Part 3: The Broken | Starter Kit - Numenera

Summary

Podcast Summary: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry

Episode: Part 3: The Broken | Starter Kit - Numenera
Date: December 29, 2025
GM: Monte Cook
Featured Players: Ajna, Dalvaloo, Shanza, Bix, and others
Theme: Exploring the Ninth World’s dangers, learning Numenera’s combat mechanics, and facing the terrifying “Broken Hounds”

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Brief Overview

Part 3 of the Numenera Starter Kit campaign dives straight into the group’s exploration of a mysterious, ancient cliffside structure. This episode is a masterclass in how Numenera handles exploration, combat, and GM intrusions. New players discover both mechanics and roleplaying opportunities as they encounter the deadly "broken hounds," showcasing the system’s approach to danger, problem-solving, and party teamwork—all under Monte Cook’s seasoned guidance.

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Key Discussion Points & Episode Breakdown

[01:00] Recap & Setting the Scene

• Monte Cook welcomes everyone back, explaining the characters have just ascended a "cliff"—in reality, an ancient (and possibly unstable) structure woven into the stone and landscape.
• The party observes large, grazing beasts reminiscent of elephants, who are wary but non-aggressive.

[02:35] Choices: Animals, Structure, or Move On

• Party debates interacting with the creatures or entering the structure.
• Discussion on the “handle animals” skill and its applications.
• Decision: The group opts to explore the structure, wary of both the animals and the building’s instability.

[03:12] Entering the Structure

• The entrance is a rubble-filled crack, requiring light sources (players choose “glow globes” for unobtrusive illumination).
• Monte Cook describes the eerie sounds and unsettling shifting of stone, building suspense.
• Emphasis on the structure’s instability and danger: “It does not look like this is the safest place in the world to be.” – Monte Cook [04:05]

[05:18] A Scent of Danger

• Shanza is first to sense movement, realizing there are multiple other unseen creatures nearby.
• The party extinguishes their light at Bix’s urging, plunging into darkness to stay hidden.
• Tension escalates as all players begin to hear scratching and panting, reminiscent of hunting animals.

[06:13] Defensive Positioning and Skills

• Players detail their positions. Vix (front, skilled in darkness), Maro protected in the middle, others arrange defensively.
• Sounds of threat approaching from both ahead and behind.

[07:07] First Combat – Mechanics Explained

• Monte Cook uses this surprise combat to teach Numenera’s task-based mechanics: players roll against set difficulties with opportunities to lower them using “effort.”
• Wild, blind attack in darkness: Dalvaloo lands a powerful punch on a nearby threat—confirmed by sound, not sight.
• Memorable moment:
  • “Even though you can’t see them… you swing out with your metallic arm and you hit something, and… your big metallic fist crunches into something that is like bone.” – Monte Cook [08:15]

[08:44] Turning the Light On / Revealing the Enemy

• Glow globe is restored, revealing five horrific creatures: canine bodies with bare, birdlike skulls—“broken hounds.”
• Players must immediately decide: fight, scare off, or defend.

[09:59] Resolving Combat: Skills and Teamwork

• Combat breakdown:
  • Dalvaloo: Attempts intimidation, aided by animal handling. Successfully scares two hounds away. [11:28]
  • Bix: Skilled at hiding, climbs out of reach – demonstrating specialization mechanics and quick thinking. [12:24]
  • Eterun: Unleashes onslaught power (lightning bolts), landing a damaging hit and showcasing Numenera’s cost/resource pool system. [14:32]
• Monte Cook clarifies why effort/resources shouldn’t always be spent: damage comes from the same pools, requiring careful management.

[15:19] Enemy Counterattacks

• Broken hounds attack, requiring speed defense rolls. Players’ various skills and training are illustrated:
  • Kal (Dalvaloo): “I have speed defense.” [15:19]
  • Monte Cook: “Okay, so you need a six or higher.”
• Failure means damage is subtracted from the characters’ might pool, with armor mitigating some of it.

[22:24] Tactical Shift – More Attacks and Cooperation

• Players capitalize on Bix’s distraction to target wounded enemies.
• Light weapons and effort explained: “If you’re going to use effort, you don’t even need to make a roll. You’re just going to automatically hit.” – Monte Cook [22:47]
• Combat is both deadly and cinematic: a razor disc through a hound’s skull, missed power punches, and clever use of special skills.

[26:19] Supporting Actions and Non-Combat Roles

• Explains “Flex Skill” (Jacks can pick a skill each session—non-combat focused).
• Bix acts as an assistant, distracting enemies to help teammates land attacks or defend.

[29:08] Fight Resolved, Aftermath & Loot

• Teamwork pays off: two hounds killed, others driven off.
• Players salvage beaks as trophies and debate searching for a lair.
• Info dump on monsters:
  • “I believe that I have heard of these creatures before… generally known as broken hounds. They’re feral pack animals… prey on the unwary.” – Maro/Monte Cook [31:51]

[32:50] Looting & GM Mechanics Explained

• Players harvest materials for trophies or improvised weapons.
• Monte Cook introduces the “Oddity” system for unusual gear.
• Suddenly, the earlier power punch has weakened the structure, leading to a “GM intrusion”—a signature Numenera mechanic where the GM injects unexpected complications.

