The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 10 - Dragon Fire and Prune Juice

Good Evening! I am itching to paint some figures, but I also don't want to let this series go. Please excuse the unpainted and half-painted figures.  

Our party was surprised by a well-armed band of adventurers wandering the valley of the Caves of Chaos. They were more surprised that their mule had escaped the kobolds for several days running and had become a regular denizen of the Caves. 

Norin spotted the new group first and alerted everyone. The two Knights blocked up the secret entrance to the ogre cave with the stone treads and met the rest of the party at the main entrance. Rety and Celia wormed their way under the chain and wheel contraption for a better look. 

Rety, I think.

"The first one is a Thief," whispers Rety. "They have two Fighters and two Magic-Users." 

"Right," answered Celia. "And the skinny lady has to be a Cleric. Look at that holy water sprinkler."

Rety hissed in amusement. The "sprinkler" was studded with large metal knobs, and the woman appeared like she watered it with blood, frequently. 

Celia crawled back to explain the situation before Rety made a decision to call to the newcomers. They looked mean. She never got the chance. 

The other party turned away, looking to the kobold caves. 12 of the little beasties came out in formation. 6 held large shields with large spikes on the bottom. In their tiny hands, they looked like mantlets, a piece of siege equipment the Castlian brought to the Keep. The other six lugged crossbows, two each. They only ventured 20 feet out of their cave, and the shield bearers drove the spike of each shield into the ground. 

One of the women, a Magic-User, waved her arms, and an eye-bending shimmer of light appeared between the groups. Three bolts shattered against the shield spell, but a fourth winged the Cleric who was too wide of the barrier. 

As the newcomers took refuge behind their shield spell, Rety dragged her belly on the floor to get back to her team. 

He looks like a Punch. 

"Punch and Lefty, open the secret door! Slammer and Solvo, get your bows ready, but wait for my signal. Dorian, back them up, but don't expose yourself. Bel, give them a shield," she ordered. The men ran off to comply. 

"Thomas, I want you here with Dorin and Celia. I want you to lift the chains and wheels when I call." 

They nodded and took up the rope Dorin had rigged to his contraption.  

"Come on, Sybil. On your belly, with me," said Rety.

Sybil took a crossbow, a quiver of arrows, and another of bolts with her as she slid on her back. She was ever non-compliant. Rety kissed her magic ring of protection and wiggled her way back to the entrance. 

The newcomers and the kobolds hunkered down behind their respective shields, exchanging missiles. It was clear the newcomers were considering the caves to the south with trepidation. The kobold crossbowmen were working with their shieldbearers. The bearers reloaded for them, allowing them to fire every round instead of every other round. 

I deemed this effective but slow. The kobolds always lose initiative when doing this and also fire last. I also deemed the prior two sentences should have been one sentence with a semicolon connector, but no one but AI uses semicolons in 2025. Goddamn AI, bane of my existence. This is why I use a 1999 iBook for writing. 

It gave me a semicolon like I wanted. However, it left the redundant "but". 

I thought Bel would be younger.

The one thing that AI does do well is track characters and locations, so long as those locations are well labeled. Bel, Dorian, Lefty, Punch, Solvo, and Slammer were in room 22, removing the stone treads they had just put there. Punch and Lefty, trying to be true Knights, didn't swear too much. Rety and Sybil were in the cave mouth while Dorin, Celia, and Thomas were holding the rope to let them back in quickly. The 3 mules were munching breakfast quietly in the L-shaped hall, left of the intersection to the cave mouth. 

And in room 17, 3 giant rats wiggled their way out of the debris blocking the stairs. They snuck up on and surprised Dorin, Celia, and Thomas. Instead of attacking, all three went through the motions of washing their faces with their paws. A small necklace fell from each rat's neck before they fled back to room 17, with Thomas in pursuit. Dorin inspected the necklaces; each was a simple piece of twine with copper coins strung on it. 

A very militant-looking Cleric. 

Thomas entered room 17 in time to see the rats disappear back into the pile of debris clogging the stairs. He couldn't stop them. He also couldn't think of a single reason why they would enter and then flee. Cursing, he retreated back to the cave mouth. 

"I'll do the missiles, you do the shield," Rety said to Sybil. 

Sybil nodded. All of the action was happening to the left of the cave mouth. Rety moved to the right to get a better angle and waited for the fighters to appear from the ogre cave. 

In the meantime, the new Fighters unleashed arrows on the kobolds, and the Cleric and the Thief pelted them with bullets. It was a stalemate. The kobolds wore chain armor and had a plus 2 bonus from the giant shields they hid behind. Relatively speaking, they had a wall rather than individual shields. 

Rety edged to the right of the cave mouth, trading range for a better angle. When the fighting men stepped out, she struck one kobold dead with an arrow. The fighting men knew a signal when they saw one. Punch and Lefty charged, Solvo and Slammer arching arrows over their heads. 

And the trap was sprung. 

From above, 6 bolts whistled overhead, striking both of the new Fighters and one of the Magic-Users. Mercifully, it wasn't the Magic-User controlling the shield spell. 

At my table, once a spell is in effect, except if the description says otherwise, it will not fall. Unless the caster died, that is. If a caster is getting ready to prep a spell and gets hit, I declare the action is prevented. They don't lose it; they just can't cast it now and have to start over in the next round. If they have completely prepped the spell, then get hit, that hit foils the spell and results in losing it. I am semi-generous because of the relatively few spells low-level casters have. In AD&D, this is a common thing. Due to the way B/X works, it is far less common.      

