"Oh, well that's a shame. I hope our paths cross again one day," Syl looks over her note. "I suppose we should work on a map now that Taz is gone. Does anyone have something to draw with? I'm happy to take on the task."
Syl will work on a map if possible. If not, he'll stay alert.
When asked for something to draw with, Ganod rolls his eye, and with his machete stabs the fireplace, breaking off a burnt piece of blackened wood, "Charcoal. That work?"
On the third day, Ganod will keep watch for danger. Trusting his own senses over any of the others. (Passive perception of 15)
Syl takes the piece of blackened wood and rubs the sharpest end gently on his finger. He observes the soot. "Hm, it will work for now, thank you Ganod."
With the new utensil, Syl will go to work making a map of what lands they have traveled through over the past couple of days.
Point of clarification: mapping as an activity while traveling creates a map you can use to reliably travel between any two points you travel between on the day you made the map. Drawing a map of a journey you made on a previous day simply creates a record of what you remember of that journey, which could be fallible.
The desert plain is cracked and parched, and the fresh wind carries the dust high into the air. Before the sun reaches its zenith, however, a scrub-oak woodland appears on the horizon ahead of you, offering some shelter from the wind, which gently rustles the leaves and twigs as you pass among them throughout the mild temperatures of the mid-day.
After several hours, you emerge into the wind again with a waxing gibbous moon rising in the east before you above a waving plain of tall grass.
By mid-afternoon, a good place to camp in a sheltered recess of the land lies close by.
Ganod, there is no sign of any dangerous creature throughout the day, nor is there any sign of inhabitation, not even a hunter’s cabin.
Ludwig, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to see if there were mushrooms or any other useful resources along the way.
Syl, you now have a map of the route from the desert to the plains that will grant advantage on any check made to navigate anywhere between those two points.
Same watches as last night? First Syl, then Ludwig, then Ganod?
The place where you are camping appears to have once been the site of a small quarry. A field of rubble and small stones excavated from the ground lies adjacent to your camp at a distance of some 20 feet.
No food, mushrooms or otherwise, could be found on the day’s journey, but there is plenty left over from the foraging of the previous day. Of much greater concern is the lack of adequate water. When the day began, you had but half a gallon each (the full capacity of your water skins), and now there is none remaining.
Everyone, make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If you fail, you will suffer from a level of exhaustion until enough water is found and you finish a long rest.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Syl and Ganod have disadvantage on ability checks until their exhaustion is removed.
The first watch is uneventful, except for a beautiful sunset that lights up the clouds.
Night falls as the wind continues to whip across the plain, making ripples like ocean waves in the tall grass.
The second shift is halfway over, and the moon is low in the west, wreathed among tattered clouds, when Ludwig, you hear a humming, buzzing noise rising above the wind, Four giant insects of human size are flying towards you through the darkness. You can see their multi-faceted eyes gleaming with hunger from 60 feet away.
Syl, I don’t think you made your Dexterity check with disadvantage. I don’t think it can get much lower than 4, though, so we can probably just leave it there.
Ganod, make sure you make your initiative roll with disadvantage.
I was actually not sure if I should roll with disadvantage or not and everywhere I looked said, decidedly, initiative is NOT an ability check. Ability checks can be passed or failed. Initiative is based off dexterity but it's not an ability. You can't pass or fail...you can just roll a 4, haha.
"Oh, well that's a shame. I hope our paths cross again one day," Syl looks over her note. "I suppose we should work on a map now that Taz is gone. Does anyone have something to draw with? I'm happy to take on the task."
Syl will work on a map if possible. If not, he'll stay alert.
DM - Above & Below
When asked for something to draw with, Ganod rolls his eye, and with his machete stabs the fireplace, breaking off a burnt piece of blackened wood, "Charcoal. That work?"
