"That is an excellent idea, wouldn't you agree, my dear lord?" says the bird.
"I agree completely, my dear lady," says the dragon. "There do seem to be rather fewer of them these days, though. There used to be a camp just south of here, run by a woman who liked to swing two axes at the same time."
"Quite strange, I always thought," says the bird. "She never did manage to fell two trees that way. Perhaps she couldn't find any close enough together."
"They aren't there any longer, though. Some enterprising folk did your work for you." The dragon flips a backward somersault in midair, which certainly seems like an expression of something but he doesn't explain what. "There are still signs of Lord Stag, though."
"We've only seen him once ourselves," says the bird. "But he came from and returned to the south. Once or twice a few bigginses will come traipsing around that seem like his sort of folk, so I suspect he's there still."
The camp they're referring to is area K in Hex 16, which you've already cleared out. Based on their information, for hunting the Staglord specifically you can rule out Hexes 13, 14, 19, 20, 25, 26, 31, and 32. (This of course does not mean there's nothing to find there, just that the Staglord isn't in them.)
Dare Ashborn wrote:
Since I could know one more thing, is the magic we've seen so far possibly cast by it?
Dare knows that faerie dragons can cast a few limited spells, like many dragons and in fact like Dare herself (they cast as a sorcerer), and they favor enchantments and illusions. The presence of a faerie dragon explains the fake coinpurse and hidden pit trap, but it doesn't explain the fireworks from just earlier.
In game terms, it can use greater invisibility as a spell-like ability but is otherwise only capable of 1st-level spells.
Erik Sforza wrote:
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20 +2+3+1+1
2 rank +3 trained +1 wis +1 studied target
Erik gets the sense that the "bird" is being forthright-- nothing she has said seems untruthful.
Oops, sorry didnt realize that was for the thing I didn't see. Nevermind! Don't suppose I could keep the 16 for my next roll? ;)
Yep, you can keep it. Adela has called attention to the dragon now, so go ahead and use this result. You can have 1 more piece of information if you'd like.
Dare Ashborn wrote:
(Dare might not have been able to name it, but the pyrotechnics spell is not harmless.)
Correct! The 'pranks' you've endured started harmless, but got progressively less so. (I skipped the rounds of blindness because these creatures didn't have any intention of taking advantage. Your vision has returned to normal.)
The combined efforts of Yuki and Adela to diffuse the situation seem to have a positive effect. "What a curious way of looking at the world," says the bird, hopping downward branch to branch until she is perhaps ten feet above your heads. "Well if you aren't here for our entertainment, what are you here for? You don't seem like the same sort as the other bigginses."
"Quite nasty to each other," the tiny dragon agrees. He floats down from his higher perch with the effortless airborne agility of a leaf on the wind. "And to anyone they happen to find. 'Staglord,' is it? I don't know what makes him a lord, but he's certainly stag enough." The dragon titters with laughter.
"Someone didn't like the show, my dear lady," a very small-sounding voice says from far up in the trees, in a tone that suggests mock indignation.
"Indeed not, my dear lord," a somewhat higher-pitched voice says from a different spot. "Quite a tough crowd, I must say. Only one of them knows how to appreciate good entertainment."
Following the source of the higher-pitched voice, your gaze falls upon-- a bird. A beautifully-colored bird with long tail feathers. It doesn't take an expert nature-lover to realize that this bird is out of its habitat.
Only Adela's sharp eyes manage to follow the other, slightly lower voice in the rapidly-receding daylight. Pressed against a branch high above your heads is-- a dragon. The smallest dragon you've ever seen, and instead of the normal reptilian wings shown in all the books, this one has the wings of a butterfly.
Knowledge (nature), DC 15:
The bird is a rare species called a resplendent quetzal. It is a nonmagical species, native to a region very far away, and definitely does not talk.
Knowledge (arcana), DC 12:
This is a faerie dragon, a type of dragon that's much weaker than its larger kin (though not harmless) and prefers whimsy and pranks over direct confrontation. (You can ask for more information depending on the results of your roll.)
