6.7 KiB
campaign, type, session_number, date, arc, status, tags, last, next
| campaign | type | session_number | date | arc | status | tags | last | next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalon Adventuring Academy | session | 8 | 2026-01-12 | gangs | planned | session 7 | session 9 |
Session Start: “Okay… so something’s wrong.”
[!quote] Narration The party is loud in that way that feels like victory. Your worst playlist is doing psychic damage to everyone within earshot. Drinks are flowing. People are laughing too hard to notice they’re being watched.
[!note] DM Quick Prompt (do this BEFORE initiative) “Where are you, exactly, in the house/yard? Who are you closest to?”
- Ben: ___
- Joe: ___
- Soren: ___ (Lock positions. You’ll thank yourself.)
Prep Payoffs (recap them like they matter)
Soren: Greased Doorknobs (SUCCESS)
[!quote] Narration You’ve never realized how many times people touch doorknobs at a party until you’ve ruined all of them. Every door in this house is now a betrayal waiting to happen.
Mechanical effect (simple):
- The first time each round an enemy tries to open a door: DC 12 Dex save
- Fail: door doesn’t open + they make noise + their movement ends.
- Success: door opens normally.
(Doesn’t stop players; it just slows invaders.)
Soren: Caltrops in the Carpet (FAIL)
[!quote] Narration You were trying to be tactical. Instead you created… Home Alone. The carpet now has teeth.
Mechanical effect (fun, not lethal):
- Any creature that moves more than 10 feet in the living room/hallway carpet must make DC 12 Dex save
- Fail: 1 piercing + speed -10 until end of turn + “ow” noise.
- Success: fine.
(Yes, this can hit allies too. That’s the failure.)
Ben: Worst Playlist (SUCCESS)
[!quote] Narration The speakers blare something so aggressively unlistenable it circles back around to confidence. It’s like the house is daring someone to complain.
Mechanical effect:
- The house is LOUD: enemies have disadvantage on Perception checks based on hearing inside.
- Also: once this fight, Ben can “weaponize cringe”:
- Bonus action to spike volume → one enemy who can hear must make DC 12 Wis save or suffer disadvantage on their next attack (they flinch / lose timing).
Ben: Drinks Secured (SUCCESS)
[!quote] Narration Drinks are everywhere. Which means: people are slower, bolder, and easier to herd.
Mechanical effect:
- Once, when panic starts, Ben can make a Persuasion (DC 12) to keep the crowd from stampeding.
- Success: crowd stays mostly contained (no “difficult terrain everywhere”).
- Fail: the crowd becomes a hazard.
Joe: Perimeter Traps (SUCCESS x2)
[!quote] Narration The fence line isn’t just a fence line anymore. It’s a statement.
Mechanical effect:
- First enemy who tries a “quiet entry” (fence/side gate/yard) triggers Joe’s setup:
- DC 13 Dex save
- Fail: Restrained until they use an action to free themselves (snare wire) OR they take 2d6 from a nasty tripline trick (your call).
- Success: they still make noise and reveal the vector.
- DC 13 Dex save
The Kickoff Beat (no initiative yet)
[!quote] Narration The backyard motion lights click on. Not in the yard. Beyond the fence line. Down the slope where there shouldn’t be anyone.
Call for ONE roll (player choice):
- Perception (DC 13) (watching outside)
- Insight (DC 13) (watching the room)
- Spend 1 Prep Point (if you use them) for advantage, BUT you can also just say “Joe’s traps count as advantage here.”
On Success
[!quote] Narration Three silhouettes. Not drunk. Not lost. Moving like they already picked their angles.
One of them signals—two short flicks of the hand. And the porch light flickers in reply. Someone inside just answered.
On Failure
[!quote] Narration You stare too long and see nothing. Then the motion lights click off. Like someone wanted you to look.
And right then—
the doorbell rings. Once. Patient.
Vector Choice (pick 1, or let the players pick by action)
Vector A: Front Door (most RP)
[!quote] Narration The doorbell rings again. You glance at the peephole / camera rune. Three teens on the porch. Wrong posture. Hands too still. One holds a cheap gift bag like it’s camouflage.
Talker line (through the door or when opened):
[!quote] Talker (easy smile, dead eyes) “Yo. Party’s sick.” “We’re here for Ben. Just need a quick word outside. No drama.”
If they try to stall:
[!quote] Talker “Clean or loud. Your call.”
Vector B: Side Gate / Fence (most “invasion”)
If they focus on the porch and ignore the yard:
[!quote] Narration Somewhere to your left, the fence gives a soft metallic tink. Joe—your trap line goes taut. And someone outside makes a quiet, angry sound.
(Joe’s trap triggers here.)
Vector C: Garage seam (paranoid horror)
[!quote] Narration A soft tap at the garage door. Once. Twice. Like someone testing for a ward ping.
The Exact Moment Initiative Starts (choose)
Option 1: The Grab (best for “kidnap Ben”)
[!quote] Narration The talker’s smile stays polite— and the guy behind him lunges for Ben’s sleeve with a strip of ash-paper between two fingers.
Roll initiative.
Option 2: The Fire Threat (if they hesitate too long)
[!quote] Narration You smell it first—solvent and oil. The third kid flicks something in his palm: a rune-sealed bottle. He doesn’t throw it. He just shows it to you like a promise.
Roll initiative.
Option 3: Seb calls it (if you want the “starter pistol”)
[!quote] Narration Seb goes quiet. Lowers his phone for the first time all night. “Those dudes aren’t here to party.”
And in that same moment, the smile disappears.
Roll initiative.
Featured NPC Assists (keep it fast)
Use each ONCE. No full turns.
Bobby Poets (super-senior)
- Once: “Crowd control” — clears a 10-foot path OR blocks a hallway for 1 round.
“Everyone inside. Now. MOVE.”
Chaz Ironwick
- Once: “Tackle” — immediately grapple a goon within 20 feet (no damage).
“OH WE DOIN’ THIS?”
Jax Hollow (Subaru)
- Once: “Car play” — pulls the Subaru to block the driveway OR create cover.
Seb Castillo
- Once: “Evidence” — gets clear footage of the first hostile act (helps later with cops/admin).
Fouadriel Al-Mir
- Once: “Accidental help” — knocks over a table for cover / causes a distraction. (He helps… but in the dumbest way possible.)
Sumri Tord
- Once: “Spot weakness” — points out an exit / a failing ward / a goon’s focus target.
“They’re not here for the party. They’re here for him.”