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Day 7, Mid Afternoon: Down by the River

The party takes a few minutes to stop and take stock of the situation. While Stonjuz gives his turtle a rest and takes out his journal to record recent events and findings, Ogirdor begins scouting for a place to cross the river, should it be decided to do so. Without too much trouble he finds a spot where the river widens out, its depth and rate of flow somewhat lessened. Here, the river is perhaps waist deep on a man, a little higher on the dwarf. Likewise, Malone looks up and down the river for some sign of crossing, a bridge or other structure, but sees none.

Swilbosh takes a more direct approach. After observing the waters in his studied way, he dives in, trident in hand, and enjoys the cold rushing sensation that is so much a part of his existence. He finds that the undercurrent is strong, that one must watch for logs and debris being swept downriver from higher up the mountain, and that great care must be taken if the others are to cross. As for fish, he sees nothing of any appreciable size and comes out of the water empty-handed.

During this time, Thurinor has located a quiet spot to record his musings on the various artifacts and magic items the party has found. It all adds up to an intriguing mystery...

For his part, Ozborn thanks his deity of choice that he did not turn up as a desiccated husk in some spider's web, and he asks if anyone knows how to build a raft. Those who are more outdoorsy than the erstwhile miner are quick to point out that there are very few materials available for making a raft, but perhaps enough dead wood could be gathered (from that which Swilbosh reports is being swept downstream) to fashion a small raft capable of holding one or two party members at a time. Construction of such a raft might take a half hour if several of you pitched in. A raft large enough to hold the entire party is not possible to make with materials at hand.


You can easily cross the creek and can assume that you already know the likeliest spot to do so if you wish. I assume that, after investigating sufficiently and having a druid and a ranger with you, you know that picking the right spot (as Ogirdor has found) and coming up with some kind of aid can turn the affair of crossing the river from a truly dangerous undertaking to something closer to a mere dousing from the waist down. In game terms, the creek crossing can be freely accomplished, while for the river crossing I may require some kind of strength or dex check. Exactly what or if will depend on the method you devise to go about it...

The ranger returns to the group and reports his findings There is a spot nearby where all of us should be able to cross without trouble. I suggest we cross now and move to the stone formation we have seen on the other side. If that area is safe we can set camp there.

ragnboneshopper wrote:Day 7, Mid Afternoon: Down by the River

Without too much trouble he finds a spot where the river widens out, its depth and rate of flow somewhat lessened. Here, the river is perhaps waist deep on a man, a little higher on the dwarf. Likewise, Malone looks up and down the river for some sign of crossing, a bridge or other structure, but sees none.

Swilbosh takes a more direct approach. After observing the waters in his studied way, he dives in, trident in hand, and enjoys the cold rushing sensation that is so much a part of his existence. He finds that the undercurrent is strong, that one must watch for logs and debris being swept downriver from higher up the mountain, and that great care must be taken if the others are to cross. As for fish, he sees nothing of any appreciable size and comes out of the water empty-handed.

You can easily cross the creek and can assume that you already know the likeliest spot to do so if you wish. I assume that, after investigating sufficiently and having a druid and a ranger with you, you know that picking the right spot (as Ogirdor has found) and coming up with some kind of aid can turn the affair of crossing the river from a truly dangerous undertaking to something closer to a mere dousing from the waist down. In game terms, the creek crossing can be freely accomplished, while for the river crossing I may require some kind of strength or dex check. Exactly what or if will depend on the method you devise to go about it...

I am a little unclear as to which we need to cross to get to the mound. If the river, my suggestion would be to have swilbosh carry a rope to the other side, and tie it off with a spike, etc and then the rest should be able to cross fairly mundanely, holding on..

"The river issss fassst flowing but hasss no dangersss apart from sssome tree branchesss. Nothing for usss to worry about. Crosssing ssshould be easssy." The lizardman appears very confident.

