Starting D&D at Seven (Family D&D Night Actual Play)

Age seven, that is!* Last night I ran a game of D&D 5E for my son (and my wife, who joined a bit late) for a game designed with several overt and covert intents. It was not my son's first game night by any stretch, but it was the first one specifically designed with him in mind.

The overt intent of the game night was:

--Have a fun family game night with RPGs that allowed my son time to process a story designed for his age (he shows up to my Saturday game night with mom, but it's a schizophrenic experience for me as GM to bounce between "adult group narrative" and a refurbishing of the tale for my son to enjoy.)

--Help him learn D&D. I settled on D&D 5E for a lot of reasons I'll discuss in a future post. But short version: he has a tiefling wizard he'd played before and wanted to play again, and he wanted to learn how to make a character this time, rather than have dad do it for him.

--Give old dad a chance to enjoy a really simple, fun D&D arc with a young player who is not jaded and does not metagame. Enjoy the game from the angle of an actual, completely new gamer to whom every single thing is new and interesting, and the sky is the limit; you old veteran GMs know what I mean: new gamers always, inevitably bring a fresh take to the table as they have no preconceptions at all; and young gamers are boundlessly enthusiastic and eager to boot.

But there was a covert intent, too! This included:

--continue to teach my son math. He's now doing addition and subtraction ahead of his 1st grade class, thanks to D&D.

--encourage my son to read. I made him a character sheet that was very "reader friendly" for his age, but as it turned out he really wanted to roll his own new character, and this proved just as effective at getting him to read. This has been an ongoing issue with his school; his teacher explains it like this: he is quite adept at reading, but he's not so great at retention. But his teacher is actively encouraging him to report on his D&D adventures since he seems to have excellent retention in the games. Our trick is "How to merge the power to pay attention to D&D with the power to pay attention to what you are reading." Maybe WotC could oblige with some junior reader books aimed at age 7-10 or something.

Overall, last night was a success for all overt and covert goals. My son played two characters:

Punk Rock Demon, the tiefling wizard necromancer bounty hunter
and his newly rolled character:
Test Subject 930 ("nine hundred and thirty"), the dragonborn wizard evoker

I asked my son about the origin story for Test Subject 930, and he explained that he was a normal guy who was kidnapped by a secret lab, where they fed him a magic potion that turned him into a half-dragon. Nice!

I ran the game in the Vosjin Wood (from Pergerron; scroll down for multiple links), but left the details basic: "You're traveling to the city of Samaskar, where you hear there are lots of mages, including a school for mages where you could learn new spells, when you camp overnight on an old hill. In the morning you wake up, and the road is gone....forest is everywhere, and in the distance lurks a single, huge mountain that was never there before. You see a tower two miles away, what do you do?"

And so began the adventure! He went to the tower, at least partially because I had already put down a beautiful wilderness map with a tower on it (a Paizo map) and he was eager to explore it. Along the way he discovered an abandoned mansion, possibly once inhabited by the tymardiae, so he went to the largest house to explore (new map).

As our trusty hero Punk Rock Demon and his henchman Test Subject 930 approached the mansion, they spotted a goat emerging from a large hole in the crumbling wall. Seconds later, as they hid to approach, a gigantic goat, larger than an ogre, emerged from the same hole and spotted Test Subject 930 (hereafter TS930) in his hiding spot! TS930 promptly fired a scorching ray at the goat, one of which hit a regular goat and sent it fleeing (minimum damage), while another singed the building side and a third angered the super goat. The goat charged, and after a brief battle it was goat meat.

TS930 spent time harvesting goat meat, getting 8 days of salted meat rations to carry with him. Punk Rock Demon entered the collapsing mansion where he luckily was not spotted by a lurking lizardman with more goats. After a tense exchange he approached and convinced the lizard man he meant no harm. "Oh, the forest got you, too. Where were you going?" the lizardman asked....and much to dad's pride, my son announced, "I was going to the city of Samaskar to learn more magic!"

...I have gamed with a lot of adults who can't/won't remember the weird names I come up with for fantasy cities. But my son remembered it after being told once in an intro narrative.

