Beginners' D&D

Written by RiverFang

General Summary

This campaign is ran in roughly 45 minute sessions, 3 times a week, for a group of beginning D&D players. These are their exploits so far.

Group 1, Fall 2020

Session 1

The five party members started their adventure in the Splintered Bone Inn, weary from their long travels to the city of Stronghold. Professor Mortimert, a Dwarven Cleric of Kallex, had traveled from the Great Furnaces in hopes of expanding his knowledge and helping the less fortunate. Harann Daardendrian, a Gold Dragonborn Rogue, has been traveling the continent of Vóreios and witnessed the atrocities of the rich. She wished to give back, only taking from the rich to aid the poor. Master Laug, a Tortle Monk, a hero in his village, traveled to the Human Empire to spread his story and become and even greater hero. Adrie Oakenheel, a Half-Elf Barbarian of some fame, came to the city to partake in the grand gladiator arena, winning riches and renowned. And finally, M'lord, a noble Vampire, came to Stronghold in search of minions for his castle, although many shrunk away from his presence.
One of the Night Guards entered the inn and spoke with Kel the innkeeper about a quest of the Dagger Guild. Professor Mortimert, the most inquisitive of the group, injected himself into the conversation and soon was tasked with helping find the Empress' missing cat with a reward of 75 gold per person. Loaded with this information, the Dwarf went to find adventurers that would join him. M'lord was the first to join, overhearing the conversation and quickly inserting himself as part of the party. The Vampire made others uneasy, but the Dwarf continued on to ask the Dragonborn to join.

Session 2

Now a party of three, the Dwarf continued his way around the tavern, finally settling on the Barbarian and the Tortle to ask. Both held lofty demands as the Dwarf asked them to join the group. With the promise of more money, being treated like nobility, and the possibility of finding the Tortle's girlfriend, the last two finally decided to join the party. Kel, overhearing their plans, inviting the group to join the Dagger Guild, the largest adventuring guild on the Northern Continent. This membership would come with perks such as free room and board, places to keep mounts, and other helpful necessities when the group traveled to areas where the Dagger Guild had inns. The group agreed to join and their first month's dues were paid by the Night Guard.
Before turning in for the evening, the group decided to partake in the various drinks at the inn. M'lord, Harann, and Laug all became slightly drunk, causing them to be carried to their rooms. Adrie and the Professor chose to retire to their rooms early, where Adrie spent the time polishing her weapons to a miraculous shine and the Professor prayed for a successful excursion the next day. His prayer seemed successful as a calm washed over him. Eventually, the group retired for the evening, prepared to begin their quest the next morning.
Early the next morning, the group arose and began their preparations to set out. Knowing they were looking for a cat, they gathered a bottle of milk and some dried fish to hopefully lure the cat out of hiding. Professor Mortimert gathered further information from Kel about the cat before the group set out.

Session 3

As the group set out from the Splintered Bone Inn, they soon realized they had no idea how to enter the catacombs where the cat could supposedly be. They stopped not far from the inn to gather more information from the Night Guard as none of them were very knowledgeable about the city. They were told to continue north to the castle and then to the west side of the castle where they would find the gate that would lead them down into the catacombs. With new information, the group set off again, taking a couple of hours to travel to their destination. Once they reached the gate to the catacombs, they were greeted with a thick iron gate guarded by numerous members of the Night Guard. They were asked to state their business to which Professor Mortimert handed over the scroll that he had received when they accepted the quest. With their paperwork in order, they were allowed into the catacombs.
The party was not quiet as they traveled down the stairs. The large Tortle and the Vampire were silent as they traveled, but the Dragonborn managed to hit her head, the Barbarian kicked rocks down the steps, and the Dwarf drug his armor down every stair. As they entered the first room of the catacombs, there were greeted with a dusty room full of chests and a pile of slime in the corner. Professor Mortimert automatically moved to investigate the slime, but with his size was quickly up to his knees and elbows in goo. Their noise roused swarms of rats from their sleep and the rats attacked.

