It seems not enough people can make it for a final session to be worthwhile, so that's it for the D&D campaign. For the sake of closure, here's what I reckon happens to your characters.
Lord Grim and the kingdom
Tensions between Grim's fiefdom and the neighbouring warlords rise until a war breaks out between Castle Granis and the medusa warlord Vish. A huge army of gnolls, orcs, ogres and trolls assaults Castle Granis, but Grim's small, highly trained army wins the day. There are rumours that the Daughters of Sora Kell, overlords of Droaam, sent forces to aid in the attack in order to remove the troublesome warforged, but these are never more than rumours. If they are true then the Daughters must have conceded defeat, because the victory the Daughters appoint Grim regional governor over all the surrounding warlords and grant him near total autonomy in running his fiefdom.
Grim becomes a key player in the transition of Droaam from a lawless wilderness to a functioning nation state. His harsh but fair rule and his decent treatment of even the lowliest goblins make Castle Granis a beacon of progressive values that helps shape the development of the nation. At the same time, Grim's army of highly trained goblins and orcs becomes the hammer with which the new nation is forged. Eventually, after winning either the respect or the fear of every Droaam warlord, he leads an uprising of warlords against the Daughters of Sora Kell themselves and becomes the ruler of the nation.
Grim rules Droaam for nearly a century, by the end of which time he and his personal army are the stuff of legend. But his skills become less and less relevant to the more peaceful and civilized nation that comes into being, and he eventually steps down to be succeeded by the great-great-grandson of Skardash. No one knows for sure where he went after this, but soon afterwards the demonic monsters that had periodically plagued the countryside near the Tomb of Dragith Nurn vanished. Legends persist that the sleepless warlord now sleeps beneath the ground, holding shut the entrance to the underworld, but that if ever the nation of Droaam was under threat he would return to lead the armies to more glory.
Sir Ivan and Horgar Horgar
Shortly after the assault on Castle Granis, Sir Ivan and Horgar are recalled by the Church to deal with a new threat, and over the next decade they put down many demonic incursions and undead cults. Sir Ivan becomes a recognized champion of the church, although Horgar's species prevents him from receiving the same amount of recognition.
Both are killed in battle years later when an enormous demon breaks free of Khyber and attacks the capital of Thrane itself. As paladins fall left and right, Horgar breaks through the terrified guards who are trying to keep civilians at bay and joins Sir Ivan in battle. While Horgar engages the monster's attention, Sir Ivan uses all his holy powers to destroy the demon.
The fiend's explosive death throes destroy both Sir Ivan and Horgar. From the ruins of the cathedral, the head of the church declares them both to be saints, and the images of the pair of them in battle becomes a popular decoration on paladins' shields.
Paik
Paik also leaves Castle Granis after the assault, travelling to the city of Graywall and losing himself in its crowded streets. Nothing is known for certain of his fate, but for years afterwards Castle Granis would occasionally be visited by bards – each one with a different name and face, but all clutching the same battered lute and playing the same repertoire of tunes to the acclaim of the goblin crowds.
Verschoyle
Verschoyle and Zurga leave the castle in order to find a way to transform Zurga back into a goblin. Together they discover an underground complex filled with magical artefacts used by the Daelkyr for their transformation magic.
After days of study, they discover how to revert Zurga to her previous form. But that is not all: the arcane writings hint at even greater power to be found in other locations across the world. After completing his translation of the writings, Verschoyle sets out to find these other ruins. He leaves Zurga behind; it is clear that the creatures and magical energies involved in Verschoyle's quest could obliterate a mere apprentice in an instant, and Verschoyle does not want to risk Zurga's life again.
Verschoyle's quest for arcane power takes him to remote locations around the world and even to other planes of existence. He sometimes recruits the help of other adventurers, but increasingly he travels alone, as his capabilities grow further and further beyond those of ordinary mortals. Eventually he does marry, however, after he meets a female human wizard whose powers come astonishingly close to his own.