Anyway, the lizardman insisted they owed him 20 GP for killing his prize giant goat, so they paid him and he went on his way. The hero and his henchman then finished harvesting the goat, and then looted the mansion, finding a box in a hidden compartment behind an old stone throne.

Around this time my wife arrived from her finals and joined in with Sartorius the drow warrior, who had snuck up on the two after also being trapped in the Vosjin Wood. He had sisters from his drow clade who wanted him brought back, and two bugbear bounty hunters were on his tail.

After a brief introduction between drow, tiefling and dragonborn they were accosted by the two bugbear bounty hunters who tried to net the drow and tiefling, but botched it. A fight ensued, and Punk Rock Demon put one to sleep before getting clocked with a mace. As Sartorius pumped them full of bolts TS930 then fried them with burning hands. As the last one fled, Punk Rock Demon rolled a 20 on his recovery/stabilization roll.....fortuitous! My wife bought brand new dice and her D20 rolled a natural 20 four out of six times in its first use.....hmmmmm......

They finished looting the hidden treasure cache and the now dead bugbear bodies, and prepared to move on to the tower. The lizardman had warned them that an old hermit named Aruman had been lurking near the tower, and that he might be able to help them escape the Vosjin Wood.....

More to come!!!




*Not the first time I've introduced someone to gaming at a young age. Technically my sister was 8 when I introduced her to D&D (I was 10). Her first character was named Wormi. Wormi is an important NPC these days in the Ages of Lingusia setting. So who knows! Maybe one day Test Subject 930 and Punk Rock Demon will be prominent forces in Pergerron. 

At last, the final three encounters in the Vosjin Wood...I'll work on assembling this in to some sort of coherent downloadable soon.

18: Mark of the Spear. This location is almost impossible to find save by chance or the will of one of the wood’s more notorious denizens. The Mark of the Spear is ground zero, the location where the Enkanneth drove the enchanted spear called Asiphiron into the ground, releasing the flood of magic which created the woodland prison in which the army of Blood Knights and monsters of Sar were trapped.

Happening upon this area reveals a small clearing of gentle but thick grasses surrounding what appears to be a sunken depression in the earth, almost like a crater. At the center of the crater rests what appears to be a polished spear of pure gold with ruby stones along the length of the shaft. Runic writing in the primordial tongue spells out “Asiphiron” along the side of the weapon. The actual spear head is buried deep in hard stone at the base of the incline where the spear rests.

Asiphiron is a potent artifact weapon, but it’s time has come and gone. The removal of the weapon would free the army and destroy the Vosjin Wood; powerful divine magic insures it remains firmly rooted. To protect it, the Enkanneth bound the spear to a powerful planar being, the Solar Angel Setirivan. Sterivan dislikes the duty placed upon him, but any who attempt to move the spear using supernatural means or with even a hint of success (for example, making a STR DC 25 to try and pull it free) will summon him immediately to either reason with or dispatch those who would seek to remove the spear.

Should Asiphiron somehow be removed (and this really should be a GM call) then the Vosjin Wood will dissipate within 1D100 days and free the ancient army of Sar. That might merit a campaign in its own right….

19: The Hydra’s Tree. The Hydra’s Tree is the most ancient and possibly most formidable of the denizens trapped in the wood. It can never be freed (save for the removal of the Spear, entry 18) but the tree nonetheless continues to cause problems for the mortal realm. The original Hydra was a twenty-one headed beast of immense (gargantuan) size….actual stats will not be provided here, but imagine a Tarrasque-like version of a hydra. The tree is equally immense, of almost mind-bendingly large dimensions, and within its branches and leaves it is said an entire tribe of goblins lurks, carefully tending and pruning the tree, relishing the sense of fear and presence it exerts on the forest around them.

The tree covers several acres, and its immense branches, twenty one primary trunks for each head, droop heavy with strange yellowish-green orbs of eerie fruit. Eating one of these fruits is deadly (DC 21 CON save or suffer 100 points of poison and 100 points of acid damage immediately) but if one ripens and drops it will spawn a juvenile hydra where it lands in 1D6 days. This has led to a plague of the beasts at times, many of which are later devoured by the serpent in the woods or other major predators, and still others seem to find their way into the Outworld. There is also a rumor that the goblins of the tree are actually kept there under Sukagra’s orders to prune the tree of its fruit as best they can.

