This series of podcasts are a Dungeon Master's walk-through of Mad Hermit Games' 5e TTRPG module "Knight of the Sun." It's meant to help guide game masters who will be running this module for their players to help them get the most out of it.
Knight of the Sun Podcast final episode. Some banter between the Mad Hermit and Aschiael. Music is "Dark 80s Synth" by White Bat. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Knight of the SunPodcast Walk-Through Session 10“The Tomb, Level 3.”Music is “Dark 80s Synth,” by White Bat.You can purchase this Module (Knight of the Sun) at DriveThroughRPG.comSession 10 Time Signatures: 1:16. Preliminaries for level 3. 3:37. Differences in the Undead on this level. 5:20. Sarcophagi burials and my difficulties saying that word three thousand times.7:55. Grave Finds in the sarcophagi. Opening the sarcophagi. 13:03. Disturbing the dead while looting. 13:50. Armor on the Undead on this level. 14:30. The divisions of the map in the modules (Main Map vs. Close Ups).15:25. Chamber #1 complications (which begin on level 2).17:45. Tracking notes for Chamber #1.19:05. The secret door to the Grand Chapel when “first” found. 21:27. The second secret door from Chamber #1 leading to Chamber #2, the Vestment chamber. 22:39. “Pack Gnomes” and their uses…. Just kidding. 22:48. The potions on the table. 24:40. Chamber #3. 25:40. Secret door into Chamber #3. 26:20. Overview of Chamber #3. 28:00. The firelight entering Chamber #3 and what it reveals. 30:10. The dangers of noise in Chamber #3.31:30. How Cleoth and Butcher will deal with PC in chamber #3 if they are alerted to their presence. 32:00. Possibilities for entering the Grand Chapel from Chamber #3. 34:34. Sneaking through the Chapel while the enemy are in it to open the secret door into the Grand Chapel. 35:30. The grated pipe where the water is entering Chamber #3. 37:38. Notes on handling the possible circumstances of the conflict with Al'Tharron and his henchmen. 42:26. Chamber #7. The Horse's Tomb. 44:30. The sounds from Chamber #7 that can be heard from the bottom of the stairs at #4a, and the southern end of Chamber #6a.47:03. First view of the Horse Tomb (Chamber #7).50:00. The central pool and the Horse statue in it. 51:30. The race taking place in Chamber #7 and the Zombies in the chamber. 52:55. The open chambers on the southern wall and the other Skeletal Warhorses within them. 54:20. The Wight in the chamber.56:44. Moving to the horse statue.57:40. Details of the horse statue.58:18. The importance of the gems in the horse statue's eyes to opening the secret tomb. 1:01:12. Removing the gems and the ramifications of doing so.1:02:55. How the situation can go bad in Chamber #7.1:04:14. The riders and other undead following the PCs.1:05:54. Chamber #10. The Grand Crypt (the false tomb).1:07:10. The central plinths and the sarcophagi on them.1:09:18. The Shadows in Chamber #10.1:10:38. The treasures in Chamber #10. 1:11:20. The traps around Chamber #10. 1:12:15. Chambers #11 (A-J) are grouped together under #11. 1:13:45. The Grand Chapel, Chamber #12. 1:15:20. How the module is going to end.1:17:25. If “goodly” PCs manage to defeat Al'Tharron.1:19:15. Details for the final battle with the villains. 1:20:01. Al'Tharron's backstory. 1:24:14. Al'Tharron's history with Cleoth and Butcher. 1:29:10. How they will begin an attack. 1:31:05. Advantages for the PC party. 1:31:45. The villain's escape plan.1:32:40. Al'Tharron's specifics. 1:38:24. Cleoth the Half-Ogre's specifics.1:41:55. Butcher's specifics.1:43:40. Maneuvering through the battle.1:44:39. Capturing the villains.1:45:27. Entering the secret tomb. 1:47:30. The curse suffered from opening Sir Xavier's Sarcophagus.1:48:12. The Holy Avenger “Sincrixa.”1:50:00. Wrapping up… ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Knight of the SunPodcast Walk-Through Session 9“The Tomb, Level 2.”Music is “Dark 80s Synth,” by White Bat. Session 9 Time Signatures. 1:23. Notes on finding torches in the tomb. 3:27. Differences between level 1 and level 2. 4:40. Racial cohorts of the dead buried together on level two. 5:16. Alcove graves stacked along the walls. 