NIGHT BELOW - Black Dow's C&C Underdark Campaign

Game Master Black Dow

Oh Hell! Let's get it on!

Spiro finally lets loose an arrow at the non-Sleeg Goblin version.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 Bow (DEX, BASE, Specialization)

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 Arrow (Base, Specialization)

He then prepares an arrow to shoot again.

He is a bit nervous this being his first shot and all, and the arrow flies wide.

Mos aims for the goblin with the bow and an arrow in his mouth. From his hidden location he sends his own arrow out to inflect deadly damage to the goblin.

Attack:1d20 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 4 + 3 = 19 (DEX, Base, Backstab)
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 x 2= 8

As an arrow goes high, wide and handsome Non-Sleeg pauses and yells in anger toward the back of the ruin;

"Bu benim çılgın canavarım! Bu Slugg! Patron tekrar öldürmeye gidelim diyor... humanes ve shiney. Sleeg buldu!"

Slugg edges forward cautiously waiting for an answer...

The lanky hairy creature meanwhile also pauses, daggers drawn as its long ears swivel and nose wrinkles...

... before it giggles to itself hysterically.

At the mouth of the Redoubt, Mos fairs far better. His bow looses and arrow buries itself into the goblin archer's chest.

With ne'r a wheeze it drops like a marionette without strings.

In the clamour of readying for the raid, it would seem none of the goblins within have noticed... yet...

You still have the element of surprise gang

Oh. Oh wow. That just happened.

DoppleSleeg hisses back to the archer, "Down path, then north."

Once Mulkkur has his staff, DoppleSleeg checks to see how long it will be before the goblins are ready. He also checks to see if anyone is paying him any mind. He would love nothing more than to be out of the half-collapsed tower and where he can run if he needs to.

Seeing as he will be leading the charge, DoppleSleeg walks out of the tower to show that he is willing and ready, the fact that it also greatly improves his chances of getting away if he has to run has nothing to do with it, nope. Any relaxation that he was feeling is swiftly undone when he runs across the body of the dead guard. Seeing as the alarm hadn't been raised yet, DoppleSleeg can assume that no one's seen the corpse. That wouldn't last forever, though.

There's nothing for it, DoppleSleeg decides and starts dragging the body into bushes to the south east of the crumbling tower. To mask the drag marks, DoppleSleeg starts pacing. That should be easy enough to explain away as just nerves.

Place where I'd like to drag the corpse marked on the map. Not sure if this is a secret roll or not.

To DoppleSleeg's (and frankly my) amazement, the goblin gang within the redoubt continue to busy themselves for the raid, paying zero heed to events outwith...

However the goblin corpse proves burdening for the old halfling and progress is slow...

Zeebo can drag the downed arra-boy 10ft a round on his own. Anyone jumping in to offer or take over the burden?

Seeing the "goblin" attempting to move the body out of the way, Mos stealthily moves forward to help.

Should I roll Hide in Shadows and Move Silent separately? One of the few improvements was combining these two skills into stealth IMHO

Roll for Move Silent mate - they're not looking for you so as long as you all are quiet the gobbers won't be on high alert. Plus based on my rolls I'm leaning into the notion that most of them are utterly useless :D

LOL...now watch me roll a 1!!

Move Silent: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 = 11

Well not a 1, but.....

As he moves out, trying to be a quiet as possible, the halfling steps on a dry stick which snaps...loudly. He freezes as the sound seems to reverberate in the silence...

Crossing his figures and ready to hide...just in case!

At Mos' twig snapping step, a keen hissing emits from within the redoubt, slowing quieting down the clamour.

The hiss forms into words, too low for any outwith the ruin to hear... but their effect is clear as a squat gob bearing a rusty cleaver exits with a scowl, then clocks DoppleSleeg dragging the downed archer and his frown becomes a quizzical sneer;

"Sleeg, Puljuk'a ne yaptın? Yine mi sarhoş oldu?"

