DM Talomyr's Kingmaker

Game Master Talomyr

"It was green. Body the size of a.... big draft horse? Wings even bigger. Didn't get any closer once I spotted it."

He tries to signal how big the wing span was with his hands, but gives it up as a bad job. "It was big. "

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22
"A young adult dragon, I would think. Dangerous, but it could be worse."

Azen looks around at all of the excellent archers in the party. She isn't sure that she is the best by a long shot, but she nods and accepts the compliment from the new party member.

Thanks, that makes me feel better... size of a horse, with wings. That's not so bad...

Thanks Wulfric, must have neglected my attacks in leveling up. Appreciate you pointing it out.

So you have your alchemist fires, you have a bit of intelligence on what sort of creature lives in the dragon lair, you know where the trolls are and would prefer to draw more of them out. I think I have that right. What exactly is the plan to draw trolls out? Which hexes will you be traveling through etc?

My thinking was that we could boat down to the Lizardfolk village again then move into the hex containing the dragon’s lair. Perhaps we can make a camp there and hide nearby to ambush whoever comes to investigate? Hopefully it wouldn’t be all the trolls plus the dragon at once.

Interesting idea. Anyone know how good trolls' sense of smell is? If we have a barbecue out in the forest they might come to see what smells delicious. But going after the dragon first sounds fine.

I'm game for an ambush (or a barbecue). Let's try it. What the worst that could happen? (ha ha)

Interesting idea. Anyone know how good trolls' sense of smell is? If we have a barbecue out in the forest they might come to see what smells delicious. But going after the dragon first sounds fine.

Based on the Nat 20 roll on the Knowledge for trolls I'm assuming I know they have Scent

Celebeth Quinciel wrote:

Interesting idea. Anyone know how good trolls' sense of smell is? If we have a barbecue out in the forest they might come to see what smells delicious. But going after the dragon first sounds fine.

Based on the Nat 20 roll on the Knowledge for trolls I'm assuming I know they have Scent

Correct.

Morning comes and Godwin has The Arrow ready to head southwest along the Tuskwater and into the Candlemere before turning west toward the remains of Vesket's village.

Travel through the lakes is smooth and relatively quick, that all changed once you tried navigating the Murque - many shallow spots made for slow travel, even having to exit the craft on a few occasions to lessen the weight of the vessel, but ultimately you make it to the remains of the village shortly before dinner time.

What would you like to do?

Wufric will bring his warhorse on board the ship if that works.

Upon disembarking, he casts False Life (lasts 6 hours).
Temp HP: 1d10 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

So what'll it be? Ambush? Barbecue?

"Why not both?"

"We should head south into the dragon’s territory, then find a suitable place to set up an ambush and make our false camp there…"

Azen grins at Celebeth, and then does as Tove asks and sets off south with the rest of the party.

Opting for a later dinner, the party sets off to the south. As you are leaving Godwin asks, "You wantin' me to wait here for you, or return to Elkmark?"

Your answer given to the captain of the Arrow, you continue your journey marching on for an hour or two before setting camp.

You are in a heavily wooded area, what additional features are you looking for if you are setting up an ambush and what is the watch order tonight?

I'm looking for some elevation (rocks/cliffs) or climbable trees so we can make some distance shots before getting into close combat. It would be also good to be at the edge of a clearing if we find one so that our fire spells don't threaten to burn down the forest.

Azen will take first watch, hopefully from a tree or other elevation which will also be good as a lookout.

With her ability to see a bit better in darkness than most of her companions and no need to rest for the sake of regaining spellcasting abilities, Rhiannon takes the overnight watch.

"I think Godwin should return to Elkmark. We don't know how long we will be, and this place is more dangerous."

---

"I'm not too worried about burning the forest down with fire spells. I don't know many such spells. I can cast Burning Hands once the trolls are defeated and stacked in a pile."

Don't even know Fireball, but I think Haste is going to prove far more effective.

Wulfric will cast Carry Companion, turning his warhorse into a small stone figurine. He will then go to sleep, waking for third watch.

"Just remember that for the most part, trolls see far better than we do in darkness. Once we engage, some form of light will be vital." Rhiannon points out as they set up camp.

Tove will prepare her spells the same way she did for the first encounters with the trolls, dropping Divine Favorand Shield of Faith to free up three slots (including her usual open slot) for Sun Metal. She’ll have these ready for anyone who wants them if we face off against the trolls tonight. She’ll also drop Prayer and Trial of Fire and Acid from her regular list to prepare two uses of Protection from Energy in case we lure in the dragon instead.

