Foul Portents

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr
HP 10/10
Ac 16
Passive percep 15
Move 35*

Ali knew a lost cause when he saw one.   Maybe we can still keeping the scouts from reporting our numbers and activities he thought, sneaking to19-U. The smoke and crackling of the fire would cover his advance quite well I think.  Advantage for stealth?

Roll 8 or 18

18+7=25 stealth if advantage (15 if not)

He should have a shot (also advantaged) from the edge of the cluster of brush here.

Roll 1 or 14

14+5=19 if advantaged.  Epic fail if not.

Dmg= 2+3+5=10

navyik wrote:Ali Abbas Uz Amirr
HP 10/10
Ac 16
Passive percep 15
Move 35*

Ali knew a lost cause when he saw one.   Maybe we can still keeping the scouts from reporting our numbers and activities he thought, sneaking to19-U. The smoke and crackling of the fire would cover his advance quite well I think.  Advantage for stealth?

Roll 8 or 18

18+7=25 stealth if advantage (15 if not)

He should have a shot (also advantaged) from the edge of the cluster of brush here.

Roll 1 or 14

14+5=19 if advantaged.  Epic fail if not.

Dmg= 2+3+5=10

I am giving you a chance to reconsider your action because Ali would clearly see the lack of potential concealment in the smoke. Consider this your "free pass". Everybody gets one.


There is no advantage granted from the smoke - as the fire and smoke currently appears to "sputter and puff as the fire seeks a foothold...". It is not coming out in volume because the woodpile has not completely caught fire.

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr
HP 10/10
Ac 16
Passive percep 15
Move 35*


The brush is there for cover too, but if the fire is not really catching yet:

Ali takes a whiz on the fire?  "Hey you guys, kill the hyena and bringing your pee pee!". He dumps his water skin on the fire too.

Ali douses the base of the woodpile where the flames are gaining traction - it extinguishes a fair amount of the flames!

---

Ronan is up
Tungo on Deck
Map is current

Been waiting on Bronson for over a day, so Tungo will go ahead.

Double move up to 0-17. He crouches for cover in the nook of boulders there.

Ronan
AC: 16
HP: 5/10
Move: 35*
Perception: 13

Hearing the other's yell fire and seeing smoke rise up in the northeast, Ronan moves south toward the stream, ending on L-5.
He uses his Shape Water ability to form a large sphere of water out of the stream. It now hover's in the air before him.

DM: I'm a little unsure how the Shape Water spell works exactly. I think the intent is to allow the caster to telekinetically move water around and change its basic appearance, but the book tries to explain this using several specifics rather than an overall intent. What I'm trying to do is move the water over to the woodpile on X-18. I understand if this will take several rounds before Ronan gets there.

great idea, Bronson!

Vozz notices that 2 of his companions are actively working on the fire problem, which leaves him and Tungo to handle the gnoll.  Vozz does a quick calculus in his head and decides he doesn't quite agree with the logic there, but such is his fate today, as forecast in the stars.

Vozz will move due north 25ft to Q-14, where he sees the gnollish raider.  Vozz will hurl a Firebolt (now that he is away from the flamable wood pile) at him and then retreat back 10ft to the south to Q-12, hopefully finding some cover behind that large rock.

attack roll

Roll(1d20)+5:
8,+5
Total:13

if that hits, damage
Roll(1d10)+0:
7,+0
Total:7



I just copied the map into PP to show the LoS from Q-14





F ir e B o l t
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
You hurl a mote o f fire at a creature or object within
range. Make a ranged spell attack against the
target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 fire damage. A
flammable object hit by this spell ignites if it isn't being
worn or carried.
This spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach
5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

If that doesn't work, let me know and I will do something else. But I think that works in 5e, right?

MrBrownstone75 wrote:Ronan
AC: 16
HP: 5/10
Move: 35*
Perception: 13

Hearing the other's yell fire and seeing smoke rise up in the northeast, Ronan moves south toward the stream, ending on L-5.
He uses his Shape Water ability to form a large sphere of water out of the stream. It now hover's in the air before him.

DM: I'm a little unsure how the Shape Water spell works exactly. I think the intent is to allow the caster to telekinetically move water around and change its basic appearance, but the book tries to explain this using several specifics rather than an overall intent. What I'm trying to do is move the water over to the woodpile on X-18. I understand if this will take several rounds before Ronan gets there.

So - the spell description looks pretty straight forward. On that note - please copy/paste spell or ability descriptions into your post so I don't have to hunt them down. Much appreciated!

