Recap

The Game show continues their quest to stop the Mind Flayer investigation of Phandelver. This week we battle in the Far Realms defeating umber hulks, mind flayer, and a host of elder horrors.

Characters

Cody – Zachtos the Wizard/Cleric
David – RenRag – Earth genasi soulknife rouge
Henry – Allrick Elf scum
Taylor – Mushroom Fighter riding an Owl Bear

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game Show continues to explore the Briny Maze in search of mind flayers to murder–we battle beholders. We match wits with fanatic’s. The battle between the elemental earth and all life continues to escalate. #DnD

Characters

Cody – Zachtos the Wizard/Cleric
David – RenRag – Earth genasi soulknife rouge
Dylan – Ramen the Wizard
Glenn – Tiefling Warlock
Henry – Allrick Elf scum
Lance – Human Artificer Warlock
Mike – Half-Orc Stork Paladin
Stephen – Red the human barbarian
Taylor – Mushroom Fighter riding an Owl Bear

Milk shots are still a thing.

Cody explaining how anti-magic works.

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game Show continues to explore the Briny Maze in search of mind flayers to murder–we battle  a spectator named Jomlus, meets some friendly flumps and battle an encephalon cluster. Lots of fireballs, we consume a lot of healing potions, and eat some olive oil ice cream.

Characters

Stephen – Red the human barbarian
David – RenRag – Earth genasi soulknife rouge
Dylan – Ramen the Wizard
Glenn – Tiefling Warlock
Lance – Human Artificer Warlock

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game Show enters the Briny Maze in search of mind flayers to murder–there are also prisoners to rescue and shards to restore, but that is way less important than killing mind flayer. We meet some githyanki who are not interested in killing mind flayers. We defeat some flaming skulls with a bit of meta-gaming. Also, there are walnut milk shots. #DnD

Characters

Cody – Zachtos the Wizard/Cleric
David – RenRag – Earth genasi soulknife rouge
Glenn – Tiefling Warlock
Henry – Allrick Elf scum
Stephen – Red the human barbarian
Taylor – Mushroom Fighter riding an Owl Bear

Summary

Beyond a Lightless Star

The mind flayer fanatics have fled from the subterranean stronghold of Illithinoch to the Far Realm. There, the fanatics commune directly with their wicked deity, Ilvaash, as they begin a sinister ritual that will transform Humanoids in and around Phandalin into mind flayers. In the heart of Ilvaash’s hidden domain, the fanatics use the Netherese obelisk’s ancient magic to bring their ritual to completion. No one but the characters can stop their vile plan!

The fanatics have already begun their lengthy ritual. They believe themselves safely ensconced in Ilvaash’s domain, called the Briny Maze. At the heart of the Briny Maze, Ilvaash lurks in a vast, empty pocket of psychic quasi-reality called the Endless Void. The characters must navigate the Briny Maze—overcoming its dangers and negotiating with potential allies—before reaching the Endless Void and confronting the fanatics as well as a psychic refraction of Ilvaash.

We befriended a phase spider–our new party mascot.

The Briny Maze is absolutely amazing.

Alakazam D&D Adventure league is still looking for Wizards of the Coast to invest in organized play again.

Still very unclear why this guy was digging a hole–likely should follow up.

Great time at the table–plenty of space!

Two quarts of milked walnuts is two quarts to many.

my notes are getting better, likly switch to standard number two pencil next week.

Githyanki not wanting to kill mind flayers is just odd.

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game Show continues to battle in search of shards to prevent a mind flayer ritual that will bring back more mind flayers. We fight a yoked mind flayer, relax with Voalsh, kill more nothics, and battle an elder brain. All this plus milk shots, pizza, and brownies.

