Expedition: Earc/Guhra's Tower-Part II-29 July 2021

[Marullus]

The hatch down is in the middle of the circular floor. Put the stairs on the north wall of each level, spiraling up. You can make the side-rooms here east and west, since you're about to have above-ground reference points.

[Alethan]

Does this work?

Guhra Tower Level 2 Map 01.png (8.66 KiB) Viewed 354 times

[Zhym]

My guess is that it's more like this:

Note Sep 24, 2018.png (33.4 KiB) Viewed 352 times

(If you correct for the fact that I can't draw circles for squat.)[/ooc]

[Marullus]

Use this one.

Tower Basement.png (26.62 KiB) Viewed 345 times

[Marullus]

OOC: I believe the wargs/goblins are farther up the stairs, not within view from the lower room...

Correct, I need an assault plan. (Having the Halfling hide and fire from the stairway is one such plan.) The stairs are single file.

OOC: If Continual Light creates light like daylight, would that cause goblins to have a penalty? I can't remember if they have a penalty for being in full daylight or not...

Continual Light is as bright as a lantern, not as bright as the sun. They don't suffer a penalty.

Assuming Halfpint has a view without risking her team, she will fire into the wargs.
Shortbow (Thac0 16) [1d20+3] = 11+3 = 14; [1d6+1] = 4+1 = 5

Earc sneaks back downstairs and alerts the others to the trap set at the top of the stairs.

"I'm pretty much out of offensive spells for the time being. I could shed some light on the goblins and wargs that might hurt their eyes..."

"The gobs' position be well defended," grumbles Olaf when Earc relays the situation upstairs. "Could charge into 'em after Earc makes it be bright. Or we could look at what be behind the doors, now we be having no surprise. Let the gobbos wait on us."

My other idea is that Olaf has a potion of giant strength. If we could find something sufficiently boulder-like, Olaf could carry it up the stairs and throw it into the wargs and goblins, probably giving us a better chance of everyone being able to rush into the room above.

Actions?

[Alethan]

Man, you are really testing my mapping skills...

Guhra Tower Level 2 Map 01b.png (6.99 KiB) Viewed 341 times

[Alethan]

Not being a melee fighter, Earc leaves the planning of the assault up the stairs to the dwarf and the halfling.

In the mean time, though, he checks the door on the left to see what is inside the room.

[Zhym]

"Frunil. Drunil. Watch the stairs," says Olaf before butting in front of Earc again. He listens to the door, then (assuming he hears nothing) opens it.

[Marullus]

Following Olaf's suggestion to make the foes above wait their turn, Funil and Drunil guard the bottom of the stairwell and Halfpint holds off on her bowshot.

Florian and Steve assist Earc and Olaf in checking the two doors, Olaf ensuring he's the one to open each of the wooden doors. To his relief, nothing untoward happens. In the eastern room there is a bare stone floor smeared with bloodstains but otherwise empty, a narrow slit-window up at the ceiling allowing in some outside morning sunlight. In the western room there's a few stacked crates and barrels and some discarded items too large for goblins to use. Steve picks up a human-sized feather-plumed helmet and shows the others. "This was Tyrrel's for certain; an emblem of his duty to Baudh." There's also a heavy flail and an elf-made longbow. The barrels, it turns out, are filled with salt-preserved fish. The crates are filled with southron trade goods - carefully packed ceramics and housewares, mostly - which were destined for Gaul.


Date: 10:40am, 02 August 2021
Effects: Continual light, Invisible (Earc)
Injuries: Olaf (moderately wounded), Drunil (moderately wounded), Earc (minorly wounded), Florian (minorly wounded), Halfpint (minorly wounded), Hereward (minorly wound), Funil (minorly wounded)

[Zhym]

So, what do we think of Olaf drinking his potion of strength, carrying a barrel full of salt-preserved fish upstairs, and throwing it at the wolves as an opening to combat? The hope is to give everyone else time to get into the room and past the choke point and maybe do some damage to the wolves while we're at it.

[Alethan]

OOC: Sounds good to me. Earc will do what offensive things he can do without putting himself completely in danger... again.

[Zhym]

Olaf eyes the barrels of fish and crates of supplies. He tests their weight to see if they could be used like a big rocks. If he is satisfied that they are, he rolls or carries them out the door to the foot of the stairs. Once there, he reaches into his pack and drinks a potion of strength. He lifts one of the barrels, rushes upstairs, and throws the barrel at the pack of wargs before ducking back down the stairs to grab another crate or barrel.

Slight modification of the plan: Olaf will throw things at the wargs and duck back down until he runs out of things to throw or the goblins get tired of having things thrown at them. I know I'm pushing the limits of Olaf's intelligence here, but oh well. Maybe he has hidden skills as a tactician.

If we're lucky, the fish will distract the wolves.

Throw out the barrel: [1d20+1] = 4+1 = 5
Ugh. Well, maybe it'll still be a distraction.

[Marullus]

(I'm counting the "distraction" as a narrative bonus to allow everyone into the room AND as "partial cover" from distraction, giving everyone a -2 AC bonus for round one. I'm also giving you initiative.)

Olaf chugs his potion, feeling the strength of Giants surge through his muscles! He grabs a barrel of fish and leads the charge up the stairs, followed by Halfpint with her bow ready and then Funil, Drunil, and Steve who are inspired to follow him into melee. The wargs, thinking the trap is laid in their favor, are surprised as a barrel flies across the room and shatters on impact, scattering salty fish across the room in a shower of fins and brine. Halfpint's shot follows, striking the smallest warg and wounding it moderately (-5). Funil and Drunil then seize the advantage, following their kinsman into the room with a dwarven battlecry and cutting down the largest warg with their swords! (critical hit: Max damage, -10, -10) Steve takes a more defensive position in front of Halfpint and cuts down the wounded small warg, slaying it as well (-7).

