Session recap

Session 4.5 D&D Session: Trials of Strength, Decryption, and Riddles ###### Action Items - [ ] Inform Brian about the 2024 D&D rules change to druid Wild Shape (temporary HP now equals druid level, not beast HP) ###### Trial of Strength — Shadow Combat - The party fought shadow versions of themselves in a combat trial - Initiative order: Shadow Iridel (Nat 20) → Iridel → Shadow Jables (Shables) → Jables → Sheardell (shadow) - Key rulings clarified: - Wild Shape (2024 rules): temporary HP equals druid level (4 HP), not beast HP — the party and DM worked through this mid-combat - Wild Shape is a bonus action in 2024; Archer form (Circle of Stars) allows a ranged spell attack as part of assuming the form - Guiding Bolt is a level 1 spell, not a cantrip — Iridel had to retract a Healing Word they thought they could also cast - Blessing concentration broke when Moonbeam was cast in round 1 - Notable combat moments: - Iridel cast Moonbeam on Shadow Jables for 13 radiant - Jables activated Sacred Weapon (radiant damage, ignores resistance via Spellfire feat), used a luck point, and smited Shadow Iridel - Shadow Jables used Searing Smite on Jables — 6 slashing + 6 fire; Jables failed the Con save and caught fire - Iridel cast Charm Person on Shables (succeeded), preventing attack while repositioning - Sheardell was revealed to actually be Strahd upon taking enough damage; Iridel noticed a resemblance - Sheardell attempted Hold Person on Jables — Jables used a luck point to pass the save - Jables downed Shables with 20 radiant damage (longsword + smite + hit dice) - Crit ruling: The group uses max dice + roll (not double dice) for critical hits - Reward: 1 letter — E ###### Trial of Decryption — Rune Puzzle - Players were separated: one received a booklet of instructions, the other viewed the rune circle - Six rune rings total: three outer rings, three inner (under) rings - Outer Ring 1 (white 8, green 4, blue 13, black 3, purple 5): All colors had different rune counts → smudge two runes at each end - Outer Ring 2 (blue 10, white 2, green 3, purple 5, black 3, orange 5): Two colors summed to equal the blue count → smudge first two blue runes on the left - Outer Ring 3: One symbol appeared in every color except one (the arrow) → smudge two runes at each end - Under Ring 1 (green): A rune existed more than 10 spaces from another of its color → smudge first two blue runes on the left - Under Ring 2 (blue, white, green, purple, black, orange): A rune found in only one color existed → smudge first orange rune on the left - Under Ring 3 (blue 9, white 4, green 3, purple 3, black ?, orange ?): No three pairs of same-color identical runes → smudge first rune on the left - Inner circles: Two symbol sequences identified and activated through verbal description between players (corkscrew, cyclone, S-shape, F-shape with dots) - Cipher decoded: The rune circle contained a hidden message; the key was provided in the booklet (S = blue, E = red/purple): - "Daughter born in darkness, see the light. Be free forever. From fate's undying grasp, the accursed redeemer." - "Venture down the path of darkness, an instrument of fate, played with the pick of destiny." - Reward: 3 letters (total collected so far: D, A, I, E, R) ###### Trial of Riddles - A series of 5 riddles; players needed more correct than incorrect to earn a letter - Results (3/5 correct): - What gets bigger the more is taken from it? → A hole ✓ - Always in front of you but can't be seen? → The future ✓ - Can't be kept until it's given? → A promise ✓ (first group to get this) - Seas with no water, mountains with no land, towns with no people? → A map ✗ (not answered in time) - Disappears as soon as you say its name? → Silence ✗ (not answered) - Reward: Letter R ###### Cryptex & Final Rewards - All 6 letters spelled I-R-A-D-E-L (Iridel's name), opening the cryptex - Bag of Holding contents: - Mystery Key — 5% chance to open any lock; consumed on success - Rope of Mending — can be cut and recombined with a command word - Immovable Rod — click to fix in place, holds up to 8,000 lbs, defies gravity - Unique character items (cannot attune yet): - Iridel: lower half of a great quarterstaff bearing a white raven on black regalia crest - Jables: one half of a guitar pick - For their kidnapped friend: a smoky quartz crystal carved in the shape of an eye - No items require attunement; unique items will serve a purpose later ###### Session Notes - Two trials remain: puzzles and riddles have been completed; a ghost encounter is next - The DM