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 3: 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. Artifex19; damage if hits 6 piercing
Arrow shot vs (TBA) 17(or 8 with DisADV if Artifex is the target); damage if hits 4 piercing
Bite attack vs. Tarton13; damage if hits 5 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 ...)
Artifex laughs, thrilled by how aggravated the archer is. "Alas, it seems I must leave another broken heart behind"
They dodge the spear too late, distracting themselves with their taunt. A hiss of pain escapes them as the attack opens a wound in their side, but their glee remains unwavering. "I'm afraid red isn't quite my color darling, but lets see how you wear it."
Not waiting to see if their attack had found its mark, Artifex calls out "Hey frogman, your mother was a toad!"
After finishing off the rider, Zladark barely had a moment to breathe before he heard the heavy, wet thump of the giant toad—the now riderless mount—beginning to leap toward Tarton. Its powerful legs coiled, and the air was thick with the tension of the impending pounce.
Reacting in a flash, Zladark thrust his quarterstaff into the soft earth beneath him, gripping it with both hands. With a sharp exhale, he vaulted upward, using the staff to propel himself into the air. His movements were swift and fluid, guided by the rhythmic sound of the toad's muscles tensing, the rush of air as it sprang, and the wet slap of its massive body against the ground.
Timed perfectly with the beast’s leap, Zladark twisted midair and lashed out with both legs, aiming a fierce double kick toward the creature’s gut. The momentum of his launch gave his strike added force—he was a living pendulum of motion, precision, and instinct.
After, in the air Zladark was already twisting again, ready to land in a crouch and return to his monk’s defensive stance the moment his feet touched the earth.
----------------------------- I believe Tarton (init 16) is waiting for bullywugs with init 20 and 17 to take their turn. If they have already taken their actions and I missed it, please let me know and I will post Tarton's actions.
After finishing off the rider, Zladark barely had a moment to breathe before he heard the heavy, wet thump of the giant toad—the now riderless mount—beginning to leap toward Tarton. Its powerful legs coiled, and the air was thick with the tension of the impending pounce.
Reacting in a flash, Zladark thrust his quarterstaff into the soft earth beneath him, gripping it with both hands. With a sharp exhale, he vaulted upward, using the staff to propel himself into the air. His movements were swift and fluid, guided by the rhythmic sound of the toad's muscles tensing, the rush of air as it sprang, and the wet slap of its massive body against the ground.
Timed perfectly with the beast’s leap, Zladark twisted midair and lashed out with both legs, aiming a fierce double kick toward the creature’s gut. The momentum of his launch gave his strike added force—he was a living pendulum of motion, precision, and instinct.
After, in the air Zladark was already twisting again, ready to land in a crouch and return to his monk’s defensive stance the moment his feet touched the earth.
(You're OK, actually. Your new init puts you after Artifex, and your move and shot plus Zladark's opportunity attack closes round 1 ... almost. ;-) )
===***===
In the cove, Artifex' tongue proves more nimble than their throwing arm, as a last-moment stitch of pain from their spear wound causes them to barely miss the lead ambusher's head. It glares at the eladrin and hobgoblin flanking it alternately, seeming torn between rage at Artifex' taunts and unwillingness to leave an unfought foe on its left side flank in Uz. (Artifex: make two rolls, one straight WIS and one straight CHA. If the total of both beats the bullywug's total of 16 (rolled in encounter builder),your taunts worked well enough to get it to switch back to targeting you).