"Aye, let us cross," says the Thurinor. "If that mound is of dwarven make perhaps it holds further clue to the serpent mystery."

onlyme wrote:

saalaria wrote:Swilbosh heads off to the river and will check for undercurrents, big fish etc. If he sees nothing untoward he'll have his daily constitutional, with his trident for company.

Just make sure you are downstream, please. and be careful with that trident. I doubt it makes for useful tp.

Ha ha - its okay he is very skilled with the weapon!

Day 7, Mid Afternoon: Crossing the River

After a short time of rest and reconnoiter, the party decides to cross the river at the place Ogirdor has found. Swilbosh swims across first, at Malone's suggestion taking the end of a rope and tying it off on a sturdy scrub tree as an aid to those who must go plodding across step by step. With the rope stretched taut between two such points, the party finds little trouble in fording the river, though Thurinor and Swilbosh are more worried than the others about keeping their packs out of the water, making their crossing slow and momentarily breathless at the thought of losing precious writings contained within scroll and arcane tome.

Damp but in a way energized by the cool water, the party then sets out for the low mound of earth and the door set in its closest side. The turf is lush and springy beneath your feet and eases the exertion of your long journey. But as you walk, topping a low rise, a group of large yellow hares or rabbits becomes visible some seventy yards distant. They appear to be greedily nibbling the new spring grass. One sees you, lifting up on its hind legs and clearly displaying a long black horn set like a unicorn's above and between its eyes. Then another sees you, and another. Silently, the news of your presence has travelled throughout the little herd, which looks to number a dozen or more.

While about half of the herd or more leaps away at great speed, six of the rabbit-like creatures toss their heads and come bounding your way, their intentions clearly hostile!


Actions!

Andrin releases a bullet from his sling at the foremost of the creatures, but it's an obvious miss.

To hit with sling: [1d20+1] = 2+1 = 3

Stonjuz spins a sling bullet but does not release. He says, "Rabbits? Oh No. Tell 'em we mean 'em no harm Turtlepoo."
Still being non proficient with the weapon, he prematurely lets the bullet fly.
to hit w/sling bullet:thaco 21 [1d20] = 18 dmg s,m [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2 dmg L [1d6+1] = 2+1 = 3
With freak luck the stone hits the target and the dwarf says, "Oooops. Never mind. Here they come."
Stonjuz thinks of a Ulekian stew recipe. "Anybody hungry?"

Normally, Malone would toss the holy hand grenade of Antioch. But it appears not to be in his pack.

Instead, he defensively swings his halberd. Missing everything but grass.


Rolled a one...

Swilbosh stands ready to melee the unirabbits. He shows no surprise at the turn of events but then agin he never shows surprise!...

Thurinor let's loose a crossbow bolt at an approaching uni-wabbit.

Crossbow to-hit: [1d20+1] = 12+1 = 13; Damage S-M/L: [1d4+1] = 2+1 = 3/[1d4+1] = 2+1 = 3

Ogirdor shoots at the charging creatures


PbP Forum code: Bow, short, flight arrow - specialist - To hit: [1d20+4] = 18+4 = 22, Damage (s/m): [1d6+2] = 1+2 = 3, Damage (L): [1d6+2] = 6+2 = 8


PbP Forum code: Bow, short, flight arrow - specialist - To hit: [1d20+4] = 12+4 = 16, Damage (s/m): [1d6+2] = 4+2 = 6, Damage (L): [1d6+2] = 2+2 = 4


PbP Forum code: Bow, short, flight arrow - specialist - To hit: [1d20+4] = 6+4 = 10, Damage (s/m): [1d6+2] = 3+2 = 5, Damage (L): [1d6+2] = 1+2 = 3

Ozborn is torn between feelings of wonder and sadness. Something about the idea of a uni-rabbit even existing appeals to a long forgotten childhood part of him. He is loathe to skewer them with arrows. Still... he is loathe to be skewered.
To hit w/ Short Bow, sheaf arrows: [1d20+3] = 15+3 = 18, damage (s/m/L): [1d8] = 1
Thunk! (...single tear...)