The newcomers are under serious threat, but not completely screwed, yet.

Slammer. The name was taken from the book
What is Dungeons and Dragons?

In the next round, Solvo, Slammer, and Dorian fired at the hobgoblins to break up their reloading, while Lefty and Punch advanced on the Kobolds. Slammer rolls a luck 20 and 6 combo, killing one hobgoblin. The other Magic-User and Sybil threw up shield spells. Bel hung back since the team was doing well. 

The hobgoblins retreated back out of sight to finish their reload. Rety downs another kobold with a good roll. The kobolds fire furiously, 11 shots that all miss because the heroes have bunched together behind the shield spell. 

There is a difference between crossbows and arrows, one part training and one part mechanics. Arrows obviously can arch through the air to hit targets at greater ranges. Crossbows can also arch, but they lose effectiveness fast. It's harder to do and not obvious to do unless one is also an archer. The hobgoblins aren't great crossbowmen or archers. 

Elves, like Solvo, look better without helms. 

Solvo and Slammer loosed two arrows over the ridge where the hobgoblins are hiding. They missed, but the arrows gave the hobgoblins pause, and they took cover. Rety and Dorian took potshots at the kobolds. In the momentary break, the newcomers begin to move to the orge's door and safety. 

The heroes won the initiative and began moving, while Rety's team discouraged the enemy with additional missile fire. The problem with winning initiative is that you go first. There were no easy targets, and all of the party's missiles were wasted before the hobgoblins popped out to respond. 5 of the kobolds do the same. The effect was devastating. The only newcomers not hit were the mages behind their shield spells. Punch slung his shield to pick up the Thief while Lefty assisted the Cleric in a hobbled run to the orge cave. 

The party lost initiative, but only had to fend off the kobolds for the round as the hobgoblins reloaded. Rety struck another kobold, causing it to leap behind a shield. 

Back inside, Celia noticed an odd noise, a gurgling sound. She checked the water barrel and shrugged. Thomas sends her to check the other barrels in 17 and 18. Celia dashed to room 17 first, as room 18 had ready guards. 

Celia discovered the water barrel in room 17 was also intact, but an odd smell permeated the room, like oil, alcohol, and strangely, prunes. Outside, above the mouth of Rety's cave, a mixed group of goblinoids rained bolts down on the newcomers and the Knights. Rety was grazed by a spear from above, and Sybil found herself hemmed in the entrance, her shield spell protecting only her. 

"Lift!" yelled Sybil. 

The two heroes pulled the chain and wheels out of the way. The escaping party, the Cleric, Thief, Fighter, and Knights, bore the brunt of the missile fire. The Thief was killed instantly, and Lefty threw the unconscious Cleric over his shoulder. 

Celia searched around the room for the source of the smell and gurgling. It came from the clogged stairway. A fluid ran down the slope from under the debris. The smell of prune brandy*, oil, and other vile and volatile liquids accompanied it. A blue flame licked over the surface.

"DRAGON FIRE!" yelled Celia. 

A massive whomp shook the Caves of Chaos, stunning everyone near room 17. 

Sybil.

Lefty and Punch deposited their charges in the orge cave and took up a rear guard as the other retreated with the dead and wounded. . Thomas flailed, clutching his ears as smoke wafted from room 17. Dorin lay still. 

Rety and Sybil emerged from under the wildly swaying chain of wheels. Sybil ran off, following the smoke, while Rety collided with Bel coming from the other direction, seeking answers or at least orders. Rety motioned for him to tend the wound and dashed to the western rooms to see what other trouble she could find. 

Bell tended to Thomas, knowing the Cleric could help Dorin. Rety continued on to the room with the secret door.  

The scorecard looks very bad. Rety, Thomas, Punch, Lefty, the two Magic-Users, and the new Fighter were all wounded. The new Cleric, a Fighter, and the Thief were dead. So were two of the three mules. Celia was missing, and Dorin lay dying. The new Magic-Users only have one 1st-level spell left each. Bel, Thomas, and Dorian have all of their spells available, while Sybil has expended one first-level spell.  

Lefty matches Punch.

Outside, the orcs came down from their perch as the kobolds, goblins, rats, and hobgoblins advanced on the main entrance to the heroes' home. Sybil and the Knights argued about blocking up the secret door. 

Under all of the shouting, Punch muttered, "If I live through this, I'll start using my real name." 

Lefty and Rety looked askance at him before continuing their bickering about honor vs. hiding.  

In Session 11, we will learn what the Caves of Chaos have in store for the heroes and how they will react to this loss.  

*Prune brandy is just the sort of stuff that I would think goblins would drink. In the real world, as near as I can tell, no one makes actual prune brandy. Plum brandy is unaged brandy, while what is called prune brandy is aged plum brandy. That is aging in barrels, not aging the plums or prunes. I would think there would be a difference. 

I am throwing an ad here for very little reason. I strongly suggest reading "What is Dungeons and Dragons" by John Butterfield, Philip Parker, and David Honigmann. I have seen several covers, but I don't know if they were different runs or different covers for different markets. As always, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The first link leads to my 2020 review (below the picture), and this link leads to an Amazon page for the book. 

As always, thank you for reading along and supporting me. 

Why Descending AC?

Descending Armor Class is a trope of BX, but as new retro clones appear, you also see THAC0 and Ascending Armor classes. Those are all choices, but which is best depends on who and when you are. And to be honest, which one you pick makes no difference. 

