Bats!

Continued from Backtracking

The DM: What does the party wish to do now?

Lexent: Do I need a night's rest before being able to commit my new spells to memory, or merely the time to pray for them?

The DM: Committing new spells to memory IS praying for them. Yes, you will need 15 minutes per spell per level of spell. You will need to sleep six hours before you can relearn spells you’ve used today, but you can pray for the new spells right now.

Lexent: I'm somewhat keen to take the time necessary to gain access to those new spells, but I also don't want any loose ghouls to be able to sneak up on us, so we should probably see what the situation is down that hallway first.

Lexent: The good roll on Medicine was a welcome consolation prize for not making it up to amatuer in Dweomercraft. I was really hoping to improve my turning.

The DM: Effectively, a cleric doesn’t “memorize” ... the cleric meditates, prays, then becomes aware of when the power of the spell has been bestowed onto them from the outside. Lexent will be aware now that his spells are coming from the Plane of Ysgard, or Asgard, an assembly of floating continents including the Den of Olidammara, Jotunheim, Valiant Hall and the Plain of Ida; these float over a huge land called Muspelheim, with an subterranean realm below that's called Nidavellir. I’ll go ahead and steal from the Forgotten Realms and say that the Gnomish gods dwell on a small floating continent called “The Golden Hills,” whereat your gods come from.

Lexent: So is Garl Glittergold among my deities?

The DM: Incidentally, Nebelun is the Gnomish god of healing. Yes regarding Garl. Your pantheon is polytheistic, and you don’t pray to any single god. You give your attention to the god that is in authority over the thing you need right now.

Lexent: I'll admit to a bit of surprise that you seem to be hewing somewhat closely to anything published by 'the company'.

Pandred: I don't want to lose in the shuffle the fact that ghouls are still nearby. Are we continuing the fight or retreating? I'm still fighting fit.

Pandred: I'll be watching the corridor the ghouls came from while we decide.

Lexent: I'm at 12/26, so I could be doing better, but have some fight left in me.

The DM: I believe Lexent intends to get spells together. Do you want to do all of them, Lexent, or some of them?

Lexent: I think that Pandred is correct and we need to at least ascertain what the ghouls down the hall are doing before committing to a half hour or more to pray.

Lexent: "Pandred, If your amenable, would you take a peek around the corner and see what you can of the situation?"

Vafrandir: I am good to fight as well.

Lexent: I proceed to the corner of hallway 'f' and peer around it. What do I see?

Pandred: I'll head to the end of the corridor the ghouls emerged from with Lex and peek as well. I've been itching to get to this thing since we saw it.

Fully revealed now

Room f

The DM: I’ll assume Pandred’s wearing the infrared goggles. You don’t see much without torchlight, but there are two large black figures moving among a dim red background. There seems to be a table with chairs, and a low dais, above which is a large round shield; this is dimmer than other objects in the room, suggesting it’s made of metal. You can only see as much of the room as the short hall (about 15 feet) allows. I’ll give you some map as soon as I sketch it.

Pandred: I'll swap to shield and handaxe and approach the room for a better look.

Lexent: Yes, a shield seems wise at this point. I strap mine on.

The DM: Oops, forgot to add the black blobs. Well, presume they’re above the table.

Lexent: How large is large? Larger than humanoid?

The DM: the ghouls prior have been approximately goblin sized. These are human sized.

The DM: Refresh the page and you should see the images there now.

Lexent: I call for everyone to form up and move to 2723.

The DM: I'll need confirmation.

Lexent: Marit moves to 2725. After retrieving her axe, of course.

Vafrandir: I'll move to 2625. I suggest the sappers stay in the lower hallway until we can better see the interior of the room.

The DM: And now the whole room is visible. Those are high quality white pine chests in the upper right corner, and a rack of weapons nearest to Lexent. Can’t get into the symbols inscribed on the floor at this time, you cannot see them clearly.

Lexent: Do the ghouls seem aware of us?

The DM: They’re eying you, but they’re holding their ground.

The DM: The air in here seems a trifle ... shall we say ... revolting.

Pandred: I'll advance to 2623. Can ghouls talk? Let's find out. "We're here for Grond!"

The DM: They don’t respond.

The DM:Lexent, you’re nominated for initiative. d6.

Lexent: I roll a 1.

Round 1

The DM:Lucky you. I also roll a 1. The left hand ghoul leaps three hexes around the table, into 2623, and slashes at Lexent with both claws; it doesn’t have time to bite. Because initiative is simultaneous, no matter what happens, Lexent will be able to attack, even if I stun him.

Lexent: I return the favour. To Hit: 15 Damage: 2+1=3

The DM: Before I roll, however ... Vafrandir has a 16 dexterity; which means, Vafrandir has time to throw something before I attack Lexent. He has a +1 initiative.

Lexent: Wait, Is the ghoul in the same hex as Pandred?

The DM: Because Lexent’s THAC0 is now 19, that hits AC 4 and the damage counts. Doesn’t stun.

Vafrandir: I'll throw my club at 2623. But I only roll a 10 raw, 12 to hit; 1 raw; 2 dmg. I'll begin to draw my sword with the rest of my AP.

The DM: Oops, I read Pandred in 2624... okay, the ghoul is in 2722. Pandred can also attack.

The DM: Vafrandir’s attack, then, was on 2722, and it misses. The room is made of stone, so Vafrandir needs to roll a d6 for the club. 1-2 breaks.

Vafrandir: 5 for the club.

Pandred: HROAGH! Against 2722. Natural 20, followed by a mere 13. Crits for 5+3, 8, doubled to 16!

The DM: That stuns. AND all of it counts. AND the thing isn’t dead.

Pandred: I'll advance with my last AP to 2522.

The DM: This gives the players initiative. BUT ... As you draw in a breath following your initial adrenaline based attacks, Lexent and Pandred find the air so foul that they each have to make a saving throw. That has to happen before Pandred can move to 2522.

Lexent: To Save: 12. Not sure if I add anything.

Pandred: 18.

Lexent: I would also like to retreat to 2724 if I am not stunned.

The DM: It’s a poison save, so you both make it. You both have to expend 1 AP recovering, and from here forward if you’re within 2 hexes of a ghoul, you’re -2 to hit.

The DM: if you have the AP left.

The DM: Lexent, you pry back into your memory, when your teacher taught you the difference between ghouls and ghasts. This is one of the latter. You’re not able to turn these.

Vafrandir: We'll have to get these the old fashioned way.

Pandred: Recovery eats my last AP. No move for me.

Lexent: Takes me down to one, So I cannot move.

The DM: Technically, you would have been able to, Lexent; when Pandred stunned the creature, it was hurled back into 2822, which would mean your hex ceased to be a “melee hex”. But I hit you so it’s moot.

The DM: Now, the creature’s attacks never were made. This was simultaneous, so regardless of the party’s moves, the thing did get two attacks on Lexent. This may also stop Lexent from “falling back” to 2724. Lexent, I believe with the end of the last combat, your protection from malevolence ran out. I roll a 5 and a 15 to hit; the latter hits for 3 damage. That stuns you back into 2724 and I will need a saving throw against paralysation.

Lexent: To Save: 5+3=8

The DM: no moves; working.