Ryder shares his information with the others, and again suggests a strike near dusk.
Battle Synopsis
The Hero’s decided to send their Ranger, Ralof, to scout the compound ahead of time. He noticed a doorway that was open on the north side of the compound.
The plan was simple, sneak up and into the doorway unnoticed so as to catch them off guard.
Unfortunately, for the hero’s they had some trouble sneaking up to the double doorway, and were spotted by a Gnome known as Hookshanks. Knowing that the plan was in jeopardy, the hero’s plunged into action. When Loris Charged his way onto the North docks, a couple of the Orphans panicked and jumped off the dock onto the land below falling prone.
Ryder and Ralof both followed closely to Loris, and were able to get to the edge of the docks with their next moves.
Hookshanks, then did his best to intimidate the orphans into attacking the intruders, but did not put the effort into it that was needed to spark action. It was then that Loris moved in and with a deadly hit from his long-spear, put Hookshanks into a staggered condition. Hookshanks tried to retreat, but after Loris tried to grab him to interrogate the gnome, he tried to resist, and immediately fell into unconsciousness.
The rest of the Orphans tried to flee in different directions, when a Voice from the Factory floor rang out to “Hold Fast you Scabs! HAHA!”. It would prove to be the voice of Giggles, the one eyed half orc who laughs just a little too much.
Giggles, managed to intimidate the Orphans into attacking, and two of them charged back up the stairs after Ryder. (Perhaps because Ryder is not much older than they are). After a meager attempt to hit Ryder with (damp) pitchfork, Ryder nailed them with a Color Spray effectively removing them from the fight.
Meanwhile, Loris charged Giggles only to miss with his long-spear. In return Giggles Thwaps Loris across the head with his flail rendering him staggered. Loris takes a step back to cast a cure light wounds spell, saving him from death, but not from falling prone from the effort.
Finally, after a few rounds of poor marksmanship, Ralof manages to hit Giggles with a well aimed arrow. Giggles moves over Loris to attack Ralof but misses. Then Ralof, quickdraws his greatsword and with one devastating critical blow, sends the half-orc into a death he would not recover from.
The orphans flee, but not before informing the hero’s that the man they seek is below the main floor.
I go into the room by the catwalk and do a search
Ralof opens the door via the east entrance by the catwalk. The room is empty, but looks as if someone left in a hurry, as papers are scattered about. A wooden desk sits in one corner of this room, its side preventing the western door from opening all the way. The table is heaped with dozens of slate boards covered with chalk scrawls, while to the east a cabinet slouches against the wall. To the south, a few moldy boards have been nailed over a door.
Loris follows and also performs a Quick search:
There's still at least one more door we haven't checked. I think we should check it quickly before finding a way down to Gaedren
i go into the into the room over and look ing and do a search
If Loris remains at the east door by the ship (the water is to the top of the map, so east is towards the top of the map, right?), then Ryder says to him, "Loris, wait here and watch that ship... by 'below', the orphans must have meant the hold of that ship. I'll join Ralof above and check out that room."
Ryder joins Ralof in the southern room.
The door you placed Loris by is actually a window. But you have the directions correct.. East is Up on the map. I should have made a direction indicator and will next encounter.
Loris followed Ralof into the room in his previous post.
The door Loris is standing by is the one that is boarded over. The other door in the room doesn't open all the way due to the desk position.
Both Ryder and Loris Notice several scrolls in the cabinet to the East. They detail what appears to be financial detailings of the Fishery business. It was apparent that they wanted to ensure they were covered in the event of a surprise audit.
Ralof moves back around to open the final door. His brief search reveals nothing of significance.. Inside is two bunkbeds. This must be where the heads of the operation slept.
Loris seems frustrated, He want's to get to Gaedren. He remembers the boardwalk on the south side of the building. Seeing the Moldy Boards, he decides to break them apart to get access to the boardwalk and ship.
His frustration gets the better of him and you see him Literally grow in anger to twice his normal size as he gives the door a mighty kick!
With that kick, the rotted wood holding the door shut as well the door itself splinters off rusted hinges and goes tumbling into the river below.
The boardwalk creaks and moans as the door smacks into it on the way down. The Boardwalk sits about 10 feet above the rivers surface.
Perception checks:
You all notice the boardwalk looks fairly slippery as it is rarely used. Moss covers the surface of the boardwalk.
If you step out onto the boardwalk, roll a "Knowledge: Engineering" check (DC 10 Must have at least 1 rank to use the skill) or a straight Intelligence check (DC15). If you make the DC, read the spoiler, otherwise proceed as normal.
ralof walks out onto the boardwalk.
and says "ready to do this?"
Loris says, "Let's go" And heads out to the boat. He realizes it's slippery and moves carefully down the Boardwalk.
Ryder's a bit distracted by the thought of the orphans having been forced into labor in this place. Ryder is almost startled when Ralof speaks, and he quickly follows him & Loris out onto the boardwalk, really rather oblivious that he's even stepping onto a boardwalk above the water.
Ralof Notices the suspect structure of the Boardwalk, but forgets to mention it to Loris as he steps out onto the walkway. The walkway creaks and moans under the weight of the two hero's. Just then Ryder quickly follows.