After decades of magical exploration and adventure, Verschoyle and his wife simply disappear. They were last heard of exploring the lost continent of Xen'drik, where Verschoyle believed he had discovered a great laboratory used by ancient mages to experiment with time itself.
Zumm
While Zumm's body remains in suspended animation in the Val'druusk observatory, the goblin monk's spirit roams the infinite planes of existence. For many years he trains with alien martial arts experts in the plane of perfect order, honing his skills to eventually take his place in the cosmic struggle between Order and Chaos.
Mavik Hilford
After leaving the party, Mavik goes to live with the goblin necromancer Vurdak Deathlord, and together they undertake unspeakable experiments in undeath. Vurdak is eventually killed by crusading adventurers, but Mavik escapes and sets up his own dark tower in the Byeshk mountains. Towards the end of his natural life he uses his dark arts to undergo the foul transformation into a lich, and then fortifies his tower with undead minions, traps and spells in order to ensure the safety of his phylactery. Many adventuring parties try to steal the treasures that Mavik has accumulated in his tower; whether any eventually succeed is another story.
Faithful
The warforged cleric Faithful is one of the many casualties in the same battle that claimed Sir Ivan and Horgar. Although he is not proclaimed a saint like the heroes who struck the final blow, the church does make the ground breaking announcement that, although warforged do not naturally have souls, they can acquire them, and that Faithful had earned the right to join with the Silver Flame after death.
Zurga
After Verschoyle helps Zurga return to her goblin form, she moves back in to Castle Granis and becomes Grim's advisor and court wizard. Although she rarely goes on adventures, she continues to slowly grow in power. She takes on a number of apprentices of her own, forming the beginning of an order of mages that provides magical support to Grim's armies for several generations.
She is never truly happy, and even after the legal fiction of her marriage to Grim is dropped she never marries and has few close friends. Eventually, after her first apprentice is ready to take over the training of the castle's wizards by himself, she disappears. No one knows for sure where she went to, but one of the last document she was seen looking at was the map showing the location of the Daelkyr transformation laboratory.
Hurgadar
Hurgadar remains at Castle Granis as Grim's right-hand man for several years, but his wanderlust eventually overtakes him and he leaves to form his own adventuring party. Letters occasionally arrive at Castle Granis telling of his exploits, each written in the hand of a different adventurer that the illiterate barbarian has dictated to it to. Over the years, however, the letter become less frequent and eventually cease. In the last one he relates that he has discovered a hitherto unknown tribe of humanoids with great innate magical talent, who worship a divine being known as the Varsholl which created their species thousands of years ago as a mere exercise in the development of its godlike power.
The letter ends by simply saying that Hurgadar is planning to venture into the uncharted jungle in search of a fabled city containing untold treasure... but that is another story.
~ THE END ~
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
XP in the Tomb of Dragith Nurn
Grim, Verschoyle, Sir Ivan and Paik, along with Zurga, Hurgadar and Primrose, travelled to the Tomb of Dragith Nurn in order to put the spirit of Merred Nastor to rest and to slay the bearded devils they had picked a fight with previously. When there, they encountered several creatures which they converted into sweet, sweet XP.
At the chasm, the party found a strange-looking orc sorcerer being instructed in fiendish fire magic by a roaring column of flame. They dispatched him, but Zurga was killed by his fireball. Verschoyle was distraught and immediately resolved to take her back to Graywall to have her reincarnated.
After that, the party assaulted the bearded devils and defeated them, largely thanks to Sir Ivan's holy power. (His class feature allowed him to overcome their damage reduction.)
Sir Ivan led the party in the Incantation of Peace, the Silver Flame ritual designed to lead the soul of a dead warrior of the church to its final rest. The ritual succeeded, and Merred Nastor's spirit was drawn into a Khyber dragonshard.
