Dogma wrote:Olaf moves up beside Grim and sniffs the air too.
"To the east I think. Gold and gems to the east. Have you been that way yet?", he whispers to the other dwarf.
Actually, he doesn't get that ability until level 1, per RC.
Grim says, "Aye I smell something... tasty. Some gems, too."
Cisneros hacks violently. "East!"
Grim nods. "All right, let's move, but slowly now..."
Move forward, pole tapping as before. Will stop at the curtains to see if they hide passageways or alcoves.
Daryll and Willie keep a sharp lookout behind them.
Barrowmaze Map (by Grim Oddson and Gunnar Ottarson):Updated 03/14/13
Barrowmaze Characters (Active in Expedition 5):
Gunnar Ottarson (Dwarf 1): AC 16 HP 7/7
Daryll One-ear (Thief 1): AC 13 HP 4/4
Cisneros (Elf 1): AC 11 HP 6/6
Howard Phillipson (Wizard 1): AC 13 HP 5/9
Dogma wrote:Olaf moves up beside Grim and sniffs the air too.
"To the east I think. Gold and gems to the east. Have you been that way yet?", he whispers to the other dwarf.
Actually, he doesn't get that ability until level 1, per RC.
It's spelled "RAW". Take a look at page 21, which tells you what racial abilities 0-lvl demihumans get.
As you move forward, it is clear that there is a second set of curtains, right and left, after another 10 feet of wall, and after another 10 feet of wall, a third set of curtains.
Looking behind the curtain to the left reveals a hideous sight -- a swarm of rat-like creatures is consuming what appears to be the corpse of a recently deceased human in striped breeches. This area is 10 feet square. The creatures are each about 2 feet long, and there are perhaps 10 of them.
Looking behind the curtain to the right reveals an area 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Two creatures, animated corpses with bestial, dog-like features are here, one female and one male. Their eyes gleam in the dark, and their teeth and claws seem sharp. They hiss with indrawn breath as they see you.
Neither area has any apparent exit, apart from the curtains.
Roll for initiative, and tell me your actions, please.
Is it okay to talk strategy OOC as if at the table? Cause this is potentially a baaad place to fight, heh.
Barrowmaze Map (by Grim Oddson and Gunnar Ottarson):Updated 03/14/13
Barrowmaze Characters (Active in Expedition 5):
Gunnar Ottarson (Dwarf 1): AC 16 HP 7/7
Daryll One-ear (Thief 1): AC 13 HP 4/4
Cisneros (Elf 1): AC 11 HP 6/6
Howard Phillipson (Wizard 1): AC 13 HP 5/9
Allright... as I see it, we have curtains on the north and south side of the tunnel, then there's two MORE SETS of such curtains farther east down the tunnel. Assuming similar enemies behind those curtains, that's potentially 3x 10 2' long rat things and 3x 2 ghoul-like things... or 30+ rats and 6 ghouls. That's a big problem. And we are exposed to the rear, here, to what we don't know. I think we should set these curtains on fire and retreat back to the door to the triangle room. What say you?
Barrowmaze Map (by Grim Oddson and Gunnar Ottarson):Updated 03/14/13
Barrowmaze Characters (Active in Expedition 5):
Gunnar Ottarson (Dwarf 1): AC 16 HP 7/7
Daryll One-ear (Thief 1): AC 13 HP 4/4
Cisneros (Elf 1): AC 11 HP 6/6
Howard Phillipson (Wizard 1): AC 13 HP 5/9
My first thought was to fall back to the intersection where we could set up a three sided "Kill-box", but then we might have to deal with anything drawn to the sounds of fighting, and PCs might get sandwiched between groups of baddies.
i agree that the best strategy would be to fall back to the triangle room where we spiked the door shut to keep the patch work creatures confined. Use the door as a bottleneck. Would also give a route to fall back (run away!) further if things go bad. Oh, and set fire the curtains for sure. Any one have any flask of oil if we need to slow them down more?
Dogma wrote:My first thought was to fall back to the intersection where we could set up a three sided "Kill-box", but then we might have to deal with anything drawn to the sounds of fighting, and PCs might get sandwiched between groups of baddies.
Yeah that's what I'm worried about. We don't know what's lurking down those other tunnels and sound definitely draws things in this place, we learned that pretty well in the last expedition.
