"You know..."he says in a somewhat shady tone "I could just sneak in undetected and have a look. I mean, I have the magic's to get myself in there."He gives a wink to the group. "I promise I won't get into trouble. Well, I wouldn't try to get into trouble" His grin widens. To illustrate his point he creates blinking lights that rise all around him.
He watches Kei's display and cocks an eyebrow. "I might not be the tactical genius of m'lord here, but I don't think coverin' yourself in flashing lights is a good way to go unnoticed. I am at a loss here, though. I was really countin' on the lizardfolk havin' sentries out. I'm not at all keen on goin' into a tunnel with an unknown number of inscrutable creatures, who likely harbor some hurt feelings toward us."
Dwal stands there listening to the debate. He shakes his head a bit listening to the party figure out what to do.
"Confound it" he finally says then casts Thaumaturgy on himself to amplify his voice. Dwal approaches the cave entrance, coming 10 ft. from it then calls into the cave in Draconic:
"We are a delegation from the settlement of Saltmarsh. We wish a parley with the Chief of this Lounge"
(OCC: looked up what a group of lizards are called....its called a Lounge....wonder if there are drinks and a singer?...lol Lounge Lizard)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Having carefully forded the swampy river (and winding up on the other side wet and cold but not particularly muddy, thanks to Dwal's cantrips), the party has approached the sizable but deserted cave mouth, where Dwal walks twenty-five ahead of the others to make his grand pronouncement into the cave.
The cave reaches a height of about forty feet. And it's quite deep - nearly 100 feet to its far wall. At the far side of the cave, Dwal can barely make out a narrow stone pathway connecting two arched entrances that lead deeper into the hillside, one in the northeast corner of the cave and the other in the southeast corner.
A sudden movement in the mud is all the response Dwal gets before eight forms leap forth - five giant lizards, and an sixth, HUGE lizard, stampeding out of the dark muck.
Drawing his weapons and stepping up next to Dwal, Gerrard says, "Looks like you found the guard dogs," then says loudly and firmly in Draconic to the huge lizard, "NO. DOWN. STAY."
(Help action for Animal Handling should Dwal wish to take the lead)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
The lizards pay no attention to Gerrard, but instead come racing toward you, quite aggressively. Five of them are perhaps ten feet long, and surprisingly fast; the sixth is maybe fifteen feet long, and quite stout, with a thick, powerful-looking tail. They hiss and snap as they gallop closer, spraying mud as they run.
The lizards pay no attention to Gerrard, but instead come racing toward you, quite aggressively. Five of them are perhaps ten feet long, and surprisingly fast; the sixth is maybe fifteen feet long, and quite stout, with a thick, powerful-looking tail. They hiss and snap as they gallop closer, spraying mud as they run.
OOC: Is our tactical situation such that they can be bottlenecked at the cave mouth so they don't all come out at once and overwhelm us? Also, is the description you give enough for Gerrard to realize that calming them down isn't an option so he doesn't spend his turn using a help action if Dwal wants to try and calm them?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
OOC: Is our tactical situation such that they can be bottlenecked at the cave mouth so they don't all come out at once and overwhelm us? Also, is the description you give enough for Gerrard to realize that calming them down isn't an option so he doesn't spend his turn using a help action if Dwal wants to try and calm them?
(The lizards haven't had their action yet, so you don't know for sure, but they seem quite aggressive. I think it's quite lawful good of you to want to calm them down and not immediately try to kill them. But if their aggressiveness wasn't made clear before and you'd like to redo your action, you may. As to bottlenecking, the cave mouth is thirty feet wide, but they are big - especially the really big one - so there may be a little of that. Stay tuned!)
Taking a pinch of sand from his clothing Dwal utters the arcane words and tosses the sand towards the approaching lizardfolk, casting Sleep at 3rd level.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
OOC: Point taken. As a nod to tactics, Gerrard will move to the center of the cave exit to attempt and bottleneck the oncoming lizards. Since Dwal is taking a different approach, I will roll for Gerrard’s animal handling as he tries to calm the Lizardfolk, though it is likely futile.
Animal Handling: 5 Edited to try and force the roll to execute.
(You executed it, all right!)]
Gerrard runs ahead and steps in front of Dwal, nearly in the mouth of the mud-filled cave, but his attempts to calm the massive creatures are largely ignored.
Dwal manages to put two of the smaller lizards to sleep. They collapse in a heap, briefly slowing down those behind.
Oceanus rushes ahead and braces himself for impact. (Dodge)
Bjorn dives in to sting the largest one. Sting attack: 11. Piercing damage: 3
He fails to pierce its thick scaly skin. Peri may act next. (Peri is about 60 feet from the nearest non-sleeping lizard: the big one. Peri is 25 feet behind Dwal and 30 feet behind Gerrard. The remaining giant lizards are 70+ feet away from Peri, still emerging from the dark, muddy cavern.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Peri:
"Killin' livestock isn't the best start..." he mutters, then places a hex upon the big lizard (Disadvantage on Strength checks). Then, reluctantly, he fires an eldritch blast at it. (18 for 1 force + 1 necrotic damage) Then he steps forward so that he is 10' behind and between Gerrard and Dwal.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Peri fires a beam of effervescent plasma at the massive, hexed lizard, searing it slightly; then ducks behind Gerrard and Dwal.
The three smaller lizards shake off their mud and gallop full-charge at the party, scrambling around their sleeping companions, hissing and spitting. They dash to reach the party, and surround Oceanus, Gerrard, and Dwal in a loose semicircle.
But then the big one, slower but clearly stronger than the others, bursts into the circle, its massive jaws wide open, displaying rows of huge sharp teeth. It charges Gerrard, who is nearest the cave mouth. Swallow attack: 14 Piercing damage: 15
...And, in a flash, swallows him whole. (Gerrard is blinded and restrained, and slowly being dissolved in acid.)
Kei may act next.
(Oops - The smaller lizards went slightly prematurely, but the end effect is the same.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
OOC: Ouch!
Parry: 12
Desperately trying to fend off the giant lizard, Gerrard is stunned by the huge mouth opening up and swallowing him whole! At least the drawn Moon-touched blade gives him a bit of light. He stabs furiously, trying to poke enough holes in the beast to find a way out!
Elegant Rapier attack with Disadvantage: Attack: 13 Damage: 8
Second Rapier attack with Disadvantage: Attack: 21 Damage: 5
Main Gauche attack with Disadvantage: Attack: 19 Damage: 10
"Well, this just won't do. Can't have our noble gobbled up by a lizard."Kei is taken aback by the suddenness of the ingestion of his friend. "So I'm guessing the smaller ones are hungry too. Let's see if you can eat us when you can't find us!"
He upcasts Blindness on two of the 3 smaller lizards surrounding Dwal and Oceanus.
Gerrard was able to minimize the initial injury from the massive beast by wedging the blade between his body and the gnashing teeth attempting to summarily dismember him (Modified damage with parry: 4), but his swordsmanship will do no good against the sack of foul-smelling acid he finds himself embedded in.
Kei speaks an arcane word, and you see a spark of light flash briefly in the eyes of the two lizards flanking Gerrard. Giant Lizards CON saves: 14 and 12
Both lizards freeze, and rub their eyes with their nimble, clawed toes. The remaining unimpeded lizard, other than the big one, is on your north, next to Oceanus.
Gerrard, meanwhile, manages to puncture the lizard's stomach with his second rapier attack, but he will need to do a lot more than that to kill it or escape.
You may have imagined being eaten by a monster as a slow, bloody, loud, and dramatically traumatic experience, but you're still processing watching Gerrard being eaten so quickly - just a >gulp< and he was gone, in an anticlimactic instant. Like a frog eating a fly.
You're flanked by two blinded lizards; behind them sleep two more. Only one remains, and it is an immediate threat (as is the one full of Gerrard) – especially to Oceanus
Dwal and Peri may both act (as will Oceanus and Bjorn.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Peri:
It hardly seems possible for an entire human to disappear inside a lizard. He shakes off his astonishment and charges the huge beast, stabbing towards its face. (Spear: 26 for 12 piercing + 5 necrotic) With an odd reeling motion he ducks under the beasts head and from below aims a flurry of kicks to its belly, hoping to kill it or at least make it puke up his friend. (17 for 5 bludgeoning + 6 necrotic; and 25 for 4 bludgeoning + 3 necrotic) Using erratic movements, he darts back out from beneath it and away from the remaining lizards.
(His new ability allows him to disengage when he uses his Flurry of Blows, and adds 10 feet of movement. He had to move 10' to get to Gerrard's previous location, so he should have 35' of movement left. He'll move as far from the unblinded lizard as possible, not too concerned with the blind ones as long as he stays away from their immediate vicinity. Also, glad I checked my Character Sheet; I forgot our proficiency bonus went up and would have used the old To-Hit numbers.)
Edit: Add 5 piercing + 2 necrotic for the Critical Hit. If that killed the big lizard he will use the Flurry of Blows against the unblinded lizard, then whatever movement he has left to get as far from the blinded lizards as possible.
Kei
"You know..."he says in a somewhat shady tone "I could just sneak in undetected and have a look. I mean, I have the magic's to get myself in there." He gives a wink to the group. "I promise I won't get into trouble. Well, I wouldn't try to get into trouble" His grin widens. To illustrate his point he creates blinking lights that rise all around him.
Peri:
He watches Kei's display and cocks an eyebrow. "I might not be the tactical genius of m'lord here, but I don't think coverin' yourself in flashing lights is a good way to go unnoticed. I am at a loss here, though. I was really countin' on the lizardfolk havin' sentries out. I'm not at all keen on goin' into a tunnel with an unknown number of inscrutable creatures, who likely harbor some hurt feelings toward us."
OOC: Is it just me, or does Peri's text read in Malcolm Reynold's voice in my head?
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Dwal
Dwal stands there listening to the debate. He shakes his head a bit listening to the party figure out what to do.
"Confound it" he finally says then casts Thaumaturgy on himself to amplify his voice. Dwal approaches the cave entrance, coming 10 ft. from it then calls into the cave in Draconic:
"We are a delegation from the settlement of Saltmarsh. We wish a parley with the Chief of this Lounge"
(OCC: looked up what a group of lizards are called....its called a Lounge....wonder if there are drinks and a singer?...lol Lounge Lizard)
Having carefully forded the swampy river (and winding up on the other side wet and cold but not particularly muddy, thanks to Dwal's cantrips), the party has approached the sizable but deserted cave mouth, where Dwal walks twenty-five ahead of the others to make his grand pronouncement into the cave.
The cave reaches a height of about forty feet. And it's quite deep - nearly 100 feet to its far wall. At the far side of the cave, Dwal can barely make out a narrow stone pathway connecting two arched entrances that lead deeper into the hillside, one in the northeast corner of the cave and the other in the southeast corner.
A sudden movement in the mud is all the response Dwal gets before eight forms leap forth - five giant lizards, and an sixth, HUGE lizard, stampeding out of the dark muck.
Initiative:
Giant Lizards: 3
Huge Lizard: 6
Kei: 24
Gerrard: 6
Peri: 12
Dwal: 14
Trill: 7
Bjorn: 5
Oceanus: 6
Gerrard and Dwal may act first, followed by Peri.
Gerrard:
Drawing his weapons and stepping up next to Dwal, Gerrard says, "Looks like you found the guard dogs," then says loudly and firmly in Draconic to the huge lizard, "NO. DOWN. STAY."
(Help action for Animal Handling should Dwal wish to take the lead)
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
The lizards pay no attention to Gerrard, but instead come racing toward you, quite aggressively. Five of them are perhaps ten feet long, and surprisingly fast; the sixth is maybe fifteen feet long, and quite stout, with a thick, powerful-looking tail. They hiss and snap as they gallop closer, spraying mud as they run.
OOC: Is our tactical situation such that they can be bottlenecked at the cave mouth so they don't all come out at once and overwhelm us? Also, is the description you give enough for Gerrard to realize that calming them down isn't an option so he doesn't spend his turn using a help action if Dwal wants to try and calm them?
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
(The lizards haven't had their action yet, so you don't know for sure, but they seem quite aggressive. I think it's quite lawful good of you to want to calm them down and not immediately try to kill them. But if their aggressiveness wasn't made clear before and you'd like to redo your action, you may. As to bottlenecking, the cave mouth is thirty feet wide, but they are big - especially the really big one - so there may be a little of that. Stay tuned!)
Dwal
Taking a pinch of sand from his clothing Dwal utters the arcane words and tosses the sand towards the approaching lizardfolk, casting Sleep at 3rd level.
9d8 worth of hit die: 39
OOC: Point taken. As a nod to tactics, Gerrard will move to the center of the cave exit to attempt and bottleneck the oncoming lizards. Since Dwal is taking a different approach, I will roll for Gerrard’s animal handling as he tries to calm the Lizardfolk, though it is likely futile.
Animal Handling: 15
Edited to try and force the roll to execute.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
(You executed it, all right!)]
Gerrard runs ahead and steps in front of Dwal, nearly in the mouth of the mud-filled cave, but his attempts to calm the massive creatures are largely ignored.
Dwal manages to put two of the smaller lizards to sleep. They collapse in a heap, briefly slowing down those behind.
Oceanus rushes ahead and braces himself for impact. (Dodge)
Bjorn dives in to sting the largest one.
Sting attack: 11. Piercing damage: 3
He fails to pierce its thick scaly skin. Peri may act next. (Peri is about 60 feet from the nearest non-sleeping lizard: the big one. Peri is 25 feet behind Dwal and 30 feet behind Gerrard. The remaining giant lizards are 70+ feet away from Peri, still emerging from the dark, muddy cavern.)
Peri:
"Killin' livestock isn't the best start..." he mutters, then places a hex upon the big lizard (Disadvantage on Strength checks). Then, reluctantly, he fires an eldritch blast at it. (18 for 1 force + 1 necrotic damage) Then he steps forward so that he is 10' behind and between Gerrard and Dwal.
Peri fires a beam of effervescent plasma at the massive, hexed lizard, searing it slightly; then ducks behind Gerrard and Dwal.
The three smaller lizards shake off their mud and gallop full-charge at the party, scrambling around their sleeping companions, hissing and spitting. They dash to reach the party, and surround Oceanus, Gerrard, and Dwal in a loose semicircle.
But then the big one, slower but clearly stronger than the others, bursts into the circle, its massive jaws wide open, displaying rows of huge sharp teeth. It charges Gerrard, who is nearest the cave mouth.
Swallow attack: 14 Piercing damage: 15
...And, in a flash, swallows him whole. (Gerrard is blinded and restrained, and slowly being dissolved in acid.)
Kei may act next.
(Oops - The smaller lizards went slightly prematurely, but the end effect is the same.)
OOC: Ouch!
Parry: 12
Desperately trying to fend off the giant lizard, Gerrard is stunned by the huge mouth opening up and swallowing him whole! At least the drawn Moon-touched blade gives him a bit of light. He stabs furiously, trying to poke enough holes in the beast to find a way out!
Elegant Rapier attack with Disadvantage: Attack: 13 Damage: 8
Second Rapier attack with Disadvantage: Attack: 21 Damage: 5
Main Gauche attack with Disadvantage: Attack: 19 Damage: 10
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Kei
"Well, this just won't do. Can't have our noble gobbled up by a lizard." Kei is taken aback by the suddenness of the ingestion of his friend. "So I'm guessing the smaller ones are hungry too. Let's see if you can eat us when you can't find us!"
He upcasts Blindness on two of the 3 smaller lizards surrounding Dwal and Oceanus.
(Con save 15 or blinded for 1 minute)
Gerrard was able to minimize the initial injury from the massive beast by wedging the blade between his body and the gnashing teeth attempting to summarily dismember him (Modified damage with parry: 4), but his swordsmanship will do no good against the sack of foul-smelling acid he finds himself embedded in.
Kei speaks an arcane word, and you see a spark of light flash briefly in the eyes of the two lizards flanking Gerrard.
Giant Lizards CON saves: 14 and 12
Both lizards freeze, and rub their eyes with their nimble, clawed toes. The remaining unimpeded lizard, other than the big one, is on your north, next to Oceanus.
Gerrard, meanwhile, manages to puncture the lizard's stomach with his second rapier attack, but he will need to do a lot more than that to kill it or escape.
Dwal may go next, then Peri.
You may have imagined being eaten by a monster as a slow, bloody, loud, and dramatically traumatic experience, but you're still processing watching Gerrard being eaten so quickly - just a >gulp< and he was gone, in an anticlimactic instant. Like a frog eating a fly.
You're flanked by two blinded lizards; behind them sleep two more. Only one remains, and it is an immediate threat (as is the one full of Gerrard) – especially to Oceanus
Dwal and Peri may both act (as will Oceanus and Bjorn.)
Peri:
It hardly seems possible for an entire human to disappear inside a lizard. He shakes off his astonishment and charges the huge beast, stabbing towards its face. (Spear: 26 for 12 piercing + 5 necrotic) With an odd reeling motion he ducks under the beasts head and from below aims a flurry of kicks to its belly, hoping to kill it or at least make it puke up his friend. (17 for 5 bludgeoning + 6 necrotic; and 25 for 4 bludgeoning + 3 necrotic) Using erratic movements, he darts back out from beneath it and away from the remaining lizards.
(His new ability allows him to disengage when he uses his Flurry of Blows, and adds 10 feet of movement. He had to move 10' to get to Gerrard's previous location, so he should have 35' of movement left. He'll move as far from the unblinded lizard as possible, not too concerned with the blind ones as long as he stays away from their immediate vicinity. Also, glad I checked my Character Sheet; I forgot our proficiency bonus went up and would have used the old To-Hit numbers.)
Edit: Add 5 piercing + 2 necrotic for the Critical Hit. If that killed the big lizard he will use the Flurry of Blows against the unblinded lizard, then whatever movement he has left to get as far from the blinded lizards as possible.
Dwal
"You nasty stinkin' ....Release Him!" Dwal calls out to the largest Lizardman.
As his Action Dwal will cast Magic Missile on the largest Lizardman at 2nd level.
Missile 1: 3
Missile 2: 5
Missile 3: 2
Missile 4: 4
As Dwal's bonus action he will launch Fire Bolt at the same target.
Hit: 18
Damage: 19
(GGGRRRRR....I have yet to hit with Fire Bolt, going to have to abandon that cantrip)