Part 5: Toward the Whispering Peak | Starter Kit - Numenera

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry

Episode: Starter Kit - Numenera: Part 5: Toward the Whispering Peak
Host: geekandsundry
Game Master: Monte Cook
Release Date: January 12, 2026
Main Theme: The party journeys toward the fabled and foreboding Whispering Peak, contending with the dangers of both terrain and monstrous foes. Players grapple with Numenera’s unique mechanics while creatively tackling obstacles, culminating in a harrowing encounter with abhuman ambushers near the mystical mountain.

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Episode Overview

In this Numenera Starter Kit session—led by Monte Cook—the party continues their expedition toward the mythical Whispering Peak, facing environmental hazards, pushing their skills and resources to the limit, and encountering new adversaries. The focus is on non-combat challenges, group creativity, and the collaborative problem-solving core to tabletop roleplay. The high-stakes journey is driven by adaptability, clever use of ciphers (Numenera’s “magic items”), and the increasingly ominous atmosphere as the party nears their supernatural goal.

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Key Discussion Points & Adventure Breakdown

1. Adventure Set-Up and Skill Selection (02:00–04:17)

• Monte Cook introduces environmental/non-combat challenges:
  “Sometimes characters need to survive hardships that have little to do with combat. Their might is tested and it is met with a mechanic called Might Defense.” — Game Master, 02:01
• Players select 'flex skills' for the day, emphasizing creative utility:
  • One chooses Sense Danger, another coins Ghost Vision for spotting supernatural entities, and a third adapts botany skills to craft healing salves and potions.

2. Into the Wilderness – Survival and Resourcefulness (04:17–07:56)

• The party leaves their last safe haven, Rusk, and tends to the ailing Maro.
  • A player uses their newly selected salve-making skill to aid Maro, successfully finding and preparing medicinal roots.
  • Notable moment:
    “He's my backpack.” — Player 1, carrying Maro, 04:40
• The party travels across difficult terrain, showing recovery from fatigue and clever resource use.

3. The Ravine Crossing and Use of Ciphers (07:56–12:25)

• Discovery:
  • Party arrives at a large ravine with a precarious rope bridge. Sensing danger, a player detects something lurking beyond the bridge.
• Problem-solving with Numenera tech:
  • Gravity Nullifier cipher enables a flying PC to ferry party members over the hazard, circumventing a dangerous cave—except for the “resident cyborg,” who must cross the bridge on foot.
• Memorable dialogue:
  “I fully plan on grabbing the rope. I'll say that at the top. But I'm gonna take a running start and run across the bridge and then just punch wildly into the dark at whatever's in the cave, and then try to grab the rope and swing out of there.” — Player 1, 11:46

4. Ambush at the Cave – Combat and Creative Moves (12:25–21:25)

• Combat encounter with cave-dwelling ‘abhumans’ (troll-like, poison-wielding):
  • Cyborg PC confronts them directly, tanking attacks and retaliating, including grabbing a dart midair and throwing it back—“I like the idea of grabbing it and throwing it back” (Player 1, 19:37).
  • Mechanics highlight: rolling high (19–20) provides chances for “minor/major special effects,” showing Numenera’s cinematic flair.
• Party members support with distractions, covering fire, and improvisation.
  • “Can I shoot at the creature or aid her action by shooting close to it and making it move out of the way...?” — Game Master, 27:39
• Cinematic rescue sequence:
  • As the bridge starts collapsing, one PC chooses to dramatically attack an enemy before leaping for the rope. After a reroll:
    “To add insult to injury, you just kick this thing right in its face, bounce off as it falls down into the river below… and you manage to grab onto the rope.” — Game Master, 30:26

5. Escaping and Group Tactics (21:25–33:01)

• Teamwork:
  • PCs extract themselves and each other from danger, stymied by pursuing monsters. They discuss fallback positions and who to help next, displaying strong player dynamics.
  • “I'm just gonna yell, Bix, you should grab Bix!” — Player 1, 30:54
• Mechanics Refresher:
  • Introduction to “GM intrusions” (complications that reward XP) and the structure of Numenera’s damage system.
  • Setting detail: Days are now 28 hours long, a “billion years in the future” (Game Master, 33:06).

6. Second Ambush—Numerical and Tactical Danger (33:01–45:02)

• Foreseeing a second entrance, the party is ambushed again.
  • Players discuss initiative (acting before ambushers) and spend resources accordingly, illustrating how Numenera’s economy of effort and stats drives every action.
• Creative Cipher Use:
  • One player uses a frigid wall projector:
    “I'm gonna put out my frigid wall projector, which will create a wall of supercooled air… Anything that moves through will take seven points of damage.” — Player 1, 39:41 & 40:17
  • The deterrent wounds attackers and helps control the combat arena.

7. Aftermath and Discovery (45:02–47:38)

• Victory and Information:
  • Remainder of the abhumans retreat, players reflect on their opponent:
    “...humans that essentially intentionally gave up their humanity… and so collectively, these things are called abhumans.” — Game Master, 46:27
• Short rest and ominous progress:
  • The party sees the Whispering Peak at last: a seemingly impossible mountain with rocks floating around it, suffused with strange whispered voices.
  • They approach a huge metal door set into the mountain, the next threshold of their adventure.

