1. The Adventure Begins

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Starbeard
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Re: The Adventure Begins

#101 Post by Starbeard »

Day 1, Midday (turn 10)

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Doughty empties the contents of his flask onto the pyre, soaking the wool, while Digsby spends the next ten minutes breaking up the wood and beating out the flames with his shovel. The furniture splinters and breaks into small pieces, which Doughty is easily able to pick up with strips of linen cloth and toss out the window as they go.

Biddle closes the trapdoor and everyone waits for the halflings, who can be heard making quite a ruckus upstairs. The two parties shout back and forth to each, and it seems they have everything handled up there. Soon the smell of smoke becomes merely a lingering scent. Through the kitchen windows they can see bits of smoldering debris falling to the ground outside.

The party reconvenes in the kitchen, where those of culinary persuasion are given opportunity to fire up some grub over the next hour while the wizards catch their breath. The downtime is pleasant, without disturbance from bats, rogue fires, magic foxes or unsolicited callers.

Actions! (next turn on Sunday, 8pm-ish GMT, or after everyone's posted)

(5 turns pass as the wizards regain lost strength. As per the Quick-start rules, lost CON points will be regained at the start of each day after a (peaceful) rest, at a rate of 1 CON per day).

(Adventuring Points for combating the fire will be covered in the general rewards for exploring and surviving this 'level', which the main 5th edition rulebook suggests should be 100 x lowest Tunnel Level reached, to all survivors who make it back to safety).

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Biddle Spratt, Hypnotist Extraordinaire (Wiz, ST 12/12 LK 14 DEX 10 — Adds: +2/+2) CON: 11
Digsby Mudfoot, Halfling Gardener (War, ST 7 LK 12 DEX 15 — Adds: +1/+4) CON: 20
Doughty Doughball, Halfling Cook (Rog, ST 5 LK 7 DEX 15 — Adds: -3/+0) CON: 4/16
Skinklob Nurl, Dwarven Hexmonger (Wiz, ST 12/12 LK 7 DEX 13 — Adds: -1/+0) CON: 17/23
Weeba Zortz, Warrior in Triplet (War, ST 13 LK 10 DEX 17 — Adds: +6/+11) CON: 10

Rusty Tincanne
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Re: The Adventure Begins

#102 Post by Rusty Tincanne »

Doughty would have enlisted Digsby to help move the trunk down the stairs so the bats don't come back and guard it again. Just saying.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#103 Post by Starbeard »

Rusty Tincanne wrote:Doughty would have enlisted Digsby to help move the trunk down the stairs so the bats don't come back and guard it again. Just saying.
Consider it freely moved out of the attic and onto the landing to the upper floor. Bringing it down further, down the broken stairs, will require some manner of braving or circumventing the obvious risks.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#104 Post by Starbeard »

PS, anyone can feel free to have performed whatever investigations you like on the chest during this time, as well.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#105 Post by Khaboom »

"Tell me about this chest," Biddle says brightly. "I got rather distracted by bats, foxes and fires - not a very good recipe, I have to say."

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#106 Post by ClockworkPoltergeist »

After the defenestration of the flaming furniture, Digsby leans against his shovel and mops his sweaty brow, smearing ash across his visage. "Well, that's one way to liven things up; though, after the magic foxes and this, I'm more than passingly interested in dinner." Digsby takes a good look around the attic, poking through items, opening boxes, moving furniture, looking under items and just generally doing his best to make sure that nothing which could aid them on their journey is overlooked. A blanket to wrap up in would be nice... he thinks. Once he's satisfied, Digsby'll join his compatriots below in search of a hearty meal.

Assuming a Luck SR is needed here: (LCK SR): (12)+[1d6] = 6+[1d6] = 1=>19

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#107 Post by Starbeard »

Digsby rummages through the attic, finding another two heavy blankets inside a tucked way dresser, a few moth eaten sets of strange clothes for (presumably) men, women and children, two wooden hobby horses, several dozen family portraits and landscape paintings of dubious quality, and a small wooden box containing a supply of 50 gold coins of unrecognizable mint and a set of four keys on a large iron ring. The rest is just junk.

The chest is large and heavy, made of a very dense wood and reinforced with iron. It would take two people to carry it down the stairs. It is locked at the front by a standard looking padlock.

Actions! (next turn Tuesday 8pm-ish GMT)

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#108 Post by Rusty Tincanne »

Havijg been filled in on the magical foxes, Well I'm glad to have missed them. They sound dreadful and completely inedible. He hones in on the gold and keys. Oooh. Keys. Lets try them on the chest, shall we?

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#109 Post by coffee »

"Good plan!" Weeba agrees.