Verschoyle teleported to Graywall with Zurga's body and paid for her to be reincarnated. To the dismay of both of them, her soul returned in the body of a male dwarf.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party had to stay the night at the bottom of the chasm until Verschoyle came back for them. During the night they encountered a bone devil, which they easily converted into delicious XP.
Fiendish fire sorcerer: 1,125 XP each.
Bearded devils: 375 XP each.
Incantation of Peace: 250 XP each.
Bone devil: 500 XP each.
Total: 2,250 XP each.
Theoretically, Verschoyle shouldn't get XP for the bone devil since he wasn't there. But I like everyone to level up at the same rate so I am ruling that he gets the same amount as roleplaying XP for his reactions to Zurga's death.
The XP you get for the Incantation of Peace is the XP value of the spectre you would have had to fight if it had gone wrong.
You are all either going up a level next session, or you're nearly there. Hurgadar has gone up a level (assuming that Grim has as well because his level has to stay 2 below Grim's).
Reincarnation caused Zurga to go down a level, but she gained almost enough XP this session to go up one, so I am ruling that she (or rather he) is still level 3. Mechanics-wise, coming back as a dwarf has I think on balance weakened her: she has a few extra hit points, but her reduced strength and larger size category means her AC has gone down by 2.
At the chasm, the party found a strange-looking orc sorcerer being instructed in fiendish fire magic by a roaring column of flame. They dispatched him, but Zurga was killed by his fireball. Verschoyle was distraught and immediately resolved to take her back to Graywall to have her reincarnated.
After that, the party assaulted the bearded devils and defeated them, largely thanks to Sir Ivan's holy power. (His class feature allowed him to overcome their damage reduction.)
Sir Ivan led the party in the Incantation of Peace, the Silver Flame ritual designed to lead the soul of a dead warrior of the church to its final rest. The ritual succeeded, and Merred Nastor's spirit was drawn into a Khyber dragonshard.
Verschoyle teleported to Graywall with Zurga's body and paid for her to be reincarnated. To the dismay of both of them, her soul returned in the body of a male dwarf.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party had to stay the night at the bottom of the chasm until Verschoyle came back for them. During the night they encountered a bone devil, which they easily converted into delicious XP.
Fiendish fire sorcerer: 1,125 XP each.
Bearded devils: 375 XP each.
Incantation of Peace: 250 XP each.
Bone devil: 500 XP each.
Total: 2,250 XP each.
Theoretically, Verschoyle shouldn't get XP for the bone devil since he wasn't there. But I like everyone to level up at the same rate so I am ruling that he gets the same amount as roleplaying XP for his reactions to Zurga's death.
The XP you get for the Incantation of Peace is the XP value of the spectre you would have had to fight if it had gone wrong.
You are all either going up a level next session, or you're nearly there. Hurgadar has gone up a level (assuming that Grim has as well because his level has to stay 2 below Grim's).
Reincarnation caused Zurga to go down a level, but she gained almost enough XP this session to go up one, so I am ruling that she (or rather he) is still level 3. Mechanics-wise, coming back as a dwarf has I think on balance weakened her: she has a few extra hit points, but her reduced strength and larger size category means her AC has gone down by 2.
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Sunday, 24 June 2007
Your fiefdom: update
Castle Granis
Skardash has used some of the money from tribute to complete basic improvements on the castle. The stone perimiter wall is complete, and stands on an embankment immediately inside a perimiter trench. The entrance is a gap in the wall with a wooden gate and a simple plank bridge across the trench. The interior of the castle has basic furnishings, and Skardash has installed wooden doors with simple locks.
Castle Granis standing army
Answering Grim's call, orcs and goblins from across the fiefdom have been coming to Castle Granis to be trained as the standing army. Twenty orcs and forty goblins have arrived, swelling the castle's standing army. Thanks to the training, the orcs and goblins are 2nd-level warriors. The standing army now comprises:
60 goblins (2nd-level warriors) armed with morningstars. 20 are also armed with light crossbows.
