and completed the adventure. I recall that the Riddling Minotaur module had an amazing maze map spread over two pages.

Later I would buy MV1: Midnight on Dagger Alley (1984) that had a magic viewer. Basically, the text to be revealed could only be seen by looking through a red-tinted viewer. I still have that viewer. I do not remember much about this adventure. The ones that followed, BS1: Ghost of Lion's Castle and XS1: Lathan's Gold (both 1984) changed the format away from the hidden text. They became programmed text like pick-your-path adventure gamebooks. The last one I played was XS2: Thunderdelve Mountain (1985). I recall I could never get through Thunderdelve alive despite multiple attempts.

I have a few of the Tunnels & Trolls solo adventures and a few from some other companies and systems but none stand out.

So the other day I tried my hand at Pacesetter Games & Simulations, I1: Grave of the Green Flame. I have the fourth printing from March 2020. According to the text it was originally published in 2011. The solo system included uses the OSRIC rules.

You can roll up any AD&D 1st edition character to start. No matter who you roll up and equip, you will start naked by the side of the road ambushed by brigands. A worker for an Innkeeper finds you and brings you to the Inn. The innkeeper agrees to equip you if you will find and kill the brigands who are bad for business.

The system uses lettered and numbered encounters to move the story along. You also get snippets of the overland map in each lettered area that allows you to slowly build a map of the area. You move along a trail from area to area. The trails cross one another so there are a lot of directions you can go.

I rolled up a 1st level Half-elven fighter I named Raelin Windstriker. Raelin did okay on his first day in the woods. He found an altar in the woods that enchanted his sword, he found a potion of healing (that was key), a few fights, and he tracked down the three brigands who waylaid him in the introductory text. Raelin was blocked several times from heading south by a wall of poisonous green mist. I never figured out how to pass it until after play when I read through the entire module.

On the second day, things took a turn for the worse. Raelin returned to the Inn the night before and recovered a hit point but he was still down to half. Then he had a disastrous encounter with three lowly centipedes. After that encounter ended Raelin was down to 4 hp and actively avoiding combat. He entered a barrow despite some misgivings and found a lot of treasure and no guards. But when he left he encountered a Shadow (3+3 HD). The text suggested fight or return the treasure. Raelin was not about to return the hard-earned treasure so he fought, and quickly lost and died.

Raelin decides to fight to keep the loot

Was the adventure fun? A little.

I find that after playing a solo game using an oracle and being my own gamemaster that I have come to expect a lot more freedom. Playing programmed adventures limits your choices. Often you only have two choices and to keep it interesting the right choice sometimes does not make a lot of sense. I was repeatedly punished for being cautious. I scouted a cabin in the woods and stepped on a stick alerting the bandits inside. I checked a stream carefully before crossing twice, and both times I got hit with a Wandering monster roll. There is also, really no real ability to reuse a programmed adventure. You are going to remember the right choices to make.

It is not very expensive on DrivThru RPG so I think it is still worth the single evenings distraction of playing.

One Page Solo Engine

Another round of playing using the Glaive RPG rules that I got from backing a kickstarter. The last time I used the rules to play solo and my character was killed in his first encounter. This time things went about as smoothly as you could possibly hope.

I used the same setting of Frostmarch. In fact, this is a continuation of the events in Brem Lonetree's story. This time I used the One Page Solo Engine written by Karl Hendriks that I found online somewhere. These rules are exactly what you would expect from the title. A single landscape page pdf that encompasses all you need to play solo. Those familiar with other oracles will find it is very similar. The big plus of these rules as they have everything you need on one page. Scene setting, yes/no oracle, Complex questions using a regular deck of cards, NPC reactions, and finally a simple dungeon crawler.  I tried out as much of the tools as I could jam into one session.

It worked well. I really like these rules. Especially how compact they are.

Arven Reed’s Story

It was another freezing cold day. Reed chopped wood just outside the tower. The wood chopping had the benefit of keeping him active and warm, and if he chopped enough, he could keep the tower warm the entire night. He dropped the ax on another log splitting it in half. Reaching down to pick up the wood he thought he could hear something. He paused. The wind was not very brisk today, but it was cold.

“Reed!”

Reed definitely herd his master Zoquill this time. He picked up the ax and jogged quickly into the tower. Zoquill’s tower was very tall with a room for Reed at the base and a long stair up the inside of the tower to the three floors of rooms near the top where his master lived.

“Reed get up here!”

Reed was out of breath when he finally made it up the forty feet of steps to the lowest level. There was no sign of Zoquill in his bed-chamber so he continued up the stairs to the workroom and on up to the study just under the roof of the tower. Zoquill was here looking out a window with his telescope.

“Stupid Messenger is in trouble,” Zoquill said and gestured for Reed to look. Reed carefully looked through the telescope making sure not to bump it. Through the blurry glass, he could make out a dark spot on the snow in a clearing. “I don’t see anything master?”

“Humph, be that as it may. The messenger from Greenvale with our supplies and more importantly my books was waylaid by goblins. You need to go retrieve the supplies.”

Reed glanced at the sun through one of the windows. It was a few hours from setting. “I will set out first thing at dawn,” he said cautiously.

“You will go now and come back with my books or do not come back at all.”

Reed's heart sank. He had heard that note of finality before. There was no use arguing. He went back down to his quarters and grabbed the heavy blanket he used when out in the cold. Drawing it over his head. He also belted on the old sword he had owned for years. Finally, he carefully buckled his three spellbooks to his belt. The last thing he grabbed was a covered lamp. It was going to get dark soon.

Reed sets out into the Thin Thorns Forest

Scene 1 Travel: Find the Messenger

Is Reed able to find the messenger (unlikely)? Yes.

Are there any supplies remaining at the scene (unlikely)? No.

Are there tracks he can follow (likely)? Yes.

Arven Reed manages to find the spot in the snow in an open clearing where the messenger from Greenvale lay dead in the snow. The man is already starting to freeze. There was a look of surprise frozen on his face. Looking about Reed sees that all of the supplies have been taken. The sled appears to be intact. Tracks lead off into the trees of at least two goblins. Reed briefly looks at the dead man wondering who he is and what he wanted out of life. This is no time or place to bury the body so he salutes the body mutters an apology and follows the tracks left by the goblins.

