Let’s Play Riftbreakers 2nd Edition! Part 5: Kar Helos Under Siege, Act 2
Last time, we secured the Strangers District area and stabilized the Lava Fields Rift. Now we hurry to the Merchants Quarter to pass a message to Grandmaster Oberon and help however we can!
Act 2
D6: 6, stray monster!
D6: 1, Lava Fields
Lava Fields Table: Lava Leech
As I run the streets toward the Merchants Quarter, a bunch of Lava Leeches leap from the darkness to latch onto me.
Round 1
I get the initiative, which is good because there’s 5 of these things. I use Unyielding (+10) and 2H Weapon Master. They move up to zone 3.
Round 2
I use another Unyielding (+6) and Shield (+10 Parry). Leeches move to zone 2. One of them uses Incandescent, which makes melee attackers take 2 Fire damage when striking. It lasts 2 rounds.
Round 3
I move to zone 2 and use Cleave twice, killing four of them. They have only 6 HP and no Protection, so not that hard. The only one left is the one with Incandescent. It uses it again, renewing the effect.
Round 4
I use a Desperate Attack and destroy it, taking 2 Fire damage in retaliation that goes to my buffer.
Note: I had 4 extra Aether last turn as I gain 1 for each killed enemy from my Amulet, and completely forgot about it.
My Mail didn’t degrade.
They dropped an armor manual for the Half Plate. Not bad! But I like the +1 from the Mail, that guarantees at least 2 Protection.
A thin layer of snow covered The Merchants Quarter, and a deep cold bit Daena’s bones as she walked the streets. The area looked better than the Strangers District. The Guild had already secured most of the Rift area, but Strangers still hunted enemies from the Frozen Wasteland—drakes, golems, and even specters.
Perception check (49): 85
I look around, but can’t find Grandmaster Oberon. A Stranger struggles against a giant wolf with white fur. I come up from behind the creature and aim for its ribs.
Bludgeoning Weapons check (72): 15
The maul cracks its bones, making the wolf stagger with a loud yelp. The Stranger kills it with a precise spear thrust.
I ask him about Oberon.
Is he inside the Rift?
50-50: 71, no.
Is he hurt?
50-50: 27, yes.
Action table: Enemies, Environment
He tells me that Oberon got injured battling a massive hydra inside the Rift. The biting cold in the harsh environment slowed his movements, and together with the hydra’s freezing attacks, made him develop a severe hypothermia. It didn’t look good.
I enter the building where he is resting and find him in a bed next to a hearth, shivering despite the pile of furs on him, his skin tinged by a deathly blue.
Oberon’s being watched by two Menders. I say I have an important message for him. Ophelia, a Mender with curling horns protruding from her head and cloves for feet, tells me he’s asleep and shouldn’t be disturbed for now.
“He might die and respawn back in the city,” Ophelia told Daena, “but we must avoid it if we can. All Grandmaster’s Abilities are of vital importance to our safety, and the toll it takes on their vitality is heavy.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“We’re still treating his wounds. Can you prepare a herbal tea and a warming broth?”
Effortless (+20) Cooking check (40): 51.
They administer the tea and broth to Oberon. I watch as his skin gains a healthier color, and his breathing steadies.
Ophelia approached Daena. “While he recovers, there’s something else you could help with, if you’re willing.”
“Tell me.”
“The Rifts bring chaos, but also boons. Inside the Frozen Wastelands we can find frostblooms, plants used to concoct many remedies. Would you help me gather a few? We don’t need to go very far, as they’re very abundant.”
Daena considers the proposal. Venturing inside a Rift was no easy task. Well, she decided, easy tasks were a luxury that the siege had taken away.
She agreed.
D6: 2, no strays.
Let’s enter the Rift! The dominion is already set (Frozen Wasteland), so we generate its overall appearance.
D20: 18
A frozen wasteland where the snow and ice have been stained a deep red by a long-ago battle.
Perfect! Now we mark the entrance in the middle of the map and generate links—or passages—to other areas.
Area links, D6: 3, 2 links.
This is how it looks:
Now we choose an area that’s linked to our current one and explore, rolling on tables to see what we find. We are also supposed to roll a UD8 until we encounter the Riftlord, but we won’t be doing that today.
All dominions have a passive effect. In the Frozen Wasteland:
Biting Cold: The extreme low temperatures make your every move a huge effort. Each time you enter a new Area, you must pass an Endurance check or suffer -10 to all actions while you remain in that Area.
