GM Jiggy's The Order of the Griffon (5e) (Inactive)

Game Master Jiggy

With a flurry of steel, both wolves go down!

That does it for the entrance guards. Any particular way you want to move forward? March cautiously forward in battle formation? Send a scout ahead a certain distance? What's the general M.O. gonna be here?

Do we need a short? I think we have at least two injured.

I should be fine. I'll stay behind you three with Halsere. I've got one or two tricks I can work from back here. Who knows how long it will be before the guards are missed? I think it's best we press on before anyone knows we're here.

Presuming the entrance isn't going to be trapped, I'd suggest I stay near the back. If we want to be more cautious, I should go near the front as I can look for traps without slowing us down.

"We'll be fine! Let's press deeper into this cave. No telling what danger's remain and we best not let 'em escape!"

How wide is the cave entrance/how wide can we move about? An ideal marching order I think for now would be Thyra/Pietro side-by-side, Halsere and Spyder right behind us and Mirrel in the rear only because he is the most injured. If that is agreeable to everyone?

Do we need a short? I think we have at least two injured.

We should tend to the wounded - it could be the difference between life and death

Could also use his second wind fighter ability to heal

How wide is the cave entrance/how wide can we move about?

The entrance looks big enough for three people to stride in abreast comfortably. You won't know about the inside until you're there, but since this place was chosen as a drop-off point for groups of humanoid victims...

I already did. A short rest would get it back, but we *did* just make a mess. Taking an hour off might not make a lot of sense. At least not here.

Spidre slowly looks over his remaining wounds impassively, then turns his mask towards the cave and simply stares.

"I bought a Healin' Potion, Spidre, ya take it just in case until we can rest and catch a breath"

A short rest is only 10 minutes, but whatever. I'm still completely fresh. Maybe I should take point though, if Spidre is injured.

Ah, my mistake. We can do whatever. Obviously Spidre isn't going to complain too much.

Choosing for now to press on, Thyra and Pietro temporarily take the lead with the other three behind them.

Entering the den, you find it to go down only a few feet before leveling off. The presence of root-choked dirt walls instead of stone suggest that most of this was dug out of the earth rather than being a natural cave system. Tunnels wind this way and that, and you discover more than one entirely empty room. You would guess that this den was made to house far more wolves than seem to currently be here.

After several minutes of walking, you enter a room which contains three sleeping wolves, behind whom is a bloody, disheveled halfling, tied up in a corner. As you enter the room (having ALL managed to fail your Perception checks to hear the snoring wolves ahead of time), two of the wolves hear you and wake up. They see you and attack!

Halsere: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Mirrel: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Pietro: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Spidre: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Thyra: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Wolves: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Halsere, Spidre, and Thyra are the first to react!
Three wolves, like before, except this time one of them is currently still asleep. The three of them are about 15-20ft away.

"Ryaaaahhhhhh" Thyra gives out a gutteral yell as she charges the nearest wolf, a halfling in plight is a rather sad sight!

attack with inspiration! to save the halfling: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18 or second d20 roll from inspiration: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

damage critical: 2d8 + 4 ⇒ (1, 3) + 4 = 8 What a great crit, ha!

"Semmi gond, azért vagyunk itt, hogy mentse meg!

Since you bothered with inspiration, I'll assume you were targeting a conscious wolf.

Thyra charges in and wounds one of the wolves!

Halsere and Spidre, then the wolves will go.

Spidre moves in and attacks the same wolf next to Thyra.
TWF Shortsword: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7, Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
TWF Shortsword: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20, Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Spidre adds another wound to Thyra's target, but the wolf still stands!

Halsere's turn.

Halsere casts sleep, hoping to put down the waking wolves before the fight truly begins.

5d8 ⇒ (8, 4, 8, 5, 8) = 33

O_O
DAT SLEEP ROLL. You're gonna end up being called "The Somnomancer" or something. Cripes. In fact, even if the third wolf woke up first, you'd still put all three down, exactly.

In a stunning feat of arcane prowess, Halsere sends all the wolves into an arcane slumber!

