The Dragon (Episode 2x0)

The Dragon (Campaign 2 - Episode 0)
{From left to right:} Ratma Ritmo, Big Bo, Anvon Whispermouse, Luban Dola, and Durian Brexleyshire
Information
Release Date:	January 17, 2022
Recording Date:	January 11, 2022
Episode Length:	1:24:54
Cast & Characters
Michael DiMauro:	Dungeon Master
Mike Bachmann:	Anvon Whispermouse
Tim Lanning:	Durian Brexleyshire
Jennifer Cheek:	Big Bo
Nika Howard:	Ratma Ritmo
Guest Host:	John Iadarola - Luban Dola
Guide
Previous Episode:	Next Episode:
N/A	Welcome To Rimeford

A group of adventurers of some renown hear tell of a dragon, a foe for more powerful than they have faced to date, ravaging the lands of House Cromwell. Being that they are as brave as they are heroic they set off to show this beast that you do not mess with the people of this land.

Story[]

Long Story[]

The city of Ironcross is a hardened place. It has to be, standing as the last bastion of civilization before the Wildlands of the east. Ironcross should be a major political power in the world, if it weren't for the constant barrage of monster attacks from the eastern lands. The leader of this region is Duke Cromwell, who's family has ruled for over over 50 years. His fierce army has helped to keep the monsters at bay, assisted by tough and trusted adventurers that the Duke occasionally hires for such purposes.

In the nearby village of Still-Glenn, reports have been coming in of a dragon taking up residence in the forests. It has begun to harass the village, hunting closer and closer to the city, killing cattle, and on occasion, people. And so, Duke Cromwell has hired a band of heroes to go and take out the dragon. They are Ratma Ritmo, Anvon Whispermouse, Durian Brexleyshire, Big Bo, and Luban Dola. Together, they will be awarded a small fortune for the defeat of the dragon.

They leave Ironcross via caravan, driven by everyone's favorite caravan driver, Gregory. Said caravan is chased after by a gaggle of cheering children. They are excited to see off these local heroes. The heroes, in turn, perform some crowd work: Durian makes some of their play swords glow, Big Bo gives them a beefy thumbs up, Ratma sprays champagne on the kids, and Anvon blasts from flamethrower flames over their heads. So, "heroes"... ??? I don't know.

Nevertheless, they make it, uneventfully, to a traveler's inn along the road, Twin Yaks. Ratma demands the finest room, but they've stayed here many times before, as an established adventuring party. So, the barkeep, an old friend, already has their room prepared especially for them. The gang spends the evening establishing their characters: Durian wooing the patrons of the tavern (looking for a good time, if you know what I mean). Anvon spends his time adjusting his bed (he's exceptionally stout, so he has to have the bed rotated, and the sheets done with the opening on the looooong side). Luban also chats up the tavern guests, though he's more interested in the beast in the streets, than the beast in the sheets. That is to say, he's asking about the dragon, not trying to get laid. That made sense, right?

The door opens, and in shuffles a man covered in dust and soot. He's a local farmer, who's just had a run in with the dragon. And he stinks. Enough to clue everyone into the fact that the dragon they need to fight... is Green! That means it's cunning, and ruthless. Gonna be a tough battle, to be sure, but Durian is excited that this could be a big opportunity for them. The team grills the man, asking about if there's anything that may have caused the dragon to attack now. Bo asks if the man (who goes nameless throughout this entire ordeal) has any enemies, and he responds: "Ricky". Ricky is a rival sheep farmer, who's farm is right next to this guy's. And his sheep haven't been eaten by any dragons. This gives Durian an idea, which he shares with the rest of the team. They can use Ricky's sheep as bait for the dragon, disguise themselves as sheep among them, and lure the dragon out for an ambush. It's the perfect plan.

They retire for the night, and the next morning (after stopping to pick up lunch), they head over to Ricky's farm. As payment for his sheep, they offer him a small bag of gold, and a nice donkey, a gift basket hanging from its neck. Also, Ratma brings him the second most recent issue of Drunkeros Weekly. So, that's fun. Ricky, reluctantly, accepts this arrangement (even though he's already read the magazine). He grants them permission to use his sheep, and then heads off to hide in the root cellar with the donkey.

