8a. Looking for Trouble

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog nods "Sure thing if that's what you want me to do I will go for it."

[Zhym]

Any other preparations before Gragog tries to pull a single beetle into the road? Any other details I should know about the plan?"

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog looks for one of the beetles and upon finding one will poke it with his spear and retreat back then poke with the spear and retreat a little more each time to draw it out to the road.

[Zhym]

Date: The next morning
Time: 11:50 AM
Weather: Fog
Location: The Old Svalich Road
**************************************

Gragog ventures ahead into the woods intent on poking a beetle. They're easy to find—he just follows the chittering and gnawing noises. The beetles are 150' down the road and perhaps 80' into the woods from the road. Gragog is about 50' away when he spots them. There are eight beetles, each bigger than a horse, chewing on stripped trees and bare shrubs. They have huge, antler-like mandibles that make quick work of tough shrubbery.

Gragog carefully approaches the nearest beetle, which is busy bringing down a small oak, and pokes it with his spear. The beetle looks up and sees something that might be tastier than trees and plants—fresh half-orc! It chitters something, and three other beetles turn their attention to the fighter.

Actions!

How many beetles notice Gragog (9-12=none)? [1d12] = 4
Surprise? [1d6] = 4

-----
Gragog (F7): 49/49; Lar (P6): 40/40; Scarlett (C7/T5): 34/34; Agax (MU7): 45/45; Petyr (F4): 30/30; Bogdana (C3): 23/23; Shinyah (D7): 38/38, Honeynose: 28/28, Treescratcher: 29/29, Hihu: 4/4

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog retreats back as much as he can to see how many of them pursue him.

[Inferno]

Agax the Dreamer, wizard:

Agax hung back with an uncharacteristic frown. "Expending spells and blood in this way must please the dark evil that yet awaits."

[Zhym]

Anyone else doing anything, or should I just resolve the action with Gragog?

[Inferno]

Agax will try to keep out of it.

[Zhym]

Date: The next morning
Time: 11:51 AM - Round 1
Weather: Fog
Location: The Old Svalich Road
**************************************

Gragog starts to retreat, but the beetle he poked thinks some half-orc meat might be a tasty addition to its routine diet. Before Gragog can back away, the beetle he poked swings its head left then right, stabbing the half-orc with 8' long horns (Gragog: -9 HP).

Gragog backs off, but he discovers that he's no faster in his splint mail than the beetles are. The beetle he poked follows right along, with three of its friends following.

Actions!

Initiative: Party [1d6] = 2 Monsters [1d6] = 3
Beetle attack: [1d20] = 5 [1d20] = 17 [1d20] = 13
Beetle damage: [1d10] = 1 [1d10] = 8

-----
Gragog (F7): 40/49; Lar (P6): 40/40; Scarlett (C7/T5): 34/34; Agax (MU7): 45/45; Petyr (F4): 30/30; Bogdana (C3): 23/23; Shinyah (D7): 38/38, Honeynose: 28/28, Treescratcher: 29/29, Hihu: 4/4

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog "TO ME FRIENDS! Four of them are on me!" the half-orc calls out while defending himself as best he can.
Spear +1 Thac0(14) [1d20+1] = 5+1 = 6 To Hit [1d6+1] = 1+1 = 2 S/M Dmg [1d8+1] = 3+1 = 4 L Dmg

[Zhym]

To set the scene a bit, Gragog made it back to within about 20' of the road that round. If no one else came along with him (and no one said they would), they're still 150' down the road. I'll be a nice DM, though, and say that the rest of the party moved up the road and are now about 50' down the road. At the sound of Gragog's call, other party members can run up and join the melee next round, or cast spells that take effect this round. Because Gragog and the beetles are still 20' off the road, missile weapon use isn't feasible.

Gragog can still back up into the road if he wants to give the rest of the party open lines of sight for spells or missile weapons.

[GreyWolfVT]

Very Well he will defend as he retreats more?

[Zhym]

He can do that.

[Inferno]

Agax the Dreamer, wizard:

Gragog "TO ME FRIENDS! Four of them are on me!"

Agax frowned at the party's decision to unnecessarily stir up a hornet's nest with the Druid's assent.
He moved forward to best position himself to conjure a magic spell to aid his unwise friend.

If the gaming wizard can help Gragog without burning down the forest, he'll utter magic words of power from beyond this world, "Gygax! Arhnes'On! Jax'Xon! Dhee! Saint Hhandray!"

