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.
ambusher #2 (still lurking just underwater) initiative 20
=========
(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.
Tarton decides to try out his throwing shortsword (30/90) for the first time since purchasing it and hurls it at the closest bullywug.
"Well. Not bad for the first throw, though I should have practiced before now." Tarton says then adds, "It's balanced so well, I think I could've hit the one laughing at us in the back."
He then pulls out his shortbow.
---------------------------------------------------------------- 1st ranged attack roll total: 16 2nd roll total if at disadvantage: 23
Zladark leapt over the fallen tree trunk with a burst of athletic grace, his yellow robe trailing behind him like a banner. As his feet struck the ground on the other side, he wasted no time.
Guided by the wet, guttural croaks and the squelching sounds of the bullywugs’ movements, Zladark sprinted forward. Though his eyes were milky and blind, his other senses were razor sharp. Each sound painted a clear picture in his mind—the shifting of muddy feet, the croak of breath, the tension of muscle before an attack.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the nearest bullywug, quarterstaff gripped tightly in both hands. The world narrowed to the rhythm of his pounding heartbeat and the heavy thud of his swift steps across the damp earth.
Using the full momentum of his movement, Zladark swung his quarterstaff with brutal precision, aiming for the creature’s thick neck—or what passed for one among the frog-like beings. The staff cut through the air with a sharp, whistling sound, the force of his charge magnifying the strike’s power even further.
Zladark then quickly took a step back, his feet sliding into position with a fluid, practiced motion. He immediately assumed the defensive stance of his monk order, quarterstaff held ready before him, every muscle coiled like a spring, prepared for any counterattack the bullywug might launch.
——————————
Attack with quarterstaff using both hands:
16 to hit, and if it hits, it deals 6 bludgeoning damage.
Then he uses a ki point to use his bonus action to take the Dodge action with Patient Defense.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The quickest-witted of the bullywug riders digs its heels into its steed, goading it to leap over the fallen log. Before the slow-blooded amphibian can respond, however, Tarton's throwing sword flashes out to bury itself in the creature's shoulder. It gives a shriek of pain and tries to fling its spear at the bold halfling, but before the missile leaves its hand, Zladark appears as if from nowhere beside it. So accurate is the monk's blow that his staff strikes Tarton's sword hilt and drives it in like a spike at the same moment the staff is breaking the bullywug's neck. It falls off like a wet sack, clearly dead; but the muscle twitches in its steed's crouching legs show that the rider's final command got through and the frog is preparing to leap forward to the attack.
Gwrgi, who paradoxically seemed to have more trouble than anyone else adjusting to the sudden jump backwards in time, suddenly lets out a hiss and swings her crossbow up to her shoulder to loose a quarrel at the cackling bullywug leader.
Zladark:
It's definitely more than mad chanting the leader is doing. You don't have enough training in spellcasting to know what exactly it is trying to do, but certain words and phrases are unmistakable markers of arcane power. The only clue you have is a slight acrid smell in your nostrils that seems to be more metaphysical than actually there; but you think that might be as likely related to the foulness of the caster's soul as to anything about the spell itself. And just to muddy things further, as you focus on the scent you can also detect an undertone of overripe, rotting growth just on the edge of succumbing wholly to decay.
===***===
Gwrgi's crossbow attack 22; damage if hits 3 piercing
(that's definitely a hit! Were you aiming at a particular target, or firing into the crowd in general ... [as one might to improve the chances of getting A hit if it wasn't as important to them which frog or bully they took out] ...?)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(oh sorry ... got a little spatially mixed -- been in a bit of postsurgical haze recently, albeit minor ... outpatient procedure on my right ring finger to fix something called 'trigger release' -- MUCH more painful than the surgery when it flares up. Anyhow, other than being a little more foggy than usual doing well; surgeon was very pleased at postop visit Mon.)
