Wish I Could Cast "Summon Guy to do Paperwork"

Between work, researching and playing games, I'm finding myself with very little time to actually write the games. I guess you could categorize it under the 'Game Master Problems that Others don't Understand' file.

I would like to take some time to acknowledge the players in our current campaigns and their abilities to drive the story ever forward, sacrificing (fictional) life and limb. Without their efforts, our game would be little more than a series of people saying "I hit, I miss."

I will be adding a "Story thus far" link at some point, but until then I will give you the very brief history of our main campaign...

Two of our PC's had managed to get themselves incarcerated within the walls of Atkinson Prison. The first, a dim witted orc barbarian by the name of Ong and the other was a bard by the name of Kraven. While Ong's main problem was crippling stupidity, Kraven had a more serious dilemma; he was the unfortunate host to a split personality. When the opportunity for malicious crime or mischief arose, a sociopath alter ego would attempt to wrest control.

The mini I painted for Ong (Reaper Minis), including a small diorama base I made for him.

The two unlikely companions used a botched escape attempt by another inmate to get away. During their exit they made an ally in Marie Voluer, a mousefolk rogue who was mysteriously absent after their liberation.

Making their way far from the penitentiary, Ong and Kraven joined forces with another PC - Edward; the aristocratic Marquess and son of a local Duke. (Ironically, the Duke who had Kraven put in the slammer!) Edward was looking to prove himself as a true warrior and bring glory to his family name. In order to do so, he disguised his true identity and was 'slumming it' with regular adventurers.

The trio were hired by a group of elven emissaries to retrieve the Scrolls of Accord, which were stolen from the elves by a group of bandits. The scrolls were to be used to forge an alliance between a nearby elf settlement and the human city of Enchester.

The mission was a less than stellar success. The party would have been killed had it not been for the intervention of Marie Voluer. The mousefolk rogue maintained a romantic relationship with the bandit leader and pleaded that he release the party, as they had helper her escape prison.The bugbear bandit agreed and so the party left the tower solemnly, yet victorious. Unbeknownst to the bandits - the group had managed to pilfer the Scrolls of Accord.

The group agreed to escort the elves for the rest of their trip to Enchester. Upon their arrival the party was lured into a back alley and attacked by a group of thugs. They were assisted by a cloaked and masked rogue by the name of Gertrude. She informed the party that they were being followed long before they entered the city, and that the bandits belonged to a gang run by a psychotic leader known as The Jester (yes sir, it is a Batman reference! What better plot for urban adventures?).

Our Gertrude figure, also from Reaper!

The party, now numbering four, set off to investigate this nefarious criminal. In their sleuthing they managed to uncover an elaborate bomb making facility and interrupt a planned terrorist attack on the human capital city of Sessovir! After their victory they were rewarded by Reginald Slawter, captain of the Enchester guards and future ally.

Having some down time, the companions approached the Enchester Arena in the hope of retrieving Ong's former belongings. He claimed to have a magical map which he required for his mystic quest. Ong's owner however, was not so willing to give. The group agreed to participate in one fight on behalf of the owner. In exchange, Ong would earn his freedom and have his belongings returned to him. The party agreed and bet heavily on themselves.

The arena battle was fierce. The companions were lumped in with a group of slaves and prisoners to do battle against an ogre and two elven archers. The slaves were quickly disposed of but the heroes did not lose courage. They fought valiantly until the ogre struck a mighty hit against Edward, ending his brief career as an warrior in one crushing blow. The rest of the party fought on, eventually defeating the beast and winning Ong's freedom at the greatest of costs.

Saddened by their loss, the three discovered Edwards signet ring and discerned his true identity. They rushed him back to the castle and presented him to the Duke, the Duchess and his younger brother, who were all mortified. Not content with losing his eldest son, the Duke reached deep into his pockets and arranged for Edward to be reincarnated (while wealthy, the Duke of Enchester did not have unlimited funds and paid for a service he could afford.). Edward survived the spell and returnedto life; transformed into a hideous gnoll. Seeing himself in the mirror, Edward's psyche cracked and he ran off into the wild, never to be seen again...

---Jeeez, on a side note, maybe I'll break this up into a few posts. This campaign has been incredibly fun and what I'm giving you here are the bare bone details. Each of these characters are fleshed out with elaborate histories and intricate personalities. We like to focus as much on character as we do on action.

In addition to the tale of our campaign, I have been looking into the summoner class more. Using the synthesist archetype, I managed to create a ridiculously powerful beast. I find myself more than skeptical at this point and am leaning heavily towards eliminating it from our game. Just to put it in perspective, I managed to create a character at level 6 that deals out this kind of punishment.

FULL ATTACK: Claw+11 (1d4+7+1d6 acid) Claw+11 (1d4+7+1d6 acid) Bite+10 (1d6+5+1d6 acid)

Until next time, cya!