D&D 4th ed Session Report 7: Where Every Critter Knows Your Hit Dice.

Another installment in Alexis' continuing adventures is here for your perusal.  It wasn't the most epic of sessions, basically being two combats.  A short and a long one.  Some folks were here, others were not.  Given how my photo program needed a 15-20 minute update cycle (Sony Playmemories you are a butt!), my extended work schedule as of late, and me playing around with my new 112 dollars on sale from 150 Logitech G710+ mechanical keyboard it took a while to get this one out.

But out it is, and under the wire once more!

D&D 4th ed Session Report 6: Things to do in Dungeons When You are Dead.

I had to work last week so no D&D then but there was a session the week before.  A session of tragedy for me as Alexis suffered an unfortunate end.  Luckily this ending didn't involve being forced to give Rush Limbaugh sponge baths but.. well.. you can see for yourselves:

Well that was Alexis painful introduction to level up.  Getting toasted by a dragon because SOMEONE HIT IT FOR MINOR DAMAGE CAUSING IT TO DO A BLOODIED EFFECT LIKE I WARNED EVERYONE ABOUT.  They are getting her raised and it made for a nice segue as I wasn't around for the next week.  So Alex got time in other realities and stuff.

Yay?

D&D 4th ed Session Report 5: The Alexis Letters Get Tentacle Crabs!

Shorter update this week.  More work hours, lots of stuff to do, Walking Dead Season 2 on Blu Ray on sale.  (Really should ignore Something Awful folks when it comes to TV show opinions.  They never seem to like anything.  Ever.  Even the shows they love they do nothing but overanalyze and gripe about.  Y'ALL GOTS TO HAVE SOME JOY SOMETIMES GUYS!!)

Plus there may be another new project coming from me..  (hints after the update)

See our DM may be taking a siesta after this week.  If I am running a non minis type of lighter RPG (possible) I will not be really doing this sort of comic report.  And thanks to an ebay purchase I now have some better copies of a couple games.  I may.. want to do something like my old Order of the Griffon Let's Play that is both here on my blog AND over at http://lparchive.org/ .  (Though I would prefer folks read it here starting at:  http://wargamedork.blogspot.com/2011/05/lets-play-fun-in-mystara-lets-play.html .

This game isn't it, but it IS a hint:

Appropriate given the Kobold-riffic adventure Alexis is in.

Though to me Kobolds always look like this:

And I mean my main videogame I am playing now also takes place around that region, with our old pal Sneakycheeks:

What stupid idea might I be doing while 4e Alexis takes a siesta?

IT IS A MYSTERY.

D&D 4th ed Session Report 4: The Alexis Letters (Starring Alexis Stewart and MY STUPID FACE.)

Another week, another report!

I had today off so other than a nice walk up to Dunkin Donuts (About a mile each way.) for a delicious iced coffee and their new boss ass Pretzel Rolls whilst listening to more of the amazing "We're Alive" audiodrama ( http://www.zombiepodcast.com/ ) I didn't have much to do so got this update out of the way!

We are now up to EIGHT players.  Five sessions ago (Six if you count Chargen session I probably could have skipped because I have a gaggle of PCs made.  And the mysterious Session Zero which mostly ended in two PCs being dead by the end of the second round of the first combat and thus retconned out..) there were but two players and a DM.  Now we have eight, though only seven present this week.  With D&D 4th this generally makes for slower games, especially as some folks get there later.

But that's ok.  It just makes for shorter session reports sometimes.  Especially when Alexis is running escort duty during the combat.

(We are almost at the point if we have any more regulars we ought to break up into TWO groups and have multi DM like the husband and wife team that runs D&D Encounters does.  Almost.)

And there we go.  My stupid face to be laughed at.  I didn't find a lot of commentary for this installment either really.  Given that it is 4e folks aren't always RP heavy in it.  And my character is mostly known for having a big annoying mouth.  (Totally unlike me, amirite?  :v  :|  :( )

But that is now six total times we have met up, and four total canon game sessions.  Which sort of breaks the usual "YAY NEW CAMPAIGN!  BOO GAME NO GO BEYOND TWO SESSION" nonsense which seems to be normal operating status of most RPG campaigns.

So we should be good for a couple months of adventuring I hope!

D&D 4th ed Session Report 3: The Alexis Letters (Starring Alexis Stewart and New/Old People.)

Yes more people from my older game groups that these days play more with each other than me have rejoined us.  Maybe I just suck or something but have been diluted like that Homeopathy horsepucky that is dumb...

Anyhow new players and we did stuff.  They were finishing up their PCs while playing (SHAMEFUL) so we didn't get a ton done.  Also they get here later so we don't get as much time in sadly.  However we did some light boardgaming beforehand which is always good.  Especially on the weeks I miss boardgame night.

