expiationlogs | d&d night

Entry tags:

d&d night

Who: Gwen Stacy & YOU
Where: Club building gymnasium
What: Time to play Dungeons & Dragons!
When: backdated to the weekend, so June 29th
Warnings: none for now, but who knows

un: gwenstacy

[A few days before the end of the month, Gwen sends out a text to the network at large. There's also a message sent on the Dark Web communicators, too.]

Hey everyone, I've been thinking. We need a good night of fun, before god knows what happens next month. So I'm going to be hosting a D&D night on Saturday. That's Dungeons and Dragons, for anyone not familiar. It's a role-playing adventure game. Anyway, I used to play a lot back home, and I thought it'd be fun. So if you're interested, come to the gym in the club building Saturday, at 2pm. I'll have dice, notebooks, and everything anybody might need. Bring your own snacks! :)

[Gwen will get to the gym about an hour before the official time, so when people do start filtering in around 2pm, things will be set up. The first thing of note when coming into the gym is several long tablets set up. A few have the classic dungeon master screens are on some of the tables, as well as books, notepads, and pencils.

The table closest to the door is where you start. This table has character sheets, as well as dice and figures to choose from. You can make your character here, or move to one of the other nearby tables to roll for stats. There are plenty of books to go around, though oddly titled "Caverns and Chimeras". The gist was the same, each book filled with different races, classes, as well as all the spells and items that go along with these.

Once your character is designed, have fun! Gwen will be milling about and helping for a while, but eventually, she'll take one of the tables and DM her own game. Others are welcome to DM, spend the whole time making characters, and if others just want to watch, have at it!]

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i: getting started

[Gwen arrived to the gym about an hour early with a box full of supplies for today. There are tables to set up, chairs to move, and things to arrange. If anyone pokes their head in early, you'll find her dragging everything around to make it just right.

Lend her a hand?]

ii: character creation

[Gwen wasn't planning on making a character today, but she's happy to lend a hand to those that want to! She'll be hovering around the character creation table at the start of the afternoon, so if you're looking for her once arriving, there's a good chance that's where she'll be.]

Okay, so I have everything here you need to make a character. You can look through that book to decide on your race and class, then we'll roll for your stats. Sound good?

iii: and so the story goes

[Once everyone was settled in, Gwen took to her own table and settled behind the DM screen. She was ready! It's been a while since she's played, and she's never exactly DMed before, but she was eager to give it a shot. Once a few people come her way and join, she starts.]

You find yourself at a large table of strangers in a dungy, empty bar. Everyone has their own reasons for being here, whether it greed, lust for power, or even just coin to pay off debt. Whatever brings you here, you answered the summons for the best of the best. A mysterious letter arrived, wherever you were, calling for the best champions and adventures for an unknown quest, with a reward of 5,000 gold coins and a time and place to meet.

Most probably thought it was spam mail and ignored it, but you few here decided to take the risk and see what was in store for you. Now.. you wait, for your summoner to arrive. It's storming outside, so maybe they got caught in the weather? Either way, maybe it's a good time to meet your possible new companions.

(actually? it's kind of funny if she does it, too. for, you know, absolutely no reason at all? it's not like he is a troll or anything? so when she comes around, peter taps his pencil on the table twice and points it at her.)

Okay, so, what's your favorite class and race? Also, this is big nerd stuff. You lost your calling-me-nerd privileges big time!

[Gwen leans against the table putting her elbows down and using her hands to prop up her chin as she listens to his question.]

See, that's hard, because they're all fun in different ways. [She's going to roll her eyes at him about the nerd comments, though.]

Hey, I never said I wasn't a nerd. That still doesn't mean I can't remind you that you are one too. And you came here today to play too, so. Who's the nerd now?

Hey, still you, who are throwing it! My thing would be totally less nerdy, like putting together a 1000-piece Lego, which is like, much cooler.

(he knows both of them are nerd fire. it's fine, he's just pulling her leg.

either way, he taps the paper with a laugh.)

Okay, come on, show me what you'd do.

Right, because Legos are so not nerdy.

[More eye rolling! They can agree to disagree. She could easily point out she only got into D&D thanks to her Peter, but she's not stupid enough to bring that up.]

