Name: Kaelen Duskbane
Race/Class: Human Warlock
Height: 6’2”

Appearance:
Long, flowing black hair frames a pale, angular face. His eyes gleam with an unsettling intensity, like embers smoldering in shadow. A heavy, tattered cloak conceals most of his form, its edges frayed as if worn through countless battles. He carries a staff carved from blackened ash wood, capped with a shard of obsidian that pulses faintly with otherworldly energy.

Backstory:
To be revealed.

Skills

Skills.

Spells.

Equipment.

Spell Notes

Some very old friends of mine (Old as in length of time I’ve known them as apposed to their physical age) are planning to do a D&D stream to try and raise some money for a charity. The charity or details of stream have not been sorted out fully yet because it is still in the early days of planning.

To make the stream more enjoyable (i.e. Bigger BBEG’s, harder challenges) it has been decided to start with higher level characters. Instead of just creating characters at a higher level it was decided to make a bunch of Level 1 characters, and to have some games played off-screen to build up the characters backstories, plans, relationships, and to naturally level them up.

Plus it would be fun to play a few chilled games without having to put on a show. A bit like Critical Roll Campaign 1 started after they had been playing for a while as just friends.

The only rules for the friendly games were, and these were decided as both a challenge and to make the roleplay interesting. 

• Level 1 character
• A class you have never played before
• A Race you have not played before

I am going to be a Human Warlock.  I have never fancied playing a warlock, and I tend to pick Elves, Half-Elves, or Dwarves for the racial bonus that best suits the class I am playing.

So onto character creation.

Step 1. Ability Stats.

Rolling 4d6 and adding up the three highest numbers (6 times). gives me 14,14,16,15,14,10 (Damn my rolls were good).  Obviously the 16 has to go into Charisma, the 15 for Constitution, the rest 14 with Strength being my dump stat. I feel that my Warlock will be a charming nerdy type person.

Step 2. Race

I am a basic Rashemi human. So that gives me +1 to all ability scores,

Step 3. Class

I am a Warlock. So Hit dice is 1d8 per level. We are playing as level 1. I get to pick two skills from Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, and Religion. I think as a Warlock of the Morrígan I would have Arcana, and Intimidation. I also get to pick who I made a pact with, the Archfey, the Fiend, or the Great Old One, Personally I think the Great Old One gives the best advantages (Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn), But to stick with the character of a Warlock to the  Morrigan I feel I have to pick the Archfey.

Step 4. Background. 

Roll for size and weight. Now to pick a background, This is tricky since there are several that would suit my character, but I think I will settle for Sage, because I want to be a sage.

Step 5. Equipment.

Money. I start with 4d4 x 10gp for my class (110gp), 10gp for my background giving me 120gp (I’m wealthy).

I get to pick as a Warlock a light crossbow and 20 bolts, or any simple weapon. I get a simple weapon as well as this choice, so I guess crossbow is the way to go. Next a component pouch or an arcane focus, Pouch all the way, you can never have too much storage. And finally a scholar’s pack or a dungeoneer’s pack. The dungeoneers pack gives the most useful stuff.

Step 6. Magic

I can pick two cantrips from Blade Ward, Chill Touch, Eldritch Blast, Friends, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Poison Spray, Prestidigitation, True Strike. Well I think it is law that EVERY warlock needs to pick Eldritch Blast, so I will select that. Since I have a crossbow, and am thinking maybe at lower levels ranged attacks could be good, I will pick True Strike to give my attacks advantage.

I can also pick two spells from Armor of Agathys, Arms of Hadar, Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Expeditious Retreat, Faerie Fire, Hellish Rebuke, Hex, Illusory Script, Protection from (Evil and Good), Sleep, Unseen Servant, Witch Bolt. Now, since unlike Druids, Wizards, etc the poor Warlock is stuck with their spell choice until leveling, I need to really think about spells. This is a shame because many of them would suit a Warlock of the Morrigan.

I want Arms of Hadar, Comprehend Languages, Hellish Rebuke, Hex, and Witch Bolt. But due to only having 1 spell slot to start with, I need an ongoing spell so it has to be Hex, and Witch Bolt.

