Sword & Sorcery University - 4AD Actual Play 1

Group projects suck...

After hearing many recommendations for Four Against Darkness, I decided to try it out.

It’s a bit more light-hearted than the grimdark, horror, dystopian vibe I usually gravitate towards. The rule book seems to include humor, so I leaned into it with this solo play and write-up.

I hope you enjoy it!

Sword & Sorcery University wasn’t a massive school, but it did bring in students from across the realm.

As the promotional literature pointed out, many of Windvale’s top wizards graduated from its College of Magical and Occult Sciences. It also boasted one of the top seminaries, the Order of Valus, whose clerics kept legions of undead in check.

Yet, like most centers of higher education, a great many cared little for bookish nonsense. Either they were on scholarship for athletics or spent their time hellraising in nearby taverns.

Spring Semester – Adventuring 402 (Dungeon Delving Group Practicum)

Four of the most unlikely students were thrown together to complete the final project, an actual dungeon crawl.

It was, of course, pass/fail. They either got the experience needed to pass the course or…well, there wouldn’t be anyone around to get a grade.

First was Garron. At 6’3” and a muscular 235 lbs., he was a stand-out on SSU’s Looting and Pillage team. Having already slain 20 of the realm’s top warriors, many lords and mercenary companies had their eyes on him.

Arrogant, reckless, and popular with the girls, he didn’t care much for grades. After all, he was going pro before graduation.

Thessa, a beautiful raven-haired rogue, also cared little for grades. She spent her time partying and relieving lecherous older men of their valuables. The Windvale Thieves Guild, Local 62, saw her potential, and her connections meant she had the answers to every test anyway.

She was a member of the Climbing Club, enjoyed yoga, and was known for constantly picking every lock on campus. The administration didn’t like her at all.

Then there was Brother Ithar. He was a plain-looking red-haired youth so pious he even annoyed the seminar curates. Ithar believed his sole purpose was to convert everyone he met. No one knew quite what to make of him with his constant prayer and meditation.

Those who weren’t on the path wallowed in ignorance. It was his task to show them the light.

Finally, there was Faelith. Waifish, awkward, and as well-read as any budding young wizard could be. Once, she made an A-minus…once. And then only because she kept correcting her professor, Warlock Gowlin.

Faelith is a perfectionist. She’s too busy memorizing dusty old tomes to do much else and has her sights set on becoming valedictorian.

It is this unlikely four that will face the darkness together. Their assignment begins next week.

Wish them well…