noted divine intervention may be subtly present in the fight, consistent with the party having been pulled there by gods - The 2024 PHB rules changes caused multiple mid-session lookups; the group defaulted to 2024 rules throughout Outer 1 white - 8 green - 4 blue - 13 black - 3 purple - 5 Outer 2 blue - 10 white - 2 green - 3 purple - 5 black - 3 orange - 5 Outer 3 the arrow met the condition Under 1 green Under 2 blue white green Huh? - You're talking about? - Yeah. The Ghazly Iridell is going to go first. Is she Nat 20 on that shit? You know, she did actually Nat 20 that shit. That's fine. Okay, so... So going to moonbeam but I'm gonna do it on the Phantom James? Alright, so I did two d10s. I'll just do it digital. It's fine. 13. 13 radiant. Then I will also Wild Shape. But I'm... It's an action. Oh, when you take it. They changed that in 2024, 2014. 2014, you took it in the beginning, yep. Right. I think if you do the archer, if it's the same as it used to be, in the same bonus action, you wild shake, you can do the arrow. And as a bonus action on your subsequent turns, when you do activate the form and as a bonus action, You can make ranged spell attack or like luminous arrow targets with sexy beak. On hit the attack deals radiant damage. Can I still move after that? Absolutely. So I will go ahead and do the archer form. Okay. And so that means this is 1v8. This is an 8? But I am blessed. I'm okay. I'm good right now. Thanks. I'm going to use a luck point for advantage. Yeah, for my sacred weapon. Oh, yes. Which is what I do. So my weapon will now be glowing. Okay. And for ten minutes I get to add stuff to my attack and stuff. And my attacks will be radiant damage. Excellent. And with the spellfire add up feat, radiant damage ignores resistance to radiant. So fuck this bitch. I'm also going to smite the bear. Sam, I'm going to smite the bear. I'm going to paladins my poop. Let's go like this. Eight Radiant from the Longsword. Okay. Eight Radiant. And the Smite... 11 more Radiant. Once per turn I can do whenever I cast a spell that does radiant damage, expend up to two hit dice and add the total to one of the spell. Okay. Actually, let me see because she was you don't if you take temporary hit points the way wild shape works is that you technically gain temporary hit points equal to that wild shape and then You wait, let me see It really all depends on whether or not the damage you dealt over the bears max health actually carries over to her What was the question when you take damage that would unwild shape you When you take over the Wildshape hell, do you get damaged by the overhand? Four. Because my level is four. No, I mean, it sounds like they changed. I just played a Druid tune. It wasn't like this. It was you had the temporary hit points equal to the health of the creature. No, this 2024 is the same. We're going to go ahead and just say she is definitely out of the bear form. That takes it to Shables, aka Shadow Davis. So he's going to try to cast hold person on you, Jables. Hold person on me? Wisdom saving you. Radiant Damage. So as you guys deal this damage to her, that is going to be just enough to bloody her. But both of you guys... Actually, since you're standing right next to her, I won't make perception changes. Upon this onslaught of damage, you are going to see that it is actually not Iridale standing in front of you, but Strahd. Guiding Bolt's a cantrip. It's not a cantrip. It's a level one. It's a level one spell. I did not use healing word. I did not heal for 9. So for my bonus action, I just do the archer bolt. Which is 1d8, I believe. I promise. You're good. You're good. Yeah. Okay. You do the one change. like, rereading the entire fucking player's handbook. How much shit they changed in 2020, god damn it. I take it to James, who can make the save to get out of the paralyzed. That's much better. It's gonna be a 22. It is a different kind of smite. So in addition to the 1d8 he's going to do to you, he's going to deal an extra 1d6 fire damage. And then until you're able to actually... At the start of each of its turn, until the spell ends, the turn can take one d6 fire damage against a constantly moving girl. Yeah, so he's going to deal some damage to you. He's going to let you on fire your girl. You are now on fire. Wow. So Jables is too busy like... Yes. Iridil... Iridil is gonna kinda now like, you know, now that you were provided with a direct... Direct juxtaposition between Strahd's features and your features. You're gonna notice that you bear some