Adventurers hanging around the tree have a 15% chance per half-day of encountering roaming hydras (1D6). They are also likely to attract the attention of the goblin tribe (there are roughly 100 goblins living in the tree’s upper branches).

20: Aruman’s Villa. Much has already been said of Aruman, who’s details were posted previously, so here’s a bit more information to add to it all. Aruman’s hut is a ramshackle affair, a long house divided into three parts, centered over an old dry cistern in the thicker, darker corner of the wood. The cistern is one of several like it that contain a planar gate at the bottom, this one opening up into the Outworld, along a stretch of Mt. Sahambla. Aruman regularly uses it to visit the mountain and the sprawling ruin of a lost Saric city where he enjoys studying his magic.

The villa itself is guarded by two brutish fellows, Urn and Skard, who are both Galitathic barbarians (NE human barbarians level 10 each). The two brothers were both ensorcelled by the Witch of Galitath and they journeyed many years ago to seek out Aruman to remove the curse….which he did, but in exchange for their servitude thereafter.

Aruman wears’ a mask of leather which a scrutinizing eye (Heal DC 12) might notice is human skin. He rarely reveals his lich-like features and can suppress the glow of his eyes at will. He favors speaking with visitors before harming or eluding them….Aruman is thirsty for the knowledge of the outside world, and an easy way to become friends with him is to bring new sorcerous knowledge for his vast collections.

Aruman also has a night hag which serves as his personal maid and assistant named Rukatha, who always manifests as an old woman. Rukatha can summon 4D6 wraiths of the woods as a bonus action if harmed or threatened, and the wraith obey her unerringly.

Aruman’s inner hut includes a passage dug deep which winds down into the cistern, chiseled steps narrowly guiding those who would dare down into the depths. At the bottom is a shallow pool which is rife with necrotic energy (it deals 1D6 necrotic damage per round to any who immerse themselves even slightly in the water), as well as the carved gateway which opens up onto the lost ruins on the vast eastern slope of Mt. Sahambla in the Outworld.

Encounters in the Vosjin Wood: Entry 17

Entry 17 was big enough that I decided to give it its own blog. 18-20 are next!

17: Special Monstrous Encounter (D6: 1 Serpent of the Woods; 2 The Rogue Blood Knight; 3 Sukagra; 4: Hydra; 5: The Shambling Mound; 6: Slaad Nest). Each of these special sub-encounters reflects one of the potentially deadly denizens of the woods which can waylay weary travelers:

Serpent in the Woods: the serpent may be a spirit of the woods which takes on physical form, and it is most certainly disliked by Sukagra, who sees it as an omnivorous pest which usually takes an interest in any adventurers she seeks to ally with. The serpent is an impressive beast, a gargantuan constrictor snake that stretches for at least 100 feet. The serpent has little interest in its prey other than to devour, and it is said by some that it’s influence of the woods is motivated entirely by hunger….the woods respond by luring in likely prey.

The serpent in the woods stats are: CR 12 (8,400 XP); STR 20, DEX 20, CON 20, INT 3, WIS 14, CHA 3; HD 15D20+75, HP 232, AC 17, Speed 40 ft (30 ft. climbing and 50 ft. swimming), blindsight 30 ft, Perception +5 (passive 15), Skills: Stealth +8, Attacks include melee Bite +8 to hit, reach 15 ft one target, 6D8+30 piercing damage; melee constriction +8 attack, reach 15 ft, up to three targets in reach, deals 8D8+40 bludgeoning damage and target is grappled (escape DC 21 to escape). Until the grapple ends the targets are restrained and the snake cannot constrict other targets.

The Rogue Blood Knight: this is an elven vampire of some stature who has somehow escaped the woods and so far eluded the efforts of the Vosjin Wood to recapture him in the tree-prisons that his brethren are also captured in. When first encountered he will assess the prowess of the party....if they appear weak he will seek to befriend and prey on them to gain strength in blood, but if they appear strong he will promise a lost elven fortune from his thousand-years gone homestead for assistance in escaping the woods. If they are hostile to him he will flee if he does not have the obvious upper hand.