Meanwhile, by the fallen tree, the sharp-eared Zladark catches the steed of his fallen foe nearly as much by surprise as he caught its rider. His leaping kick catches it in the belly just as it is leaving the ground to clear the fallen log; and it drops to earth just on the other side, well short of its target. None of this is enough to distract Arti, who prefers to leave no madfrog unpierced and sends a quarrel flying to strike the madly cackling leader in its side. It shrieks madly; but the quarrel is not quite enough to get it to cease its ranting. Or chanting, as the case may be: the decision to target the creature proves to be a wise one. Mere seconds after the dwarven priestess' shot, all in the clearing begin to notice what Zladark had detected earlier ... an overripe, acrid smell that seems to come from the marshy ground itself And just at that moment the bullywug leader points at a spot just in front of the log. Before anything more has a chance to register a green, oily-looking bubble of swamp gas rises from the ground until it is hovering a foot above the top of the log and then bursts, showering all within ten feet with a caustic liquid. (d6 {4} acid damage to Zladark, Arti, Tarton, and the riderless giant frog; and half damage to the next closest bullywug - giant frog pair) On the positive side, the annoying web-spitting grubs on the log itself are also showered and shortly curl up and die, leaving only the ones intervening between cove and clearing. From her knowledge of priestly magic, Arti has some familiarity also with the more nature-based sorceries that shaman and druid use. She suspects that this bullywug leader found a way to somehow delay and stretch out the casting of an acid splash spell to catch unsuspecting foes by surprise. Who knows what other mad tricks the creature has up its sleeve? Only time will tell, as the marshy battle squshes on.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(and yes, Zladark did technically 'miss' with that 8, so the giant frog took no actual damage; but as he's a monk his ki aura is beginning to project a little beyond his body with practice, and that was enough to knock the wind out of his target and arrest its charge)
(also forgot to edit in the save against that delayed acid splash. DEX saves will keep Arti, Tarton and Zladark from the acid damage ... froggies already flubbed theirs)
The lead bullywug doesn't seem to appreciate Arti's piercing counterargument. It glares at her and shrieks, "I'll tell Granny Grampuswumpus to make a PINCUSHION out of you for that! She needs a new one for her sewing basket!" Digging its feet into the ground, it leaps diagonally towards the dwarven priestess as it swings a thick, gnarled wooden staff over its head. She thinks at first it is trying to bludgeon her, but it lands about thirty feet away from her new position and snaps the staff downwards towards her with a croaked word of command ... and a lashing, thorny vine whips out from the end to try and entangle her!
Meanwhile, in the cove the other two ambushers have emerged from the river with muddy-sounding swooshes. As they break water you can see they are holding ugly-looking barbed tridents in their hands; they seem to have used these to quickly push off from the river bottom so they are already moving by the time they become visible. The quickest of these is the one slightly closer to Uz; it lowers its trident into a two-handed grip and charges with a furious croak.
===***===
Thorn whip attack vs. Arti9; damage if hits 3 piercing and Arti is pulled 10' closer to the bullywug leader (which would place her right next to the right-handmost of the three remaining frog - bullywug rider pairs)
Trident attack vs, Uz19; damage if hits #11 piercing
Round 2 (before damage figures from this post are assessed)
Cove ambusher #2 initiative 20 - undamaged
Main (clearing) bullywug leader initiative 17 - 6 damage
As Zladark landed from his airborne strike, the squelch of the wet ground beneath his feet was quickly overtaken by a sharp, acrid stench rising from the marsh. His nose wrinkled at the overripe, almost chemical smell—one that seemed to seep from the very earth itself. In that moment, a fragment of memory surfaced: one of the frog creatures had muttered something under its breath earlier—not just gibberish, but a string of words twisted with intention, unmistakably arcane. Not madness. A spell.
He barely had time to process it before the marsh erupted in a blast of acid, the air hissing violently. But Zladark was ready. The disciplined stance of his monk order had kept him grounded and prepared. As the explosion erupted, he launched into a controlled evasive maneuver, pushing off with one foot and tucking into a roll mid-air, in attempt to avoid the corrosive burst.
He hit the ground in a smooth fall and came out of the roll low and close—right beside the riderless giant toad. Without hesitation, he channeled the momentum of the roll into a fluid, whirling strike of his quarterstaff, aiming directly at the beast’s side. The staff cracked through the air with deadly intent.
Not finished, Zladark surged forward, his fist cocked back with reckless eagerness. With a sharp exhale, he drove a powerful punch toward the creature, pouring every ounce of strength—and just a hint of frustration—into the blow. It might not have been the cleanest strike of his monk training, but it carried the force of someone determined to finish what had been started.
-------------------------------------------------
Dex save (8,1) + 5 = 13, to avoid the acid explosion—by the way, I rolled with advantage because I had used my bonus action to take the Dodge action using my Patient Defense feature.
Quarterstaff: to hit 18, and if it hit, it deals 4 bludgeoning damage.
Bonus action Punch: to hit 6 (a natural one), and if it hit, it deals 4 bludgeoning damage.
