Bensentials Session 4

Game Date: 10/12/2024

Location: Home Game
Campaign: Bensentials, Session 4

System: D&D 5e
DM: Matt

The Party:

Baileigh - Tiefling Druid (Circle of the Moon - 2024 rules)

Ben - Changeling Sorcerer (Draconic)

Bryan - Shifter Monk (Way of Shadow), Human Fighter (Champion)

Rick - Assimar Paladin (Oath of Vengeance), Tabaxi Rogue (Assassin)

The Session: When we left off last week, they were finally ready to face the dragon. Today they bought a few things in town to get ready, then climbed up the mountain on horseback. They fought a few ice mephits while on the chasm-lined path (this encounter isn't in the book but it felt interesting), and then they made their way into the guardhouse.

They knew they weren't alone when they saw that there were already other horses in the stables. They listened at one door and heard four bandits talking about how they knew a party had arrived. They bandits agreed that they would con the PCs into helping them defeat the dragon, and then they would betray the PCs while they were still recovering from the battle.

So the PCs decided to pull the same con - they befriended the bandits, with the understanding that they would kill them after the dragon fight. The group continued to explore the guardhouse, then they crossed a bridge over a chasm, and searched the keep. They fought a few more ice mephits (they were stirges in the module, but I wanted something a little tougher), then finally made their way up to the roof where the dragon slept.

The module called for a young white dragon, but I've had my adult white dragon mini for 15 years and I've never used it. So that's what we used. I still used the young dragon stats, though... mostly.

They spent several minutes deciding on how they would approach the fight. Finally they decided to sneak into positions around the edges of the roof. The paladin's opening move took off a huge chunk of the dragon's health. Then the dragon turned around and used his frost breath on the paladin, taking him down to 0 hit points. 

Some of the others tried to help the paladin, but the icy roof meant people kept falling down when running to his aid. He failed three consecutive death saves over the next few rounds.

The dragon took to the skies for a round, then landed and knocked a bandit off the roof with a swipe of its tail. Everyone converged on the great beast and finished it off with no further lives lost. Then the PC and the bandits turned on each other. This proved to be harder than the dragon fight, but the PCs prevailed in the end. They gathered up the treasure and returned to town.

Then everyone leveled up, except the paladin, who remains dead. He replaced his character with a Tabaxi rogue. Next we discussed what to do next. It looks like we'll be trying out the Strixhaven module, though we're going to take a quick detour to White Plume Mountain (the version from Tales of the Yawning Portal) first.

The rogue solved the sphinx's riddle, and they started with the western path. They dealt with hallway that heats metal, fought some ghouls, and spent a while getting through the frictionless room. Finally they reached the "inverted ziggurat" room and spent the next hour or two fighting the multi-tiered menagerie. They managed to open the safe at the bottom without setting off the vibration trap, and convinced the oni to give them their prize: the legendary sword Blackrazor.

Afterthoughts: White Plume Mountain is a fun, wacky module, with a variety of encounters that don't really make sense when put together. I read the novel 11 years ago (yeesh time flies), and I've been wanting to run it ever since. Next session we will finish White Plume Mountain, and then possibly start the Strixhaven campaign if there's time. We also plan to update all the characters to the 2024 rules before next session. 

Unfortunately this group's days are numbered, as I will be moving out of state in a few months, but we're going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Bensenstials Session 3

 Game Date: 9/14/2024

Location: Home Game
Campaign: Bensentials, Session 3

System: D&D 5e
DM: Matt

The Party:

Baileigh - Tiefling Druid (Circle of the Moon - 2024 rules)

Ben - Changeling Sorcerer (Draconic)

Bryan - Shifter Monk (Way of Shadow), Human Fighter (Champion)

Rick - Assimar Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)

TJ - Elf Ranger (Hunter - 2024 rules)

The Session: We left off halfway through the Woodland Manse quest. This time we added two new players. Note that the two new players are using 2024 character creation rules, while the three original players are still using the 2014 rules. Note that the new players had never played D&D before.

Woodland Manse: Last session had the players finding a secret room in the top floor of the mansion. Then they heard some orcs entering the room they'd come from. The two new players, a druid and a ranger, had been watching the mansion from the woods, and saw the party go in. This led to a very large battle between a bunch of orcs and the players.

