Part 2: Combat & Skill Checks | Starter Kit - D&D Edition

Summary

Podcast Summary: Part 2—Combat & Skill Checks | Starter Kit – D&D Edition

Podcast: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry
Host: Jason Charles Miller
Episode: Part 2: Combat & Skill Checks | Starter Kit – D&D Edition
Date: August 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Geek & Sundry's Starter Kit – D&D Edition focuses on bringing players into their first in-game exploration, skill checks, and combat scenario. Dungeon Master Jason Charles Miller guides a group of newish players through their first foray into the mysterious Black Rock Cave, teaching core Dungeons & Dragons mechanics (especially the D20 system) while keeping the banter and camaraderie lively. This episode is a perfect demonstration of how to introduce players to skills, perception checks, combat structure, and party teamwork.

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Key Discussion Points and Segment Timestamps

1. The D20 Mechanic and Adventure Setup

[00:58 - 04:01]

• Jason explains the iconic D20 die: “This crazy looking icosahedron is synonymous with Dungeons and Dragons... combat, exploration, character interaction, magic. So much depends on this little polyhedral.”
• Introduces the party to their dungeon map and how mapping works in tabletop play.

2. Entering the Dungeon: Marching Order and Hit Points

[04:01 - 04:48]

• Players discuss their character hit points (HP), with quick asides comparing them to video game “hearts.”

• Set up their party marching order: tankiest players first, healer in the middle, followed by less armored members.

  Notable Quote [04:15]:
  Haldor (Fighter Player): “This could just be a mall that's been closed for years. Roll your hit points.”

3. Making Skill Checks: Perception and Assistance

[04:50 - 06:52]

• Jason walks the group through perception checks and how team members with higher perception can assist for advantage.

• First natural 20 is rolled, leading to jokes about knowing the door's origin and Home Depot lumber aisles.

  Notable Quote [06:28]:
  Jason Charles Miller: “Okay, so we actually have our first natural 20 of the game.”

4. Exploring the Cave: Alcoves, Light, and Passive Perception

[07:58 - 10:00]

• Party investigates darkness—those with darkvision can see naturally; others need the light cantrip or torches.

• Explains the key difference between passive perception (“something sneaks up on you”) versus active rolls.

  Notable Quote [09:16]:
  Jason Charles Miller: “I would say it’s probably safer to cast light on that item and use that rather than burn a torch... to beginning players.”

5. Dungeon Progression: Alcove Inspections

[10:00 - 13:03]

• Players methodically check alcoves, with Jason clarifying how repeated low rolls mainly cost time.
• Atmosphere detail: thick air, a layer of dust—subtle clues that suggest the dungeon is long undisturbed.

6. Encounter: Animated Statues and Warnings

[13:03 - 14:18]

• The party encounters two imposing statues which deliver a classic D&D warning.

  • “Who dares enter this place and intrude upon the sanctuary of its inhabitants?”
  • “Only a group of foolhardy explorers doomed to certain death.”
  • Both statues chant: “Woe to any who pass this place. The wrath of Zelaga and Rogan will be upon them.”

  Notable Quote [13:29]:
  Jason Charles Miller (as statue): “Who dares enter this place and intrude upon the sanctuary of its inhabitants?”
  Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player, riffing): “Say, leave them alone, Jerry.”
  *Haldor: “Let them have their adventures.”

7. First Clues of Danger: Grisly Remains

[16:48 - 19:59]

• Past the alcoves, the adventurers find the results of a deadly fight: three dead gnomes in pools of dried blood.

• The party inspects/loots the bodies (raising alignment questions for the “good” characters).

• Discover loot: 5 gold, a weak spear, and a battered sign reading “Quasquaton."

  Notable Quote [17:49]:
  Moon: “Shall we loot them?”
  Jason Charles Miller: “Yep, you can absolutely loot them. You can search the bodies...”
  Moon (laughing): “I’m good. I just like to loot.”

8. Finding a Map and Player Morale

[22:43 - 24:25]

• In a stripped leather scroll case: two agate stones (10 gold each) and another dungeon map, identical to their own.

• Players realize they may have been lured into a trap, but their confidence shines:
  Moon: “Helm gives us strength...even when we are tested...”
  Haldor: “I say fortune favors the bold!”

  Notable Quote [24:25]:
  Moon: “...we have heart, and spirit, and armor, and a lot more of us than those [dead gnomes]...”

9. First Combat: Goblin Ambush!

[24:47 - 46:30]

• Four small, mean-looking goblins surprise the group.
• Quick explanation of initiative: each player and goblin rolls a D20 + modifier; order determines combat turns.

Combat Mechanics and Highlights:

• Haldor lands the party's first kill (“A kill in the first combat is pretty good. I might have to give these guys more hit points.” [31:19])

• Moon attempts her first spell (“I'm gonna do Firebolt!” [32:09])—misses, but with good humor and group encouragement.

• Thumper swings a maul, but whiffs his first attack—light mockery but supportive vibes.

• Jason explains combat mechanics: actions, attack rolls (D20 + bonus vs. armor class), and rolling for damage.

• Haldor deduces (“So, seven killed him...they have seven or less hit points”) and Jason keeps the game mysterious.

• Moon executes a textbook rogue “backstab” for extra damage, finishing a goblin in style.

• More players miss than hit, leading to running jokes about dice failing them.

• Jason guides movement and opportunity attacks, explaining how positioning and actions per turn work.

  Notable Quotes:
  Jason Charles Miller: “In combat, a turn is six seconds. So we're going to determine now what is going to happen in the next six seconds of this combat.” [29:06]
  Haldor: “Come at me, bro!” [35:21]
  Jason Charles Miller (teaching): “D20 is did you hit? Second die is damage.” [31:36]
  Moon (joyful): “So you basically hit the highest you can get on!” [31:29]
  Jason Charles Miller: “Good job, murderer.” (after Moon’s rogue kill) [44:16]

10. Surviving Their First Battle

[46:30 - 46:46]

• After a few rounds of dice rolling and teamwork, the group emerges victorious against the goblins (“You guys survived your first combat. Not completely unscathed. Pretty good!”).
• The episode ends on a high note with the party ready to explore deeper—as Jason says:
  Jason Charles Miller: “That's where we're gonna stop right now. And when we come back, we'll continue further into the dungeon.”

