Yes, Ganod can offset the effect of Syl’s exhaustion on his attempt to find water by working together with him to accomplish his goal. Can you be more specific about what Ganod does to help?
Ludwig is playing with the dog, giving him belly rubs and treats, but at the same time surreptitiously casting identify on him as a ritual. Ludwig thinks if Dirius has polymorphed himself, he will have his arcane focus or some magical object transformed with him that might be detectable in this way.
Casting identify requires a pearl worth at least 100 gp as a material component, which Ludwig finds he doesn’t possess. Is there something else he’d like to do while Ganod and Syl search widely for water?
With Ganod’s assistance, and guided by the power of nature, Syl discovers a clear stream about an hour’s walk down-slope from the campsite, close enough that by making several trips throughout the day, you can provide yourselves and the wild dog that may or may not be Dirius with plenty of water and have full waterskins left over at the day’s end.
The fog dissipates at around noon, revealing a sweeping view of the desert below you to the East. In the distance, there appears to be a deep canyon cutting across the desert wastes.
Closer, in the Southeast, although you did not come through them, having come rather from the desert in the East, a lower area of foothills interposes itself between the mountains and the place in the desert from which you journeyed yesterday, beyond which you can see the more distant range of mountains that you had noticed yesterday morning.
Your view is cut off by more mountains directly to the South and in the North and Northwest, but to the Southwest you can see across more fertile plains back to the place you defeated the wasps nearly four days ago, laying just on the edge of your sight. The stream you found seems to flow in that direction.
The weather is mild throughout the day, and in the evening the full moon rises once again. The night passes quietly, and as the dawn comes chillingly, the little dog that might have been Dirius slips away among the mountain slopes, hopefully to rejoin its pack, having fully recovered from its exhaustion because of the food and water you have shared with it, as have you all.
The clouds cover the sky in the morning, and the dry wind continues to blow up the mountain slopes...
Ludwig, because you “love a good mystery”, attempting to track the wild dog in order to find out if it is truly Dirius, or convincing the rest of the party to, will garner you a point of Inspiration.
It occurs to me that I may have done a poor job of explaining a house-rule I’m using to resolve travel which may not be readily apparent (because it’s secret) and, therefore, may be causing a poor play experience. I alluded to it near the beginning of the campaign when I said that attempts to navigate would be resolved using your passive Survival score. This is done through a secret roll, similar to a hidden creature’s Stealth check.
Whenever you try to travel from one place to another (unless the party is following a linear feature of the landscape, like a road or a coastline or some such), I take the navigator’s passive Survival score and compare it to a d20 roll which can have advantage or disadvantage based on whether the type of terrain you’re currently moving through is easy to navigate though (Plains) or difficult (Forest, Marsh, or Mountains). Travel pace modifies the navigator’s passive Survival score, a slow pace granting a static +5 bonus and a fast pace imposing a -5 penalty. If someone’s navigating for the party, clear or partly cloudy sky conditions or having an accurate map of the party’s route gives the navigator advantage (+5). If no one is navigating, the party’s passive Survival score is considered to be 0 modified for travel pace only.
If the navigator wins the contest, the party ends up going in the direction it is trying to go, but if the navigator loses, the party becomes “lost” and ends up going in the wrong direction, which is randomly determined, again based on the type of terrain.
This is mostly based on the navigation rules in the DMG, but the reason I’m using a secret roll for this (which is the house-rule part) is to keep the result from informing you of whether you’ve done a good job of navigating or not. The main way you’ll likely know you’re lost, therefore, is by not arriving at your desired destination by the time it is assumed you would have if you weren’t lost.
I just wanted to make sure everyone understands that this is possible and that movement across the landscape is not infallible.
"So at this point, do we know where this mage's home is supposed to be?" Syl looks around at all the options, once again confused. "A deep canyon like that is sure to have freshwater flowing at the bottom, so we could go that route, but I'm open to suggestions."
Ludwig, Ganod, I think Syl is attempting to engage with you. Do you have a response to his question or an opinion about in which direction to head next?
In other words, what is your goal, and what course of action do you propose to pursue it?
"I say we focus on getting water. No offense to you two and whatever you be wanting to find here, but I'd rather not die of thirst chasing tails." Ganod places his vote to check out the deep canyon.
To clarify my description of the canyon, it looks to be about a day’s journey to the East across the desert from where you now stand. It seems to have a roughly North-South orientation and appears as a dark gash on the desert plain, its far side casting a deep shadow in the morning light.
Syl, since you “get bored easily”, you can earn a point of Inspiration by convincing your companions to help you pursue the destiny that awaits you across the desert.
"Ganod! Ludwig! We have full waterskins. Now is the time to cross this harsh landscape. I believe that canyon promises not only more freshwater but also more adventure!" Syl claps them both on the shoulder. "Shall we head off?"
Ganod gives Sly a mildly annoyed look and sighs, "Let's just get going. When we get back to town I want to drink some mead." Ganod then starts walking towards the canyon, keeping an eye out for traces/signs of water or even a cave.
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What does the rest of the group do while Syl searches for water around the mountains’ feet?
Ludwig?
Ganod?
(can ganod give him help so that he has advantage?)
Yes, Ganod can offset the effect of Syl’s exhaustion on his attempt to find water by working together with him to accomplish his goal. Can you be more specific about what Ganod does to help?
