Syl pulls up the silken fishing line, adjusts the bait a bit to make sure it's secure, and tosses it a bit further out into the middle of the stream.
"Same here, friend." He stares at the flowing stream as if it were going to manifest a fish. "I think being as aware and present as possible is the best course of action for us all. Something will present itself when the time is right."
The party pauses for a noon-time meal while Syl catches a few of the smaller types of fish that dwell in the stream.
Once rested, and assuming Tazlynn has no objections, the party presses on through The Unwelcoming Slopes, the sun still hidden behind the clouds. The hills become lower and more passable as the afternoon wears on, and as the light of day begins to dim, you come to a place, encircled by low hills, where the stream terminates into a large pool.
To press on past this point risks becoming exhausted.
"This seems like a good place to set up camp for the evening, if no one disagrees," Syl takes a deep breath and looks around. "Perhaps we can take turns keeping watch. Any of these hills seem like a good vantage point. I wouldn't want anything - or anyone - getting the high ground on us." He smiles, not entirely sure whether he's kidding or deadly serious.
To move things forward, I’ll assume that everyone agrees with Syl’s proposal to make camp on one of the nearby hilltops. From there, you can see the hilly country stretch out for miles around under the fading light of evening.
I’ll also assume you set watches. The night is short and passes uneventfully, in any case. Another cloudy day dawns with a slight chill in the air. You can feel a gentle wind on your faces as it causes the smoke from the campfire to drift.
Mark off a day’s rations from your character sheet. If you’re concerned about running out of food in the wilderness, you can subsist on half a day’s rations with no ill effect, in which case you can mark off the day’s rations after another day of travel, unless enough suitable food can be found by foraging..
The pool is crystal clear, and the water seems fit to drink, so you can all begin the day with full water skins. As you leave the pool behind on your journey, however, you will have to forage for water sources.
Another day of travel lies before you!
Direction?
Pace?
Marching order?
Activities?
Also, casters (Syl and Ludwig), you can change your prepared spells at this time if you wish.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
On the second day of traveling, Ganod keeps up with the party's pace, this time around however, he opts to drink a little less, and makes an aim to catch some small game while they travel.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Day 1 retcon: With his fishing and foraging, Syl found 4 pounds of food. Hopefully it doesn’t break anyone’s immersion that I’m rolling back that ruling, but I feel I set the DC too high for the terrains the party ended up traveling through.
I’ll be resolving attempts at foraging from now on at the end of each day’s journey.
Ganod, I’ll allow your roll to stand, but in the future please wait until I ask for an ability check.
This applies to all ability checks. You describe the action. I’ll decide if a roll is needed.
While I’m being meta, I’ll take a little time to go over the form I prefer action declarations to take. You should describe what you’re trying to accomplish and how you go about trying to accomplish it. For example, in Ganod’s declaration three posts above this, he tells me what he’s trying to accomplish, i.e. catch some small game, but not how he goes about it. I can only assume he’s throwing darts at them? Which is totally fine, but I’d rather not have to fill in the blank.
Syl gladly shares evenly with everyone, cooking up a quick meal of small fish filets and foraged mushrooms and herbs. He lets some of the smaller, slender fish hang out overnight, quickly cooking them and eating them for breakfast before getting back on the road.
"East seems to be treating us well," he starts. "Shall we continue?"
If there isn't any disagreement, Syl will take his place second in line. Assuming his companions will be keeping an eye on the road, he'll continue to look for things to eat, scanning the ground as they walk for any edible berries, herbs, and wild vegetables. Any small game would be enticing as well.
"East sounds good to me, I seem to recall reading about a fabled treasure trove hidden somewhere among these unwelcoming slopes." Ludwig rubs his chin. "The cursed cave of Keldar the cruel, if my memory serves me right."
Four brave adventurers set out for a second day of travel into the unknown east, one to seek his fortune in gold, another to prove herself worthy of her clan, a third to explore the wonders of the earth and seek out cryptic messages from his mysterious order, and a fourth to escape the jeerings and insults of his home village. At least one so far seems to have achieved his goal.
