Talk:Escape from Mimmarudla

The DM: Continued from First Aid.

July 4th

The bottom layer looks at least 8 cub.ft; call the one above 6 and the one above that 5; then 3, 2 & 2, for a total of 26. Vafrandir and Pandred get 10 of that completed.

The DM: I was going to say, a refridgerator is typically 22 cubic ft on the inside. The proposed cairn looks bigger than that.

The DM: After seeing about the bottle and the staff, once again Lexent gains 2 hp from rest and Marcule 1. I’m not certain, I think Marcule is up to full. How is Lexent?

Vafrandir: The picture I linked was an example. I agree, it is much larger than 10 cubic ft. But, we don't have time at the moment. If we build it as a square tower 1.5 ft on a side, that gives us a height of a little less than 4.5 ft. I'd say that's a good start if not quite an epic paleolith.

Lexent: Assuming that that is the healing gained for resting through the 4th, At the beginning of the 5th I will still be down 0.8 injury points and 6 HP.

The DM: We're not at the 5th yet. We're at the morning of the 4th. Let's not talk about the 5th until we're at the 5th. What are you down right now?

Lexent: My bad. I was thinking one day ahead. Was the bottle used on the third? Those figures would be for the morning of the 4th.

Lexent: Now that I have my days straight and it is the morning of the 4th, I use the Staff to heal 3+2+2=7 HP. I am now down to 0.1 Injury points and missing 6 HP.

The DM: Would someone better than me at math like to take a look at this, https://coast.noaa.gov/data/digitalcoast/pdf/canvis-height-horizon-calculation.pdf, and see if they can calculate how far a 4 ft. cairn would appear at least 1 in. tall?

Vafrandir: 144 ft away. Not very far.

The DM: If it wasn’t used on the 3rd, then it is too late now Lexent.

The DM: 1 inch is pretty big. What about 1/8th of an inch?

Vafrandir: 1152 ft or about a quarter mile.

Pandred: Take 4 more, Lex. That's my bottle.

Lexent: That puts me down only 3 HP.

The DM: Puts your goals for the cairn in context, then.

The DM: And you can work, Lexent, move around, help with the camp, etc. What are the plans for today?

Vafrandir: Yes, I view the cairn as a good start rather than a finished work.

Lexent: I notice that Vafrandir is still down 9 HP. Would we like to head back to the pit today, and if so, would you like me to cure light wounds first?

Vafrandir: What's the weather like today?

The DM: Just calculating. Cool, with a squall that dropped a little rain for half an hour, but that's past now. You have cloudy skies with some blue and a gentle breeze blowing.

Vafrandir: Let's scout out the area a bit today before heading down the hole. I would like that healing, Lexent, if you'd be so kind.

Lexent: I cast cure light wounds for 3+4=7 HP and apply it all to Vafrandir.

Lexent: I agree with scouting and head back up the mountain

Vafrandir: Beautiful. I go with Lexent.

Marcule: In. I am at full HP. Scouting sounds like a good idea.

The DM: Okay, you set out to explore the area within 2 miles, agreed? That’s 2 miles from where your camp is now, at the base of the ascent, not where the cairn is. Correct?

Vafrandir: That is my understanding.

Lexent: Yep.

Scouting

The DM: Setting off in a random direction, you decide to follow the base of the mountain (that is, the ascent) towards the south; you find a largish lake, about a mile long, reaching off to the south; and you climb a low spur and see another lake, a little larger, that might be a fjord (you can’t see the south end).

The DM: This second lake, or fjord, butts against the mountain; you must either climb three hundred feet up this south side of the mountain, or move southward along the lake/fjord. You can determine its nature by approaching the lake and seeing if it is salt water; but just now, it is still a half mile away.

The DM: that is, you must climb or go south, because the water blocks your way.

Lexent: I would recommend climbing as I believe that would have a greater chance of finding some connection to the dungeon complex. Opinions?

Marcule: "The question is are we equip to climb?, the last thing we want to do is loose our life to a fjord"

Lexent: Oh. I had not been thinking a vertical climb. How steep is the climb?

The DM: Not worse than the climb has been up to the tarn and dungeon.

Party’s scouting route shown in yellow; stop at top of spur, or “ridge.”

The DM: I trust that’s helpful. Sorry if the scales don’t exactly line up regarding the locations described.

Lexent: Then yes, up. I believe some of our intent with scouting is to see if we can discover how the skeletal wolves got out of the dungeon.

Vafrandir: Agreed. It may take some time but I believe its worth it to understand the nature of this dungeon.

Lexent: Should we then say that we focus our scouting on the area in and around the cirque and its tarn?

Pandred: Acceptable to me.

