Into the Orc's Lair

Last Sunday I began my new RPG campaign using Four Against Darkness.

The Characters

One person could not make it so we were down to 2 players (including me). That's OK; we made 2 characters each.

• I ran a warrior named Gerd and a cleric named Haldor
• My brother had a a dwarf named Groin and a wizard named Marlin.

The Setup

I decided to create a more themed adventure for our characters. I chose one of the 4AD bosses - the orc brute in particular - as our primary adversary for the dungeon. I then chose other encounters based on the boss. For example, there were plenty of goblins and orcs about, but no zombies.

The hook for the adventure was simple - the orc brute was leading raids on the nearby settlements. The adventurer's town put a price on the brute's head.

The Dungeon

With the motivation of a bounty, our heroes entered the orc's lair.

Here is a map I created using PowerPoint.

They entered through the room at grid C1, where a spear trap immediately impaled Brother Haldor. They encountered some goblins, hobgoblins, and another spear trap before bribing some orcs (D5).

Deep in the dungeon, they ran into a goblin shaman, who fried them with fire. But they survived and killed the shaman. Then they battled some trolls. Imagine their surprise when one of the trolls regenerated and wounded Brother Haldor.

Next they slaughtered some orcs and then prepared for the epic battle with the orc brute. Except that the battle was anti-climatic. Marlin put the brute to sleep in the first round and then the party lopped off his head! The brute's head, that is, not Marlin's :)

Then they had to run a gauntlet of enemies to escape the dungeon. Our heroes battled through orcs, hobgoblins, and vampire bats before exiting.

The Spoils of Victory

Fortunately, no one died, although there were plenty of wounds. Brother Haldor had to heal himself, Marlin, and Groin (I think). Gerd was down to half life.

Nevertheless, the mission was profitable. Besides the bounty, the party looted plenty of gold and gems. All told, the party members made off with nearly 150 gold each. They used the gold to improve their armor and to stock up on healing potions and bandages.

The party also found a magic hammer (which went to Groin), and some scrolls. Marlin used a scroll to add the lightning bolt spell to his spell book.

Finally, each party member is eligible to make a roll to level up. We'll see how that goes next time.