Did you see that the spell has range? Knowing your intent to grab water and head for the fire, I roll with it.

Shape Water
Transmutation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous or 1 hour (see below)
You choose an area of water that you can see within
range and that fits within a 5-foot cube. You manipulate
it in one of the following ways:
• You instantaneously move or otherwise change the
flow of the water as you direct, up to 5 feet in any
direction. This movement doesn’t have enough force
to cause damage.
• You cause the water to form into simple shapes
and animate at your direction. This change
lasts for 1 hour.
• You change the water’s color or opacity. The water
must be changed in the same way throughout. This
change lasts for 1 hour.
• You freeze the water, provided that there are no creatures
in it. The water unfreezes in 1 hour.
If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have no
more than two of its non-instantaneous effects active at
a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.

---

As the Gnoll he was facing drops dead, Ronan is unexpectedly struck with a vision of the Great Web. Pulsing lines of sizzling electric energy vibrate between each and every living and natural thing in sight. Leaves, stones, his companions, the fire, himself....the stream!

Without thinking he reaches out and simply - connects himself to the water. Lifts it from a distance, and begins to slide it from node to node along the Great Web with him as he moves towards the fire.

Map update on the way, currently processing Vozz's action.

Tungo remembers the lessons of his teacher well, and is careful to get caught out in an open space any longer than he must. He sprints across the open space to find shelter from the archer.

Vozz darts forward an launches a fiery blast at the Gnoll, but is in such a rush that shot goes wide and scorches the nearby boulder instead. He quickly moves back under cover.

Map is updated.

Round 4 ends, round 5 tomorrow.

The Gnoll knocks another arrow and scans the area before him, waiting for targets.
"COWARDS!" he barks, and laughs like a Hyena.

The fire spreads to a second quadrant of the woodpile, the smoke growing into a more consistent haze...

---

Ali is up
Ronan on deck
Tungo on second deck
Vozz cleaning up

Map is current

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr
HP 10/10
Ac 16
Passive percep 15
Move 35*


Ali Abbas Uz Amirr drops his bow and doesn't waste time putting his wang away, (that would be a full round action).    Holding his breath, he steps into the wet area and begins to kick at the wood pile, scattering the wood at the edge of the flames.  He may also pick up a longer log to use as a poker to knock logs out of the fire.

Ronan
AC: 16
HP: 5/10
Move: 35*
Perception: 13

Ronan keeps moving the sphere of water nearer to the fire in the woodpile. He ends his movement on V-12 which should be 30 ft away from the fire - just within range of his water sphere. He lowers the water onto the fire, saturating the wood in the process.

Ali grabs a loose log, inserts into a likely spot in the woodpile and throws his weight against the lever, just as Ronan's huge cube of water drops like a massive deluge onto the flames.

CRASH!

The pile shifts, tilts, and a side collapses!
(Collapsed wood area is difficult terrain)

HISSSSSSS!

A tremendous gout of steam rushes into the air as the fire is extinguished!

Tungo is up.
Vozz on deck.  

Bravo to the thief and druid!

Need some clarity from DM:

Looks like Tungo can close the gap to Gnoll 2 using his available movement (35')? If he could, then he will want to draw his great axe during his turn and make an attack. Trying to reach S-20 or T-20, or any square he can engage the gnoll.

Now it seems to me that 5e allows for swapping weapons as a free action, but I wanted to hear from the GM about it. Rather than stow his last javelin, Tungo could potentially drop it, which is certainly "actionless", then draw his great axe. But he would rather just stow the javelin.

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr is briefly proud of his urinary accomplishment until the druid's little squall diminishes it. Never has he ever felt so... small...

At last, the circle is complete:
http://cubicle7.co.uk/ogl-omg-adventures-in-middle-earth-coming-soon/

Finally an officially-supported hybrid of D&D and Middle Earth.

And if we never play a game during the 3rd Age, it will be great to mine for additional crunch in 5e games.

Robyo wrote:Need some clarity from DM:

Looks like Tungo can close the gap to Gnoll 2 using his available movement (35')? If he could, then he will want to draw his great axe during his turn and make an attack. Trying to reach S-20 or T-20, or any square he can engage the gnoll.

Now it seems to me that 5e allows for swapping weapons as a free action, but I wanted to hear from the GM about it. Rather than stow his last javelin, Tungo could potentially drop it, which is certainly "actionless", then draw his great axe. But he would rather just stow the javelin.

Swap weapons is free, go for it!

navyik wrote:Ali Abbas Uz Amirr is briefly proud of his urinary accomplishment until the druid's little squall diminishes it. Never has he ever felt so... small...

