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Sven can see that, after the drop-off, the room continues for another 20' or so. The drop appears to be about 10' down, and there are more manacles down below. Also found are the goblins you were chasing. And some friends. 4 friends. As soon as Sven see the goblins down below, they spring into action, rushing towards two ladders leading up to the top level where the party is.
The little beasts get a head start in the dim light. They rush to the ladders on either side of the ledge, and one lets out a wretched wail and hurls a glass bottle up onto the higher floor. When the bottle hits the ground, it shatter, and the liquid inside bursts into flames.
The fire lands in the dead-center of the room, covering the bottom of the stairs in fiery liquid.
You proceed about 2 floors down the spiral stairs and find yourselves in the center of 30' square floor, walled in on the north, south, and west. To the east, the floor drops off abruptly and continues another 15' or so. You can't see the bottom of the lower area, so you can't tell how deep it is. However, you can immediately see that this room once served as some sort of laboratory, as there are tables, instruments, broken flasks, and various oddities laying about. There are also several sets of rusted, old manacles attached to the walls and tables, suggesting that the participants in these experiments were not all consensual. There are goblin footprints all over the dusty floor, but they are so mixed up that you can't tell which are fresh. You can tell, though, that most of them lead towards the drop-off.
Gulver notices, in the center of the room, there is a chute leading up through the ceiling. There is no ladder or other way to reach the chute. It's nearly 10' off the ground and appears completely smooth from your point of view. There does not appear to be any light source further in, so before you descend the stairs, a torch will likely be necessary.
The room at the end of the bridge is uncannily quiet, and, as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see that the room is, in fact, empty of goblins. This room is long and narrow, extending only 5' to the left and right, but 40' to the opposite end from the bridge. In the far, right corner is the top of a spiral staircase leading down.
Gulver examines the bridge which extends about 40' across the gully. The anchors that hold the bridge to the walls are ancient and well-forged, but the bridge is clearly a recent goblin construction. It seems sturdy, but probably slow going for larger users as the handholds are low. You can't see anything on the other side of the gully because the goblins have disappeared into another dark doorway, made opaque by the sunlight.
Between Annie and Sven, the hole in the door is now large enough to shoot through or reach through to unbar the door. The goblins are now outside and have vanished into the bright light.
A significant chunk comes out of the door, making a hold big enough to see through, but not reach through just yet. Annie can see the two goblins running across the room about 20' to another door which they throw open, revealing the bright light of outdoors and a rickety rope bridge leading across the gully.
Gulver finishes off the downed goblin and finds an assortment of goblin-sized weapons and armor along with 6 gp all together. These goblins appear to be common rabble, and do not carry any items of significance.
Between Sven, Annie, and the Wee Bird, all three goblin in melee meet their demise. One is still squirming on ground, but he doesn't appear to have much to contribute to the fight. The two archers in the doorway, however, are still very much alive. One fires a parting shot as the other closes the wooden door with a thunk and the scrape of a bar on the other side. >> The last arrow hits Sven, but was shot with so little force that it leaves nothing more than a bruise. Left in the room are the trappings of goblin life, including a table, chairs, a few dishes, and some half-eaten meat of some sort.
Sven's powerful blow relieves one goblin of his over-sized head and very quickly draws the attention of the others. Annie's mark collapses to the ground and assumes the fetal position as it prepares to die a slow death.
The enemy archers fire again at Sven as he stands gaping at the scene before him. >>
Both both shots are absorbed by his armor. Lucky continues to take the brunt of the goblin's attacks, since he is blocking the way to Zander. >>
Two more land shots on Lucky. He looks like he's about to go down.
Goblin 1 (melee): 1
Gulver and Annie slip into the room and fire on goblins, both arrows finding their marks. Annie's target takes a shot to the chest, tumbles backward several feet, and doesn't get up. Gulver's arrow lands in a goblin's thigh, demanding a painful scream, but not ending the fight. Lucky barges into the room, weapon raised, and storms the nearest goblin. The blow misses, but the show attracts the attention of your enemies. Tondbert is unable to get his wits about him to act immediately. The remaining goblins, having grabbed up their weapons, move to attack. All three move to attack Lucky, perceiving him as the greatest threat. >>
One of the pests lands a solid blow on Lucky, but nothing life-threatening. At the same time, the door at the far end of the room bursts open and two more goblins with shortbows fire at Sven. >>
But, both shots miss wide and chip harmlessly off the far wall.