Meanwhile At The Back

Slugg holds position as Stab Apples approaches, twin dagggers twitching in his paws. The goblin audibly whimpers, the grins in an attempt to disarm the offended hairy brute;

"Heh. Bağırmak için değil... Sadece Patron bana Stab Apples almamı söyledi. Onu hemen al. Zaman öldürüyorsun. Sonra bana ok atıyorsun... Patronun emirleri ok değerinde değil. Bu yüzden bağırıyorum."

At the quivering goblin's words the lanky goblinoid grimaces as it speaks in slow Common Tongue interspersed with giggling;

"Just. Heheh. Knives. Not. Hehe. My. Arrow."

The bugbear halts sniffing the air as it large ears swivel and listen...

Rannock, Hûƞidark - what you guys doing?

I’m waiting for the bugbear to emerge so I can charge in.

Oh, bloody hells!

Bluff (Cha) DC 18: 1d20 ⇒ 2 Sigh, it was such a good plan too.

This wasn't supposed to be the plan. The plan was to lead them all into an ambush, not snipe them before they'd even left the tower. Now there's a dead goblin and a suspicious goblin sent out to investigate a snapped twig. Ping knows she has to lie, has to say something, but all she can do is stare at the goblin as suspicion grows in his eyes.

"E-Evet. O s-sarhoş," she says, her voice cracking and not at all sounding like a male goblin's voice, but very much sounding like a female's voice, as she tries not to panic.

I am dead. I am soddin' dead!

She sets Puljuk down as gently as she figures a fellow goblin might and clears her throat as she puts herself between her interrogator and the corpse. If she can talk fast enough, she might be able to deflect his suspicions.

"Patron'a bunu anlatmaya gerek yok, değil mi? Zavallı Puljuk, o atın çocuklarımızdan birini yaptığı için gergindi. Sinirleri sabitlemek için biraz sıvı cesaret gerekiyordu. Bunu aramızda tutabiliriz, değil mi," DoppleSleeg asks as he puts an arm around the other goblin's shoulders.

The nervous grin Ping wears isn't at all feigned, but it is very much that of someone desperate to get out of a sticky situation and Ping felt the bottom of her stomach fall away as it appears the other goblin not buying a word from her.

I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!

I think this sums up how Ping did nicely. In other news, I may need to roll up a new character after this.

Is MOS still hidden from the newly arrived goblin, or was he spotted? If not spotted he will wait until the goblin looks like he is ready to raise the alarm and will shoot him

@Mos: Ruling your still hidden as you would have only managed 20ft creeping along the trees rather than running full pelt past the entrance of the redoubt. In my mind you've frozen - holding position when new Gob appeared...

Sorry about that action guys. I should have read back through the posts before posting. I thought this was time to take out the bad guys.

Spiro stays hidden, and prepares to shoot another arrow if things go south.

Rannock stands still, waiting to see how the situation develops, and hoping the gobbos will move out of the structure.

@Spiro: Nah all good. One of the things I'm actually growing to enjoy about the game is simple hand waiving to keep in the spirit of heroic adventure. A wayward arrow or dead gob being "Weekend at Bernieised" is all good in in keeping with the Laissez-faire mantra that C&C repeats throughout.

Seeing the second goblin appearing and questioning Zeebo, Mos attempts to take it down as well.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 3 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4x2=8

DoppleSleeg sets RIPuljuk down and sidles up to the other gob, whispering in goblish about a keeping things under raps...

... but it seems all for naught. Squat with cleaver takes one look at Puljak, then eyes DoppleSleeg/Zeebo/Ping more closely...

"Bekle. Sen hiç ağız-..."

His eyes widen and body goes slack as another of Mos' arrows find their mark in the creatures throat killing it instantly.

Round the Back

Stab Apples halts and giggles, the points one blade at Sloog as he barks an order;

"Koş. Patrona söyle. Heheheh. Akşam yemeğine misafirimiz var. Heh. Elf kanı."

Sloog takes off with a nervous nod...

The lanky creatures flips its other blade into a reverse grip and slowly turns toward the direction of Spiro;

"Heheh. I smell you... I hear you... Heheh. Come let me cut you..."

Inside the Redoubt

Boontah finishes donning his ringmail and grabs his blade, necklace of teeth clacking as he strides out of the ruin with Mulkkur at his heels...

