RiftWalker Luminvale Campaign Overview & Thoughts (1-3)
Another great DYSONLOGOS Map used as the home of the RiftWalkers under the Gearstone Circle.
Open the Gate of Gearstone Circle
The group was taken down by their half giant friend Dorak to the small cave in which he has been living. There they explored a recreation room; a forge, storeroom and workshop; a library and record room of the past RiftWalkers. There was a turbine room with a golem that was used as a training bot form the past legendary explorers. They fought it and successfully toppled it. Sally summoned a zombie to fight for her and suffered a broken leg. DJ Technomancer assisted and blasted the beast. Barnaby held and punched the creature. Socko overcame his fear and assisted his friends. Inside its heart, Dorak took a burning blue crystal. They activated some levers and accessed a room that had a free standing space inside four stones. Once touched two coloured stones appeared. One represented the burning fire, and the other represented the growing tree. They chose the fire. The great gate then opened.
Crystal of Fiery Freedom: The crystal blazes with an intense, vibrant light, casting flickering shadows that dance across the chamber walls. Its surface pulses with fiery energy, radiating warmth and vitality like the roaring flames of a bonfire. Those who stand before the crystal feel a surge of exhilaration and liberation, as if carried by the winds of change and possibility. Touching the crystal ignites a burning passion within, fueling a relentless drive for freedom and ambition that propels one towards new horizons of adventure and discovery.These merged crystals embody the combined virtues of altruism and law, as well as freedom and ambition, within the depths of the Gearstone Circle.
The group marked “fire” in Renown by choosing the crystal of fiery freedom - as a moment of fate.
Downtime
Socko - prophetic dream - A group of ant-folk keep their lair near a giant under-worm. There you will find the seal of the Caves of Wonder, in your RiftWalker quest.
Sally - heal the broken leg critical
Barnaby - learn the language of the RiftWalkers and do some translation
DJ Technomancer - Unlocks the power of the Seal of the Ancient RiftWalkers - examine the blue stone and after speaking with Dorak, you find out you have found the first seal of your journey to unite the worlds of Luminvale - the Seal of The RiftWalkers: This gives you the following abilities - you may make a willpower check to create a rift back to the Gearstone circle, once per adventure. The seal also read your heart, and found that you want to support the love of the crowd and the community. You may make any social check with an “easy” modifier - if it supports your quest to unite the worlds of luminvale
Get The “Good Stuff” From The Enoki Alchemist
Passing through the gates of Gearstone Circle, the group appeared in the Caves of Wonder. The dark and gloomy bioluminescence was overwhelming at first. A small Enoki mushroom person came and sought help from the group as their house was on fire. After putting it out as a group. They were rewarded with the spores from the mushroom. Each of them had a different experience. DJ and Sally got some hard truths about themselves from a talking rock. Socko saw the true form of the Enoki person and was told a truth about their past. Barry saw some smoke that showed him a vision of the past. They all then went through the tunnels and started a vision quest to prepare themselves for the RiftWalking path. They came across another mushroom man that sold a record to DJ Technomancer and a “cool man” hat to Sally. The hat speaks juvenile naughty words to who ever wears it. After that the path on the journey split a choice between “strength” and “empowerment” - they chose the latter and came across a ant-folk that was being crushed to death by a rock on a ledge. After Barnaby saved it, Sally helped carry it along the path. They sought to take it back to their queen. They came across a smoke cloud that Socko saw as a dragon. Sally summoned a ghost to light the path. They eventually faced it by passing through it one at a time. DJ assisted getting them through by playing enticing music on the other side. Completing their quest, They decided to seek the Seal of Cave of Wonders that Socko saw later in the caves. The group marked “tree” in Renown by taking empowerment as the path for the quest - as a legend .
Downtime
None done in this session, as they were still travelling.
