Morning, Saturday, May 7, 1650. Weather, cool, suggestive of summer coming at last. Moderate breeze, virtually cloudless and blue skies. The moon is a waxing crescent, one day from the first quarter.
Come the morning, the party awakes in a third floor lodging room overlooking the harbor, that is part of the Stavanger Loans Office, overseen by Zacharias Malberg. The beds are made of feather, the furniture is well stuffed and there are boiled goose-eggs, fish oatmeal porridge and boiled rhurbarb stems that are brought in for you to dine upon, as soon as the staff learns of your being awake.
Now, as you dine, please discuss your plans.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Monday, February 19, 2018
Brought Back to Stavanger
The journey back to Stavanger by boat takes a few hours. I should take a moment and explain that the ship that found you is little more than a two-masted schooner, not more than 10 tons, with a crew of four. Between the crew, the official, the cleric Magnus, the mage, and the seven members of the party, the ship is fairly crowded, and the journey back is somewhat uncomfortable. But wonderful compared to those few hours when the party thought they were lost.
You will arrive in Stavanger just before noon. As you come to the dock, you're met by a dozen gentlemen, many that the party will recognize as important members of the town, aldermen and such. These men are gathered, you now find out, because the mage was able to shoot a message spell some miles out, to say they had found the party and were on their way back.
The spokesman and Alderman, Sigurd Trevvaldson, speaks to the party and the crew; thanking the crew, thanking the party. "We would ask, if you could, to wait here on the dock for some bit of time. We have made some space at a workshop at the top of the pier ... if you would please consent to wait there, until we can have things organized ...
"See, the Prince and Ordforer have just returned themselves ... and we understand there is to be some sort of ceremony and celebration. In which, we were hoping, humbly, that you seven would take a part. May I know all your names, and how you relate to one another, in order that when the presentation occurs, we are all well-informed?"
If the party consents, a scribe will copy the names of the party, and learn that Bergthora, Willa and Fjall are in your employ. That is, if you wish to them to know this information.
Do you consent to wait?
You will arrive in Stavanger just before noon. As you come to the dock, you're met by a dozen gentlemen, many that the party will recognize as important members of the town, aldermen and such. These men are gathered, you now find out, because the mage was able to shoot a message spell some miles out, to say they had found the party and were on their way back.
The spokesman and Alderman, Sigurd Trevvaldson, speaks to the party and the crew; thanking the crew, thanking the party. "We would ask, if you could, to wait here on the dock for some bit of time. We have made some space at a workshop at the top of the pier ... if you would please consent to wait there, until we can have things organized ...
"See, the Prince and Ordforer have just returned themselves ... and we understand there is to be some sort of ceremony and celebration. In which, we were hoping, humbly, that you seven would take a part. May I know all your names, and how you relate to one another, in order that when the presentation occurs, we are all well-informed?"
If the party consents, a scribe will copy the names of the party, and learn that Bergthora, Willa and Fjall are in your employ. That is, if you wish to them to know this information.
Do you consent to wait?
Thursday, February 15, 2018
How It Happened
Not long after the party left Captain Hagen near Store Stokka (remember him?), a combined entourage of 950 men, from the Prince of Sweden and the Ordforer (mayor) of Stavanger. This group had very little time to settle in and fortify, when they were hit by hundreds of froglings, the same wave that the party hid from, as they rushed past.
That battle went on for about an hour. It occurred while the party was fighting the froglings in the forest, and ended as the party reached the edge of the burnt out area.
The Swedes and Norwegians were unable to move as fast as the froglings; and though they knew about where they were going, there was no certainty about how many more froglings there might be or what fortifications there were. So the forces held back and began to gather information.
Captain Hagen informed the war council about your party scouting ahead towards the enemy. He could not remember your names, but he did remember that Engelhart was a cleric. After some communication with other clerics from Stavanger, Engelhart's description was recognized and your name known.
At that point the Prince produced a stone figurine from his pouch; this was a bloodhound that could track any person who was known by name and by face. The figurine was passed to Captain Hagen, who then led a company along your trail.
They encountered the slaughter at the pathway; your names were passed from person to person and news was sent back that you had lived through this battle and gone on, straight towards the burnt out area. No one knew how you had survived the wave of the froglings.
They reached the clearing and had a short skirmish there with several froglings who had survived from the battle. Then your trail led to the storeroom, above the water room. By that time, you had killed the dog-headed beast and had gotten aboard the boat.
However, the whole army was called to the clearing and within an hour the Swedes and Norwegians poured into the lair, following your trail. This was a backdoor into the frogling lair. They found the kitchenware, they found the dead giant frog. They dispelled the wizard lock on the kitchen door, then began to slaughter the surprised froglings.