Let’s move to a new area.
Endurance check (25): 59.
I’ll suffer -10 to all actions.
Area feature, d10: 2, None. “A cold, inhospitable landscape stretches for hundreds of meters around you.”
I shiver as we cross into a desolate area of the Rift. Ophelia’s lips are turning blue. She stops to harvest some frostblooms without a word. I try to help her.
Gathering check (49-10): 08!
We gather the plants in silence, then she manages to say “Just a little more” between chattering teeth.
Area links: 3
I’m adding 3 new ones, not counting the one leading into this area from the previous one. I’m pretty sure that’s how it’s done, otherwise it could easily lead to deadlocked maps.
Entering new area
Endurance check (25): 37
-10 to all actions.
Area feature: 9, landmark.
Now we roll on the Descriptor and Object Landmark tables to find the appearance, then on the Function tables:
Descriptor + Object: Inverted, Hill
Function Action + Theme: Imbue, Mistrust
The land curved down into a slope, leading into a colossal bowl with spires of frost jutting skyward. As the valley grew dark and ominous, Daena felt a remnant of ancient power in its bones. The wind howled and whipped them coming from the depression.
Ophelia gathered more frostblooms and put them on her pouch. “I have enough now. We should go back.”
Why did she bring Daena here, really? What was her true intention with those plants? Grandmaster Oberon should have recovered from battle wounds and hypothermia a while ago…
Daena drew her maul and neared Ophelia. The Mender stepped back with a bemused face. “What’s wrong, Daena?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t understand.”
Daena inched closer, preparing her muscles and joints to pounce and strike. “Are you sure?”
Then Ophelia’s expression changed. She didn’t wince from the harsh wind anymore. Her eyes and mouth set with determination. “I guess I do.”
She raised a hand toward Daena. A magical symbol blinked on her gloved palm, and a blinding light filled the valley.
Daena dropped her hammer and staggered back. When she came to, the fog in her head had lifted, and she felt like herself again. “What…”
“It’s the curse in the Rifts,” Ophelia explained. “It slowly worms into your mind if you’re not careful.”
Daena looked at her own hands, then lowered her head. “Forgive me, Ophelia.”
“Think nothing of it. Let’s hurry back.”
I could have rolled the oracle for a lot of those decisions, but I felt like calling things to move along. However, you can see from this one example how much narrative a single area in a Rift can generate, right? It’s incredible.
E to mark the Entrance, and L for a Landmark area.
Like I’ve been saying, engage with it only as much as you want—ignore it completely and go full dungeon crawl if that’s more your style or current mood.
Ok, let’s get back to Oberon.
D6: 2, no strays.
Oberon sat on the bed, his graying beard trembling as he grumbled and complained to the remaining Mender. I approach him, hand him the bundle, and tell him about the runes Headmaster Celeste ordered me to investigate. “She also instructed me to tell you ‘They sleep no more,’” I said.
His head shot up, and Oberon sprung from the bed, clutching Daena’s elbow and guiding her outside. “Are you sure that’s the message?” He asked Daena.
“Yes, sir. That’s what she told me.”
He scratched his beard and gazed at her eyes, reading her. He took a breath and asked, “What do you know of The Awakened?”
The Awakened is one of the factions in Kar Helos. Living in this world brings only desperation, and they find their life meaningless.
These individuals believe that Rifts are the key for their return home; the problem is that they keep being closed by Strangers. According to them, if enough Rifts remain open simultaneously, the aether will flood Kaethor, sending all Strangers back to where they came from.
I tell him what I know.
“The Guild suspects they are behind the siege,” Oberon said. “They’ve been attacking Strangers during Rift incursions and diving into the anomalies themselves after artifacts. Maybe they’ve found something.”
A group of Strangers ran toward Grandmaster Oberon. “They’re killing us,” they shouted. Oberon turned and asked the man what happened.
“They’re inside the Rift! They killed us all, and we came as fast as we could after respawning. They said we’re all leaving Kaethor and going home. Many Strangers have joined them.”
More screams and ringing steel came from the area. Daena followed Oberon toward a man in grey robes, face partially hidden by a hood. With a gesture of his hands, he froze two humans, then broke them into pieces.
“Behold!”, he shouted, his voice carried by magic and fervor. “This house of lies shall finally crumble. Kar Helos is where they imprison us and force us to call home! But our home was taken from us. Watch and remember!”
A vivid dream immersed Daena in visions of another life filled with happiness and comfort, with family and friends. Her true home called her back, and that man could open the door for her to return.
