Starter Kit - Advanced D&D
Part 4: What’s Lost Is Found (Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry)
Host: David Nett
Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this action-packed session of Starter Kit, the party delves deeper into the tangled criminal underworld of the Thieves’ Quarter. Trying to unravel the fate of missing gang members and their own mysterious adversaries, the group faces tense negotiations, a rooftop chase, and a chaotic combat filled with shocking transformations. GM David Nett expertly blends narrative improvisation with crunchy D&D Fifth Edition mechanics, giving listeners both thrilling story beats and practical rules explanations.

Key Discussion Points & Major Segments

1. Interrogation & Information Exchange with Geralt

[01:04–10:39]

• The party meets Geralt, a powerful figure in the Harpies gang, to uncover what happened during a violent incident the previous night.
• Geralt, visibly angry yet controlled, shares that he sent four men on a "smash and grab"—none returned. He suspects interference from another gang.
• The party confirms their involvement at the scene but denies responsibility for his men’s deaths, instead pointing to a mysterious creature and the rival Rivers gang.
• Psionics and Insight checks:
  • Narlak uses Detect Thoughts to probe Geralt’s intentions but is quickly rebuffed (05:12).
    • Geralt: “You’ll be wise to stay out of my head, sir.” (05:14)
  • The party’s high Insight rolls suggest Geralt is honest but withholding some details.
• The Rivers, led by Shiren, are identified as upstart rivals who have grown bolder and possibly more dangerous.
  • Geralt: “Sheeran and her band have grown bold. I’ll tell you, they’ve taken several of my corners...” (06:51)
• The exchange ends with an uneasy agreement: if the party delivers Shiren to the authorities, the Harpies can reclaim what remains of her gang.

Notable Quotes:

• Geralt (to Narlak, after Detect Thoughts): “I don’t know that I’ll let it slide this once. But I’m gonna be watching you and keep my eye on you.” (05:20)
• Geralt (on The Rivers): “Those upstart bastards. ... She formed her small group perhaps a year ago. ... I don’t know how she would have found her way into any dark magics.” (07:32)
• Leona: “There may be greater powers here that we are dealing with.” (09:40)

Timestamps:

• [01:04] – Meeting Geralt; setup for the interrogation.
• [04:53] – Narlak pushes Detect Thoughts, rebuffed.
• [06:22] – Stakes established; Geralt’s offer.

2. Group Strategy & Rest Considerations

[10:40–12:24]

• Discussion around whether to press on or take a much-needed long rest after 36 hours of activity.
  • Leona: “Should we clear our heads?” (11:54)
  • Shywin: “Might as well do it. Get fresh eyes.” (11:55)
• Mechanics: The GM reviews D&D’s rest mechanics and clarifies the benefits for listeners newer to the game.

Timestamps:

• [11:14] – Leona asks about long rest benefits.
• [11:54] – Consensus on taking a rest.

3. The Rooftop Chase Begins

[12:24–16:56]

• As the party attempts to exit the Quarter, Narlak detects they’re being followed and discreetly warns the others using the cantrip Message.
  • Narlak (via Message): “We are being followed.” (12:48)
• Leona abruptly pivots to confront the pursuer—a cloaked woman—who flees. The party chases her through crowded streets and over dangerous rooftops.
• Eraviel’s rooftop pursuit is marked by skill checks and minor setbacks, illustrating D&D’s use of Athletics/Acrobatics for dynamic scenes.

Timestamps:

• [12:24] – Narlak perceives the tail.
• [13:19] – Leona confronts the follower.
• [14:44] – Rooftop pursuit with Eraviel.

4. The Ambush: Trapped in the Alley

[16:17–20:22]

• The chase leads the party into a courtyard surrounded by enemies—an obvious trap.
• An imposing lieutenant of the Rivers, standing atop boxes, confronts them, demanding to know Liam’s whereabouts—hinting Liam was the monstrous creature referenced earlier.
  • Lieutenant: “We know that you are inquisitors... We just want to know, where is Liam?” (16:56)
• Leona tries to negotiate but realizes the group’s fate is sealed.
  • Lieutenant: “I... am not authorized to allow you to live.” (20:40)

Notable Quotes:

• Leona: “In exchange for safe passage out of here, we’ll tell you what we know.” (20:36)
• Lieutenant (coldly): “I, unfortunately, am not authorized to allow you to live. And there’s gonna be an initiative for everybody.” (20:40)

Timestamps:

• [16:17] – Entering the trap.
• [17:10] – Confrontation and threat.
• [20:40] – Combat initiates.