Meanwhile, they found the dog-headed beast you killed. They assumed you had done the whole job, and that it was you that had killed all the froglings in the kitchen. But your trail led down to the water, where the bloodhound could not follow.
A cleric was summoned for augury. Did they swim? Was there a boat? Yes there was. Were you safe? The answer came back that you were not. A mage was summoned, who sent a crow familiar down the passage. The crow did not find you.
Much discussion followed. The frogling lair, being cleared out, took the attention of the Ordforer, but the Prince was intrigued. It was guessed that you would drift out to sea; immediately a runner was sent to where horses were waiting. Horses rushed with orders to Stavanger. A boat in Stavanger, at midnight, put to sea with a mage, a cleric who knew Engelhart (His name is Magnus Hafnson) and an officer. The boat made 7 to 8 knots in the dark, but the pilot knew the waters excellently; they guessed where you might be if you were under sail and did not find you. They guessed where you might be if you had oars and did not find you. By then, Magnus had no means left to find you. The pilot reached where you would drift if you had no means of managing a boat. The mage cast pyrotechnics ~ which you saw. And that is how you were rescued.
You're the reason the froglings were found and destroyed.
You're heroes.
That battle went on for about an hour. It occurred while the party was fighting the froglings in the forest, and ended as the party reached the edge of the burnt out area.
The Swedes and Norwegians were unable to move as fast as the froglings; and though they knew about where they were going, there was no certainty about how many more froglings there might be or what fortifications there were. So the forces held back and began to gather information.
Captain Hagen informed the war council about your party scouting ahead towards the enemy. He could not remember your names, but he did remember that Engelhart was a cleric. After some communication with other clerics from Stavanger, Engelhart's description was recognized and your name known.
At that point the Prince produced a stone figurine from his pouch; this was a bloodhound that could track any person who was known by name and by face. The figurine was passed to Captain Hagen, who then led a company along your trail.
They encountered the slaughter at the pathway; your names were passed from person to person and news was sent back that you had lived through this battle and gone on, straight towards the burnt out area. No one knew how you had survived the wave of the froglings.
They reached the clearing and had a short skirmish there with several froglings who had survived from the battle. Then your trail led to the storeroom, above the water room. By that time, you had killed the dog-headed beast and had gotten aboard the boat.
However, the whole army was called to the clearing and within an hour the Swedes and Norwegians poured into the lair, following your trail. This was a backdoor into the frogling lair. They found the kitchenware, they found the dead giant frog. They dispelled the wizard lock on the kitchen door, then began to slaughter the surprised froglings.
Meanwhile, they found the dog-headed beast you killed. They assumed you had done the whole job, and that it was you that had killed all the froglings in the kitchen. But your trail led down to the water, where the bloodhound could not follow.
A cleric was summoned for augury. Did they swim? Was there a boat? Yes there was. Were you safe? The answer came back that you were not. A mage was summoned, who sent a crow familiar down the passage. The crow did not find you.
Much discussion followed. The frogling lair, being cleared out, took the attention of the Ordforer, but the Prince was intrigued. It was guessed that you would drift out to sea; immediately a runner was sent to where horses were waiting. Horses rushed with orders to Stavanger. A boat in Stavanger, at midnight, put to sea with a mage, a cleric who knew Engelhart (His name is Magnus Hafnson) and an officer. The boat made 7 to 8 knots in the dark, but the pilot knew the waters excellently; they guessed where you might be if you were under sail and did not find you. They guessed where you might be if you had oars and did not find you. By then, Magnus had no means left to find you. The pilot reached where you would drift if you had no means of managing a boat. The mage cast pyrotechnics ~ which you saw. And that is how you were rescued.
You're the reason the froglings were found and destroyed.
You're heroes.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Midnight, Somewhere off Rogaland's Coast
Just past midnight, Friday, May 6, 1650. Weather, brisk. Moderate breeze, cloudy skies, no rain. The moon is a waxing crescent, two days from the first quarter.
As Engelhart awakes, everyone on board is down 10% of their stats. All those who are in the negatives, including Fjall, drop a point of damage as well ~ this is very hard on Fjall, who doesn't have the strength or discipline of the leveled characters. In effect, physically, he's suddenly dropped to what would be, for the player characters, minus 6.67.
Everyone should make a constitution check at this time to see if they are down another 5%. This includes the unconscious characters. I've rolled for Fjall already; his stats are minus 72%.
The shore is a dim shadow, anywhere from 2 to 4 miles away. Engelhart, even if he fails his constitution check, is well above the 12 wisdom that makes spell failure possible. He can patiently pray until his spells are returned to him.