Okay, well it's been a while, but the last campaign we played, I was an orc barbarian, because I wanted to do something different. But I've had an elf druid, and a halfling rogue before that. So it really just depends on what you want to work with. Do you want to be more spell heavy or have stronger weapons? Do you want to be sneaky or big and loud?

'Course not. Especially the ones that come in the shape of Star Wars ships? Those are the least nerdy of all, and the last one I put together with Ned, but nah, we're definitely both very popular non-nerdy people.

(GWEN YOU ARE NOT HELPING HIS TROLLING... HE'S GOING TO MAKE YOU CREATE A CHARACTER AND HE'LL PLAY IT HIMSELF....)

Well, I wanna know about you! Uh, what you, like, would play in this campaign.

[Every word he says just digs himself into a very nerdy hole. She just laughs, patting his head gently.]

It's cute that you're trying to sound cool, but we both know we'll never not be the nerdiest of the nerds.

[And that's fine with her. The cool kids were the worst, anyway.]

Well I'm going to be the DM, so I'm going to be every NPC and boss needed for the campaign.

Is that a Spider-thing? Literally just a bunch of nerds?

(one day, he'll meet the others, and he'll feel very much at home, because it seems like, yes, they are all nerds.)

Okay, but if you were nooooot? Then???

I'm pretty sure it is. All the ones I've met have been, anyway.

[She wishes he could meet them. He would love them, for sure. Especially Miles and Peter B. She would give almost anything to see them again, anyway, but especially if it meant getting to introduce them to Peter.]

Oh my god, Peter. [But she's laughing at him. She sees through his ruse.] Are you really going to make me make your character for you?

Uuuuh, yeah, actually, totally my plan. You saw right through me!

(guilty as charged! but he isn't upset, or mad. instead, he's laughing through his words.)

Okay, well my character is a lawful good monk and he's here because he believed every word of the letter and thinks he's going to save the world. So he sits down at one of the tables in the bar and waits, eager to meet these other "best champions" who are allegedly coming. Because, again, he's completely gullible and thinks everyone is definitely as nice as him.

[ stop him.... ]

[...Of all the people she expected to come, Matt #2 was honestly not one of them. Then again, they're frenemies, so?? Maybe she shouldn't be surprised??

He was so weird. This feels like an intentional joke that she doesn't know the context to, so?? She's just going to roll with it.]

..Right. Anyway. So, um. After everyone had milled about and gotten through a drink or two, the door to the bar opened, just as lightning boomed in the distance, drawing everyone's attention to the door. The cloaked figure was small, but burly, only appearing a little over four feet tall. While his face wasn't discernible, the long, black, flowing beard on his face was, falling almost to his feet. He stomped inside, passing all the champions, and going straight to the bar to place an order for a pint of beer, before he finally turns his attention back to the patrons that answered the summons.

"So, this is who we have to work with. Excellent."

[ Hell yeah she's going to roll with it that's what you do at d&d.

Matt listens to her description. It's really pretty good! ]

Can I pay for his drink? Do I have money?

Sure you can. [Gwen gestures to his character sheet and the list of starting items he has, including his current gold. 15gp isn't a ton, but he did pick Monk as his class.]

A mug of ale is... [hold on, she's checking the list of prices] 4 copper pieces, so you have more than enough.

[ Excellent! He smiles! Having money is great! ]

Okay, I pay for his drink.

Okay, so that leaves you with...[scribbles some math hang on-- ] 14 gold pieces, 9 silver pieces, and 6 copper pieces.

[She's being nice and trying to give him better then change than just 96 copper pieces back!]

So you pay for his drink. The bartender gives you your change, and as soon as the drink is placed in front of him, the strange dwarf raises a glass and gives you a nod of acknowledgement and thanks. He then immediately chugs a good half of it, before setting it down with a loud thunk, and wiping the foam away from his enormous black beard with the back of his hand.

"Where was I? Ah, yes. The mission. I'm sure the lot of you have been wondering what sort of quest could be so selective and secretive, that only the best of the best would be invited for. And that, my friends, I am prepared to share with you now. My name is Thiron Eldershield. And I need the best of the best to help me reclaim my homeland, and defeat the dragon that currently slumbering inside."

[ Jim has no idea what he's doing.

