Nym watches as a butterfly crawls up her hand and arm, nose scrunching at how it's tiny feet tickled her skin. "What's a unicorn?" She asks of Lumen, looking up from the butterflies and seeing his head buried in the flowers, giving a laugh. "Is it a bug?"
As you prepare for departure from this serene little campsite atop the small mossy hill, you watch the butterflies that dance around the little patches of flowers, creating a brilliant display of color that contrasts with the deep green of the forest. Alae thinks back to the decorated tree you saw yesterday, but she can remember no clues about who might have completed that adornment.
Your second day of travel from Ravenglade goes in a similar fashion. Aelar's hidden trail offers fast movement through the heavily wooded terrain, and once gain you cover a great deal of ground as you weave through expansive stands of birch and fir trees, beneath the heavy, leafy canopy of oaks and maples and dip in and out of numerous hollows and creek beds. You see plentiful wildlife during the day, majestic dear, small fury martins, squirrels and chipmunks and a variety of birds that sing and whistle as you pass through their territory.
Eventually, the day comes to a close, and you stop for the night in a small, comfortable clearing beneath two large trees have grown so huge their trunks and roots have seemingly merged together. Just as you're getting ready to bed down for your night's rest, something suddenly catches your eye through the trees about a hundred feet away... a small bobbing light that flickers between the trunks. Upon first glance, it appears as if someone is walking through the woods with a lantern.
Nym will share her Eyes of Night, gifting Lumen, Alae and Chrys darkvision out to a range of 300 feet up to for one hour. Standing along with Lumen, Nym briefly touches his shoulder, gifting him Vigilant Blessing and also Guidance. "The extra range of darkvision I can grant is only if you're ten feet near me so I'll try to stay close behind."She says to empty air of where Lumen had been standing just a moment ago but then vanished with invisibility. But she makes the mistake of walking directly towards the strange light, not knowing the path Lumen was taking.
((Is there something that I can roll to see if Nym thinks this is a trap?))
Lumen's stares at the light, trying to discern whether it's being carried by something, or whether it's a singular entity. From this vantage point, in an environment of tight trees, it's hard to tell, even with dark vision. Becoming invisible, he moves forward and to the right, to try to get a better look.
Meanwhile, Nym shares her enhanced darkvision with three of her companions, blessings upon Lumen, before he creeps ahead. As of right now, you can all see the strange torch light weaving amongst the trees of the head, but from this distance, even with Nym and Lumen 30 feet closer, you're still not sure if anyone is actually carrying it.
(Nym, and everyone else, can roll a perception check.)
Carefully creeping forward in your invisible state, you are able to get a better view of the strange light that's bobbing through the nearby trees. From this vantage point, you are now fairly certain that the light is moving on its own, and is not being carried by anything or anyone. Having seen it before, it does, in fact look like a will-o'-the-wisp, although you cannot be sure if it's the same one you saw with the dragon Duskbringer. Something else catches your eyes as well, a large humanoid creature that lumbering quietly through the trees a little further off in the distance.
Peering off into the woods, Lumen sees the other figure slowly plodding its way amongst the trees. It appears to be a very tall, muscular humanoid of some sort with long lanky limbs. Dim light and thick foliage make it difficult for him to exactly discern specific physical details of this creature, but its general shape and style of movement is unmistakable. You've seen, and fought creatures like this before; recently in fact. Upon recognition, pangs of fear and dread begin to well up inside you, because you know from experience the utterly terrifying nature and horrific dangers that even a single troll inflict... and this one seems even larger than you remember.
Are they within 30 feet of each other? Or is one hanging back?
Lumen moves back to Nym and whispers, “big troll” and keeps moving back to the group, to whisper the same to them, as well as “will-o-the-wisp!”
If he can get the two within 30 feet of each other he will try to cast hypnotic pattern, and tell the group to focus on the will-o-the-wisp first, or at least whichever doesn’t get hypnotized.
"Thought I smelled somethin' foul," Chrys grumbles, hunkering down as best she can, her hammer in hand. Preparing for a fight, she readies herself to cast Hunter's Mark on whichever of the two creatures that manages to resists whatever mumbo-jumbo the bard seems to be cooking up. "I gotta admit... after dragons an' werewolves, this almost feels like a vacation. Good ol'-fashioned brawlin', no strings attached." She pauses, then glances over the rest of the party. "Least, don't make this get no strings attached. Keep yourselves safe!"
To recap - Right now, after stopping for the night in a small comfortable clearing beneath two large trees, you can all see the strange torch light weaving amongst the trees, but from this distance, even with Nym and Lumen 30 feet closer, you're still not sure if anyone is actually carrying it. (Lumen has said he's sure that it's a “will-o-the-wisp.”) Lumen has also indicated that he sees what he describes as a "big troll" lumbering quietly through the trees a little further off in the distance as well.
As mentioned before, Nym has shared her enhanced darkvision with Lumen, Alea and Chrys, and has bestowed Vigilant Blessing (advantage on the next initiative roll), and Guidance upon Lumen.
So, I need everyone except Lumen to roll perception checks, and everyone can go ahead and roll initiative.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(Hunter's Mark has a range of 90 feet so I figure Chrys should be able to hit something with that BA even if she's not up in it with Nym and Lumen)
Chrys squints into the darkness, her dwarven vision strengthened and lengthened by Nym's powers. Still, even with the help, it's difficult to see through the thick forest at night...
Kess grimaces as she peers out into the darkness, keeping a hand ready on her bow. Though she was starting to appreciate fighting in the darkness of the night, it never became less stressful. She snakes a hand down to her quiver...
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Troll? Ugh."Somewhat familiar with cave trolls from the Underdark, Nym wrinkled her nose. "Never encountered one myself before..." She whispers, lavender eyes narrowing to try and get a glimpse at it herself even as she quietly draws her longsword.
Ok, Lumen and Chys are up first. Right now, Lumen and Nym are about 40 feet from the troll and 60 feet from the spectral light. Kess, Chrys and Alae are about 20 feet behind them.
Everyone except for Chrys can see the troll, which, even as it plods quietly through the trees in the dark cover night inside the forest, is clearly much larger, perhaps even a foot or so taller than the other trolls that you have previously fought. Even though she has the blessing of Nym's extended Darkvision, Chrys just doesn't have a visual eye on the beast, although she can see the strange but familiar light that's bobbing through the trees about 20 feet behind the troll.
I'm trying out the new DnD Beyond Maps feature, which you can see here:
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Chrys' eyes narrow. Didn't Lumen say there was a troll out here somewhere? Where in the hell is it?
She clenched her hammer tightly to her chest in frustration. Will o' the Wisps never simply floated around by themselves; they were always attempting to lead people to their doom, or so the stories said. Which meant there had to be something that would spell doom for her right before it.
Well... not if I get 'em first, she decided. Unable to spot her target, she tried to mask her steps and get closer to the wisp.
BA: none A: Stealth - straight roll due to cloak (16) Move: 25' towards the Will o' the Wisp Passive Perception for that troll: 14
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(I can't see the map either!) But assuming Lumen's not in melee, and also within 60 feet of the troll, he casts dissonant whispers on it for 11 on a failed WIS 16 save (half on success). Plus the troll would have to use reaction to run away for a round. (If he's in melee, he'd attack with his sword.)
"Can anyone hit that will o the wisp?"
He inspires Kess with his bonus action:
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.
A creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die and add the number rolled to a weapon damage roll it just made. Alternatively, when an attack roll is made against the creature, it can use its reaction to roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to its AC against that attack, after seeing the roll but before knowing whether it hits or misses.
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Nym watches as a butterfly crawls up her hand and arm, nose scrunching at how it's tiny feet tickled her skin. "What's a unicorn?" She asks of Lumen, looking up from the butterflies and seeing his head buried in the flowers, giving a laugh. "Is it a bug?"
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
As you prepare for departure from this serene little campsite atop the small mossy hill, you watch the butterflies that dance around the little patches of flowers, creating a brilliant display of color that contrasts with the deep green of the forest. Alae thinks back to the decorated tree you saw yesterday, but she can remember no clues about who might have completed that adornment.
Your second day of travel from Ravenglade goes in a similar fashion. Aelar's hidden trail offers fast movement through the heavily wooded terrain, and once gain you cover a great deal of ground as you weave through expansive stands of birch and fir trees, beneath the heavy, leafy canopy of oaks and maples and dip in and out of numerous hollows and creek beds. You see plentiful wildlife during the day, majestic dear, small fury martins, squirrels and chipmunks and a variety of birds that sing and whistle as you pass through their territory.
Eventually, the day comes to a close, and you stop for the night in a small, comfortable clearing beneath two large trees have grown so huge their trunks and roots have seemingly merged together. Just as you're getting ready to bed down for your night's rest, something suddenly catches your eye through the trees about a hundred feet away... a small bobbing light that flickers between the trunks. Upon first glance, it appears as if someone is walking through the woods with a lantern.
Lumen stands and peers at the light. He tries to see what it really is.
Perception: 12
"A wayward traveler? Or that will-o-wisp we angered? I'll go see."
He casts invisibility on himself and moves around to the side to flank the light to observe it from the side, not walking directly there.
Nym will share her Eyes of Night, gifting Lumen, Alae and Chrys darkvision out to a range of 300 feet up to for one hour. Standing along with Lumen, Nym briefly touches his shoulder, gifting him Vigilant Blessing and also Guidance. "The extra range of darkvision I can grant is only if you're ten feet near me so I'll try to stay close behind." She says to empty air of where Lumen had been standing just a moment ago but then vanished with invisibility. But she makes the mistake of walking directly towards the strange light, not knowing the path Lumen was taking.
((Is there something that I can roll to see if Nym thinks this is a trap?))
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Lumen's stares at the light, trying to discern whether it's being carried by something, or whether it's a singular entity. From this vantage point, in an environment of tight trees, it's hard to tell, even with dark vision. Becoming invisible, he moves forward and to the right, to try to get a better look.
Meanwhile, Nym shares her enhanced darkvision with three of her companions, blessings upon Lumen, before he creeps ahead. As of right now, you can all see the strange torch light weaving amongst the trees of the head, but from this distance, even with Nym and Lumen 30 feet closer, you're still not sure if anyone is actually carrying it.
(Nym, and everyone else, can roll a perception check.)
Lumen perception: 13 plus 4 guidance
Lumen
Carefully creeping forward in your invisible state, you are able to get a better view of the strange light that's bobbing through the nearby trees. From this vantage point, you are now fairly certain that the light is moving on its own, and is not being carried by anything or anyone. Having seen it before, it does, in fact look like a will-o'-the-wisp, although you cannot be sure if it's the same one you saw with the dragon Duskbringer. Something else catches your eyes as well, a large humanoid creature that lumbering quietly through the trees a little further off in the distance.
Lumen moves closer to Nym and whispers closer to her ear:
"Will-o-wisp, and someone big sneaking along behind it. I'll check it out so we're not surprised. We can handle this."
As he speaks, he gives her inspiration (d8 to add to attack roll, save, ability check, damage roll, or AC against one attack).
He moves along, continuing to tread softly past the glowing light and gets closer to the other figure. What does he see?
He unsheathes two daggers.
Lumen
Peering off into the woods, Lumen sees the other figure slowly plodding its way amongst the trees. It appears to be a very tall, muscular humanoid of some sort with long lanky limbs. Dim light and thick foliage make it difficult for him to exactly discern specific physical details of this creature, but its general shape and style of movement is unmistakable. You've seen, and fought creatures like this before; recently in fact. Upon recognition, pangs of fear and dread begin to well up inside you, because you know from experience the utterly terrifying nature and horrific dangers that even a single troll inflict... and this one seems even larger than you remember.
Are they within 30 feet of each other? Or is one hanging back?
Lumen moves back to Nym and whispers, “big troll” and keeps moving back to the group, to whisper the same to them, as well as “will-o-the-wisp!”
If he can get the two within 30 feet of each other he will try to cast hypnotic pattern, and tell the group to focus on the will-o-the-wisp first, or at least whichever doesn’t get hypnotized.
"Thought I smelled somethin' foul," Chrys grumbles, hunkering down as best she can, her hammer in hand. Preparing for a fight, she readies herself to cast Hunter's Mark on whichever of the two creatures that manages to resists whatever mumbo-jumbo the bard seems to be cooking up. "I gotta admit... after dragons an' werewolves, this almost feels like a vacation. Good ol'-fashioned brawlin', no strings attached." She pauses, then glances over the rest of the party. "Least, don't make this get no strings attached. Keep yourselves safe!"
And with that, we're back!!
To recap - Right now, after stopping for the night in a small comfortable clearing beneath two large trees, you can all see the strange torch light weaving amongst the trees, but from this distance, even with Nym and Lumen 30 feet closer, you're still not sure if anyone is actually carrying it. (Lumen has said he's sure that it's a “will-o-the-wisp.”) Lumen has also indicated that he sees what he describes as a "big troll" lumbering quietly through the trees a little further off in the distance as well.
As mentioned before, Nym has shared her enhanced darkvision with Lumen, Alea and Chrys, and has bestowed Vigilant Blessing (advantage on the next initiative roll), and Guidance upon Lumen.
So, I need everyone except Lumen to roll perception checks, and everyone can go ahead and roll initiative.
(Hunter's Mark has a range of 90 feet so I figure Chrys should be able to hit something with that BA even if she's not up in it with Nym and Lumen)
Chrys squints into the darkness, her dwarven vision strengthened and lengthened by Nym's powers. Still, even with the help, it's difficult to see through the thick forest at night...
Perception: 22
Initiative: 22
Kess grimaces as she peers out into the darkness, keeping a hand ready on her bow. Though she was starting to appreciate fighting in the darkness of the night, it never became less stressful. She snakes a hand down to her quiver...
Perception: 17
Initiative: 10
"Troll? Ugh." Somewhat familiar with cave trolls from the Underdark, Nym wrinkled her nose. "Never encountered one myself before..." She whispers, lavender eyes narrowing to try and get a glimpse at it herself even as she quietly draws her longsword.
Perception: 13
Initiative: 19
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Lumenitiative: 17
Alae Initiative: 1
Troll Initiative: 20
Will 'O the Wisp Initiative: 20
Initiative Order:
Ok, Lumen and Chys are up first. Right now, Lumen and Nym are about 40 feet from the troll and 60 feet from the spectral light. Kess, Chrys and Alae are about 20 feet behind them.
Everyone except for Chrys can see the troll, which, even as it plods quietly through the trees in the dark cover night inside the forest, is clearly much larger, perhaps even a foot or so taller than the other trolls that you have previously fought. Even though she has the blessing of Nym's extended Darkvision, Chrys just doesn't have a visual eye on the beast, although she can see the strange but familiar light that's bobbing through the trees about 20 feet behind the troll.
I'm trying out the new DnD Beyond Maps feature, which you can see here:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/games/759474
Chrys is notated as "Acolyte" and Nym is notated as "Drow." For some reason, her character wasn't loading into the map.
So, here we go! Lumen and Nym can take their turns now.
Chrys' eyes narrow. Didn't Lumen say there was a troll out here somewhere? Where in the hell is it?
She clenched her hammer tightly to her chest in frustration. Will o' the Wisps never simply floated around by themselves; they were always attempting to lead people to their doom, or so the stories said. Which meant there had to be something that would spell doom for her right before it.
Well... not if I get 'em first, she decided. Unable to spot her target, she tried to mask her steps and get closer to the wisp.
BA: none
A: Stealth - straight roll due to cloak (16)
Move: 25' towards the Will o' the Wisp
Passive Perception for that troll: 14
(I can't see the map either!) But assuming Lumen's not in melee, and also within 60 feet of the troll, he casts dissonant whispers on it for 11 on a failed WIS 16 save (half on success). Plus the troll would have to use reaction to run away for a round. (If he's in melee, he'd attack with his sword.)
"Can anyone hit that will o the wisp?"
He inspires Kess with his bonus action:
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.
A creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die and add the number rolled to a weapon damage roll it just made. Alternatively, when an attack roll is made against the creature, it can use its reaction to roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to its AC against that attack, after seeing the roll but before knowing whether it hits or misses.