Baldur's Gate II (5e campaign log)

[J-H]

Session 20: 1/7/2024
Happy New Year! We’re back after being off due to the holidays. The party returns to Athkatla, with Nalia commenting that it’s a long walk (she usually rides or takes a carriage), specifically wanting to buy a Bag of Holding. They pass through the Gates District, but I never really “got” the “Aula and Tirvo” quest where you’re supposed to figure out that the two teenagers are egging each other into crime and should be broken up. Similarly, the Crooked Crane lich is pretty random. If I want them to get the Daystar there, I need to find a plot hook. I haven’t figured one out yet.

As they’re passing near the slums area on their way to Waukeen’s Promenade, Cormak hears the sound of fighting in a nearby alley. He approaches (the others follow) and find three people standing over another man who’s lying against the wall. They turn, and the one apparently in charge says something to the effect of “Crud! No witnesses! Kill them!” I used a Cult Fanatic statblock with a few more HP, and a couple of I think Thug statblocks with a few more HP, and they were pretty outmatched. Mergand started the combat by hitting two of them with a Lightning Bolt. The battle lasted about 3 rounds. The spellcaster tried Hold Person (2 targets) twice and nary a save was failed.

Cormak used his 1/day psionic Detect Thoughts ability on the enemy caster, picking up “No witnesses, we need to not be linked to this.” He asked aloud “Why did this guy need to die?” and picked up the thought “Harper.” The next round, he used the delving deeper option, and I think also a verbal prompt asking why, and picked up “If we’re linked to this, the Twisted Rune will have my head.” Ludwig then shot the enemy caster dead, ending the psionic link.

The man on the ground has black goo coming out of a wound in his side. Before passing out, he manages to gasp out “Poisoned…docks…Galvarey estate…docks…Galvarey.” They head to the docks, using two quarterstaffs and a cloak to make a stretcher. Reaching they docks, they go “Where’s the Galvarey estate?” They’ve barely been to this area despite it being mentioned frequently. With some prompting, they realize that Nalia might know where an estate is, since it probably belongs to someone rich and/or aristocratic. They reach it, and the door guard gets help and takes him inside, then pays them 100gp for their trouble.

As they leave the docks area, a cloaked figure with a magical quarterstaff approaches them. “You there, unwashed one. I would have words with you.” I ask, and Mergand’s player is fine with remembering him from their travels near Baldur’s Gate. He rolls a History check, and does well enough to have put together that Xzar was a Zhent after their last meeting. Xzar asks them to infiltrate the Harper’s hideout to look for Montaran (“Short. Halfling. Thief.”). They promise to meet Xzar at the Copper Coronet at sunset the next day.

After walking away, Mergand’s player says “I have no intention of helping that lunatic.” Curveball! I have to figure out how I want to try to resolve that quest. They give me a tool later, though.

Returning to the Copper Coronet, they meet with Bernard and have him send a message to the Galvarey estate that Montaran is trying to infiltrate it, and Xzar is sniffing around. Bernard has a ten year old that they’d rescued from the slavers run the message over.

They long rest, interrupted only by a relatively manly scream from the room next door in the middle of the night. Ludwig gets up early and waits outside that door. When the dwarf inside opens it the next morning, they engage in an extended conversation. The dwarf acts shifty and paranoid, talking about ghosts. At one point Ludwig asks if he thinks he’s being haunted and followed. “I think so, maybe? I tried changing rooms here and it didn’t help.” Eventually I ask “Do you have anything in your notes about ghosts? This might be something your character knows that you don’t remember.”
He checks “Oh yeah! So, is this ghost maybe a halfling? Do you have a teddy bear?”
They take it and go eat breakfast, leaving a child murderer alone. Cormak considers casting Bestow Curse, but he doesn’t have the ability to make it permanent yet. There is discussion of revisiting “Renny” (the dwarf) later when they can curse him with permanent long-lasting fear or fake haunting or something similar to make him have a long and torturous 200-300 years (dwarves live a long time).

