What’s this?! A level-up post smack dab in the midst of an adventure!? That’s right. Dungeon Crawl Classics doesn’t presuppose that a party of adventurers is all at the same level, nor does it expect that their level-ups will occur at the same time. Both Joane Cayhurst and Briene Byley have survived a terrible ordeal at the Tomb of Ulfheonar, more than earning a “Funnel-like” experience that warrants a real class and some additional stats. In addition, bringing both characters up in level means that the party can finish the Doom of the Savage Kings with six Level-1 PCs, which is what the adventure suggested in the first place. In practical terms, this means that any surviving PCs from The Portal Under the Stars funnel will reach Level 2 at the end of this adventure, while Joane and Briene will have the wait until the next full adventure concludes. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. For now: let’s focus on Joane (and a little bit of Briene… curveball incoming).

First, let’s remind ourselves of Joane’s Level 0 statblock:

Joane Cayhurst. Level 0 Corn Farmer. STR 12, AGL 13, STA 14, PER 7, INT 16, LCK 9. Init +1; Atk pitchfork +0 melee (1d8); AC 11; HP 3; MV 30′; Act 1d20; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -1; LNG Common (+2); AL Lawful; Equipment: hen, 10’ pole, 29cp.

I never really justified why and how she was a corn farmer while her father ran the Wolf-Spear Inn. Thankfully, I never called her out as a farmer, though I did keep her as wielding a pitchfork in Ulfheonar’s tomb. In my mind, she was the innkeeper’s daughter and helped him there, and the pitchfork was the tool from her work at the inn that she felt was the most practical weapon to bring with her. I never worried about her having a hen or a 10’ pole, nor did I roll any skill checks that relied on her farming occupation. Yay for not having to retcon anything there (although boo for me not more fully leaning into what I’d rolled).

When I first sat down to level up Joane, I assumed that she would be the party’s Thief. It’s a class not represented by the current PCs, Ethys Haffoot sort of stinks at thieving, and narratively it’s easy to pluck a random, brave villager and make them the person who sneaks around and backstabs stuff. But the more I read about the class, the less it fit with my image of Joane, who I’ve described as the quintessential headstrong teenager with a stereotypical red-headed short fuse. At the same time, I had been struggling with the idea that Erin, our Cleric of Shul, was the only one realistically capable of wielding Ulfheonar’s Wolf-Spear, which would mean eschewing her god’s favored weapon and the very cool crescent-shaped dagger. I even started imagining that perhaps, as Erin wielded the spear, its blade would begin to curve or something so that I could keep it as her holy weapon.

Anyway, combine these two struggles and it suddenly occurred to me that Joane didn’t necessarily have to be a Thief. Instead, she could be our party’s first Warrior. Yes, the Warrior and Dwarf classes are close cousins and have a lot of the same attributes and advantages. That said, with six characters there are bound to be some overlap, and I don’t think a party can really have too many Deed Dice in combat. Once I started thinking about Joane as a Warrior, everything sort of clicked.

Hit Points: A Warrior gains a whopping d12 in hit points at each level, +1 for Joane’s high Stamina. I roll a [6+1] 7, adding to her original 3 hp. Joane now has 10 hit point, matching both Umur and Erin.

Mighty Deed of Arms: Just like I described with Umur,  Erin gains a d3 Deed Die to express her martial prowess. Like Umur, she’ll declare her “Mighty Deed” when she attacks, and if she rolls a 3 on the Deed Die, she will do some cool combat maneuver effect.

Critical Hits: The biggest single advantage that Warriors have over Dwarves is their expanded Critical Hit range. At Level 1, Joane will score a Critical Hit on a roll of either 19 or 20, not just a natural 20. She also rolls on a sweeter crit table, like Umur, meaning that her Critical Hits tend to be more devastating to opponents.

Weapons and Armor: As a Warrior, Joane will be able to wield whatever weapons and wear whatever armor she can afford. If she had a Luck bonus, she could also apply that bonus to her “favored weapon,” which of course is going to be Spears (she was using a pitchfork before, which is mechanically a spear, and now she will be the proud bearer of Ulfheonar’s Wolf-Spear). Whereas Umur is a “sword and board” fighter, swinging his longsword and bashing with his shield, Joane will be our “two-handed reach” fighter, able to stab from further away.