By the boats, the strongly built lead bullywug ambusher pounds its webbed feet into the marshy shore in a heavy charge towards Artifex, spear lowered and ready to gore them ... and digs those feet yet deeper into the muck in a sudden convulsive bound as the arrow from Uz' bow pierces its side! It shrieks and flings its spear furiously towards the eladrin it was stalking before turning to look where this new threat came from. On seeing the sharp-eyed hobgoblin archer, a snarl crosses its face that perfectly blends surprise, disgust and hatred; and it reaches towards the crude leather belt around its middle where it has an odd-looking curved short sword tucked in on the one side and what looks like a carefully folded throwing net on the other.
Meanwhile, in the clearing, the archer howls in frustration as its maddeningly elusive eladrin target spins and tumbles out of reach. It glares with redoubled hatred through bloodshot eyes as it takes a shot of opportunity into the remaining crowd (d6 for target 1: 1= The Black Rose, 2= Tarton, 3= Arti, 4= Gwrgi, 5= Zenzor, 6= just can't get that damn eladrin off its mind! desperate long shot (at Disadvantage) vs. Artifex' disappearing back). At the same time, the fallen frog-rider's steed leaps deftly over the log and gapes its yawning jaws wide in an effort to swallow Tarton whole!
===***===
Spear attack vs. Artifex18; damage if hits 5 piercing
Arrow shot vs (TBA) 11(or 8 with DisADV if Artifex is the target); damage if hits 2 piercing
Bite attack vs. Tarton10; damage if hits 6 piercing, Tarton is grappled, and the frog can attempt to swallow him on the following round (I envision this as his being partially engulfed by the jaws but not yet drawn in down the throat ... )
(and though the archer indeed can't seem to get its mocking eladrin foe off its mind, the range is just too great and it nocks up (pun half-intended) another humiliating miss ... The flung spear, on the other hand, is piercingly effective ;-), although if Artifex hadn't had the arrow to dodge it likely would have missed; while in the clearing Tarton lives up to his surname, his fleet feet spinning him handily out of the closing green jaws just as they seemed about to engulf him ...)
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 17
Cove frog-thing leader 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)
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
Tarton decides to try out his throwing shortsword (30/90) for the first time since purchasing it and hurls it at the closest bullywug.
"Well. Not bad for the first throw, though I should have practiced before now." Tarton says then adds, "It's balanced so well, I think I could've hit the one laughing at us in the back."
He then pulls out his shortbow.
----------------------------------------------------------------
1st ranged attack roll total: 16
2nd roll total if at disadvantage: 23
16 lowest roll, damage if hits: 8 piercing
Zladark leapt over the fallen tree trunk with a burst of athletic grace, his yellow robe trailing behind him like a banner. As his feet struck the ground on the other side, he wasted no time.
Guided by the wet, guttural croaks and the squelching sounds of the bullywugs’ movements, Zladark sprinted forward. Though his eyes were milky and blind, his other senses were razor sharp. Each sound painted a clear picture in his mind—the shifting of muddy feet, the croak of breath, the tension of muscle before an attack.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the nearest bullywug, quarterstaff gripped tightly in both hands. The world narrowed to the rhythm of his pounding heartbeat and the heavy thud of his swift steps across the damp earth.
Using the full momentum of his movement, Zladark swung his quarterstaff with brutal precision, aiming for the creature’s thick neck—or what passed for one among the frog-like beings. The staff cut through the air with a sharp, whistling sound, the force of his charge magnifying the strike’s power even further.
Zladark then quickly took a step back, his feet sliding into position with a fluid, practiced motion. He immediately assumed the defensive stance of his monk order, quarterstaff held ready before him, every muscle coiled like a spring, prepared for any counterattack the bullywug might launch.
——————————
Attack with quarterstaff using both hands:
16 to hit, and if it hits, it deals 6 bludgeoning damage.
Then he uses a ki point to use his bonus action to take the Dodge action with Patient Defense.
The quickest-witted of the bullywug riders digs its heels into its steed, goading it to leap over the fallen log. Before the slow-blooded amphibian can respond, however, Tarton's throwing sword flashes out to bury itself in the creature's shoulder. It gives a shriek of pain and tries to fling its spear at the bold halfling, but before the missile leaves its hand, Zladark appears as if from nowhere beside it. So accurate is the monk's blow that his staff strikes Tarton's sword hilt and drives it in like a spike at the same moment the staff is breaking the bullywug's neck. It falls off like a wet sack, clearly dead; but the muscle twitches in its steed's crouching legs show that the rider's final command got through and the frog is preparing to leap forward to the attack.