Reed follows the tracks left by the Goblins. It grows dark and cold. Ahead he sees a cave.

Have the goblins left a guard (likely)? Yes. 

Two goblins guard the cave entrance. Reed opens a spellbook and casts Sleep on the two guards. They both fall into slumber (they failed their saving throw and will sleep for 1 turn). He is unable to retain the use of the spell (Reed has the talent Manifold Cerebrum which gives him a chance to retain a spell after casting it).

Scene 2 Dungeon Crawler: The Goblin Caves

Reed sneaks up and enters the cave. There are two tunnels heading in opposite directions. 

Can Reed see any recent tracks (likely)? Yes. 

He heads down the right tunnel which appears to have seen more traffic. The tunnel enters a cave that looks like a living area. There are two exits including the one he entered. A human dressed in leather armor is seated on a stool at a simple table. The man spots Reed and jumps to his feet. “Who are you?” Thinking quickly, Reed says, "Relax, I am here for the same reason you are." (I rolled a 5 on the encounter which is neutral or friendly NPC).

Open-ended question - (Creating, Social). 

"What? I thought I was the only envoy that was sent?" Reed answers that he is here to pick up something. The man seems suspicious but Reed is able to move past him and down the new tunnel. The man moves to follow but then thinks better of it and sits back down.

Reed walks down the tunnel and comes to an intersection. One passage heads back toward what he suspects is the other tunnel coming from the entrance. There is also a goblin here sitting on a stool. But the goblin is dosing (again I rolled a neutral encounter). Reed sneaks by him.

Reed quietly enters a larger cave. There are several wooden crates stacked against the wall and one is the crate from Greenvale that he is trying to find (I rolled a location for a specialized purpose). The light from his lamp startles a goblin rummaging through an open crate. The goblin puts his hands up to show that he has no weapons (amazingly I rolled a third neutral encounter). Reed takes out his spellbook and casts Charm. The goblin fails a saving throw and  Reed retains charm in his memory.

Reed tries speaking to the goblin but the creature does not understand him. He checks in the crate and sees that most of the food is gone but the books, magic components, and writing implements remain. He checks through the other crates and sees blankets, clothing, and other winter gear. Taking two blankets he wraps up everything in two bundles. He also grabs a small pouch he spots that has four gems in it. Reed hands the two bundles to his new goblin friend and waves at the goblin to follow.

He heads out what he is certain is the more direct route to the exit of the cave (the dungeon crawler indicated one exit leads to an area already mapped). His goblin friend follows carrying the two bundles of gear.

Are the goblins at the cave exit awake now (normal)? No.

Thankfully the goblins at the cave are still asleep. Reed calmly walks past them and heads out into the night with his goblin friend. After 10 minutes he casts Charm again to keep his goblin friend under control, (success) and makes it all of the way to the abandoned sled. Realizing the goblin is going to snap out of the charm soon. Reed points the goblin back towards its home and waves goodbye. Reed sets out pulling the sled. The goblin happily waves until disappearing from Reed's sight.

Does he make it to the tower without further trouble (likely)? Yes. 

Reed makes it back to the tower before the sun rises. Zoquill is asleep so he unpacks the supplies in the blankets and heads to his own bed to sleep.

Reed and a friend leave the Goblin caves

Glaive RPG Rules

 On a whim, I backed the Glaive kickstarter and got my reward a few weeks ago. It is a booklet sized physical produce coming in at 30 pages. Given that it is based on the Knave RPG it is actually a fair bit more detailed (my version of Knave is only 7 pages).

Glaive takes the Knave rules and mixes them with some old school D&D rules. The first change you notice is character creation is that the six attributes are just modifiers (+1 to +3 to start) with no Defence numbers like you have in Knave. The characters choose from 2 talents to start and can have as many as five in play. Talents are arranged by old school classes but they do not have to be chosen that way. You could choose the warrior’s Hack and Slash talent (roll of 18-20 you perform a stunt), and the magic-users’ spell-casting ability. You can gain more talents as you level but you can only have 5 at a time. You can actually drop talents to change it for a new one.

Hitpoints advance with level. You reroll your entire hit points at every level increase (they cannot go down). Hit points are d8 for everyone. Combat feels a lot like D&D. You have d6 initiative and roll a d20 + your ability modifier (Strength for melee) and hit if the roll is greater than or equal to the opponents AC. You can regain 1d6 hit points if you pause for a turn and eat rations. Almost like a computer game. I am not certain about this rule. Given the rules on encumbrance, you are limited in how many rations you can carry.

Character creation also has similar traits (personality, background, etc) to Knave. There are also a lot of random charts included for gear. Inventory is done like Knave with it based on Constitution and you have a set number of slots (10+ CON bonus).

In an interesting choice, magic spells are provided but they are not grouped by level. They are all level less but some scale depending on your level. They are also no healing or offensive spells. The rules note this is to prevent magic-users from being healing bots or artillery. But the rules also provide magic-users the ability to turn any spell into a burst of offensive magic that does damage based on level. Ohh, and the kicker is that each spell is in a single book and each takes up one inventory slot. So Mages need high CON. I can understand the reasoning here but I think I would prefer if it was intelligence-based. Maybe all the spellbook takes up 3 slots and the number of spells is based on intelligence.

The rules do not include monsters but OSR monsters can almost be used as written and the rules do provide an explanation of how to convert monsters or create your own.

I found the rules interesting, I do not like all of the choices but I am willing to give it a try. Since my online Swords & Wizardry game takes up most of my time I am not going to try running Glaive online at least not right now. That leaves playing Solo. I decided to use Mythic as the Solo engine since I have the Mythic cards and want to get them into more use.

The (Brief) Adventures of Brem Lonetree

Scene 1 Cold Start: Close Thread, Disrupt, Friendship.

Brem Lonetree is working as a mail carrier for the messenger guild. He works for a named Wilmar Finkel. Today he arrives in Greenvale but he is delivering the messages two days late because he got held up by snow. But he has often been late. This time Wilmar uses the contract to dock his pay. Rather than 20 crowns, he is paid only 12. In a rage, Brem curses Wilmar and vows to never work of him again.

Brem goes out and gets a room at the Wandering Minstrel Inn now that he has to leave the Messenger Guild Hall. It costs him 3 crowns for the room and a hot meal.