Out of initiative. The wolves: restrain, or slit throats?

I'm not so great with the slitting, but I volunteer to bash throats.

Halsere slits the wolves throats before moving on to the Halfling.

How fare you and what is your name?

The halfling is bound in ropes and covered in blood. He wears the same style of dark green cloak as the members of the Order of the Griffon that you've seen. His skin is unnaturally pale, and he has rough and bloody bandages across his neck and forearms and a detached look in his eyes.

When Halsere addresses him, he doesn't respond at first, then he cranes his neck to look at the exit of the room (directly across from where you came in). He doesn't speak, but makes a weak groan.

Halsere turns around bloody dagger in hand to face where the halfling is looking.

Spidre examines the halfling, wary of betrayal.
Medicine (what's wrong with him?): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

"What are ya'll waitin' for, let's free the halflin' already and search this place!

Thyra gestures at the halfling's bonds and his sorry state of well-being but otherwise will make no move to free the hafling without his friends agreeance.

insight, looking for fear in the Hafling's eyes: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Halsere nods while looking back to where the halfling was looking, cautious of new foes.

Should be ok to let him go.

Should be using my inspiration soon... either there is another combat coming or I'll use investigate to search the lair for clues

Mirrel unties the halfling, examining and treating his wounds as much as he can without a healing kit. Following the halfling's gaze he lowers his voice.

Medicine: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

We were sent by the Order. Are there more of the wolves? More captives?

Taking a few minutes to examine the halfling (nice rolls!) you determine that he is missing a LOT of blood, and he seems near lunacy from torture. It seems his arms and neck have been cut, bandaged, re-cut, re-bandaged, and so forth over the course of days. Even if you get him home, this man will never be the same.

Turning your attention in the direction the halfling indicated, you see nothing of note, but you can hear something like the crack of a whip and a howl of pain off in the distance, somewhere else in the den. You'd guess the halfling is concerned for his comrades.

"Be still, child. We'll have you safe and sound soon enough."

Pietro casts a spell decides not to tend to the halfling's wounds.

Save that spell. The examinations show that his "wounds", of the sort your current magic can heal, are bandaged well already. His real trouble are his shattered mind and his severe blood loss, neither of which will be aided by cure wounds.

Anyone good at scouting? We need to investigate that.

Halsere leads the way, moving stealthfully 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 or 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 (advantage via inspiration spending)

Halsere's gettin' his sneak on. Will the rest of the party sneak with him? (Group check, success if at least three succeed.) Or will you let him scout ahead, and keep your distance until you hear from him? (No Stealth from the group, but a delay in getting assistance if things go south for Halsere.)

I've got disadvantage from armor. I'll wait.

Aye, Thyra will have to leave the sneaking to those without 55 pounds of armor on. As much as she hates letting an ally walk into danger alone.

Alright, scouting version it is.

Halsere peeks out into the hall and, seeing that it's clear, starts creeping in the direction of the noises while the rest of you keep an eye on him from the doorway. He moves down a long, irregularly-shaped dirt hallway, stopping at an opening about 20 feet ahead and peeking inside.

Now, everybody give me one turn's worth of activity, as though we were in initiative.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

Thyra tries to whisper quietly to her friends, "I don't hear anything coming down that way, should we move up?"

Creeping up, she'll move just to the entrance of the hallway but otherwise wait for the party.

Should I make a stealth check? I'll make one just in case you want to use it

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Spidre hears words down the hall and holds out his hand to pause the others.
Are there any objects in the tunnel, like crates or barrels or something?

Are there any objects in the tunnel, like crates or barrels or something?

Nope, just an empty hallway.

Pietro whispers, "What do your elf ears hear?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

"They might be coming this way. Brace yourselves."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Glancing back to make sure the halfling isn't about to do anything foolish (or loud). Mirrel stands behind the others, waiting for guidance from Halsere.

Halsere mutters a prayer asking for forgiveness for overuse of magic and then casts sleep on the Human and orcs.

