Expedition: Fingers/Treasure of Yoldessi Plains- 30 Aug 2021

[Alethan]

Bandy nods at the plan, draws his sword, and says, "Let's do this.

LEEEERROOOOYYYYYYY a-JENNNKKKIIIIINNNNSSSSSS!"

[Zhym]

"Okay here's the plan," says Fingers. "Flip the trapdoor open, but don't go up yet. If the gargoyles want to come down after us, we'll fight 'em here, where they can't all come at us at once. I'll try to hide near the stairs where I could jump on a descending garygole from behind. If they don't come on down, we wait so they don't think anyone invisible came up. Which is what we do later. After a couple of hours or so, I'll try to sneak up there with my cloak hiding me. Winnie, if you want to make me invisible, that'd be even better. If it looks like they don't notice me, I'll get behind the closest gargoyle. If it does look like they notice me, I'll duck back down here and we can try again later. Bandy, you run up the stairs and attack it; I'll get it from behind. That should kill that one. Markd, you use your bad-ass staff to smithereen another one. Hengist, do...I dunno, whatever you want to do. Winnie, stay out of the way until you're willing to hit 'em with a spell. Sprinkles...stay. I don't want you up there where you could get hurt."

He looks around at the others, like he's a leader or something. "Um...does that sound okay to you guys?" he adds lamely. So, not that much like a leader.

[DavetheLost]

Sounds like as good a plan as we've got.

Hengist readies mace and shield for gargoyles coming down the ladder and goes over healing prayers to Baudh, he has a feeling they will be needed.

[Alethan]

Bandy readies his magical sword...

[onlyme]

Markd secures his knife in his belt and readies his staff for swatting.

[onlyme]

Are we waiting for something specific? Does someone need to open the trap door personally? If so, Markd will unless Winnie or another noncombatant wants to...

[Zhym]

I think we're waiting on Marullus to have time to post the next update.

[Marullus]

No, you're just waiting on me. Sorry! I ran a conference for a week and then ran up and down the eastern seaboard for weekend events. It got away from me. I am stealing a few minutes now - hopefully I can update others tonight.

Winnie turns both Markd and Bandy invisible, allowing them to aid Fingers in scouting the tower battlements above. Fingers flings open the trapdoor and then waits to the side, trying to bait the gargoyles into descending. The shifting of shadows in the light coming through the trapdoor indicates they have moved about to peer down the stair, but they do not descend, their truce with the ghostly knights still holding.

After a few hours (approaching mid-afternoon), Fingers, Markd, and Bandy move upwards unseen. Six gargoyles do indeed still roost on the parapet edges, watching the plains below. Scattered around the rooftop are large hunks of stone pulled from other buildings and placed here as well as a dozen or so silver casket lids and ornaments. Each object is at least a hundred pounds, large and heavy enough to injure a foe if dropped from heights above.

On Fingers' signal, all three warriors strike their gargoyles invisibly, catching them completely by surprise! Fingers tries to bring down his Longsword into the back of the gargoyle but the leverage is wrong, the creature Being taller than expected. Bandy slashes the creature's bicep, however, (-4) and Markd demolishes one of the creatures to stone pebbles with a blow of his staff (-21). The five creatures let out a hooting wail of surprise and alarm and turn on you!

(Surprise round over, all three of you are visible, declare round 1.)

Fingers [1d20] = 2[1d8x2] = 4x2 = 8 Bandy [1d20] = 19[1d8+1] = 3+1 = 4
Markd [1d20] = 10[1d8x3] = 7x3 = 21 Markd [1d20] = 7[1d8x3] = 6x3 = 18
Morale [2d6] = 3

[Zhym]

Fingers gulps and does something he hates doing: gets into a stand-up, fair fight.

Longsword +1 (THAC0 17) [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19 [1d8+2] = 6+2 = 8

I guess we did have time to roll our own attack rolls, didn't we?