Characters

Christopher – Half-orc barbarian
David – Renrag – Earth genasi soulknife rouge
Glenn – Tiefling Warlock
Henry – Elf scum
Lance – Schwarm Elf Wizard of some sort

Summary

Rifts in Reality

While hunting obelisk fragments in the previous chapter, the characters learned of the fanatics’ headquarters: a mind flayer enclave called Illithinoch deep in the Underdark below Phandalin. In this chapter, the characters learn more about the fanatics and rescue the kidnap victims from Phandalin. However, doing so—as well as stopping the ritual that threatens to turn Phandalin’s townspeople into mind flayers—will be far more harrowing than the characters realize.

Shadow over Phandalin

The mind flayer fanatics haven’t begun their ritual in earnest, but ripples of Far Realm energy have infected some residents of Phandalin. Those who spent significant time around the obelisk shards absorbed some latent Netherese magic and are suffering strange maladies. Three of these people—Sister Garaele, Ander, and Halia Thornton—have become angry, violent, and very much not themselves. A fourth, the tiefling Wheel-of-Fortune, is on the verge of a similar transformation.

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game Show continues to battle in search of shards to prevent a mind flayer ritual that will bring back more mind flayers. We encounter grells eating sweet goo. Enoki dies after negotiating with a fanatic and then we battle a monster mind flayer.

Characters

Cody – Zachtos the Wizard/Cleric
David – Skip the Weak – Tiefling Samurai
Dylan – Ramen the Wizard
Glenn – Tiefling Warlock
Henry – Elf scum
Lance – Schwarm Elf Wizard of some sort
Taylor – Mushroom Fighter riding an Owl Bear

Not there

Louis – Bugbear Assassin
Mike – Half-Orc Stork Paladin

Other table

Brian – Calypso – Fairy Druid/Barbarian

RIP

Brian – Artemons Linktorious Lantimourous
David – Enoki – Dwarf Cleric who studies mushrooms
David – Garner – Gnome Bard/Warlock (lexicographer and logographer)
David – Halfling Bard
David – Skip the Weak (Samurai)

Rifts in Reality

While hunting obelisk fragments in the previous chapter, the characters learned of the fanatics’ headquarters: a mind flayer enclave called Illithinoch deep in the Underdark below Phandalin. In this chapter, the characters learn more about the fanatics and rescue the kidnap victims from Phandalin. However, doing so—as well as stopping the ritual that threatens to turn Phandalin’s townspeople into mind flayers—will be far more harrowing than the characters realize.

Shadow over Phandalin

The mind flayer fanatics haven’t begun their ritual in earnest, but ripples of Far Realm energy have infected some residents of Phandalin. Those who spent significant time around the obelisk shards absorbed some latent Netherese magic and are suffering strange maladies. Three of these people—Sister Garaele, Ander, and Halia Thornton—have become angry, violent, and very much not themselves. A fourth, the tiefling Wheel-of-Fortune, is on the verge of a similar transformation.

Notes

1. 120′ lightening bolt vs fire ball area
2. Azazel mind cry foul
3. Bestiary is always bad news
4. Burbling fluid
5. Dead elder brain
6. Enoch
7. Four shards
8. Glowing door
9. Green glowing door
10. Grell
11. Grell’s just want to have fun
12. It is another variant dimension
13. Ivish is Iivvash is the true ruler
14. Master of Fermented
15. Mind flayer to summon more mind flayer
16. Pool is empty
17. Rift in the space time
18. Ritual summons mind flayer
19. Ritual to use shards
20. Room with green glowing gate
21. Spicy creatures
22. Symbiotic relationship with owlbear
23. Tiefling feels pretty

Helpful URLS

Adventure

Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk – 5etools

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game Show continues to battle down the hall to rescue kidnapped villagers. He encounters a behir that mostly wrecks the party (which had been split in half–we added a third table this week). Garner the Wheelchair-bound was paralyzed and killed, by some crazed psychic grell–horrible. We continued down the hall and encountered some gibbering mouthers and a flesh meld (who is killing my new character, Skip the Weak [Tiefling Samurai], losing two characters in one week is a new low even for me).

We drank Camel Milk — there are shorts:

we ate cookies

Summary

Blasted Intersection

The stone in this area is badly scoured and scorched. The smell of ozone hangs in the air. A wide passage leads to the east.