Tenacity check (40): 23!
Daena’s stomach sank as she tumbled from the sky all the way to the cold, hard ground of Kar Helos, fracturing her body all the way to her skull. The tumble yanked her from the spell. The ground under her feet was real, as were all the people she met, helped, and that helped her back.
As were the humans that man had just killed.
He couldn’t know where her home was, or how her life had been, because she herself did not.
Daena looked at the Strangers around. Several of them fell for the false honey dripping from his words and visions, their eyes glassy and fixed. Oberon was one of them.
She clutched her hammer with both hands, using the weapon as an anchor, and dashed toward the man.
He grinned. Ice crystallized on his fingertips when he pointed at Daena.
I’ll make this Awakened Leader an elite enemy (double HP, +2 Psychic damage) using the Snow Specter as a template. He has 36 HP, D6 protection, and the Penetrating (1) trait. His damage ignores 1 Protection.
Round 1
The Awakened has the initiative. He moves to zone 3. I use 2 Unyielding (+15 HP).
Round 2
He moves up. I use 2H Weapon Master and meet him at zone 2, then use Weapon Strike. It’s a critical! Double damage, and an improvement later. I hit him square in the chest for 15 damage.
Round 3
The Awakened teleports behind me and unleashes a barrage of icicles. I fail the Agility check, but my Mail and my Rare Belt (-2d4 Piercing damage) absorb all of it. However, I take 2 Psychic damage.
I miss a Weapon Strike, but get him with another for 9 damage. 12 Left!
Round 4
The Awakened freezes the ground and restrains me for D4 (2) turns. I attack with disadvantage and can’t move.
I fail an Athletics check and continue restrained. I managed to hit him with a Desperate Attack, but I deal a disappointing 7 damage. I miss the second hit.
Round 5
He engulfs the area in a powerful blizzard, dealing 9 Cold damage, plus 2 Psychic. My next check has a disadvantage, which is annoying, because I would have freed myself from the restrained condition. Changing the numbers, I failed.
A Desperate Attack connects with a critical, which doesn’t double the already doubled damage, but it sends a message, don’t you think? It hits for 17, hurling the Awakened against the ground. He tumbles on the cobblestones and lies unconscious.
Since I’m keeping the Awakened Leader alive, there’s no loot. Yup, I’m totally fine with it.
Okay, I wiped the tears from the keyboard. Let’s continue.
My Mail didn’t degrade. And something awesome: I completed the Weapon Master Achievement, dealing my 400th Bludgeoning Damage on this battle! Daena’s Bludgeoning Weapons skill goes up by 10, leaving it at 82 (this Achievement pushes the skill above the 80 limit). The base level is 72, so I can still improve it by 8!
My next pick is:
Overwhelming Power: Deal 20 damage in a single attack. Reward: Your weapon attacks deal +1 Force damage.
Should be easy enough with Desperate Attack.
Daena looked around and saw light and reason return to the Strangers’ eyes. Grandmaster Oberon seemed lost for an instant, as if waking from a nightmare, then understanding dawned on him. He clapped Daena’s shoulder and thanked her.
Not all Strangers were relieved. Some had desolate expressions, not under any spell, but convinced by the Awakened’s ideas and offerings.
Oberon took a sparkling crystal from the Awakened. It pulsed with a blue energy, and tiny arcs of lightning danced on its surface. He called a Headmaster and asked if all Strangers had left the Rift. Then, he lightly tossed the crystal into the air. As it fell, Oberon took his giant axe with both hands and swung, smashing the object into pieces.
The ground trembled in Kar Helos. The Rift spasmed with a loud thrum, spitting jagged lightning. It increased in size, humming and flashing, until it shrunk into nothing and disappeared.
The Rift was no more.
Cheers rang out, but some Strangers winced. The promise of returning home had sparked hope in their hearts. Whether true or false, they mourned its death all the same.
Oberon sends messengers to other parts of the city. The Lava Fields Rift would certainly be closed soon.
Someone arrives shouting to Grandmaster Oberon and the Headmaster with him about an unrest at the third Rift in the Squalor.
Humans and Strangers are killing each other.
Let’s end the session. Bludgeoning Weapons, the only improvement this time, increased by 1.
And that’s it for Act 2! The finale comes next, which is where I’ll probably wrap the Let’s Play.
I hope you’ve been enjoying reading as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
Riftbreakers 2e is available on Itch, DTRPG, and as POD on Amazon.