This morning I received an email from Microsoft Xbox.

“As part of our compliance program for the UK Online Safety Act and our ongoing investments in tools and technologies that help ensure age-appropriate experiences, we need you to verify your age so you can continue enjoying social features on Xbox.”

This amused me a lot, since apart from December when I dusted off and used my old Xbox after the winter storms blew up my PS4. my Xbox has been collecting dust for over a decade. The account itself is old enough in the UK to go to the pub and get pissed, since it is over 20 years old.

I believe if I was actually under age, I would either need a time machine, or a past life to be able to create the account many years before I was born.  Twitter had the right idea by saying anyone who has an account older than X (see what I did there) number of years is obviously old enought.

Some of the things in the UK my account is old enough to do :-

• Buy Alcohol (18 or 21 depending where in the UK)
• Buy Fireworks (18)
• Have Botox (18)
• Buy offensive weapons (18 previously you could only get none offensive weapons)
• Get married (18)
• Join the army (16)
• Drive a car (17)

Some of the things in the UK my account is NOT old enough to do :-

• Avoid age verification

You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.

Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.

I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.

This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.

My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.

The Review.

I first delved into the world of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books back in the early ’80s with classics like “The Warlock of Firetop Mountain” and other captivating Fighting Fantasy titles. Alongside these, I enjoyed the fantastic “Lone Wolf” books, which were a staple of my childhood. Over the years, I’ve played dozens upon dozens of these interactive stories, each offering a unique blend of adventure and choice. However, “Lost in the Dark” stands out as the first one requiring dice—a refreshing twist!

“Lost in the Dark” is a comprehensive Dungeons & Dragons 5e adventure, complete with the need for all the platonic dice and a character sheet. It’s the perfect solution for when you’re craving a bit of TTRPG fun, but your group isn’t available, or if you don’t have a group to play with. All you need for an engaging session is your set of dice, a pencil, and that one essential ingredient for all TTRPG enthusiasts: imagination!

You can read the adventures of my first playthrough here :-

• Act 1 – Lost In The Dark.
• Act 2 – The Buried Temple.
• Act 3 – The Breach.

The replay value of “Lost in the Dark” is unparalleled, thanks to its reliance on your dice rolls and the character you build during your session. Each action and fight hinges on these elements, making every playthrough a unique experience. I highly recommend replaying it multiple times and experimenting with different classes. Personally, I’m tempted to embark on the adventure again as a wizard, launching fireballs everywhere (assuming that’s one of the available spells).

Even though I successfully completed the adventure and survived, there are still vast sections of the book that remain unexplored. This book is an excellent recommendation for all TTRPG enthusiasts and serves as an accessible entry point into D&D and its 5th Edition, in particular.

You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.

Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.

I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.

This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.

My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.

Act 3 – The Breach.

Following after my repaired Temple Defender, I exited the tunnel at the edge of a rolling field, the sun blindingly strong in the sky after so long underground. Unfortunately, since I had been controlling the Temple Defender by shining a light where I wanted it to go, when it saw the sunlight it just shot off at full speed and I lost it. This upset me, as I feel like it may had been handy.

Standing in the Sun, enjoying the light and warmth that seemed to warm up my still not fully recovered memories, I did what any self respecting rogue would do. I investigated the area to see what I could swipe. I found a lovely shiny dagger, which meant I now have three daggers, high stealth, and a cloak, meaning I can cosplay as Vax “Dagger, Dagger, Dagger… And I walk away!“

Picking a direction randomly, I headed up some terraced fields,  heading towards a barn in the distance. A quick Investigation check along the way found an abandoned picnic which I looted for lots of weird stuff like a dice set, and a book of elvish poetry (I just need Keyleth now). Arriving at the barn with a successful Investigation roll, found me a load of tools. My inventory is getting quite full now. From here I could see smoke in the distance, possible from a campfire. I could also see a way out of here which would end my adventure and find me freedom. 

