Con checks:
Non lethal Dmg:
Perception:
Stealth for scouting with Bertholdt:
Walking along at the back of the group Drakr starts to notice that most are starting to trip or stumble a little from fatigue. Pish, humans just got no stamina he thinks to himself. But when he sees Pedro stumble up ahead he realizes he's pushed the group to hard suggesting that they walk through the night and feels pretty bad about it and that he's responsible. Just as they are arriving at the pass he says "Come on ya bunch of weaklings we'd better have a rest. It'll be no good for the town if they have to send another group up here to save our hides." he blusters.
Bluff:
Jobo looks for shelter and fire. Survival
It would be best if we pick warm up buddies. He looks at Lorelei hopefully.
Lorelei stumble a bit from cold and fatigue as she dismounts her horse. "Warm up buddies? I think maybe a nice fire and warm blankets will be sufficient."
"I just want to make clear who is the survival expert here. I didn't sneak out into the winter and kill a wolf at six years old for nothing (or was that someone else). I think I had to kill a honeybadger at six--they are meaner than wolves and now my animal totem is a honeybadger. Anyway, we may have to share bodyheat if we can't find shelter and beat each other with switches (never done it, just was told it works) to get the circulation going if we can't find shelter."
Nonlethal
It sounds like you're having a rest then. Good idea.
Tell me about the rest. At the river with the camping area? At the base of the pass? On the side of the road between the two? How long will you rest? Who is cooking what? Will you sleep? Prepare spells? Sharpen swords?
All of you would have travelled the pass, probably several times, for some of you it would be routine. The Pass is a seires of switchbacks cut into a near vertical cliff-face. Rather than going miles and miles out of the way Thaldor cut this path, and it is a marvel of civil engineering. Each level is a gradual incline that makes it easy for horses to pull heavy wagons. Thaldor's genius comes in how he has been able to cut into the face to create large areas for a loaded wagon to turn.
Each level is about 200' long, and rises 40'. There are 7 levels to reach the summit almost 300' above.
"How about the side of the road between the two?"
Lorelei just raises an eyebrow as she give Jobo a look and then begins to set up her tent.
Impressed with Drakr's defensive fighting style Jobo solemly presents Drakr a wooden honeybadger totem. "Drakr, I once saw a honeybadger stung by tons of bees, and he didn't care. That was you charging across the bridge. Three trolls under the bridge pop out with fangs and claws, Drakr didn't care. Nothing can hit you and I can hit anything; we will make a great team. Just remember you take the hits and I give them out."
Jobo helps Lorelei set up her tent.
You might enjoy the sunshine this morning- it is late winter and the day looks to be a beautiful, sunny day. The first landing, the turnaround, would provide shelter if you want.
Drakr nods at Jobo and excepts the totem. "That's the dwarven way, tough as an anvil as immovable as a mountain. You hot hard Jobo, I can respect that." he nods at Lorelei putting up her tent. "Go have some fun kid."
Drakr will unroll his bedroll and rug up.
"I'm not tired. I'll take first watch." he says gruffly.
"Go have some fun kid."
"Go have some fun kid."
"A rest would be most welcome, friend dwarf. Let me help with the fire."
While the others set up their tents, Conner will search the surroundings for deadfalls, straw, pinecones and other things to burn that won't disrupt the balance of nature in the area. He'll also quickly refill everyone's water canteens with his spells, as needed.
Once the fire is going, he start work on setting up his tent. The druid plans to sleep for a few hours to get over his fatigue, then wake up before the others so he can spend an hour meditating with nature to recover his spells.
The sun is rising and promises to create a wonderful, sunny, possibly even warm day. This might be the turn of the season that brings the snow-melt.
You have a chance to rest, and after three hours even the weariest of you feels refreshed. You pack and begin the walk up the remaining six levels. This will be about 1200' to rise almost 300' to the top of the pass.
Each level is a meagre 8' wide, just enough for a large wagon to navigate. The road is a well made and maintained as ever. Soon enough you have a nice view back down the valley you have traversed through the night.
Strangely, on the fourth level there is some rubble and dirt. Looking up, you see that the level above is blocked by a large pile of rubble - loose dirt and stones.
Climb DC's:
* across the rubble – DC 17 (+15 adequate handholds and footholds, -3 easier due to slope, +5 surface is slippery due to loose rocks)
* Straight up 30' from one level to the next – DC 25 (a rough surface, such as a natural rock wall)
Additional Modifiers:
* +1 from observing others who have succeeded on their climb up the same path, or from people calling advice from below (with an Aid Another Climb check DC 10)
* +2 from Aid Another (calling advice from above, climbing with you - with an Aid Another Climb check DC 10)
*these two can stack.
Rope would help too, though there has been nothing along the way to tie off to.
Falling from the Rubble: 20’ down to the next level.
Falling from Climb: Reflex Save DC 10 to land on this switchback rather than the next one dowwwwwwwn...
Conner happens to notice two or three kobolds sneaking a quick look at you as you walk up the levels
The druid looks at the large pile of rubble as if he were trying to determine where it came from as he quietly talks to the others in what seems to be a musing manner.
"I saw two or three kobolds peeking as us while walking up this road. Now we appear to be forced into a place where we must climb, and I'm awful at climbing."
The revelation of a possible monster ambush seems to said in the same conversational manner as the rest of his statement. It's obvious the druid is preoccupied trying to think of a safe way around the barrier.