The going is easy at first as you travel among rolling hills, but throughout the mid-day, you wind your way through more foreboding hills which once again rise up before you. The day’s temperature remains mild as you traverse the slopes, and on the other side, you find a barren waste. As it gets later in the day, you have left the hills far behind you until they have disappeared from view.
All around you lies a wasteland as you come to the end of another day’s journey.
Ganod, I have your foraging check.
Syl, make a Wisdom (Survival) check. The DC is 13.
Once again, tell me if you wish to camp for the night and what preparations you make, if any.
Ganod is curious to what made the land such a waste land, but doesn't really question the ways of the world, so simply asks, "Set up camp?" He'll vote in favor of setting up camp, and will set up tents if it comes to it.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ganod gathered 8 pounds of food on the day’s journey, and Syl found 8 pounds of food. You also found enough water sources along the way for everyone to still have their water skins full.
The wasteland appears to be a natural desert, a dry land with very little rainfall.
If you choose to camp here, let me know if you set watches, and if so, who takes which of first, second, or third watch.
How many pounds of food willfeed our party of four for a meal/day? Just curious to see how much we should be foraging and hunting/fishing.
Syl nods. "This looks like a fine spot. I suggest we keep our bags relatively close - the added body heat will be welcome as the temperatures drop." Syl begins to unroll his. "I'll take first watch if there are no disagreements. Ludwig, can I wake you up in a few hours to take second?"
The party requires a minimum of four pounds a day (one pound per person) to avoid any ill health effects. Eight pounds a day (two pounds per person) is a bit more comfortable and is what’s considered “normal”.
Basically, two pounds of food a day makes you full. One pound makes you half full, which is okay. It’s when you’re a quarter full that you start heading towards becoming exhausted.
Once he's done setting up the tents, Ganod points at the tent he spent the most time on and calls out, "That one, is mine." He then promptly enters the tent after eating and declares from inside, "I'll take the last shift. Wake me up if we're about to die."
Ganod, add at least one tent to your character sheet and pay the gp value of the tent(s). Anyone else who wants to have brought a tent can do so as well. It’s summer, so you don’t expect to encounter any cold weather, but there’ll likely be some rain.
The unseen servant bustles about the camp performing any chores Ludwig commands it to do
The three watches of the night all pass uneventfully. The temperature does plummet though, just as the druid predicted, and in the predawn hours it’s decidedly chilly.
A fresh wind causes the small yuccas nearby to begin to sway and breaks up the cloud cover, so for the first time on your journey you can see the sun peeking through the clouds.
Just a reminder, possible activities while traveling are:
Watching for danger - Your passive Perception will determine whether you notice hidden threats or become surprised by them.
Navigation -Your passive Survival will determine whether you travel in your desired direction or get lost.
Drawing a map - Allows you to reliably navigate a route you have previously traveled between two points. Writing tools are required. Also, not necessary as long as Tazlynn is with you.
Tracking - Following the tracks of some creature of which you are in pursuit (so not really relevant right now but may be in the future)
and Foraging - Looking for sources of food and water as you travel
Of course, other activities can be improvised, but you can really only focus your attention on one activity at a time. Staying alert for danger is the default activity if you don’t choose something else.
Ganod and Syl did a great job of foraging yesterday, especially in the hills, so no one needs to use their rations, and much of what they gathered can be preserved.
The three of you notice that, some time during the night, Tazlynn slipped away. She left behind a handwritten note that explains how last night a raven came to her with a message from her clan calling her away on “exclusively dwarf business”. She also explains that the raven provided her with the writing materials she used to make the note. She promises to rejoin you all as soon as she has satisfied her duties to her clan and bids you a fond farewell.
Syl pulls up the silken fishing line, adjusts the bait a bit to make sure it's secure, and tosses it a bit further out into the middle of the stream.
