Cap'n Voodoo's Freebooter PBP

Game Master voodoo chili

DC12 For Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

ARRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Accursed Monkey Fruit thou dost VEX me!

Covered in another batch of the foul fleshed drupe, Kaul begins to itch and scrap at himself with hook paw...

DC 12 Fort save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

This time, Jim doesn't quite avoid the distracting dermatological damage. With a groan, he also starts to make with the scratching.

Dammit. Do I have to do everything.

Here is Dingus's plan. I'll leave it up to your wisdom how long it takes and how possible it might be. 1)Invisibility and move to the bridge. 2) somehow (under the bridge) use the anchoring rod to keep things from falling into the depths below. 3)Get close to the scrum and cast levitate upon myself, and get close enough to grab onto Kaul and Jim, but not necessarily lift them... just keep them steady.

Seeing his two main meatshields men go down with a case of the itchies, Dibbets calls back on his short term memory and gives them a directed dose of the indifferent sprinkler. Cupped hands help to direct it as he tries to splay the both of them in the beneficent diffusion of brackish fetid saltwater...

Climb: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ranged Touch (to direct the 'create water' spray?): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12 and 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Kaul / Jimmer - you can still shufty forward a single move - so make dem climb checks.
Dingus - good plan... but you'd need to get to the other side of the bridge to anchor the ropes they're cutting... so I'm not sure if there'll be the time.

Jim's got a +10 Climb check bonus in armor, but I don't know if he takes any penalty for being distracted.

Dibbs- looks like your range is 40' so you'll need to creep a bit closer.

Dibbets has made it over halfway across when calamity in the form of a black melon hits Jim and Kaul. At least one hand apiece is holding a rope as the bridge tilts crazily. Any free hook or hand is quickly engaged in scratching at the maddening goo.

Kaul and Jim- you can push past the ape men onto firm ground if you like (roll for acro or take AoO) or just hang out until Dibbets reaches you, but they will probably move on to another rope if not engaged...

Dingus- as Dibbs notes, not much to do at this end. You could cast levitate and still run up to Dibbets catching him and engaging the spell if the bridge falls.

Acro check to avoid AoO: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

Scratching madly, the Taldan nevertheless manages to get past the Congo line without drawing any adverse attention.

Well so much for casting levitate, and running along the bottom of the bridge to the rescue...

Dingus runs behind Dibbets catching the little man quickly, and lashing out with a VV from his ring, and clutching his Anchoring rod in the other.

5d4 + 5 ⇒ (1, 3, 3, 1, 4) + 5 = 17 VV at one of the bridge gnawers.

Kaul follows his rapier wielding shipmate with irritated belligerence, but is far less light on his loafers than the Taldan:

Acrobatish: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Kaul follows his rapier wielding shipmate with irritated belligerence, but is far less light on his loafers than the Taldan:

Acrobatish: 1d20+11

Hey, setting up flanks for you takes a bit of mobility.

Don't I know it. On a more somber note thanks for posting the sad news on Nick's passing. Was much appreciated

You're welcome--I figured that his brother wasn't going to know to look at his Campaigns tab, and that it was best not to count on folks happening to check the General Discussion forum. I'm glad his brother posted, though. Too often we have people just drop off the boards, and you don't know what happened to them.

still pondering how to run the old damaged rope bridge trope and there's no guidance in the scenario. I'm going to say nix climb checks, it is acrobatics- DC 5 base + DC 5 to move full speed + DC 2 slightly unsteady = DC 12 originally; with one rope cut, it's now mildly unsteady = DC 15.

Dibbets closes the gap to his mates despite the wild swaying of the broken bridge. Dingus acro: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20 Dingus follows, white knuckling his rod, and manages to make the halfway mark. Jim does a flying cartwheel to flip past the mottled apes, but Kaul is not so lucky. Distracted by the horrible itch, he stumbles and takes a scratch. Kaul-3 slash

The near dead shocked apeman, his green camouflaged skin now dark gray, stumbles off into the safety of the forest leaving his brethren to deal with the intruders. The pair at the bridge turn on Kaul ignoring Jim for the moment. Kaul suffer another bit and not so helpful scratch from the skirmish. Kaul-3 bite, 3 slash The melon chucker leaps down from his post to put some distance between himself and the invaders.

R4
Dibbets
Dingus
Kaul
Jim
R5
motley apes

Are Jim and Kaul still itchy?

Dingus activates his anchoring rod, using it to stabilize himself, then sends a forked tongue at the Melon chucker.

6d6 ⇒ (5, 5, 6, 5, 1, 5) = 27 Electric Forked tongue.

Also hanging fire on the itchy status

Are Jim and Kaul still itchy?

yeah, Dibbs wasnt close enough last round, but can get one of you this round.

