Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, there has indeed been much entertainment. First, so that I can stop referring to everyone as 'Bud', here is our current dramatis personae, with a little extra detail:
- Rizzen Ygana: the CE drow wizard. A member of a very minor merchant house with a fondness for making magic items. Rizzen is an accomplished wizard, and an Archmage in training. (Note: He chose the name; I think it makes him sound like an undead lizard, but he's okay with that.)
- Wervar Deathbringer: the LE duergar fighter and future Blackguard. He and Rizzen were the sole survivors of a merchant caravan massacre, and so, even though they don't really trust each other, they trust each other more than they trust anyone else. Wervar's closest companion is his very cool Steeder, 'Ogra'. Anything that big that can go invisible and climb walls is cool in my book.
- Leoendithis (aka, Leo): the NE fey'ri sorceror. Leo was summoned by Rizzen's former master, who became 'former' due to a plot between Rizzen and Leo to overthrow him. Now Leo is as loyal to Rizzen as any half-elf / half-evil-outsider can be to an evil, tricky drow. Leo is soon to become a Red Dragon Disciple.
- Mo: the CN slyth rogue. He's not very worldly, and is in fact rather naive, but he has a bumbling knack for dodging total calamity. Proud owner of a hat of disguise crafted by Rizzen, and enjoying blending in as 'just one of the drow'. Has not yet expressed interest in a prestige class.
- "The Hooded Man" (NPC): A very nondescript male drow wearing the insignia of House Barrison Del'Armgo (the number two noble house in Menzoberranzen). He has sent the party scurrying around the Underdark to retrieve the missing volumes of an ancient tome known as the Codex of Webs.
- Dinnin (NPC): The stealthiest drow ranger ever. Why is he so stealthy? Because everyone keeps forgetting he exists! I think it's because we never remember to get a miniature to represent him on the battle grid. So we'll go through about 8 rounds of combat before someone pipes up and asks, "What's Dinnin doing?" And then we all groan and pretend he's been there all along. When he's being remembered, Dinnin is an Underdark guide belonging to House Ygana.
Thus began our adventurers on their path to... adventure. Running an evils campaign is a lot of fun, because the characters have totally different motivations than a group of goodies. There is much plotting and double-crossing, so I have to stay on my toes in order to anticipate what they might do next. So far, they have totally surfed my plots at 2 of the 4 games we've had. (Plot Surfing happens when PCs either don't take the plot hooks you offer, or take the plot hooks and follow them in a way the DM had never intended.)
Personally, I love plot-surfing PCs. Some DMs don't. But they help me brush up on my improvisational skills, and their ingenuity entertains me. It wouldn't be much of an evils game if we lacked for deceit and treachery!
So, the party met the Hooded Man at Tier Breche (the spiritual, magical, and martial center of Menzoberranzen) and got their assigned task. Much negotiation took place, as was expected, since the party certainly won't do anything out of the goodness of their shriveled hearts. It was made clear to them that this is a secret mission, and that House Del'Armgo will have eyes upon them at all times, lest they betray the secrecy of the mission.
Why the secrecy? Because House Del'Armgo is tired of being number 2, that's why! They want to get their hands on an item of great power that might allow them to topple #1 House Baenre once and for all.
(And really, lots of drow want to topple House Baenre. Is it really fair to have so powerful a matron (with so powerful a half-demon son), so powerful an archmage (head of Sorcere, the wizard school), and so powerful a priestess (head of Arach Tinilith, where all priestesses learn to be dark-hearted devotees of The Spider Queen) all under one roof? Those Baenres are real overachievers. Need to be brought down a peg or two.)
So after the crew got lizard mounts and a guide (What guide? Oh yeah, Dinnin. See? He's so stealthy...), they made for Ssae'loth, a sunken colony of lizardfolk where the first of the missing volumes was rumored to be.
I made up my own random encounter tables for the Underdark, because I wasn't satisfied with any of the published ones I found. The party's first random encounter was a drider ambush. I tried to make it cool, with the driders dropping in from the cavern ceiling on their webs and taking the PCs by surprise.
Here's something I learned: Never trust what the books say about a monster's challenge rating (CR). A drider is supposedly a CR 7 creature, which means it is a good challenge for a group of four 7th level PCs. The combat started with three driders, and since the PCs were all level 5, I figured it would be quite a difficult challenge.
Not! The PCs whomped the driders too easily. I didn't want their first-ever combat to be a cake walk, so I did what any self-respecting DM should do in times like these: I sat back, smiled sweetly, and decided that those driders were just the first wave. Armed with a false sense of beefiness, the PCs continued on their way, only to be rushed by a group of giant spiders, and ambushed by two more driders who favored spells and missile fire to melee. Now that was challenging for them, and a good time was had by all. DMs, never be afraid to alter the course of things in the name of enjoyment.
Funniest combat moment: During the first combat, Leo spent several rounds waking up, rising to his feet, and deciding which spell to cast. He finally decided to summon a monstrous centipede. When the centipede finally arrived, the drider took it out in one hit. It was so anti-climactic, it was funny.
Tune in on Sunday to read about the PCs' adventures in the lizardfolk colony!
