My Solo RPG Journey: Learning Riftbreakers 2nd Edition. The Hunt for Ore, Herbs, and Rifts!
This is an import from my old site. Apologies for the spam. This is my fourth play journal for Riftbreakers 2nd Ed, going through a patrol / hex crawl mission. This is also the last archived Riftbr
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Alright a couple of updates. Apparently I need to keep in mind that I can only change my loadout outside of combat (which makes sense) and once per day. I keep my loadout pretty standard though and the last time I changed it was adding in the Companion skill so really, that's fine. I usually just post it so people know what I got in there.
I also found out I can try to gather both Ore AND HERBS in the same hex! I read the rules wrong and got it clarified. I should be trying to harvest ALL THE THINGS.
Oh and on top of that, the Stalker trait is basically the "aggro" trait for monsters. If they don't have that I can just...not fight them if I choose not to. Other then like Monster Hunt targets and Riftlords. Funny thing, Cutpurses and Bandits are Stalker types so I am always dealing with those lunatics. But yea, the Stalker Trait is basically there to mimic "red" enemies who will actively hunt you, but the rest? You just "walk past em" carefully and leave em alone if you want.
That's incredibly useful info especially for when I enter a Rift zone eventually, which will happen.
So lets go over my plan for today. I am going to go out alone today, and aim to complete the open Patrol quest AND the Delivery quest. I have no time limit, so I am going to just wander north till I hit the end of the patrol, and then explore around till I get what I need for the Delivery Quest plus any easy fights. Since I can ID enemies prior to engaging, I can just avoid combat if I don't think the fight is worthwhile. The reason I am alone, without Neon, is due to the fact that the Arenmist Forest, which is where I will be going, is 1 day per hex, so that would be 130A total cost for Neon's help. That's very expensive right now, and I am unsure its worth the enemy scaling.
Additionally, each full Travel Day, I will take a Literacy test to try to read my skill books. I decided I am going to invest both into Survival to boost that for future monster hunt quests. I will use my return stone and rest in town as needed for HP, if it comes to that.
Also I want to codify a couple of house rules that I am using. First, I had mentioned the Shared Stash before. Turns out, there is an in game vault function that costs 100A to unlock. I will deduct that from my cash at the end of this session in fairness, but that vault will be a one time purchase for me, and act as a shared stash. Any character later can pay 100A to gain access to the stash. Additionally, I will limit the stash to 100 items total, not including money. If I get near that limit I would need to discard stuff out of it. Cash will not be shared, but can be stored / banked.
Second, the death penalty. By default, on death you drop all your items, gear, and money where you died. You then need to run back to retrieve it. On top of this, you lose 1 Ability of your choice permanently, and also lose some Max HP permanently. Personally that feels too punitive overall. So going forward, I will not drop my gear, items, or money where I died but will be reborn with it. However, I will lose 50% of ALL my cash (stored or carried) on being ressed (gotta pay the ress tax), and I will still lose the Ability and Max HP, which I feel are much harsher penalties. Its hard to get an HP increase in this game, and its hard to get new Abilities. Both require non purchasable item drops. I have been lucky by getting Max HP but I cannot get a new Essence it seems to get a new Ability.
Third and final, it turns out the free house is not actually supposed to be in 2nd Edition. Apparently that's an artifact from 1st edition that was left in. However, since I already started with a base house I am going to keep it. Alex says the plan is to have an eventual supplement that adds base upgrading so you can have a lab and crafting stations, so when that happens I will have to purchase those upgrades. But for now, I got a basic house, and I intend to keep it.
Thats enough booking so let's get started!
A few days after returning from the hunt, Keld went and found Neon in a bar. The two shared a drink, and Neon explained what was behind the market disappearances the Merchant they had met on their last mission was. "So a cult was behind it eh Neon?" Keld asked. Neon nodded, a grim expression on his face. "They thought they could appease the Rifts via sacrifices, and it was...unpleasant." Keld stared ahead quietly, finished his drink, and bid farewell to Neon as he went to complete his patrol.
