Session Overview
The party continued their progression through Prince Stephen’s tomb, facing a 14-foot stone giant guardian in a treasure room. After distributing healing potions and engaging in intense combat where Selnove took heavy damage, Grok’s strategic Command spell forced the giant to drop its massive stalactite club, leading to their victory. They discovered significant treasure including 5,000 gold pieces and magical items, then proceeded to defeat a Manticore in the following chamber. With two major encounters behind them, the party took time to rest and prepare for the next challenge in the tomb.
Thal’s Journal Entry
Written during a brief respire between encounters, with margin doodles showing a stone giant dropping a massive club while looking confused, a Manticore with tailspikes scattered around it, and Cabbage looking proud after the victories
Another guardian down, and another after that, aye. Fourteen-foot stone fellow with a stalactite for a club — Selnove was quick to educate us on the ceiling versus ground variety. The beast hit like a ship’s anchor, left our gnome friend looking more battered than I’ve seen him yet. Good thing I keep healing potions on hand, though watching him immediately give his to Cabbage before tending himself shows where his heart lies, to be sure.
Grok’s divine authority proved the day — one Command spell had that giant pondering his weapon like it had personally offended him. “Okay,” he says, and drops the thing. Sometimes the simplest solutions work best, entirely.
The Manticore that followed proved we’re getting better at this business. Coordinated attacks, proper positioning, and that beast didn’t last nearly as long as it might have against a greener crew, so it didn’t.
Found ourselves proper treasure for the trouble. Still more rooms ahead, and something tells me they won’t be getting any easier.
Attendees & Status
Present:
- Jinks (Thal) - Half-elf Rogue/Monk, Level 6
- Ryan (Selnove) - Deep Gnome Barbarian, Level 6
- Justin (Grok) - Half-orc Cleric, Level 6
- Erik as Dungeon Master
Absent:
- Sidney (Hawthorne) - Changeling Bard, Level 6
Setting & Atmosphere
- Interior chambers of Prince Stephen’s tomb
- Multiple connected rooms with escalating guardians
- Stone giant treasure chamber leading to Manticore lair
- Continued endgame content with no long rest opportunities
- High-stakes combat environment with brief rest periods
Key Events
- Pre-combat healing and strategy discussion in previous room
- Encounter with 14-foot stone giant wielding stalactite club
- Intense combat with giant dealing significant damage to Selnove
- Grok’s successful Command spell forcing giant to drop weapon
- Victory over stone giant and treasure discovery
- Encounter and defeat of Manticore in subsequent chamber
- Party resting and preparing for next tomb challenge
Character Moments
- Thal providing healing potions and tactical support to wounded allies
- Selnove immediately giving his healing potion to Cabbage before treating himself
- Grok’s strategic use of Command spell to neutralize giant’s weapon advantage
- Cabbage attempting to guard the dropped club from retrieval
- Party demonstrating improved combat coordination against Manticore
Important NPC Interactions
Stone Giant Guardian
- 14-foot tall humanoid with gray rock-like skin
- Wielded massive stalactite as club weapon
- Affected by Grok’s Command spell, dropped weapon
- Defeated through coordinated party tactics
Manticore
- Vicious creature with human face, lion body, bat wings, and spiked tail
- Attacked with tailspikes and melee combat
- Defeated through party coordination and tactical combat
Loot Acquired
Party Treasure
- 5,000 gold pieces
- Various valuable items from chest
Magical Items
- +1 sword
- Scroll (unidentified)
- Two potions (unidentified)
Personal Acquisitions
- Thal: Provided healing potions to party members
- Selnove: Received and redistributed healing potion to Cabbage
Notable Item Details
- Magical items require short rest for identification
- Significant gold haul continuing tomb’s wealth theme
- Scroll and potions awaiting analysis during rest
Emotional Highlights
- Tension during brutal stone giant combat
- Concern over Selnove’s serious injuries
- Satisfaction at Grok’s clever Command spell usage
- Pride in efficient Manticore defeat
- Relief at successful treasure acquisition and rest opportunity
Narrative Consequences
- Party demonstrated improved tactical coordination across multiple encounters
- Significant damage taken but managed through healing and strategy
- Acquired substantial treasure advancing their wealth
- Successfully cleared two major tomb guardians
- Maintained momentum despite resource limitations
Player-Specific Notes
Thal
- Provided tactical healing support to wounded allies
- Maintained coordination with sneak attacks and positioning
- Demonstrated growing protective instincts toward party
Selnove
- Took massive damage but continued fighting effectively
- Showed characteristic selflessness by prioritizing Cabbage’s healing
- Engaged threats in direct melee combat despite injuries
Grok
- Used Command spell strategically to neutralize giant’s weapon
- Provided healing support through Prayer of Healing
- Demonstrated tactical thinking over brute force approach
Decisions Made
- Used healing potions before engaging stone giant
- Chose to engage threats in direct combat rather than seek alternative routes
- Grok utilized Command spell to disarm rather than damage giant
- Continued deeper into tomb despite taking significant damage
- Took rest opportunity to recover and identify magical items
Notable Quotes
Grok: “I’m going to cast Command and tell him to drop it. Make sure I can make him drop this stupid club.” (Taking tactical approach to disarm the giant)
Selnove: “Thank you.” (Gratefully accepting healing potion before immediately giving it to Cabbage)
Thal: “Hey, you’re going to need to probably top up just in case we have some more things ahead like that.” (Showing concern for Selnove’s injuries)
Cliffhanger/Unresolved Questions
- What challenges await in the remaining tomb chambers
- Contents and properties of unidentified magical items
- Party’s continued ability to progress without long rest
- Nature of final tomb guardians and Prince Stephen’s curse-breaking secret
Next Time
- Identification of acquired magical items during rest
- Continued exploration of Prince Stephen’s tomb
- Encounter with next tomb guardian or challenge
- Resource management as they approach tomb’s conclusion
Meta-Session Information
Scheduling Updates
- Session limited by 40-minute Zoom time limits requiring reconnection
- Same link used for session continuity
Campaign Planning
- DM confirmed three more rooms remaining in adventure
- No long rests allowed until campaign conclusion
- Endgame content requiring resource management strategy
Player/Character Development
- Continued tactical coordination improvement across multiple encounters
- Party demonstrating protective instincts toward each other and animal companions
Table Notes
- Technical difficulties with video connections during session
- Discussion of game mechanics including exhaustion effects and spell usage
- Educational moments about stalactites vs. stalagmites