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[jeembii]

GHOSTS!

While dead, I let the player meet their brother (they’d taken the haunted perk that i carried over from Ravenloft 3e) and get some training (she wanted to take a level of barbarian next). When the others go to bring her back, she gives him a huge bear hug, and says “I don’t let go, I want to bring him back too!” What the hell, I say 5% chance “something” will happen, roll a D100 and low and behold... The last thing she remembered was her body glowing so brightly she couldn’t see him anymore, just before she came back. She tried to talk to him, to feel his presence, anything... and currently thinks her selfish desire to have him back in her life literally destroyed his soul. He’s in there, closer than ever. I’m thrilled that she has the dictation pen because that’s going to lead to some fun notes until she figured out what exactly happened..

[jeembii]

Don’t mess with Dave

Other homes/businesses were also burgled, and they investigate. The first thieves they find end up rather dead, but the 3rd they get to talk, and they’re very specifically told not to mess with Dave. Later what do they do... They mess with Dave. I had 2 stat blocks for dave, just in case they didn’t listen to the npcs, but it was still a considered deadly encounter. Though they won, a bit of poor planning, and a few bad rolls mean, they’ve got 1 unconscious player, 1 one dead player, and 1 nearly unscathed gunsmith sniping from the top of the valley.

[jeembii]

Broken locks are broken

The group follows G back to his home, only to see the door is unlocked. Rather than searching his home for what, if anything, was stolen he’s busy being impressed by the thief’s ingenuity given he made the lock himself.

[jeembii]

Hey, it’s a... Notter?

Jumping ahead a bit... A man and what appears at a glance to be an otter, emerge from a trail to the main road. Curious, they speak to him a bit. This is what they learned: -It’s not his pet -It wont leave him alone -It have a lion-like mane, but is otherwise an otter -It appears to understand every language they speak -It is adorable He mentioned in passing, that he’s an artist, and it just showed up while he was painting a scene that morning. They dub it a “notter” and figure they’ll check in on him later because they’re curious what it is. Their current theory - A wizard screwed up an experiment and became this thing.

[jeembii]

But what’s inside?

The envelope is sealed, and addressed to the dean of a prestigious institution. The man presenting the will claims it’s contents (if still sealed) will impart the bearer with 1 favor from the college. The writing implement is in fact an 8in long silver pen, which uncaps at one to reveal a beautiful quill, and on the other end to reveal a silver dagger blade. Additionally, upon speaking a command word it will take dictation The study aide is an amulet which allows the wearer to read any book they are in contact with, even in their sleep (provided that they understand the language).

The Journal contained a new type of alchemical compound called “silver thaw”.

The box went unopened that night. It’s contents unknown.

[jeembii]

The Will Reading

Counting the 3 players, only 6 guests. The man’s Son gets the house and the fortune (I mean, I had to make the guy rich to have the “sleep in the creepy mansion” trope) 5 items described very vaguely were left to the others. -His favorite writing implement -His Study Aide -A chest -An Envelope -One of his Journals I expected some discussion/arguing over who gets what. Especially the chest and journal. Instead, they decide almost instantly to allow each person to select one based on how long they’ve known the guy. NPC Elven woman - Known him since he was a child > takes the journal G - Tries to lift the chest, can’t. Randomly chooses the Study aide because he doesn’t have a horse or wagon to take the chest home. NPC - Gnome man - Claims the chest despite (or perhaps due to) it’s weight M - takes the envelope E - Gets the writing implement

[jeembii]

The players

Despite planning to only have this dead guy in common, somehow they all end up as artificers. M - Alchemist, human, ex-thief trying to become a chef, and his “potions” are actually food stuffs E - Alchemist, human, dead/missing parents, dead brother, mostly raised by gypsies. G - Gunsmith, halfling, led a mostly uneventful life building and selling things in a small town near the starting location for the game.

[jeembii]

And so it begins

When we all met up to discuss the world, create characters, and whatnot, I gave them a list of resources, including some UA material, and some feats I’ve always liked, that I converted from 3 &3.5. I then asked 2 questions: Is there anything specific you no not want in this game? Is there anything specific that you very much want in this game?

No answers to the first one, that’s good i suppose. And the the other, they all decided that the only thing they wanted their characters to have in common at the start was to have known the same guy. Not only that, but they specifically wanted to meet at a reading of his will.

Sure, why not. I figured it would be a chance to give them all an interesting item or something, and take the plot from there.

[jeembii]

Always be expecting the unexpected

One of the best, and worst things when DMing is knowing that at any moment your players may decide to take a background detail and dwell on it as if it’s important, seek to help someone you expected to be a nobody, ignore plot points (hasn’t happened too much for me, but all do common if you ask the internet), or simply decide to do something you weren’t remotely planned for. My latest group has done nearly all of these things, and I’m simultaneously loving it, and hating it as you might expect. They’re making the story their own, which is awesome, and it means I get to work on my improvisational skills. I plan to periodically make some posts here with some notable events, turns, or unexpected decisions. We’ll see where this goes.