"And 'bullies' indeed!" says the dragon. "As though they themselves are not trespassing biggenses poking their noses where they may not be wanted." This last comment is made with perhaps a bit of real indignation.
"Mmm, they may be wanted," says the bird. "Depending on what they've brought with them, and how grateful they are to be here."
Malki didn't find anything before because these two have stayed up in the air the entire time, and have never so much as come within 30 feet of you.
Sorry for the delay, I wanted to get caught up on the League of Legends Worlds games from over the weekend. Glad I got to watch KT actually beat GenG, that was insane.
@GM ST, I have never actually seen the trick known package defined for the standard guard dog ... Erik trained Malki, and I have been assuming a trick package of: attack, defend, down, guard, seek, and track (note, only 1 attack trick). If you find this package acceptable, this is using the trained seek trick, and thus DC 10. If your preferred package doesn't include seek, this is push an animal, and DC 25... (and please let me know what your preferred trick package is). Unless things have taken extraordinary measures, scent works pretty well against stealth...
Yep, totally fine. I've always thought the Handle Animal rules were overly punishing, so yea that package is good with me.
Malki obediently sniffs around, looking for any sign of creature activity. He takes special interest in the pinecone, having recently been handled by... something. His nose points up into the air, following a scent trail that seems to match the pinecone's downward trajectory, then he looks at Erik expectantly. (Malki detects no scent trails within reach of his nose. I'm happy to explain why when the truth eventually comes out. Good idea though!)
No further pinecones assault any of you the rest of the day, and nothing of note has appeared or been observed since then when it's finally dark enough to make camp for the night.
Over the next few days, however, the pranks-- for surely there is no better description for the mishaps you experience-- continue in earnest.
On Desnus 29th, as you make your way through the forest, Erik and Rhiann realize simultaneously that the ground beneath their feet-- the ground Adela, Dare, and Yuki had just walked on without incident-- is in fact an elaborate illusion. Upon realizing this, they prompty fall right through it into a hidden pit trap. (It's easy enough to climb out of, and the falling damage taken from this is recovered that night.)
On Desnus 30th, you hear a terrible roaring sound from a nearby clump of bushes-- which Dare and Adela recognize as a harmless ghost sound spell.
That evening, as you make camp, Erik strikes the starter for the campfire-- but instead of the expected spread of newly-birthed flames, it explodes into loud and colorful fireworks!
Spellcraft, DC 17:
You recognize the effects of a pyrotechnics spell.
Knowledge (nature), DC 15:
These events are almost certainly being caused by fey creatures of some kind. Tricky fey like these can usually be bribed-- although they much prefer the term "gifted"-- with shiny bits of jewelry, alcohol, sugary food, or potions.
Did we find no other gear on Breeg? Because that means someone came back and stripped the body ... But then why didn't they take the harchet?
There is no useful gear on the body, although he's fully clothed. Erik sees no sign of anyone else coming or going from the scene, and in fact there's no evidence his body was looted or moved at all since the event. Breeg looks for all the world to have been the inept victim of his own trap, left to die alone in the middle of nowhere-- were it not for the signs of sabotage on the rope.
Adela, Erik, Rhiann, and Yuki search the area carefully and see no sign of any traps or ambushes. Satisfied that they have indeed simply found some free gold, Yuki steps lightly forward and snatches the coinpurse-- only to have it vanish into thin air as soon as her fingers touch it. At least, she thought her fingers touched it-- she never actually feels anything but empty air. When the purse disappears, there is not a single crushed leaf or bent blade of grass to indicate it was ever there at all.
Detect magic + Knowledge (arcana), DC 16:
You recognize a now-fading aura of illusion magic.
Adela and Erik hear what might be the sound of whispers and giggles from somewhere above them-- but nothing can be seen in the branches overhead.
* * * * *
Later in the day, Rhiann hears a soft whoosh coming straight at her from above. She dodges to the side just in time to avoid a blow from-- a pinecone. Looking up into the trees, however, the source of the projectile cannot be seen. This pinecone definitely exists, though-- it makes noticeable, if light, impacts on the ground, and anyone who picks it up feels all the expected textures of a normal pinecone.
