Ghosts of Saltmarsh (cbaer8) - Campaign Thread

Gerrard:

Using his reaction, Gerrard attempts to parry the pincer staff and prevent it from grappling him.

Parry:  12

Quote from Scott_R_Simmons >>

He will also prepare to parry any attack that might land against him in melee.

 

From under the net, Gerrard manages to hold back the pincer staff. (He takes no damage and is not grappled by it. He is still, however, restrained by the net.)

Gerrard may use his action to make a DC 10 Strength check to free himself, or he can try to attack it (at disadvantage) if he has slashing damage.

Gerrard:

He was feeling pretty good about their chances with the five of them against the Kuo-Toa, their mage dead and their assassin nearly so….Then it all went sideways.  Suddenly Rue was nowhere to be found and they were suffering a flanking attack from the ratfolk!

Quickly assessing the situation, Gerrard cries, “Fall back—we cannot fight them on two fronts!” trying to escape the net and follow his own orders, moving back to the hallway to try and set up at the front of a single line of defense against both sets of foes.

Strength Check to escape the net:  11

Move if successful out into the hallway where Rue was.

Gerrard squeezes free of the tangled net, and dives past Peri, Dwal, and Kei into the hallway near the rat-headed figures.

The old woman melts into the darkness. 

The kuo-toa continue their assault, now aided by the rat-headed goons, with their blades and crossbows.

Everyone but Gerrard may act next. Peri is trapped in a net.

With the old woman gone, you notice, for the first time, large greenish slabs of stone in far room.

Dwal will position himself in front of Peri so Peri can work at getting out of the net.

The closest to Dwal's left and right will take 2 MM each.

Damage 1 & 2: 8  to the right one

Damage 3 & 4: 6   to the left one

Dwal steps between Boko and Peri on top of the net Gerrard recently escaped, but not before the kuo-toa to his left thrusts a spear at him. 
Spear Attack vs Dwal: 6 Hit: 6 piercing damage.

It misses. Dwal responds with a quartet of flying missiles in two directions. The arcane bolts kill his spear attacker cold, but only wound the slowed creature to his east.

Boko, Kei, and Peri (and Rue?) may act next.

Peri:

Feeling the toch of panic at being immobilized in the net, Peri slashes at it with the dagger: 11 for 11 damage

Having freed himself he lashes out with a vicious kick at the one who threw the net on him: 11 for 5 bludgeoning

He scrambles up the wall and over to the corner of the room above the debris pile, hoping it will give him some room to maneuver.

((Also, I messed up the damage roll on the net; it should be 6 instead of 9. But I don't want to trigger the dice police by rerolling.))

Boko looks up at the fishmen and raises her hand, palm out, again, casting thunderwave again, trying to get at least the three directly in front of her for 3 thunder damage and a pushback, half damage on a successful CON15 save.

She then makes a fist and pulls it back, yanking the flaming sphere back toward any two kuo toa who didn't get knocked back. 6 fire

Peri slashes cleanly through the net, then savagely kicks the nearby kuo-toa in the face, nearly knocking it out. (It is barely hanging on.)
He climbs the wall but not before the staggering fish-headed creature lashes back with its spear:
Spear Attack vs Peri: 15  Hit: 6 piercing damage

It misses. Peri scrambles above the pile of scrap metal and old furniture.

With a wave and an arcane word, Boko conjures another deafening explosion.
CON saves: staff-wielder: 5, #6: 20,  #8: 20, #4 (sleeping): #6: 7

All four fly back, as dust and small debris fall from the old ceiling. One wounded kuo-toa is killed outright. One that was sleeping in the righthand pool is blown clear out of it, and wakes it. (it is currently prone.) Everyone's ears are again ringing from the blast.

She pulls back the flaming sphere into the one between the pools (#6). DEX Save: 7

The stocky fish-thing is seared by the ball. It is also close to the pincer-staff-wielding creature, who was knocked into the pool. 

Kei is up! (Also Rue is welcome to rejoin here.)

Kei 

"Well that didn't go the way I had hoped" he complains to any who are listening. Realising that the rat people are now almost upon him he switches his gaze to them. While still maintaining concentration on slowing the few Kua-Toa that are still standing and affected, he throws a small fragment of stone behind the rat people. As it lands he gives an arcane gesture causing the chip to Shatter. The magic flows from the piece of mica and engulfs the three rats. The last thing they hear before the loud cracking noise is a faint "Ooh shadoobie, shatter shatter" echoing from the bards lips.

Shatter Damage 13 Con save 15 for half

Kei sets off another massive arcane blast in the hallway. It is deafening loud. Plaster flies, and a thick cloud of dust rolls down the hall.

Ratmen CON Saves: 7, 8, 6.

All three are stunned briefly by the impact of the arcane detonation. One is quite badly injured, by all three still stand.

The building itself makes an ominous groan. The floorboards in the floor above grind and scream against each other as something structural shifts in the bones of the building. A loud splintering pop is heard elsewhere in the building. 

Both the kuo-toa and the rat-headed humanoids glance upward with fear and momentary uncertainty at the shifting building. They have different reactions.