The DM: The tarn will be up and over that grey area from your depicted location; from the “Camp,” it will be another mile, at a direction of 2 o’clock (that last direction was never given). As you reach the top of today’s climb, those 300 ft., taking you about an hour, that gets you onto a narrow plateau, before a really big ridge between you and where the dungeon ought to be. You’re on the other side of the heights that you would have seen on the south side of the tarn. Hope that’s comprehensible.

The DM: Updated the map; from this vantage point, you can see that is a fjord.

Lexent: Does that large ridge appear to be something we could climb with no greater difficulty than we have already dealt with?

The DM: No, not really. There's ice up there, and quite a bit of bare stone and falls. Not really safe to go up there without mountaineering skill.

The DM: Above you, you hear a tremendous scream, enough to shatter your ears, coming from above you.

Marcule: Do i see anything?

Lexent: Up toward the ridge? or directly above us in the air?

The DM: There’s an eagle with a 20 ft. wingspan and a large body, twice as long as Pandred is tall. It is hundreds of yards above you, riding the wind, but watching every movement on the ground.

Lexent: Well, hopefully that will leave us alone. Assuming it does, the question is whether we continue trying to work our way around the outside of the cirque towards the east and north or head back to the zone of abrasion to scout its interior. Does there seem to be a reasonable path to continue our scouting around the mountain?

The DM: If you want to continue east from here, there is easy hiking above the north end of the fjord; then it looks like a cleft between the mountain on the left and a stone hump on the right. You can’t see past that.

Lexent: Just in case, I draw my sling and a stone. I watch the eagle for a couple of minutes. Does it do anything else notable?

The DM: From here, you don’t see any obvious way down to the plain beyond the fjord; the passage to the cleft is all through this upper plateau (which is about a quarter mile wide).

The DM: The eagle is not searching along the cliff. It is wafting back and forth in the air above you.

Lexent: "Well, which way now, my friends?"

Marcule: "I wish I had a better idea of what we are looking for"

Vafrandir: We're looking for a hint of where the skeletons might have come from - and beyond that it's good to get a lay of the land. If we see nothing then I think we can assume they came up from the hole somehow. I vote we head through the cleft.

The DM: It’s about a mile away.

Pandred: I'm down for the cleft.

Lexent: I find that acceptable. I start in that direction, still keeping my eye on that eagle from time to time.

Lexent: "I'm glad we have You and Vafrandir here, Pandred. Marcule or I might make a tempting morsel for that bird."

The Eagle

The DM: As you begin to move along the plateau, there are rocks and places where you have to pull yourselves up or ease yourselves down. Habitually, the party members, particularly Marcule, keep an eye on the eagle. You hardly go a hundred feet before you see it close its wings and start to swoop towards you, not in a full-out dive. The fighters and Marcule note there are places of cover all around.

Vafrandir: Let's take some of that cover, particularly the smaller of us!

Lexent: Is there an upper limit to the amount of time that a sling may be kept spinning?

Pandred: I'll take cover!

Lexent: I follow Pandred to cover.

The DM: I’ll say practicably, for a cleric, two rounds per level. Mark that, because I’ll forget to add that rule to the wiki!

The DM: But Lexent, you’ll have to stand out of cover and look like a nice tasty morsel all alone.

The DM: The eagle will drop to within 150 feet above you, effective striking distance. If it dives from this height, it’s an initiative roll to see who hits first. The eagle might a bonus, but since no one here is an animal expert ...

Lexent: Thank you. Just wanted the information in case it seemed prudent, but as stated, I follow Pandred to cover.

The DM: Because of the speed of the dive and the distortion of firing into the air against the sky, there is NO attack of opportunity; you can fire at the creature, but you must win initiative to have any chance of hitting it. Initiative also means “having your nerves together enough to aim as a huge monster is moving at the speed of gravity towards you.”

Vafrandir: I'm not sure any of us is large enough to absorb a direct hit from a bird of that size.

The DM: Have to think your way out of this one.

Lexent: I think our course of action will depend upon the eagle's tactics. It looks like we're all trying to take cover to start with.

The DM: Chances, are, eventually it will give up; but by then, it could be much nearer to sunset and you might find yourselves trapped up here until the next morning ... and that wouldn’t be good.

The DM: You’re under cover now.

Marcule: "I can cast wall of fog to give us some cover"

The DM: The wind is gentle today, so it will last for the spell duration.

Lexent: Where is the eagle at this point?

The DM: 150 feet above you, approximately. Occasionally you see its shadow pass over the ground.

Lexent: So it has arrested its dive?

Lexent: Nevermind. Re-read and got the answer.

The DM: nod.

The DM: Quote: “Scouting sounds like a good idea.”

Vafrandir: Fog is not a bad idea - where to then? Back down to the tree line?

Vafrandir: Perhaps we should have said "interesting idea," ha!

Lexent: "One solid hit might dissuade it from further attacks. Pandred, do you think you can hit it with your crossbow while still covered? I don't know how far we'll be able to travel while this fog still lasts."

