I've been pointing out new episodes of the D&D/Penny Arcade/PvP/Me podcast on Twitter, but since the third series draws to a close today, I thought I'd catch up, and then share some thoughts on the final episode.
My last post took us up to episode three, so…
In this episode, the battle continues in full against Thazin Stormbellow, guardian of the Ambershard mausoleum. That sleeping boar? No longer sleeping…
In this episode, the members of Acquisitions Incorporated learn about the death and dying rules… but does it concern them, the boar, or the dwarf? They also learn that intimidating a bloodied enemy may force that enemy to surrender… may. And finally, they learn the might of a solo monster—essentially, four monsters wrapped in one.
Acquisitions Incorporated prepares for their ultimate fight against Leer of the Ambershard Dwarves. As they approach the upper chambers, will they simply bust in and take the guards out? Or quietly bar the other doors, and take a sneakier approach?
What's left, but for Aeofel to throw his dagger at the fleeing Leer… and he's thankful he did, despite missing. For the dagger hangs in midair, as if suspended in something… unseen.
"At least you're not in the acid pit…."
All caught up? If you're ready, follow me past the jump, where it's SPOILER-TASTIC!
Well, then. A picture being worth a thousand words:
So. Um. That didn't work out very well for Aeofel, did it? I can already hear the cries from other members of the gaming tribe: "Never split the party you dumbass!"
Normally, I'd agree completely, but here is where actual roleplaying sort of lead to . . . unforseen consequences. Allow me to explain: Aeofel is an Isolating Avenger. He is, in normal language, a zealot. Where a Paladin brings comfort to the afflicted, the Avenger brings great vengeance and furious anger to those who caused the affliction.
So, if I'd been metagaming, if I'd mixed player knowledge with character knowledge, Aeofel never would have chased after Leer. If I'd adhered to the second rule of RPGs (the first being, "never pick up a duck in a dungeon") I wouldn't have split the party. But Aeofel had sworn an Oath of Enmity on Leer. He had Leer on the run. Leer was bloodied and had offended Melora. That alone was enough to get Aeofel to go after him, but if there was any doubt, Aeofel had been implored by Binwin to "get him." Binwin was the only Dwarf in the 'verse who Aeofel actually liked, the only Dwarf in the 'verse who could actually be a friend to Aeofel, and Aeofel was intensely loyal to those who were close to him. Aeofel knew that Leer was part of a clan who made Binwin's father stop drinking! So when you add all that up, Aeofel had no choice but to chase Leer down, and end up in that acid pit. (And, to be honest, there were two damn awesome bits in there, before tragedy struck: the way Aeofel found the gelatinous cube and the way Leer activated the traps was really cool.)
I haven't had a character die in . . . I'm not exactly sure how long. Not since I was a teenager, and even then, characters weren't dead dead, because we all kept locks of our hair in special jars marked "In case of death, break glass and resurrect, y'all." But Aeofel is really, truly, I'm-totally-serious-about-this dead. He may find a way to come back as a revenant, but if he does, he will be changed by the experience. If it's at all possible, Aeofel will be even more serious and overly-dramatic.
Regrets? Well, obviously. My fuckin' character is dead, but he died doing what he loved, and while it would have been nice to make some kind of heroic sacrifice, I'm happy that I stayed true to Aeofel's beliefs and played him the way I wrote him.
When we finished the session, Chris Perkins drove me back to my hotel Aeofel's blood dripping from his evil hands, where I met up with Anne, who got to spend the next two hours listening to me explain, in excruciating detail, how Aeofel died and exactly what character death means to a gamer geek like me. To her credit, she didn't mock me, but since she is a normal person, she wasn't able to totally grok why I was so upset.
So I grabbed my Blackberry, and I texted the following to Scott:
His…name…was…Aeo…fel.
A few minutes later, he replied:
We will not rest until we retrieve your soul.
"What are you doing?" Anne asked me.
"I'm sharing nerd-grief with Scott," I said. "It'll just be a minute."
For the next fifteen minutes or so, this is the conversation we had (transcribed by Scott, because his Jesusphone kept the messages that my Blackberry deleted – thank you, Scott!)
Wil: Anne says I should have a candlelight vigil. I can't believe he's gone. Do you think Aeofel went to live on a farm where he can play with them goddamn rabbits? Tell me about the rabbits, George.
Scott: He's with the Raven Queen now.
W: [Wipes a single, solitary tear.] He's in a buh-buh-better place.
S: His torpedo coffin soft landed on the genesis planet. We're gonna totally search for Spock him.
W: He has been, and always shall be…your friend.
S: You dwarven bastard, you…KILLED….my SON.