"Well, if we have a big barbecue, we should have a fire pit providing plenty of light," suggests Celebeth.

"... who's gonna hunt us a deer or something?"

Imma set the stage.

Celebeth spends the remainder of the day taking care of things at home like dealing with correspondence, checking on her network of informants, and getting a bath and a hot beverage of the sort that she can't get while out on the road. Then she lays out her tools and packs for another trip into the wild.

She makes a few advance plans. It's possible that the team might run into other trouble, but that can't be helped. (Random encounters might happen during overland travel.)

The plan at the destination seems straightforward. Trolls are fearless and aggressive; they'll attack a campsite with food, even if it looks defended, since the party is small. That means the team can take advantage of this. A fire ipt in the middle of the camp serves as a cooking spot, where the group roasts a deer or other large game animal, with hope that the smell carries for some distance and the trolls come to investigate. Of course, there are other hungry animals, but if a hodag or tatzlwyrm comes crawling, might as well get them out of the way, too.

In the fashion of an old Taldan camp, people's tents and bedrolls go in neat rows around the central firepit. The lanes between them are wide: trolls are big and there needs to be room to fight without crashing into tents.

The perimeter of the camp should have wooden stakes facing outward. The kind of palisade that the team can make in the wild, on the move, is not really going to slow down a troll, but it might keep other smaller predators at bay, and the trolls will naturally try to enter through the un-staked entry points on either side of the camp. A troll could still smash its way through at a different point, but at least it's not completely open.

With luck, the forest itself can offer some anchor points, with a few large trees to break up the spot so that there's cover and the trolls can't form a coherent defensive wall. A rope ladder might even be able to get an archer up into one of those trees for an elevated firing platform.

Something like this, time and resources permitting.

Map stolen and loaded into Roll20.

Whether it was due to trolls being in the area, being this close to a dragon's lair, or just plain dumb luck, you make it to a suitable location to set up your camp unhampered.

Garethane offers up his services when hunting of a deer is mentioned and goes off to do just that while the others continue to set up the mini-fortress/camp.

The fire is going, producing a fair amount of smoke from the somewhat damp wood in the area when the hunter returns, his prey slung across his shoulders.

So far I have: First Watch - Azen, Second Watch - Rhiannon, Third Watch - Wulfric. Which watches will Tove, Celebeth, and Garethane be on?

Celebeth would like to take first watch with her sister, but understands if she's needed on night watch because of her low-light vision. Krezzik is with her for this fight.

Once the team starts setting up their hunting camp, Celebeth and Krezzik spend the afternoon sharpening crude stakes to make the partial palisade. It's not especially taxing work, though it is rather tedious. Krezzik's great strength serves well in jamming the poles into the dirt. Fortunately, the damp soil of the forest is easier to dig than the hard-packed ground one might find in hills or mountains.

As darkness comes in, Celebeth casts a light spell on a post and puts it to the east side of the camp, away from the fire pit, so that there's light on both sides.

Krezzik token added to the map, controllable by Celebeth.

Added a small golden dot on the east side to represent Celebeth's light spell, in case illumination radii become important.

Maybe Tove can take first watch with Azen, Celebeth can join Rhiannon on second and Garethane join Wulfric on third? That way we have the elves keeping watch during the darkest hours? I don’t really mind though. I don’t know what the cloud cover is like but I think the moon should only be a few nights past full so it shouldn’t be too dark…

No objection, fearless leader!

Okay, Azen is going to be up in a tree, watching for movement outside their camp. The token goes completely hidden if I put her in the middle of the tree, so I put her near the edge (upper left).

Tove will take up a position behind the palisade on the opposite side of the camp.

Forgot to say, I'm good with Garethane on third. It will give the elf time to get to know our new Magister better (even if we don't roleplay out the details.)

First Watch: Tove and Azen; Second Watch: Celebeth, Krezzik, and Rhiannon; Third Watch: Garethane and Wulfric

The evening goes by rather uneventfully, as do the first and second watches. The third, on the other hand, is not quite as quiet.

Stomping noises and the sounds of breaking branches both readily noticed by Garethane and Wulfric, approach from the south. It seems your lure has worked, and trolls are coming to pay a visit.

I'll give the party two rounds to prepare. I suspect that at least part of that first round will be to wake the sleeping.

After waking up, Azen hurries up into the tree again and casts Gravity Bow.