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Memorable Moments and Quotes

• The Natural 20 Discovery:
  Jason Charles Miller (on the natural 20 perception):
  “For this particular room, you know what tree that door was cut from, 49 years ago. You know the name of the—” [06:52]
  Moon (quick joke): “You’re a carpenter now?”

• Statue Banter:
  Haldor (on the dungeon statues): “Oh, I thought the other one was going to say, ‘Leave them alone, Jerry. Let them have their adventures.’” [14:00]

• Party Morale in the Face of Doom:
  Moon: “Even when we are tested… he tells me we should keep going because we have heart and spirit, right? And armor, and a lot more of us than those.” [24:25]

• Learning Combat:
  Jason Charles Miller: “A kill in the first combat is pretty good. I might have to give these guys more hit points.” [31:19]

• Joking About the Loot:
  Haldor (divvying up the loot): “I’m taking three of the gold since I gave more to get the map, and you can have two.” [19:59]

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Table of Key Game Mechanics Explained

| Mechanic | Timestamp | Highlight/Explanation | |-----------------------|-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Hit Points/“Hearts” | 04:13 | “If you get hit... each one gets knocked out... I have 14 hearts.” | | Skill Checks/Advantage| 05:35 | Assistance lets another roll with advantage: roll twice, take the higher. | | Passive Perception | 09:42 | "Passive perception is if you’re not paying attention..." | | Initiative | 27:23 | D20 roll+modifier determines turn order. | | Combat Actions | 29:06 | “Everyone has one movement and one standard action per combat turn.” | | Attack and Damage | 30:48 | Roll D20 (+bonus) to hit, different die for damage based on weapon/spell. | | Opportunity Attacks | 41:44 | Moving past enemies can grant them a free hit ("attack of opportunity"). | | Spell Slots & Cantrips| 43:51, 45:54| “Use cantrips for reusable spells early on; save slots for tougher fights.” | | Rogue Sneak Attack | 44:04 | Sneak attack (backstab) allows extra damage when an ally is adjacent. |

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode is welcoming, enthusiastic, and thoroughly educational, filled with lighthearted banter and clear, accessible explanations. New players will come away understanding the logic of skill checks, turn order, basic tactics, and what makes tabletop D&D so memorable and fun. The group’s chemistry and Jason’s guidance give the rules life and provide great encouragement for listeners wanting to start their own RPG journeys.

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For New Listeners

• Don't worry if you haven't played D&D—this episode walks through everything at a beginner pace.
• Expect lots of dice rolling and jokes about classic fantasy tropes, teamwork, and the unpredictable fun of roleplaying games.
• Key D&D lessons featured: Skill checks (especially perception and assistance), marching order, how to start a fight, rolling for initiative, and what makes for smart party tactics during dungeon exploration.
• Next time: The party presses deeper into Quasquaton, with more dangers (and laughs) to come.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Jason Charles Miller]

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[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

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[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

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[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

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[Jason Charles Miller]

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[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

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[Jason Charles Miller]

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[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

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[Jason Charles Miller]

It's showtime. Welcome back to your starter kit. I'm your dungeon master, Jason Charles Miller. This is the majestic D20. This crazy looking icosahedron is synonymous with Dungeons and Dragons and it's used in the game a lot in what's often referred to as the core Mechanic or the D20 mechanic. Combat, exploration, character interaction, magic. So much depends on this little polyhedral. And in this episode, we're going to start using it. Okay, and we're back. We're at the entrance to the black rock cave. What you see in front of you is the map that we're going to be revealing today. In a game that doesn't have this great production value, what the dungeon master would do would either give the party leader or someone in the party who's designated the mapper to map out what's being described, or the dungeon master would draw the map for you as you go, which is a large version of that.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Nice. A large, beautiful, well crafted version of that.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So as you, as you move the vines away, you'll actually see that there's. There's a pretty well carved opening and hallway that goes right in. So you could actually hal, if you want to remove that right there in the middle. Yeah, yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, boy.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

That's our cave, right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

It's just a straight up hallway, 1 inch, 60ft.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And then you see a door.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Investigate. Investigate.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great. And what we might do here is let's pick a marching order too on how you guys want to travel through.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

The fact you and I got to go out front. Yeah. What's your current hit points? What does that say on yours?

[Jason Charles Miller]

What's a hit points HP?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

14. 14. Okay. You have more than I do, so you'll be in front of me. Most of that is right behind you.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

What are hit points?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Hit points are basically your life scale. If you in a Video game with, like, the little hearts that each one gets knocked at as you fight. Is that like, I have 14 of them? Exactly. I have 14 hearts. That's good to know. Yeah. So if you get hit with 10 hearts, you still have four.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And those hearts in that video game were based on hit points.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That's right. Yes.

[Jason Charles Miller]

D and D came first, man.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Absolutely came first. So you have 14, I have 10. And then you're healing everybody. You stay in the back so you're right behind.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I think I can be in the middle because I'm less. I'm less squishy than those two are.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, that's true. Oh, she is armored up.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

She's got scale mail, I believe.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I sure do.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, well, heck.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So shouldn't we know this?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So him, me, her.

[Jason Charles Miller]

I'm figuring it out right now.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And these two. Yep. You'll bring up the rear. Yes.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, great. Let's use. Let's use your figure as just to show us where you are on the map, and then we'll remove that if and when you get into combat. Now we know where you guys are. It could be an abandoned dungeon. I mean, we have no idea.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

This could just be a mall that's been closed for years. Roll your hit points.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So you're at a door. What would you guys like to do?

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Can we try it? Does it appear to be locked?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Good answer.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Good answer.