Way...way... way... back... to the DMG for AD&D, AC had a different mechanic than simply beating a number. There was a chart or series of charts that had endpoints. Characters reached a certain level where it was simply listed as "level n+". For Fighters, at the first level, you needed a 25 to hit AC -10 and an 11 to hit AC 10. Going to the other end, it didn't matter how high your level was; there was just one line labeled "This level or over". There were bounds to the charts. 

But if you ignore boundaries, all three attack systems are basically the same. 

For descending AC, you could fill out the Attack Value Matrix on your character sheet like so: 

Except this tool was in the hands of the DM! You would tell your DM what you rolled, and what your bonuses were. 

It would be up to the DM to consult the chart and tell you if you hit. What number you really need to succeed is obscured. This makes B/X and AD&D e1 especially deadly because you don't know what you don't know. Also, the tables had steps or jumps in probability not so much to keep one guessing, but due to the boundaries set by the charts and the progression of classes.   

For THAC0, instead of using the chart, you'd figure out what you need to hit AC 0, then calculate what you need to hit. In this case, roll a d20, subtract your opponent's AC, and see if it was better than what you needed. The two issues with this method are: first, the probabilities are different, and second, the monster's AC isn't obscured at all. 

You could either calculate on the fly all the time or fill out the Attack Value Matrix. It didn't matter, except as before, the tables were often not listed on your character sheet, and it still felt like the DM was slightly obscuring the needed info to calculate a hit. 

For Accending AC, you roll a d20, add your bonuses, and compare that number to your opponent's AC. This is different because this is all on the players, not the DM. A chart isn't necessary at all. 

So, why was Descending Armor Class ever a thing? 

A lot of people would answer: "Wargames have charts, and that is simply the way it was done". That's true, not the whole story. 

It comes down to how you were taught math and WHEN. For people coming of age in the 1960, you'd have a very different way of learning math. Check out this video. 

Believe it or not, the audio of this video is from 1965 as an objection to what was called "New Math". New math was what was taught from 1965 on. Math teaching changes. If you played D&D in the 1970s, you have experienced 4 changes in how math was taught. 

So, when Gary Gygax learned math, he didn't learn like the youngsters today. But he knew what he was talking about. 

Ask yourself, what is 3+4? Virtually every adult has this fact memorized, and no real math occurs. Even if you use your fingers. 

We'll call this the 7 configuration. 

Or does it? 

Ask a young child the same thing. 

Literally, 3 and 4. 

They will probably hold up 4 fingers on one hand and 3 on the other. There will be a pause while they put down one figure from the 3 hand and put up another finger on the group of 4 hand. 

And we are back to the 7 configuration.

Ok. They did some math right there, but what exactly did they do? Can you show your work, like the video jokes about? 

Yes, but you need to think in terms of spaces, not numbers or fingers. Theoretically, everyone has 10 fingers. 

 

Most of the time, I have 10 fingers.

OR we have 10 places to record things... numbers usually. But it could be pips, or apples, or oranges. 

Ok. So what is the point? 

We are back to the young child. The young child did some sleight of hand. First, he or she held up 4 fingers, then 3 fingers, then showed you all of them together. Next, he moved one figure from one hand to the other, to land in the seven configuration. If you live in a different country, which fingers you show would probably be culturally different, but still showing 7 fingers between two hands.

Now, let's show the work: 

10+4=14
10-3=7
14-7=7

Did I just do addition with subtraction?

Yup. 

That Trad Math, if you will. To add and subtract, you have a boundary - 10 fingers to hold information. If your range is between -10 to 10, you never need more than 10 fingers. 

Let's take slightly large numbers to prove it works, with more than 10 slots. Consider 47+38. 

100+47=147
100-38=62
147-62=85

Notice that for bigger numbers, I need the place above it. In this case, for numbers between 1-99, I need the 100's place. 

That is very different from putting 47 on top of 38 on the page, adding 8+7 for 15, adding 4+3 for seven, shifting the 7 to the left to represent the 10s place, and adding 70+15 to get 85. Watch that video again. Tom Lehrer found New Math totally perplexing. And it IS to some people. 

We are missing a step. In 1989, there were the NCTM Standards, which were different standards than New Math and also very different from the Common Core. The order is Traditional Math, New Math, NCTM Standards, and Common Core. All of which you would have lived with if you played D&D in the 1970s. 

This is why there was a progression from Descending Armor Class, to THAC0 and finally Ascending Armor Class. AD&D and BX are in the transition period between Traditional Math and New Math. 1989 marks the transition between New Math and the NCTM Standards. And Third Edition D&D and above marks the transition between the NCTM Standard and Common Core. 

Funny how that all works, with the dates lining up so neatly. 

So at my table, Traditional Math is king, with Descending AC. At your table, I bet it's something else, and you will have to thank your math teachers for making you just as right as me. 

Rehashing the Tool Kit

Back in 2024, I put together a post called Lights, Camera, Prep - The 65 Dollar Tool Kit. One year later, the list still stands, but I now have an Amazon Associate's account to leverage. I will get this out of the way now. This entire post is one big ad for Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All links lead to Amazon. 

Let's review the list from 2024: 

• Cutting mat 
• Paper cutter
• 3 in 1 foam cutter
• Razor knives
• Glue
• Paint
• Tape
• Rule/Straight Edge
• Pencil
• Pen
• Marker
• Brushes
• Sandpaper
  

Let's start by laying out some rules because Amazon has some. I don't want to name prices like I did last year. Such things are subject to change, and I don't want to seem like I am guaranteeing a price point. I will share if I can get into the ballpark from last year. The last rule is, I am reusing the images I have taken, not sharing images from Amazon. 