With Jimmer safely off the bridge, Dibbs continues to huff and puff with the aim to deliver brackish relief to the scarred nugget... but his bung leg slips as he walks and he's left swearing and stumbling too far away to help.

Dousing Kaul
Acrobatics for moving: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 - was attempting full move so I'm guessing that's no progress

Dibbs is at 80'/110' so close enough to hit Kaul anyway. Dingus is steady at 60'/110'

The partially unmoored bridge starts bucking under the varied strides that set up dissonant waves. Dibbets has to hold on tightly, but manages to spray Kaul with a rogue wave of his own. Dingus sticks the rod between his legs hobbyhorse style and thus steadied sends a bolt at the retreating apeman. The bolt strikes him dead and he falls steaming upon the ground at the foot of a tree.

Kaul scrubs off the last bit of the itchy pulp and is ready for revenge. The blood lust he exudes is overpowering and stymies the assault of the hairless duo.

R5
Dibbets
Dingus
Kaul
Jim
R6
motley apes

Know me too well Skipper... ;)

Round 5

Kaul thunders toward the nearest of the simian foes, eager to bring his axe to bear;

"Hur... Itch this ye fruit grabber!"

Melee: +1 Keen Waraxe (Power Attack):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Damage: 1d10 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Holding on to the remaining rope with one hand, and using the anchoring rod... on and off with the other, Dingus makes his way forward towards Dibbs prepared to catch him once again.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12 Acrobatics?

Dingus- the rod requires an action to activate so you're limiting yourself to a move/half-move by fidgeting with the wand.

Dingus deactivates his anchor and then firmly griping the rod between his legs takes a half step only to be nearly tossed by the bucking bridge. He reactivates the thing having barely moved. Kaul lays into an ape with a horrible hack that cleaves muscle and bone and leaves the creature standing in a puddle of its own blood.

let's see if Dibbs can move up and cleanse Jim. I guess a half move is only DC 10, full move rate is DC 15

Growling at his lack of dancing feet Dibbets doggedly looks to curmudgeon his way across the bridge...

Dousing Jim - sorry for the delay, missed that it was my shot.
Acrobatics for moving: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

...managing it in his own less than gainly and far from pretty fashion. Following the spray of water with a verbal he exhorts "Cut an rend laddies... gi' tha feckers whass they gots comin."

The Taldan wipes away the bits of pulp with a grin. "Thanks, mate." Drawing his new sword, he stabs the nearest remaining ape.

Puncture the primate: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25
Primate perforation, incl. shocks: 1d6 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 7 + (3) = 13

Dibbets at 100/110', Dingus 75/110'

Dibbets hops along easing into the sway of the broken rope bridge. There's a whoosh and salt spray douses Jim quelling his furious itching. He slaps off some bits of seed and goo and finishes the pitifully wounded creature with a buzzing flourish. Its sole remaining companion seems to be eyeing an escape route more than pressing a solid attack.

R6
Dibbets
Dingus
Kaul
Jim
R7
motley ape

Round 6

Sensing the ape is itching to escape, Kaul presses savagely on - leveling another glee filled hack at the simian;

Melee: +1 Keen Waraxe (Power Attack):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Lopper, Lopper, Ape Chopper: 1d10 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Steadier now on the bridge, Dibbets makes to double his forward momentum and make it to where simian guts are being spilt.

Double move tally ho forward
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

"Bah! I don't see any need to rush to get closer they're going to kill it".

Dingus will move slowly forward as before, and plans on using his rod to stabilize the bridge, until either repairs can be made, or they decide to go ahead and let it lie.

I'll need some details on how Dingus plans on stabilizing the bridge.

Kaul's flank: 3d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 1) = 9

Dibbets reaches the fray or what's left of it as Lopper leaves another terrible mark on the last naked ape, but it is still fighting when Jim moves in from behind.

Jim up

Dingus had planned on tying it to collapsed side somehow once the battle was over. Maybe a combination of the others strength, plus levitate to get is somewhat level, then tie off he rod to hold it in place, till the group can use some rope or vines to prop it back up. Maybe Dibb's "mending" spell could refuse the ropes where they were parted once they are in place.

"Hurry up and finish it off. I'm coming".

Have the apemen been communicating with each other in anything other than screams or gestures? Jim can speak Polyglot, if they're using that.

-Posted with Wayfinder

There is something language like about their rumbles and bellows, but nothing that you can understand. They obviously have a fair bit of intelligence for plotting, weapon making and typical war-like pursuits.

Jim shrugs internally. Can't talk to them. Oh, well. No hesitation shows in his flurry of attacks, his blade leaving a trail of ape blood and afterimages from the arcing electricity wreathing the steel.

