Encounter 01: The Highwayman

[Rex]

Wytt

Wytt attempts to stun his foe.

Stun [1d20+2]=14+2=16

[Pulpatoon]

Wytt

Wytt attempts to stun his foe.

Stun [1d20+2]=14+2=16

What, specifically, is Wytt doing to stun his foe? If you're intention is to knock them unconscious, I'd say that is still an attack-and-hit-points situation, only with non-lethal stunning as the intent, rather than death. If the intention is to do something shorter-term, to effectively steal a turn from that character, then please describe how you go about it.

[Squid]

Stratford

Stratford raises his sword to try and parry the attack

Defend 1: Defense: [1d20+1]=10+1=11
Defend 2: Defense: [1d20+1]=19+1=20

Assuming Stratford survived the swipe attack

After Wytt's move, Stratford thrusts his sword at Bandit #1.

Attack: Sword: [1d20+2]=6+2=8 Damage: [1d8]=8

Let me know if the attack doesn't make sense with Wytt's move. I debated waiting, but this way we have the roll so things can progress one way or the other.

[Rex]

Wytt

Wytt will attempt to just steal a turn. He will feint with his war hammer and try to catch him with a knee to the gnads.

[Pulpatoon]

Round 1-2
Strictly speaking, your defense rolls are part of Round 1, and your attacks are the beginning of Round 2.

Holyday
Defense [1d20+3]=1+3=4

tries again to strike the bandit and mutters lowly "Guess he wasn't lying about archers."

Flail [1d20+1]=5+1=6 [1d8+1]=8+1=9 dmg

Holyday is struck by an arrow.
Bow [1d6]=2
He misses with his flail. Also, remember that there is not attribute bonus on damage.

Sara sweeps up her club to parry Bandit 2 attack.

Then she tries to shove the end of the club into the Bandit's guts, hoping the blow will take the wind out of him.

Sara Northland's parry is not quite able to fend off the bandit's massive club.
Great Club [1d8]=5
Her attempt to use the bandit's weapon against him fails.

Wytt

Wytt attempts to stun his foe.

Stun [1d20+2]=14+2=16

Wytt

He will feint with his war hammer and try to catch him with a knee to the gnads.

The bandit is able to evade Wytt's maneuver.

Stratford

Stratford raises his sword to try and parry the attack

Defend 1: Defense: [1d20+1]=10+1=11
Defend 2: Defense: [1d20+1]=19+1=20

Assuming Stratford survived the swipe attack

After Wytt's move, Stratford thrusts his sword at Bandit #1.

Attack: Sword: [1d20+2]=6+2=8 Damage: [1d8]=8

Let me know if the attack doesn't make sense with Wytt's move. I debated waiting, but this way we have the roll so things can progress one way or the other.

Claw [1d4]=3
One of the feathered bandit's claws rakes Stratford's torso, but the pain and shock of it makes him pull back, avoiding a second claw swipe. He attempts to answer with his short sword, but misses.

Round 2, Continued

Ambush 03.png (1.14 MiB) Viewed 632 times

I'll go ahead a roll the attacks this time.
Bandit's 3 & 4 run to their compatriots' aid. Bandit 3 is delayed, clambering over the fallen tree trunk. Bandit 4, however makes it in time to attack Holyday with his spear.
Bandit 4 Spear [1d20+1]=10+1=11, dmg: [1d8]=4
A miss!

Bandit 2 attacks Northland with his club, trying to press in on her after landing the previous blow.
Bandit 2 Great Club [1d20+2]=1+2=3, dmg: [1d8]=5
A fumble! On a fumble, the attacker's weapon loses 1 point of Quality. Most weapons have 3 Quality. This is really more of a concern for PCs than NPCs, since you're unlikely to see 3 fumbles before this scenario is resolved, one way of the other.
Bandit 2 misses Northland, striking the hard road with a resounding jolt. Sara hears a distinct CRACK! from inside the club.

Northland continues to stumble after her previous blow, unable to recover her bearings, and crumples into a pile.

Bandit 1 tries to step back from Stratford and attacks Rafman with two claw attacks.
Bandit 1 Claw 1 [1d20+3]=15+3=18, dmg: [1d4]=2; Claw 2 [1d20+3]=3+3=6, dmg: [1d4]=1
One claw catches Rafman's arm.

The driver, meanwhile, relived from the watchful eye of Bandit 3, hops down from the carriage and runs away to the south.