8. Cliffhanger Ending (47:38–47:56)

• Preview of next episode:
  “Guys, I don't think we're alone in here… Just a catastrophic amount of damage. It's been a pleasure knowing you all.” — Game Master, 47:45 & 47:56

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Skill creativity:
  “You could call [the ability] ghost vision. Ghost vision. I love it.” — Game Master & Player, 03:31
• On medicine:
  “You have a lot of knowledge in some things.” — Maro, NPC, 07:14
• On cinematic risk-taking:
  “I want to look badass. That's kind of what I'm here for.” — Player 1, 30:10
• On abhumans:
  “They're always bestial. They usually eat the humans that they come upon. They're bad news.” — Game Master, 46:27
• On campaign tone/foreshadowing:
  “A strange mountain up ahead… boulders and big, huge outcroppings of rock… floating and almost orbiting around it, defying gravity… you can hear just barely unintelligible whispers everywhere you go…” — Game Master, 47:21

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Flex Skill Selection / Party Setup: 02:00–04:17
• Healing Maro & Potion-Crafting: 04:17–07:56
• Ravine Encounter / ‘Ghost Vision’ & Crossing: 07:56–12:25
• Cave Ambush & Combat: 12:25–21:25
• GM Intrusions & Player Risk: 24:43–30:10
• Bridge Collapse / Cinematic Escape: 29:28–30:26
• Second Ambush / Cipher Tactics: 33:01–41:09
• Combat Resolution & Worldbuilding: 45:02–47:38
• Cliffhanger & Next Episode Teaser: 47:38–47:56

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Tone & Style

The session is playful, irreverent, cooperative, and cinematic—encouraging player-driven solutions and quick wit, while Monte Cook’s guidance keeps the tone both instructive and immersive. The party’s banter highlights camaraderie, risk-taking for the sake of drama, and an enthusiasm for Numenera’s flexible systems.

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For New and Returning Listeners

This episode is a classic example of the collaborative, improvisational storytelling at the heart of modern tabletop RPGs. The group’s journey features creative usage of custom skills and items, evocative descriptions of a far-flung future, and a blend of tension and humor in character dynamics.
Listeners will easily follow the progression—from preparation, through tense encounters, to the mysterious denouement at Whispering Peak—while the hosts make the game’s mechanics accessible and engaging for newcomers.

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Transcript

[Player 1]

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[Player 2]

This is pro linebacker TJ Watt and I'm back with YPB by Abercrombie for another activewear drop. My second co design collection has new shorts.

[Game Master]

Keep up with all my in season.

[Player 2]

Workouts and their new Restore collection is a game changer off the field too because even pro athletes like me need rest days.

[Game Master]

Shop YPB by Abercrombie in the app.

[Player 2]

Online and in stores because your personal best is greater than anything.

[Game Master]

Last time on Starter Kit. I am Shay Ion Priest. We don't want any trouble. Let's show her the map. The area that you're heading to we call the Whispering Peak. It is filled with ghosts and dangers.

[Player 1]

I'm a little uncomfortable now.

[Game Master]

What could go wrong? Welcome back to your Starter Kit. I'm Monte Cook, the creator of Numenera. Sometimes characters need to survive hardships that have little to do with combat. Their might is tested and and it is met with a mechanic called Might Defense. We'll see how that works this time out. So as you start out on your journey, all of you guys that are jacks, why don't you decide what your flex skill is going to be for now?

[Player 1]

Is there a list of skills we pick from?

[Game Master]

There isn't. It's what you what kind of action would you like your character to express today?

[Player 1]

Well, I didn't do such a good job in fighting so I don't know if there's some sort of fighting thing that I could get.

[Game Master]

The sort of. The one thing this isn't for. Right. This is to kind of showcase increased combat.

[Player 1]

It doesn't work. Okay, well, I'm already good at searching.

[Game Master]

So I don't know, you could have something like tracking through the wilderness. You could have swimming if you think you're gonna, you know, have to cross some rivers.

[Player 1]

I'm just trying to think what would be helpful with ghost. Mechanical metal ghost avoidance avoidance detection. Metal ghost, like detecting danger.

[Game Master]

You could have. Yeah, you could just like sensing a dangerous situation. You can absolutely have.

[Player 1]

That be your skill. That can be my skill for the day. Sense danger.

[Game Master]

Okay. Is there something like night vision or.

[Player 2]

Some sort of vision that might be.

[Game Master]

Able to illuminate things that. It's not like true night vision, but you could be skilled in seeing in low light conditions and better at that kind of thing. For sure. Something that might like if there's ghosts that I might be able to see where they are. Oh, if you want to see things that normally are outside of perception. Yeah, you could definitely take. What would I call that? You could call ghost vision. Ghost vision. I love it. Just fine.

[Player 1]

Is there anything with like. So I have botany and plants. Is there a skill that I could apply that to, like making.

[Game Master]

Yeah, sure.

[Player 1]

Salves and things that would be great potions.

[Game Master]

So we move forward into the wilderness. You leave Rusk behind, you leave Shae behind and the six of you, including Maro, head off. Marrow, despite his assurances to the contrary, is not looking good. Are you gonna maybe carry him again? Oh, yeah, I'll carry him.

[Player 1]

I already pictured myself carrying him.

[Game Master]

Okay, fair enough.

[Player 1]

He's my backpack.

[Game Master]

You're a little like baby carrier. He will ride along.

[Player 1]

I'd also like to try to find, using my newfound potion skill, some herbs that might or plants that might make him feel better.

[Game Master]

Okay, that sounds like a great thing to try. So this would be an intellect based skill.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Game Master]

So if you want to use effort, it would be intellect. Otherwise your skill will reduce the difficulty. And the difficulty for this.

[Player 2]

Four.

[Player 1]

Four. Okay. Yeah. I'm gonna use some effort here for this one.

[Game Master]

So with your skill and the effort, it'll make it a two.

[Player 1]

Oh, okay, perfect. Hopefully perfect. 16.

[Game Master]

All right, cool. You managed to find some interesting roots that you think if you just took a little bit of time, maybe chopped them up and boiled them, you could make kind of a paste. That would be like a salve.

[Player 1]

Okay. If we have time, I can.

[Game Master]

Okay. But you can gather the roots now. Yeah, kind of as you go.

[Player 1]

Stick them in my pocket.

[Game Master]

All right. Walk along for later. Still grind it up while we're walking.

[Player 1]

Pick up a couple of rocks. Just start grinding it.

