Kork watches the container rusting off the metal pieces of the pole, and immediately grunts as the creature spears him. "Ack!"
He turns around to take a good look at the creature, pulls out a fishing hook and quickly attaching it to his starknife. "Shark soup today. Yum!" and he slashes at the attacker.
After identifying a creature's weakness, you use a thematically resonant bit of esoterica to attune your attacks to your discovery. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes activate the highest weakness you discovered with Exploit Vulnerability, even though the damage type your weapon deals doesn't change. This damage affects the target of your Exploit Vulnerability, as well as any other creatures of the exact same type, but not other creatures with the same weakness.
Not sure what weaknesses they have, but the damage bonus is either that or personal antithesis, whichever is higher. Minimum 3 or the value equal to their weakness.
His blade empowered by a mysterious alchemy that none else know, the diminutive goblin leaps up and rams his knife into the sahuagin's eye, popping it and penetrating the braincase. He twists, and the sharkman collapses.
Jaym'row stabs at the sea devil from her hiding place.
if target is flat-footed.
She feints and then attacks again.
if target is flat-footed.
Her first time fighting on a rocking boat deck does not go very well.
The lithe catfolk strikes at the bombardier with whiplike speed, surpirising him from the shadows, but the lurching of the boat spoils her thrust. She makes a quick feint to distract her foe and make a second attack, but unfortunately the monster sees through her ruse, and her followup strike likewise fails to connect.
Pulling his blade from the skull of the streetshark, Kork notices. "Catlady's whiskers be in way? Be distracting?" he shouts at Jaym'row and tapping his nose. "Get rid of whiskers? Give to Kork?"
The cox'n sniffs the air, then gives an alarmed shout. "They've poured something caustic on the sail fasteners! Quick, get it off before it eats through the mast!"
"A little busy, I'm afraid," Okoteck replies as he dodges the sahuagin's attack.
The tengu starts crooning while gesturing with his off-hand, simultaneously feinting a lunge towards his target. Lightning gathers between taloned fingers, then with a sharp caw it leaps to his blade as he turns his thrust into a slash.
Okoteck's talons click on the deck as he keeps up his cascade, lightning continuing to flicker along his blade after his attack.
Green sahuagin deceased.
Okoteck's blade strikes true, the electric energy that enveloped his weapon exploding with a thunderous crash. The sahuagin gives an unearthly shriek of rage as its scales blacken and char.
"I'm on it!" Jade calls to the cox'n. She strides◆ 25' in a straight line towards the aft mast, and uses base kinesis◆◆ to attempt to wash the corrosive liquid off with water from her aura.
Red sahuagin at 6hp.
Green sahuagin dead.
Silver sahuagin at 19 hp.
Gold sahuagin at 20 hp & 2 temp hp, +1 attack with jaw and claws and -2 AC for 1 minute.
The wave of water rinses the oily, fuming liquid off of the joins, which, though corroded, seem likely to hold for now.
The sahuagin on the port fo'c'sle stabs Okoteck with his spear, landing a solid blow, then following up with a flurry of claw attacks, one of which connects, drawing more blood.
The shark man on the stern jabs at Syper with his spear, gouging through his armor and slicing flesh. He swings an outstretched claw at the bard, missing, only to draw back and lever his momentum into a wild swing with his other claw that just barely connects, digging into Syper's shoulder.
The foiled saboteur hurls his spear at Jade in frustration. The head slices through her armor and strikes bone, the jagged edges leaving a bleeding wound. The outwelling of blood sends the sea devil into a frenzy, and he turns to attack Jaym'row in a flurry of claws and teeth. She manages to dodge the blows, but the monster is fighting with more savagery and abandon and greater tolerance for pain... though its recklessness makes it easier to strike.
The cox'n lets go of the wheel and issues a battle command to Kork, then utters a word of elder lore and conjures a bolt of the storm's fury that slices through the air between the two sahuagin at the aft of the ship, electrocuting them. One takes only minimal damage, while the other is moderately singed, though his frenzy seems to prevent him from noticing.
Jaym'row feints, then snarls as fiercely as her kind can, hissing and baring her teeth, then thrusts her rapier at the sea devil that is flailing at her.
if target is flat-footed.
Red sahuagin at 6 hp.
Silver sahuagin at 19 hp.
Green sahuagin dead.
Jaym'row's feint successfuly distracts the monster she faces, though only for a moment. However, in his frenzy he ignores her snarls.
Taking advantage of his distraction, her blade strikes deeply into the flesh of his side.
Okoteck can't hold back a screech of pain as he's struck twice, but he holds his discipline together. His only hope is to kill this foe before it kills him, so he goes on the offensive, slashing and thrusting as lightning continues to flicker around his blade.
Then he again summons up a shield in case his foe hasn't fallen.
His blade powered as much by desperation as by arcane powers, Okoteck strikes down his foe with a thunderous crash that sends the ichtyoid collapsing to the deck in a limp, smoking heap.
Red and green sahuagin dead.
Silver sahuagin at 19 hp.