[Jason Charles Miller]

That's really good. Okay, so that means that you're going to enter the door. Inspect it, Right? You'll inspect the door. So that is a perception check. There's a couple ways that you can do this. You could either all five of you roll perception. Let's find it on your sheet, too. It's under skills. Perception is a big. Is a big skill. It's a widely used skill in the game.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I've only got plus one perception. Me too.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I only have two.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Plus two. That's good.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

When you roll, you add one to whatever it is. I mean, you add plus whatever it is, right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

So whatever you roll, you'll add that bonus to it. And those bonuses are based on your core ability scores. And also, you may get other bonuses based on your class or race.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And don't feel like you can't roll on something because you have a low bid on that. Because you might roll the highest number and somebody has a great bonus on it. Only rolls a three that you know you can still win. So everybody has a chance to actually contribute in these.

[Jason Charles Miller]

A good way to do it is you can pick the Two people with the highest perception and have one assist the other.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So I'll assist you. You're a rogue. You do doors. Okay, and so what do we do?

[Jason Charles Miller]

As the assistor, you're going to roll first. If you higher, then she gets to roll with advantage. And what that means is you're gonna roll 2d 20s and you're gonna take the highest roll.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay, so her number is just to help distinguish what number I get. I'm still the one handling the roll.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Exactly.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And if it's under 10, then you only run roll one.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yes. Okay. Yeah.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I'm trying to help you now.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Thank you, dear.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Here we go. Trying for a 10. I have a plus three. I got a 17.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Nice.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So now you're gonna roll two D20. So grab hals there, please. Roll them both and tell me the highest number.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

20.

[Jason Charles Miller]

A natural 20 on my dice.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Thank you very much.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, so we actually have our first natural 20 of the game.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

When you're doing something like perception, that basically means you will learn everything you possibly could have whatever you were looking at in combat. There's a different. There's different rules for natural 20 in combat, but for perception. You.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You basically took it.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You know where this.

[Jason Charles Miller]

For this particular room, you know what tree that door was cut from 49 years ago. You know the name of the.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You're a carpenter now?

[Jason Charles Miller]

The name of the.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

The aisle at Home Depot.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Although technically that would be more of an. An inspection. But seriously, though, as far as you can tell, this door, not only is it unlocked and it opens freely, but.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You see, I knew that.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Wasted all that.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You also notice that there are bits of wood that have been chipped away from the edge, indicating that it's previously been forced.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay. Or they have a dog.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Or they have a dog. Either way, someone has been in here before.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So maybe somebody broke in, they kicked.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

In the door, somebody. So there might not be treasured stuff in here after all. We don't know. Or there might be some forceful people who are in here. Like they might have gotten here ahead of us. Right, Right. That's a concern.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

More than that is a concern.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah. Signs of force entry. Clearly, this means we see the room.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You can go ahead and open that up.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You know about that door.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Whoa. All right.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

It's just another hall.

[Jason Charles Miller]

All right? So, yes, as you open the door, you see that there's an alcove off to either side of you, 10ft wide and 10ft deep. And the hallway continues. Now, it is pitch black. So Everyone with dark vision can see, but.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I'm sorry, everyone with what?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Everyone with dark vision can see, but you don't have dark vision. I can see, and our cleric doesn't have dark vision, so the three of you guys can see fine. But you probably want your entire party.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So will you cast light for us?

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yes, I shall cast the light.

[Jason Charles Miller]

What would be good is to cast. What you might want to do is cast light on an item and then carry that item with you, and then that way you sort of have your own.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So, Moon, you have light as a cantrip, right? Yeah, I have that too. So we can just cast those as many times as you want, anytime, just for fun. So there will always be light when it comes.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Great.

[Jason Charles Miller]

There's a duration. How long is the duration on that? Does it last one hour? Yeah, one hour. Okay, great. So every hour you'll just be casting light on something, preferably something that you're gonna carry with you.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Cast it on your flag.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You cast light on his flag?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

It's a light spear. Also, I have 10 torches, so I can conceivably light one of my torches too, and give it.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I wait. Yeah. Cause I can use this light whenever, right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. I mean, I would say it's probably. We can save our resources as, you know, to beginning players. I would say it's probably safer to cast light on that item and use that rather than burn a torch. And then, you know, attract the attention. Someone smells it or hears it.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

It's easier to. Where do we go?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Where do you go now?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Do we inspect the alcoves? Yeah, inspect those alcoves.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So is this a passive perception thing? Is that what passive perception is?

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, actually, what passive perception is, is if you're not paying attention to someone. Like, for example, let's say a monster or NPC is trying to sneak up behind you and attack you.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Gotcha.

[Jason Charles Miller]

This. You're actively looking. So I would say do the same thing that you guys did again. So you're gonna help her.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Perfect.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Inspect.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You ready? Let's go. Team perception. Let's do it.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Team perception.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I got an 11.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great. All right, so then roll two again and take the higher one.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Get that lucky D20, baby. 16.

[Jason Charles Miller]

16. Plus your bonuses. So 18.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So 18.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right. There's absolutely nothing in these alcoves. In these first alcoves. They are empty as hell.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You roll to figure out your answer.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I keep forgetting that. Okay, and then. So I guess. Should we move on down the hall real quick? What would have happened if she rolled like a One. And it was like she got a one and then you get a one. Is it just like you can't look anymore?

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, you can look again. But there's like a certain amount of time that would go by. Usually like 10 minutes of game time. It's as if you're.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You get knee walls. You have to check on reality.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. Like you lost your train of thought or you got distracted or something.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I think we should just keep on moving into the space. We just keep going down the hallway, see what we find. Great.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Go ahead and pull off that next piece.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

And more alcoves. Alcoves forever. Alcoves for days. All right. Can we inspect that?