"Same here, friend." He stares at the flowing stream as if it were going to manifest a fish. "I think being as aware and present as possible is the best course of action for us all. Something will present itself when the time is right."
DM - Above & Below
The party pauses for a noon-time meal while Syl catches a few of the smaller types of fish that dwell in the stream.
Once rested, and assuming Tazlynn has no objections, the party presses on through The Unwelcoming Slopes, the sun still hidden behind the clouds. The hills become lower and more passable as the afternoon wears on, and as the light of day begins to dim, you come to a place, encircled by low hills, where the stream terminates into a large pool.
To press on past this point risks becoming exhausted.
What do you do?
"This seems like a good place to set up camp for the evening, if no one disagrees," Syl takes a deep breath and looks around. "Perhaps we can take turns keeping watch. Any of these hills seem like a good vantage point. I wouldn't want anything - or anyone - getting the high ground on us." He smiles, not entirely sure whether he's kidding or deadly serious.
DM - Above & Below
To move things forward, I’ll assume that everyone agrees with Syl’s proposal to make camp on one of the nearby hilltops. From there, you can see the hilly country stretch out for miles around under the fading light of evening.
I’ll also assume you set watches. The night is short and passes uneventfully, in any case. Another cloudy day dawns with a slight chill in the air. You can feel a gentle wind on your faces as it causes the smoke from the campfire to drift.
Mark off a day’s rations from your character sheet. If you’re concerned about running out of food in the wilderness, you can subsist on half a day’s rations with no ill effect, in which case you can mark off the day’s rations after another day of travel, unless enough suitable food can be found by foraging..
The pool is crystal clear, and the water seems fit to drink, so you can all begin the day with full water skins. As you leave the pool behind on your journey, however, you will have to forage for water sources.
Another day of travel lies before you!
Direction?
Pace?
Marching order?
Activities?
Also, casters (Syl and Ludwig), you can change your prepared spells at this time if you wish.
On the second day of traveling, Ganod keeps up with the party's pace, this time around however, he opts to drink a little less, and makes an aim to catch some small game while they travel.
Survival: 8
Day 1 retcon: With his fishing and foraging, Syl found 4 pounds of food. Hopefully it doesn’t break anyone’s immersion that I’m rolling back that ruling, but I feel I set the DC too high for the terrains the party ended up traveling through.
I’ll be resolving attempts at foraging from now on at the end of each day’s journey.
Ganod, I’ll allow your roll to stand, but in the future please wait until I ask for an ability check.
This applies to all ability checks. You describe the action. I’ll decide if a roll is needed.
So with that 4 pounds, no one should have needed to use any of their rations, as long as Syl is willing to share what he found and caught.
While I’m being meta, I’ll take a little time to go over the form I prefer action declarations to take. You should describe what you’re trying to accomplish and how you go about trying to accomplish it. For example, in Ganod’s declaration three posts above this, he tells me what he’s trying to accomplish, i.e. catch some small game, but not how he goes about it. I can only assume he’s throwing darts at them? Which is totally fine, but I’d rather not have to fill in the blank.
Syl gladly shares evenly with everyone, cooking up a quick meal of small fish filets and foraged mushrooms and herbs. He lets some of the smaller, slender fish hang out overnight, quickly cooking them and eating them for breakfast before getting back on the road.
"East seems to be treating us well," he starts. "Shall we continue?"
If there isn't any disagreement, Syl will take his place second in line. Assuming his companions will be keeping an eye on the road, he'll continue to look for things to eat, scanning the ground as they walk for any edible berries, herbs, and wild vegetables. Any small game would be enticing as well.
DM - Above & Below
"East sounds good to me, I seem to recall reading about a fabled treasure trove hidden somewhere among these unwelcoming slopes." Ludwig rubs his chin. "The cursed cave of Keldar the cruel, if my memory serves me right."
Four brave adventurers set out for a second day of travel into the unknown east, one to seek his fortune in gold, another to prove herself worthy of her clan, a third to explore the wonders of the earth and seek out cryptic messages from his mysterious order, and a fourth to escape the jeerings and insults of his home village. At least one so far seems to have achieved his goal.