[33:39] The Ceiling Collapses: GM Intrusion in Action

• Monte Cook introduces “GM intrusion” mechanic, rewarding XP for surviving complications. Dalvaloo's earlier punch triggers a ceiling collapse (“I’m so strong!” – Dalvaloo [33:36]).
• Explaining experience awards: “You get two experience points: one to keep, one to give to another player.” [34:19]

[39:10] Escaping the Collapse – Skill Rolls, Teamwork, and Damage

• Players must act quickly to avoid falling rocks.
• Aid mechanics: one player helps another out of the way, lowering the difficulty.
• High drama as dice rolls determine who is hit by debris, emphasizing Numenera's resource and teamwork dynamics.
• A tense moment:
  • “I’m gonna look up at the thing that’s falling and just go… and try to dive, tumble out of the way...” – Dalvaloo [39:10]

[41:18] Final Escape – More Defense Rolls

• One last dramatic skill check for all to escape fully—some take damage, others execute heroic dodges.
• Bix’s skill at speed and unarmored movement is highlighted.
• Wraps with everyone a “little worse for wear, a little beat up,” setting the stage for learning Numenera’s “recovery” system next episode.

[45:31] Teaser for Next Episode

• Monte Cook: “Maybe next time we can learn how recovery works.”
• Players excited for downtime mechanics and to see what weirdness the Ninth World holds next.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “What you’ve just climbed isn’t truly a cliff. It is an ancient structure.”
  – Monte Cook [01:08]

• “Even though you can’t see them… you swing out with your metallic arm and you hit something, and… your big metallic fist crunches into something that is like bone.”
  – Monte Cook [08:15]

• “There are creatures before and behind you… like hounds, but with… bare skulls that look like birds.”
  – Monte Cook [08:44]

• “If you’re going to use effort, you don’t even need to make a roll. You’re just going to automatically hit.”
  – Monte Cook, explaining Numenera’s effort mechanic [22:47]

• “I believe that I have heard of these creatures before… generally known as broken hounds… prey on the unwary.”
  – Maro/Monte Cook [31:51]

• “This is my opportunity to introduce… a GM intrusion... Something heightens things and escalates the excitement and the challenge of what’s going on.”
  – Monte Cook [33:39]

• “I’m gonna look up at the thing that’s falling and just go... and try to dive, tumble out of the way...”
  – Dalvaloo [39:10]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Recap and Setup: [01:00] – [03:12]
• Structure Exploration & Ambient Danger: [03:12] – [05:18]
• Enemy Sensed, Combat Begins: [05:18] – [08:15]
• Revealing Broken Hounds: [08:44] – [09:59]
• Intimidation, Hiding, Lightning Attack: [09:59] – [14:32]
• Enemy Attacks & Defense: [15:19] – [22:09]
• Weapons, Damage, and Rolls: [22:09] – [29:19]
• Post-Battle, Looting, and GM Intrusion Explained: [29:19] – [33:39]
• Ceiling Collapse & Speed Defense: [39:10] – [45:31]
• Outro Teaser: [45:31] – [45:41]

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Language & Tone

Monte Cook’s whimsical, encouraging narration consistently reassures new players while adding drama to every twist. The group's banter is playful and often witty, with earnest discussions about rules and tactics blending naturally with their in-character improvisation. The episode is both welcoming and suspenseful—a model mix of tutorial and creative play.

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Overall Takeaway

This episode is a gripping introduction to Numenera’s mechanics and “ninth world” mystery. From the tension of exploring ancient ruins to the chaos of fighting mutant dog-birds in the dark, it shows off the system’s unique blend of narrative flexibility, resource management, teamwork, and the ever-present hand of the GM. New listeners (especially to Numenera) will find this a perfect crash-course—both a how-to-play and a why-to-play.

“Next time on Starter Kit… You are outsiders here!”

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Transcript

[Player 1]

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[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Last time on Starter kit. Let's do this. I'm just going for it. All right.

[Player 1]

Vicks gives you a hug.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

It's a very touching moment.

[Player 1]

Get off of me.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

What you've just climbed isn't truly a cliff. It is an ancient structure.

[Player 1]

What's up there? What is up there?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Welcome back to your Starter kit. Hi, I'm Monte Cook, the creator of Numenera. The ninth world is a dangerous place, and inevitably our characters will have to fight to survive. In this episode, we'll learn how combat works. So you've reached the top of this major cliff and it looks like your way is pretty clear from here. But you can also see that what you've actually ascended is some part of some ancient structure. And last time you had mentioned maybe you wanted to kind of poke around and see if there was anything going on in there. So what I have here is something for you to pass around. It's an image that kind of shows the scene. Basically. It shows how that structure is sort of incorporated into the stone around you and the trees that you can see in the weird sort of landscape. So you're at the top of this cliff and there's some beasts up there, but they look like they're just sort of grazing. They look at you warily, but they don't look hostile. They're big, but they're more like elephants than monsters. We don't recognize them. I've never seen them. Never seen anything like them.