Session 4

The party was somewhat surprised by the rats' attack, but easily rose to the challenge. Master Laug stepped up first, smashing part of the swarm with his brass knuckles. Harann chose to stay back, shooting darts at the rats with deadly accuracy. There was a flurry of action as M'lord swept forward, dispatching a large part of the swarm with a single wing of his rapier. The gladiator could not be outdone, as she swung her great axe, deftly chopping off some of the rat heads. After the rats attempted to attack, the Professor took his turn, quickly ending one of the swarms with his longsword. Quick movements by the Tortle and the Dragonborn ended the other swarm and the group was left to investigate the room.
With some teamwork, the party was able to open the two crates that rested in the room. The first held only 3 darts and 5 silver, which Adrie graciously shared with the Dragonborn. The second crate was much more surprising as an Elf popped out, full of confusion and interesting stories.
The Elf introduced herself as Hi Yen, a monk that was searching for some lost cave known for its meditative powers. From what the party gathered, she was from the Southern Continent, somehow lost only to wake up in a crate many days later. She was claustrophobic and had no idea how many days she had spent in the crate. The Professor and the party introduced themselves and asked Hi Yen to join them on their quest to find the Empress' missing cat. Hi Yen was somewhat put off by the proposal, seemingly unwilling to work with both a Vampire and a Dwarf. She took much greater offense to the Dwarf and said that she very well may take over as the leader of the party.

Session 5

After Hi Yen joined the party, they continued deeper into the catacombs, but the door out of the first chamber was locked. Harann the Rogue showed off her skills as she deftly picked the heavy lock and the door swung open. A long hallway greeted them, with a door slightly ajar and lit at the end. It caused them to pause as much of the group was wary of the light and what awaited them at the end of the tunnel.
In their wariness, Harann scouted the floor and walls for traps, watching as a part of the floor gave way under her careful touches. A deep pit separated them from continuing on, causing lots of discussion about the best way to reach the other side. Their three choices were to build a bridge with the shattered crates from the first room, swing over the pit with rope, or attempt to jump the pit. After much discussion, the group decided to jump the pit.
All went well as they each attempted the jump across the pit. The last two to go were Master Laug and the Professor. The Tortle jumped across easily, but the shorter legs of the Dwarf could not carry him across. As he began to fall in the pit, he was caught by the Tortle.
Adrie chose to scout out the door ahead that was barely hanging on by a single hinge. She learned that the hinges had rusted and left the door hanging ajar, so she decided to ram the door with her strength, knocking it free from its remaining hinge and watching as the massive door hit the floor with a loud boom.

The room in front of them was filled with water and moss, mushrooms growing between the cracks of the floor tiles. A long dead skeleton covered in slime rested in one corner while another was full of more chests. Hi Yen picked some of the mushrooms to add to her herbalism kit while M’lord and Harann investigated the skeleton.

Session 6

There was nothing of interest about the skeleton so the party moved on, choosing to open the crates to see what goodies they could find as they continued moving through the catacombs. Mundane items, such as torches, darts, and daggers, were found in the crates, but the Professor found a bag of magical beads that may help them on their journeys.
The loud rummaging in the crates awoke some creatures that were hiding in the room. Three skeletons arose from the slime in the corner, catching the party off-guard and forcing them into a fight once again.
The Professor slung a spell, alighting the first skeleton in a holy glow. M’lord attempted to jump one of the many puddles in the room, but fell instead, his body smoking as he continued forward to slash at the second skeleton with his rapier. With a well-placed slash of their own, the skeleton dealt a nearly lethal blow to the Vampire as he fell to the floor. The others made their attacks, Hi Yen with her staff, Harann with her rapier, Adrie with her great axe, and Laug with his fists.
Spells and weapons attacks resounded through the room as the Professor threw a healing spell in the direction of the Vampire. Now back on his feet, M’lord swiftly dealt justice to the skeleton that had taken him down.

Session 7

With the glorious swing of the Vampire’s sword, the rest of the party quickly followed suit in clearing the rest of the skeletons. With the three creatures dispatched, they could return to their travels through the catacombs in pursuit of the Empress’ cat.
The long hallway that led out of the room was a hazard of traps and makeshift weapons. The first portion of the hallway was safe, even though the group was far from quiet. They intended to head towards the glowing light at the far end, bypassing another pathway that was closed off by iron bars.
As they passed the side pathway, the party was subjected to the various traps of the catacombs. Rains of arrows, crushing walls, and pits of spikes drove the party to their limit as they pulled each other from the brink of death each time a new trap sprung. But the pit of spikes posed a problem even after the party had pulled Harann from its clutches.
With some quick thinking, the group returned to the room where they fought the skeletons and began tearing apart the crates for the wood and nails. They planned to use the materials to build a short bridge, one that would easily span the pit and keep them away from danger.