W: Of all the Eladrin souls I've encountered in my travels….his was the most….Huh-HUMAN!
S: *Scotty playing bagpipes*
W: This is the best nerd catharsis ever. You are a true friend, Scott.
S: The doors slide open with a swish. Uhura lets out a gasp. Binwin holds Aeofel's corpse.
S: "He stayed at his post…when the trainee's ran."
W: The way to grieve a loss of a D&D character seems to be by quoting wrath of Khan.
S: Indeed, captain.
W: We are SO going to get all KHAAAAAN on that dwarf's ass.
S: He vexxes us. He vexxes us and we will have him.
W: Aeofel comes back as a Revenant, unites with Binwin and spends the rest of his life hunting and killing every last Ambershard dwarf for great justice.
S: Ha! I thought you were going to say he tries to KILL Binwin.
W: …..
W: Oh, they probably have some stuff to work out first…
S: Gulp!
I'm sure it seems silly, probably because it is, but I really did feel a sense of loss when Chris said that Aeofel wasn't coming back (and death by acid pit is super duper extra permanent in D&D, guys) and I really did need to talk about it with someone who could understand why. I'm grateful that Scott was there, and as I told him this morning, I withdraw my oath of enmity and instead swear an oath of eternal friendship. Because while it's a lot of fun to blame him for killing Aeofel, we all know that it wasn't actually his fault. Also, Scott is one of the few people in the world I can quote Trek with, and it isn't weird.
In fact, Scott told me this morning,
Reading this chat log again, I leave you with this….the one WOK thing we didn't touch on.
Omin Dran enters the lobby and sees the pit of acid. He gaps and runs towards it. Jim and Binwin grab him, holding him back.
Binwin: Omin, NO!
Omin: He'll die!
Scotty: He's DEAD already.
Giggle. WIN.
I hope we'll be doing another series of podcasts soon, not only because they're incredibly fun for me to listen to (it's so weird to have it on my iPod, hear Scott say something funny, and then laugh at it along with myself exactly the same way I did four months ago) but because it's so incredibly fun for me to play with all of them. Even though Chris killed Aeofel, he's a great DM who did some of the best NPC roleplaying ever. As evidence, I present: "Jim Winks." "How are your death scenes?" and "…who are you?" And all the fun we're obviously having on the podcasts? Well, we're not making that up; if I could play with these guys every week, I would do it in a heartbeat.
So if there's another series of podcasts, and if I'm invited back, I'll certainly play, either as zombie Aeofel, or as a new character . . . maybe a Barbarian who tears off the heads of anyone who calls him "Al."
Namárië, Aeofel. Ná Melora veria le, ná elenath dín síla erin rád o chuil lín.
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Well, that decides that. 🙂 I’ll be handing out either buttons or stickers of this design at PAX East in memorial of everyone’s favorite Avenger. (And, of course, one for Wil!)
There is nothing quite as geekily cathartic as a character that dies while fulfilling their motivation. Like Boromir.
I wonder if that incident inspired this Penny Arcade strip: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/10/9/
Seriously, character death sucks. RPG’ing a character is a hobby in itself, and having a character die is like have a model you painstakingly built suddenly get smashed.
Omin:
Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows
The West Wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes.
‘What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight?
Have you seen Aeofel the Tall by moon or by starlight?’
‘I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey;
I saw him walk in empty lands, until he passed away
Into the shadows of the North. I saw him then no more.
The North Wind may have heard the horn of Aeofel no more.’
‘O Aeofel! From the high walls westward I looked afar,
But you came not from the empty lands where no men are.’
Binwin:
From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from
the sandhills and the stones;
The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans.
‘What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve?
Where now is Aeofel the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.’
‘Ask not of me where he doth dwell — so many bones there lie
On the white shores and the dark shores under the stormy sky;
So many have passed down Nentir to find the flowing Sea.
Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind
sends to me!’
‘O Aeofel! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south,
But you came not with the ailing gulls from the grey sea’s mouth.’
Omin:
From the Gate of Kings the North Wind rides, and past
the roaring falls;
And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls.
‘What news from the North, O mighty wind, do you
bring to me today?
What news of Aeofel the Bold? For he is long away.’
‘Beneath the mausoleum I heard his cry. There many foes he
fought.
His cloven symbol, his dissolved sword, they do the water brought.
His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest;
And Nentir, golden Nentir-falls, bore him upon its breast.’
‘O Aeofel! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze
To Nentir, golden Nentir-falls, until the end of days.’
It’s a different type of investment. While Aeofel is gone, I can still play with and see my friends several times a year. When a film or TV show is over, the character is gone *and* I don’t get to keep working with the people I’ve enjoyed working with for X number of days.