[Game Master]

So you continue journeying. And they're going. You know, it shifts for a while. It's pretty smooth going, and you make pretty good time. And then you hit another spot where it's just over scrambled rocks. And it's really slow and difficult. You know, Morrow is good because you're carrying him, but otherwise, you know, the rest of you are getting very, very tired. You make it for a full day of this and maybe rest that night. You can brew up your salve. And do you want this to be something that you would save for someone being wounded, or do you want to try to use amaro now?

[Player 1]

I mean, probably not right before we go to sleep for the night, but maybe in the morning.

[Game Master]

In the morning?

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

I don't know if I collected enough to maybe save some.

[Game Master]

That sounds reasonable. Sure. We'll say two different doses. Okay. And so you can brew that up tonight. And the next morning. You've had a very chilly night, but you're none the worse for wear.

[Player 1]

I got a big old blanket.

[Game Master]

You've got a big old blanket. I'm all set. All piled underneath your stuff. Actually looks like it helps Maro when you give it to him. It clearly makes him feel better, and he thanks you. He says thank you so much. I've never seen anything like this. You have.

[Player 1]

You have a lot of knowledge in some things. I do.

[Game Master]

So he feels much better. You've still got another dose of that, and it's another long, hard day of travel. And it's about midway through that day that you come upon a ravine. There's a rushing river well down below, deep in the ravine, and there's a bridge made of rope and planks that stretch across the ravine. The other side of this chasm, though, is higher than where you are now. So the bridge doesn't go to the upper part. It goes to a cave mouth in this cliff face across the way.

[Player 1]

Can I use my sensing danger?

[Game Master]

That sounds like a great use of that. Okay. So the difficulty to determine if there's anything weird or dangerous going on here would be four. But you're trained, so that makes it three.

[Player 1]

Okay. Can I use some of my.

[Game Master]

You can use was.

[Player 1]

It might.

[Game Master]

It'd be intellect for sense danger. Yeah. Cause you're just kind of trying to intuit and see if you see anything out of the ordinary.

[Player 1]

So I would take one away from that.

[Game Master]

You would take three.

[Player 1]

Oh, three.

[Game Master]

You've just lowered it by two. So you need a six or higher.

[Player 1]

Yes. Thirteen.

[Game Master]

All right. So despite the fact that this, you know, there's this rope bridge going across this chasm. You don't see anything. It looks sturdy to you? This. This looks safe. What doesn't look safe is the fact that when you look across the way, it's about a 40 foot gap. You catch just the smallest hint of something moving, as though there's something just on the other side of this bridge maybe waiting for you. You could fly. You could use your flying. I could fly and go above and then throw us a rope down. We can avoid the cave entirely. Yeah, let's do that. That sounds great.

[Player 1]

I can use my newfound gravity nullifier for an hour. Okay, so do I turn that into you then, if I'm gonna use it?

[Game Master]

Yeah, basically, if you're gonna activate that now.

[Player 1]

Yeah, hold on.

[Game Master]

All right. And you can float in the air.

[Player 1]

Cool. I wanted to see what was in the cave.

[Game Master]

We still might because we're hanging on the rope.

[Player 1]

So it's the bridge and then the cave, and then we're trying to get.

[Game Master]

Above the cliff face that the cave is set into is another maybe 30ft up.

[Player 1]

Yeah, I'll go up there.

[Game Master]

Okay, so you fly up there, and it isn't flat. There's actually kind of a slope down. It doesn't look like there's a great purchase up there, but there is probably something you could tie a rope to.

[Player 1]

Could I carry someone up with me while I'm flying?

[Game Master]

Well, I was just looking at the gravity nullifier, and it's based on the level of this cipher. So what we should do is have you roll. It's a D6 plus two. And that determines the level of this particular cipher.

[Player 1]

Uh, five.

[Game Master]

Okay, great. That means you can carry about 250 pounds, which is probably good for everyone except for the resident cyborg.

[Player 1]

Well, the cyborg can climb. Yeah, but I mean, to even get to the cliff, I have to get to the mouth of the cave, which you gonna look in anyway.

[Game Master]

She'd just punch her way through.

[Player 1]

Just a quick punch in the cave and then go up the rope.

[Game Master]

Okay, so tell me what you do.

[Player 1]

I'll gather as many people as I can.

[Game Master]

Okay. It's probably one at a time. I mean, Byx is light, but everyone else is probably right. You could do Bix and Marrow at the same time.

[Player 1]

I'll grab them and then go up okay.

[Game Master]

Fly up to the top of the other side of the ravine. Okay.

[Player 1]

And just set him down nice and gently. And then I'll do the same for Eterun and Ajnya.

[Game Master]

Okay. And everyone's cool with that being up at the top of the other side?

[Player 1]

And then they can help me hold the rope for Dabiloo.

[Player 2]

Yeah.

[Game Master]

Okay, so you're still on the other side of this ravine. What are you gonna do?

[Player 1]

All right, I plan on. I fully plan on grabbing the rope. I'll say that at the top. But I'm gonna take a running start and run across the bridge and then just punch wildly into the dark at whatever's in the cave, and then try to grab the rope and swing out of there.

[Game Master]

As long as you get one good punch in, that's all you care about.

[Player 1]

Well, it's gonna attack me. I have a feeling I should get the drop on it.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

Okay, so what level is that?

[Game Master]

All right, so you go charging across this bridge. Yeah. You know, every one of your metal footsteps shaking the whole thing. But, you know, as Bix said, the bridge is secure. That's not a problem. The problem is the thing on the other side. Now, you can see pretty clearly about halfway across that there's multiple creatures in the cave.

[Player 1]

Great.

[Game Master]

And in fact, I can show you exactly what they look like.

[Player 1]

I'm gonna hover right above the cave.

