Serpent Skull- Beer and Pretzels (Inactive)

Game Master drbuzzard

He was your local contact to get supplies and things you might need. I accept that it is a rather odd encounter, but I believe the point of it is to give you a feel that you have active rivals for the prize of finding the lost city.

Gotcha.

"Im ok on supplies I suppose. Do you have anything unique for sale?"

Ivar, feeling the weight of his purse shrugs his shoulders. "Might need to buy more rations. But I would like to sleep in a bed tonight if were not in too much of a hurry."

58 gp and change, he's not buying much more than 'Slim Jims' and 'Skittles'

Rations are a good idea, also some water perhaps. How about some potions against disease and poisons?

He can lead you to local vendors. The city is of good size for the location (10k). You can find most low level potions and alchemical supplies.

Malok has around 200 if anyone needs a loan. he himself doesn't need anything.

"Im good on all that."

I quietly remind Lalali that I use the cantrip Create Water quite frequently and can make enough water for the whole party whenever the need arises. I can also Purify Food and Drink should we come across any roadkill or if Shred brings back any short lived play toys he finds (rabbits, squirrels, etc.).

Next level I can get Create Food and Water.

"Can you show me where the liquor store is? I want to pick up another bottle of Oldlaw whiskey to keep my hip flask topped off. I also need the local camping supply store, is there an REI here? I need to pick up some camp cooking equipment so I can make a proper meal out of any food we "find"."

to Lalali: " I don't touch that water stuff myself. Ale is much safer. "

to Hindi :"Are EEE Eye? Never heard of a beast like that. Is that the beholder we're not allowed to talk about anymore? "

Confused, Ivar Looks from the gnome to the dwarf, he finally asks, "Yes, where may we purchase trail rations?" He yawns, "And then a soft bed for the evening, I would like to sleep in a bed for a night before we head back into the jungle."

He looks at the wild red-headed girl, 'I wonder if she's ever slept in a real bed,' Then at her dinosaur companion. 'On second thought, I don't think I will ask."

Standing up, "come on, Times a wasting, we can talk about this 'Are ye I' thing on the way."

He directs people to the trading spots in town (you can buy pretty much any normal or alchemical gear). Then he puts you up in his house for the night and stands guard so you can all rest.

You are ready to head out in the morning without any incidents.

I have not been keeping track of how many days we have been on the trail, Ivar will purchase enough food for however many day's it's been, to replenish his supply.

After a quick stop at the general store to resupply his trail rations, Ivar follows their associate to his house, spending a quiet evening sleeping on a real bed. In the morning when the team is ready he follows their guide to their next destination.

You can also feed yourselves using survival checks.

Eager to get back in the wilds Malok heads out post haste..

Leaving Kalabuto, the PCs follow the River of Lost Tears to a huge freshwater lake, the Lake of Vanished Armies. Here at the Sargavan border with the Mwangi Expanse, dozens of tribal settlements line the muddy banks of both the river and the lake. Locals earn meager livings catching mud crabs and turtles, making mud bricks, and growing rice, hippo grass, and other native grains. The soft, shallow banks make it difficult to land larger craft, though the tribesfolk typically pole rafts out to passing vessels heading to Kalabuto or elsewhere, hoping to barter their foodstuffs for worked metal, crafted technologies, and other such materials. The settlements are small, consisting only of collections of mud-daub shacks, and they lack such amenities as shops and inns.

You did pick up a treasure map a while back which seems to indicate a sunken ship around here on the lake.

"I suppose we should check out the sunken ship eh? Might be some juicy treasure.. And probably some juicy murknurks as well.."

Ivar shrugs, "I can swim ok, don't know how helpful I'll be under water with a sword, but the pick should work ok. Shall we rent a boat?" He moves towards one of the settlements, intent on renting a boat.

drbuzzard, when we continue on will we be on foot in the jungle or going up river in a boat?

On foot. The river is not particularly navigable with lots of rapids and whatnot.

"Oooh swimming, I love swimming, I can't wait to go."

"I have a spell prepared in case is get's to deep.."

Mh, of course i know a very nice spell as well, but i don't have it prepared. Didn't expect to have to swim here. Either we wait untill tomorrow, or we go rent a boat. Or we could try to build a bridge somehow.

Looking to Lalali, "I'm happy with renting a boat. If we get to the location and decide some spells will be needed that aren't prepared, we can always sleep and go back tomorrow."

Walking toward the village, Ivar pulls out the map and studies it for a bit. As they near the lake, he calls to one of the Natives near a boat. "I'd like to rent a boat. Could that be arranged?"

for studying the map, will a knowledge geography roll do, or is a survival roll needed?
geography: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Geography works fine.

Boats are rather hard to come by around here, you'd likely have to get a few canoes.

an odd question, how many of us are actually going? Is our dwarf guide and do we still have any of the other camp followers? Is it down to Ivar, Lalali, Malok and Hindi?

Looking around for a moment, the barbarian asks, "How much to rent two canoes?"

I'm going to say just the party.

You don't have a dwarf guide (he was a contact in town). You have a female barbarian guide (and she will stay at camp since this treasure hunt is a personal thing, and she doesn't care about treasure).

