Do the catacombs have their own lighting, or do we need to bring our own? Erik doesn't have Darkvision. If no one else has a torch or lantern, he'll need to light one of his own.
Erik nods approvingly at Eppie's efforts to make a map. He says, "Good job, Eppie! It's too bad we don't have some chalk. If we did, we could also mark the tunnels and branches as we go so that we can tell if we start going in circles or just to make it faster to find our way back to the last branch."
There's enough room to march two abreast, so I'll go ahead and stick with the first formation. Next question, is someone mapping the place out, leaving markers, etc.?
Anyway, I'll go ahead and move us along.
As you continue through the tunnels, only Simon's Passive Perception (19) is high enough to notice the lion-like figure of the Hunter who has begun following the party again... the vicious servant of Lord Tenebris has not struck yet, though. Simon, what do you do?
Simon will tell everyone to prepare for a fight telepathically because the Hunter is watching them. "Does anyone have a plan to take him out?" Still in their minds.
Simon will tell everyone to prepare for a fight telepathically because the Hunter is watching them. "Does anyone have a plan to take him out?" Still in their minds.
(OOC: I believe that Erik is not part of this telepathic bond since it was formed before he joined the group.)
Toa begins to scoff at the idea of needing to scribble down a map when he is accustomed to remembering terrain instinctively in his head as a hunter.
Yet then, a rare philosophical thought intrudes and it occurs to him that strange circumstances call for strange (to him) approaches and craft. At which Eppie, Erik and the others seem quite proficient. Thankfully, he and his echo are proficient in hunting at least, Toa thinks as Simon speaks his mental warning. As his echo marches ahead, Toa peers into the gloom from his rear guard position, sensing for any movement, scuff or scent of an enemy.
Toa has 60' darkvision so dim light is like bright light to him and darkness like dim light out to 60'. If the Perception check is at disadvantage because it is completely dark (which to Toa'sdarkvision is like dim light), then it is a 18 instead.
Since I didn't apply disadvantage to Simon, I'll say the Hunter is close enough for Toa to try to spot him without penalty. Anyone who knows what they're looking for (read: not Erik) can try to spot the enemy now. Up to you if you want to engage or let him think you are unaware a bit longer...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Pinion follows Toa and takes out his bullseye lantern (50' cone bright, 50' dim light) to locate the Hunter. With his 50' speed, the small monk advances ahead to sweep the area for hiding spots. His other hand is free to catch any arrows...
(Erik actually can be added to the connection with my ability. This is something Simon would have done before going underground.)
(OK. I also wasn't sure whether Simon wanted to spend the Psionic Energy die to add a fifth person. AFAICT, Simon is limited to linking 4 others when he uses that ability: "choose one or more creatures you can see, up to a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus." Which was fine until a sixth person joined the group. 😜)
(good point, but he probably would want to keep communication silent.)
(OOC: OK. Up to you. I'll assume that Simon already added Erik to the Psychic Whispers connection before they descended into the catacombs. I'll modify this post if that turns out not to be true.)
Pinion follows Toa and takes out his bullseye lantern (50' cone bright, 50' dim light) to locate the Hunter. With his 50' speed, the small monk advances ahead to sweep the area for hiding spots. His other hand is free to catch any arrows...
Strange as Simon's power seems, Erik tries thinking his words: "Oh! I really thought that they had all gone."
Before the autognome can move back to the back of the line with Toa, Erik grabs his shoulder and shakes his head. "No, Pinion. Don't go chasing a slippery rogue through these twisty tunnels. If we must face him, it'll be better if we can all attack him at once. Let's continue forward and see whether we can find a more open chamber. Lure him there where it should be harder for him to hide or to slip away after sniping at us."
Erik would really prefer to face the Hunter outside, but now that they're in the catacombs, he figures that they'll have to confront him before they get back out. He looks ahead for either a larger room or at least a wider section of the tunnel or even a space where a few smaller rooms open out onto the same part of the tunnel.
In the light of Pinion's bull's eye lantern, does Toa or Pinion see anything ahead like a larger hall or a chamber? Or just more twisting tunnels as far as we can see?
Eppie looks up at Erik from her map drawing. "Chalk? Sure." She reaches into her belt pouch, takes out a piece of chalk, and hands it to him. "Brilliant idea. One can only think of so many things at one time, which is why it's good that we're---"Zelock's telepathic warning distracts her from her chattering, and she frowns silently as she packs her quill, parchment, rulers, and other supplies back into Vox IV's saddlebags. Vox IV clicks and whirrs as it walks, its metallic head weaving back and forth on its jointed neck.
Instead of speaking out loud, Eppie offers her thoughts mentally, although she grimaces with concentration while doing so. "Let's find a defensible position and draw him out. I do regret not plugging him in the back before he saw me out in the courtyard."