Knowledge (nature), DC 10:
There are no pine trees nearby.
(All the relevant Perception rolls have been made secretly; you don't see any creatures during either incident.)
There are no distinguishing marks on the hatchet, although it is well-used. No information can be gleaned from its placement as to the intentions of whoever put it there. The exact circumstances of Breeg's death will remain a mystery for the time being, though with Adela giving him funeral rites and a proper-- not to mention deep-- burial, it can be reasonably assumed that the Stolen Lands now have one fewer threat.
(Remember that by now you have healed up and gotten all your resources back.)
As you continue through the trees, you all spot a large overfilled coinpurse sitting against the base of a tree. The purse has fallen over, and glittering gold and silver coins spill onto the topsoil.
Feel free to post any interactions with the piglet retroatively.
GM dice:
Hex 7, day 2:1d100 ⇒ 54 Which day?:1d3 ⇒ 3 Hex 8, day 1:1d100 ⇒ 53 Hex 8, day 2:1d100 ⇒ 29 Hex 8, day 3:1d100 ⇒ 23
You continue down the ravine, and it doesn't take long before the blood trail leads to a final dead boar. With the extent of its wounds it had very little chance of survival, and didn't get far before it succumbed.
Continuing in the same direction you find an easy way out of the ravine, although with rock walls on two sides it might be better to camp for the night before taking it. Either way, the night passes uneventfully.
The next day you continue across open plains, heading back toward the sheltering trees of the Narlmarches. On the following day, you reach the edge of the forest and return to the dense greenery. Although progress is slower here, there is still little to break the monotony of travel aside from watching birds flit between branches and being on the lookout for ticks and other pesky insects.
Everyone receives 540 XP for what you've accomplished in the last few days.
* * * * *
Desnus 27th
After several days of traveling through the forest, you reach the northernmost bend of the Thorn River. Here, you find the remains of what was clearly intended to be a deadfall trap-- several large, neatly cut logs have collapsed onto the bank from overhead.
This deadfall trap has in fact already lived up to its name. Buried among the logs are the remains of a human, whom you can tell at a glance is long dead. He was pinned to the ground by the logs, his lower half crushed, and evidently wasn't able to free himself. Yuki recognizes this person as the one and only Breeg Orlivanch, the trapper known for his particular brand of cruelty and whose bear traps caused Rhiann such hardship not so long ago. Breeg, it seems, has laid his final trap-- and caught a human this time too.
Perception, DC 25:
The ropes that snapped and caused the logs to crush Breeg appear to have been severed, not frayed.
You aren't in any immediate danger so you may take 20 on this if you choose.
A well-made hatchet is buried in a tree stump nearby, perhaps six feet from the dead body's outstretched hand. To a man held fast like he was, those six feet may as well have been a mile. (This hatchet functions as a masterwork handaxe.)
If Dare wants to take care of it. it'll be on her. If it was a puppy, Rhiann would want to rescue it, but in this case, she's largely indifferent, especially after almost being killed by the adults.
Dare doesn't want to take care of it, she just feels bad. I definitely don't want this as an arc for my PC. Hence my suggestion she badly tries to catch it and fails for a story moment. If that sounds fun, I'll post something later, gotta get ready for work
I agree that we can assume Erik has shared with the class.
Giving it to Svetlana is a possibility, but remember she and Oleg have been on the frontier a while and know exactly what a wild boar is. I'm not sure such a person would be interested in rearing one (they don't stay cute for long!).
Also remember you're at least several days travel away from the trading post, and in that time I'll need some checks from you to make sure it doesn't run off.
But if that's what you want to do, let's go for it.
Rhiann's cut doesn't quite bring the remaining boar down, and it manages to drag itself away-- though with the extent of its wounds, it seems unlikely to get far.
Combat over! Some close calls this time, for sure.
The three dead boar are loaded into the caravan, their meat promising many fine suppers if properly smoked and dried.
Only Erik's well-trained eyes manage to see the piglet, which has found itself quite an effective hiding spot behind some brush and is lying as still as the rock behind it. (What you choose to do with this information is up to you.)