You can dispense the food around; most things I've read about starvation suggest you can string yourselves along with as little as 3 ounces of food a day. 6 lbs is 72 ounces; you can't really feed the unconscious, so the four of you who are conscious can eat 12 oz. on the 5th, after settling in the boat, and save the rest until noon to afternoon tomorrow.
Engelhart's move, I believe.
As Engelhart awakes, everyone on board is down 10% of their stats. All those who are in the negatives, including Fjall, drop a point of damage as well ~ this is very hard on Fjall, who doesn't have the strength or discipline of the leveled characters. In effect, physically, he's suddenly dropped to what would be, for the player characters, minus 6.67.
Everyone should make a constitution check at this time to see if they are down another 5%. This includes the unconscious characters. I've rolled for Fjall already; his stats are minus 72%.
The shore is a dim shadow, anywhere from 2 to 4 miles away. Engelhart, even if he fails his constitution check, is well above the 12 wisdom that makes spell failure possible. He can patiently pray until his spells are returned to him.
You can dispense the food around; most things I've read about starvation suggest you can string yourselves along with as little as 3 ounces of food a day. 6 lbs is 72 ounces; you can't really feed the unconscious, so the four of you who are conscious can eat 12 oz. on the 5th, after settling in the boat, and save the rest until noon to afternoon tomorrow.
Engelhart's move, I believe.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
The River Tunnel
The journey through the darkness is unnerving. After the boat hits the first rock in the river, Engelhart realizes he will need to move to the prow, with the lantern, and hopefully call the rowers to move the boat to the port or starboard. The boat is, thankfully, responsive, and thankfully Lothar is conscious and has good instincts.
Still, from time to time, it is impossible to keep from striking a wall on either side of the passage. The boat takes these hits fairly well, but the for the injured, every jar is a seizure of pain where they have been recently wounded.
The river goes on, and on, for well past an hour. Time begins to lose meaning. Engelhart, however, grows more and more sure that he can smell salt water.
Without warning, the boat is seized by a current. There is no warning, no sound of rapids ahead ... but soon after, the make-shift oars are nearly ripped from the hands of Lothar and (most likely) Willa. The boat swings around, moving faster and faster. It flies towards a wall, but just before it hits a new current grabs it, pulling the boat sharply to the right. Then again, the boat turns, and is pulled to the right, now inches from the opposite wall.
And so it goes for seven heart-stopping rounds ... and then, again without warning, the river slows. The boat steadies and the speed of the current settles.
"Is that a light?" calls Willa, pulling Lothar's attention from his oar, and Engelhart's concern from the unconscious wounded. "Quick, Father, douse your lantern."
Still, from time to time, it is impossible to keep from striking a wall on either side of the passage. The boat takes these hits fairly well, but the for the injured, every jar is a seizure of pain where they have been recently wounded.
The river goes on, and on, for well past an hour. Time begins to lose meaning. Engelhart, however, grows more and more sure that he can smell salt water.
Without warning, the boat is seized by a current. There is no warning, no sound of rapids ahead ... but soon after, the make-shift oars are nearly ripped from the hands of Lothar and (most likely) Willa. The boat swings around, moving faster and faster. It flies towards a wall, but just before it hits a new current grabs it, pulling the boat sharply to the right. Then again, the boat turns, and is pulled to the right, now inches from the opposite wall.
And so it goes for seven heart-stopping rounds ... and then, again without warning, the river slows. The boat steadies and the speed of the current settles.
"Is that a light?" calls Willa, pulling Lothar's attention from his oar, and Engelhart's concern from the unconscious wounded. "Quick, Father, douse your lantern."
Thursday, February 8, 2018
News from the Surface
Before hearing the sounds of the fight, and seeing the absence of players in the kitchen, so that she came down the stairs to see you kill the beast, Willa was coming to tell you something important.
The froglings are returning. They are coming back in groups of three to five; they seem to be hurt and wounded, as if they had lost the battle. However, Willa has counted fifty of them ... in steady groups. It is only a matter of time before some of them start coming into the water room.
She did not know what to do. She left the materials upstairs, not wishing to have anything in her hands when she came across the bridge again. But she felt that the party should know.
The froglings are returning. They are coming back in groups of three to five; they seem to be hurt and wounded, as if they had lost the battle. However, Willa has counted fifty of them ... in steady groups. It is only a matter of time before some of them start coming into the water room.
She did not know what to do. She left the materials upstairs, not wishing to have anything in her hands when she came across the bridge again. But she felt that the party should know.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Round 11 ~ Maybe They'll Live?