Eppie looks up at Erik from her map drawing. "Chalk? Sure." She reaches into her belt pouch, takes out a piece of chalk, and hands it to him. "Brilliant idea.
Erik takes the chalk and marks whichever passage or turning they take if there's any surface not completely covered in ice. (If everything is covered in ice, then I guess Erik could just use his dagger or hand-axe to put a marking in the ice. Or to chop away enough ice to reveal a wall that he could mark with chalk.)
All you see ahead is the tunnel, right up until it branches into two.
Hm. Erik thinks to the others, "No wide rooms ahead, but we're coming up to a fork in the tunnel. We could just keep going, but I worry that The Hunter knows these tunnels and is waiting to attack once we run into some other opponent or trap. If we must fight him, I'd rather do it on our terms. We could try to surround him at this branch. I could use my magic to make one or two of you invisible or to help you hide at the branch. If The Hunter follows the group, then the hidden ones could follow behind The Hunter. That way, we have him surrounded, making it harder for him to escape or to hide from everyone at once. He'll probably try to fight his way through, but if we can get Pinion and Toa on opposite sides of him, we could hopefully box him in while the rest of us attack from farther back. I think that it's either that or just keep going and hoping The Hunter doesn't attack before we stumble upon a larger hall or room."
Erik doesn't want to be too obvious about what they're doing. If they're already coming up to the branch, he says out loud, "Hm. Which way to go? Let's huddle up here to decide."
(OOC: So... which path is the party taking? Will you send a scout/familiar/whatever to investigate before making your decision, or just go for it? The Hunter is still hanging back until the party makes it a bit too obvious that they know he's here)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Simon is available to be a scout with his speed and stealth.
We could even risk scouting both tunnels at once. Pinion and Simon both have ways to be very fast, so they could scout ~150' ahead and get back in less than 30 seconds. The only risk is that they both run into trouble. Or, I guess, that The Hunter chooses that moment to attack the remaining members who are waiting at the fork.
Why doesn't Simon go ahead down one tunnel? Pinion can decide whether they want to scout the other way at the same time or wait for Simon to return.
However he knows that when one is in a hunting party, rushing ahead without coordination, especially against an obviously wily enemy like The Hunter who is hunting them, is a recipe for disaster. So he awaits the strange voices in his head that sound like his companions, hoping they come to a decision.
To them, he thinks (even his thoughts have a rumbling tenor): leaving an enemy at our backs seems unwise, though I admit he could disappear behind concealment the moment we turn to face him. I could always attempt to grapple him, though my success is far from assured.
Do the catacombs have their own lighting, or do we need to bring our own? Erik doesn't have Darkvision. If no one else has a torch or lantern, he'll need to light one of his own.
Erik nods approvingly at Eppie's efforts to make a map. He says, "Good job, Eppie! It's too bad we don't have some chalk. If we did, we could also mark the tunnels and branches as we go so that we can tell if we start going in circles or just to make it faster to find our way back to the last branch."
Simon will tell everyone to prepare for a fight telepathically because the Hunter is watching them. "Does anyone have a plan to take him out?" Still in their minds.
(OOC: I believe that Erik is not part of this telepathic bond since it was formed before he joined the group.)
Toa begins to scoff at the idea of needing to scribble down a map when he is accustomed to remembering terrain instinctively in his head as a hunter.
Yet then, a rare philosophical thought intrudes and it occurs to him that strange circumstances call for strange (to him) approaches and craft. At which Eppie, Erik and the others seem quite proficient. Thankfully, he and his echo are proficient in hunting at least, Toa thinks as Simon speaks his mental warning. As his echo marches ahead, Toa peers into the gloom from his rear guard position, sensing for any movement, scuff or scent of an enemy.
Toa's Perception: 24
Toa has 60' darkvision so dim light is like bright light to him and darkness like dim light out to 60'. If the Perception check is at disadvantage because it is completely dark (which to Toa's darkvision is like dim light), then it is a 18 instead.
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return
Since I didn't apply disadvantage to Simon, I'll say the Hunter is close enough for Toa to try to spot him without penalty. Anyone who knows what they're looking for (read: not Erik) can try to spot the enemy now. Up to you if you want to engage or let him think you are unaware a bit longer...
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(Erik actually can be added to the connection with my ability. This is something Simon would have done before going underground.)
Pinion follows Toa and takes out his bullseye lantern (50' cone bright, 50' dim light) to locate the Hunter. With his 50' speed, the small monk advances ahead to sweep the area for hiding spots. His other hand is free to catch any arrows...
Perception (12)
Does bright light effectively negate being hidden?
