Pre-video Ben: Okay, just a heads up. Uh, I got a video coming out this is Waterdeep dragon heist on the module, so if you don't want any module spoilers for that, just, uh, you know
it's up to you. If you don't wanna watch or something, just wait until you finish the module.
Alright. Enjoy the video!
When the new Waterdeep dragon heist book came out,
myself and one other GM at my adventures league group decided to run it.
I started by being responsible and takin' my notes in my little note-a-pad, and it's gonna be a great game!
Gonna be following the book and just going along and jzzshz just gonna be really kewl.
I came in to run my first session with my first level players, and we set out into the streets of Waterdeep on a brand new adventure.
Part way through the first session, the other GM looks over to me and says:
Other GM:  "Hey Ben, how's your table going?"
Wordlessly, I lean over so that the players can't see me and give *this* look to him before leaning back.
After the session was over, we met up and talked about our tables.
Ben: "I've had a lot of very chaotic sessions, but that one that was pretty... out there."
Other GM: "Oh, yeah, our table went off the rails a little bit. What happened in yours?"
Ben: "Weeelllll, it started at the Yawning Portal Tavern. We start with the gang fight that breaks out.
They decided to tail behind them and reach their hideout."
Other GM: "That doesn't sound that bad-"
Ben: "HALF!"
"Half of the party decides to tail. The rest of the group decides to stay behind at the tavern.
So, I have two maps drawn up on the board, one for the tavern group and the other for the people sneaking in the hideout."
Other GM: "Maybe they could scout it out beforehand."
Ben: "Yeah. Yeah, that's what I thought too, but the whole sneaking around thing worked all the way up until they decided...
...that the easiest way to get into the building was to blow a hole into the side wall of the main boss's chamber."
What's worse is that normally, the hideout wraps around the entire building, giving players a few easy encounters before arriving at the final room.
BUT NO. They just waltz. Into the final chamber. Uninvited. And confront the boss.
Who's also a MINDFLAYER!
Other GM: "Isn't the mindflayer like WAY higher level than them? I think he's supposed to you know, just just run away from a fight and teleport out of there."
Ben: "Yeah well, he's SUPPOSED to run away. It's scripted that he starts throwing his minions at them and then teleports out of there,
but because the players blew a hole in the back end of the building, they cut off his escape and barricade the door, so now...
Now he has to fight."
Meanwhile, back at the tavern, out pops a few Stirges and a troll who's also high level.
So, the party's fighting two battles, one at the tavern and the other with the mind flayer.
Other GM: "Wow, that sounds crazy difficult."
Ben: "Actually, I know this sounds weird, but, but mind flayer... really wasn't tough at all.
This one had a rapier with a swashbuckling hat on, and could dodge around making attacks doing all these backflips and parrying with sword swings!
Other GM: "Wow. Uh. That sounds crazy."
Ben: "I know, RIGHT?"
Other GM: "No, I mean, it's literally crazy. Aren't mind flayers supposed to be like these genius psionics or something that could kill people with their mind?"
Ben: "Oh, funny you think about that!"
Uh, two rounds into combat. I realized something really important
You know how the mind flayer's name is Nihiloor. The book also has stats for a Nimblewright?
And, it's spelled like really really similar to Nihiloor (sure Ben) and the stats uhh, right next to each other on the page of the monster section.
Other GM: "You were using the wrong stat block?"
Ben: "I was using the wrong stat block."
So two rounds into it, I flipped over to be actually correct mindflayer statistics, and that was when I realized: Ooh yeah.
Ohhhhhhh yeah!
They... they should not be fighting this thing because I see that it has an ability where it can just wave his hand and instantly melt the entire party's brains and kill them in one round.
So, now I have to think of a reason why he doesn't do that.
Other GM: "What'd you end up doing?"
Ben: "I racked my brains trying to figure a way out of this dire situation, muster up all of my GM-ing knowledge, an-an-and and what I do is I decide to have the mind flayer to point to them and he says:"
Nihiloor: "Hey, you guys."
"You're- you're not supposed to be here. G-get outta here. Go. Out. You- yeah. That's what I thought! And-and-and don't you come back here, You whippersnaps. Ers."
Ben: "And they left, and that was how-how that happened."
Meanwhile, back at the tavern, the group is still fighting the troll and Stirges, and one of the players goes down. But fortunately, out from the side, comes the barkeep.
It turns out the bartender is like a 17th level fighter with magic weapons that starts going to town on the troll, and he wins! By himself... and saves the other two.
Hooray! The day is saved! (ben commited a crime. bad ben, go to your room)
...and the group met up again, and that... that was where that session ended.
The players were following a trail of clues that eventually led them to Xanathar's lair.
This villain was a beholder - a floating head with eye stalks.
And gangster in the city of Waterdeep who ran a crime ring with his closest ally and second-in-command:
Sylgar.
The goldfish. Yes, the goldfish.
Xanathar: "I think he knew what he was doing the whole time, didn't he? What do you think, Sylgar?"