Speaking of the Wolf-Spear, let’s talk about it for a second in mechanical terms. It is a +1 spear for both attacks and damage, and also grants a +1 to initiative rolls. On a successful hit the wielder can use the cross bars mounted below the spearhead to pin a creature, reducing the target’s AC by the wielder’s Strength bonus (which for Joane is 0, so unlikely something she’ll do often). By sacrificing her actions in a given round, the wielder can maintain the pin on the target with a successful contested Strength check. With the spear, Joane can even pin magical creatures, preventing them from assuming gaseous form, teleporting, stepping to another plane, and so on. This last ability may come in handy against the Hound if Ymae’s net somehow fails.

For now, I’ll give Joane leather armor, which feels like something she could obtain easily enough in Hirot. Hopefully sometime soon she can upgrade her armor situation. She already has Iraco’s longsword, and I’ll say she also took one of the huntsmen’s shortbows. So, while she doesn’t have the highest Armor Class, Joane is bristling with weapons!

Title: Despite her hot-headedness, Joane is decidedly Lawful and a sworn enemy of Chaos. It makes sense to me that she’ll look up to Umur and begin calling herself his Squire. Squire Joane Cayhurst of Hirot is not at all how I thought we’d end up from my dismal band of retainers before I started Doom of the Savage Kings, but as seems always happen in any Funnel, I’m pleasantly surprised by the PC waiting on the other side.

Finally, Joane also gets a +1 to Reflex and Fortitude saves and Initiative, which are reflected in her handy new character sheet:

Stepping back, I’m thrilled to have a Warrior in the party who can wield the magical Wolf-Spear, allowing Erin to stay focused on her god’s favored weapon. I wish she had a Luck or Strength bonus, but having bonuses in Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence is sweet. Because of her high Intelligence, in fact, I’m going to say that, while Joane does not benefit from any formal education, she is a quick study in pretty much everything she tries. Moreover, she will surprise the others in how quickly she picks up both the Dwarven and Halfling languages from her party members. Her low Personality is already established as her fiery temper, and I suspect she’ll clash with everyone from time to time.

Now, Briene Byley had the same Funnel-like experience as Joane and also deserves a level up. But I’m going to wait until we’re through Doom of the Savage Kings before giving her a class. Why? First, because the most obvious class for her is Cleric, and we already have one of those. If Erin dies in the final clash with the Hound (or some other threat along the way), Briene will slide nicely into that role for the party. If instead Erin survives, well… Thief makes no sense for our do-gooder healer. Keep your fingers crossed, though, because I’ve decided that Briene will be my first dip into the many (literally, dozens and dozens) third-party classes available in DCC.

That said, we can’t have Briene waltzing through danger with a single hit point. A Cleric has a d8 hit die, and so does the class she’ll take if Erin survives. As a result, I’ll roll and get… an 8! Nice. So, while Briene won’t have class abilities to help the party yet, she will be a bit more durable.

I’ve ended these level-up posts with some fiction to help establish the character’s identity. Here we go, then, as we dip back into the Doom of the Savage Kings narrative. Consider today a sort of Chapter 9.5.

---

The Wolf-Spear Inn was quiet as a tomb that night. Lloré the bard neither sang nor played. The scarred tables sat empty, chairs stacked neatly, upside-down and atop them. The heavy front door was locked tight. Only a single lantern burned to shed a low, dancing gloom across the tavern’s six inhabitants, all either sitting or standing near the long bar.

“We’ll sleep here tonight, but we can’t linger in town,” Erin said in urgent, low tones. “The Jarl will know we’re here, and that his plot has failed. He won’t sit idle.”

“Maybe he’ll lock himself in his manor ‘top the hill?” Haffoot offered. “Maybe he’ll be as scared of us as we are of him, yeah?”

“A hopeful thought,” Erin scowled. “But he’s shown himself to be more active than that. He’ll come after us, sure enough.”

“Mm. Probably,” Umur said, draining his tankard of ale and leaving himself a wet beard. As he set it atop the bar, Joane woodenly moved to fill the empty mug. Her face was lifeless and dull, as it had been all evening. “But Hilda needs time with the old witch to make this net. So we’re here at least the day tomorrow, I’d think.”

“I’ll go at first light,” the hooded woman said. Hilda stood away from the others but seemed to hover nearest Erin. In the dim light, she seemed almost a wraith.

“We must inform the families of those we’ve lost,” Erin sighed. “It will be unpleasant, but we owe them that.”

“I’ll handle that, ma’am” Briene said, her voice soft at first but then gaining in strength. “I don’t know what rumors the Jarl has spread in our absence.” She paused, scowling. “Father Beacom as well. But I’m safe from the Jarl, I think, and know everyone’s family. I– I think it best if the news comes from me.”

