GM Doug's Troubles in Otari (Inactive)

Game Master Doug Hahn

Lucius, ever thinking, considers Baux's point.

"Interesting... Why isn't the fishing camp overrun with stray cats?"

Diplomacy (Wild Empathy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

"Time to relocate, rat friends!"

This time, the rats listen to Nandipha. You see the rats scurry off — but not before they stuff their cheeks full of the goodies they were stockpiling!

You look in the room the rats vacated, and find more storage. You find plenty of tools and materials for maintaining and operating the fish camp, including spare wood planks.

Five finely crafted long tools (a sledgehammer, a shovel, a hoe, and two axes) are also stored here. In addition, one of the crates holds a repair kit.

After divvying up these amazing new treasures.... Where to next?

“Guess next step is check cabin. Assuming roof is good, be nicer place to stay than the shed.”

As the heat fades from Biltri's weapon and eyes, he places a warm hand upon Dethor's shoulder. There is a sturdy thump against the other dwarf's shoulder and a faint clang of hammer on iron in his ears as the rat bite is healed. "Give me a bit to pray while you all inventory, and I'll be ready for whatever moved into the next building," he grumbles.

LoH: +6 hp to Dethor. 10 minute refocus.

“Guess next step is check cabin. Assuming roof is good, be nicer place to stay than the shed.”

South Door, which is what Lucius already opened, or another door? If South door, Left, Up, or Right? (If you want to just have me move you along in a sensible order that is fine by me too; I assume you want to explore the whole cabin; up to the group.)

"So, Lucius, let's not keep charging ahead and not checking things out. We have someone well trained in breakin' and enterin', so let's use me skills to prevent some hurtin'."

Dethor moves over to the east door, and checks it out, carefully.

Dethor finds no traps.

"You all ready? Ima gonna open the door."

I cannot see the map on my phone; feel free to position me at a reasonable distance to protect but not interfere with Dethor’s work.

”Ready,” Biltri grunts.

Map updated; doors marker with numbers on the map.

Dethor opens the door and allows Biltri to step forward. You find yourselves looking into a dark, U-shaped hallway; the hall splits to the left and right. Closed wooden doors line the space, the largest of these standing along the wall in front of you and flanked by hooks and benches. Door 5. Cobwebs hang thick in the southwestern portion of the hallway. Doors 6, 7, 8

Having been called out for his eagerness, Lucius hangs back and defers to Dethor.

"I wasn't charging ahead... I was going straight for the most interesting thing."

”Limestone, calcite,” he mutters. ”Want to go toward the giant spiders?”

"That be fine. Would you like me to try to talk with them first? Spiders be poisonous and not good eating."

If the group wants to fight:

Nandipha pulls out her spear.

While Dethor was checking the door, Baux took the time to make sure the rat bite he took wasn't infected.

Looks like Treat Disease is an 8 hour process, but I assume there is something that just lets us know if someone currently is diseased. Guess it is a Recall Knowledge with Medicine?
Medicine +7

Figuring that they keep finding more critters, Baux takes up a defensive position as the group starts exploring the cabin. He tells Nandipha "Any fight we don't have ta do is a win in my mind."
Switching Exploration to Defend.

Bauxite feels Dethor's temple; it seems extra warm. He thinks Dethor is diseased! His rogue friend seems strong enough now, but surely in one to four hours, he will begin feeling nauseous!

I will move you on to #8 a bit later this afternoon, barring any other decision changes. I read "Want to go toward the giant spiders?" as wanting to go towards the webbed doors.

"Dethor, think ya might have the shivers. Yer blood be running hot right now."

"Nothing ta do bout it now, but tonight betta let me tend ta ya before the fever gets bad."

"Canna be. Me dwarven constitution will take care it." Dethor gets his blade ready, and moves quietly, stealthfully, towards the webbed door, looking carefully for any danger.

Baux just rolls his eyes at Dethor's comment about dwarven constitution.

As if no dwarf has ever caught a fever! No helping it if he refuses. If he does catch one though, I will enjoy telling him Told ya so! as I treat it.