2 goblin worg-riders.
20 orcs (2nd-level warriors) armed with falchions.
5 ogres armed with greatclubs.
A few of the new recruits have brought families with them, swelling the castle's non-combatant population to 90 (80 goblins and 10 orcs). The larger population, and the fact that most of the males spend their time in military training, mean that Granis village is no longer producing enough food to support itself but is reliant on food given as tribute by the rest of the region.
Alignment
Sir Ivan's use of detect evil on a random sampling of the population indicates that roughly two-thirds of Grim's subjects register faintly as evil. (This is typical for a Droaam monster population.) Orcs and ogres are slightly more likely to be evil than goblins, and males than females. Among the population of Castle Granis itself, which Grim has directly influenced with his policies, evil is slightly less prevalent.
As a comparison, among human populations, even in communities dominated by the Silver Flame, around a fifth to a third of the population registers as evil. The Church does not teach that creatures of evil alignment should automatically be persecuted.
Religion
Religion plays only a minor role in the lives of most people of the region. Those inhabitants that are religious dedicate themselves to one or both of two gods: the Shadow and the Mockery. Although these gods are both evil, worshippers of the gods are as likely to be in the non-evil minority as other people in the region.
The Mockery is the Neutral Evil god of treachery over honour, and is worshipped primarily by the orcs and the more militaristic goblin warriors. Valdash, Kardash and Skardash all worship the Mockery.
The Shadow is the Chaotic Evil god of dak magic, and is worshipped mainly by goblin non-combatants. Village healers tend to invoke the Shadow if they pray to any god. Zurga still wears a small holy symbol of the Shadow, although it has become more a good luck charm to her than a symbol of religious devotion.
The Church of the Silver Flame teaches that both the Mockery and the Shadow are evil gods and their worship should be opposed. Individual worshippers should be converted rather than killed if possible, but priests of the Shadow and the Mockery are enemies of goodness and should be destroyed.
Terrain and wildlife
The region consists of rocky hills with very little plant life apart from scrubby grass. Various monsters have their lairs in caves throughout the landscape, sometimes preying on the inhabitants' flocks of goats but generally leaving the humanoids themselves alone. Monstrous inhabitants include chimeras, griffins, worgs, and behirs.
Borders
Your fiefdom is bordered:
On the north by the Byeskh mountains, which separate Droaam from the forested nation of the Eldeen Reaches.
On the west by the civilized nation of Breland.
On the east by the territory of another Droaam warlord, about whom you know nothing except that she is a medusa, and that her seat of power is the castle of Grimstone Keep.
On the south by the territory of the city of Graywall, one of Droaam's two major cities.
Skardash has used some of the money from tribute to complete basic improvements on the castle. The stone perimiter wall is complete, and stands on an embankment immediately inside a perimiter trench. The entrance is a gap in the wall with a wooden gate and a simple plank bridge across the trench. The interior of the castle has basic furnishings, and Skardash has installed wooden doors with simple locks.
Castle Granis standing army
Answering Grim's call, orcs and goblins from across the fiefdom have been coming to Castle Granis to be trained as the standing army. Twenty orcs and forty goblins have arrived, swelling the castle's standing army. Thanks to the training, the orcs and goblins are 2nd-level warriors. The standing army now comprises:
60 goblins (2nd-level warriors) armed with morningstars. 20 are also armed with light crossbows.
2 goblin worg-riders.
20 orcs (2nd-level warriors) armed with falchions.
5 ogres armed with greatclubs.
A few of the new recruits have brought families with them, swelling the castle's non-combatant population to 90 (80 goblins and 10 orcs). The larger population, and the fact that most of the males spend their time in military training, mean that Granis village is no longer producing enough food to support itself but is reliant on food given as tribute by the rest of the region.
