OOC: not unless you take a closer look at the giant spider...
Questions?
Game on!
OOC: you all notice this: 'In the back of the cavern, a disturbing shape loomed. Nearly the size of a horse, what appeared to be an immense black spider crouched silent and still on the ground.'
You can react or not to it but you all noticed it.
Questions?
Game on!
Action 1:
At that moment, Damon hears the groans of the archer with her leg pinned underneath the boulder. "Excuse me," he says to the wizard and moves over to her.
The wizard let his globe of light hover in mid air for a second as he took both his hands and carefully touched his face. His body shook from the realization of what had occurred to him.
"Wait! Don't go anywhere. I need someone to guide me. Where are we? Who are you?"
tag?
Onyx stood back, and watched as Damon checked on the Elf and archer. He assessed, provided aid, and moved on. Onyx didn't know if this sort of triage was trained at the Order of the Sunrise Sword, or if Damon was just a natural. Either way that would be an invaluable skill if they were stuck here for any extended amount of time.
Seeing that the other two were taken care of, Onyx moved to the elderly man. "Hello, my name is Onyx of the Duskrunners. Are you well? We seem to have taken quite the fall." He took a closer look at the man to look for any injuries he may have missed at a brief glance.
OOC: you all notice this: 'In the back of the cavern, a disturbing shape loomed. Nearly the size of a horse, what appeared to be an immense black spider crouched silent and still on the ground.'
You can react or not to it but you all noticed it.
Questions?
Game on!
Onyx turned away from the old man and peered around the chamber. He noticed a large figure 30 or 40 feet away. Is that a spider?!
He spoke quietly to the party and gestured to the form "We may have a problem. Looks like a spider. A big one. Doesn't look like it's moving though."
He squinted and moved out of the circle of light to get a better look.
Seeing that the other two were taken care of, Onyx moved to the elderly man. "Hello, my name is Onyx of the Duskrunners. Are you well? We seem to have taken quite the fall." He took a closer look at the man to look for any injuries he may have missed at a brief glance.
The man's features twisted in disgust. He raised his hands defensively, "I am well and you stay away from me!"
The elderly man saw Damon's shield and recognized the order that it belonged to, "You there Knight of the Sunrise Sword. Did you not see that there's a demon-spawn among us?"
He added, "You would do well to keep a close eye on him. There's no telling when he will turn on us."
tag?
Onyx realized that during the fall his hood had fallen down, revealing a pair of curved black horns tightly contouring the sides of his head. The black from the horns continued down his head onto his neck, the striations disappearing down his back under his cloak.
He pulled up his hood self-consciously and turned from the old man saying "I am not your enemy. I am sure this will be clear soon enough."
Edit: If I don't post, don't delay, move on
Edit: If I don't post, don't delay, move on
OOC: No worries. Thanks fr letting us know.
I'll wait a bit longer for you and/or our monk but I intend to move this along today.
Questions?
Game on!
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Action 2:
After leaving Stella tending the wounded archer, Damon was headed back to talk with Kokam and the Elven wizard as he had said he would when the elderly man called out to him. Looking back at his pack, Damon realized that it had fallen open during their plummet and revealed his shield. Retrieving his shield, Damon looked at the man, thinking, ”Great. another self-important blowhard ready to condemn a free-willed mortal for the accident of his heritage.”
About to respond, Damon heard Onyx’s warning about the spider and said to the others, ”Hold. Draw no closer to the spider.” To Onyx, he said, ”Onyx, it has not attacked us yet. Is it lying in wait for prey to approach? Have you dealt with this kind of foe before?” Damon pulls a javelin out of his pack with his free hand and waits for Onyx’s response.
Kokam nods at Damon and approaches the elf wizard, "Come now, here's my arm...that's it, come with me. I'd like you to sit here for now until we've figured out what to do next. That's it...right there. Here, would you like some water? Careful, I'll let you know...there, not too much at once....Some more? Alright, please stay here until we come for you."
Satisfied that the blind elf was safe, she approached the others and saw what they were looking at....the biggest spider she'd ever seen, "We'll need to remove that...I see no web, so it may be a jumping spider..." she says, hefting her spear in readiness.
