Cast
Paul (DM)
Mark (Marth)
Alice
Cain
Abel
Jason
James
7 people were sitting around a table. One had a screen pointed towards him, while the others had sheets and books open.
"Hey, Paul, what's the critical for a rapier, again?" one asked.
"Check the Player's Handbook," Paul said, waving his hand from behind the screen.
"Darn it. 20," the player said, sighing.
"At least you get to be the hero, Mark," a girl said. She looked significantly younger than the others. " 'Lord class'. Hah! No such thing exists!"
"I don't mind at all," another said, "The DM let me be a 'super class'! I don't know what's so super about Paladin, but I get a free horse!"
"And you're as old as the rocks," Mark responded.
"... More INT and WIS for me," the guy said, shrugging.
"Oh, put a sock in it, Jason," a boy in a green shirt said. "Me, you, and Cain all get free horses. And we're younger characters than you."
"I didn't even want to be a 'Cavalier', Abel," Cain complained. He was wearing a red shirt. "I don't even know what that is!"
"I'm fairly certain my dice are cursed," another said, staring as he rolled consecutive 1's. "With these stats, I might be able to hit a rock, if I'm lucky. Maybe I can roll up a better character when my Archer dies..."
"Ouch. Terrible rolls, James," the girl said sympathetically.
"All 6 of my stats have 3 points in them, Alice!" James shouted. "Terrible doesn't begin to describe it!"
"... Horrible?" Alice suggested. James put his face in his hands.
"Alright, is everyone ready?" Paul called, "Raise hands." 4 hands went up. "James? Alice? Something holding you up?"
"... Our characters suck," Alice said. "He has 6 3-point stats. I'm the 'Princess' class."
"Hybrid-classed to Cleric, aren't you?" Paul asked.
"Yes. With no staves," Alice said.
"Wow. That's bad," Paul said. "Well, James won't be needing the character for a little while, anyway."
"And me?" Alice pressed.
"Your Mark's sister," Paul said, scratching his head. "Well... I've got it. Mark, the first encounter will be solo for you. The others will come in later, and we'll handle the roadblocks then. Sound good?"
"Fine by me," Mark said, shrugging. "Let's see. A Rapier is a Light Blade. Can I be a Hybrid-Rogue?"
"No," Paul said firmly. "You're the only one who can use them, though, if it makes you feel better. In addition, put down under class features 'Sharpened Rapier'. It'll make it so you only have to roll an 18 or higher to score a critical with Rapiers."
"Just wait until I get a Weapon Proficiency feat for the Rapier!" Jason piped up.
"Quiet. Now, calm down and clear the table," Paul said. He himself placed a coke and TV dinner on a fold-up table beside him. The others cleared the table of everything but character sheets and pencils. "Now, for the campaign intro." Alice immediately picked up a piece of paper and a pencil. "... Of course. After your first campaign, you're gonna record every word of my intro.
"Long ago, Medeus, king of the dragonkin, conquered the continent of Akaneia, beginning an age of fear and despair for all its people. That tyranny was broken, however, when an unlikely hero intervened. A young man hailing from the Altea region appeared with a divine blade in hand. He stood against the Shadow Dragon, and struck him down. For some time after, the land enjoyed an age of peace. However, after a century's passing, the Shadow Dragon returned. He forged an alliance with a fiendish sorcerer who sought to rule the world, and their combined might toppled kingdom upon unsuspecting kingdom.
Again, darkness threatened to engulf the continent. It fell upon the king of Altea, sole descendant of the dragon-slayer hero, to sally forth with the divine blade and fulfill his blood destiny. His son, Prince Marth, remained at home with the boy's mother, his elder sister, and a garrison manned by Altea's neighbor and ally, Gra. Thus the boy applied himself to the ways of both pen and sword, until one day...
"And that's it," Paul finished, putting down a stack of note cards.