[Game Master]

Opening just in case they look like. They are gross. They stand about 4ft tall. They're just hideous sorts of things. You can tell by their positioning that they've been watching as Ashanza has been ferrying people up. Right. And then they see you coming across, and then they get this look of eagerness in their eyes, like, finally, something that we can attack. And they do. And they do. Because they pull out these little blowguns. Oh, no. And they shoot out needles at you out of these blowguns. And so there's two of them. So you need to make two speed defense rolls.

[Player 1]

Great.

[Game Master]

The difficulty here for this particular attack is going to be four for both of them.

[Player 1]

Cool. And I have speed defense.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

So it's three.

[Game Master]

Three.

[Player 1]

There's probably no way anyone else can help me at this point.

[Game Master]

I'm afraid there's probably not.

[Player 1]

Okay, well, I think it's too late for me to use the force field. Right.

[Game Master]

Yeah, I'm afraid it is. Right. Because what we're looking for is your defense action, not your regular.

[Player 1]

Yeah. Okay, then I will. Yeah, I'm gonna spend. I'm gonna spend six speed. Cause I got a lot to spend.

[Game Master]

Okay. Right. So. Right, because basically what you're doing is that you're spending it one for each. Right. It costs for each attack, so that'll reduce the difficulty down to two for each of them. So you need to make two rolls and you need to get a six on both of them.

[Player 1]

All right, here we go. Seven.

[Game Master]

All right.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Player 2]

Greetings, adventurers. Now, riddle me this. This thing. All things devour birds, beasts, trees, flowers, gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stones to meal, slays king, ruins town, and beats high mountain down. Do you know the answer? You probably do if you're listening to this podcast. The answer is time from the Hobbit. You know this. But time is so important. It's something you don't really think about until it's too late half the time. It's one of the most important resources we have. More important than hp, mp, exp, anything on your life's character sheet. And I didn't realize how much time I was spending trying to manage my finances each month until I started using Rocket Money. And my goodness, it has saved me oodles of time scores, even which both legitimate measures. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Rocket Money is very useful for me because I have a lot of subscriptions, perhaps too many to count. It's helped me track these subscriptions, and I can even cancel them within the app with a few taps, saving time and avoiding charges because I didn't realize I was spending $9.99 per month on whatever this thing was that I signed up for in a fugue state back in like 2023. Well, no more. See you later Fugue State subscription service. And also what I like about it is it lets me plan ahead. I feel like I live my life sometimes surrounded by a series of Tasmanian devils all vying for my attention. And they are all very compelling and distracting. But that's no way to live. Rocket Money lets me set budgets and goals and gives me personalized insights and regular reports. So when we're planning for a big vacation we want to take next year, I can better visualize at a glance what I need to do, what we need to put aside, and the best path forward so we can just kick back, relax, and enjoy the Scottish Highlands or wherever we go. I'll never tell. So let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. [e-mail] Sundry that's right RocketMoney.com Sundry RocketMoney.com Sundry and now onto the show. You know that feeling when you realize you've been paying for something that absolutely should be free? Well, that's how I felt before I found Chime. And it's completely changing how I think about banking because it's changing the way that people bank. Chime is fee free and smarter banking built for you. It's not like old school banks that charge overdraft fees and monthly fees and punish you for the simple act of existing. No, what really sold me is how Chime actually works around real life. With features like MyPay, you can get access to up to $500 of your paycheck anytime. And if you use direct deposit, you can even get paid up to two days early, which is pretty cool. Now, mentioning fees before, let's talk about them. Because Chime just straight up says no thank you. No overdraft fees, no minimum balance fees, no monthly fees. Period. Instead, Chime turns everyday spending into real rewards and real financial progress. You get things like fee free banking with overdraft coverage, you can build your credit history stress free and you get savings that earn up to 3.5% APY, which is a whopping eight times higher than a traditional bank. And they're even rated five stars by USA Today for customer service with real humans available 24, 7 now. Speaking of credit, Chime just launched something interesting. It's called the Chime Card. It's a new way to build credit history using your own money and get rewarded for it every single day without annual fees, interest or strings attached. When you have qualifying direct deposits, you can earn 1.5% cash back on eligible Chime card purchases, which is pretty cool to see them together. Now if I were a younger person trying to build my credit from the ground up, this would have been the perfect solution. So I'm really glad it exists now because it feels like a perfect solution for you out there as well. Chime is not just smarter banking. It's the most rewarding way to bank join the millions who are already banking fee free today. It just takes a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.com criticalrole that's chime.com criticalrole.

[Player 1]

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[Game Master]

Card and MyPay line of credit provided.

[Player 1]

By the Bancor Bank NA or Stride Bank NA. MyPay eligibility requirements apply and credit limit ranges $20 to $500. Optional services and products May have fees or charges. See chime.com feesinfo advertised annual percentage yield with Chime+ status only. Otherwise, 1.00% APY applies. No min balance required. CHIME card on time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Results may vary. See chime.com for details and applicable terms. 19.

[Game Master]

Damn. Very nice. Okay, so here's the cool thing about rolling a 19. Yeah, the cup.

[Player 1]

Oh, yeah.

[Game Master]

The combat is plus three, right. If it's an attack roll, it's plus three damage. If it's not an attack roll like this, a 19 gets you what we call a minor special effect. And a 20 would be a major special effect. Right. And so this is sort of anything that you. What's the coolest thing that you can think of that you would do as this thing is shooting a dart at you?

[Player 1]

It would be me grabbing the darts from midair or grabbing one of the darts from midair and then just throwing it back at them, and hopefully it gets in the straw.

[Game Master]

Okay, that seems pretty major. That definitely sounds like a major special effect. But I like the idea of grabbing it and throwing it back. That could be a minor special effect. So you can just immediately make an attack roll throwing this needle. And even as you grab it out of the air, you can see that it's dripping with some kind of greenish goo.

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Game Master]

Yeah.

[Player 1]

Ugh.