I am going to assume 3 days have passed before Keld heads out, so I get 3 Literacy rolls on my skill books. 83, 27, 17. All fails.
My loadout going out is 3x Weapon Strike, 3x Penetrating Strike, 3x Arcane Blast, 2x Battlefield Presence, 1x Rebound.
Current Quests and status:
Gather 7 Ore (1/7)
Patrol 14 Hexes North, Mark Rifts
While the Kar Helos Hex will take no time to cross, each Arenmist Forest hex is 1 day of travel.
---HEX 1---
Zone: Kar Helos
Travel Die Result (d6): 4, Interesting Find
Interesting Find Result: 13, A Stranger collapses in front of you, screaming. They babble about “the Labyrinth beneath the walls” before the guard drags them away.
This keeps happening and I really do not know why. I roll a d20 ffs. I really need to use this hook for something later.
Search Check for Minerals (40): 85, no minerals.
Search Check for Alchemy (40): 95, no herbs.
Now I do my Rift Check. This is the special patrol check I need to do. I roll d10, get 8, and no rift. If there is a 1 or 2 we get a Rift in the space.
---HEX 2---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 10, Monster Encounter.
Monster Found (d20): 13, Grove Guardian.
As Keld entered the forest, he came across a small glad. In the center was a massive bearlike creature seemingly made of wood. It snuffled around, seemingly ignoring Keld. Keld debates and then decides to give it a try. Such a creature might have quite a few valuables after all.
This might be a rough fight but because it's not a Stalker I am willing to take a shot. No guts, no glory after all. This thing has an Aura if I am in the same zone that lowers all my checks by -10 but two can play at that game, and its Agility is abysmal meaning my Arcane Blast might be really good against it.
Initiative Check
Keld (50): 93, fail
Grove Guardian (60): 16, pass
Round 1:
The Guardian goes first. All of its attacks are melee so it literally can do nothing but move up.
Keld goes next, and I deal my first hand. I SWEAR TO GOD I GOT REBOUND AGAIN! Plus 2 Arcane Blast, and 2 Penetrating Strike. I see no reason to move yet, so I am just going to blow both Arcane Blasts. With my ring, these do d8+3 each. The Guardian has a 30 Agility. First check, 49. Second check, 38. Both fail. If I roll high enough I could, in theory, one turn this thing. First blast deals 10 Arcane. Second blast 9. 3/22 HP remains on the Guardian.
Round 2:
The Guardian goes first again. It cannot reach me so it moves up 1 zone. 1 Zone away till it can start trying to hurt me. Please let me draw my Arcane Blast.
Keld goes, draws 2, and gets Weapon Strike and Battlefield Presence. I think my safest bet is to pop Presence. 3 Turns will kill the Guardian no matter what. So I spend my Aether to do that.
Round 3:
The Guardian moves up into my zone. Here we go! It rolls its action die, gets a 1. Its basic strike. It has a base 60 Combat Skill, minus my Battlefield Presence of 10, and my Parry of 15. It has to roll a 35 or less. 71 is a miss!
Keld now goes. I also suffer -10 to every check I try. I draw my last Arcane Blast! I also deal 1 to the creature, dropping it to 2. A 63 for its Agility Check is a failure! I am going to kill it no matter what now. I do 10 damage again and vaporize the beast!
Keld stares the remains of the proud and terrifying creature. "That beast could have really hurt someone. I am glad I got rid of it." He begins to search around the body and area, looking for any remains.
I never got hit but I did use my shield, so an integrity of check of 8 means I am good.
This creature was actually a Beast AND Plant type. So I gotta randomize which loot table I get. Rolling a d20, evens I will do Beast. I got a 3, so the Plant table it is. I get a 20, Alchemical Creation. I roll a 3 on that table, and find Liquid Courage (Remove Frightened). Lets go ahead and search for ingredients.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 81, nada.
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 25! We got a possible. Gathering (40) check says 86. I look to the sky, and I cry. Must I be forever flowerless?
