An Unusual Fellowship

Our party was a wonderfully eclectic mix of levels and experience:

• A 6th-level halfling Trickster Cleric
• Tarin, my 5th-level Tiefling Sorcerer
• A 4th-level Human Artificer
• A 2nd-level Human Artificer
• A 1st-level Halfling Warlock
• A 1st-level Human Artificer

At RPG Taverns, mixed-level parties are fairly common, and they often create some interesting dynamics. The higher-level characters have enough tools to tackle bigger threats, while the lower-level characters still get their moments to shine.

And so it turned out …

A Simple Errand…

The adventure began in pre-Cataclysmic Aurelium.

At least on the surface, we were helping a wizard gather supplies for some arcane experiments.

Simple enough.

Naturally, things immediately went off the rails.

Before long we found ourselves approached by a tressym—a winged cat associated with one of Aurelium’s temples—who claimed another tressym was plotting a coup.

Not a political coup.

A species coup.

Apparently a rogue tressym known as Viceroy, aligned with Bane, was attempting to obtain magic powerful enough to transform the entire population of Aurelium into tressym.

As campaign premises go, it was certainly original.

Following the Trail

Our first stop was a temple of Moradin, home to our feline patron.

There we interrogated (fed?) a variety of winged cats, attempting to piece together what was really happening. Eventually the clues pointed us toward the Dockside district and the last known whereabouts of the mysterious Viceroy.

The Dockside, unsurprisingly, proved familiar territory for Tarin. A conversation with a local drug dealer eventually led us to an abandoned warehouse supposedly once involved in the distribution of “feline food.”

At that point nobody was entirely convinced this wasn’t some elaborate joke.

It wasn’t.

The Great Cookie Incident

Outside the warehouse we discovered cultists and guards protecting the site.

Rather than charge in, we opted for stealth.

With surprisingly creative use of Pass Without Trace, Invisibility, multiple Thaumaturgy distractions, and careful positioning, we managed to infiltrate the compound remarkably successfully.

Mostly.

One of our companions—whose player had openly admitted to dump-statting Dexterity—was carrying a jar of cookies.

Why?

Nobody ever established a satisfactory answer.

This almost brought our plan crashing down around our ears as he simply, well you know, dropped the jar at a critical juncture… thankfully saved by Tarin casting a swift Mage Hand to catch the jar and prevent a catastrophic cookie-related stealth failure.

It was one of those wonderfully ridiculous table moments that shouldn’t work but somehow becomes one of the highlights of the evening.

Fireball Time

Eventually we reached the heart of the operation.

There, Viceroy’s cult was attempting to open a portal to acquire the magic required to carry out their grand transformation plan. The supposed mastermind turned out not to be a tressym at all, but a halfling wizard directing the ritual while cultists worked around her.

Initiative was rolled.

One of our 1st-level characters immediately scored a critical hit with Fire Bolt, vaporising a guard and earning what I believe was their first ever combat critical.

The table erupted.

Then Tarin got his turn.

Having only recently reached 5th level, this was the first real opportunity I’d had to unleash the spell every fantasy spellcaster dreams about.

A sewer-green Fireball erupted into the centre of the cultists – and I remembered to use Empowered Spell.

The results were spectacular.

Most of the cultists burned to cinders.

The ritual collapsed into chaos.

The wizard was left bloodied and reeling.

For the first time, Tarin genuinely felt like a dangerous sorcerer.

He then advanced toward the remaining enemies, placing himself between them and some of our vulnerable 1st-level characters.

Which, as it turned out, was both heroic and extremely poor for his life expectancy.

The Cost of Heroism

The next round was very much a Tarin moment.

First came the crossbows.

Several bolts struck home.

One was a critical hit.

As his hit points evaporated, Tarin found himself reflecting on the fact that perhaps casting False Life before combat would have been sensible.

A revelation that arrived slightly too late.

Then the enemy wizard, with understandable irritation, launched a Fireball of her own.

Tarin was standing almost at the epicentre.

He made his Dexterity save.

His infernal heritage granted fire resistance.

Neither proved sufficient.

The blast dropped him.

But not before he had one final trick.

As the flames consumed him, Tarin unleashed a 3rd-level Hellish Rebuke (yes, sewer green).

Twenty-two points of damage later, the wizard collapsed.

Tarin hit the floor.

The wizard hit the floor.

The table cheered.

And with that, the coup was over.

Thankfully our cleric was still standing and had everyone back on their feet shortly afterwards.

What Did We Learn About Tarin?

One thing I enjoy about organised play is that characters evolve in ways you never quite expect.

He Might Actually Be Becoming Heroic

Tarin is cynical.

He’s self-protective – he is after all a product of the sewers and backstreets.

Yet recently I’ve found myself playing him on several mixed-level tables, and something interesting is happening.

He seems to enjoy protecting lower-level adventurers.

Whether it’s stepping into danger, shielding newer characters from threats, or simply acting as one of the more capable members of the party, there are definite signs that Tarin is developing at least the beginnings of a heroic streak.

I suspect he’d deny it.

Fireball Is Everything I Hoped It Would Be

I’ve been playing RPGs since the 1980s.

Back then levelling was a long, slow process.

I honestly don’t think I ever played a spellcaster long enough to cast Fireball.

So despite its iconic status, this was genuinely a milestone moment for me as a player.

And yes.

A sewer-green fireball is every bit as satisfying as it sounds.

Sorcerers Reward Practice

I’m also finding that Tarin’s toolkit is finally beginning to click.

Empowered Spell.

Hellish Rebuke.

Positioning.

Resource management.

For the first few levels I often felt like I was still learning how to play a sorcerer effectively.

Now the pieces are starting to come together.

Cantrips Matter

The stealth section of the adventure was one of my favourite parts of the evening.

Not because of combat.

Because it allowed Tarin to use abilities that rarely get the spotlight.

Thaumaturgy.

Mage Hand.

Little bits of utility magic that often sit unused suddenly became central to the success of the mission.

That’s always satisfying.

Always Cast False Life

Always.

Cast.

False Life.

Some wisdom comes from ancient tomes. Some comes from lying unconscious on the floor after standing in the middle of a fireball.