Could I declare the webs a lead? And Lucius would like to inspect them to make sure they're actually from spiders, and not some other horrible web-spinning creature.

Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

"Let's be sure we're really pursuing spiders," Lucius says as he take a minute to inspect the webs.

You could declare "whoever spun this particular web" as the lead, or "whatever is attracting web-spinners to this area" as a lead.

Lucius notes that some of the patterns follow typical orb and sheet weaves, but there is another web below them… it is woven in no pattern he can recognize; in fact, looking too deeply or for too long at the insane weave starts to hurt his eyes. There are at least two kinds of creatures who wove the webs here.

Nandipha thinks the strange patterns were woven by an aberration of some sort.

However, Dethor is convinced these weird webs are emblematic of the famous Five King Creeper, a famous kind of tunnel spider that hangs out in dwarven mines; it's blind and clumsy and rather stupid — thus, it weaves famously sloppy webs.

Oh, whatever is attracting web-spinners is amore interesting lead!

"This is most... intriguing. We have two distinct types of webs here."

Baux's brow furrows at Lucius's comment. "Different sorta webs? Didn't even know that was a thing!"

"Me neither," Biltri comments. "Do the spiders squash the same?"

"Naw, ain't that. Just the webs of the Five King Creeper. Dumb as rocks, blind as a bat, and creates dis sorta mess. Dey ain't too bad. We ken take 'em"

"Some blind things are pretty dangerous."

He slides the chain through his gauntlets to give his meteor hammer some slack.

Thick cobwebs fill this long room, making it difficult to see the details of the room’s furnishings. Along the south wall is a round table surrounded by wooden chairs. Sturdy wicker chairs gather in a loose circle in the western half of the room. One door stands in the eastern wall, while another stands to the north. A sconce along the wall over the table is covered with a dark cloth. The window is shuttered and closed tightly, preventing any sunlight from coming into this room.

There are two giant (medium-sized) spiders in here, on the ceiling. Nandipha makes strange gestures… they wriggle their legs back at her and then squeeze out through a small gap in the wall — it’s very disconcerting how creatures of that size can fit through such a small space — and vanish.

Hopefully, they aren’t just nesting up in the attic, and listened to the druid’s words! Well, maybe someone can go up there later and find out…

Combat avoided!

"Should have fed them dead rats," Biltri grumbles as he follows the spider's retreat with his gaze. "Need to patch that hole."

I'm going to assume you meant to type "shuttered." :)

Nandipha nods at Biltri's comment. "Rats likely be a treat for them, but that door be shut now." Then she frowns. "Those strange patterns... I don't think they be from the Five Kings Creeper. Maybe an abberation of some sort... Perhaps web lurker? They be thick with spiders. Speak the true skitter talk."

Then she shrugs.

Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

"The spiders we've just seen be Giant Spiders. They can poison you, but the poison be mild. Still, best they leave." Then she points at door number one. "Dethor, should we try them in order and just make our way through?"

What's behind Door #1? I feel like I'm in a game show! It's time for HOUSE OF PESTS!

Lucius agrees.

"Best if they leave. There's only so much room around here."

As for the aberration:

"It's an interesting theory, to be sure. I don't know anything about these web lurkers, but this Five Kings Creeper sounds horrible."

Lucius follows up on his hunch and lifts the cloth with his sword cane, revealing a bright, shining gem! It's an Everburning Torch!

So, back to room #1?

"SO, ye sure dem speeders ain't comin' back? Or dem rats, neither?"

Dethor, lazy and expedient as always, moves over to check door 7.

Dethor detects no traps. So, Nandipha thought room 1, Dethor is checking room 7's door for traps. Let me know which way you want to go.

Nandipha shrugs when Dethor goes to a completely different door than she pointed to, and follows him to Door 7. "You be the door dwarf... Lead away!"

Dethor pushes open the door… this must be the dining room, but it's so full of cobwebs that it’s hard to make sense inside; thousands of tiny spiders skitter everywhere along the silken webbing vovering every inch of this space. In the middle of the room is a large trestle table with benches along each side, draped in sheets of webbing. A cabinet along the wall holds a collection of tin dishes — it, too, is shrouded in threads.

