Attempt to Close the Gate
Continued from The Snow Gate
Round 1
The DM: The characters take their combat turn.
Engelhart: I move cautiously to 0705 (2 AP), and swing my maul at the ice frog (2 AP): attack roll of 11, hitting AC 6, or AC 5 if the toad's Intelligence is below 5 due to my "Aggressive" trait.
The DM: The creature's intelligence is low enough, but the attack yet misses.
Vafrandir I'll draw my sword (1 AP) and attempt to enter combat. I have to succeed on a morale check: I roll a 5 (my WIS is 11). I'll move into 0806 (1 AP) and attack the grey creature (2 AP): 15+2=17 to hit, 1+1=2 damage.
The DM: Vafrandir's check isn't really a morale check; it is characteristic of his background, in which he has learned to be cautious before rushing into fights. The fighter scores a clean hit ... but it so happens the creature is immune to normal weapons and can't be hit by Vafrandir's short sword. Incidentally, because of the earlier time spent withdrawing, Vafrandir has his shield in place.
Pandred: I draw my battle axe and step into 0906 warily for 1 AP.
Embla: I move to 0607 (2AP) and throw my javelin at the toad (2AP). Hit AC 8, dealing 7 damage. A miss, I believe.
The DM: Yes.
Enemy's Turn
The DM: The red mud demon decides to punch Vafrandir, who is handy, rolling a 12 and missing AC 5 (would have hit if Vafrandir had not had his shield in place; thought you'd like to know).
- And because the demon has time, it will speak to Pandred, saying, "If you want to reach me, squeeze through the bars." This is a suggestion, which the being can do as a natural ability. I need Pandred to make a saving throw against magic. You need a 15.
- There's a 50% chance the toad will let go with its breath weapon ... and it does. The original rule from the Player's Handbook reads, "All non-cold creatures within 10 ft. of the ice toad suffer 3-18 points of damage." It says nothing else; usually, however, a breath weapon is a cone, typically 5 ft wide at the base and stretching outwards to 20 ft. wide at 30 ft. away. So, rather than freeze out the whole party, I'll use the cone. [Shame this is a monster starting with "T", or else I've have written out rules for it online by now]. The toad has an average intelligence, so it is smart enough to leave Vafrandir and Pandred to the mud creature, and attack the immediate threat, which is Engelhart, with Embla behind him. Embla and Engelhart, the breath causes 11 damage. Please make a saving throw against breath weapon. You need a 15.
Engelhart: I roll precisely an unmodified 15(!!), *Phew!*. That's hellishly dangerous, hope it can't repeat the deed again soon or at all. Could my knowledge of beasts extend to knowing if it can use its breath again?
The DM: Yes! It will be three rounds of not using it before it makes a 50/50 roll again. The breath weapon only causes 5 damage, Engelhart.
Embla: I roll an 11 on the saving throw, which is a failure, I believe. If so, taking the 11 damage will stun me.
The DM: I'm afraid it does.
Embla: That puts me at 6hp remaining and stunned. Do we have any healing available?
Pandred: Healing salve. But honestly, sacrificing an attack roll for +1d4 Hp in such a swingy fight hardly seems worth the time.
The DM: In addition, the ice toad also radiates cold to everything within 10 feet; that includes Engelhart, Vafrandir and Pandred. You each take 1 pt. of damage.
Engelhart: Amazingly, I believe I am not stunned, due to the two damage sources being separate. But from here on the going can only get tougher. It appears the creature's spell will cost us Pandred for much of the fight, regardless of her making her save or not ...
Pandred: I get 19 for my save, which I believe is a successful save even without my background bonus. I'm out of the running for a bit regardless. Is it okay if I still offer advice to my comrades, or would you prefer I wait 'till I am able to act of my own volition again?
The DM: Yes, because of my house rules for suggestion, Pandred feels a strong to begin explaining to the apparent demon why her body cannot possibly fit between the bars. Which would mean, it would be impossible for her to give advice. There is a clue in the cell description, however, that can release Pandred from the spell almost at once.
Engelhart: Well, she did take damage from the toad's cold aura, now whether you're willing to count that as "attacked" is up in the air ...
The DM: It is not sufficient; an attack would have to involve a sharp pain. Moreover, a pummel or an overbear would be more certain than an attempt to hit with weapon, as Pandred would habitually react and defend herself.
Pandred: "Listen, GUY, if I want to reach you I'm not sticking my hands through a set of ice cold bars, you want me to get stuck like some idiot kid's tongue? The way I see it —"
| Character | hp. caused | hp. taken | X.P. gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embla | 0 | 18 | 535 |
| Engelhart | 2 | 6 | 347 |
| Pandred | 0 | 3 | 237 |
| Vafrandir | 2 | 1 | 237 |
The DM: And so apparently the round ends. Showing is the experience awarded thus far. With the next round, Engelhart has an attack, as does Vafrandir. Engelhart, I don't remember if the svirfneblin gave you a magic weapon; I think Embla has one, and possibly Pandred. Please let me know who can hit the demon; I sure hope someone hits this round. I don't want to kill anyone.
