We all had trouble answering the check in question this session. This is a party full of musicians (none of which played a bard) with a wide variety of musical taste. We had an easier time answering for our characters than for ourselves.
Check In Question: Your favorite type of music or band?
- Miranda: Green Day. Lysithea loves death metal.
- Ian: System of a Down. Professor prefers silence and background noise.
- Shannon: Between the Buried and Me. K’un-Lun listens to Gregorian Chant. No, make that Greg-orc-ian Chant.
- Cordelia: BabyMetal (that’s my girl). Surina likes Egyptian/Mediterranean music.
- Justice: Owl City. Sable prefers epic odes sung in iambic pentameter.
- Kevin: Rush. Gobbles’s favorite band is Human Force (like Dragon Force, but sings about the mundane).
- Liz: NSP (I won’t say their full name because there are children present.) Octavia loves the music of the lute.
When we last left the party they were staring down a dark staircase in a very… interesting dungeon. Gobbles drank a potion that left him medium sized. A sauna turned K’un-Lun’s skin scarlet red and Octavia’s bright green. Professor’s beard turned dirt-brown after drinking juice from a barrel bot. Darkvision does not allow the party to see down the staircase, and after the previous events the party is hesitant.
Lysithea: Does anyone have something we can throw down the staircase?
Professor throws the wooden mug he took from the pantry room down the stairs (see Session 12). The clinking sound the mug makes as it falls down seems to go on forever (perception, 13). He eventually hears a final “clink”… and then nothing.
Professor: Must be 100 miles.
Octavia: What kind of math do you do with mugs and throwing?
K’un-Lun boldly puts a foot on the first step. As soon as his foot makes contact with the step the stairs transform into a slide (acrobatics, Nat 1). He continues striding straight forward into the open air when he looks down, sees no grounding beneath him, and tumbles head first down the slide (ala Wile E. Coyote). There’s a 3-way split in the slide. His body goes left at the split and he is deposited into a room.
Lysithea pokes the stairs with her quarterstaff. The stairs turn into the slide with pressure, then turns back when the pressure is released. Professor sits down and, inch by inch, scoots up to the steps. He makes contact with the stairs and goes sliding down on his bottom, as he intended. When he gets to the split he goes straight and lands in a different room. Lysithea goes next down the slide…
Lysithea: Weeee!
…and she peers off right. She lands in a third room and sees Professor’s wooden mug, which she immediately puts in her bag.
Surina goes next down the slide, veers right, and lands in the room with Lysithea.
Octavia goes next (athletics check, 17). She high jumps and expertly lands on the slide, gliding down on her feet (ala Legolas) and turns left to land with K’un-Lun.
Gobbles turns himself into a ball and rolls down the slide (athletics check, Nat 1). He loses control of his momentum and starts bouncing around like a pinball, with “ding” sounds echoing as he bounces. He finally rolls straight and lands in the room with Professor. The party is split.
Octavia and K’un-Lun
This room is very small and simple. There is one door on the opposite side. In the center is what looks like a carnival “Test Your Strength” game. There’s a hammer laying next to it and a bell at the top. First they try to open the door, but it is locked. They rock-paper-scissors to see who tries the game first. K’un-Lun wins best 2 out of 3 and chooses Octavia to go first. He stands back in anticipation. As Octavia steps up she feels the ground press down a bit, like there is a pressure plate beneath the game. She makes an athletics check (19), lifts the hammer and swings it down on the plate. The ball shoots up and hits the bell with a “DING”. Confetti rains down and the words “Gorilla Strength” flash in the air as the door opens. When they exit there is a prize booth with a Potion of Healing.
K’un-Lun: *gestures for Octavia to take the potion* You earned it.
Octavia: You take it. I already have one.
Professor and Gobbles
There are mirrors everywhere. Gobbles looks in one and sees that he looks even taller, but another mirror shows him shorter. One shows Professor is bean-pole thin, and another shows him stretched out.
Professor: I’m like that freak, K’un-Lun (who shudders in the other room).