In this case, he casts Lightning Bolt. He had moved to align himself to catch as many of the beetles as possible in one bolt, without hitting his friends or any trees. Maybe the short, wide, forking bolt might be best?

His primary goal is to not set the woods alight. If the beetles follow Gragog onto the road, it might be possible to cast safely.
But if it's not, he won't cast it this turn and will allow the druid to control these animals.

Damage roll, in case he can safely cast:
Lightning Bolt: [7d6] = 30
Thanks.

[Zhym]

"I didn't tell Gragog to hit a beetle up close!" says Shinyah. "I guess I should have known what he'd do by the fact that he isn't carrying a bow!"

"Gragog!" he cries down the road, "Get into the roadway! I'll try to entangle the ones that are following you!" The druid prepares a spell.

If Gragog continues retreating and the party wins initiative, there will be enough gap between him and the beetles for him not to get caught in the entangle spell and for the lightning bolt range to start past Gragog but before the beetles. If the party loses initiative, the beetles would attack first, then Gragog would lead them into the road but with no sizable gap between them.

Since the initiative roll is kind of important, anyone want to roll it?

[Cwreando]

Lar charges to Gragog's defense to assist him. Lar says, "We must help Gragog, friends." Lar will move to best assist Gragog and attacks the first beetle as it come through hopefully surprising it as it does. Lar tells Gragog,"Bring them to use Gragog." Lar gets his shield and sword ready.

To Hit AC0 (15) Bastard Sword +1, [1d20+1] = 15+1 = 16, Dmg vs sm [2d4+1] = 2+1 = 3 Dmg vs L [2d8+1] = 2+1 = 3

[Zhym]

Date: The next morning
Time: 11:52 AM - Round 2
Weather: Fog
Location: The Old Svalich Road
**************************************

Gragog quickly backs away out of the forest and into the road. The four beetles follow him, swinging their immense horns from side to side.

As the beetles crash through the trees into the road, Lar and Petyr rush forward to join the melee next round. Scarlett and Bogdana move up to closer range, but still out of melee. Treescratcher and Honeynose remain by Shinyah's side while he begins casting.

Agax lets loose a bolt of lightning that starts just past Gragog and forks down the road in a 10' wide path. It hits three of the big bugs full-on, killing one outright and heavily scorching two others. The fourth beetle avoids taking the full brunt of the blast but is still singed.

At the same moment the lightning strikes, Shinyah speaks the final words of his spell. Weeds twist up from the muddy and overgrown road and wrap around the legs of the beetles while the insects try again to impale Gragog with their horns. Gragog's practiced skill with the spear allows him to parry a thrusting horn; the weeds slow the beetles' other attacks.

Two of the surviving beetles, including the one that avoided the worst of the lightning bolt, stop motionless, held tight in the grasping weeds. The third slowly struggles forward.

Actions!

Forest Road.png (139.13 KiB) Viewed 658 times

Green circle: Entangle AoE
B3 is the one that is less injured. B1 is still able to move.

Initiative: Party [1d6] = 6 Monsters [1d6] = 3 Lightning Bolt and Entangle go off simultaneously with monster actions.
Beetle save vs. lightning bolt: [1d20] = 7 [1d20] = 11 [1d20] = 19 [1d20] = 6
Beetle save vs. Entangle (13): [1d20] = 20 [1d20] = 3 [1d20] = 5 [1d20] = 4
Beetle attack: [1d20] = 9 [1d20] = 4 [1d20] = 7
Beetle attack: [1d20] = 10 [1d20] = 15 [1d20] = 7

I'll allow bonuses from specialization to apply to defense when parrying as per OSRIC.

-----
Gragog (F7): 40/49; Lar (P6): 40/40; Scarlett (C7/T5): 34/34; Agax (MU7): 45/45; Petyr (F4): 30/30; Bogdana (C3): 23/23; Shinyah (D7): 38/38, Honeynose: 28/28, Treescratcher: 29/29, Hihu: 4/4
Effects: Entangle (Shinyah), 10 rounds

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog tries to return the impalement to the beetle directly in front of him. Spear +1 Thac0(14) [1d20+1] = 19+1 = 20 To Hit [1d6+1] = 6+1 = 7 S/M Dmg [1d8+1] = 4+1 = 5 L Dmg

[Zhym]

BTW: B1 is the beetle that's still moving. You can attack it and B3 with any weapon longer than 3' without also getting entangled. Ranged weapons are also good, of course.

[GreyWolfVT]

for now just going after B3