[Player 1]

Would I have seen them in my. Because I also have handle animals.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Yes.

[Player 1]

I don't know if that's.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So what you could use for handle animals is if you wanted to approach them and maybe try to subdue them or calm them or something. Like that. That's what you would use.

[Player 1]

Oh, okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Yeah.

[Player 1]

My instinct is to kind of fight them, but I will wait.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

There's a lot of them. They're big, but other than that, you could try poking around in the structure or, you know, interact with these animals or just keep going.

[Player 1]

Let's go in the structure.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Maro, how are you feeling right now? Oh, I'm fine. He says, eyes half closed.

[Player 1]

Let's go in the structure.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Let's do it.

[Player 2]

Let's go in.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

There's some batteries in there. Okay. So you eventually find your way in, and it's more through a crack than a door because this structure is just absolutely ancient, and you can already see that a great portion of it is just utterly collapsed from time. But there does seem to be a way for you to poke your way through there. You would probably want to have some light with you, though, because it's going to get dark as you pry your way in. So we have the glow globes. You have glow globes and torches. Which would you prefer? Let's do the glow globes because it would be less. It would be less obtrusive. All right, so one of you sort of pops a glow globe, and you can just kind of have it. One of the things you can do, you can have them just sort of float in midair. You can also sort of have them cling. So you can just sort of have it stuck to your shoulder or your pack. You can put it on your head. I can make them float. Right? That's nice. Absolutely. With your hedge magic, you could move. So maybe I'd like to send it down the hallways. Okay. All right. So you're making your way through here, and it's dark. There's a few times when you can hear kind of a rumbling around you, as though not everything here is perfectly stable. There's a few places where you're moving along and running your hands against something, and it makes the rock shift. Does not look like this is the safest place in the world to be. But who knows what might be in here? As you get a little bit further, though, it's Shanza who first realizes that there's something else moving around in here. Not just you. There's multiple things that are moving maybe kind of around you.

[Player 1]

Okay. There's a lot of things around us. What kind of things? I don't know. I can just hear them, and I can hear multiples of them. Bix points to the light and makes a gesture to turn it off.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Turn off the glow globe.

[Player 1]

Complete darkness. Mm. Well, let's do what the kid says. Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So I'm good. Okay. It goes completely dark, and now all of you can hear what sounds like a claw scratching against stone up ahead. You also hear what sounds like maybe some kind of panting noise from behind. Almost something that you'd expect, like a hound type creature to make.

[Player 1]

I've already got my hand and some fists.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, give me an idea of how you've positioned yourself, like, as you. Who's leading the way. That makes sense.

[Player 1]

Actually, I was thinking I might be near the front because I'm really good in dark places.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

That's my skill, is explores dark places.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, sure. Maybe Vix, you're leading the group.

[Player 1]

Maybe Vix could be in the front. And I'm also tiny, so I can. I can take up the end.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. And everyone else kind of in the middle. Maybe with Morrow, maybe. Yeah, definitely. We'll protect Marrow. So maybe you're in front, Marle's in the middle, and I'm behind. You're behind. Okay, you are definitely hearing things getting closer to you now. It is from both directions. From both directions. And it is completely dark because you don't have a light.

[Player 1]

You can turn it back on. If you guys want torches as improvised weapons, you could, like, if we light a torch, can we. Like.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

That's a good idea.

[Player 1]

Like, back beast. Can I punch wildly at the air in front of me?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Sure. Just give it a wild swing. Huge. So how we're going to handle this is combat works exactly like the task that we did last time about climbing, where there's a difficulty and you can make your die roll. And we're looking for the same kind of numbers as before. But before we get to that, you can also do the thing where we. Remember, we lowered the difficulty. You can use effort on a combat attack, for example.

[Player 1]

Okay. Do I know what level we're at right now?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

You know, I'm gonna say, since you're punching into the darkness.

[Player 1]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

No, you don't know. It's a mystery. Cause you're in the dark.

[Player 1]

I'll go ahead and spend some effort just to try.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. So I basically am mentally calculating that you're lowering the unknown difficulty by one.

[Player 1]

Also, I'm super strong. I don't know if that helps.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

It helps in that you have lots of might to spend to do things like this.

[Player 1]

Yeah, there's really nothing else that.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

But we don't know what I mean. We don't even know the threat level.

[Player 1]

Like, yeah, I'm just Punching wildly in the dark. Okay, well, I guess I'll roll.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

14.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Nice. So maybe instincts kick in because there's suddenly that sensation that you can get where you know, you even though you can't see them. Pitch black. There's something just right in front of you, and you swing out with your metallic arm and you hit something, and you can feel your big metallic fist crunches into something that is like bone or something very much like bone.

[Player 1]

Oh, boy. I hope this is a bad thing.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

And I believe your punches do four points of damage.

