Black Tom's Serpent Skull
Game Master Black Tom

"Well, of course I can see well enough to frolic under the stars when I have a mind to. I'm ill equipped for scouting duty in every other way, though."

Gelik is happy to serve as the eyes of a scouting party but he certainly isn't going alone.

Just to be clear: Hrakar wouldn't be an asset even if we consider his darkvision. And no one without good stealth will be I fear

"That's the point, Hrakar," Torch replies. "We don't know if it's suicide or not. We don't know anything, and we can't make any plans until we do." He glanes at Gelik. "You're small, and your eyes are even better than mine in the dark. If you can make us a light so I can see on the way there, we can try to go out tonight while the rest of them make camp."

It dawns on Ralf that people are talking about continuing on in the dark. "You're going to walk around by night? That sounds crazy to me! We can barely avoid traps and ambushes and such by daylight as it is."

Hrakar sighs eavyly at Ralf's words:"Aye, old man. But if being impalated several times isn't enough to convince him I can't see what can dissuade him from becoming cannibal stew..."

Gelik looks insulted. "Of course I can provide light. What kind of a question is that?"

He thinks for a moment, then adds, "Then again, light will just attract all sorts of attention. I'd prefer to wait until dawn. We'd all be able to see, and maybe we'd catch the camp while most of the savages were asleep."

Gelik will get some shut-eye unless dragged along on a scouting mission. He'll take last watch and wake everyone up in time to get to the camp while it's still very early.

"Well, it would seem that we can all get a good nights sleep, before scouting the camp in daylight, I've heard there are spells which help with communication between friends, that might be useful tomorrow then. So we can talk to each other of long distances. So let's set up camp, we can all do our duty to keep guard as usual and start refreshed in the morning."

Survival 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21 to find the safest place for a camp.

You find a nice place for a camp at what you assumed is a safe distance from the cannibal camp and settle down for the night. Any other preparations?

Presumably we're setting up a watch as well. Ralf will take a shift, at any rate.

Watches indeed. Nothing else I can think of though.

Standard watch order I think is here

In response to Aerys' mention of communication magic, Gelik offers only a blank stare.

I'm cool with the established watch order.

Already during the first watch you find yourselves being hissed at by a very large and angry lizard. Roll for initiative.

Initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Initiative check:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3. Knowledge (nature) to identify the lizard? If so, 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24.

1d20 - 6 ⇒ (18) - 6 = 12

Zzzz...

Gelik is asleep as soon as his head hits the ground, so he may need a perception.

wakey? 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

The lizard is a Shiv dragon, a variant monitor lizard. They are medium-sized and have a poisonous bite that slows its prey.

The lizard rushes at Torch, who is on watch, and bites him for 7 points of damage.

You are up and awake, so go ahead.

Sorry for the delay

Torch attempts to respond in kind, slashing at the lizard with his scimitar. Attack 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18, damage 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5.

Even Ralf is awake?

Hrakar casts magic weapon and joins battle.

Attack roll:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Damage roll:1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Aerys runs over towards the fight jumping up to catch the branch of the overhanging tree and somersault over the beast to get behind it. "Tally ho.." she cries as she leaps. As she releases her grip on the tree, she unsheathes her longsword, using her momentum from the fall to slash down hard on the lizard.

Acrobatics 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Longsword attack power attack1d20 + 4 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 4 + 2 - 1 = 18 with flanking.
Longsword damage 1d8 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 2 = 10

"Show-off," Gelik grumbles jealously, still grumpy from being awoken in the middle of a sweet dream.

He sighs when he sees yet another creature interested in eating them, and hefts his trusty spear. He moves however he needs to in order to get a good angle of attack.

stab 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
damage 1d6 ⇒ 5

The giant lizard turns its wrath on Aerys and snaps at her with its disgusting jaws, but she deftly evades.

Ralf is awake assuming somebody kicked him in passing or something, and Hrakar can't cast and attack in the same round.

You are up.

Aerys continues her assault upon the deadly lizard, from her flanking position.

Longsword power attack 1d20 + 4 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 4 - 1 + 2 = 18 with flanking
Longsword power damage 1d8 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 2 = 8

Torch tries to take advantage when the lizard turns toward Aerys, searching for a vulnerable spot with his blade. Scimitar attack with flank: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22, damage 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 plus 1d6 ⇒ 2 sneak attack.

The lizard expires with a gurgling sound, leaving you with the option of having lizard for breakfast.

Survival 12:

You also get 120 xp each, and the rest of the night is quiet, so you can rest and recover some spells and hit points.

Survival 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

"Nasty reptile, well fought Torch!" she claps the man on the back. "Let's get rid of the creature, bury it or something before it attracts any more vermin. Unless of course we burn it, but only once we're all hidden and the fire creates a diversion to attract those cannibals."

