Crystals of Chaos [session report #12]

 

This was kind of a strange episode... reminded me of Empire Strikes Back.

Only 3 players (which I consider the bare minimum for playing face-to-face in a long-term campaign).  We had Jackal the dwarf warrior, Zagreus the dwarf thief, and Crandol the half-orc warrior.  As you can see, they're missing at least half their firepower.  

I opened the session by gazing at the Kort'thalis meta-sigil, striking the Gong of Destiny, and donning my black Game Mastering cloak!

Aside from Vanessa who didn't even get mentioned this session, and the film crew... I meant to remind the guys that they could do that thing where they talk to the camera in a private interview format to earn an extra point of Divine Favor - next session, don't wait for me to forget again, just ask!

So the main NPC du jour was Teddy Westside (along with the medical-droid they liberated from that Federation penal colony, OZ-22).  He didn't have as much screen time as last session, but towards the session's end, he was there when it counted.

There was only one cave on level 2 of Cremza'amirikza'am that hadn't yet been explored.  Zagreus, being the stealthiest, checked it out first.  It was a demon massacre, at least a dozen demons ripped or hacked apart.  Many pools of blood, including one that was neon-blue.  They saved a vial of that for later and the thief searched the bodies for loot.

They found a number of interesting things, such as a sleestak bobblehead with a series of numbers taped to the bottom, a bust of H.P. Lovecraft covered with fungi that glowed indigo in darkness, an onyx idol of Kort'thalis, and 111 gold pieces.  Also, Zagreus picked-up a magical and vorpal ba'atleth (the Klingon melee weapon).

As the thief scoured the corpses, he noticed one demon was still barely alive.  With its last breath, the demon croaked "The Mutilator!" then died.  Zagreus took the just-now-dead demon's aquamarine ring that he believed was magical... and then kept getting thirsty for no apparent reason.

Towards the back of the cave was a spiral stairway going down to the third level.  They eavesdropped on a couple of young lovers who were part of this game or contest, the survivors got some sort of prize, and it was all being televised with silent drones that Zagreus happened to notice.

But not having much to do with either of the Crimson Bastard's quests - search for crystals to fuel their starship Jefferson and track down Federation Commander Andrak before he can find that super-weapon capable of destroying Cha'alt - they let them go on their way.

Zagreus scouted ahead again, noticing a purple demon pleasuring himself to the sight of two women making-out just up the northern tunnel.  He bypassed that while silently creeping to the southern caves, and found a few different humanoid settlement factions preparing for something - ritually cleansing themselves with zoth, trying to decipher infernal glyphs on scrolls, and so forth. 

With Teddy Westside's prompting, the warriors eventually made their way towards the party's thief.  Jackal saw the purple demon jacking it and decided to stab him with his enchanted trident.  He did, killing the demon.  I rolled to see if the demon was able to finish before succumbing to his wounds.  Yes, he was!  Then I asked Jackal's player to roll a saving throw... and I believe he rolled a natural 1 (either that or it was real low, like a 2 or 3).  So, I ruled that the demon managed to get his purple spunk all over the dwarven warrior.

Wiping the purple ejaculate away, Teddy mentioned the repairing qualities that purple demon jizz had, like on leather furniture, for instance!  So, Teddy Westside collected as much as he could with a special instrument that he called "jizz tweezers" and Zagreus' player dubbed "jeezers," as Ted mentioned another name for the tool... a jaccard (the highest quality and fashion dictate the jaccard be crystal-rimmed, of course).

Finishing that, they met up with Zagreus, talked to more people, and found out about The Selection - a certain number of humanoids who passed The Selection were able to face The Challenge in the southwestern cave.  Whoever passed The Challenge would be set apart from all other humanoids down here in Cremza'amirikza'am.

Curious, they made their way further south, encountering a rave party that included a 22-person hot-tub, bar, DJ, the works.  The PCs spent a fair amount of time relaxing, having fun, and interacting with the locals.  Zagreus, whose thirst was nearly unquenchable by now, refused "the special" three-penis margarita, instead opting for the only other drink they had - a can of Bud Light... which led to a strange looking demon luring him away from everyone else - only to mug him.  But the mugger rolled a 1, and Zagreus chopped off his hand, as it got stuck in the dwarven thief's ba'atleth, and then was decapitated.

Jackal got in the hot-tub and put the moves on a sexy woman, eventually fucking her right there in the jacuzzi.  Cue the GM finding "Move Any Mountain" by The Shamen on his cellphone and playing that over the dark ambient tones audible in the background.

Crandol listened to a group of 6 humanoids planning to heist something from a black robed and black masked stranger who was also in the hot-tub.  Zagreus noticed the amateur thieving, and when Jackal had finished, he noticed his friends at the back of the cave with the humanoids who'd liberated a triangular black keycard from the humanoid in black.  Apparently, it opened a special room in The Black Pyramid - a rainbow room - where one of the six's brother had gone missing a year ago.

Crandol, instead of hacking them to pieces, which was his usual M.O. decided to help the humanoids.  After they were done with Cremza'amirikza'am, they'd accompany them to The Black Pyramid for everyone's mutual benefit.  In the meantime, the six humanoids were teleported to Jefferson until the adventurers were ready.

The PCs decided to move towards a cave between the rave and The Challenge.  It was a man in a jeweled animal mask executing humanoids who failed The Selection.  After he offed one of them by shooting him at point-blank range, Zagreus blasted the dude in the back.  The remaining three failures stayed with the PCs as they all went to see what The Challenge was all about.

A huge and muscular demon stood between them and a back wall completely covered in crystal formations.  It was an amazing sight, and access to it would allow the winner to commune directly with the Great Old Ones.  But first, that demon would have to be disposed of.

The demon held a massive two-handed hilt in his hands, waiting for challengers.  One of the three humanoids who'd just been rescued stood before the demon and talked as the PCs stood way back.  Within minutes, the demon ignited a ferocious violet blade of plasma energy and sliced the whelp into pieces. Oh dear...

All three decided to challenge the demon.  Zagreus tried to blast him, missed, and the demon (who after some banter was revealed to be The Mutilator) kicked a rock at the side of his face - doing 6 points of damage!  Then it was Crandol's turn.  He rolled a 1.  The half-orc's magical black blade came down, was caught and held by the demon, then bitch-slapped against the nearby cave wall, and knocked unconscious.  Holy crap!

Finally, it was Jackal's chance.  He swung and hit, doing a fair amount of damage which the demon regarded as "merely a fleshwound" before striking back, reducing the dwarven warrior to nearly half his hit-points.  Ouch!

The trio+ decided to back away from this challenge until they were better prepared to face The Mutilator.  Jackal was pissed and wanted to quench his rage with a little senseless violence, cutting down a couple of night-clowns (or were they just regular clowns?) outside of a black structure.  The other two clowns ran inside, and the party decided to go around, venturing into another cave that contained a clown abortion in progress!

