DM NOTES: What separates D&D from other forms of entertainment, is the incredible flexibility to craft the game experience and make it your own. By merely role-playing your character, finding the character's voice and communicating, amazing things can and do occur. This, by itself, adds such depth and complexity where other games could never compete. The lowly video game has it's story line, and controller, but by the end of the day, the entire experience is canned, structured and constricting. The best that it can provide is a jump and kick button, and that's about it. The appeal of this type of game is in that flexibility where it's limit is solely based upon the limit of the participant's imagination...no less, no more, and for this reason, it continues to draw countless players time and time again, year after year, session after session, and I'm sure will do so well into the future. Honestly, you never know which way a session will go, or how it all will end up, and this week was definitely no exception to that! I'm proud to say, as difficult as it is to execute, in this episode, diplomacy ruled the day! Unnerving, but satisfying none-the-less! To view this entire live session broadcast (while it is still available for this week only), be sure to check out <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/dm4hire/b/615622612" rel="nofollow">http://www.twitch.tv/dm4hire/b/615622612</a> . While there watching the video, be sure to click on the Twitch.tv ' follow ' button and join the group each week in the chat room and watch the proceedings every Saturday night at 6 PM central standard time at <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/dm4hire" rel="nofollow">www.twitch.tv/dm4hire</a>. Come on, we know you're an avid arm chair adventurer, throw in your thoughts, recommendations, cries of delight, screams of terror....it's all possible right there in the twitch.tv chat room! QUICK READ RECAP After a plethora of combat in recent episodes, the party enters the recently discovered eastern grotto to find a massive cave that ultimately leads them into the sought after lizard man lair ! A brief skirmish ends in a highly volatile situation where both the party, and a room full of lizard men, are on edge as efforts are made to resolve things diplomatically. All adventurers present express their high level of nervousness as tensions mount and uncertainty rises with both sides hands nervously hovering over their sheathed weapons should the talks fail and bloodshed soon resume immediately thereafter! A wild ride all night long! Edge of your seat role-playing at it's best! One false move, one slip of the tongue and the entire group could be at risk, vulnerable and helpless in the hands of the lizard men! DM SESSION LOG 150124 Spells memorized. Svava, Bard - color spray, hypnotism, web Tralann - sleep, magic missile, web Svava cuts open giant lizard stomach's to look for valuables (100 XP)* Karmadel, Oceanus, Tralaan and Leaxie move to explore the eastern grotto. Bjorn harvests a giant lizard for it's meats.(100 XP)* Svava finds a battered breast plate in the 4th lizard stomach. Karmadel moves further eastward finding a larger cave, the water increases to chest depth. Karmadel activates his helm of underwater action and explores beneath the swamp surface and sees fin marks. He relates that information to the party and continues his movement. Oceanus moves behind Karmadel in the cave....fearful of the possibility of more giant lizards. Bjorn continues to next lizard and prepares meat. Tralaan moves into cave...cautiously. Svava cuts 4 of 6 lizard whilst singing, throwing the stomach at Bjorn hitting him in the head. Bjorn "why!?!?!", Svava "Just thought you needed a little more lizard in your life". Karmadel moves even further eastward into the cave finding a north south oriented ledge. Bjorn harvests meat on third lizard. Leaxie relays information of cave stone ledge to rest of party and moves eastward, deeper into cave. Svava continues cutting the lizard stomach's and finds nothing. Karmadel finds a door on the southern hallway heading east on the north side of the hall. Oceanus makes a successful detect noise and hears movement and minor noises beyond the door (200 XP)* Bjorn butchers last lizard for party rations. Leaxie talks to Oceanus and returns to cave to relay the information to the party that they are not alone. Tralaan "We found a door inside" and moves to the rock ledge on the eastern edge of the cave. Svava makes fifth successful singing check (500 XP)*, finishes last lizard and finds a quiver of 10 arrows covered in feces, washing them and moving toward rest of party in cave. A lizard man exits the room, is surprised, makes a loud hissing noise. Karmadel* and Oceanus* attack but miss. Leaxie* hits lizard man for 12 hp of damage, injuring it considerably. Bjorn and Svava move to the party in the corridor amid a battle. Tralaan moves within visual range of battle and guards the hall. Svava moves into hallway behind Tralaan, readies 2-handed battle ax and guards. A lizard man moves to the doorway and motions toward the direction the party had come from, highly agitated and hissing. Another lizard man moves behind the wounded combatant and pulls him out of the way. Tralaan* prepares a web spell. Lizard man makes save with 20 and stops bleeding. Bjorn moves to hallway near party in battle. Karmadel hits lizard left leg minor bleeding half movement for 6 hp of damage. Oceanus hits a lizard man in front of him for 7 hp of damage. combat round 3rd Svava moves and lights a bottle of greek fire to throw into the room of lizard men killing two and burning a third. Leaxie drops his sword, changes to his blow gun. and attacks a lizard man inside the room for 1 hp of damage. Lizard man saves with 17 vs poison. Bjorn moves behind Karmadel standing in front of door. Tralaan passes in turn order with spell still readied. Oceanus moves behind Karmadel due to the nearby fire. The lizard man on fire has a look of forlorn on his face and panics with the fire all around him trying to put it out. Leaxie shoots blow gun, previously hit lizard man saves 16 vs poison, for 1 hp of damage. Lizard from room, moves out through door and points toward the direction the party came from and hisses. Svava suggests that the lizard men are being territorial with a check. (100 XP)* Karmadel holds guard. A lizard man moves toward the door and points and motions toward the cave and hisses. A lizard man in perfect common instructs the party to leave. 