Dragon of Icespire Peak Campaign Diary - Episode 23 - The Haunting of Axeholm

 The prep...

Oh man, better plug your ears!

So I had most of Axeholm prepped from the last session. One thing I wanted to build up in this session was the banshee. I decided to have her moving around upstairs and causing her ghostly light to be visible from the balcony below. I was going to start the session with the characters seeing that before they open the doors to the throne room.

I also took some time to clarify ghoul paralysis with the players, so they understood that I caused Inverna to be held in error last time. 

The final change came from Bob Worldbuilder's YouTube channel about running this very adventure. I loved his idea of having the ghoul Castilian wielding a magic axe that the characters can use later. This will be especially important if things go badly at the Gold Toe Mine adventure. The Druid has the shillelagh cantrip already, and that will give her staff magical abilities.  But Inverna doesn't have anything magical. So this magic axe would be a good fit for this sidekick.

That was about all the additional elements I needed to add, but I went through the Lazy Dungeonmaster's checklist one more time, reread my notes on the rooms the party hadn't explored yet, and then got ready to play.

The story...

I'm sure that's nothing... or no one.

The Druid and Inverna were in front of the door to the throne room and about to proceed ahead, but noticed some flickering light from high above them... not fire light. Intrigued, they tried to get a better view of the light source, it was coming from the balcony, or behind it. The light was pale and bluish, and the player remembered Harbin mentioning the haunting (as well at the rattling shield they encountered when they first entered the fortress).

This lead to a bit of a sidetrack as the pair retraced their steps back up to the second floor and tried to find a way over to the balcony, or at least a better vantage point to see the light source. There were unable to do much, except see that the light appeared to be pulsing because it was moving back and forth by a doorway behind the balcony. A collapsed corridor prevented them from moving around to the balcony from where they had currently explored. The player decided to find a different way up there... through the throne room.

So the pair went back down and cautiously entered the throne room. I reminded them about light sources, and how dark it was inside. Inside the throne room they found the dwarf Castilian sitting on the throne. I had his decaying body holding the shimmering axe, seemingly untouched by dust. The Druid rolled a very high perception check and noticed his signet ring as well, and figured that was an important item.

Magic axe for all your 
dragon slaying needs.

The pair was super cautious, because this is obviously some kind of trap. As they neared the figure on the throne, the Druid used her collapsing pole to tap the axe free from a distance... and the ghoul sprung to life, enraged by their effrontery. Inverna went in close and the Druid cast spells from a distance, and the pair was making short work of him. But he let out a howl of rage, and there was movement from the chimney. It worked to keep the druid busy casting Entangle in front of the chimney just as other ghouls started to emerge. This kept things manageable for the party. Inverna took down the Castillian, and then hurried to the Druid to help finish off the other ghouls, three in total. A couple ended up breaking free from the engagement, and get some hits in on the Druid, but it was a pretty swift battle over all.

The duo took some time for a short rest before moving on to continue exploring the vast complex. They eventually reached a stairway where they could see the moving blue light again. Moving as quietly as possible they crept of the stairs and saw the shimmering shape of a woman moving up and down the hallway. The pair decided to time their move into an adjacent hallway so the figure wasn't facing them. They had some great stealth rolls and succeeded.

The explored the rooms, finding a luxuriously appointed chamber with elven style paintings and women's clothing. Then they found the Castillian's chamber. And here I screwed up. Because once again the player's version of the map in D&D Beyond shows the secret chamber in the chimney. My player saw it and pointed it out... well too late for me to hide it now. She found the secret brick and opened the chamber with the treasure chest. She had retrieved the signet ring from the Castillian and used it to open the chest and found a necklace of elven design in there, along with the magic items.

She has a quest for you.

This whole time I kept mentioning how the glowing light would come closer and move away. And would ask for stealth rolls from time to time. Eventually Inverna botched one and the banshee entered the room.

The party didn't attack. The banshee told them to leave, but stopped short realizing they were elves, and that maybe they were servants sent to help her. The Druid played into this a little bit, asking what was wrong with "the lady". The banshee lamented that she was trapped in this place, and couldn't leave until her amulet was returned and her enemies were destroyed. The Druid handed the necklace of elven design to the banshee, and she was delighted. She was even more pleased to hear that the ghoulish Castilian was dead.

Still the banshee felt the presence of two more of "those horrid little dwarves" and told the characters to finish them off. So the Druid and Inverna continued to search Axeholm to find that last two ghouls. Once they did, the pair made quick work of them and returned to the banshee. She thanked them for their help and then vanished into the gloom, leaving the amulet behind. Of course it was a magic amulet, now imbued with the power to cast Bless once. A powerful tool that may come in handy.

With the ancient castle cleared of enemies the ladies left for Phadalin, stopping at Umbrage Hill to pick up some more healing potions and share some tea with their old alchemist friend, who mentioned seeing the manticore and his mate flying by, and the male still wearing the silly white glove on his head.

The two got paid and of course got to level up as well! 

The post...

It is not haunted, it's previously owned.

I enjoyed this session in Axeholm a little more than the previous version. The combat with the Castilian was pretty intense and the interaction with the banshee made it feel a bit more dynamic. I will say that having the secret room show up on the player's map was unfortunate and made the search for the amulet too easy. So the resolution to the banshee encounter felt a bit anticlimactic. 

That said, I liked that the banshee had a bit more of a personality and that her story got told through the encounter. It made her a bit more like a Ghost as opposed to a banshee according to the rules as written, but I know my player enjoyed that element more than a straight up fight against the creature.

