Høle

When last we left our heroes, Pandred had tossed his light into the hold with the webbing, slammed the door and had called out for another torch from Oddsdrakken, outside the hold. While the halfling fumbles around trying to find something to light a torch with, what does the rest of the party do?

Vafrandir: I crawl back out of the the hallway and recommend Pandred do the same. "I don't want to be stuck in a crawl-space if whatever's in there comes out fast."

The DM: As you say that, something slams into Pandred's door with a hard bump.

[OOC-MC: hello everyone thank you for understanding my absence]

[OOC-DM: Welcome back!]

Marcule: Standing next to Oddsdrakken; I hear Pandred shout for a torch. I head towards the shouting.

The DM: You stumble across Vafrandir coming out of a sideways-laying hall as you enter the cargo hold.

Vafrandir: "There's something in that room, and it's not happy. We saw webbing so I'm guessing spiders or similar nastiness."

Marcule: "Oh Fantastic, do we have a plan... i hesitate to solve this problem with more fire"

Pandred: "HEY! LITTLE HELP?!" I fish for my battleaxe and draw it, bracing against the door.

The DM: The door does not seem to be breaking down, but there is scratching against it. You do not smell any smoke.

Marcule: I rush over to the door holding my hands against it feeling for force "Im going to take the lack of smoke as a bad sign, it tells me there is a real risk whatever is behind this door could be Juicier than we expected"

The DM: Because Marcule is gnome-sized, I'll allow it; it will take about two rounds for him to reach the point where he can do this ... is there anything you want to do for those two rounds, Pandred? I'll presume that Marcule makes his intentions clear as he rushes forward, climbs into the hallway/crawlspace and comes up to the door.

Pandred: As long as my battleaxe is in hand I don't think so. I'd rather wait for the party to assemble than check on this by myself in this circumstance.

The DM: Okay, Marcule. By the time you reach the door, the scratching has stopped. You don't feel any pressure. There still is no hint that a fire has started from the torch.

Pandred: I'd like for at least Odds and Vafrandir to come back before we crack this thing open again. I tossed mine in so when we open this again we might be able to see something. I get blinded by sudden light changes, and without (or even with) this might count. It's probably just some animal that's found it's way in, but I think we all know it could be something more sinister.

Marcule: removing my hands from the door "fine" (nevously) "we wait" i dig threw my bag for a flask of oil to move to my belt.

The DM: You wait. Nothing substantially changes from what you already knew.

Vafrandir: I'll go to where Odds can hear me. "Have you got that torch lit? I've got a tinderbox you can use in my pack. Hurry in!" I'll point him to my pack on the ground near the hole we climbed in. Then I'll head back into the hallway. "Push it in, Pandred, let's see what's in store!"

The DM: One moment at a time. When you get outside, Vafrandir, you don't see Oddsdrakken. There's his pack, there's the torch laying on the ground and a tinderbox next to it. You're sorting this out in your mind for all of about 5/10ths of a second when you hear a sound from your right, hissing at you. It's Oddsdrakken, laying flat in a divot on the ground, with his face half hidden behind his arms. "Vafrandir! Look out!" the halfling says with a terrified grimace.

Vafrandir: "Shit!" I draw my sword and turn to my right. I have no shield.

The DM: About 25 feet away, moving very slowly, hardly at all, is a very ... big ... spider. Covered in brown fur. About 8 feet wide across its legs and about 5 feet high at the top of its abdomen, with about 18 inches between the body and the ground. It is facing you but it does not rush forward and attack at this time. Surprised or not surprised, it gives you a chance to recover. You feel that if you move anything except maybe your mouth to speak, you'll have to roll initiative.

Vafrandir: Do I see Willa or Fjall?

The DM: Not at the moment. Perhaps they went to see some other part of the ship.

Vafrandir: "Odds, I think this is about to kick off. I'll try to draw it off, please go and warn the others inside the ship." I'll move slowly between Odds and the spider.

The DM: Odds will have to make a morale check. If he hasn't a morale listed, it starts at nine; Pandred should know the morale otherwise. Please roll 2d6, Pandred or Vafrandir, whomever gets there first.

Marcule: I cast chromatic orb

Vafrandir: I roll a 10.

The DM: Oddsdrakken finds the courage to skip low across the ground (lower than most!) and dives through the rent into the ship. The spider pauses, turns minutely towards Oddsdrakken's movement and then shifts to its left like a crab, putting Vafrandir between it and the place where Odds has just disappeared.

The DM: The orb is cast Marcule. Oddsdrakken begins talking very quickly, explaining the situation while sweating profusely with terror.

Pandred: "Marcule, I think Vafrandir could use a hand. Good work Odds. Hold this, will you?" I'll have him brace against the door. "Don't jostle it." And start making my way to Vafrandir.

The DM: Vafrandir, while you're waiting, a dribble of sweat has fallen off your brow and into your eye, and it stings rather nastily.

The DM: it really, does hurt. Would you like to wipe it?

Marcule: I follow pandred out of the ship

[OOC-DM: We'll start tomorrow at 10 mountain time with Marcule and Pandred stepping out of the ship and see if Vafrandir wants to be blind in one eye (that's a joke)]

Vafrandir: Ha! Yes, I'll wipe it ... slowly.

Embla Strand I move towards Vafrandir as well.

Spider Rnd 1

The DM: You have initiative at this point, as the spider is not attacking as yet. I did not see Embla's move until this morning, so she is one round behind; she'll appear in 0405 in the next round.

Pandred: I draw my hand axe, step one hex south into 0406 and throw at the spider, getting 16 and hitting AC 2. D6 for damage is 2.

