(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown

Guilim quickly follows the others off the boat, freeing his halberd and readying it ad he steps closer to the house. "Well something was obviously killed here but the question is what."

Rohuzar puts himself at the front but holds a hand up to keep everyone from getting too close. 

“If anybody knows what it is, let us know…” He straps his shield on and draws his battleaxe. “Then keep quiet and move closer.” He gives everyone a minute to nod in understanding or speak up if they recognize the sound before moving closer to the mess in the grass. 

stealth 7 

perception 18 

nature 10 

Aubrey nods affirmingly and follows behind Rohuzar, ready with his loaded crossbow, scouting for threats but also checking for tracks.
Stealth: 4 Perception: 7 Nature: 8 Survival: 21

Guilimooks down at his armor and motions for them to go ahead as he would probably be less then helpful with anything stealthy. Instead he readies himself, standing back while getting into his fighting stance.

Grugga attempts to remain quiet in his scale armor and makes his way to the lump of colors outside the hut. He would like to investigate what it is.

Stealth (disadvantage for armor):10
Investigation: 11
Arcana (Possibly for noise???): 16

A - 18

R - 3

Gu - 10

Gr - 9

L - 7

? - 20

Leelan would step out of the boat as well after waking up from his "nap", somewhat rested. He would check on Dandelion to make sure she’s ok. He still looks visibly shaken by something. His shortbow at hand, he tries to look around the hut for movement that isn’t from one of his companions.

Stealth: 16

Perception: 21

You attempt to quietly advance toward the strange objects and sounds in the tall grass ahead of you.  Rohuzar takes the lead, with Aubrey close behind him.  Grugga flanks them a bit as he creeps closer to get a look.  Leelan and Guilim hang back a bit near where the dock meets the shore, eyes alert.

Try as you might, you can't quite get a good look from a distance through the tall grass.  And the noise... it almost sounds familiar, yet different at the same time.  The answer is right there but you can't quite make the mental connection.  This droning... this humming... this... buzzing....!

As you pass into the taller, overgrown grasses outside of this abandoned fishing shack, you are greeted with a grizzly sight.  A skeleton lies on the ground.  Strangely, though the bones are bleached white, it is dressed in mostly clean, dark hooded robes.  Next to it lies a pile of crimson robes, possibly with another body inside.  Finally, and most alarmingly, another corpse, dressed in dark robes lies in deep decay next to the others.  On this last corpse crawl four giant wasps.  These creatures look exactly like normal, disgusting, evil wasps, except they are as big as as a person!  They are chewing up wads of rotten meat into slimy balls and tucking them into pouches along their abdomens.  They have already picked clean most of the torso.  As they move, their wings never stop, generating the persistent, droning hum.  Unfortunately, they notice you at the same time you notice them!  The buzzing suddenly intensifies into a droning whine as the four wasps take to the air and attack!

(No surprise round on either side.  They weren't expecting you, but you weren't stealthy enough to catch them unawares.)

(Ahem.  This could get dicey.  Keep in mind at least some of you have inspiration from the Malia rescue...)

Initiative

1. Wasps
2. Aubrey
3. Guilim
4. Grugga
5. Leelan
6. Rohuzar

One of the wasps zooms directly toward Grugga.  It zig zags around until it is behind him and then goes in for a sting!  Attack: 16 Damage: 5  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 10 poison damage.

Two more of the wasps swarm at Rohuzar, attacking him from his left and his front.  Their alien-like bodies dart through the air as their abdomens thrust out to stick you with their terrible venom.

Wasp 2: Attack: 15 Damage: 7  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 11 poison damage.

Wasp 3: Attack: 20 Damage: 3  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 9 poison damage.

The last wasp hovers in the air, protecting their meal from these interlopers.

MAP

(Something weird happened with the original attack and damage rolls, as pointed out by Oberon in the OOC thread.  I am reposting the opening round for the wasps.)

One of the wasps zooms directly toward Grugga.  It zig zags around until it is behind him and then goes in for a sting!  Attack: 17 Damage: 4  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 7 poison damage.