Alignment
Sir Ivan's use of detect evil on a random sampling of the population indicates that roughly two-thirds of Grim's subjects register faintly as evil. (This is typical for a Droaam monster population.) Orcs and ogres are slightly more likely to be evil than goblins, and males than females. Among the population of Castle Granis itself, which Grim has directly influenced with his policies, evil is slightly less prevalent.
As a comparison, among human populations, even in communities dominated by the Silver Flame, around a fifth to a third of the population registers as evil. The Church does not teach that creatures of evil alignment should automatically be persecuted.
Religion
Religion plays only a minor role in the lives of most people of the region. Those inhabitants that are religious dedicate themselves to one or both of two gods: the Shadow and the Mockery. Although these gods are both evil, worshippers of the gods are as likely to be in the non-evil minority as other people in the region.
The Mockery is the Neutral Evil god of treachery over honour, and is worshipped primarily by the orcs and the more militaristic goblin warriors. Valdash, Kardash and Skardash all worship the Mockery.
The Shadow is the Chaotic Evil god of dak magic, and is worshipped mainly by goblin non-combatants. Village healers tend to invoke the Shadow if they pray to any god. Zurga still wears a small holy symbol of the Shadow, although it has become more a good luck charm to her than a symbol of religious devotion.
The Church of the Silver Flame teaches that both the Mockery and the Shadow are evil gods and their worship should be opposed. Individual worshippers should be converted rather than killed if possible, but priests of the Shadow and the Mockery are enemies of goodness and should be destroyed.
Terrain and wildlife
The region consists of rocky hills with very little plant life apart from scrubby grass. Various monsters have their lairs in caves throughout the landscape, sometimes preying on the inhabitants' flocks of goats but generally leaving the humanoids themselves alone. Monstrous inhabitants include chimeras, griffins, worgs, and behirs.
Borders
Your fiefdom is bordered:
On the north by the Byeskh mountains, which separate Droaam from the forested nation of the Eldeen Reaches.
On the west by the civilized nation of Breland.
On the east by the territory of another Droaam warlord, about whom you know nothing except that she is a medusa, and that her seat of power is the castle of Grimstone Keep.
On the south by the territory of the city of Graywall, one of Droaam's two major cities.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Timeline update
I've totally lost track of how much time has passed in the D&D world, and keeping track is going to be important if you're in charge of a kingdom. So here we go:
Phew! All those times I've said "A few weeks later..." really do add up!
| Sypheros 20 | The Battle of Stoneskull. Grim's army defeats Jalahand and Grim becomes warlord of the region. Burr is killed by a trap. |
| Sypheros 21 | The party receives a letter saying that the Daughters of Sora Kell endorse Grim's rulership of the region. Grim and Zumm embark on a tour of the region, while Verschoyle and Zurga begin creating a flesh golem. During his tour, Grim spreads word of his new policies: taxes are reduced, but are to be delivered rather than collected, and anyone who wants to can go to Castle Granis to be tranied into Grim's army. Some chieftains object to this, thinking Grim was trying to steal away their best warriors, but Grim tells them where they can stick this objection. During the tour Grim also meets Hurgadar, a mongrelfolk barbarian, who agrees to accompany Grim in search of adventure. |
| Aryth [November] 20 | Grim finishes his tour and arrives back at Stoneskull to pick up Verschoyle, who has finished his flesh golem. |
| Aryth 21 | Grim, Zumm, Verschoyle and Zurga arrive back at Castle Granis. Some goblins attempt to assassinate Grim using warforged bane arrows. The plot turns out to be the work of a group of Tsochar, who were inhabiting the bodies of the cleric Merred Nastor and his goblin disciples. |