A wise man once said "Never get into a pissing match with a water druid!"

MrBrownstone75 wrote:

navyik wrote:Ali Abbas Uz Amirr is briefly proud of his urinary accomplishment until the druid's little squall diminishes it. Never has he ever felt so... small...

A wise man once said "Never get into a pissing match with a water druid!"

Tungo
AC: 15 unarmored / 17 with shield: metal
HP: 15/15
Pass Perc: 12
Move: 35*
Initiative: 7 (DEX 14)


Unconcerned about the smoke, fire, and steam rising up behind the  boulders array, Tungo closes in on his prey. Within his one-track mind, memories arise of the gnoll marauders who ambushed his clients' party in the mountains a short time ago. All of the party were butchered except Tungo, who managed to escape only by tumbling off a cliff and into an icy mountain river. He'd been promised a bag of silver coins to escort the merchants through the rugged gap, but the gnolls had attacked and Tungo never received his fee. Now a pauper, and full of rage, he had wandered for a time until connecting with his recent companions. While their djinn blood was suspicious, Tungo found them quite skilled and interesting company. But all the while, a rage seethed inside him, as he waited to exact his revenge upon the ignoble dog folk.

It was time for some payback!

35 feet of movement brings Tungo up to S-20. There's no rules against attacking diagonally on the grid. The barbarian hews at the gnoll with his great axe.
Attk: 17 + 5 = 22
Dmg; 8 + 3 = 11

(man, it feels good to roll a d12 damage die )





<---- Tungo's stats also listed here

MrBrownstone75 wrote:

A wise man once said "Never get into a pissing match with a water druid!"

Vozz will await the results of Tungo's turn.

However, I am taking the boys camping tonight. So if the gnoll is still alive, Vozz would pop out, cast another Firebolt and retreat back into cover. If the gnoll is dead, he will stay in hiding until he is sure combat is over.

Firebolt attack
Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +5" :

14 + 5 = 19

damage, if that hits
Result of the throw of dice "1d10" :

2

Tungo races forward and uses his momentum to swing his axe high overhead. He crashes into the Gnoll like an avalanche and cleaves it in two!

The clearing is suddenly quiet, save for the sound of the steaming coals the gurgling stream.

Combat is over, initiative drops. Actions on site can continue.

I'll fill in a bit more of the prelude "Spinning into Alignment" thread over the weekend and we'll flashback into the roleplay portion of that story. Then you guys will actually know what the hell is going on!

Awesome!  And I'm digging the mysterious/developing story line. I think our party made a decent splash on this first encounter.

XP, ch-ching!

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr puts his wang away and picks up his bow. He will make a general search of the area before searching the gnolls.

Was there a campsite here for the sentries? Also, how much steam was in the air? Enough to raise questions?

I can start a loot thread if there are no objections.

interesting story so far
good team work


anybody know who this is? I got an email from the forum





Hello,

The account owned by "ileynclaeb" has been deactivated or newly created, you should check the details of this user (if required) and activate it using the following link:


Click here


--
Smoke and Thunder Gaming

Chris wrote:

anybody know who this is?  I got an email from the forum



Hello,

The account owned by "ileynclaeb" has been deactivated or newly created, you should check the details of this user (if required) and activate it using the following link:


Click here


--
Smoke and Thunder Gaming

I got one too. Looks shady to me...

I just cleaned house and deleted 10-11 user accounts. None of them had ever made a post, so they just registered and were lurking around. A couple were friends of mine here who registered but never played. I didn't recognize the rest.

I left Mike Dillion and Josh in case they ever return.

MAS_ALT is Matt on an old email address, but also has never posted.

navyik wrote:Ali Abbas Uz Amirr puts his wang away and picks up his bow.  He will make a general search of the area before searching the gnolls.

 Was there a campsite here for the sentries?  Also, how much steam was in the air?  Enough to raise questions?

I can start a loot thread if there are no objections.

Tungo searches the dead gnolls and retrieves his javelins. He then assists Ali with searching the area.

Young Vozz tries to calm his rapid breathing. He looks about, not actually sure what he should be doing.

"Uh... is everyone ok?"

Chris wrote:Young Vozz tries to calm his rapid breathing.  He looks about, not actually sure what he should be doing.

"Uh... is everyone ok?"

"Ha ha ha,, I am thinking we are all being okayee", a soaking wet Ali Abbas Uz Amirr chuckles. He stops to pinch his nose and blow like he is equalizing his ears. This causes his clothes and hair to flap in a sudden wind. He is quickly dry as he is actually full of hot air.