I still had questions I needed answers too, so I headed back towards the fields and on to a flowing river. My Magic Amulet that I stole from the corpse of that poor goblin I murdered back in Act 1, told me I may want to cross the river elsewhere, so i went upstream to cross, arriving at a broken Mithril Vault. Here I met one of my lost companions Erland the Tinkerer who was trying to repair and close the vaults door, to prevent evil coming in from the breach. He needed my help to try and fix the damage, but before I helped I decided to be stupid and enter the breach (My Amulet said this was a BAD idea),  Entering the breach I saw evidence of monsters, and danger all around, so I did a quick investigation (Which I failed for the first time this act) and found nothing. So I fled back to Erland and using my sneaky skills (+5 Slight of hand FTW) helped him close the door and repair the vault. We could have left together then, but those answers still needed to be answered, and we had more companions to find. I therefore arranged to meet up with him later and returned to the river.

Heading back I passed a nature check and got myself a wild flower remedy. and entered the temple grounds. Here I failed another Investigation check, I think the breach cursed me or my dice. I did manage to find a few small coins. before arriving at a wall of fog. My amulet warned me of danger, so I stealthed into the fog (+7 Stealth) arriving at a crossroads in the fog. I headed towards the smoke I had spotted from the barn, and reached a merchants camp where my old friend Berit was recovering from his injuries. I failed yet another investigation, but I did have some items in my pack to heal up Berit and he also agreed to meet up with me later.

Heading back to the crossroads, I went up to a crystal spire and found my lost Temple Defender who was now stationary since the fog was hiding all light. A quick check of a nearby corpse pile which found me nothing due to another failed Investigation check, and it was time to meet up with my allies and fight the big bad!

So team Murder-Hobos were Myself, My Temple Defender, Berit and Erland.

The fight went for the full four rounds, we were very lucky due to the Big Bad rolling low numbers and missing all its normal attacks, and most of us surviving the poison gas attacks, Luckily I was well equipped for those infected. and we slowly battered the Hit Points down on the Vrock Brood Mother, until round four where on the first go, Berit struck true and killed that beast. 

We rested, healed up and left. Oddly on the way to the end we made a cup of tea, which my Investigation finally succeeded again, and I was able to provide honey and lemon. We then continued on with our lives, happy, safe, and memories returned. I also had a load of stolen items that I imagine I sold for beer money.

You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.

Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.

I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.

This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.

My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.

Act 2 – The Buried Temple.

After going through the doors I arrived at an entrance that was stacked high with boxes, and pools of blood, with bloody tracks going off into a hallway. As any sensible person would do when finding themselves in a blood soaked room full of boxes, I looted the place. Most the box’s were full of rubbish, but I did manage to find a healers kit which may come in handy.

Moving into the hall way I came across multiple doors, and a grate blocking access to a room that looked like a workshop. Now as we all know, workshop have things in them, and I like things. So I picked the lock on the grate and accessed the room, finding a dead body of the forge master,  which for some reason triggered more of my memory to return, namely what class of person I am.

Yes, I got to pick a class, and gain the class benefits. I could be a Paladin, a Warrior, a Wizard, or a Rogue. I did not really have the STR/CON stats to make it as a warrior, and my INT/WIS were not really good enough to be a wizard, so I had to pick between Paladin or Rogue. Since Act 1 saw me mostly being a murder hobo thief, I figured I was not really a holy person so selected Thief. I therefore gained the rogue  abilities, found leather armour and some nice daggers and returned to the hallway.

The first door I entered was to a dining hall, but entering caused the roof to start collapsing, luckily i was able to roll high on my save and dive into the kitchen before being flattened by the roof. unfortunately I then failed my investigation roll and found nothing at all of use in the kitchen (nat 1 ftw).

The second door led to a flooded lavatorium, it seemed to be flooded because a grate in the floor was blocked and sealed. Channeling my inner Mario I smashed open that grate to let the water out. Well that was my plan, it turned out the grate was actually trapping a mechanical killer spider inside that decided to attack me for no reason. I put my new daggers and stealth attack to use and kill that techno-spider. It did get me a key and a crystal shard (I get the feeling these shards may be useful).

