A wide chasm cuts across the road about four miles further north. It extends out of sight to the west and expands into a massive canyon to the east. Here the crack in the earth is about 30 feet wide and has steep rocky sides descending into the depths below. The wooden pylons that once flanked the entrance to a wooden bridge still stand on both sides of the chasm, but the bridge itself extends out only a few feet before ending in a jagged broken edge. There does not appear to be any easy way across.
Alia stops well before the chasm and motions for the others to do as well.
"This is odd, Gurg did not tell us anything about climbing down and up that chasm. And the caravan could not have gone that way.", she whispers. "We can bridge it with a rope or climb down and up. That would mean leaving the horses behind. ", she adds with a frown.
"If the caravan did go through, the bridge fell since yesterday. Or something caused it to fell. Ware every one, that something could still be there."
Survival checks to see tracks of the caravan
Perception check to notice anything that could have caused the bridge to fall
Help from Swiftpaws
Survival
Perception (smell)
The caravan's tracks (three wagons, three heavy men on horseback, and Gurg walking, appear to go straight across, as do Gurg's returning tracks. Nearing the bridge, you can see that the breaks in the wood are still fresh. This is an old bridge, but its collapse was recent.
And Swiftpaws growls, shifting into a battle stance, his fur raised. He's looking intently at the chasm.
"There's something down there by the the bridge. Can Chamomile have a look under stealth?"
Artimus' horse is skittish, as well. He keeps it in check, and then dismounts.
Durnast nods at Alia's advice, and tells Cam via Message to sneakily examine the crevasse. Before his loyal companion darts off, Durnast wills some floating strands of becoming-ness to coalesce around the small dragon, aiding him in all things he wills.
If there's something in the chasm, it would get a Perception check to see the wee little pseudo-dragon: , which would not be high enough.
Cam peers over the lip of the chasm, squints and then flies back. "Boss, I don't know that you call it, but there's a monster down there. It's got those red-rimmed eyes like that peryton we fought yesterday. It's just got a lot more of them."
"What do you mean by many eyes ? Is that thing spider like or are there more than one creature ?"
"Oh, only two eyes per head. That would make, um, thirteen eyes. No, that's not ... sixteen! Sixteen eyes."
"Oh, only two eyes per head. That would make, um, thirteen eyes. No, that's not ... sixteen! Sixteen eyes."
"Do you mean a eight headed thing? Let's try to go round to the west."
Cam: "Yep. One big ol' body hiding under an overhanging ledge, looks like a lizard, with blue and black scales. I counted eight heads, kind of serpent-y. And all of them with red-rimmed eyes."
The chasm goes west, into the boiling lands, winding out of sight behind a small geyser several hundred feet away. The chasm narrows as it goes. Here's it's 30 feet wide. Far to the west, it looks to be something like half that.
<Hmmm... Could be a Hydra possessed by Demons like that creature in The Camp...
Durnast is OK with going around, though we could just take it and not worry about our back... Monty?
How deep did the crevasse look, or to the depth the monster is at?
Does it look possible to ascend/descend anyways besides flying or full-on rock climbing?
(If we go to where the crevasse is smaller, it could be easier for the creature to just run up to us, vs. having to Climb...?)
<Hmmm... Could be a Hydra possessed by Demons like that creature in The Camp...
Durnast is OK with going around, though we could just take it and not worry about our back... Monty?How deep did the crevasse look, or to the depth the monster is at?
Does it look possible to ascend/descend anyways besides flying or full-on rock climbing?
(If we go to where the crevasse is smaller, it could be easier for the creature to just run up to us, vs. having to Climb...?)
How deep did the crevasse look, or to the depth the monster is at?
Does it look possible to ascend/descend anyways besides flying or full-on rock climbing?
The crevasse is 20' deep. According to Cam, the monster is hiding on a ledge only half of the way down, right below the south part of the bridge.
And indeed, a serious Climb check is what you'd need to keep from falling straight down to the bottom.
Ok... If we don't hear any different from Montague by next time Chris checks in, I guess we're headed around this geyser to find a route around the chasm, or at least where it's narrow enoughto jump. I would stay well away from the chasm while we're doing this to avoid being spotted by the creature.
You back off and turn into the boiling lands. About a hundred feet off the road, you hear something scrabbling up behind you. It is indeed an eight-headed hydra, pulling its bulk out of the crevasse, blue and black banded. At least three of its heads are looking at you with hate-glazed eyes.
Your horses might be able to run away from it. If you stood your ground here and fought, you'd estimate that you have at least two rounds before it could close on you.
To Chris, to know how to kill an hydra, what knowledge check is necessary?
Hydras are magical beasts, and therefore revealed by consulting one's Knowledge (arcana).