This was the final and deadliest battle (that the PCs finished).  8 night-clowns vs. the 3 PCs + Teddy Westside.  After the first couple rounds, most of the clowns were dead and had only dealt bush-league damage.  But the last 2 had detachable red noses that doubled as explosives.  The first threw his at Jackal (who made his save) and did 8 points of damage.  The second threw his nose at Zagreus (the 6th level thief, who failed his save... I think he rolled a 1).  I rolled enough damage to take the dwarven thief down to -9 HP. 

Yeah, he was in bad shape, almost blown apart due to the shrapnel.  Luckily, Teddy Westside was there with the PC's medical-droid.  The droid applied a quick-acting, antibiotic healing salve.  Ted had the foresight to collect and insight + willingness to experiment with the purple demon jizz as an infernal accelerant to the salve.

Meanwhile, the warriors dispatched the last of the clowns.  When it was all over, Zagreus was bandaged up.  His eye was badly damaged, his right arm up to the elbow was gone, and his flesh was cut-up all over, but he was alive.  Luckily, Ted knows of a top-notch cyber-surgeon in A'agrybah that could fix Zagreus up with a mechanical prosthetic.  The medical-droid explained that Zagreus would need at least a week of R&R before he was in-shape to adventure again.

"Everyone, back to the ship!"  With that, we ended the session a bit early.  It was an appropriate place to stop, so we hung-out and talked the until the 4 hours was up.

I have a feeling that next session will see the PCs' fortunes rise.  As I mentioned at the start, this felt like Empire Strikes Back - the "heroes" more or less defeated, but stabilized and preparing themselves for the conflict to come.

Aside from the multiple objet d'art lifted off of dead demons, the adventurers got some gold, that cool Klingon weapon, and a bunch of plastic purple trapezoidal coins - surely, some weird currency from another land.

If we can sustain the player-base, there's time enough for two more sessions before VENGER CON.  I'd be happy to end the Crystals of Chaos campaign with session #14, so we'll see how things work out.

Thanks for reading.  If you enjoyed the session report, leave a comment!

Edit - forgot to mention, between the hot-tub and clown abortion was a random encounter of some dancing lights that the PCs decided to basically ignore and march through.  At the tail end of the session, the medical-droid ran a scan on Zagreus, but Crandol was right next to him - and it picked-up that the half-orc warrior (very much a male) was pregnant!

VS

p.s. VENGER CON, you say?  What's that?  Only the most old-school RPG convention in the Midwest, hoss!  Weekend badges still available.  And if you want the books that comprise my eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse campaign setting, you can acquire the hardcovers right over here.  If you want to see some Cha'alt reviews, check out google and/or YouTube! 

Crystals of Chaos [session report #11]

 

I'm going to make this short and sweet because time is running out.

3 players because of summer absences.  It happens.  Still a great game, and 3 players was enough to get by.  Crandol, Jackal, and Heighten Chancery Philthrop III.  Let's do this...

More than 2 weeks elapsed since our last session, so there was some recapping and deciding what happened to the PCs who weren't there.  Robard and Zagreus were back on the ship.  The camera crew, Vanessa, and Ka'arl were with the adventurers exploring the magenta saturated caves and tunnels of Cremza'amirikza'am.

They found the source of the magenta illumination, felt the good vibrations, and a whole bunch of hanky-panky happening in this cave.  I thought they already explored this area, so reminded them that this machine is why levels 1 and 2 look this way and why everyone's so horny all the time.  But I might have been thinking of another group.  At worst, I ruined the surprise.  But at least now it makes sense to them.  Well, more sense than it did prior to this point.

I believe a tentacled, three-breasted woman caressed the halfling's neck suggestively and they hooked up against a nearby cave wall.  The half-orc also took his pleasure where he could find it.  There are in-game bonuses, after all.  

Meanwhile, a dark elf filmed much of what was going on for an OnlyFans account, and then began filming the camera crew as they were filming him.  Inception!

I decided to roll on a few random tables available for Cremza'amirikza'am.  There was a Cha'altquake, some rocks fell, and a demon girl flirted with them in a tunnel... plus, the exotic fragrances of this megadungeon.

Wasn't long before the PCs finally ran into the fried chicken shack and whorehouse they'd been looking for.  The one Vanessa, their traveling companion, had the legal right to, bequeathed by her uncle.  The PCs found the current proprietor and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.  So, he left with this life and a bucket of greasy chicken.

With Vanessa newly installed as the boss of Breasts, Legs, and Thighs, the adventurers kept exploring (after having their fill of fried chicken and prostitutes, of course).

They rescued a young man who goes by the name Teddy Westside.  Several humanoids dressed in "skeleton spandex" outfits were throwing daggers against the wall, with him already shackled to it.  Once freed, he decided to join the party.  Especially, since he knew his way around.  Ted could act as a guide.  What could go wrong?

The party snuck up to a cave where Teddy Westside's former master, the warlord K'chava was having a celebration.  While hatching the perfect plan, Ted decides to implement what he's overheard so far straight away.  So, he runs in, says something insulting to K'chava, and runs out for the PCs to thwack him.

K'chava was a match for them, but his lieutenants were bush league. The PCs had them all down within 3 or 4 rounds.  The warlord has a massive amount of crystals, which the PCs took with them.  Crystals, along with finding Commander Andrak, was their prime reason for entering Cremza'amirikza'am.

Then, they found a zipper running along a tunnel wall and found an opening to hyperspace.  Weird!

Not long after, the halfling wanted to check out this dark cave with soft moaning issuing from it.  "There might be jewels in there," he said.  Just at that moment, a brilliant plan entered into my head.  As Heighten Chancery Philthrop III crept inside, I told him that he saw a good sized ruby glittering in the darkness.  "Oh yeah, that's more like it," he said, half-expecting to simply find more lovemaking.  "See, I told you there might be gems in here."

At that point, I described his realization that the ruby was the jeweled backside of a butt-plug already inside a woman's posterior as she had her front half busy with the humanoid in front of her.  Disappointed, the halfling left the cave, rejoining the rest of the party.

The PCs fought a half-dozen dark elf slavers who were being forced to mine crystals.  It was a touch battle and unfortunately Ka'arl got shot with a laser blast right through his eye.  His was the only party death this session.  They just barely conquered the slavers (the leader called a giant worm with a conch shell that helped the drow in battle), and were hatching a plan to keep the slaves for themselves.

Unfortunately, Teddy Westside, who was elsewhere when the PCs were scheming, started yelling out that the slaves were free and told them to enjoy their freedom as he high-fived them all on their way out of the crystal cave.  The adventurers were a little upset, but couldn't stay mad at Ted.

