"Well, with them all grouped up as they are, I kin burst some ice in the area to soften em up.  I also could tie em up a bit, but as big as they are, I dunno how effective that'd be.  I also kin cause some destructive force around me if they get close.  Problem is that the forest only gives me so much leeway, and if I get too aggressive, I kint patch y'all up iffin ya get hurt."

"Ya know, I have another idea.  I kin actually make a pit that they may fall in to.  It may help to slow them down.  I kin then pull one of em into the pit, and hope they can't hop more'n about thirty feet.  This of course assumes that they stay docile while I do this.  Only problem asides that is we'll need someone to be bait."

(Torrent can use Mold Earth to dig a couple deep holes which he can then use Thorn Whip to pull them in.)

"What if we made a humanoid figure out of the water and sent that in as bait?"

"That could be fun.  I'd be willin' ta give that a try."

Meanwhile, Torrent starts using Mold Earth to start excavating a hole 5ftx5ftx30ft.  Should take about 36 seconds.  "Watch out folks."

"Won't your hole just fill with water?" Anakis says to Torrent.

Anakis then tries to hide from the giant toads in the shrubs and long grass around the stream (Stealth : 18) before combat starts.

(That's a fair question.  How goes my excavation?  I'd imagine that with the soggy ground it wouldn't be clean edges, but how much water is filling this hole.)

Retcon: Torrent excavates a hole 5x5x5 ft to see how that goes before committing to digging a full pit.

Torrent, you could know of some resource nearby that might help you in fighting the toads, but what does Torrent do (if anything) to ascertain whether he knows of such a thing?

Of course you can try using bait, provided you have brought something suitable with you (or another party member, lol).

As you dig into the muddy, marshy ground using your cantrip, the walls of the hole you create are firm and hold their shape, the water on the surface being mostly frozen. Meanwhile, the toads seem to take some interest in your digging, although they still don't move from their position. Where exactly are you placing this hole?

Anakis, the marshy ground is difficult to move through, as is the thicket of sedge. Moving into it takes the better part of a minute and brings you to about 60 feet from the toads, of which they take notice. Because the thicket is only about waist high, to get out of view of the giant toads and hide in the thicket, you need to drop prone, which I assume is what you have done.

(DM Question - was there no cover or anything to hide behind near where we were standing or further away from the toads? Anakis probably wouldn't have gotten closer.)

"Want me to go and stir them up?"  Fluin asks, nodding towards the toads.  he pats his rapier.  "Could go and give them a few pokes to get them moving..." 

Anakis, the only dense foliage in the area is the thicket, but within that area you can maintain your distance of 70 feet or get as close as 30 feet from the toads. I had assumed you had entered the thicket at its closest point and traveled a fair way into it, but if you want to keep your distance from the toads, you can enter the thicket at a point about 30 feet to your left and hide a short way in.

Yeah. Anakis has a bit of range & she’s pretty squishy so she’ll try to keep a bit of distance. She’ll enter the thicket to the left. Sorry, I’ll try to remember to add those sort of details in next time. 

"I'd rather wait for them to come to us," Tarek responds to Fluin. "Plus we don't want them swallowing you whole. But it's your call." He will go ahead and launch one of his javelins in the direction of the toads, hoping that they will respond and come into range, but also hoping to possibly land a blow. (Attack: 14 - Disadvantage because it's a 70 ft. distance. Damage: 8.)

"Ah, that's one way'a doin' things.  Well, let me finish this pit and we'll try ta lure one."  

Torrent would have looked around before the pit digging for any berries or natural hazards which could have disturbed the toads.  May be a bit late for that now.  This pit is in the thicket, in the hope that it will be somewhat hidden from the toads.  

Nature 20

Survival 10

(whichever is needed)

Aluzira watches everything that is happening her attention going from the pit to Anakis, and then to one of Tarek's Javelins flying through the air.  She rests her hands on her daggers, waiting to see what happens next as Torrent finishes the pit.

"Wait, what?! Are we going now?" Anakis whispers loudly to the group when she sees Tarek's javelin flying towards the toads. She will ready a Ray of Frost to shoot at the first toad to come within 60ft of her in order to slow it down and reduce its movement.

(If one does come in range, ranged spell attack: 14, cold damage: 2 & its movement is reduced by 10ft until the start of my next turn)

Torrent, there are some poisonous shrubs of which you're aware that grow in the bog. You can make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to visually scan the area for some, but if you fail, you will have wasted the thirty seconds or so you could have spent digging your hole before Tarek throws his javelin.

With your cantrip, you can just reach 5 feet inside the thicket at its nearest point, which is just in front of where Anakis is hiding, between her and the toads. In the thirty seconds you have left before Tarek lets his javelin fly, you can excavate up to 125 cubic feet of earth from beneath the thicket in addition to the 25 you've already pulled out.

Tarek, seeing you throwing something at them, the giant toads on the far side of the pool adopt a defensive stance, inflating their bodies and standing with their hindquarters raised and their heads lowered. The toads in the pond also inflate themselves and begin swimming across the pool towards you.

Everyone, roll for Initiative.

Giant toads: 8

Anakis Initiative: 9

Anakis is still holding the Ray of Frost waiting for the nearest giant toad to enter 60ft from her.

Initiative: 3

"Here we go..." Aluzira whispers to herself, pulling out her daggers.

Initiative is determined by a Dexterity check (I should have mentioned), so don't forget to add your Dexterity modifier. Aluzira, your initiative should be 5.

Torrent swears in Aquan, "Alright folks, be careful.  Be smart.  And above all, don't die!"

(Torrent will look for the poisons beforehand: Perception  14) (Gotdang it hahaha)

Initiative 16

Torrent drops his pack, and fishes a sprig of mistletoe and a thorny stem out of his pockets, preparing to fight.

Ulben 23