Now let's gather some monster parts. Gathering (40) check says 83. Nope. I fail to cut any goodies.
I am now at the end of the day. Rolling Literacy for each book, 94 and 46. Fails.
Rift Check: 8 again. No Rift.
---HEX 3---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 1, Interesting Encounter!
Interesting Encounter Result (d20): 12, A lone herbalist, searching for ingredients.
As Keld works his way deeper into the forest, he runs across a strange sight. A...woman? Maybe? covered in a full robe, muttering in a raspy voice about mushrooms. "I gotta find just the right mushrooms, need em for the potion...or was it the poison?" Keld coughs, and the person jumps and looks at him, their face obscured by a mask. "Oh! A traveler! Or Stranger? You don't look like a Stranger!" Keld smiles and summons light, and the person nods. "These woods are great for Mushrooms! yes yes!" Keld just nods and bids the strange being a nice day.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 22, nope. The forest is probably not going to be nice to me here.
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 21. Gathering check against 40 says....60. Nope! I fail to pick a mushroom.
Rift Check: 10. No Rift.
I am now at the end of the day. Rolling Literacy for each book, 52 and 56. Fails.
---HEX 4---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 1, Interesting Encounter!
Interesting Encounter Result (d20): 5, A small, abandoned hunting lodge.
Keld continues his way through the deep dark woods. The sunlight barely reaches him here, and thankfully he has his Light spell to keep the darkness at bay. Near the end of his day, he finds a small abandoned hunting lodge. A cursory look says its still intact, and he decides to give it a search, and see if there are any supplies. He also figures its a good spot to camp.
I had the idea, now, to try out a GM Oracle from the book to see if there are any supplies here, and if so, what kinds I could find. I have never used the Oracle or any Oracle like system. These are simple Yes / No sort of things, that you can use to simulate a living Game Master when solo. Normally, as you can see, I have done things by just narrative convenience, but I want to try this out! It's a tool I have, and it seems like the perfect time for me to ask, "Are there any supplies left?" cause that is a clear Yes / No answer.
I am not going to use the advanced "Scene" stuff yet. So for now, I ask the question I posed above, and I roll a d20. I got an 18! That's a high yes. So yea there is something left here by the previous occupants. There is table called "Random Findings" in the Riftbreakers book on page 202, so I am going to use that to see just what I dig up.
I get a 10, which is RANDOM ORE! I find some Uncommon Ore! 2/7 found.
I might do this going forward for abandoned buildings, asking if stuff like this. Its fun.
Under a floorboard, Keld spots some shining metal. "Oh at least I got some minerals for that delivery I need to manage."
On to my gathering checks for the hex and my literacy check.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 71. Nope
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 4. Ok Gathering, lets see if I succeed....11! A DOUBLE! I get an advance on Gathering AND I FIND SOMETHING! I find a rare resin worth 106A
Literacy Check: 77! A fail, but an advance! And a 14. I finally succeed on one. I am going to add 2 to my Survival, bringing that to 17.
This was a good day / hex. I approve. Also, each of these Hexes I am crossing progresses my Achievement so that's nice.
Oh, and Rift Check: 3. Nothing.
---HEX 5---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 10, Monster Encounter.
Monster Found (d20): 19, Thorn Beast
As Keld travelled even deeper into the forest, the trees grew closer together and the area became even darker. Time was becoming hard to keep track of, using the sun at least. Eventually, Keld heard a noise from the underbrush. He crept closer and saw a strange thorny creature rooting around in the dirt. Keld then noticed, next to the beast, a small pile of...something. Keld considered, then stood up with his mace at the ready.
I think I can take this Thorn Beast but it might get a little hairy. It has a high Agility, and none of its attacks use its combat skill. However, it has no parry, a low HP total, and low protection. So I am going to chance this and hope my own protection stats work well against it. It can restrain and poison me, but it has to reach me first.
Initiative Check:
Keld (50): 1, pass!
Thorn Beast (80): 74, pass, and higher then me. It goes first.