There was a secondary fried bat (chicken of the cave) and bordello at this end of level 2.  So, they told everyone there that they were now working for Vanessa, or they could die.  

Finally, the PCs came across a few scientists and technicians who were trying to impregnate some humanoids with a xenomorph in a nearby cave.  That ended terribly for them because if the Crimson Bastards like to do anything, it's to fuck shit up.  And fuck shit up they did!

After everyone was dead, we wrapped the session up there for next time.  I hope that in two weeks, we'll have a party of 5 again.  Until then, thanks for reading, hoss!  Our condolences go out to Ka'arl.  I'm sure there'll be a memorial back on Jefferson.  

VS

Game with us at VENGER CON II: Electric Boogaloo this July 21st - 23rd in Madison, WI.  Weekend badges still available!  And if you want to get your slimy tentacles on my signed and numbered, hardcover Cha'alt books, ordering details are right over here.

Nightwish Movie Review

 

I haven't reviewed a movie on this blog in a long time.  Well, I watched Nightwish (1989) yesterday, and now I want to talk about it.

The TL;DR version is that it's weird and recommended (especially if you love Cha'alt)... but don't go in thinking it's going to rock your world.  This is standard B-movie fare.

There's a little bit of From Beyond, Altered States, The Haunting, and probably a half-dozen other movies blended within.  Here's the gist - a team consisting of parapsychology students, their teacher, and his Igor stand-in go to some remote house to study ghosts or aliens or demonic forces.  Wackiness ensues.

There's something going on... something wrong with this area of the desolate location.  I believe I heard animal mutilation, people going crazy, maybe there was a line about bug infestations.  The exposition is kind of blasted at you like a shotgun.

The reasons I liked it are the following...

• One character is like the stereotypical Chad on steroids.  
• There's enough otherworldly color going on to give Dario Argento a run for his money.
• Some nice skin is shown - BOOBS!!!
• A woman orgasmically writhes around a cavern floor surrounded by magenta and chartreuse mist (it's like they recorded it straight from my Cremza'amirikza'am sessions).  
• Badass special effects that were both super cool and utterly gross.
• Cool ideas mashed together... is it ghosts, aliens, demonic forces, or something else?
• Unexpected, but not out of nowhere gonzo-twist ending.  

While Nightwish could have used another editing pass on the script, it did a fine job.  The acting was serviceable.  The girls were cute.  The FX were superb.  It just needed more to push it over the top, either unifying it or making it even more scattershot surreal.  Imagine if this had John Carpenter's flair, or at least one of his epic synthesizer scores!

I happened to buy the new blu-ray disc, but maybe you can watch it for free somewhere?  I'd give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

One more awesome thing came from watching Nightwish... while I was thinking of different scenes I could slip into my upcoming Cha'alt marathon session at VENGER CON in 3 weeks, it occurred to me that a checklist would help compile all my GMing notes together in one place.  That would work even better if it contained all the things that go into a Cha'alt adventure or campaign.

Check out the latest update on my SubscribeStar page to see the rough draft.  I'm having an artist work on the revision and when it's finished, it'll be awesome.  Expensive, but awesome...

Your support allows me freedom to work without the fear of losing everything if I'm canceled.  

Happy 4th of July, hoss!  Independence... it's a wonderful thing.

VS

Chartreuse Shadows coming soon...

 

The raw text for Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows was completed yesterday.  I'm going to give it one last look today before sending it over to the proofreaders.  

I fully expect the PDF to be finished by the end of March, and hopefully (tentacles crossed), I'll have 1,000 gorgeous, luxury, hardcover books in my hands by July.  That's assuming supply chain issues don't cause delays.

The main feature of Chartreuse Shadows is the megadungeon Cremza'amirikza'am.  I'm excited to show everyone because it's really cool.  I don't know, maybe it's the most awesome (certainly in the running for the most Venger) gaming thing I've ever written.

Not everyone's going to love it, of course.  And that's ok.  If I wanted bland, beige content that didn't risk offending anyone, I'd take one of those low-paid internships at D&D, or simply hop onto DM's Guild.

Thanks to everyone who's attended my playtests, the amazing artists and crowd-source dudes on social media who gave me suggestions, backed the Kickstarter(s), supported me, bought my stuff, helped with promotion, and is doing their own thing, their own way.  I appreciate you!

VS

p.s. Now, that January is here... it's time to rev-up promotion for VENGER CON in Madison, WI this July. Nothing but old-school, OSR, and traditional roleplaying games for an entire weekend.  Attendance limited to 100 people.  Grab your ticket before they run out.  The hotel is saving a block of discounted rooms, as well.

Last One-Shot of 2021

 

Earlier today was the very last one-shot of the year.  2021 has been... interesting.  Better than 2020 isn't saying much, but yeah... I might do an end of the year wrap-up next week.

Unexpectedly, I cut my hand on one of our plastic childproof locking mechanisms after logging into Roll20, but before the session actually started.  Not letting spilled blood go to waste, I ordained it a ritual sacrifice while concentrating on the Kort'thalis meta-sigil.

Anyway, I had 3 stalwart players in this session...

• Warren of the Wasteland - a Mad Max style human warrior.
• Omar Nasr - a sorcerer from Carcosa who worships The Yellow King and occasionally talks to a little skull tied to his belt.
• Tief - a demon sorcerer played by a guy who's never played in one of my games.  Predictably, there's a bit of a disconnect between my "home game" and whatever official D&D stuff is normally presented.  

Since these were new characters (started at 3rd level with max HP) but 2 of the 3 were veterans of Cremza'amirikza'am, I told them they had only been in the ancient megadungeon a few hours, but that was enough time to get acclimated.

They followed a couple stained popsicle sticks to a demon playing around with a high-tech device.  The PCs believed it might be a popsicle maker, but alas, it was only a portable, electronic chess game.

After some small talk, there was a "cremquake" which just means earthquake mixed with Cremza'amirikza'am because these caves and tunnels are so ancient that instability is its middle name.  During the cremquake, several chunks of stalactite fell from above and a section of rock wall collapsed, revealing several humanoid skeletons entombed within.  One of them wore a turquoise necklace.

Now, Tief had something to trade for the chess device.  Admiring the necklace, the demon said, "I'll probably give this to my girlfriend.  She lives in Ca'anada."

The exchange was made as the PCs wandered down the tunnel, listening to a half-demon explain a bizarre game to several humanoids who were interested in playing to win a magical ring.

A bit later, the PCs fought 5 demon berserkers, dispatching them easily because of sorcery.  Specifically, Omar cast sleep which took out 4 of them.  Tief wounded the last with eldritch blast (I did some conversion work in my head, since there's no "eldritch blast" in Crimson Dragon Slayer D20.  Warren landed the final killing blow.