The Rogue Blood Knight’s Stats: use the vampire stats, but modified with either (D6): the wood elf traits (1-3), high elf traits (4-5) or eladrin traits (6). Elven vampires have a few special advantages in the Vosjin Woods: when in dense brambles or thick woods they can operate even by day for sunlight does not penetrate to the floor of the forest. When in the woods the elven vampire does not fear going anywhere for the woods are his “home” so no invite is ever needed, save for Aruman’s hut. An elven vampire also steals beauty when it attacks, and any strike from an elven vampire which deals necrotic damage also imposes disadvantage on the target until the injuries are fully healed.

Sukagra: the lamia queen of the woods has been here a long time, cast in exile and serving as a sort of caretaker of the woods, she both respects and dislikes the Stag and the Rook, while looking for ways to either drive out or slay the other denizens which have seen fit to take up refuge in the wilderness. Sukagra may be likely to befriend adventurers in need if she sees a way she can manipulate them into causing trouble for Aruman, Caldare or the Rook (among others). She will also use them to slay the rogue blood knight or other “prisoners” who should not be free. She is able to polymorph at will as a bonus action between the form of a woman of vaguely human or elven features and a lamia at will; she usually approaches those she seeks to ally with in human form.

Sukagra’s Stats: Sukagra is a lamia but with a serpentine torso instead of a lion. She replaces the “claw” attack with a tail-whip which deals bludgeoning damage of the same amount as the normal claws, and also adds a constriction attack as per the giant constrictor snake stats (but with +5 to hit). She, like many of the creatures bound to the wood, will resurrect 1D6 days later if slain, with vengeance strong on her mind. She has the ability to dominate any ordinary monsters or animals in the woods with sheer willpower, and such creatures, unless under the sway of another denizen, will obey her unquestioningly.

The Hydra: The hydra of the woods is a terrifying beast, but it is locked safely away in a tree in the woods (see #19). However, when it was trapped a thousand years ago the tree of the hydra grew strong and bore hideous poison fruit, which when ripened dropped to the ground and birthed more lesser hydras. These hydras wander the woods, hunting prey and one another with a ferocity unrivalled. Only the serpent in the woods keeps their population down.

When encountering the hydras of the Vosjin Wood roll 1D6 to determine how many there are. A solitary hydra is a loner looking for easy prey, but a pack of hydras are a family working together with cunning efficiency.

The Shambling Mound: there are immense, ancient forest beasts in the woods. These shambling mounds may have some unearthly origin, or they may be a manifestation of the wood….none can say for sure. When encountering shambling mounds, there are typically 1D8 of them moving in hunting packs. They will strangle those they encounter to feed themselves and the wood. There is a 10% chance that one of the eldest of these beasts may appear; such elders have maximum hit points (208 HP) and a strength of 22 (+6 instead of +4; add +2 to all base damage attacks).

Slaadi Nest: certain corners of the Vosjin Wood grow so dark and the roots dig so deep that they accidentally break into the dominion of limbo, from which terrible beasts such as the slaadi dwell. These slaadi find crude islands of growth emerging in limbo and make dark nests out of the roots, slime and water which pools in these regions. Occasionally a slaad will burrow up, and discovered the Vosjin Wood. Especially enterprising slaadi have realized this is a portal into the mortal realm, though not quite….the woods seem determined to capture and lock the slaadi away just as the woods have done to the blood knights and demons of old. Any slaad which enters the woods must make a DC 15 constitution check once per hour or find itself polymorphed/trapped in the form of a tree, permanently.

Finding a slaadi nest means coming across another dense copse of trees, some of which have vaguely humanoid batrachian features (DC 22 intelligence/arcana check to notice that the trees are reminiscent of slaadi). At the center of the copse is always an especially large and ancient tree, with monstrous features, and a deep hole in the wood of its trunk which leads down to the island-gate of limbo. This island will almost always contain a deep pool into which the roots dip, containing 10D10 slaad tadpoles, as well as 2D6 red slaad protectors. There is a 50% chance 1D4 blue slad and 1D3 green slaad are present in the area, and a 20% chance of a single gray slaad with visions of grandeur. Slaughtering or disrupting the birthing island in limbo may (10% chance) draw the ire of a death slaad which will either send more minions or even come on its own to hunt down those who kill its offspring and servitors.