[Game Master]

Five. Okay, so you manage to grab it and you throw it back into the cave, but you don't think you hit anything. It still looks impressive as hell.

[Player 1]

Great.

[Game Master]

You're gonna be shocked. All right. And then it's your action.

[Player 1]

Great. So punching them in the face. Punching one of them in the face.

[Game Master]

Okay. The difficulty to attack this guy is gonna be three. So you're looking for a nine. Unless you wanna reduce the difficulty.

[Player 1]

I will reduce the difficulty. Oh, and I have an edge on might.

[Game Master]

Okay, so then it'll only cost you two.

[Player 1]

Cool.

[Game Master]

All right, so then the difficulty is two.

[Player 1]

Great. I'm gonna roll for it. 13.

[Game Master]

You punch this guy or this thing, this creature, right? And it's many, many teeth. Probably breaking out a number of teeth as you do four points of damage with your punch.

[Player 1]

Do we see her running into the cave?

[Game Master]

You see her running up to the cave. We're all peeking over? Yeah. You're all looking down at this point. What are you gonna do?

[Player 1]

I'll just hover down right outside the mouth of the cave with my glaive in case anything pops out.

[Game Master]

Okay, so you're gonna come down magic a mullet yeah.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Game Master]

All right. So kind of hovering there beside the cave.

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Game Master]

So now do you want to actually be in a position where you can see into the cave, or are you just kind of waiting outside?

[Player 1]

Well, if I can see into the cave, can't they see me?

[Game Master]

Almost certainly.

[Player 1]

Then I'll just wait outside.

[Game Master]

Okay. So you're kind of around one side.

[Player 1]

Of the cave, listening for danger, and.

[Game Master]

You definitely see Daviloo. She's right in there. She's fighting something. So what about Eterun? I'm yelling down. Grab the rope. Get out of there. And Bix?

[Player 1]

I think Bix is gonna try to scramble down the rope, because I think Bix wants to help you climb down.

[Game Master]

The rope and get scrambled down the rope. Are you gonna get onto the bridge in front of the cave?

[Player 1]

So I'm gonna scramble down the rope. I'm gonna be sort of close to where you are, and then Bix is gonna peek Bix's head around.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

And then Bix is going to run into the. To the cave opening. I'm trained without armor, so I feel like I'm very sort of fast and wily, and I think that I'd be really hard to hit, so I think I can probably go in and help out.

[Game Master]

So you're going to kind of do the distraction thing that you did before. Okay. So you're down there distracting these creatures, whatever they are. And what is ajnia going to do? I can't see them from where I am.

[Player 2]

No.

[Game Master]

Okay, you're up here, and they're in a cave down here, and I have Maro with me. Yes. I don't want to just leave him. Yeah, we can't leave him. I guess I have to just stay. Okay. Yeah. Stay with Mara. Yeah. Can I look around the area where we are and see if there's a trap door down into the cave or if I see anything that might indicate that, you know, with that bridge going across, I deduce that perhaps at some point further into that cave, it would go back up to where we were. So maybe there's an entryway down into it from up top. So that would be an action, and it would be a perception action. And if you're skilled in perception or searching or anything like that, that would apply. Otherwise, you can use your intellect to apply effort. Okay. Do you want to do that? Sure. Okay. You can intellect edge. So it'll only cost you two. Great. Okay. When it comes to looking for hidden things, I often like to keep the actual target numbers secret. I'm not Going to tell you. I'll just roll. Okay. All right, so here's what you see. Taking the time to kind of survey the action here and survey the area. Looks like up here, there's this slope down. And you think that there very well could be another entrance to the cave if you kind of scrambled down the rocks here and got around behind.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Game Master]

Okay. The creatures. So you've just punched one in the face, broken out teeth, good blood, bloody nose. If they have noses, it cries out in horrible pain and leaps toward you. Now it's being distracted. Did you want to apply to her defense or her attack?

[Player 1]

I was helping her defend.

[Game Master]

Okay. This thing is attacking you as at a level three, but now it's two.

[Player 1]

Great.

[Game Master]

And you are trained in speed defense, so you have a pretty good chance at missing this because it'll make it a one.

[Player 1]

Great. Then I'll just roll.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

16.

[Game Master]

Okay. So you duck out of the way. This is where GM intrusion comes in. And you know, you were the subject of my last GM intrusion.

[Player 1]

I tend to attract these.

[Game Master]

You do seem to be the one kind of throwing yourself into things, so, you know, it gets you xp, I guess. Now, I will tell you that there is a rule it doesn't get used very often, but at any time you want to refuse a GM Intrusion, you can spend an XP and say, no.

[Player 1]

Thank you, but they're so fun.

[Game Master]

I know. I never refuse them either. All right, so same deal as both before you get to keep one, you get to award one to someone else for whatever you want. Because here's what happens. This creature, you know, you've bloodied its face. Its teeth are all broken out. It's just lunging at you wildly. You sort of, especially with Bix's help, dodge out of the way with ease. And like a crazed thing, it crashes into one of the ropes that is holding onto the bridge. And with its teeth or with its claws or you're not really sure, it slices through, making the bridge suddenly very teetering.

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Game Master]

What do you do?

[Player 1]

I see that this is happening. The rope is still dangling from it is. Okay. I plan on running back at the troll creature, using it, jumping on it to hopefully bounce off and then grab the rope.

[Game Master]

Okay. Are you trying to just use it for leverage or do you actually want to try to do it damage as you're grabbing the rope?

[Player 1]

I mean, if I could do damage as I grab the rope, that would be great.

[Game Master]

Let's proceed that way then. These things are four on defense. So it's going to be a Difficulty four. Okay.

[Player 1]

Even.

[Game Master]

Well, they're both on the bridge at this point, right? You see the creature. You see. Actually, you're in the cave.

[Player 1]

I'm in the cave.