... to be faced with (Dopple) Sleeg standing betwixt two down goblins, as another comes crashing round the corner wailing...

Party up. Gobs are surprised so have at it.

Ping, somehow, manages to keep from letting out a yelp in surprise as the goblin that had seen through her disguise suddenly sprouts an arrow in his neck. Any relief she feels at not having to worry about taking a blade to her gut vanishes as she hears and sees Chief Boontah and Mulkkur coming though the hole in the tower's wall. As they stand there for a long, endless moment, a bare heartbeat even with quickstep rhythm her heart is pounding out, the magical parts of her disguise fade into twinkling fairy dust leaving a gnome with green pigment on her skin. Thankfully, no one has accused Ping of having a slow mind, and she moves, rushing past the goblin that Boontah had sent after Stab Apples, to get where she can hopefully blast all three goblins with a spell before they can gather their wits and come after her.

Action: Move to where she is on the map.

Hûnidark charges from the tree’s cover and slams his mailed fist into the goblin emerging from the building.

ACTION: ½ Move and Attack

Cestus HIT: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 | DAM: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Did we decide on how crits are handled?

@Hûnidark: Yeah we decided it was automatic hit and automatic double damage. Have pitched an alternative in the OOC for you lot to ponder. Also just to clarify are you cracking Boontah as he comes out or "Rusty Cleaver" as he rounds the ruin?

@All - SURPRISE: This is the act of one character, one party, or one group of individuals as determined by the castle keeper catching another character, or party, or group of individuals unaware. Those gaining surprise get one entire round of actions (combat or otherwise) against the surprised party before those surprised can act at all. During this surprise round, the surprised party can do nothing, even (in most cases) defend themselves from the actions and attacks of the surprising party (in this case you lot).

I was going for the guy coming out... so Boontah it is. And I won't be using a fate point for now. Thanks for that reminder!

Mos once again nocks his arrow and fires at the creatures, who are now exiting the ruined fortification from his hidden spot.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 3 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 x2= 8

Placed a line to the one I think I can hit...if he is not already dead.

Rannock steps forward, and with the utterance of divine word, blesses his companions!

Bless: The caster’s allies gain +1 to hit, and a + 1 on saving throws against fear. The reverse spell, bane, causes the caster’s enemies a -1 to hit and saving throws against fear.

There is nothing about line of sight, so I am not sure if Spiro is affected?

AFK until Friday. Feel free to DMPC.

@Rannock - I'll allow it. Your on a remote hillside and his baritone bellow of a prayer would echo...

Surprise (Round)! You're Dead!

So Hûni did his 5 + max damage of 4 for a cestus... 9 in total... 1 more than the bugger had :S

Hûnidark's fist meets the skull of the gang boss Boontah and any doubt on which is tougher - orcan knuckle or goblen skull is resolved. A heavy thud is followed by a clatter as Boontah drops [dead].

Rusty Cleaver barely registers panic or surprise before a halfling arrow takes voice and life [dead].

Round the Back

Spiro, sensing the gig is up looses another arrow at the gangly buggebear;

Bow (DEX, BASE, Specialization+Bless): 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 1 = 14

Arrow Damage (Base, Specialization): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

The arrow thuds into its shoulder, eliciting a wheezing giggle* from the creature.

* Think Muttley :)

Round 1 Initiative - Party: 1d10 ⇒ 3
Round 1 Initiative - Goblens: 1d10 ⇒ 8

ROUND 1

The Redoubt Rearguard

Stab Apples grimaces at the arrow stuck into its matted shoulder, but moves forward hacking at the scrubbery encased Spiro with both of its blades;

Two Weapon Fighting Melee (Dagger - Primary Paw): 1d20 + 2 - 3 ⇒ (8) + 2 - 3 = 7
Two Weapon Fighting Melee (Dagger - Primary Paw): 1d20 + 2 - 6 ⇒ (8) + 2 - 6 = 4

However the attack is more frenzied than accurate...

The Redoubt

As the goblen gang are felled lighting fast the remaining goblin, Mulkkur, does not emerge.

Hisses words are head from within;

then the crack of what sounds like dry wood or bone splintering...