Next: encounters 18-20, at last!

Encounters in the Vosjin Wood: Entries 9 through 12

9: The Elves of the Woods. The Saganyir elves are ancient survivors of the Saric empire who migrated to the woods as they followed their venerable leader, Vask’Tinorin. A young elf when the Empire of Sar fell, Vask’Tinorin is believed to have witnessed the destruction of the Saric army and the blood knights, and experienced a profound religious conversion as a result. As he grew up, Vask’Tinorin gathered followers, who turned into a tribe of elves that renounced their old lives and migrated to the Vosjin Wood, both to remember the folly of their lost kin and to remain close to the tethers of the Outworld. Some believe that the legends of the Enkanneth goddess Abia being the true creator of elvenkind may have started with Vask’Tinorin’s conversion of faith to the Enkanneth pantheon.

There are three possible encounters with Saganyir as follows:

D6/Result

1-2 The Grove of the Saganyir-this grove is the central hub of trade and social gathering among the Saganyir tribes. There are perhaps a dozen tribal groups in the woods, maybe more that wander the dark paths to the Outworld and even Arborea beyond. In the grove are roughly 6D10 able warriors and twice that many women, children, elderly and other noncombatants. The grove includes a sacred shrine to the Enkanneth and Abia specifically, as well as a pool of healing waters within used for medicinal purposes. The grove, despite being a center of occupation, is so natural in design that it would take a DC 12 Perception check for most non-wood elves to notice it’s actually inhabited at first. The elves will disappear quickly in response to an unknown party, and return to fight if the adventurers appear threatening. They will engage in trade if they have reason to trust the heroes.

3-5 A hunting party-this is a war party of 3D6 saganyir who are rangers of levels 1D4 each, and 1D3 ranger leaders who are level 2D4+2 each. There is a 25% chance they are stalking lost wanderers (roll on encounter table 3 to see who) otherwise they are hunting game.

6 a party led by Vask’Tinorin-as 3-5 above but Vask’Tinorin is with them. Though he is over 1,000 years old Vask looks of middle years by human standards. He is a Druid (level 15)/Ranger (level 5) of great skill, and is lawful good.

10: The Putrid Cistern. This region of the wood is dense with brambles and thicket, gnarled trees that look too horribly like humanoid forms stretched in agony and torture, and the sounds of the woods are of ominous and disturbing things which should not be; it is all difficult terrain. The cistern itself bubbles and erupts with curious noises like the sound of bubbling and venting gasses below, as if the deep hole in the earth is a portal to the Abyssal realms.

Anyone studying the putrid cistern will have a chance of attracting the attention of one of the tentacle horrors that dwells in the watery depths below (Fifth Edition Foes (FEF) page 225). Just lingering around the pit gives them a 25% chance per minute of appearing to see who has wandered into their dominion.

The putrid cistern is a dangerous environment, and every ten minutes in the area there is a 20% chance of attracting the attention of one of the following:

D12/Result

1-4 a shambling mound (1D3 appear, acting curious, but there’s a 25% chance of 2D4 shambling mounds approaching, even more curious)

5-6 a tendriculous (see FEF pg. 224)

7-9 a horde of vegepygmies charge out (1D6 per character, or a horde of 10D10; FEF pg. 239)

10-11 Gaz Mudare appears from the Arboreal Unseelie Realm of the Bramblewood (See below) to see why the adventurers are interested in the cistern.

12 A feral green dragon appears, possibly emerging from the cistern (D6: 1-4 young, 5-6 adult)

Gaz Mudare is an elven eladrin of the unseelie court and a lone blood knight survivor of old. He is actually an eladrin vampire, and an ancient descendant of the eldest Saric family bloodlines from time immemorial. His interest in the Putrid Cistern is based on its importance to him: when the ancient battle took place, the cistern was the point he was located at. When the Enkanneth spell erupted, Gaz had only seconds to act and called upon ancient planar magic to save himself, ripping a hole from this plane into the Unseelie kingdom of the Bramble in Arborea. He escaped in this manner, the sole survivor of the entire blood knight army to get away.