Round 1:
The Thorn Beast has no ranged attacks, and is a melee creature. So its just going to move up.
Keld is up. I swear to the heavens I better not draw the 1 rebound... Fucking finally! I draw Penetrating Strike x2, Arcane Blast x2, and Battlefield Presence. I don't want to use Presence yet nor move. I can reach the Beast with my 2x Arcane Blasts. It has 60 Agility, but I could nuke it. First Agility Check is a 41, pass. Second is a 58. Pass.
Round 2:
The Thorn beast moves up. It cannot reach me yet.
I have a few options. I drew my 3rd Penetrating Strike, and 1 Weapon strike. Now, Battlefield Presence won't have much effect on this thing since most of its attacks require me to roll. The 1 point of damage per turn doesn't seem useful either. I can try to hit it thought with my 64 Combat Skill. So I move into its square, and use 2x Penetrating Strike. These attacks will auto ignore 1 protection, do 1 arcane (Which ignores protection) plus their usual effect of d6+2 and ignore 1d4 protection if I hit. First strike, 43, hits. Second strike, 18 hits! First hit will do 6 total damage, ignoring 5 total protection. This thing can at max have 5 Protection so it takes all 6. 9/15 HP left. Second strike does 4 damage plus 1 arcane, ignoring 3 total protection. It only rolls 1 protection, so it takes all 5 damage. 4/15 HP left.
Round 3:
Now the business happens. The Thorn Beast rolls 6, gets Thorny Rampage. It does 7 Piercing damage unless I can pass an Agility Check. I rolled a 1, which means I pass. Sweet jesus I have not been so happy to see a 1.
Keld now goes and gets 2 cards: a Weapon Strike and my other Battlefield Presence. I can do my last Penetrating Strike, and both Weapon Strikes with my 10 Aether so I will. I need to get 64 or lower. 9, 42, 31. All hit. We will start with Penetrating, which 5 damage + 1 arcane, ignoring 2 protection total. It only gets a total of 2 blocked, so it takes 4 total. It dies.
Keld stands over the corpse of this strange creature and wipes his mace off in the grass. He quickly goes to check the pile to see if he can find any loot.
I guess I can't roll like shit all the time huh. Let's check the loot! This is a straight Beast, so I roll 85. That's a Magic Item! I roll a 12 and it's an EPIC ITEM AGAIN?! I guess?! This is becoming a thing swear to god I want a random item I wanna generate cool shit!
Can we harvest some monster parts. Gathering 40, I roll 93. Nope.
Integrity Check of 5 and 10 means my gear is fine.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 30. Nope!
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 98. Nope!
Literacy Check (1 Book, 15): 30. Nope!
Rift Check (d10): 10. Nope.
---HEX 6---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 8, Monster Encounter
Monster Found (d20): 12, Beastman
Early in the morning, Keld nears a clearing in the dark woods. He hears some form of speech from within, and notices 3 humanoid creatures with features similar to beasts. One has antlers, one has a wolfs face and fur, and the third looks like an upright boar. He considers his chances against them, as they are all standing over a corpse, but decides against it. Discretion is the better part of valor, after all.
These creatures can be avoided and I do not wish to fight with 3 enemies right now. Their stats make me nervous.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 59. Nope
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 71?! Gah! Nope.
Literacy Check (1 book, 15): 32. Nope.
Rift Check (d10): 10. Nope!
---HEX 7---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 3, Interesting Find!
Interesting Find Result (d20): 8, You find a moss-covered altar that holds a rusty dagger and fresh blood. Taking the dagger attracts a Grove Guardian (page 256). Leaving an offering of blood (-5 Health), coin (-100⟑) or a magic item grants Advantage on all Survival checks for the next D4 days. The dagger is a magical one with 1 random property.
Another day, more walking and no Rifts. Keld takes a short break near midday when he starts to smell something. Coppery, tangy, and metallic. Blood. He grabs his mace and stalks forward and comes across a strange altar. He looks around and notices the dagger and bloodstain. "I don't know what was going on here, and I really don't want to know." He mutters to himself. He quickly leaves the altar to its fate.