It is a silly mirror maze. They must use perception checks to navigate their way through the maze.
Gobbles: If you could put a number to it I would say I’m 25% more perceptive than other people.
Professor: Well you go first then.
Professor provides assistance to Gobbles’s rolls. Since they are working together they get advantage. Gobbles rolls a 13 on his first perception check. They make a turn and now the mirrors show crazy mixed-up realities. Gobbles sees himself with a bird head, and Professor sees himself with the body of a dog.
Professor: Perhaps if we touch one of the mirrors, the image could become animated, and and and try to kill us!
Gobbles makes an 18 on his next perception check. They make another turn and walk through the exit.
Gobbles: That was not as complicated as I thought.
Professor: Yes, that was too easy. We should go back and try it again.
Confetti falls down on them as they walk through the exit. They find a prize booth with a Potion of Climbing.
Gobbles: I’ve never seen a potion climb before.
Surina and Lysithea
Surina and Lysithea are in a room that puts them on a massive cliff alongside a deep chasm. There is a bridge but it is only a piece of wood stretching across the chasm. There’s a pivot point in the middle, but the plank is not roped on to anything. It’s a floating see-saw of sorts.
Lysithea: Well this is great. Which one of us should go across first?
Surina wants to go first. As she steps onto the meager bridge it teeters down. If she were to put her full weight on the plank she would fall into the chasm.
Lysithea: How about I go across first and you hold it for me.
Surina rolls athletics (14) and Lysithea rolls (acrobatics 12). Surina has no issue supporting the bridge and keeping it from teetering as Lysithea crosses. Lysithea turns around and tries to hold the board down so that Surina can now cross, but she is not the strongest (athletics 4). Luckily Surina is quite athletic (acrobatics, 16) and is able to safely cross the bridge while Lysithea pants and grunts while keeping the board balanced.
Lysithea: I’m trying my best!
Once they are both safely across the chasm they exit the room and find a prize booth with a Potion of Animal Friendship.
K’un-Lun and Octavia
K’un-Lun and Octavia find themselves staring into the doorway of a completely dark room. As soon as Octavia steps through the threshold bright, colorful lights begin flashing to the beat of rave music being blasted. Marionettes are dancing to the beat on the checkered dance floor.
K’un-Lun: I can get into this.
Octavia: Yeah, I’m okay here.
K’un-Lun: This is the best Gregorcian Chant I’ve ever heard!
The squares of the dance floor are lighting up in a pattern.
Octavia: Ooohh I don’t dance.
They analyze the pattern (Octavia investigation, 19 with K’un-Lun assisting). Octavia deduces the pattern and can follow it. She teaches the pattern to K’un-Lun, who then steps on a square as soon as the rotation starts again. He dances his butt off (performance 3, acrobatics 21) and makes it across the dance floor. It’s the most clumsily, awkwardly danced performance ever. Octavia giggles off to the side. Octavia attempts to disco her way through the pattern (performance Nat 1, acrobatics, 19). Octavia ends up doing a really terrible robot with her limbs thrashing everywhere, complete with cracking sounds, but she makes it across safely.
Octavia: I’m in pain. I’m in a lot of pain.
Confetti rains down and they find a Potion of Growth.
K’un-Lun: That was disturbing. *takes his mask off and rubs his eyes*
Octavia: I’m so sorry…
K’un-Lun: Please let’s leave. *takes the potion* My dance was glorious. All heroes know how to dance. It’s required by law.
Octavia: *laughing to herself* I do not disagree with you. I told you I don’t dance.
Professor and Gobbles
They enter a small room made of rock when the door slams behind them. They turn around startled and find a ring of 20 keys hanging on the door. On the other side of the room is a door with a keyhole. Water begins pouring into the room (constitution check Professor Nat 1, Gobbles 5) and panic sets in. They frantically start putting keys in the keyhole. They roll a d20 to determine which key they try. The first key (7) doesn’t fit and the water starts rising more. They each try a key (Professor 2, Gobbles 18) and neither work. They try keys 13 and 19, but the water continues to rise. Neither key 9 nor 11 work, and the water rises more. Gobbles is happy he is medium sized at the moment or he would be fully submerged at this point. Keys 12 and 4 only allow more water to pour in. Gobbles grabs key 20, puts it in the keyhole, and the door opens! The water begins draining, confetti pops from the ceiling, and they find a Potion of Water Breathing awaiting them at the prize booth outside.