Two more of the wasps swarm at Rohuzar, attacking him from his left and his front.  Their alien-like bodies dart through the air as their abdomens thrust out to stick you with their terrible venom.

Wasp 2:  Attack: 18 Damage: 7  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 15 poison damage.

Wasp 3:  Attack: 11 Damage: 4  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 7 poison damage.

The last wasp hovers in the air, protecting the hive's meal from these interlopers.

"Look out Rohuzar!" Aubrey instinctively takes a few steps back (1 hex northwest) and swiftly curses the insect closest to him (Hex dex) before firing his crossbow.
Light Crossbow: 10 Damage: 9 Necrotic: 6

(Extra crit damage 5 + 6)

Grugga's wasp lands on his metal invention strapped to his back and begins stinging it savagely, to no effect.

Rohuzar, though slow to counterattack (late initiative) nevertheless bobs and weaves to avoid the jabbing stingers of the two wasps attacking him.

Aubrey's bolt flies with almost supernatural accuracy, piercing the northernmost wasp and bursting out the other side with a spray of insectoid ichor.  The body shrivels as necrotic energy courses through it.  It is dead, dry and blackened by the time it hits the ground.

Grugga is too distracted with a giant wasp on his back to appreciate Aubrey's fine marksmanship. He shakes his body to get the wasp off him, then slashes at it with his handaxe.

Attack: 18
Damage: 7

Guilim will quickly move next to Aubrey, using the extended reach of his halberd to slash at the wasp from  on Rohuzar's right from 10 feet away.

Attack: 24 Damage: 11

Leelan goes to support Grugga (move 3 hex down and 1 sw). He will release an arrow at the insect harassing the half-orc.

Attack: 8 Damage: 6

and miss…

Rohuzar assumes a defensive position, dodge action. 

With one of them dead and two more wounded, the wasps swarm into a frenzy, black insectoid blood being flung about and their buzzing somehow growing even louder and more irritating.

The wasp that had been engaged with Grugga circles him and attacks the dodging Rohuzar.  Attack: 5 Damage: 3  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 13 poison damage.

The surviving wasp that had attacked Rohuzar flies into the space of its dead broodmate and attempts to sting the little man with the long halberd, Guilim.  Attack: 22 Damage: 3  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 11 poison damage.

Last, the wasp which had been hovering over the dead bodies moves between Rohuzar and Grugga, zigging and zagging before going in for the sting on Grugga!  Attack: 24 Damage: 11  On a hit, make a CON save DC 11 or take an additional 9 poison damage.

(None of the wasps leave anyone's reach so no AOO)

Con Save: 15

Grugga trains his attention on the wasp that had been attacking him. He doesn't notice the wasp that had been protecting the corpse making a beeline ((pun intended)) for him. The wasp smashes its stinger through Grugga lightly armored thigh with such force that the stinger shoots through the other side of his leg, mercifully saving him from the wasp's poison but leaving Grugga looking bad off.

With a half gasp - half yell, Grugga instinctively cleaves at the wasp partially stuck in his leg.

Attack: 20
Damage: 7

Rohuzar bobs and weaves, matching the natural patterns of the mindless insect and leaving it stabbing at empty air.

The wasp attacking Guilim has nothing but its tiny insect brain to blame.  It tries to grasp the end of his halberd and sting it, to no use.

The giant wasp going for Grugga finally gets a strike in.  Grugga feels a horrible burning pain like a white hot nail piercing him.  Thankfully, his superior Orcish constitution helps him resist the deadly venom and he is still in the fight!

Grugga returns the favor, hacking at the wasp and dislodging it from him with a clever strike from his handaxe.  The wasp dips and spins and returns to hovering.  All three wasps are now injured and dripping gross black goo.

Aubrey quickly reloads his crossbow, places the hex on the closest wasp between Rohuzar and Grugga and fires a bolt at it.
Light Crossbow: 18 Damage: 4 Necrotic: 1

Rohuzar strikes at one of the wasps between he and Grugga with his battleaxe

Attack: 8 Damage: 11