Yea I can't even use daggers so why would I bother that nonsense?
Search Check for Minerals (20): 30. Nope.
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 26! Can I gather something? Survey says... 43. Nope, thats higher then 40. Balls.
Literacy Check (1 book, 15): 100 which is double 00s on 2d10. But I already got an advance. So nothing here.
Rift Check (d10): 5. Nope, still no rifts.
---HEX 8---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 6, Monster Encounter.
Monster Found (d20): 6, Bandits.
Crap. Bandits are Stalkers. I can't avoid this fight. And I am sure we all remember the blinding incident. At least these things are weaker.
Near nightfall, Keld comes across another clearing. 'This could be a good place to camp.' he thinks to himself. As he starts to setup a small camp, he hears a cough behind him. Turning around, he finds 3 ruffians staring at him. One looks at the other two and simply says "Thats the git who merked Vincent." Keld cocks and eyebrow and says "Vincent?" A different man, with a missing eye, says "Yea, Vincent. Our boss. Ya nob." Keld shrugs and unlimbers his mace. "I guess I am going to have to send you to join him. At least it's a nice night for a fight."
Initiative Check:
Keld (50): 13!
Bandits (60): 40!
As usual, the Bandito's go first. Pants. I think we all know what Bandit's can do at this point so lets get to this mess.
Round 1:
Bandit 1 gets a 5, Empty Pocket. Swiper no swiping! He moves up
Bandit 2 gets a 4, Ranged Assault. He moves up and takes his shot. 57 misses.
Bandit 3 gets a 1, Sneak Attack. He just moves up.
Keld's turn. He gets literally 1 of each card (Rebound, Penetrating, Weapon, Arcane Blast, Battlefield Presence). I am going to move up and pop Presence. These things are melee and -10 to all Combat Skill checks will help greatly. Plus the 1 damage every round.
Round 2:
Bandit 1 gets a 2, Sneak Attack. It moves into my zone and tries at -15 total. So he needs a 35. He gets 33! 9 damage, I fail my perception check, so now 11 damage. I avoid 6, taking 5. 25/30 HP.
Bandit 2 gets a 5, Empty Pocket. Swiper no swiping! He moves up and is now in my zone.
Bandit 3 gets a 2, Sneak Attack. It moves into my zone and tries at -15 total. So he needs a 35. 23 hits! 9 damage AGAIN?! I get a 31 though so I avoid the extra damage. I block 2 and take 7. Down to 18/30.
Keld's turn. They all take 1 damage first. My best shot is going to be my melee attacks. I am going to burn my Penetrating and Weapon Strike. I drew another Arcane Blast. So I need 63-15, so 48 to hit. Penetrating hits 25. Weapon gets 28. Both hit. Penetrating will do 6 + 1 arcane, ignoring 5 protection total. They ignore 1 damage total. They take 6 damage, now at 1. The second strike will go to a different Bandit, my normal Weapon Strike. It does 3 + 1 Arcane. They block all but the Arcane and take 1. So 1/8, 6/8, and 7/8
Round 3:
Bandit 1 gets a 3, Ranged Assault. Needs a 40, 86 misses.
Bandit 2 gets a 1, Sneak Attack. Needs a 35 and gets 15. Deals 10 damage?! Fucking hell can I ROLL BAD PLEASE? I make my Perception check and roll max Protection, taking 3. 15/30. Well I can use Rebound now.
Bandit 3 gets a 4, Ranged Assault. Need 40, gets 60. Whiff!
Keld's turn! I deal 1 to everyone. Bandit 1 dies. I am going to use Rebound for 6 Aether, and I drew an Arcane Blast and Weapon Strike. I am going to try an Arcane Blast, and a 58 Agility Roll evades it! I heal for 1 from Rebound.
Round 4:
Bandit 2 gets a 3, Ranged Assault. Needs a 40, gets 59. Whiff.
Bandit 3 gets a 6, Dirty Tricks. I am blinded for 1 round.