Jade winces at the oozing wound and pulls healing water from her aura◆ to attempt to staunch it.
Gritting her teeth, she sends a barrage of hailstones◆ flying at the sea devil who threw the spear at her.
Then she raises her shield◆ to brace against any retaliations.
*2 = 12
/ 2 = 3
Silver sahuagin at 16 hp
Gold, green, and red sahuagin are dead.
Jade's attempt to heal herself is less effective than usual, and she fails to immediately stanch the bleeding. But her flurry of hailstones, on the other hand, successfully navigates the gloaming night air, battering and gouging the raging sea devil. His injuries are now so severe that only his blood frenzy is keeping him conscious.
Where her magics let her down, her constitution steps up, stanching the bleeding through sheer fortitude.
The frenzied monster hurls an avalanche of claws at Jaym'row, slicing through the catfolk's armor and leaving painful cuts in her flesh. He attempts to bite her but she effortlessly dodges out of the way.
The other sahuagin maneuvers himself around Syper to get a better angle for his spear, and rams it into the cox'n, hitting bone and causing him to roar in pain. The creature takes a swipe with his claws, but a sudden swell causes him to lurch leftward and miss.
The cox'n steels himself and unleashes another electric assault. The sahuagin wielding the spear manages to divert some of the blast into his weapon, receiving only minor burns, but the other receives its full force. At long last, he drops to the deck, a charred, blackened husk whose lifeless red eyes are still narrowed in a hateful, silent snarl.
The cox'n barks an order to Kork, commanding him to reinforce their position.
"Kork not like being bossed around. But Kork forgive this time." he mutters to himself, and seems surprised by his enhanced mobility. He runs across the ship, stands behind the aquatic creature, and grins. "Spikey, meet fishamn. Fishman, MEET SPIKEY!" and he slashes at the creature.
Oh, sorry I thought it was my go. Move along, nothing to see here.
Jaym'row coughs up some blood, spits it out, and manages a steely smile as the cox'n sends the sea devil to Davy Jones locker (once its lifeless body is kicked off the deck).
She looks around and realizes only one remains. She decides to move toward the sea devil's last stand and try to do some damage from a safe distance.
Once in the starboard quarter with some open space between her and the sea devil, she draws her starknife and hurls it at the menace.
(range 20 ft)
Syper notes his wound and scowls. The gouge is deep. But he redoubles and spits up blood as he stares into the sahuagin's eyes. Words gurgle from deep within him.
"കിലോമീറ്ററുകൾക്കപ്പുറത്ത് നിന്ന് എനിക്ക് നിൻ്റെ മരണം മണക്കാമായിരുന്നു."
Staring straight at the shark-man, he switches back to call, "The Wellerman comes!" and plunges his sword at the attacker.
AC 17, HP 3/16
The shark man recoils, shaken by Syper's ferocity. The bard's song grants him and his allies vim and focus, and his longsword slices into the creature's side.
The sharkman, his attention torn between three foes, is unable to meet Kork's blade, and a deep gouge is carved in his thigh. The monster staggers under the weight of its injuries.
Jaym'row hurls her starknife at the creature, but it narrowly misses, clattering into the pile of cannonballs.
Okoteck does his best to block out the pain as he trots across the deck, bringing himself in range to copy the Coxswain's electric spell--though he has only a single target for it to focus on. He's decided to avoid his flame spell given the number of allies and flammables around.
The blast of lightning from Okoteck's hand scorches the final sahuagin from head to tail, who seizes up and collapses to the deck in a smoking heap. Its evil red eyes grow dull, and for a moment the night is silent, save for the panting of you and your crewmates. Then the captain and the quartermaster burst into view as they throw open the trapdoor covering the ladder.
The captain holds aloft an everlight, allowing the humans to perceive the scene clearly.
Mirian, barely decent and still slightly groggy, stares at the corpses and asks, “What were they trying to do? There’s only four; not enough to take the ship.”
Ferrino kicks one onto its side and points at the clay phial tied to its waist by a leather thong. “It was trying to use this.”
He cuts the leather with his dagger and picks it up.
“These little pots hold a corrosive solution of concentrated alchemical brine that rapidly destroys any metal it comes in contact with. Their goal was to destroy the armature holding the masts in place, knock them over, and make us a sitting duck for the war party that is undoubtedly nearby. That's how the creatures operate, at least in this part of the ocean. I've dealt with them before.”
Mirian nods, glancing about nervously for signs of further attack.
Cyranno interjects. “The war party is unlikely to be right on us at the moment. They’re probably a mile or so to the east, closer to the reef."
He points at a dark crescent in the distance. "They’ll be awaiting a signal from the scouting team.”
Ferrino prods the corpse at his feet with his boot. “Let’s send them a different signal, shall we?”
He stands back, grabs the sea devil’s spear, and, with a roar and a running start, rams the head of the weapon clean through the corpse’s jaw and out the back of its skull. Repeating this with the other corpses (save the one brained by Kork, who rendered such action redundant), the captain throws the bloody bodies over the edge, where they hit the speeding surf with four loud crashes.