I would delete that email without clicking links, sounds shady!

Thanks for scrubbing the email list Chris.

Glad you are guys are enjoying things so far. I am trying to get cat caught up on backstory so we can roleplay the portion of the that where you meet and get on your way.

---

To the best of everyone's impression, the burst of steam from when the fire was quenched did not appear to be of enough volume to attract attention.

Tungo and Ali each recover half of the missiles they used, rounded up.

A casual search of the area reveals =

Two filthy bedrolls laid out in a small wedge of dense, tangled brush. A hunk of rotting, fly-ridden meat of indeterminate origin, and a small pile of bones, guts, and various animal remains.

Near the woodpile. Flint and steel, and an empty oil flask.

On each Gnoll =

Blue and Black Kilt. Leather belt, pouches X4, hide armor, shield, spear, long bow, 6 arrows, Triangular bronze pendant (see picture below), a total of 34 finger bones boiled clean and carved with various symbols.

Questions?

Vozz gags back a bit of vomit that came up to his mouth at the smell of the rotten meat.

He is curious about the carvings on the finger bones, but hesitant about his place as a boy among men, "Would it be ok.... I mean, if you don't all mind..... Maybe I could take a look, er, uh, examine the runes on the metacarpals?"

Oooo! I've always wanted a hunk of rotting, fly-ridden meat of indeterminate origin.

:-&

Tungo is unhappy to lose 2 javelins in the first fight, but quite pleased to take the dead gnoll's possessions.

He hopes no one saw him break a javelin in the opening salvo. Tungo thinks he must appear strong and worthy in the eyes of his companions or surely they will stone him for his weakness.

Tungo takes the gnoll's blue and black Kilt, leather belt, pouches X4, spear, long bow, 6 arrows and a triangular bronze pendant. He leaves the hide armor and shield. Armor's pectorals offer more protection than the dog folks' ragged hides. He puts on the kilt, and grins at his new look.

"Tungo say the party his bestest friends in the whole dome! Tungo asks, bestest friends hungry? Tungo hunt and kill rabbits for his bestest friends. Then party eat dinner and have full bellies for more fighting with the dogfolk. Tungo and friends be great warriors!" He pounds his chest to accentuate his poor grammer.

He hands Vozz some additional metacarpals. "You figger out? Maybe these dogfolk trophies?"

Robyo wrote:

He hands Vozz some additional metacarpals. "You figger out? Maybe these dogfolk trophies?"

Vozz laughs, "Finger them out, haha....."  (crickets)

Vozz feels awkward at the silence and focuses on the finger bones.  "Ah, this mark here looks like the Constellation Canus Majoris....."

The symbols on the finger bones are crudely etched. 12 bones are covered in axes, 15 feature skulls, and 7 show what appear to be some sort of crown.

Any further questions or more in-depth investigations of the items?

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr is accustomed to crews who divide spoils in an organized manner. He understands that the Goliath appears to be from a culture that spoils their kills individually. He is not that concerned about it yet. It is just a few things that will clearly be useful in Tungo's hands. Maybe that is all it is. He will wait and see.

If real treasure gets handled this way, Ali Abbas Uz Amirr will get very creative. With his skills, individual spoils will suit him very well... if the big fella wants to keep it that way...

"Is okay if I take this other bow? Maybe is good thing if Ali Abbas Uz Amirr learning to use bigger bow? He also takes the arrows without mentioning them, just to see if anyone calls him on it...

"Looks like maybe a game of chance," Ali says indicating the finger bones. "These are scouts; not good ones, but not astrologers." Then he points to one of the pendants, "I think they make their own gods."

Loot thread updated.

navyik wrote:"Is okay if I take this other bow? Maybe is good thing if Ali Abbas Uz Amirr learning to use bigger bow?  He also takes the arrows without mentioning them, just to see if anyone calls him on it...

Tungo looks up grinning at the thief-er-opportunist  of the party known as Ali. The goliath barbarian is hunched over a freshly killed gnoll corpse roughly twisting on it's neck. "Tungo say it okay Friend Ali, you take what you need. You make kill? You claim it as your trophy." He punctuates his words with another quick jerk of the corpse as the gnoll's head comes off, blood spattering across Tungo's chin. "See?" he asks holding the gnoll head high for all to see. "This Tungo's first trophy of the mission. First of many!" He chuckles. Then he hangs the head at his belt, adorning his new kilt.

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr is only a little put off by Tungo's display of barbarism. He has seen worse, and Genasai civilization didn't refine over night. Is too soon to judge character, he thinks. At least I expect he will be loyal and he will share.