6:06. The state of the Undead's armor on the deeper levels of the tomb. 7:00. Zombies on this level and conflicts “between” the different Undead.10:33. Grave Robbing. Sorting out Grave Finds in the various alcove tombs. 11:50. Burial “Blocks” within the larger chambers. 12:50. The chance of discovering “Grave Finds.”14:06. Spell plates.15:13. Time spent grave robbing. 16:10. Sacrificial Pits. 20:14. Random Encounters and Atmospheric Encounters.20:42. Trap “X1,” the Portcullis traps. 23:25. Engraved direction plates above the doorways. 24:50. Foyer/Gallery. Room #1.25:18. Symmetry in the tomb.27:10. Dwarven tombs on level 2. 27:50. The Ceremonial Anvil Chimes and their effects. 31:08. The Statues of the Monks in the short halls (areas 2a and 3a). 31:45. Area 2a. The sneaky Gray ooze. 33:27. Area 3a. The trapped “golden” chain. 35:30. East of the Foyer; “the Elven Tombs.”37:42. Chambers 15 and 16. 38:36. Clean floors…? Gelatinous Cubes. 39:20. The door in hallway 15a. 39:48. The Wood Elf Prince's tomb. The trap and the treasures. Wood Elf problems with desecrating this tomb. 44:40. The Elven Long Bow An'Tal'Orix.45:30. The Ioun Missiles. One use (but worth it verses Undead). 47:52. The trap leading into the Dwarven Commander's tomb.49:17. Botching the Dex saves associated with the Portcullis traps.49:57. Rooms 13 and 14. Human burial chambers. 50:27. Room 18's traps and difficulties. 54:00. Wrapping up. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Knight of the Sun Podcast, Walk-Through Session 8“The Tomb, Level 1.”Music is “Dark 80s Synth,” by White Bat. Time Signatures for session 8.1:25. Taking stock of how the PCs have arrived at the tomb and what they are looking for here. 2:18. Keys in “The Heroes of Bone-Dust Hill.”3:54. How Dons Hollow came to be. 4:30. A few ways to help clarify goals for PCs hailing from the good side of the coin.6:35. Silas as a source of more specific information.8:26. Figuring out Mindra's secrets or catching Mindra and Silas meeting. 10:02. Speaking with the ghost of Sir Dartayn Nagara.19:05. Last notes on Mindra as a source of greater info and help.20:30. The construction and look of the chambers and halls in the tomb. 22:02. The way that descending stairs in the tombs enter and leave chambers.23:40. Lighting within the tomb. 24:30. Torch sconces in rooms. 25:45. Using torches to scorch or mark walls.26:05. Some discussion of Dark Vision.29:55. The durations of torches. 30:20. Monsters spotting light sources. 32:05. Distances of sounds carrying within the tomb. 33:52. Rolling encounter checks in the dungeons. 34:47. D12 encounter checks.38:22. Hearing skeletons moving within the tomb. 39:18. “Shrouded” Skeletons.41:00. The bonuses given to “Shrouded” dead. 42:45. The flammability of burial shrouds. 44:38. Discussion of what will be covered in the Podcast on each level of the Dungeon.45:26. Room one. Tracking notes. 46:26. Room two. Reflecting pool, statues, exits, and the skeleton of Grullox Grim Hammer. 49:50. Grullox's War Hammer. 51:57. Chambers three and four. The “screening walls” in these chambers. 53:32. The statues in the galleries. 56:12. The masses of skeletons in areas number five and number six. 58:15. Dartayn notes with concern to other locations in the first level.1:00:18. The monk's bunking rooms.1:01:05. The jade mermaid figurine.1:04:23. The meditations halls, and the oddities of Skeletal Commanders.1:06:40. Rooms fifteen and fourteen. Scrolls and wax in room 14. The bone weird in room 15.1:12:00. The monk's chapel. The statue: its treasures, traps, and powers. 1:13:55. Reversing the blessing for evil characters. 1:15:05. Getting through the vent pipe behind the statue in the chapel.1:17:45. Wrapping up level 1.★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Knight of the SunPodcast Walkthrough Session 7“Bone Dust Hill.”Music is “Dark 80s Synth” by White Bat.Time signatures:1:35. Final encounter of the creek. Fatigue?3:00. Camping on the hill if they miss the window to open the tomb.3:40. Cloud cover. 4:35. Entering the pathways around the hill. 5:57. The map of Bone Dust Hill. 7:00. The paths through the thorns. 7:50. Hacking short cuts through the paths. 