I say we spur the horses to run away from it, but you and monty can attack it while we're doing so - you full attacking/ monty plinking with x-bow (nobody else has real ranged weapons). Durnast can help with Diviner's Fortune, and if it catches up to where it can attack next round Durnast can pop an Invisibility on Artimus/Monty in order to avoid it's AoO while getting into melee with it.... (Flanking + Fighting Defensive + Smiting / Stunning Fist ?)
Lets do that, I'll need a boost to target the beast from horseback so I propose to use a first round to buff up while keeping the hydra at distance.
Double move on horseback to keep the distance with the beast.
Ride check
While doing that Alia will cast cat's grace for a +4 dex. (+2 to attack and +1 to AC due to armor max dex).
Sure, ,
if Chris wants to summarize any bits or say if I can discern any special sub-breeds, etc...
We might as well have the Horses "Run" for at least x4 if not x5 movement, instead of just x2 this round (we're not shooting). Next round (when you Full Attack) maybe drop to Double Move for lesser penalties. Maybe Monty can take a pot-shot this round any-ways, keep it riled up...
You know the stories about "cutting off one head, and two grow back" is true, but only one of those heads is "true", the other withers and dies within a day. And a hydra can only have one "false" head ber real one, so the worst this particular hydra could get is sixteen heads.
Durnast has one professor who suggested that hydrae were related to trolls, that fire and acid applied to a neck stump would prevent the regeneration. He died the next semester on an exotic-creature expedition, so you never found out whether he was right or not.
You know that the more heads a hydra has, the faster it heals from damage to its body.
And if this thing is hell-born like the peryton and its shadow were, you know that it should be able to smite good, cause diseases, poison, create fields of darkness, some of which drain your life-force], and a host of other abilities, all within a limited range. Oh, and it would be immune to fire and very resistant to acid.
And, it would seem, the monster is slower than you had feared. (It's chugging along after you at speed 20.)
--+--
The horses are happy to run away from it. During the first round, Alia casts cat's grace, and Durnast uses Diviner's Fortune again. Artimus agrees with the plan. "Very cunning!" He's ready to turn and charge the creature when the time is right. Montegue will shoot at the hydra with his crossbow: {(Attack: , which isn't enough to overcome the penalties for horseback and range.
Ahead of you is a largish (20-diameter) crater, with a caldera about 3 feet high. It would be a nice obstacle in the hydra's path.
Second round?
Durnast wouldn't do the Diviner's Fortune until when Alia can Full Attack.
I guess we'll just avoid the crater and keep the thing in sight... Maybe we want to continue at a not-super-fast pace, popping off single shots keeping it riled up but not 'showing all our guns' yet, while pulling it further from the crevasse...? Otherwise, if Alia wants to Full Attack now, maybe we just need a single move from the horses this round if it's not going to catch up soon anyways, thus dropping the attack penalties...?
Seeing the hydra slow speed, Alia stops her horse, and, twisting in her saddle, sends four arrows towards the creature.
Full round attack : (Durnast +3 Bonus is already added)
1st Attack with deadly aim, point blank shot manyshot and rapid shot
, damage + damage
2nd Attack with deadly aim, point blank shot and rapid shot , damage
3rd Attack with deadly aim, point blank shot , damage
The party stops. Montegue takes another shot with his crossbow: (Attack:, which is enough to do points of damage.)
Alia waits ... and waits ... and waits until the hydra is within 30', and then pops off four shots at point-blank range. All of them hit.
Distance between Alia's mount and the hydra: 70'
Artimus -- holding actions, act at your pleasure
Durnast-- holding actions, act at your pleasure
Chamomile-- holding actions, act at your pleasure
Montegue-- holding actions, act at your pleasure
Swiftpaws-- holding actions, act at your pleasure
The hydra -- closes to 30'
Alia--full attack
Swiftpaws stays out of range, this is not a fight for him. He will keep looking around for other threats
Durnast caution Alia not to lag so much as to let the monster get that close again.
Any slight advantage gained by firing at short range is countered by the danger.
Otherwise the Hydra now acts before Alia next round and is within 30'
Readying does change your Init. :-/
Readying does change your Init. :-/
Just reread the rules, you are right.
Alia, you can keep the full-round point-blank shot, and then your mount can take a single (50') move away, synched up to your turn. You'll end up 80' away from the monster, and it would need to accelerate to a run to catch up to you.
...So Alia is still ahead of the creature's Init along with the rest of us?
I guess we'll continue spurring the horses forward, this time as a double move, and Durnast again gives Alia the +3 to attack if she's Full Attacking.
I can roll every Knowledge check from now on, but I can't actually find any limitation that says you can't Take 10 on them in general (like you can't with UMD). Only thing I can find is the 'when endangered or distracted' rule (in this case, it seems like Durnast would have made these associations before combat started, based on Cam's report, though I didn't report the explicit check until Llaelian's request). Anyway, like I said, I don't have a problem rolling them from now.