Looting the bodies, they found a decent amount of gold and platinum pieces.

Just beyond, they spotted a slumbering, green draconic-worm blocking the southern tunnel with its massive bulk (20' long and about 5' wide).  

Before dealing with the dragon-worm, I suggested... or rather, a producer on the show suggested that at least one of the PCs say a few words in the confessional booth.  Warren nominated Tief, and his player did his level best to both understand what the fuck was happening and to play along.

Basically, Tief told everyone about his carnal knowledge regarding a girl in some village or settlement who looked like Kiera Knightly.  

Then Omar hopped on and talked about his companions, specifically Warren, and how he might be converted to the worship of Hastur.  

So, not only is the confessional concept weirdly gonzo and hilarious, it can also introduce new threads of characterization and gameable ideas.

Finally, the party snuck-up to the draconic-worm and attacked.  Warren used the first stress die (communal and first come, first served) to up his damage.  Everyone else let loose on the dragon-worm, as well.  The creature got one attack in before it was burned to a smoldering crisp, nearly killing the sorcerers who were drained of vitality from casting spells.  

That's what happens when you don't have a cleric.  Every time, the new initiative system has been successful.  Everybody loves the new name... TWERPS, which means (in order of who gets to act) thieves, warriors, enemies, retainers, priests, and sorcerers.

I told the players they needed to read the blog in order to find out what was in the pile of treasure behind the dragon-worm's burned corpse.

7 orange and green Easter eggs, a magical battle-axe, 437 gold pieces, 111 platinum pieces, and a huge chunk of shiny green calcite.

Not bad...  Overall, I'm pleased with the adventure.  I know the veteran players enjoyed themselves, but wasn't too sure how the new guy felt about things.  My games are probably night and day different from the usual D&D Roll20 session.

Aside from getting to play at all (which is always fun), and playtesting several new mechanics, I reached a place of comfort with Cremza'amirikza'am that I can improvise encounters without much thought.  I know the place so well that ideas will just come to me and I rarely have to check my notes.  That tells me it's real enough to exist without me.  The next few weeks will be making sure everything is clear enough for GMs who aren't me.  I want them to be able to run it without unnecessary trouble.

Want to be kept up-to-date on when I'm running one-shots?  Follow me on Twitter, MeWe, and this blog.

VS

p.s. Want to attend a gaming convention that's exclusively about old-school tabletop RPGs?  VENGER CON is taking place in Madison, WI this July (2022).  No masks; no mandates!

Confessions, Stress, and Sigils in Cremza'amirikza'am

 

Ok, this was a wild one.

Not only did I need to playtest game mechanics that were totally new to me, but I reveal an occult method I've been using to up the immersion factor.  Let's get into it.

I had 4 players... 2 veterans returning and 2 noobs (1 of which had to leave early because of some emergency).  They were...

• Shiraz, a reptilian cleric of Dagon specializing in the combat fork.
• Meat, a pin-headed, axe wielding human fighter (but flavored like a barbarian) looking to make enough gold to keep him in wine and wenches.
• Hiraeth, a human fighter seeking knowledge (this is the player who left early).
• Grrber, a human fighter (this player came prepared with a Paizo-approved character, but then quickly learned we don't do that here).

Disoriented from eating weird fruit, the PCs found themselves at a crossroads, unsure where they came from or what might be down the next tunnel.  The magenta illumination was faint, but ever present.

I don't normally share the "open crawl" portion that starts off the adventure because I basically just ad-lib a paragraph or two that makes sense for the potential encounters the PCs might face.  But today, I'm copy/pasting it...

Whether you've lived on Cha'alt all your lives or only a few short years, it feels like forever. You grew tired of poverty, hot sand, and even hotter twin suns nestled in the fuchsia sky. The irradiated desert wasteland was giving you headaches, anyway. Why not try your luck in a network of caves and tunnels so ancient and subterranean that even the Gods can't see what's going on down there? You've been exploring Cremza'amirikza'am for a few days now... possibly weeks. Choose a motivation. Maybe it's treasure or becoming a formidable opponent or knowledge of the long-dead snake-men empire?

Ok, what's next?  Oh yeah, Shiraz wanted use his sense of smell to detect humanoids nearby.  His faculties picked-up on something.  The scent of sex was in the stale air, and the foursome followed it west, where they encountered several demons running train on a brunette woman.

There was some debate on whether the PCs should leave them be, since the woman didn't seem to be in distress, but ultimately they decided to take advantage of the situation and surprise the demons.

Meat got Advantage for his sneak-attack, killing the first demon.  We used the easier initiative system that Shiraz' player named TWERPS... Thieves, Warriors, Enemies, Retainers, Priests, and Sorcerers.  

Later that round, Meat went for his standard attack after the surprise thrust.  He rolled mediocre damage, but I asked him if he wanted to take the first of three stress dice.  He did, and rolled well enough to lop off the demon's head.

The cleric of Dagon blasted a demon with an eldritch ray, realizing afterwards that using such supernatural powers drained his own health, just like sorcerers.  The sudden cost comes from the idea that Cremza'amirikza'am is shielded from the prying eyes of the Gods.  What they cannot see, they cannot do.  So, a priest's powers must be fueled by himself.

By the end of the battle, everyone got some good hits in, easily defeating the demons who rolled poorly (thanks to my virtual dice).

Afterwards, the brunette was still in the mood and was all over Grrber.  He roleplayed the character well, not wanting to dilute his seed amongst all the demon jizz.  But this was Cremza'amirikza'am and the magenta intensified.  I had him roll a skill-check (something I rarely do in these games) to see if he could hold back.  One failed roll later and the brunette coaxed it out of him.  

Meat said "Weak pull-out game," and we all laughed. 

While that was happening, I tried out the confessional mechanic.  This is something my friend Judd talked about on MeWe, explaining an aspect of the RPG InSpectres which I hadn't heard about.  Basically, you treat it like a reality TV show where characters occasionally break off, go to a booth just off-camera, and speak directly to the viewing audience.  My spin on it is a little different than InSpectres, but I wanted to give credit where credit was due.

I had a feeling this would add a whole other layer of meta gonzo to proceedings, and I wasn't disappointed.  Meat did a great job, earning himself another point of Divine Favor.  After history was made, the characters continued on... post-looting, of course.

We only had about 20 minutes left of the 90 so I came up with a weird encounter on the spot.  The other two stress dice were used, as well as, additional Divine Favors.  At the end, the PCs prevailed but found a curious object... which caused Shiraz a bit of consternation.  

So, another playtest with the initiative system was most welcome.  Still enjoying that.  The stress dice seemed to go well.  I don't want to go into too much detail about that, but am looking forward to hearing player feedback.  As for the confessional, this feels like something I've been searching for a long while but just couldn't put my finger on it until my conversation with Judd.