Save the Ant-Folks from the Giant Worm
Stumbling upon a fantastic city of the Ant-folk, the group immediately noticed many tremors and damage being caused by earthquakes. Speaking with the very gorgeous Queen in the palace, they learnt about a giant worm that has been attacking the city. Lots of damage has been caused, whole legions of the ant army have been taken out. DJ immediately ran outside and started blasting music, while Barnaby and Socko held the speakers to the walls of the caves. Sally stayed back and talked with the Queen about her dress ware. The music enraged and summoned the massive worm, that showed the magnitude of the creature they were fighting. Jumping into formation. Socko read the creature’s thoughts to find out that it was sensitive to sound and that it was a simple minded beast. Sally summoned a Zombie to start grooving to the music to assist the group. DJ blasted the worm with music and played a song to inspire Barnaby. Barnaby grabbed the beast as it had been weakened and hurled it back into the tunnel it had come from. The Queen was very gracious and gave the group a mystical helm.
The group marked “tree” in Renown by deciding to help the Ants and not kill the worm - as a legend, The group unlocked their first Renown Adept power - A Group Title! They will be known as the “Saviours of The Ant Caves” in the Caves of Wonder world!
Downtime
Socko - Unlocks the Seal of The Caves of Wonder a mystical helm: This gives you the following abilities - you may make a willpower check to talk with the other RiftWalkers, no matter the distance, once per adventure. The seal also reads your thoughts and amplifies your mental acuity, You may make any mind check with an “easy” modifier - if it supports your quest to unite the worlds of Luminvale
Sally - sought some relaxation and solace grabbing 2 easy checks next session
Barnaby - found a tome: "Clash and Conquer: Wisdom of the Arena, as Told by the Ancients," is a revered text penned by a legendary wrestler of the old day from the Ancient Pastures. Within its weathered pages, the secrets of tavern combat are revealed through the lens of a seasoned fighter's perspective, offering insights gleaned from years of grappling in the arenas and bustling taverns of antiquity. With tales of heroic clashes and practical wisdom passed down through generations, this treatise serves as a timeless guide for those who seek to master the art of the brawl.
DJ Technomancer - found a tome: "The Pyrokinetic Codex of Tomorrow" is a sleek, futuristic tome discovered within the archives of a technologically advanced city. Its pages are filled with holographic diagrams and interactive simulations, offering aspiring pyrotechnicians a comprehensive guide to harnessing the power of fire in the urban landscape of tomorrow. From advanced flamethrower designs to cutting-edge pyrotechnic displays, this tome serves as a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of a society where fire is both a tool and an art form.
Thoughts
Theme: I so far have been enjoying the new theme. The wondrous and whimsical elements are gentle and kind to me as the RM and the players who seem to be enjoying it.
AI: I have been experimenting with AI for my own assistance, only for the use of random tables of great magnitude and tweaking some of the writing description prompts I have for areas. I am still unsure if this is what I want to do in the future. For my own game, I am happy to be assisted in creating.
Prep Light: The prep I have been doing is light, as I have more lent into the 2 hour sessions. The team has so far found a seal (outside of the first one being given to them). I am happier with the succinct session progress and the advancement of the campaign overall. I hope to be better at letting go of prep I don’t use. Less “scenes” are better in my opinion. If I prep by creating some key moments in my mind - even visually, then I can let the players take hold more.
Campaign Advancement: I need to be better at weaving in some of the “greater” fronts. The overall bad enemy; the factions; and the worlds on a great whole. I am excited to get deeper into it.
Renown: The renown section is going super well. The group is excited to mark down the final note of the session. I like it as a grounder for the group, helping them keep connected to the world and the campaign.
Balance: I like that Renown, XP and Downtime are all different things to work towards, that all add incremental abilities - but no major power for the characters. It means that players get to increase and get new things, but it means I don’t get overwhelmed in different player abilities. I can incrementally increase with them. I was recently talking with a player that said other games, like Blades in the Dark, Dungeons and Dragons and more, have massive interesting power increase. You feel more powerful, as you progress. My game is more incremental. When you gain more powers, they are more, not necessarily more powerful. I would say that increasing your pool dice and increasing your Role Abilities will add more dramatic jumps in power, but still - not as much as 4 attacks from a fighter at advantage, the wish spell, rage potion and breaker features in BitD will have. I might tweak stuff in the future on this front, but so far I am happy.