My suggested size was 17" by 12", but this year I found a 12-inch x 18-inch mat on Amazon for less than $10. That is a win. 

If you want to completely cross this item off your list, go with cardboard or a soft piece of scrap wood. I feel this is more about protecting surfaces rather than protecting you. Almost any thick piece of material would do this task. 

The soft, self-healing nature of the purchased products reduces slips. That is an observation of me (not "mine" as AI tells me); it could be pure crap for a lot of reasons. For instance, I could be a lucky dummy, and I am gearing up to cut myself later. 

I do firmly believe that having a dedicated space for cutting is critical, no matter what you are using. Look at my image: A large table with a wooden board with a cutting mat on top. I can move this anywhere, but I don't because the space is what I really need.  

The papercutter I found today, made by Firbon. is also a win. Prices don't change much on these. In fact, the product in the link has more features than mine does, so I feel this would be a nice upgrade at a great price. 

For the 3-in-1 foam cutter, I experienced the exact same issue as last year. I could pay as much as I liked for one. I see good-to-great products listed between $20 and $200. I can't really suggest anything above the $20 to $40 range because they are very simple products: A hot wire cuts foam like magic. I don't see why this has to be a $200.00 product for small tasks. If you know of a product that justifies that price point, let me know in the comments. 

The link I'll share is to a 4-in-1 foam cutter, within the original price range. Again, like the cutting mat and papercutter, the product has improved over time without changing prices too much.  

What has changed in my mind is the utility of this product. I now own a laser and rarely cut foam anymore because my materials of choice have changed. I feel like I need one, but I rarely use it. 

I would like to talk about 3 items in this next section because they naturally pair with cutting foam: hobby knives, markers, and sandpaper. The knives and sandpaper are rather obvious, but did you know that magic markers and flair pens will burn styrofoam? Usually, this is a problem, but you can add details to foam with them. That is handy. Any marker you have in your junk drawer would likely work.

I feel like you could remove markers from the list because they are so ubiquitous. But if you go with Sharpie Brand markers, I think you'll use them a lot around the house and not just your crafting projects. Everything from drawing to labeling food is easier with markers. This will bump up the price of your hobby kit by about $7 over what I said last year. I think that is a good trade-off for the sheer amount of things a marker can do. 

Sandpaper... has issues. You can go to a dollar store and get a pack for a buck twenty-five. The issue I have with this choice is, it doesn't last. One project and it's toast. I also didn't put it on my list last year. If you pay a bit more for your sandpaper, say $5.00 more, you get a better product that will serve you in more tasks than the cheap stuff. I selected a 3M product this year. 

Hobby knives are the bane of my existence, so I am removing them from the list. The problem I have with them is, you can grab them anywhere at a very low price. And being so cheap, they dull and break quickly. Instead, get a box cutter. It will raise your price point by about $5.00. Box cutters can handle more tasks than a hobby or utility knife. I selected a basic model here. 

Glue hasn't changed from last year. I really like the Tacky Glue. The only dynamic Amazon change is the amount of glue you get. Honestly, I can see having too much glue as a problem. You can still grab one bottle for cheap at various local places, but Amazon unlocks getting it in volume. 

I am going to remove the tape and
pencils from the list. You probably have some anyway. Instead, I would suggest a better ruler. This year, I'm suggesting a steel ruler with a cork backing. I have a zillion rules, but keep coming back to these steel products over and over again. They won't ding like a wooden ruler and don't bend like plastic. A good steel ruler will eat up the savings on tape and pencils, but that is a good trade. 

The last two items you'll need are paint and brushes. Last year, I lied about paints and brushes. You can get them for $1 a bottle and $1 a brush. But that really isn't good paint or good brushes. To start off, you can do that, but these will be the first things you will want to splurge on. 

Yes, I do paint Battletech models with the cheapest paints and brushes I can find. Sort of. Since I like to paint, my arsenal of tools is ever-expanding. I didn't need many paints to get started, but I also didn't simply stop at $10.00 worth of paint. The same for brushes. I am going to leave the price point at $12.00, but again mention that Amazon unlocks volume pricing. This set is a smidgen more, but per bottle is cheaper. 

I am totally pleased and shocked that if I needed to start over, the same $65.00 would get me better tools. And in assessing my own habits, maybe I could splurge on a favorite like paint, by doing away with some things I don't happen to use, like the foam cutter. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 Sessions - The One About Mechanics

This post is about some of the mechanics I use in Keep on the Borderlands. This module was contemporaneous with AD&D and came out just a bit before the Expert Boxed Set. No one would have had those rules at the time of B2’s publication, which creates all sorts of oddities. I personally use Old School Essentials by Necrotic Gnome over the original Basic and Expert rules because I was able to obtain them in hard copy. As of right now, the B/X rules are available in POD, so I will probably order these for nostalgic reasons. 

All of the links above go to DriveThruRPG. I earn from qualifying purchases.

Looking at the module, the map scales are poor. The Caves of Chaos combine both interior and exterior maps, but the transition between them is awkward. The interior maps are fine, yet the valley floor is a ridiculously tight space. I’ve covered these complaints elsewhere, and none of them are deal-breakers. I simply ignore what I want or come up with reasonable rules of thumb. About 99% of these adjustments favor the players, so they don’t object either.

The second issue is the wandering monsters. Every area lists specific wandering monsters, then claims that no reinforcements are possible. Elsewhere, the text mentions that new monsters will move into cleared areas of the caves. Some versions of the module even include a wandering monster table completely different from the earlier lists. What a mess! All of these ideas contradict one another.