They proceed to the Adventurer’s Mart, where we have a drawn-out shopping session that’s mostly people looking quietly at lists and not saying much interesting. They may eventually buy the Girdle of Hill Giant Strength or the Robe of Vecna or the Sensate Amulet, but for now, they buy 8 regular & 4 greater healing potions, and sit on their remaining 37,000gp.

They take the bear to the graveyard and wander around, but it’s daytime, so no ghost boy. In a more unkempt area out of the way, they hear moaning from a grave! They discover a half-buried live man, and help him out (Mold Earth is really handy for this; Ludwig has it). Tirdir tells his story of being approached on the Bridge by a man in bright red clothing, being knocked out, waking up, being asked about a ransom, and then being knocked out again before waking up buried. They make him some coffee (Create Bonfire to heat it), then escort him to his workplace in Waukeen’s Promenade, then make sure he gets home OK.

On their way, they spot an old gravekeeper trying to make himself unnoticeable. Ludwig starts the discussion, but then Mergand uses Charm Person and pumps the gravekeeper for what info he can get. No names, just pay and no questions, etc., he doesn’t want to get killed, etc. They give him some money so that he won’t raise a stink even after Charm Person wears off.

Mergand uses Disguise Self to make himself look like an old man with a walking stick and a fat purse. The others shadow him with decent Stealth rolls. He goes up and down the Bridge a few times. He spots a man in a bright red outfit people-watching near a house, but the man doesn’t do anything immediately. Mergand buys a piece of fruit from a vendor, then visits the tannery to inquire about custom work (“Sorry, I’m closed right now working on some special projects. I’ll be finished soon! Come back in a week or two.”) ha ha ha

He then goes to Delosar’s Inn (not far from Red Guy’s house) and flashes his heavy purse while getting some ale. The others slip in and act like they don’t know him, and we get a side discussion of what the equivalent of jalapeno cheese nachos would be that turns into “what’s the difference between cracklings & pork rinds?” which my wife helps settle.

As Old Man Mergand heads off the bridge, Red Guy approaches him with an offer to make some money. He and some friends are trying to complete a collection that’s about to go up in value, but need more money and there’s a good return on it. “What? Fartwork?” One of the other players commented “Oh, he sounds like he’s trying to sell NFT artwork!”

Eventually they get Old Man Mergand to go to the door. There’s a big guy inside the house and a dwarf. Mergand stops in the doorway when they try to close it and falls down. They pick him up, and he leans against the doorway again to stop them from locking him in. When the big guy grabs him to move him, he makes an attack roll “I hit him in the nuts!” (7 damage). Initiative is rolled.

I used 2x Bandit Captain statblocks with slight mods (+2 AC on one, +2d6 sneak attack on the other) and a Berserker statblock… I really wanted a bit more variation, but the stock of NPCs in the MM is pretty weak, and the Levelup a5e monster manual doesn’t have a lot. The big PDF of NPC statblocks follows the same trend. Lots of really low level NPCs, then a couple of 12th & 17th level ones, then nothing useful in between. I need to make my own at some point.

Anyway, I’ve never seen so many shoves in a game. Mergand tried to shove Red Guy out of his way so he could exit, Red Guy tried to shove Mergand so he could get INTO the house and away from the 3 people who just rounded the corner and started attacking, and then after Mergand retreated, the big guy with the greataxe came out and attacked him, then shoved him off the bridge into the water. Mergand used Misty Step to get up to the edge, and the next round, used Lightning Bolt to fry two of the 3 enemies to near death. Cormak popped Spirit Guardians, which finished them off at the beginning of their next turns. We’re left with 1 melee enemy with +5 to hit for 1d8+3 x 2 and no way out, and nobody in the party even below half, so no need to roll that out. It was about 10pm, so we stopped there, and will resume next time with looting the house and bodies, etc.