I'm planning on having Inverna pick up some better armor (now that she has some serious coin) and she should be ready for adventure with her new magic axe. The Druid is also excited for her new spells and getting to test them out. Looking forward to the next session for sure.

Up Next...

A Rat in the Toe

The Initiative Problem - Dungeon Master Tools

And he's running the old school rules too!
We're doomed!

 "Roll for initiative." It's become a meme. It means that it is time for the characters to throw down with some monsters. It means, everything just got more serious.

It also means the game comes to a screeching halt as everyone at the table rolls dice, adds modifiers and the DM tries to put everyone in turn order, display that turn order, and correct any errors that may come up. After all that, you can start the battle. With a group of new players or large group this can take 5 minutes or more. It feels like an element of the game that could be improved.

Keeping Initiative

So let's work within the rules.

Only roll once for each creature type. So if the group is being attacked by 4 mephitis, 2 giant centipedes and a water weird, you are only making three rolls instead of seven. It will be MUCH easier for you to track, especially if you run theater of the mind style. 

Here is one of my biggest time saver suggestions. Take some time during session prep to roll initiative for all the monsters and NPCs that may be involved in the battle. I will include Sidekicks, Retainers, and Henchmen if we are using them. Then when it comes time for the game, no one has to wait for me to roll for all these other characters.

I also use a spreadsheet with the character's names in one column. I plug in their initiative rolls in the column next to it. If I pre-rolled for the monsters, I'll add them in the same way, and then I'll sort the rolls highest to lowest. This is also a great way to track monster armor class, passive perception and hit points, so I have that key information at a glance.

Alternative Initiative

Still love saying "Roll for initiative" but hate all the book keeping and organizing? You can still have the players roll, but keep it simple. Have all of them roll a single 20 sided die, and the highest roll is what the group takes. Or they take turns throughout the session, and just keep track of who last rolled. This can lead to them planning a group what they want to do (don't give them too much time, they are under attack), and lead to some interesting cooperative combats.

Or use the dexterity score as the initiative score for the characters and monsters. This way the players know who is going in what order, and the only question is what the monsters will do. This allows for some planning by the party ahead of time. "We know the monk is going to move first, so let her get into position behind the orc and do some damage. Then the rogue goes next, attacking the same target and getting sweet Sneak Attack damage, oh and we are using flanking rules too, so the Rogue attacks at Advantage!" 

Conclusion

While I enjoy the variety that rolling initiative creates during combat, I'm coming around more and more to something faster and gets us into combat with minimum fiddling. My spreadsheet is super helpful in my online games, but I also like the simplicity of just letting the fastest character move first. It will be something to try out in a one-shot for sure.

What tricks do you use to speed up the initiative process, or do you have an alternate style you use that works great at your table? 

Schools of Magic - Dungeon Master Tools

 

Quick, guess the school!

Here is a Dungeon Master tool that you'll want if you have a wizard in the party... or anyone with the spell Detect Magic on them. This spell allows the caster to detect if an item is magical or has a spell cast upon it. But it also allows the user to determine the school of magic (if any). 

Yeah, the school of magic. Now, typing "school of magic" into D&D beyond will yield all kinds of results, but none of them are actual lists of the school of magic. And for some reason this information is not included on the DM screens. Instead this information can be found in the Player's Handbook in the Spellcasting chapter in a callout box in the Attack Rolls section. I still have no idea why.

There are eight schools of magic in Dungeons and Dragons (but a DM can create their own to add or replace if they wish). Most players who use spell casters do have a knowledge of the eight schools, because that can impact their spell selection depending on what class they are.  Your players will probably expect to hear the names of one of these schools when they cast this spell.

So you need a copy of that list somewhere behind your DM Screen. I use One Note to run my games, and I have a tab for rules and reminders - this list is in there and I can access it easily. If you are running a physical game without electronics, then maybe just print it out and post it on the screen somewhere.

This information isn't just handy for the Detect Magic spell, but also if you need to describe something magical in game, or have a theme for spell types - like enchantment spells always glow blue when cast. In time (like a lot of these helpful reminders) you may end up with these schools memorized, but it doesn't hurt to have the list in a handy place, when the occasion arises.

Schools of Magic

• Abjuration - spells of a protective nature 
• Conjuration - spells move objects and creatures from one location to another
• Divination - spells that reveal information
• Enchantment - spells that impact the minds of others
• Evocation - manipulation of magical energy aka damage dealers aka fireball
• Illusion - spells to deceive the minds and senses of others
• Necromancy - manipulates the energies of life and death
• Transmutation - change the properties of a creature, object or environment

Evocation for the WIN!

Dungeon Master Tools

 I'm going plunk down my articles about Dungeon Master Tools, so they are all in place and can be accessed easily by anyone that is looking for some advice on running the game. Hopefully you find these worthwhile.

• Low Level Elemental Enemies -Tired of goblins and kobolds at 1st level?
• Name List - For when the players ask that random NPC a question
• 5 Things I Learned Running the Game - Lessons for the DM
• Athletics or Acrobatics - When to roll for each of these physical skills
• Perception or Investigation - When to roll for each of these mental skills
• Schools of Magic - Have these handy for player questions
• Initiative and Improving It - Is rolling for initiative slowing down the game? Try these tips.
• The Timer - Driving up the stakes with a time limit to complete an encounter
• Know Your System - What is D&D 5th Edition good at
• Homebrew Your 5th Edition Setting - Hints for 5th edition campaign setting creation