When Gwen had sent him the invitation, Jim had accepted, admittedly not fully knowing what he was agreeing to - but if the teens wanted to have some fun amidst all the nonsense this place threw at them, far be it from Jim to stand in their way. It was actually kind of sweet, that Gwen had thought to include him and Spock.

But the fact of it is, game nights weren't something Jim had been invited to very often, in his time. As an adult, he basically just hung out in the rec room playing chess with Spock or cards with the Engineering crew - and as a kid, well, that wasn't exactly on the table, for him. Moreover, D&D sounded only vaguely (?) familiar, maybe a book he'd seen on Sam's PADD once upon a time - but if it was in fashion in his time, Jim was none the wiser.

Gwen's handed him a character sheet and the math, he can do, but the rest of it...he really is a n00b. ]

...What would you recommend for an absolute beginner?

[It's okay, everyone else that's shown up has been n00bs, so it's fine. She expected this much. She wasn't sure if this was something that Jim or Spock would even enjoy, but it's nice to see he came! Their fellow STEM members have really grown on her.]

If you want to go really easy, I'd probably go with Barbarian or Paladin? Avoid the spell casters, that's where it gets a bit more complicated. But, if you really want a spell caster, then probably try Warlock? They're a bit easier than Druid or Cleric.

[ Whatever experience - or lack thereof - Jim has, he'd expect Spock to have even less with this sort of thing; though hell, who knows, maybe the Vulcan would surprise him. He probably would be secretly good at a random 21st century game, just to watch Jim's eye twitch. ]

Paladin seems good? [ Jim squints at the paper - damn, he needs to get those glasses from Ethlyn. ] I'll leave the spells to someone more advanced. Wouldn't want to accidentally turn someone into a frog.

[ He's kidding. Maybe. He seriously doesn't know what's going on, but he's here and he's trying! ] What's the deal with the...punnett square?

[ Jim's flipped a page and is looking at the alignment chart. ]

So even Paladins still technically have "spells", but Paladins are basically righteous holy warriors. They make an oath with a god, and as they level up, you get spells that are basically divine blessings. But they're not something you have to rely on heavily like a spellcaster would.

[Good thing she mentally prepared that she was going to have to explain everything today.

The punnett square comment makes her laugh, though.]

So it's kind of a punnett square? It works the same way. The top three squares are "Lawful", "Neutral", and "Chaotic", while the three going down are "Good", "Neutral", and "Evil". This is an alignment chart to help basically decide on your characters actions and choices. On one corner, you have "Lawful Good", which would be someone who follows a strict code or laws, someone who puts doing good above everything. While on the opposite end, you have "Chaotic Evil", which could be someone that puts themselves first, doesn't care about the lives of others, someone that's reckless and irresponsible. Does that make sense?

[ Jim's trying so hard to nod along but someone is absolutely going to have to remind him about the spell stuff because he's going to get lost so fast. ]

I get a sword, right? [ The picture in the book has a sword, he'll go with that. Jim scribbles down Paladin on the character sheet, still squinting at all the information. ] Let's do that.

I think so. What would chaotic good be, though? Or lawful evil? [ The pen taps against each square as he pours over the chart. ] If I'm a holy warrior, am I allowed to be evil?

[Gwen fights back laughter. This whole thing has been really amusing.]

Yes. You get a sword. So you can either get a really big sword-- so one that takes two hands to hold, or you can do something like a longsword or rapier and carry a shield with your other hand.

[Really asking the good questions, here. Making her think.]

Chaotic good would be like...Robin Hood? Doing something that's technically against the rules, but for a good reason? Lawful Evil would be...maybe Darth Vader? Follows a strict code, but it's for bad things. [Just to give some examples.] Actually, yes! In a way, anyway. Not all of the deities are good, so you would just have to pick one of the evil ones to have your oath with.

[ It's alright, she can laugh at him...it's a little ridiculous, but he's trying to take it seriously and play the game correctly! ]

A one-handed sword is better for melee fighting. [ Jim really is taking it seriously, because he's treating it like genuine battle strategy. ] A shield can be useful sometimes, but you need to be able to strap it up on your back or ditch it, for fluidity of combat. Can I do that?