But now it's all falling into place and it seems perfect for the masterpiece of stupid gonzo that is Cha'alt.  Hopefully, Matthew (Meat's player) enjoyed his very brief stint in the confessional booth.  We've just taken our first steps in a whole new world.

Last but not least, the Kort'thalis sigil.  I've been interested in the occult and magic since I was young.  Post-college I really began studying things like chaos magic, which is big with sigils.  Kort'thalis is something I designed long ago, and decided to use it to increase the immersion of my games.  It was originally designed to be a meta-sigil, so I knew Kort'thalis had the capacity to help.

Before each game, I meditate on the sigil for a minute (sometimes longer).  My intention is to make the shared world we imagine as real as possible, as if the characters were actually in Cha'alt, and events were actually taking place in this alternate universe we've manifested as a group.  

Might sound strange or stupid to some, but after a dozen or so sessions, I think it's working.  The games I run have turned a corner in some ways, and the immersion on my end feels noticeably heightened.  You can only do so much with virtual, text-only, and 90 minutes, but we do what we can, right?

If anyone is unconvinced yet still open-minded, I encourage you join one of my Roll20 games.  I'll be running another one-shot sometime after Xma'as.  Follow me on Twitter @VengerSatanis to be kept up to date.

Also, HERE is my latest video that explains a few things.  Please comment, like, subscribe, and share!  I'd like to hit 1,000 subscribers by the new year.

Thanks for reading,

VS

p.s. The holiday sale is almost over - $90 for both luxury hardcover books, signed, numbered, and personalized by yours truly.  That price includes shipping within the USA (outside, add $40).  Paypal me at: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Keep It Simple, Stupid

 

If you'll remember my last blog post, I advertised another playtest session for the megadungeon I'm currently working on and a couple different initiative systems.

As for the latter, long story short, I prefer the super-simple rules-lighter-than-light version.  Thieves, then Fighters, Opponents, Clerics, and finally Sorcerers.  Every time; no rolling needed.  

We tried both versions and when it came to Roll20's virtual table, rolling for round segments to act on had me scrolling back up the chat box to see who rolled what and where we were at.  It would probably be better in a live game, but who knows when I'll have one of those?

So, from now on, I'm going to stick to TFOCS.

As for the session, I had six players.  That's a lot.  One of the advantages of text only is that everyone can feel rather uninhibited.  Even I occasionally get self-conscious talking to people face-to-face, but typing with the veneer of anonymity behind a computer screen, I'm free to pretty much say whatever the fuck I want... which is nice.

The downside; however, is that players feel emboldened to do whatever they want.  There's little group cohesion.  That's not all bad.  Lack of cohesion is actually pretty realistic.  On the other hand, you've got a couple PCs trying to be quiet and stealth their way through a situation, a couple PCs who just want to walk up to people and start talking, and then a PC or two who may decide they want to go north when the rest of the party tries making their way southwest.  

There's no right or wrong here; just me trying to make sense of what is.

As for the session, it was good, I think, but not stellar.  I was mainly focused on getting into as many combats as we could in 90 minutes.  Apparently, that number was two.

Aside from the combat, the PCs encountered a couple aficionados of bird law (I didn't even ask the players if they got that Always Sunny reference), a really strange scar-like zipper running across a rock wall, and they investigated some memory crystals growing near exotic fruit. 

The party's sorcerer and priest of Asta'aroth, Dal Chat, used a demon survivor to fuel his magic, saving up enough energy to cast a few different spells throughout the session, which was fun to see.  I'd like to come up with something, an energy echo or vengeful spirit of the person being used as a wizard's battery.  Hmm...

Six players kept my hands full, and this was a playtest so I had to keep flipping from Roll20 to my word doc to the map image and back to Roll20 so I could draw the caves and tunnels.  

Regarding my GM mindset, it felt more like a normal Cha'alt session.  Once or twice, I tried to dig a little deeper into my inner darkness, but yeah my tentacles were full.  Next time!

Almost forgot about the pha'at loot the PCs acquired.  They already know about the 618 pieces of gold, the jellybeans (got to use the jellybean flavor random table), but what did they get from the last deluge of demons trying to kill them?  

More gold... 236 pieces, in fact.  The big score was an ivory ring (magical) that removes the wearer's shadow in favor of a chalk outline appearing on the ground where the shadow would normally fall.  And also a small book titled Crimes of Love, a collection of short stories by the Marquis de Sade.  

I'm happy we got to try both initiative systems and there was a clear winner in TFOCS.  This coming week will be focused on finishing and fine-tuning Cremza'amirikza'am.  I'll probably run one more session before Xma'as break and then a couple sessions before the kids go back to school.

That's it, thanks for reading!

VS

p.s. Tickets still available for attending VENGER CON... old-school, OSR, and traditional roleplaying games.  Join us in Madison, WI this summer!

Crimson Initiative

 

Before I get any further, I want to run a Cha'alt session tomorrow with enough players to test out this new initiative system I'm working on.  

It's nothing fancy, complicated, or revolutionary, but more players is better than fewer in this instance.  Here is the Roll20 link.

I don't dislike the initiative system I've been using for years, but just looking for a small change of pace.  

In some areas of RPGs, such as mechanics, perfection is an illusion.  There's no ultimate end-state where everything will always be rainbows, unicorns, and lesbian cheerleader porn forever.  

Even things I love, stuff that feels perfect in the moment, must evolve for them to keep being enjoyable.  In this case, evolve might be the wrong word because things aren't always getting better and better.  Sometimes, they're just different... and that difference makes things better than keeping things the same.  Variety is the spice of life, as the cliché goes. 

Ok, without further ado, here are the basics...

• A round is one minute, broken into six 10-second segments.
• Each player rolls a die, and that initiative order lasts for the entire combat... thieves roll a d4, fighters and clerics a d6, and sorcerers roll a d8.
• Similarly, the GM rolls a d6 per group or faction and that initiative order lasts for the entire combat.
• Lowest result goes first.  Rolling a 1 means you can re-roll in hopes of getting another 1, which gives you a surprise-attack before the first round.  If a 7 or 8 is rolled, the sorcerer attacks first on the following round (spells take longer to cast + combat hesitancy for scholarly types).
• Instead of an initiative tracker, the GM will call for 1s to go first, then 2s, followed by 3s, etc.  All a player has to remember is what number he rolled.
• Those doing stuff in the same segment are considered simultaneous actions.

If that's too crunchy for the average Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 player (which is entirely possible), here's another...

