Video Format?
So, I tried to record a brief video of me playing solo using my own solo engine to not only showcase how the engine is used, but also to try out a new format. I used a free recording tool called Screencast-O-Matic because it let me capture my webcam and my screen at the same time, but it also only lets you record 15 minutes and leaves a watermark. Meh. It’s free. If I get good at this, maybe I’ll upgrade and even get some video editing tools to spiff it up a bit.
This is a follow-up to the Character Creation post I did earlier. You may want to read it first before diving into this video for part 2.
You can watch the video below, and the full write of what I was typing is below the video. Hopefully it’s useful for someone trying to get into solo rpg play! (Keep in mind that there were several minutes passing between each pause as I thought about how things would play out and typed up a little bit. I think it’s still fairly cohesive though.)
The Typed Up Story
I know that no matter what, I have to wake up. Floating outside my body, I can only assume that the others are doing the same, so let me see if I can make contact somehow. I concentrate all my mental energy and let out a yell, “Fal! Can you hear me!”
The answer to your question is: NO BUT (d100 roll: 25)
Looking to my side, I see a faint glimmer of Fal’s incorporeal shape. I wave my arms around wildly and finally get his attention. I yell at him, “Wake us up! Use your magic!” But he only mimes that he can’t hear me. Great. I begin miming back as if I’m casting a sleep spell, but he just looks at me confused. I then do my best to act the process backwards, like a rewind. “Please understand,” I think to myself. “Try casting a sleep spell in reverse.”
In the meantime, something is finally making its way through the portal. I see a large icy foot with bright blue runes etched on the side. This is probably not good. Do it, Fal! Wake us up!
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 4, 6, 4
Recognition dawns on Fal’s face, and he begins waving his hands in intricate patterns culminating by marking a backwards letter Z in the air over each of our bodies in turn: first Fal’s, then mine, and finally over Kheirnuk’s. For a brief second, I see bright purple light shooting out of Fal’s hands towards our bodies on the altars before my sight dims and I feel my spirit being sucked back towards my body.
I come awake quickly and bolt off the altar to see that a huge ice elemental has made its way completely through the portal. We need to shut that portal down before anything else gets through. It’s time to act!
“Nice work, Fal! Now see if you can get behind that thing. We need you flanking,” I say beginning to lay down some tactics. “Kheirnuk, do you know anyway to shut a portal like this? Have you seen this before or read about it?”
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 5, 6, 5
“Aye, I’m familiar this type of beastie,” growls Kheirnuk. “I’d just as soon smash it ta’ bits with me hammer, but I see the need to close the portal. Buy me some time, and it’ll be done.” He shuffles towards the portal, and the creature begins to focus on him.
“Hey, Ice for Brains! Over here!” I shout taking a shot at the creature with my bow hoping that Fal will use this chance to flank it and do some major damage.
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 1, 6, 1
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 2, 1, 4
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 2, 3, 1
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6, 4, 2
Ice Giant: 9 HP
1 rolls of 6-sided dice: 5
1 rolls of 6-sided dice: 4
Loosing my arrow, it smashes off a chunk of the ice creature’s crust. I then drop behind the altar I was laying on as cover. The ice giant pursues me while Fal launches two bolts of fire. The first one seems to cause the creature to glow oddly, but it misses. The second one finds it’s mark though and knocks off another chunk.
“We’ve got to close that portal before any more come through!” I yell to Kheirnuk. He ignores me as he begins an ancient barbaric ritual of cleansing as if before battle. Some may find it unusual that a barbarian warrior knows so much, but that’s Kheirnuk for you. It’s like he missed his calling to be a cleric.
“Fal, can you speed up the process for Kheirnuk?” I yell. In the meantime, the beast attacks. Who does it attack?
The answer to your question is: YES AND (d100 roll: 89)
1 rolls of 4-sided dice: 2
1 rolls of 2-sided dice: 1
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 1, 4, 2
The next location you come to is: Strange. Holes are randomly dug into the earth here. They’re bigger than a fox’s hole. Could it be badgers or something worse?
The ice creature comes at me and smashes down on the altar I am hiding behind. I tuck and roll out of there and nearly fall into a small hole. It looks like pocks are forming in the ice on the river. Maybe the water refugees are back to help! Are they?
The answer to your question is: YES (d100 roll: 65)
I see one of their warrior types underneath the ice with what appears to be a super-heated spear melting down parts of the ice make these holes. Maybe I can lead the creature into getting its feet stuck in these holes and thereby making it easier to attack. “This way! This way!” I yell, dancing and waving my arms wildly before taking another shot at the creature. Do I hit? And does it get stuck?
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 5, 4, 1
Ice HP: 8
The answer to your question is: NO AND (d100 roll: 1)
–> Since the answer is an NO AND or YES BUT, a potential complication is: You are faced with a choice between the lesser of two evils.