| Aryth 27 | The party tracks the tsochar down in the tomb of Dragith Nurn, which the dreaded E.K. was using as a lair. They kill E.K. and encounter a group of bearded devils in the caves below, who are guarding a strange crystal set into the wall. | Vult [December] 7 | The party is recruited into the Droaam army, a short stint of service to prove their loyalty to the Daughters of Sora Kell. They are also introduced to Paik, a changeling bard who is to travel with them. |
| Vult 14 | The party march south from Graywall with the rest of the Daughers' army, under the command of Horde Commander Koll. |
| Zarantyr [January] 5 | The first skirmish of the war. Grim and the rest of the party lead their goblin soldiers to defeat an enemy battle sorceror and destroy a siege engine. They then kill an enemy spy who was hiding in a nearby village. That evening, they repel an undead attack on the army, which is by this time besieging the enemy city. Horde Commander Koll presents Grim, Zumm, Verschoyle and Hurgadar with military decoration to recognize this. |
| Zarantyr 6 | The party infiltrates the Temple of the Cleansing Blade and assassinates the enemy high priest. Victory swiftly follows for Horde Commander Koll's army. |
| Zarantyr 7 | Grim, Verschoyle, Hurgadar, Zurga and Primrose explore the lower levels of the Temple of the Cleansing Blade. |
| Zarantyr 28 | The party arrive back at Graywall with their army. |
| Olarune [February] 2 | While the goblin army makes its own way back to Castle Granis, Verschoyle and the rest of the party attend a gathering of the Society of the Shadow Art, a regional wizards' circle. Verschoyle is accepted for membership. The party also meets Mavik Hilford, another wizard and new member of the Society. Verschoyle asks Vurdak 'Deathlord', a foul flesh-warper belonging to the Society, to upgrade Primrose with a magic longsword. |
| Olarune 9 | End of the Society gathering. Mavik entreats the party's help to rescue his familiar from the clutches of Zilkloog the Mind Flayer. The party teleports back to Castle Granis and then goes to Zilkloog's village in the battle wagon |
| Olarune 17 | First assult on Zilkloog's temple. The party defeat the guards but then the party breaks up when it transpires that Mavik had been asked to bring Zilkloog food in exchange for the return of his familiar. Grim and Hurgadar return to Castle Granis via battle-wagon. Verschoyle and Zurga teleport to Graywall to stay at Tharrad Katarn's house. Mavik, Zumm and Paik go their separate ways. |
| Therendor [March] 9 | Vurdak 'Deathlord' visits Tharrad Katarn's house and brings with him the upgraded Primrose. |
| Therendor 15 | Sir Ivan, Exorcist of the Silver Flame, and Horgar Horgar, bugbear fighter, arrive in Graywall looking for clues about the whereabouts of Zilkloog, whom they have been ordered to slay. After a brief stand-off with Tharrad Katarn they team up with Verschoyle. |
| Therendor 22 | Ivan, Horgar, Verschoyle, Zurga and Primrose arrive at Castle Granis, where Grim agrees to help them slay Zilkloog. |
| Therendor 23 | Verschoyle, Ivan, Horgar and Grim teleport to the Val'druusk Observatory in order to learn more about Zilkloog's lair by scrying on him. They learn that he has replaced his temple guards with gnoll mercenaries. The party also find Zumm, who appears to be in some form of suspended animation, next to the scrying orb at the observatory. They then checked on the tribe of grimlocks which they had nearly wiped out and were now protecting. The grimlocks said that they did not have a viable population, and would appreciate news of another grimlock tribe they could unite with. The party teleport back to Castle Granis and the leave on battle wagon for Zilkloog's temple. |
| Therendor 30 | Ivan, Horgar, Verschoyle, Grim, Hurgadar and Primrose arrive at Zilkloog's temple. They defeat the mind flayer (who turns out to be a tiny runt mind flayer, the giant mind flayer having been an illusion), and Ivan burns its head in front of the village. |
| Eyre [April] 7 | The party arrive back at Castle Granis. |
| Dravago [May] 1 | (The next meeting of the Society of the Shadow Art is sheduled for this date.) |
Phew! All those times I've said "A few weeks later..." really do add up!