[Jason Charles Miller]

I will say this from your high perception role, you deduce that perhaps these alcoves were used as some sort of defense mechanism for this cave.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I was going to say.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah. Some sort of common places to hide and then come out.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Let's do perception on these alcoves.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Again, it cost us something. Right. On the first sets of alcoves. Let's. On the first ones.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. As we go. And I am helping you not at all with a three.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So now you just roll one.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Just roll one.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Four.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Not so good.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Four. So that gives you a six.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

That's right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

As far as you can tell, those are empty as well.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

That's right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You totally. Yeah. And you did notice that in general, now that you're sort of getting into the dungeon more, you guys do notice the air feels thick. There's sort of a thin layer of dust on everything.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So even though somebody broke in the door, there hasn't been anybody on this stuff in a long time.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

In theory, maybe if we could see, we would see footprints. But we can't see. But we have. Yeah. Do you want to inspect again?

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Just use your mug on the ground. Well, are we done with the. Oh, we just. No, we're not done.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay. Now we have to decide whether we want to move forward and check the next alcoves or are we only doing the first alcoves or this? Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You were checking right where. Right where that figure is.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So I think we checked the next set of alcoves. Same drill, everybody.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Everybody moving in the same kind of deal.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, stop right there. You notice that in that third set of alcoves there are two statues, as far as you can tell, two statues of armored men. A six foot human adorned in chainmail, wielding a longsword. They're identical. Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Good. Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Very much like that statue there.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Although that statue's more in plate armor, but you know.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay, let's do this right. I'm gonna assist you. Yes. I'm gonna try. Anyway, I got an 11 this time, so I'm helping. So I like it.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, yeah. Oh, sorry, this guy. There you go.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Six plus two. So eight.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Nine.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, it was a nine.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, 11. 11. As soon as you break the plane of those two statues, you hear in a loud booming voice from one of them, who dares enter this place and intrude upon the sanctuary of its inhabitants?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I do.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah, and before you can even say that, the other statue says, only a group of foolhardy explorers doomed to certain death.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I thought the other one was gonna.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Say, leave them alone, Jerry.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Let them have their adventures.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Owen, you've got bad breath.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And then both of them at the same time say, woe to any who pass this place. The wrath of Zelaga and Rogan will be upon them.

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[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

We're in the right place. This is good.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That's the map was worth every penny at this point. This is what we do know.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Then they both start laughing hysterically.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, rude. So it's Rogan and Zelliger is effectively. These are the spirits of them.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Possibly.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay. This could be.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Was there anything more?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yes, actually.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah. Men.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Past the third set of alcoves. Just right past there at the end of the corridor you see two steps up and at the top of the steps the corridor continues straight ahead and corridors meet from east and west. At this intersection is a grisly sight. The remains of a hand to hand battle. Three bodies lie broken on the ground amid huge smeared pools, pools of dried blood.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Is there a kind of check I can make as a cleric to be like how recent are these bodies?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yes, actually you can like a medicine check. A medicine check to see how long they've been there.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

All right. It's a nine.

[Jason Charles Miller]

With your bonuses.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. Yeah, you can't really determine.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

How do you know these are either skeletons or they were just killed? I have no idea. I have no idea.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right. Well, they're, you know, they're. They're still. They're not quite skeletons, but.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Shall we loot them?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yep, you can absolutely loot them. You can search the bodies.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

What's your alignment?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah, right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Her alignment is just for fun. Neutral. Good.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh yeah, that's alignment. Oh yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. So yeah, we talked about alignment a little bit in the character creation. But what alignment in is kind of your set of morals and we talked about how you are chaotic.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Good. Oh, okay, I see.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So everyone in our party is good. Just.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I'm good. I just like to loot.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Some are. Some are neutral. Good. Some are chaotic. Chaotic.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I'm neutral. Good. So I'm gonna do with you. I'll look through the body. Let's loot.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I'm lawful. Good. So I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right. Wait, what's cg? What is that?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Chaotica? You're chaotic. Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, that's.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Oh, you want to loot. Yeah. You definitely want to loot. That was. That was totally within character.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

She and I will loot the bodies. We'll search the bodies for. To find out anything about Them.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Do we do a perception roll on that, or we just look at them?

[Jason Charles Miller]

With this one, you can just loot them. I'll tell you what you find.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay. Pick them up by the feet.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You see, there are three gnomes.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh.

[Jason Charles Miller]

In a trench coat, all piled on top.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

They got in, but they couldn't find it.

[Jason Charles Miller]

There are three gnomes, and gnomes are about the same size as is halfling, and they're a little bit. So they're three diminutive creatures, and one is slumped against a wall, one is impaled against the wall, and one is lying face down a little bit up those two little stairs. So slumped against the wall, one has a broken sword sheared off three inches among the pommel. The body's been stripped of any armor, but as you turn him over, you actually notice that there's a belt pouch. And opening the belt pouch has five gold.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Paying for that map already?

[Jason Charles Miller]

It appears pretty clear to you that that was just missed, that maybe whoever killed these three gnomes didn't have time to fully loot them. Some things have been pulled off of it, some haven't.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I'm taking three of the gold since I gave more to get the map, and you can have two.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Fair enough. Gnome number two is impaled against a wall. The killing spear, a small, crude weapon still thrust through the body, is lodged in the wall, which has a large section of wood at this point. So up until this point, it was all black rock. But then you notice that there's a wood section on the wall, which is kind of interesting.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So can I take that sword for my own?

[Jason Charles Miller]

That sword is all one ear. It's a spear in him, but you can certainly pull that off. You're gonna need to pull the spear out to loot him.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I feel like I'd like to keep that as well as one of my tools. And then we should maybe try to get through the wood and see if there's anything inside the wood or.

[Jason Charles Miller]

When you pull the spear out of the body and it slumps to the ground, you realize that wood actually was. Was a sign. It was a sign. And it says Quasquaton in it in the common tongue.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That's why they just pronounce it Q, because it's hard.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

It's hard to say.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So it basically looks like the sign saying, this is the name of our place, the spear. Unfortunately, once you remove it, it's. It's worthless. The head's loose, the quality's crap.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Wait, so what was. Why Was this number. Everybody becomes a hoarder as soon as they get in one of these games. You've got plenty of cool stuff.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay. Look through your own list. Don't double anything up that you don't need to. Sometimes you'll find something cool, but you'll know it. But little gnome boy was holding the sign for the town and somebody stabbed him with this. He's like.

