Steel Wolves - A Mercenary Campaign
Game Master Mark Sweetman

Blaze readies himself, Sunstrike drawn. If the Ankheg comes close and starts to fight back, he'll attack. Readying an action that to attack the Ankheg before it can hit us

Cort can act in retrospect

The ankheg's first reaction is to strain on the chain, trying to free himself from that which restricts him...
Strength check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
...providing some resistance but still being dragged a good ten feet closer to the wagon. Presented with an immediate target in the form of a human monk, the ankheg lashes out with a bite...
Bite: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 5 - 2 = 7 I've treated the bug as grappled for the purposes of attacks due to the chain.

Action Tracker (Round 2): Kaavel, Sentis + Baran, Grusk, Blaze, Doc, Cort, Ankheg

Ankheg is still about 50ft from the wagon and adjacent to only Kaavel.

The druid could feel the ankheg pulling back against the winch but he didnt let up with the cranking...cant let Doc talk any smack about 'skinny, weak elves'...

Strength - 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

"Damn, Elf! Where ye' been keepin' them muscles on tha' skinny frame? Keep it up, we got 'im hooked good!"

Doc levels his musket and takes a shot at the creature, then puts his shoulder back into the crank.

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 Touch attack

1d12 ⇒ 6

Kaavel looks at the bug for a second before letting out a combo of blows.

Attack and Damage Roll:
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

1d8 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Nothing but air.

Cort readies his blade before the bug shows, holding it to his head as he says a quick recital of the Swordlord's Oath, then stepping into his stance.

As the bug bursts from the ground Cort rushes forward, noticing the monk heading for the other side, he moves away to flank with him.

Assuming I get a round 2

Cort steps in as Kaavel attacks and strikes at the creature, trying to find the small spots between the plates.

Attack:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32 For 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Blaze decides to throw caution to the wind, charging the Ankheg, trying to flank with Cort, while also calling on his arcane powers to boost his defenses.

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19, also using Spell Combat to cast Shield making my AC 20. Spending a Arcana Pool point to activate Perfect Strike, dealing 11 damage.

If I can flank, 1d6 ⇒ 3 Precise Strike damage.

Kaavel finds that the bug's hide deflects the angle of his strikes robbing them of power. Doc's blast misses as the ankheg struggles against the chain Sentis is winding in.

Cort rushes the beast from the far side and his blade sinks deep.

Action Tracker (Round 2): Kaavel, Sentis + Baran, Grusk, Blaze, Doc, Cort, Ankheg

Damage Tracker:
Ankheg - 12

Updating for sniped action by Blaze

Blaze's scimitar finds a gap near to the ankheg's head and sinks in deep. The beast shudders in it's death throes, but lies still as Sentis continues to wind it closer to the wagon...

Combat over

"Like'a charm." Doc said with a smug grin and a swig while he started reloading his musket. "Boss, he said to the corperal, ah need one t' post watch on th' hole in case we git another comin' in, an' one t' scout th' next spot. The rest ah need t' haul tha' carcas in an' crack it open. We're keepin' th' big plates an' th' mand'bles. Don' worry about makin' it pretty, jus' git 'em in th' wagon. I'll clean 'em an' treat 'em later. Oh, an' try t' leave th' acid sack intact. The rest c'n be dumped down th' hole. Ah wanna be ready fer round two in fifteen minutes."

With a curt nod and a grin to Blaze, Doc moved to inspect his grapple-launcher. "Grusk, gimme a hand reloadin' this thing.

Keeping his weapon out, Blaze waves Sentis forward "I'll stand watch over the hole, while Sentis can scout ahead. Just be careful"

The half elf laughed at Doc's good natured jokes. He shouldve known that the dwarf couldnt resist. He helped with the ankhegs corpse until Blaze gave him the go ahead on scouting out another one.

Aye, Aye Sunny.

He bid Baran to stay close to the wagon and set off to hunt down an ankheg. He crept as softly as he could ever mindful that these things could ambush him from below.

Survival - 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29

Stealth - 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Anyone else from Team Green joining?
I've also assumed that once the ankheg is dragged away, Doc would re-set the grapple launcher.

"Somebody recall bein next on tha volunteer list fer Doc's bug hunt!"

The braver half of Team Green slips into the now exposed sinkhole and takes a look around. Leading out from the initial sinkhole are two long tunnels leading away diagonally. Sentis cannot see too far into the distance as the sunlight from above does not penetrate deep into the tunnel structure.

There are no signs of further bugs nearby... Sentis would need to range away from the sinkhole to investigate further...

Um, unless I'm missing something, I don't think the plan was to have Sentis go down the rabbit hole. My understanding was to keep scouting on the surface, and haul in any Ankhegs we roused.

The first posts were unclear, I assumed that you were to have Sentis scout down, but you can advise different.

Though are you sending a single person away over open ground littered with sinkholes in search of the ankheg?

"Doc should we take a look beneath tha surface as it were, not sure many others er up fer tha task?"

Sentis returned to his captain...i think thats the right rank...

Unless I range out or drop down into the tunnels I dont think Im going to see too much.

"Naw, jus' find th' next sinkhole. The idea is, we collapse 'em as we move, killin' anything tha' pops out, makin' our way t' where the other squad got jumped. "

Sentis should be looking for the next sinkhole, not going into this one. Basically destroying the sinkholes as we find them.