Okay, at the end of Round 2:
Holyday: -2 HP (current HP: 1)
Northland: -5 HP (current HP: 0. Northland is down and dying. Strictly speaking, she should be dead, as she was dropped to negative 4 HP, but this is a test run, so I'll maintain the opportunity for her to recover, if you guys can figure out how to tend to her quickly enough)
Stratford: -3 HP (current HP: 2)
Rafman: -2 HP (current HP: 3)


Round 3
Re-rolling Initiative:
Initiative: [1d6]=5
PC's go first!
(I'm supposed to re-roll Initiative every round, but it seemed fiddly to do it since we were doubling up defense and attacks in your previous posts.)

What do you do?!
Next Update: Okay, so this update was a full date late. Apologies and thanks for your patience. If everyone has a chance to post before Friday, the next update will be Friday. Otherwise, it will be on Monday.

[Rex]

Wytt

Wytt, seeing things turn against them quickly tries to take the bandit out with his hammer.

War Hammer [1d20+2]=2+2=4 to hit [1d10]=6 damage

[Squid]

Stratford

Reeling from the slash attack, Stratford slashes at Bandit #1.

Attack: Sword: [1d20+2]=14+2=16 Damage: [1d8]=1
Defense: Defense: [1d20+1]=6+1=7

I'm guessing Stratford is not going to fair well this round.

[GreyWolfVT]

Holyday tries to flail the new attacker (#4) "If I die at least I went out fighting."

Flail [1d20+1]=17+1=18 [1d8+1]=4+1=5 dmg

[Pulpatoon]

Rafman swings his warhammer at the feathered bandit, but misses.

As the Bandit 1 dodges Rafman's swing, Stratford finds an opening and strikes with his sword, drawing some small blood.

Holyday swings his flail at Bandit 4, catching him on the side of the head. The bandit falls mid-stride, dead.

Northland's blood begins to pool around her in the dust of the road.

Bandit 1 calls out in the high voice of a maiden, "Stop!" She and Bandit 2 step back, and Bandit 3 halts his approach. Holding her side, where red streaks the white cloak, she says, "You've dropped one of ours; we've dropped one of yours. Is the contents of that trunk worth dying over? Drop your weapons and step back. We're going to take the trunk, and leave you the carriage, right?"

Bandit 2 adds, "Don't forget the archers. They got you lined up, if you try anything."

What do you do?!
The bandits are calling a truce, but are still close enough that you can attack, if you'd like.
Next Update: Monday!

[Squid]

Stratford

Grasping at his fresh wound, Stratford keeps his sword at the ready, but glances over at Northland's still body in a pool of blood. He cautiously makes his way over to her and while glancing at the bandit, he kneels down to check her for signs of life.

[Pulpatoon]

Stratford finds Northland to be unconscious and bleeding. If the bleeding is not stopped soon, he expects that she will die.

[GreyWolfVT]

Holyday stops and goes to help try and bind the wounds on Northland hoping the bandits will allow for that. "Fine, so long as we all get to leave with our lives I suppose, those of us left standing. Honestly, I've go to ask why not next time try to just get the people to join you and give you the valuable trunk or whatever you are after rather than threatening to leave them with nothing?"

[Rex]

Wytt

Wytt lowers his War Hammer. "All right, take the chest."

He moves over to help with the injured.

[Pulpatoon]

The party cautiously moves to help their fallen comrade. Between the three of them, they quickly staunch the flow of blood, but they can see that Northland's ribs are broken and that she will need rest and care if she is to recover.

Holyday: "Honestly, I've go to ask why not next time try to just get the people to join you and give you the valuable trunk or whatever you are after rather than threatening to leave them with nothing?"

"You'd have us recruit you?" Bandit 2 laughs. Then something occurs to him and says to Bandit 1, "Hold up, Jack. They're armed. And no merchant would want to be recruited by the people stealing their goods..."

Bandit 1, having leapt to the top of the carriage, says in her young girl's voice, "I know, Tom. Cutthroats sent to ambush us." a scrawny leg emerges from the voluminous feathered cloak, and kicks open the trunk. "Crockery. Potshards. Refuse. And... what's this, then?"

She holds up the scatological drawing made to such acclaim back at the tavern. Viewed now, in the sober air of a midnight roadside, it seems a pitiful, puerile thing. Jack-in-Hassock, scourge of the land, does not look amused. "I see. The merchants and gentlefolk who travel my roads have cared to send me a message. And what message should I send them in return? Perhaps the hands and feet of their hired swords?"

Behind you, in front of the carriage, you hear a soft THWUMP! sound, and you hear another voice call, "What's going on? We leavin' yet?"