[Jason Charles Miller]

He was impaled against the sign.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

The sign was behind him. It was through.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah, the spear was through him. He was impaled against the sign.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Does it move? It's a wood sign. Does it move? Is it.

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, it's like. It's pretty well affixed.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, so the wall is. In spite of split. You can't go through the wall, right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, it's just a big wooden sign affixed to the black stone.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

At this point we can go left, right, or forward.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Now to think about it.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

We go forward past where the dead bodies are.

[Jason Charles Miller]

There's a third dead body that want to.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, that's right. We have to loot. Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So the third one is lying face down in the corridor just east of the intersection.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So just one north for us.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah, this is north.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, so. So that's easy. Yeah, he's over there.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. So just like one little square.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Does he go that way?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. In his right hand he still clutches a short sword. And it appears that he crawled wounded to this point since a trail of dried blood leads back to the battle loaded.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So he was trying to go that way.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So we want to go the other way or forward.

[Jason Charles Miller]

There's a sack turned inside out. And his armor's been stripped from the body. Although he's still wearing a leather cap gnome. He's still wearing his leather cap.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Turned his sack inside out. I mean, have they known.

[Jason Charles Miller]

As you turn the body over, though, you notice a leather scroll case.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, this is good. I think we gotta get that. You open the leather scroll case.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. As you open it, two agate stones fall out.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And also a map.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Wait a minute. How many maps are there in this map? This guy's been printing maps.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

We don't know if we have the correct one.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So I'll take one of the agate stones. What is an agate stone?

[Jason Charles Miller]

It's like a precious stone. It's worth probably like 10 gold each.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah, I'll take an agate and you get one as well because we paid the most for the mat. Do I log that somewhere? Yes, you put it in your little.

[Jason Charles Miller]

In your equipment in Your equipment just right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Egg in stone.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, at the bottom square.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Bottom square in the middle.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That's where your gold was. So you can scratch out how much gold you gave and keep. Keep track of how much you have. And then we look at the scroll. Let's unroll the scroll. Open it and unroll it.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

The scrolls can be high. I went to temple a lot. Scrolls can be dangerous.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I don't know if we can detect magic on it or anything like that or maybe just kind of keep it. Or you could.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Well, actually, but you notice even when you pulled it out that it's fine. It looks like a map.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

It doesn't look like a magical scroll.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

But maybe it's a magical map.

[Jason Charles Miller]

It could be. You could cast detect magic on it if you want. I think he has detect magic. No, it's not free.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, well, whatever. I mean, if we die here, we'll just have to start over. So let's try.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So as you open the map, you realize it's the same. It's a copy of the map bought.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That dude is suckering us in here, and he's going to try and kill us. These dudes came in with that same map and got.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Now my deity Helm gives us strength. So even when we are tested, in moments like this where we had a whole plan and then it turns out it was all a fraud and that we might all die, he tells me we should keep going because we have heart and spirit, right? And armor, and a lot more of us than those.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And I say fortune favors the bold.

[Jason Charles Miller]

That moment. You hear footsteps approaching from straight ahead.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

From straight ahead. Okay. Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

From. From up this way, you hear footsteps approaching.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Light.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And you hear. And you. And you kind of hear like, just sort of like some weird language you don't understand. And to you, it maybe sounds like they're. They're smaller creatures, but you definitely hear something coming your way.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

All right, well, we have our battle order, right, everybody?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah, exactly.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Should we hide in our little quarters and see who they are?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I'm not hiding from anything. I'm gonna race down there and start swinging, basically.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right. Then you see four humanoid creatures. I'm gonna read their description to you.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Hang on pretty close.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Then you have to explain what an ornament is.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Whatever. They just. They're drunk on the lust of having killed three gnomes. But we're a little harder to handle than three lawn ornaments. I'm just saying.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You see four creatures that stand barely three feet tall, Scrawny humanoid body dwarfed by its Wide, ungainly head.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

That's what you see.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Look at little Dobies.

[Jason Charles Miller]

A little uglier than that. And they are armed with swords. Oh, angry. They're a little surprised to see you, but they're like, get him. Okay. This is our first combat. So we've got our blown up battle map here to sort of show five by five grids as you would do in combat. And at a regular D and D game, a lot of people would have this. It might be dry erase board. And then the DM would draw the rooms that you're in or whatever. So we have these pre arranged, which is great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Thank you.

[Jason Charles Miller]

To the product.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Get one of those CNN flat screens and do like. That's right. Have Steve Kornacki tell us what the odds are of us winning or losing.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So let's place you guys in your. In your.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

He and I are up front.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Generally were.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. Because you heard them coming. So yeah, we're in. Yeah. Great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Battle point. Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, so now I'm going to bring out.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Nice.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I didn't know you were.

[Jason Charles Miller]

What we've done for purposes of just kind of keeping it.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Keeping it organized and above board.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. I made all of our enemies a pewter color so that it's easier to kind of tell everyone.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Never trust pewter. Yeah. If I learned anything from.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So we've just learned that they're enemies.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Apparently. Okay. So what we're gonna do now is we're going to roll for initiative. Everyone is going to roll a D20, including me. I'm going to be rolling for our intruders here. Our invaders. And if you look on your sheet, you'll see a. Sorry. You'll see an initiative modifier where it's next to your hit points and your armor class.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So add that to your role and tell me your number.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

18 plus 2.

[Jason Charles Miller]

I'm 20, so 25.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

10.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

7.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I got a 1. Minus 1.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Minus 1.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

She ran away. Definitely brave. So raw.