Axeholm: This is the biggest dungeon they've conquered so far. It took a couple of hours, but the PCs eventually cleared out every room. The druid spent most of her time transformed into a rat, scouting ahead of the party in the inconspicuous form.

Shipwreck: This encounter killed the party's monk last session. Today it was much easier. The new druid turned into a shark and retrieved most of the treasure with no combat required.

Shrine of Savras: The party explored the ruins of an old church, where they fought some orcs. Then the Paladin received a vision showing him the location of the Dragon's nest. We had to end the session at this point.

Notes: All that's left is to fight the dragon.They know where it is, but reaching it won't be easy. Since this is likely to be a short session, I will try to find something to prepare to keep it going.

Afterthoughts: Using old and new characters together seems to work just fine. The druid seemed to be the most valuable charcter of the session. Her versatility made her useful in every situation.

First Impressions - PHB 2024

So I’ve had a chance to browse the new version of D&D 5e, and I have to say I’m quite pleased. It’s not as big an overhaul as I’d feared, and most of the changes make sense. Disclaimer: I haven't actually played under the new rules yet, nor have I really read the book in-depth. Plus, I've been told I have a tendency to misunderstand things that are obvious to everyone else.

The biggest thing, to me, is how the book is organized. It looks like it will be easier than ever to find the exact rule you’re looking for when you need to know it. The first 30 or so pages offer a very organic explanation of the game’s rules, with plenty of gameplay examples for the inexperienced. It uses clear, simplified language to keep from scaring off the newcomers.

Next we have the Classes. Each class has four subclasses now. A lot of these are ones that initially appeared in other splatbooks, and they picked some good ones to port over to the PHB.

I’m a huge fan of Bards, and this PHB doesn’t disappoint. It includes my favorite Bard subclass, the “College of Glamour,” which previously appeared in Xanathar’s. It also includes the “College of Dance,” a subclass that makes Bards play a little bit like Monks. I definitely want to try that one sometime.

Speaking of Monks, I was pleased to see the “Warrior of Mercy” subclass, which previously appeared in Tasha’s Cauldron. I like this subclass because it allows you to heal your allies by punching them in the face. Okay, maybe not exactly, but you can provide healing touches as part of your Flurry of Blows, which is pretty funny.

I’m always a fan of giving healing options to non-healing classes that way. I was disappointed that they didn’t include the “Divine Soul” Sorcerer (Xanathar's), which gives Sorcerers access to Cleric spells. That’s one I’ve always wanted to try. I mean, I suppose I still can – old splatbooks are still mostly compatible - but it would have been handy to have all my favorites in one book.

Next we have Backgrounds. These are more important than ever, since these are where you get your stat bonuses. Each background lists three stats, and you have the option of picking two (+2 to one, +1 to the other), or +1 to all three. Each background also gives you a feat, skill and tool proficiencies, and equipment (or just gold if you like to buy it yourself). Despite the extra importance of these backgrounds, they actually take up less space than they did in the original PHB, with two on each page. They no longer give you roleplay bonuses like “you can always find a place to stay in an unfamiliar town,” but honestly I never saw anyone use those anyway.

Then we have Species. These also take up less space than before. The biggest change here is that there are no longer any half species. Instead, we get Aasimar, Goliath, and full-blood Orc in the PHB. If you still want to play a Half-Elf or Half-Orc, you would probably just build an Elf or an Orc and use a background appropriate to your upbringing.

Some will freak out at the fact that Races are now called Species, but then, some people freak out when they see a female Jedi, so apparently some people just need to get out more.

Then we have Feats. These are also more organized than before. The feats section is divided into Origin Feats (which you get from your background), General Feats (the ones you’re used to), Fighting Style Feats (like Duelist or Two-Weapon fighter, which used to be in the Class sections for those classes), and Epic Boon Feats (the level 20+ feats which used to be in the DM guide). This makes it much easier to find the feat you’re looking for, IMO.

Next is Equipment. Not much has changed here except for the Weapon Mastery options. If you’re playing a class that has the Weapon Mastery feature, then a lot of weapons do extra things they didn’t do before, such as cleave. In a way it makes fighters feel more like they did in 4e, which might not be a plus for everyone, but I’ll wait until I see how it plays before I pass judgement. It's a great way to give martial classes a few more options, but I'm a little worried it might undermine the simplicity I've always loved about 5e.