Initiative order goes as follows: thief, fighter, monsters/NPCs, clerics, and sorcerers.  Doesn't get much more rules-light than that!  :)

Ok, that's it for now.  Thanks for your feedback and hope to see you at the virtual table, hoss!  BTW, Misha Burnett assisted me with both methods when we discussed initiative via email.

VS

p.s. I'm running a holiday special on Cha'alt books... $90 for both luxury hardcovers of Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise; signed, numbered, and personalized by me (PDFs included).  That price includes shipping within the USA (outside, add another $40).

When The Setting Comes To Life

 

I have an addictive personality.  Luckily, I also have a short attention span.  

Binge watching Rick and Morty put me in the Rick Sanchez vibe.  It worked, not because the role of Rick Sanchez was assumed by me, but Rick Sanchez happened to be an appropriate form for the God running my game.

Aside from stray affectations, I didn't get much from the Game Master persona today, except for this... the GM persona is mostly just a personification of the campaign world.  Being or pretending to be Rick Sanchez, Anton LaVey, Aleister Crowley, John Malkovich, or even Mister Rodgers doesn't change things enough for the players to notice.  If you want to enter that mindset, cool.  But if the game's setting is to take center stage, whatever persona the GM inhabits must first serve the world, it's themes, tropes, aesthetics, and vibe.  

The right frame of mind allows the GM to spontaneously create when the world is personified through him.  As the GM is god of the game, fashioning that god into something that fits the campaign setting should be the goal.  Personification might be the wrong word... deification is probably more accurate.

Anyway, let's get down to the play report business.  I had 2 players in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon, which was fine by me.  Sometimes, the less the merrier.   3rd level, max HP... let's go!   

These are returning players, but only one was familiar with Cremza'amirikza'am (which I didn't remember until after the game when I got his feedback - see below).  

If this was a Netflix show, the three tags you'd probably find would be "Depraved", "Sleazy", and "Infernal".  I've talked about the usefulness of tags before.  It helps to have reminders about what the world is about, how the adventure feels, the way it tastes on the players' lips.

• Shiraz - reptilian cleric of Dagon
• Za'aren - half-demon thief

That's all the detail we needed for a 90-minute session.  The duo began their adventure in the subterranean demon city known as Lex Talionis.  They saw a few weird, sick things on their way to ask beggars for information.  After that, a trip to demon sorcerers in a cave.  The sorcerers were creating a flesh shell for this infernal shadow entity.

Going back a bit, asking beggars if they know of any work to be had wasn't part of the adventure I had planned.  One of the players mentioned that would be a good place to look for tips, hearsay, and whatnot.  I didn't disagree.  But I didn't have anything compelling to add to the encounter... until I decided to do a bit of worldbuilding. 

"Safe passage through suffering on all sides," the beggar said.  I told him it's something he's heard before from demons in Cremza'amirikza'am, basically meaning "have a good trip".  

That player asked if there was a typical response.  You've heard other demons respond with "Cha'alt", I said.  To them, it means more than just the name of this planet.  And if you, dear reader, know the meaning of the word Cha'alt, then I don't have to tell you why that's an appropriate reply.

The demon sorcerers needed more flesh (don't they all?), so the PCs looked for humanoids they could ambush.  Another frequent saying down here is "Don't make long-term plans in Cremza'amirikza'am."  Turns out, there's a reason for that.  No sooner did the adventurers make it up to level 4 when they were ambushed by night clowns looking for fresh prey.

While I love the initiative system I've been using over the last couple years with Crimson Dragon Slayer D20, I decided to try out something new.  I won't go into detail because otherwise this blog post would get too long.  Besides, I need more than a single play-test session under my belt to see if it's seaworthy.  

Combat with the night clowns went well.  It was the thief player's first time with Crimson Escalation.  Shiraz started things off with a natural 20, killing one of four clown attackers with a BBQ fork while Za'aren missed.  

The clowns wielded these massive purple jelly double-headed dongs with nails driven through them.  Two of the three survivors hit the PCs, one rolled a natural 20 for a crit.  Since the PCs were 3rd level, the damage wasn't life threatening.  

Za'aren decides to grab the double-headed dong away from the clown who hit him and "go for the eyes".  He rolled a 19, which was a crit on round 2.  So, he rolled double damage.  That, plus Shiraz connecting again meant there were only two clowns left standing.  I rolled for morale and the night clowns fled deeper into the network of caves.

The PCs decided to follow, which led them into an enormous cavern containing multiple demon factions, more clowns, and some sort of sleeping Old One at the center.  Realizing they were on the precipice of an angry hornet's nest, Shiraz and Za'aren slinked away back to their previous victims.  Two corpses in hand is better than a TPK in the bush... or something like that.

Apparently, you can't even leave dead bodies lying around in Cremza'amirikza'am.  Magenta intensifies!  As the PCs approached, they saw an elf having sex with one of the dead clowns.  Trying to get his necrophilia on, the elf was easy pickings for Shiraz, who smashed the purple dildo full of nails into the elf's skull... killing him.

Now, with three bodies ready for skinning, the duo head back down to the demon sorcerers to get paid.  And get paid they did.  But not before rifling through clothing for treasure, after a little reminder from me.  Something fell out of a clown's pocket...

As an aside, it sometimes surprises me how often players forget to have their characters loot the bodies after the battle is over and the smoke has cleared.  Personally, I like to think that's it not mere forgetfulness, but that the players feel truly immersed in the game world to the point that going through the pockets of a dead guy is the last thing on their minds.  They're too busy wondering... WTF was that?  Wow, we could have gotten killed back there.  Did you hear that noise?  Will I survive the next 24 hours?  What does this thing do?  Why are clowns attacking us outside a city of demons?  Where is that magenta light coming from?

So, the PCs heard a violet, metallic key-card fall out as the bodies were being hefted over shoulders.  Aside from that, they picked up some gold, platinum, embers, and a rainbow hued rabbit-lizard's foot.

After collecting the bounty for skins, Shiraz and Za'aren called it a win and we had to stop there.  

Interestingly, I talked with one of the players after the game and he provided some great feedback, so I'm going to copy/paste what he said...

Hi, Venger, I thought I would give you more feedback while I still had today's game in my head. I've only played in your games twice, but I definitely noticed a slightly different tone and choice of language as we played. I'm not sure if I can put my finger on it exactly, but you didn't feel like the same GM. In the first session I played with you you cracked a lot more jokes, and things were much more quickly paced. This time, the game felt more structured, like you had some hook for us to discover or adventure for us to have. I think there was a definite mismatch going on between the agenda of the players. [The other player] clearly wanted to carry on with the character he's already played and expand that PC's influence on the campaign world. Proselytizing, making contacts, etc. I was in it to play a one shot with a throwaway character and help you test mechanics. So, I was looking for the quickest way to get into trouble. Even if it was dumb trouble, like picking a fight with an evil cultist like a standard-issue D&D mook. It meant that we were pushing for very very different outcomes. In the end, I didn't want to step on the toes of the player who wanted to play his character a second time. I couldn't tell if it was the player dynamics or your gming voice experiment that changed the tone and experience for me.