The beast has no moves. It is completely stunned.
Embla, Lothar and Engelhart all bleed 1 damage this round from open wounds.
Fjall, who is at -1, and the only person not bleeding, will move over to Embla with the intention of binding her wounds before she dies. He'll run along the gaps between the wooden debris to get to her.
Bergthora finishes loading the crossbow.
Engelhart and Lothar can act as they will; they are both at 1 hit point.
Willa appears on the steps behind Bergthora and drags out her bow.
Kennel Round 10 ~ Mayday, Mayday! Party Down, Party Down!
Only Engelhart is subject to possible incidental damage and he doesn't receive any.
Embla bleeds 1 point of damage. This puts her at -4. To keep going and remain conscious, she must master her willpower: for that, I need her to roll a wisdom check. A d20, please.
Lothar also bleeds 1 point of damage. He's sitting at 2 hit points.
I attack Engelhart with bite first, rolling a 7. This hits AC 6, and misses. I roll a natural 20 with the claw, however (good thing that wasn't the bite!). The subsequent roll for the crit is an 18, so it is just double damage.
d8: Engelhart takes 12 points of damage. This puts the cleric at 2 hit points as well, and very definitely stunned. He will sag against the wall behind him.
The beast will turn and take a step towards Fjall and Bergthora, swinging wildly at Fjall; this amounts to 1 point of incidental damage, stunning Fjall again.
[Forgive the note, but one of the things I love about incidental damage is that it gives big creatures the power to rampage]
Lothar is not stunned by bleeding, so he can act. I will need that check from Embla. Bergthora will glance fearfully at Lothar, hoping he will dive in so she can finish loading the crossbow (it is fairly clear from her actions and look that this is what she means).
The position after the player's move will show on the next post.
Experience thus far equals:
Postscript:
[A word about CLO and combat burnout from overheating. It is just too troubled a metric at the moment to calculate this, even though I could easily waste a day for us to figure it out. So please consider the rule shelved until such time as I can build a proper generator for it, one in which everyone's CLO is instantly calculated against ambient heat, time spent fighting and individual resistance against exhaustion. It is still an intended feature, however ... but you are all spared from it at this time]
Embla bleeds 1 point of damage. This puts her at -4. To keep going and remain conscious, she must master her willpower: for that, I need her to roll a wisdom check. A d20, please.
Lothar also bleeds 1 point of damage. He's sitting at 2 hit points.
I attack Engelhart with bite first, rolling a 7. This hits AC 6, and misses. I roll a natural 20 with the claw, however (good thing that wasn't the bite!). The subsequent roll for the crit is an 18, so it is just double damage.
d8: Engelhart takes 12 points of damage. This puts the cleric at 2 hit points as well, and very definitely stunned. He will sag against the wall behind him.
The beast will turn and take a step towards Fjall and Bergthora, swinging wildly at Fjall; this amounts to 1 point of incidental damage, stunning Fjall again.
[Forgive the note, but one of the things I love about incidental damage is that it gives big creatures the power to rampage]
Lothar is not stunned by bleeding, so he can act. I will need that check from Embla. Bergthora will glance fearfully at Lothar, hoping he will dive in so she can finish loading the crossbow (it is fairly clear from her actions and look that this is what she means).
The position after the player's move will show on the next post.
Experience thus far equals:
Postscript:
[A word about CLO and combat burnout from overheating. It is just too troubled a metric at the moment to calculate this, even though I could easily waste a day for us to figure it out. So please consider the rule shelved until such time as I can build a proper generator for it, one in which everyone's CLO is instantly calculated against ambient heat, time spent fighting and individual resistance against exhaustion. It is still an intended feature, however ... but you are all spared from it at this time]
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Kennel Round 9 - Engelhart Alone
Starting with incidental damage. You are all liable for it. Embla, however, is the only one that gets it. She takes 1 from incidental and 1 from bleeding, dropping her to -3; her stats are down 30%. The incidental damage stuns her, and she falls back into 0604.
Lothar's hit brings the attack from the creature's head: it hits AC 0, with a 13. Lothar has been hit before and is at 14 hp. I hit him for 11 more, drawing a wound on the ranger and stunning him awfully. This thing is really big, so when it hits hard, it does toss you two hexes. Lothar rolls all the way to 0801 ~ but lets his body go limp, taking no extra damage.
Fjall drew the claw attack; the beast hits AC 6 with a rolled 7 ... this is Fjall's armor class. The claw does a d8: and I roll a Lothar: 1 damage.
Fjall is stunned and falls into Pandred's hex.
