Lost Lab of Kwalish

I apologize, I was waiting for someone else. Huarache, with no other viable options (that don't violate his conscience) activates his warhammer and takes two big swings at the beast.

Attack: 12 Damage: 12 Radiant

Attack: 29 Damage: 9 Radiant

At his command, Echo runs up as well.

Attack: 18 Damage: 4 Force

Flurry of bites x Huarache:

23 for 7 piercing and 11 poison damage. 

10 for 6 piercing and 11 poison damage. 

Maw x Huarache:

2 for 14 piercing plus 9 poison damage

Tail pincer x Echo:

27 for 6 and grappled

Initiative:

Huarache : 4

TH: 3

The tabaxi stands his ground as the monster descends on its prey.  The jaws 9f several heads snap at Huarache as it's pincer tipped tail slashes at Echo.

The snake like necks of the creature confuse Huarache's aim and he misses on the first swing, but as he spins, the momentum of the hammer carrying him, the weapon's face smashes one of the monster's.  

Echo is grappled, unable to attack. He can free himself with a DC14 Dex OR Strength check.

Ooc: Waiting on Leann.

Wait, does the fact that that creature in particular is grappling Echo matter? I ask because grappling normally reduces speed to zero and nothing more; does this beast require Echo to make a check to degrapplify herself (I'm certain that isn't a word, and I have no intention of finding the right word when "degrapplify" is so fun to say).

I guess she can attack because 5e mechanics.  It's just hard to imagine how in my mind since she's being held by the creature's tail which has 10ft reach.  It's like if a giant picked you up and held you at arm's length and you made an attack at its hand with your mouth, how would that work?? If Echo had reach 5ft and speed zero but is held by the monster, can she bite it?  Not entirely not sure, but I'm going to say she can.

Edit: upon review, I think RAW, my original ruling was correct: the monster is beyond her reach.  My ruling stands, but it should nor be taken as precedent for future reach grapple situations.

The prehensile tail mechanic is pretty bad here.  But within the scope of 5e rules, I'd you are correct, Echo does, in fact, manage to bite the scissor tipped tail pinning her to the ground.

Combat continues. (Round 2. Huarache is up, Echo still needs grapple check)

Leann will power the device with her own HP I guess. I 100% have no clue what is going on any more, we have been moved through doors, down halls, been put into fights we were not picking, and simply been randomly moved around without any real decisions of what is going on. Then there is the time-travel mechanic making things even less clear and totally messing up what is going on. One moment we are about to fight something, then only to have that no longer be an issue as time has changed. Other times we suddenly have the time travel happening again, and are suddenly in a very different situation. I am completely lost.

Last I knew Leann was walking away from the many-headed creature. The lizardmen came rushing out then, but, again, it seemed like we were going to bypass both them and the other creature, and take a different route. Then, without any real idea of how, Leann is fighting the lizardmen alone, 100% without me doing anything, and the others are in fighting the many-headed thing. The very next thing I know I am suppose to be powering the device with Leann's HP. She has little to nothing to do with it, and has not activated the device once, not sure who has been doing that up to this point. Not even sure where she is. Is she with the others? I thought I read something about her shutting a door to block the lizardmen, but am not sure.

I was thinking of biting the tail, yes. Echo will attempt to free herself with a 18. Huarache swings again, this time yelling, "Get off my dog!"

Attack: 20 Damage: 12 Radiant

Attack: 13 Damage: 15 Radiant

So, two nat ones in as many turns. Hooray.

Ooc:

Leann: see the OOC thread.

Sam, welcome back to the main thread

Sam's conversation with the lizardman shaman is cut short by the sound of swordplay and the robot of combat beyond the door.  *If Sam opens the door, he sees a pile of slain lizarsmen lining the hallway floor.  Across from the door he opens is a closed door. The hallway to his right is lined with the bodies of fallen lizardman guards.  From that direction, he hears quick footsteps and a terrified call of "Move, move, move!" followed by the heavy foofalls of what Sam would likely identify as a large 4-legged creature.