[Jason Charles Miller]

But I don't think that there's any penalty for rolling a one for initiative. It just means you're gonna be last.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

This is my first combat. I'm fresh out of the temple.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Fresh out of the temple.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I have a lot of experience, I have a lot of spirit.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So I'm gonna put these little markers on who everyone is in the order that you guys rolled and including in the order that the monsters get to attack as well.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yep.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So. And it's for me, I just have to look at it from my point of view. So it's going to be left to right. So Haldor got a 20. Who got the next highest number?

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

10. What did you.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

7.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay, so I think it was me and him.

[Jason Charles Miller]

I rolled a one, so another one. So Moon's here. Then you rolled a seven. Seven.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, but you got a six.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Thumper's here, but I have a four plus four initiative.

[Jason Charles Miller]

The Goblins rolled a six, so they're right here. And then you guys both rolled ones.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay, but she has a better modifier.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Than I have, so she's a five.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yeah, so, but what's initiative meaning?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Initiative is the order in which people can do things in combat. So basically, we. We are now going to simulate six seconds at a time. So in combat, a turn is six seconds. So we're going to determine now what is going to happen in the next six seconds of this combat. Now, Haldor will tell me what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. And everyone is placed.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Well, I'm going to attack with my longsword, since they're coming straight in with swords.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, great. Now, in combat, everyone has one movement action and one standard action.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right? Well, I figured this is my initiative, so I will move forward.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah, you can. All you'll have to do is move five. Now, if you look at your. At your speed on your. On your character sheet, that says how many feet you can move with within that six second.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah, so I can move 30ft. So I can.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah, so all you have to do is move five feet and engage.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So, right, I'll move five feet and engage, and I will swing with my longsword.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, so what you do is you're going to be rolling a D20 for this. In combat, you have to roll to hit. Unless you have maybe some sort of magical spell that automatically hits in almost any situation. You have to roll to see if you hit your opponent or not. And that's always with the D20. And the D20 is also used, of course, in the skills that we've all already done a little bit of that. But in combat, it's always D20.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So you roll to see if you hit, and then if you hit, then you will roll for damage. You want to check your. You want to check your sheet and see what your bonuses are with your long sword. It should be right there next to plus four. Great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yes.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So you're gonna roll a D20 and you're gonna add four, and then tell me what that number is.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

17. Right on.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

21.

[Jason Charles Miller]

21.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And then I have A definitely hit him.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So now tell me what your. What it says on your sheet for damage.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Damage is I used an eight sided dice and then I add two.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great. Two okay.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

To it.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So. So roll. That's an eight sided die there.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

This guy right here. Okay. That. I got a five hit. I have seven hit on it. So.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Seven strike.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You downed him.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Nice.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You actually.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

These guys don't have. They have less than, you know, seven or less hit points. So we have to. You want a seven or in theory.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So you basically hit the highest you can get on.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah, well, D20 is did you hit him? Then the second one is how much damage exactly.

[Jason Charles Miller]

D20. Did you hit him? Second. Second die.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Whatever his points are four. Whatever his life is is under seven. So it could have been a four, it could have been a three. But at this point the seven definitely killed.

[Jason Charles Miller]

I know it. But you don't know.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That's right. But we definitely killed that guy.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Boom.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You're welcome. You're welcome, everybody.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Thank you.

[Jason Charles Miller]

All right, good, Good. First move. A kill in the first combat is pretty good. I might have to give these guys more hit points.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

So moon, now it's your turn.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So 20 sided.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And tell me what you're gonna do first before you roll it. Tell me what you plan on doing.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I'm gonna do Firebolt.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. Tell me about the Firebolt spell.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You hurl a mote of fire at a creature or object within a range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes one. D10 fire damage.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

A flammable object hit by this spell ignites if it isn't being worn or carried.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, so. Yeah. So technically you could cast Firebolt on like a pile of garbage and then it wouldn't need a match.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah, right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Do you know how flammable goblins are?

[Jason Charles Miller]

They're pretty flammable. Flammable as we are, you gotta hit them though. Yeah.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Four plus five.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So that'd be nine.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Nine.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, so the Firebolt goes whizzing over his head. You missed him.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, so it's my first shot ever, so.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. Hey, not too bad.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That's right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And the walls are already black, so you're not really damaging the property. I gotta warm up just in case, you know, there's like an insurance.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Although you said the rest of. Did the sign catch fire? What about the corpses? Oh, yeah, they were fire past them.

[Jason Charles Miller]

True. Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Or there's a dude behind.

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, it whizzed over their head.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, good.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Past the sun not shot. All right, so it's now Thump R's turn.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Finally.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Now I was looking for fun ways.

[Jason Charles Miller]

To tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only.

[Progressive Ad Voice]

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[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

See mintmobile.com this episode is brought to you by Greenlight. Get this. Adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes, us parents invest in so many things to enrich our kids lives. But are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight, you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving and investing. And this investment costs less than that. After school treat start prioritizing their financial education and future today with a risk free [e-mail] Spotify greenlight.com Spotify 95 speed.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And I got a maul. Which I guess is my giant axe.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Hammer.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Hammer.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Your giant hammer thing.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

All right, it's hammer time. Yeah, I'm going to hammer him.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. So you're gonna. This guy right here, the one that's closest to you.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Sure.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So you'll move five feet.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

All right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And then you'll roll to hit.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Could be worse. It technically could be one worse.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You roll to two and what's your attack bonus?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

What is it? Four?

[Jason Charles Miller]

So you six.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Six.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You whiffed it.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You missed. You missed.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, I'm drunk.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, now I mentioned I like goblins. It's a good time of good time to have an intervention. Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. Is the goblin hit him.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, Goblin.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So the guy that you swung at was not too happy about that. So he's gonna swing back at you.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Bring it. Come at me, bro. Anyone who can take.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

At least the alcohol will numb the pain a little.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Exactly. It's like a car accident.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, what's your armor class?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Really good. 17.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. He hit you and you take.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Not a big deal.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You take one point of damage. So he kind of just nicked you. He got you like in between.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Where do I write down one?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Well, just right. So what was your total hit points? 14 or something.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

My armor class?