Sylgar: *pop*
Xanathar: "Yeeees, a traitor. How should we handle this Sylgar?"
Sylgar: *pop*
Xanathar: "Yeeees, Sylgar. We should make him an example to others who defy us!"
The goldfish was the only thing other than himself the beholder cared about, and he made sure that that fish was well cared for.
Xanathar: "Look at them, Sylgar. They're nothing but ants beneath us! Nothing, but crawling ants! Right, Sylgar?"
"Sylgar?"
"How's it- how's it going Sylgar? You're not talking much. Not feeling well?"
"You, you want some treats? Got some treats here for you. Sylgar? Okay. Here's some treats."
"There you go!"
"Yeeeeeeh" (squeal of delight)
However, as some of you probably know, goldfish have a pretty short life expectancy.
So, every few years the fish dies and the guild goes into a panic until they can quickly find a replacement fish who looks just like Sylgar, and swap them out without Xanathar finding out.
It's been several decades and they've been through many, many Sylgars, because they knew that if Xanathar ever found out that something had happened to his Sylgar:
Their mentally unstable leader would fly into an unstoppable rampage and murder everyone in the guild.
I was now running for a group of fourth level characters hhich didn't have a PRAYER of fighting Xanathar. He was still way too powerful.
That's... that's not the point of the adventure.
The gang had run off with a stone of Golorr, which they needed to get into the vault. They had to go in, avoid Xanathar, and get the stone.
So, I arrived at the adventurers league and five of my normal seven players don't show up because it's around the holidays, so I just have two people as well as two new players at first level.
They've never played D&D before! (so sorry for you ben)
I have no idea how they're going to act, and they decide to do anything reckless, it might result in a very bad outcome for them.
We start off the adventure, and actually one of the new players was very... responsible.
They were taking charge making sure not to just waltz into the next room. If anything, they were being very very brutal.
Mr. Brutal: "Okay, you're going to be on point. Cover me around the corner with your spells as I charge down.
We're going to go for one of the guys, slit his throat, and then pull a cord and strangle the other to death (One point to brutality!)."
They thugged out pretty hard there, but to be honest, they really had to in this place where there're enemies around every corner.
They systematically went killing enemies one by one going through room by room.
Mr. Brutal: "We need to find someone and start ripping off their fingers one by one to get information. The next guy we see, we're gonna interrogate."
Coming around the corner juggling some balls and humming to himself is the gang clown.
Gang clown: "Hm hm hmm, hm hm hmm, hm hm hmm, hm hm hmm AAH"
He gets captured. (obviously)
Mr. Brutal: "We're gonna make this really simple for you. We need answers."
H O N K  H O N K
Gang clown: "Relax, everyone loves a clown!"
Huah huah huah
Mr. Brutal: "Take away his horn."
"All right, tell us what we need to know."
Gang clown: "I think you guys are just taking things a little too seriously. Don't you think?
I'm just here to have a little fun and laugh it up for the yuks!"
Heuh heuh heuh H O N K  H O N K
Mr. Brutal: "Get his horn away from him! Where these things keep coming from?"
Insight Lady: "Can I roll an insight to see if I trust the clown?"
*intense stare*
"Nevermind. I don't trust the clown"
Mr. Brutal: "I'm not here to have fun. I'm here to get answers."
Gang Clown: "Okay, I'll help you guys out, but only if you're able to answer my riddle!"
Mr. Brutal: "I've got another riddle for you."
*flip*
"How many fingers of yours do you want to keep attached? (Another point to brutality!)"
(Total brutality points so far: 2)
The players hid in one of the side rooms. The rogue unlocked one of the side doors and I start describing what's inside.
GM Ben: "You see a humanoid figure with tentacles coming down from his chin-"
*PUM* Rogue: "Closin' the door."
GM Ben: "Wait, I haven't finished describing the room..."
Rogue: "Doesn't matter. We're not going in there."
GM Ben: "But there's this block text. I have to read it to you."
Rogue: "You can take your block text and shove it! (another brutality point)"
GM Ben: "but the... there's a sce-"
"No!" "You-" "No." "But-" "No!"
Rogue: "No, no, no, no, no. No to all of that. No!"
Aboleth Lady: "Hey, was the door unlocked?"
Rogue: "Doesn't matter. That door is stayin' closed."
They completed the mission and made off with the stone of Golorr, which turned out could talk to them.
Niche Aboleth: "Hey guysh how's it goin'?"
(To fill you in, please pause. The creature in the stone was from Puffin Forest's earlier videos about an aboleth, and the "aboleth lady" was one of the characters in the video, which is what name she will go by. Back to the video.)
"I don't really got a lotta new friends in this stone."
Turns out that the stone of Golorr has an aboleth inside of it.
"It souns like we're gonna have a lot of fuuun!"
(outro music plays after the horrific re-encounter with the nice aboleth from one of the earlier d&d stories)
(and then it fades)