Here’s what I do with these conflicting rules: I condense all the wandering monster lists down to creatures that actually appear in the module. Four times a day, I roll for wandering monsters: Sunrise, noon, sundown, and midnight. If the result matches a group that has been depleted, I treat it as reinforcements for that group’s location. 

If I roll a monster type that hasn’t taken losses, I use the reaction table. If the result is neutral, the newcomers move on. If it’s positive, they join the home team. Even if there are no losses to replace. They are evenly divided among all relevant locations. If the result is hostile, a fight breaks out between the newcomers and the cave’s inhabitants. I don’t bother running the combat; I simply roll damage for both sides. Nine times out of ten, the newcomers are wiped out, leaving their gear and treasure behind for the victors. Oddly, if there is a net loss of monsters, the survivors come out on top because they have better gear and treasures. 

The fun part is that the players get unpredictable new encounters without knowing where these monsters came from. Just like you. I’ve been rolling for reinforcements through all nine sessions so far, though I hadn’t mentioned it in my posts until now. 

There’s one catch to all this: you only roll while the game is in session. If a session lasts a day, that’s four rolls. If a time break occurs, for example, if the party retreats to the Keep, you don’t roll for that downtime. Rolling for every day that passes, regardless of player activity, would flood the area with monsters. Wandering monsters should be a randomized response to player action; if the players are inactive, no roll should be made.

The party has been here for 5 days, for 20 wandering monster rolls. Monsters are rolling into the area due to all the strife. Here are the results, in order of appearance: 

Giant Rats (4), Owlbear (1), Kobolds (10), More Rats (5), Goblins (3), Goblins (6), and a group of traders. 

The rats and Owlbear all gravitated to Cave G, more than restoring that area. The party saw this happen, but missed the rats. The goblins and kobolds went to their known haunts and became reinforcements; the party probably saw this, but didn't understand these were new creatures and not the remaining survivors.  

I decided to give the trader a chance to live by generating a party traveling with a high-level magic user. You can use the same generator here. I then deleted every character over the second level, leaving 6 characters. 

For this run through the Caves of Chaos, the players did something unusual. They haven’t really fought the kobolds. Kobolds are generally weak and tend to attract player aggression. I’ve played them as opportunists, striking only when the players seem weak or distracted. Since I’ve run this module half a dozen times before, I wanted to avoid another head-on clash with the kobolds. I already know how that plays out.

The next session will start with the appearance of the wander party. 

If you like the goblin and kobold figures, you can find them in your local hobby shop or perhaps on Amazon, here and here. They even have an Owlbear. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 9 - The Battle of Too Many Armies

Session nine starts 36 hours after the end of the last session. It is daybreak on day three of the taking of the goblin caves. 

The previous night, the party's watch saw a pair of kobolds leaving the hobgoblin cave. They were surprised as they didn't detect them entering the hobgoblin cave. This was concerning. It was now pretty obvious there was a connection between cave A and F. 

I need a mule as a mascot.

The whole party awoke to the braying of a mule in the valley. The mule was cropping the grass in the middle of the valley. 

"Perhaps a tunnel," Rety said. 

This isn't true; the party simply didn't see them creep around the perimeter of the valley.  

As they decide what to do about the mule, the kobolds, and the giant rats emerge from their cave. A couple of goblins and hobgoblins also exit their cave but turn back quickly. The mule evades the kobolds by loping west, near cave G. The kobolds retreat before gathering reinforcements with ropes and set off after the mule. 

While the party watches, Norin makes himself busy in room 17. After much swearing and hammering, he asked the fighters to help him. He removed the treads from the stairs and wanted them stacked by the secret door to the ogre cave. This left a ragged slope instead of proper stairs at the bottom of the stairway, and allowed the party to block up the secret door as needed. The fighters struggled to move the heavy stone treads into place. 

In the meantime, the mule has attracted too much attention. A full dozen kobolds were stalking the mule. It seemed that the goblinoids decided they wanted it more and came out with an equal force of crossbow-armed troops. 

Rety decided to pull the sniper card and had the party ready bows and slings in the mouth of cave E. Before the party could act, two more groups appeared. A full 22 orcs appear, in two equal groups. Each was led by a particularly large and nasty leader. The party backed into the gloom of their cave to study the situation. 

They knew there were caves on the north face of the valley, but couldn't see them due to the trees. Rety cursed herself for not investigating those, but also knew she didn't have the manpower. She should have used the Eyes of the Eagle. In fact, she forgot who had them, so she asked for one to get a better look.

The goblinoid gave a challenging war cry before rushing the kobolds. Midcharge, the orcs gave a challenging war cry and charged the goblinoid horde. The noise of imminent battle brought the stirges out of their lair. 

This is the Cave of Chaos at its finest. 

Rety redeploys the party to guard the entrances. Punch, Thomas, and Slammer took cave E, while Lefty, Solvo, and Dorian took the back of the hallway from cave D. Sybil, Celia, and Jake the Dog were sent to room 17, and Bel and Norin guarded room 21. Norin had rigged a rope to the middle of the chain of cart wheels so the party could lift them a bit to make passage less difficult. 

Why is the dog named Jake? Name another famous magic dog? Sure, Joshua is cheating, though. 

Barrels make everything better.

Rety left herself the task of running between the groups. If worse came to worst, they would seal up cave E with the stone treads and maybe a Wizard Lock, then defend only the mouth of cave D. She began dragging crossbows to the intersection of cave D's tunnel. Next, she brought spears, then a barrel of water, and some rations. She wanted to ask Celia to help, but she didn't want the wily Sybil on her own. 