[dice=Masterwork Cold Iron Fauchard (Haft)/Flanking/ Fighting defensively]1d20+5+2-4
[dice=Bludgeoning]1d6+2
Hit!
Surrounded by dead comrades, and more interested in saving its own life than that of someone else's piglet (which has long since run off besides), the grievously wounded boar turns and runs heedless of tactics.
Erik, Dare, and Rhiann can all make attacks of opportunity. The boar is bleeding out and staggered, so it can only make a single move action and can be chased down if you want to.
~~ Turn Order (Bold May Act) ~~
Erik -1 (Round 6 + AoO)
Yuki -2 (Round 6)
Dare -1 (Round 6 + AoO)
Rhiann -9 (Round 6 + AoO)
Adela (Round 6)
Red Boar -38
Orange Boar -22
Green Boar -40 Blue Boar -35
Party is up, although you are no longer being threatened. If there's nothing else you want to do, we can take ourselves out of initiative.
Does Google Slides not work on your phone? For me it's the only one that does work-- Docs is terrible on mobile. I don't think you need to download anything, it should just open when you click the link.
The (orange) boar, not particularly concerned with the blade that didn't hurt, steps forward and attacks the owner of the blade that did hurt: Rhiann. The (green) boar keeps up its assault on Erik.
[dice=Masterwork Cold Iron Fauchard]1d20+7
[dice=Cold Iron/Slashing]1d10+3
Attack vs Orange
[dice=Masterwork Cold Iron Fauchard]1d20+7
[dice=Cold Iron/Slashing]1d10+3
Confirm
[dice=Masterwork Cold Iron Fauchard]1d20+7
[dice=Cold Iron/Slashing]1d10+3
Green didn't move this turn, so it didn't provoke any AoO's (unless you have some ability that lets you make one).
And hit! (But not a crit.)
Yuki-Tsune wrote:
[Dice=Jab] 1d20+5+1+1
[Dice=Shnikt] 1d6-1+1d6
Hit!
Erik and Yuki deal precise hits on vital areas of the boar between them, finally bringing it down! (Erik, I went ahead and moved you into the indicated square.) The (orange) boar takes a slash from Rhiann, but still has plenty of fight in it.
~~ Turn Order (Bold May Act) ~~
Erik -1
Yuki -2
Dare -1 (Round 4)
Rhiann -6
Adela
Red Boar -38
Orange Boar -10
Green Boar -23
Blue Boar -35
Dare is up! I will give until tomorrow before botting.
The three boar are entirely unprepared for the flames that burst forth from Dare's fingertips. The (red) one finally succumbs to its wounds, while the other two take some nasty burns each, putting the (green) one into a similar frenzy!
Green is now staggered, bleeding out, and using Ferocity.
The (blue) boar sees an opening and instinctively strikes, leaving Yuki with a gash.
After Yuki's attack, blue is now staggered, bleeding out, and using Ferocity.
* * * * *
The (orange) boar, burned by magic fire, steps in and lunges at Dare in the hopes of keeping her from doing that again. (Green), badly injured, takes its anger out on the closest enemy: Erik. (Blue), having escaped the flames entirely but cut deeply by a new target, senses weakness and strikes at Yuki.
Orange: Gore vs Dare:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24 Damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 Crit confirm:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 Extra damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 Ooo, good use of your shield spell! That really woulda hurt.
Green: Gore vs Erik:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 Damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 Green loses 1 HP for using a standard action.
Blue: Gore vs Yuki:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 Damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 Blue loses 1 HP for using a standard action.
~~ Turn Order (Bold May Act) ~~
Erik -7 (Round 4)
Yuki -8 (Round 4)
Dare -7 (Round 4)
Rhiann -12 (Round 4)
Adela (Round 4)
Red Boar -38
Orange Boar -5
Green Boar -23
Blue Boar -20
Confirm
[DICE= Masterwork Cold Iron Fauchard]1d20+7
[DICE= Cold Iron/Slashing]1d10+3
Hit! (But doesn't confirm.)