[Game Master]

So you see Davilu and you see the code. Once I see her jump on the creature, Hedge magic to sever the other rope. So the creature sort of falls. As she's grabbing the rope, the creature falls. So hedge magic isn't probably strong enough to break a rope. What if I shot one of my razor? You think that would be a marksman like shot? Well, if I shot it and use.

[Player 2]

Magic, can I do that?

[Game Master]

As cool as that is, there really are two different actions, I'm afraid.

[Player 1]

It has a dagger. I'm also sitting right outside the cave with my.

[Game Master]

That is true.

[Player 1]

So if you want to shout at me to cut the rope, I can cut the rope.

[Game Master]

Okay. Perfect. Okay, change of plans. Do that. Don't cut the wrong rope.

[Player 1]

Oh no, I know.

[Game Master]

Rope off the top.

[Player 1]

I'll get back up.

[Game Master]

Okay, so that's cool.

[Player 1]

That doesn't help me.

[Game Master]

It doesn't help you one. But it doesn't hurt you. Yeah.

[Player 1]

Okay, so it's level four right now.

[Game Master]

Is there any way I can help her? Can I shoot at the creature since I could see it? You can shoot at the creature or you can do what Bix did and you can also aid her action by shooting close to it and making it move out of the way, disrupting it. But you could also just shoot it. I want to shoot it.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Game Master]

Yes. So the difficulty is four and. And you're using a light weapon, so that makes the difficulty three. And so that's a nine or higher. And what would I do to bring it down? You'd spend three speed points. Unless you've got an edge in speed. No, but whatever. Okay, we gotta get out of here. Alright, so that'll make it. You need a six. One. A one. Here's the fun thing about ones. You know how there are these special effects if you roll really high when you roll a one, it's another automatic intrusion. But there's no XP awarded. Just something gets worse. Sorry.

[Player 1]

Oh, hey.

[Game Master]

So I think I'm gonna go the obvious route and say that you shoot, you miss the thing, the creature, and you do like an incredible marksman slice through that other rope.

[Player 1]

Oh, no, no.

[Game Master]

What happens is now you still have your action. He's kind of in. He had a held action, so he sort of interrupted your action. You're in mid attempt to grab the rope. You have a choice. You See that The bridge is now probably going to collapse. You could forego what you were going to do and just grab the rope, or you could still continue with what you were doing, and if you are successful, then you get to kick this thing and grab the rope.

[Player 1]

Oh, man. Well, I mean, it's going down anyway, right?

[Game Master]

Probably, yeah.

[Player 1]

Oh, but it would be so badass. What's the difficulty for just grabbing the rope?

[Game Master]

You know, there's no difficulty at all.

[Player 1]

You would just grab it and what would I have to roll to do what I wanted to do?

[Game Master]

We figured it was a 4 defense. You know, this thing's on a falling bridge. It's probably down to 3, so you'd need to roll a 9 or higher.

[Player 1]

I'm gonna do it.

[Game Master]

But if you fail, you might also fall with it. Oh, no.

[Player 1]

Ooh.

[Game Master]

Remember, you got XP for this GM intrusion just a couple of minutes ago, and you can use XP to reroll. So you've kind of got a safety net.

[Player 1]

Yeah. Okay. I want to look badass. That's kind of what I'm here for.

[Game Master]

All right.

[Player 1]

8. So gonna reroll.

[Player 2]

Okay.

[Game Master]

9. 9.

[Player 1]

18.

[Game Master]

Oh. That's actually even plus two damage to this thing. So to add insult to injury, you just kick this thing right in its face, bounce off as it falls down into the river below. Probably not gonna make it back out again. And you manage to grab onto the rope. Now you're still right there. You see all this happen. The bridge is now collapsing. The thing is falling off of it. But you know that Bix is still in the cave.

[Player 1]

Yeah. I'm just gonna yell, bix, you should grab Bix. Yeah. Well, so Bix can come to the edge of the cave so I can grab. Yeah. Can I run out, or do I have to wait till it's my turn?

[Game Master]

Nope, we can do this now. So you can run out and grab Bix, but there's still these other creatures that are in the cave, and one of them is going to try to attack each of you as you are trying to get out of the cave. So each of you is going to need to make a speed defense roll.

[Player 1]

Okay.

[Game Master]

Their attack is four. So each of you is trained. I know you're trained in speed defense. You're trained without armor. That will reduce. Reduces it down to three.

[Player 1]

I'm gonna use some of my speed.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

I'm also gonna use some of my speed.

[Game Master]

Okay. So you've both got it down to difficulty two, so you need six or higher. Bix, why don't you roll first? 11. Nice. All right.

[Player 1]

10.

[Game Master]

All right, very nice. You both succeed and can fly out of the cave.

[Player 1]

Yes.

[Game Master]

Once you are all together again up at the top of the. The top of the cliff, what are you gonna do?

[Player 1]

Pull that rope up.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

I don't want those goblin things on the rope.

[Game Master]

Yeah, definitely not. That was a great shot by me. Right?

[Player 1]

Let's not talk about it.

[Game Master]

One in a million. So you guys are all together up at the top of the cliff, and the only way to go is basically down the slope, where you kind of figured that there was probably another entrance to the cave in the back.

[Player 1]

Yeah, that doesn't sound like good.

[Game Master]

I don't think it's good. What choice do we have, really?

[Player 1]

They're coming for us no matter what.

[Game Master]

At least maybe we can shoot at them as they come up.

[Player 1]

Ooh, I'm gonna. Now I'm gonna use my force field.

[Game Master]

Okay, that makes sense. All right. That gives you plus two armor, I think.

[Player 1]

Yeah, plus two.

[Game Master]

And did you award your other experience point that you got for the gym intrusion?

[Player 1]

No, I mean, it was all me, so two bucks. Thank you.

[Game Master]

All right, so you're using the force field, so you can. Unless you need it for reference.

