RQG Pavis Campaign

[Joerg]

1 hour ago, The God Learner said:

A pit ... with a great troll in it.

You would use cave trolls for this. They regenerate.

You need to offer them some food that is more nutritious than the surrounding rock, or the pit would enlarge to the point where the captive trolls can walk out.

[soltakss]

3 hours ago, The God Learner said:

A pit ... with a great troll in it.

 

Make it a zombie great troll and he could be there forever, waiting for someone to fall in.

[The God Learner]

19 hours ago, Joerg said:

You would use cave trolls for this. They regenerate.

 

17 hours ago, soltakss said:

Make it a zombie great troll

 

This all seems suspiciously clever-like, but I'll allow it.

 

[Austin]

42 minutes ago, The God Learner said:

This all seems suspiciously clever-like, but I'll allow it.

I figure they'll kill+reanimate the cave troll just so it'll stop whining about being hungry.

[PhilHibbs]

6 minutes ago, Crel said:

I figure they'll kill+reanimate the cave troll just so it'll stop whining about being hungry.

I don't think death stops the hunger. Undeath and Hunger are the same rune, aren't they? Ah, but it will probably stop the whining, fair point.

[womble]

Might still be hungry, but they could tell it not to eat the walls of the pit and the command would stick... Just cos they're still hungry doesn't mean they have to eat, or, indeed, get any benefit from eating inanimate matter like rock at all.

[PhilHibbs]

3 hours ago, womble said:

Just cos they're still hungry doesn't mean they have to eat, or, indeed, get any benefit from eating inanimate matter like rock at all.

For sure they'd get no benefit from eating anything animate or otherwise, but I think the instinct to eat would still be there. Zombies do love brains, after all.

[womble]

3 hours ago, PhilHibbs said:

For sure they'd get no benefit from eating anything animate or otherwise, but I think the instinct to eat would still be there. Zombies do love brains, after all.

Most zombies that love Braaaainnnnss actually need them to survive, I thought? Still, the ZZ who made his pit-trap-cave-troll-zombie would have to remember to tell it not to eat the walls of its confinement..

[boztakang]

Many excellent suggestions already! 

But don't forget about you friendly neighborhood Fungi. A few good-sized puffballs can fill the area with spores of whatever horrifying effect you care to inflict on your adventurers.  Hallucinations, rotting flesh, glowing skin, unsightly (but harmless) mushroom growths on exposed areas... all superb fungal effects.

Darkness spirits of whatever sort are also commonly used as "traps" by the Uz. A large dehori bound into a doorway can go a long way towards keeping out pesky surface-folk. Or even just a bored ancestor taking offense to intruders and loudly screaming and casting spells at them. Fear, Forgetfulness and Hunger spirits are easily found and bound by troll shamans. 

[Joerg]

8 hours ago, womble said:

Most zombies that love Braaaainnnnss actually need them to survive, I thought? Still, the ZZ who made his pit-trap-cave-troll-zombie would have to remember to tell it not to eat the walls of its confinement..

RQ zombie rules never had those brain craving zombies, and neither ZZ zombies (including Delecti's) nor the animistic ones of RQ3 had infectious bites, were disabled by beheading or other such splatter memes.

IIRC, the animistic ones (Create Zombie enchantment) could be ended by feeding them salt, which was why many creators of such zombies sowed their mouths shut. But then the POW cost for animating a rotting corpse through that enchantment were so high that it may have been reserved for special punishments of the previous owner of the body.

[Austin]

Our most recent session was this past Tuesday (the 4th) and as this inevitably goes, the adventurers are as off-rails as ever. Insert GM griping about unused prep materials here...

Tensions are mounting. After discovering the troll village deep underground, the adventurers fled back to Blueflower and raised alarm as the sun fell. The villagers bundled into the Calf's Rest Inn for a hasty defense, and spent a restless night. All of the adventurers came to the same conclusion--handling a whole village (or more) of trolls is way, way above their pay grade. They chose to send the quick-footed Shadowpaw back to New Pavis in search of reinforcements, while the rest of the party helped defend and fortify Blueflower. (Because baboons have a base MOV of 10, instead of 8.) However, a spat broke out between Shadowpaw and Beowulf; Beowulf called the baboon a coward for not leaving in the middle of the night--while trolls might be on the loose--and instead the Zorak Zorani left. Hours and hours, and many CON rolls later, Beowulf and Derkep collapsed at the side of the road back to New Pavis.

The next day, Toren and Ludic the Sneer led the villagers in hastily fortifying the settlement, in fear that the trolls might come in larger numbers. No one was sure what would happen, and the resident troll "expert" had run off in the night. That evening, Toren discorporated to scout the area for foes. Meanwhile, a new adventurer came to town--a newtling (and new player to RQG!) who's name escapes me--following a vision about water pollution. He searched the village pond, and found several small cracks in the muddy bottom. One of the larger channels had fouler water seeping forth; yet there was no sight of the nymph who had sent him this vision.