The DM: The wall of fog, linked. Take note, it can't be moved once cast.

Marcule: I don't think engaging this eagle is a good idea.

Lexent: How far can we reasonably move in the fog for the 6-12 rounds we have available to us?

Pandred: Crossbow stays with Odds. Keep forgetting to bring him with us.

The DM: 3/5ths speed.

Lexent: And presumable only at S-1, unless we all want broken hips ;).

Lexent: "I don't believe that we have any choice but to engage. I am thinking cast protection from malevolence on myself, move to the edge of the fog and get my sling spinning, move out to fire at the eagle, and then move back. Anyone have any alternative ideas?"

The DM: Fog isn't cast yet. Marcule said he "can" cast it.

Lexent: Oh. Sorry. I thought I saw you reply that it was done.

Pandred: I'd rather go for Fog personally. Leaving it's line of sight seems like it'll go away. I worry that if you lose the initiative, you go over the ledge or up in the air, and winning the initiative might still not work.

Lexent: But what do we do with the fog? It will only last for a couple of minutes at best, and will impede our ability to move away during that time.

The DM: While you're contemplating your options, we'll call this for today and pick it up tomorrow. Out.

Lexent: I can stay in for a bit if we want to discuss our options, assuming that's considered permissible.

The DM: I occasionally pop in now and then to see if there were any last comments. Why in heaven's name wouldn't it be permissible (hah!). It's your campaign too, Lexent! Feel free to talk all night here, if it suits you.

Vafrandir: There are two main scenarios I see right now. Wait it out - for how long we don't know and we sure as hell don't want to be out here in the dark, or fight it off/otherwise convince it to leave us alone.

Lexent: Does anyone other than me have a ranged attack?

The DM: In.

Lexent: In. I've been thinking about our situation and wonder if Phantasmal Figure might buy us some time. Possibly in conjunction with Wall of Fog.

Pandred: In. Is there any reason we can't cast the fog wall like...six feet over our heads? We remain unobstructed and the eagle can't see us?

Fog & the Goat

Marcule: In. I cast wall of fog to cover us. Back for 10:45 out.

Lexent: I'm not certain if that's possible from the spell description. It says it "cannot be made higher" and may be "created over land or water", no mention of air. But I think the larger concern is that it only buys us two minutes in the best case. It took us hours to get here. What would we be trying to accomplish in those two minutes?

Vafrandir: We are on the plateau now, without continuous cover. How far below us is something like tree cover, which would at least negate the eagle's diving advantage?

Lexent: There is also the ever so slight possibility that this eagle is not predatory and is more of a guardian, akin to the wolves you encountered earlier.

The DM: At the moment the wall of fog is cast and conceals the party, the members hear a loud baa-aa-aa! Apparently, you're not alone here, hiding among the rocks.

The DM: The fog attaches to the ground; but it is not completely blinding, you can see semi-clearly about five feet and you can find your way out of it if you have land features to go on, as you have. You can spot figures, like your mates, at 8-10 feet.

Lexent: I search for the sacrificial lamb in the thicket.

The DM: Tree cover would be down by the fjord. You took an hour to get up here from the top of the ridge, below, so 1 ½ hours to trees, or thereabouts.

The DM: Well, there’s no “thicket”, but searching around locates a normal-sized mountain goat. With horns. You can see it vaguely in the fog; it is motionless, affected by the fog’s appearance and naturally disposed to hunker down.

Lexent: [OOC] Figurative thicket. Abraham and Isaac.

Pandred: I move to wrestle the lamb into the open.

The DM: Roll initiative.

The DM: {OOC} Gen 22-23 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. Yep, I know.

Pandred: 5.

The DM: I also got a 5. We both roll attack; you first.

The DM: (she doesn’t have to do it alone).

Vafrandir: I'll step up to help. Clinch Fighting may come in handy.

Lexent: I put away my sling (?AP) and draw (or start to draw) the Staff. (3AP)

The DM: Roll dice, Vafrandir. Lexent, the other two are wrestling; if you use your staff, there's a chance of doing damage to your mates.

Lexent: I had figured as much but wanted to be ready. How many AP is putting away a sling? Would that be sheathing a weapon to belt scabbard?

Marcule: In. I roll a 2.

The DM: Misses.

Vafrandir: 9 raw, 11 to hit; 3 raw, 4 dmg.

The DM: treating this as overbearing, since Pandred stated the goal of wrestling the brute into the open, Vafrandir is -1 to hit due to his weight. The goat is AC 9, so Vafrandir needs a 9 to hit it, -1, hits with a 10. Overbearing damage is 1-3.

Vafrandir: I roll a 3.

The DM: That stuns it; you force it back a hex; one more and it will be out of the fog. However, as the initiative was simultaneous, it will be able to attack. Pandred's attack awaiting, I'll roll for the goat.