Gaz is a very high level entity, and for practical purposes he is a lawful  evil level 20 eldritch knight eladrin with all of the vampire traits. His soul is bound to the Bramblewood in the Arboreal Realm and he cannot truly be slain unless that dark heart in the wood is also staked and burned. That said, it’s bound not too far away from the planar gate in the bottom of the cistern which opens into Arborea. Such a trek would be a daring adventure in its own right.

11: The Dragon Caldare. Eldest of the green dragons, Caldare is a venerable beast (ancient green dragon) and there is a 5% chance the adventurers have stumbled across his lair in the woods: a knotted mass of trees that have grown in on one another to form a dense thicket which is impassable, and forms a great cavernous hollow within which Caldare resides. This is Caldare’s lair….but all of the Vosjin Wood is considered his lair, so no matter where he is Caldare may take lair actions.

Caldare is evil and manipulative, and unless the adventurers give him an excuse to slay and devour them he will seek to use them to cause strife for his rivals in the woods. He is keen to see Sukagra destroyed, Aruman run out, or even the White Stag and The Black Rook slain if possible. He knows the latter two will simply reform over time, but he delights in causing any problems he can for those he must share the woods with.

Caldare’s wood-spun nest is filled with treasure of the ages, including lost tomes, ancient artifacts, countless gold coins and a statue of the enigmatic lady Rehana, the first of the ancient Vumaskan queens. The statue contains a vestige of Rehana’s animating force and can provide cryptic messages about the past and future to those who speak to it. The statue is propped up next to a crude altar to the god Hax Nagor, whom Caldare believes he is the avatar and servant of.

12: A Hidden Temple to Hox Nagor. The demiurge of serpents and ophidians, Hox Nagor’s temple resides deep in the woods and is a little-known secret to those who are serpentine in nature. The temple is sometimes guarded by the Serpent of the Woods (see entry 17), though as often as not it roams freely and ignores its duties as temple guardian. More frequently it is protected by ophidians such as the Yuan-ti and lizard men with dominant serpentine features who are dedicated to Hox Nagor.

The temple is difficult to spot if not specifically searching for, covered in thick vines and the overgrowth of the trees, it’s moss-covered walls that were once comprised of jadeite and alabaster marble are almost totally obscured (DC 15 Perception check to even notice). The entrance looms open like a dark cave, easily mistaken for another dark path in the thick woods.

Inside the main temple is a vast cathedral-like chamber in which the ominous statue of Hox Nagor resides, a looming figure of serpentine stone with serpents emerging from where its arms and legs are located, and a long trio of serpentine heads from its neck. The statue itself is a stone golem and will animate if any vandalism or theft takes place in the temple.

At any given time there will be guardians and visitors within the temple. The complex has a permanent presence of temple priests in the form of 4D6 pureblood yuan-ti, along with 2D4 yuan-ti malisons and 2D3 yuan-ti abominations. There are usually 4D8 lizard men serving as guards, servants and pilgrims as well. The temple usually keeps 2D6 giant lizards as guardians on the grounds, unless the Serpent of the Woods is present, in which case the lizards are hiding in their pens.

There is a 25% chance that one of the following may be visiting to honor the demiurge:

D12/Result

1-4 A gorgon named Perisphene with her retinue of 2D8 blind grimlocks seeks to gain oracular aid from the temple

5-8 Caldare, who reveres Hox Nagor and believes he is the demiurge’s avatar of doom

9-10 A contingent of Skelzis from the planes (1D6) with 4d4 weredactyl servants are honoring the demiurge with gifts in exchange for insight on how to destroy their enemies

11-12  a lich named Vasufar who was once a serpent man of pureblood origin has come to view the temple. He moves freely through the woods with a tymardiae guide whom he has bewitched.

Next: Encounters 13-16