He'll help haul the chest down from upstairs, as long as somebody spots for him so he doesn't step through the stair that isn't there.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#110 Post by Khaboom »

Biddle stands ready to spellcastr. either a zap if danger emerges or a Knock-Knock if the keys don't work the trick.

"By crikey, that food spells rather good. I'm famished after all this activity!"

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#111 Post by ClockworkPoltergeist »

Having already appropriated the two blankets, keeping one for himself, Digsby considers the clothes in the dresser. He muses silently, We could always use cloth for bandages... Some of this might work for patches, too... That decided he grabs those as well and makes a bundle of them with the second blanket, the first already in a roll under his arm. He assists Doughty in pushing the chest out to the second floor landing, "If anyone wants it downstairs we'll leave it to you bigger folk to carry it down, you'll navigate the stairs easier than we will. I did, however, find a set of keys if we just want to look inside." At Biddle's exclamation, Digsby hands over the box of coins and keys suggesting, "Looks like there's fifty coin in there. Might want to divvy it up ten each. Safer than if just one of us carries it in case it gets dropped."

That all said, the halfling makes his way to the kitchen to sort through the clothes that he found, making a pile for bandages and wondering if he'd find anything that would fit him. A spare shirt or breeches is always welcome... Once sorted he carries his lot outside to rinse it all through with water pulled from the well then lays it out to dry in the afternoon sun.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#112 Post by Rusty Tincanne »

The excitement over the hard-won trunk consumes Doughty. With second breakfast far from his mind, he tries the keys in the trunk lock, hoping it will open easily. When opening, he stands to the side, in case something leaps out.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#113 Post by Starbeard »

Day 1, Midday (turn 10 still)

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Weeba and Biddle, as the two long-shanked humans of the group, each take an end of the chest and slowly carry it down the stairs, with the others spotting them. The going is crickety, and at one point another step feels as though it might snap under their collective weight, but the staircase holds and soon the chest is in the front room.

Digsby collects up the two heavy wool blankets and four sets of clothing in the local style, and heads down to join the others. In the kitchen he finds that one of the children's clothes fits him rather well. It is a three-piece suit of blue and green, consisting of shorts, long tunic and a strangely layered vest. It looks like it would feel nice in this weather.

The ring of four keys are tried on the chest: none of them fit. Biddle then raps on chest and proclaims, "Knock knock!" and the lock springs open with magic (-2 ST). Doughty volunteers to open the chest, standing off to the side and throwing open the lid. Fungal spores pour into the air and immediately the smell of caustic decay fills the room. Inside the chest is the half decomposed body of a human male, clutching onto a fancy sword. The inside of the chest is full of scratches from his fingernails and the tip of the blade. After a quick examination, it is discovered that he also carried three scrolls with him. The wizards consult the arcane scrolls:
  • the remains of a spell unknown to them, "Perma-Lock," spent and no longer of use or value
  • a Will-o-the-Wisp scroll, unused
  • a Knock Knock scroll, also unused
The shape of the sword matches perfectly against the dusty silhouette imprinted on the living room's sword display (treat as a falchion: 4+4, ST 12/DX 13, weight 110). It is very fancy looking indeed, and sturdily made. It has etched onto the pommel: 'Made in Port Foozle'.

The finds of the past hour are discussed over a brief lunch prepared from the eggs, flour and odd assortment of spices and dry ingredients found around the kitchen.

Actions! (next turn: between Thursday 9pm GMT and Friday 9am GMT; or after everyone's posted)

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Biddle Spratt, Hypnotist Extraordinaire (Wiz, ST 10/12 LK 14 DEX 10 — Adds: +2/+2) CON: 11
Digsby Mudfoot, Halfling Gardener (War, ST 7 LK 12 DEX 15 — Adds: +1/+4) CON: 20
Doughty Doughball, Halfling Cook (Rog, ST 5 LK 7 DEX 15 — Adds: -3/+0) CON: 4/16
Skinklob Nurl, Dwarven Hexmonger (Wiz, ST 12 LK 7 DEX 13 — Adds: -1/+0) CON: 17/23
Weeba Zortz, Warrior in Triplet (War, ST 13 LK 10 DEX 17 — Adds: +6/+11) CON: 10

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#114 Post by coffee »

"I'll take that sword!" Weeba proclaims. "I think I'm the only one here who can use it."

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#115 Post by Rusty Tincanne »

Sopping up gravy with his dumplings, Doughty counters the human's logic. Now friend, "use" is a relative topic.
I figure any of us could fetch a fine price from that sword and use the coin to buy ourselves a fine dinner and a few drinks, to boot.
He wipes the gravy from his mouth as he continues. I might even get enough to buy a proper stock pot and more of these foreign spices.