Survival 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7.

Torch nods at Aerys' suggestion, taking a few minutes with her to bury the carcass a safe distance from the camp before returning to his watch.

Roughly how far from the cannibal camp are we at this point?

"Let's just throw it somewhere. I bet it tastes like crap anyway..."

Btw ppl, we just need 952 xp to reach lvl 3... YAY!

"Zzzz..."

Having failed to do anything productive, Gelik glares at Ralf.

"He's got the right idea."

Back to beddy-bye time.

You're in R4, about a mile away from the camp.

Are we close enough to the sea to take the lizard to the beach and let the sea claim it? otherwise we'll take it a bit away from the camp and bury it.

Gelik sleeps through any efforts to dispose of the lizard carcass, rationalizing that he didn't kill it so he shouldn't have to deal with it.

He will ensure that during his watch, the last shift, he wakes everyone up with enough time to get to the camp at dawn.

It's probably easier to dig a shallow grave for the lizard than hauling it to the sea. The rest of the night passes in peace, and you are free to scout the camp in any manner you like the next day.

Ralf gets up and yawns, then looks at the rest of the party. "Say, sonny...you look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he comments, looking at Torch's damaged appearance.

Now that Gelik is so close to the cannibal camp, he seems very jumpy. "If we're going to scout the camp, we need to get going before I lose my nerve. I say we stay in one group, move as close as we can and see if we can see what's going on in there, you know, their numbers and that sort of thing, and then get out quick. The longer we stick around the more likely we get overwhelmed, and I know I'm the slowest one here."

The dwarf doesn't look pleased by Gelik's suggestion:"I don't think going as a group is such a good idea. I can't say I'm an expert about scouting but what I know is everyone needs to be stealthy... and I'm not, you, Gelik, you talk like an old woman and that increases when you are scared, which you are by the way, and the old man... he's just deaf. Maybe Torch and Aerys can manage it, but we most certainly cannot."

Torch frowns in thought. "Gelik is small and he's not wearing half a smithy on his back - he'd probably be all right with us, as long as he didn't try to make noise. But Hrakar's right, he shouldn't go, and Ralf wouldn't be much help either, really. I'll go, obviously - I did drag you here, after all - and Aerys is welcome if she thinks she's up to it. But I promise, Gelik, no one's heading into that village until we're all ready to do so, and I've no plans for that until we've had a chance to get as much information as we can. We're just going to look, carefully and from a distance. Hrakar, you and Ralf - and whoever stays with you - can follow behind us a few hundred yards; we'll mark trees while we go, so you can be sure where we went. If we do get into trouble, you guys will hopefully be close enough to hear us shouting and can come rescue us. What do you think?"

"Much as I would like to join in a scouting party, my armor does make being quiet difficult and the metal studs glint in the sunlight. No, its best I get ready to pounce if our scout, or scouts." her eyes look poignantly at Gelik, "need assistance. I'm better with sword or bow than sneaking in the undergrowth. Surely there are things we can do to increase the difficulty of a scout being detected?" She looks at each of her companions hoping for inspiration.

If we spent some time using camoflage, would we get a bonus to stealth?

Gelik sticks his tongue out at Hrakar, just on general principle. "I may be scared, but that comes and goes. Apparently you're a jerk all the time."

He rubs his sweaty hands on his thighs and adds, "Fine. Torch scouts out ahead a hundred yards or so, and the rest of us follow behind. If any of the cannibals spot you, I'll make noise out in some other direction and try to confuse them. Then we get the flock out." He gestures in the direction of the camp. "Lead on."

Hrakar ignores Gelik's outburst:"Bah! I think that, at this point we can try this as well. Lead on, but try not to get all of us killed!"

So... the plan is to rely solely on my dice luck? Where did we go so wrong?

Torch nods, squaring his shoulders. He grabs his gear and readies his knife to mark the trees as he passes, then turns and heads into the forest, moving as quietly as he can.

If camoflage is possible, I would obviously like to try to make some. If not, here's my Stealth check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11. (See what I mean?)

Ralf wishes Torch good luck and heals some Of his wounds from the previous nIght.

1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Aerys watches Torch move ahead, wondering if he should really be making that much noise, for a walking fern.

You get a +2 circumstance bonus for the camouflage.

As Torch approaches the camp he spies a high (10 feet) pallisade of some sort. Something behind it suddenly starts making a lot of noise, sounding like metal clashing on metal.

Solidly-build enough to have no gaps through which I might peek? What about nearby trees that look climbable? And (though I doubt I will make the attempt), does the palisade itself look climbable either?

"Remarkable. I didn't think even we could be spotted the moment we laid eyes on the palisade of the camp..."

Hrakar signales to the others to retreat slowly, while coursing under his breath.