Is Brem disturbed during the evening? Unlikely. No.

Event: NPC Action, Malice, Dispute.

The next day Brem is minding his own business eating breakfast (down to 8 crowns now) when local tough Padon Bitsk enters the tavern and walks over to where Brem is eating. He leans over and spits in Brems porridge. Brem looks up startled. Podon chuckles and says that he was sent by Wilmar to collect him.

Brem thinks for a moment and then leaps to his feet and takes a swing at Podon. It is a swing and a miss. Podon (+1 to hit, AC 10, 6 HP) swings a punch at Brem striking him for 2 points of stunning damage. Brem takes another swing and misses again. Podon laughs and punches Brem in the stomach for 1 point of damage. Finally, with his anger boiling to the top, Brem strikes Podon right in the jaw as the other man is laughing. Podon goes out like a candle and crashes to the floor. The angry innkeeper Berstern Dobbs comes out of the kitchen and yells at Brem to stop fighting. Brem smiles and says the fight is all over. He gathers his gear and trudges out the door.

Scene 2 Expected Scene: Wilmar expecting to be offered a job by Wilmar. Interrupt. PC Negative, negligence/adversities.

Brem goes to the small hall that is the quarters for the Messenger Guild. It is empty except for Wilmar behind a table. Brem tells Wilmar that he got his message but he is not interested. Wilmar, raises his eyebrows, "Ohh, you have other plans then?" Brem shrugs. "Well forget it. You owe me money and I expect to collect". Brem is confused and argues. But Wilmar says that the Messenger guild was not paid by two clients because Brem was late. Wilmar informs him that he has been penalized for the 40 crowns. He asks Brem for the silver. Brem laughs but Wilmar shows him the penalty note on the contract. Since Brem cannot read he shrugs. He figures he can just walk away and there is not much Wilmar can do about it.

Wilmar further tells Brem there is a way for him to pay back the 40 crowns and get paid an additional 40 crowns. Brem leans in with interest. “What needs to be delivered?”

Wilmar tells Brem that they have a large delivery that needs to be made outside the town. It turns out the location is Zoquill's Tower. The wizard Zorquill’s tower is in the Thin Thorns forest, which can be dangerous. Brem knows that Wilmar is likely really desperate. He expresses concern at the danger and demands 60 crowns. They settle on 50 crowns.

Wilmar goes back to the locked stockroom and with much struggling drags a wooden crate into the room. Brem goes over and tries to lift the crate. It is heavier than a keg of beer. He goes to the stock room and grabs a sled to place it on.

Scene 3 Expected Scene: Brem delivers the crate to the wizard 5 miles away. As Expected.

Brem sets out immediately. It will be impossible to get to the wizard's tower and back while the sun is still up. At this time of year, there are only 10 hours of sunlight. So he sets out just as the sun is rising.

Does Brem encounter any difficulty passing through the Thin Thorns? Likely. Yes.

As he reaches the Thin Thorns he can just make out the tower of the wizard in the distance. Keeping the location in mind he trudges through the pines careful to avoid snowfalls. He hears some odd animal calls and realizes he is being followed. He maneuvers the sled into a protected position near some trees and ducks behind it and waits. After a few moments, a pair of Goblins carrying spears advance slowly out of the trees toward the sled. Just as they reach the sled, Brem leaps to his feet and attacks one with his spear. But the goblins are not surprised and attack as well. One spear cuts into Brem's arm. It throws off Brem's aim and he misses. As he steps back one Goblin stabs him in the side. Brem feels warm blood pouring down his side. He struggles to get away but the goblin's chop him down. Brem falls dead in the snow. The wizard will never get his crate of goods.

So that was a little disappointing. A drew up a little map (below) and everything for this solo adventure and poor Brem was killed in his first encounter. The combat was no more deadly than any other OSR game. But I rolled poorly for Brem and very well for the goblins. The encounter should have been of mild difficulty but it turns out Brem is a lousy fighter.

I will have to try something else using Glaive in the same setting.

The Lonely Knave and some goblins

I finally have a break in my weekly online Swords & Wizardry game. I think the current adventure should take at least 2 more sessions to complete. So I am not working on the next one this week. Instead, I took some time to re-read the Knave rules that I previously reviewed. Then I rolled up a random character and used Lonely Knave solo rules to run a short session. The Lonely Knave rules are familiar, they use the same mechanic that most other solo systems use, closed questions with a range of outcomes from “No and” through “Yes and”. So something I am familiar with. They are a little on the light side, weighing in at only 2 pages. I prefer a few more options. I found myself running with whatever narrative sprang into my head.

Drogo The Lonely Knave

Down on his luck yet again (some might say he is cursed), Drogo is on the road headed for the next town he stumbles across. He has no coins and only 2 days of rations.

Does he find a settlement? Yes. The signpost at the edge of the village says Heyfalls. Drogo enters the village and goes about looking for work. There is a help wanted board outside the village hall but there is nothing on it. He looks up and sees the sun is starting to set. He does not have the coin to pay for lodging so he keeps looking for someone who is hiring. Outside the Bloody Dagger Tavern, he sees what looks like a thief robbing a young merchant.

Is this a set-up (unlikely)? Shake-Up. The merchant indignantly refuses to give up his purse, as Drogo approaches to help, the merchant yells out for help saying he is being attacked by thieves. The thieve stabs the merchant in the stomach and grabs at his coin purse. It spills open and gold coins fall to the cobblestones. Both Drogo and the thief drop to their knees to pick up the coins. It is at this moment that the village militia arrives.

The merchant is not dead but is confused and he names both of them as attackers. The militia place Drogo and the thief in adjoining jail cells. While waiting in the cell, Drogo learns that the thief goes by the name Knuckles. A member of the town guard feeds them in the morning and tells them they are going to hang - the young merchant died. Drogo asks Knuckles why he does not tell the truth about Drogo’s innocence and Knuckles replies with a laugh that he does not want to die alone.

The Reeve listens to Drogo’s pleading of what happened and tells him he will give him one chance to go free. Meanwhile, they haul off Knuckles and hang him. The Reeve tells Drogo he is next to be hanged or he can help the village by taking care of the threat posed by a nearby cave inhabited by goblins. Recently the goblins have been harassing the village. Given the options, Drogo immediately agrees.