[Player 1]

No, I just get plus two for the next 28 hours.

[Game Master]

Okay, great. Very nice.

[Player 1]

Will you let me know when it's not working anymore?

[Game Master]

So that is a weird little interesting side note. All the days a billion years in the future are 28 hours long, and that's because the moon is slowly moving away from the earth. Science. All right, you're going to make your way down this cliff. It's not really a cliff. It's just a gentle incline. It's a slope. Right. So there's no rolls or anything involved. But maybe a little wary that there are still foes about how much time.

[Player 1]

Has passed since I activated my gravity?

[Game Master]

15 minutes at. You're still flying. I'd like to at least if I can cover, you know, cover us as we're moving down. Okay, gun out. And if anything, if I see anything, I'm shooting. Okay. So in this situation, you know that there are foes. They know that you are here. We will roll for initiative because they are going to come back out. And so this is done just like any other role in the game. They are level four, so you need to beat a difficulty four. You can use speed in order to improve this roll. Basically, we're just trying to figure out do you beat them or do they beat you?

[Player 1]

And do we factor in our speed defense, not speed.

[Game Master]

Defense. Okay. You can be skilled in initiative, but I don't think any of you are. If you're gonna modify by using some speed, you'll make the difficulty a 3, in which case you need a 9 or higher. Otherwise you need a 12 or higher or they're gonna go before you do.

[Player 1]

So we also have to subtract some of our speed. If we decide to use some of.

[Game Master]

That, there'll be two for you. Gonna spend. I'm just gonna roll. Okay, go ahead and roll. Okay. 1. You will be going after the creatures. I'll be going next week.

[Player 1]

So I decided to spend a couple of points. Okay, what was the number?

[Game Master]

You need a nine.

[Player 1]

Oh, okay, good. Cause I got 11.

[Game Master]

Okay, so you'll be going before. Before they do. You'll see them pop up. But let's figure out where everyone's at.

[Player 1]

I spent some of my speed points.

[Game Master]

So you need a nine.

[Player 1]

That's a six.

[Game Master]

Okay. So you're gonna be going after them. Okay, so if I use speed, it'd be two points. If you have an edge in speed, It'll cost you two. If you don't, it'll be three. I just gotta roll them. Okay. Need a 12 or higher. I didn't make it.

[Player 1]

Okay, I spent some speed. So a nine or higher.

[Game Master]

Nine or higher.

[Player 1]

Nope.

[Player 2]

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[Player 1]

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[Game Master]

Okay, so these creatures, just as Eteron kind of sussed out before, there is another cave entrance. You guys are marching toward it. They pop out with kind of surprise for most of you, except for Shanza. You see them coming, you're flying. You've got your bow. What are you gonna Do.

[Player 1]

Is it a bad idea to use my other cipher?

[Game Master]

Not if it's a great idea.

[Player 1]

Okay. I'm gonna put out my frigid wall projector, which will create a wall of supercooled air up to 30ft by 30ft by one foot.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

That inflicts equal damage to the cipher's level on anything that passes through it.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

And it lasts for 10 minutes.

[Game Master]

Great. So you could put that right over sort of the mouth of the back entrance to the cave if you wanted to, so that if they're gonna come out, they have to take damage.

[Player 1]

Yeah.

[Game Master]

Okay, so you need to roll for what your cipher's level is, because that figures in.

[Player 1]

And that's a six, right?

[Game Master]

D6, it says on the description up in the corner up in the top.

[Player 1]

Yeah, D6.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

Plus two. Okay. Five.

[Player 2]

Wow.

[Game Master]

Okay, so anything that moves through there is gonna take five points of damage.

[Player 1]

It's a D6 plus two, so seven.

[Game Master]

Oh, okay. Anything that moves through will take seven points of damage. Yes.

[Player 1]

Kill those little troll things.

[Game Master]

All right. That's a very powerful cipher. You've just unleashed these things. They kind of. You know, they're already rushing out. It's not like they can. They feel the cold, but they just keep going. And so the first two that come out, they take the seven points of damage, which, you know, you can see. You see their flesh kind of turns a little blue, and their eyes kind of bulge, and there's maybe even sort of some frost on them. They look very, very hurt by that and sort of incensed with anger. And these two guys have those blowguns again, and I'm afraid you've just kind of made yourself a bit of a target for them. Oh, great. So they are both gonna shoot at you.

[Player 1]

This is fine.

[Game Master]

So once again, they are level four. You're trained in speed defense, so it's two rolls, nine each for you, unless you want to spend speed points.

[Player 1]

I feel like I'm running out of speed.

[Game Master]

You could roll for just one, too.

[Player 1]

I'll roll for one.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

And see how the first one goes.

[Game Master]

That sounds fair. So I need a nine or higher.

[Player 1]

Oh, well, I got a 14.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

So that's good. Okay. I'm feeling lucky.

[Game Master]

Okay. Oh, no.

[Player 1]

It was almost a 16, and now it's not.

[Game Master]

Okay. All right, so one of these little needles out of the blowgun shoots, and just barely sort of scratches your ear. Doesn't do any damage at all, except you know that they're coated in some kind of weird, weird greenish goo. This Is where we need you to make a new kind of defense roll. It's a might defense roll. And this is your ability to resist, say, a poison.

[Player 1]

Okay, does that have anything to do with how high my might is or does it does.

[Game Master]

Because you can spend points out of your might to lower the difficulty. So the difficulty is 4.

[Player 1]

4. Yeah, I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna lower or I'm gonna spend.

[Game Master]

That makes it three.

[Player 1]

So I need to roll nine or higher.

[Game Master]

Yep. Why? Wait, wait, wait.

[Player 1]

Can I spend an XP point to reroll? Don't fail me now. 12.