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As horse hooves thunder and the foul beast behind them looms, Durnast asks Montague and Artimus via Message: <If we need to meet it in melee combat, which of you could better use a casting of Invisibility? That could help getting past those heads in order to actually strike it.>
I can roll every Knowledge check from now on, but I can't actually find any limitation that says you can't Take 10 on them in general (like you can't with UMD). Only thing I can find is the 'when endangered or distracted' rule (in this case, it seems like Durnast would have made these associations before combat started, based on Cam's report, though I didn't report the explicit check until Llaelian's request). Anyway, like I said, I don't have a problem rolling them from now.
It is in the first place you'd think to look, the class description for Bard: "At 5th level, the bard becomes a master of lore and can take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that he has ranks in. A bard can choose not to take 10 and can instead roll normally. "
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As horse hooves thunder and the foul beast behind them looms, Durnast asks Montague and Artimus via Message: <If we need to meet it in melee combat, which of you could better use a casting of Invisibility? That could help getting past those heads in order to actually strike it.>
Would everybody please make a Perception check? DC 20.
Artimus: .
It is in the first place you'd think to look, the class description for Bard: "At 5th level, the bard becomes a master of lore and can take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that he has ranks in. A bard can choose not to take 10 and can instead roll normally. "
...What the hell... I think they just screwed their editing by rushing to publish for GenCon.
That line isn't even clear, since it could just be bypassing the 'endangered/distracting' rules.But if that is what's supposed to indicate "no Knowledge Take 10's", it's like if movement provoking AoO's was NEVER mentioned but Spring Attack said you didn't provoke. This sort of stuff makes me go "Well, there's obviously an error here, but is there missing information or is this line just superfluous?" Anyhow, let's just roll them from now on and I'll post that to their Errata thread. It's like a bi-weekly occurence for me.
Would everybody please make a Perception check? DC 20.
Perception (me/Cam): / "Hey, Boss!"
Fine for me with to be at 80 feet at the end of the run if it is possible.
For Alia, Perception
For Swiftpaws, Perception
+2 for both of them if we are still in a desert.
This happens the round after Alia sets four arrows deep into the flesh of the hydra.
The hydra is still in hot pursuit, its wounds closing and healing, 80' behind the party. Alia turns to draw another arrow from her quiver, and sees that the horses are charging straight at a group of perhaps a dozen pale humanoids, all gathered around one of the calderas. They're about 60' ahead.
Chamomile sees them, too.
Eyes widening as he notices what Cam's squawking about, Durnast tightens his grip on the horse's reins anticipating to turn it aside. As they pull closer before turning aside, Cam uses his Telepathy to query: <What are you doing? Get out the way of this thing...>
Eyes widening as he notices what Cam's squawking about, Durnast tightens his grip on the horse's reins anticipating to turn it aside. As they pull closer before turning aside, Cam uses his Telepathy to query: <What are you doing? Get out the way of this thing...>
To summarize, if we can see what they are and they seem hostile, we will double move round them and try draw the hydra on them, while Alia and Montague go on shooting the beast. If they are not hostile (which would be something new here, we move away from them while Alia and Montague go on shooting the beast.
So for this round, Alia shots are
Full round attack whith a double move: (Durnast +3 Bonus and -4 for the double move is already added)
1st Attack with deadly aim, manyshot and rapid shot
, damage + damage
2nd Attack with deadly aim and rapid shot , damage
3rd Attack with deadly aim, , damage
Know:Local to discern their species: 1d20+5
At first impression, some unfamiliar rag-tag species, gaunt and feral.
Sense Motive to suss their intentions: (me/Cam) 1d20+3 / 1d20+6
You'd need more time to use Sense Motive.
As they pull closer before turning aside, Cam uses his Telepathy to query: <What are you doing? Get out the way of this thing...>
Cam can't get any response, not even the normal background noise of random thought. <Boss, I'm getting more from the paladin's horse than from these guys.>
Nevertheless, they are reacting, standing up and starting to lurch to the south, providing an opportunity to pass.
To summarize, if we can see what they are and they seem hostile, we will double move round them and try draw the hydra on them, while Alia and Montague go on shooting the beast. If they are not hostile (which would be something new here, we move away from them while Alia and Montague go on shooting the beast.
So for this round, Alia's shots are ...
One hit.
So, pass between the clutch of figures and the chasm, plough straight into them, or veer off sharply to the south, which will give the hydra a better shot at catching you?
"Aha!" announces Artimus.
"Aha!" announces Artimus.
"Let's move between them and the chasm. If Cam can't here them, they're either dead or things we don't want to know about."
Artimus: "They're dead. They're ghouls. By all the heavens, they must be ravenous out here."
"Undead... Likely part of Orcus' schemes,
which these Demon-Spawn like in town seem to be party to."
"Undead... Likely part of Orcus' schemes,
which these Demon-Spawn like in town seem to be party to."