Fargen Hill Dwarf Cleric/Barbarian - Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Jodie Olwen Half-Elf Bard- Chronicles of the Accursed
(OK. I also wasn't sure whether Simon wanted to spend the Psionic Energy die to add a fifth person. AFAICT, Simon is limited to linking 4 others when he uses that ability: "choose one or more creatures you can see, up to a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus." Which was fine until a sixth person joined the group. 😜)
(good point, but he probably would want to keep communication silent.)
(OOC: OK. Up to you. I'll assume that Simon already added Erik to the Psychic Whispers connection before they descended into the catacombs. I'll modify this post if that turns out not to be true.)
Strange as Simon's power seems, Erik tries thinking his words: "Oh! I really thought that they had all gone."
Before the autognome can move back to the back of the line with Toa, Erik grabs his shoulder and shakes his head. "No, Pinion. Don't go chasing a slippery rogue through these twisty tunnels. If we must face him, it'll be better if we can all attack him at once. Let's continue forward and see whether we can find a more open chamber. Lure him there where it should be harder for him to hide or to slip away after sniping at us."
Erik would really prefer to face the Hunter outside, but now that they're in the catacombs, he figures that they'll have to confront him before they get back out. He looks ahead for either a larger room or at least a wider section of the tunnel or even a space where a few smaller rooms open out onto the same part of the tunnel.
As unobtrusively as possible, Toa echo-swaps, so he is now at the lead of the party and echo-Toa is bringing up the rear, closest to The Hunter.
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return
Pinon's gears seem to whirl as he listens to Erik's words. "Many are more than One, when there is a common direction. Understood."
Fargen Hill Dwarf Cleric/Barbarian - Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Jodie Olwen Half-Elf Bard- Chronicles of the Accursed
In the light of Pinion's bull's eye lantern, does Toa or Pinion see anything ahead like a larger hall or a chamber? Or just more twisting tunnels as far as we can see?
All you see ahead is the tunnel, right up until it branches into two.
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Eppie looks up at Erik from her map drawing. "Chalk? Sure." She reaches into her belt pouch, takes out a piece of chalk, and hands it to him. "Brilliant idea. One can only think of so many things at one time, which is why it's good that we're---" Zelock's telepathic warning distracts her from her chattering, and she frowns silently as she packs her quill, parchment, rulers, and other supplies back into Vox IV's saddlebags. Vox IV clicks and whirrs as it walks, its metallic head weaving back and forth on its jointed neck.
Instead of speaking out loud, Eppie offers her thoughts mentally, although she grimaces with concentration while doing so. "Let's find a defensible position and draw him out. I do regret not plugging him in the back before he saw me out in the courtyard."
Erik takes the chalk and marks whichever passage or turning they take if there's any surface not completely covered in ice. (If everything is covered in ice, then I guess Erik could just use his dagger or hand-axe to put a marking in the ice. Or to chop away enough ice to reveal a wall that he could mark with chalk.)
Hm. Erik thinks to the others, "No wide rooms ahead, but we're coming up to a fork in the tunnel. We could just keep going, but I worry that The Hunter knows these tunnels and is waiting to attack once we run into some other opponent or trap. If we must fight him, I'd rather do it on our terms. We could try to surround him at this branch. I could use my magic to make one or two of you invisible or to help you hide at the branch. If The Hunter follows the group, then the hidden ones could follow behind The Hunter. That way, we have him surrounded, making it harder for him to escape or to hide from everyone at once. He'll probably try to fight his way through, but if we can get Pinion and Toa on opposite sides of him, we could hopefully box him in while the rest of us attack from farther back. I think that it's either that or just keep going and hoping The Hunter doesn't attack before we stumble upon a larger hall or room."
Erik doesn't want to be too obvious about what they're doing. If they're already coming up to the branch, he says out loud, "Hm. Which way to go? Let's huddle up here to decide."
(OOC: So... which path is the party taking? Will you send a scout/familiar/whatever to investigate before making your decision, or just go for it? The Hunter is still hanging back until the party makes it a bit too obvious that they know he's here)
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
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Simon is available to be a scout with his speed and stealth.
We could even risk scouting both tunnels at once. Pinion and Simon both have ways to be very fast, so they could scout ~150' ahead and get back in less than 30 seconds. The only risk is that they both run into trouble. Or, I guess, that The Hunter chooses that moment to attack the remaining members who are waiting at the fork.
Why doesn't Simon go ahead down one tunnel? Pinion can decide whether they want to scout the other way at the same time or wait for Simon to return.
Toa is on a hair trigger to attack.
However he knows that when one is in a hunting party, rushing ahead without coordination, especially against an obviously wily enemy like The Hunter who is hunting them, is a recipe for disaster. So he awaits the strange voices in his head that sound like his companions, hoping they come to a decision.
To them, he thinks (even his thoughts have a rumbling tenor): leaving an enemy at our backs seems unwise, though I admit he could disappear behind concealment the moment we turn to face him. I could always attempt to grapple him, though my success is far from assured.
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return