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 3: 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 19; damage if hits 6 piercing
Arrow shot vs (TBA) 17 (or 8 with DisADV if Artifex is the target); damage if hits 4 piercing
Bite attack vs. Tarton 13; damage if hits 5 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.
Artifex laughs, thrilled by how aggravated the archer is. "Alas, it seems I must leave another broken heart behind"
They dodge the spear too late, distracting themselves with their taunt. A hiss of pain escapes them as the attack opens a wound in their side, but their glee remains unwavering. "I'm afraid red isn't quite my color darling, but lets see how you wear it."
Not waiting to see if their attack had found its mark, Artifex calls out "Hey frogman, your mother was a toad!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic stone: 14 to hit, 7 damage if successful
artifex is gonna get closer to the warrior, about 15ft way, and try to taunt him into targeting Artifex again rather than Uz.
After finishing off the rider, Zladark barely had a moment to breathe before he heard the heavy, wet thump of the giant toad—the now riderless mount—beginning to leap toward Tarton. Its powerful legs coiled, and the air was thick with the tension of the impending pounce.
Reacting in a flash, Zladark thrust his quarterstaff into the soft earth beneath him, gripping it with both hands. With a sharp exhale, he vaulted upward, using the staff to propel himself into the air. His movements were swift and fluid, guided by the rhythmic sound of the toad's muscles tensing, the rush of air as it sprang, and the wet slap of its massive body against the ground.
Timed perfectly with the beast’s leap, Zladark twisted midair and lashed out with both legs, aiming a fierce double kick toward the creature’s gut. The momentum of his launch gave his strike added force—he was a living pendulum of motion, precision, and instinct.
After, in the air Zladark was already twisting again, ready to land in a crouch and return to his monk’s defensive stance the moment his feet touched the earth.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If I can, then I would like to make an unarmed opportunity attack (kick):
8 to hit, and if it hits, it will deal 7 bludgeoning damage.
I would like to use my movement to get to 80ft to the the closest bullywug and use my action to fire the bolt at the bullywug priest?
18 to hit 6 damage if hits
-----------------------------
I believe Tarton (init 16) is waiting for bullywugs with init 20 and 17 to take their turn. If they have already taken their actions and I missed it, please let me know and I will post Tarton's actions.
Sorry forgot init order
(Yep, SAC says that's perfectly doable ( https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/sae/sage-advice-compendium#SAC-Combat17 ) ... your blindsight allows you to take the opportunity attack, and unarmed strikes are also listed on the same page as one acceptable option for an opportunity strike.)
(You're OK, actually. Your new init puts you after Artifex, and your move and shot plus Zladark's opportunity attack closes round 1 ... almost. ;-) )
===***===
In the cove, Artifex' tongue proves more nimble than their throwing arm, as a last-moment stitch of pain from their spear wound causes them to barely miss the lead ambusher's head. It glares at the eladrin and hobgoblin flanking it alternately, seeming torn between rage at Artifex' taunts and unwillingness to leave an unfought foe on its left side flank in Uz. (Artifex: make two rolls, one straight WIS and one straight CHA. If the total of both beats the bullywug's total of 16 (rolled in encounter builder),your taunts worked well enough to get it to switch back to targeting you).
Meanwhile, by the fallen tree, the sharp-eared Zladark catches the steed of his fallen foe nearly as much by surprise as he caught its rider. His leaping kick catches it in the belly just as it is leaving the ground to clear the fallen log; and it drops to earth just on the other side, well short of its target. None of this is enough to distract Arti, who prefers to leave no madfrog unpierced and sends a quarrel flying to strike the madly cackling leader in its side. It shrieks madly; but the quarrel is not quite enough to get it to cease its ranting. Or chanting, as the case may be: the decision to target the creature proves to be a wise one. Mere seconds after the dwarven priestess' shot, all in the clearing begin to notice what Zladark had detected earlier ... an overripe, acrid smell that seems to come from the marshy ground itself And just at that moment the bullywug leader points at a spot just in front of the log. Before anything more has a chance to register a green, oily-looking bubble of swamp gas rises from the ground until it is hovering a foot above the top of the log and then bursts, showering all within ten feet with a caustic liquid. (d6 {4} acid damage to Zladark, Arti, Tarton, and the riderless giant frog; and half damage to the next closest bullywug - giant frog pair) On the positive side, the annoying web-spitting grubs on the log itself are also showered and shortly curl up and die, leaving only the ones intervening between cove and clearing. From her knowledge of priestly magic, Arti has some familiarity also with the more nature-based sorceries that shaman and druid use. She suspects that this bullywug leader found a way to somehow delay and stretch out the casting of an acid splash spell to catch unsuspecting foes by surprise. Who knows what other mad tricks the creature has up its sleeve? Only time will tell, as the marshy battle squshes on.