Rhiann Sokol wrote:
[dice=Masterwork Cold Iron Fauchard (Haft bash weapon trick)/Bless/Fighting defensively]1d20+5+1-4
[dice=Bludgeoning]1d6+2
Hit!
Erik Sforza wrote:
[dice=To hit] 1d20 + 1 + 3 +1
1 bab +3 dex +1 bless
[dice=Damage] 1d6 + 1
+1 str
Miss! Dicebot is sure not liking Erik this fight :(
Rhiann takes full advantage of the reach of her weapon to strike the (green) boar as it closes in. The (red) boar takes a haft blow to the snout, and seems to be clinging to life out of pure spite!
(Red is very hurt and definitely bleeding out... but still up.)
~~ Turn Order (Bold May Act) ~~
Erik -11 (Round 3)
Yuki (Round 3)
Dare -9 (Round 3)
Rhiann -16 (Round 3)
Adela (Round 3)
Red Boar -33
Orange Boar
Green Boar -17
Blue Boar -9
Miss! (I'm assuming you're shooting at blue, since it's closer, but this is a miss either way.)
Rhiann Sokol wrote:
[dice=Masterwork Cold Iron Fauchard]1d20+7
[dice=Cold Iron/Slashing]1d10+3
Hit!
The (blue) boar takes a serious wound from Erik, although it doesn't quite cut deep enough to bring the boar down. Rhiann slashes mightily at the (red) boar, delivering a blow that surely would have felled anything else-- but a raging boar doesn't let trifles like a mortal wound stop it!
Red is now below 0 HP, bleeding out, and making use of its ferocity. (Second post incoming.)
Just a point of clarification, the -17 (now -9) is the amount of damage you've taken, not your current total. The red boar has taken 16 damage and green has taken 8.
Oh you're right on point 1, and might affect the outcome...
Acrobatics:1d20 ⇒ 6 Reflex:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Fail and fail! Retroactively undo the attack from Green.
~~ Turn Order (Bold May Act) ~~
Erik (Round 2)
Yuki (Round 2)
Dare -9 (Round 2)
Rhiann (Round 2)
Adela (Round 2)
Red Boar -16
Orange Boar
Green Boar -8
Blue Boar
I disagree with you on point 2 though. The way I see it, animal intelligence would see "thing suddenly appeared in front of me and isn't normally there" and would want to interact with it as little as possible. (Heck, my dog once spent twenty minutes nervously barking at a balloon that had found its way into our backyard.)
So its options were 1) try to jump over it, or 2) go around the other side. Going around would be a guaranteed avoid but would take it away from the target, which I didn't think an angry boar would want to do.
That was my thought process going through the boars' turn, at least.
Unfortunately, there is no time to leave the scene before you all hear a grunting noise from nearby. A fully grown wild boar has spotted you near the piglet-- and it is not happy. It squeals and charges forward, and several other boar rush out to join in!
~~ Turn Order (Bold May Act) ~~
Erik (Round 1)
Yuki (Round 1)
Dare (Round 1)
Rhiann (Round 1)
Adela (Round 1)
Red Boar
Orange Boar
Green Boar
Blue Boar
See slide 15. The piglet is a noncombatant and will not get a turn. You all got really lucky on initiatives, so party is up!
(For movement purposes, my natural terrain rule applies-- if less than half the square is occupied by terrain, you can stand there.)
The group heads south, angling back toward the Narlmarches, to define the border of the land marked for discovery.
GM dice:
Hex 7, day 1:1d100 ⇒ 6 Number:1d4 ⇒ 4
* * * * *
Desnus 23rd
The next day, you come to a wide ravine running roughly east-west. Any river that may have run through here has long dried up, and it isn't so deep that it can't be traversed-- in fact, there's even a natural ramp of sorts not far from where you approach, so you lead the wagon down into it and start looking for an easy place to take it back out again.
As you wander along the bottom of the ravine, a soft rustling and scraping sound can be heard on the other side of a large boulder. Rounding the corner, Erik and Rhiann (taking point) discover that the source of the sound is what might be the cutest baby animal either of them has ever seen, rooting among some small plants looking for food.