In fact, Sybil was anxiously flipping through her spellbook, deciding if she wanted to magically defend one of the entrances instead of following orders. Celia wisely offered her a cup of wine to settle her down. Bel had an easier time, as Norin just wanted to double-check his work. Norin muttered about not knowing there was a tunnel between the hobgoblin cave and the kobolds' cave. He was pretty sure that it had to be an underground river, as the rock was too tough to mine through. 

Again, Norin was also wrong, but trusted Rety's insight. Which happens to be very wrong in this case. 

The party watched the orc and goblinoid formations close and decided to wait rather than engage in combat. They can't help but notice that there are very few goblins left, and some have been replaced by women. The warrior-women are much better armored and armed than the traditional goblinoid troops. They wore chainmail and shields, plus they carried both axes and crossbows. The shields have ground spikes; the women prop them up when using the crossbows.  

The mule galloped off to the western end of the valley. 

This is not a stirge.

The stirges were the deciding factor in what happened next. They swept over the orcs before descending on the goblinoids. The two fighting formations focus on the stirges, a bane to all who live in the valley. Being monsters, they do occasionally take potshots at each other, but not as much as they would have liked and enjoyed. Both sides want to rid the Caves of Chaos of the vermin that harass them. 

The order of priority was the stirges, then the tricky party, and finally, perhaps the kobolds. The kobolds used to be everyone's main annoyance, but the party changed that by stirring up the Caves.  

As the final stirge falls, an odd thing happens. The goblins broke into two groups. One group left with the hobgoblins, and the other, led by the chieftain and his guards, went with the orcs. 

Rety has taken a count. Her party could take any one group of monsters with difficulty, but all of them together were overwhelming. It turns out that Solvo, Celia, and Norin could identify the function of the forces arrayed against them than Rety could. Those three also speak some of the languages they heard, making them excellent observers. She assigned the Knights to guard them as they spied from the cave mouth. She did this because she didn't want one of her archers or mages attacking, as they were wont to do.  

Rety tasked Slammer with inventorying their weapons and ammunition stores, and he took to the task with gusto. The Clerics patrol the cave network, looking for any problem they might have missed. The two Magic-Users took care of the mules and cooking tasks, while Rety used Norin's tools to disassemble what was left of the cart and sorted the lumber and gear they brought. 

Just before dinner, Jake barked at the contingent of goblins exiting the orc lair. Ominously, they entered the kobold's den. Before dinner was over, a group of kobolds crept to cave G and disappeared. Not long after, the gobin chieftain and his guard carefully walked upslope back to the hobgoblin caves. 

No one slept well that night. They knew they were 3 days from resupply and possible escape. 

That evening, a great white form moved from the mouth of the valley to Cave G. Solvo swore it looked like a white bear. 

Although there was no combat, I assigned 150 exp to each character for their efforts in planning, cooperation, and defense. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 8 - Chaotic Assault

The next session or three will be a little bit different. In the last post, I only explained what the party could see. This will continue for a while. 

At sundown, Rety had Sybil cast a spell for her before the Magic-User went to bed. Belaphon, Rety, and Solvo crept out of the cave mout
h and up to the overwatch post that the goblinoids used to the party's cave. Finding no one about, Rety placed a pot against a tree and tied a string to the lid. They unwound the string 40 feet to the east before retreating. Lefty and Punch traded places with them, lying in the brush with the end of the string.   

In the meantime, Norin, Thomas, and Doian placed a heavy spike in the ground at the mouth of cave D. Norin attached a heavy chain to the spike, and the Cleric dismantled the carts' four wheels. They strung the wheels on the chain and affixed the chain to the ceiling of the cave, 30 feet back from the entrance. While not an impenetrable barrier, the wheels and chain will slow any attackers. 

The Knights took turns resting and watching for enemies in the brush. Back at the cave, Solvo, Slammer, and Sybil slept. A couple of hours into the Knight's watch, 6 goblins ventured into view and did their best to hide themselves from the cave mouth. Unfortunately for them, that was done in full view of the Knights. 

At midnight, Rety, Celia, and Belaphon took Slammer and Solvo's place. The dog followed Celia rather than Sybil, as he knew where the food came from. Thomas, Dorian, and the Dwarf were taking turns resting between the mule's makeshift stable and the hall leading to the mouth of cave D.  The Elf and Fighter crept to the mouth of the Ogre's cave. After a moment, they strolled out in plain view. The goblins spotted them immediately and gave a warning call like a strige, the only bird-like thing they've heard in a while. 

The six hobgoblins with crossbows readied their weapons and exited their cave. 

Lefty pulled the string, lifting the lid off the pot. The Sybil had cast continual light on its interior. The goblins spun around and were dazzled by the bright light. They were also silhouetted by the spell. Two of them were struck by arrows and fell dead. The Knights charged and took another goblin down. 

The hobgoblins were expecting enemies on the valley floor, but were distracted by the melee to their east and missed seeing the Elf and Fighter. They advanced toward the obvious fight. Punch took down another goblin as Lefty danced back and forth with the last two. Slammer and Solvo unleashed another pair of arrows, this time at the hobgoblins for 3 and 5 points of damage. The two struck hobgoblins shot back, hitting Slammer for 4 points of damage and Solvo for one. 

There are six targets.