Sven barges into the room, swinging away, but finds only empty space, since this room is larger than expected, extending 40' ahead and 30' to the left. The goblins were crowded around a crude table playing some sort of game, but are now scrambling for weapons. Here's a simple diagram of the situation.
The opened door reveals downward stairs, made of the same packed clay, travelling about 15' downward before ending in an open doorway to the left. Now, with the heavy door open, anyone can easily hear the chattering of goblins from deeper within. Lucky, being able to understand goblin, can easily discern that they are loudly shooting the breeze and cackling, and have no idea that their friends outside are dead, nor do they realize how close at hand the party lies. You are able to estimate their number to be at least 3 but no greater than 8 based on the chatter.
The door is made of heavy stone and defies even a careful listen. It obviously used to lock very securely and was able to be barred from the outside, judging by the hardware, but neither feature is still available, as the structure is ancient and the metal is rusted. There is evidence of traps, but they point inward, and have long since been activated and therefore lie dormant. Like the other hardware, the handle has rusted away, but has been crudely replaced with what appears to be an large, pewter serving spoon bent and bolted to the door.
As you each fall down the hole you land in a large room carved from the red clay underground. The quality of the excavation is likely human, not goblin, and the entrance obviously used to be much larger, but is now collapsed and grown over by roots. The room seems empty, except for some refuse and an ashy fire circle made of loose stone. The room is 30' square and you entered though the northernmost part of the western wall. There is another door in the southernmost part of the same wall. It is surrounded by a crude carving of a demon with the door appearing as a grotesque mouth. There is no light save for yours and the outside.
The tree has an very crude bit of brush camouflage covering what is surely a small passage leading underneath. There are no traps, and the goblins are equipped only with shortbows and leather armor suited for their size, along with some unpleasant snacks and trinkets. The passage under the tree is just big enough for one medium creature to squeeze through and it is dark underneath. A careful listen at the base of the tree allows you to hear goblin chattering, but it's muffled and dull, as if the noise is coming from a distant room.
50/50 chance. If you forget to roll, they're gone.
Yeah, I'm not worried about it this time. I allowed the surprise round because he said he shot before you moved out, but in the future we're going in order of post. I always forget the sneak attack range limit, but it isn't worth gong back and changing things this time. We'll remember for next time.
With the two goblins dispatched and toppling out of tree without even the chance to yell, the party is free to explore the area unabated.
Since you decided to fire instead of trying to sneak closer, I'll rule that you got your shot off before the goblins were alerted so you do indeed receive the surprise attack, which will kill either one. However, in the future, the order in which people post is the order their actions occur.
Yeah, he posted in the gameplay thread just a little bit ago. I'll put him in the middle of the order and 2nd watch.
Upon hearing Annie's footfall, the two goblins leap up and prepare to attack with shortbows.
Date: 34th day of spring (90 days per season)
From the path, and occasionally venturing into the forest a bit, the party seeks signs of goblins. In the early afternoon, the storms clear up, but the sky remains dark and cloudy, hinting at more to come. Around 2pm, the first sign of goblin tracks appears. A pattern of footsteps leads to the beginning of a shallow gully. As the gully extends deeper into the forest towards the river ENE of here, it quickly grows deeper until it is easily 50' deep, but only 20' across at the bottom, with very steep sides, likely un-climb-able without equipment. The goblin tracks grow thicker along the top, north edge of the gully, but not in it. Eventually, you reach a clearing in the forest about 100' in diameter along the northern edge of the gully. A large, dead tree stands in the clearing about 40' away from the edge of the gully. Even from a safe distance along the treeline to the SW, it is clear that the tracks lead directly up to the tree. Also, about halfway down the gully, at the same spot as the tree stands, there is a very rickety wooden bridge extending from one side to the other. From a safe distance, to can see that both sides of the bridge lead into the gully's face.
Perception DC 14: Two goblins are hiding in the branches of the dead tree. Your position makes it so that they don't see you but, once you move into the clearing, it will be almost impossible to hide.
