So, I'm quite a new DM and was running the essentials kit for some friends. One of the quests they had to go on was to a place called 'Butterskull Ranch', a farm that had been raided by orcs, and the farm owner, a man named infamously as 'Big Al'. The players snuck into the ranch quite easily (we had a really cool part where we played the pink panther theme as the rogue crept through the orchard towards the farm building) and dealt with most of the orcs. The problem was, we had a dragonborn sorcerer who was, let's say a bit trigger-happy with burning hands (he'd already burnt down a windmill and a rope bridge with the cleric on it). Big Al was tied up by the orcs in the farmhouse basement, and when the players confronted the orc chieftain the sorcerer let rip. The orcs were fried, the rogue died (thank goodness for revivify) and when the rescued farm owner Big Al asked who burnt down his farmhouse, the cunning sorcerer with a +4 to charisma, lied.
What really complicated the situation was that the cleric secretly told Big Al who had really torched his house. The cleric then gathered the party, and the rogue and himself both gave Big Al 50gp compensation. When it came to Gengo's turn (the sorcerer) he was too stubborn to give the 'common farmer' any gold (they'd already stolen from him anyway) so in spite Gengo gave him a single copper piece. Little did I know, Big Al would become a nemesis to Gengo. Big Al took the money and ran away.
Next session. In the town there is a noticeboard with quests for the players. A strange note appears, not in the town master's usual handwriting. I used an old ink pen and paper soaked in tea to write a note for gengo, summoning him to a duel in the ruined village of Conyberry (In lost mine of phandelver there is a banshee there, but in icespire peak it was just an empty labeled place on the map. The party traveled there to fight Big Al. Turned out he was riding his prized cow and dual-wielding pitchforks. He had spent their money on hiring some gnoll mercenaries (one of my players really wanted to meet some gnolls, but there were none in the adventure). Mr Charisma convinced the gnolls to flee, and the cleric hatched a plan. The three used thaumaturgy and disguise self plus some other spells and magic items (rogue was an arcane trickster so all of them had something up their sleeve) they all disguised themselves as the cleric. They ended up 3 on 2 fighting Big Al and cow, despite his calls for "a noble duel". The cleric kept on using command to make Big Al grovel and so he was effectively useless, and his cow as a non-humanoid and so immune to that spell did most of the damage. Eventually Big Al was defeated and they captured his cow. The cleric tried spare the dying but Big Al lacked the will to live, and the cleric instead gave him a respectful burial, and it took all of the rogue's convincing power to stop Gengo from looting the grave of his nemesis. It was a fun session.
A few sessions later, me and Gengo's player swapped places (I was playing a moon druid). Gengo ended up running a really fun one-shot where we had to stop a ritual to reincarnate Big Al into the body of his cow. I ended up using most of my spell slots and all of my wild shape on getting the party and a gay gnome couple we rescued (G-nay g-nomes are a recurring joke in our group, and they always have rhyming names , this particular pair were called Jorg and Borg) out of danger by summoning 3 deer mounts and transforming into one myself. It was a hard battle against Big Al possessed cow as gengo as a newbie DM overestimated its HP without him dealing 76 in a turn, so it was a close fight and lasted a while. But eventually Big Al was defeated, his cow unpossessed and put to work at the Inn making cheese.
Thanks if you read all that, it was longer than i anticipated. I just wanted to share how much fun we all had just from one small decision to be a very chaotic chaotic good to the extent where the good is really just an afterthought.
So, I'm quite a new DM and was running the essentials kit for some friends. One of the quests they had to go on was to a place called 'Butterskull Ranch', a farm that had been raided by orcs, and the farm owner, a man named infamously as 'Big Al'. The players snuck into the ranch quite easily (we had a really cool part where we played the pink panther theme as the rogue crept through the orchard towards the farm building) and dealt with most of the orcs. The problem was, we had a dragonborn sorcerer who was, let's say a bit trigger-happy with burning hands (he'd already burnt down a windmill and a rope bridge with the cleric on it). Big Al was tied up by the orcs in the farmhouse basement, and when the players confronted the orc chieftain the sorcerer let rip. The orcs were fried, the rogue died (thank goodness for revivify) and when the rescued farm owner Big Al asked who burnt down his farmhouse, the cunning sorcerer with a +4 to charisma, lied.
What really complicated the situation was that the cleric secretly told Big Al who had really torched his house. The cleric then gathered the party, and the rogue and himself both gave Big Al 50gp compensation. When it came to Gengo's turn (the sorcerer) he was too stubborn to give the 'common farmer' any gold (they'd already stolen from him anyway) so in spite Gengo gave him a single copper piece. Little did I know, Big Al would become a nemesis to Gengo. Big Al took the money and ran away.
Next session. In the town there is a noticeboard with quests for the players. A strange note appears, not in the town master's usual handwriting. I used an old ink pen and paper soaked in tea to write a note for gengo, summoning him to a duel in the ruined village of Conyberry (In lost mine of phandelver there is a banshee there, but in icespire peak it was just an empty labeled place on the map. The party traveled there to fight Big Al. Turned out he was riding his prized cow and dual-wielding pitchforks. He had spent their money on hiring some gnoll mercenaries (one of my players really wanted to meet some gnolls, but there were none in the adventure). Mr Charisma convinced the gnolls to flee, and the cleric hatched a plan. The three used thaumaturgy and disguise self plus some other spells and magic items (rogue was an arcane trickster so all of them had something up their sleeve) they all disguised themselves as the cleric. They ended up 3 on 2 fighting Big Al and cow, despite his calls for "a noble duel". The cleric kept on using command to make Big Al grovel and so he was effectively useless, and his cow as a non-humanoid and so immune to that spell did most of the damage. Eventually Big Al was defeated and they captured his cow. The cleric tried spare the dying but Big Al lacked the will to live, and the cleric instead gave him a respectful burial, and it took all of the rogue's convincing power to stop Gengo from looting the grave of his nemesis. It was a fun session.
A few sessions later, me and Gengo's player swapped places (I was playing a moon druid). Gengo ended up running a really fun one-shot where we had to stop a ritual to reincarnate Big Al into the body of his cow. I ended up using most of my spell slots and all of my wild shape on getting the party and a gay gnome couple we rescued (G-nay g-nomes are a recurring joke in our group, and they always have rhyming names , this particular pair were called Jorg and Borg) out of danger by summoning 3 deer mounts and transforming into one myself. It was a hard battle against Big Al possessed cow as gengo as a newbie DM overestimated its HP without him dealing 76 in a turn, so it was a close fight and lasted a while. But eventually Big Al was defeated, his cow unpossessed and put to work at the Inn making cheese.
Thanks if you read all that, it was longer than i anticipated. I just wanted to share how much fun we all had just from one small decision to be a very chaotic chaotic good to the extent where the good is really just an afterthought.
Wow. I wish Big Al would've won, he was the real hero.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Haha I thought that as well whilst Dming. It was an emotional moment for the group when he finally died.
great story. And all because of someone's flammable fingers.
Thanks to reading this story, I now have the Pink Panther theme in my head. Also, great and funny story!