This is the third journal entry for my Doom of Barrowmaze campaign using Old-School Essentials.
Session 3: Doors, Duels and Digs
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| William McAusland |
This week the party consisted of...
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Barry, Barbarian 4. Formerly of the "Buff Bastards" adventuring group. Expedition leader. Played by Zi. |
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Gwyn, Cleric 1. An acolyte of St. Ygg searching for answers. Played by Todd. |
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Kazrik, Dwarf 1. Dwarven shipwright of Clan Boatstone. Played by Ryan. |
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Narion, Elf 1. An unusual elven smith and tinkerer. Played by Andrew. |
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Psteve, Cleric 1. Enigmatic prophet bound to the lords of Chaos. Played by Andy. |
| Hirelings | |
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Harvey. Porter/Torch-bearer. |
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Ofilia. Porter/Torch-bearer. |
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Shep. Porter/Torch-bearer. |
Expedition 2, Part 2
We returned to the group in the middle of their second delve into the Barrowmaze. They had just uncovered a concealed doorway leading to a chamber featuring a dark altar. Psteve and Kazrik, with a keen eye for treasure, examined the altar, determining that the six onyx gemstones adorning it were not cursed and valued at 111 gold pieces each. While inspecting the altar further, Psteve stumbled upon a secret compartment, only to trigger a harmless, long-dried poison needle trap. Inside, they discovered platinum coins and an arcane spell scroll (locate object and lightning bolt). As this transpired, Gwyn and Narion stood watch and heard a fierce commotion nearby, a brawl between unknown dungeon inhabitants. Barry also uncovered yet another hidden door, this time in the eastern chamber wall, leading to a long corridor lined with doors on its southern wall and a bricked up passage to the north.
Francis was left to safeguard a hoard of loot and supplies in their secret room (his player being unavailable this week), while the rest of the group ventured further into the newly discovered area.
They meticulously explored five doors, pausing to listen before attempting to open each. Three doors were locked and required Kazrik's "dwarven lockpicking technique" (a hand axe) to break the doors down. Two rooms were empty, another housed a bag full of coins on a pedestal. The central chamber housed a jeweled chalice and a set of silver earrings alongside an enigmatic runic tablet. Brother Gwyn read the tablet and learned that it contained a history of the ancient death god known as Nergal. The tablet informed the group that the entire crypt complex was, at one time, a grand necropolis dedicated to this ancient god.
The final room proved quiet the event. A glyph graced the surface of the door, likely some kind of trap. Kazrik used his ten-foot pole to smack the glyph from a safe location, triggering its fire magic. This destroyed the pole, but left the adventurer's unharmed. Inside, the room held a desiccated corpse clutching a pristine shield adorned with a golden hawk on a purple background (a +2 shield). As the group investigated the shield, a malevolent spirit arose from the chamber, assaulting Barry before they managed to vanquish the apparition.
Having plundered enough for today, the group decided to return to Tamhill via their original entry point. The journey back was uneventful, but the ensuing experience resulted in Francis gaining a level.
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| The party's map after 2 delves |
Downtime Activities
In their downtime, Narion made a down payment on a two-story house in Tamhill, using funds provided by Barry to convert the main room into a mechanics workshop. Brother Gwyn returned to St. Godwin's Priory, donated a substantial sum to the church, and found an old diary in the library dating back several hundred years which spoke of a place called Falkrest Abbey that had been cursed due to dark deed committed within. Finding the diary granted enough bonus XP to reached level 2. Upon his return to Tamhill, Gwyn hired two more porters, Shep and Ofilia.
Psteve used his downtime to spread the teachings of Chaos in Tamhill, avoiding banishment thanks to his generous purse. During his preaching, he passionately declared his quest to find the Hallowed Helm of Divine Madness, a lost artifact of Chaos, which could reward him with 2,000 XP upon completion.
Kazrik visited Murkwater to secure supplies and indulged in carousing. After a heated conversation, he found himself in a duel with Manfred the Nightengale, a notorious thief, and narrowly lost. Following the duel, Kazrik visited Zorić Manor, where he met Karolina, a retired adventurer offering magical item detection and identification services. The withered bard also offered to sell treasure maps. Kazrik used her services to confirm the magic in Francis' gloves, but declined to pay for identification.
Barrow Excavation
After a week of downtime, the group returned to the Barrow Fields to excavate the mound they believed to house the second staircase. They opened a mound with a capstone, revealing a decaying yet intact tomb with locked steel doors. All attempts to unlock the doors failed, and after Kazrik nearly brought down the unstable structure, they decided to retreat.
They turned their attention to another mound, now believed to be the correct dig site. The excavation took nearly two days, uncovering a crypt containing the skeletal remains of an ancient warrior-priest named Genniis the Younger, seated on a cobweb-covered throne. After searching the tomb in vain, they discovered a concealed lever on the back of the stone throne, revealing the sought-after stairwell. Kazrik estimated it would take four days to clear the rubble, noting gaps large enough for a gnome or halfling to squeeze through.
Next session the group will return to the Barrowmaze for their third delve.
Final Thoughts
Save or Die
As our thief player was absent for the week, I had to make a significant change to the module. Instead of adhering to the module's original design, where the poison-trapped altar could have been lethal, I opted to rule that the poison had long dried up. Save-or-die traps like this often lack engaging player interaction and can feel rather punitive, especially without the group's thief there to at least attempt its discovery. Consequently, I am contemplating the removal or replacement of several poison dart and pit traps in the dungeon, as these elements are arguably the module's weakest aspects. I already have plent of ideas for more interesting puzzles and traps to replace them with.
Carousing
The group appeared to enjoy the new approach to handling downtime, which led to experiences involving ominous omens, a divine quest tinged with madness, and even a street duel. These activities granted bonus XP to those involved, in addition to the standard gold sink XP for possible future characters, which I think will entice even more carousing in the future. Additionally, it's satisfying to see the group invest in the village by purchasing a house and wisely hiring a full-time mercenary to safeguard it.
This session marked the beginning of introducing adventures outside of the Barrowmaze itself. This change will provide the group with opportunities for adventures beyond undead-filled crypts, should they find that aspect becoming too repetitive.
System Challenges
Nonetheless, some transitional challenges persisted in this session. Certain players still grapple with the open-ended nature of this style of RPG, finding it conceptually confusing compared to more modern iterations. For example, Ryan expressed uncertainty about the extent of his PC Kazrik's knowledge in masonry, shipbuilding, or other engineering tasks without resorting to dice rolls. To address this, I clarified that his character would possess reasonable knowledge related to his field, and I am inclined to be generous with the information provided, as I encourage players to make informed and intriguing choices.
The group also expressed frustration with OSE's lock-picking mechanic where Thieves can only attempt to open a locked door once per level, deeming it unrealistic. I explained that (in my view) the intention is to encourage the group to think creatively and approach problems from different angles, rather than relying on repeated attempts to succeed. Certainly you could argue that repeated attempts at the cost of time could work, but that seems somewhat dull to me. Instead, I would prefer the rule require innovative problem-solving or, if necessary, a return at a later time.
I remain hopeful that as we progress through future sessions, the players will become more accustomed to the system's nuances and lax mechanics, ultimately appreciating the game for what it is, rather than comparing it to what it isn't (e.g., 3.5/5e).
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