Session 8

With a makeshift bridge in place, the party continued down the long hallway to the lit doorway. Without hesitation, they barged in the room, only to be met with a room full of coffins. Two were ornately decorated while the other four were rather plain. Two of the plain ones were cracked open, but only a sliver.
Harann decided to investigate the coffins, searching thoroughly around them before the party decided whether to open them or not. Convinced that the coffins held his brethren, M’lord attempted to slide one open, but the heavy stone yielded little. Harann realized the coffins were most likely occupied, probably by those that had passed long ago.
Having been in the catacombs for hours, the group decided to remain below the city and take their rest. M’lord wished for a coffin and chose to stay in the room of coffins while the others returned to the previous room in hopes of some sort of safety. They made a small fire and set camp, circling their bedrolls around the small fire.
A somewhat experienced adventurer, the Professor used some of the items in his pack to block the stone doors, wedging them shut, and giving the party some much needed safety. Those that rest in this room slept soundly through the night, awaking to a safe and warm room.
M’lord had spent the night in the coffin room, but when the group returned, the Vampire was nowhere to be found. One of the coffins looked slightly more disturbed that the others, as if the Vampire has attempted to sleep in the coffin before choosing to sleep on the stone top. Whatever had occurred in the night, the Vampire was missing.

Session 9

Seeing their Vampire missing, the group spent quite a bit of time investigating, looking at the various coffins and learning all they could. Harann and Laug slowly opened one of the coffins that was decorated with intricate carvings, only to be greeted by a corpse that was dressed in fine clothes. He did not look to be the 200 years old that Harann had previously mentioned, so Laug bent down to investigate further, testing the corpse for any sign of life.
As Master Laug began his investigation, the party was greeted with the sound of grinding stone as the lids of the coffin slowly moved to open. Six zombies arose, awoken from their slumber by the party's searches.
A fight broke out, the party a member down, as the zombies tried to subdue the group. Hi Yen hit two of the zombies quickly with a burst of attacks and Harann snuck into the shadows to surprise attack like rogues do. The Professor cast Bane onto three of the zombies, hoping to aid the rest of the party.
Even as they fought the zombies, many in the party believed that M'lord was among those that they fought. They could not be sure of this fact until the battle would end.

Group 2, Spring 2021

Session 1

Entering the Splintered Bone Inn, the five adventurers scatter to the corners, ready for a hot meal after their long days of travel. Little is spoken by any of them as they ask for meals and set upon their food, happy to fill their bellies and relax within the safety of Stronghold. Left-Handed Hummingbird, a Tabaxi Bard, came to the city to earn coin as she strummed on her faithful ukelele. Strawberry Stacy Sagetress, an Elf Cleric, made her way here to expand her magic. In the arenas surrounded by cheering spectators, Farideh Delmirev, a Pink Dragonborn Barbarian, hopes to gain fame in the capital city. Jade Shoe, a Tabaxi Wizard, also seeks wisdom here. Finally, tucked in a corner near the stage is Paela Brushgather, a Halfling Ranger, that wanders in from time to time.
With bellies warm and full, it came time to think of coin and travels. Much was spoken about throughout the tavern, buzzing with excitement as new adventuring parties formed and took their jobs. Bird was the first to stand and gather a group, the motley crew ready to take on whatever job the guild master gave them. Many talked about the Empress' missing cat, but the newly formed group had little interest in that, prefering to take a smaller job to gauge each other's skills and become more comfortable with one another.

Session 2

Before heading out on the job they had taken, the group believed it would serve them well to spend the morning shopping and preparing for whatever lay ahead. Hours were spent pouring over the various goods in the market stalls and shops of Stronghold, sometimes haggling to reach a better deal.
The Cleric and the Barbarian took it upon themselves to buy more food, stocking their pockets and pouches full of snacks for the road and late nights. Farideh even invested in some marshmallows that the group could roast around the campfire later that night.

