DM Talomyr's Serpent's Skull (Inactive)

Game Master Talomyr

Mizu, Mum, Adara, Dereje, Lawdrak, and Sharpmaw head off to the east, exploring the near by surroundings.

The group get about two miles away from the camp before turning south and traveling another mile. You see the sun beginning to set at this point and feel it is good time to turn back toward camp.

Traveling the two miles back to the west you reach the southern shore of this part of the island. Rocky cliffs set just off the coast as you notice a bit of movement on one the cliffs roughly forty feet above you. As you get closer to the cliff you hear what sounds to be the combination of a screech and a roar.

Map will be up on Roll20 shortly.

Map is up on Roll20.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 7

Dereje impulsively draws his pistol when he hears the threatening roars, but despite glancing around, he doesn't find the source of the disturbance.

perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Mum jumps a bit.. startled at the sound of the roar...
"Whoop... That'll get the heart pumping. Whatever it is.. I hope it's delicious when roasted."

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

"What are those?" says Mizu, pointing out the large winged lizard-creatures.

Are they currently flying?

They are currently perched on the cliff side. Now that the creatures have been pointed out, anyone (that has the skill) can try a knowledge (nature) to ID the creatures.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

"Oh... hmmpf.. the name escapes me. Flying lizard'll do. Doubtful they'll take offense."

It seems that the winged lizards have taken notice of the party on ground and all three take flight.

Initiative Order:
Adara
Mizu
Lawdrak & Sharpmaw
Blue Lizard
Green Lizard
Dereje
Red Lizard
Estietre

Adara, Mizu, Lawdrak, and Sharpmaw are up. Creatures are still 40 feet above ground.

Mizu draws her bow and fires at one of the flying lizards.

Shortbow attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Shortbow damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

know/nat w. dino bonus: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 7 + 1 = 14

Readying a bullet in his sling, Lawdrak tells the group "They're called dimorphodons..."

sling: 1d20 ⇒ 16

1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

To Sharpmaw, he barks "Siubhail!", pointing at the lizards. (Attack command)

With a protracted hiss, Sharpmaw waits for his chance to pounce, eyeing the flying lizards hungrily.

Ready an action to attack a dimorphodon that comes within range.

Mizu fires her bow, but the arrow misses wide of the target. Lawdrak steps up and hurls a sling bullet at one of the dimorphodons, clipping the dinosaur's wing.

The dimorphodon's flight is disrupted, but it quickly recovers and continues toward the party.

Adara is up.

Adara mutters softly "O, Great Dawnflower, have I earned your displeasure to be tested so?"

She raises a gloved hand and fire erupts at her feet quickly engulfing her body. It burns nothing, but the suli seems refreshed.

cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

She pulls a javelin from her pack, but holds the projectile gingerly as if doing so pains her.

Adara will have changed out of her ruined dinner dress for the hot weather garb in her inventory.

Adara heals her wounds from the previous encounter with the sea scorpions as two of the dinosaurs fly closer, getting in position to strike at their potential meal.

Dereje is up, followed by Red and Estietre.

"Regardless of what they are called, they appear to be regarding us as a prospective meal," Dereje muses, assessing the dimorphodons' positions.

Given the limited range of his weapon, Dereje steps closer to the flying lizard before point his pistol up at it. With a pull of the trigger, an ear-splitting explosion rings through the air, and a small chunk of lead is sent flying toward the lizard.

Ranged Touch Attack vs. Blue: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

The blast of Dereje's pistol roars and echos throughout the area as the projectile tears through the dimorphodon's body. While still alive and angry, the creature is grievously wounded.

The third of the dimorphodons remains high in the air as it moves into an attacking position.

Estietre is up to conclude Round 1. Adara, Mizu, Lawdrak & Sharpmaw may post their Round 2 actions.

Round 2

Adara takes a moment to find Sarenrae's guidance and provide it to Mizu.

Adara will move to Mizu if she is not adjacent and cast guidance.

end of Round 1

Estietre takes a few steps toward the lizard closest to the shore, and prepares to fire a minor icy blast from her outstretched finger.

readied ray of frost vs green touch AC: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15 once it comes in range...
damage: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Round 2

Mizu draws an arrow, pulls it back, then releases it with a simple exhalation, firing again at the injured lizard-bird.

