Ironfang Invasion

Game Master GM Red

@Saelihn bows are 3x crits ;) @GM Grym shoots at the nearest I'll use his readied action as previously posted

Thanks forgot that

According to the map, Zarena was too far away to attack since she doesn't have a bow yet, but in case we moved while we weren't in battle I placed her next to Saélihn (since they were talking previously), and I will roll an attack below. Up to the DM whether it goes off or not. (Haven't rolled it... might miss and not even matter.) :)

Acid Splash (ranged touch): 1d20 + 3 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 3 + 1 - 2 = 17 (Hemlock Banner)
Acid Damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Gronilda follows the plan and readies her bow for the attack. She wields the weapon with devotion, more like a holy symbol than a real weapon.
Longbow (flatfooted): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Piercing damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2

Despite her efforts it is clear she wields the bow more with faith than real training, much more used to the long years of battles with the dwarven axes.

HP 24/24 AC 21 TAC 12
enlarge person (Grymwold) 2 min
light (shield) 28 min
barkskin (Ghost) 28 min

Moved Lizzie up closer
Saélihn's arrow pierces straight through the first cave fisher's carapace with a devastating hit and the creature drops instantly from the ceiling, splashing into the pool below.

Grymwold's crossbow clips the second fisher's leg as Zarena's attacks finds a gaps in its sturdy shell. The wounded creature clings to the ceiling, now aware of your presence. And then suddenly, a kraken emerges from the pool!
Just kidding, no traps this time :)

Saélihn, Gronilda, Lizzie, Zarena are up, Cave Fisher (-6), Grymwold

Map

And then suddenly, a kraken emerges from the pool!

Just kidding, no traps this time :)

This bald eastern guy told stories of his team working their way through waves of time-summoned brutes and creatures. We will persevere too, one way or another. (epic times...good times)

Lizzie grabs her dagger and moves forward to the north.

Zarena throws another ball of acid.

Acid Splash (ranged touch): 1d20 + 3 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 1 - 2 = 10 (Hemlock Banner)
Acid Damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Sadly missing.

Saélihn once again takes careful aim, firing a shot at the other cave fisher calmly, before immediately reaching for another arrow.

Composite Longbow/PBS/Banner: 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 8 + 1 + 1 = 20
Piercing/PBS: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 1 = 9

"Good eye Saélihn!" Gronilda advances but shots from a safe distance.
Longbow: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Piercing damage: 1d8 ⇒ 1

HP 24/24 AC 21 TAC 12
enlarge person (Grymwold) 2 min
light (shield) 28 min
barkskin (Ghost) 28 min

The cave fisher swats away Gronilda's arrow, and it evades Zarena's acid, but Saélihn lands another direct hit that plunges through its back.

In return, it turns and fires a thick filament at Saélihn...
Filament Ranged Touch: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Pull?: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

She successfully resists being pulled into the water, though the filament remains attached to her. DC 20 Strength to break it, or DC 25 Escape Artist if you wanted to. The way the attack is described in RAW omits the condition, but that doesn't really make sense, so I will judge that it causes entangled.

Grymwold, Saélihn (Entangled), Gronilda, Lizzie, Zarena are up, Cave Fisher (-15)

Map

Grym drops the crossbow and hustles forward(double move)

no attack possible this round

"Saélihn!" Gronilda shouts scared, but determined to drop the creature before it can eat anyone in the group, she pulls the string for another arrow.
Longbow: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Piercing damage: 1d8 ⇒ 6

And she blushes when she hits her finger with the string, ashamed a servant of the Hunter has so much hassle with the bow.

HP 24/24 AC 21 TAC 12
enlarge person (Grymwold) 2 min
light (shield) 28 min
barkskin (Ghost) 28 min

Though the filament ensnares her, she plants her feet, holding steady against the wounded creature's pull. Forcing herself to remain calm, she slows her breathing, focusing on the hunt, as she carefully looses another arrow, her aim true despite the myriad of distractions.

Composite Longbow/PBS/Banner/Entangled (-2 att/-4Dex): 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 - 2 = 25
Piercing/PBS: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

Lizzie moves west, slowing her steps as she moves to behind her taller companions.

Stealth behind the party?: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

The boards seem spotty today. Hopefully this gets posted.

Gronilda fires wide, but Saélihn shoots another arrow through the monster's carapace, and it looks as though it may fall off the ceiling at any moment from its many wounds...

Zarena's up, possibly for the knockout?

Zarena throws another ball of acid, trying to finish the thing off.

Acid Splash (ranged touch): 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 3 + 1 = 24 (Hemlock Banner)
Acid Damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

The glob of acid strikes the cave fisher and with a high-pitched screech, the creature's grip on the ceiling fails. It plummets into the dark pool below, its legs curling inward as it sinks beneath the surface.

The chamber falls quiet, except for the steady drip of water from the stalactites above.