Dogma wrote:Maybe the best strategy would be to fall back to the room where we spiked the door shut to keep the patch work creatures confined. Use the door as a bottleneck. Would also give a route to fall back (run away!) further if things go bad.
Yes. That's what I was suggesting. Anybody else have thoughts before we roll initiative?
Barrowmaze Map (by Grim Oddson and Gunnar Ottarson):Updated 03/14/13
Barrowmaze Characters (Active in Expedition 5):
Gunnar Ottarson (Dwarf 1): AC 16 HP 7/7
Daryll One-ear (Thief 1): AC 13 HP 4/4
Cisneros (Elf 1): AC 11 HP 6/6
Howard Phillipson (Wizard 1): AC 13 HP 5/9
Setting curtains on fire is the only part of the plan that I think might go sideways, at least initially--but I'm not totally opposed to it either if it kills a few of the things.
Falling back to the triangle room is a good idea. I'm in.
Yeah it may make too much noise if stuff starts screaming.
Initiative: 19 + 3 = 22.
Grim says, "Quick! Hustle backwards to the intersection, then backwards to room with the gargoyle! MOVE!"
He'll ready an action to fight defensively when the ghoul things come out. Roll to hit = 1. Seriously? He'll burn a point of luck to avoid the fumble.
Kent will ready to throw his torch when the ghoul things appear. To hit = 4 + 3 = 7. If by some magic that hits, damage is 2 + 2 = 4 from club impact, 6 from fire if it catches. He and Gunnar will stay behind Grim as they back up.
Daryll will hustle straight back to the intersection to make sure they're safe. Willie, HP, and Cisneros will shuffle along with him.
Barrowmaze Map (by Grim Oddson and Gunnar Ottarson):Updated 03/14/13
Barrowmaze Characters (Active in Expedition 5):
Gunnar Ottarson (Dwarf 1): AC 16 HP 7/7
Daryll One-ear (Thief 1): AC 13 HP 4/4
Cisneros (Elf 1): AC 11 HP 6/6
Howard Phillipson (Wizard 1): AC 13 HP 5/9
Ellie jogs towards the triangle room, not waiting for anyone else.
Podrick will also fight defensively (if need be): 9 + 0, should that hit, damage from the staff is 4.
Jeren will do the same (should anything attack), with this pitchfork before falling back: 1 (lovely), fumble roll = 3.
Kadatheron takes a few steps towards the triangle room. He will only attack with his torch if other miss and the things advance or try to cut off their escape: 13 (+2 for 15 if he throws it).
Jonas feels his gorge rising as he spies the rat things eating the body. He doesn't hesitate to follows Grim's command to retreat to the triangle room. In fact, he would have done the same regardless.
Garth, Willem, and Olaf try a more orderly withdraw, backing down the corridor with weapons ready in case the need to attack arises
to hit rolls/damage if needed:
Gar]th: To hit: [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15, damage with club: [1d4+2] = 4+2 = 6
Willem: To hit: [1d20+1] = 10+1 = 11, damage with knife: [1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4
Olaf: Output: To hit: [1d20] = 2, damage with hammer: [1d4] = 4
Everyone moves before the ghoul things, and the rat creatures are still intent on their prey, so you are able to make it back to the gargoyle room before they catch up to you, although it is close. The thrown torch misses, and the creatures hiss in delight.
"Aaaahhhhh pretty things, pretty pretty things," hisses the female one, "Ssssssstay to play with usssssss......."
Forgot you like initiative each round: 9 + 3 = 12.
Daryll positions himself to the side of the doorway, hoping to land a backstab. Whether they're immune to critical hits or not doesn't matter insofar as the bonus to hit / increased damage die, right? That's all I really care about.
Grim stands firm in the doorway. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" he roars. He attempts a defensive maneuver with his warhammer, targeting the one that spoke, but it fails. To-hit: 12, + 1 from deed die = 13. If that hits, damage = 5. He'll shieldbash the other one, if they're both in the doorway, or the speaker, if they're not. To-hit: d14 = 7, + 1 from deed die? = 8. I assume that misses.
If they get into the doorway and Daryll can backstab, he will try. To-hit: 3, assume that misses.
Gunnar, flanking Grim, will attack with his hammer. To-hit: 20, +2 = 22. Critical roll: 2, strike's eye for +1d4 damage, total damage = 4 + 2 + 4 = 10!
When it looks like no one is looking, HP edges over to the spiked door and listens at it, to see if he can hear any activity inside.