After freeing the woman from the boulder, Stella began to attend to the the woman's injuries. . "Are you alright? Any other injuries besides the leg?" she asked the woman as she quickly examined her crushed leg. Seeing that the injury wasn't as bad as she initially thought she relayed to the woman, "The damage could've been worse but I'll need to create a splint for your leg so that you may walk, let me see what I can find..." before leaving her to begin moving through the rubble looking for make shift supplies. As she was looking through the various debris strewn about the cavern floor, Stella noticed the group frozen tense ahead of her and quietly joins to see to see what may be causing it. When she finally noticed the large spider, she joined up with the others in waiting and whispers "What do you think we should do..." preparing for trouble.
Turn 004 - Looks like a Spider
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
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Turning back to the elderly man, Damon answered intently, "I intend to keep all of you safe, Iomedae willing, now stay back away from the spider." As he looked to Onyx for some guidance, Damon saw the hunter moving closer to the spider, presumably to get a better look. Stepping forward slightly to keep the injured and noncombatants behind him, Damon tightened his grip on the javelin and followed Onyx's lead.
Suddenly, huge grubs or maggots of some kind burst forth from the spider's body! For a moment, Damon thought it must be some sort of strange demon mutant spider capable of disgorging such vermin to attack, but he quickly realized that the spider itself was dead, and these creatures were feasting on its corpse--that is, until fresh meat presented itself.
Tearing his attention from the citizens they were trying to protect, Damon was late coming to the fight, as his comrades were already engaging the strange worms before they could reach the injured and defenseless people.
Action #1
As Stella was about to walk away from the woman to look for debris for the makeshift splint, the woman asked her "Do you know where we are? What happened to the silver dragon?". Quickly turning to face her Stella replies solemnly, "I am sorry I'm just as confused as you are to be honest concerning all of this. I barely remember what happened between the initial chaos and waking up in this 'Cavern'..." She pauses for a moment as another vivid flash from the chaos hits her - this time her falling through the open maw in the ground as the world above her slowly closed - before returning to the present and continuing as brightly as she can muster "...But I'm sure we'll find out where we are soon and how to get out of here! Now sit tight and I'll be right back to fix up your leg!" And with that she left in search of supplies before seeing the carcass of the large spider and joining the others.
Action #3
As the group huddled together taking stock of the large creature lurking in the distance ( ), Stella was at first unable to tell that the spider was dead, her senses continuing to be dulled a bit by all that had occurred. That quickly changed when it became clear that not only was the spider dead but that it was currently being devoured by mutinously large maggots that emerged from the creatures stomach! Seeing them charging forward, the fog that had been clouding her mind & actions disappeared in an instant and she surged into action. Grabbing her staff she angles herself to the side away from to the injured and yells to the rest of the group "We need to keep them away from the injured!" before making a quick prayer for Desna to watch over them. Performing the familiar motion while chanting a short incantation, she channels her power into her hand and "scoops" the air once again creating a ball of flame within her hand.
Aiming for the northern most creature, she lobs the orb of flame at it but unfortunately it was faster than expected and the attack landed harmlessly next to it as it continued to surge forward.
"Hal, come over here and help me with this injured one, please”, Damon asked.
"Of course... call me Stormbrow", Hallvardr said, wedging his hands underneath the boulder, seeking it give it enough movement to allow the one called Stella a chance to free up the archers leg.
The spell weavers light spell did not waver though the wounds to his face, now a mess, were grave and his eyes gone.
Good, the Skald thought. His magic and spirit is strong... we will need both.
Stella appeared to have skill at healing. Once the woman under the boulder was free, Stella tended to the woman well enough that she was able to rise. In the background he could hear another of the survivors spit words of fear and anger at the demon-man who just recently was shooting at the same demons that tore apart the city...
"Did you not see that there's a demon-spawn among us? You would do well to keep a close eye on him. There's no telling when he will turn on us”, the old man said to Damon.
Hallvardr finally got a good look at the one called Onyx. He definitely looked the part. Whatever fell heritage he had was obvious now that his curved horns were revealed. Hallvardr shuddered and felt a chill.
Still, he fought to kill demons and apparently his folk are not uncommon here... I can fight along side him.
The greybeard continued to harangue Damon, who would have none of his nonsense. “You would do well to heed my command. I can speak to those in charge of your order; they need money just like everyone else.”
