--------------------------------------------------------------------- At the time I am writing this, the 2nd image is where we left off. To restart the scene for Tarton's position, Tarton would be above Arti Stonebeard either just setting off the trap on the log, or dodging the grub webs, where ever you wanted to pick up from.
And just to be clear, are we starting the combat over? So, are we getting things like hp, Ki points and spell slots back?
Well, that's a question with a complicatedly simple answer ;-). We are essentially restarting the combat, so abilities that recharge then will.
HP and spell slots, however, require a Short or Long rest; and as the Short rest description gives the minimum time for that as one hour doing nothing more strenuous than resting, and eight hours for the Long rest, there won't be enough time elapsed for those benefits unless you stroll REEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SSSSSSLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLLLYYYYY between the clearing and the cove LOL>>.. And that would give the unconscious bullywugs and giant frog time to recover also.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
My positioning looks fine too, or if you wish to go back to before i jump over the tree trunk then that is fine with me too. If we go back to before i jump then i will probely be next to Tarton :)
And just to be clear, are we starting the combat over? So, are we getting things like hp, Ki points and spell slots back?
Well, that's a question with a complicatedly simple answer ;-). We are essentially restarting the combat, so abilities that recharge then will.
HP and spell slots, however, require a Short or Long rest; and as the Short rest description gives the minimum time for that as one hour doing nothing more strenuous than resting, and eight hours for the Long rest, there won't be enough time elapsed for those benefits unless you stroll REEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SSSSSSLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLLLYYYYY between the clearing and the cove LOL>>.. And that would give the unconscious bullywugs and giant frog time to recover also.
Also, where we left off, I had used both of my Ki points and my one Artificer-initiated spell slot. But if we go back to before the combat, I would still have one Ki point and one spell slot, if I remember correctly. I find it a little confusing, so let me know if I am wrong :)
(actually, I am _SO_ glad you asked one more time! Now that you mentioned it and prompted me, I've thought again and realized that in terms of the story a dramatic reset like the following actually drops neatly into a couple of plotlines you're just beginning to pick up the trailing thread-ends of the first clews of ...... ({mweh-heh-he-hr-haaaaarh} --- as the DM trails off into the customary and expected evil-DM cackles and deranged ranting LOL.) So ignore what I said a few posts above about short and long rests, and all the rest. In this version we WILL essentially reset time to the point it was when Tarton triggered the grub trap and the froggies appeared ... with one or two most significant changes that will be explained in the scene below. So all HP, ki and other abilities, spells, etc. can be reset to where they were then. And I think that was more or less the first combat encounter in long enough that you can basically start fresh unless you specifically remember spending something like a Ki point etc.)
=========
As soon as Artifex steps out of the tree trunk clearing, time and space seem to twist and bend in ways that make even the experienced travelers' stomachs do a slow roll to the right, then to the left, and then in on themselves both ways at once. When the giddiness subsides, the scene you see is both familiar and alarmingly changed. The spiraling energies have flung you all back to the positions you occupied in your respective 'clearings' when Tarton first dodged the web-shooting grubs' snare*. But those clearings now adjoin each other, separated only by a short passage between two clumps of reed and scrubby tree which project out from the surrounding walls of vegetation in which the clearings provide a navigable space through. But two fallen logs line this short (@ 10'; a distance Small or larger creatures can cover in a B.A.) path; and a line of web grubs is rearing up atop each hissing and spitting little flecks of web exactly as a rabid madman might froth at the mouth before trying to bite the nearest passerby. Also, the bipedal frog-creatures and their giant frog mounts which originally attacked the scouting party have resumed their original position ... with one addition. Mounted on a frog larger than any of the ones which had attacked before, a frog-creature sits who is somehow at the same time gnarled and bloated. Strange warts and excrescences thickly stud its skin; but you are reminded not so much of the warts a frog or toad would naturally have as the sickly and pustulous ones associated in folklore with foul magic. It cackles dementedly as it stares straight at Tarton and Artifex as if their reaction to what has just occurred was no more than the momentary stimulation from a new toy.