Wulfric's watch with Garethane mostly consists of Wulfric quietly asking questions, trying to understand the party's situation, rivals, and allies.

What is the ambient light level right now? We have a fire pit, so does that provide some light?

Wulfric will call out "To arms!". Does that wake everyone? Or does he need to take actions to wake anybody?

His actions depend on the light level and on the actions needed to wake the party.

If you look at the map on Roll20, you should see light generation from both a campfire and light spell. Yelling will give individuals a Perception Check to wake up, otherwise you can physically rouse someone to wake them automatically.

All I see on Roll20 is a featureless black box on a gold background. I have used Roll20 sometimes and it usually works for me, but I am not sure what I am doing wrong here. Do you need to add my character to the map?

Looks like the issues were on my end. Give it a try now.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

As Wulfric calls out, Celebeth suddenly sits bolt upright in her bedroll, crying out, "Dang it!"

First, Garethane loudly casts a protective spell on himself (Barkskin) and then moves to give a swift kick to anyone who hasn't started moving. Feral Focus is the Tiger. (+2 Dex)

In the second round, he will cast a Sickening Entangle to attempt to slow down the trolls.

Round 1: Wulfric calls out and mounts up.
Ride DC 20 to mount as free action: 1d20 + 11 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 11 - 1 = 18 So it is a move action.

Ferric (the warhorse) moves to the center of the camp, 10' west of Garethane. Wulfric can handle his animal companion as a free action. I, however, cannot move the horse's token.

Wulfric casts Haste on the party. He gets 6 targets, so that is all the PCs.

Round 2: Wulfric casts Shield and readies his lance.

@Wulfric - token updated so that you can control Ferric now.

Thanks. Realized I need to also roll 5% Arcane Spell Failure.

Haste, 01-05 fails: 1d100 ⇒ 39
Shield, 01-05 fails: 1d100 ⇒ 26

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Assuming that’s enough to notice Wulfric or Celebeth’s cries, even with the +10 DC for being asleep, I’m guessing a companion shouting besides you sits somewhere between -10 (sound of battle) and 5 (details of a conversation).

Despite sleeping a little more deeply than intended, Tove is quick to move, already under the effects of Wulfric’s Haste spell as she reaches Rhiannon’s side and sets the fighter’s blade aflame.

Round 1: Exit bedroll and cast Sun Metal on Rhiannon’s estoc.

With her enforcer’s sword glowing brightly, Tove bows her head and clutches the symbol of Erastil tight as she says a brief prayer for Old Deadeye’s favour.

Round 2: Cast Prayer on all allies within 40 feet (everyone).

Prayer
[6] rounds remaining: Everyone gains a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while each enemy takes a -1 penalty on such rolls.

Sun Metal
[5] rounds remaining: When Rhiannon hits with her estoc, it deals an additional 1d4 points of fire damage. This damage is not multiplied in the case of a critical hit.

Celebeth climbs out of her bedroll, tosses her tousled hair out of the way, and glances over to Krezzik, who is also getting up. The lizard man grumbles in Draconic as he adjusts his leather lamellar (light enough to sleep in it, thankfully) and grabs his drum.

Celebeth then vanishes into the bushes.

Stealth: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15

She appears to be crouching behind a hedge while holding a stick in front of her face.

Krezzik moves into a support position from which he can begin his drumbeat once the foes arrive.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Somehow managing to sleep through the call to arms, Rhiannon is awakened by Garethane's kick, quickly coming alert as her mind catches up. Years of experience having made it possible for her to sleep fully armored with no ill effects, she quickly jumps up, grabbing her estoc and her bow, and quicky buckling a quiver of arrows to her hip as Tove bestows the blessing of the sun on her weapon.

As you make your preparations, it is obvious that the trolls know that you are aware of their approach as they spread out and continue to advance toward your camp.

Party is up. The closest of the trolls is 90 ft away from the dim light provided by your campfire.

Azen takes careful aim, and attacks the closest one.

Attack (+1 Composite Longbow): 1d20 + 8 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 8 + 4 = 22 (bullseye shot)
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Azen takes careful aim, and attacks the closest one.

[dice=Attack (+1 Composite Longbow)]1d20+8+4 (bullseye shot)
[dice=Damage]1d8+2

Not to be a killjoy, but how is Azen targeting the creatures still some 90 feet away even from dim light. They are far out enough that not even the those with low-light can see them clearly.

Celebeth remains "hidden" in her bush.