Session 3-ish

 Session 3-ish

Weird week this week with the session as a normal group couldn't meet at the same time so we basically did some extended downtime stuff that got...groovy!

First was Ted, our Retired Yankee and all around creep.  It is now apparently a thing that when he wakes up in the morning he spends the 1st 30 minutes cackling to himself.  Anyway, Ted was fortunate enough to have acquired an item that can be used as a "reusable trinket" for his Choking Grip spell.  

All magic in this Florida is ceremonial magic as per the ACKS Heroes Handbook.  I like using this rule because I think its easier for new players to use magic users.  While it doesn't make much difference at lvl 1 cuz they really only have the one spell, it keeps from having to "keep track" of spell slots and uses and rests and all that.  Instead they can perform a ritual during down time and "enchant" a "trinket" to store the spell.  It opens up the story for downtime activities and ensures the characters are running around gathering the ingredients and equipment, finding an appropriate location to conduct the ritual (important as it adds bonuses to the spell role) and finally, it means there are potential consequences for practicing magic EVERY TIME you use it.

So Ted has this big white cartoony glove that stores the ritual for him to use.  He performed his ritual successfully this time.  But he only has the one spell stored so he went looking to see where he could find another of these "Officially Licensed Mickey gloves"...whatever all that means.  1st he tried to hang around the arena for any prisoners that win their freedom through fighting.  He's in luck! A couple saps agree to look for some gloves but don't find anything.  Ted introduces them to Mercutio to do them a favor in hopes of future help.

More looking around the market, no luck but he did run into someone at a pub that offered him a job.  A guy calling himself Ash (lvl ??? Blessed Undertaker - ACKS Barbarians of Kahanu) told Ted he was going to the ruins of Orlando.  He found the location of an old rival he was looking to take out and wanted some help.  Ted meets Ash on the edge of town with his two new companions (Margaret and Valentino).  Ash brought friends too! Two lvl 1 Florida Men: Judd and Fudd.  They set out for Orlando in a wagon. 3hrs into a 5hr trip we finally get a random encounter!

So of course it would be a griffon...big problem for our approaching heroes.  Fortunately for them, the griffon was indifferent except for this pesky rule griffons have where they automatically attack horses within 100'.  The heroes narrowly escape but their horses and wagon are toast.  Interesting thing even with a higher lvl character like Ash, because of the Blessed Undertaker class, he's great against undead but not much more than than a lvl 1 fighter against anything else.  Not groovy.

Now walking sadly, the party gets to the objective.  Its a giant ruin overgrown with mangroves and vines.  Observing a sign that read: "Welcome to the Citrus Bowl", whatever that means, they entered and began down a long concourse.  After a few turns they stumble across 6 skeletons.  Creepy!  The parties exchange swipes before Ash decides he doesn't have time for this.  Declaring "this is my boomstick" he blasts 4 of 6 to kingdom come.  The last 2 were easily mopped up.

The noise however attracted 6 more skeletons who got the jump on the party.  This fight didn't go so well.  Judd, Fudd, and Margaret all fell in the fight.  It wasn't until Ash activated his magical chainsaw hand and cleaved through half the skeletons that things got under control.  Using a couple doses of Regeneron (where they getting this stuff!?) Judd and Fudd were revived up to 1hp but Judd was blind and Fudd's hips were all busted up.  Margaret, however, lost her battle with not having the top of her head.

Our party was discovered now cuz boomsticks and chainsaws are loud.  They were drawn into the big fight with 6 skeletons and a mohrg.  This mohrg is a zombie with 9 AC and over 30hp, 2 atks including a paralyzing tongue strike.  "Ex girlfriends are the worst" Ash recalled. 

The Florida Men, the lame leading the blind, Ted, and Valentino attacked the zombie lady while the skeletons dogpiled Ash. The mohrg saved against choking grip and then proceeded to pound her attackers to much with her oversized fists. We're talking -10 hp here.  Gross. Ol' Teddy was thinking how to escape when...

"Hail to the king, baby"...Ash blasted the skeletons to fine dust with his super powered "Turn Undead" (2 lvls higher than cleric of same lvl...groovy).  The fight then really became the mohrg and Ash which, given the buffs he had against undead kinda made it underwhelming.  This class has some access to some cool spells and buffs that make it very hard to hit him if you're undead.  There was no reviving the fallen members of the party. Now for loot...well, Ted and Ash happened to rescue an old lady who said her husband and children had been kidnapped with her but taken away by some lady who was in this place collecting various helmets looking for something specific.  There was a pile of helmets in the corner - all the same - a skull cap with two large mouse ears.  Many days ago the lady found what she was looking for and departed with the husband and kids. Searching the pile they also found 5000gp (what have I done!), a treasure map, and...a brain in a jar!  The brain could talk and told them her name was Anne and that she wasn't sure how long she had been a brain in a jar. 

Ted and Ash made it back to town safe (no sign of the griffon...dang but be careful taking horses up north now, muhahaha).  We ended there with interrogations to be had on downtime, etc.  Another party was acting simultaneously but in a different session...I'll leave that for a different report.

Afterword: I'll keep this part short cuz its been long but this is whats great about BrOSR.  If i think of something funny I like (like having Ash Williams running around) I can just have this stuff lying around for whenever.  But more importantly the dice give life to what would otherwise be me just fumbling about "uh, uh, uh...you travel across 15 miles of Floridian forests and uh, uh, get where you're going."  Now there's a horse eating griffon (cuz the RULES SAY SO) - who may be just trying to provide for a young family like any good dad - roaming around central Florida...just like in real life!

Mausoleum of the possibly heroic - definitely dead:

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+Valentino (lvl 1 Venturer): henchman to Ted.  Died in the Citrus Bowl after getting paralyzed and smashed to a pulp. Body not recovered. (Ses. 3)

+Margaret (lvl 1 Venturer): henchman to Ted.  Died in the Citrus Bowl.  Got top of her head chopped off by a skeleton. Body not recovered. (Ses. 3)