Each experience leaves me with a sense of loss, but it’s different in each case.
Well hey, if we’re comparing embarrassing character death stories…
Another Star Wars character encountered a Dark Jedi and was so surprised I punched her in the face, which somehow knocked her out cold, and I turned and ran. But I forgot to take her lightsaber with me, which she promptly skewered me with about an hour later.
And one of my early D&D characters got lost in a Bag of Holding. I’m still not sure how that happened…
Awesome session, Wil. I was listening to this last episode on headphones in the office, trying so hard not to bust up audibly.
On a technical note: I think Omin was far more to blame for your death than was Binwin. Here you are, down but not yet dead in an acid pit one floor down. All Omin’s got to do is get within 5 squares of you and drop a heal on you, and you’ll go up to one surge of HP and not dying. Then you can second wind (getting you up to your bloody value) and start trying to get out again. You’d have at least two turns, possibly 3 or 4, before you even drop to 0 again.
But what does Omin do? Tops HIMSELF out (over his maximum, even), heals Binwin, and then just listens to the sound of dissolving eladrin.
Jerry F’ing Holkins, man. >;-D
I think that you handled this tragedy in the best way possible – mocking the people who let you melt, and then nerdgriefing the night away.
Now, Revenant Aeofel as an Assassin. For vengeance. Yeah, baby!
It’ll be awesome.
Question regarding the D&D mechanics in this one…and I feel like such a tool for knowing this in such detail, but alas it’s how my brain works: You got to -19 and you died because it was below your negative bloodied value, which you say in the podcast is 13.
So I’m very confused…your level 5 character only had 26 hitpoints? In the last podcast didn’t Aeofel have something like 42 hitpoints already at level 3? I specifically remember Scott Kurtz making a comment about how your character actually had MORE hitpoints than his.
You should have had at least one more round for them to attempt to pull you out of there.
One of my characters, Olive, actually got back up, but she attacked Irontooth one last time to try to avenge the cleric who had already died but she missed and died. I didn’t mind so much that the cleric died, but I was really sad that Olive died, a female halfling rogue amongst a group of three dragonborn dudes, she was a lot of fun to play. Our new party has identical twin dwarves, a fighter and a paladin called Glam and Glum.
I see someone already commented on this, but I missed it. My bad.
Still, I think it would make for an awesome excuse to retcon Aeofel back to life…not that I think you’re the type who would want to do that. You’ve already grieved, so it’s probably best to move on.
Basically the DM could say he wasn’t actually dead yet and right after the party left you rolled a twenty on your death save, crawled out of the pit will eventually meet up with them again.
Actually now that I think about it this sounds like an awesome “evil aeofel” backstory for an NPC villain in the next podcast.
Acquisitions Incorporated desperately needs a rogue, though, so consider that for next time. I mean seriously, the DM had to possess binwin with a ghost just to fill that void.
I can’t believe that people are arguing about this; that’s a ruleslawyer approach to it. Glad that you are going about the right way on this by accepting his fate with dignity.
Poor Aeofel, no one cursed like he did.
Well, I couldn’t help but bring certain aspects of myself to my character …
Yeah it was me. I am not arguing, I want to see the “Aeofel Lives” tshirt (or if you will, RIP Aeofel). I linked your post so people would be able to read your take. For the record TwinsFan91, I DM a game weekly, so I am technically not a rules lawyer. The whole Binwin’s fault argument had me rolling, and I loved how Scott tried to claim he asked the Ghost to lead him to the gold (Money not revenge).
I was hoping Chris would catch it, but I don’t blame you of course. I know how heated and emotional it can be to have your character die (and on the other end of the screen it can also be pretty scary).
We still have Wheaton’s cock punch even if Aeofel is gone.
Wil, fantastic podcast and fantastic role-playing all around. If I can be so bold, Revenant sounds like it could make for an awesome twist to the continuing story of Aeofel. Regardless of your choice, I can’t wait to hear more of the continuing adventures of AQI.
LOL I should have said “oathed.” Except “oathed” isn’t exactly a word. Anyway, you know what I mean – when he dropped his voice an octave and busted out that Oath of Emnity, it was all kinds of win.
You might not expect Aeofel to pick up the first round at the local pub, but you would feel secure going into battle with him.
Oh nooo!
It was so great to hear you roleplaying Aoefel to the end, which made it all the more saddening that it led to his death.
I hope we get to hear you guys all playing together again in another series.
Does anyone have a link to the EN World thread that Wil mentioned during the episode?