They will give you a nominal price for (2 GP each) for the service, but if you break em you buy em.

After their guide agrees stay at camp, Ivar forks over the two gold pieces and drops his pack in one of the canoes, "Now how are the four of us fitting in these canoes to get to the 'X' marked on the map?"

There's just 4 of us now? Do we know how long it's gonna take to get to the ship? Roughly I mean.

It's not far from shore. Maybe 5 minutes of paddling.

For my purposes, there are 5 of us including Shred since that is what ties to my life link.

"I'm no good at paddling or piloting a boat, but I like to swim. Do you think we can lash the two canoes together to make a larger more stable boat and we can keep together as a group?" Maybe now everyone will notice the child like size of your companion and realize that Hindi is quite small.

'It's a lake, so we shouldn't get rough waters like we would on a river.' Nodding in agreement with Hindi, Ivar ties the canoes to each other. Gesturing so they can all paddle together. "Don't worry Hindi, I should be able to pilot and paddle for the two of us. If we put two in the front to paddle and one in the back to steer, we should be ok. I'll take the rear to steer and paddle, if Malok and Lalali will paddle in the front, you and Shred can rid in the middle." Once loaded, Following the map, Ivar guides the canoes to the location.

I don't know which will work better, profession sailor or survival, they are both +10
canoeing: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Malok casts his prepared Water Breathing on everyone. It lasts 5 hours split between everyone.

He then guides Shred into the boat and get's to the front to paddle.

As you reach the location of the wreck a large sea monster surfaces and attacks.

Give me perception checks to see if you noticed it coming.

stealth: 1d20 ⇒ 4 OK, you can't fail that check, so no surprise here.

init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

"Hey look! A sea monster"

knowledge check: Nature?

knowledge: Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Yes, nature. You think it is a sea monster.

Yes, nature. You think it is a sea monster.

I was thinking maybe it was a 'Lake Monster' cause, you know.... it's a lake :-)

With that roll, you assume it came from the sea.

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

"Hey a thing in the water that is close enough for me to see. OMG, it's coming straight for us. Wait, I wonder if it is one of those dolphins I heard about that you can ride on. Oohh, I want to try that so much. Anyone else want to try to ride on it? Anyone have a training whistle handy or a bucket of snacks this thing might like?"

Handle Animal: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

I obviously don't know if it is an animal, my character is just a little excitable being a gnome and wants to do some weird stuff sometimes, like try to train a wild animal without any previous experience doing so or the right equipment.

Hindi looks a little excited, like he is about to jump in the water so he can try to ride on the back of this thing coming right at us.

Handle Animal doesn't work that way. Wild Empathy would allow such a check, but you don't have it.

Sure it does, I'm attempting to get an animal to follow my simple command (Come) assuming it knows it (and is an animal). Evidence shows it seems to be working and I am a master at getting animals to do what I want. I'm so looking forward to this ride.

Does inside the stomach count as riding?

kn:nature: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22

YOu might want to step back and keep your hand little one!

You remember from your extensive reading that this is a dinosaur called an elasmosaurus.

H neutral animal.

You can ask a question.

Know Nature: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Malok's eyes go wide.. The saurian shaman attempts to calm the beast.

Wild Empathy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Not sure how that happens with combat starting.. It's a full round action..

As you lost initiative and can't do it before fighting starts, I don't think it can work.

Ivar has initiative and may act, the rest of the part is after the critter (Lalali having taken '1' on the roll by declining to bother).

Seeing the large sea monster surface and attack, Ivar drops his paddle and picking up the pick, beginning to rage he swings it two handed at the beasts head.

free action: drops paddle, move action: picks up pick, attack: + 1 pick, WA, PA, FF, rage AC -2 @ 18
attacks: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32 for damage: 1d6 + 10 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 6 + 1 = 21

Sorry for delayed posting. Thought i had rolled initiative as well up there. Got sick after several very long work days. :(
What does this monster even look like? Tentacles? Pincers? Jaws? Any mean special attacks?

It looks like the Loch Ness monster. Big body with flippers, long neck, on which is a reptilian head with teeth.

It's really got nothing special at all.

Ivar gives it a good smacking as it closes in to bite him.

Being a bit riled about the barbarian hurting it it tries to bite him.

to hit: 1d20 ⇒ 8 damage: 2d8 + 12 ⇒ (3, 7) + 12 = 22 hit

remaining PCs are up for round 1, then Ivar for round 2 (I should note it has lots of reach and you need to either jump into the water to close with it, or delay actions until it attacks to be able to hit it).

Malok pulls his trusty shortbow and fires at the dino.. Sadden by the fact he has to do so..

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Round 2

"Auugghhhh, get off me you lizard!" Rearing back from the bite in his shoulder, Ivar almost falls out of the boat. Gaining his feet, he lifts the pick, waiting for the thing to attack again, when he will swing at the things head.

Readied action, attack when any part of the creature is close enough to hit: attack: + 1 pick, WA, PA, FF, PB rage AC -2 @ 18
attacks: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33 for damage: 1d6 + 10 + 6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 6 + 2 + 1 = 21

That hits.