9:26. Elevation marks on the map in the book (area #10 is at the top of the hill, so all slopes lead up to that location).10:53. Some info about the battle that took place on this hill, and details about the defensive earthworks that were built on the site.12:48. Where the ditch and earthwork lays around the hill. 14:47. Encounters around the hill. 16:20. Encounter area #3. The Specters.17:05. The skulls and the ritual used to bind the Specters to the skulls. 19:15. Attacking the skulls. 10hp in one shot (or in the same round) to destroy it. 21:25. Encounter area #2 notes. 22:00. Encounter area #4. The Standoff.23:18. The two bands of skeletons. 25:24. Disturbing the skeletons. 26:10. The henge-point of the encounter.27:50. Giving a hint. 28:20. Dicing to resolve the skeleton fight, if it can be sparked between the Undead groups.29:30. The surviving commander takes control. 30:10. The PCs have to fight or avoid the separated patrol groups. 30:46. Giving a hint to those who have read the book “Heroes of Bone Dust Hill.”31:35. Encounter areas #5 and #6. The paths over the ditch and earthwork mound. 36:30. The muddy pit trap in the ditch at #5 and #6. 37:32. Complication any fighting at area #6 from area #7. 39:44. Area #7 combat resolutions. 40:27. Traveling from area #7 to the shrine (area #10) at the top of the hill.41:29. Area #8. The Thorn Blights. 43:57. Area #9, The Hidden Camp. 45:20. .pdf trap difference with the Hidden Camp. 47:20. Hidden body at the Hidden Camp in the .pdf and the XP opportunities concerning the body. 48:37. The horses at the camp and missing the Hidden Camp. 49:57. Important Loot in the camp, adding details in Al'Tharron's stuffs.51:44. Mindra and/or Silas following the PCs.53:05. The Shrine. Area #10. 54:45. The Thorngre. 56:13. Opening the tomb and getting a first look into the tomb. 56:55. Sacrificial Pits in the tomb, and the first of those encountered at the top of the stair.58:54. Tracking on the stairs. 59:07. Wrapping up: notes on handling extended stays at the shrine. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Knight of the SunPodcast Walk-through, Session 6. Up the creek. Music is “Dark 80s Synth” by White Bat. Session 6 Time Signatures:1:30. The Wood Elf N.P.C.s2:43. What the Wood Elves know that is important. What they need to find out. 4:43. The Ogre Blu'Ghra.6:05. Staging the deaths of specific NPCs.6:52. Little Sister Gretchen.9:10. Using a Drover or two in the villager (Missing Merchant's Hook note). 10:44. The Chapel's belltower as a vantage point.12:59. Notes on the Ghast, Father Chandley.14:11. Investigating the constable's house on day two, rather than day one and the location of the constable's house. 15:32. Negotiating access to the Dwarven tower (the brewery) with the bodies of the constable, his wife and/or the baby. 16:23. What the dwarves will do with the bodies, if they gain them. 17:32. Considering the taller buildings. Holing up in them. Falling out of them.18:57. The room to play with the situation in the village.19:49. Using the Wood Elves to spur the PCs onward.20:00. What if the PCs barricade the northern end of the creek. 20:48. Old man Mcgrubber's prize bull?21:06. Your paladin's prize war horse. 21:55. Mindra adding to the mess. 22:23. Making a list of the levers you can pull. 23:00. Traveling up the Creek.23:29. Convincing an acolyte to come along.24:50. Complications with Niles. 25:55. Getting into the creek tunnel. 26:16. Movement in the creek. 26:45. Set encounters along the course of the creek.27:47. The Crow Encounter. Teaching the PCs the intricacies and difficulties of action in the creek. 29:55. Caring for PC feet.30:31. Alternative encounters in the creek. Someone trapped out in the thorns. 32:12. The encounter with the deer. 37:42. The Lesser Wraith (and friends).40:52. The scream of the lesser Wraith. 41:44. Complications of the Wraith and Specter encounters. 44:05. The battle at the waterfall. 49:23. The guards in the creek at the bottom of Bone-Dust Hill.51:30. Skeletal Commanders. 55:10. Oddities of Skeletal Commanders. 56:27. Wrapping up. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Music by White Bat.Knight of the SunSession 5 Time Signatures.0:54. Audio mishaps. 