Regarding the death – isn’t that place already filled with ghosts? What happens if Wil creates a new character, the group goes back to the manor…and Aeofel possesses that character? 🙂
I was waiting for Zethir to tell Binwin at the acid pit, “I told you I didn’t recommend it.”
First of all, wanted to say how totally awesome you are. I’d sorta fallen out of geek culture of the past couple of years, and it is awesomely cool to once again be among my own kind…. & your blog’s turned me on to SOO many cool things. Stuff you should know, the D&D podcasts, etc.
Speaking o’ which, I love the podcasts. I was at work when I listened to Aeofel’s death. I was shocked. As a player who’s lost a few PCs in his time, I feel your Nerd Pain.
I know you’re a busy guy, but you think it would be possible to post an MP3 of his Oath as a sort of memorium? (They way you did it was awesome, & I’d LOVE to use it as my ringtone…. assuming you’re okay with that, o’ course.)
Anyway, keep fighting the good geek fight!
Regards,
JD Scott
I’m a huge fan of the DnD podcasts and listen to them obsessively. I was literally at the edge of my seat when you were in that pit and when you announced that you were completely dead my jaw just dropped. It cannot be!
Personally, if we’re going to assign blame, I’d say the main mistake was how the ghost was handled. You guys could have tried disabling the gong in advance and all that good stuff. So technically it is Scott’s fault, but really Binwin had a one-track mind when it came to the Ambershards (which was good roleplaying) so I’d even say it’s Jim Darkmagic/Gabe’s fault for getting Scott to take the Ghost. He should have handed it to a cooler head!
The Traveler thing was a seriously low blow though. 😛
I’ll miss Aeofel. He had a great dynamic with all the other players (I especially liked how you were steadily becoming Tycho’s right hand man in the Serious department, whereas Binwin and Jim Darkmagic manage the Silly affairs). But I look forward to seeing what you roll next and where you guys take it from here.
Keep these casts going, they’re fantastic.
I’m not sure what I’ll miss more…Aeofel or not having a new D&D podcast next week. Also, if I’m not too mistaken, shouldn’t a 22 roll be enough to climb out of a pit? Chris is an awesome DM, but maybe he was racist towards Eladrin…
Wil, your addition to the crew really helped round out the podcasts. As for blame, I think the addition of the Sethir has Chris dropping the ball. Because in reality he should have been thrust in to playing as a 5th guy. The ghost should have been adding more info to you. It would be silly to have Binwin have to keep asking the ghost for info. It was painful to listen to last bit because if felt like everyone was letting you die. It was scary how similar the loss felt like when in TNG you took off with the Traveler. Since we are close in age it felt like a good friend moving away.
Wil, I’ve got to say that having you alongside Scott and the PA guys has been the best thing I’ve heard in a podcast in a long time. And Aeofel’s friendship with Binwin felt very real and just… awesome.
Because of you guys I really want to try out D&D now. I grew up with the idea that D&D was for “loser” geeks but now… Wow. Knowing of so many people that really enjoy this game and finally get to listen of the storytelling and all…
I hope you guys keep making more podcasts!
Whoa, I meant no offense. I once had a character die that I was close to, and after the adventure realized that we missed something that could have saved her. But I accepted her fate, and used that as background for other characters and some fanfic.
I am a HUGE fan of Acquisitions Inc. Their addition of Aeofel and thus Mr. Wheaton delighted me to now end. I am saddened by this news especially since I haven’t listened to the podcasts yet, but that’s my own dumb fault.
Your adventures have fallen upon my ears like a sirens song and I desperately am trying to find a 4th ed game to get involved in. What I would really love is to join in a session with Acq. Inc. though I’m certain I’m not the only one and thus likely the sessions are sequestered. I did have a thought that you and the boys should consider and that’s maybe either a contest or auction where the proceeds benefit Child’s Play? That would be EPIC.
I remember my first character death, on an MU**…Was XO of a starship that (due to lag) crashed into Starbase 1.
Was bummed for days.
Wow! The podcast was awesome and I can’t wait until you all do another. (I hope there will be another, anyway!) A death in a pit of acid while pursuing an oath of enmity is a pretty darn awesome way to go.
Our D&D group keeps growing by leaps and bounds, partially because of these podcasts and how clearly they show that 4e is really fun and easy. And now I can simply point to the heroic demise of Aeofel to illustrate the dangers of spitting the party (even though I’m sure we’ll do it anyway). If you decide not to come back as Undead Aeofel, barbarian is a good choice. I’m really loving playing my goliath barbarian and hitting things for ridiculous amounts of damage! 😀
I told you! Elves can’t swim!
BTW, if I was the gm, I’d run a side mission where Aeofel has to fight is way out of the afterlife. If you succeed, your friends can resurrect you (and it’s a good explanation of why only heroes seem able to come back).