As Uz has moved less than the others, he has less radical of a shift in perspective to cope with; he is able to take in all that is described above at the same time as he looks to see what has become of the frog-things that had been trying to sneak up on him. At first he sees no change in the scene by the riverside; but then he spots a third trail of small bubbles on the water's surface and traces it to a third frog-thing crouched just under the surface next to the ambusher he spotted before.
=========
* I'll post new maps tonight or tomorrow(EDIT: I should know better than to say something like that -- they're almost done though so I expect to have them for the head of the next post); but basically Uz's position is essentially the same; Tarton, Arti, and Zladark/TBR are by the fallen tree, and the rest in a clump just inside the fallen-tree clearing. As Artifex is the one who has triggered the effect, they can (if they wish) make a DEX save at DC 15 to leap and/or tumble across the ten feet of grub gauntlet before the grubs have a chance to react. If they miss their save, though, they will be restrained as per the web spell (STR DC to break free - 13)
"Shit shit shit!" The eladrin stumbles, having been mid step, but manages to catch themselves, deftly spinning out of the way. "Chronos, this is really not the time to hit rewind!" It protests to the empty sky.
As Zladark found himself back at the fallen tree trunk, a sudden rush of energy coursed through his body. His wounds were gone, his muscles felt stronger, and his breath came easily—far more than he had ever expected from his serum. He flexed his fingers, testing the sensation, before exclaiming in disbelief, "Wow! I did not expect my serum to be this powerful!"
But then, a familiar sound reached his ears—the distinct sloshing of liquid inside his side bag. His heart skipped a beat as he instinctively patted the pouch. The syringe inside was still full. Untouched. "Wait…" he whispered, his mind racing.
It was then that he realized something even stranger—there were no frog creatures attacking him. No spear wounds. No lingering pain. Instead, the only familiar sound was the quiet, unsettling skittering of crawling creatures within the hollow of the tree trunk. His breath hitched as his fingers tightened around his quarterstaff.
"Have I… been moved back? Not just in space, but in time itself?"
His grip on reality wavered for a moment, his senses adjusting to the impossible situation. A cold shiver ran down his spine. "What sorcery is this?" he muttered under his breath, barely believing the words as they left his lips.
Tarton wobbles in place for a moment, almost losing his balance. To steady himself he closes his eyes and takes a wide stance to regain his balance. He keeps them closed until he is sure the swaying motions have stopped in his stomach and head. By the time he has opened them, The Black Rose is done speaking and Tarton takes another look around. Seeing the grubs whole and still moving he says, "Well shave my toes, I think we have all been moved back in time. These saggy orc butt grubs that I thought I had taken care of are alive and squirmin' again."
Tarton then stands there taking in the new layout of the clearings and the logs with his mouth hanging open speechless.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The bloated, demented-looking frog-thing cackles madly as it sees the confusion it has wrought upon our heroes. Shrieking out, "Granny Grampuswumpus wants new GUESTS for her DINNER party tonight!!!!! Catch them!!!!!! Bring them to me!!!!!!", it makes a sweeping, imperious gesture to all its comrades. They immediately respond, the mounted riders whispering goading words into the ears of their frogs until they charge while the single bowfrog cautiously creeps forward, obviously not wishing to risk further mockery from Artifex for a second missed shot. At the riverbank, the one unconcealed frog-thing thumps its webbed foot once on the bottom and then leaps towards the sure-footed eladrin. So does one of the concealed ambushers, breaking the surface with a convulsive leap that carries it into knee-deep water before also charging. They dash right past Uz, and the sharp-eyed hobgoblin warrior (PER in log = 18) can see enough of their faces to know that neither has spotted him and he will have the advantage of surprise until they get too far from him to strike with a single lunge.
ambusher #2 (still lurking just underwater) initiative 10
=========
(on the good side, their movement and slight disorientation (even though they were expecting this, they still need to glance about briefly to focus in on the new positions of things) will eat up action and BA for all but the archer, the closest rider and the cove leader, though all will still be able to React to what you do)
As Zladark heard the familiar wet slap of webbed feet and the croaking war-cries of the frog-men approaching once again, a wave of realization and determination surged through him. His grip tightened around his quarterstaff as he spun it in one hand with practiced ease, the motion ending in a solid, ready stance.