A wide passage leads southeast to area J6. Near the ceiling, a natural opening only a few feet in diameter leads northeast to area J7. The grells lairing in area J7 use this passage to come and go without disturbing the behir in area J6; the passage is too small for the behir to navigate.

If the characters are particularly noisy, the behir slithers from area J6 to investigate.

Behir Den

An enormous nest of crushed rocks, reptile scales, and lightning-scoured bones occupies a depression in this cavern’s northwest wall. Resting in the nest is a massive, serpentine monster.

A lazy behir rests in its nest, sometimes sleeping for weeks at a time. Affected by its long proximity to Illithinoch’s elder brain, the behir has vulnerability to psychic damage.

The behir is hungry but cautious. If the characters don’t attack, the behir asks them in Draconic to drive the gricks out of the adjoining cave. If a fight breaks out, the behir tries to maneuver into a position to catch as many of the characters with its Lightning Breath as possible.

If reduced to fewer than 50 hit points, the behir attempts to flee, abandoning the area for good.

Treasure. 

The behir’s nest includes seven gold feathers worth 100 gp each, 1,520 gp in scattered coins, and a jar containing 4 doses of Keoghtom’s ointment.

Scavengers’ Nook

This wide cave is barely five feet tall. Lurking here are three monsters that look like floating brains with beaks. Against the north wall lies a moldy backpack.

Two grells lair here with their leader, a grell psychic named Vundru. Vundru used to lurk much closer to Illithinoch, where he became infused with minor psychic abilities. He has no knowledge of the Far Realm and no desire to learn more; he’s interested only in hunting safely.

The grells respect their behir neighbor, which they refer to as a Great Eater. The grells don’t involve themselves in a fight between the characters and the behir. If the characters win, the grells confer among themselves for a few minutes, debating whether those who kill a Great Eater are themselves Great Eaters. Unless the characters interrupt this debate by entering this lair, Vundru decides after a few minutes that he can become a Great Eater by vanquishing the characters who bested the behir. The grells then float out to slay the characters.

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game Show celebrates Glenn’s birthday with pizza, cake, and killing–we continue the slaughter of an evil undead dwarven cult in the Crypt of Talhund. Defeating a mummy and collecting a shield guardian. We return to Phandelver to learn the shard’s evil corruption has spread & then chase off down a long tunnel in pursuit.

Lisa made cookies

Architect’s Tomb

The statue is an old shield guardian bound to the crypt’s architect, who was buried here with several sheaves of his best architectural plans. The corrupted energies unleashed by the mind flayers bound the designs to the corpse of the dwarf, creating a mummy wrapped in architectural plans. If the characters have put the crypt’s haunts to rest (see the “Purifying the Crypt” section), the mummy doesn’t animate and the statue doesn’t move. Otherwise, the mummy pushes off the lid to the sarcophagus and rises to slay intruders, while the shield guardian protects it. The mummy has complete knowledge of the crypt, and might, for example, move through the rotating sanctum (area P14) to intercept characters who flee.

If a character spends an action, invokes the name of Dumathoin, and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Religion) check, the shield guardian and the mummy stop attacking. The creatures attack the characters again if they reenter the room.

What’s Next?

In the best case scenario, the characters recover all three obelisk fragments and put the dangers in the Starmetal Hills to rest.

Yet there are still leads for the characters to pursue. The characters haven’t found any more missing townspeople. Perhaps more concerning, they’ve learned about the mind flayer fanatics lurking deeper underground in a place called Illithinoch, and the characters now know how to get there.

In any case, the characters’ next step is to return to Phandalin to rest and learn what they can about the mind flayer fanatics.

Vocab

Scenes from the table

Dice

Cody and I are still leading the charge of quality dice.

Garner

This is my current character sheet–I am still looking for a wheel chair.

Here is my current mini, I have not painted it yet.

Weapons

Cake cutter and ice cream scoop.