Surina and Lysithea
This room is very straightforward. The sides are sloped like a slide. In the center of the room is a statue of a figure in a dark hood. There’s an inscription before they enter that reads “Look upon me and be fearful”.
Lysithea: I don’t think we should look at its face.
Surina: Nope, nope, nope.
Lysithea: Let’s go check the door. We should try looking at our feet as we walk.
Staring at their own feet they start walking across the room (wisdom saving throw Lysithea 12, Surina 6). They make it to the door. Confetti flies down and a Potion of Thunder Resistance awaits them at the prize booth.
K’un-Lun and Octavia
In this room there are 4 pedestals with an inscription on each, and 3 items on the back wall: a coin, a pillow, and a puzzle piece. The inscriptions read:
- I have a head but no arms, a tail and no legs.
- Every morning a noggin I shed, every evening I regain my head.
- A little round, a little straight, the picture is clear but we love to obfuscate.
- Flip me by night, flip me by day. Will it help? Who can say?
They put the coin on the first pedestal, the pillow on the second one, and the puzzle piece on the third. A voice calls out: “Is this your final answer”.
K’un-Lun: The only one I feel weird about is the coin one.
Octavia: I mean, it’s a 50/50 chance. I say we go with it.
K’un-Lun: If the coin is the other one I’ll be upset.
Octavia: Okay, final answer.
The floors start falling from the edges of the room, leaving it half of its original size. They put the coin on the last pedestal. That does not work, but nothing happens. K’un-Lun tries to open the door and it opens. They had it right the first time. K’un-Lun grabs the puzzle piece.
K’un-Lun: Maybe the Professor will want to do something with this thing.
Octavia takes the pillow and screams into it.
Octavia: Okay, I feel better.
K’un-Lun: Oh, we should take the coin too cause it’s money.
The prize awaiting them this time is a weapon for K’un-Lun – brass knuckles (+1).
K’un-Lun: *equips them instantly* Shlingo and Shlongo, Bingy and Fingy, Hingus and Dingus, their names will be different every time.
Gobbles and Professor
There is a ramp leading down with a pool of water at the bottom of this room. The door on the other side of the water on a raised platform 30ft high. The water is currently 5ft deep. Professor rolls investigation (Nat 1) and notices nothing. The room is a complete puzzle to him.
Professor: Whelp, should we go for a swim then?
Gobbles: I guess so…. (investigation, 17)
There are 4 runes about halfway down the ramp but before the water. Each rune has an inscription, but they cannot understand what they say.
Gobbles: So they’re just squiggly lines. Great.
Professor walks down the ramp and touches one of the runes, but nothing happens.
Gobbles: We have a puzzle and we can’t read the instructions.
Professor splashes some water onto the runes, but as soon as he touches the water it begins to rise, just not enough to touch the runes. It raises high enough on the other end to get to the door. The water glows as it splashes onto the runes and they hear a “blip” sound. When he removes his hand from the water it goes back down to where it was.
Professor: I’ll splash the water, you swim up to the door, then toss me a rope. Come on, strong man Goobles!
As Gobbles step into the pool the water rises. He starts swimming. When Professor puts his hand in the water it rises too much and floods the room. Instead of drowning, Gobbles and Professor are teleported to a room with a huge banquet and a big banner that says “Losers’ Room”. In the other rooms they needed to work together, so they tried teamwork again; however, in this room they needed to go one at a time.
Professor: Oh my god. This is so much better! *begins shoving food into his mouth*
Surina and Lysithea
Surina and Lysithea are in a big room with 8 levers. The door on the other side is locked. There is a rug that can be moved (Lysithea investigation, 12), but it is a very heavy rug. Lysithea tries to move the rug (athletics, 8) and cannot get it to move much.