Three members of the town guard escort Drogo a few miles outside of town to an ominous open cave mouth in the side of a hill. The guards hand Drogo his gear and point him toward the cave while they stay a safe distance away. Drogo slides down a slight incline and approaches the dark cave mouth. He cannot see far into the dark cave. He looks back and sees the town guard wave their spears at him with menace. SIghing, Drogo lights a torch and quietly steps into the cave.

Are there Goblin guards in the entrance cave? Yes, but. Drogo sees four goblins leaning against the wall in the cave mouth. Incredibly all four of them are asleep. GIving a silent prayer of thanks to the gods, Drogo sneaks up and stabs one of the goblins right in the chest. The goblin lets out a gurgling noise and dies.

Are the other Goblins awakened? Likely. Yes. The other three goblins awake and crawl to their feet grabbing up rusty short swords. But Drogo has caught them unaware and presses forward attempting to stab another goblin before he can stand. Drogo manages to miss! The three remaining goblins all attack Drogo, but he parried two blows with his sword and keeps one goblin and bay with his torch. Then Drogo leaps forward stabbing and killing one of the goblins. Drogo yells at the goblins hoping to cow them into surrendering. But the two goblins are not scared and spit and curse at him. One comes in low and stabs Drogo in the thigh just below his armor, the second comes high and slashes Drogo in the throat. Drogo’s life-blood sprays across the goblin in front of him. He tries to turn but everything goes black and he collapses dead.

Outside the cave, the guards watch as Drogo enters the cave. They see the bobbing torchlight as it moves into darkness. There is the sound of steel on steel and some cursing and screaming. Then there are several seconds of silence. An object is flung out of the cave mouth and they hear hooting and laughing. Drogo’s head bounces once and then rolls a few feet out of the cave.

That did not turn out like I planned

One of the odd and fun things about solo play using a GM Emulator like Mythic is the completely unexpected stories that develop. Mythic sometimes sends you off where you did not expect to go. In my case, I had 2 sessions complete with Jorgin Taw journeyman wizard in Shadow River on Uresia and had begun to lose interest.

I conceived of this solo campaign as a city campaign in Uresia. The city of Shadow River is one of the few detailed parts of the Campaign setting and I thought an urban campaign would suit a wizard character. But after two sessions it was becoming Jorgin Taw runs errands for his master. So I decided let's just kill him off. I will send him out in the wilderness on his own and let the fates (Mythic GM Emulator Deck) decide what happens. If he gets killed as expected then I move on to something more interesting. So with those dark gritty thoughts, I delt the Mythic cards and came up with a fun trip from Shadow River to Cedar Vale where the hero met some trolls running an inn/boarding house and a talking bear.

It is still the player who is creating the story from the suggestions of the emulator. For some reason, these story ideas were what popped into my head. Someone else would come up with something different.

SESSION 3: TROLLS FOR LUNCH AND A TALKING BEAR

Expected Scene: Jorgin reports to his Master and is initiated as a Journeyman. Does the scene occur as expected? Interrupt. NPC Action, attains their dreams.
Expecting some sort of grand ceremony, Jorgin is disappointed when Olbrich just thrusts a scroll at him. Opening the scroll Jorgin sees it is a duly signed certificate noting him as reaching journeyman status with a modest increase in wages. Olbrich tells him to tidy up the component storage closet and then he can go early for the day. Jorgin goes to the Gilded Lily Inn, a popular inn for mage school students to see if he can impress anyone with his new status. He is unable to enter as there is a private party going on for his rival Egbert Schonfinkel who has also just reached Journeyman level and has been appointed to a position at the Mage School.

Can Jorgin sneak into the party? (Unlikely). Exceptional No.
Jorgin tries to sneak into the party at the Inn through the kitchen entrance. A troll bouncer grabs him by the collar and tosses him on the street into a puddle of offal. On the balcony above, several party guests including Egbert see his predicament and break out in laughter. Jorgin shuffles off to his
tenement in anger.

End Scene.

Expected Scene, Jorgin tells Olbrich that he is off to the countryside to seek his fortune! Occurs as expected.
Jorgin packs up his meager belongings. He spends 40 silver coins at the market on foodstuffs for the road. Then he goes to Master Olbrich to inform him of his decision to head out on the road. Olbrich, in his study, glances up at Jorgin and states’ “All set for the road? Well, good luck to you and don’t come back until you have learned something.” A little deflated, Jorgin heads out the west gate into the countryside looking for adventure. Not really sure where to go. Jorgin heads south following the trail along the Shadow River. A signpost tells him that someplace called Cedar Vale is 24 miles to the south.

Does Jorgin have an encounter along the road? Likely. No. Does he come to an Inn or Village to stay at for the night? Likely. No.
Jorgin walks all day, a few merchants and fellow travelers wave to him as they pass him headed for Shadow River. But the road is quiet. Several riverboats do pass him. As it starts to get dark he realizes he is going to have to make a camp by the side of the road. This was not part of his plans. He has no shelter and no fuel for a fire. Jorgin wanders off the road to what he thinks is a likely spot under a pine tree. He tosses down his blankets and goes to sleep.

Is Jorgin disturbed during his sleep? Likely. Yes. Is it by the weather? 50/50. Yes.
During the night a storm rolls in and it starts to rain heavily waking Jorgin. He sets his back to the tree and puts a blanket over his head trying to stay dry. But he is soon soaked. As the sun comes up, Jorgin is wet and miserable and has not had much sleep. His boots are full of water. But he is determined to continue on.

Does Jorgin find a village on the second day of travel? Likely. Yes. Describe the village. Kindly, abnormal.
It is still raining the next day but only lightly. Jorgin again sets out to the south. A few hours after noon he sees that the road passes through a small village of five buildings. A signpost reads, Leeside. As Jorgin enters the town a large troll emerges from a building. She is dressed in a bright pink and yellow dress and wearing an apron and a bonnet. She waves at Jorgin and ushers him out of the rain. The woman asks Jorgin’s name, where he is from, and where he is going and she yells for someone called Tusk to prepare a room and a hot bath. Jorgin barely has time to mention his name before she has whisked him into a room with a steaming tub of hot water. Another troll, this one an enormous male is pouring hot water into the tub. He waits patiently for Jorgin to speak. Unsure what to do Jorgin just stares.
“Take off your clothes, man. I will get them tried while you soak!”
Baffled Jorgin complies. He is soon resting in the heavenly hot, clean water. He looks about and is suddenly aware that he is naked in a tub of water in a strange building run by trolls.
“Hello? Ahh, I think I need to be on my way!”, Jorgin says.
The door opens after a moment and the female troll enters with a bowl of soup and some crackers. “Here you go, small human. Enjoy. Tusk will have your things dried out in a few hours. You can wear the robe until then”, she gestures at a brown robe hanging on a nearby hook. Jorgin stammers his thanks and is reluctant to ask what all of this is costing him.