(end of turn 1. turn 2 coming 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 yes, Zladark did technically 'miss' with that 8, so the giant frog took no actual damage; but as he's a monk his ki aura is beginning to project a little beyond his body with practice, and that was enough to knock the wind out of his target and arrest its charge)
(also forgot to edit in the save against that delayed acid splash. DEX saves will keep Arti, Tarton and Zladark from the acid damage ... froggies already flubbed theirs)
The lead bullywug doesn't seem to appreciate Arti's piercing counterargument. It glares at her and shrieks, "I'll tell Granny Grampuswumpus to make a PINCUSHION out of you for that! She needs a new one for her sewing basket!" Digging its feet into the ground, it leaps diagonally towards the dwarven priestess as it swings a thick, gnarled wooden staff over its head. She thinks at first it is trying to bludgeon her, but it lands about thirty feet away from her new position and snaps the staff downwards towards her with a croaked word of command ... and a lashing, thorny vine whips out from the end to try and entangle her!
Meanwhile, in the cove the other two ambushers have emerged from the river with muddy-sounding swooshes. As they break water you can see they are holding ugly-looking barbed tridents in their hands; they seem to have used these to quickly push off from the river bottom so they are already moving by the time they become visible. The quickest of these is the one slightly closer to Uz; it lowers its trident into a two-handed grip and charges with a furious croak.
===***===
Thorn whip attack vs. Arti 9; damage if hits 3 piercing and Arti is pulled 10' closer to the bullywug leader (which would place her right next to the right-handmost of the three remaining frog - bullywug rider pairs)
Trident attack vs, Uz 19; damage if hits #11 piercing
(Zladark and Tarton are 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
Artifex doubles down. "C'mon, you feelin' froggy? Then jump. Or is the big scary amphibian scared of little ol' me?"
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That's a 19 on each. Artifex just made it personal lmao.
As Zladark landed from his airborne strike, the squelch of the wet ground beneath his feet was quickly overtaken by a sharp, acrid stench rising from the marsh. His nose wrinkled at the overripe, almost chemical smell—one that seemed to seep from the very earth itself. In that moment, a fragment of memory surfaced: one of the frog creatures had muttered something under its breath earlier—not just gibberish, but a string of words twisted with intention, unmistakably arcane. Not madness. A spell.
He barely had time to process it before the marsh erupted in a blast of acid, the air hissing violently. But Zladark was ready. The disciplined stance of his monk order had kept him grounded and prepared. As the explosion erupted, he launched into a controlled evasive maneuver, pushing off with one foot and tucking into a roll mid-air, in attempt to avoid the corrosive burst.
He hit the ground in a smooth fall and came out of the roll low and close—right beside the riderless giant toad. Without hesitation, he channeled the momentum of the roll into a fluid, whirling strike of his quarterstaff, aiming directly at the beast’s side. The staff cracked through the air with deadly intent.
Not finished, Zladark surged forward, his fist cocked back with reckless eagerness. With a sharp exhale, he drove a powerful punch toward the creature, pouring every ounce of strength—and just a hint of frustration—into the blow. It might not have been the cleanest strike of his monk training, but it carried the force of someone determined to finish what had been started.
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Dex save (8,1) + 5 = 13, to avoid the acid explosion—by the way, I rolled with advantage because I had used my bonus action to take the Dodge action using my Patient Defense feature.
Quarterstaff: to hit 18, and if it hit, it deals 4 bludgeoning damage.
Bonus action Punch: to hit 6 (a natural one), and if it hit, it deals 4 bludgeoning damage.
Btw did Zladark get blessed or not?