Lysithea: Surina, come help me!
Surina easily lifts the rug (athletics, 16), which reveals an inscription written on the floor underneath (Lysithea intelligence, 19). They are numbers: 1 8 5 2 4 6 7 3. Surina and Lysithea work together to pull the levers in the order of the numbers. The door unlocks, confetti explodes, and they find a Potion of Flying at the prize booth.
The two parties that are not in the Losers’ Room converge into one room. The losers can see and observe them from their room.
(Professor: This is so much better. A buffet! I left my wallet at home…)
This room is a swamp.
Lysithea: Where are the other two?
K’un-Lun: Uh-oh.
Octavia: I have a feeling they’re just fine.
(Professor: They probably think we’re dead.)
There’s a river of green with stepping stones leading across, trees with long branches, and a pig-creature wading through the water. It is not cute.
Lysithea: So there’s stones, trees, and that thing.
K’un-Lun throws a dart in the water. They hear a “blip” as the water flashes and the dart disappears. (Back in the Losers’ Room a dart falls to the ground by Gobbles and Professor.)
(Professor: Jump in the water! Do it!)
Lysithea suggests using the Potion of Animal Friendship, and Surina quickly volunteers to drink it. She chugs it and can now talk to one animal. She chooses the big pig.
Surina: Can you help us across, please?
The pig oinks and swims over and moves so they climb on it’s back, but it’s only big enough to take one at a time. Surina climbs on the pig’s back and it safely transports her to the other side of the swamp. Since Surina said “us” instead of “me” the pig goes back and helps the others cross the swamp. The door is unlocked, but K’un-Lun decides to kick it down.
K’un-Lun: I’m done with these doors.
As they cross through the door there is another burst of confetti, and a prize booth with a rod. One would say it is immovable. Lysithea takes it.
The Final Room
The final room is a long hallway, gently sloping down. K’un-Lun throws another dart.
K’un-Lun: It’s a giant boulder hallway. I’m calling it. As a hero I’ve seen this before. I hope you put your Nikes on.
The party rolls athletics (K’un-Lun 13, Surina 12, Octavia 9, Lysithea 4). They begin running as giant boulders start rolling towards them. Surina and K’un-Lun make a dash and get well ahead of the boulders. Lysithea and Octavia, however, are off to a slow start and the boulders quickly gain on them. In order to not be crushed they attempt to jump over the boulders (dexterity saving throw, Lysithea 19, Octavia 13). Lysithea successfully jumps over a boulder and continues running. Octavia fails her jump and… poofs into the Losers’ Room.
Professor: *chewing on food* Asodighoasighlsdkjf.
Octavia: Where have you guys been?
Gobbles: Hanging out.
Professor: I think we’re dead.
K’un-Lun (athletics, 24) is rapidly backward handspringing away from the boulders. Surina (athletics, 15) is still ahead of the boulders. Lysithea is running with the boulders right on her hooves. She makes another leap (dexterity saving throw, 21) and jumps over the boulders. All three make it to the end of the hallway and the boulders poof out. They are covered in a shower of confetti, and find a Bead of Force sitting there.
Lysithea: *panting* You take that one K’un-Lun. You earned it. *desperately trying to catch her breath*
Cautiously, they enter the next room and find a giant banner displaying “WINNERS’ ROOM” and a banquet with finer food than the losers got.
Professor: I’m not complaining.
The rooms allow both parties to see each other, so they all wave.
K’un-Lun to Lysithea: I really wish they would have died.
Gobbles: Ah, I see we are in the Losier’s Room.
Lysithea is chugging water, still trying to catch her breath. The wall separately the rooms drops and they can now talk to each other, but the losers cannot enter the winners’ room. The winners eat the food, which they feel is fit for a hero, so they get advantage on all attack rolls.