Keld's turn again. 1 damage to each (4/8 and 5/8 now) and I am blind. So I guess I am gonna try my 2 Arcane Blasts. I draw my other Presence which counts as Weapon Strike, and another Weapon Strike. I also heal for 1 from Rebound. So my 2 Arcane Blasts: 30 and 34. Both whiff. I am no longer blind though!
Round 5 (Why do these bandit fights take forever...oh it's cause I have no AOE. That's why)
Bandit 2 gets a 1, Sneak attack. a 5 hits. I swear to god. 4 damage though. I fail my Perception so 6 now. I block it all.
Bandit 3 gets a 4, Ranged Assault. 39 hits! 10 fucking damage!? I block 4 of it.
Keld's turn. Now my next attack gets -20 thanks to that stupid ranged assault. I draw my last 2 cards, both Penetrating Strike, and I deal 1 to each Bandit. 3/8 and 4/8 now. I heal 1 so 12/30. I am gonna use a weapon strike first to eat that -20, and then Penetrating, and then Weapon. So my first attack needs 28 and gets a 3! Oh fuck you Bandit. Next two need 48 (Penetrating) and 50 (Weapon). 5 + 1 arcane on the first strike, ignoring 1 protection. 3 damage after protection and another bandit down! The Penetrating hits for 7 + 1 arcane, ignoring 3 protection total. They get a total block of 3, which means they take 5 and die.
As the last bandit falls to the ground, Keld drops onto his back and sighs. Another rough fight. "I really need to learn some way to hit more then one moron at a time because this is becoming a problem." He checks his wounds, wincing slightly, and starts to loot the bodies. Hopefully these fools were carrying something useful.
First I will do my nightly heal check and heal 3 HP. 15/30 now. Integrity check for my armor and shield: 3 for both, no damage.
Ok so my loot roll is 88. That's a magic item. I find a Rare set of Gloves. It will have 2 properties: Unarmed Attacks do +d6 damage and Tenacity +10. The Signatures are 5 for Property 1, and 6 for Property 2. These count as a trinket, so I roll Jewelcrafting first to see if I can ID it (3) and get a 92 so nope. Now I roll 2d6 hoping for a 5 or 6 or both. I got a 6 and 3. So I know it's got Tenacity +10. Can't equip em till I get the other one though, a 5 is needed.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 70. Nope
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 76. Nope.
Literacy Check (1 book, 15): 3! I get it! Survival goes up to 19.
Rift Check (d10): 5
---HEX 9---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 8, Monster Encounter
Monster Found (d20): 13, Grove Guardian
As Keld travels he sees yet another one of those bear plant hybrids. Still hurting from his last fight, he avoids it easily by staying away from it.
There is no way I am fighting unless I am at like 20 hp or higher. Unless I am forced to fight.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 31. Nope
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 59. Can I gather it? A 71 against my 40 Gathering says NOPE!
Rift Check (d10): 5 nope
Magic Item ID Check (2d6) 5 and 3. I ID the other part! I put the gloves on. I actually can fight Unarmed so that's fun.
Nightly Heal Check (d8): 2 hp. 17/30. Dice please.
---HEX 10---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 6, Monster Encounter
Monster Found (d20): 19, Thorn Beast
Keld runs across yet another one of those snuffling thorn creatures and simply stays out of its way.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 28. Nope
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 56. Will Gathering 40 work? 75 says fuck you.
Rift Check (d10): 7. Nope.
Night Heal Check (d8): 8! I am at 25/30. Ok I feel way comfier now. We are getting near the end of the patrol. Not a single Rift.
As Keld goes to sleep he thinks about how nearly done he is with his first patrol. A lot of events have happened so far, and things while the forest is dark, its starting to feel...comfortable.
---HEX 11---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 5, Interesting Find! Finally not a combat encounter.
Interesting Find Result (d20): 10, A ring of skulls hangs from the branches above, their jaws chattering in the wind. A successful Perception check spots a trap: stepping inside the circle summons Cinder Horrors (page 235) that burst from the ground to drag victims under.
