Wednesday, August 30th, 2017
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Surrounded by thick smoke, the party stacks up on the double doors and prepares to strike at whatever threat awaits them on the other side. Niko pushes the door to reveal a gnarly throne room furnished with various animal pelts, skulls, and severed hands. Warchief Ripnugget, mounted atop a drooling gecko, orders them to stop or face penalty of death.
The “Goblin King of Thistletop” regales the long-winded tale of how he received his namesake; the dented crown on his head was forged from the teeth Ripnugget tore from the mouth of a pirate who washed up onshore after a horrific wreck. The other four goblins cheer as their leader recounts the story. Finally, Niko is allowed to approach the throne to parley and pledge fealty to this deranged goblin tribe.
They refuse.
Niko is quickly swarmed on all sides by goblins and begins fighting for his life. Silas, Avu, and Krask rush further into the room and attempt to draw attention away from the healer but have little effect. The blows continue to fall on Desna’s child. Then, as if by divine providence, a half-orc bursts into the room and decapitates the nearest goblin, granting Niko a much-needed escape route. Surprised, the goblins focus their damage on the newcomer.
Ripnugget charges around the battlefield, striking quickly and with deadly intent. Wounds split open on both sides with neither gaining a definitive edge until Avu nearly deals a punishing blow to Krask before falling unconscious. It takes time, but eventually Ripnugget is slain with a precise shot from Krask’s crossbow. The remaining goblins die shortly after.
The half-orc introduces himself as Fobias Tunke, a goblin-hating, falchion-wielding ranger on a personal murder-quest. Appreciative, the party invites him to join forces in their own efforts to eliminate the goblin threat at Thistletop and uncover the intentions of Nualia. Fobias agrees and the party grows stronger…momentarily.
Avu, fearing permanent damage to his mental capacity due to his mutagen experimentation, expresses his omnipresent bloodlust. He is losing control and wouldn’t be able to live with himself if the beast completely took over and slaughtered one of the party members. Krask shrugs off the near-miss but Avu has made up his mind and lumbers off into the brambles.
The thin layer of smoke begins to fade as the party gathers their loot in dampened celebration. Besides the crown, they find a crude set of keys, a wand of silent image, three healing potions, a masterwork breastplate, a +1 short sword, and a smattering of masterwork horsechoppers. All is well…
…until Krask places the crown upon his head. A strange energy begins to course down the length of his body, continues along the ground into Niko, Silas, and Fobias, filling them with a magical aura as they ascend to level four!
Will Avu ever be reunited with his lost sister? What horrors were locked up by Warchief Ripnugget? What will Krask do with a complete set of dental records?
We Done Gone Goofed – Rules Clarifications
- When casting a spell from a wand, the caster level of the spell is used to calculate effects, not the caster level of the user. Five charges of the wand of cure light wounds were removed to retroactively support this rule.
- The act of attacking during a charge action does not provoke an attack of opportunity, but the movement portion of the action does provoke.