Stab the sole simian, incl. flank: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 13 + 2 = 20
Second stab the sole simian, incl. flank: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 8 + 2 = 23

First attack damage, incl. shock: 1d6 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 7 + (4) = 14

Second attack damage, incl. shock: 1d6 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 7 + (2) = 12

The carnage wrought by Kaul leaves the creature numb and shaky and Jim finishes it off with a perfunctory jab. Dibbets joins his mates on the blood soaked cliff and with just Dingus on the swaying structure, the skinny Tian is able to avoid rocking it too much as he makes his way across grabbing the cut rope on his way. Working together, the crew take the time to mend and repair the rope making the bridge safe and secure once again.

Oddly, though the ground around the clifftop is now wet with blood, you find no tracks left by the apemen. Only your Own boot prints show in the churned mud and gore. The dead bodies remain, but without that evidence, you wouldn't even know that the skulking apemen had been there. Any thought of tracing the last fleeing creature into the jungle is futile and you see no more of the ghost-like apes as you continue on the overgrown path up the hillside.

It must be into dog watch when you reach your destination. Much of the afternoon has passed by the time you see the summit. The path ends in a final old log bridge over the winding river only about thirty feet below at this point. Beyond, a ruined stone building draped in vines is seen upon the flattened top of the island's summit.

At the lack of tracks Dibbets grumbles and spits phlegm into the soil "Looks like tha buggers move through tha trees eh? Nasty bastards... but still... they bleeds tha same as the others eh?" before moving to his routine routine of thigh slapping indifference delivery...
Please to be taking as many CLW as you be needing at 1d8+5 a hit

At the summit Dibbs takes a knee to give his fractured leg some breathing space before squinting at the ruins. He muses as he looks them over "Reckons the apies be out 'ere somewhere like... jus a matter o' tryin tae gets tha drop on them this time."

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

Looking for signs that the simians go in and out of the ruins or not. I'd suggest we try a stealth review of the ruins - with Kauly and Dibbs heading out first.

Dibbets scans the scene closely, but none of chameleon-like apes are spotted and they leave no trace if they do dwell in the place.

Jim shakes his head at Dibbets' comment. "I don't even see their tracks here, where they fought. Something of magic to it, I'm thinking." He wipes his blade clean on one of the corpses before sheathing it.

CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Whistling air through his teeth Dibbs shrugs "Taint no sign o' tha buggers over there... which be good an bad both."

After carefully retrieving his Anchoring rod, Dingus stands with the others over-viewing the scene before them. "Well, should we go on towards our goal. They'll either find us on the way, or be waiting for us there. Obviously we're not going to surprise them. I could make someone invisible and they could scout ahead if desired. I'd do it but I'll step on a branch and give warning or something.

Dingus frowns at his inadequacy, and lets Richard down to hunt while the group deliberates.

"S'alroight Dingus... me an Kauly's got it handled." making for the tree all stealthy like and ahead of the big nugget.

Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31

Though the old log bridge creaks and moans, it proves sturdy enough yet to support the crew who quickly cross without incident. Dibbets and Kaul slowly creep up for a better look at the structure and find it more reminiscent of the drowned ruins of the Hungermire than the charau-ka infested ruins of the Mwangi. Though the construction is obviously human work, not the work of the cyclopes that once rules these isles, it is surrounded by a marsh which has caused the walls to settle and lean at eerie angles.

The ground is merely spongy here though and water rarely rises above the ankle. Given the repeated key motif and gilded framework along with the gleam of light off golden shards of glass in the high arched windows of the stone building, you take this for some lost Abadarian mission. An ill-conceived attempt at taming the barren isles too close to the Cannibal Archipelago.

Once safely across the bridge and scouted on the immediate area Dibbs muses "Best gets tha others cross eh?" moving back to usher Jim and Dingus up to join them.

As they come over Dibbs keeps his beady wee eyes scanning about and suggests "Hey Kauly - take a wee circuit round tha thing eh?"

Jim follows, keeping alert for another ambush. "Abadar, eh? Probably for the best that it didn't go anywhere; those folks tend to look down on our sort, hey?"

Kaul nods to Dibbs with a his harsh mako grin and slinks off for some scounting around the building:

Eyes on the Prize: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Dibbs grimaces and spits into the soggy turf "Bah feckin gods gettin airs... gimme tha Skylord any day or night like. Least 'es an honest fecker."

Kaul doesn't get far before he finds that the back of the mission sinks into a wide pond that drains quickly off a drop to the northeast becoming the source of the narrow stream that cuts through the island finally ending in the great falls above the beach where the crew landed. There's not dry way around the place and no apparent entrance other than the front doors.

"Want to look in the windows? We're all either fine climbers or floaters, hey?"

Given the lack of tracks and activity Dibbets shrugs "Knock yersel out Madman, I'm fer tha front door aye?... Kaul? Dingus?" seeking accompaniment... or at least persons to stand in front of him as they make for the front door.

"Wouldn't hurt for somebody to take a look around before we go barging in the front door all uninvited. That's just the civilized thing to do".