Sentis ranges forward from the newly collapsed sinkhole and is able to spy the ambush site ahead of him, but still at the far end of his sight. What he can spy of the ground around him seems hale and hearty.

Ambush site is reachable safely, double back and bring the rest or go solo?

The druid will wave the wagon group forward to his position.

Stepping forward cautiously over broken ground the squad is able to survey the area where the ambush took place. It looks like the ground fell away under them sending them into a large sinkhole below. You can't see much inside without dropping down, but there are clear drag marks and blood trails above. There are also a few odds and ends of personal equipment strewn around - bedrolls, pots and pans and the like.

Doc spools the rope from the crank and holds it out. "Who's today's brave sp'lunker?"

Blaze laughs before saying "We all know how much Grusk likes holes, I say he goes in first" He says with a wicked grin.

Blaze laughs before saying "We all know how much Grusk likes holes, I say he goes in first" He says with a wicked grin.

"Doc likes tha holes I jus comes from one! Sides yer tha next volunteer, but since yer lackin in seeing unnerground I guess I will go look, but tha means first round o drinks err on yah when we gets back!"

"Pretty sure the corporal doesn't have to volunteer for anything, unless he wants to. Also pretty sure a simple Light spell would allow me to see even better than you. But I'm not going down first, you are."

Grusk is given the role of volunteer and descends into the sinkhole cautiously. It is the nexus for no fewer than four offshoot tunnels, ranging out in roughly the four cardinal directions from the centre. Inspecting the ground the amount of blood makes it clear that there was a pitched battle here, and the lack of ankheg parts shows who was on the side of the victors.

Sentis looked down into the sinkhole and didnt envy Grusk at all. He wouldnt want to be down in there alone but orders were orders.

What a mess down there. Those Balmy Crew guys didnt stand a chance by the look of things...

he trailed off as he realized that the same thing almost happened to them.

"Don' go far Grusk. An' tie tha' rope 'round ye."

Survival
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Grusk puts a note to himself to ghost the ol corporeal one day an make him in-corpreal.

"Looks like some blood down here, no bug parts so guessin they won."

"Got four tunnels, but guessin tha one they draggeded tha bodies down goes to tha hive."

"Mark th' d'rection. Tha's where we're headed." Doc says to Grusk. Turning to the rest of the squad he says "Ah think we should try t' find other ambush spots, where they grabbed animals or people. If'n we c'n mark a few more drag spots we might be able t' triangulate the general location o' th' nest. Ah really don' think we should go down in those tunnels wit' out a good idea of where we wanna git to."

"I got it marked an fer sure."

Picks his way out of the hole to wait for everyone to re-group.....

Grusk is able to easily ken the direction, and the tunnel seems to continue mostly straight... at least out to the full range of his darkvision.

Perception and Survival if you're looking to track the flow of the tunnel aboveground and following the drag marks.

Sentis ponders Grusk's details of the tunnel beneath and follows the slightly disturbed soil he notices above ground as far as he can.

Perception - 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

Survival - 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Sentis wary eyes and nose for underground danger guide the party well once more. After a couple of hundred feet he picks out the edge of another sinkhole. This one is about twenty five feet across, and has not yet been collapsed.

So is the plan to bring the wagon up and set up the rope a dope show again?

"Set tha tight-rope an gather round ladies an gents fer tha greatest show on earth, presenting the orc acrobat fer yer viewing pleasure..."

"Park 'er 'bout 60 feet away. This 's a biggun. Big 'nuff fer at least four o' them t' come out 'a. We're gonna want t' keep 'em at range t' soften 'em up. Any ideas on how t' slow 'em down if'n more'n one pop up?"

"Some sort of snare or net? Or some other kind of trap? Beyond that, I have a spell that while it won't slow them, should hurt one of them a fair amount."

I know a spell that can create a sphere of fire to set upon the ankhegs but it wont last long so I will have to wait unitl we see them to cast it.

Once everything is a go.....

Acrobatics check
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

"Ah aint got th' s'plies t' do th' things ah want to. Blaze, it's yer call. Go now, or try t' prepare somethin' t' slow 'em down?"

"Let's get this over with, just be sure your contraption is ready to go."

"Aye. Go a'hed Grusk. Le's git their attention."

The team set up the ambush site and Grusk starts doing a ground thump to try and draw in some more prey.... but after thirty minutes of effort there is nothing to show for it but a tired half-orc with sore feet.

"Guess they're no' home. Le's bring it down."

Doc retrieves his heavy two handed hammer and stomps over near Grusk. "This kinda hammer's called a' earthbreaker. Le's see if'n it lives up t' it's name."

Drinking a vial from his belt, Doc suddenly grows to massive size. Hefting his now enormous hammer, he brings it down on the edge of the sink hole.

Enlarge Person

At the second strike, Doc caves the sinkhole in - soil falling down before him and making a rough ramp down into the earth. From what you can see from above there are three tunnels leading away from the centre, though someone would need to drop down below to get a good look at them.

Perception
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Survival
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"Fine I'll go look!"

We letting him go alone Sunny?

You can assume that Grusk relays the information in the spoiler and can act on it if you wish.