In response, I told him that Cremza'amirikza'am had a completely different vibe, which called for a GM voice distinct from the usual Cha'alt stuff, even The Black Pyramid; although that's in the same ballpark.  

When running Cremza'amirikza'am, I go out of my way to establish the right tone - shades of nihilism.  I've been trying to personify that vibe when running this particular megadungeon.  Looks like my work is paying off.

If you want to read my previous blog post where I get into the GM persona concept, it's right here.  Ok, that's it for now.  Thanks for reading, everyone!

VS

p.s.  If you want non-stop old-school, OSR, and traditional gaming experiences in Madison, WI - July 2022, consider attending VENGER CON.  Get your badge today!

GMing as Rick Sanchez

 

Last night, I ran yet another 90-minute one-shot within the Cremza'amirikza'am megadungeon on Roll20.  That's nothing new.  I'm probably up to a Devil's dozen by now.

It was a night game.  So, that was new.  I borrowed my daughter's magenta lamp, turned the lights off, put on some dark ambient music and did my thing.

The way I introduced the session was also new.  I thought it would be funny if the "meet and get plot hook in a tavern" trope was tweaked a little.  So, the PCs were summoned to a strip club.  And it was so loud and distracting that the PCs didn't really hear or remember what they were supposed to do, other than get something from someone in Cremza'amirikza'am.

The last bit of newness came from the weird state of consciousness I was in (not totally baked).  Unconsciously, I probably take on aspects of other people when I'm GMing (as if I'm also roleplaying right along with the players), but last night was on a whole other level.  

I consciously became a hybrid of myself and Rick from Rick and Morty while I was GMing.  And I had a quick conversation with myself, asking me if I was being Rick in a joking ironic way, or if I was committing to the bit and was pretending, acting as if I really was Rick, except in my body with my knowledge of the game.

Yeah, it was trippy.  But the session was fun, at least from my perspective.  The players said they had a good time, too, but let's be honest here.  Can we ever truly know how players feel about the games we run?  If they stop attending, that's a dead giveaway.  But sometimes I wonder if I know the full story.  And then, sometimes, when I'm feeling deeply cynical and jaded, I ask myself if it matters... if I really care what they think.  

After all, am I not above everyone else?  Literally, the messiah?  The One?  The magus to end all magi!

There I go again, or maybe residual Rick fluid, chartreuse or fuchsia (?) hasn't been flushed clean just yet?  Or perhaps I've contracted some awful GM disease from that Alexis dude's blog.  Gross!

Anyway, I was showcasing a new part of Cremza'amirikza'am - the predominantly demon city called Lex Talionis.  Think of Escape From New York mixed with A Clockwork Orange, except with a lot more demons walking around.

I've got some more work to do on it, but what I presented had a real impact, I think.  A lot of flavor.  Maybe it was the lighting and music and drugs, but it felt kind of real.

One way of determining immersion, in my view, is to gauge how many missed opportunities there were in a session.  Mostly from the players perspective, but there's a case to be made for the GM, too.  If the world is vast and rich, there will be dozens of avenues, alternative ways where things can go.  Realizing missed opportunities makes us feel slightly annoyed, like we missed out on something.  But that's the way life is.  That's reality.  It's weird to think that lessening a certain amount of enjoyment in one area can increase the amount of enjoyment we feel in another, but I think that's the way it works.

Feel free to weigh in on that... or anything else, by the way.

Eventually, the PCs march up to the Big Bad of that particular level.  Realizing, I hope, that they were severely under-prepared, the adventurers tricked the Demon Lord Null into hiring them to assassinate the dude who sent them to Cremza'amirikza'am in the first place.  

One sack of gold later, the PCs were looking for a way out of the megadungeon.

There was a really brief combat at the session's beginning and another right before the end.  The second combat began with a surprise attack, but the first full round I let the PCs crit on a 19 because two of the players rolled 19s and time was running out.  

Was it a fudge?  Maybe, who cares?  I'm the GM, the god of all gods.  I do what the fuck I want, bitch!  Yeah, some Rick is still lodged inside me somewhere.  

As you can tell, I'm trying to keep the length of this blog post manageable, as well as, avoiding spoilers.  If you really want to smell the inside of Cha'alt adventure, play in one of my games.

Have a great weekend!  I'll announce another Roll20 session sometime next week.  Follow me on Twitter, MeWe, and YouTube [speaking of which, here's a related video entitled Game Master Persona] for notifications.  Also, keep visiting my blog.

VS

p.s. I'm running a sale on luxury hardcover Cha'alt books (limited edition, signed and numbered).  $50 for one or $90 for both Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise within the USA (foreign shipping is an extra $30 for one book and $50 for two).  

Physical book purchases get you free PDFs, as well.  Paypal me at: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com 

GameHole Con 2021 [part 3]

 

I'm not going to do a blog post for each and every game I ran at GameHole Con this year, but this one was really cool.  If you want to see part 1 or part 2, check 'em out.

On day two (Friday), I got a chance to run players through my latest creation, and one that I'm still working on.  It's the subterranean cave and tunnel megadungeon known as Cremza'amirikza'am.

This session was billed as a little spicy, but still very much a dungeoncrawl... maybe that's why I had seven dudes at the table (the only game where there wasn't at least one woman).

I do have openings written down ahead of time, but am always tempted to create something new in the moment, when inspiration strikes.  For whatever reason, I decided to start this session with the PCs overhearing the discovery of that demon-fabled system of caves in the tavern, just before the lizardman who spilled the beans had his intestines spilled out from a dagger in the gut.

And then a princess-witch was sunbathing on top of the platform in the lost city.  That set the tone.  As usual, a few players didn't know what to make of these odd and mildly sexually charged encounters.  But enough players were ready to roll with the punches, so it's ok if some are hesitant or don't know how to feel about encounters like a redhead with banana-men bodyguards who just inherited a chicken shack and bordello down here in Cremza'amirikza'am.

Soon after, the prospect of combat and treasure seemed to invigorate the players.  Monks, security droids, and a stockpile of loot owned by Pizza the Ha'at (if you've seen Space Balls, then you know who I'm talking about), using Monsieur Froma'aj as an alias on Cha'alt. 

The PCs did well for themselves, taking pretty much all of it - including a circuit board that seemed really valuable for no discernible reason.  Maybe just because Pizza the Ha'at wanted it?

After that, there were crests and troughs of high weirdness and standard sword & sorcery tropes.

