A Tale of Dungeons and Dragons: Part One

Hey, all you out there in Cyberspace!

How is everyone today?

Those of you that have been with us from the beginning know that I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since I was in high school. There is just something so amazing about being a part of creating another world with other players. It’s one of the few times as adults that we get the chance to use our imaginations in an unlimited capacity and not get judged for it.

My boyfriend has always been interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons but never really had a group to try playing with. Each time he had met a few people who were interested, the group dissolved before it started. But now, for the first time, we have a group to play with on a regular basis and we couldn’t be happier. The group is even really good about teaching new players how to play without making them feel stupid.

Our campaign (led by two of the employees of Lindsay’s Gamer Garrison) is one of the best I have ever played in. It takes place on a new under-developed continent in need of adventurers and travelers. The best thing about the area being young in history is that it allows our characters to help shape it. Giving characters that level of purpose is amazing in a setting like ours because it makes people eager to play. Our group has even gained so many members that we had to split off into two different groups, running campaigns within the same fictional continent. Each week, we vote on a Facebook poll about what we would like to do that week, and then we get separated into whatever group is doing what we vote for.

Every time I start to play in a new group, I start off with a character named after my pseudonym, Cordelia Cross. She is typically a Wood Elf Ranger type with a little bit of healing experience. Sometimes I even have her built as a multi-class Ranger-Rogue. This way she can be sneaky and run around picking locks but is still good at casting minor healing spells and using a bow. Playing a familiar character like that also gives me the chance to immerse myself in the story while I am still getting the hang of a new campaign.

So far, I have had the chance to play with both groups and I absolutely love the dynamic. Everyone is really nice and down to earth, and we have just the right balance of good and evil characters to keep things interesting. For instance, at the start of each session, we generally frequent the shops in our make-believe world to stock up on supplies. One character, an evil Yuan-Ti (a snake-like humanoid species) Warlock by the name of Noashe (pronounced Noah-she) has a penchant for stealing when his attempt to persuade merchants into selling him things for a lower price doesn’t work. This usually results in him getting arrested and causing all kinds of shenanigans.

One session, we really wanted to get going on the main mission but Noashe had other plans. We were all standing around, waiting to leave and he asks “How hard is the lock on the strongbox to pick? May I roll an investigation check?” and all of a sudden I hear my boyfriend (who plays a Dragonborn Fighter by the name of Torrin) ask “How high do I have to roll to knock him out with the hilt of my sword?”

One natural  20 and a “thunk” (an automatic success) away, Noashe was flung over Torrin’s shoulder, knocked out and five health points down. Torrin carried him out of the shop and we were even seen by the guards. When they asked what we were doing, we simply explained that he was starting trouble again and we stopped him so we could get going. The best part was the fact that we didn’t even have to roll a persuasion check, it was just accepted because he had been known to start trouble in the town before.

When Noashe woke again, he was manacled and left on a floating disk that followed us courtesy of another player. He never forgot the incident though. Any time he started to act up again all we had to say was “thunk” and he instantly started to behave well again, leaving his nefarious dealings to be far more discreet.

About three sessions later, we were getting a real beating from a few armored constructs in a dungeon. I was too far away from Torrin to be able to heal him and when the constructs took their next attack, they knocked him out; leaving Noashe the only healer within range. He got a mischievous look on his face and asked “would it take an action to kick him before I heal him?”

The DM laughed a little and thought about it for a moment. Then out of sheer curiosity he goes “it would, so you can kick him (rolling to make sure you hit him of course) AND heal him, but you can’t make an attack on the construct.” It was obvious, he was curious to see if Noashe would waste an attack just to kick Torrin.

A moment passed and he looks at all of us, focusing his gaze on my boyfriend and yells, “Worth it!” He rolls his die with a hopeful look in his eye… the 20 sided die lands on a one… For those of you who don’t know, when you roll a one, it is an automatic failure. You don’t get to add your ability bonuses or skill modifiers, it’s just a big ‘ol NOPE.

The DM tilted back his head and let out a bellowing laughter getting ready to narrate the moment for all of us. “Noashe makes his way over to Torrin, he pulls up his leg getting ready to kick him, ignoring everything else in the room. Revenge is sweet, and this would be even sweeter, he would finally get even with the Dragonborn. He didn’t want the fighter dead, as he had defended him many times before, he just wanted him to pay for knocking him out. As his leg moved closer to Torrin, about to make contact, he missed. The force of the eager kick knocked him off balance and he fell flat on his butt, doing a point of damage to himself. What would you like to do next?” the DM cackled. Furious, Noashe healed him, threatening to get his revenge the first chance he got.

Our campaign has been full of so many other funny moments and great stories. It has even been the birth of countless inside jokes. If you would like to hear more, let me know down in the comments or let us know on Facebook, and I will be sure to share more as soon as I can. I Hope you all enjoyed this post and I will have more to share with you soon!

With love,

~Cordelia Cross

If you're interested in learning to play or starting a new campaign, check out the 5e Player's Handbook and these other items below: