Sword Coast Rambling

Initiative Rolls: 

Arkhan: 14
Beetle: 15
Brots: 17
Serak: 16
Syna: 22
Zyltris: 12

Cultists: 4

Beetle 18 vs Cultists 12

Jelenneth: 9

Serak throws a knowing look to Arkhan as he turns away, face reddened with frustration. "Forgive me, we are but new initiates in the Order, hired to assist you. My friend Beetle here has the contract..." As he reaches Beetle, the bard stops suddenly grinding a pinch of sand between his fingers.

A sudden roar of defiance fills the air. “Hey Favric, what kind of idiot ties a Dragonborn up but doesn’t bother to gag him?” With his bindings held before him, Arkhan belches out a cone of fire at his captors. 

Cultist 1 Dexterity Save: 10
Cultist 4 Dexterity Save: 12

Cultist 1 Damage: 6
Cultist 2 Damage: 6

The blast catches the cultists completely off guard, distracted by Seraks ploy. Arkhan throws his charred bindings to the floor as the cultists before him are engulfed in flames. Beneath his cloak, Favric appears to have survived the worst of the flame. The other cultist however is not so fortunate, his body burnt and lifeless at the roadside.

ROUND 1

OOC: First round again. Any issues with starting positions let me know and they can be changed. 

With the first of the cultists falling victim to Arkhans fire, Serak releases his handful of sand into the breeze. As he utters the incantation for Sleep, the golden grains sail effortlessly through the air, catching in the eyes of the cultists. 

Cast: Sleep (2nd level)
Target: As many cultists as possible 

HP Effected: 35

One by one, the cultists feel their eyes grow heavier before collapsing into a heap on the ash covered ground. Still awake, Favric looks around in alarm, the tables suddenly turned against him.

 Thinking it best to stay hidden, Jelenneth opts to hide in the nearby overgrowth. 

Jelenneth Dexterity (Stealth) Check: 8 

Despite the sparse cover available, Jelenneth does her best to hide herself. From her position she is able to see the sleeping cultists, and hopes that she can remain unseen. 

Still blessed with Jelenneths spell, Brots charges at an unnatural gnomic speed towards this action, this time determined not to miss out. Drawing an arrow to his longbow, he aims at Favric as the only cultist still standing.

Brots Attack Roll: 9

Almost rushing his shot, Brots sends his arrow careening off to one side, sailing wide of the mark. Cursing himself, the gnome comes to a halt beside the others and reaches for another arrow.

OOC: Arkhan and Syna your turns. Just remember Arkhan that your lack of weapons and armour will limit your options for the first round or so. Ranged attacks against the Unconscious/Prone cultists are both advantaged and disadvantaged. Melee within 5ft has an automatic critical hit.

I'll provide an updated map if you need it.

Arkhan moves 30ft back from Favric and then turns around clasps his hands together and as he pulls them apart crackling blue lightning arcs from hand to hand, he forms the energy into a ball and launches it at Favric.

Attack: 7 Damage: 10

Witch Bolt

OOC: Sorry Arkhan, maybe I'm being stupid but I don't see Witch Bolt on your character sheet. It's been a long day so chances are I'm just not seeing it.

Quote from BrownBeard >>

OOC: Sorry Arkhan, maybe I'm being stupid but I don't see Witch Bolt on your character sheet. It's been a long day so chances are I'm just not seeing it.

 ooc: so i ported my character over from a campaign with content sharing (i do this to make all my characters) and in doing so i left off witch bolt from my sheet by mistake. 

OOC: Fair enough, just wasn’t sure! If it’s the one spell it’ll be fine but if there’s any more missing you might be best putting a new sheet together? Be grand for now though

Stepping away from his captors, Arkhan channels his anger into bright blue electrical energy which sparks into life between his large hands. With a flick of his wrist he sends the crackling ball through the air towards the awe struck Cult leader. 

Attack: 23 
Damage: 9

Favric shakes violently as the electricity fills his body. A steady plume of smoke billows from the openings of his cloak, the leaders body crackling and fizzling from the blast. Reaching for the sky, Favric falls to the floor. His last breath forced and stuttered as his followers sleep on. 

OOC: Syna, you're up. Favric is dead, other cultists are all unconscious.

“Weak.” Arkhan barks at Favrics lifeless body

OOC: Welcome aboard, Arkhan! I couldn't have made a better character to fill the gaps in our team. Direct Damage caster that can stand up in melee. Good to have you!

I propose we keep one cultist alive long enough to question him about the tower and where Dayereth is held. I'm cool with waiting for Syna to continue the adventure, but this combat is basically over already. We just walk up and execute two of them and tie up the third. Then we can role-play meeting Arkhan and the interrogation for now.

OOC: I'm glad to hear it! I saw the party composition and kind of just went for it. I still have no idea how the build will go from here but it should be fun. totally good with the plan to keep one and execute two, Arkhan already got his revenge.

OOC: Sorry guys, busy day today! I’ll roll for Syna, 

With the cult leader still convulsing violently on the ground, Syna steps forward. The druid stretches a firey hand before him. With an explosion of heat and light, he forms a bonfire around the nearest sleeping cultist.

Cultist 2 Dexterity Save: Automatic Fail
Damage: 5

Waking with a start, the cultist immediately beating away the flames as he rises to his feet. In his panic, he grabs for his sword, rolling backwards away from the raging fire. With two of his comrades fast asleep, and his leader no more, the masked man makes a run for it. With two attacking forces on either side and the prospect of a dragon to the north, the cultist takes his chances with the web filled storehouse to the south. 

Cultist Strength (Athletics) Check: 5

No sooner does the cloaked soldier venture into the webs, than he is entrapped by the sticky threads. As he struggles to free himself in the dark, the webs shake violently, vibrating against the buildings old stone walls.

21

OOC: Beetle, you're up next. Zyltris will most likely dash into the fray so Serak you could likely take your turn too! 

Serak: Casually walking forward, Serak draws his rapier as he approaches the nearest sleeping cultist. Noticing the unfortunate fellow trapped in a web, the bard turns back and shouts, "Spiders!"

Bracing himself, Serak then drives his rapier into the sleeping cultist's right shoulder, attempting to incapacitate him.

Attack(Adv): 20 Damage(Auto-Crit, Non-Lethal): 12

OOC: I just realized Beetle is in melee range too and will probably attack C3, waking him up, before Serak can. I rolled a natural 20 though, so it'd be the same damage either way.

If Beetle kills C3, Serak will take cover behind the tree to his northeast and ready an action to shoot a bolt at any spiders in the building to the south.

Attack: 9 Damage: 4

Beetle closes on the still unconscious C3 and strikes...

Attack: 17 Damage: 8

Beetle holds his longsword before him as he begins to charge forwards. His target, a nearby cultist, lies helpless and asleep at the foot of the hill. With a short swing, Beetle slashes downwards.

Attack: 17 (Auto Crit against Unconscious)
Damage: (8 + 3): 11

Without breaking sweat, Beetle parts the cultists mask from his cloak. The mans head rolls downhill, coming to a rest beside his leaders own lifeless corpse which finally stops twitching. With three cultists down, the paladin checks around for his next target. A flash of shining metal whips past him, Zyltris charging forward into the fray, towards the last sleeping cultist.

ROUND 2

Casually walking forward, Serak draws his rapier as he approaches the trapped cultist. Warning the others, he doubles back and shouts, "Spiders!" , finding cover behind a nearby tree. He prepares an arrow and waits patiently for a spider to reveal itself.

Serak doesn't have long to wait. No sooner has he taken cover than the wriggling cultist has attracted some unwanted attention. Crawling down an interior wall, a huge spider appears from the darkness. Beady black eyes peer out of the abandoned shack searching through the tangled white threads for its entangled prey. The cultist screams, "OH GODS! HELP! TIAMAT SAVE ME FROM THIS BEAST!" His efforts to free himself suddenly become much more frantic, further tangling himself up in the sticky webbing. The spiders forelegs twitch, rubbing together across a set of sharp pointed teeth. Prepared for such an eventuality, Serak fires his arrow at the hairy arachnid.

Attack: 8

The bolt bounces away harmlessly against the spiders thick hair covered exoskeleton. Without even flinching, the creature raises a pointed foreleg and thrusts it deftly into the cultists' torso.

Spider Attack Roll: 18
Damage: 11
(Adv against restrained - 6)

Cultist Constitution Save: 6
Additional Damage: 1

A harrowing scream fills the night air as the cultist suddenly falls limp. The spider immediately busies itself tightly wrapping its next meal into a cocoon of webbing. 

While Jelenneth continues to play it safe, quietly hiding away from the trail,  Brots again lifts his bow and steps forwards. Knowing that one of these men must be captured alive, he aims an arrow into one of the spiders many black eyes. 

Brots Attack Roll: 26

Once more an arrow bounces harmlessly off the spider, too engrossed in its latest catch to notice the attack. 

OOC: Arkhan, Syna you're up next. Beetle, you can probably take your turn now as well unless something mad happens with the remaining cultists. C2 is pretty much dead, hes down to 0hp but the poison doesn't kill him outright. For now he's just paralyzed, poisoned, restrained and prone.

Beetle sees the giant spider turns to face it and moves closer but staying just outside the web...

casts eldritch blast

Attack: 22 Damage: 4

he also prepares to use shield from the staff if needed

Arkhan turns his attention toward the spider and the tangled goon, “Tiamat will not save you. For I am a soldier if Bahamut, you have picked the wrong one to capture and I will be your reckoning.” He aims past the cultist at the spider, but hoping he can catch the web on fire.

Fire Bolt Attack: 18 Damage: 1

Arkhans firebolt roars as it sails through the air, striking the spider in an explosion of heat and light. The creature screeches loudly, trying to retreat back to the safety of its lair. Around the doorway, the spiders web withers away as embers catch at the silk, freeing the stricken cultist. 

 Staying within earshot of his hiding master, Syna conjures another handful of flames. In a moment the bonfire raging down the trail is extinguished as another ignites around the final sleeping cultist. 

Cultist 5 Dexterity Save: Automatic Fail
Damage: 8

The cultist screams as he is awoken by the sudden searing heat all around him. With his head still fuzzy from the magical slumber, he struggles to his feet. A figure reaches a hand into the flame to grab him, but the cultist beats it away, disengaging from the fight and making a break for the safety of the village. 

In the doorway to the abandoned building the second cultist still lies helplessly beneath the now wounded spider. Being all-but dead, the masked man is unaware of the battle raging over him as a crackling beam of energy tears through the slowly darkening night air. 

Attack: 22 
Damage: 4

Taking purposeful strides forwards, Beetle holds his sword and staff before him, sending a long stream of light into the doorway. Another high pitched screech rings in his ears as the spider takes a second hit, gratings its black fangs together as it takes another long step into the ruin. 

Zyltris is quick to react as the cultist escapes his grasp. Drawing a handaxe from his belt he lobs it heavily down the road, taking care not to kill his target.

Zyltris: 17
Damage: 7 (Non-Lethal)

Spinning gracefully through the air, the handaxe plunges into the mans calf, causing him to collapse mid stride. "CAUGHT ONE!" Zyltris calls out to the others as he runs over to his target - now no more than a pile of bloody gently smoking rags. Retrieving his handaxe, buried deep within the mans shin bone, he rolls the man over. Grabbing at the mask, the elf withdraws his hand immediately. Its intricate metalwork still scorching hot from its brief encounter with fire. 

ROUND 3

OOC: Darkness if falling - Available light will fall fairly quickly now. C2 is still practically dead, C5 is incapacitated. Serak you're up again.

OCC:  OK.. I'm back... And in-laws free!  And if anyone is from NYC, I apologize, but you can KEEP that place.  Ugh!  I have a lot of catching up to do for work today, so..

Realizing the spider's bite could bring things to a vicious end, Syna moves behind Beetle and casts Resistance with his touch.