To hit w/ Short Bow, sheaf arrows: [1d20+3] = 20+3 = 23, damage (s/m/L): [1d8] = 6
Yikes! Nat 20.Thunkk!!!(...another tear...)

maybe we should've run back to the water until we found out who these belong to... Oh well.

Day 7, Mid-Afternoon: The Uni-bunny battle extraordinaire, Round 1

Initiative

Party Initiative: [1d6] = 1; NPC/Monster Initiative: [1d6] = 2 Bunnies go first; the party goes second. However, the bunnies are charging, beginning on segment 1; it will take until segment 5 for them to reach you; party missile attacks take place on segment 2, before the bunnies can reach you...

Narrative

The horned rabbits leap at an astonishing speed up the slope to greet you, but the party is not resting on its laurels and sends a flurry of missile to greet the oddly fierce and wondrous creatures. Andrin is first to release a shot, and though his sling bullet misses it gives his companions a sense of the range to their foes.

Stonjuz, spins a sling bullet but does not release right away. "Rabbits? Oh No. Tell 'em we mean 'em no harm Turtlepoo." Despite his non-proficiency, with freak luck the stone hits the target and the dwarf says, "Oooops. Never mind. Here they come. Anybody hungry?" (2 damage)

Thurinor lets loose a crossbow bolt at an approaching uni-wabbit (huhuhuhuh) but misses, the bolt going just wide of the mark.

Ogirdor, however, is in his element, and his attacks drop two of the bounding creatures, his first shot nailing Stonjuz's target through the flank (3 damage), and his second shot piercing another through the neck (6 damage). His third shot goes wide, but the ranger can smirk with satisfaction nonetheless.

Ozborn is torn between feelings of wonder and sadness. Something about the idea of a uni-rabbit even existing appeals to a long forgotten childhood part of him. He is loathe to skewer them with arrows. Still... he is loathe to be skewered, and not to be outdone, his two arrow shots both hit their mark, the second shot dropping another of the creatures mid-bound, never to rise again two different targets, 1 damage and 6 damage, respectively). His fellow adventurers will have to be the judge of the sincerity of his tears at this moderate success!

At this point, the rabbit creatures are upon the party's front ranks. Their attacks are surprisingly effective and vicious! Ogirdor, Swilbosh, and Malone take the brunt of the attacks, with Swilbosh (1 damage) and Malone (2 damage) suffering minor puncture wounds where the horned creatures find access to vulnerable flesh.

Uni-rabbit attack: [1d20] = 3; damage: [1d4] = 3

Uni-rabbit attack: [1d20] = 19; damage: [1d4] = 1

Uni-rabbit attack: [1d20] = 20; damage: [1d4] = 2

Malone and Swilbosh, taken somewhat aback by the actual danger from what at first seemed like overgrown bunnies, are unable to land blows of their own, and the two sides now take stock of each other, the hare-like creatures chuffing and snorting aggressively!

Swilbosh Attack roll: [1d20] = 5


Not a bad first round! Actions for round 2? And yes, you were right to take both attacks for Malone, OnlyMe. Extra attacks come on odd rounds, as per the House Rules thread. Saalaria, I went ahead with an attack roll for Swilbosh. Sorry it wasn't better!

Grabbing his staff firmly, Andrin jumps forward to smash the nearest of the weird creatures, but misses again.

To hit with staff: [1d20] = 2

As soon as the creature enters melee range Ogirdor drops his bow and reverts to spear & hand axe:

Spear, 2 weapon fighting - To hit: [1d20-1] = 17-1 = 16, Damage (s/m): [1d6+1] = 1+1 = 2, Damage (L): [1d8+1] = 7+1 = 8

Hand Axe, 2 weapon fighting - To hit: [1d20-2] = 15-2 = 13, Damage (s/m): [1d6+1] = 4+1 = 5, Damage (L): [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2