Sam: right down the hall or through the door straight ahead. (Or don't open the door and ignore all of that to stand there and chat with the suspicious shaman some more)

"Reverse time." Leann commands the time construct as she kneels over the dead body. "Take what energy you need from me." She orders the machine.

Logan, the gleaming metal skeleton hidden beneath an illusory veil of Mortal skin replies in its mechanized manner and tone: "Insufficient charge."  But, this time extends a hand, fingers extended, welded into a knife like blade.  From the human hand extends a knife like blade,which extends about 18 inches before a pair of sharp prongs eject from the tip. "Charge donor accepted" the robotic voice proclaims. 

"Expose draw site." Logan requests. 

(Ooc: Leann can narratively choose where the machine punctures the skin,  perhaps the arm - no armor penalties or time a ent donning/doffing it just goes.)

A narrow channel in the armblade reveals blood beginning to flow into the mechanical guide, and after a moment, back into Leann's arm* through a parallel channel.  

12 + 10 HP are taken from Leann to fuel the timeshift.

As time  bends in the chamber, the horrific scene of the reptilian guards consuming the prisoner as he dies plays in reverse at high speed.  They exit the room walking backwards. (The effects are local - those guards are now dead, but there are other guards in the temple)

The young mans eyes are shut tight as tears streak his soft face and he whimpers "No,no,no,no. Please."

As the beast fights with Huarache and Echo, the pair of thrives move to refer the secret tunnel, calling behind them, "This way friend!! We're not retreating, we're attacking in another direction."

Flurry of bites x Huarache:

10 for 8 piercing and 9 poison damage. 

23 for 10 piercing and 11 poison damage. 

Maw x Huarache:

14 for 8 piercing plus 6 poison damage

Tail pincer x Huarache:

20 for 15 and grappled

Initiative:

Huarache>Echo : 1

TH: 3

Huarache's strikes the neck of one of the heads and with a glurping yell and death rattle, the head falls limp.  Two other heads chomp at the broken neck, severing the dead head and fighting over the pieces as five more heads face the tabaxi.

Leann hears some if this action in the distance, as does Sam.  Either could get to the fight for the next round.  The chamber is large enough that they could go around the monster, but it would get an AOO if they tried to follow the south passage the thieves took.

Sam will open the door “shit” holding his hand out to the shaman “lenna where are you I need your help” 

Sam sees a closed door in front of him, but he hears the sounds of monstrous combat down the hall to the right.

If Sam wants to join in the fray, he can make it there right now. He would see the many headed monster fighting Huarache.

Leann also has the option of joining in the battle.

Ooc: waiting on PC combat actions. Currently that's just Huarache, but Sam and Leann are less than 30ft away, so they can attack this round.  I'll wait a bit and see what they do.

Riavors patron sent him to aid some group of adventurers, as usual he was given zero information about why and where. he was also not warned about the monster. his patron just told him to cast greater invisibility and portaled him there.

¨doesnt warn me about the friggin hydra-spawn, doesnt tell me their names, doesnt tell me where, or when its sending me. friggin typical.¨ he grumbles 

(greater invisibility is up and one round in when i got here)

(Ooc: to our 3 new players: Welcome to the campaign!  I am still running some of you in PM mode, but everyone is within hearing of this conflict, so if you want to join the fight, you certainly can starting this round, or keep doing whatever your character us currently doing - these adventurers are making a great distraction.)

(Reminder from the recruitment thread (I know, it was a week ago) I am trying a nonstandard initiative system. I find the standard method drags out pbp combat and I believe it can be improved.  Each round, everyone involved posts actions, then I roll d6s for opposing sides (monsters / PCs) and the higher initiative group acts first. Within those groups, actions proceed at my discretion.)

¨dont shoot me. im on your side. i think.¨

riavor uses hexblades curse as a bonus action on the creature and attacks it with two eldritch blast rays

29 17 double this because of crit. so 34

15 10

¨except for you. im totally your enemy¨

(i have 8 rounds of invisible left from greater invisibility)

Leann makes sure the kid is ok, then looks to the construct that just worked the time magic. "Stay with them and make sure they are here when I return." She then steps to the door nad returns to the battle outside of it.

Attack: 13 Damage: 15

Attack: 27 Damage: 16