[ Yes, Jim, you can. ]

Right, okay. [ Robin Hood, yes, but Darth Vadar...he's pretty sure that's Star Wars, like, old school Star Wars. Certainly not one of the more modern ones he'd seen, in his time. ] I just have to pledge allegiance to Satan, then? That could be fun.

[ As if Jim could ever play an evil character. ~~Haha...ha...~~ ] Maybe Chaotic Neutral is the way to go.

[Kurt's always thought this game sounded cool, but also complicated. So he's glad for an opportunity for a friend to help him work his way into it. He flips through the book while trying to process it all.]

Sounds great! Can't wait to get started! For race, I think I'm pretty set on going elf. [He gets compared to one all the time, why not try to actually be one for once?] I'm not sure what class to go for though. Which one's the coolest?

Elves are great. I've played as one before. [She might even bring back her characters as NPCs for the campaign she's plotting, but that just depends on how long and far this ends up going.]

As for class, that just depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be a spell caster? Do you want to focus more on brute strength, or maybe stealth? There's no wrong way to play.

That's good to know! It sounds like you've really been around this game a lot. [He says, as a compliment. He didn't expect her to be this into the game, but Kurt also knows full well that looks can be deceiving.

He pokes at his chin while thinking.]

Man, there's lots of good choices! Well, brute strength doesn't sound fun. Stealth is usually my thing, but then again, I always thought knowing magic would be awesome! You know, maybe I'll go for the spells!

Just a little bit. [Sure, it had been a while now since she had played, but back when Peter was still alive? Yeah, this was one of their favorite go-to weekend plans.]

Okay, perfect. So for spell casters, you have a few choices. Warlock is probably the easiest for new players, but I can help you if you want to do one of the others. If you want to lean towards healing, you can do Cleric. The others are Sorcerer and Wizard. [She flips through the book, pointing out each of the classes as she explains.]

Each has different spells they can learn, different amounts of spells, but it's also a different path on how they gained their magic that you can work with too.

[He looks on with intrigue as the narrowed-down choices are presented to him!]

Warlocks do sound cool. And if they're the best for newbies, I might as well! So maybe I'll go for that... so how do they get their magic? [He inquires while taking a closer look at the section for warlocks.]

So Warlocks actually gain their magic by forming a pact with a supernatural being-- so like a demon, or a celestial, for example. The difference being that Sorcerers are innately born with magic, and Wizards study tomes and books to gain their magic.

[Just in case he was curious, she felt she should explain the differences!]

Ohhh man, a real deal with the devil! [A nervous chuckle. It might not be real, but that feels like a no-no for him.] Or with a celestial. Are those good guys? It'd be cool if I could get a pact with someone like that.

[He ponders thoughtfully.]

Sorcerers do sound cool, almost like mutants. But wizards, I'm not the best when it comes to book-smarts. Yeah, I think I'm still leaning towards Team Warlock...!

[ D&D has always been a passing interest for Marco - from what he's heard, it's like videogames without needing to buy a console and adults think it's Satanic, and what's cooler than that? Unfortunately, he's never gotten the chance to actually play thanks to 1) a lack of a large enough group of nerdy friends to agree to try it out with him, and 2) the knowledge that asking around school for anyone interested in the made-up math game for nerds would be a one-way ticket to Bullytown, population him.

Still, new world, new rules, right? So he strolls in about ten minutes late (can't seem too eager, after all), settles into a chair and starts flipping through the player's handbook. Despite being a newbie to this, years of videogames means it doesn't take him that long to grasp the basics and fill out the character creation...and also maybe fudge a few dice rolls for stats when no one's looking.

Eventually, he makes his way over to where Gwen's DMing, seeing as she seems like the one who knows most about what she's doing. He's not super familiar with the races yet, so he'll just pick up whatever the hottest female figure is and plop it in front of him. ]

Right, my character's a seven...no, eight-foot tall orc lady, long red hair, so buff she makes Ahnold look like Pee-wee Herman. She's wearing a cute pink dress and she's got one of those - those old-school guitars, whatever they're called, it's awesome. She's a bardbarian and a total babebarian.

She's got no idea what she's here for, but she doesn't care. First thing she does when she gets to the bar is slam her fist into her palm and say, "Let's do it!"

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d&d night

gwen stacy | itsv | ota!

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