Rob
I'll take the roll on the potion. I don't wanna cheat the system, especialy as Indo just has hit points and a big sword left. Thanks.
My intention for Indo was what used to be called a partial charge. The rule is still there, but it doesn't have a name anymore. It's on PHB 155, charging my movement in a surprise round and attacking.
My understanding was that the figure was just inside visual range and we were attacked.
If you don't agree with that assessment, or really intended for the targets to be more visible to Bedu than to Indo, I'll simply move to intercept the crossbowmen and wait for help. If I can threaten multiple dudes with ranged weapons to get myself an AoO, I'll sure try.
Sorry for the confusion. All my rolls follow. Just tellme if your rule against anything or want something changed.
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Just as you're getting your bearings, Bedu suddenly throws himself against the western wall, shouting "Archers!"
Indo bursts into action, flipping his big blade behind him and charging down the western corridor.
Before the rest of you can react, an arrow whistles out of the northeastern corridor. Coming into view around the corner is a frightening creature. A muscled humanoid torso sits atop a long serpent’s tail. The shiny black scales that cover its body are large and thick on the tail, smaller and thinner on the humanoid features. It is completely hairless, and though its facial features are humanoid, with sharply-pointed ears, its eyes are those of a serpent, bright yellow with vertical pupils, and a forked tongue flickers between its lips. It carries a recurved shortbow.
Knowledge (nature) DC 12
Indo:
As you reach your opponent, you bring your sword up, slicing into its scaled body. It hisses and steps back, firing its bow at you at point-blank range. The ferocity of your attack apparently took it by surprise, however, and the arrow goes wide.
Indo takes a brief glance around the corner as he closes with the asp-man. Fearful of the creature's reputation for poison, he takes an uncertain swing. He then pauses in a ready stance, searching for an opening should the creature attempt to us its bow in close combat.
Rob:
Skittle notes the statutes, but says nothing. When Bedu yells, he quickly looks around and sees Indu running off to the west. Following his lead, Skittle closes with the other monstrosity, hoping to dispatch it quickly.
1d20=18+1=19 know (dungeon),
1d20=8+1=9 know (nature)
1d20=14+3=17 to hit,
1d6=3+1=4 damage
The dwarf sidles around the corner until he is within twenty feet of the strange monster. Then he throws out an arm and calls in a guttural earthy language of magical energy.
Slowly then quickly dots and spots and blobs and then gobbets of grease surround the recurve and seem to try to attach themselves to the bow. In their short life, some spots are already starting to wink out as the monster becomes aware that his bow may be becoming hard to handle.
Lotus draws her short sword and goes with Skittle to the eastern foe. She uses her acrobatic moves to get in behind the creature and set up a flanking position with her ally.
Knowledge Dungeoneering 1d20+5=10;
Initiative 1d20+4=16;
Tumble/Acrobatics 1d20+8=15
Hearing the fracas, Pindara comes into the room at a slow jog. Startled by Bedu's warning, she flattens herself against the nearest wall and her hand drops nervously to the dagger at her belt. As the snake-men come into view, she intones a word in Draconic and gestures at the one facing Indo.
Edit: Added initiative roll.
Liet draws his mace but since he knows that he's next to useless in an actual melee he decides to help protect the party's main combatants by distracting the enemy.
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Initiative order:
Skittle 23
Liet 18
Lotus 16
Pindara 12
Bedu 9
Indo 9
Alerted to the danger, Skittle runs to the east, stabbing the creature there in the belly with his short sword. Liet follows behind him, attempting to distract the snake-man and interfere with its attacks.
Lotus draws her short sword, and nimbly slips between Skittle and Liet, then tumbles down the corridor past the asp-man to land on her feet behind the creature.
Pindara flattens herself against the wall, and throws an enchantment at the snake-man in the western corridor, who seems unaffected. Bedu sidles past her and casts his own spell, coating the monster's bow with grease, but he keeps hold of the weapon.
Indo closes with the retreating creature, trying to pin it to the wall, and swings again, once more slicing into its scales. The creature hisses in pain and drops its bow, then draws what looks like a coiled metal whip from its belt. With a lightning quick strike, it flicks out the coil. Its razor-sharp edge bites into Indo's arm like a sword blade.