One of the funniest parts, for me and I think a few of the players, was the replicant film crew who decided to film the PCs' exploits as a documentary with their camcorder.  So, the second half of the session was expertly documented for posterity.  I wish we, the gamers, could actually see the footage they captured.

The PCs cleared the entire first floor and then a cave or two on level 2.  I had maps of Cremza'amirikza'am (the first three levels) printed and laminated for the event.  Those looked good, and the players appreciated the visual aid.  All combat was theater of the mind, though.

Also, I should mention, for every game, except for Alpha Blue, I used my laminated Crimson Escalation visual-aid tracker for extra crits.  As usual, Crimson Escalation favored the players, which they greatly enjoyed.

I've been running playtests of Cremza'amirikza'am on Roll20 for the last couple months prior to my Kickstarting Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows right now - please back it!  But what I came up with only a week ago in terms of puzzles had never been playtested.  

Turns out, what I wrote worked like a charm.  And led the player who successfully pulled a sword out of an effulgent indigo crack in reality to say that in all his life, he's never had a character wield a blade that powerful and awesome.

I won't go into any more detail other than to mention the nudist colony, empress trapped in ice, and Ta'arna on a mission of revenge.  All in all, Cremza'amirikza'am is coming along nicely.  I feel it's a solid mix of eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, and post-apocalypse... along with my trademark humor, sleaze, and pop-cultural references. 

Everyone said they had a good time, and I even got an email after the convention thanking me again for running that session.  I'll copy/paste it below...

Dear Vengar,

Thank you for running Cha’alt for us at GameHole Con, it was a great introduction to you as a person and what you value as a designer.

You’re absolutely right about the masks, issues of speaking volume, and noise. The noise got so bad by the end of the convention I was asking people to pull down their masks to speak (shockingly, nobody had a problem with this).

Things I loved

• Crimson Escalation was a great idea! Some kind of large red d20 that changes between rounds with the number you crit on would have been a good addition.
• I like how you brought up erotic things, but did it as a matter of genre, and kept the narrative moving along.
• You kept the story moving. I think we got more done in your game than any other con game I’ve ever been at.
• Giant Maps! Who doesn't love a giant map?

I don’t have a google account, so I couldn’t post this on your blog, but I thought it would be worth sending you anyway.

Sincerely,

—Colin

That getting more done is a testament to my laser-focus on one-shots over the last 5 years.  When these blog posts are done, I'll be turning my attention to One-Shots Like A Fucking Boss, as well as finishing up the megadungeon for Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows.

Thanks to Colin, the Cremza'amirikza'am players, and GameHole Con.  I'll try to get the next blog post out tomorrow.

VS

Waning Sexy Cremza'amirikza'am

 

This play report didn't have much sleaze, but there were a couple of nice battles.

7 players.  Three veterans, a couple people familiar with what was going on, and a couple noobs.  Interestingly, no sorcerers... just fighters, thieves, and clerics.  Everyone started the session at 3rd level with max HP.

I gave my usual intro - trekking through the hot desert; above, the fuchsia sky containing twin suns.  Those who'd discovered the fabled and forbidden Cremza'amirikza'am below the lost city found others to join their adventuring party.

It's always important to cut to the meat of the scenario after the introduction is over.  For this megadungeon, the entree is exploration. 

Stepping onto the cave system of level 3, the PCs noticed a decrease in the magenta-violet illumination from the machine on the previous level.

They saw some weird looking plants creeping along the rock walls, as well as animal and human remains strewn along the ground.  

Misha, the player whose character was a pixie-fairy asked an important question that I had no answer for.  How tall was the ceiling?  So, I made one up on the spot, as GMs must do when faced with such a predicament.  It varies, I said, ranging from 7' to 9'.  I might change that as time goes by.  Good thing he asked it, though.  Future players will undoubtedly want to know.

Another PC, Splits, a demon and thief by trade, took a bone and began to sharpen it on the rough cavern wall.  Unfortunately, he ripped open a few spore-pods that emitted a yellow gas.  Mirdon, a human fighter, decided to "take one for the team" and breathe in the gas.  Not sure why, maybe he thought there was a chance it would be good for him?

In any case, I asked him to make a saving throw.  Lucky for Mirdon he rolled a 19.  The wave of nausea dissipated as soon as it began.

Then, all of a sudden, an arrow hits Alizon, the dwarf thief.  It came from the west and more arrows followed.  The archers were well hid and the PCs had difficulty hitting them.  So, a couple of them charged to engage the archers in melee combat.

Attacks of opportunity were rolled.  They missed Grimda'ark the human fighter, but hit Yarra the half-orc cleric.  But at least the two heavy-hitting PCs were in the archers' faces and swinging wildly.  Grimda'ark using his legendary, pastel, crystal encrusted Ga'ay Blade.  Sadly, the glittering power of his ga'ay blade kept missing the mark.  

Thankfully, Yarra picked-up the slack.  She was rolling solid hits and doing more than her share of damage.  The archers dropped their bows and stabbed with poisoned daggers.  Yarra was hit, but she also made her save, and was unaffected.  Then she killed one of the former archers.

Alizon took out her throwing dagger and with a natural 20 sent it straight into her opponent's eye.  That was the end of that encounter.

The PCs found a vial of black liquid, strange silver hexagonal coins with a square shape cut out of the middle, their weapons, and an orange-stained popsicle stick laying on the ground nearby.

Speculation mounted, but they soon moved along, investigating as they went. They saw cave paintings that showed humans being imprisoned and tortured by demons and a godlike demon sitting upon a throne of skulls.  Sorcerous glyphs were also scrawled upon the rock walls, but without a magic-user, they couldn't translate them.

A purple-stained popsicle stick wasn't too far away, and next to that was an old rusty grate, leading to a ventilator shaft or perhaps a sewer.  The pixie-fairy peeked into it, considering if he should go all the way in (assuming someone smashed a hole through) since coins were visible down there.  But they decided against it.

Lathander, the human cleric, attempted to sense evil in one direction or another since there were several avenues open to them.  They followed what evil Lathander could detect - walking up to a teal-tongued demon chained to a massive rock.

The demon offered a single wish to the party in exchange for his release.  The party freed him, but soon after they were attacked by some monster that was preparing to feed upon the demon.

That was a longer battle, and almost saw the demise of Alizon.  It took 4 lengthy rounds to kill the beast, Mirdon critted twice (thanks to Crimson Escalation) and everyone else got some good hits, too.  Lathander kept healing Alizon who took the most hits and damage.  

After their kill, they followed its tracks to the monster's lair and claimed several gemstones as big as an elf's fist.  Nothing super impressive, but enough for every party member to retire on (or at least take a good 3 or 4 years off from adventuring).  

VS

p.s. If you want your gorgeous hardcover Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise books before the Kickstarter for book 3 later in the month, Order them now!