Here’s our weekly AvocaD&D update.  Feel free to also use the comments to talk about your own games, or anything else to do with D&D or other tabletop RPGs.  In an effort to generate some discussion (and totally not to mine future character ideas), I thought this time I’d include a discussion question this time:  What’s the weirdest race/class combo you’ve ever played?  Tell me about your Gnome Barbarians, your Half-Orc Wizards, or your Goliath Rogues.

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This was our final session in our original Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign, run by DM The Hayes Code.  Our rag-tag group of adventurers included Andraste Moonfellow, an Elvish Wizard (Doctor Nick); Colfax Pitface, a Gnome Bard (Nope); Guyryn the Clever, a Dwarven Fighter (TheCleverGuy); Smilla, a Dwarven Cleric (a non-Avocado); and Tashi, a Human Monk (Sangamonster).

[spoiler title=”Lost Mines Spoilers”]We picked up having just used the Forge of Spells to enchant all of our weapons and armor.  Our first move was to go back and visit the angry wraith we had encountered previously in another building near the Forge.  During our last visit this wraith had offered us some of the treasure it was rather attached to if we did something about its “noisy neighbor.”  Well, as it turned out, getting rid of the Spectator guarding the Forge was enough, and the wraith opened it’s treasure chest and allowed us to take all of the coins and gems, so long as we didn’t touch anything else.  The only other thing in the chest was an extremely nice, platinum-enlaid smoking pipe.  Knowing that to touch that pipe surely meant an extremely dangerous fight with an angry wraith,  we were still sorely tempted to make off with the pipe anyway.  Thankfully, Smilla’s cooler head prevailed–she cast a quick Detect Magic spell to prove to the rest of us that the pipe, while shiny, was ultimately useless.

We’d now explored the entirety of Wave Echo Cave, except for the corner where we were told the Black Spider (the drow leader of the bad guys) made his lair. After a brief discussion, we decided it was time to face the Spider.  Andraste sent his rat familiar, Camembert, ahead to scout, so we knew that the drow had 2 bugbear bodyguards with him.  We also found another room where a captive dwarf warned us that the Black Spider was a magic-user of some kind and may also have some spider companions waiting on the ceiling.  We settled on a plan that was elegant in its simplicity–Tashi and Guyryn would charge in and kill the evil wizard as fast as possible, while the ranged attackers prepared to drop any spiders above, leaving the bugbears for last.

Our plan mostly went off without a hitch.  The Black Spider didn’t even get an attack off before he fell.  It was the Bard, Colfax, who got the final shot on him, with a Heat Metal spell that made the Spider’s staff literally too hot to handle.  There turned out to be 4 spiders on the ceiling, but Smilla cast a Spiritual Weapon that helped her take out a couple of them.  There was a brief set back for Guyryn, who got webbed up by one of the spiders–I managed to bust free, but lost my grip on my maul.  Luckily, I always carried a backup warhammer and had enchanted it along with my main weapon at the Forge.

With the Black Spider and his minions vanquished, and the Forge of Spells secured, our adventure was at an end.  I think Guyryn decided to settle down in Phandalin, and open up a blacksmith shop.  In his spare time, he’s working on a suit of full plate armor for himself, just in case he ever feels the urge to go out adventuring once more.[/spoiler]

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Next week, we return to Barovia and the Curse of Strahd.  We’ll see if our intrepid railway negotiators can escape from the haunted house they’re trapped in and continue with their goal of reaching the Count’s castle.