Pandred: 1. Fumble for me. What does that look like for unarmed moves like this?

The DM: Pandred is attacked with a 10, the goat missing.

The DM: Because you’re physically involved, Pandred, it is like when Lexent dropped and broke his club. You have to make a dexterity check or sustain an injury, as it’s presumed the goat has butted you or thrown you against the rocks.

Pandred: 19. So, which of you is carrying me back?

Lexent: Now don't follow that up with a 1!

The DM: No luck. Pandred twists her left ankle, spraining it and recieving 3 points of injury. Roll that d20, please.

Pandred: 8 this time.

The DM: Vafrandir, Marcule, make another attempt to move the goat. Lexent, what are you doing? Good, Pandred, you're relatively okay.

The DM: Remember Vafrandir and Marcule, a dead goat isn’t going to solve your problem; you can opt not to do damage, but that has it’s own risks.

Marcule: Thats an 8 for me *sigh*

Lexent: I attempt to overbear the goat and move it into the open To Overbear: 14

Lexent: I'm guessing that that is at around a -9 if I'm calculating correctly.

Vafrandir: I roll a 4 so no danger of killing it.

The DM: Actually, you’re at -4 Lexent. That’s a 10 rolled, which misses as your THAC0 is still “20” at 2nd level. One more level and you would hit.

I just realized that Vafrandir had actually missed; everyone is -2 in the fog. Not going to retcon it. DMs make mistakes, they need to eat them.

Goat's Round 2

The DM: the spell says animals “go to ground,” so the goat doesn’t go skipping around; but it will attack one of the three of you. Rolls a 16 against Marcule, causing 3 damage. That’s not enough to stun, as I believe Marcule did make it to full hit points, yes?

Party Round 3

The DM: Vafrandir, Lexent, Marcule, you can try again. We’ll rule the fog will lift in 8 rounds (time needed to first hear and then find the goat).

The DM: with the fog, overall, Lexent (75 lbs.) is -6 to hit, Marcule (83 lbs.) is -4 and Vafrandir (122 lbs.) is -3.

Lexent: With my gear I should be 92.

The DM: Correct, that's what the rule says. Accepted. -4.

Lexent: Is there something different we would need to declare to not do damage to the goat?

Marcule: 17, do I subdue the goat.

Vafrandir: 11 raw, 8 to hit. Ah, I've fought goats in real life before. This is pretty accurate.

The DM: No one can say my games are hack and slash.

The DM: Not doing damage, you can still force the goat out of the hex, but you won’t stun it so it can attack back.

Marcule succeeds in wrestling the goat into the open. However, because you’re still on the edge of the fog, you can’t know if the eagle will see it at this point. Marcule is also in the light as well. I’ll need to know if you want to risk pushing it another hex, or what else you mean to do.

Vafrandir: I'll have another go at it and Marcule can get back into the fog. I'm not excited to take a hit from the eagle but I can take it better than Marcule.

Party Round 4

The DM: Go ahead and roll, Vafrandir. Until I hear from Marcule, he’s still SEMI-exposed.

Marcule: I pull back

Vafrandir: This time, I roll a 15 raw, 12 to hit; 1 dmg.

The DM: Okay, you're out in the open now. The goat is stunned and not killed; do you want to take a moment and look up?

Vafrandir: I'll risk the glance.

The DM: Tsk, tsk, that’s how Lot’s wife bought it. You were safe until you did that. Make a dexterity check.

Lexent: Feeling quite biblical today?

Vafrandir: Ha! XD

Vafrandir: 13, pass.

The DM: Remember, the DM is the Devil.

Vafrandir: Seeking whom he may devour :)

The DM: Just that you caught the first connection, Lexent, it made me think of another.

The DM: Vafrandir, full of adrenaline, doesn’t trip as he runs back into the fog; all he sees is a big black shape getting nearer. The party hears a screech, a “baa-aa” ... then a thump ... the sound of wings flapping ... and nothing.

Lexent: I do what I can to rig a splint for Pandred's ankle. Hopefully Vafrandir will be able to assist her in walking back to camp rather than necessitating a full carry.

The DM: Calculating experience. I’m awarding the goat’s total hit points as a “party member” as it is made to sacrifice itself to the general good, giving a bonus above that achieved by Marcule’s damage. When the fog clears, there is no giant eagle to be seen. Lexent = 72; Marcule = 125; Pandred =72; Vafrandir 116.

I’ll wait to hear what the party is doing now, with Pandred injured, before creating a new post.

Lexent: "We should head back to the cart and so that we can make Pandred More comfortable." What time of day is it by now?

The DM: Lexent can accurately identify what’s wrong, and can (extrapolating from bind wounds) splint Pandred’s leg well enough that she can very gingerly walk on it. I’ve added a note to that effect until “Bind Wounds.”