Gwrgi, who paradoxically seemed to have more trouble than anyone else adjusting to the sudden jump backwards in time, suddenly lets out a hiss and swings her crossbow up to her shoulder to loose a quarrel at the cackling bullywug leader.
Zladark:
It's definitely more than mad chanting the leader is doing. You don't have enough training in spellcasting to know what exactly it is trying to do, but certain words and phrases are unmistakable markers of arcane power. The only clue you have is a slight acrid smell in your nostrils that seems to be more metaphysical than actually there; but you think that might be as likely related to the foulness of the caster's soul as to anything about the spell itself. And just to muddy things further, as you focus on the scent you can also detect an undertone of overripe, rotting growth just on the edge of succumbing wholly to decay.
===***===
Gwrgi's crossbow attack 22; damage if hits 3 piercing
Uz is up!
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
Uz will move away from the frogs towards the group and shoot his short bow so that he can hurt them before getting into melee.
Attack: 18
Damage: 10
(that's definitely a hit! Were you aiming at a particular target, or firing into the crowd in general ... [as one might to improve the chances of getting A hit if it wasn't as important to them which frog or bully they took out] ...?)
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 am hitting the bully.
(oh sorry ... got a little spatially mixed -- been in a bit of postsurgical haze recently, albeit minor ... outpatient procedure on my right ring finger to fix something called 'trigger release' -- MUCH more painful than the surgery when it flares up. Anyhow, other than being a little more foggy than usual doing well; surgeon was very pleased at postop visit Mon.)
By the boats, the strongly built lead bullywug ambusher pounds its webbed feet into the marshy shore in a heavy charge towards Artifex, spear lowered and ready to gore them ... and digs those feet yet deeper into the muck in a sudden convulsive bound as the arrow from Uz' bow pierces its side! It shrieks and flings its spear furiously towards the eladrin it was stalking before turning to look where this new threat came from. On seeing the sharp-eyed hobgoblin archer, a snarl crosses its face that perfectly blends surprise, disgust and hatred; and it reaches towards the crude leather belt around its middle where it has an odd-looking curved short sword tucked in on the one side and what looks like a carefully folded throwing net on the other.
Meanwhile, in the clearing, the archer howls in frustration as its maddeningly elusive eladrin target spins and tumbles out of reach. It glares with redoubled hatred through bloodshot eyes as it takes a shot of opportunity into the remaining crowd (d6 for target 1: 1= The Black Rose, 2= Tarton, 3= Arti, 4= Gwrgi, 5= Zenzor, 6= just can't get that damn eladrin off its mind! desperate long shot (at Disadvantage) vs. Artifex' disappearing back). At the same time, the fallen frog-rider's steed leaps deftly over the log and gapes its yawning jaws wide in an effort to swallow Tarton whole!
===***===
Spear attack vs. Artifex 18; damage if hits 5 piercing
Arrow shot vs (TBA) 11 (or 8 with DisADV if Artifex is the target); damage if hits 2 piercing
Bite attack vs. Tarton 10; damage if hits 6 piercing, Tarton is grappled, and the frog can attempt to swallow him on the following round (I envision this as his being partially engulfed by the jaws but not yet drawn in down the throat ... )
(Artifex is up!)
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
(and though the archer indeed can't seem to get its mocking eladrin foe off its mind, the range is just too great and it nocks up (pun half-intended) another humiliating miss ... The flung spear, on the other hand, is piercingly effective ;-), although if Artifex hadn't had the arrow to dodge it likely would have missed; while in the clearing Tarton lives up to his surname, his fleet feet spinning him handily out of the closing green jaws just as they seemed about to engulf him ...)
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
Arti new initiative: 4
Arti will cast bless on TBR and Tarton and then will draw her light crossbow, one bolt and aim at the nearest bullywug.