Well I guess we get to see if I see this. 38 (Against 50 Perception) says yes Keld does.
Keld quickly looks around upon seeing the weird skulls and notices that there is a summoning circle under the dead leaves and branches on the ground. Thinking quickly, he scuffs the outside lines, breaking its effect. Then, he calmly walks forward while the skulls continue to chatter in the wind.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 33. Nope.
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 20. Who here wants to bet I flub the Gathering 40 check? Wait, no I got a 2! FINALLY! Everything is coming up Millhouse! I get an Uncommon Ingredient.
Rift Check (d10): 8, nothing.
Night Heal Check (d8): 7. I am at full HP now. 30/30 baby.
---HEX 12---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 4, Interesting Find!
Interesting Find Result (d20): 8, You find a moss-covered altar that holds a rusty dagger and fresh blood. Taking the dagger attracts a Grove Guardian (page 256). Leaving an offering of blood (-5 Health), coin (-100⟑) or a magic item grants Advantage on all Survival checks for the next D4 days. The dagger is a magical one with 1 random property.
Seeing yet another Altar covered in fresh blood with a dagger, Keld sighs. 'Are the bandits or some strange cult doing this? Maybe more people are being kidnapped and sacrificed out here. I should mention this to Neon.' Keld thinks. He continues on.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 47. Nada.
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 2! But an 86 gathering says fuck you Clay.
Rift Check (d10): 4. Nothing.
---HEX 13---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 10, Monster Encounter again.
Monster Found (d20): 16, Mossy Horror.
As Keld walks through the edge of the tree line and starts to see the ocean in the far distance, he hears a rustling near him. Leaping to the side, he avoids a snap of vines as a creature made up of moss and vines peels itself away from a tree. Keld levels his mace at it and motions for it to come at him.
This is a Stalker, so I cannot avoid the fight.
Initiative Check:
Keld (50): 66, fail
Mossy Horror (60): 27, success
The dice gods so no mercy. At least I am fully healed.
Round 1:
There is an action the Mossy Horror could do on its turn without a melee target. And it rolls a 4 and gets it. Blend In, its now Concealed. It moves up. Concealed means I gotta pass a Perception check to attack it. If I manage to damage it, or it attacks, that breaks.
Keld's turn. I draw my hand and get both Battlefield Presence, 1 Weapon Strike, and 2x Arcane Blast. I am going to try to use both Arcane Blasts but first I gotta pass a Perception check to even target it. I get a 95 (against my 50) and fail. Since I can't attack it, I am gonna blow Battlefield Presence.
Round 2:
The Mossy Horror rolls a 2 which a Vine Strike. It can't target me so it moves up.
Keld goes, and tries to spot it via Perception again. A 17 succeeds! I am going to blast it twice. It has an Agility of 40. 48 and 58 both fail! So now I can do d8+3 total damage, twice. 5 and 10 damage total, dropping it to 3/18.
Round 3:
The Horror is no longer Concealed since I damaged it. It moves into my zone, and gets a 5 on its action. That's Poisonous Spores. I need to pass an Endurance check (44) to avoid this. 93 fails. I take 1 poison damage, and become Poisoned(1). This will deal 1 damage on my turns start, but I can try to shake it off as a free action each turn.
Keld goes. I deal 1 to the Horror (2/18) and take 1 poison (23/25). I try to resist the poison via Endurance (44) and get 53 so nope. All I can try at this point since I drew a weapon and penetrating strike is to attack. I am going to do 1 Penetrating, and 2 Weapon. I need a 54 or less to hit. 33 (ADVANCEMENT AND SUCCESS!) 47, and 59. My penetrating and 1 weapon hit. I roll 8 + 1 Arcane damage, ignoring 5 total protection. It literally cannot survive this (its protection is a d6 and it has 2 HP) so it dies.