And another session recorded for posterity!
(And also easy blog content for now!)

D&D 4th ed Session Report 2: The Alexis Letters (Starring Alexis Stewart and CHEATING KOBOLDS.)

New game session equals new game comic!

Another session done.  I probably could have sent Alexis out of the corridor and she would have been safer but where is the fun in that?  GET STUCK IN LIKE A MAN.  (Or in this case an obnoxious teenaged girl who takes after father entirely too much.)

Our minotaur player will be here for one more session before he has to have some medical stuff done (GOOD LUCK DUDE!) but we might have two other players to pick up the slack until his return when they would probably be skedaddling for a while.

(Which would give more people for the game store owner to dislike as he has.. issues with customer service.  And he basically bought out this store to be his Magic the Gathering clubhouse and merely tolerates those of us who play other, better, cheaper games.  They have a lot of tables so I hope he doesn't suffer the fate a similar MAGIC ONLY store did recently.)

D&D 4th ed Session Report 1: The Alexis Letters (Starring Alexis Stewart and those other guys.)

I am finally in a normal RPG campaign so I can actually post HOBBY GAMES CONTENT to this blog instead of vaguely related things as I have been doing for most of the year.  (And will still be doing but whatever.)

So its back to report comics, done as if they were letters from Alexis Stewart to her younger brother Eric.
(Nobody will care but I ran a version of him as my final Changeling LARP game.  But in that universe Alex would be a Hunter, and her dad Aaron is a Vampire.)

I went out and played boardgames tonight (Battlestar Galactica.  Where I was the WORST CYLON TIGH EVER in that I barely did anything to cause trouble.  I played things too close to the chest.  I did however get 4 Trollkin Warriors glued up.  And am now out of both glue and glue accelerator.) so I didn't have a ton of time to make this super fancy and flowery with tons of captions and the like.  But the important stuff (to Alex's eyes anyhow) is covered.

(Considering I have come to the horrifying realization Alex is very similar in personality to Mabel Pines and Rainbow Dash actually helps me bring her character even fuller to life.  That and this version of the character's father was.. quite similar in many ways.  Alex is her father's daughter after all!)

Time to get to sleep so I can play this week's session tonight.  And probably finish up whatever errands I didn't do before BSG.  (Sure I got my shopping done but no gas means car no zoom.  Also want more hobby supplies.  Painting and building minis while gaming is a great way to accomplish two things at once and keep me semi quiet.)

My D&D 4th Edition Campaign Character: Let Me Show You Her!

Me?  Playing in an actual 4th edition D&D campaign?  Not D&D Encounters but full bore, proper campaign D&D 4th?

Yes.  Yes I am.

And when I am playing actually is taking me out of D&D Encounters.  Go figure.

But as always I come prepared.

What kind of prepared?  ALL THE PREPARED:

I have everything a player needs to rock out the D&D 4th.  A compartment box full of dice, minis, and counters!  My D&D Encounters Delver Reward Card!  A counter tray full of Dapper Devil counters plus a pencil sharpener, and some beads for "Bloodied" effects.  My deck of Fortune Cards I mostly got for free.  A quick reference card to various status ailments.  My character sheet from my short term D&D Insider subscription because I am cheap.  A brand spanking new notebook with Twilight Sparkle the magical unicorn on the cover because I am playing one of the Stewart children and as she is a 17 year old girl it seems something she would have.  Also My Little Pony annoys people and I find this completely hilarious.  And a miniature of course.

(Not shown is my box of Reaper Bones, my magnetic initiative tracker, more pencils, rulebook, dry erase and wet erase pens, and Dungeon Tiles.  You would think just being a player I wouldn't need to bring a pile of stuff.  But I am the most helpful player.  With a lot of toys I need to rationalize spending money one.  So there.)

We didn't really get anything done at the first game (ok only two of us showed up and I was horribly late and we had a turn 3 TPK in the first fight in the first dungeon.  Modules made for five PCs don't work well with two.) but it was a fair warmup.  Next session I will have a nice and organized plastic tub full of my prepainted minis which are organized (human sized obviously) to go with my Bones.

Yet I do like to do PC writeups and Aaron Stewart's cheerfully outgoing daughter Alexis has always needed one.  If you want to see him in his 3.0 version from back in the day go here:  http://wargamedork.blogspot.com/2008/01/blast-from-past.html .

But now let's take a look at Alexis in her D&D 4th edition (Essentials) incarnation:

Alexis Stewart with her father's old longsword.  (Miniature is a Reaper Bones figure painted poorly by me.  But I spent a good 3 hours on her so bugger off if you don't like it.  Still looks better than most prepaints.  Most.)

Alexis Stewart

Age:  17

Height:  5' 6"

Weight:  135 lbs.