In the eastern corridor, the second asp-man follows suit, dropping its bow and pulling a coiled metal whip from its belt. It side-steps, and lashes out at Skittle, but the nimble gnome avoids the the steel coil.
End of round 1. Please state your actions for round 2.
Seeing Indo sorely pressed, Pindara draws her knife. She seems about to rush in, but draws up short after a couple of hesitant steps and points one finger at the asp-man. She shouts a short phrase in draconic, and another blue-tinged orb of force flies from her hand to strike the monster.
Bedu steps up next to Indo and attacks the creature with his sword.
"Come Indo show it your true fighting prowess!" exhorts the dwarf to his companion.
Indo steps to cut off the creature's escape from the dwarf and spins to add momentum to his swing...
...a brief glance down the corridor costs him his focus, and the blade strikes from a clumsier arc than he planned.
From her flanking position behind the asp-man she attempts to pierce the scales of its body. She hits something but is unsure if she penetrated the creatures armor to do any real damage.
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Round 2
Skittle continues to press his attack, but is unable to find an opening, even with Liet distracting the beast. Following the creature, Lotus sidesteps behind it . Her sword slips between its scales, and Liet and Skittle are rewarded with the sight of Lotus's sword jutting out from the creature's belly. With a gurgling hiss, its slumps to the floor.
Pindara draws a dagger, but hesitates and decides to throw a magical bolt at the asp-man instead, which unerringly finds its mark.
Bedu joins Indo, slashing at the snake-man with his scimitar. "Come Indo show it your true fighting prowess!" he shouts as his blade draws blood.
Indo steps to further cut off the creature's retreat, but he is distracted by a glance down the corridor. His blade swings into the wall instead, showering the asp-man with sparks.
The asp-man side-steps closer to Bedu, turning to face the dwarf with an angry hiss. It lashes out with its steel coil, but Bedu's leathers block the cutting edge.
Surprise almost hits Lotus as her swords pierces the asp-man and she almost forgets to pull her sword back as the creature slumps to the cold stone floor. Wow, that was amazing. I think I rather liked that. And with no danger to myself even. Then she recovers and motions to head towards the fight in the western passage. She waits until the others move so she doesn't have to pass them in the crowded passage. Once they are on their way however she is distracted by the northern statue. The grotesque thing simply draws her eye and she goes to inspect it in detail.
Indo moves in to flank, assuming cooperation from the asp-man, and swings again.
Skittle gives Lotus a nod, and simply says, "Well done." He then looks down the hall for any other threats as he backs into the main chamber.
Scimitar attack=21 (threat), Damage=5
Scimitar attack=19, damage=7, total 12.
With the monster focussed on Indo, Bedu throws his considerable weight behind the blade, letting the scimitar slide into the chest.
"Sweet merciful Seven Winds. I could have been hurt!" realisation hits the dwarf.
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Round 3
Bedu stabs his scimitar into the asp-man as Indo moves behind it again. The snake-thing gurgles, blood gushing from its mouth, and falls to the floor just as Indo swings his sword, barely missing the portly dwarf.
Skittle:
Lotus:
Pindara clutches her dagger in one white-knuckled hand, finally rushing forward just as Bedu lays the snake man low. Her face is pale as she draws herself up short, and she casts a somewhat embarrassed glance at the dagger in her hand. She sheathes it quickly, almost as if she were afraid of it, before taking further stock of the situation.
Once she has calmed a bit, she moves to get a better look at the statues.
Skittle turns and re-enters the main chamber just as the other fight comes to it's conclusion. He wipes his sword and waits for the others to join him.
A pasty-faced dwarven bard staggers back in, holding his bloody scimitar far from his body, "Ugh!"
"Anyone hurt?"
He will also take the opportunity to appraise the statue and its plinth, using his limited knowledge of such things.
Appraise=23, Knowledge (Dungeoneering)=20 and Knowledge (History)=14
Liet appears from behind Skittle and looks at the corpse of the enemy. "So that's what they look like." Calls out to his companions, "Anyone hurt?"