After two bad choices I figured, why not try the basement. Nothing bad ever happens in the basement… right? Going down I find the basement also waterlogged, with wet clawed tracks leading into the boiler room, which my magic amulet (that I killed the goblin for) told me to be silent and avoid. So listening to the advice of the amulet I checked out the Infirmary, which was empty bar for a locked door. Since I am now a rogue, with thieves tools, the skill to use them, and a high skill in slight of hands I unlocked the door to discover the Apothecary and a dead gnome. I did not kill this one, I found him dead.  Several successful Investigation and Perception tests later, I now had a load of looted items and an antidote.

Before leaving the basement, I decided not to listen to the magic amulet, after all how good could it be? the original owner was carrying it in his mouth. So I entered the boiler-room. and walked right into a nasty Bone Shard Monster. channeling my best Vax with Stealth, Dagger, Dagger, Dagger I killed the monster and gained a +1 to any ability (INT). I also found a nice +1 Short Sword. There may have been some damage done to myself, but the +1 sword was worth it, and hey I did find that healers kit earlier.

Going back up I continued further along the hall, fixing mirrors as I moved to spread the light around. I popped into a Chapter House which helped me remember more of my past, before making a noise which attracted another robotic guardian which I had to kill. I did find a locked cupboard, and was able to unlock it using the key I found earlier, and looted.

Going further along I found nothing thanks to a failed Perception and Investigation checks, entering a Chapel I failed to have anything to leave as an offering, nor find anything useful. I really need to try and get my Investigation skill higher.

Entering the Knave my way forward is blocked by fallen rubble from the roof. I did find some holy water, and a broken robotic temple defender. The defender was missing some crystals, and I just happened to have looted, I mean found more than enough of these while exploring. I quickly fixed the robot using the instructions I found in Act 1, and the crystals I have been collecting. The robot then dug a way out for me allowing me to escape to… ACT 3.

You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.

Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.

I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.

This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.

My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.

Act 1 – Lost In The Dark.

I awoke next to a collapsed tunnel, with no memories of anything. I believe I must have received a head injury in the collapse. I searched the area to make sure I had not left anything important behind, and progressed down the only none blocked part of the tunnel.

Reaching a T-Junction I examined the area, and noticed a set of footprints leading one direction, and the other direction was blocked by spider webs. A perception check told me to follow the footprints. So I of course decided to go down the tunnel with the spider webs. (I have amnesia, maybe a concussion, I am not making the best decisions). Now I had several options for trying to get past the webs, and I picked athletics to ninja my way past the webs (Because someone who just regained consciousness and has an obvious head injury would be great at athletics).  I failed my athletics check, got tangled up in the webs and attracted a group of spiders. (oops!). Luckily I had a crowbar with me, and those spiders did not last long before getting squished. Pulling the webs off myself, I continued along into a weavers room. The room was full of looms, are other cloth making tools, where someone had woven spider silk before releasing all the spiders by accident or on purpose? On one of the looms was an almost finished cloak, so I finished it off and adorned myself with a Spider Silk Cloak (+1) and dubbed myself Spider-Man (Well I do not know my name yet).

I returned to the original junction and followed the footprints. Sneaking forward I cam across a goblin carrying a strange amulet. I knew this amulet was important because all my options were related to it. I could try and charm the Goblin into giving me the amulet, or try and deceive him into the same thing (Unfortunately I had picked Chr as my dump stat and with a -1 there was little chance of making the rolls). I could also trade something shiny for it, but my starting background did not give me anything shiny so that was a no go. I could also hide and let him pass, or I could attack him. Now my starting background had given me a crowbar weapon (So in typical Murder-Hobo fashion) I attacked. The poor Goblin who could have been a innocent person out for a walk, was killed and his corpse looted, but I had the amulet and that is what is important.

I explored some more, in a patch of mushrooms I found a locked box, which I attempted to open (now I am carrying some thieves tools with me, but i used brute force instead). It took multiple goes and I finally opened it on my third and final attempt, giving me the lowest reward possible. In anger over my failure to open a simple box, I then looted a groundskeepers shed, taking a rope, a load of food, and a torch. I figure that I may be a decent person, but the amnesia means I have forgotten the difference between right and wrong.