Do Trolls mean Jorgin harm? Very Unlikely. Yes.
Jorgin gets out of the tub refreshed. His skin smells of garlic? He wonders if the water was seasoning him for a meal. Jorgin puts on the robe and casts Mage Armor just to be safe. Then he casts Disguise self to appear to look like the medusa sage he saw earlier. He steps out of the backroom into the main room of the home. The female troll is there and she drops a platter of food on the floor in shock.
“Where did you come from!” she shouts. Then turns and runs out a side door. There is a lot of shouting and Jorgin hears the exterior door slam shut. He goes looking for his clothes and finds them in a heap in another room. Along with the clothes of other travelers. The pouch with his gold is missing.

Does Jorgin find his gold? Investigate at DC 15. Yes!
Jorgin finds a pouch hidden behind a counter that has 100 gold coins in it. Picking it up he hurriedly rushes out the front door stuffing his clothes in his pack. He walks with as much confidence as he can muster out of Leeside. Once he is well past the village and the disguise spell ends he stops and gets dressed and arranges his pack. He puts 20 gold in his pouch and hides the rest in various places on his person.

Does Jorgin make it to Cedar Vale today? (50/50). Exceptional No.
After a few hours, the track that was following the river swings off to the west to go around an area of sharp cliffs that the river has cut through. Then Jorgin is confronted by a fork in the road. An old signpost lies on the ground. One direction says, Cedar Vale, and the other says Dry Wood. But it is not clear which trail it means. So he picks the one that looks more level.

As it starts to get dark Jorgin realizes he has made a mistake. He is entering a darkened wood. The forest closes in and it becomes really quiet. The canopy overhead is thick and he is finally out of the rain. When he spots a simple wood structure and firepit at the side of the road, Jorgin stops to make camp. The structure is just two walls and a partial roof but it is dry. There is a pile of dry firewood so Jorgin sets up a fire and casts prestidigitation to spark the fire and get it burning. He cooks some meat and potatoes over the fire and enjoys the meal. Despite the eerie silence in the woods, Jorgin feels like he is finally getting the hang of traveling.

Does Jorgin encounter anything during the evening? 50/50. Exceptional No.
Jorgin sleeps soundly. In the morning the campfire is cold and his body feels a little achy but he passes the night successfully.  Jorgin decides to use up Prestidigitation again so he can get a fire started and cook a hot porridge breakfast.

Is anything drawn to the camp by the smell of food? Likely. Yes. What? Slowly amusing.
Jorgin is just about to eat his meal when there is a disturbance in the bushes. He shouts, “Who goes there?”
A brown bear emerges from the bushes. It is comically wearing a patterned vest and a red hunter’s cap. The bear approaches and sets down a longbow.
“You wouldn't happen to have any honey, would you?” the bear speaks in a deep, growly voice in perfect common. Jorgin closes his gaping mouth and looks in his pack.

Does Jorgin have any honey in his provisions? 50/50. Yes.
Taking out a clay jar of honey he shakingly hands it to the bear. The bear nods his thanks. Then opens the jar and proceeds to lick the honey out the jar with a long tongue. Once the bear has emptied the jar he lets out a contented sigh.
Then the bear looks at Jorgin again. “So where are you headed?”
Jorgin explains that he is on his way to Cedar Vale. “Well, then you have headed the long way around, lucky for you I know a shortcut. Come on!”

The bear gets up and picks up its bow. It waits and looks expectantly at Jorgin.
“Right, just a moment!”, Jorgin says.

Jorgin quickly clears up his campsite and puts out the fire with some sand. The bear nods appreciatively. Then with the bear leading the way. Jorgin heads out through the forest off of the path. Jorgin becomes aware that they are moving at a high rate of speed. Some magic is being employed. After an hour they come to the edge of the forest. The bear points to a village down below on the shores of the river. “There is Cedar Vale. Good luck human.” The bear turns to leave. “Wait, I never got your name!” Jorgin says but the bear has disappeared into the woods.

Jorgin heads out at a leisurely pace for the nearby settlement.

Pardon me. Do you have any honey?

Kidnapped

I had some free time and played a really long session of solo D&D 5th edition using The Solo Adventurer's Toolbox. I have not played this campaign with Valgrim the fighter in a few weeks. I was not certain what direction to go next. Valgrim had successfully delivered the wine. But Bertan Zerfal's wine business was still threatened. I did not want to do a bunch of delivery missions.

There is an option in these solo rules to generate complex random encounters using what is called the Element Interaction Table. So I decided to do this interpret the results and watched Valgrim take off on an exciting adventure that I would not have thought of on my own.

I also made used the Random Dungeon generation rules to generate a full (albeit small) dungeon. It proved function but I find these random dungeon generators never generate anything like you would make on your own or would find in a published adventure.

Kidnapped

Now that he has a considerable fortune in his pouch, Valgrim decides it is time for some gambling.

Does Valgrim win at dice? (possible). Maybe.

Valgrim finds a dice game at his Inn and spends several hours building on his 100 gold coins. Then he loses all of his earnings in a few tosses. He realizes he has spent the entire afternoon at the dice tables so he gets up and goes to his room to sleep.

On the Story Element Interaction tables which are more complex random encounters. I roll a Creature/Situation/Situation/Situation. The creature is a giant eagle, bleed, manhandle, and glare.

Valgrim is awakened early the next morning by pounding on his bed-chamber door. He removes the chair he propped under the door latch and the door flies open. The assistant he met yesterday at Zerfal’s shop falls into the room.

“Come quick! Come Quick!, they mean to kill him!”