Robyo wrote:He punctuates his words with another quick jerk of the corpse as the gnoll's head comes off, blood spattering across Tungo's chin. "See?" he asks holding the gnoll head high for all to see. "This Tungo's first trophy of the mission. First of many!" He chuckles. Then he hangs the head at his belt, adorning his new kilt.

Vozz stumbles backwards in horror. The finger bones scatter all over the ground when he lands. "uh... I think we are done here, right? I gotta get back to my star charts..... the druid needs my report.... uh....."

Vozz takes off running in fear. He has never witnessed anything like that, nor does he ever wish to again. If he has any sense of direction back to his tower, he will head that way, but mostly he is just determined to get away from the savage brute who now seems worse than the gnolls. Vozz wonders if he is on the right side.

Vozz does not move quietly or carefully. He is stumbling and crashing through the underbrush at his top speed, puking on the run whenever possible.

As Vozz scrambles away, he suddenly feels a gong-like reverberation in a pouch at his belt as he passes the corpse of the Gnollish scout. Through the haze of his panic, he remembers the Seerstone given to him and Ronan by the Tower elders...

It only takes another 100ft or so before Vozz's curiosity gets the best of him. He will stop, breathing hard, to see if the beheading brute is chasing him. Satisfied that he is safe, at least for a moment, he will take out the Seerstone and examine it. "that's odd, it's like it was trying to tell me something when I passed the gnollish corpse" he thinks to himself.

Ali Abbas Uz Amirr quickly catches up with Vozz. "Hey buddy, you forgot your knuckle bones, " he says with a mischievous grin. It is hard not to be amused by naivety.

"C'mon back to the group, ay? The dogmen do worse to us than the giant do to them if they catch us out here." like what they did to my parents, Ali muses. He wonders whether he would be some kind of nobleman or merchant if things had turned out differently. But he always plays the hand he has... plus the ace he keeps up his sleeve...

Vozz looks about as if just realizing that he ran away from his protection and is out in the open in enemy territory. "Thanks for following me. I don't know what I was thinking... but that Goliath! He just.... I mean he... did you see what he did??"

Vozz will go back to the group with Ali. Vozz trusts Ali in his gut, though his mind tells him not to.

Tungo is now standing on a boulder in a sunny spot. He has secured a spear, wedged in between a gap in the rocks so the blade points to the sky. He sees Vozz and Ali return from the brush and hails them:

"Oy, Friend Vozz! You took off running there quick. Did you see something strange?" Then he thrusts the decapitated gnoll head onto the spear. "A reminder for the dirty dog folk! Har-har!"

Ali steps quickly between Vozz and the view of the Giant's new signage. "Is... Cultural diversity..." Ali says to Vozz, a little unsure in his own right. "We get used to it; just be glad he's on our side."

Then to Tungo, "He is young... new to war. Raised to be smart, but not yet... blooded."

Back to Vozz, but including all, "so what we do now? We find how many dog men? Where they came from?"

navyik wrote:Ali steps quickly between Vozz and the view of the Giant's new signage.  "Is... Cultural diversity..." Ali says to Vozz, a little unsure in his own right.  "We get used to it; just be glad he's on our side."

Vozz is trying not to look past Ali at Carpathian display, but he can't help himself.  It's like looking at a cart wreck in the market place.  You know its wrong to stare, but you are just glad that it wasn't you.

Vozz is still uncomfortable with all that has happened.  He tries to pay attention to Ali and Ronan, but the gnollish head keeps staring at him.  Not sure of what else to say, Vozz attempts some humor, mostly for his own benefit, "What name do you call a gnoll hanging on a spear?"  Without waiting for a reply, "Art!"  Vozz laughs feebly at his own joke.

Tungo is happy that Vozz appreciates his spearhead warning sign. Even more so, the young lad remarked about it's artistic value (since the jokey aspect of Vozz's comment sailed right over Tungo's head). No one has ever given Tungo a compliment about his creative achievements. Once, he had taken many days to sculpt a mud replica of his beloved Goopta, but she only laughed when she saw it.

Recently, the barbarian acquired a wooden flute. He had traded one of his yeti claw trophies for it to a Plainsman. Tungo practices his pan flute often, usually during down time and rest stops. He had hoped to get some critiques on his playing by now, but whenever he's finishes a piece of music, no one is around to ask.

"Tungo say he not know where dog men come from. He search for clues. Maybe Ronan or others can help too."
Tungo checks the area for any clues, especially tracks.