[Player 1]

Right?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. All right. Well, you hit something and you hear. You all hear not only this kind of crack, but kind of a yowl noise. And what are you gonna do? I need to see what's going on. Okay, so let's turn that glow globe back on. Glow globe on. You're gonna turn the glow globe on, make it hover above us so it lights up, and it's out of the way that way. Okay, great. So what you see. I'll tell you what you see when the glow globe comes back on. There are creatures both before and behind you. And I have a picture of them as well. They look somewhat like hounds, but they have almost like bare skulls that look like birds. They look like some horrible amalgamation of bird and maybe dog or cat or something like that. And so this is an illustration of someone fighting these things.

[Player 1]

Oh, yikes.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

And so with that knowledge, what are you going to do?

[Player 1]

I'll sort of just try to scare them off by swinging my glaive at them.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

I don't know if I really. Are they close enough for me to.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Hit with your glaive? Almost certainly, yeah, because it's got a long reach. But you can also just try to intimidate them and scare them away, too. That works?

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, at this point, you can see them. I'm gonna go ahead and tell you that these are level two creatures, which means that most of the time, tasks dealing with them are or difficulty to. The problem is, of course, is that there are five of them. So each one of them is sort of staring at one of you hungrily. But you can try to just try to scare them off. And in fact, you can use your animal handling skill to make it easier.

[Player 1]

Okay. I also have another question. So on my glaive, it says thrust plus one.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Right?

[Player 1]

So that's if I'm attacking, Right. And then the plus one is to.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

My damage, then it is to your damage. That's correct.

[Player 1]

But, yeah, I just want to try to intimidate them okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

An intimidation action is something that, if you wanted to use effort with, you could. And it would be intellect. Effort.

[Player 1]

Yeah. Let's give that a go.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

Why not?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

All right, so here's the way that calculation works. So they're level two, right. And you are using effort, which makes it a level one, and you're skilled in it. So it's zero, which, now, normally that would mean you don't even need to make a roll. But here's where I get to as the game master. Say, you know, these things are really hungry, so it's gonna be one step harder than normal. So it's still a difficulty of one. You need to roll a three or higher. Do this tenth. Nice. Okay, so. And you were in the back.

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So the two that were coming at you from the back, they both. You swing your glaive and they both.

[Player 1]

I'm gonna shout, okay. Ah. While I'm swinging it.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

All right. You know they're not stupid, right? They're kind of backing away. They don't run, but they're cowering a little bit, at least for now.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

What is Bix gonna do?

[Player 1]

Yeah, Bix doesn't have a lot of fighting skills. I do have a little tiny knife, but I'm not sure that my knife would do much good against their beak because it's so much smaller than their beak. But I'm really good at hiding.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

And I'm really. I think I'm really fast because I have speed of 18, so maybe I could somehow clamber up away from where they are, up onto a rock or something to sort of hide myself and get out of the danger zone.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

That sounds great. So you are specialized in hiding. Specialized means that you lower the difficulty of a task by two, not just one. Right. And so that's great because these things are only level 2, so you are currently successfully hiding from them.

[Player 1]

Perfect.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

They are not going to be able to get at you. And Eterun has an action still to take. I'm not messing around with these bird dogs. So I put my hands out and I use my onslaught power to shoot them with lightning bolts. Lightning bolts come out of your hands. That's awesome. All right, so basically, you're gonna be targeting one of them, the closest one. Closest one, sure. Of course, you know, it's level two. So just like anything else, you're gonna be rolling to see if you can succeed at the level two, which would be a six. But again, just like anything else, you could use effort, and it would be intellect in this Case I'm definitely gonna use that. Okay, that's three. Three. Right now, onslaught also costs you one point, but you have an edge of one, so that you don't even have to worry about that part of it. It's just the effort.

[Player 1]

Okay, can I ask you a quick question about using your effort points?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Yes.

[Player 1]

Why wouldn't you always use your effort points if they're gonna come back?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

That's a good question. And what will happen is sometimes you can. Even though you can get them back, you can't get them all back really fast. So it becomes sort of a point of resource management a little bit in making sure you still have some points for the next thing that you're going to have to do. And so it's just a little bit of a management. We're also going to see here perhaps in a minute, that pools are where we're going to track damage if you sustain damage. So you want to make sure you've got some points left in order to withstand some attacks. But let's see how your onslaught goes. Okay. Come on. Seven is definitely going to hit. You do four points of damage with that. So there are two of these things, both of them sort of in the front, because I think you're probably closest to the front. Both of them are hurt.

[Player 2]

Now.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

You've punched one and you've blasted one. Right. That means that there are still five of them active. Two of them have backed away, at least for a moment. Now, in Numenera, the game master doesn't roll any dice. So how I determine whether you get attacked is you make defense rolls. Some of you are trained in speed defense, and that's going to come into play here because these creatures attack, and even though they're level two, these creatures are attacking as level three. So the difficulty to dodge their attacks is going to be 3. If you're trained in speed defense, it's 2. If you want to use effort from your speed, you'd make it a one. So the first one is definitely lunging at Dalvaloo.

[Player 1]

Great. Well, I have speed defense. Okay, so it's two, and I'm gonna roll with that.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so you need a six or higher.