Two of the ratoids each attempt to take a bite before turning to flee: 
#3 Bite Attack vs Kei: 13 Hit: 3 piercing damage and a DC 11 CON save...
#1 Bite Attack vs Gerrard: 9 Hit: 6 piercing damage and a DC 11 CON save...
Then the ratoids turn tail and flee east. (Kei and Gerrard may have an opportunity attack on either of the two adjacent ones.)

The kuo-toa, however, are driven to a manic frenzy by the state of the building. They lunge forward with fresh ferocity to capture the party.
Kuo-Toa #9: Net Attack vs. Peri: 10   Hit: Peri is restrained.
Kuo-Toa Pincer-bearer #2: Pincer Staff attack vs. Boko: 12. Hit: 7 piercing damage and Boko is grappled.
Kuo-Toa #6: Net Attack vs. Boko: 13   Hit: Boko is restrained.
Kuo-Toa Pincer-bearer #1: Pincer Staff attack vs. Boko: 24. Hit: 8 piercing damage and Boko is grappled.
Kuo-Toa #11: Net Attack vs. Dwal: 23   Hit: Dwal is restrained.
Kuo-Toa #7: Net Attack vs. Dwal: 6   Hit: Dwal is restrained.

The building groans. Unseen timbers snap. The walls and ceiling begin to slowly twist and sway.

Everyone may act. Boko is grappled. Dwal is restrained.

Boko finds the pincer quite tightly around her neck. Crit damage: 5

Gerrard:

Dodging the ratfolk’s bite, Gerrard takes advantage of the foe’s distraction as it turns to run and makes an attack of opportunity against it.

Elegant Noble’s Rapier:  Attack: 19 Damage: 6

Gerrard slashes the fleeing rat with his moon-touched blade, exposing its wire-haired back with a nasty gash. It is fairly bad off, but its injuries only seem to make it run faster.

Everyone may act. 

Kei may also get an opportunity attack against either fleeing ratoid.
Boko is grappled by a long pincer staff. She may use her action to break free (DC 14 Strength check)
Dwal is restrained. He may use his action to free himself (DC 10 Strength check), or he can attack the net at disadvantage to try to slice it open.
The ancient building above groans and grinds. Dust and plaster fall from the ceiling.

Gerrard:

Heartened by his companion’s success at pushing the fish folk back, Gerrard is frustrated when they do not move out of the room and behind his protection in the hall as he had hoped.  Sure enough, the Kuo-Toa collapse back on them and lock them in place once again.

Prepared to resist an onslaught by the ratfolk, Gerrard is nearly stunned himself when loud crashes of thunder rattle the timbers of the decrepit house and the ratfolk turn to run. About to chase them down, the young noble catches a glimpse of one of the fishfolk’s pincer staves closing around Boko’s neck!

All else forgotten for the moment with a maiden in distress, Gerrard surges back into the room and to Boko’s side, weapons flashing at both the pincer staff around Boko’s neck and the one who wields it!

Move to the north and to Boko’s left.

Attacking with disarm at the Kuo-Toa on Boko, transferring to other foes if the first one goes down.

Extra Damage and Disarm on the first Successful hit:(DC 16 Strength):  6

Elegant Rapier Attack: Attack: 28 Damage: 12

Elegant Rapier Attack: Attack: 16 Damage: 11

Main Gauche Attack:  Attack: 19 Damage: 11

Gerrard strides forward and rains blows down upon the stocky kuo-toa bearing the pincer-staff. All three strikes hit, the first one attempting to knock the pincer staff out of its tight grip.
DC16 STR saving throw: 5

 The pincer staff is knocked to the floor; Boko is free. This tough kuo-toa is not down, however. While seriously wounded, it still stands.

Everyone but Gerrard may act.
Kei may also get an opportunity attack against either fleeing ratoid.
Boko is no longer grappled and is free to act.
Dwal is restrained. He may use his action to free himself (DC 10 Strength check), or he can attack the net at disadvantage to try to slice it open.

Peri:

"How many nets do these things have?" he asks. Peri stabs the probably-poisoned dagger into the kuo-toa who just tried to net him: 8 for 8 piercing + ? poison?

He follows the knife thrust with an elbow to the creature's throat: 14 for 6 

((Three options depending on if/when the stabbed kuo-toa goes down: A) If both strikes are needed to drop the first kuo-toa Peri will move into the hallway, to the east of the doorway. B) If it goes down from the dagger he will move to the west of the one Gerrard just sliced up and aim the unarmed strike at it. C) If it's still standing after both strikes Peri will remain where he is.))

((Edit: Add Bardic Inspiration die to the 2nd attack roll: 1))

Dwal doesn't bother with the net. He will present his Holy Symbol and say: "Magic take ya", casting Word of Radiance.
Every Kua-toa within 5 ft. of Dwal must make a Con Saving throw-DC 13, or take:

Damage: 3

Peri slashes at the nearby kuo-toa. DC 15 CON save: 13 or take 33 poison damage (half on success.)
The poisoned blade delivers a potent dose of death to this creature. It goes down in bubbling agony. (Peri notes that the poison seems to be diminishing on the blade with each strike. There is maybe one more dose left before it becomes an ordinary blade.)

Next, he steps forward and makes an ineffectual strike against the one menacing Gerrard. (He notes that most of the kuo-toa have at least two nets, and they are quick to grab them off the floor when available and intact.)