This is what I will be using for logistics unless I hear otherwise: Wilderness marching order: Annie
Dungeon marching order: Sven
Watch order: 1st: Lucky, Zander
And yes, Zander, they take up 0-level slots but are used up after one use. Resource scarcity is part of the tension of a good wilderness crawl, after all. One last thing, I know it can be tricky to decide, but it would help to move more quickly if you established a spokesperson who would decide what direction you go at each juncture.
Date: 34th day of spring
The newfound party heads south along the road from Swiftwater, seeking adventure, riches, and glory. This area is said to contain a tribe of goblins, which can be defeated for a reward. Much further to the south on this road is a mining village, supposedly the site of dark religious practices. The mighty river is a few miles to the east, and it travels southeast.
Ok, going to use this space to sort out some logistics. Here's what I need:
This would be a good time to mention that the cleric spells "create water" and "purify food or drink" and any equivalents will function as level 1 spells. No infinite sustenance for adventurers!
Pretty close to it. All the regular rules apply, except I'm going to try to avoid grids unless absolutely necessary. Just say what you are trying to do. Like I said with the waitress thing, you have a lot of latitude with the game world. If, based on my description, you are reasonably sure that you are close enough to attack, go for it. Sometimes, you might be wrong. That's ok. In real life, I have to assume that, fairly often, an archer would fire a shot and have it fall short because he misjudged the distance. That's normal.
As you make introductions and steal/purchase beverages, a red-haired soldier walks into the tavern and nails a poster to a column. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the authority of Lord Mayor Tarset, let it be hereby known that any man presenting proof of the death of the goblin chieftan residing southwest of Swiftwater will be rewarded with 500 gold pieces. His tribe of goblins has caused loss of life and property to our logging outpost. His tribe is believed to contain approximately 15 fighting goblins and resides along a dry stream gully. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, this is the absolute last chance. If you want to play, then head over to the gameplay and discussion threads and start playing. Recruitment is closed. Anyone who wants to play can join, but only if they start today.
Just in case it wasn't clear, anyone who has posted yet is welcome. I didn't post a roster, so if you expressed interest, just start playing.
@Daniel & Vance - don't check out yet. Not very many folks have reported in yet. If a few more hours pass and we're still fewer than 5 players, jump in.
Southeast. With a little asking around, anyone can find out that the river is a primary passage from the northern kingdoms to the Southern ports. The ports are still a long ways down the river, but a lot of timber goes south to support the shipbuilding.
I have some bad news...your char sheet is blank. No worries, though. And the gameplay thread can be accessed from the top of this screen. There are tabs for each thread.
Ok, by my reckoning, we have something like 4-8 players ready to rumble. I'll go ahead and take more than I initially planned since some folks always drop out. Plus, the more hands on deck, the less chance of horrible deaths. Get your characters ready and go check in on the gameplay and discussion threads with. Everyone who is seriously playing needs to post something of substance once in each thread today. The first person in the gameplay thread sets the stage. I don't care how you do it, but explain how everyone is together. Sitting in a tavern, met on the road, answering a classified set out by one of the players, etc.
The party arrives in Swiftwater, having traveled from the civilized lands to the north and west in search of adventure, riches, and power in these frontiers. Swiftwater is constructed on wide terraces that run parallel to the river, each terraced being connected to the others via wide stairs, ramps and pulleys. The citadel occupies a middle position in the town. It is a three-story tower keep constructed of grey stone. The town is surrounded by a tall wall of grey stone set with many towers and a massive gate flanked by statues of giants carved from green malachite. The town’s buildings are mostly constructed of red brick with sloping roofs of beaten copper or slate. The town has no temples and no high priest, but rather a hundred or so competing shrines wherein all the gods of the region are represented by argumentative priests who put on displays of their power and wealth to herd the townsfolk into their shrines to make offerings. Swiftwater is a bustling center of commerce, its people making a living on the mercenary trade, timber, livestock and the drinking and smoking establishments that line the riverfront. You come to town with these rumors: Gregar is a mining village far south of here. Supposedly, the men of Gregar worship a dark divinity. (Hex 0125, connected to Swiftwater by road.)