[Player 2]

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[Player 1]

Oh, well. 3.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so this thing opens up its beak. There's this horrible breath like rotted meat, and it clamps down on you. Now you have some armor. I think that's gonna come into play here.

[Player 1]

I have medium armor.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. And you're also protected because so much of you is metal. So I think you have an armor of two, Right?

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so this thing does three points of damage, but you only take one because we subtract the armor from the damage that it does.

[Player 1]

Great.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

And that point comes right out of your might pool.

[Player 1]

Gotcha.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

And that's for every class of character. Correct. Damage always comes out of our might pool. Yes. Depending on the type of attack. Exactly. That is exactly right. Some attacks are going to attack speed. There might be a telepathic attack that affects intellect. Right, Got it. All right. So that was one. There's still two more with attacks. Ajna. Ya. I think you are probably right up there in the danger zone as well. Yeah. I have speed Defense.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So you're trained so that's gonna make the difficulty two. So you're a six or higher. I don't really want any foul beak breath on me. 14. All right. You easily duck back. This thing clamps shut near you, but it doesn't do you any damage. And the other one is going to attack you. I am not trained right at all. Okay. In anything combat. So I would spend speed if you want to spend. Yep. It's out of your speed pool. Three points. Yeah, I think I'll do that. Okay. Just to be safe. All right. So you need a 6 or higher to avoid being hit. 10. And you do. All right. So that's great. So none of them score any hits. The two that you've intimidated are still kind of cowering in the back, although you can see that as their allies are scoring hits, they're getting a little bolder. Let's start with you. So there's two that are coming towards us right now, or is it the two that were. You're sort of more toward the. And there are three up there, but two of them are quite injured. Well, first I want to make sure that Morrow's behind me. Okay. So I've got him behind me. Good call. Pull out the buzzer. Okay. And it shoots like the discs, right? Like a little razor disc. How many does it shoot at one time? It shoots one.

[Player 2]

Shoots one.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

And then I have how many discs in a row? You can only attack one per round. Oh, okay. This is basically every time everyone gets a turn. It's a combat round, and it's one attack per round.

[Player 1]

Okay. Shoot the one that's biting me.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Yeah, I'll shoot the one that's biting her. Okay. And maybe it'll make an example of it. Okay, so you're gonna make a roll. You know that the difficulty is gonna be two to hit them. Okay. If you wanna use effort, it would come out of your speed pool. Okay. So I have 11. Okay. Do you want to use three points out of that?

[Player 2]

Why not?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. Actually, you know what? I am totally wrong. I just remembered your buzzer is what is referred to as a light weapon. Oh, yes. And a light weapon is great because they're easier to use, they're easier to aim, and so you lower the difficulty yet again. So if you're going to use effort, you don't even need to make a roll. You're just going to automatically hit. And then what would it be? If I didn't use effort, then you'd need the three.

[Player 1]

Do you want to save your effort.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Or I'm Going to throw in one extra little thing. You could use that effort. Instead of making it easier to attack, you could use that effort to do more damage. Oh, so I could kill him. Let's kill him. You want to do that? Yeah. Okay, so you're not reducing the difficulty any lower than then one. So you're still gonna need to roll and get a 3 or higher. But now if you hit, you're gonna do five points of damage instead of two. Okay, let's do it. Okay, so that takes off three from my speed pool. So I have an eight now. Okay. Come on, you little bastards. Seventeen. Oh, that's great. This gives me the opportunity to introduce something else too, which is if you roll a 17 in combat, that's plus one damage. An 18 is plus two damage. 19 plus three, all the way up to plus four at 20. That's why the damage values in the game aren't variable like they are in some games, but they actually are because it's based on the attack roll, not a roll for damage. So that means that you're going to do a total because you used effort for damage, you're going to do the buzzer's normal two points plus three, plus another one. Which is another way of saying that that little razor disc goes right into this thing's skull, right between its eyes, and it comes out the other end and just silently, it just collapses to the ground completely dead. What do you think about that? All right, Deviloo, what is your action?

[Player 1]

Well, I'm gonna attack the other damaged.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Thing with a mighty Cyborg punch.

[Player 1]

Yeah, but this time I'm gonna.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Right, right, exactly.

[Player 1]

I'm gonna run towards it, jump, and try to come down with.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Nice.

[Player 2]

Oh, nice.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

Do I want to spend more effort?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Nah. Okay, so it will be a 6 or higher for you then.

[Player 1]

6 or higher. 6 or higher.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Get the power punch.

[Player 1]

I'm not rolling it.

[Player 2]

5.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Oh, so you just miss it? And you said your power punch comes down onto the floor and smashes some rock. Because you definitely have a power punch.

[Player 1]

Oh, boy.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Is Bix gonna continue to hide or you wanna take an action?

[Player 1]

No, I would like to try to help. I just don't know because fighting isn't my skill. Right, I see that. There's something called Flex Skill, right? What is that?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so I'm glad you brought that up. So, Flex Skill, everyone who's a Jack, which is three of you, have the ability called Flex Skill. And that is at the beginning of a session, you can pick a skill that you are going to Be good at that session. And that's just our way of showcasing how flexible Jacks are. Right. So that you can kind of tune yourself to the situation.