Valgrim tells the man to calm down and he starts to get dressed. While he is dressing the assistant tells him that two men broke into the shop and are trying to force Master Zerfal into a cart. Valgrim responds, “Look, what is your name?” “Master my name is Tuncer, but you must come quickly!”
Valgrim nods, “There is no watch I guess”. Tuncer shakes his head. Valgrim leaves the room and runs down and out onto the street. He takes off for the shop leaving Tuncer well behind.

Does Valgrim arrive before the thugs make off with Master Zerfal? (Possible). Yes.

Valgrim arrives too late, but there is a trail of blood leading out into the street and a set of wagon tracks headed out of town. Valgrim looks about for a horse and sees none around. He jogs after the cart.

Can Valgrim catch up to the cart? (Likely). Yes.

Shortly after passing the outskirts of town Valgrim spots the cart. There is one man at the reins whipping a single draft horse. Another man is struggling to tie up Bertan Zerfal with a rope. A giant eagle is perched on the sideboard of the cart. Valgrim quickly realizes he is outpacing the cart so he slows down slightly to conserve his strength. The eagle lets out a cry alerting the two men on the cart. They begin gesturing and shouting but Valgrim cannot hear them clearly. The man with the reins shouts a command at the eagle and it leaps into the air flying directly toward Valgrim.

Valgrim stops scrambles to load and aim his crossbow. But the eagle swoops down before he is ready raking him with its claws and digging into his shoulder with its beak. Then it leaps back into the air. Bleeding profusely, Valgrim still manages to get off a shot and the bolt rips through one of the eagles’ wings. The eagle struggles to maintain flight. Valgrim tries to load another bolt but he drops it into the sand. The eagle swoops back at Valgrim forcing him to drop prone in the sand.

Does the Giant eagle press on the attack? (Possible). Maybe.

The eagle comes about to attack again but a distant whistle summons the eagle and it climbs up into the sky and vanishes into the distance. Valgrim gets to his knees and sees that the cart is no longer in sight. But the tracks are still clear, leading across the desert. Valgrim is unable to find anything with which to bandage his wounds so he just keeps pushing on across the desert.

Are the thugs taking Master Zerfal to a town? (Unlikely). Definite No. Are the thugs taking him to a secret hideout? (Likely). Maybe.

Eventually, Valgrim follows the tracks to a trail leading into an oasis. The tracks become hard to follow and then he loses them entirely. The oasis is small with only four clay-brick buildings and a number of tents scattered about the area. It is midday and few people are outside. Those people who are about glare at him and watch him carefully. Valgrim walks up to a water trough outside one building and washes off most of the blood. He then heads inside. It appears to be a small trading post that also functions as a tavern. There is only one man in the room. A large, fat man leaning against the bar, he watches Valgrim closely.

“Well, met sir. Is this your Inn?”. The man nods sullenly. Valgrim asks for a healer or some bandages. The man says, “We have nothing like that here.” He then asks for a bottle of spirits. “We have nothing like that here.” Valgrim glares back at the man and then heads back out into the sunlight. He finds that a small crowd of six men has gathered standing by a well across the street. Not liking the look of things Valgrim moves quickly back out into the desert.

Do the locals follow Valgrim? (Unlikely). Maybe.

Two of the men follow Valgrim long enough to make sure he is clearly leaving the oasis. Valgrim waits until the men turn back and then he doubles back and approaches the oasis with stealth (average roll). Finding a good vantage from which to observe the oasis. Valgrim settles down and waits.

Does Valgrim spot any clues? (Possible). No.

Valgrim observes the oasis for the rest of the afternoon until evening but he does not spot anything interesting. That evening Valgrim sneaks back into the oasis and eases up next to an open window to the tavern.

Does Valgrim overhear anything interesting? (Likely). Maybe.

He hears two men discussing their fortunes in House Zimri but nothing that would lead to Bertan Zerfal. Valgrim moves through the Oasis and checks out the next largest building that looks like a residence.

Is there anyone in this residence? (Highly Likely). Definite Yes.

There are many lights on in the house and Valgrim spots a guard standing on a balcony on the second floor. Valgrim cannot see a way to approach unseen so he moves off and keeps his eyes on the house from a nearby hill. During the night a few men come and enter the house but no one leaves. Valgrim stays up watching the house for the entire night. Early, in the morning a familiar cart and horse approach the house. A large basket is brought out of the house by two men and is placed into the cart. Finally, Valgrim spots two familiar men come out of the house and get up on the cart. One man whistles and a giant eagle swoops down from the building roof and lands on the cart. The man chucks the reins and the cart trundles off out of the oasis. Valgrim follows the cart on foot easily pacing it as the men move slowly over the desert.

Where is the cart going, (1-2) Secret Dungeon, (3-4) Opotal, (5) Delreaata, (6)Yorque. Rolled Secret Dungeon. The number of rooms is 6, maze.

After a few hours, the cart turns into a narrow box canyon, and then it stops. Valgrim observes from a distance being careful to remain hidden. The man who controls the eagle gets down from the cart and approaches a stone wall. He kneels and then a passageway opens up in the rock. The man then comes over and helps his companion lower the basket off of the cart. They set the basket on the ground and take off the lid. A limp body is tipped out on the ground. The two men argue briefly and then one man drags the limp body into the passageway. While the other man heads back to the cart and walks over to feed the eagle. Valgrim waits for a few moments to see if anything will happen. But nothing changes. Eventually, he moves stealthily up to be within crossbow range. The man and the eagle do not notice him. Valgrim takes careful aim and then shoots without warning. The bolt rips through the chest of the man who chokes then crashes to the ground. The Giant eagle lets out a loud screech and launches itself into the air.

Does the Giant Eagle stick around and attack? (Likely). Maybe.

Valgrim does not wait around to see if the Giant Eagle is going to swoop down and attack. He dashes across the open space and dives through the entrance into the open passage. Then he slides down a down foot ramp of stone and piles to a halt in an enormous stone chamber. The ceiling is held up by crooked stone pillars. Valgrim hears a moan in the darkness. Unfortunately, he has no lamp or torch in his possession. The light from the doorway allows him to make out a trail of drag marks moving across the floor. Lying at the end of it is Master Bertan Zerfal. Valgrim swiftly makes it to the merchant's side. He appears to have been stabbed. Valgrim gets out his waterskin and wets his hand, splashing some water on the merchant's face. Bertan’s eyes open up and gaze upon Valgrim.