The DM: So noted. Not a stun.

Vafrandir: I roll a 6 on my wisdom check. I have no shield, so I'm at AC 6 and 4 AP. I intend to direct charge the beast if I have the distance.

The DM: The 6 covers your wisdom check, you can charge up to 32 hexes if you want to run. You don't need that much, stride-2 will do it, the spider has no missile weapons so there is no opportunity fire. You need to roll initiative with me to see if you attack first when you come face to face with it.

Marcule: I would like to throw my magic missile -- I roll a 4 (miss)

The DM: Magic missile?

Marcule: Sorry Chromatic orb

The DM: Oh, right. Okay, yes, miss. The flash-bang on the light hits 0806, which is still 10 ft. from the spider. The spider fails save and is blinded/stunned for 1 round.

The DM: Vafrandir, while the spider is stunned, you win initiative and can charge at will.

Vafrandir: I will direct charge (into 0807), swinging my sword: 14 raw, 18 adj to hit; 1 raw, 2 adj damage. My total weight is 160.6 lb.

The DM: The spider weighs 400 lbs., so you're -12 to attack with overbearing. The spider is not wearing "armour", so you have to hit AC 4. I think that's a no-chance on the overbear.

The DM: Let me make another map with Embla in it and the party can attack again.

Vafrandir: Ha, I figured, worth a try anyway.

Round 2

The party should feel free to act again. I trust I have everyone's position right.

Embla Strand I grab my battleaxe, convert it to a hand-axe, and advance to 0405.

Vafrandir: I swing again: 4 raw, 6 to hit. It's going to be one of those fights. I'll move around to 1007.

The DM: I think it is fair to argue that you've already had time to pull your weapon on your way to the fight, Embla. I'll cost you 1 AP to get into 0405.

Sometimes, Vafrandir, I think all the party's fights are "one of those."

^^^^

Embla Strand In that case, I move further to 0306 and throw the hand-axe at the spider. I roll a natural 2... but only 2 damage.

Pandred: Stride 4 to 0808, saunter in at Stride 1 to 0907 and bonk with the battleaxe. To-Hit of 5, hitting AC 13 with a resounding whiff, damage roll of 2+3 (5). Them's the breaks.

[OOC-DM: damn these interruptions; my daughter has shown up with my grandson, it's my first day of seeing him since he was born]

[Embla Strand Enjoy!]

The DM: A natural 2, Embla, hits Vafradir in the back, Vaf takes two damage. Pandred misses ... and it is a typical first round. Marcule?

Marcule: I move stride-3 to 0806 and attack. I roll a 9.

The DM: Rolling a die, the spider will attack Marcule, rolling a 3. Whew! Missing. It will then move back three hexes from Marcule, into 1208.

Round 3

The party's go around.

Pandred: Stride 4 to 1210, Stride 2 to 1308, eating the attack of opportunity if I must. Assuming I'm not stunned, that's a To-Hit of 18 hitting AC 0 for 3+3 or 6 points of damage! HROAGH!

Vafrandir: I move to 1107 and attack again: 16 raw, 18 adj to hit; 1 raw 2 adj damage.

The DM: Pandred cannot stride-4 to 1210 and then stride-2 to 1308. If you look at it, that is a 90° turn and the rule clearly states that no more than a 60° turn can be made. At this point I'm going to suspend the dexterity check you should have to make to attempt the turn, as the rule is still new and I don't want to be unduly inflexible; but at some point, when I see characters take wild actions like "running around to the back side of the spider in order to get a +2 bonus", which is obviously an attempt to circumvent the spirit of the rules, and presumes the spider wouldn't turn to face you as you came on, I am going to become a real asshole. Let me make it REAL clear; I am not going to stand for people thinking they can use the movement rule to run around the enemy and attack it from behind just because the magic of D&D rule making lets them.

Now. You have two choices. I can either have you make a rational, realistic, actual combat move like running to 1109 and then to 1209, and the hit will stand, or we can do it your way and you can make a dex check. Your call.

Pandred: For reference, I didn't factor in the +2 for a rearward strike in my roll. It wasn't on my mind at all. The creature is retreating, and I was moving to cut off that retreat, not jimmying for bonuses. I was even explicit about understanding there could be an attack of opportunity for the action. But you're right, I completely forgot about turn rate, and I'll be more mindful next time. Pop me in 1209.

The DM: Your attack stuns the spider; it staggers right into 1307.

Marcule: I stride -3 into 1106 , I swing and thats a 3.

The DM: You'll have to move into 1206 to be in reach - deal?

Marcule:yes

Round 4

The spider was stunned, so the players are free to strike again. Hopefully, it won't get another chance to hit someone with its poison. Treat the spider as the target hex; to hit it, you have to move into a hex with legs in it.

Vafrandir: I'll move at Stride 2 to 1208 and attack again: 3 raw, 5 adj to hit.

Why would you stride 2? It's just one hex.

Marcule: Unsure if i am already able to reach the spider (if not i step forward 1 and swing). thats an 11

You're right next to the spider's hex (in 1307). The 11 misses.

The DM: Everything is fine, guys.

Pandred: I step into 1308 and swing. 12+1 is 13, hitting AC 5. Damage is 7+3 or 10. Jesus I hope AC 5 is good enough.

Embla Strand I recall my axe and walk towards the spider.

The DM: Those are misses all around. The spider is feeling hemmed in; it will attack Vafrandir, rolling a 13 to hit, which hits AC 5. I have that as Vafrandir's armour class. The spider does 3d4 damage with its mandible: I roll 4. But, I'm afraid that Vafrandir will need to roll a saving throw against poison. (then we'll move onto the next round).