Ludwig is playing with the dog, giving him belly rubs and treats, but at the same time surreptitiously casting identify on him as a ritual. Ludwig thinks if Dirius has polymorphed himself, he will have his arcane focus or some magical object transformed with him that might be detectable in this way.
Casting identify requires a pearl worth at least 100 gp as a material component, which Ludwig finds he doesn’t possess. Is there something else he’d like to do while Ganod and Syl search widely for water?
Survival: 18+4
DM - Above & Below
Is Ludwig staying at the campsite with the wild dog while Ganod and Syl are foraging for water?
If so, does he give them his waterskin to take with them?
Also, I still don’t have a clear picture of how Ganod is contributing to Syl’s effort. Is it something like advising him about where to look?
Advising and also going along with him to act as an extra set of eyes/nose.
With Ganod’s assistance, and guided by the power of nature, Syl discovers a clear stream about an hour’s walk down-slope from the campsite, close enough that by making several trips throughout the day, you can provide yourselves and the wild dog that may or may not be Dirius with plenty of water and have full waterskins left over at the day’s end.
The fog dissipates at around noon, revealing a sweeping view of the desert below you to the East. In the distance, there appears to be a deep canyon cutting across the desert wastes.
Closer, in the Southeast, although you did not come through them, having come rather from the desert in the East, a lower area of foothills interposes itself between the mountains and the place in the desert from which you journeyed yesterday, beyond which you can see the more distant range of mountains that you had noticed yesterday morning.
Your view is cut off by more mountains directly to the South and in the North and Northwest, but to the Southwest you can see across more fertile plains back to the place you defeated the wasps nearly four days ago, laying just on the edge of your sight. The stream you found seems to flow in that direction.
The weather is mild throughout the day, and in the evening the full moon rises once again. The night passes quietly, and as the dawn comes chillingly, the little dog that might have been Dirius slips away among the mountain slopes, hopefully to rejoin its pack, having fully recovered from its exhaustion because of the food and water you have shared with it, as have you all.
The clouds cover the sky in the morning, and the dry wind continues to blow up the mountain slopes...
Ludwig, because you “love a good mystery”, attempting to track the wild dog in order to find out if it is truly Dirius, or convincing the rest of the party to, will garner you a point of Inspiration.
A Note about Navigation Checks:
It occurs to me that I may have done a poor job of explaining a house-rule I’m using to resolve travel which may not be readily apparent (because it’s secret) and, therefore, may be causing a poor play experience. I alluded to it near the beginning of the campaign when I said that attempts to navigate would be resolved using your passive Survival score. This is done through a secret roll, similar to a hidden creature’s Stealth check.
Whenever you try to travel from one place to another (unless the party is following a linear feature of the landscape, like a road or a coastline or some such), I take the navigator’s passive Survival score and compare it to a d20 roll which can have advantage or disadvantage based on whether the type of terrain you’re currently moving through is easy to navigate though (Plains) or difficult (Forest, Marsh, or Mountains). Travel pace modifies the navigator’s passive Survival score, a slow pace granting a static +5 bonus and a fast pace imposing a -5 penalty. If someone’s navigating for the party, clear or partly cloudy sky conditions or having an accurate map of the party’s route gives the navigator advantage (+5). If no one is navigating, the party’s passive Survival score is considered to be 0 modified for travel pace only.
If the navigator wins the contest, the party ends up going in the direction it is trying to go, but if the navigator loses, the party becomes “lost” and ends up going in the wrong direction, which is randomly determined, again based on the type of terrain.
This is mostly based on the navigation rules in the DMG, but the reason I’m using a secret roll for this (which is the house-rule part) is to keep the result from informing you of whether you’ve done a good job of navigating or not. The main way you’ll likely know you’re lost, therefore, is by not arriving at your desired destination by the time it is assumed you would have if you weren’t lost.
I just wanted to make sure everyone understands that this is possible and that movement across the landscape is not infallible.
"So at this point, do we know where this mage's home is supposed to be?" Syl looks around at all the options, once again confused. "A deep canyon like that is sure to have freshwater flowing at the bottom, so we could go that route, but I'm open to suggestions."
DM - Above & Below
Ludwig, Ganod, I think Syl is attempting to engage with you. Do you have a response to his question or an opinion about in which direction to head next?
In other words, what is your goal, and what course of action do you propose to pursue it?
"I say we focus on getting water. No offense to you two and whatever you be wanting to find here, but I'd rather not die of thirst chasing tails." Ganod places his vote to check out the deep canyon.
To clarify my description of the canyon, it looks to be about a day’s journey to the East across the desert from where you now stand. It seems to have a roughly North-South orientation and appears as a dark gash on the desert plain, its far side casting a deep shadow in the morning light.
Syl, since you “get bored easily”, you can earn a point of Inspiration by convincing your companions to help you pursue the destiny that awaits you across the desert.
"Ganod! Ludwig! We have full waterskins. Now is the time to cross this harsh landscape. I believe that canyon promises not only more freshwater but also more adventure!" Syl claps them both on the shoulder. "Shall we head off?"
DM - Above & Below
Ganod gives Sly a mildly annoyed look and sighs, "Let's just get going. When we get back to town I want to drink some mead." Ganod then starts walking towards the canyon, keeping an eye out for traces/signs of water or even a cave.