I've showed Bergthora's move from round 8 on this map, as we were late getting to it with the last post.
Engelhart is now the sole defender, for this round at least. Bergthora start to load her weapon. Everyone else is stunned.
Following the party's move, there's no significant change in position from the above.
The experience thus far:
Lothar's hit brings the attack from the creature's head: it hits AC 0, with a 13. Lothar has been hit before and is at 14 hp. I hit him for 11 more, drawing a wound on the ranger and stunning him awfully. This thing is really big, so when it hits hard, it does toss you two hexes. Lothar rolls all the way to 0801 ~ but lets his body go limp, taking no extra damage.
Fjall drew the claw attack; the beast hits AC 6 with a rolled 7 ... this is Fjall's armor class. The claw does a d8: and I roll a Lothar: 1 damage.
Fjall is stunned and falls into Pandred's hex.
I've showed Bergthora's move from round 8 on this map, as we were late getting to it with the last post.
Engelhart is now the sole defender, for this round at least. Bergthora start to load her weapon. Everyone else is stunned.
Following the party's move, there's no significant change in position from the above.
The experience thus far:
Kennel Round 8 ~ Oh, no! Bergthora!
Starting with incidental damage. Both Engelhart and Bergthora will take a point of damage.
Embla bleeds 1 point. As she is now at -1, her stats all drop 10%. Her THACO and move are unaffected, but her strength is now 15. With her charisma dropping to 8, her expressions are probably less-Lady-like than usual (and yes, that's a sexist joke).
As before, the beast will go after whomever seems most threatening. Bergthora is close and did the same damage as Lothar; so she will get the bite. I roll a 19 on her. I'm wincing now, as this has the potential to kill her outright. Picking up the dice ... and she takes 9 damage. Whew.
That drops her to zero and the beast flips his head and tosses her two hexes into 0604. With the incidental damage (which will count as the toss), she's at -1. Still conscious, not bleeding ... but it hurt a lot. Bergthora doesn't have a level, so she is dead at -4 hp. So this was close.
The beast will move into 0502 and attack Lothar with a claw. It rolls a 5, missing. Rolling incidental damage against Lothar, I get no damage.
In it's bloodlust, the beast has turned its back on Embla.
Embla, don't even think about a backstab or assassination; it knows you're there and can't be surprised. You can have a +2 bonus if you want it, though.
Fjall WILL attack. He's just seen Bergthora almost killed and he won't be thinking about his own life at this time.
You won't get a better chance than this. I am merely following my rule of attacking the most threatening ... that's what led it out to attack Lothar and not Engelhart. Rest assured, I would have rather kept its back to the wall ~ but this is a crazed beast, not a high intelligence military officer ... so it has gotten careless here.
Following the player's actions, here are the positions:
And the experience thus far:
Embla bleeds 1 point. As she is now at -1, her stats all drop 10%. Her THACO and move are unaffected, but her strength is now 15. With her charisma dropping to 8, her expressions are probably less-Lady-like than usual (and yes, that's a sexist joke).
As before, the beast will go after whomever seems most threatening. Bergthora is close and did the same damage as Lothar; so she will get the bite. I roll a 19 on her. I'm wincing now, as this has the potential to kill her outright. Picking up the dice ... and she takes 9 damage. Whew.
That drops her to zero and the beast flips his head and tosses her two hexes into 0604. With the incidental damage (which will count as the toss), she's at -1. Still conscious, not bleeding ... but it hurt a lot. Bergthora doesn't have a level, so she is dead at -4 hp. So this was close.
The beast will move into 0502 and attack Lothar with a claw. It rolls a 5, missing. Rolling incidental damage against Lothar, I get no damage.
In it's bloodlust, the beast has turned its back on Embla.
Embla, don't even think about a backstab or assassination; it knows you're there and can't be surprised. You can have a +2 bonus if you want it, though.
Fjall WILL attack. He's just seen Bergthora almost killed and he won't be thinking about his own life at this time.
You won't get a better chance than this. I am merely following my rule of attacking the most threatening ... that's what led it out to attack Lothar and not Engelhart. Rest assured, I would have rather kept its back to the wall ~ but this is a crazed beast, not a high intelligence military officer ... so it has gotten careless here.
Following the player's actions, here are the positions:
And the experience thus far:
Monday, February 5, 2018
Kennel Round 7 - The Beast's Blood is Up
The beast is plainly in full bloodlust now, and no longer has any fear for any of you.
We'll start with incidental damage, to those adjacent to the creature just now. [technically, I should have rolled incidental damage against Engelhart last round, when the creature moved adjacent to both Engelhart and Lothar together ... but retconning it, no damage occurred]. Engelhart and Bergthora are adjacent. Engelhart takes 1 damage.