Primed for their attack but distracted by the flying fish, the wargs lunge forward instinctively - their massive jaws savage Funil (-6) and Olaf (-2). Their goblin handlers sneer and cheer behind them, poking forward with their spears from a safe distance ineffectively.

Earc hangs back to not get in the way of the charge. Hereward and Florian roll the second barrel of fish to the top of the stairs so that Olaf can access it.


Date: 10:50am, 02 August 2021
Effects: Continual light, Invisible (Earc), Olaf's Giant Strength (until 12:20pm)
Injuries: Funil (moderately wounded), Olaf (moderately wounded), Drunil (moderately wounded), Earc (minorly wounded), Florian (minorly wounded), Halfpint (minorly wounded), Hereward (minorly wound)

potion [1d6+6] = 2+6 = 8 turns
Halfpint target [1d5] = 5
Funil sword (Thac0 16) [1d20] = 20 [1d8+2] = 1+2 = 3 Drunil sword (Thac0 17) [1d20] = 17 [1d8+2] = 8+2 = 10
Steve Longsword (Thac0 19) [1d20] = 18 [1d8] = 7
Goblin morale (7) [2d6] = 5
Wargs [1d20] = 2[1d20] = 19[1d20] = 19[1d5] = 4[1d5] = 3[1d5] = 1
Goblins [1d20] = 7[1d20] = 5[1d20] = 4[1d5] = 4[1d5] = 4[1d5] = 1
Damage: Funil [2d4] = 6 Olaf [2d4] = 2

[Zhym]

Olaf looks for another spot to throw a barrel of fish. But he finds that he is not accustomed to using barrels of fish as weapons.

Initiative: [1d6] = 4
Throw out the barrel: [1d20+1] = 1+1 = 2
Geez!

[Alethan]

Earc tries to pick a weaker goblin and throws a normal dart at it...

Dart [1d20+1] = 12+1 = 13 Damage [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2 THAC018

[onlyme]

Halfpint fires another arrow, hoping to continue her success at slaying badguys.
Shortbow (Thac0 16) [1d20+3] = 8+3 = 11; [1d6+1] = 3+1 = 4

[Marullus]

Everyone comes together in a fierce melee in the crowded room... Halfpint's arrow and Earc's dart each find a target, dropping a goblin as they cheer in the back rank. Olaf hefts the barrel of fish and throws it with terrifying strength into the melee! It careens into the back of Funil's head, severely injuring the older dwarf (crit fumble, -7) just as Funil lands a powerful blow on the warg before him (-10). The warg takes advantage of Funil's injury and overbears the dwarf to the ground, savaging him mercilessly (-7) until Drunil steps forward with a warcry and cleaves the warg in two with his lucky sword, (-9) saving his father.

The other two wargs focus on Olaf as the major threat. Olaf smacks aside the jaws of one with his shield at the last moment, but the other warg bites deeply into his free arm (-7), leaving the powerful dwarf severely injured.

The goblins continue to cheer and thrust ineffectually with their spears from the back rank, easily deflected by Steve and the dwarves with their shields. Florian rushes forward to grab Funil from under they dead warg and pull his prostrate form to the rear ranks where he and Hereward are able to stabilize his bleeding. (+4, +7)


Date: 10:52am, 02 August 2021
Effects: Continual light, Invisible (Earc), Olaf's Giant Strength (until 12:20pm)
Injuries: Funil (dying, unconscious; moderately wounded), Olaf (severely wounded), Drunil (moderately wounded), Earc (minorly wounded), Florian (minorly wounded), Halfpint (minorly wounded), Hereward (minorly wound)

Party initiative: 4
initiative: them [1d6] = 4
Halfpint target [1d8] = 8
Olaf Hits: Funil Drunil Steve [1d3] = 1 [3d6] = 7
Wargs [1d20] = 19[1d20] = 16[1d20] = 16[1d5] = 1[1d5] = 1[1d5] = 3
Goblin [1d20] = 6[1d20] = 3[1d20] = 3[1d5] = 3[1d5] = 3[1d5] = 5
Damage: Funil [2d4] = 7 Olaf [2d4] = 7
Funil sword (Thac0 16) [1d20] = 15 [1d8+2] = 8+2 = 10 Drunil sword (Thac0 17) [1d20] = 12 [1d8+2] = 7+2 = 9
Steve Longsword (Thac0 19) [1d20] = 11 [1d8] = 4
Goblin morale (7) [2d6] = 7
CLW [1d6+1] = 3+1 = 4 CLW [1d6+3] = 4+3 = 7

[Zhym]

Olaf grumbles something obscene in dwarvish about the improbable parentage of a barrel of fish. He draws his trusty Dragon Sword and attacks a warg with it.

Initiative: [1d6] = 1 ** Flagging for re-roll **
The Dragon Sword +3 (THAC0 16): [1d20+4] = 18+4 = 22 [1d8+4] = 7+4 = 11
Does not include damage bonuses from the potion of giant strength.

[onlyme]

Halfpint continues to fire at the attackers...
: Shortbow (Thac0 16) [1d20+3] = 8+3 = 11; [1d6+1] = 6+1 = 7

[Alethan]

Initiative [1d6] = 4

Earc throws another dart at a goblin.

Dart [1d20+1] = 19+1 = 20 Damage [1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5 THAC018