DM Alexander Kilcoynes Serpents Skull PbP- Chapter 1, Souls for the Smugglers Shiv (Inactive)
Game Master Alexander Kilcoyne

1d100 ⇒ 35

Travelling west for half a mile or so, you break out of the jungle briefly into an area of open terrain between the jungles and the cliffs of the shoreline.

If your exploring the west the logical way to do it would be to explore the northern half, and then work your way back around the southern way. Your all pretty confident you can get this done before sundown.

Gwyneth, you spot the signs of a predator nearby- small animals bones, an eerie silence in the area, small things that lead you to suspect something nasty is in the area. Chi, you think you spot the source of this trouble- a small cave tucked between some rocks a short distance away. Its likely if you continue going west, you will be attacked if the creature is home. On the other hand, the island is small and only supports a finite number of predators- every major predator dealt with will make your days and nights a little bit safer...

1d100 ⇒ 49

Travelling west for half a mile or so, you break out of the jungle briefly into an area of open terrain between the jungles and the cliffs of the shoreline.

If your exploring the west the logical way to do it would be to explore the northern half, and then work your way back around the southern way. Your all pretty confident you can get this done before sundown.

I made some rolls on the groups behalf, with both Gwyneth and Chi achieving a 20 on survival and perception respectively. F~++ing post monster keeps eating the first post on each new page...

Gwyneth, you spot the signs of a predator nearby- small animals bones, an eerie silence in the area, small things that lead you to suspect something nasty is in the area. Chi, you think you spot the source of this trouble- a small cave tucked between some rocks a short distance away. Its likely if you continue going west, you will be attacked if the creature is home. On the other hand, the island is small and only supports a finite number of predators- every major predator dealt with will make your days and nights a little bit safer...

Once you have killed all the predators of a specific type, I will treat them as 'no encounter' if they come up in a random encounter roll. As your XP will be capped by me if it gets too high for the chapter anyway, this is a good thing.

James is happy with all that has been decided, but has one further suggestion. If the group would be wise to sleep during the highest heat, why not take a full eight hours rest over the top of that period, and be more active at night when it is cooler? He is also of the opinion that it might make the groups lives easier to deal with a predator so close to the camp.

James is happy with all that has been decided, but has one further suggestion. If the group would be wise to sleep during the highest heat, why not take a full eight hours rest over the top of that period, and be more active at night when it is cooler? He is also of the opinion that it might make the groups lives easier to deal with a predator so close to the camp.

Let's talk the sleep schedule thing over in the OOC discussion thread, that's an interesting idea, there are certainly pro's and con's.

I also am of the opinion that we should vanquish whatever lives in yon cave.

I also am of the opinion that we should vanquish whatever lives in yon cave.

"I agree," Ambroze pipes in, loading a bolt into his light crossbow.

I'm on tha rocks aboot killin' it or not.. I must say lads I'd have no problem killin' it if it were a likin' me innerds as a snack, but otherwise I'm inclined ta leave it be... Sometimes its best ta let things go.. sometimes.. it may throw off tha natural balance of the island. I'd hate ta be.... an elf aboot this.. but I just dannae lads.

"Ordinarily I would agree with you, Flute. Under the circumstances though, I think we should take care of the creature. The fewer predators lurking about thinking we might be an easy meal the better."

Can we at least figgur' what the durned thing is? If it is a toad or a snake or got pointy elf ears than I spose it'd be okay...

"Chi is good at getting close to things unnoticed, perhaps she might see if she crept a little closer?" James offers, fingering the hilt of his sword.

Chi agrees, such creatures present an ever present threat to the camp. She takes a position behind the strong members of the party, knowing that she has been particularly vulnerable to attack. "If you don't mind, I'll not go sneaking into the cave, let the creature come out. Any idea how we might find out if the predator is in?"

Chi studies the bones, to see if she can gain an insight to the what ate it. Can I take 10 studying the bones, Knowledge(nature), if not then 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

"Certainly, I'm not one for killing just for the sake of killing. On the other hand if killing it is necessary or beneficial to our survival, so be it."

Turning his attention to Chi and James's conversation

"I am fairly skilled in matters of stealth as well. I would be willing scout out the cave."

"Of course Chi," James add hastily, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt. Perhaps simply noise and flame would draw it out? We could light a torch?"

Perception Assist to Tun'ada: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Knowledge Nature Assist to Tun: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Survival Assist to Tun'ada: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

To deduce what is in the cave :
perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
knowledge nature 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
survival 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Maybe tha thing ain't even home... right now

Perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Knowledge(Nature):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Survival:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

"How do we want to proceed?". says Tun'ada as he stows his shield.

Stealth:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20 If needed before I can post again.

"How do we want to proceed?". says Tun'ada as he stows his shield.

Depends entirely on what AK says about those rolls, lol

Stealthy scouting and nature lore towards the small cave (way too small for you guys to go exploring in) suggests that the cave belongs to a snake or two- and you think someone's home...

How big a snake are we talking?

How big a snake are we talking?

Cobra size judging from the tracks.