Next, Embla bleeds for another 1 damage. I have her listed at zero hit points. She's fine, not stunned from bleeding, but she will have a chance to fall unconscious once she slips below -3. Thereafter, we roll each round; and if she slips into unconsciousness, without care she'll bleed out and die.
Last round, Bergthora came closer to getting a hit, so she's the threat in the beast's eyes ... she gets the bite and Engelhart gets the claw.
I roll a 4 against Bergthora. She deftly dodges the blow and is unharmed.
I roll a 19 against Engelhart. Thankfully, this is only the claw. It causes 5 damage, which is not enough to stun the cleric.
The creature makes no effort to change its position at this time.
The party can now act. No one is stunned. Fjall will probably want to pull a weapon and join in, but if you'd rather he tried to load again, that's up to you. With four defenders yet standing, that would be a reasonable choice for him.
Following the party's move, here's how things appear:
And the experience thus far:
We'll start with incidental damage, to those adjacent to the creature just now. [technically, I should have rolled incidental damage against Engelhart last round, when the creature moved adjacent to both Engelhart and Lothar together ... but retconning it, no damage occurred]. Engelhart and Bergthora are adjacent. Engelhart takes 1 damage.
Next, Embla bleeds for another 1 damage. I have her listed at zero hit points. She's fine, not stunned from bleeding, but she will have a chance to fall unconscious once she slips below -3. Thereafter, we roll each round; and if she slips into unconsciousness, without care she'll bleed out and die.
Last round, Bergthora came closer to getting a hit, so she's the threat in the beast's eyes ... she gets the bite and Engelhart gets the claw.
I roll a 4 against Bergthora. She deftly dodges the blow and is unharmed.
I roll a 19 against Engelhart. Thankfully, this is only the claw. It causes 5 damage, which is not enough to stun the cleric.
The creature makes no effort to change its position at this time.
The party can now act. No one is stunned. Fjall will probably want to pull a weapon and join in, but if you'd rather he tried to load again, that's up to you. With four defenders yet standing, that would be a reasonable choice for him.
Following the party's move, here's how things appear:
And the experience thus far:
Kennel Round 6 ~ Things Look Dire
Right up front, let me deal with Embla suffering 1 point of damage from the wound. Then, incidental damage causes both Embla and Lothar 1 damage. This latter damage, unfortunately for the party, will stun Embla,
[I haven't made any rules for the order in which incidental damage occurs with regards to regular damage; does it happen before the creature attacks, or after? Seems to me it should be randomly either one. Since the order has to be determined only when it has the chance to stun, such as in this situation, when the beast is also attacking that same person, it hasn't come up before]
A random die indicates the incidental damage occurs before the beast attacks with its claw, so Embla is kicked back for 1 damage from the incidental into 0503.
The beast then bites at Lothar, hitting AC -3. Lothar will take 7 damage from the bite, which is sufficient to knock him back into Engelhart's hex, 0501. This will encourage the beast; ignoring Embla, it bounds forward to attack 0501, where both the ranger and cleric are now somewhat entangled and caught in the hex together, giving the beast a +2 bonus to hit with its claw. I'll roll a 50/50 chance to see which person the attack lands on, but first I'll roll to hit.
I will roll a 2. A miss.
Here is the ending position for the round against the party:
Engelhart, Bergthora and Fjall are capable of taking action. I haven't put symbols over Embla and Lothar (forgot), but they're both stunned. Engelhart must move out of 0501 to attack. Fjall will move to the bottom of the stairs, 1004, and fire the crossbow.
Following the party's move, such is the arrangement:
And the experience so far:
[I haven't made any rules for the order in which incidental damage occurs with regards to regular damage; does it happen before the creature attacks, or after? Seems to me it should be randomly either one. Since the order has to be determined only when it has the chance to stun, such as in this situation, when the beast is also attacking that same person, it hasn't come up before]
A random die indicates the incidental damage occurs before the beast attacks with its claw, so Embla is kicked back for 1 damage from the incidental into 0503.
The beast then bites at Lothar, hitting AC -3. Lothar will take 7 damage from the bite, which is sufficient to knock him back into Engelhart's hex, 0501. This will encourage the beast; ignoring Embla, it bounds forward to attack 0501, where both the ranger and cleric are now somewhat entangled and caught in the hex together, giving the beast a +2 bonus to hit with its claw. I'll roll a 50/50 chance to see which person the attack lands on, but first I'll roll to hit.
I will roll a 2. A miss.