[Game Master]

Great. All right. So you resist the effects of the poison, which is good because it would have done something which is. We call it moving down the damage track. Now, you'll notice as you've been taking damage, your pools have. The points have been going down in the pools. When you get to zero in a pool, it's called being one step down in the damage track and you become impaired and makes your actions harder. If two pools get go down to zero, you're debilitated. And basically the only action that you can take is to kind of crawl to safety. If three pools go down to zero, you're dead. And this poison was such that it would just automatically have taken you down a step in the damage track. So it's pretty dangerous. Deadly poison. The good news is that with this frigid frozen wall, none of the other of these creatures are gonna come out. And the two that are there are really, really hurt. And the other four of you have actions. Who wants to? I do. I'm ready to snaffle. I'm blasting. I figured that was coming. I'm gonna use onslaught. Sure. I would add if I would. I wanna use intellectual intellect. If you wanna make it easier to hit them. Yep. I'm gonna do it. Okay, so I need to spend three. Yes, but you have an edge. So you need to spend 2. But you're spending the edge to cover the cost of the onslaught. So it will cost you three. You were right. I'm ready to blast. So you need a nine or higher. Okay, 16. You blast this thing into little bits. Cause it was already really hurt by that cipher.

[Player 2]

Frozen.

[Game Master]

It was frozen? Yeah. It was a shatter. Like a frozen. Exactly. That's awesome. There's one left. I've got it. Okay. Yeah. What do I need here? So they have a defense of four. So that's a 12 or higher. What action are you taking? The buzzer. Yeah. Okay. But I want to. If I use it, is it speed? Yes. Okay, so that's three. Three off. Okay. And the buzzer is a light weapon, so that's gonna reduce the difficulty again. So actually your Difficulty is only 2. Need a 6. Okay.

[Player 2]

10.

[Game Master]

All right, you hit it. And that is enough to take this thing down as well. It just kind of falls backwards into the cave, probably into more frozen, swirling, super cold air. The other of these creatures, there's maybe four or five of them, but they all just scurry into the back of the cave. They're not gonna probably mess with you any further. And you're pretty sure that you can bypass this whole thing and keep moving. Let's keep moving. Let's do it.

[Player 2]

Let's keep moving.

[Player 1]

Let's get far enough away and then maybe rest.

[Game Master]

Okay.

[Player 1]

I like this idea.

[Game Master]

Okay. What were those things, by the way? So you're not exactly sure what their nature is, but you think, you know, generally in the ninth world, there are humans that essentially intentionally gave up their humanity and became sort of monstrous creatures so that they could better survive out in the wilderness with all the dangers that the Numenera and the prior worlds present. And so collectively, these things are called ab humans. Right. They're other than human. And you're pretty sure that these guys must have been some sort of ab humans, and particularly because of the way they use poison. That's a favorite tactic of these creatures. They're always bestial. They usually eat the humans that they come upon. They're bad news.

[Player 1]

All right.

[Game Master]

Okay. I want to name more ab humans. All right, so you can rest. Everyone can make a recovery roll, and then you can spread those however you need to spread them. Beyond this sort of abhuman ambush, you can to a place where you're not feeling any danger from behind you anymore. But something new presents itself. There's a strange mountain up ahead, and there are in fact, sort of boulders and big, huge outcroppings of rock that seem to be floating and almost orbiting around it, defying gravity. And as you approach, you can hear. Hear just barely unintelligible whispers everywhere you go. Whispering beak, weird little voices.

[Player 1]

This is what that lady was talking about.

[Game Master]

At the base of the mountain, you see a huge metal door that's just set right into the rock. And we'll find out what's on the other side of that door. Next time on Starter Kit. Next time on Starter. Kiss.

[Player 1]

Whoosh.

[Game Master]

The door slides up into the ceiling. He was right. One of the machines rotates and moves.

[Player 1]

Guys, I don't think we're alone in here.

[Game Master]

Just A catastrophic amount of damage. It's been a pleasure knowing you all.

[Player 1]

Oh, the Regency era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place or the time when Jane Austen wrote her books, but the Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. And on the Vulgar History podcast, we're going to be looking at the balls, the gowns and all the scandal of the Regency era. Vulgar History is a women's history podcast, and our Regency Era series will be focusing on the most rebellious women of this time. That includes Jane Austen herself, who is maybe more radical than you might have thought. We'll also be talking about queer icons like Anne Lister, scientists like Mary Anning and Ada Lovelace, as well as other scandalous actresses, royal mistresses, rebellious princesses, and other lesser known figures who made history happen in England in the Regency era. Listen to Vulgar History wherever you get podcasts.

[Game Master]

The war is over and both sides lost.

[Player 2]

Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies.

[Game Master]

Scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time, and when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s. And man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the shadow dark every Thursday night at 8pm Eastern on YouTube.com theglasscannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark. Welcome and enter if you dare.

[Player 1]

Hi, I'm Hallie Kiefer.

[Game Master]

And I'm Alison Leiby, and together we're the hosts of Ruined, a scary movie podcast, where Hallie tells me the grisly.

[Player 2]

Details of a haunting new horror film each week.

[Player 1]

Whether you're a terror hound like me or a scaredy cat like Allison, we've had so many thrills, chills, and obviously.

[Game Master]

Kills to share with you. In every episode, it's the podcast that'll have you saying, that was so funny. I should not have listened to it. At night with all the lights off.

[Player 1]

From the greats like the Exorcist and.

[Game Master]

Poltergeist to modern classics such as Hereditary and Get out to the freakiest new.

[Player 1]

Releases like a quiet place and terrifier, we ruin em all. And we'll leave you howling, mostly from laughter sometimes because you're turning into a werewolf. Ooh. Listen along as I try and guess.

[Game Master]

The movie's twist, predict who will survive.

[Player 2]

And answer the hardest question of all.

[Game Master]

What would you do? So please listen to new episodes of.

[Player 1]

Ruined every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Game Master]

And whatever you do, we're begging you, please keep it spooky.