[Adventure] Serpent's Skull: Souls for Smuggler's Shiv (DM: Mewness; Judge: THB)

“Now, Over there. Get that one!” The Captain calls out to his men, indicating the jumping spider that’s been harassing the party.

After a detachment departs to attack the spider(s), the Irregulars loosen their formation a bit.

Several Piskies and grigs fly towards the large spider, but get caught up in the brush and webbing along the way. They do, however, spot another, smaller, spider and take advantage of its proximity.

[sblock=Actions]
Minor: Perception
Standard: Grasping Tide K11/M13; +4 vs. Fort * 1d6+4 damage and if the target leaves the area of effect, +4 vs. reflex * prone
Joomper: 8 vs. Fort
Small Spider: 22 vs. Fort
Damage: 6
Move>Minor: Shift to Beast Form

[sblock=Dartmoor Irregulars]Dartmoor Irregulars – Piskie Swarm (Druid) 1
Passive Insight: 13, Passive Perception: 18
AC:16 Fort:13 Ref:14, Will:14 -- Speed:6
HP:28/28, Bloodied:14, Surge Value:7, Surges Left: 8/10
Action Points: 1, Second Wind: not used
Powers:
Grasping Tide
Grasping Claws
Swarming Locusts
Scattered Form
Summon Giant Toad
Fiddlin’ Grig
Conditions:
Notes: -3 damage from melee/ranged attacks in Beast Form
[/sblock][/sblock]

The big spider leaps straight at Castile but is blocked by her shield. It retreats back behind its web.

More poison spit is shot from the undergrowth. Aerys is struck in the face and half-blinded. Castile is hit a couple of times but hardly seems to notice.

[sblock=actions and rolls]Gelik takes 5 damage. save vs poison (1d20=13) success.

Jumping spider jumps to I12. Death from above vs AC, Castile; damage (1d20+7=10, 1d8+4=8) miss. Prodigious Leap to M9. This seems to be one of the blessed forms of movement that fighters can't prevent, so it gets away with it.

Spitter 1: poison spit vs AC, Aerys (1d20+9=29) crit, Aerys takes 5 and is blinded (save ends).

Spitter 2 cannot spit because it is dead

Spitters 3, 4, and 5: Spitters 3, 4, 5 poison spit vs AC, Castile (1d20+9=23, 1d20+9=25, 1d20+9=14) 2 hits, 1 miss, 10 damage. Only barely gets through her temps =)

Spitters move and hide.[/sblock]
[sblock=Special rules and terrain]NPCs: As a minor action, you can command any NPC to take a move. Or, at your option, you can move an NPC at the same time as your character moves, if that NPC is in your way. No NPC can take more than two moves a round.

Terrain Rules
The dark green terrain is heavy undergrowth. It is difficult terrain. A creature who is prone in this terrain gains concealment. If there are at least two squares of heavy undergrowth between such a creature and an observer, the prone creature gains total concealment with respect to that observer.

The light brown areas are relatively clear and count as normal terrain.

The dark brown circles are trees; they are blocking terrain.

The webs look like they will slow you down at the very least; should you enter a square containing a web, you can consult the spoiler block in the Enemies and Hazards section to learn its specific effects. Note that all the webs are in heavy undergrowth squares; the heavy undergrowth has its usual effects in addition to the web effects.[/sblock]

[sblock=Perception 23]There is a small spider hidden in B13.[/sblock]
[sblock=Perception 18]There is a small spider hidden in K14.[/sblock]
[sblock=Perception 14]There is a small spider hidden in K17. Also, this spider is under the effect of Noriaki's roar of triumph from last turn.[/sblock]
[sblock=Perception 15]There is a small spider hidden in O19.[/sblock]

[sblock=status]PCs
Alkas (A18) HP 35/35; surges 10/13
Castile (H13) HP 31/33; surges 9/13
Dartmoor (B17) HP 28/28; surges 8/10, beast form
Hú Lí (B18) HP 24/24; surges 6/8
Noriaki (E18) HP 19/27; surges 2/9; swift panther rage
Takahaan (F17) HP 14/24; surges 3/8; ongoing 5 poison (save ends)