Lysithea: There goes K’un-Lun’s ego…
K’un-Lun: Yes. *heroic laugh* Losers…
Gobbles: This is the Losier’s Room and that’s the Whiners Room.
K’un-Lun: Losers just pronounce it differently.
The party suddenly hears a giggling voice.
Voice: Will all participants from today’s game please step forward for the final round.
They reluctantly walk into what appears to be a grand arena. There is another level above them, from which they feel eyes watching them. Standing in front of them are tiny fairy-like sprite creatures, 2 black beasts with large tentacles, and a cloaked figure in the back.
Professor: Is this some sort of game?
Octavia: I think we are the game.
Voice: This is your final challenge!
Roll Initiative (K’un-Lun 15, Gobbles 17, Octavia 13, Professor 14, Surina 12, Lysithea 17)
Begin Beast Battle
The first sprite attacks K’un-Lun with a short bow but misses. The next one shoots at Surina, hitting her for 1 damage. Surina has to make a constitution saving throw (18) and is fine. The next one also shoots Surina but misses. The fourth and fifth sprites shoot at Gobbles, but both miss. Lysithea uses Magic Missile on the sprites, doing 5, 5, 3 damage to sprites 1, 2, 3. After being hit the first and second sprite blip and move forward, but the third sprite is no more. Magic did not seem to be effective against the sprites. Gobbles grabs a javelin and throws it at the cloaked figure (rolls with disadvantage, 16), but it just clinks against the cloak and falls to the ground.
Gobbles: That still counts!
K’un-Lun moves in and attempts to squash the first sprite. He hits it with a 21 and uses his bonus action to hit with another 21, doing what appears to be 12 damage. The sprite simply blips out and appears farther away from K’un-Lun. Professor moves towards the second sprite, attaches his crossbow and uses his bonus action to cast arcane weapon on it. He shoots at the sprite but misses with a 10. Octavia moves towards Gobbles to shoot the 5th sprite, but misses with a 13. Surina moves towards the second sprite and hits it with her longsword. She strikes it with a 15 and does 11 damage, defeating the sprite. The first displacer beast blips and appears in front of Surina. It slaps her with its tentacles, doing 8 damage. It attacks her again with another tentacle but misses. The second displacer beast blips and appears in front of Octavia, hitting her with its tentacles and doing 6 damage. It attacks her again with another tentacle and does 8 more damage. The cloaked figure remains perfectly still at the back of the arena. The first sprite shoots at K’un-Lun, hits him and does 1 damage. He makes a constitution saving throw (Nat 20) and is fine. The 4th sprite shoots at Professor and does 1 damage. Professor rolls a constitution saving throw (23) and is fine. The last sprite shoots at Gobbles but misses. Lysithea shoots Fire Bolt at the displacer beast but misses with a 9. Gobbles moves up to the other beast and attacks it with his warhammer, but misses with an 11. K’un-Lun moves up to the first sprite and claps it between his hands. He uses his Touch of Death ability and gains 6 temporary hit points upon killing it. Professor shoots the second beast, hits with a 13, and does 7 points piercing and 6 points fire damage to it. Octavia attacks it with her rapier, hits with a 24, and does 5 damage to the beast. Surina attacks the first beast with a Nat 20, and does a total of 13 damage. She then casts Searing Smite and does an additional 1 fire damage, setting the beast on fire. Draggy appears (because we needed assistance and Victor wanted to defeat the boss) and attacks with his battle ax. He hits with a 16 and does 9 damage. The first beast fails its saving throw and remains on fire, taking an additional 2 damage. It hits Surina back with a tentacle and does 10 damage. It swings another tentacle at her, but misses. The second beast attacks Octavia for 6 damage, then attacks Gobbles but misses. The cloaked figure is unmoved. The 4th sprite hits Gobbles for 1 damage. Gobbles fails his constitution saving throw (7) and is now poisoned. The other sprite misses its attack at Professor. Lysithea hits the first displacer beast with a 24 Fire Bolt…
Lysithea: More fire!