With the sheep in their employ, the party gets to work. Ratma, Anvon, and Big Bo disguise themselves as sheep and hide amongst them, while Luban hangs upside down from a tree branch in the forest, and Durian enters Ricky's home, to peruse his possessions. He finds a bunch of awards, for things like, Best Sheep, and Best Shepherd, that kind of thing. He also casts Prestidigitation to create the extra rich scent of sheep's blood around the area. Anvon Summons a Wildfire Spirit, and makes it look like a sheep. A flaming sheep. Bad-ass, but pretty conspicuous.

Time passes. Dusk sets in. It's looking grim. No dragon. But just when they think it's not going to work, they hear a screech. A dragon screech. And a Huge Green Dragon flies onto the scene. It attacks!

The dragon starts out too far away to do anything, so the party readies some actions. Big Bo readies the Dodge action, while Anvon also creates an Eldritch Cannon to blast the dragon with. The dragon uses his Frightful Presence to make everyone except Anvon scared. There's some more attacks, Durian steps out and throws some Fireballs at it, and the dragon blasts Anvon and Ratma with its poison breath. Ouch. After trading some more blows, Durian uses Banish to send the creature away, giving everyone a brief respite. More actions are readied, and then the dragon returns. It's immediately hit with many attacks. Big Bo does a ton of damage, and so the dragon attempts to swipe at him with its tail. It misses. And finally, Anvon deals the killing blow. He blasts it with a Scorching Ray, taking it out, and ending the battle. The dragon's body falls onto some sheep and kills them. In total, 13 of Ricky's sheep are lost.

Short[]

Five adventurers, under the employ of Duke Cromwell, depart from Ironcross to the small village of Still-Glenn, for the purposes of slaying a dragon. Said dragon has been causing problems in the town. Along the way, they stop at a tavern, where they meet a man who's just had a run-in with the dragon. It attacked his farm, and ate all his sheep. The adventurers form a plan, to lure out the dragon using the sheep of this man's rival, Ricky. They do this successfully, and after a mighty battle, the dragon is slain.

Trivia[]

Anvon Summons Wildfire Spirit, which is a druid thing. He also uses Bardic Inspiration, which is a Bard thing. So, UH OH! Bachmann's multi-classing again! Everybody, run!
Everyone has one healing potion. They use none of them.

In This Episode...[]

Cast and Player Characters[]

Non-Player Characters[]

Gregory, the caravan driver
The un-named sheep farmer
Ricky, the other sheep farmer

Locations[]

Ironcross
Still-Glenn
- The Twin Yaks
- Ricky's farm

Quotes[]

"We're just gonna skip right over talking to the Duke, and we're gonna send you right over to Still-Glenn, cause again, it is a one-shot. And I have, over the course of 9 years, learned a little bit." ~ Michael DiMauro, the Wise

"Are we good adventurers, or just the loudest adventurers?" ~ Tim Lanning

"We can get more sheep. I got a sheep guy. He's half-sheep, half-guy!" ~ Anvon Whispermouse

"I got a stage act that will knock your socks off. It is NOT advisable for anyone with heart issues..." ~ Ratma Ritmo

Rolls[]

Luban rolls Insight to speak with the tavern guests to find out what they know about the dragon and his own trick shots (with Advantage) - Nat 20
- Success - Some dude enters who's had an encounter with the dragon

They all roll various skills to see what they themselves might know about the dragon
- Anvon rolls Survival - 2
- Durian rolls History - 8
- Ratma rolls something - 4
- Luban rolls Nature - 15
  - He smells like he's been poisoned, so it would be a green dragon

Durian rolls Persuasion to convince Ricky to let them use his sheep - 23
- Success - He reluctantly agrees

Luban rolls Survival to set a dragon trap (with Advantage) - 18
- Success - The Dragon

Everyone rolls Stealth to hide when the dragon shows up
- Ratma - 30
  - Success
- Anvon - 3
  - Fail
- Big Bo - 17
  - Fail
- Luban - 11
  - Fail

Combat Begins vs Green Dragon

Initiative
- Big Bo - Nat 20
- Anvon - Nat 20
- Dragon
- Ratma - 14
- Luban - 12
- Durian - 5