"I can call forth entangling plants for a couple of minutes; they would slow our speed but would also grab us and could prevent a fall. I don't like the idea but it might help some of us."
As he speaks, Conner looks at the whole group and then realizes just how tall Jobo is compared to everyone else.
"And then there's your wand, Jobo. One quick poke and you'll be 13 feet tall with 10-foot reach. With some help from the rest of us, especially the dwarves, we could boost you up to either plant or hold a knotted rope at the top of the ledge. That's something even I could climb."
"Conner has a great idea. Could big Jobo with big stick put everyone one at a time up 30' high? Big Jobo has 20 foot reach with big stick and is 13' tall. Then you all pull me up."
Jobo was thinking of asking Drakr for love advice, but was worried Drakr's tactics would be defensive in nature and avoid being 'hit'.
"I'd rather not rush up there one at a time. What if there are more up up there just waiting on us to do that so they can easily ambush us?"
Drakr cringes a little as everyone starts suggesting magical ways to reach the next level. He puts his pack down on the ground and pulls out 100 ft of rope and a grappling hook. "I say we do it the mundane way, help me knot up this rope and I'll climb up first and check it out. Where did you say you saw those kobolds Conner?"
Jobo gets out of his rope to make a separate safety rope to tie around Drakr's waist.
"The magical way may be the best Drakr. I'd hate to see someone fall to the bottom because we were afraid to use magic.
Jobo confers with Lorelei, "How should we get up? I actually was thinking of going right by the rubble, but kobolds can be tricky."
Sorry, they are at the top of the pass.
"I'd rather just go over the rubble, but then I'm not very good at climbing and am a bit scared of falling."
Yes, you could walk up, though the path is blocked on the next level by the rubble. You can Climb over the rubble DC 17.
"Kobolds are small, but they can be nasty! If we walk around and try to scramble over that rubble I'd bet 5 gold that they'll start throwing rocks down at us. It will be easier for everyone to climb up here."
Drakr ties his shield onto his back and tucks his axe into his belt. He throws his grappling hook and rope up the side of the switch back aiming for the side of the rubble pile closest to the top.
Atk roll for grappling hook?:
Climb check:
The dwarf is a Dwarf of Deeds, not of words. Leaving others to walk up the pass to the rubble or whatever, the dwarf Drakr throws his grappling hook up, and it bites into the wooden reinforcement of each level's edge.
Climbing up a knotted rope is pretty good exercise, though slow going, and it makes your Dwarven heart glad, even if it is above ground. Unfortunately as you climb, looking up the rope you see the kobolds at the top of the pass scurrying about in plain sight. They keep moving about, but there seems to be a dozen of them.
Now the rules get a bit tricky, but fun (from my perspective).
Drakr, give me two Climb checks and tell me how far up you make it. You need to get to 30' to be on the next level. Please read the Climb Skill regarding Progress and Accelerated Climbing. (I'd link it for you but I am out and about today.)
Everybody give me Initiative rolls against the kobolds. You can see that about one dozen of them are up to something up there, but not yet sure what. It can't be good though.
[Perhaps you have taken some other actions such as walking up or free-climbing or using spells, whatever. You could have three rounds worth, though there has been no reason to believe you were in danger until now. You may well have stood there and mocked/admired the dwarf.]
They are 90' above you with Partial Cover (+2 to their AC). You can also move to gain Partial Cover by moving toward the cliff face. You can gain Total Cover when you are against the cliff face. The road is only 8' wide.
Once you gain the fifth level the kobolds will be only 60' away.
Climb check 1
Climb check 2
Drakr begins scaling the wall with ease trusting in his equipment and strength he makes it 20ft up the side of the wall.
AC: 19 while climbing.
Initiative:
[Perhaps you have taken some other actions such as walking up or free-climbing or using spells, whatever. You could have three rounds worth, though there has been no reason to believe you were in danger until now. You may well have stood there and mocked/admired the dwarf.]
INIT
Jobo will be in total cover holding on the the safety rope he tied around Drakr's waist.
Lorelei moves up against the clifface beside Jobo. She pulls her horse with her and moves things into her backpack. "I hope those horrid little things don't try to come down here and eat my horse while we are gone." She frowns, not happy about leaving the horse alone.
"I will carry your horse for you Lorelei if you want."
"Carry my horse??" Lorelei looks at Jobo trying to decide if he is joking or not.
|
Grobnar reaches into a small pouch at his side and pulls out a pinch of sand as he whispers an enchantment. [Casting sleep on the kobold will try to get as many as possible in the burst.DC 16 will.] he then says to the group "Hurry for we have only a few minutes to spare before they shall wake again."
Init:
Conner pushes his back flush against the wall while the dwarf climbs up the rope as he waits for his turn to climb.
Will saves
"That's it, we aren't taking and chances, Lorelei please make me big. This is not good. Drakr, you get offed by kobolds and you will never hear the end of it. Wait, something wrong there."
Jobo uses his glaive to get Drakr up the cliff. If Drakr doesn't want to ride the reach weapon, I will use it to accelerate him up the cliff hopefully snagging his pack. "If anyone can brace me to keep me stable I would appreciate it."
Lorelei taps Jobo with the enlarge wand and then steps back quickly so as not to be in his way as he gets big.