Then all is silent.

Party up

WIS Check vs CC:23: 1d20 + 0 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 0 + 1 = 9

Wisdom(Listen): 1d20 + 0 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 0 + 3 = 6

Oh no. Oh no! That can't be good!

Ping doesn't know what just happened, but she does know that the last goblin in the tower is likely the shaman, and if he's not coming out, that means he's probably preparing a nasty surprise.

"There's one more in the tower," Ping shouts, the disguised female gnome sounding nothing like Zeebo nor Sleeg. "He's probably casting something!"

Her warning given, she now has to decide what to do. Well, the only thing she can do to help is cast spells, She doubts her magic will fool the shaman, but it might work on the bugbear Spiro is fighting. She pulls a lump of wax from one of the pouches she'd scavenged off the late Sleeg and quickly molds it into the crude shape of a man sneaking as she chanted towards the entrance of the tower. It probably wouldn't do any good, but a bit of pride in her craft refuses to let her pass up the opportunity for a little misdirection. As the last words of her chant ring out, she turns towards the bugbear, Stab Apples, they called him, and blows on the wax effigy.

The sound of rustling leaves and blades whispering out of their sheathes and scabbards comes from behind Stab Apples, followed by the snap of a twig and the rush of four armed opponents rushing at the bugbear's back.

Casting Ghost Sound, Challenge Level 1 Intelligence saving throw to disbelieve. Sounds start where marked by the circle and move along the magenta line. I'm trying to distract Stab Apples here and help Spire out.

Hearing the bugbear thrashing about in the woods beside the ruins, Mos moves forward to get the beast into his sights, then sends an arrow at its unprotected back.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 3 = 27
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 x2=8 (plus crit damage if needed)

Dear gods... Mos is plain nasty with his bow an' arras...

+Crit Damage: 8 + 1d4 ⇒ 8 + (4) = 12

Ping's ruse works perfectly... the lanky buggebear leers as it turns to face the sound of new foes...

... before another arrow thuds into its side, leaving n'er the flights showing.

Its giggle turns to a gurgle as Stab Apples totters a few steps, then drops like sack.

Apologies for the delayed posting - crazy week at work.

Listen (Wisdom Primary DC17): 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 1 = 7

Rannock sees the group has everything under control, so he holds his position.

I guess no action this round.

Spiro nods in thanks to Mos...

"Great shooting. You'll have to give me a few tips. Let's see what's happening elsewhere shall we"?

ROUND 2

The Redoubt

With seemingly all the goblens felled, a deathly calm washes over the ruins.

Nothing more is seen or heard from Mulkkur within the redoubt, however what does emerge from the ruin is a sickly brume which billows forth...

As it reaches the fallen goblen corpses, it enshrouds them...

Party Up. (Excellent!)

Map updated. All 4 fallen gobs at the entrance have been covered by the mottled mist

Hûnidark plows through the mist to attack the goblin necro-whatever-he-thinks-he-is.

ACTION: ½ Move and Attack

Cestus HIT: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11 | DAM: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Mos takes a few steps back and readies his bow for whatever might come out of the mist.

I was assuming we did not know there was a goblin necro-whatever-he-thinks-he-is in there, since none of us heard him?

Ping warned that there was likely a caster still in the tower in this post.

"Nononononono," Ping mutters as she sees the mist start moving in. she fumbles for the dagger at her hip as she moves up to one of the goblin corpses.

"Hack them up! Hack them up before the spell takes hold!" Her voice is full of panic as she tries to make good on her warning.

If drawing her dagger and moving up 1 square didn't take her whole action, Ping will start trying to dismember the corpse. She doesn't know what the spell does, but I figure she's smart enough to figure that it wouldn't be settling over the corpses for no reason.

Roll if needed: 1d20 ⇒ 1
Oh boy. What does a Nat 1 get her, Black Dow?

Seeing the disguised "halfling" yelling, MOS calls back to her.

"Zeebo you feather-brain. Get out of there! Come this way...follow my voice!"

He stands up, no longer hidden as he tries to get her attention.

Spiro hustles north of the building keeping to the tree-line in order to determine what is happening on the other side of the building.