As you rocket away on the night breeze, you hear the sharks begin to feed.
"My word..." gasps the surgeon as he clambers over the lip of the trapdoor, followed closely by the gunner, gunner's mate, cooper, blacksmith's apprentice, and all the rest.
"Let's get them belowdecks," he says decisively. Being in his element, his normal passivity and diffident manner vanish like ice dropped in a boiling teakettle.
The blacksmith grimaces as he contemplates the mast's armature. "Not good. But not fatal."
He kneels, retrieves a chisel from his belt, and scrapes at the corrosion. He pinches the red metallic dust between his gloved fingers and rubs it.
"It's only surface level, thank the gods. But Hodak and I will have to scrape off all of this rust to keep it from spreading, which will take half a day at least to do a right job of it."
He turns to the party. "Good on you for acting so quickly; whichever of you did that, you saved the ship."
Jaym'row holds her wounds and limps below deck, grateful for some medical attention. She gives anyone who makes eye contact with her a brave smile and a thumbs up.
As she's being patched up, she asks Gideon, "Will I be able to play the piano once this heals?" hoping he hasn't heard the joke or at least that he'll provide the necessary straight line.
The surgeon nods reassuringly. "Of course."
He turns to the party. "Good on you for acting so quickly; whichever of you did that, you saved the ship."
Jade beams, "Just earning my keep with a little water."
She says to the group, "If anyone needs healing, I can give you a bit before getting myself patched up."Still a bit woozy from her wound, she walks carefully to Gideon to be patched up.
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The surgeon nods reassuringly. "Of course."
Jaym'row looks with awe at Gideon. "You must be a wonderful doctor. I could never play the piano before!"
Kork does a little celebratory dance as he struts away from the railing. "Too easy." he says to nobody in particular and approaches Jade with a curious look on his face. "How that work? Freckles be doctor too?"
Jade laughs at the nickname, "I do have quite a few, don't I? My father said my mom had them too..." She touches her face as her voice trails off. She looks up to the stars for a few beats before shaking her head, as if to shrug off a fly, and turning back to Kork.
"No, I'm not a doctor. I'm a kineticist. I channel elemental forces from the planes through kinetic gates in my body. I guide healing water from Yomul through my hand to the wound, and the water does all the healing for me." Jade says to the goblin. "What about you? Do those bits and bobs you use to weaken things really work on their own, or do you have to do something to them first?"
The surgeon nods reassuringly. "Of course."Jaym'row looks with awe at Gideon. "You must be a wonderful doctor. I could never play the piano before!"
Syper bursts into a fit of laughter at Jaym'row's quip. He then doubles over into a coughing fit. "That's Jaymie! They'll never hurt your sense of humor."
Dabbing gingerly at his wound, he gives his thanks to Jade for her healing and asks the captain, "Would you mind if I held onto one of the spears? I feel like it'll come in handy."
Whatever the answer, he shakes his head and goes over to Gideon. "I keep wanting to pour seawater on this gash, and only because it'll be better than jumping in the ocean."
The doctor stammers for a moment. "I'm sorry, miss, I thought you meant-"
Noticing the looks of the rest of the crew, he stops, closes his eyes in chagrin, smiles, and resumes treating injuries.
In ten minutes, he patches up Jaym'row and moves on to Syper. At the man's comments about seawater, he chuckles and replies, "I think we can find something a bit more effective."
As he begins his work on Syper, there is another round of healing from Jade on those still injured.
Syper: ; 12/16
Jade: ; full
As he concludes, restoring Syper to full health, a final application of soothing magic from Jade heals the last of Okoteck's wounds.
As he beholds the young woman, who just minutes ago was stabbed through with a gigantic serrated longspear but now shows no trace of the injury, he whistles.
"That's some trick. I get the feeling, however, that it can't be learned by just anyone."
"Would you mind if I held onto one of the spears? I feel like it'll come in handy."
"Certainly," Ferrino replies, handing him the one covered in the least amount of gore.
He then takes his everlight, ties it to a leather waterskin, fills the skin with air, seals it tight, and tosses it overboard.
As the surgeon and the kineticist work their magic over the next twenty minutes, he keeps his head on a swivel, uncertain if his diversion worked.
Then, Gunnar’s voice cuts through the darkness. ”I see them! They’re heading this way on sharkback, and faster than we’re going. They'll catch up in three to five minutes!”
The captain curses, then mutters, "Thank the gods for darkvision." He raises his voice and yells out, "How many?"
After a moment of silence to count the approaching adversaries, the gunner responds tensely, "About two dozen." He then adds ominously, "And the sharks are big, big enough to damage the ship."
The captain curses again. After a moment to think, he yells another question. "Are they all together?"
The gunner yells back, "They're bunched pretty tightly; they all came from the same place at the same time."
The captain yells a followup question. "Can the weapon get them all?"
The gunner takes a moment to respond. "If I tweak the nozzle pressure, I think I can spray them all with one charge."
The captain roars back, "Then let's do it!"