5. Combat! Shapechangers, Dagger Mastery & Spellcasting

[21:27–47:45]

• D&D 5e is on full display as the GM walks players and listeners through grid-based combat, initiative, movement, spell targeting, and combat maneuvers.
• Highlights include:
  • Narlak casts Sacred Flame and later Burning Hands, demonstrating spell usage and area effects.
    • Narlak: “I actually want to cast burning hands now... pull out my two hands, and I go like that.” (38:13)
  • Shywin slays an enemy with a critical dagger hit, then grabs a crossbow for ranged support.
    • David Nett: “Natural 20. So you swing that dagger, you spin around and run up to this guy... and just stab him in the gullet.” (26:36)
  • Leona seizes the action, using Action Surge and a distracting strike to deliver a devastating blow, then parries a sneak attack, reducing potentially fatal damage.
    • David Nett: “...you just did. Okay. Crazy amount of damage to him just with your dagger.” (30:42)
  • Igneous uses Moonbeam to reveal and damage shapeshifters, forcing a foe to revert to human form.
    • Igneous: “Now that I have a better sense of what we’re dealing with here... I am gonna moon beam the crap out of that shapeshifter.” (34:30)
  • Eraviel attempts a dramatic rooftop attack but rolls a natural one, breaking her ankle upon landing—still manages a dramatic (and grotesquely described) finishing blow with her flail.
    • Eraviel: “My blades are thirsty. Okay, here she comes. Come on, Galash... That is a natural 20.” (43:00)
  • The enemies—members of the Rivers—reveal their monstrous natures, transforming into a black bear, giant rats, and coyote; one’s transformation fails horrifically.

Memorable Moments:

• Transformation Horror: Several Rivers members painfully shapeshift—one fails, turning into “a steaming lump of twitching flesh.” (31:51)
• Leona’s Parry: “As the dagger starts to go into you, you actually try to grab the arm and pull it out rather than pushing it in further with a parry.” (33:56)
• Shapeshifter Reversion: “This bear shrinks away... and what you see, actually laying prone on the ground, is the man who was standing there before...” (36:09)
• Eraviel’s Fatal Flail: “As it flails... it just sinks in so hard that you actually hear it hit the cement underneath. And everything that used to be in his body cavity just leaks out.” (43:08)

Timestamps:

• [21:27] – Combat begins.
• [26:35] – Shywin’s critical hit.
• [30:03] – Leona’s distracting strike.
• [34:30] – Igneous casts Moonbeam.
• [36:09] – Shapeshifter reverts.
• [40:33] – Eraviel rolls a natural one (broken ankle).
• [43:00] – Eraviel’s killing blow.

6. Aftermath and Cliffhanger

[47:45–End]

• With all immediate threats neutralized and the last shapechanged coyote fleeing to warn others, the party is bloodied but alive.
  • Leona (joking): “Two rats in one move. I’m not sergeant for nothing.” (48:04)
  • Shywin: “Now we really need bed.” (48:44)
• The gravity of their discoveries and the threat posed by the Rivers gang and their monstrous transformations sinks in; the group stares into the darkness of what’s to come.
• The GM pauses play, promising more revelations and horrors in the next session.
• Sneak peek: Next time, the group will examine the body of “Liam”—the creature from the mansion—and discover yet more disturbing truths.
  • David Nett: “She peels back part of the skin and brings up his liver. You’ve seen nothing like this before.” (49:04)

Timestamps:

• [48:21] – The coyote flees; party regroups.
• [49:03] – Preview of the next episode.

Notable Quotes & Dramatic Exchanges

• Geralt on cooperation:
  “I believe I’ve been fairly cooperative meeting with you at all. I think if you try such a thing again, you will find that I am not a fellow to be messed with. Are we clear?” — Geralt to Narlak (06:14)

• Shapeshifter reveal:
  “You see them sort of twist and twitch a little bit and their faces start to bubble as they start to transform.” — David Nett (31:02)

• Critical combat moment:
  “My flail is actually two... And as they, I’m coming down, and, yes, I break my ankle, but who cares?... Everything that used to be in his body cavity just leaks out.” — Eraviel describing her final attack (43:08)

• Leona, fierce as ever:
  “I’m not sergeant for nothing.” (48:04)

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Political dynamics intensify between rival gangs and the city authorities.
• The Rivers are confirmed as a supernatural threat, using monstrous transformations against their foes.
• The party’s teamwork, tactical thinking, and mastery of Fifth Edition rules are on full display amid a cinematic, horrifying brawl in the city’s shadowed alleys.
• The episode closes on tension and exhaustion, hinting at even darker discoveries when the adventure continues.

For more, tune in to the next episode of Starter Kit, where the mystery of “Liam,” Shiren’s ambitions, and the malign forces in the city are sure to escalate…