[Player 1]

Oh, so can I get a skill with knife? Because I have a little knife.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Unfortunately, the one thing you can't do is combat with.

[Player 1]

Okay, I won't do that.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

It's meant to be more of a non combat, more general kind of thing.

[Player 1]

Is there something that Bix could do to help everybody else?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

That is also a fantastic question. Yes. So remember in the same way when they were helping climb. Anyone can help anyone else in combat. You can make an attack on your own and use your dagger to attack one of these things if you want to. But if you think it's more of a Bix thing to help somebody else, that's totally your choice.

[Player 1]

Yeah, no, it definitely feels more Bix like, too be an assistant to someone.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So what I would. You could help anyone, and it would be just sort of on their next attack.

[Player 1]

Oh, okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Or you could help someone on their defense, and you could help them on their next defense roll.

[Player 1]

Oh, well, I mean, it seems like you might need a little help. Is that true? I mean, I feel like I can take damage from these guys pretty well. I'm worried more about the rear. Oh, okay. Well, do I need to actually help? Morrow is there, but Maro isn't rolling, so maybe I don't need to help Marrow.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Well, right now, Ajnia has Marle kind of protected behind him, so he's okay for now. And Maro knows his strengths and weaknesses well enough to know that he's not going to jump into this fight zone.

[Player 1]

Got it. So maybe one of you guys might like a little assistance that I could offer up assistance. Maybe in a second when the. But you don't know yet because it hasn't happened yet.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Right.

[Player 1]

And these hounds are still kind of. They're getting braver.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

If she runs and distracts them and pulls them off, then we can make a. You know, some. One of us can make some sort of attack.

[Player 1]

So Bix runs forward and grabs Shanza's hand and nods and then runs really, really fast around and around and around.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

And then goes back up to the.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

To distract.

[Player 1]

To distract.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. So what Bix is going to accomplish there is, if you want to make some action, really any action against the hounds that are behind you. She's just made it one step easier. Oh, wow.

[Player 1]

Okay. Very cool then. Yeah, I can go after one with my glaive.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so you want to make an.

[Player 1]

Attack yeah, so as soon as I see them, look Bix's way, I'll just jump and swipe down.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Bix will lower the difficulty to one. And if you want to use effort, you can make it. No, roll. You can use effort for damage.

[Player 1]

I think I'm gonna save my effort. Okay, this would be for might, right?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

It would, yes. Okay, so you're looking for a three or higher.

[Player 1]

Four. Oh, so close.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Oh, my gosh. Okay.

[Player 1]

Oh, boy.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Well, you know, Bix definitely made the difference there because it would have been a six, Right. So you wouldn't have made it. So Bix runs out, distracts this creature. You take advantage of that jump up, slice into it, and I believe your glaive does four points of damage.

[Player 1]

It says so. Thrust.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Oh, nice.

[Player 1]

I get plus one to thrust. Is that dam? So then that's damage, right?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

It is, but you have to spend a point of might to do that. But do you have might edge?

[Player 1]

No, I think we pick speed.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

You pick speed. Okay. So if you want to get that extra point of damage, it just costs you one.

[Player 1]

I think I'm gonna save my mic points for now.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, fair enough. All right, so there are two of them, one sort of in the back, one in the front that are quite damaged. One of them's already down. What are you gonna do? The one that's sparking that, I damaged that. I guess she missed. I'm going back at it again. All right. And I'm not gonna spend any effort this time. Okay, so we're looking for a safe 6 or higher. 15. Nice. Okay, you've blasted this one a second time. It just lights up from within. You can see its skeletal structure inside. It's like an X ray all of a sudden. I'd like to study that. And it collapses to the ground. I point at it and I go, stay. All right, so now two of them are down, one of them is hurt. Shanza, your skill with these kinds of beasts, you know that with even just a little bit of coercion, they're probably going to run. So you can share that information with your friends.

[Player 1]

I might just start smacking the ground with my glaive and just, like, shouting.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, do you want to make another one of those intimidation actions like we did before?

[Player 2]

Yeah.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

As your action.

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 1]

What do I have to roll again?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

A six or higher.

[Player 1]

Seven.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. Wow. These things see that the prey that they have set their eyes on way beyond them, and they skitter off into the darkness. They're gone. Perfect.

[Player 1]

And once they run off by Grabs the knife that Bix has and goes.

[Player 2]

Awesome.

[Player 1]

All right, is there anything we can take from the creatures? Hides or you could.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Their hides or whatnot would probably be worth something. You could also track them back to maybe if they have a lair. That would be an option. Did they appear that they were completely feral or do they have collars on or something? They seem like they're just a wild pack of beasts. Yep.