Shortbow attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Shortbow damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5

* twang *

Lawdrak hurls another sling bullet at teh beast he had winged the first time.

1d20 ⇒ 1

...managing only to fail to release the finger-loop and knock himself in the back of the head.

Blushing furiously, the young druid glances around to see if anyone saw that...

Sharpmaw glances at this silly warmblood with one eye, emitting a wheezing hiss that sounds suspiciously like LAUGHTER, before returning his gaze to the flying food around them.

Prepare action to attack any enemy that comes within range

Two of the winged lizards swoop in and take bites at Dereje and Lawdrak.

Sharpmaw's readied action goes off. If he hits AC 14 and does at least 7 damage, the green dimorphodon will not be able to attack. If he misses or does less than 7 damage, Lawdrak takes 5 damage and needs to make a DC 12 Fort save or take 1d2 ⇒ 1 STR damage

The lizard that swoops in to attack Dereje misses badly crashing into the ground.

Sharpmaw's readied action and Dereje are up.

Dereje sidesteps, evading the dimorphodon's attack. With it standing within reach, he uses he free hand to draw his cutlass from its sheath. Before his opponent can recover from its crash, he slashes at the wounded lizard.

Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Critical Confirm?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 Nooope.
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Dereje draws his blade and beheads the grounded dimorphodon with one clean slash.

"Excellent strike, Paladin Dereje!" Adara calls out. "More potential food for our camp."

Which reminds me...the roasted sea scorpions...are they edible? Are their body parts such as scales, venom, sacs, etc. worth anything to those struggling to live? Survival is no joke; waste not!

The venom sacs are harvestable and the tails of the sea scorpions are edible.

readied bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

sigh

The dimorphdon highest in the sky dive attacks Mizu, but fails to make contact with the samurai.

Estietre is up in Round 2. Adara, Mizu, Lawdrak & Sharpmaw may post their Round 3 actions. The red dimorphodon is in the square directly north of Mizu and is 5 ft off the ground. I will update his position on Roll20 when I am not posting from mobile.

Round 2

Estietre tromps through the sand around Sharpmaw, and fires frost... unbalanced.
After missing, she checks her finger for crookedness.. to account for the poor aim. "I'll try a different finger next time!", she states without providing context.

ray of frost vs green in melee: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 2 - 4 = 2

Mizu steps back slightly and fires her bow again.

Shortbow attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Shortbow damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Both Estietre and Mizu miss their intended targets by a fairly wide margin.

Adara, Lawdrak, and Sharpmaw are up.

Adara once again tries to find guidance for Mizu's attacks.

Adara casts guidance on Mizu.

Then Adara circles around the flying monster in an effort to distract it while her comrade makes the attack.

Adara's cinder dance should give her enough movement to make it to the location I placed her. I worked out a route which should only be 35 ft total which includes 3 separate diagonal steps to avoid any Attack of Opportunity. I added a line to the map to indicate the route. You may delete it whenever, DM Talomyr.

Lawdrak drops his sling and draws his spear, stepping to the side of the flying lizard and stabbing.

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Intense training had taught Sharpmaw the advantages of hunting as a member of a pack, rather than a lone predator as would be his norm. Seeing the flying-biting-food turn its attention to his human, Sharpmaw steps to catch it between them, jaws wide for a bite.

bite with flank: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 3 + 2 = 15
1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

This time, the long teeth find purchase.

Also, if needed, fort save:

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Lawdrak and Sharpmaw combine to easily eliminate another one of the winged menaces.

Lawdrak is still having difficulty fighting off the venom from the bite he suffered earlier.

Take 1d2 ⇒ 2 STR damage.

Blue and Green are dead. Dereje is up.

Dereje releases his hold on his sword, leaving his hand free to load another bullet into his pistol. He then spins around, quickly draws a bead on the remaining dimorphodon and pulls the trigger.

Ranged Touch Attack vs. Red: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 5 - 4 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Dereje wheels around and blasts a sizable whole into the side of the winged lizard, but not such a whole that it drops the creature.

Obviously angered by its attacker, the dimorphodon forgets about Mizu and moves to bite at Dereje. Dereje does his best to avoid the venomous bite, but is unsuccessful as the lizard takes a significant chunk out of the gunman's shoulder.