Lifting his voice with fierce conviction, he shouted, "The gods are on our side! They have blessed us with a chance to do better!" His voice rang out across the battlefield. "Now there's no way we’ll lose—not with their divine guiding!"
He said it as much to rally his companions as to steel his own resolve, and perhaps even to unsettle their amphibious foes. In the face of this bizarre twist in fate, Zladark needed to believe it had meaning—that this second chance was a gift, not a curse.
You have all now had enough time and personal contact with the bipedal frog-creatures to piece together scraps of memory and knowledge and fit them with a name : bullywugs. Most of those now visible seem a little disoriented, in spite of their foreknowledge of the leader's plan; while that bullywug seems to be doing nothing more than cackling and muittering to itself. If anyone wants to prove otherwise, an Arcana roll at DC 13 might seem to be a good way to start. ;-)
Otherwise, the only bullywugs who seem to be doing anything other than reorienting themselves for combat are the archer and the nearest frog-rider farther inland, and the first cove ambusher. This last charges towards Artifex, who has nimbly leapt and tumbled over the spitting grubs that lay between them and the beach, with a demented scream. If it has noticed Uz concealed within easy striking distance on its flank, it gives no sign. Meanwhile, the two inland begin the attack there in their own particular ways, the one nocking an arrow while the other goads its frog forward into a charge.
===***===***===
(these are the initiative rolls for the bullywugs and giant frogs in this present combat. The last grace of Chronos before we start in the battle anew is that you can choose to keep the initiatives you rolled just before everything reset, or roll new ones represented by the ?s below. And if I've not been able to find you, forgot or missed you please do post with either your previous initiative or a new one depending which you prefer. As of the coffeeshop closing today I hadn;'t located Arti or Erolith as far as I could tell on a hurried check b4 had to logoff)
--------------------------------------------------- I'll keep Tarton's initiative of 16, but will wait to post his action until the others have had a chance to re-roll if they want to. That way I'm not posting Tarton's action before someone that rolled higher.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Initiative: 9
And just to be clear, are we starting the combat over? So, are we getting things like hp, Ki points and spell slots back?
Tarton initiative: 16
---------------------------------------------------------------------
At the time I am writing this, the 2nd image is where we left off. To restart the scene for Tarton's position, Tarton would be above Arti Stonebeard either just setting off the trap on the log, or dodging the grub webs, where ever you wanted to pick up from.
Uz Init: 8
Well, that's a question with a complicatedly simple answer ;-). We are essentially restarting the combat, so abilities that recharge then will.
HP and spell slots, however, require a Short or Long rest; and as the Short rest description gives the minimum time for that as one hour doing nothing more strenuous than resting, and eight hours for the Long rest, there won't be enough time elapsed for those benefits unless you stroll REEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SSSSSSLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLLLYYYYY between the clearing and the cove LOL>>.. And that would give the unconscious bullywugs and giant frog time to recover also.
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
My positioning looks fine
Init:12
-----------------------------------------------
My positioning looks fine too, or if you wish to go back to before i jump over the tree trunk then that is fine with me too. If we go back to before i jump then i will probely be next to Tarton :)
Also, where we left off, I had used both of my Ki points and my one Artificer-initiated spell slot. But if we go back to before the combat, I would still have one Ki point and one spell slot, if I remember correctly. I find it a little confusing, so let me know if I am wrong :)
(actually, I am _SO_ glad you asked one more time! Now that you mentioned it and prompted me, I've thought again and realized that in terms of the story a dramatic reset like the following actually drops neatly into a couple of plotlines you're just beginning to pick up the trailing thread-ends of the first clews of ...... ({mweh-heh-he-hr-haaaaarh} --- as the DM trails off into the customary and expected evil-DM cackles and deranged ranting LOL.) So ignore what I said a few posts above about short and long rests, and all the rest. In this version we WILL essentially reset time to the point it was when Tarton triggered the grub trap and the froggies appeared ... with one or two most significant changes that will be explained in the scene below. So all HP, ki and other abilities, spells, etc. can be reset to where they were then. And I think that was more or less the first combat encounter in long enough that you can basically start fresh unless you specifically remember spending something like a Ki point etc.)