Knowledge (nature), DC 12:
This is a boar piglet. It is, like most baby animals, harmless. The adults are surprisingly strong, very hard to kill (they have Ferocity and can keep attacking below 0 HP), and-- above all else-- fiercely protective of their young.
After you distribute the loot according to need and ability, you search the cave thoroughly and are confident there is nothing else in here worth taking. Having successfully ridden this area of a dangerous predator, you head out again and the rest of the mapping day passes uneventfully.
Each of you receives 260 XP for everything you've accomplished since defeating the wolves.
The trees of the Narlmarches are all well and truly behind you now-- even the very tallest of them can no longer be seen over the horizon. Here, you have reached the northern edge of the wilderness that you have been chartered to tame.
You all are just about to turn back when Yuki notices something of interest. Amid an overgrown patch of wild blackberry bushes lies a cairn of stones, recognizable as a gravesite. Upon closer inspection, one of the stones in the center depicts a stylized tiger, seemingly drawn with a burnt stick or similarly primitive method.
Knowledge (local), DC 12:
This stylized tiger is the emblem of the Tiger Lords, a barbarian tribe known for burying valuables with their dead rather than keeping them with the living.
Same check, DC 16:
The Tiger Lords once claimed this entire region as their territory. When patrols from Rostland forced the Tiger Lords back east toward Numeria, they dug up and looted all the barbarians' burial sites. This one, clearly still intact, must have been missed due to being obscured by the berry bushes.
However, Dare's gout of flames extinguishes the worg forever.
Combat over! (It was so close to death the saving throw doesn't matter.)
The worg's pelt, if there's a market for such a thing, has surely been ruined by the flames. But on the bright side, dinner tonight has been pre-cooked.
Searching the cave doesn't take very long, as small as it is, and you uncover a cache of items the worg had apparently collected from previous victims. It contains a set of masterwork chainmail, a masterwork heavy crossbow (without any bolts), two small potions, 47 gold, and 40 silver.
Spellcraft, DC 16:
One potion of cure light wounds and one potion of enlarge person.
The worg is bleeding profusely but, in its own lair, doesn't give up. Now presented with a much less armored and seemingly more feeble target, the worg turns and snaps at Dare!
But through the pain, it can't connect either. With that, it retreats behind the rocky corner to avoid being attacked from its flank.
Party is up!
Yuki, since you no longer have LOS your attack won't apply-- but if you move in enough to get LOS, you can keep your roll from before. (You'd pretty much have to be all the way inside, but the good news is with that corner being there your movement won't provoke.)
~~ Turn Order (Bold may act) ~~
Rhiann (Round 2)
Dare (Round 2)
Erik (Round 2)
Worg -25
Yuki (Round 1)
Adela (Round 1)
Nope, complete lie. He just wanted someone to come in by themselves. (Sorry if I could've handled that better-- still getting the hang of running PbP, which is very different from running IRL.)
This monster has been rolling terribly on its Stealth checks.
You all make your way into the cave and see that it is indeed quite small, though not nearly as small as the worg would have had you believe. You notice easily that the worg had been watching and waiting from around a corner to the right, but when you step foot into its lair and it sees that it's been spotted, it lunges at the first interloper: Erik!
~~ Turn Order (Bold may act) ~~
Rhiann (Round 1) Dare (Round 1) Erik (Round 1)
Worg
Yuki
Adela
I updated the slide to overlay the interior of the cave onto the rest of the grid.
Due to the fixed angle of the sun, those whose eyes are not adapted to the underground see nothing but a well of blackness. Dare can see that the cave extends 20 to 25 feet into the rock, but from this angle there isn't anything else to report.
See slide 14, feel free to place yourselves. Upper right corner is what Dare sees inside.
Spotting the worg a second time, Erik lets loose an arrow into the cave-- unfortunately missing the creature and hearing his arrow skitter harmlessly off the rocks.
GM ST wrote:
"Yes! Elf-girl will fit. Please hurry!"
Slight retcon here, rolling back this statement.