Hûnidark barrels in, but finds no foe facing him. Inside the collapsed body of the remaining goblin; Mulkkur lies - in its hands a bone staff sundered in two, and from its agape mouth drifts the sour mist...

While the rest of the party assesses and prepares for what comes next, Zeebo/Ping/DoppleKreeg screeches a warning and hacks at one of the fallen corpses.

The halfling's bale warning proves true as the sickly mist causes the corpses it envelopes to shed their flesh, leaving just their bones.

In their furious stabbing Zeebo's dagger splits a flesh sloughed bone, causing the blade to stick fast [CC18 STR to pull free].

Rannock to act, then onto Round 3

STR CC18: 1d20 ⇒ 1 Well, with two nat 1's in a row, I think Ping's well and truly in trouble. I think this one was Boontah, too.

Finding she's too late to do a damned thing, Ping tries to scurry back, but her dagger sticks firm in the freshly exhumed bone and the unexpected firmness of its hold on the steel blade jerks her to a stop. Panic buries any rational thoughts as the goblin skeleton rises before her, malice and promises of long pain and a slow death for her trickery in its eyes.

"How'd ye know they'd turn lad?" - Rannock is surprised at Ping's reaction, but does not skip a beat. Raising his holy symbol, the dwarf attempts to push back the risen dead.

Turn Undead: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 2 + 1 = 22

"Avast!"

Number of undead turned?: 1d12 ⇒ 5

@Ping: Was one of the Cleaver bearers - Sloog who ran afoul of Stab-Apples :)

As the bones of the dead goblen rise up before her, Ping stumbles backward - her dagger suddenly free, only to realise the blade has snapped, leaving its point lodged deep in goblen marrow! [The dagger has suffered damage requiring a blacksmith’s attention, and its damage drops by -2 until repaired]

Seizing his moment Rannock raises his hammer high as it glows with heat of the forge!

The fiery glow dissipates the miasmic fog and the newly risen skeletons of the downed goblins shed their carcasses and flee in the face of the holy might of the dwarven god of creation... Their needle jaws agape in silent screams as they rattle off into the night!

Black Arrow on map shows their path and direction - all four of the risen dead will bolt in terror at the forge god's might unless engaged.

Party up - combat is essentially over unless you pursue the gobones

I’m fine with letting the skellies go or pursuing them.

Hûnidark tries to smash the nearest fleeing skeleton as it runs away.

ACTION: Attack (+1/2 move if we are pursuing)

Cestus HIT: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15 | DAM: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Same here. Ping's not going to be chasing after them at any rate.

Ping stumbles back and falls on her rump as she looks from the broken dagger to the goblin skeleton now looming over her. She curls up, cowering before the undead as her chest flutters like a madly pumping bellows. She's dead. She knows she's dead, and there is nothing at all she can do as panic holds her in its iron grip.

Then the skeletons just run.

Ping sits on the ground and stares at where the undead had just been. She drops her dagger. For a long moment, she does nothing, then she collapses fully onto the forest floor.

Seeing the "halfling" pass out, Mos moves over, drapes 'him' in his cloak, and helps regain their feet.

"Her now...it's not all bad as that. Just get a little warmth into yer guts and yer be right-o-rain you will"

He reaches into his tunic, produces a small flask that he holds to Ping's mouth, and tips back a small drop. The good brandy slides down the gnome's throat like silk over water.

Ping comes back to consciousness with her throat on fire from the brandy. "Always keep your wits about you," her father had said many times and she'd never touched hard liquor in her life before. She snaps forward, coughing and clutching at her throat for a moment before she fully returns to her senses.

The green pigment is smeared and patches of pale skin show through. With the magic gone, it's clear to see that "Zeebo" is no halfling geezer, but a frightened, young gnomish woman with bright-red hair, large, blue eyes, and delicate features. She looks around for a moment before locking her eyes on Mos' and freezing like a deer caught in lantern light.

With her mostly covered by his cloak, Mos keeps the pale gnome out of the sight of the others.

"Here now cousin, get yourself back in order."

He waits for Zeebo to get themselves back to their form.