After a moment of the charade, Doughty winks. Go on. I've got no qualm with it. Just be sure not to end up like the last fellow that had it. It was a grim fate, indeed. He casts a sorrowful look to the living room where the trunk sits, wondering how he ended up like that. This place is giving me the willies, boys. And now that I've had my fill, I'm ready to shove on.

As they prepare to go, he asks Biddle and Skinklob to teach him a few of their magic tricks.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#116 Post by Pulpatoon »

Skinklob took a little catnap, but springs up as soon as the trunk is opened. "Huhwhar? Loot? Gimme!" His enthusiasm is quickly dampened when he catches a snootful of fungal corpse-reek. Pulling out a crocheted handkerchief to hold over his nose and mouth, he inspects the scrolls. "Perma-lock? Ohh, that'd be worth a penny a or two. Shame it's popped." He pockets the exhausted scroll anyway, hoping to study it at a moment of greater leisure, in hopes of garnering clues to recreating it. "I might as well hold onto the other scrolls, too, right? Yeah, I reckon that'd be for the best. So we're all agreed then."

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#117 Post by Khaboom »

How do you want to play it with the Teacher spell? Ken's idea was that the Wizards' Guild frowns on wizards teaching spells to rogues but I'm happy to teach others spells if we're going to be relxed about this - maybe a one-off use is relatively easy to pass on? Often we play that the teacher needs to make an INT SR and the learner one too but at one level higher.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#118 Post by Rusty Tincanne »

i like the idea of the testing roll. I like it even better if the players dont know the outcome, so the rogue in question has no idea if the spell would work properly/at all when it come time to use it! Perhaps Doughty can get a door to open with the knock spell, or perhaps someone's armor fall off.

Or is dungeoneering hard enough? :?

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#119 Post by ClockworkPoltergeist »

Digsby collects the clothes drying in the sun and folds up the small suit to tuck it away. The other sets of clothes he begins methodically ripping into bandages with the aid of a small knife and rolling them into compact bundles. He looks up from his work at Weebla's exclamation and subsequent teasing by Doughty. At Weebla's obvious interest in the sword, and taking into account his lack of melee weapons, "I've no objection, my shovel is enough for me. If you don't need that cleaver, though, I wouldn't mind having something as a backup. Unless someone else needs it?" As he talks he takes several strips of bandages and, braiding them together, creates a pair of ties for his new blanket roll. His task completed, Digsby sets himself to the welcome activity of clearing his plate of dumplings. "Just a thought, but has anyone checked that chest for hidden compartments?" A sudden thought occurs to him and the gardener-come-sapper pulls out the packet of letters he found earlier behind the sword mount with he ring he currently wears on his right hand. Taking the letter at the top of the stack, Digsby opens it and begins reading.

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Re: The Adventure Begins

#120 Post by ClockworkPoltergeist »

Rusty Tincanne wrote:I like it even better if the players dont know the outcome, so the rogue in question has no idea if the spell would work properly/at all when it come time to use it! Perhaps Doughty can get a door to open with the knock spell, or perhaps someone's armor fall off.
Isn't that how new spells are created? The 'miscast' spell you mention would be a life saver when a warrior falls into a river or other body of water. Then think of all the wizards who would want to learn the rogues new spell?

Kinda reminds me of the gnomish invention in Dragonlance:
Solamnic visitors to Mount Nevermind often ponder a bit of folk wisdom first uttered by Heikmann Sester, one of the more cynical lords who governed the human colony on Sancrist. "If there's any possible way to ruin a perfectly good idea, " he declared, "a gnome will find ten of them." (This is now known as Sester's Law.) Lord Sester is also credited with the quote: "If you want something broken, give it to a gnome."

The influence of Sester's Law upon gnomish inventiveness can never be underestimated. A Solamnic knight once wanted a suit of armor that could be removed quickly in case the wearer fell into deep water. The gnome he hired returned to Mount Nevermind, formed a subcommittee in the Armorers Guild, and spent six months researching the problem. What came out was a suit of field plate armor with a 12-inch-long, 6-inch-wide release bar mounted on the chest, painted bright, gloss yellow, with an unreadable label done in microscopic red print, detailing the effects of striking the bar. When the release bar was struck, it undid all of the catches on the armor's chest, shoulders, and waists.

Unfortunately, the release bar was very easy for opponents to strike at in combat, instantly leaving the armor's wearer with no chest protection. Furthermore, the release bar rusted quickly when exposed to the elements and wouldn't work after a few days. To make things worse, the pieces of the armor were strung together with wire (to make it east to pick them up again). The wired pieces dangled themselves in the wearer's legs. The suit was quickly retired to a storeroom in Mount Nevermind, where it resides with several dozen other interesting but unused designs.

Source copied from: http://www.angelfire.com/la/Lorantha/Gnomes.html

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