Vasso's Investigation of the Pumpkin Field

Summary

In Session 5 of the campaign, Vasso, controlled by Dayna, grew suspicious of an apparently wild pumpkin field the party encountered and decided to investigate before anyone approached it. After confirming the terrain had shifted from forest to grassland with hills and dells, Vasso used Discern Realities to examine the field more closely. With aid from Cat (controlled by Brad), who taught Vasso about pumpkins, the investigation succeeded with a full 10+ result. Vasso's three questions revealed critical intelligence: one pumpkin approximately 50-60 feet away was moving, the field was likely cultivated and protected by whatever occupied its center, and the moment anyone tried to harvest the pumpkins, the creature in the middle would react. This advance warning allowed the party to understand the danger before walking into it.

Details

The investigation began when Dayna asked whether the pumpkins in the Money Pumpkin Field were wild or cultivated, initially wondering if this required a Spout Lore move. Shawn clarified that Discern Realities was the appropriate move. Dayna also questioned the terrain, noting "the terrain doesn't seem like typical farmland given they just passed a giant boulder," but Shawn confirmed the party had left the forest behind and entered grassland terrain.

Vasso's initial roll came up as a 9 plus zero modifier, a partial success. At this point, Brad offered that Cat could aid by teaching Vasso about pumpkins. With Cat's assistance and the bond between the characters, the final result reached 11—a full success granting three questions.

For the first question, Dayna asked: "What here is not what it appears to be?" Shawn revealed that "one of the pumpkins, like, moving" about 50-60 feet away from the party's position.

The second question was "Who's really in control here?" Shawn explained that the field appeared cultivated rather than wild: "It's very unlikely that this huge field of pumpkins is, like, totally wild because it's almost untouched, and it's very, very tidy." Furthermore, "whatever is in the middle of this field might be the reason that the pumpkins haven't been disturbed to a greater degree."

For the final question, "What is about to happen?", Shawn described the immediate future: "Nothing right now is gonna happen. But as you see, like, sucks and Cat are like, oh, man, all these money pumpkins are going to be rich." The revelation made clear that the moment Sucks and Cat began moving toward the pumpkins to harvest them, the creature in the middle would react.

Participants

Vasso — Performed the investigation using Discern Realities
Dayna — Controlled Vasso and asked the questions during the move
Cat — Aided the investigation by teaching Vasso about pumpkins, providing the bond bonus that turned a partial success into a full success
Brad — Controlled Cat and offered the aid
Pumpkin Catapult Creature — The hidden threat revealed by the investigation, located in the center of the field

Consequences

The party gained advance warning about the Pumpkin Catapult Creature before anyone walked into danger
Vasso identified that one pumpkin was moving, revealing the creature's approximate location 50-60 feet away
The party learned the field was cultivated and protected, not wild as it first appeared
The investigation revealed that harvesting attempts would trigger an immediate response from the creature
Sucks and Cat's eagerness to collect "money pumpkins" was tempered by knowledge of the threat
The party could now plan their approach rather than stumbling into combat unprepared