1:37. Lenny Tilston's name and notes. 3:00. What the villager's know about the Madman and notes on his escape. 4:33. Waking the PCs into day 2. 5:30. First glances at the thorn wall.6:55. Going downstairs in the Inn on the second morning. 7:45. Reactions of the people in the Inn. 8:13. The Mayor arrives.8:50. The Mayor's announcements. 9:38. Announcement about the Brewers Tower and notes about it. 11:16. The Mayor asks to talk to the PCs. 14:14. Getting out into the village. 14:25. Deciding whether the thorn wall is poisoned or not and the effects if it is. 15:50. Notes on the thorn wall and the creek. 18:17. Locating Theta and going to the Chapel, notes on talking to Theta.19:50. Juggling the Niles interruption of conversation with Niles. 20:35. The open grave and Theta's demands for her “exorcism.” 21:50. Important elements in the Church. 23:35. The barding-helm.24:50. Encountering Acolyte Theta in the village and dealing with her. 26:13. Ending the conversation with Niles appearing in a panic. 26:40. The open grave again. 27:12: The scream. 28:02. Running toward the center bridge. Mud effects. 29:18: Protection from thorns.29:35. First view of Father Chandley and victim in the creek. One fast Ghast. 30:35. The northern bridge and Silas. The bottle of vast vapors and other tricks 31:40. The fog storm. 33:00 The state of the village in the fog. Silas and Father Chandley. 33:54. Dealing with the Ghast. Zombies, and catching up to the Ghast. 34:50. Acolyte Theta and the Ghast.36:11. Incursions. 37:04. How the PCs can find out where the creek leads to reach the shrine. 37:48: Small PCs (gnomes) and moving into the thorns.38:30. The action in the village and the number of the Undead involved. 39:19. Undead being made in the village. 40:15. How long to keep up the chaos and limits on the PCs approach to the tomb. 40:40. The Necromancer's advancement in the tomb.41:33. When the PCs will want to head to the tomb. 42:50. More notes on the secret of entering the tomb. 44:01. Acolyte Theta's death. Getting an acolyte to go along to the tomb. 46:17. Notes on hunting Silas. 47:05. Hiding places. 47:45. The exorcism of the Ghast and the death of Theta.48:40. Leaving for the shrine with an acolyte. Complications.50:10. Wrapping up. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Music by White Bat.Knight of the SunSession 4 Time Signatures.1:35. Approaching the Inn. Its exterior description.3:00. Meeting NPC Billy.7:43. Overview of the Inn's interior.9:47. Patrons in the Inn. 10:09. Meeting Mindra.11:03. The one not looking. 12:34. Ordering Drinks and talking to Mindra. 14:20. Meeting the Mayor. 17:23. The village's litany of woe.18:30. The execution. 18:43. Death of the priest.19:08. The missing Hunter. 19:18. The missing little girl. 20:12. The thorn bushes on Bone-Dust Hill. The book. 21:53. Vernrad Cadwell discovers the murdered Yinul family. 22:40. The ritual killings. 25:10. Drawing the sigils.26:02. Interpreting the sigil. 28:20: Ambient activities in the Inn during the conversation. 29:23. Father Chandley's murder and the mayor's misgivings. 30:22. The mayors take on Silas.30:50. The ritual killing of Father Chandley. 31:57. Arcana checks on the ritual killings. 32:37. The arrival of the Wood Elves. 34:15. The village mobs. 34:56. Rumors of strangers in the hills. 35:17. Rumors of an Ogre.35:50. Lenny wraps up and is tired. 36:25. Tired PCs and going to talk to Silas. 36:50. Other PC actions around the Inn. 37:40. Important notes on the constable's house.42:24. Rumors in the Inn. 42:42. Other activities of the PCs on the first night. 43:10. Alternative ways to cover the litany of woes. 45:17. The book “Heroes of Bone-Dust Hill.” 50:30. Wrap up. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Music by White Bat.Knight of the Sun Podcast.Session 3 Time Signatures. 1:37. Intro section. Addendum to “small town” NPC reactions. 3:54. The influence of John Carpenter's “The Thing,” and using it as inspiration for running a confined adventure space. 5:04. Note on the initial descriptions of the village. 5:40. The outhouses of Dons Hollow. 6:31. Population of Dons Hollow?7:30. Halfling Homes. 