“I need someone to protect me”, the man said.
"Gorum protects the strong... not the rich. For a man of your age, your understanding of the laws of hospitality are flawed. You don't slap away the hand of one who just protected your city, or who guards your life now", the Viking said menacingly in a tone of iron. . "Be silent if you cannot mind your manners".
He approached both Onyx and Damon, looking to the looming spider-like form in trepidation, and heard them discussing it in muted voices. Soon Koram joined them. After a time it was decided that they would approach it. As they neared for a closer look, the spider’s abdomen ripped apart and three white, ringed, maggots spewed forth. They were the size of large dogs and writhed forth to attack!
Madness upon Madness!, he thought, as he raised the his flaming torch high.
He bellowed out a challenge. Die and fade! Gorum bear witness!
Hallvardr hurled his spear at lead demonic maggot!, then drew his sword and moved more around to the side, hoping to maintain distance for now and set up a flanking movement for later, both blade and burning brand ready to strike.
OOC: No, I actually want you all to roll and tell me the outcome of your actions (hence the AC I provide).
The only caveat is that there could be something that happens that does not end up in your intended (and described) result. For example: your intended enemy could have already been killed by another PC, your intended enemy has a reaction (shield spell) that makes your attack miss, etc.
So nothing has actually happened until it is written in the turn recap.
Since it's PBP, we don't have the luxury of asking back and forth so I usually modify your actions so they make sense (i.e., make you attack another enemy if available).
Keep in mind that I am always on the side of the PCs. No PCs means no story. :)
And we can always modify things if needed.
Questions?
Game on!
PS: I'll wait for Kokam to post but I intend to move things along later today.
At elderly elf's plea, she says, "Don't worry , I'll be back to help you. We have to take care of something on the other side of this cavern. Please stay here until I get back. It's good that you think you can get us out of here..."
Kokam was watching the un-moving spider with the others...when finally it moved. Sinking into a low stance, her spear leveled at the large arachnid, she was surprised when the spider erupted and the three crawling horrors emerged. Startled upright, she momentarily forgot her training, the revulsion she felt at the sight of the creatures was palpable.
Then the large Ulfen man screamed a challenge right next to her, setting that ear a-ringing. Shooting the loud man a brief glance of annoyance, she follows suit, settling back down into her battle stance. With a flick of her wrist , she sends one of her darts flying through the air at one of the monstrosities...
...a small smile of satisfaction curls the corner of her mouth as the dart strikes home, a gush of ichor squirting out where the maggot was punctured.
As Stormbrow approached, Onyx glanced at him and smiled briefly. "Thanks, but it's alright. I'm used to it. The fear is engrained in some of these people. Hells, not too long ago they may have just burned me alive. I'll take this as an improvement."
As the maggots erupted from the corpse, Onyx frowned as he drew an arrow from his quiver. And here I thought that demons would be the grossest thing I fought today...
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
, miss
, Hallvardr
, Damon
, hit
, Damon
Clearly the demon maggot objected to having a spear lobbed at it.
Fortunately he'd managed to draw one off, allowing his allies to focus and outnumber the two others.
I can slay this then destroy the others... wedge them between our steel, he exulted.
Gnnnngh!, he grunted swinging the heavy blade with one hand then striking down with the burning torch with the other.
for
for + fire?
Clearly the demon maggot objected to having a spear lobbed at it.
Fortunately he'd managed to draw one off, allowing his allies to focus and outnumber the two others.
I can slay this then destroy the others... wedge them between our steel, he exulted.
Gnnnngh!, he grunted swinging the heavy blade with one hand then striking down with the burning torch with the other.
[dice=Longsword]1d20 + 4 for [dice=Damage]1d8 + 2
[dice=Torch]1d20 + 4 for [dice=Damage]1d4 + 2 + fire?
OOC: Good news and bad news. :)
Bad news is that you can't attack with two weapons unless both weapons are light and the longsword is not light.
Good news is that your damage with the longsword killed the maggot. Feel free to describe a 'kill shot'.
Questions?
Game on!
EDIT: And some more bad news... :)
That attack actually hit your AC of 12 (I think I looked at the attack you made (10) and got confused). So Hallvardr was bitten for 6 hitpoints but then killed the already injured (by Kokam) maggot.