The uneasy truce is feeling very fragile, now that Jack-in-Hassock has seen the contents of the trunk.

"Stay in positions, men!" hisses Jack-in-Hassock.

What do you do?!
Next update: Wednesday!

[GreyWolfVT]

Holyday shrugs "Yeah, why not we were hired for this crap job, mostly when we'd let the drink get out wits. I'm more sober now and be happier workin for you all rather than losing my life for some stupid trunk."

[Rex]

Wytt

"Better than death for sure."

[Squid]

Stratford

Mumbles, "You should consider finding another area to stalk. If the towns folk are brazen enough to hire drunk adventurers I wouldn't put it past them to send law men next. It may be good for business to boot. The locals are starting to avoid this route." He continues tending to Northland, hoping she'll stabilize enough to make the trip back to town.

[Pulpatoon]

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Jack-in-Hassock (1) dismisses Holyday's attempts to network with a curt "We're not hiring." She kicks the trunk off the roof of the carriage, spilling the crockery on the road. The torn pieces of the crude drawing float down to land atop the pile. After hearing Stratford's advice, she says, "Right. The townsfolk took advantage, fair enough. We won't chop your hands and feet off. But we can't treat you too kindly, both to warn off others and that you might learn greater discretion in your future choices of employment.

"We're taking the carriage. You have a long walk back, but you'll make it. Your friend won't. I suggest you find a farmhouse to take her in until she recuperates. And, lest your fearsome appearance alarm the simple farm-folk of this county, we'll take you weapons, too."

Rafman notices that the fallen tree is no longer in front of the carriage, which seems impossible. Moving it would have made a terrible racket. It is the direction that the THWUMP sound came from. Instead, he sees an additional bandit (5) standing towards the front of the horses, holding onto the bridle of one, and looking confused.

Bandit Tom (2) approaches the three knaves tending to Northlands wounds, his great club at the ready, and says, "You heard the chief. Hand 'em over."

Actions?!
Next Update: Friday!

[tibbius]

Sara Northland silently bleeds.

[Pulpatoon]

As Sara Northland bleeds into her rough bandages, the others respond to the bandit's demands with looks of silent resentment but no further action. The bandits take their weapons and their carriage. The archer emerges from the woods and clambers atop the carriage and takes the horses reins. The rest of the bandits load themselves into the back.

"Bah!" exclaims the bandit Tom. "It smells like cheap gin and farts."

The carriage creaks into motion and pulls away. The feather-cloaked figure leans out the window and calls back to you "Remember the roads belong to the notorious highwayman, Jack-in-Hassock!"

---

Making a sling of your coats for Northland, the three of you carry your fallen comrade three miles down the road to a farmer's house, and bang on the door until someone answers. It takes some talking to get him to put down the pitchfork and accept that you are not bandits yourselves. In the end, he lets you bring Sara in and settles her in a bed. He accepts responsibility to give her shelter and food until she dies or the doctor says she can leave on her own power, in exchange for compensation from the town (that you certainly aren't authorized to give, and will probably never materialize). He also allows the rest of you to sleep in the barn's hayloft, and have breakfast with his family in the morning.

---

The next morning, amid the internal clangor of a truly terrible hangover, you disinter yourself from your body-warmed pile of hay to find the farm has been busy for several hours, and breakfast is already cold upon the table. There is a young maid, there, no more than fourteen. "Beatriz's girl, Elma, from the next farm over," introduces the farmer. "Heard about your friend's sorry state, and brought over some medicines."

"It's a special salve my grandmother makes, from bee jelly and the devil's own smelliest cheese. It won't do your social standing any favors, but it'll knit bones and chase putrefaction from flesh in hours instead of days," says the girl. Her bubbling energy is an unwelcome contrast to your own sorry selves: sore, tired, and defeated. She watches you all with bright, interested eyes as she tends Northland, but doesn't ask any prying questions.

The salve is as atrocious smelling as it was presented to be, but it also proves to be as efficacious. By lunchtime, Sara Northland is on her feet and thinking that she can handle the walk back to town.

The farmer and his family, along with the girl, Elma, stand at the gate and watch you make your way down the road. As the they turn away to pursue their chores, you notice a loose white feather, clinging to the back of Elma's kirtle. Surely it is there from tending the morning's chickens, and has nothing to do with the cloaked figure that is the terror of the king's roads.

---

And that's the end of this encounter!

While not the most successful foray for your characters, I hope you had fun, and gained some insight into Knave as a system.

Please share your thoughts and observation in the Post-Mortem thread.