7:40. Dwarf Homes. 8:39. Wandering the village. The village hanging tree. 10:05. Cutter creek description; the roots. 13:13. Important NPCs in the village.13:34. Silas, first look. 16:37. Minion of Orcus Quirks that Silas Possesses.17:25. Minion of Orcus Wererats. 17:45. Minion of Orcus pledge beyond death.17:35. Minion of Orcus Wererat's vulnerability.20:54. Why Silas is in jail.24:57. Minion of Orcus Wererat's size and appearance in monster form. 26:25. Outhouse Dweller. 26:40. What the village knows of him via rumor. 27:11. The scent of Silas. 27:58. Silas's eyesight restrictions.28:24. What the village has learned from Silas. 29:01 Going to meet Silas on the first night. 29:19: PC Fatigue from travel. 29:53. Where Silas actually is. The threat of Silas.32:10. Silas's hearing. 32:49. His escape hitting the village. 33:41. Stat specifics of Minion of Orcus Wererats (re-hash of a few topics already discussed).35:58. Lycanthropy threat.36:27. Undeath of a Minion of Orcus. 37:22. Silas' contact in the village. 37:40. The NPC Mindra Tilston. First look. The barmaid's story. 40:10. Mindra's Connection to Silas. 40:59. Mindra's second secret (how the undead deal with her and Silas).42:36. Mindra's Stats and function in the story.45:40. Mindra's existing affair. 47:34. Mindra's task as she sees it. 49:09. Mindra's secret in the basement. 53:40. The NPC Claire Orthel. First Look.55:33. The Orthel Grandchildren.56:00. What they are doing in Dons Hollow. 57:50. Long term importance of Murdock “Orthel.”58:37. What to do with this backstory.59:05. The journal. Claire's and Kessen's class. Her spells. 1:00:30. Holding and dealing with the secret. 1:01:48. Minor NPCs.1:02:20. The Wood Elves. 1:03:30. Wood Elf Ranger. 1:04:06. Who knows about the tomb.1:07:06. Jaelix Amasar. Wood Elf Ranger.1:07:42. Nasarra Etheon. Half-Wood Elf Druid.1:09:28. The secret of entering the tomb. 1:12:25. Acolyte Niles.1:13:30. Possible hirlings. 1:13:50. Largrin Silverforge. 1:14:10. Devrissa Highhill.1:14:40. Minx Dardinion. 1:15:54. Jath Oathsman. 1:16:33. NPCs wrap up. 1:17:17. Wrap up. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Music by White Bat.Knight of the Sun Podcast Session 2 Time Signatures.1:13. Story Hooks. 1:37. “Agents of a Regional Lord,” Hook.3:14. “The Distrust of Wood Elves,” Hook. 5:02. “Priestly Concerns,” Hooks. 8:35. “Visiting Relatives,” Hook. 12:30. “Merchants Concern,” Hook. 15:10. The Hook for evil PCs. 19:20. Alternative Opening Scene. 24:01. First Section Opening. 26:15. Approaching Houses. 26:55. Beady little gleaming eyes. 27:23. If the PCs have horses. 27:45. Finding “the relative's house,” if that hook is used. 28:18. Approaching the chapel. 29:30. Optional opening; about the Ogre. 30:37. Ogre complications. 32:47. Acolyte Theta notes. 33:27. Getting the party to the starting point. 34:34. First look at the tavern innards. 35:22. Villager's first look at the PCs. 38:11. Wrap up. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Music by White Bat.Knight of the Sun PodcastSession One Time Signatures:1:07. Using the module with the Podcast & making adjustments.2:05. The general goal of the Podcast.2:20. How differences between the printed module and .pdf will be handled and what those are generally.3:45. Size of the Module and how to work with it. 5:20. Artwork differences between the book and the .pdf.6:30. The Typo-Rodeo.7:30. Session Zero stuffs.7:47. Choosing an angle, good vs evil.8:49. Cultists of Orcus.9:05: Location of the Adventure. 9:30: Starting Cities for Cult of Orcus. 10:38. The goal of evil characters. 12:45. “Goodly” characters.13:01. Main diff between good and evil PCs in the story. 14:20. Backstory for evil PCs.15:05. Backstory for good PCs.15:53. Campaign navigator for evil PCs.16:09. Chapter 2 of the series, “Bleeding light,” and campaign navigator release. 16:53. Game Systems. 20:00. 5e Hard Core Mode21:00. Minion rules. 21:30. The optional “Sanity” stat.23:10. PC levels. 27:24. Placing the adventure in various settings: Forgotten Realms.30:00. Possible locations in Greyhawk.31:02. Solar Deities to use for the “Sun God.”32:29. Wrap-up.★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★