Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#61 Post by leafcutter »

Theglid

Theglid nods at Wick and Betdas. I can spare a torch.

He drops his torch down the hole, but takes another one from his pack first, in case it goes out when it hits the ground... Or in case the hole has no bottom.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#62 Post by snake_hunter »

Fane will move in to cover Wick with his crossbow if he descends into the hole.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#63 Post by drpete »

Date: June 1, 1:20 pm, Monday
Season: Early Summer
Moon phase: New Moon
Light Sources: Theglid's torch 2 (lit @ 1:20), Torch in hole (lit @ 1:10)
Location: In the Large Barrow

Theglid lights a second torch from his old one before dropping the first into the hole. The torch falls about 35 feet before landing in a mostly square space that is about 30x30. The room below is littered with bones.

The southern wall is 30 feet long. The western wall is 30 feet long, and partially collapsed to rubble along its whole length. The northern wall extends 20 feet to the east before turning 45 degrees south. The northeast wall extends 10 feet east and 10 feet south, "cutting off" the northeast corner. The east wall extends 10 feet, and then in the southern end of the east wall, you see an open archway heading east.

Lhainor moves around the outer perimeter. He finds other tracks that seem to have done the same thing, but no sign of secret doors, unfortunately.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#64 Post by Spearmint »

Carling

Points his bow into the chasm. Nothing seems to be moving about. Only one visible exit, through the archway. Not confident in the security of the tripod system,

"Let us tie foot loops into another rope and hammer a spike to secure it between these flagstones. Now who's first?" he asks as he creates a another way of egress down.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#65 Post by drpete »

Hrmmm... climbing directly up or down a rope like this is definitely somewhat challenging. It's in the general area of making a strength check with some modification based on things like encumbrance. Things like foot loops can help with that. Being a thief (and so trained with climbing) will also give a significant advantage. Wick will find it easy, but Betdas in his plate armor should find that very hard to do.

Iron spikes, though, are fairly finicky things, and don't even hold doors consistently. There would be a similar chance of a spike slipping here to it slipping while holding a door.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#66 Post by Fingolwyn »

drpete wrote:Lhainor is going to do a "casual inspection", walking around the perimeter? Being a 60 foot diameter room, it would take about 3 hours to do a complete, thorough search...

On the initiative issue, I am not sure what specific maneuver is being lost here... Maybe because I haven't played the Prentice system initiative before. A comparison...

Prentice:
Round 1: (surprise) Skeletons advance to melee range
Round 1 (no surprise) Same, or guards can... Fall back?
Round 2: Surprise attack, if needed from skeletons.
Guards and skeletons fight, in Dex order, then reinforcements can move in.

Perrin:
In the system we will use:
Round 1: (surprise) Skeletons advance to melee range, then attack. Guards get no counterattack.
Round 1: (no surprise) Skeletons advance. Skeletons & guards fight.
Round 2: Reinforcements move in. Everyone fights in Dex order.

Since it's an alternating between movement and melee, it's basically the same, isn't it? (Or is your concern about missile weapons/magic)?

That said, Lhainor doesn't need to guard the door, I just dunno what that has to do with initiative...?
I only wanted to search the wall at the end of the room where some of the tracks seem to come/go, though I assume just walking past the perimeter getting there would constitute a casual search of that area. But yes, that probably would take too long, esp. if Wick ends up in combat in a couple rounds downstairs, so a casual search of that area too probably makes more sense.

As for initiative, it's my understanding from the chart I've seen (and discussing it with Vile/Michael so I could run something a couple weeks ago) that a Journeymanne combat action is one of (in order): surprise/backstab, spellcasting, missiles, melee & other actions, movement. Thus, if an opponent appears at distance, it has to close before attacking melee (like most undead do), and can't move and attack in the same round. Thus, by blocking an entrance, my companions could, upon seeing the enemy, move (retreat) past me out the door at the same combat segment (movement, though who actually moved first is up to DEX), then next round the enemy would have to stop to melee with me (in case they are faster than my companions, thus might catch up with them that round and force combat upon "fleeing" opponents).

The above scenario assumes no surprise, and also assumes opponents would have to begin their movement at a secret door that just opened or climbing up the rope from below, and that we retreated before their vast numbers immediately.

An initiative system in which move can occur at any time, and/or move and attack can happen in the same round, nullifies the above tactic. The enemy could simply close, then attack, before my companions could even react if they were quick enough, even without surprise. Thus it would be a better tactic to either block their entry at the source (a secret door), or be near my companions to at least be a target for some of the enemy.

All said, I'm OK with whatever system we are using. I just wanted to clarify so I wasn't expecting one thing and experiencing another (which would lead to huge tactical blunders).
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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#67 Post by drpete »

Fingolwyn,

We're definitely using a "phased" system, so if two people with 30 foot movement rate are 30 feet apart, they will both move, still be 30 feet apart, then not be able to attack each other during the melee phase. The house rule system does have a "double move, no attack" option which would let you hustle... Maybe to escape, maybe to try to close the distance to get in melee range.

There's also what you might call "zone of control"... if combatants get close enough (within 10 feet, in Blueholme) then retreat is compromised. So if an opponent can close by the end of a melee round, you get stuck in. The house rule system allows some extra retreat options (knocking back an opponent to open up a space, being higher Dex and making a Dex roll) while the base system gives rules for what happens if you just book it (you are subject to opportunity attacks at +2).