Out of combat

Grym stands at the edge of the pool I bet that big lobster could feed a LOT of us. Anyone got butter in their packs Grym says with a smile in an unusually cheerful mood

With a chuckle, Saélihn cuts herself loose of the adhesive strand, handing the length of it to Grymwold, on the chance that he could use it to reel the creature up out of the water. "It just might!"

"Are you ok Saélihn?" Gronilda asks worried, but quickly smiles when she sees the huntress is in good mood "Yes, let's take that lobster and check if they hunted something else in their lake"
Perception (darkvision): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

"Yes I'm fine!" Saélihn replies with a smile. "That stuff is a bit...unpleasant but it'll likely break down quickly enough."

Indeed the caver fisher's shell and meat look remarkably similar to that of a large lobster. With some effort getting through the carapace, you could harvest enough meat for a hearty meal.

Let's call it a DC 15 Survival, Profession (Hunter), Profession (Cook) or similar skill to butcher it, and we'll equate it to 1 Provision point if successful

Gronilda peers into the water, and notices the remains of three troglodytes lying at the bottom of the pool along with their javelins.

Barely visible near the reptile folk lies the body of an unfortunate halfling, and beside her, an iron coffer.

You guess the pool is about 10 feet deep. Anyone going for a dip to check on the box? If so, give me a Swim check (calm water, DC 10) and a Perception check.

Lizzie will help with the butchering of the lobster, how instructed.
Aid other: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

"You know, if we're lucky we'd find more opponents, that we could get meat off. Though i am not hoping for something very large, like something that is bigger than a horse."

With Lizzie's help, Saélihn sets about butchering, cleaning and preparing the meat from the cave fisher, ensuring a hearty meal and additional stores.

Survival/ Lizzie's aid: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 12 + 2 = 25

"I think I see a halfling there. And an iron box" Gronilda turns to the giant Grymwold "Do you think you can reach it with your large arms before the magics end? I guess we are staying here anyway if you plan to butcher the lobster" she looks at the work Saélihn has already started.

Anyway, she is not good at swimming, but she can also try to raise the box as she can temporarily get to large size as well.
Swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Perception (darkvision): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

I'm not great at swimming, but we should definitely get all of that out of the water if we are going to use this water for our people.

She uses mage hand to point at the box and try to bring it up.

If the box is too heavy, and if Gronilda seems safe, then she strips off her outer clothing and jumps in to help.

Swim Check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Perception (darkvision): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13

Saélihn and Lizzie, with their apparent skill in butchering crustaceans, manage to gather enough cave fisher meat. The meat they harvest proves surprisingly tasty - like lobster but heartier, with a distinctive mineral note from the cave waters. Not bad at all, given the circumstances...

As Gronilda wades into the cold pool, Zarena's conjured magical hand retrieves the coffer so that Gronilda doesn't have to swim much at all before the box is at surface level. As the mage hand brings the box back to Zarena, Gronilda notices a glint of gold beneath the surface of water. Half-buried in the silt and draped in cave lichen lies a skeleton adorned with a shiny belt of golden chain links.

Big Grym jumps in the water before the magic runs out and scoops up whatever items are located at the bottom of the pool

he's large so probably doesn't need to swim. Just bends down an picks stuff up from the bottom

Gronilda points at the glint at the bottom and signals to Zarena and Grymwold to help her with the ironbox as she takes the shiny belt with her.

Swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

As she hopefully manages to make it back to the surface, she pushes the belt to the feet of the party "Look what beauty I found down there! It looks pretty expensive"

Good eye. Let's see if it is also magical.

Zarena chants a few mysterious-sounding words and waves her hands over the belt.

Casting Detect Magic, cone-shaped 60-foot range, faced towards the belt.

Zarena looks at the fancy belt and casts a spell. The belt starts to glow with a moderate transmutation aura. DC 18 Arcana or Spellcraft to ID

Inside the iron box is 120 gold pieces, and a magical wand (faint conjuration aura, DC 16 Arcana/Spellcraft) made of steel.

Gronilda tries to use the divinations of her god to find out about the magics.
Spellcraft w. Detect Magic: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Spellcraft w. Detect Magic: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Zarena assists Gronilda in identifying the items.

Spellcraft (belt): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Spellcraft (wand): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Not only is the belt fashionable (I guess?), it is also quite useful as a belt of incredible dexterity +2.

The wand of mage armor (28 charges) may also come in handy.

With the pool cleanly looted and the cave fisher gutted, the party looks around to see where might be best to go next, noting one exit to the east.

Loot updated. Quick, someone grab the belt. :) What next, team?

"This belt will make your aim more precise Lizzie, or if that is even possible, Saélihn. But it could also help Grymwold with some extra protection. Some of you should probably have it." Gronilda passes the belt happy of the bath it took.

Once everyone is ready, she will move to explore the eastern exit.

Either Saelihn or Lizzie should take the belt. Let's finish exploring these caves and after we eat LOBSTER!