NPCs
Aerys (A17) HP 24/29; surges 9/11, blinded (save ends)
Gelik (D17) HP 6/22; surges 3/6, bloodied, prone
Ishirou (C18) HP 19/24; surges 5/7
Jade (C17) HP 28/28; surges 6/10
Sasha (E18) HP 18/23; surges 4/6

Bad Guys
Jumping Spider (M9), marked by Castile, AP spent
Spiderling Swarm 1 dead
Spiderling Swarm 2 dead
Spitter 2 dead
Spitters 1, 3, 4, 5 hidden
[/sblock]

[sblock=Enemy Stats]Please read the appropriate block(s) only when necessary to resolve attacks or OAs, or when you enter a square containing a web.

[sblock=Jumping Spider]Joompin Spider
AC 17, Fort 17, Ref 16, Will 13; HP 56, bloodied 28
bite +7 vs. AC, 1d8+3 damage and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends)

[sblock=When spider is bloodied]Nothing special happens. Gotcha![/sblock][/sblock]
[sblock=Spidering Swarm]Spiderling Swarm
AC 14, Fort 14, Ref 15, Will 10; HP 44, bloodied 22
Resist half damage from melee and ranged attacks; Vulnerable 5 to close and area attacks
Aura 1: each enemy that starts its turn in the aura takes 5 damage +2 extra damage per additional swarm adjacent to the enemy
Swarm of Fangs +4 vs. AC, 1d6+2 damage and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends). A creature already taking poison damage is also weakened (save ends). The swarm’s attack deals 2 extra damage for each additional swarm adjacent to the target.
[sblock=When hit by an area or close attack]The swarm shifts reactively. Please wait for me to resolve this.[/sblock][/sblock]
[sblock=Spitter]Spitter
AC 16, Fort 13, Ref 16, Will 13; HP 1 (minion)
Bite +7 vs. AC, 5 poison damage
Note: The spitters are quite small and can gain concealment/total concealment from heavy undergrowth as though they are prone.[/sblock]
[sblock=Web Hazard]When you enter a web, it makes an opportunity attack against you:
Sticky Web Attack: +4 vs. Reflex
Hit: you are restrained (save ends)
Miss: you are slowed until the end of your turn.
Special: when you are restrained by a web and succeed on your save, the web in your square is destroyed.

Restrained: you are immobilized, grant CA, take a -2 penalty to attack rolls, and cannot be pushed, pulled, or slid.[/sblock][/sblock]

[sblock=Mewness]I will destroy the jumping spider so it can never pass on its fighter-evasion secrets!

About Castile's position: she walked to H13 on her last turn thanks to Takahaan's bravura presence, but the map still shows her at G17?[/sblock]

Not discouraged by the spitting spiders, her poor throwing accuracy, or the sticky webs in front of her, Castile walks straight toward the only spider visible to her. Initially, she finds it easy to hack apart the webs blocking her path. After a few swings, however, she realizes that threads are much stickier than she thought. Castile finds that no matter how she struggles, she can't move any further.

Still not discouraged, Castile throws her axe at the jumping spider - or rather, she tries to. Her arms are too tightly bound to make a good swing, and the axe falls harmlessly a few feet from her before returning to her hand.

"Umm... help..." Castile whispers as she starts struggling to get free of the webs.

[sblock=Castile stat block / actions]Actions
Minor: Perception 8. (1d20+7=8)

Move: walk to J12, right into a spider web. Sticky Web Attack vs Castile hits Reflex 13, so she is restrained. (1d20+4=13)

Standard: RBA vs Jumping Spider misses AC 6, but the spider is marked TENT. (1d20+7-2-2=6)

End of turn: Saving throw vs Restrained fails. (1d20=5).
That turn could have gone better...