During the discorporation, Toren accidentally ran into the village's wyter, Grateful Cutting. Weakened from healing several village children this past winter, the wyter spoke with him cautiously. Once assured of Toren's reliability (through an appeal to the Truth Rune), the wyter gave him advice on how to seek aid for Blueflower from the spirit world. (I have yet to figure out what he learned--I'm thinking gaining temporary allegiance of some ancestor spirits--but would love suggestions here!)

Meanwhile, Beowulf and Derkep woke tied up beside a wagon. Beowulf snarled insults into nothing in Darktongue (reminder that he's actually a human, who basically believes he's supposed to be a troll) and caught the attention of the wagon's owner. A large, heavily armored troll by the name of Grungknak (don't make me pronounce it). They spoke for a while as Grungknak continued his own journey toward the city, to search for news of the Leadgut clan, who his own clan (the Yakrin) were feuding with over some stolen trollkin. When Grungknak heard Beowulf's story, they put the pieces together and realized that this new troll settlement was quite likely the very trolls Grungknak was searching for!

The session ended with Grungknak taking Beowulf and Derkep into the Big Rubble, to a squat tower. A stronghold of Clan Yakrin, garrisoned by many of Grungknak's companions. Next session: Rowdy Rabble in the Rubble!

(Maybe. If they don't go off-rails again.)

[Austin]

The session began with Beowulf meeting Grungknak's band of comrades. He told them the story so far, but one of the trolls challenged him. His name was Shrivok, and he called Beowulf a liar, and a false worshiper of Zorak Zoran. Beowulf called upon his Devotion to augment a Berserker spell, broke the bonds Grungknak had left around his wrists, and launched an attack on Shrivok. Shrivok--a Rune Lord of ZZ (who Beowulf failed to identify by reputation, description, or Cult Lore)--cast Berserker as well after having his left arm shattered, and the rest of the trolls quickly made space around the two. While Shrivok was bigger, tougher, and more skilled than Beowulf, the human's armor helped him carry through the impromptu duel. After a few rounds of combat (and a scary special to the abdomen by Shirvok) Beowulf was left howling and bloodying the troll's corpse into a fine puree. He actually managed to roll his INTx1 to regain senses when Grungknak attempted to pull him off the corpse, and then nearly collapsed from his wounds.

When the Berserker spell ended (and the bonus to CON went away), Beowulf had exactly one hit point left.

Ultimately, I ruled that while Beowulf had definitely made some enemies among this band of trolls, he also had earned the respect of others. He behaved, as I saw it, in a very trollish way, with brutal, immediate violence. Or at least a very ZZ way. After helping him recover his wounds a bit, the trolls made plans to attack the Leadgut Clan's settlement while sending Beowulf and a priest of Gorakiki named Threng to aid Blueflower Village on giant dragonflies.

Meanwhile back at the village, Toren's Discorporation ended with a brief dip into the spirit world near the lake. He met Putilli, the lake's nymph, and helped fend off a darkness spirit who was polluting the font of her waters. Shortly after Yid (the newtling hunter run by a new player) used Summon Cult Spirit to beckon Putilli from the lake. They spoke, and while she was still weakened from the battles with darkness spirits belowground, she did offer to help the village--telling Yid to summon folk of her father Zola Fel, who she would try to bolster.

The session ended with the adventurers (sans Beowulf & Derkep) making plans to defend the village. The sun is setting, the dragonflies are soaring, and the shadows lurking...

[boztakang]

14 hours ago, Crel said:

... and the rest of the trolls quickly made space around the two ...

Beowulf was fortunate that this particular war-band was not especially loyal to Shrivok. It would be more typical for them to all pile in together against a stranger, unless they were relatively certain that the hoomie wasn't a legitimate threat.

It could well be that several members of the warband will now look to Beowulf for leadership, him having killed the previous leader. He might find that he has acquired a bit of an Uz entourage who will follow him around expecting him to lead them to suitable victims for slaughter and torture and other Zorak Zoran style fun. The angrier he gets at them for misbehaving, the more they will see him as an ideal warboss...
(just a thought that occurred to me, so I figured I'd share - not that you appear to need additional story hooks!)

neat stuff!

Edited December 13, 2018 by boztakang

[Austin]

9 hours ago, boztakang said:

Beowulf was fortunate that this particular war-band was not especially loyal to Shrivok. It would be more typical for them to all pile in together against a stranger, unless they were relatively certain that the hoomie wasn't a legitimate threat.

It could well be that several members of the warband will now look to Beowulf for leadership, him having killed the previous leader. He might find that he has acquired a bit of an Uz entourage who will follow him around expecting him to lead them to suitable victims for slaughter and torture and other Zorak Zoran style fun. The angrier he gets at them for misbehaving, the more they will see him as an ideal warboss...
(just a thought that occurred to me, so I figured I'd share - not that you appear to need additional story hooks!)

neat stuff!

Thoughts and comments are definitely appreciated . A big part of it is that Shrivok wasn't the leader of the band, Grungknak was. Additionally, I viewed their "making space" more as "Ooh, dis will be fun!" than "Get outta da way!" I think that both Beowulf's player and I see his general story being "becoming a troll warlord," provided he survives long enough. Our one-sentence description of him is that Beowulf is basically a troll weeaboo...