Lefty was hit for 3 points of damage but downed his opponent. Punch and the last goblin exchanged a series of parries and feints. The four hobgoblins continued their advance on the Knights while the other two exchanged missile fire with the bowmen below. All four missiles hit. The hobgoblins struck first for 2 and 3 points against the Elf and Fighter, but died moments later. 

Lefty covered the pot, plunging everyone into darkness again. Punch splits the last goblin in two. Confused, the hobgoblins open fire. Lefty was hit, but the other three bolts found nothing but air. Solvo injured one, but a second was killed. 

Punch dropped the pot on the ground, freeing himself to melee the hobgoblins. Again, the hobgoblins are dazzled and confused, and they drew swords. Punch and Lefy slew two, and Solvo got the third. Unfortunately, Slammer's arrow whistled by Lefty's head, nearly hitting him. Slammer rolled 5 against the hob and a 9 against Lefty, which was also a miss. 

If you read the comment from Ruprecht, (here) this is how I handle missile fire in melee. First, all even-numbered misses occur because the shooters held their fire, knowing they would miss. They are that good. Since the roll was 5, Slammer loosed an arrow. He was then forced to roll against Lefty's AC of 3. The arrow was already in the air, no even number roll would protect the second target in this case. I played this up a bit for drama, as 9 isn't remotely close to a hit. 

In the next round, Lefty and Punch overwhelmed the last hobgoblin standing. The four fighting men beat a quick retreat back to their respective hiding places. 

An hour or so later, a lone goblin was sent to check on the guards. The hobgoblins can only surmise that something went horribly wrong, as no one reported back in. Concerned, they sent 2 more crossbow-armed hobgoblins as overwatch for the lone goblin. The pot trick works again. Solvo and Slammer dispatched the three guards while the Knights stayed out of sight. This time, Lefty and Punch collect the pot, weapons, and change purses before retreating with Solvo and Slammer into the ogre cave. 

The party heard a ruckus from the hobgoblin caves as the two chieftains exchanged words and maybe blows. In response to the noise, 4 kobolds and 4 rats ventured outside to see what was happening. Solvo and Slammer took a shot at them. They missed by a mile, but the kobold heard the arrows go by and dropped to the ground. Over the next three rounds, a pair of kobolds and one rat were killed as they first advanced on the fighter's location, then fled on their bellies back to the cave. 

At dawn, all four fighting men and Clerics retired. Celia and Norin set about their daily tasks with strict instructions not to expose themselves to the enemy. As the others ate and slept, Sybil and Belaphon took to silently studying in room 21. They heard the guards on the other side of the secret door moving about. Sybil silently pointed to two spells Belaphon should study for the day. 

If I painted these,
I'd have proper pictures for you. 

Once they were done learning their spells for the day, Sybil stood up and let out a theatrical yawn, right in front of the secret door. It looks like Sybil is way more chaotic than the party. The shuffling of gob and hob feet stopped. 

She cast a spell on the door, making it turn invisible. Her dog barked at the goblinoids. The four hobgoblin crossbowmen fired on her, but the bolts stopped dead as they hit the invisible, but still stone door. Sybil lifted the digitus impudicus at them. The goblin spearmen charged. The invisible door shook, as dust roiled from the edges with the impact. 

The Magic-Users laughed at the guards. "Bel, goblins. Just goblins." 

He nodded at her. 

It took the four stunned goblins two rounds to get reorganized, and by that time, all four were charmed. The Magic-Users gave the dread signal of finger to throat, as Sybil released the invisibility spell and the door faded back into view. 

(I dislike low-level spells that give a permanent effect. I have no particular answer to them, other than to allow the spell caster to end them at will. The first link is to the SRD for OSE. Old School Essentials is by Necrotic Gnome. They have a wide array of products. You can view and purchase them here.) 

Although they didn't know it, everything happened simultaneously on the other side of the door. Over the next 3 rounds, they heard the deathrattle of 4 hobgoblins and 2 goblins. The bewitched goblins killed one more goblin and injured several others before they fell. 

Rety was peeved when she learned her spellcasters had used up almost all of their spells in one go, but couldn't complain about the results. In her mind, the Fighters combined were as strong as the Magic-Users, and the Clerics plus Rety formed a third powerful group. Now, with the fighting men sleeping and the magic users out of spells, it was only Rety, the heirlings, the Clerics, and a dog to defend them for a whole day. 

For the rest of the day, they heard alternating bouts of activity and silence from the hobgoblin caves. At nightfall, the goblinoids recovered their dead. Rety quietly watched them from the mouth of the cave. They saw her, too, but had no response. 

For this session, the party killed or caused the deaths of 12 goblins, 12 hobgoblins, 2 kobolds, and 1 giant rat. This, with the treasure and a 10% bonus, equals 651 total experience. I also give each a bonus of 150 exp for planning and creativity. 

At this point, several characters level up again. I should scan their sheets in and walk thru who has what. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 7 - Divide and Conquer

It's session 7, and the party is ready for a fight. They left the Keep before sunrise, leaving the drovers behind. In six days, the drovers will come to see what befell the party. 

Rety and the Knights lead the group, followed by the mule-drawn wagon and everyone else strung out behind them. They used the Eyes of the Eagle from the treeline and spotted some changes in the valley of the caves. 

From Session 4.5 and Session 5, the kobolds completed their improved defenses. Good-sized mounts for the giant rats ring their cave entrance while spear-armed guards patrolled the slope. Also, several kobolds were working with axes to clear away the debris of the burned trees. A new barrier of brush covered the approach to the kobold cave. 