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Death of Zilkloog
Grim, Verschoyle, Sir Ivan, and Horgar Horgar travelled by battle-wagon to Zilkloog's village, along with Hurgadar and Primrose. They found that the entrance to the temple was under guard by gnoll mercenaries. The party fought their way in and survived a gnoll ambush in the main hall of the temple. They also encountered and summarily killed the young goblin priest.
The party then barged into Zilkloog's chamber and engaged the mind flayer. The nine-foot tall mind flayer they had seen on their previous visit turned out to be an illusion, as did the wall behind it. Behind the wall was hiding the real Zilkloog, a small creature that appeared to be a goblin-mind flayer hybrid. Hardly anyone failed their will saves and Verschoyle stopped Zilkloog teleporting away, so finishing him off did not take long.
On the way out, the chieftain of the village foolishly attacked the party, and they made short work of him. Sir Ivan held aloft the head of Zilkloog. The goblin population shut themselves in their huts, terrified.
Sir Ivan burnt Zilkloog's head and felt confident that his mission was complete. He now feels compelled to go to the Tomb of Dragith Nurn and put the spirit of the slain cleric Merred Nastor to rest. Grim, meanwhile, is plotting how he can extend his territory to encompass this new village.
Of course, the party carted away all the loot they could find in Zilkloog's lair, up to and possibly including the furniture (I can't remember whether you decided you were actually taking that). Notable items were a +1 longbow, a +1 buckler and a mithral breastplate (from the gnoll mercenary captain); and a ring of mind shielding and headband of intellect +1 from Zilkloog.
Rules clarification: Grim is not immune to illusions
There was some confusion about exactly what Grim, as a 4th-level Warforged Juggernaut, is immune to, and specifically whether he was immune to Zilkloog's illusion spell. At the time I gave the benefit of the doubt to the players, but I have just read the rules again and I'm pretty sure I was right first time. Grim is not immune to illusion spells such as Zilkloog's persistent image, or his shadow evocation.
Grim is immune to "all mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects". This doesn't give him a blanket immunity to spells of the Illusion and Enchantment schools, though, because not all of them are mind-effecting in the sense required. Specifically, persistent image and related spells are Illusion (figment) effects, which aren't on the list of things Grim is immune to. Terms in D&D are well-defined: a 'mind-affecting spell' is a spell with the [mind-affecting] descriptor, and nothing else.
This does make sense if you think of the image spells as creating a kind of hologram or light-sculpture, rather than reaching into the subjects' minds and causing them to hallucinate. Grim sees the illusion because it is in some sense actually there, even though it's not a physical object. Similarly, if Verschoyle is inside his globe of invulnerability he will still be able to see a silent image spell that is conjured outside his globe.
(Another problematic thing is what exactly it would mean to say that a character is 'immune to illusions'. Does it mean he simply doesn't see the illusion, or that he immediately recognizes it as an illusion, or that he recognizes it as an illusion only when he would have to make a saving throw against it? All three would lead to very different outcomes.)
Grim was still immune to most of Zilkloog's spells; he didn't have to make a save against the confusion spell, for example, and Zilkloog knew better than to target him with a phantasmal killer.
I know I seem a bit anal pointing all this out but I think Grim's immunities really would break the game if we allowed them to be more far-reaching than they actually are. The fewer effective options the bad guys have, the less interesting the game will get for everyone.
A final note Grim may wish to bear in mind for his future plans: Grim is also not immune to a medusa's petrifying gaze attack.
The party then barged into Zilkloog's chamber and engaged the mind flayer. The nine-foot tall mind flayer they had seen on their previous visit turned out to be an illusion, as did the wall behind it. Behind the wall was hiding the real Zilkloog, a small creature that appeared to be a goblin-mind flayer hybrid. Hardly anyone failed their will saves and Verschoyle stopped Zilkloog teleporting away, so finishing him off did not take long.