Here is the ending position for the round against the party:
Engelhart, Bergthora and Fjall are capable of taking action. I haven't put symbols over Embla and Lothar (forgot), but they're both stunned. Engelhart must move out of 0501 to attack. Fjall will move to the bottom of the stairs, 1004, and fire the crossbow.
Following the party's move, such is the arrangement:
And the experience so far:
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Kennel Round 5 ~ It Backs Away
The beast has only one attack this round: and since Engelhart rolled higher than Lothar, I'll rule that Engelhart's miss was closer ... so the beast will feel more threatened by Engelhart just now. It rolls a 6, which only hits AC 7.
Lothar will take 1 incidental damage.
And with that it will retreat one hex, onto 0302:
Hex 0402 is clear. As before, 0403 will cost the normal 1 AP to enter, but will be a -1 to hit penalty fighting out of it. 0303 will cost 3 AP to enter and will cost a -2 AC defense penalty and a -2 to hit penalty.
Act as you will. Fjall finishes loading the crossbow. I'll let Lothar decide on Bergthora's action. Embla suffers a point of damage from her wound.
Following the party's move, the position before the beast's attack is:
Lothar will take 1 incidental damage.
And with that it will retreat one hex, onto 0302:
Hex 0402 is clear. As before, 0403 will cost the normal 1 AP to enter, but will be a -1 to hit penalty fighting out of it. 0303 will cost 3 AP to enter and will cost a -2 AC defense penalty and a -2 to hit penalty.
Act as you will. Fjall finishes loading the crossbow. I'll let Lothar decide on Bergthora's action. Embla suffers a point of damage from her wound.
Following the party's move, the position before the beast's attack is:
And the experience so far:
Kennel Round 4 ~ Pandred's Beat-down
The beast means to go through Lothar's hex to reach the far wall, where the rubble is deepest. If it gets over there, the footing could get difficult and require a penalty to hit the creature.
It bites at Lothar and, as Pandred will be on its left as it does so, it will swing a claw again at the fighter.
It rolls a 3 against Lothar, so that its way is barred.
[I see I need some rule about overbearing connected to incidental damage. This thing is 1,100 lbs, if it wants to go though Lothar's hex, it shouldn't matter if it succeeds in overbearing or not. BUT, since I haven't fixed a rule on that yet, we'll say it gets scared and draws back. This thing is, however, sufficiently sized for me to start rolling incidental damage]
Against Pandred, it rolls a natural 20. The second roll is a 7, for double damage. Pandred is lucky it is the claw and not the bite, for as I said, the bite would be triple.
As it is, the claw does 10 damage, not quite a wound, dropping Pandred to -5 hp. She's stunned.
Next, incidental damage. There's a 50% chance that each person within a hex will take 1 damage, from a foot or an elbow or some such. With rolls, Lothar and Engelhart each take a point. No stun effects there.
Embla takes a point of damage from her wound.
The beast falls back against the wall in 0402, rather than going around Lothar. Here's the picture:
Pandred, I will need you to roll a d20 to see if you drop unconscious after this hit. Fjall is in his second round of loading the crossbow. If someone said it was light or heavy, I missed it. It matters, because if it is a light crossbow, he will be able to fire in round 5; if it is heavy, he won't fire until round 6.
About the rubble. 0403 will cost 1 AP to enter, as normal, but 0302 (hard to read the number) will need 3 AP to enter. Attacking out of 0403 will be a -1 to hit penalty. Attacking out of 0302 will be -2 to hit and -2 AC for the defender.
Bergthora gives an expression that shows she'll give Lothar 0502 if he wants it. She is plainly a bit uncomfortable.
UPDATE:
Following the character's actions, here's the position:
And the experience thus far:
It bites at Lothar and, as Pandred will be on its left as it does so, it will swing a claw again at the fighter.
It rolls a 3 against Lothar, so that its way is barred.
[I see I need some rule about overbearing connected to incidental damage. This thing is 1,100 lbs, if it wants to go though Lothar's hex, it shouldn't matter if it succeeds in overbearing or not. BUT, since I haven't fixed a rule on that yet, we'll say it gets scared and draws back. This thing is, however, sufficiently sized for me to start rolling incidental damage]
Against Pandred, it rolls a natural 20. The second roll is a 7, for double damage. Pandred is lucky it is the claw and not the bite, for as I said, the bite would be triple.
As it is, the claw does 10 damage, not quite a wound, dropping Pandred to -5 hp. She's stunned.
Next, incidental damage. There's a 50% chance that each person within a hex will take 1 damage, from a foot or an elbow or some such. With rolls, Lothar and Engelhart each take a point. No stun effects there.
Embla takes a point of damage from her wound.