I am going to rule I shake off the poison at end of combat. Its looting time! This has 2 types again, Elemental and Construct. Doing a d20 roll, Evens Elemental, and I get 18. So, I am gonna roll my d100 on that chart. 32 means a Weapon Manual! I will use that right now, rolling an 84 and getting Sling proficiency. Ha! That's...lovely I guess.
No integrity check needed as I did not get attacked with a Combat skill so that's nice.
Monster Gathering Check: 73. Nope. No monster parts!
Search Check for Minerals (20): 84. Nope
Search Check for Alchemy (70): 39. A 100 on gathering though, which is a Crit Fumble and breaks my gathering tool.
Rift Check (d10): 4
Night Heal Check (d8): 5 HP. Back to full I go.
---HEX 14---
Zone: Arenmist Forest
Travel Die Result (d10): 4, Interesting Find!
Interesting Find Result (d20): 5, A cloaked figure with no face beneath its hood asks for directions in a hollow voice. If aided, it gifts a cursed silver coin (grants +5 to Perception but whispers lies at night). If attacked, it vanishes, leaving only a pile of wet leaves.
As Keld reaches the last area for his patrol his stretches. It's been a long journey. Then, Keld feels light tap on his shoulder. He turns around to find a strange, hooded figure looking at him, similar to the mushroom hunting herbologist. "Have you seen...an altar?" Keld just nods, and points back into the woods. "That way, a day or two straight ahead." The...being nods. It hands Keld a strange coin, and leaves. Keld just stares for a moment at the coin, pockets it, and gets to looking around to verify no rifts are here.
Search Check for Minerals (20): 100. Absolutely fucking not I guess.
Rift Check (d10): 8.
Sure that he has checked every area along the patrol well, Keld pulls out his Return Stone and activates it.
Once he is back home, he heads over to the Quest Board and reports his findings. They pay him the 200A, and he then goes to replace his sickle (-10A) that he broke. He also finds Neon in the Market, and mentions the weird altars he kept finding out in the woods. Neon assures him that those are not related to the cult. He then heads over to the Arcanist and pays to have his new item ID'ed. He also sells the Resin for another 106A (total 580A).
With that, Keld heads home, and gets some sleep...the strange coin whispering to him as he falls to sleep. He decides however, to ignore it. No good can come from listening to such things frankly.
My epic item is a 43, Ring of Controlled Timeflow. This would give me +1 move, but I don't really need that compared to my other 2 rings. Sadly it has no listed price so I cannot sell it apparently. I am just going to stick it in my Shared Stash for any future characters on this "account" as it were. I went ahead and did deduct my 100A on Keld for the Stash / Vault cost as of now, so I have 480A remaining now.
And that is enough for this session! That took a few hours, and I had a blast as I always do. But we got some advancements to try!
Bludgeoning: I roll a 33, which is lower then my 63. 1 Point advancement. 64 now.
Gathering: I get a 46 which is higher then my 40. D4 points, I get a 4! 44 now.
Literacy: I get a 68 which is higher then my 15. 3 points, now 18!
I think doing the Oracle for abandoned sites or buildings is a good idea, as it makes those sites feel more alive and useful rather than just set dressing. Every time I play, I learn a bit more, and I have a blast. Oh, and my achievement is now at 23/30 Hexes travelled. 7 more and I can complete my first meta-achievement. I really need to find some Ore goddamn. I think I like Escort and Patrol quests for now, since my skills are low. I MIGHT try a Rift Closure, since I can always just come back to it if I need to. Although walking through the hexes will be dangerous if its far enough away.
Till next time everyone. It will most likely be a little while, as I did most of this play over the weekend, and that's over for me. But there will be more!
Oh, and if you are curious? I spent about 3.5 hours today on all this. It was a LONG gaming session.
EDIT: One Final Note! I purchased a copy of Salvage and Sorcery: Scraphounds of Cygnus today. That is another game, already finished, by Alex / Blackoath Games. It is inspired by Looter Shooters. So I might let Riftbreakers hang out for a bit and do some Learning to Play entries for that and decide which game speaks to me more overall. I hope you all look forward to it.