Lizzie scratches her chin slightly.

"I wouldn't say no to such a neat belt. It would compliment sneaking and my slinging accuracy."

Then with a smile, "Ok, i'll make good use of it, thanks."

The party advances, with Gronilda taking lead. The stench of death and old blood overwhelms the smell of troglodyte in the chamber. The floor slopes down to the north wall where a narrow underground stream flows past. The sound of running water echoes off the low ceiling, and a burning torch near the stream sends rippling light patterns dancing off the wall. Racks against the walls hold the carcasses of forest creatures, some still draining their life's blood on the ground, others mere skins left to dry.

Through the flickering torchlight, you notice movement near the water. Something large seems to be partially submerged in the stream with only its head exposed.

Zarena's keen eyes spot it first: a monitor lizard lurking in the stream, concealed by the water. It appears to be munching on one of the carcasses, but hasn't noticed the party yet.

The chamber appears to be the troglodytes' main butchering room, with preserved meat hanging from the racks that could be looted for more provisions.

I advanced your tokens. Remind me, for how long Grymwold is Enlarged Grym?
And then... Avoid the lizard (it would be on the north edge of the room, in the water), or deal with it before collecting supplies?

Map

Gronilda nods to Zarena when she communicates about the lizard and notes it does not immediately attack the party "Let's see what supplies do they have in here before deciding what to do about the lizard..."

She moves towards the boxes and starts carefully checking.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

The enlarge person should have finished by now or have a few rounds remaining at most if we were rushing

"We'll need to take care of the monitor lizard before that, or it'll likely attack as soon as it notices us." Saélihn whispers.

With a single step she raises her bow, commanding Ghost to attack, before taking a carefully aimed shot at the creature's head.

Composite Longbow/PBS/Coordinated Shot: 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 8 + 1 + 1 = 30
Piercing/PBS: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6

Confirm
Composite Longbow/PBS/Coordinated Shot: 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 8 + 1 + 1 = 15
Piercing/PBS: 2d8 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (3, 2) + 4 + 2 = 11

Handle Animal: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Ghost bolts across the distance, sinking his fangs into the large lizard with deadly efficiency.

bite/Charge: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 2 = 23
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Zarena realizes that they are attacking the lizard while Gronilda is going through boxes, so she moves between the lizard and Gronilda and throws a ball of acid (at the lizard)...

Acid Splash (ranged touch): 1d20 + 3 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 1 - 2 = 5 (Hemlock Banner)
Acid Damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

... which fizzles.

Grym no longer enlarged double moves to engage the lizard.

No attacks are possible this round

Lizzie just moves east, los for a good shot is difficult for the moment.
Looks like she'll witness another bashing executed.

With the element of surprise on your side, Saélihn's arrow flies through the air, striking the monitor lizard. Before the creature can react, Ghost lunges forward in a blur of motion, jaws clamping down hard.

The monitor lizard thrashes briefly in the water, then goes still, blood clouding the stream around it.

Gronilda then takes a better look around the room, investigating the boxes and shelves. She finds quite a bit of dried meats in this well-stocked room, sure to be useful if this is to become a more permanent home in the Fangwood.

There doesn't seem to be anything else worthwhile in this room.

10 Provision Points worth of food. Exits to the east. Where to next? I'd neglected it last time, but let me know if you're going stealthily or not (by rolling Stealth :)

Gronilda looks with surprise at the fallen lizard. She then turns to the supplies "There is food here. It can feed us for a few days"

Then points to the exit to the south and tries to advance as stealthy as her armor let's her.
Stealth: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13

Zarena sees that Gronilda is attempting stealth, so she stays back, waiting, so as to not alert anything ahead.

Noting Gronilda's gesture, Saélihn nods, moving to quietly follow.

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Stealth (Ghost): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

stealth lol: 1d20 + 2 - 5 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 - 5 - 2 = 10

Grym advances keenly aware of his rattling chainmail as the others try to sneak

Moving beyond the butchering chamber, you come upon a room filled with stone shelves cut directly into the walls. Each shelf is heaped with dried mushrooms, baskets of herbs, root vegetables, and other fragrant foodstuffs. Empty baskets and cloth sacks lie piled in one corner.

Two troglodytes work in this chamber, sorting baskets of recently foraged plants. Ghost and Saélihn's careful movement keeps them undetected, but Gronilda's heavier footfall causes one of the troglodytes to whirl around and hiss angrily, reaching for its weapon.

Gronilda is up, Blue and Yellow Troglodytes, Saélihn, Lizzie, Grymwold, Zarena

Map

"Was I you, I would leave those tools away and leave!" Gronilda shouts when she feels herself noticed and presents her holy symbol to accompany the order with power.
Cause fear Will DC 14 on blue (still gets shaken on a success)

HP 24/24 AC 21 TAC 12
light (shield) 30 min
barkskin (Ghost) 25 min