“You’re brave, lass,” Umur smiled, briefly laying a hand atop her forearm. “Thank you.”

Briene blushed and nodded.

“Share the coin we found on the huntsmen with each family,” Erin said. She looked at each person to see if they’d argue. None did, though Hilda frowned beneath her hood.

“So… we stay here tomorrow?” Haffoot asked. “What do we do about the Hound? Tomorrow night it’s back if it comes every third night.”

“The Jarl will have a drawing at midday,” Briene said. “For the sacrifice.”

“If he knows who’s returned, it will be Joane’s name on the lot,” Erin said. “He promised her that.”

Umur’s thick fingers drummed the bar’s surface in thought. He took another long draught from his mug. The others deferred to him in matters of tactics, so they sat in silence until he was ready to speak.

“If that’s so,” Umur said slowly. “Then he’ll show up here in full force, with all his thegns, and he’ll expect us to give her up, sayin’ it’s the town’s will or whatever. He’ll paint us as outlaws if we disagree.” His fingers drummed again as he paused. “This inn’s probably the most defensible structure outside the Jarl’s manor, but methinks he’ll just trap us here and burn it. Dammit all.”

“Let him,” Joane said suddenly. All eyes snapped to her, startled.

“What’s that, lass?”

“Let him burn it. This inn is dead. It died with my father. When Hilda’s back, let’s go kill the Hound at the standing stones, and then let’s go into the Fens. Let’s never let the Hound take anyone else ever again. Let’s purge it from Hirot and then leave the Jarl to clean up the mess he’s made of this town.”

“You’d just… leave?” Briene gasped. “The whole village?”

“Hirot died a long time ago, Bree. I don’t know when. Maybe it’s when the Jarl first stepped in, or when his seer began making the Jarl his puppet, or when the Hound started appearing, or when we made our first sacrifice to it. But it’s as dead as my family. We’re living in a stinking corpse, decaying all around us. Hirot’s like those things in the tomb, gray and twisted. At some point the rot beneath will burst out. You’ve got to see it that way, don’t you?” her voice rose, as she looked pleadingly at her friend. “Does Father Beacom bring you any hope at all? Or, or… faith?”

“No, he doesn’t,” the young woman said softly, and cast her eyes down at her lap.

“Maybe I’m dead too,” Joane spat angrily. “But I’m not just going to be tied up and dragged to some sacrifice. I’m going to kill the bloody Hound or die trying. I’m not letting dark forces control my life anymore. I’m fighting back!” Panting, a sheen of sweat upon her face, she looked around at the others defiantly.

“It’s a plan, then,” Umur nodded. “When Hilda returns, we’ll go hunt the Hound, first at the standing stones, and then find its lair.”

Joane seemed almost in disbelief. “Truly? You’d let me join you?”

The dwarf chuckled. “Lass, seems you already have.”

“It’s a quest of conviction. Of faith,” Erin said the word forcefully, directed at Briene. “And whatever fell forces are responsible for the death in this village, including your father, we will see them ended. By Shul’s light we will.” She made a fist.

None saw Hilda frown at the mention of Joane’s father’s death. The robed wizard stepped back further into the shadows, saying nothing.

“Thank you,” Joane said with a rush. “Master Dwarf, I pledge my sword to you.”

“Oh,” Umur blinked, stammering. “Well, uh… that’s not strictly necessary, lass. But I… That is to say…”

“You do not fight with a sword,” Erin said loudly. “Joane Cayhurst, I have seen you fight with a common pitchfork bravely and with skill. Don’t rely on a sword. Take a weapon designed for your holy quest.”

Almost casually, the white-armored cleric hefted the Wolf-Spear of Ulfheonar onto the bar, knocking empty cups and mugs aside as it landed with a loud CLUNK!

Everyone stared at the weapon, then to Joane. The innkeeper’s daughter’s eyes widened at the sight of the broad-bladed spear, even as a wooden replica hung over her head above the bar.

“Yes!” Umur bellowed, slapping the surface in front of him.

“Yes!” Haffoot cheered, small fists raised in triumph. “Joane the Hound-Slayer!”

Briene and Erin nodded encouragingly.

Hesitantly at first, yet with growing conviction, Joane’s hands moved to the ancient weapon. As she grasped the long haft, worked with carvings of serpents along its length, something sparked on her freckled face. She raised the spear, tears blurring her eyes.

Doom of the Savage Kings, Chapter 10