[onlyme]

Markd [1d20] = 10[1d8x3] = 7x3 = 21 Markd [1d20] = 7[1d8x3] = 6x3 = 18
[/spoiler]

Quick q... does this consider Markd's 2 attacks per round? not sure how that applies to surprise rounds... I see two attacks, but not sure if those were both same round?

[Marullus]

Yep, two rolls, one surprise round. Your second attack missed. I didn't count the +3 bonus to hit on the staff, though. With your Thaco, AC, and weapon bonus, you need a 6 or better to hit.

Markd comes back around with a second blow of his staff, utterly destroying a second gargoyle before they can get their wits about them. The five four remaining gargoyles howl and come at you.

Round 1!

Date: 4:00pm, 07 September 2021
Light: Winnie's continual light
Effects: None
Injuries: Hengist (minorly injured), Bandy (minorly injured)

[onlyme]

Markd continues swatting...
Staff (thac0 14) [1d20+5] = 18+5 = 23 ; damage [1d8+5] = 3+5 = 8
and again...
Staff (thac0 14) [1d20+5] = 7+5 = 12 ; damage [1d8+5] = 8+5 = 13

(Not sure how to change the rolls... Both are hits. Not sure whether d8x3 instead or how the + gets added.)

This is a hit, too
Initiative [1d6] = 6

[Alethan]

Bandy slashes the OTHER bicep of the same gargoyle and shouts, "Have at you, ragged cur dog!"

Penderyn Longsword THAC016 [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19 Dam [1d8+2] = 2+2 = 4

[Marullus]

Hengist?

[DavetheLost]

Hengist will move up to the battlements to offer back up in combat or healing as may be needed.

[onlyme]

I'll be off/on for the next week, but then completely out of pocket the through the 29th... I know this one is running slow, but wanted to give a heads up in case we can get a round in next week before i'm out.

[Marullus]

The party's luck holds as the gargoyles are slow to rally, surprised and woken from their daylight torpor. The staff is exultant in Markd's hands as it spins into two more goes, utterly shattering them with a thunderclap of a blow. Fingers steels himself and swings his longsword towards the gangly creature he missed, gashing through it and sending it to pebbles as well. Bandy slashes the other bicep of the last remaining gargoyle - it prepares to lunge at him (with likely devistating effect at such close range) but Hengist uppercuts the creature with his mace (-4), destroying it before it can leap upon the smallest comrade.

...and just like that, the rooftop falls into silence. The party is barely winded. The gravel from the destroyed gargoyles skitters to a stop amidst the black, tarnished silver casket lids and large stone hunks.

Date: 4:01pm, 07 September 2021
Light: Winnie's continual light
Effects: None
Injuries: Hengist (minorly injured), Bandy (minorly injured)

Hengist's mace [1d20] = 13 [1d6+2] = 2+2 = 4

[Zhym]

Fingers quickly scans the nearby towers to see if any of the gargoyles there are swooping in to attack. He is smart enough, however, not to shout out "Who else wants some?" There's such a thing as tempting fate, he knows.

If it looks like the tower is safe from aerial attacks at the moment, Fingers devotes his attention to the casket lids and stone hunks. "Hey, Markd. Do you think your ghost army would get pissed if we, um, inspected these things? Or do we have to leave them alone? We're not going to get much treasure from just the gargoyles. I don't suppose we could sell these pebbles as rare 'gargoyle gems,' could we?"

[Marullus]

No gargoyles are incoming... You see their faint outlines still unmoving on the other two towers, several hundred yards away and well beyond bowshot. Their silent, judging eyes...

The rocks and casket lids are large rubble gathered by the gargoyles to drop on unsuspecting foes. The lids have obvious value - one hundred pounds of silver each - beyond dropping from a height. The rocks, not so much.

Markd confirms that the ghost knights have no attachment to the coffin lids and are glad for you to clean and restore the rooftop to their control.

[Zhym]

Oh. Casket lids. Not caskets. So they're probably worth less than their weight in silver, but that's it. No actual coffins up here to loot.

Please remind me—the route to the towers that the other gargoyles are on is on top of the wall? Or presumably there's a route on the ground to doors that may be locked?