'Why?' Svava the bard asks. 'You don't belong here!' is the reply. 'Your people have been here already, now go!' 'This is the first time we've been here' is Svava's answer. 'We were raided here recently, you must go now!' 'Humans and half orcs not welcome here, by order of our chief.' Karmadel determines that the voice speaking is not lying. (100 XP)* 'We are here investigating smugglers' Party lowers weapons. (100 XP ALL)* 'Mutual parley?' the voice asks. The party affirms in the positive. (100 XP ALL)* Svava enters the room and explains their edginess with lizard men in having encountered them on the boat and in the house lower cave.(100 XP role-play) The lizard man responds by motioning to sit at the table and discuss the matters further. Tralann moves further east down the hallway to guard. Karmadel performs three healing checks (300 XP)* and rescues three wounded lizard men.(100 XP)* Party apologies for the misunderstanding. (100 XP ALL)* 'All lizard men have right to defend themselves' 'We're sorry for attacking, we were in the wrong, because we didn't allow proper judgement of your character' replies the bard. 'All lizard men suspicious of all intruders' Svava offers to share meal together with lizard men. 'We must first talk with chief...he know what to do' Party agrees. So, the lizard man returns with the chief and says 'Chief wish to speak' Everyone sits at the table. The chief lizard man asks the party 'Which side are you on?' 'We attempt to bring the smugglers to justice' Svava replies 'So you interfere?' the chief asks 'How do we interfere, we were told the smugglers raided you' the party resounds. The chief says 'smugglers serve, no interfere'. 'Serve who?' 'Smugglers do as told. We pay...they bring' 'You give them workers in return?' the bard asks. 'You no ask questions here intruder....why you here?' 'Tracking down hostile threat to Salt Marsh' 'So you fight with Humans and kill lizard men?' 'Only those that attacked us, and saved many more' 'So you will help the lizard men?' asks the chief 'Who do you need help with' asks Svava 'How many are you?' 'At the moment we are strong, there are others who are with us?' 'These humans fight well? How strong you fight?' 'I killed large lizard in these swamp lands with one hit' 'Explain large lizard' 'How big lizard you kill? and the chief motions to another lizard man to investigate the cave area. 'Lizard you kill from cave?' Svava holds up the lizard teeth necklace made earlier, the lizard men Chief is shocked. 'They originally attacked us coming from this cave, that's how we came here.' 'Moments later the sent lizard man returns to explain in lizard man language that the giant lizard guards are not in the cave and that he smells much death from swamp outside. Lizard man sitting at the table across from Karmadel speaks and says 'You kill lizard men giant guard lizards. You should pay lizard men for this thing you have done' 'You said lizard men have right to defend themselves, so too did we when attacked by the giant lizards' Svava comments. 'You stay and fight for lizard men, this make Chief happy' 'Are the people troubling Saltmarsh the same troubling you? Tell us where to go and we will end their trouble forever.' Svava proposes. 'You fight Sahuagin??!" the chief asks, after which the other lizard man translates Svava's statement aloud and the rest of the lizard man occupants laugh. The Chief and the seated lizard man talk amongst themselves in lizard man language. "What weapons you have? Enough to fight these oppressors?" 'We have weapons of our own, unless you have something better, we would welcome such an offer." Party asks. 'Weapons no good under water....humans surface breathe above...Sahuagin kill all humans below easy' 'There are ways surface dwellers can work under water' Svava explains. The chief points to Oceanus. "Water elves fight too?' 'It appears the water elves are under the same duress as you?' Svava speculates. 'Lizard men agree, all humans and water elves fight with lizard men and kill Sahuagin, yes?' and the Chief extends his webbed hand across the table. Karmadel shakes the lizard man Chief's hand. Svava confirms the same. The lizard man chief wants to send back to Saltmarsh, along with the party, a shaman and one of the officers. 'These go with you...you bring many humans...many swords' Party agrees. Svava asks if the Chief knows a lizard man with a pseudo-dragon and that they met him on the boat and that he is still alive and that he was working with the smugglers. 'Yes, he make payment to smugglers...now, lizard men money gone...and no boxes' Karmadel casts detect magic on items found by Svava in the giant lizard stomachs with the sword and arrows glow. (100 XP)* Bjorn offers cooked frog legs to lizard men who accept happily. (100 XP role-play)* (100 XP idea)* Session ends. SESSION TIME : 6 Hours XP DISTRIBUTED Svava, Bard: 100, 500, battle 50, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, class bonus 6 HD x 5 is 30 = 1180 (11612 added) Karmadel, Priest: battle 50, 100, 100, 100, 300, 100, 100, 100 = 950 (9828 added) Oceanus: 200, battle 50, 100, 100, 100, class bonus 890 = 1440 Bjorn, Fighter: battle 50, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, class bonus 6 HD x 40 is 240 = 890 (11832 added) Leaxie: battle 50, 100, 100, 100, 100 = 450 (7187 added) Tralann: battle 50, 100, 100, 100, 100 = 450 (7424 added) All Other Players: 0 TOTAL XP: 4710