On the third day, Ganod will keep watch for danger. Trusting his own senses over any of the others. (Passive perception of 15)
Syl takes the piece of blackened wood and rubs the sharpest end gently on his finger. He observes the soot. "Hm, it will work for now, thank you Ganod."
With the new utensil, Syl will go to work making a map of what lands they have traveled through over the past couple of days.
DM - Above & Below
During the third days travel Ludwig will be looking for signs of a hunter's cabin, and mushrooms.
Point of clarification: mapping as an activity while traveling creates a map you can use to reliably travel between any two points you travel between on the day you made the map. Drawing a map of a journey you made on a previous day simply creates a record of what you remember of that journey, which could be fallible.
Also, no one wants to navigate?
(we don't really have a destination, so walking aimlessly is just as good as walking with navigation.)
(to quote: "we can't get lost if we don't know where we're going in the first place!" XD)
The desert plain is cracked and parched, and the fresh wind carries the dust high into the air. Before the sun reaches its zenith, however, a scrub-oak woodland appears on the horizon ahead of you, offering some shelter from the wind, which gently rustles the leaves and twigs as you pass among them throughout the mild temperatures of the mid-day.
After several hours, you emerge into the wind again with a waxing gibbous moon rising in the east before you above a waving plain of tall grass.
By mid-afternoon, a good place to camp in a sheltered recess of the land lies close by.
Ganod, there is no sign of any dangerous creature throughout the day, nor is there any sign of inhabitation, not even a hunter’s cabin.
Ludwig, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to see if there were mushrooms or any other useful resources along the way.
Syl, you now have a map of the route from the desert to the plains that will grant advantage on any check made to navigate anywhere between those two points.
Same watches as last night? First Syl, then Ludwig, then Ganod?
Syl is happy to take first watch again.
DM - Above & Below
Survival: 12
"Has anyone been this way before?"
"Nope." Ganod will take the last watch again. "That's the whole point of this exploration and adventure buisness, right?"
The place where you are camping appears to have once been the site of a small quarry. A field of rubble and small stones excavated from the ground lies adjacent to your camp at a distance of some 20 feet.
No food, mushrooms or otherwise, could be found on the day’s journey, but there is plenty left over from the foraging of the previous day. Of much greater concern is the lack of adequate water. When the day began, you had but half a gallon each (the full capacity of your water skins), and now there is none remaining.
Everyone, make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If you fail, you will suffer from a level of exhaustion until enough water is found and you finish a long rest.
CON save: 14
DM - Above & Below
Con save: 4
Con: 20
Syl and Ganod have disadvantage on ability checks until their exhaustion is removed.
The first watch is uneventful, except for a beautiful sunset that lights up the clouds.
Night falls as the wind continues to whip across the plain, making ripples like ocean waves in the tall grass.
The second shift is halfway over, and the moon is low in the west, wreathed among tattered clouds, when Ludwig, you hear a humming, buzzing noise rising above the wind, Four giant insects of human size are flying towards you through the darkness. You can see their multi-faceted eyes gleaming with hunger from 60 feet away.
Everyone, roll a Dexterity check. (Initiative)
Wasps: 16
Syl's eyes blink open as the humming grows louder. He turns his head to see the approaching insects. "Oh, boy. This isn't good."
Initiative: 4
DM - Above & Below
"Guys get up! Giant murder bugs headed this way!"
Initiative: 9
Syl, I don’t think you made your Dexterity check with disadvantage. I don’t think it can get much lower than 4, though, so we can probably just leave it there.
Ganod, make sure you make your initiative roll with disadvantage.
I was actually not sure if I should roll with disadvantage or not and everywhere I looked said, decidedly, initiative is NOT an ability check. Ability checks can be passed or failed. Initiative is based off dexterity but it's not an ability. You can't pass or fail...you can just roll a 4, haha.
DM - Above & Below
“When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order.”
I think we can agree that a Dexterity check is an ability check.
Now, if Ganod would just make his ability check to determine his order in the initiative, we could get on with the game.