PC:Castile (Dekana) - L4W Wiki- Female Dwarf Fighter 1
Passive Perception: 17, Passive Insight: 12
AC:18, Fort:16, Reflex:13, Will:12, +5 saves vs poison, Speed:5
HP:31/33, Bloodied:16, Surge Value:8, Surges left:9/13
Initiative +1
Action Points: 0 (encounter)

Conditions
Restrained (save ends)

Powers
MBA: Waraxe, +7 vs AC, 1d12+7 damage (see Combat notes below)
RBA: Waraxe, +7 vs AC, 1d12+7 damage, 6/12
Combat Challenge
Crushing Surge, Weapon Master's Strike
Dwarven Resilience, Hack and Hew
Dwarven Thrower Waraxe, Villain's Menace

Combat notes: +2 melee/close damage if Castile has THP, +2 to attack roll on OAs, OAs stop enemy movement
[/sblock]

Reeling his eyes through the crowded, dense undergrowth, Takahaan spots two spitting spiders, hidden amongst the jungle's depths. Judging the spiders to be a good distance away, Takahaan instead sets his eyes on Castile, struggling against the thick webs binding her in place. The dragonborn grunts as he makes his way toward her, eyeing the large spider ahead of the dwarf.

"Push on, dwarf! Tear through the web!" he yells, as he hastily rips his way through various branches, brush, and vines in his path.

[sblock=Takahaan's Actions] Takahaan takes 5 damage from ongoing poison, bringing him down to 9 HP, and making him bloodied.

Minor: Perception Check: 1d20-1=17. Takahaan notices two spitters.

Standard->Move: Takahaan walks to H13.

Move: Takahaan walks to J13.

Saving throw:1d20=13. Yes! Takahaan fights off the poison.

[/sblock]


[sblock=Takahaan]Takahaan Thanazashi Male Dragonborn Bravura Warlord 1
Initiative: +2
Passive Perception: 10
Passive Insight: 9
Senses: Normal

AC:17
Fort:15
Reflex:13
Will:15
HP:9/24
Bloodied:12
Surge Value:7
Surges left:4/8
Action Points: 1
Brash Assault
Intuitive Strike
Dragon Breath [x]
Inspiring Word [x]
Vengeance Is Mine[x]
Lamb to the Slaughter[][/sblock]

Hú Lí dances forward, following in Takahaan's wake, and keeping an eye peeled for more foes. When she reaches a point about halfway to where Castile and Takahaan are now standing, she looks past them, eyeing the big spider, and plays a warbling series of notes that catches the attention of the spider, causing it to twitch painfully, and distracting it slightly.[sblock=actions]
Minor: Perception--looking for spiders (1d20+6=12)
Move: to F16
Standard:Vicious Mockery (Will) vs. Big Spider (1d20+4=15, 1d6+4=8) The spider is at -2 to attack rolls until the end of Hú Lí's next turn.[/sblock][sblock=Hú Lí]The Black Fox Fox Spirit (Changeling) Bard 1
Initiative: +1, Passive Perception: 16, Passive Insight: 18
AC:17, Fort:11, Reflex:15, Will:16

+2 vs. AC, 1d6-1 damage

HP:24/24, Bloodied:12, Surge Value:6, Surges left:6/8
Action Points: 1, Second Wind: unused
Powers: Fox Spirit Disguise, Wild Shape, Staggering Note, Vicious Mockery
Blunder, Fox Spirit Trick, Grasping Claws, Majestic Word x2, Words of Friendship
Stirring Shout

Conditions:
none
[/sblock]

Takahaan notices Hu Li trailing towards him and Castile, and decides to warn the group of the spiders he has noticed, hidden among the underbrush.

"Beware of those hiding pests, they are positioned there, Takahaan yells, pointing to his left, deep in the jungle, beyond some webs. "...and there!" He points again, signaling to the others where he had seen the spiders.

[sblock=Spider Coords] Sorry all, I'm still new to 4e, and wasn't sure if I could reveal the locations of the spiders I had found with my perception check, but I guess it isn't a problem. I spotted two spiders, one at K17, and another at O19. Also, free actions FTW![/sblock]