similarities. Maybe that's just because you're both hot vampire ladies, but you're like, damn, that was hot fun. But that is going to come across as mine. So we do max plus the roll. - And then I'm gonna use another one of my hit diagonals as well. - Okay. - Like that, make sure to keep it checked. My sword's doing Radiant, so it's all just Radiant. So my sword will do 7. The Smite will do 13, and then added 3, 14. So it's 21 total. Amen. Of course. I'm a charm person. Shables. Does that work? Is it humanoid? One humanoid you can see within range makes a saving throw. It does so with advantage if you or your allies are fighting it. On a failed save, the target has the charmed condition until the spell ends. Yeah. I use my thing. Wait, so he does have the charmed effect? Yeah. Okay. Divine intervention in this fight? Maybe a little bit. But I'm having fun here looking at all your spells and casting them. It's a good time. I mean, it's not really any surprise we were pulled here by gods against our will. Nothing is broken yet. It broke the moment you cast Moonbeam at the beginning. So then no, we're not blessed. You cast Moonbeam on Shadow Jables on the very first round of combat in response to me casting Moonbeam on you. That's not a horrible roll. That's 14, 18, 20. 20 radiant. Jesus! Jesus Christ. He goes down. We're paying him fucking money. That's what he said. There's one that you can get three. Everything else that you can do, you can get one. He gives you the letter E. Okay. For this, I must mass-separate you two from each other. You will be able to communicate, but you will not be seeing the same things. I will provide one of you... The one without the manual or the one with the manual? All right. Read these instructions and see, all lowercase, but S is blue and both of the E's are red. If you can become a room diffusion master, The outer circles, runic codes, line the outside of the circle and come in many shapes and colors. There are three rings divided in half for six overall rune codes, each with different deactivation conditions. One player will be describing the conditions while the other player will have to determine which one is correct. The next pages describe the steps to follow in order to deactivate a rune code. The rings are numbered with one being the outermost ring and three being the innermost. Rune codes are often encrypted in order to prevent the circles from being easily deactivated. An incorrect action could result in severe injury or even death. Only one of the options provided will be correct. The inner circles, the two intersections of the magic circle, are filled with a variety of different symbols. Yeah, I was just waiting. If each color of runes has a different number of runes, let me know. That's a lot of counting. Okay, I'll do it. They do all have a different number. All right. As you go to smudge those runes, this sequence will deactivate. Otherwise, if there are two different colors of runes that add together to equal the number of blue runes. Any two that can add up to blue. Yeah. That exists? Mm-hmm. So smudge the first two blue runes on the left. Smudge. If you have to smudge those two, this ring will deactivate. Nice. We're killing it. So if there is one symbol that is every color except one. There is one symbol that is every color except one color. So it was the arrow, right? The arrow was the one? Yeah. That is the correct option. I mean, I won't stop you, but... successfully deactivated. We're sleuths. We're sleuths. Yeah, hit me with it. Of the same? If that is true, it says smudge the first two blue runes of the left. Yeah. So it'd be these two. Yes. As you go to do that, it's successfully done. Purple, black, orange? Yep. I'm ready. Those aren't the same symbol. Pitchforks? What is it? One of them's up and one of them's down. Yeah, yeah. So if that is true, it says smudge the first orange rune on the left. So then the next otherwise is if there are not three pairs of runes of the same color. I'm verifying. That does not exist. So if that's true, if that does not exist, then we smudge the first rune on the left. First rune on the left would be this guy right here. So the top one, the one that's going to be top of my list, looks kind of like a corkscrew, and the tail at the bottom has almost like a wicky-looking tail, but it kind of looks like the Star Wars Empire symbol. And then... The one in the middle kind of looks like a... How do I describe this? Like a cyclone type situation going on. It has one, two, three, four... You know, it has