Heading towards a big fissure in the distance I did come across a shrine to a Goddess, and in an attempt to make amends for any wrongs I may have committed (Like murdering innocent Goblins, stealing from a hard workers shed, killing the local wildlife, etc) I made a donation to the Goddess. I donated a metal pan that I looted from the weavers room earlier (It still counts). Now with the blessings of the Gods which amounted to 1 extra temporary hitpoint I approached the chasm. Finding some mithril ore on the way, which not only has to be worth a lot of money is shiny.  Using the rope I had found I tied my equipment to my body, and carefully climbed across the wall to the other side.

On the other side I found a sharpening stone, and used my crowbar on it to give it a nice sharp edge (+1) just in case any other innocent people turn up. This turned up to be a good thing, since I instantly came upon a mechanical spider guardian doing whatever it was built to do. I considered using stealth (Something I am great at since Dex was my max stat) but instead, since I am reasonable at athletics and have some tinkering tools I decided to jump on its back and dismantle it. Which I managed to do, and I stole it’s power crystal (In my defense it was shiny).

I suspect I may be attracted to shiny things,  and I may not be the most honest person. Hopefully more of my memory returns soon, I have been getting the odd flashback. But onwards to adventure.

I finally arrive at a damaged large but locked door. I was given the option to unlock it with keys, which made me think I missed a lootable location because I have no keys. So i used athletics and a multi-purpose crowbar to open the door and escape to… ACT 2.

Other then three days of no electricity, Storm Darragh left another nasty side affect. You see, when the power blew the neutral cable into the house was being touched by the live wire, which caused electricity to flow the wrong way through the house circuits.

It was a weird situation. I had no electricity since the cable had melted, so no electricity, all the trips were in the off position, as were the light switches. But even so, some of the lights in the house would flicker on and off as the electricity came up the neutral wires (You can see a photo of the damage and read more information HERE.)

After the three days power was restored, then I had to check all devices to make sure nothing had dies due to the power. The people who came to repair and test the circuit said any damaged items would be repaired or replaced (Although  I still have to see proof of this). Luckily I did not suffer too bad. One of the CCTV’s blew its power supply, My Internet Router blew, and my PS4’s insides died.

So during the holidays over Christmas I was without a gaming system, so out of boredom I powered up my old Xbox 360. I think it has been over a decade since I last booted up the old XBOX.

WOW. was that a blast from the past, seeing my  families old avatars, and friends list, It really brought back many memories of the late night online game sessions. So I have been reliving old favourite games, and mostly cursing at the poor graphics and slow speed.

All that remains now is to put all that together on a Character Sheet, and then pas out the details on the characters backstory.

I will finalise the character on Part 2 of this post.

I finally got around to getting Hogwarts Legacy, the open world Harry Potter game.

“Hogwarts Legacy is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label. The game is part of the Wizarding World franchise, taking place a century prior to the events chronicled in the Harry Potter novels.”

I read all the books when they first came out, and I have seen all the films (as most people have) so I always intended to get the game and fly around using the killing cure on everyone I meet. Alas I have not been able to kill or curse any of the other students or professors yet, And while I knew spells that can blow up Trolls, I can not even break a padlock… Yet!

I say yet because I have not been playing for that long, I have yet to unlock most the spells and other fun stuff. Who knows what the game will bring.

Since the game is set in Hogwarts, there are the four houses and you will get sorted into one of them at the beginning. Apparently each house also gets a special house quest. And reading the reviews Hufflepuff has the best house quest. So I really had to think about which house to pick. I then remembered I can replay the game, so I could do 4 run-throughs to cover each of the houses, and make my own four person Hogwarts group. 

For my first go, I decided to play as myself. And while many people would assume I am Slytherin, and I can not blame them. While I am cunning, resourceful, evil and sneaky enough to be placed into that house, I am not so much Ambitious, which is the main character trait of a Slytherin. 

I am playing as the house, I assume I would get sorted into.  Ravenclaw.