Summary of Part 2: A Terrible Transformation | Starter Kit - Advanced D&D

Overview of Part 2: A Terrible Transformation | Starter Kit — Advanced D&D

This episode (Starter Kit — Part 2) is an urban D&D play session run by DM David Nett for geekandsundry. The party investigates a violent scene in the city, encounters a horrific monster that emerges from a victim, chases it into the sewers, and returns with new clues tying gang activity and scavenger-monsters together. The episode balances combat and roleplay with practical examples of in-game mechanics (initiative, actions, reactions, spells, tracking) and offers a DM note about using nature-focused classes in city adventures.

Main beats / Episode flow

• Recap of last session: team investigating a crime scene with gang symbols.
• Combat: a young man reveals a monster (tentacled/mandibled creature) that emerges from his body mid-struggle.
• The party fights the creature; individual PC turns and spell/attack outcomes are played out in detail.
• The monster flees; the party pursues into the neighborhood, finds it went into the sewers, and tracks it.
• Rats in the sewers provide partial directions (via druid/ranger interaction).
• The party returns to the precinct with new evidence; the City Watch compiles findings. Lieutenant Smiles praises the group's progress and leaves them to follow up.
• Tease for next episode: further investigation into gangs (harpies and the Rivers) and thief-quarter leads.

Characters/PCs present (brief)

• Igneous — PC who is grappled and briefly paralyzed by the creature.
• Narlak (Narlacc?) — Sorcerer casting Firebolt.
• Araviel — Warlock who uses Toll the Dead, summons a magical flail (Gaelash/Galash), and casts Hex.
• Shywin — Ranger (gloom stalker) with Hunter’s Mark and strong tracking/darkvision skills.
• Leona — Melee fighter using a magical longsword.
• Smiles — City Watch contact (supervisor) who later reviews evidence.
• Lieutenant Wainwright/City Watch — investigators on the scene.
• NPCs: harpy-marked and Rivers-gang suspects; unnamed boy who becomes the monster’s host.

Key plot developments & clues

• The party discovers a monstrous carrion-crawler–like creature that emerges from a victim’s mouth/chest. It has tentacles, mandibles, and paralyzing attacks.
• Combat details show the creature can paralyze (Con save DC 13), lash with tendrils, and scar/burn victims with tentacle burns.
• After being wounded, the creature flees into nearby bushes and the sewers; the party loses it visually but tracks signs.
• Investigation returns evidence that gang activity (harpies + Rivers) was present: bodies with harpy tattoos, three Rivers gang members, lockpicks, and a bag of stolen goods (including a necklace identified as belonging to Madame Flagstaff).
• Forensics: some bodies were torn apart (tentacle-like wounds), others died from stabbing; mixed signs suggest either a fight between gangs or both targeted the same house.
• Tracking in the sewers reveals an opened sewer grate; following the trail leads to a sewer crossroads where the scent is overwhelmed and the group consults sewer rats.
• Rats identify a “big worm” with “worms on face” and point in conflicting directions; eventually confirm other cloaked people came back the way the party originally approached.
• Party returns to the precinct; Smiles commends them but leaves them to continue investigation — episode ends with the party planning to pursue gang leads.

Combat & rules highlights (useful for players/DMs)

• Initiative, movement, actions, bonus actions, reactions, and disengage mechanics were demonstrated in play.
• Toll the Dead: warlock cantrip — target makes a Wisdom save (DC 13) vs necrotic damage (1d8 or 1d12 when missing HP).
• Firebolt: ranged spell attack (sorcerer) used in melee environment (risk of friendly fire).
• Paralyzing effect: creature’s tendril deals damage + forces a Constitution save to avoid paralysis.
• Reactions: PCs can attack a creature as it disengages/runs past (single attack).
• Hunter’s Mark and Hex: examples of bonus actions/bonuses to damage and skills (Hunter’s Mark adds 1d6 per hit; Hex grants extra necrotic and disadvantage on chosen ability checks — the party used Strength to hamper grapple attempts).
• Tracking: Survival checks (with advantage from Hunter’s Mark in this session) to follow spoor; ranger/gloom stalker roleplay and darkvision advantage in sewers.

Notable roleplay moments / DM tips

• DM note: urban campaigns don’t have to exclude nature-based classes. Druids, rangers, and barbarians can have meaningful and fun roles in cities (tracking, dealing with sewers and beasts, social encounters).
• Effective use of environment in combat: cramped stairwell equals cover, limited melee options, and potential for friendly-fire/complicated movement.
• Using animal interaction (animal handling / Speak With Animals / Circle abilities) to gather clues — rats as unreliable narrators but still helpful.

Items & evidence of interest

• Bag of loot: jewelry (including Madame Flagstaff’s diamond choker), gold candlesticks, coins — suggests burglary.
• Lockpicks found on a victim with the harpy tattoo.
• Harpy tattoos on four bodies; Rivers gang mark (three bodies) found on other victims — implies multiple gangs present.
• Carrion crawler–like physical evidence (claw/tentacle marks on walls, tentacle burns) — unusual behavior: crawling out of a human host.

Setting & tone

• Urban, late-night investigation moving into a grimy sewer chase: gritty, tense, horror-tinged.
• Tone mixes procedural investigation (City Watch procedures, evidence boards) with pulpy monster-horror.
• Session blends combat choreography with clue gathering and roleplay/debriefing.

Sponsors & mid-episode reads (brief)

The episode includes multiple sponsored segments (Shopify, Progressive, Alienware, AG1, Thrive Cosmetics, Chime, Mint Mobile, Etsy, Apple/Watch) interspersed between play sections. (If you want to skip to gameplay, look for the DM and combat scenes.)

Takeaways / hooks for next episode

• The creature is likely a carrion crawler (sewer-dwelling scavenger), but the transformation/possession aspect is new — carrion crawlers aren’t known to emerge from corpses or possess hosts.
• The party will pursue leads in the thieves’ quarter, interrogate/track the harpies/Rivers gangs, and try to determine whether more of these creatures exist or if something else is causing the transformations.
• Next episode teased: infiltration/negotiation with thieves’ quarter/harpies head, potential disguise and intimidation scenes.

If you need quick reference: the episode is an instructive example of urban D&D play—combat in tight spaces, using class features in nontraditional settings, and blending monster horror with investigative gameplay.