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, your hit Points. Your hit points.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, 14. Yeah. Right now you have 13 hearts. Right? So now I have 13. So I'm just gonna bring it. Do I just put it in current hit lives. Okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. In current hit, when you put 13. Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

All right. Got it. Thank you.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So, like, your max hit points right now is 14, but you're down to 13.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, okay. Gotcha, Gotcha.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Not the end of the world. No, for a stout fighter. And you got the healing.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And if you notice on your sheet that you guys all had at least one healing potion so you can use. We can talk about that. Yeah, save it. Yeah, don't use it right now.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Right now he needs it.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You know, I just want to know where it is. I got my own saving potion. Great.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, so now Trin is next. No, it's all the goblins.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, all the goblins right here.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Sorry.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Oh, wow. So this goblin will move here and attack Haldor. And what's your armor class, Haldor?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

16.

[Jason Charles Miller]

16. So he missed.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

He missed. Of course he did.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And this third one is going. Even though he doesn't have an E, he doesn't have a bow and arrow in his character. On his mini, he's gonna fire an arrow at the tallest guy he sees in front of him, which is Haldor again.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right, sure.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And he. What was your armor class?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

16.

[Jason Charles Miller]

He hit and got crappy little bows. So you take two points of damage.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Wait a minute. So when I roll the two, we know what the goblins like over under is on if you hit him or not. Or is it just, like, above 10 you hit?

[Jason Charles Miller]

I know what it looks.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

But he doesn't determine during a com. During.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Eventually we find out, like, 12 hit him, but. Right.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Seven.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Just how he realized that seven hit points killed the first goblin. So he's deducing that all the other goblins have seven or less hit points. That may or may not be true.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

But is it the same number for.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Did you hit him? And the same number for how hard? Or is it like the D20 is?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Like the D20 is did you hit them?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And then any other one, you would have found that out.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Everyone has their own. Everyone has their own determination on what weapon they're using and how strong they are or what their skills are.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. So that's it for the goblins on this turn. Now it's Trin's turn.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, roll your 20.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Well, do I have to say what.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I want to kill him?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah. Tell me what you want to do first.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay. Should I use a dagger? Or a crossbow.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Where are you right now?

[Jason Charles Miller]

She's right here.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, crossbow then. Crossbow. That was my first choice because they're cool, you know.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great. Okay, so I'm gonna roll and I would. And which one are you shooting? What I would suggest is the dwarf is size small. So you could conceivably shoot right over him into the air, hit that guy.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right in front of him.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

That's what I want to do.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, great.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I didn't realize I had to choose one.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Which one?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. Oh, yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So that guy.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, man. Okay, So I rolled four and I six.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You got a 10. She hit, right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

10'S not a hit. Oh, yeah, sorry.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Over a 10 is not a hit. Over 10. 10 and higher, is it?

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

What?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Well, no, it's just. It depends on their armor class.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, that's right. I didn't ask what their armor class was. I don't know.

[Jason Charles Miller]

I'm not revealing.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

You said they were naked with little swords.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Hey, they're tough goblins. They've got, like, tough arms.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Everybody said they were wet.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, so, Deborah, what are you gonna do? Do I have damage? You missed. Yeah, you missed. Sorry.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So that's it?

[Jason Charles Miller]

That was your turn?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay. Unless I'm mistaken, I can't really get up there, right? No, you can't.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

To our goblin, it's a small hallway.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

No. Because there is no space.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Right. You could move five feet closer, but that's it.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Right.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Am I like, one of the wacky dwarves from Hobbit? And you could, like, climb on me and I do.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Well, you're more like Gimli from Lord of the Rings. A little more distinguished. You could be one of the wacky guys from the Hobbit.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So I'm not gonna like, whoa.

[Jason Charles Miller]

They were related.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

All right.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

All right. Well, since I cannot get up there and hit with my hammer, and it doesn't seem like you're that injured, and I don't want to blow any of my bell slots quite yet. I guess I'll use my crossbow.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, sounds good. Roll to see if you hit.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Righty. I got a four.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Ah, man, you guys. Rolls are killing. Killing yourselves right now.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

His little goblin.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, let's do better.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Throwing our dice at the expense.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So you missed. You missed. And now is the next round. So six seconds have passed. And now we're back again. And the you don't roll for initiative again. It stays the same in within this combat. So, Haldor, it's your turn again.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Three.

[Jason Charles Miller]

I whiffed. Okay, you whiffed. Moon, your turn.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I'm gonna try the firebolt again.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Firebolt again. Great. So you're gonna add five.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I was, you know, stretching before this one, so hopefully. Yeah. 7. And then add 5.

[Jason Charles Miller]

12. Cause your attack bonus for your special.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I got them, right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

You didn't get him. Thumper, hit it. What do we got?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I'm gonna attack with the same thing. Right, Maul.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I'm standing right in front of him.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Mm.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Scrub. Thirteen plus a four. Seventeen, That's.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You hit him. And with your maul, you get to roll two D6 for damage, plus add things.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You've got a whole.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That's a D6, isn't it? Yeah. You gotta stack them. I hate to mess up my little thing. Two and a three, Right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Plus, plus two. Seven.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right? That's right.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You killed him.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Nice. Oh, thank goodness.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Before you end your turn, could you get out of the way so I can get up there and move a little bit?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And can you move diagonally to the left? Forward as opposed to backwards? Oh, yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So where do you want to move?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

So let's say as I pull my ax off of him.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

It makes me go, whoa. And I fall over here.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Yeah.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, here's what would happen. You could do that, but to move here and here, because this wall is blocking. This guy is gonna get what's called an attack of opportunity. He's gonna get a free stab at you.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Oh, really? Okay.

[Jason Charles Miller]

It's not in his trap.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Not a good idea.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Okay, well, then move back behind me then. Just lay cover. Cause I got you. Go diagonally.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Cool turn. Cool spin.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Thanks. Kick her over. It was a kick of opportunity.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, Great. Now is the goblin's turn. So what's happening?