The worg's head vanishes into the darkness after the incoming arrow misses its mark, then the cave goes silent.
There is plenty of space to skirt safely around the cave if you want to leave it behind you and continue mapping. If you want to go in and hunt the creature down, I will put up a map of the cave. Or you could try to coax it out into the open, or do something else entirely.
"Uh, well, you uh, can't see from out there," comes the reply. The voice clearly did not expect this response. "Must come in here! Around the corner. Where it's dark." After a brief moment, the voice comes again. "Yes! Elf-girl will fit. Please hurry!"
I won't make you roll, the voice is clearly not being truthful here.
With her experience deceiving others, Yuki knows the sound of someone caught in a lie when she hears one.
Perception, DC 13:
You see the worg pop its head out during the pause between answers. You have not directly observed it talking.
Bluff:1d20 ⇒ 12
Tie goes to the defender!
Also, why are you looking in here?
Erik, you're pretty sure this is a ruse. With your wilderness knowledge you know that predators have evolved/adapted all sorts of strategies to isolate potential prey-- this seems like the sort of thing one that can talk might do.
Adela sees no other signs of an ambush, but she and Erik see the worg peer out at you a second time before disappearing. "Please," the gravelly voice says. "Leg is hurt, can't walk! Just one can fit in here though, small space!"
"Over here," the gravelly voice calls. "In the cave!"
As you get closer, you can see that in the outcropping there is indeed a cave entrance which wasn't quite visible at first.
Erik sees a pair of canine eyes glowing in the semi-darkness of the cave entrance. Focusing his elven eyes, he can see they belong to a large black wolf. It has thicker, shaggier fur than any wolf you've seen before, and it watches you with... intelligence? It disappears from sight before you hear the voice again. "Need one person to come, just one can fit!"
Knowledge (arcana), DC 12:
You recognize this creature as a worg. Often accompanied by goblins but can sometimes be found alone, worgs are intelligent enough to formulate plans and lay traps (but not necessarily, you know, good ones).
We seem to have gotten stalled, so I will move us along.
With Rhiann out of the bear trap and patched up enough to walk, your caravan continues heading roughly east, keeping a much more careful eye on the ground all the while.
I will assume you spend enough time to both map this Hex thoroughly and locate all the traps, but I won't mark it as safe until someone makes the check. (Any number of you are welcome to attempt this retroactively, but if you Percept wrongly enough you could step on a trap!)
GM dice:
Hex 3, day 2:1d100 ⇒ 44 Hex 3, day 3:1d100 ⇒ 59 Minesweeping day:1d100 ⇒ 89 Hex 2, day 1:1d100 ⇒ 91 Hex 2, day 2:1d100 ⇒ 9 Plains:1d100 ⇒ 96 Stealth:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
* * * * *
Desnus 20th
You leave the other side of the forest and find yourselves back out in open plains. A full day and night of travel passes without incident.
On the following day, with the forest now barely visible on the horizon behind you, you come to an outcropping of rocks.
"Help!" you hear a gravelly voice call out as you get closer. "Someone help me!"
Sure! You and Yuki could easily un-disable it if you want to, and we'll say it takes two full round actions to arm it again. (It has to be disarmed to travel, so it would be an awkward combat option, but might be useful at camp or to set an ambush.) Each trap is made of iron and weighs 5 lbs.
Now that you know what to look for, it's easy to see there are others like it in the area. Disarming them safely is a simple enough process, if a loud one, or you might choose to give each a wide berth. Regardless, the rest of the day is spent stepping gingerly. You find at least half a dozen more as you traverse this section of the forest.
Minesweeping this area to find and remove all the bear traps is a long process. First you'll need to spend enough time exploring the Hex (3 full days, you're on day 2), then spend an extra day locating every individual trap with a (single) Perception check. Any number of you can attempt the check, although there is a penalty for failing too hard.
Yuki expertly sets to work on the trap mechanism, and with Erik's help she breaks it open in no time.
Taking a good look at the trap after the fact, you can see that it was cunningly hidden among the underbrush in a natural walkway between trees, but the trap itself is not particularly fanciful or expensive. If you spot it in advance, you can spring it from a safe distance with a stick.