On the way out, the chieftain of the village foolishly attacked the party, and they made short work of him. Sir Ivan held aloft the head of Zilkloog. The goblin population shut themselves in their huts, terrified.
Sir Ivan burnt Zilkloog's head and felt confident that his mission was complete. He now feels compelled to go to the Tomb of Dragith Nurn and put the spirit of the slain cleric Merred Nastor to rest. Grim, meanwhile, is plotting how he can extend his territory to encompass this new village.
Of course, the party carted away all the loot they could find in Zilkloog's lair, up to and possibly including the furniture (I can't remember whether you decided you were actually taking that). Notable items were a +1 longbow, a +1 buckler and a mithral breastplate (from the gnoll mercenary captain); and a ring of mind shielding and headband of intellect +1 from Zilkloog.
Rules clarification: Grim is not immune to illusions
There was some confusion about exactly what Grim, as a 4th-level Warforged Juggernaut, is immune to, and specifically whether he was immune to Zilkloog's illusion spell. At the time I gave the benefit of the doubt to the players, but I have just read the rules again and I'm pretty sure I was right first time. Grim is not immune to illusion spells such as Zilkloog's persistent image, or his shadow evocation.
Grim is immune to "all mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects". This doesn't give him a blanket immunity to spells of the Illusion and Enchantment schools, though, because not all of them are mind-effecting in the sense required. Specifically, persistent image and related spells are Illusion (figment) effects, which aren't on the list of things Grim is immune to. Terms in D&D are well-defined: a 'mind-affecting spell' is a spell with the [mind-affecting] descriptor, and nothing else.
This does make sense if you think of the image spells as creating a kind of hologram or light-sculpture, rather than reaching into the subjects' minds and causing them to hallucinate. Grim sees the illusion because it is in some sense actually there, even though it's not a physical object. Similarly, if Verschoyle is inside his globe of invulnerability he will still be able to see a silent image spell that is conjured outside his globe.
(Another problematic thing is what exactly it would mean to say that a character is 'immune to illusions'. Does it mean he simply doesn't see the illusion, or that he immediately recognizes it as an illusion, or that he recognizes it as an illusion only when he would have to make a saving throw against it? All three would lead to very different outcomes.)
Grim was still immune to most of Zilkloog's spells; he didn't have to make a save against the confusion spell, for example, and Zilkloog knew better than to target him with a phantasmal killer.
I know I seem a bit anal pointing all this out but I think Grim's immunities really would break the game if we allowed them to be more far-reaching than they actually are. The fewer effective options the bad guys have, the less interesting the game will get for everyone.
A final note Grim may wish to bear in mind for his future plans: Grim is also not immune to a medusa's petrifying gaze attack.
XP before I forget
I always calculate XP but then forget to bring in the sheet with it on or forget to give it out. So I'm going to start posting it on here.
First assault on the Temple of Zilkloog: Grim and Verschoyle get 1188 XP each.
Spirit naga encountered in the Val'druusk observatory: all PCs get 375 XP.
Second assault on the Temple of Zilkloog: All PCs get 2325 XP.
Ad hoc XP I promised Imre for doing 'the voice': 200 XP.
So at the start of the next session you will gain the following XP:
Grim and Verschoyle: 3888
Sir Ivan: 2525
Horgar Horgar: 2325
That is a bit less than I had expected you to get, but I did get it from the online XP calculator that I always use.
First assault on the Temple of Zilkloog: Grim and Verschoyle get 1188 XP each.
Spirit naga encountered in the Val'druusk observatory: all PCs get 375 XP.
Second assault on the Temple of Zilkloog: All PCs get 2325 XP.
Ad hoc XP I promised Imre for doing 'the voice': 200 XP.
So at the start of the next session you will gain the following XP:
Grim and Verschoyle: 3888
Sir Ivan: 2525
Horgar Horgar: 2325
That is a bit less than I had expected you to get, but I did get it from the online XP calculator that I always use.
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