Edit: You haven't fully approached the cave yet, this is mostly from the edge of the jungle and Chi scouting forward a little. 'Drawing it out' would be inevitable if you were to continue going west, so you won't need to think of anything clever for that. Its really your choice of combat, sneaking through the area or giving it a wide berth.

Well I'm not going to hunt for it, but it's not worth going around. If it attacks, I'll kill it.

James strides through west, leading the group sword in hand, whether they follow or not.

Territorial and fiercely aggressive, two snakes sneak through the undergrowth from the cave, spotted by James and Tun'ada as they get within 40 feet. The snakes have blue and black stripes, well suited for hunting at night.

Yup the forums ate my post AGAIN but perception checks were rolled...

Round 1 Initiative

Snake 1- 22
Flute- 17
Gwyneth- 16
James- 14
Chi- 12
Snake 2- 9
Tun'ada- 5
Ambroze- 4

Surging forward, the snake leaps at James and attempts to sink its fangs into his leg.

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
1d4 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

DC13 Fort Save please.

Just a quick map for movement etc.-

LINK

RETALIATION RAGE

Uh, yeah I rage smash the snake.

Fort Save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

James flies into a fury, bringing his blade crashing down on the snake.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

2d6 + 9 ⇒ (4, 2) + 9 = 15

Chi, moves forward 10 ft bringing the 2nd snake within catches the eye of the snake second snake and she winks her eye turning totaly black, which seems to explode with yellow and orange fires.

Evil Eye for 7 rounds Will Save DC=15 for 1 round. Attack -2.

Edit: Holds action until snake 2 moves forward, as I've just seen the map, took a while to download.

Flute unleashes a blast of acid from his hand, swirling at the closest snake, twirling like a dart.

ranged touch attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
6/7 acid darts left for the day

Take that ye slithering spawn o' hell

Move Action: Gwen steps to F12.

Upon seeing her friend bitten by the snake, Gwen springs quickly into action. She quickly crosses the divide between herself and James, calling upon the Gods for their Guidance.

Guder ovenfor, Guide din tjener!

Standard Action: Cast Guidance on James.
This spell imbues the subject with a touch of divine guidance. The creature gets a +1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. It must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it applies.

Flute fires some acid at the snake and it hisses as it barely leaps aside from the magic.

Remember its -4 to fire into a melee, even with a RTA.

Gwyneth babbles in a strange tongue while touching James with her magic, and he cuts the snakes mouth wide open when it hisses at him, dealing a mortal blow.

The second snake surges forward, and meets Chi's black eye as it moves in to bite James...

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 Will Save
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
1d4 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Despite being unnerved by the Witch, the snake lands a bite on James' ankle anyway.

Tun'ada and Ambroze are up. Fort Save for James please. The second snake is two squares right of its (now deceased) fellow.

Fort Save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Saving guidance for the attack roll, I have +10 fort when raging. ;)

Attack in case Tun'ada and Ambroze don't drop it.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

2d6 + 9 ⇒ (1, 2) + 9 = 12

Chi, leaves the snake to be dealt with by James and the other fighters, turns her attention back to the cave.
"All yours boys, remember to pick up the pieces, including the poison sacs. I've heard tell snake tastes quite good."

Perception 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Tun'ada moves to attack the remaining snake.

Attack:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Damage:1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Man you two front-liners are nasty.

In a matter of moments, the two venomous snakes were slaughtered. The cave is extremely small, and other than being a home for the snake pair, is of little interest.

75XP each.

Continuing along along the northern half of the area to the west, you continue to explore this area of Smuggler's Shiv. The going is hard, and you estimate your progressing at about 2 miles per hour. After an hour and a half you spot a shipwreck in the distance along the northern shore. The western tip of this area of the island is another mile or so along the coast from this shipwreck. As you are travelling, you occasionally spot old game trails, signs that humanoids do indeed live on this island...

Approximately 4:30PM, Day 1...

James suggests the group complete their scouting of the peninsula and investigate the wreck tomorrow.

"Agreed, particularly in light of the obvious signs of humanoid life."

I'll mark the shipwreck on the map anyway. Update in an hour or so.

I'd bet that's either the ship that Gerik mentioned, or the one Jask mentioned. Let's not mention it in camp; I'd hate to get them both excited and have to disappoint one of them.

We'll keep moving until about 6:00, and then head back. That should give us plenty of time to get back to camp before nightfall.

The group finishes scouting and heads back to camp?

Chi will be taking back the snake meat and poison sacs to the camp. The snake to eat, the sacs for later. She is happy to return and have some more good food, now she doesn't have to eat that watered down stew each day.

The group get to the very western tip of this northern part of the island after another hour or so. Three much smaller islands are visible off the tip of this end of Smuggler's Shiv, but appear to be barren of life and plant life.

As the group approach the western edge of the island, James, Gwyneth and Flute all spot tell-tale signs of another predator lair nearby. Tun'ada and Flute spot the source about a half-mile away- a large nest just visible atop a 50 foot high cliff. It doesn't appear that whatever nests here is currently home- its likely the beast or beasts are already out hunting... But judging from the animal remains and bones scattered around the area, it looks like the predator has a particularily vicious beak.

Add one day's rations for the two snakes carcasses, not much meat on them.