Dereje takes 8 damage and needs to make a DC 12 Fort save or take 1d2 ⇒ 1 STR damage. Dereje as a side note your (and everyone else's for that matter) non-lethal damage healed while you took shelter during the hottest part of the day.

Estietre is up to end Round 3. Adara, Mizu, Lawdrak and Sharpmaw may post their Round 4 actions

I am confused about the map. When I left my line on the map, Adara was immediately adjacent the last creature directly across from Mizu. Now Mizu and Adara are somehow two squares and a diagonal from one another, plus the creature is two squares from either. Since Mizu hasn't posted following Adara's action, I'm assuming then the map wasn't updated for Mizu's location. Is this the case? Adara probably would not have moved there if so.

I moved Mizu (1 square southeast) based on the description from her last post.

Mizu steps back slightly and fires her bow again.

she had to step back to take a shot with out drawing an AoO.

Estietre scoots over a bit to get a clear shot... she closes one eye and looks down her finger as she aims.

ray of frost: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 2 - 4 = 16
damage: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Mizu steps to flank the creature with Dereje (though if he doesn't have a melee weapon I guess it's no threat = no bonus...). She discards her bow and draws her katana as she moves, then slashes as the lizard.

Katana attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

* wiff *

For the morbidly curious, my attack rolls to date are: 6, 3, 20, 15, 6, 6, 16, 4, 1, 5, 4. Average 7.8.

This is actually above average for me.

@Mizu: You're like the exact opposite of Sugua!

Also, (not that it changes things) you forgot the +1 from guidance.

Round 4

Durielle drops her javelin and awkwardly draws her scimitar. She takes a position across from Lawdrak in the hopes to give him and the others the ability to cut down their foe. From her terrible stance, one would definitely be left to wonder if this is the first time she has ever drawn the weapon in combat.

Unproficient scimitar swing: 1d20 - 7 ⇒ (19) - 7 = 12
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

My understanding on this is despite the '19' being a critical number for a scimitar, only the 20 is an actual guaranteed hit, so if her 19 with modifier fails to connect, no critical. If I have misinterpreted this, please let me know, so I can roll for confirmation.

Dereje grits his teeth, but cannot quite bite back a shout of pain when the winged lizard digs its teeth in. Fortunately, his hardy constitution allows him to resist the creature's poison.

Fortitude Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

@Mizu: You're like the exact opposite of Sugua!

My understanding on this is despite the '19' being a critical number for a scimitar, only the 20 is an actual guaranteed hit, so if her 19 with modifier fails to connect, no critical. If I have misinterpreted this, please let me know, so I can roll for confirmation.

As far as Mizu being the complete opposit of Sugua, outside of the die rolls that's a good thing. ;)

Yes, your understanding is correct. Despite the roll being a critical number on the "die", the roll was not sufficient to hit. On the other hand, you have a flank with Lawdrak which you did not take into account on you attack. The additional +2 from the flank does make it a hit. Feel free to roll the confirmation if you would like, but...

Estietre nicks the dimorphodon with a ray of frost, yet the creature still lives.

Mizu is unable to land a solid strike, as she dodges flapping wings and a twitching tail.

Adara, her damaged hands unsteady as she swings, somehow manages to find an opening and slices deep into the winged creature's side, ending its life.

Combat Over

Lawdrak, I still need potentially 2 more Fort Saves DC 12 from you as the poison still is in your blood stream for "Rounds 4 and 5". One successful save will clear the poison.
Round 4: 1d2 ⇒ 1 STR Damage
Round 5: 1d2 ⇒ 2 STR Damage

"Good work, everyone," Dereje says, holstering his gun. While nursing the wound on his shoulder with one hand, he stoops down to pick up his cutlass with the other.

"As for what you said before, Lady Adara... Do you think these 'dimorphodons' are edible?"

Lawdrak pants with relief as the last lizard is brought down. HE drops his spear and hugs himself, shivering as the poison works it way through him.

fort round 4: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
fort round 5: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Are.You.Freakin'.Kidding.Me

6 strength damage, so -3 to all the strengthy stuff...

Eventually, the tremors cease, but they leave the young druid breathing heavily, sagging under the weight of his own gear.

"We should be able to get some meat from these...and ...avoid the poison...I should think"

Survival? +1 about dinos: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22

Anything else here before we move back to the camp?

We'll take the dinos back...