Runecairn #1
This is the first session in a solo game of Runecairn, using the Wardensaga book.
I used the character generator on the By Odin's Beard website to create the following:
Character Sheet
Appearance
You are Ulfhild. You have an athletic physique, rosy skin, curly hair, and an elongated face. You speak in a squeaky manner. You are lazy yet gregarious. In another life, you were a scout.
Equipment
Key item: Hunting knives Armour: Quilted cloth (1 Defence) Weapon(s): Hunting knives (key, d6), elm shortbow (bulky, d6, 60') Other gear: Fire oil (blast, d8), skeleton key (small) Inventory: Remaining free slots, 5 out of 10
Skills
Backstab
Duck behind your enemy and inflict a critical strike (Dex): Success: Strike your target for double damage. Failure: Retaliatory attack from the target at damage advantage. Dire strike: Follow up with an extra attack that bypasses defence.
Dash (reaction)
Deftly dodge to evade an attack (Dex, Fatigue): Success: Avoid all damage. Failure: Impair the enemy’s attack, reducing to d4 damage.
Lacerate
Slice a deep wound in your enemy for an initial d6 damage; roll d4 to determine bleed damage and duration (Fatigue).
Volley
Fire two arrows without hesitation—roll damage die twice (Fatigue). Dire strike: Fire another arrow and roll another damage die.
Attributes
1 DEF | 6 RES (2 Vigour and 4 Vitality) 10 STR | 14 DEX | 6 WIT | 10 SPI
The Cave of Echoes
Resumption
Embers from a waning bonfire crackle and drift around the echoing cave, flickering on the jagged walls damp with condensation. Ulfhild slowly wakes, with no memory of who they are or how they got here.
Ulfhild looks around for any possessions, along with an exit. They spot a broken sword leaning against the cave wall and a charred spear is driven into the bonfire. Their eye follows the smoke as it trails toward an opening to the East.
They get up and inspect the broken sword: rusted, dented, dull, and short. They take it up, for now [Referee's note: deals d3 damage].
Ulfhild follows a gradual incline toward a winding corridor. They notice the intermittent sound of metal scraping on stone. They move with caution, calling on their past life as a scout.
Winding Corridor
Two ragged, emaciated forms stagger languidly from one side of the cave to the other, occasionally raising a withered arm to strike the jagged wall with a ruined sword hilt. They see you but their eyes are empty voids. [RN: No way to avoid this?]
Having not drawn a reaction on sight, Ulfhild walks past the strange shades. Ulfhild follows the corridor as it winds to the north, coming to a set of stone double doors. They pull at the handles, revealing an enormous chamber filled with stalactites and stalagmites.
Jagged Chamber
Sharp wind shrieks through the vast chamber as you enter. Craggy stalactites grasp from the sunken ceiling and gnarled stalagmites collect green water in shallow pools.
Ulfhild creeps among the stalagmites. Skirting the room, they find a narrow tunnel to the west followed by another set of double doors to the north. The double doors are carved with a worn raven relief. Each door features a keyhole. On the eastern side of the cavern, there is a howling wind far above.
Ulfhild tries to cross the cavern from east to west by passing through the crater...
Ulfhild hears the thundering sound of an avalanche. A massive grey blur crashes down into the chamber, revealing a hulking humanoid shape, rocky and misshapen, bronze key hanging from its neck. It raises an enormous stone club.
Ulfhild runs for the narrow passage on the western side of the cavern. The stone demon strikes at the wall, causing the passage to collapse [RN: Uh okay, following the adventure as written here.]
Ulfhild runs back to the southern corridor, trying to get back to the bonfire. The demon collapses that doorway in turn.
Ulfhild has no choice but to face the stone demon. They swing their broken sword, but find themself unable to scratch the creature.
The demon grabs Ulfhild, gets a close look at the tiny once-mortal, and slams them against the ground [Ulfhild: 5/6 Res].
Ulfhild slashes again, to no avail. The stone demon swings its club, bashing Ulfhild across the chest [U: 1/6 Res].
Ulfhild runs about the stalagmites, only prolonging their death. Finally, the stone demon catches them once more with the club [U: 0/6].
The entire cave rocks back and forth, as if a ship on the sea, and Ulfhild struggles to keep balance.
As if the club strike wasn't enough, the omen throws Ulfhild to the ground. The stone demon brings the club down onto Ulfhild's body, smashing them into the ground [U: 7/10 Str --> failed save, dead].
Death is Not the End
Ulfhild wakes at the bonfire with 1 Vigor. Unsure where else to go, they retread the winding corridor, past the detached shades. They find the doorway into the jagged chamber collapsed by the stone demon. [RN: Seriously this is how the adventure is written? Physical changes in the cave are not reset?]
I don't know about this adventure. Maybe I'd have to start interpreting more liberally, but I'd like to expect an introductory adventure to make a little more sense as written. A good test of the system in some ways, but I'll just pick up Runecairn with my own methods for procedurally generating an adventure. Eventually.