Hey, Hey, It’s Game Day (Nov 2025)

For gamers, it’s the most wonderful time of the year while simultaneously being the most awful time of the year. Yes, we get back-to-back holidays for more hobby time, but we also have to try and coordinate all our players’ crazy Q4 schedules. For DM Ben, “herding cats” doesn’t even begin to describe it!

After numerous attempts to schedule our beloved Office campaign in October, the stars just couldn’t align. Player commitment during the last three holiday months is the dark side of TTRPG, but such is life, right?! At least we finally got everyone to commit this week! Our coping advice is just to take some deep breaths and let the gold pieces fall where they may. If you miss a sesh or two, it will just make the next one even more enjoyable.

Last we left off, the players were making their way back through the underground cavern beneath their newfound Bastion. Things were really looking up for the group after a series of tough battles to clear out any remaining enemies. Just one small hitch – the group had to recross the shallow cavernous waters in order to get back up to the first level of their hideout. Not easy but certainly doable, right?!

Wellllll…have you ever had one of those DnD games where you thought the team would breeze through the first encounter of the night, only to see it take up nearly the entire session? Welp, that’s exactly what happened for our party of six rumbling and stumbling adventurers. The players were extremely concerned about an underwater ambush and took their time trying to cross the shallow waters stealthily. We played for 4.5 hours, and they’re not even fully through it! Wow…just wow.

So, our previous Game Day recap is largely intact! Like, they barely did anything DM Ben queued up last time. Sometimes a Dungeon Master relishes being well ahead in his prep. At the same time, he/she frets about not making a better encounter. Gotta shake it off, man. We had plenty of laughs, and the players should kick it in gear here tonight! Focus on the good and stay on target!

Once the gang finishes swimming with da fishes, DM Ben has five total encounters ready to roll!

• Spot Jack Shaw in new garb, continually searching for his Soul Bag.
• Day 1 Travel: Wandering Monster Roll 1, Mercenaries (dice roll, 8)
• The Forgotten Rails: Encounter 1 – In the Zone.
• Day 2 Travel: Wandering Monster Roll 2, Leapin’ Lizzards (dice roll, 18)
• Day 3 Travel: Wandering Monster Roll 3, Side Guide (dice roll, 17)

To save time with packing and transporting, DM Ben likes to preroll from our free Wilderness Trek Wandering Monster d20 Table.

Now, that’s more than enough DnD content goodness to get us through the night, but DM Ben couldn’t help but craft up one more potential encounter. Meet the Porcupo by the sensational Schlossbauer. This spikey lil’ fella is a free download and is sure to keep your game group on its toes.

Sunrise Sven stepped up and painted this mysterious, unlikely harmless creature. He went with two complementary colors: good ol’ purple and some bright pink. We’re fans of the paint scheme here as DM Ben wants to keep the group guessing when freaky thing comes sauntering out from some bushes.

This 3D print came out so well that we’ll definitely do a few more of ’em…even mixing up the paint jobs. Meaning, getting poked with a pink quill will have a different effect than getting pricked by a white quill. We’ll model its DnD 5e stats off a traditional porcupine and then sprinkle in a few homebrewed traits of our own.

A failed Constitution saving throw (DC 12) from a needle hit will invoke instant Paralysis (like, picture someone being hit with a police taser) #timber. The Porcupo is very territorial and fiercely protects its nesting grounds. It will fire a couple of warning shot quills. If the players engage and take one of these creatures out, the quills on its back explode like a fireball, and they’ll rain down on anyone within a 20-foot radius.

Every Porcupo is different in terms of the number of quills on its back. The older the creature, the greater the number of needles. When the creature falls to 0 HP, DM Ben will ask one player to roll a d20+5 to determine its age. The probability of hitting is low (+1), the damage is a mere 1d4-1, but the potential for paralysis is the true concern.

DM Ben will tease this creature throughout the night with some random player perception checks. That will get the paranoia going until he finds just the right spot for the group to “say hello to my little friend.”

Until next time!