[Player 1]

We could just keep on going through this structure. Yeah. I don't know if we need to find more of these things. Yeah. Should we check in with Maro and see how Maro's doing?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Or maybe what he thinks about these creatures or about what we're doing? I believe that I have heard of these creatures before. Think that they're just sort of generally known as broken hounds. They're feral pack animals. They live out here in the wilderness. They hide in caves and ruins and whatnot and prey on the unwary. Would they maybe be in my book? Probably, yeah. Okay. Do you want to take the time to look them up? Yeah, we're sitting here for a second. I'll take a look. Okay. And the beaks? Yeah, they're definitely in there. The beaks look quite sharp. Maybe that could come in handy later. Okay. Or at least it's a trophy, right? Yeah. I'll just start. Bix, can I use your knife? Skinning them or the hatchet, maybe, or maybe a little bit of both. Yeah, yeah. Ajna chops off the beak. One of the ones laying there. Hold it up. All right. Okay. Let me try to sharpen this a little bit. Make it a little sharper. And I'm taking it with me.

[Player 1]

If you can find a stick we can attach that to and you can. Improvised weapons.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Can I take it? Would I put that in the equipment?

[Player 2]

Probably, yeah.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Equipment.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

You know, you could also put that under an oddity as well.

[Player 1]

A broken hound beak.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Yeah. So you've got your oddity of the broken hound skull or at least the beak. Right. And it's at that point that there's a rumbling sound. When Davilu. When you jumped up and punched at this thing and missed and hit the ground, there was a great reverberation. And you guys know that this place was already pretty unstable. You'd heard rumblings and seen shifting rocks and whatnot. Well, now you can see there's a crack forming where you punched with your powerful cybernetic fist.

[Player 1]

I'm so strong.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

And little bits of rock and dust are beginning to fall down onto you. So this is My opportunity to introduce one. One more fun little mechanic that we call a GM intrusion. And this is where I get to introduce a complication that makes your life. I'm not picking on you, but it just makes the story more interesting. Like, if you've ever watched an action movie where the hero is climbing up the rope and all of a sudden that rope starts to fray, that's a GM intrusion, right? Something heightens things and escalates the excitement and the challenge of what's going on.

[Player 1]

I just wanted to fight a thing.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Now when I use a GM intrusion, I hand out experience points to basically reflect that surviving a GM intrusion is itself an experience. So this GM intrusion is targeted at davilu, and I'm going to award you two experience points. Points for this. I'm gonna get to what happens in a minute. But first, the good part. You get two experience points, and what you do is you keep one of them. And you can award an experience point to anyone else in the group for whatever reason you want. You know, a great line, a good action, anything that you want to do. But you get two.

[Player 2]

Very nice.

[Player 1]

Thank you.

[Player 2]

Greetings, adventurers. While I grew up in New England, I've lived in California for 15 years now. And the winter nights get deceptively cold, and my flesh keeps getting weaker and weaker. My blood is so thin now. And also, I think they use, like, tissue paper for insulation here. Anyway, that means I need my wardrobe to keep me warm and keep me looking fresh as hell this holiday season. And that's where the fine folks at Quints come in. They make it easy to look sharp, feel good, and find gifts that last. From Mongolian cashmere sweaters to Italian wool coats, Quince pieces are crafted from premium materials and are built to hold up without the luxury markup. Quince makes the essentials that every guy Mongolian cashmere sweaters for 50 bucks, Italian wool coats that look and feel designer, and denim and chinos that fit just right. Each piece is made from premium materials by trusted factories that meet rigorous standards for craftsmanship and ethical production. And by cutting out middlemen in traditional markups, Quince delivers the same quality as luxury brands at a fraction of the price. It's everything you actually want to wear. Built to hold up season after season. And to make sure that I look good at all the upcoming holiday parties, I picked up a Mongolian cashmere sweater polo that is as comfy as it is stylish, which is to say very. And for turning into a goblin at home, I nabbed a pair of fleece joggers that feel like stepping into a warm hug. I love putting them on. And since I'll find finally have some time at home to dig into some projects, I might also have to pick up some new curtains because Quint's also has amazing home goods. Did you know that? It's crazy but true. So get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with quints. Don't wait. Go to quints.com criticalrole for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's quints Q U I N C free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com criticalrole.

[Player 1]

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[Player 2]

Great.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Do you want to award that other one?

[Player 1]

Oh, I thought I had to wait till after the.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Well, we can see if you survive.

[Player 2]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Because what happens is, you know there's rock falling now and dust is coming down and there is a huge large section of the ceiling and it is dropping right down where you are Standing. Because you are sort of at the apex of the. Of the damage.

[Player 1]

I'm gonna look up at the thing that's falling and just go. And then I'm gonna, to the best of my ability, try to dive, tumble out of the way, out of it.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so this is gonna be a speed defense roll. And I think you're trained in that. Yes, but the difficulty is going to be pretty high.

[Player 1]

I will spend some effort.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. The difficulty is 5.

[Player 1]

How much effort can I spend at?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Is it beginning character or just one? You can reduce it by one.

[Player 1]

Okay. Is there any way to help?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

What would you like to try to do?

[Player 1]

Push her out of the way and change my phase.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

And change your phase?

[Player 1]

Yeah. Can I push her out of the way and then change my phase?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

I see. Okay. Okay, so let's go with that. You're gonna be basically giving you an asset by pushing you farther. And you know that even if the thing falls, you're gonna be okay, but you've still gotta get out of the way. It's big, right? So you're helping her get out of the way, and you're gonna be fine, but you're still gonna have to make the roll. But she's lowering it by 1. That makes the difficulty 4.