I am hurt, but it is not serious.
As the other companions study the statue, Indo drags the asp-man bodies into the center of the room for examination.
Rob:
Lotus studies the statues and comes to a disappointing conclusion. Old, but useless! These are too heavy to move and probably impossible to sell.
Having dismissed the statues she focusses again on the dead asp-men. Seeing them dragged to the center of the room she decides to lend a hand. After all, being close gives me a chance to see if they have anything valuable. Could someone keep a look at the four passages. Our battle with these two creatures may have alarmed more.
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Anyone looking at the statues:
Bedu:
Indo:
As far as you know, all asp-men have similar scale coloration. Of course there are minor differences between individuals, but most are light-colored with darker patterns on their scales. You're pretty sure you've heard of completely black asp-men as well, but don't know what, if anything, it means for their society.
Anyone looking at the bodies:
These swords might fetch a price, or sway attendants to your university.
We can take them, or we can leave the bodies here as if they fought themselves. That might cover our presence for a few precious minutes.
Indo collects one of the composite bows. I could use this, but some of you might be better with it. My people favor the long bow out in the jungle.
Those will indeed fetch a nice price at the markets Indo. Lotus comments. We should take the second bow also I think. Better not leave anything that can be used against us later on. The she looks to Bedu, the defacto leader of the group, for a plan of action. Which tunnel Bedu?
After looking over the bodies and statues, Pindara returns to a doorway to keep an eye and ear out for any more approaching enemies. She shrugs off the speculation about the weapons of the asp men. They're no use to me.
"The guards came from east and west, scout one and let us go. I can use such a bow, my own is of merely average quality."
The dwarf is all business. Then he realises and smiles at Lotus.
"The statues would again suit your college or a strange collector of such antiquities. Me, I do not know a man. And making away with such a weight would be sweaty work. Not something a barber enjoys."
He moves over and claps Indo on the shoulder, "if ever you need me to guard you again just say, ha ha ha." His jowls ripple in mirth at his own joke.
These aspmen simply guarded the area from our intrusion. They are fed and supplied somewhere else, but it is difficult to say how many.
Indo hands the asp-bow to Bedu. I am grateful for your help. I will repay my debt as quickly as I can. His smile seemsgenuine enough, but there is clear embarrassment in his eyes.
I do not think we can disguise our presence past this point. Take anything of value, and let us be moving.
"Alright, enough with statutes and bows and all the niceties," Skittle chimes in. "Which way is it going to be?"
Bedu sighs, "west then."
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Regrouping, the party follows Bedu's suggestion and turns west, Skittle leading. The corridor goes west for about 15 feet, the turns south for another 10 feet before opening into a room. This room seems vaguely X-shaped. The darkness seems to gather menacingly in the corners of the walls, aided perhaps by the fact that the walls do not seem to run straight for any significant distance anywhere in the room. A noticeable chill in the air amplifies the sense of menace.
Perception check (sight or sound) DC 15:
Map of the room here (Note that all corners of the room are not visible from your vantage point).
Indo advances to the corner across from Skittle and tosses the sunrod across the room. He brandishes the sword, alerting everyone to another threat.
Liet notices the threat but wonders if the Southwestern corner of the room is the only area where the enemy could come from.
Lotus follows close behind, a dagger in her right hand and her sword in her left. The dagger is constantly ready for release upon an unsuspecting target. Then she also notices the movement in the southwestern corner of this next room. Suppressing the urge to let fly her dagger into the dark she waits for a better picture.
Bedu lifts his new recurved shortbow and prepares to fight. Slowly he exhales as the sunrod twirls into the corner.
Pindara follows along, once again clutching her dagger in hand. From her place at the rear of the party, she is unable to see far into the room.
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Indo advances to the corner across from Skittle and tosses the sunrod across the room.
The room is an X, the corridor enters the room between the two top branches of the X. From your vantage point, you can see the northwestern branch, most of the northeastern branch, and part of the southeastern branch. The southwestern branch is still in darkness.