…and does 7 fire damage. Gobbles makes a dash for the cloaked figure, stands tall before it and casts Tasha’s Hideous Laughter…
Gobbles: Hooded man, do you have any updog?
The figure does not laugh. It does not move at all. K’un-Lun moves up to the cloaked figure and punches it with a 17. He throws his punch, but his fist just clinks against the cloak. The figure is still standing tall and uncomfortably still. Professor moves towards Octavia and uses Cure Wounds on her, healing her for 13 HP. Octavia takes a 5ft step and shoots her longbow at the second displacer beast, but misses with a 12. Surina swings her sword at the first beast and hits with a 14, doing 10 damage to it. The beast fails its saving roll again and remains on fire, taking another 3 fire damage. It attacks Surina back with its tentacles but misses both attacks. Draggy hits the second beast with an adjusted 20 and does 12 damage. The second beast now blips and appears behind Professor and attacks, but misses both attacks. The cloaked figure ominously does nothing. The 4th and 5th sprites both shoot at and miss Gobbles. Gobbles moves to flank the hooded figure and hits it with an adjusted 20 for 6 damage. He swings at the figure with his warhammer and hears a loud echo, as if he hit something hollow. The figure collapses – it’s just a pile of armor filled with confetti that surrounds Gobbles. The other beasts remain, and there is laughter and cheering coming from above. Lysithea uses Magic Missile as a level 2 slot on the first beast doing 12 damage total. K’un-Lun grabs some confetti and heads towards the first beast. He hits it with a Nat 20 and does 9 damage. He uses Flurry of Blows to attack 2 more times, hitting with a 15 and missing with a 10, doing 6 more damage.
Professor: ARGHFMFAFM!
Professor casts Thunder Wave on the beast, causing it to roll and fail a saving throw. It takes 8 points of thunder damage and is propelled backwards. The beast slams against the wall, causing it to shake and dust to sprinkle down. There’s some cheers and gasps from above. Octavia turns around to face the second beast, shoots it with a 21, and does 8 damage. Surina attacks the first beast with another Nat 20, doing 11 damage. She casts Searing Smite again, doing a total of 18 damage. The beast is defeated! Draggy comes in and attacks the other beast with his ax. He hits with a 22 and does 10 damage. The beast moves towards Professor, giving Draggy an attack of opportunity, but he misses. The beast attacks Professor, misses the first attack and Nat 20s the second. Professor takes 14 damage from the attack. The 4th sprite attacks K’un-Lun with a 21, who takes 1 damage and fails his saving throw. He is now poisoned and his advantage is canceled out. The 5th sprite attacks Octavia who takes 1 damage, but succeeds on her saving throw. Lysithea uses Magic Missile on the second beast for 14 damage total. The second beast is defeated! The last 2 sprites poof out. A ton of confetti rains down on the party.
Did We Win?
There’s a lot of giggling and a tiny beast appears next to Gobbles. It is a fairy dragon.
Dragon: Congratulations!!!
Octavia: For what?
Dragon: Winning my game!!!
Octavia: This was a game?
Dragon: Yes!
Professor: Can we go again? I think I’d like another try.
Surina: No…
K’un-Lun: What do the winners get?
Dragon: Wasn’t what you got prize enough?
Lysithea: No no, that was plenty thank you.
Dragon: My name is Thistle Winkle Frost.
That sure was…fun… The party levels up to level 4. End Session.
Check Out this session was cake for Liz’s (Octavia) birthday!
Analysis: This was an incredibly fun and silly dungeon. Justice got the idea for the fairy dragon from the Game to Grow educator training and couldn’t wait to use it. Cordelia absolutely loved this dungeon, even though she couldn’t quite figure out how to solve the puzzles of the rooms. She was attentive and loved watching the other players act out their rooms, but needed some guidance when it came to the room with the chasm and the swamp. She was super eager to drink the Potion of Animal Friendship, but was very shy when it came to acting out her question to the pig. She is showing willingness to lead and participate, she’s just not confident enough to act. But I know it will come in time. Every session she does a little bit more, and every session she grows.