Size:  Medium

Alignment:  Good

Race/Gender:  Human Female

Class:  Ranger (Essentials Hunter)

Level: 1

Str:  10

Con:  11

Dex:  20

Int:  10

Wis:  14

Cha:  8

Skills Trained:  Acrobatics, Athletics, Dungeoneering, Heal, Nature, Stealth

Defenses:  17 AC, 12 FORT, 17 REF, 13 WILL

HP:  23 (Bloodied 11, Surge Value 5, 6 Surges/Day)

Initiative:  5

Speed:  6

Passive Insight/Perception:  12/12

Basic Attacks:

Longsword, 5 to hit, 1d8 damage

Longbow, 9 to hit, 1d10+5 damage

Feats:  Bow Expertise, Distant Advantage, Master at Arms.

At Will Powers:  Aimed Shot, Clever Shot, Rapid Shot, Aspect of the Pack Wolf, Aspect of the Regal Lion.

Encounter Powers:  Disruptive Shot, Heroic Action.

Starting Equipment:  Adventurer's Kit, 90 Arrows, Longsword, Longbow, Leather Armor, Climber's Kit, Grappling Hook, Two extra Sunrods, 7 GP.  (70 lbs carried)

Character Background:  Alexis Stewart is the oldest of the two children of adventurers Aaron Stewart (Bard/Psionic Warrior), and Mindaria Stephens (Druid).  Born when her father was 19 and her mother 24, her birth largely ended her parents' active adventuring careers.   At least for a few years.  

  Her brother Eric (Druid) was born two years after her.  Until her brother was 10, they were mostly a relatively happy family unit.  Her mother tended to the Druidic needs of their hometown while their father continued to ply his trade as a Bard while sometimes using his psionic powers to assist in other ways.  \

  From time to time the children were left in the care of the Stewarts' other former adventuring friends while they took care of various things.  Otherwise their folks were mostly at home with their aunts and uncles being the rest of the Armageddon Hunters adventuring company.  They grew up with stories and tales of adventures and were themselves trained to follow in their footsteps, though hopefully just to defend themselves from former enemies of the family.

  Yet when Eric was 10 everything changed.  One morning Alexis woke up to discover their mother had left, leaving a letter to explain what injuries Aaron had suffered in their course of their final adventure could and should not happen again, but their old enemies needed to be fought and investigated.

  This seriously hurt Aaron though he tried his best not to show it, continuing to raise his children, sometimes even taking them on missions and travels that were thought to be safe.

  One day Mindaria returned, injured seriously, being followed by minions of their old foes as she had discovered their plots and disrupted them.  Giving his children a gem of teleportation, it threw both of them across the Multiverse.  They arrived on this campaign world together, but agreed to separate and explore any and all possible routes back to their homeworld.  

  And thus Alexis Stewart begins her adventure!

Personality:  Alexis is an.. odd duck.  A mixture of tomboy with some girlishness around boys she fancies, she has a tendency to open her mouth first, then start throwing punches as she inevitably causes some sort of fight to break out.  While she is a complete "Daddy's Girl" practically worshipping the ground her dad walks on, her thoughts about her mother are.. not very kind.  As far as Alexis is concerned her mother left her father and little brother and breaking their hearts was unforgivable.

  As to her brother?  While completely devoted to him she has also made it her life's mission to make him utterly miserable and outdo him in every way.  Though while she is loud and bombastic he is quiet, sullen, and sarcastic.  She fights from a distance as a supremely skilled archer while he gets stuck in close, spinning his quarterstaff like it is an extension of his being.  In her mind he is her personal punching bag except when other people try to mess with him.  Then she jumps into the fray and wreaks havoc.

  Causing destruction and fights is FUN.

  Basically Alexis (or Alex as her friends call her, sometimes to her dismay when she wants to feel like a girl) is well meaning but she is loud, obnoxious, and tends to start fights when she thinks there needs to be one. She wears her heart on her sleeve.

  And now she has joined up with a small adventuring team to deal with stolen items and missing persons, which may have escalated to murder.

  Time to take out her 17th birthday gift.  Her bow the "Skullf*&ker 500" and do some good.

  And hopefully find a way home AND make her brother look bad in the process by doing it first!

Quotes:

"Yeah?  Well?  YOUR THE JERKFACE!!"

"GET EM!"

"ITS NOT MY FAULT YOU SUCK!"

"This is the part where if I had boy parts I would tell you to suck them!"

"Follow me and shut up.  My dad taught me how to look out for Orkie up in the trees."

Roleplaying Notes:   Have you ever seen that new cartoon show Gravity Falls?  Well Mabel Dipper is seriously a friendlier kid version of Alexis.  Its SCARY.  Add in a little love for action and adventure plus a glee at making her brother miserable and Mabel could practically be her mental twin!

(If you haven't go watch the show.  Its amazing.)