=========
As soon as Artifex steps out of the tree trunk clearing, time and space seem to twist and bend in ways that make even the experienced travelers' stomachs do a slow roll to the right, then to the left, and then in on themselves both ways at once. When the giddiness subsides, the scene you see is both familiar and alarmingly changed. The spiraling energies have flung you all back to the positions you occupied in your respective 'clearings' when Tarton first dodged the web-shooting grubs' snare*. But those clearings now adjoin each other, separated only by a short passage between two clumps of reed and scrubby tree which project out from the surrounding walls of vegetation in which the clearings provide a navigable space through. But two fallen logs line this short (@ 10'; a distance Small or larger creatures can cover in a B.A.) path; and a line of web grubs is rearing up atop each hissing and spitting little flecks of web exactly as a rabid madman might froth at the mouth before trying to bite the nearest passerby. Also, the bipedal frog-creatures and their giant frog mounts which originally attacked the scouting party have resumed their original position ... with one addition. Mounted on a frog larger than any of the ones which had attacked before, a frog-creature sits who is somehow at the same time gnarled and bloated. Strange warts and excrescences thickly stud its skin; but you are reminded not so much of the warts a frog or toad would naturally have as the sickly and pustulous ones associated in folklore with foul magic. It cackles dementedly as it stares straight at Tarton and Artifex as if their reaction to what has just occurred was no more than the momentary stimulation from a new toy.
As Uz has moved less than the others, he has less radical of a shift in perspective to cope with; he is able to take in all that is described above at the same time as he looks to see what has become of the frog-things that had been trying to sneak up on him. At first he sees no change in the scene by the riverside; but then he spots a third trail of small bubbles on the water's surface and traces it to a third frog-thing crouched just under the surface next to the ambusher he spotted before.
=========
* I'll post new maps tonight or tomorrow (EDIT: I should know better than to say something like that -- they're almost done though so I expect to have them for the head of the next post); but basically Uz's position is essentially the same; Tarton, Arti, and Zladark/TBR are by the fallen tree, and the rest in a clump just inside the fallen-tree clearing. As Artifex is the one who has triggered the effect, they can (if they wish) make a DEX save at DC 15 to leap and/or tumble across the ten feet of grub gauntlet before the grubs have a chance to react. If they miss their save, though, they will be restrained as per the web spell (STR DC to break free - 13)
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
"Shit shit shit!" The eladrin stumbles, having been mid step, but manages to catch themselves, deftly spinning out of the way. "Chronos, this is really not the time to hit rewind!" It protests to the empty sky.
Dex save: 18
Uz will look around and say to himself, "I got to stop drinking that dirty barrel mead by the barrel, I think I am starting to see things."
As Zladark found himself back at the fallen tree trunk, a sudden rush of energy coursed through his body. His wounds were gone, his muscles felt stronger, and his breath came easily—far more than he had ever expected from his serum. He flexed his fingers, testing the sensation, before exclaiming in disbelief, "Wow! I did not expect my serum to be this powerful!"
But then, a familiar sound reached his ears—the distinct sloshing of liquid inside his side bag. His heart skipped a beat as he instinctively patted the pouch. The syringe inside was still full. Untouched. "Wait…" he whispered, his mind racing.
It was then that he realized something even stranger—there were no frog creatures attacking him. No spear wounds. No lingering pain. Instead, the only familiar sound was the quiet, unsettling skittering of crawling creatures within the hollow of the tree trunk. His breath hitched as his fingers tightened around his quarterstaff.
"Have I… been moved back? Not just in space, but in time itself?"
His grip on reality wavered for a moment, his senses adjusting to the impossible situation. A cold shiver ran down his spine. "What sorcery is this?" he muttered under his breath, barely believing the words as they left his lips.
Tarton wobbles in place for a moment, almost losing his balance. To steady himself he closes his eyes and takes a wide stance to regain his balance. He keeps them closed until he is sure the swaying motions have stopped in his stomach and head. By the time he has opened them, The Black Rose is done speaking and Tarton takes another look around. Seeing the grubs whole and still moving he says, "Well shave my toes, I think we have all been moved back in time. These saggy orc butt grubs that I thought I had taken care of are alive and squirmin' again."