Surprise round
Sleep 5d8 ⇒ (1, 1, 1, 7, 4) = 14

He then draws his dagger and yells Have at you!!

Ahhh luck... you are a fickle b@#+!

Okay... Putting those posts all together, here's basically what happens:

Halsere sneaks up to the opening to a room where the noises were coming from. He spies a bit, then Pietro and Spidre hear something and get ambivalent about what to do about it while Thyra comes up behind Halsere just as he casts a spell at unseen targets somewhere in the room and draws his dagger.

@Everyone else: You hear a *fwump* sound from inside the room, and your two comrades look rather alarmed.

Halsere: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Mirrel: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Pietro: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Spidre: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Thyra: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Baddies: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

Suddenly, shouts are heard! An orc comes out of the room and swings a greataxe at 1d2 ⇒ 2 Thyra!

Greataxe: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14, Damage: 1d12 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Thyra narrowly avoids harm!

A second orc soon follows (having spent his action to wake the human), and then a human comes out with a sword and shield and tries to stab 1d2 ⇒ 2 Thyra!

Shortsword: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Crit damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Consider that a karmic repayment for your crappy crit earlier.

The blade gets under Thyra's armor, but luckily doesn't go too deep!

Party up! Thyra and Halsere are face-to-face with a human (studded leather, shield, shortsword) and two orcs (studded leather, greataxe), about 20 feet ahead of the other three party members. Effectively a straight hallway, about three people wide.

Halsere stabs the human. 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 for 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 damage before taking a step back (allowing others in) and risks an AoO from the human.

His blow is wild and clumsy.

Joining Halsere a short way down the corridor, Mirrel allows the rest of the party to move forward to engage the enemy. Calling out to Thyra and the orc she is fighting, his words are tinged with magic.

You'll put him down easily, Thyra. He swings that axe like a newborn!

Vicious Mockery - the orc has to make a DC14 Wis save or take 1d4 psychic damage and have disadvantage on it's next attack.

Bardic Inspiration - Thyra has a d6 bardic inspiration die (lasts for ten minutes). She can add it to an attack or attribute check after seeing the d20 roll but before knowing the result.

If I'm adjacent to Halsere when he provokes an Attack of Opportunity I'd like to use my reaction to activate my Protection power and give the attack disadvantage, if possible

"Hah ya Orc scum, did ya train with a Teddy Bear! Let me show ya how ta swing an axe!

battleaxe attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10 damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Using Bardic Inspiration to add to my attack roll Attack + Bardic Inspiration: 10 + 1d6 ⇒ 10 + (6) = 16

I'm really glad we picked up this Mirrel fella

Pietro rushes forward to join the fight, and strikes out at an orc. It sounds like I can make it there with 20 feet of movement in my heavy armor. Using inspiration, just because.

Maul (Adv+5): 2d20 ⇒ (7, 20) = 27
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (2, 5) + 3 = 10
Crit Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5 15 total

Halsere flails ineffectually at the human, then retreats!

The human and one of the orcs both try to take a swing at him as he departs, though Thyra tries her best to cover him! I'm assuming you'll use your protection ability against the stronger attack.

Shortsword: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Greataxe DIS+5: 2d20 ⇒ (17, 6) = 23(11), Damage: 1d12 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

With Thyra's help, Halsere joins the back rank!

Mirrel lashes out magically against one of the orcs!
WIS: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (10) + 0 = 10, Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2
The orc winces sheepishly!

Thyra then cuts down an orc, and Pietro drops another!

Spidre's turn, with just the human remaining.

I confess I thought it was going to be a rougher battle

Honestly, so did I. But hey, now I don't have to feel as guilty about the [REDACTED] coming up later.

We work together well and have a good chemistry!

Man, you guys all have pretty cool abilities. I can just... attack twice. Which seems worthless when compared to Pietro's crit-all-day strategy.

Spidre moves forward with fluid grace, his swords flashing as they catch the light in a wild flurry of motion.
TWF Shortsword (insp): 2d20 + 5 ⇒ (4, 18) + 5 = 27 =23, Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
TWF Shortsword: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15, Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4