The going is easy at first as you travel among rolling hills, but throughout the mid-day, you wind your way through more foreboding hills which once again rise up before you. The day’s temperature remains mild as you traverse the slopes, and on the other side, you find a barren waste. As it gets later in the day, you have left the hills far behind you until they have disappeared from view.
All around you lies a wasteland as you come to the end of another day’s journey.
Ganod, I have your foraging check.
Syl, make a Wisdom (Survival) check. The DC is 13.
Once again, tell me if you wish to camp for the night and what preparations you make, if any.
Survival: 17
DM - Above & Below
Ganod is curious to what made the land such a waste land, but doesn't really question the ways of the world, so simply asks, "Set up camp?" He'll vote in favor of setting up camp, and will set up tents if it comes to it.
Ganod gathered 8 pounds of food on the day’s journey, and Syl found 8 pounds of food. You also found enough water sources along the way for everyone to still have their water skins full.
The wasteland appears to be a natural desert, a dry land with very little rainfall.
If you choose to camp here, let me know if you set watches, and if so, who takes which of first, second, or third watch.
How many pounds of food will feed our party of four for a meal/day? Just curious to see how much we should be foraging and hunting/fishing.
Syl nods. "This looks like a fine spot. I suggest we keep our bags relatively close - the added body heat will be welcome as the temperatures drop." Syl begins to unroll his. "I'll take first watch if there are no disagreements. Ludwig, can I wake you up in a few hours to take second?"
DM - Above & Below
The party requires a minimum of four pounds a day (one pound per person) to avoid any ill health effects. Eight pounds a day (two pounds per person) is a bit more comfortable and is what’s considered “normal”.
Basically, two pounds of food a day makes you full. One pound makes you half full, which is okay. It’s when you’re a quarter full that you start heading towards becoming exhausted.
I cast unseen servant as a ritual and have him set up camp.
Once he's done setting up the tents, Ganod points at the tent he spent the most time on and calls out, "That one, is mine." He then promptly enters the tent after eating and declares from inside, "I'll take the last shift. Wake me up if we're about to die."
Ganod, add at least one tent to your character sheet and pay the gp value of the tent(s). Anyone else who wants to have brought a tent can do so as well. It’s summer, so you don’t expect to encounter any cold weather, but there’ll likely be some rain.
The unseen servant bustles about the camp performing any chores Ludwig commands it to do
The three watches of the night all pass uneventfully. The temperature does plummet though, just as the druid predicted, and in the predawn hours it’s decidedly chilly.
A fresh wind causes the small yuccas nearby to begin to sway and breaks up the cloud cover, so for the first time on your journey you can see the sun peeking through the clouds.
Just a reminder, possible activities while traveling are:
Watching for danger - Your passive Perception will determine whether you notice hidden threats or become surprised by them.
Navigation -Your passive Survival will determine whether you travel in your desired direction or get lost.
Drawing a map - Allows you to reliably navigate a route you have previously traveled between two points. Writing tools are required. Also, not necessary as long as Tazlynn is with you.
Tracking - Following the tracks of some creature of which you are in pursuit (so not really relevant right now but may be in the future)
and Foraging - Looking for sources of food and water as you travel
Of course, other activities can be improvised, but you can really only focus your attention on one activity at a time. Staying alert for danger is the default activity if you don’t choose something else.
Ganod and Syl did a great job of foraging yesterday, especially in the hills, so no one needs to use their rations, and much of what they gathered can be preserved.
What do you do on this third day of your journey?
The three of you notice that, some time during the night, Tazlynn slipped away. She left behind a handwritten note that explains how last night a raven came to her with a message from her clan calling her away on “exclusively dwarf business”. She also explains that the raven provided her with the writing materials she used to make the note. She promises to rejoin you all as soon as she has satisfied her duties to her clan and bids you a fond farewell.