[Player 1]

And I spent some effort.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

3.

[Player 1]

And I'm trained in speed defense. What else can I do?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

I think that that's herculean. I'm making an effort, so I also.

[Player 1]

Have the big old blanket. Make a trampoline. Okay. So six or higher.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Six or higher.

[Player 1]

Oh, boy.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

I think you got it.

[Player 1]

Seventeen. Oh, boy. Well, I give a point to you for helping me. Yeah, thank you.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Well, that's very fortunate because that would have inflicted 4, 5 points of damage subtracting that out of your might pool. So well done. And am I assuming getting out is the power already in? One last time, as you're coming out, there's smaller rocks still falling. I need every single one of you to make one of those speed defense rolls to just keep from taking any damage at all.

[Player 1]

Can I just stay in my fuzzy. Stay out of phase.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

As a beginning character, when you're out of phase, you move really slow.

[Player 1]

But I don't get injured.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, well, you can make it out, but it would take you a long time.

[Player 1]

Oh, I'll just roll.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

All right.

[Player 1]

All right.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Because, you know, it would be dark. You wouldn't be able to see. It could be dangerous if you tried to be this far into the phase.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. So the difficulty for everybody is a three here. And you Guys know how this works, right? If you're trained in speed defense, it'll be two for you. If you're going to use a level of effort and spend three points of speed, it'll be another decrease. And so you guys can kind of figure out your own difficulties. And so I'm going to go around and just sort of ask what your final difficulty is and then what your roll is. Okay. And I'll start with you. So I'm spending three points of speed to reduce it by one. All right. And that's my only amount of time. So your difficulty is 2, so you're gonna need a 6 or higher. 15. Succeed easily and get out of this place before you take any damage. Sparks fly as I run.

[Player 1]

Awesome. Okay, so I have a quick question about edge again. So does that. What does edge mean again?

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So if you're gonna use. You have an edge in speed, right?

[Player 1]

Yes.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. When you use your speed to use effort, normally it would cost you three. It only cost you two.

[Player 1]

Okay, so it's three, and then I have speed defense, so that makes it two. And then I'm gonna use two points of my speed, but I have. Because I have an edge.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Right, and so you're gonna lower the difficulty to one, which means you just need the three or higher.

[Player 1]

Oh, no. I rolled a two.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so that is gonna be four points of damage that you're gonna take.

[Player 1]

And that goes out of my might.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

It does, but if you've got armor that protects you.

[Player 1]

I have one armor.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. So three points of damage.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

All right. Continuing around the table. So you're protecting marrow.

[Player 1]

Yeah, I have marrow on my back. Running out with him as fast as I can.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, so Maro succeeds or fails based on your success or failure?

[Player 1]

Well, I. Speed defense. So it's two, and I'll just roll with that.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. Six or higher.

[Player 1]

Oh, boy.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay. It's all on you.

[Player 1]

Oh, boy. Eight.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Okay, very nice. You and Maro get out just barely covered in dust.

[Player 1]

Yes.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

All right. I have speed defense. Okay. Do you want to spend points out of speed? No, I don't. Okay, then you're Gonna need a 6 or higher. View me, I rolled a 3. Huge rock hits you on the shoulder. If you've got armor, it'll protect. I have light armor. Okay, so you're gonna only take three points of damage then from my might right out of your mic. So that means. That means I'm at a six now. Okay. Getting crushed.

[Player 1]

Literally.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Yeah, literally.

[Player 1]

Literally. Okay. I don't have the speed defense, but I do have lots of speed.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Well, and you have trained without armor, which basically is the same thing when you're not wearing armor. You are trained in speed defense.

[Player 1]

Oh, okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So you are trained in this.

[Player 1]

So then that takes down. I'm sorry. You guys are all really good at doing it.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

No, it's all good. That's why I'm here.

[Player 1]

It takes it out of speed. So I take out one from.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

So you just have a decision to make. Do you want to spend some of your speed? Okay, that would be great. So you have an edge of one. So normally you'd spend three. You're only gonna spend two points.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Out of your speed, is there anything.

[Player 1]

Else I can spend? Because I'll spend it.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

I don't think so. But you only need a 3 or higher.

[Player 1]

Okay. 18.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Yay. All right, so Bix manages to get out.

[Player 1]

Oh, But I need to subtract this to make it a yes.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Two points. So you 16. So you all survived. A little worse for wear, a little beat up. Maybe next time we can learn how recovery works.

[Player 1]

Yes, please.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

I could use it. All right, so that'll be next time on Starter Kit. Next time on Starter Kit. You are outsiders here.

[Player 1]

Uh, hi. I'm not a ghost.

[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

How do I know you're trustworthy? We could just punch this guy. The least charismatic party in history.

[Player 1]

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[Player 2]

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[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Gravity affects your health more than you.

[Player 2]

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[Monte Cook (Game Master)]

Of insight you'll want to share, so.

[Player 2]

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