I'll edit in the next turn recap.
Onyx cursed to himself Abadar's scales, how did I let this slug get so close to me? and moved into a flanking position with Kokam. He dropped his short bow to the ground and in the same motion drew his short sword from the scabbard at the back of his belt. He lunged forward and stabbed at the nearest maggot.
His short sword sunk to its hilt in the grey maggot flesh. As he pulled it out, a stream of green goop splashed across his cloak and arm. "This is not a good look for me... See why I prefer the bow?"
Seeing two of the creatures attacking Damon, Stella repositioned herself a few feet back to get a better shot at one of the maggots attacking him. "Scooping" the air onice again, she chanted a short incantation and conjured another orb of flame which she launched at the maggots closest to her.
Her aim true the second time around, the orb hit the creatures directly on it's side and Stella couldn't help but grin when she heard the it sizzle.
OOC: so Onyx is playing in my other game so he knows that I play with flanking, which gives the PC advantage on the attack roll. Remember that there is no 5' movement in 5e and you only incur and Opportunity Attack if you move out of someone's range without using the withdraw action.
I also rule that you cannot act in the same round that you are brought back from 0 hit points.
For example, if your PC is brought down to below 0 hit points in Round 1; another PC could heal him in Round 2, but your PC could only act in Round 3 again. I ruled that the PC is 'dazed and getting his bearings' in Round 2 (may speak, etc.).
I'll write these rules (and others as they come up) in the Campaign Info tab for reference where the 'slow healing' rule is.
Questions?
Game on!
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Round 1 Actions:
Shifting his grip and preparing to throw the javelin at the writhing creatures, Damon was unprepared for their swift movement as two of the three head straight for him! Dipping his shield to block the first attack, he notices too late that the other maggot used the opportunity to slip past his guard! With the javelin in throwing position, Damon had no way to parry this attack and the toothy worm sinks its sharp fangs into the flesh of Damon's right calf!
Gritting his own teeth against the pain, Damon drops the javelin and smoothly draws the Sunrise Sword from the scabbard at his belt in a practiced motion. Using the momentum of the draw, Damon arcs the blade up high in the air and swings it around at the maggot on his calf, tightening his grip just before impact to impart the maximum speed to the flashing blade!
Just at that instant, the maggot flinches, causing the flat of Damon's blade to skitter across its thick skin instead of penetrating and doing any real damage. Snarling in frustration, Damon nonetheless maintains his position to best protect those citizens in his care behind him.
OOC: I'll wait for Kokam to post but would like to move things along later tonight...
Questions?
Game on!
The Viking gritted his teeth and hisses as the abyssal giant maggot bit deeply into his leg... he swung the heavy blade, shearing it's head from is soft bloated body.
After the death he chanted The Lay of the Riddle of Steel and his wounds closed up. Grinning in exultation he moved to come in from the maggots from behind.
The Viking gritted his teeth and hisses as the abyssal giant maggot bit deeply into his leg... he swung the heavy blade, shearing it's head from is soft bloated body.
After the death he chanted The Lay of the Riddle of Steel and his wounds closed up. Grinning in exultation he moved to come in from the maggots from behind.
[dice=Bonus Action: Healing Word]1d4 + 3
OOC: Nice post taking my mistake in stride. Thanks.
Game on!
Kokam is slightly unnerved by how quickly the large maggots slither across the floor towards the group, but is guilty of feeling glad they do not target her with their toothy maws.
She focuses her attention on the creature directly infront of her. Stepping forward she plunges her spear into it's side...
...but it's tough, spongy flesh causes the spear point to slide harmlessly aside. Using the momentum from her strike, Kokam turns her hips and slashes out her leg, kicking with all of the power of her body...
... and her foot connects with the maggot, the disgusting flesh yielding sickeningly to the hard bottom of her boot...
Turn 006 – Not a Good Look for Me
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
, Onyx
, critical
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Round 2 Actions:
”Onyx, No!” cried Damon as his friend crumpled under the attack of the killer maggot. His shield interposed between the worm and himself, Damon kept up his guard and circled the creature until he could reach his friend. Crouching over his friend’s limp body, Damon used his own body as a shield for Onyx even as he used his own shield to keep the maggot at bay. reaching back his fist still clutching the sunrise sword and touching him, Damon let his remaining healing power for the day flow into the downed ally, praying to Iomedae he was not too late.