Profession (trapper), DC 12 or Survival, DC 15:
Trapping is common in the northern Greenbelt, but the considerate trapper will leave markings on their traps that are easy for humanoids to spot but unlikely for animals to notice or care about (such as colored paint or a distinctive shape). This trap has nothing of the sort, and whoever set it doesn't seem fussy about what they manage to catch.
Knowledge (local), DC 15:
A trapper named Breeg Orlivanch once caught an unfortunate traveler not far from here in a very similar way. Breeg hadn't seemed bothered by the fact that he had caused such careless harm to a fellow humanoid.
With the wolves dispatched, you hear no more noises around you-- or at least not dangerous ones-- and are reasonably confident in your ability to watch over each other until dawn.
Everyone receives 320 XP for defeating the wolf pack.
* * * * *
Desnus 17th
The night passes uneventfully, and the morning is noticeably less chilly among the trees than on the open plain, if for no other reason than you're surrounded by natural windbreakers.
The traveling is much slower in here, though. Your caravan's wheels are much better suited to open (if unleveled) plains than leaves and underbrush, and in some places the trees are so close together you're forced to change course for a while. (Fully exploring this Hex, and other forest Hexes, will take you 3 days instead of 2. Traversing it in a straight-ish line takes 12 hours instead of 8.)
Suddenly, the relative silence is broken by a loud SNAP! followed by a sharp cry of pain from Rhiann. The warrior has stepped directly onto a bear trap, which immediately snapped shut around her ankle and is holding her fast!
Rhiann, you take 8 damage and your movement speed is halved until you can remove the trap from your leg. The trap can be removed with Disable Device to dismantle the spring mechanism, Escape Artist to pull free, or Strength to wrench it open (the hardest check being Strength). Up to 2 people can aid a third.
That's awesome, congratulations! I hope it makes you happier and/or more financially stable. (My wife and I both got new jobs within the past year-- mine has made me much happier, hers has really turned our finances around.)
Clearly it isn't a new city, but are you relocating for it?
Yep! Harvesting stuff from corpses is a DC 15+CR Survival check, so your take-10 just makes it.
Erik successfully removes three pelts from three dead wolves, which will be both warm and sellable once they've been tanned.
Apparently this process takes a few days (I'm not a hunter so I have no idea), meaning the pelts aren't usable right away but will be plenty done by the time you return to the Trading Post. Each pelt is worth 3 gp (shelf price).
The (green) wolf, already pierced by Rhiann's longbow, drops dead on the spot from Yuki's bolt hitting it directly in the throat.
The remaining wolf checks itself mid-sprint, both startled by Dare's impressive display and suddenly finding itself alone among the attackers. It turns and runs off into the rapidly-darkening forest.
Combat over! Unless you'd like to pursue, of course.
The dead wolves, being normal wolves, carry nothing of value except what can be salvaged from the corpses themselves. You can try to remove the pelts, and are welcome to some nice cooked wolf-meat for dinner, but otherwise no loot to be had.
If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may draw a weapon as a free action combined with a regular move.
With that in mind would you consider it reasonable to stand and shoot, drop my bow as a free action, and grab hold of my fauchard (which I'd planted into the ground next to me before we went into rounds), all in the same round?
During a normal combat round, yes that's fine. However, this is considered a surprise round so you'll have to grab your fauchard in Round 1.
Adela Anastasia wrote:
I hope you don't mind but I edited the map to give the Wolves colored borders. It makes it easier to say which target we're going for.
Sorry, yes thank you.
You decide as a group that it's much better to fight the wolves on their own terms, so as one you loose a volley of attacks. A lucky bolt from Adela drops one wolf where it stands, while a well-placed arrow from Erik's trained eye does the same thing to another. With that, the creatures lunge!
~~Turn Order (Bold may act)~~
Erik (Round 1) Yuki (Surprise Round, Round 1) Adela (Round 1) Dare (Round 1) Red - dead Orange - dead
Yellow
Green -3
Rhiann
