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New Game: Rise of the Immortals with Llarm Blacksword

So Sunday nights has me playing D&D 5e now.  Oddly enough I am playing through a version of Rise of the Runelords adapted to D&D 5e.  This is my third time through... maybe I'll finally make it to the end.

My new character is an Elf Fighter (soon to be Eldritch Knight) with a Sage background.  He is a researcher from Magnimar who has been sent to Standpoint to investigate the ancient ruins and solve an ancient mystery (TBD).

Llarm Blacksword never turns down a gold piece or a chance to ask for one.  He never turns down a tomb or a catacomb or an ancient ruin to be investigated.  He loves a mystery.  He has a tendency to talk a bit much in explaining things and often blurts out things without thinking.  His rapier makes a whoosh as it cuts through the air.

The party consists of a gnome druid, a human noble paladin, and an elven ranger.

Llarm reports back to his group in Magnimar through letters, which I'll be sharing on here.  Don't read ahead if you don't want some serious Rise of the Runelords spoilers.  Here's the latest:

Torin,

I hope this letter finds you and the others well.  Please tell each one of them I asked about them, though I have not the parchment to list them all by name.  Standpoint greeted me harshly, having just suffered a terrible goblin attack, but your letter got me through the gates.  I happened upon some local heroes at the local Sleeping Green Dragon Inn where they were whooping it up over their victory over the goblins, savoring good ale with a local nobleman named Foxglove.  They have allowed me to join them and I think they can get me safely into the lighthouse ruins and, perhaps, as a bonus, into the catacombs beneath the temple.

The rooms in the Dragon aren't bad and I think my association with the heroes has gotten me a free room for now.  A gold piece saved is a gold piece earned so they say.

There was a disruption in the tavern when first I got there, with some old crank of a noble yelling at his daughter.  I hoped to track her down after the altercation, but she got away.  I guess being with these heroes is rubbing off on me already.

I made a few gold coins on my second day in town and saw the most amazing thing.  We had to check out a tomb, under the temple, and found a number of animated skeletons and zombies about.  The skeletons were quite impressive.  Necromantic servants like these seem like such a good idea.  The party and I quickly dispatched them, but not before the poor gnome was nearly killed.  I guess all the sword practice from my youth is starting to pay off.  Strange too, that we found some remains had been taken from the tomb.  There is a mystery afoot!

We also checked out the glass factory, where we seemed to lose track of Amiko, the elven daughter from the tavern.  There was worry for her, but instead we stumbled into an even bigger plot.  I rushed into the building after the gnome discovered that there were goblins in the building.  Amiko's brother, it turns out, was working with the goblins and in fact has killed his father right there in the factory by covering him in glass.  The heroes and I fought the goblins and I ended up having to kill the evil brother as he was trying to escape with my crossbow.  

It turns out that the brother is in league with some woman, daughter of the priest whose remains were stolen, who is trying to raise Malfeshnekor, apparently some sort of devilish, demonic creature or great power.  There is something afoot with a succubus, as well.  The excitement is just overwhelming.  I can't wait to investigate further.

It is unfortunate to date that I have discovered no artifacts of interest, but I am sure this will change very soon.  I have taken a few rubbing of tomb artifacts, which I have enclosed.  Things look to be dangerous here, at least for the next fews day.  Should someone need to find me here, please have them contact the Sleeping Green Dragon Inn and ask for the heroes of Standpoint.  I will be with them.

Humble regards, 
Llarm Blacksword

--

In addition, I wanted to post just a few quick takes on D&D 5e since this is my first game with it:

  • D&D 5e is very streamlined.  I've only had the PHB a few days and I was up and running with no trouble in the first game.
  • D&D 5e is extremely balanced at first and second level.  I expected to be an overwhelming force at first level as a fighter.  This wasn't really the case.
  • Leveling up in 5e is quick.  We did it in game in less than 10 minutes.
  • I'm not sure how I feel about skills yet.  In Pathfinder there is an ability to change your skills as you level up.  I don't see any way to do that in 5e.  It can be a problem if multiple people in the party chose the same skills.  Still researching this one...


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