Round 2
The DM: The position is unchanged from the last map.
Vafrandir: I recognize the futility of my attack on the mud demon. I will move behind the gate (stride of 2, not subject to AoO per my background) and overbear Pandred, 12 to hit, 2 damage. "Snap out of it!"
The DM: That breaks the spell for Pandred, who is pushed back into 1006. There's no enemy here able to make an attack of opportunity, so you needn't worry.
Engelhart: I shift to 0806, formerly occupied by Vafrandir, so as to keep the two enemies properly engaged while Embla and Pandred recover. I attack the red mud demon: attack roll of 19, hitting AC -2, damage roll of 1 (+1 from the enchantment means a total of 2 damage).
The DM: That is most definitely a hit. From behind you, Lothar (played as an NPC) comes running towards the party. From thirty feet away, he hurls a sword at Vafrandir, so that it bounds and bounces towards the fighter, landing in the adjacent hex. As he hurls it, Lothar shouts, "Try this, friend elf!" Then he loads his bow.
Enemy's Turn
The DM: The demon turns on Engelhart and swings, missing with a 7. It will attempt to cause fear in the cleric, with the arc of the effect forcing both Engelhart to make save vs. magic; the demon reins in the effect, however (for it is a natural ability), because the ice toad advances into what would be the fear's path. Once again, Engelhart needs a 15.
- Meanwhile, the toad moves into 0706 and attacks Embla. It has a THAC0 of 18 and rolls an 11; Embla, unfortunately, has an AC of 7 and is hit. The toad causes 3-12 damage ... it rolls 7. Embla is stunned and shoved back into 0507.
- Engelhart, Embla and Vafrandir all suffer 1 point from the toad's cold.
Round 3
The DM: Lothar's long sword is in 0807. From earlier in the campaign: "The sword is reforged with mithril, strengthening it and also giving it a +1 bonus. As it is the easiest piece of metal to magick, they take a little time and give the sword a convenient +2 bonus against amphibians and reptiles."
Engelhart: Uhmm, those giant toad hindquarters look "really" tempting, but if they stun me I end up in hell — not an enticing prospect — plus no-one has moved yet and Embla needs someone by her side (taking into account how these critters supposedly are not capable of mounting effective attacks of opportunity). I attack [the toad] from where I am (still a flank attack, I'm figuring): attack roll of 19 +1 from flanking, +1 from maul, +1 from background bonus, hitting AC -4, damage roll of 10+1, 11 damage! (I'm having some insane rolls, God delivers!).
The DM: Stuns and the skin at the back of the creature splits from the blow and begins to ooze fluid (a wound).
Engelhart: I've got 2 AP left.
The DM: You're still in a melee hex with the demon. But once you get out of it, the toad is stunned so 0807 is not a melee hex and will not cost a penalty.
Engelhart: I was all ready to stay and reap the punishment; I can't get far enough to help Embla right at this point, but it does let Pandred do her stuff. I think I'll break into a stride-4 run and go all the way to 0810.
Pandred: Can I resume shoving the gate? Dropping the axe, etc.?
The DM: Yes. The gate is magical and relatively light. The demon isn't touching the gate; it's holding its hex but nothing more. You can throw your body against the gate to slam the gate into the demon, but it is only hurt by magical weapons. As well, it appears to be at least 250 lbs.; so with your strength and size, you're not going to roll the beast out of the way.
Pandred: Without Oddsdrakken here, my AP limits me a lot. I'd like to heave on this gate with the understanding that even if that doesn't actually force the demon away, it will at least not be able to move without me closing that half. If Lothar and Vafrandir combined can't deal the approximately 8 damage it will take next round to stun the Toad, then it's out of my hands what happens as far as I'm concerned. Embla has throwables, and if she doesn't she can have mine. I believe in you guys, so let me keep shoving.
The DM: Understood. Your being there, Pandred, keeps the creature from teleporting — which it earlier demonstrated it's able to do.
Vafrandir: How many AP to pick up Lothar's sword? I assume 2 AP, based on the time to draw such a weapon. In that case, I will pick up the sword in 0807 and use my remaining 1 AP to continue to 0707. I'm not sure if I'm in melee with the demon because of the gate between us, but if that is the case then that 1 AP will be used to extract myself, and I will remain in 0807 after getting the sword.
The DM: "Adjust a free object for use." In this case yes, 2 AP. The gate protects you from being in melee with 0905, so your move is 1 AP to get into 0807. Picking up the sword leaves you with 1 AP left, yes?
Vafrandir: With the last AP then, I will move to 0707.
The DM: Lothar fires his bow at the toad and misses with a 6.