I hit the creature again causing it to howl in pain, but its legs do not get stuck. That’s because it trips over the hole instead and begins falling towards my companions who are trying to shut the portal. Either they have to stop shutting the portal, or they’ll be squashed under the giant creature.
“Guys! Out of the way!” They glance up in time to dodge the beast as it falls, but the portal regains some of the shimmer it had lost. I turn to face underwater who was melting the ice and yell, “We need help shutting down that portal!” He nods and retreats. I hope it’s to get some help!
Meanwhile, the creature takes a swipe at Kheirnuk.
The answer to your question is: YES (d100 roll: 80)
1 rolls of 6-sided dice: 2
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 2, 3, 2
Kheirnuk rolls out of the way and says, “That’s it! You’re dead, ice hole!” He draws his war hammer and charges.
At the same time, two hesitant but determined water plane natives crawl out of a freshly melted hole in the ice and help Fal to his feet. They seem to have a brief conversation before getting back to trying to close that portal.
Kheirnuk attacks, and I take two shots at the fallen creature. (Since it’s on the ground, I’ve giving us both success on 4+ instead of 5+.)
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6, 1, 5
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6, 3, 1
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6, 2, 3
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6, 3, 4
Ice HP: 4
Both of my arrows slam into the beast while Kheirnuk’s rains down two direct hits with his war hammer that break off huge chunks of ice. The creature gives a nearly metallic cry of pain and rights itself before attacking Kheirnuk back.
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 5, 1, 3
Kheirnuk gets slammed to the side of the beast. Does he get knocked off the side of the ice?
The answer to your question is: NO AND (d100 roll: 1)
–> Since the answer is an NO AND or YES BUT, a potential complication is: Something you wanted to remain hidden is revealed.
Kheirnuk saves himself from falling off the edge, but the creature now notices that some of the water refugees are helping close the portal. How does the ice creature to seeing them for the first time?
More Details: Grief-stricken Frustration
Pausing for a moment, the creature’s eyes take on a deeper blue spark and it speaks for the first time. With great sadness in it’s voice, it says, “You…you…DESERTERS! We cared for you! We loved you! We sent this guardian to what we thought would be your aid, but you work to close the portal? Why would do this? Why would abandon us? What have these earthly beings done to you? You should come home!”
At the last pronouncement, the glowing eyes fade and creature slams its arms down in anger on the ice. Does it crack?
The answer to your question is: YES (d100 roll: 78)
The ice begins to crack under our feet. The magic users need just a little more time. How long before the ice becomes unstable?
1 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6
It looks like it will hold for now, so my best bet is to take down the rampaging creature and ask questions later. I dig into my alchemist pouch for a flask of alchemist fire and toss it to the creature hoping the flames will do some extra damage. I follow it up with a bow shot.
2 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6, 5
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 1, 5, 4
Flames explode onto the creature and it gives another bellow when my arrow strikes it. With a glint in his eyes that says, “Kill steal”, Kheirnuk pulls himself to his feet and charges for one last attack on the ice giant.
3 rolls of 6-sided dice: 6, 6, 5
It shatters into pieces just as the magic-users seal the portal with a loud, swirling suction sound. “Swhershwershwershwershweep!”
The icy outcropping begins to crumble completely, so my companions and I make a hurried exit launching ourselves over the sides and into the now nearly completed remelted river. With some help from the water refugees, we sputter our way to the land. “What was that thing, and what was it talking about?” I ask the one closest to me. How does he respond?
More Details: Lawful Opportunity
“We were within our rights! We did nothing wrong and only took advantage of the opportunity afforded us. We helped you take this creature and close the portal. Knowing that they may be after us, we can help defend better against intrusions like this. I hope that this won’t affect our arrangement with your Sir Geoffrey?”
Shaking my head, I say, “I never know what that man is thinking, but I’ll make a case that you can help defend us better from further intrusions the best I can. However, we’ll need the full story from you soon. I’m sure he’ll want that.”
“It’s not my place to say. Sir Geoffrey will have to speak to the elder about that.”
“Above our pay grade, laddie,” says Kheirnuk. “Let the big ones do the big talking. We done our job.”
I nod, and we head back to camp.
Upon arriving back to camp, we are greeted by Mizuki the child prophet. She at first appears to be nothing more than a frightened girl of 12 years of age or so. Her skin is blue where the ice had caught her outside, but color is returning now that the ice is gone. “Is everything alright? Did you fix it? Is it safe? Can I go home? Where’s my mummy?” she says in quick succession before an eerie green glow takes over her eyes and her voice deepens to say, “It shall be on the day that legend becomes history, a broken promise shall usher forth the rise of what was forgotten. Three are needed. Three shall fall. Three shall become saviors to all.”
Where to Next?
It looks like we’ll have to delve deeper into what is happening with these water refugees, and I have no idea what that prophecy means. I’m hoping to play out a random adventure or two and see what happens next. Crossing my fingers that I’ll have time soon!