Kokam frowns as Onyx falls, maggot attached to his neck, "The damned things are fast!" she spits as she lifts her spear into a spin, turning once to bring the point of it into the side of the creature...
...she winces at the disgusting sound her spear makes as it punctures the maggot's tough skin. Fighting against her revulsion, she steps closer and chops down on the creature with her other hand...
...but her rigid hand merely bounces off of the slimy surface of the maggot. She can't help but gag a bit at the sensation.
The massive maggot chewed into Onyx, dropping him...
Back to the hells with you, he growled as he joined in with Kokam, attacking it from behind, seeking to avoid both the many toothed mouth and set up an advantage.
OR for
His sword merely served to take a slice out of it with a wet squelch as he misjudged his strike.
He raises his blade looking around for new threats.
I'll write these rules (and others as they come up) in the Campaign Info tab for reference where the 'slow healing' rule is.
This is a real draw card for me. Looking forward to implementation.
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Onyx felt a searing pain on the side of his neck, and before he had a chance to react his vision faded to black.
Onyx felt as though he had only blinked, but he awoke to find himself lying on the rocky ground. Again. He blinked his eyes and looked up to find Damon's shield interposed between him and the maggot. As he blinked blearily he said weakly "Hmm, my very own knight in shining armour. Until now I never knew what all the fuss was about."
Stella is too late to warn Onyx about the other Maggot lurking behind him and is shocked when she sees it latch onto his neck and then see him tumbling to the ground unconscious a moment later. "Granite!!" Stella yells out as she rushes towards him ready to administer aid. But by the time she is able to reach him, she is relived to see her comrades were able to not only resuscitate Onyx but that they had also managed to kill the last of maggots as well.
Stella quickly examines his wound and sees that while it was partially healed by Damon, he was still most likely in pain; she comes to the same conclusion while looking at Damon's leg but is unsure if either of them might have been infected by the creatures bite. She then asks, "Granite are you alright!? You had us worried there for a second..." Looking to both Damon & Onyx, "I can heal both your injuries if you'd like? I fear that there may be other obstacles we will need you both for if we're to get out of this darkness..."
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With Stella over tending to Onyx, Damon scans the room for other threats. If there are none, he sheathes his sword and retrieves his javelin, finally answering Stella, "Save your magical healing for our archer friend, but I would be grateful if you would clean and bind my wound to stave off any infection."
Stella will find some relatively 'clean' discarded cloth and create a makeshift bandage to wrap around Damon's leg. She'll then grab a sprig of Mistletoe from her satchel and whisper a couple of words to it before stating loudly "Now Flower!!" after which 10 flowers will grow from the mistletoe, each one containing a single berry at it's center. Stella will pluck the 10 berries and return the mistletoe back into her satchel; She'll then walk back over to Damon and force one into his hand and a little brusquely say, "Eat this. It'll stave off hunger and help your body recover faster". Before she gives him a chance to counter, she'll move over to Onyx and say gently "Take a couple of these, they'll help you recover your strength". Finally she'll look toward Kokam and Stormbrow and ask "Are either of you hurt or hungry?"
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With the adrenaline from the fight wearing off, Damon's leg wound started to throb and he gratefully took the berry from Stella, saying "Thank you, priestess of nature. We are fortunate to have you with us, wherever this may be." Damon popped the berry in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. After the taste of dust in his mouth from their long descent, the juicy berry tasted delightful, and the throbbing in his calf diminished significantly.
OOC:
@Damon: your last post did not make it into the turn recap. I will add it to the next turn recap.
@Stella (and others): remember that we are writing a chapter in a story. Look at how I modified your last post to past tense.
Questions?
Game on!
Crouching Kokam tried to remove as much as the maggot's entrails from both her spear and her hand, looking up she responded to Stella, "I'm fine...just disgusted. Imaging what these things might have turned into..."
She shuddered a bit at the thought, then called back to the Wizard, "All is fine, we had to take care of a hostile cave dweller. Stay where you are , please."
Kokam saw the older man pick up and pocket the scale to the north. With a look she saw that Stella had the care of Onyx in hand, so she approached the noble, "What did you find there?" she said, crouching to pick up the other four scales.