"Medeus: evil king of dragonkin. Nicknamed the Shadow Dragon. Akaneia: some country. Not much known. Altea: small country. Spouted a hero who slew Medeus in ancient times. Evil sorcerer: allied with revived Medeus. Hopes to conquer the world. Gra: ally of Altea. Mark's character: prince of Altea and chosen hero. Divine blade: weapon that slew Medeus in ancient times. Currently wielded by the king on a battlefield," Alice read from her notes.
"Very good, Alice," Paul said, nodding.
"That was your longest intro yet," Mark said, "So, are we ready to start? I already rolled a 17 for initiative."
"Um, alright," Paul said, raising his eyebrows. He made a few rolls. "Alright, make a Perception check." Mark rolled, and grinned.
"Natural 20," he announced.
"Alright," Paul said, "As you walk through the halls of Altea's castle, you see Alice- um, Elice, your sister, surrounded by Gra soldiers. They are attempting to attack her." Alice sighed.
"How much damage do I take? Does it kill me?" she asked.
"Relax," Paul said, "They're ATTEMPTING. With these rolls, they won't hit a coconut. Anyways, they notice Marth and dispatch. There are four." Paul took the dungeon map and placed 4 miniatures as well as a throne on it. "Place your miniature here, and Alice, yours is here," he said, pointing at two spots. They both took miniatures form their backpacks and placed them on the designated spots.
"So, who goes first?" Mark asked.
"That would be you," Paul answered.
"Sweet. I walk 6 spaces and attack the spearman," Mark announced, placing his figure next to a spearman figure.
"Very well. Roll for hit," Paul said.
"... THAT'S not a good way to start an encounter. Natural 1," Mark said.
"You stumble. You are prone," Paul said. "These characters move, and the spearman counterattacks." He rolled two dice. "Take 4 damage."
"I stand up and attack again," Mark said. He rolled his dice. "... Another 1. Hang on, that's not my die!"
"You fall again," Paul said.
"James, I need my die back, before yours kills me!" Mark shouted. James gave Mark's die back to him and took his own.
"Mark, another 3 damage," Paul announced.
"I stand up again. I attack," Mark said. He breathed a sigh of relief after he rolled. "19. I critical, thus dealing..." He rolled a d8. "14 damage."
"The soldier falls. The Fighters both attack you," Paul said, rolling even more dice. "They both miss."
"Alright. I use my power 'Combat Footwork' to raise my defenses by 1 + the numbers of enemies around me. That's +3 for each defense," Mark said, jotting down the bonuses on his character sheet. "That lasts until an enemy hits me."
"Impressive!" Jason complimented. "I should be the Lord class in our next campaign!"
"... The first fighter hits you," Paul said, apparently surprised.
The battle raged on for another 20 minutes, before Mark finally had his character reach the throne.
"Alright," Paul said, putting his dice in a bag. "Go ahead and roleplay it out for a maximum of 5 minutes, at which point the soldiers will come again."
"Alright," Alice said. She cleared her throat. "Marth. Thank you for saving me from the Gra soldiers. They betrayed us and are attacking our very castle. You, as the heir of the Altean throne, must escape. I can stay here and distract the soldiers while you meet up with the brave Altean knights and leave this place."
"W-w-wait, what?" Paul stammered, eyes wide. "Are you- are you really-"
"Yes, I'm letting my character either get captured or killed in the first session," Alice said, "She's Lawful Good, and she knows exactly what is at stake. Mark's character will escape, and I'll use my Cavalier."
"Your what?" Cain asked.
"Oh, sorry. I built two characters, in fact. One was Elice. The other is a male Cavalier named Frey," Alice said.
"Well, that's what I call well-prepared," Paul said, "Carry on."
After some awkwardly-exchanged in-character dialogue, Mark departed.
"Alright. Elice was captured by the Gra soldiers, and Marth is moving on. I'd say this is a good time to take a break and play some Gamecube!" Paul announced. The others cheered, and went as one into the living room.
Well, thanks for reading all the way through. I will try to complete the prologue in a timely manner, but as I am running two stories at once, it may take some time. As always, please R&R!