10/01/04 7:00 PM

Open #2: Xen’drik

Team: The Iron Talons – David (Corlin), Gavin (Reginald), Robert (Larric), Adam (Tannix), Andrew (Beld), Stephen (Sarlis)

Overview:
The Iron Talons were a highly organized and effective team, and I learned a few things about D&D tactics from playing with them. Not that this kept them all in one piece! The adventure began with a group of drow on high ground facing the party across a large open space. Reginald immediately cast haste, and as a result, Larric and Beld were able to tear across the open space at a tremendous rate. Beld leapt up to the drow and engaged them single-handedly; the wizard was able to damage him a bit with magic missiles, but most of the warriors couldn’t lay a finger on him and by the time the rest of the party arrived on the upper level he’d taken care of them.

Once at the top of the stairs, Adam “Tank Tank” Tannix loudly announced their presence and challenged any foes to face them. Alerted by the noise, a giant took up a hidden position, and when Beld stuck his head through a covered doorway the giant proceeded to use him as a baseball. Once again, ray of enfeeblement proved to be extremely valuable!

In the throne room, the hasted party engaged in an amazing display of acrobatics, leaping and tumbling to reach the far end of the hall. Reginald cast fly on Tannix and the slower characters simply clung to him. There were a few challenges – including a confused Larric – but the group had little trouble with them.

Finally, the party encountered the dragon samurai and immediately engaged him in combat. In the bitter battle that followed Sarlis was killed; as it turned out, this was the second game in a row in which Stephen had met an unfortunate end.    

Highlight: Under the influence of haste, Larric crossed the length of the throne room in a double move, leaping between five platforms to get to the drow. It was a beautiful display of Jump skill and tactical move, marred only by his ending up surrounded by three row at the end – and then being paralysed by hold person. He survived one coup de grace, but he surely would have been killed if the drow rogue had been able to act before Tannix and Corlin could arrive.   

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