Lucius, you have a "that's odd!" thing but we can resolve it after combat. I think that should be protocol going forward so as not to lose track of things.

Before you can do much, two spiders rush out to attack! They seem more intent on killing their prey than the others, though they are also the same type of giant spider. They are ten feet up on the wall along the ceiling (so you would need a reach weapon to hit them).

What's For Dinner? YOU!

Ity is not an accident only Lucius is bolded.

Lucius Caligari
--
Baux
Nandipha
Dethor
--
Spider 1-2
--
Biltri

Dethor says, "It twas right here. No extra walkin' needed. Efficienct is key, dats wut every dwarf is taught from birth, right?

"Hey, I t'ought you had gotten rid of dese!"

"Something is moving to the right, inside the room. I can't quite see it, but I heard it."

Devise a Stratagem: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Lucius thinks his best plan right now is to draw and load his crossbow, so that's what he does.

What's For Dinner? YOU!

Lucius Caligari
Baux
Nandipha
Dethor
--
Spider 1-2
--
Biltri

Seeing the spider up near the ceiling and that Nandipha has a longspear, Baux blesses her weapon and then says a quick prayer for her as well. “Ya have a weapon able ta reach up thar, see If’n ya can poke them till they come down.”

Cast Magic Weapon on longspear, cast Guidance on Nandipha

"Thanks, Bauxite. It appears some dwarfs be courteous."

Nandipha strides forward to Spider one. "I gave you chance to vacate, Spider. This be your official eviction notice."

She decides to use Baux's guidance to shore up her second strike, but the spider was too dodgy for her to hit it a second time.

Magical Longspear (Reach): 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 1 = 23
Piercing: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (8, 7) + 3 = 18

Magical Longspear (Reach) plus Guidance, 2nd attempt: 1d20 + 7 + 1 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 7 + 1 - 5 + 1 = 8
Piercing: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 8) + 3 = 15

If I triggered some sort of trap en route to the spider, I'll use the guidance on my saving throw, otherwise, my plan was to use it on the second attack.

Carrots looks at the ceiling high overhead and pouts.

"Snirp?"

Why do they have to be so high up?

Waiting to see what happens with Nandipha

Dethor turns to Biltri, "Who she talkin' 'bout?"

Did Nandipha need to draw the longspear? Nandipha was rebuilding for clan dagger/dagger before. But if Longspear is her go-to now that's fine. You splat #1 with the first hit anyway, so you could use a third action if you did not need to draw the weapon!

Baux buffs up Nandipha's spear while the druid moves in and excels at a less diplomatic strategy, instantly killing her target.

A Less Diplomatic Strategy

Lucius Caligari
--
Baux
Nandipha, possible 1 action left
Dethor
--
Spider 2
--
Biltri

"Think it obvious she meant me as polite one." Baux says with a smile.

Nandipha uses her third action to look around, since Wild Empathy alas cannot be used in combat.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

"There be one spider left. The rest of you coming?"

I pulled out my longspear earlier in the house in case my diplomacy failed against the spiders... which apparently it did against these spiders. My go-to is still generally the dagger after the tail, but we saw spider webs and spears are useful not just for plonking things on the ceiling, but also cleaning spiderwebs out of hard-to-reach places.

"Not Lucius for certain," Biltri mutters back at Dethor.

"Certainly not," says Lucius, straightening to his full height and squaring his narrow shoulders.

"Also," he says to Nandipha, "I believe what you're looking for may be the creature I'm pursuing. The one drawing the spiders here."

Clue In reaction to give Nandipha a +1 to Seek. It's not going to help in this case, but I still think Lucius would say something.

Nandipha only sees crazy tangles of web up there, even with Lucius's help.

Diplomacy is not possible… for reasons

Lucius Caligari
--
Baux
Nandipha
Dethor
--
Spider 2
--
Biltri

See DC 24 sneak above.

Dethor puts away his magic shortsword, draws his magic shortbow, and shoots at the spider.

shortbow vs FFAC (due to Surprise Attack): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13 piercing, precision: 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + (2) = 8