The Continuing of What Came Before

I'm pausing again to talk more about 5th edition. In the first two sessions I played, I participated in four or five fights. In almost all of them, I got dropped to 0 hit points. In 5th, the damage stops at 0. Once you go unconscious, you make Death Saving Throws. You need to succeed at 3 before failing 3. Incidentally, these are luck rolls: 10+ on a d20 is a success. Anything else is a failure. A DC 10 Wisdom (medicine) check also can instantly stabilize someone, as well as a handy 0-level Cleric spell, what 5th edition calls cantrips (Yes, my character knows that cantrip, and has already used it).

Let's talk a little more about those cantrips. Even classes that otherwise prepare spells (Wizards and Clerics, for example) know cantrips. They include basic utility spells (such as light) and few simple attack spells. The attack spells scale by class level. The most important thing about cntrips, though, is that they are at-will spells. You can cast them as often as you like. So your caster always has an attack handy.

After we defended the keep's gate, we had an opportunity to take a short rest. Unlike 4th edition, this is an hour-long rest. You do get some limited healing, in the form of hit dice based on your class and level. You spend any number of hit dice up to your maximum and roll them, regaining that many hit points. In addition, some abilities recharge after a short rest (such as Channel Divinity).

After the short rest, we helped interrogate a cultist we had captured earlier. The Warlock and Wizard managed to use the Intimidation skills to extract some bits of info, but the halfling failed. My character managed to successfully intimidate more information out of the cultist. Lastly, the Ranger managed to use interaction and role-playing to get the bulk of the remaining information. We learned that our foes were members of the Cult of the Dragon, that they were collecting a hoard of treasure for the Dragon Queen, that the treasure was being taken north, and that the cult was being led by Rezmir the Black. We also learned something about dragonmasks, but it was vague.

Well, this being D&D, it was time to get back into action. The town's governor, Nighthill, spotted fire at the mill, and dispatched us to take care of it. This wouldn't be that bad if it weren't for the fact that our fighters were absent. So, without any tanks, we went to the mill and found a group of kobolds setting fires. The Warlock suspected a trap, and tried to listen in, overhearing something to the effect of "Put on a good show!"

Of course, reacting as people in a medieval setting might to a fire near a wooden structure used to process grain, we moved to stop the kobolds, while the Warlock tried to head back to the keep.

Kobolds have a rather annoying ability called pack tactics that grants them advantage on attack rolls if an ally is within 5ft of the target. What is advantage? It's the new trick under 5th Edition's hood. Advantage lets you roll the d20 twice and take the higher result. Disadvantage is the same thing, but in reverse: two d20s but take the worst. And disadvantage and advantage cancel each other out. And since multiple instances don't stack, even if several factors impose disadvantage, if at least one factor grants advantage, the disadvantage is cancelled out (or vice versa). Granting advantage or disadvantage replaces a DM's screen worth of modifiers to rolls.

Needless to say, this makes kobolds a bit of a glass cannon. They get dropped quickly, but before they do, they can inflict a fair bit of damage. Also, like true cowards, they tend to flee after half or more of their number are down.

We chased away the kobolds after the Wizard and me were dropped. The halfling boldly stayed to guard our bodies while the Ranger and Warlock went into the mill to continue to fight the fire. The Warlock was right about the trap, but it was for us. A group of cultists were waiting in ambush in the mill. They managed to drop the Ranger, but some lucky rolling and good role-playing from the Warlock convinced the cultists that we were on their side.

We weren't quite done for the night. After getting back to the keep (for yet another round of potions of healing from the grateful defenders), we learned that the blue dragon circling the keep was coming in for an attack. Blue dragons, for people not familiar with D&D, breath bolts of lightning. Also, a dragon like that is a deadly challenge for first level characters. However, we had lots of cannon fodder (or bold citizens helping us with the defense of the keep), and only had to chase it off. The dragon opened with it's frightening presence (an ability all dragons have to inflict fear on those opposing it), then used its breath weapon on some of those unnamed defenders. We managed to hit the dragon with our initial attacks and inflict close to thirty damage! This was enough to chase of the dragon.

We weren't done for the night, though. The cultists assembled at the doors of the keep with four hostages. Their field commander, a half-dragon called Langderosa Cyanwrath challenged us to a duel. The villagers expected the ranged fighter, who had a background called Folk Hero, to step forward. However, without his player there, it fell to the Warlock. When he stepped out, I stood back outside the gate, identifying myself as the Warlock's second. Although the Warlock won initiative, his first attack was a miss. And the half-dragon's first attack was a critical hit. Just to rub it in, he stabbed the unconscious Warlock with a spear. However, the half-dragon was true to his word and released the hostages. As he departed, I used Spare the Dying (that cantrip I mentioned earlier) on the Warlock.

Not a bad run considering we didn't have a tank, I'd say.