Ryder sets one foot onto the mossy walkway and slips hitting his backside on the boardwalk then plunging off the edge into the river below. The sudden weight of a third person is enough to send the entire boardwalk crashing into the river below.
The water is deep enough to have not caused any damage from the fall, however you notice a rather large fin heading in your direction.
Initiatives
The shark swims towards the first to enter the river (Ryder, whom slipped off the edge an extra 5 feet)
Against FF (11)
The Shark was too eager for a meal and misses Ryder only slightly.
Next up are the heroes.
If Ralof makes the roll needed he pulls out his bow and take a shot at the shark.
So to clarify, you are using underwater combat rules. I'm assuming that you are ducking your head underwater to avoid cover penalties of firing from above water at a creature in the water.
Your attack roll should have been 1d20-3 (normally its 1d20+3 for your bow, but you are firing into melee (-4) and underwater with 5 feet of water between you and the target (-2))
Now, since you rolled a 19, the 19-3 (16) still hits the target.
However, your damage roll with a normal longbow is only a 1d8, you do not get to add STR to the roll until you can afford a composit longbow.
So for damge you just did the 5 poits.
** It can be confusing at times. Either way you hit, and did 5 damage!
** As a side note, until you get a Composite Longbow, your best bet for both attacks and damage is likely your greatsword. The minimum damage you could do with the greatsword would have been 5 points.. with the Max at 11. Out of the water the min would be 6 with a max of 16. Big difference from a 1d8 bow.
Ok
Since Ryder and Ralof go before Loris, here's his two options depending on what happened when it gets to his turn.
Loris moves to within striking distance of his longspear. (1/4 Movement of 20ft = 5ft)
Yikes.. Big-time wiff on the attack.
Assuming there's no other threats, Loris uses his swim check to double move (10ft) towards the landing that's above the water they just fell into. Since the boardwalk collapsed, I take it this is the only way to get to the ship now? "Guys, a platform!"
Ryder immediately makes an attempt to swim for shore.
= Ryder not only fails to make any headway, but goes underwater (having failed failed his swim check by more than 5.)
= Success! Ryder surfaces and full-round-action to swim half speed straight for shore. Ryder will make it to one square form shore, where I presume he'll be able to stand.
Round 1 Summary
The shark attacks Ryder as he sees a prime opportunity for a nice meal, he lunges at Ryder but just misses the human
Ryder, stunned by the sudden drop into the river and the sudden attack from the shark, panics and attempts to flee to the shore, but his flailing gets him nowhere. One of the consequences of a failed swim check:
Creatures flailing about in the water (usually because they failed their Swim checks) have a hard time fighting effectively. An off-balance creature loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, and opponents gain a +2 bonus on attacks against it
Rolaf quickly pulls an arrow and with deadly underwater accuracy hits the shark in the ribcage.
Loris, tries to answer by stabbing the shark with his spear, but the water plays tricks on his eyes and he misses.
Round 2 begins
The sudden flailing of Ryder only serves as a beacon for the shark. The shark lunges at Ryder again.
The Shark takes a chunk out of Ryder's Arm. (5 damage)
Ryder then composes himself it and manages take a Withdraw Action (important to avoid Attack of Opportunity) to make it back to the shore.
Loris Stays Afloat.
Two options again depending on Ralof:
Loris moves 5ft closer to shore in anticipation the shark may come after him.
On your next posts, roll a perception check in addition to your swim checks.
Also, as we move forward, Always roll Attack and Damage in the same post, regardless of if you think it is a hit or not (you never know, you just might hit anyway). I always do a preview post to see how I did before posting, so I can make sure everything looks right. If you forget before posting, you can always hit edit and add the additional roll.
I added a Turn and Damage Tracker to GM Grecko's Avatar. It looks like this:
Round 2
(x)Shark - 5hp
(x)Ryder - 5hp
(o)Ralof - 0hp
(p)Loris - 0hp
The (x) means you have used your turn already this round.
The (o) means you have yet to make your turn this round
The (p) means you have taken your turn, but it is pending because it depends on the outcome of previous players.
I also added the total damage that you have taken in this fight. Hopefully this can clear up the confusion regarding who's turn it is.
Ralof ducks under water and takes another shot.
Pretty close.. However, since Ryder managed to escape back to the shore, the shark is no longer in melee. Therefore you no longer suffer from the -4 for shooting into melee. You still have the underwater penalty of -2 though.. So 1d20+1 (11) + 1 = 12. Unfortunately that misses the shark.
Future Reference, you may want to take your movements with you attacks.. It can get you in better positions.
Round 2 Summary
The Shark took another chomp at a flailing Ryder, gnawing of a piece of his arm.
Ryder, finally calming himself enough to make a proper swim check, moved his way back to the edge of the shore.
Ralof took another shot at the shark, but the arrow gets lost in a nearby pocket of swirling current.
Loris, thinking of tactical retreat took a poorly aimed stab at the shark and moved a bit closer to the shore in an effort to find a firmer footing.
Those with their head under the water who already made or will make a DC10 perception check:
Round 3 Begins:
The shark moves towards Loris (he had been hit before and still has blood on him) to attack.