Being Play by post, there will undoubtedly be plenty of quirks and oddities that we will have to work through, and that’s fine. I’ll just lay out some of the information I know will come up here, so that hopefully we can cut down on delays and keep the game rolling. First, please, please tell me exactly what your character does. It takes days to have a quick dialogue between player and GM, so I’m just going to take what you say and interpret it for time’s sake. For example, if you say, “I go in the door.” I’m going to assume you mean that you grab the handle, turn it, and push the door open. If there’s a trap in the handle, that sucks for you. If you actually wanted to stand to the side, turn the handle gingerly, while wearing gauntlets, you have to say so. We don’t have time to go back and redo stuff like that all the time. Don’t get the idea that I’m some sadistic killer, though, either. I want us all to have fun, I’m just trying to be efficient here. Also in the spirit of speeding things along, you can contact me on G+ (Jacob DeCourcey) for quick questions and such. I’m generally available M-F, 9-4 EST plus other times as internet access permits. Hit me up if you want to quickly discuss something without the hassle of a conversation over the forums. As for exploration, each hex is 6 miles across opposite sides. Movement rates are either 2 or 3 miles per hour (20’ or 30’ round movement, respectively). Therefore, either 3 or 4 hexes can be crossed in a day. However, more challenging terrain may decrease the rates unless there is a road or path to follow. It takes 1 whole day to thoroughly search a hex, guaranteeing that you find any non-hidden point of interest. Wandering monster checks will be rolled at a 1 in 8 chance every 4+-2 hours based on location and level of noise and caution. These rates include a reasonable level of care to ensure proper navigation. However, when exploring uncharted territory without a map, a guide, or at least a reasonable idea of where you are trying to go, chances to get lost will begin to arise. I’ll post the map as you go, just for ease of use. Your starting location is the town of Swiftwater in the top left corner of the map, hex number 01.01. Here's the initial copy of the map. Please ask lots of questions, either here or on G+. I really do want this to be a good game that we all enjoy.
@Versys - I only allow 3 sets of rolls. Don't worry if you don't have the stats you'd like. Your cleverness as a player has much greater influence on the success of your character. There are currently 7 people that have responded, so that will be all for recruitment. Report in tomorrow for the start. You'll be starting in a border town. To the west and north is nothing but civilized heartland with no adventure. But, to the south and east, there is frontier, ancient gold, monsters, and who knows what else. The land is dangerous and chaotic, with monstrous races and pitched battles over resources. Be prepared, or become yet another casualty of the untamed frontier.
@Big OM - I really don't care about alignment, however, in the case of the paladin, his profession requires that he be lawful, as he has a strict code of conduct. There is a huge range of personality that fits within those parameters. I'm really flexible, though, on the whole. Just make it work.
Absolutely, Cronax. And so it's settled. Tomorrow, I'll start up the game proper. More players are totally welcome. Just roll up a quick character.
You really could go either way. With pre-approved access to power attack and combat expertise, fighters have a much more interesting selection of choices at 1st level. If a third person chimes in soon with a confirmation, we'll officially start tomorrow.
@Sir Gavvin - I'll stick with the (I guess standard) ruling that it only works on creatures that already have alignment subtype. I don't really have a need for traits or flaws. I'd rather the characters be defined by their actions rather that their stats when at all possible. @VanceMadrox - Yeah, it's PbP. I'm up for an occasional Google hangout if anyone wants, (Jacob DeCourcey on G+) but my internet situation limits when and how often I can do that.
@Sir Gavvin - I don't even know if the celestial template confers alignment. Honestly, I don't care a bit about your alignment, so you can do whatever works for you. @Cronax - Any humanoid except aquatic, monstrous humanoid, magical beast, animal, dragon, undead, vermin. There's a pretty good mix of stuff to find. @GypsyMischief - I'm indifferent to archetypes. So, who is seriously in on this and ready to play in a couple days?
Don't worry too much about the stats. How you play it will make all the difference. Plus, you'll have chances to make new ones.
Like this:
Then hit preview, check your scores, switch two if you want, and pick a class. I didn't like the first set, so I'll try again.
I'll take the last set, switch CHA and DEX, and be an elven wizard.
Absolutely. That entire blog rocks. I don't agree with everything, but you can't argue that it's very well-though out and written. Plus, I've played a game with the author on Google hangouts and it was sweet.
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