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Wait, I'm next. And now he's in front of me.

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, you're not next. The goblins are next. Yeah, Sorry.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

After that.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

True, true. Yeah, don't worry. I'll take it. I'm out front, so they'll probably.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So this goblin is going to continue to attack Haldor. He misses. And this goblin is still shooting at you. Okay.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

And I have a defensive fighting one plus armor. Well, he didn't. He missed. Anyway.

[Jason Charles Miller]

So that hit you with another crappy little arrow. And you take another one point of damage.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

What?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Sorry.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, now, Tren, it's your turn.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

These guys.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Is somebody blocking me or can I hit?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Who?

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Who should I go hit?

[Jason Charles Miller]

That guy? You could. Because you're a halfling, you can move through any of these guys.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I would like to do that. I need a closer shot.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay. So how far can I go, I'm.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Going to go there and then you probably, if you stood here, he would get a free hit on you. So probably the best move is to try to stop.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I'm stand here and I'm going to attack him.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, great. Now because you actually will get to you use your backstabbing ability because two, an ally of yours is engaged with this guy already. So this is really good. So if you hit, you're going to really good.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So I'll use my dagger. I'm close enough, right?

[Jason Charles Miller]

No, you can still use your sword. Yeah, your sword's probably the best way to do it. Best way to do it.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay, that's a nine plus plus six. Six.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah. So 15.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

15.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Oh great. Yeah, you hit him. Okay, so now you're gonna get to roll your, your short sword damage and you're gonna get to add another D6 for your backstab ability.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, so two D6s.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Thank you.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So I'm gonna roll these two, both of those.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

That guy's dead. Oh, oh.

[Jason Charles Miller]

And then add one to it. So 10 point damage. He is dead.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

He's dead.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Good job, murderer.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So you can hit him once in, then you can hit him again.

[Jason Charles Miller]

It's one of her rogue abilities. One of her special, special abilities.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

I see. And it's because basically think of it like I'm fighting this guy and I have a sword. And we're back. He and I are battling, they're distracted. She just jumps up there and like sticks him. And it's because he's not as well armored. And you got through it. She.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I went stabbed him from behind, off.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

His arm or something.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay, I like that. What are you going to do?

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Cold blooded.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

There is not an open line for me to move. So I'm gonna shoot my crossbow over the halfling's head.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You totally can. Yeah, not a problem.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Awesome. Just don't hit me in the head. I did not hit. I got a gate.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. All right.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Haldor, I'm not really into hurting people.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Move me up towards this guy. You hit him, then heal him right here. That's in my nature. There you go. That'll work.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

What are you doing? And then.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Let'S see, I'm gonna. Yeah, I'll long sword him because that'll give me the best opportunity for something heavy. So come on, you 15. That's good. Plus four. 19 roll for damage. Yeah, so he's good. And then this guy is the eight again. Come on. One plus.

[Jason Charles Miller]

What's your damage bonus? Two.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, two. So three.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Okay. Yeah, he's still alive. He's definitely still alive.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Oh, that's right. You're like logging each time. He's like. Yeah, three more damage time. You could get him.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

You can get him now that he's damaged. Well, do I want to stick to the like, ones that I can reuse my spells or do I want to try the other stuff?

[Jason Charles Miller]

I would say this early on you want to use the ones that you can reuse.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

That's what I was.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Especially since there's only one enemy left and he's injured.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Right. And they're three foot goblins.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Right.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Okay, I'm going to do the fire bolt again.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Great. Okay, so roll your D20.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

15.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Awesome. Plus 5. Your spell modifier is 20. So you definitely hit him. Now you're gonna roll a ten sided die to determine the damage.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

That's this one.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yep.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

So 4004.

[Jason Charles Miller]

Yeah, 40. Yeah.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

40. Got it. Oh, my gosh.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

All right.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

I think I.

[Jason Charles Miller]

That kills him.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Moon (Cleric/Rogue Player)]

Three straight.

[Jason Charles Miller]

You guys survived your first combat.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

What's happening?

[Jason Charles Miller]

Not completely unscathed. Pretty good. So we're gonna take a. That's where we're gonna stop right now. And when we come back, we'll continue further into the dungeon.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Well done.

[Jason Charles Miller]

This episode is brought to you by FX's alien Earth, the official podcast. Each week, host Adam Rogers is joined by guests, including the show's creator, cast and crew. In this exclusive companion podcast, they will explore story elements, deep dive into character motivations, and offer an episode by episode, behind the scenes breakdown of each terrifying chapter in this new series. Search FX's alien Earth. Wherever you listen to podcasts, look, we all know there are a lot of celebrity interview podcasts out there, but there's only one Happy Sad Confused. I'm Josh Horowitz, and yeah, I'm the host of the show, so I'm a little biased. But truly, Happy Sad Confused is the place for nerdy and intimate conversations with all your favorite actors and filmmakers, from Andrew Garfield and Scarlett Johansson to Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino. For over 10 years and over 700 episodes, Happy Sad Confused has broken movie and TV news every single week. That's because I ask all the questions I want to know. And more importantly, you want to know casting, what ifs, backstage stories, acting, pet peeves, and much more. So whether you're into superheroes, prestige tv, or just the coolest actors and directors alive, you're going to learn something in every episode. Listen to Happy Sad Confused on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Haldor (Fighter Player)]

Does music really have the power to heal? How can you instantly be more persuasive? What would the world be like if there were no bugs? These are the kind of topics we explore in every episode of my podcast called Something you Should Know. My name is Micah Carruthers, and what we do on Something youg Should Know is we find leading experts and curate topics that will impact your life, satisfy your curiosity, or simply fascinate you. Maybe all of the above. Out of all the millions of podcasts in the universe, Something you should Know is usually ranked in the top 200 of all podcasts on Apple. A lot of people like Something you should Know, and I'm willing to bet you will too. We deliver three episodes a week and have a catalog of over a thousand shows for you to listen to. Give a listen to Something you should Know. Wherever you get your podcasts.