However, Since Loris holds a reach weapon, the shark will provoke an Attack of Opportunity (AoO) before it can enter melee range.
If the shark survives the AoO:
The attack misses as Loris dodges the bite.
Loris AoO:
ralof notices how loris and ryder are retreating back to land he does the same.
Ralof uses full round action to swim to shore.
After the shark goes on Round 3:
Ryder blasts the shark with a Ray of Frost (he ducks his head underwater, if pertinent):
Ryder pops a Flare in front of the shark:
Fortitude save, DC14, or be dazzled 1 minute
After making the attack, Ryder will 5-foot step out of the water, if able.
Loris is in a predicament. The Shark is inside his reach and to move to a position that will allow him to use his spear will provoke an AoO. And, he can't withdraw without also provoking an AoO. Given the two options, Loris is the type to try to go down swinging.
He moves 5 feet towards the fishery (under the main building) and stabs at the shark again. (The Shark will Get an AoO
The Shark takes a bite (AoO) at Loris as he moves away.
The Sharks teeth glance off of Loris's Armored Coat saving Loris from taking damage.
Loris then gains the distance he needs to take another stab at the Shark. He turns around and lunges his spear into the open maw of the shark. Blood begins the spill from the wound as the shark goes limp.
The Shark Dies.
Loris swims back to shore (Take 10 with Skill since no longer under duress)
Takes a look at Ryders Arm.. "Let me take a look at that"
He then proceeds to channel positive energy healing both himself and Ryder (and Ralof if he needs it)
As the wounds regenerate around the bite he looks at Ryder, "There... Stay away from sharks kid"
"I saw a caged Gator down there, I think I'd like to investigate that before heading to the ship."
Ralof swims back to shore and says so we want to go check out the gator? How are we going to get down there?
After Loris heals Ryder, he says, Thank-you Loris.
After the talk about the gator:
"Forget the gator... we have to find Gaedren. He's here. The orphan said 'down below'. Let's go back into the building - maybe we can get to the ship through one of those windows on the east side - Gaedren is in the hold of that ship.
Ryder heads towards the door they all first entered at the NW corner of the building, to make his way down to the windows at the east.
Loris mutters under his breath in perfect Halfling, "Silly Halfling, always running off"
Loris follows Ryder inside the compound and to one of the windows. He sizes it up thinks I suppose I can fit through here? Ever the impatient one, instead of looking for a way to open the window, he smashes it with his spear.
Loris then climbs out the window and down onto the deck of the ship. "Coming?"
The rotten deck of the this ancient barge seems to be barely intact, its hull worn and thick with seaweed and barnacles. The barge is held together primarily by the layers of old rope that lash it securely to the pilings that support the fishery and the nearby boardwalk. A single wooden door leading into the aft cabin bears a crude painting of a red fish on its surface.
As soon as Loris steps onto the deck of the ship...
His foot breaks-through the rotted deck.
He manages to keep his footing. Anyone else attempting to walk on the deck of the ship will need to roll a Reflex save each round of movement DC12.
Roll yourself 1d6 points of falling damage, and you are laying prone on the bottom of the ship
Quietly, just loud enough for Loris to hear,"Loris, wait! That deck looks dangerous... What if we just set this tinderbox on fire? If he tries to flee, we'll ambush him in the water."
= Ryder falls through the floorboards anyway.
= Frak me!
If Ryder gets the chance to, he'll stand and cast Dancing Lights to create four glowing orbs that each cast the light of a lantern, and he'll move each one out to their maximum extent from each other, centered on Ryder - one 10' left, one 10' right, one 10' forward, and one 10' back.
What you're seeing is both the upper and lower maps. I had previously had them separated. When you stormed the compound I just had the upper map visible. When you fell in the water, I was using the lower map.
Now that their is a possibility of falling into the ship, I put both maps up at the same time just to make it easier to see whats going on. If this new revelation changes what you would have done, go ahead and ret-con your action. Otherwise, if you go down to the lower deck of the ship (whether you fell through, or via the stairs you cant quite see yet), I set it up so the black boxes are move-able when you enter those areas.
Ralof says out loud "Don't set it on fire! We go get him, have a small talk, and then kill him!"
Ryder instead says, "Forget the gator... we have to find Gaedren. He's here. The orphan said 'down below' - he must have meant the lower level of the building over here. Ryder points to the lower level at the western end of the building, near where he's standing on the beach.
Loris thinks about it for a bit: Hmm, we could swim out there, but who knows if there are more sharks. There may be a way to access it from inside the ship itself, but it looks sketchy at best. Or I suppose we could climb down to the platform with rope"
After securing the rope, he climbs down, and is successful (DC5 for knotted rope - taking 10 on climb check = 12 for Loris)
He ties off the other end to the lower platform to make it easier for the others to climb down.
The rope goes from dot's #1 on the upper platform to the lower platform on #2. Remember that the upper platform crashed into the river previously and is no longer there.
He fails to make it up to the platform.
Ralof says "lets attempt climbing, because i dont want to deal with swimming again."
Ralof fails miserably and im guessing falls and takes damage :(