On the secret door check, while there were some tracks going back behind the hole, on following them, Lhainor finds that they don't single out a single spot. Had they identified a single spot, I totally get what you mean...

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#68 Post by Spearmint »

my assumption from reading your narration was that the top room was enclosed and footprints dragging something off went further than what we saw but as the room as no other exits then I thought whatever got dragged down the hole. the bones are littered on the floor.

Someone put up this block and tackle, so it must take the weight of folk going to and fro. While the torch burns at the bottom we should get going.

Carling, having spiked the second rope as best he can, will nock his bow ready should any dangers appear in the room below.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#69 Post by drpete »

There were, indeed, some tracks that went into the back of this large space, but they mostly seem to just wander around back there, not head to a section of wall like a secret door.

Wick descends smoothly into the space below. His first impression is from the smell... of dampness and death. The walls of the chamber are vaulted, making a dome through which Wick descends. On the walls are frescoes of a burial procession. Also on the wall, he can see words scrawled on the wall by a more recent hand. They say "MAKE NO NOISE! THEY WILL SEEK YOU OUT!"

On the ground, in addition to lots of bones and rubble, Wick can see boot prints headed east, though the archway.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#70 Post by Piper »

Moving silently, Wick examines the room. He does this with his eyes, only using his hands if he can do so without making noise.

Do the shuffling-appearing footsteps also appear?
Do the number of booted feet see roughly approximate to the number in the room above?
Exits?
Rough size?

Unless he find something interesting he will shinny back up the rope and let his companions know what he saw.
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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#71 Post by drpete »

Piper wrote:Moving silently, Wick examines the room. He does this with his eyes, only using his hands if he can do so without making noise.

Do the shuffling-appearing footsteps also appear?
Do the number of booted feet see roughly approximate to the number in the room above?
Exits?
Rough size?

Unless he find something interesting he will shinny back up the rope and let his companions know what he saw.
From the earlier post, looking down into the room... it's a roughly 30x30 room with one obvious exit going east.
The southern wall is 30 feet long. The western wall is 30 feet long, and partially collapsed to rubble along its whole length. The northern wall extends 20 feet to the east before turning 45 degrees south. The northeast wall extends 10 feet east and 10 feet south, "cutting off" the northeast corner. The east wall extends 10 feet, and then in the southern end of the east wall, you see an open archway heading east.
Looking at the tracks, you see the booted tracks, but not the "dragging" tracks. It's not really easy to count, but you'd probably say that there are fewer tracks down here than you saw up above.

Shimmying back up...?

Note again my comment that shimmying up/down the rope will be a strength check. It'll be 2d6 for unarmored/unencumbered, 3d6 for armored or encumbered, and 4d6 for both. Thieves and halflings get a bonus (so Wick gets double) Descending gets a bonus.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#72 Post by Piper »

Wick reconsiders climbing back up. Instead, he points to his eyes then points to the east. Then he silently motions the rest of the party down the rope. He also makes the universal “be quiet” gesture, holding one finger up to his lips.

If the party declines his offer to come down, he will climb back up. First, he will remove his pack, tying it to the end of the rope. Then he’ll climb the rope. Then, he’ll use the rope to raise his pack.
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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#73 Post by drpete »

Ok, if people want to go down, let me know... and if they're going down, is it shimmying down the rope or something else (Wick offered raising things up, and Carling suggested foot loops). If everyone's going down, what order do you want to go in...?

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#74 Post by leafcutter »

Theglid

Theglid sees Wick's motions and decides to go down the rope. He will use Carling's spiked/looped rope, rather than the original rope attached to the rickety tripod.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#75 Post by thirdkingdom »

Betdas the Bold

Betdas sticks his head out the doorway. "We've found an entrance to some underground complex. Looks like folks want to investigate. How much time do we have before we've got to head back?"

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#76 Post by Fingolwyn »

If there is enough rope, we should draw up the free end from below and secure it with a second spike, leaving the middle of the rope dangling below. That would provide two lines up/down, which would allow us to ascend/descend more rapidly AND gives us a fail-safe in case the current spike loosens. I don't think hammering in a second spike will create much noise below (will it?).
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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#77 Post by drpete »

Just for timing purposes... Carling is working on his looped rope while Wick goes down into the hole. I'm not sure *whose rope* Carling is doing this with, but there are 2 50 foot ropes. Wick has one and Theglid has one. It is 35 feet to the bottom, so doubling a single rope won't quite do it. In the general area, there are also these big pillars.

As for the loudness of hammering, you know the spikes are somewhat noisy, but it's not banging on pots and pans noisy...

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#78 Post by leafcutter »

Ah okay, I assumed Carling had a rope. We can use Theglid's for the knotting/looping and staking.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#79 Post by snake_hunter »

Fane also has a rope




Fane will contribute his rope to provide a more secure descent, and then silently drop down into the room with Wick.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#80 Post by Fingolwyn »

Lhainor will descend last since he probably is still searching the far end of the upper room for a secret door.
Feed the Boy and he will become a Man. Feed the Man and he will become a God. Feed the God and you will become the food.

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