I n an explosive debut, Archie’s new Wizard character, a Yellow Robe of the Order of the Sun named Leuwyn “Lou” Tailorson, charged all of his arcane might into a massive hadouken-style Energy Orb spell ready to toss at the fearsome band of monsters before him. Unfortunately, that’s when Archie rolled a critical failure and the spell blew up in his character’s face in a spectacular detonation, not only tearing the Wizard’s hit points down to below one-third, but also blowing away his ability to cast spells at all for the entire adventure. There are perhaps better ways to debut a character, but I doubt many are as entertaining or humorous for the spectators. Sorry, Archie. The Nov. 8 session was a delve into a new dungeon with very little in the way of window dressing or plot narrative. Also, it’s worth noting this review was written after the Nov. 15 session. We began at 1:10 p.m. and ended the session at 5 p.m. A list of Gorefest Dungeon characters and respective players: Chris playing Legitimate Hobbes, human Holy Warrior (253 points) and Culain (253-point Ally). Brandon playing Rasgar, minotaur Rage Barbarian (253 points). Luke playing Kritty, catfolk Swashbuckler (253 points). Archie playing Leuwyn “Lou” Tailorson, human Wizard (250 points). B efore the characters entered the dungeon, quest-finding rolls in town, a.k.a. Brecconary, revealed a location with treasure. Can’t get more generic than that. Research rolls determined that there is a fountain in the dungeon that grants those who drink of it the temporary ability to read minds and speak with the dead. Research rolls also revealed that the dungeon is compartmentalized throughout by a series of portcullises, or raising gates, that are lifted open by magical switches. Each switch opens two gates and each gate is opened by two switches.The switches take the form of leering visages, stone reliefs on the walls. To activate the switch, one must stick his arm into the relief’s fanged mouth. Furthermore, the delvers learned that inside the dungeon are three manticores. The so-called “captain” Kritty, a catfolk Swashbuckler played by Luke, also made a Streetwise roll while looking for a black-market poison dealer, but in doing so found a potential side quest (if the main quest is simply to loot the dungeon)—a shady, back-alley buyer for the manticores’ poison glands located in the bulbous end of their scorpion-like tail. The buyer offered $1,000 apiece. Inside the dungeon, the steel-nerved minotaur berserker, a Rage Barbarian from the new Dungeon Fantasy Denizens supplement played by Brandon, stuck his arm between the hideous visage’s toothy maw and activated the first switch. Sure enough, two portcullises opened allowing passage to the south or to the next gate just to the east, behind which the enchanted fountain was visible. Culain, the barrow hound ally of Chris’ Holy Warrior Legitimate Hobbes, said the fountain reeked of death, pollution, and poison. Further to the east, the party could see the three manticores, but they were behind yet another two portcullises. The party quickly realized that the gates created a dangerous situation—as soon as the switch was released, the portcullis would drop and slam closed. Anyone between them would be trapped and the party would be divided, separated by thick, meteoric iron bars. Conventional role-playing game wisdom warned: “Don’t split the party.” D espite this realization, most of the party proceeded to the south, leaving behind the front-line warrior holding the switch. In retrospect, it was a tactical mistake. Kritty and Culain avoided a couple simple mechanical traps and the ill-fated Leuwyn “Lou” Tailorson, played by Archie, followed, ready to shoot whatever monster they met with his powered-up Energy Orb spell. Around the corner, they found another portcullis, and behind that, a group of snarling goblinkin flanked by two towering, heavily armored creatures: one was a Sword-Armor Golem, the other was a hulking behemoth that made the other golem look tiny by comparison. Its thick iron plates bristled with spikes. Jutting from its massive full-faced helmet were curling ram horns. Its shield was bigger than a man and its sword was an obscenely-huge slab of sharpened steel. While the Swashbuckler and hound crept stealthily closer, the Wizard was not so quiet. A pebble skittered across the flagstone hall’s floor. Instantly, the monsters charged toward the lowered portcullis while one of them ran for the switch. The goblin grabbed the switch and activated it sending the gate clattering upward. The monsters readied weapons, slavering, thirsting for blood. Lou drew back his flaming Blast Ball, the roaring energy ready to be unleashed. Then it exploded, still in Lou’s hand. BOOM! Lou staggered back, blood draining out his ears, his face a blackened and scrouched mess of blisters. He had lost control of his spell and had been ravaged by the backfire of his own mystic force. Not only was he severely injured, he was also now powerless—a Wizard tragically stripped of the ability to cast spells. Hearing the explosion and the battlecry of orcs and goblins, Rasgar couldn’t stand to be left behind any longer. He let go of the switch and hurtled toward the action he hear down the hall. Of course, the portcullis began to drop, threatening sever the party’s escape route. Hobbes decided closing off the party’s only hope of retreat invited suicide. Spoiler alert: next session the party finds out that he was entirely correct! Hobbes ducked under the gate before it snapped shut and crossed the courtyard to dare his own limb between the switch’s jaws. Luckily, it didn’t bite and the portcullis raised back up. However, the Holy Warrior was now out of the fight and left standing alone. Should something flank the group, he would be forced to release the switch and face it solo! Rasgar leapt into the battle, swinging his halberd to the tune of 4d+4 damage. The first victim, a goblin holding a puney hatchet, tried to parry the awesome force scything toward his unarmored throat. Fortunately for the goblin, his parry roll was successful; his hatchet intercepted the halberd. Unfortunately for the goblin, the halberd sliced right through it unhindered, and continued its fell stroke. With his first swing, Rasgar lopped off his target’s head in a shower of blood and gore. Meanwhile, poor injured Lou slid shoulder against the wall back toward the entrance. Powerless to aid in the fight, he could at least take over switch duty so that Hobbes could join the battle . . . We ended the session just as Lou stumbled to the courtyard door's threshold. Little did the players know, at the conclusion of next session, not all the adventures would pass back through that door to return home . . . Rewards Retroactively, all delvers were awarded 2 character points. However, I stressed that if this was given in excess, that amount would be docked from the next reward. Turns out, it was. There are three categories for the reward of experience points: Battle, Impressive (Non-Combat) Feats, and Completion. There were no battles concluded, there were no non-combat feats, and Completion is awarded, "if the party returns to town . . ."