five big main branches coming off of it, but the one in the far left, I mean, because it's almost swastika looking, I'm not even gonna lie to you. We're on to the interview. All right, these ones look kind of goofy. I don't know if that's what you're looking at. But it's the same situation, top to bottom. So my top one, it almost looks like-- I mean, they probably-- really, they both almost look like solutions to mazes. But this one, how do you describe it? At the very top of it, it starts with an S. And then after the S, it like keeps going back to the S and comes back, hits down and goes straight to the right and then a right angle directly down. Yeah, okay. It's this one. What was the colors of that again? I trust. I trust. If you guys wanted to, I was going to give you the option, but no, I'll just tell you this. If you guys spend the next 10 minutes deciphering this puzzle, you will see that this top section right here says, Daughter born in darkness, see the light. Be free forever. From fate's undying grasp, the accursed redeemer. The bottom section says, Venture down the path of darkness, an instrument of fate, played with the pick of destiny. Upon figuring that out, the scribe is going to say, excellent work, excellent work. I took about as much time as I thought it was going to take. I can time it. But it's not quick. Y'all didn't just smash through. He didn't look good. No, that was fine. Maybe now. The three letters he's going to give you Okay. Well, I'm super bloody, so I need to rest. Are we back in the quiet zone? We are back in the quiet zone. Depending on the order, I was going to have that also be the battle map for your ghost encounter, but I'll do the ghost encounter first. No. Letter R. R. So we have D-A-I-E-R. You know, interestingly enough, it's one L away from my character's name. It should be L is the last one we don't have. This is I-R-A-D-E-L. English. ...accessibly opening the cryptex, there is going to be a bag of holdings. So for right now, you guys get what you can see is a magical key. A magical coil of rope. And what would be readily identifiable as an immovable rod? It would just be a rod with a button on one end. You'd click the button and it wouldn't move. It'd be pretty obvious. Yep. And an immovable rod. The scribe is going to then walk up to each of you. He's going to hand you your Adele. He's going to hand me the lower half of a great quarterstaff. It seems they've been broken off. --pressed, which is a white raven on like a black regalia. He's going to have Jables-- or him, Jables-- one half of a guitar pick. He is also going to hand Jable something. He's going to say, this is for your friend. And it's going to be a smoky quartz crystal carved in the shape of an eye. Richard got like almost all of these. Right away. He's also still called Sober, but yeah, I was like, it's a hole. I didn't get any of the holes. Same thing as a void. That's not in the wrong direction, but it's a hole. So what's always in front of you but can't be seen? The future. Yep. What can't be kept until it's given? Person to guess that you are the first person to get that no one else has gotten mother I have seas with no water mountains with no land and towns with no people Okay. That's a tackle point. No. a train stop before i mentioned more work i'm just gonna stop giving i feel like i should know this one but yeah jokey one map What disappears as soon as you say its name? Yeah, it's not bad. That would have been all of them. I would have only given you the letter if you'd have gotten more right than wrong. Which you guys did. So there you go. Thank you. Good job guys. Good job guys. You can call it there. I thought y'all getting your items and getting toward your wisdom riddles at the very last moment. None of these items require attunement. Oh, your unique items. No. Your unique items can't be attuned to yet. Can't be attuned to yet. They will serve a purpose. I'll have to keep that in mind whenever Brian continues to play his druid. That's kind of cool. I believe he's been using the old rules for this ship to tank. Mystery key has a 5% chance to open any lock that it goes inside of, and it is consumed upon actually opening a lock. The rope of Mending can be cut into multiple pieces and then, I think, recombined with a word. And the movable rod uses a utilize action that puts it in place that doesn't move. Even if it defies gravity, it can hold up to 8,000 pounds of weight.

Review before next table

• Confirm open clues, NPC promises, loot, and next-scene intent.