Ghosts of Saltmarsh (cbaer8) - Campaign Thread

Kei 

AGAIN!? He screams internally. His command of this new spell certainly needs work. The frustration building he wracks his brain trying to come up with a way to help in the fight. He contemplates an insult, Peri's bully line as inspiration,but decides a direct assault would be more appropriate.

Pointing at the second skeleton a streak of light hurtles towards the second minotaur. "Arrgh!" He lets out his frustration as it flies.

Guiding Bolt Attack 25 for 15 radiant damage. 

((Upcast to 3rd level))

Peri charges in, shattering his attacker into a pile of fragments with a spear and a kick. One skeleton down.
Dancing around the other massive minotaur, he lands a fresh kick upon it from behind.

His back braced against the corner of the room, Kei blasts the undead skeleton with a flare, shattering a large number of bones and setting it alight with a strange glow. (The next attack roll made against it before the end of Kei's next turn has advantage, thanks to the mystical dim light glittering on the skeleton.)

The skeletal minotaur swings mightily at Bokowolf with its greataxe:
Minotaur Skeleton: Greataxe Attack vs Bokowolf: 18  Hit: 16 slashing damage.

Bokowolf takes a nasty gash on her hind leg.

Top of the round:

Both apparitions dart forward, reaching out with ghostly hands to touch Gerrard.
Apparition #1: Life Drain Attack vs Gerrard: 11   Hit: 18 necrotic damage, and Gerrard must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or his hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken.
Apparition #2: Life Drain Attack vs Gerrard: 10   Hit: 10 necrotic damage, and Gerrard must make a DC 10 CON Save as above.

Both ghostly entities duck back behind the solid wall to the east after trying to tag Gerrard. (He may have an opportunity attack against one.)

Everyone may act. (The first attack roll made against the skeleton before the end of Kei's turn has advantage, thanks to Kei's spell.)

Gerrard:

Choosing to use his reaction to attempt to parry the apparition's attack, Gerrard is unable to capitalize on it lowering its defenses to retreat to the relative safety of the walls.

Parry:  8

Constitution Save:  26 plus Bless:  3

Moving over to the huge skeleton, Gerrard lays into him with his glowing rapier, then takes a moment to catch his breath.

Elegant Rapier with Advantage and Bless: Attack: 22 Damage: 8 plus Bless:  4

Elegant Rapier with Bless:  Attack: 27 Damage: 10 plus Bless:  4

Second Wind:  15

Dwal will move closer to the party (20 ft. forward) and hold his action ( if he can).

Once the undead reappear from the wall Dwal will cast Lightning Lure (the DC is 13 for the strength save)
If it fails the save it will take 7 hp of electrical damage if the target ends up within 5 ft. of Dwal. 

Kei 

"Finally!" a look of relief passes briefly across his face. He casts his mind to the tales he'd heard of the undead, hoping to clean some information on their physiology. 

Arcana 9 to try and remember if skeletons can hear mortal words.

* If he fails or of they cannot:

* If he succeeds and they do indeed have ears

((Either option cast at normal level))

Gerrard clambers over the remains of the first skeleton, and begins to methodically chop away at the second. He finds it nearly impossible to miss - it has become just a matter of the speed at which he can do it.

Dwal prepares his spell and waits for an apparition to reappear.

Kei wracks his brain about skeleton anatomy – they certainly don't appear to have functional ears, but then they don't have muscles, either! Unfortunately, he can't remember a thing about them. He blasts away again with another burst of radiant energy, but misses the skeleton completely, the beam passing through a gap in its huge ribs. (I can't read the d4 bless, but even 7+4=11 misses.)

Peri and Boko are up next!

Peri:

Kei's blast passed through the skeleton's ribs and just over Peri's head. "Careful who you're hittin with that thing!" he yells at the bard, then attempts to kick the skeleton's feet out from under it and skewer its ribs with the spear.

Spear: 24 + 3 bless, for 11 damage

Unarmed strike:  22 + 4 bless, for 6 damage

Peri manages to use the spear like a crowbar to pop nearly half the ribs off the giant thing, but its his kick that actually does more damage, cracking its pelvis and rendering it well off-kilter. The skeletal minotaur is in pretty bad shape.

Bokowolf is up next!

Boko, Dire Wolf, spins around and lunges for the femur of the remaining skeleton, trying from a back angle to get a good hit in.

Bite Attack: 26 Damage: 15 (adv due to pack tactics, +1 to attack/damage due to tattoo) plus 2 to hit for bless.

Bokowolf grabs the massive femur of the skewed skeleton, and it collapses into a pile of inert bones. Both skeletons are down and out.

The apparitions dart out of the wall again to tease Gerrard, but before they can lay their ghostly hands upon him, Dwal strikes from the shadows with his lightning lure:
Spectre #1: DC 13 strength save vs Lure: 8

As unsettling as its appearance comes across, the ghostly figure is quite physically weak. It is pulled toward Dwal and then blasted with arcane electricity. The entity silently snarls with fury (resisting half the effects of the lightning due to its ghostly form) then lashes back at Dwal:

Specter #1: Life Drain Attack vs Dwal: 11 Hit: 12 necrotic damage, and Dwal must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or his hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken.

Specter #2: Life Drain Attack vs Gerrard: 12 Hit: 11 necrotic damage, and Gerrard must succeed on a similar DC 10 Constitution save.

Both translucent figures then duck back into the eastern walls again. (Dwal and Gerrard may each take an opportunity attack if they wish.)

Everyone may act (although no enemies are currently in the room.)

Dwal, his plan having worked and the entity missing its attack, calls out to them. "That 'all wake ya up in tha morning won't it ya spook?" he taunts. 
He will move closer to the party and hold his action.
Dwal will do a quick scan of his memory to see if he can place what type of undead these beings are.
Religion: 23

Gerrard:

Magic Rapier Attack of Opportunity:  Attack: 18 Damage: 11 plus Bless:  3

Gerrard:

Staying at the forefront of his companions to shield them from the apparitions, Gerrard says, “I will hold them off, but we need to work together to kill them.”

Using his action to Dodge, Gerrard waits to be assaulted again, ready to lash out should the apparition lower its guard again or parry should it threaten to land a hit past his defenses.

Boko the wolf moves closer to the wall and readies a bite attack on the first ghostie that comes near. 

Bite Attack: 21 Damage: 9 (+1 to attack/damage due to tattoo) plus 1 to hit for bless.

Dwal identifies these entities as specters: angry, unfettered spirits, condemned to walk the world forever. Some are spawned when dark magic or the touch of a wraith rips a soul from a living body. They are doomed to walk the Material Plane, their only end the oblivion that comes with the destruction of their souls. Until then, it bears out its lonely life in forlorn places, carrying on forgotten through the ages of the world. A specter kills quickly and mercilessly, for only by depriving others of life can it gain the slightest satisfaction. However, no matter how many lives it extinguishes, a specter always succumbs to its hatred and sorrow...

Gerrard manages to skewer one with his magical blade as it retreats. It silently shrieks with pain as it disappears into the stonework once again.

Gerrard and Boko ready themselves for the next wave of attacks. But... seconds pass, then a minute, and they do not reappear.

Combat is paused. Everyone may act.

Peri:

Peri crouches beside Gerrard, waiting for the ghosts to reappear, but nothing happens. "Uh, so... Who wants to be the one to open that door?" he asks, none too eager to be the first one through.

Gerrard:

Sheathing his Main Gauche, Gerrard pulls a potion out of his pouch and drinks it.  He heads over to the indicated door and says, “Ready when you guys are…Oh, what about that trap we heard set off from your ball of fire spell, Mistress Boko?”

Potion of Healing:  5

Kei 

Still angry with his own shortcomings, Kei strides over to stand next to Peri as the halfling raises the question of door opening. "Stop you cowering, there's nothing back there. Those ghosts seem to like living in the wall, so the room on the other side should be empty." Without a second thought the foolish bard walks over and opens the door. Turning back to Peri "See. Nothing there."

...and indeed, there isn't.

The passage extends beyond as Boko described it yesterday. It forks left and right, then dead-ends about thirty feet in. It's old, but well made, with smooth walls, floors, and 10-foot ceilings. It appears to be specter-free at the moment, very quiet, and very dark. There is some stone debris on the floor to the right (south). The passages are ten-feet wide - wide enough for one direwolf or two humanoid adventurers. 

If you care to venture in, please affirm your marching order (and whether you have darkvision or are relying upon Gerrard's magically moonlit blade.)