Session 3

After throughly filling their pockets and bags, the group left the safety of the city for the uncertainty of the open road. A few hours travel led them to the clearing near the road that caravans often stopped at. A man and his son welcomed the group, explaining their plight and speaking quietly of the skeletons that had plagued them for days. Soon enough, the group would see the caravan's plight for themselves.
As the sun sank below the flowing Traveler's Grass, seven skeletons entered the clearing, unmoving and seemingly uninterested in the group. Slowly the group moved closer to the skeletons, stirring a response that could only end in bloodshed.
The clang of weapons rang out as Farideh and Jade quickly dispatched a few of their opponents while the others of the group kept the remaining skeletons at bay until the strongest of the group could join the fight. Within moments, the skeletons were felled and the caravan was able to sleep peacefully.

Session 4

Early the morning after their erasure of the skeleton problem, the group was awoken by the sound of goblins rumaging through their gear. Farideh was quick to engage, dragging the group into combat against at least fifteen goblins. Again, Farideh and Jade moved quickly, dispatching their opponents with quick movements of both staff and axe.
Bird tested her magic on the creatures, making one her friend and having him fight alongside the group. Paela was quick with her arrows, but that did not keep her from harm's way.
With frenzied movements, the group easily took out the hoard of goblins, but not without many injuries of their own. Weary and somewhat bloodied, the group turned back towards Stronghold and a much needed bath.

Session 5

Once back at the Splintered Bone Inn, the group cleaned up and earned their payment for a job well done. Instead of moving on to another of the multitude on the job board, they chose to spend their well-earned gold and find other ways to earn money, outside of the somewhat difficult jobs that the guild offered.
Packs were once again filled with new weapons, food, and clothes, before the party decided to spend a few days tending to their various professions.

Session 6

What had originally only be two days spent tending to their professions stretched into over a week spent earning money in a multitude of ways. Bird filled her days playing her ukelele in the inn, albeit somewhat badly for part of the time. Farideh tested her abilities in the training arena, fighting those who often thought they could best the Night Guard. Jade plied her trade in the magic shops, crafting low level magic scrolls with her fledgling abilities. Stacy spent her days in a temple, healing and aiding the sick however she could, although some things were beyond her abilities.
Throughout this time, Paela had yet to be seen. It seemed she had snuck off somewhere, hopefully to return at a later time when the party decided to set out again.

Session 7

After investing in more magical items and Farideh finding companionship in her new pet, Belle, the group decided to continue lining their purses, hoping to make enough money to ensure their safety if they ever moved outside of Stronghold. Farideh found continued success in the training arena, successfully winning more bouts. Jade made more scrolls for the magic shop, getting better at imbuing her magic into the simple parchments. Stacy spent more hours in the temple, healing and aiding where she could, learning more about her role as a cleric.

Session 8

As spring began to give way to summer, the group heard people throughout the city discussing the Summer Festivl that would happen in only a few days time. Having spent little time in Stronghold, their interest was quickly piqued and they decided to stay longer and take part in the festival before taking on any more jobs. During the week leading up to the festival, the excited bunch spent time earning money so that they could buy the tokens necessary to enter the festival. Jade, already having a heavy purse, chose to spend the week relaxing while the others took on various jobs for a number of days.

Report Date

04 Nov 2020

Primary Location

Stronghold

Behind the Screen

This campaign is currently being run as part of my job teaching adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. What started as strictly a lore class, reading about the various races and classes in D&D, has now evolved into an instance for the players to work on important skills, such as social interactions and math skills, within the environment of roleplay. The session reports are far more in depth that necessary for a 45 minute session, but this allows me to showcase the individual achievements that each player has had with their characters.
This campaign utilizes both World Anvil and DungeonFog to create an amazing play environment under the restrictions of social distancing and others that come from the current situation. While World Anvil is mostly a lore keeping tool for me as the DM, it has become an important tool for showcasing locations, maps, and people to the players. DungeonFog has been amazing for maps and being able to project them using projectors as well as serving as a pseudo-VTT for the purposes of my game.

The Story

Since I started teaching this class and running games for my students, we have followed roughly the same story, with some changes based upon the players' choices. This story came simply from the idea that one student wanted to "rescue a princess" while the others wanted to "find a cat," so the story became just that, a mix of ideas from many students that had never played the game before.
This story exists outside of these games in the form of my #AdventureApril one-shot titled Strongholds & Felines. Many of the ideas and parts in that one-shot exist because of this class, with a few minor changes to better fit Isekai and the narrative I want to tell.