Approximately 5:30PM, Day 1.

Go back to the camp via the south shore? That way you'll have this area west of your camp pretty much scouted.

Just a quick close up of your journey so far. Terrain not included, and the grid not relevant.

MAP LINK

Rations added to the group supply. Do we want to fight the birdy? Could be a challenge since we have to hit it, maybe a moment for the archers and crossbowmen?

Chi would be happy to come back for the birdy, early tomorrow morning, with the dawn chorus...when birds wake up and sing their little hearts out...

Well, it's not there, which means we'd be waiting for Lord knows how long. Gwen's concern is that it's out hunting our camp...

I'm a little worried about the camp,Gwen says, pointing up toward the nest. Whatever that is, it seems to be fairly predatory. We should get back as soon as possible.

See? I think we should get back by way of the Southern shore as AK suggested. That's just my 2cp, though. I could easily be persuaded to stay and gank the beastie.

Nah, if it's not in we can deal with it another time.

"Yeah," James agrees simply. "Let's head back."

The group head back towards their camp, scouting the southern part of this area as they go. Shortly after leaving the predators nest, the still-oppressive heat suddenly ends as a massive downpour of relentless rain pours down upon the group, obscuring their vision a little.

After an hour and a half or so's travel through the jungle and shoreline of the southern part, Flute notices well-hidden signs of yet another predator's nest in the area. Tun'ada spots their nest, a similar looking nest built 30 feet or so above the ground level on a cliff. Like the previous nest, this one appears empty...

Speeding things up a little, with the predators here off hunting I assume theres nothing else you wish to do here.

Approaching your base camp from the south end about a mile from where you believe it to be, James and Tun'ada spot yet another one of these nests near the coast, 50 feet high up on a cliff. It seems they are commonly found near the shoreline. The difference being this time, is that with this nest you can make out winged forms nesting and flying around the nest. The winged forms look like this, and appear to be roughly the size of a man...

Creatures

Current time approximately 7:00PM, Day 1...

Group Map Updated. Due to the sheer size of Smuggler's Shiv its hard to see stuff, so heres a close up.

CLOSE UP

Knowledge (nature) check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

"Oooh! Dimorphodons!" Ambroze exclaims excitedly. "They're a form of Pterosaur. Average fliers and extremely nimble. According to Kline, they tend to frequent warm coastlines and forests. As soon as they see prey they tend to attack with fly-by bites, relentlessly harrying their prey until they wear them out. It's not uncommon for them to deliver a few bites to their chosen prey, then back off from the fight for a minute or so to see if their strength-draining poison has taken the fight out of their prey. They have extremely keen vision, and are especially vigilant within a half mile or so of their nests. How exciting!"

"Dangerous is what they are," James grunts back, "and three nests this close to the camp can't be good. Why in all the hells does everything on this god forsaken island have to be poisonous?"

Yep, we need to rid the camp of this menace, Gwen says, loading her crossbow.

Alex, any chance I can have a more detailed description of where we are in comparison to the cliff? Are we walking along the shoreline, or are we up at the level of the cliff? What would the easiest avenue of approach be?

Knowledge (nature) check: 1d20 + 9

"Oooh! Dimorphodons!" Ambroze exclaims excitedly. "They're a form of Pterosaur. Average fliers and extremely nimble. According to Kline, they tend to frequent warm coastlines and forests. As soon as they see prey they tend to attack with fly-by bites, relentlessly harrying their prey until they wear them out. It's not uncommon for them to deliver a few bites to their chosen prey, then back off from the fight for a minute or so to see if their strength-draining poison has taken the fight out of their prey. They have extremely keen vision, and are especially vigilant within a half mile or so of their nests. How exciting!"

Gwyneth, the predators nest is to the south of the camp and slightly east of it too, as indicated on the close up map I linked up there. It would be a simple matter to just head north and avoid them and their territory. Your to the west of the cliff.

Well frost my beard! exclaims Flute as he learns about Dimorphodons.

Ambroze, ye sure are a smart lad! I'm gonna agree with Gwen. No way can we let these flyin' lizards lair so close to tha camp.

If we wanted to get closer to the nest, is there any way of doing it shy of climbing the cliff face? I don't like a nest of these things a mile from camp. If poor Aerys wanders off and goes a half-mile in the wrong direction, she's squarely in chomp-o-matic territory.

zomfg that made me laugh, 'chomp-o-matic', it may be childish but I'm still giggling.

For the first time since you met him, James pulls out his longbow.

"Oh, yes, a dimorphodon is a robust pterosaur with a distinctively large skull - yet numerous hollows in the skull keep the creature’s weight rather low and allow it greater agility," Ambroze continues, clearly oblivious to his companions' concerns in his excitement at actually seeing a dinosaur in the flesh. "The dimorphodon’s jaws contain two separate rows of differently shaped teeth: several larger fangs near the front (which are used to grip prey and inject poison) and a much larger number of smaller, sharp teeth along the rest of the jaw (used to cut through flesh). This unusual combination of different teeth is why in some areas the dimorphodon is known as the “fangbird” or the “vampire lizard. Although they don’t actually drink blood." he says dismissively.