Next up is Spells, which as usual takes up nearly half the book. I have not gone through and read all the spells yet. I panicked a little at first when I saw that Bards have to prepare spells now. There’s reasons I prefer Bards and Sorcerers over Wizards, and one of those reasons is that their spell system is slightly less complicated. However, nothing has actually changed here except the terminology. All spellcasters “prepare spells” now. It just that Wizards prepare them every long rest, and Bards/Sorcerers prepare them whenever they gain a level. The system is the same, but the language is applied more universally.

Then there’s a small section on the Multiverse that honestly I think should have been in the DM’s guide.

Next there’s a section of Creature Stats – similar to the original PHB, it’s mostly creatures a PC might summon, ride, or transform into. It’s always nice that they do this, as it keeps non-DMs from having to buy a monster manual.

And finally we have the Rules Glossary, a place where you can quickly look up any rule or term in the game. Honestly the way this section is organized is fantastic, even if parts of it are redundant with the “how to play” section earlier in the book.

As far as Player’s Handbooks go, this version is top-notch. It excels as a guide to teach new players how to play, and it excels at helping experienced players find specific rules more easily.

Bensentials Session 2

 Game Date: 8/17/2024

Location: Home Game
Campaign: Bensentials, Session 2

System: D&D 5e
DM: Matt

The Party:

Ben - Changeling Sorcerer (Draconic)

Bryan - Shifter Monk (Way of Shadow), Human Fighter (Champion)

Rick - Assimar Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)

The Session: This was a continuation of a practice campaign we started in March.

Butterskull Ranch: The party went to the basement at first and rescued Big Al. He came with them and helped clear out the orcs.

Logger's Quest: The party only had to fight one ankheg. Then they found and destroyed the totem that causes the rest of the ankhegs to leave the camp.

Dragon Barrow: The party did not find all the treasure. Once they aquired the Dragon Slayer Sword and fought the invisible stalker, they left the rest of the tomb undisturbed. 

Tower of Storms: The party fought the boss and returned the conch shell to the banshee. Then they explored the shipwrecks. They only had one potion of water breathing, so they sent Bryan's monk. Unfortunately he was killed by the sharks before he could find any treasure, and he had to roll up a new character.

Woodland Manse: The party made their way through most of the mansion, found the secret room and aquired the removeable rod. They made a lot of noise and the orcs came to investigate, but they closed the secret door. We had to call the session short, so next month they will have just have the one final encounter to finish this quest.

 

Notes: The party is currently at level 4, but will level up to 5 after they finish the Woodland Manse quest.

Bensentials Session 1

Game Date: 3/23/2024

Location: Home Game
Campaign: Bensentials, Session 1

System: D&D 5e
DM: Matt

The Party:

Ben - Changeling Sorcerer (Draconic)

Bryan - Shifter Monk (Way of Shadow) 

Rick - Assimar Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)

The Session: A friend's daughter's boyfriend (...'s brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate) wanted to learn how to play D&D, so I ran the Essentials Kit again. We played for about four hours and got through the first three mini-quests. We spent about as much time building and leveling up characters as we did playing the actual game, but that's only because none of the players had played 5e before.

Dwarven Excavation Quest: The very first hit in combat brought the Monk down to zero hit points. I do think that the oozes in this quest are a little overpowered for level 1 characters, but at least we had three people in the party this time. The other two players were able to kill the monster and heal their fallen friend.

Ghomengarde Quest: Because it worked pretty well in the last Essentials campaign, I had them rescue a wolf whose pack had been killed by the white dragon. They healed the wolf's injuries and it joined the party as a DM-controlled NPC. This job had more exploration than actual fighting, and the battle against the mimic wasn't too difficult for them. 

Umbrage Hilll Quest: With three attacks per round, the manticore is pretty tough. The Monk and the Paladin both went down, but the monster only had a couple of hit points left at that point, so it turned out okay. The woman they rescued was a professional potion brewer, and she brought everyone back up to full health afterward.

Afterthoughts: I think it went well. The players seemed to have a good time. I don't know if we'll meet back for another session, but if we do, we're off to a good start.

Note: Everyone is now level three. They started the Butterskull Ranch quest but had to end the session shortly afterward, so if we do play again we'll start there.