“It’s a trap!”

Valgrim leaps to his feet. He sees the other bandit race out from behind a pillar and dashes up the ramp.

Can Valgrim get up the ramp before the bandit closes the stone doorway? (Possible). No.

Just as Valgrim reaches the ramp, he sees a stone block slowly descending cutting off the sunlight. He crashes into the block just as it slides shut. It is deathly quiet in the chamber and in complete darkness. Valgrim slides down the ramp and crawls across the floor until he comes to Bertan’s body again.

“I think we may be in trouble, Master Zerfal”.

Bertan Zerfal tells Valgrim that the man with the Giant Eagle whose name is Osrit spent last night trying to convince him to sign over his business to Zimri. The convincing involved a lot of beating. Valgrim tells Bertan that he just killed Osrit a few moments ago. Bertan says “Good!”.

Valgrim rescues Bertan Zerfal

Once they realized Bertan could not be coerced into signing away his business they lost interest. He overheard them talking about getting rid of him in the desert. But then there was some excitement. Osrit came to him and said, “We may have a use for you yet merchant”. They knocked him out. He woke up to the shock of a knife being stuck in his stomach.

Can Valgrim find something to burn? (Likely). Maybe.

Valgrim searches around in the darkness and comes across something. Touching it he realizes it is the leg bone of a skeleton. He breaks the leg free and takes a spare blanket out of his pack. Wrapping it around the bone he lights it with his flint and steel. It burns with a lot of smoke but does give light in about a twenty-foot radius. Valgrim lifts off the makeshift torch and notes that it gutters and dances.
“Bertan, there is a breeze! There is a way out somewhere in this place.” Bertan does not respond. He has passed out.

Valgrim picks a door and approaches it. He travels down a few corridors but is turned back by a securely locked door. He heads back to the large chamber. Checks on Bertan. The merchant is still breathing. He then picks the remaining door. It opens onto a steep stone stair. Valgrim descends. The air is foul with rot and decay. He turns into a passage and finds a half-dozen corpses. Humans all with their throats cut. Valgrim rips off some of their clothing to use as more fuel for his primitive torch.
Valgrim finds a stair leading still further down.

He descends to a corridor and finds a strange stone door in one wall. The door is circular shaped and has no hinges or handles. The face of the door is carved with a representation of a skeleton wearing a cloak and holding a sickle. Valgrim observes that the sickle can move. He slides it down and hears a click. The stone door rolls back into the wall revealing a chamber beyond. In the chamber are the remains of several men. The men have been eaten leaving only small amounts of flesh and bones. The bones have gnawed marks on them.

On the far wall, there is a lever and a portcullis. Valgrim pulls down the level and the portcullis grinds open. As he enters the chamber he sees a flash of light from his torch to his left. The glint of the eye of a giant snake that is rearing back preparing to strike. Valgrim levels his crossbow and fires pinning the poisonous snake to the wall. He moves through the chamber to an open archway leading into another room. This room is octagonal and empty. Another open archway leads into another room. This room has been damaged. A huge 10-foot wide crevasse has opened up on the floor and divides the chamber in two. Valgrim leaps across with ease. There is a door on the south wall. Valgrim pushes open the door. There is a stair descending even deeper into the earth. A foul smell wafts up from below. Valgrim shakes his head and closes the door firmly. Again he leaps over the crevasse and he retraces his steps up a level to the unexplored passageway.

The passage leads to an open doorway and yet another stairs down. Valgrim turns around and tries the other direction. As he moves along the stone hallway he comes across the remnants of a long-abandoned camp. Perhaps some adventurers were here many years ago. Most importantly he sees a pair of partially burned down torches. He lights one and tosses away his makeshift torch. The new torch allows him to see that the passageway ends in a deep pit. Valgrim can just make out the bottom and a passage entering from one side. It is at least 50 feet deep and Valgrim has no rope. So he reluctantly heads back to the stairs at the other end of the corridor that head down. The stairs descend a short distance and arrive in a square room. There are four doors leading out of the chamber. Some stone debris lay on the floor. A giant rat startled by his torch rushes out to attack Valgrim. It misses and Valgrim kills it quickly with his crossbow.

In the room, there are three more doors. The doors, like other ones in this maze, are made of stone. Valgrim figures out how to slide one open. On the other side is a stair leading down. He tries another stone door. Beyond is a stair leading up. Suddenly, his torch gutters and jumps from a breeze. He smells fresh air. Running up the stair Valgrim comes to a small chamber. One wall is partially collapsed and through an opening, he can see sunlight. Valgrim squeezes through the opening and finds himself in a winding gulley outside.

He follows the gully back to the box canyon. The horse and cart are gone. The corpse of the man he killed is gone. Valgrim hurries over to the closed secret door. Kneeling like he saw the man do earlier that day he examines the ground and sees the stone is carved with figures. Valgrim pushes on one figure and the doorway grinds open. He slides down the ramp and moves across the huge chamber to check on Bertan.

Has Bertan died while Valgrim was wandering through the maze? (Unlikely). Definite No.

He finds Bertan has regained consciousness and is leaning against a pillar. Valgrim rushes to his side.

“I wondered if you were coming back”

“I wondered a little myself. I kept going further and further down. But eventually, I found my way out”. Valgrim tells Bertan about the corpses he found. They agree they are likely victims of the bandits employed by House Zimri. They wait until early evening before Valgrim supports Bertan and the two of them struggle out of the stone chamber. They set out across the desert for the town of  Sandcrest.

The Randomly generated Maze

Jorgin Taw Uresia Session 2

I had another short session (2 hours) of Jorgin Taw's adventures on Uresia. I am using the Mythic Game Master Emulator Deck. Now that I have used it for a handful of sessions I have some thoughts. Number one I really like the deck aspect. There is no flipping through a book or pdf consulting charts. I just have to remember a few things (which are printed on a stand-alone card) and then just draw cards. It is very smooth and easy to learn. Like any GM-emulator the toughest part is interpreting the results. I have taken the rules to heart and I go with the first explanation that pops into my head to keep things moving. I do not use the emulator for every step of social interaction. There are some things that I think I can assume are going to happen.