Tarton then stands there taking in the new layout of the clearings and the logs with his mouth hanging open speechless.
The bloated, demented-looking frog-thing cackles madly as it sees the confusion it has wrought upon our heroes. Shrieking out, "Granny Grampuswumpus wants new GUESTS for her DINNER party tonight!!!!! Catch them!!!!!! Bring them to me!!!!!!", it makes a sweeping, imperious gesture to all its comrades. They immediately respond, the mounted riders whispering goading words into the ears of their frogs until they charge while the single bowfrog cautiously creeps forward, obviously not wishing to risk further mockery from Artifex for a second missed shot. At the riverbank, the one unconcealed frog-thing thumps its webbed foot once on the bottom and then leaps towards the sure-footed eladrin. So does one of the concealed ambushers, breaking the surface with a convulsive leap that carries it into knee-deep water before also charging. They dash right past Uz, and the sharp-eyed hobgoblin warrior (PER in log = 18) can see enough of their faces to know that neither has spotted him and he will have the advantage of surprise until they get too far from him to strike with a single lunge.
=========
Main (clearing) frog-thing leader initiative 8
Cove frog-thing leader initiative 15
=========
(on the good side, their movement and slight disorientation (even though they were expecting this, they still need to glance about briefly to focus in on the new positions of things) will eat up action and BA for all but the archer, the closest rider and the cove leader, though all will still be able to React to what you do)
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
(I love how everyone else is just like what the **** time travel? and Artifex is just gods damnit not again )
:->
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
As Zladark heard the familiar wet slap of webbed feet and the croaking war-cries of the frog-men approaching once again, a wave of realization and determination surged through him. His grip tightened around his quarterstaff as he spun it in one hand with practiced ease, the motion ending in a solid, ready stance.
Lifting his voice with fierce conviction, he shouted, "The gods are on our side! They have blessed us with a chance to do better!" His voice rang out across the battlefield. "Now there's no way we’ll lose—not with their divine guiding!"
He said it as much to rally his companions as to steel his own resolve, and perhaps even to unsettle their amphibious foes. In the face of this bizarre twist in fate, Zladark needed to believe it had meaning—that this second chance was a gift, not a curse.
You have all now had enough time and personal contact with the bipedal frog-creatures to piece together scraps of memory and knowledge and fit them with a name : bullywugs. Most of those now visible seem a little disoriented, in spite of their foreknowledge of the leader's plan; while that bullywug seems to be doing nothing more than cackling and muittering to itself. If anyone wants to prove otherwise, an Arcana roll at DC 13 might seem to be a good way to start. ;-)
Otherwise, the only bullywugs who seem to be doing anything other than reorienting themselves for combat are the archer and the nearest frog-rider farther inland, and the first cove ambusher. This last charges towards Artifex, who has nimbly leapt and tumbled over the spitting grubs that lay between them and the beach, with a demented scream. If it has noticed Uz concealed within easy striking distance on its flank, it gives no sign. Meanwhile, the two inland begin the attack there in their own particular ways, the one nocking an arrow while the other goads its frog forward into a charge.
===***===***===
(these are the initiative rolls for the bullywugs and giant frogs in this present combat. The last grace of Chronos before we start in the battle anew is that you can choose to keep the initiatives you rolled just before everything reset, or roll new ones represented by the ?s below. And if I've not been able to find you, forgot or missed you please do post with either your previous initiative or a new one depending which you prefer. As of the coffeeshop closing today I hadn;'t located Arti or Erolith as far as I could tell on a hurried check b4 had to logoff)
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
---------------------------------------------------
I'll keep Tarton's initiative of 16, but will wait to post his action until the others have had a chance to re-roll if they want to. That way I'm not posting Tarton's action before someone that rolled higher.
--------------------------------------
New Initiative: 16
Arcana: 21
New initiative: 5
Arcana:11
Artifex is more worried about the frog person charging it than the old lady in the back
Initative: 14
Arcana: 0