The beast falls back against the wall in 0402, rather than going around Lothar. Here's the picture:
Pandred, I will need you to roll a d20 to see if you drop unconscious after this hit. Fjall is in his second round of loading the crossbow. If someone said it was light or heavy, I missed it. It matters, because if it is a light crossbow, he will be able to fire in round 5; if it is heavy, he won't fire until round 6.
About the rubble. 0403 will cost 1 AP to enter, as normal, but 0302 (hard to read the number) will need 3 AP to enter. Attacking out of 0403 will be a -1 to hit penalty. Attacking out of 0302 will be -2 to hit and -2 AC for the defender.
Bergthora gives an expression that shows she'll give Lothar 0502 if he wants it. She is plainly a bit uncomfortable.
UPDATE:
Following the character's actions, here's the position:
And the experience thus far:
Friday, February 2, 2018
Round 3 ~ Embla Gets Chewed
The beast, starting in 0602, is suddenly surprised at this new appearance of completely unnatural-looking humanoids.
It has two attacks. A large, wolf-like bite and a slash with one or the other of its two claws. It remembers that Embla was the creature that struck it first, waking it, and then it will want to get past Pandred. It will therefore bite at Embla, then slash at Pandred.
It rolls a 13 and hits Embla with its bite (better hope this thing does not roll a critical; all my wolves do triple damage on a critical 20). The bite is a terrifying 2d8 ... and I roll 13 damage. Embla feels the jaws close on her arm and throw her back into 0802, where she is both stunned and wounded, losing 1 more point of damage on the monster's subsequent turns, until healed or binded.
Against Pandred, the beast rolls a 1; it howls, loses its footing and ends in 0502, fumbling the rest of its AP away.
Following the party's actions, the combatants appear as follows:
And experience:
It has two attacks. A large, wolf-like bite and a slash with one or the other of its two claws. It remembers that Embla was the creature that struck it first, waking it, and then it will want to get past Pandred. It will therefore bite at Embla, then slash at Pandred.
It rolls a 13 and hits Embla with its bite (better hope this thing does not roll a critical; all my wolves do triple damage on a critical 20). The bite is a terrifying 2d8 ... and I roll 13 damage. Embla feels the jaws close on her arm and throw her back into 0802, where she is both stunned and wounded, losing 1 more point of damage on the monster's subsequent turns, until healed or binded.
Against Pandred, the beast rolls a 1; it howls, loses its footing and ends in 0502, fumbling the rest of its AP away.
Following the party's actions, the combatants appear as follows:
And experience:
Kennel Round 2 ~ The Beast Staggers to Its Feet
[As I prefer to begin my posts with the enemy's attack, we'll call the combined effort of Embla through assassination and attacking as "round 1," and call this the beginning of "round 2."]
The beast is groggy, standing and shifting to its right, into hex 0602. It rolls a "3" on a d20, missing Embla.
Thus, not a good start for the thing.
The beast is in Fjall's line of sight, who will remain in 1101 in order to fire his crossbow (heavy, yes?). Lothar and Bergthora can rush past. It will take 2 AP for Lothar to reach 0903, Bergthora will take 3 AP to get there.
I know you guys have been dropping equipment and so on. Could you please confirm your movement at this time, and bring me up to date on your present hit points? I'm pretty sure the numbers I have on my table are inaccurate.
Updated after the Party's Move:
And my details for the party. Please correct anything that is inaccurate. There is no rush to fill in the "Weight carried" column.
The beast is groggy, standing and shifting to its right, into hex 0602. It rolls a "3" on a d20, missing Embla.
Thus, not a good start for the thing.
The beast is in Fjall's line of sight, who will remain in 1101 in order to fire his crossbow (heavy, yes?). Lothar and Bergthora can rush past. It will take 2 AP for Lothar to reach 0903, Bergthora will take 3 AP to get there.
I know you guys have been dropping equipment and so on. Could you please confirm your movement at this time, and bring me up to date on your present hit points? I'm pretty sure the numbers I have on my table are inaccurate.
Updated after the Party's Move:
And my details for the party. Please correct anything that is inaccurate. There is no rush to fill in the "Weight carried" column.
Kennel Round 1 ~ Embla Tries to Clean Up Not Assassinating the First Time
Embla can start the round by swinging again. Engelhart has used up all his movement, as has Pandred and those behind him, coming down the stairs.
Embla, according to the Rouse Sleeping Creatures rule on the wiki, this creature is was in pain before you came down the stairs and will be classified as a "normal sleeper." You have initiative, but once you've stung, it will be nearly awake. It will have one attack at -1 to hit.
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