I have also been using Solo Adventurer's toolbox for a separate solo campaign. One of the real differences I find is with encounters. When a random encounter was suggested I was first tempted to go to a random monster chart. But instead, I used the emulator and used the description to guide what was encountered. Which could have been really bad. But all of the encounters ended up being fairly balanced for a 1st level Wizard on his own.

This was almost the second and final session for Jorgin Taw but a very unlikely occurrence happened that saved him.

Session 2: The Harpy and the Medusa.

Jorgin returns to Master Wizard Olbrich dressed for travel. He has never left Shadow River in his entire life so he is excited and a little nervous. Olbrich gives him a pouch to deliver to a sage that lives alone in a nearby badlands. Olbrich tells him to return with a scroll in trade for what is in the pouch. He warns Jorgin not to look in the pouch. Then he gives him a mirror and says you will need this. When Jorgin questions Olbrich the wizard says "Because the sage is a medusa."

Expected Scene, Jorgin heads to the Hollow Hills to find Cotovatre the sage (medusa). Altered. Does Jorgin have an encounter as he wanders through the Hollow Hills? (Likely). Yes. Is the encounter hostile (50/50). Yes, Exceptional. The description is frighteningly graceful.

As he wanders through the Hollow Hills, Jorgin begins to hear a melodic song. He is entranced (failed Wisdom check) and wanders off of the path toward the sound of the music. The music is the charm of a harpy that is 90 feet away and residing in a cave. It will take Jorgin 3 turns to reach the Harpy. After a dozen seconds, Jorgin shakes his head and breaks out of the charm. The melody is still beautiful but now he can fight its lure. He realizes what has happened. The sound is coming from a large cave mouth in the side of a hill 60 feet away.

Jorgin casts Expeditious Retreat and dashes off at an incredible speed into the Hollow Hills. He hears a scream of frustration behind him that is not melodic or alluring.

Does Jorgin have any more encounters on his way to Cotovatre’s lair? (50/50). No.

Jorgin continues to follow a trail that looks like it is traveled upon with some regularity. Eventually, he comes to a ruined shrine atop a hill. There is a small enclosed area, a platform, and eight stone pillars. All around are stone statues of travelers, peasants, and even knights. Clearly the work of a medusa.

The Shrine of the Sage

Taking out the mirror, Jorgin looks into it, points it at the doorway to the shrine and politely says, “Hello, Mistress Cotovatre?”

A hissing voice responds, “Welcomes, Jorgin Taw apprentice of Olbrich. Please, come in, come in.” Jorgin politely declines and tells Cotovatre that he has come to pick up a scroll that Olbrich requested.

“I knowsss, I knowsss. Please step in to pick up the scroll.”

Jorgin decides that he is going to have to enter. He carefully enters with the mirror pointing slightly at the floor, his eyes glued to the mirror. Inside the small shrine is surprisingly decorated like a rich ladies sitting room. At least of what he can see of it. He sees settees, chairs, and end tables. Rugs cover the stone floor. He can just see the lower half of a woman approaching wearing a fine white and gold dress. He does not dare to point the mirror upward.

“A mirror! Put that horrible thing away!” The woman backs quickly away. Jorgin steps forward, still holding the mirror and places the pouch on an end table.

Jorgin Taw prepares to enter the shrine using the Mirror

“Ahhh, I will just place this here, milady.”

Jorgin then steps back toward the doorway and points the mirror downward at his feet. He hears motion coming toward him and then backing away. The sound of the pouch opening.

“Perfect. Just what I need. You may go, scared little man.”

Jorgin haltingly asks for the scroll and Cotovatre tells him to step forward and take it from her hand. Jorgin steps forwards and sees a slim, pale woman’s hand holding the scroll. Carefully he reaches forward to get the scroll. As he grabs the scroll the hand lashes out, knocking the mirror to the ground and smashing it.

Does the Medusa attack Jorgin? (Very Unlikely). Yes.

One of the medusa’s snakes hissing and lashes out at Jorgin but misses. The medusa's hand catches Jorgin’s chin and she tries to force him to look up but Jorgin manages to grab her hand and force it away. Jorgin casts Expeditious Retreat again and makes to dash out of the sage’s lair. As he runs away he feels the bite of a snake on his calf. He makes it thirty feet from the doorway before succumbing to the poison and collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Does anyone come along while Jorgin is unconscious? (Very Unlikely). Yes. Is it Tirza Stentz? (50/50) Yes, Exceptional.

Tirza Stentz followed Jorgin to the sage’s lair and is a short distance away. She makes it to Jorgin’s side and gives him a potion of healing within a dozen seconds of his fall (during that time Jorgin passes 2 death saves). Jorgin is completely healed (7 hp).

Jorgin comes out of unconsciousness and sees Tirza Stentz kneeling over him with a flask in her hand.

Has Tirza Stentz taken the scroll? (Likely) Yes, Random Event. Close a thread, Praise, Riches.

Tirza looks down at Jorgin and than holds out her hand to help him up.

“Congratulations, you passed the test.” Jorgin just looks at her blankly. Tirza explains that Olbrich puts all of his apprentices through a test before accepting them as Journeymen wizards. He comes up with a test that he believes will test the apprentice’s weakest skills.

“And you passed.”

“But I would be dead if not for you?”

“No, I am sure you would have made it. I just helped you along. Now let’s get back to town before it gets dark. These hills may not look it but they actually get dangerous after dark.”

Jorgin gets to his feet and hobbles after Tirza, he calf still swollen and sore. He has no further encounters as he returns to the town with Tirza. On the way, he talks to Tirza asking if any of the statues back at the sages' shrine are former apprentices of Olbrich. She tells him that most of the statues have been there for a long time. Long before Olbrich came to Shadow River.

Returning to Olbrich's residence they enter and the old mage looks up expectantly.

Jorgin reaches into his pouch for the scroll. Which is gone. He dumps out the pouch on the floor and looks through the contents. "But it was here!"

"Well it is not here now, is it," says Olbrich, pointedly looking at Tirza and holding out his hand to her.

Tirza laughs and hands the scroll over to Olbrich. "Here you go. I took it for safekeeping."

Jorgin glares angrily at Tirza. "You took that while I was dying!"

"Sure I did. Remember you would have died if not for me."

Olbrich waves his hand at the pair. "Jorgin, no more lessons today. But tomorrow we shall look at a new spell for you to learn." He pauses then says, "Journeyman."

END SCENE.