Rety wasn't worried. Originally, her plan was to hit the kobolds' cave, as they were the weakest creatures in the caves. Now that the goblins have been swept out of several rooms of their cave complex, Rety believes they are weaker. She was unaware that the goblins and hobgoblins were in cahoots. 

Solvo the Elf reported seeing motion up the slope above cave B and cave F. On further inspection and a couple of die rolls with OSR Solo, the party decides that everyone in front of cave F has moved to the slope above cave B. They were totally wrong. There were two separate groups of watchers.  

The party makes a dash to cave D. They were immediately spotted by the combined group of goblins and hobgoblins, but the hobgoblins waited for the goblins to return from the slope above cave B before doing anything. The kobolds retreated inside their warren. 

The cart entered the caves, and the mules refused to move more than 30 feet down the hall. Norin the dwarf, and Celia wedged the wheels while the party split up. Belaphon, the two clerics, and Solvo drag timbers to the east. Sybil, Slammer, and Rety ran ahead of Punch and Lefty, who escorted Norin. Rety and Slammer readied their bows. Punch and Lefty marched with polearms. 

There was a hell of a racket throughout the Caves of Chaos. The goblins and hobgoblins raced through the halls. In the confusion, the other guards rushed to the entrance, where a heated conversation ensued. 

The eastern party reached room 17 and discovered the barricade. Flommox, they dropped their lumber and ran westward, screaming their alarm. 

Rety's team had the goal of finding and blocking the hidden door in room 21. In their last foray, they saw too many goblins disappear in that direction, so they correctly guessed there must be a door. They just didn't know where. They set out 4 lanterns to assist them in the search.

The western team heard the ruckus behind them from Solvo's team, but didn't know what it meant, as it was not a part of the plan. The goblins and hobgoblins also heard the yells of alarm and quickly came to the conclusion that the party was in room 21 searching for the secret door. The six spearmen and the 8 crossbow-armed guards run for the secret door in a disorganized horde. 

Norin, Sybil, and Rety spread out to search for the door, under the cover of the Knights and Slammer's bow. To everybody's horror, but no one's surprise, the secret door went "Clunk!" and swung open. 

I rolled for which way the door opened against the table in OSR Solo. I asked myself, "Does this door open outward?" The result was "no and..." The next question I asked was, "Does the guard's order make sense?" The answer was "no", so I determined that 4 crossbow men are in front of and behind the spearmen. 

I took this scenario from real life. I used to work in a hardware store, and you'd be surprised how many people purchase doors without considering which way they open and swing. Nothing is more funny than seeing someone mount the hinges on the same side of the door as the doorknob. Extensive consumer testing has shown this does not work. 

I rolled initiative. Since the party won, I determined that Rety could pull her bow, which is the "no and..." result. One of the crossbowmen takes an arrow to the face and drops. Slammer hits a second one for 3 points of damage. Sybil unleashes charm on an exposed spearman. One crossbow bolt whistles over Slammer's head, and a second bounces off Punch's armor for just a single point of damage. Punch and Lefty can't or won't advance due to the missile fire as Norin stays out of sight in the corner, ending the combat round. 

Two things happen at nearly the same time. The guards lose their morale check and decide to close the door. They missed by one, so they are fairly sensible and reasonably choose to close the door. The party wins initiative. 

Rety shouts, "Lantern!" and Lefty and Punch look around, confused. 

Slammer was not confused and picked up a lantern and hurled it into the crowd of monsters. I decided that two of the crossbowmen are unhitable because of the door, but the third was spattered, as was the dead one. They fall into room 21, very dead. I forgot oil does 1d8 until it burns out. 

Through the crack of the closing door, the charmed goblin saw Sybil make a slashing gesture across her throat and smiled. 

Sybil doesn't speak goblin or hobgoblin, but the message was heard, loud and clear. The charmed goblin killed one of the hobgoblins holding the door in his surprise round. He managed to wound the other hobgoblin at the door before a flurry of spearpoints dropped him. 

The five remaining goblins held the door closed, conveniently helping Norin and Rety hammer in spikes. As they worked, Sybil Wizard Locked the door. Norin complained as he thought he would be securing a door that swung the other way. He returns to the wagon for more lumber and tools. 

He grumbled, "Magic is good, but mechanics is better." 

The eastern party explained the blocked stairway, which raised eyebrows. The two Clerics returned to Celia and set watch on the cave mouth, while Rety plans a formal search of the complex. Solvo, Slammer, Punch, and Lefty are ordered to guard Norin's back as he works his dwarven skills on the first secret door, then the second secret door leading to the Ogre's lair. 

The party is tired, and it is not even midday. Rety pushed on, with the Magic-Users and Elf in tow, searching every wall for more secret doors. Celia served a cold lunch. Rety asked the rest of the party to help with the search, and after about 10 minutes, determined the Knights were unsuited for the job and sent them to secure the mules in one of the dead-end tunnels. 

This presented a few problems for Punch and Lefty. One mule refused to calm down, and the decision was made to run it out of the cave. Slammer wanted to eat it, but EVERYONE ELSE objected. The mule delivered a couple of bites and one brutal kick to the Knights before galloping off in the direction of the road and presumably the Keep. 

By nightfall, the party convinced itself that there were no more secret doors or traps in the area they claimed. 

Norin declared, "Those stairs are blocked, well and completely. Nothing short of dragon fire or prune juice can unblock that!" 

Everyone had a good chuckle. They set their quarters in the Chieftain's quarters. It was nicely appointed, although slightly smelly. The party rested in shifts as they knew the night would be long and the coming days longer.