You know what Wil? I’ve been looking through all the various permutations of good old S1 Tomb of Horrors, and the overwhelming sense I get is that it must’ve been Gygax’s D&D equivalent to the Kobayashi Maru test of Star Trek. Your thoughts?
I mean really – what other dungeon usually starts by having half your party either dead or teleported away nude in just the *first* corridor? Insidious, I tell you… and pure genius.
As an old-school 1st gen D&D grinder, gotta say I love the D&D podcasts Wil. We’ll be watching Big Bang on Monday. All the best!
Yeah, that particular power is character independent.
There is no podcast I have ever listened to ever that had me laughing as hard as this.
“In the month of June Farah Fawcett, Micheal Jackson, Ed McMahon, Billy Mayes, and worst of all Aeofel…. and Megatron, **spoiler**.”
Wil, I am sorry for your loss, but unlike a lot of the other characters you have played before you have shared the death of your character with thousands of people all around the world. We all felt your pain…….. and then laughed till it freakin’ HURT!!!
“Binwin cannot die. I have built many products around him”
Best
Podcast
EVER!!!
That’s a great idea. I’m going to steal it for my own bag of DM tricks.
Completely off topic. I love you!!
(clip from Big Bang)
more please
Question: Had you used your Eladrin teleport during that encounter before you fell in the acid? If not you could have teleported up and out of the pit…I seem to recall you may have used it to move away from an enemy earlier in that encounter though…
Yeah, I had already Fey stepped.
Damn. That little move is probably my favourite part about playing an Eladrin. It’s like a big middle finger every time the DM thinks he’s got you cornered.
You need to convince Perkins to bring Al back as a Two-Face-esque supervillian out for avenging revenge against his old party.
Wil, this episode of the podcast had me literally laughing out loud in my grocery store as I listened and shopped. The whole sequence after the Death was gold and mirrored the way I would have reacted.
I also think bring Aeofel back as a revenant would be awesome. It would totally change the Acquisitions, Inc. power structure.
AEOFEL LIVES!
PS: I’d also buy an AEOFEL LIVES t-shirt.
Oh. . . My. . . God. . .
That has got to be the geekiest/nerdiest adaptation of TWOK I have ever read.
Congratulations.
The universe has shattered! Sorry Wil, Aeofel was awesome. He will be missed, Melora rest his zombie bones.
Dude, I know how it is.
I play a dwarven isolating avenger named Brom who *renounced his clan* in order to serve more fully and be his godess’s hand of vengeance.
You did right by Brom, and by Melora.
*As you well know this is a big deal.
Yeah, when Wil said his bloodied value was 13 HP I thought, they’re not 1st level characters, wtf? I was sort of surprised that Chris Perkins didn’t catch that, either, but hindsight is 20-20 and we’re all armchair DM’s…
One more round probably would not have changed things. And the podcast would not have been nearly as poignant or hysterical if Aeofel had survived.
I lament the passing of Aeofel, but think that his return as a revenant would be met with a collective roar of vengeance-flavored triumph from teh intarwebs.
And, I must repeat for the record that you guys absolutely HAVE to get Felicia Day to come round out Acquisitions, Inc. Five’s a party, man!
Aeofel will be missed, sir. You roleplayed him superbly, and his death will echo the Feywild for generations to come.
The real enjoyable portion of this character death is going to be seeing what you come up with next, Wil.
Will Aoefel return for unfinished business as a Revenant, or will an entirely new hero be birthed in the forge of your mind.
I’ve been playtesting it and you really really want to do it. It’s just as evil as before 😀
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/334/aeofel.jpg
With Acquisition Inc. traditional approach i somewhat expected they’d come in strong while everything totally disintegrates in the last 20 minutes, finishing with half party dead, other half 5hp left, i just totally didn’t expect it would be the death of Al 🙂
I got the episode twenty seven hours ago. I’ve been kind of depressed for twenty six and a half or so hours, give or take time asleep. And to think, six days ago I was so jazzed about my Shaman simultaneously delivering a baby and breaking a many-generations long death curse on the mother. The cycle of D&D life, man.
Ooh, oh! What if, in his short term of service to Melora, he garnered enough of her favor to be reborn as a Deva?!?!?! Huh?! Huh?!
Well I liked the idea anyway…
My heart broke a little when I listened to the latest podcast. It really did.
Hey, in the podcast you mentioned having written up an extensive backstory for Aeofel – any chance of sharing that with us kids at home?
Or are you keeping it close to the vest on the off-chance that a new character (Zombie Aeofel or someone entirely different) can work in dramatic reveals in the future?