Kent lights two torches and hands one to Willie, then gets ready to throw one next round. Willie prepares to throw his torch next round too.
Cisneros hobbles over by the gargoyle statute and looks back down the hallway that they came into this room from originally, to make sure nothing's approaching from behind.
Barrowmaze Map (by Grim Oddson and Gunnar Ottarson):Updated 03/14/13
Barrowmaze Characters (Active in Expedition 5):
Gunnar Ottarson (Dwarf 1): AC 16 HP 7/7
Daryll One-ear (Thief 1): AC 13 HP 4/4
Cisneros (Elf 1): AC 11 HP 6/6
Howard Phillipson (Wizard 1): AC 13 HP 5/9
Ellie sticks to the wall nearest the statue, somewhere near to Cisneros, also keeping an eye on the direction we came from. If anything gets close, she will attack with her stick. Ellie: 5, if that hits, damage: 1
Podrick and Jeren will form up as a second row behind where Grim is, should anything get to their position or one of the front row fall, they will attack the nearest badie.
"Steady now Jer," Podrick says to Jeren's shaking form. Podrick: 13, should that hit, damage: 4 (!)
Jeren: 11, if it hits, damage: 2
Kadatheron will hold just behind those two, keeping an eye out behind us and on the spiked door. Should any undead get close enough to throw his torch at, he will so so. Kadatheron: 8 (+2)=10, not sure of the damage on a torch...
Last edited by knight.errant on Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jonas hurries to the far side of the statue, mumbling something about "guarding the rear from attack", when in reality he just wants to put the statue between himself and the creatures.
Olaf stand fast by the door, ready to swing his hammer. "Play with this you filthy hag!" Olaf: to hit = 1, damge =3, fumble roll = 2
Willem, his hands shaking at the site of the creatures, lashes out with his dagger, "Die, damn you! Why won't you die?" Willem: to hit[1d20+1] = 1+1 = 2 damage from dagger [1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4, fumble roll = 3
Garth lashes out with his club, intent on bashing the head of the approaching male creature. Garth: to hit[1d20+2] = 19+2 = 21 damage from club [1d4+2] = 3+2 = 5
Alrighty, then. I hope you all had a very pleasant Halloween!
Remember that no actual attacks took place last round, as you kept ahead of your foes, so no one spent Luck to avoid fumbles.
The ghoul-things have an unfortunate (for them) Initiative of 10 (8 + 2), so everyone is able to get into possition before they scrabble into the room. The female comes first, crouched on all fours almost like a dog, hissing lascivious and disturbing things to her companion, about eating your flesh and what they will do upon it. Things best not described too closely.
Olaf swings, and misses, possibly tripping (DC 10 Reflex avoids). Willem also misses, his weapon coming loose in his hand. Although he quickly grabs it, his grip is disrupted, and he will take a -2 penalty on his next attack roll.
Garth lashes out, gaining a solid strike, but the female does not go down.
These creatures are AC 14, so Podrick may hit if he wishes to spend a point of Luck? Let me know, and I will continue the round. It appears to Podrick that his swing, if it hits, may well do the female in.
Raven, for the record, I have no problem with you rolling checks like this as it would make the game flow better. Just as you trust us to make our rolls, I trust you in the rolls you make.
Podrick's blow takes down the female, who falls into a huddled pile of brackish blood and broken flesh. The male howls in rage: "Aaaaaahhhhhhhh! Jasssmine, my love, my love, my beauty, my love!" He shrieks in despair as he throws himself toward Podrick.....bypassing Grim as though the dwarf were not even there. But Gunnar swings a mighty blow, catching the ghoul-thing right in the eye, and he stumbles to fall, clutching his love again in death as he had in life and in un-death.
Grim would have gotten a free swing as the creature bypassed him, but since Gunnar killed it, no need to roll!
Normally, a fight that goes this easy would be 1 XP, but it went this easy because you guys thought about what you were doing, so 2 XP. Also, both Gunnar and Podrick gain 1 point of Luck for delivering the final blows against these ill-fated lovers, as beautiful Aphrodel, Goddess of Love, Beauty, Physical Passion, the Sea, and Running Waters, gathers them across death's far shore, at last delivered of the curse of undying.
From the squeaks and chittering noises, though, all of this noise has attracted the rat-things from their feast. They are coming. What are you going to do?
Take a look at page 21, which tells you what racial abilities 0-lvl demihumans get.