Round One

Big Bo
- Takes the Dodge action to get ready to evade an attack

Anvon
- Gives Bardic Inspiration to Ratma
- Creates an Eldritch Flamethrower Cannon on his back

Dragon
- Flies 80 ft toward them
- Uses Frightful Presence, requiring Wisdom Saving Throws from everyone but Durian
  - Anvon (with advantage) - 13 14 17
    - Success - Is NOT frightened
  - Luban - 7
    - Fail - Is frightened
  - Big Bo - 11 >11
    - Fail - Is frightened
  - Ratma - 6
    - Fail - Is frightened

Ratma
- Ranged Attack vs Dragon (with Disadvantage) - 12
  - Miss
- Wisdom Saving Throw to not be frightened - 5
  - Fail - Still frightened

Luban
- Ranged Attack (Distracting Strike maneuver) vs Dragon (with Disadvantage) {x2} - 16 Nat 1, Nat 1
  - Miss, Miss
- Wisdom Saving Throw to not be frightened (uses Indomitable to re-roll) - 15 20
  - Success - No longer frightened

Durian
- Casts Fireball on the Dragon, requiring a Dexterity Saving Throw - 20
  - Success - 2713 Fire damage

Round Two

Big Bo
- Takes the Dodge Action again
- Wisdom Saving Throw to not be frightened - 19
  - Success - No longer frightened

Anvon
- Casts Scorching Ray on the Dragon {x5} - 7, 12, Nat 1, 17
  - Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss
Wildfire Spirit
- Moves 30 ft toward the dragon
- Does Flame Seed attack vs Dragon - 17
  - Miss

Dragon
- Flies up to 20 ft of Anvon and Ratma
- Breath Weapon, requiring Constitution Saving Throws
  - Ratma (Uses Anvon's Bardic Inspiration) - 15 19
    - Success - 28 Poison damage
  - Anvon (with Advantage) - 7 15
    - Fail - 56 28 Poison damage

Ratma
- Moves back 30 ft
- Wisdom Saving Throw to not be frightened - 16
  - Success - No longer frightened

Luban
- Ranged Attack (Distracting Strike maneuver) vs Dragon {x2} - 27, 27
  - Hit, Hit - 18 + 9 damage

Durian
- Casts Banish on the dragon, requiring a Charisma Saving Throw (with Disadvantage due to Heightened Spell ability) - 3
  - Fail - Dragon disappears

Round Three

Big Bo
- Readies Melee Attack (War Pick)

Anvon
- Moves the Eldritch Cannon to 15 from the Dragon's location
- Moves to 15 on the other side of the Dragon, and prepares a "very similar effect" (Burning Hands)
- Moves Wildfire Spirit close by as well, prepares another Flame Seed

Ratma
- Readies Melee Attack

Luban
- Falls from the tree, hides himself, and prepares his bow

Durian
- Maintains concentration

Round Four

Big Bo
- Melee Attack (War Pick) vs Dragon {x2} - 26, 20
  - Hit, Hit - 25 damage

Anvon
- One of the prepared attacks requires a Dexterity Saving Throw from the Dragon - 16
  - Success - 5 damage
- Another prepared attack requires another Dexterity Saving Throw - 16
  - Success - 4 damage
- Ranged Attack - 18
  - Hit - 6 damage

Ratma
- Melee Attack vs Dragon - 27
  - Hit - 26 damage

Luban
- Ranged Attack (Distracting Strike maneuver) vs Dragon {x2} - 29, 19
  - Hit, Hit - 13 + 11 damage

Durian
- Runs outside, and casts Bless (at 3rd level) on everyone
- Casts Misty Step to return to Ricky's house

Round Five

Big Bo
- Melee Attack vs Dragon (first attack with Advantage) - 20, 22, 19, 27
  - Hit, Hit, Hit, Hit - 46 damage

Dragon
- Melee Attack (Tail) vs Big Bo - 17
  - Miss

Anvon
- Eldritch Cannon Attacks, requiring another Dexterity Saving Throw - 10
  - Fail - 14 damage
- Casts Scorching Ray on the dragon {x3} - 19, 23, 20
  - Hit, Hit, Hit - 19 damage - Kills it!

Combat Ends