round 1a
Chaku, having originally expected something in the mud, isn't taken by surprise at all, and had started rushing it as soon as the snakethings head sprouted from the ground. The massive barbarian plows through the mud with ease before unleashing a bellowing roar that echo's throughout the field, coming to an end in a
CRACK! of shattering chitin as the maul connects soundly with the beast.
The goliath's mighty blow rocks the beast and draws its attention away from the cow. It hisses loudly, then dips its head like a striking snake. Chaku deflects the gnashing jaws once, but it strikes a second time with more accuracy. The barbarian is painfully squeezed and held fast by the thing's mandibles.
Chaku is grabbed; for escape purposes, I revealed the creature's Fort and Ref defenses in the enemy block below.
The creature rears back, keeping a firm hold on Chaku. Despite his great size, the thing lifts him a foot clear off the ground, gnawing and worrying at him with the vicious mandibles. Acidic fluid squirts from its maw, and the goliath begins to bleed from his wounds. The creature scuttles backward, into the tunnel it carved in the ground, pulling Chaku with it, both vanishing below the surface! A good-sized hole is all that remains on the spot.
[sblock=Chaku]Down the hole, you see another tunnel extending to the west - apparently this is how the creature initially approached, but the view fades to darkness after about 10 feet. You can hear scrabbling and scraping as the creature digs a new tunnel as it pulls you southeast. To make matters worse, two smaller creatures, juvenile versions of the big one, burrow through the tunnel walls from the west. Perhaps they were attracted by your thumping? They gnash at you with their pint-size mandibles, but luckily for you, they can't connect.[/sblock]
The cow on the western side of the pasture lets out a desperate, mournful cry as four juvenile versions of the huge snake creature emerge from the ground to surround it. Though significantly smaller, their claws and mandibles still look plenty nasty. They hiss and snap at the poor cow. It stamps its hooves and manages to keep them at bay momentarily, but it doesn't look like it will be able to hold them off for long.
The mud patches on the north side and just west of the stream begin to swirl and bubble violently. Slowly, a humanoid figure dripping with mud rises up out of each. After a moment it becomes clear: these creatures are not covered with mud, they are
made out of mud. Their amorphous bodies pulse and flow. They whip stubby arms forward, flinging gooey balls of mud at Papolstaanas and Kaeysari. The kobold dodges easily, but the shifter is struck full on in the face. The mud clings to her frame, slowing her movements.
ooc: Another crit on Kaeysari! Holy cow! But a zero damage attack this time...
[sblock=*new* Perception DC 15]The ground and most of the mud now lie quiet, except for the mud in the center of the pasture continues to swirl and eddy... another creature may yet emerge in that area? (roughly around M6) [/sblock]
[sblock=Init]
Azryah; Chaku; Jynxx; Kaeysari; Papolstaanas;Enemy (1d20+1=2, 1d20+2=18, 1d20+1=6, 1d20+3=4, 1d20+3=17, 1d20+10=17)
No surprise... Chaku won initiative and may act before the snake thing. Then it will take its turn, then back to the players' turn...[/sblock]
[sblock=Status]
18 Chaku - Q12 -
20/40 (10/10) AP: 1 - grabbed, ongoing 5 acid, underground, concealment (dim light)
17 --- ENEMIES ---
Large Snake Creature - R13/S14 -
27 damage, AP used - underground, concealment
Broodling 1 - R11 - underground
Broodling 2 - Q11 - underground
Broodling 3 - O3
Broodling 4 - N1
Broodling 5 - P0
Broodling 6 - Q2
Mud Lasher 1 - K10 -
no damage
Mud Lasher 2 - I1 -
no damage
---------------
17 Papolstaanas - H9
40/40 (12/12) AP: 1
6 Jynxx - E6 -
29/29 (8/8) AP: 1
4 Kaeysari - G6 -
39/39 (10/10) AP: 1
2 Azryah - E4 -
34/34 (9/9) AP: 1
[/sblock]
[sblock=Terrain]
Pasture Fence This low wooden fence provides cover to creatures behind it. It takes a DC 10 Athletics check to climb or hurdle it. (There are gaps in it as well.)
Deep Mud The entire pasture is fairly muddy, but the brown areas are especially deep mud. When a character enters or starts his turn in an area of deep mud, he is slowed until the end of his turn, unless he succeeds at a DC 15 athletics check. (You only must make the check once per turn - if you succeed, you can move normally in the mud for the rest of the turn.)
Stream difficult terrain
Rocks/Boulders - difficult terrain, and provide cover.
Tunnel Entrance - The large snake creature leaves tunnels behind it when it burrows. Tunnel entrances are marked by craters on the map. (e.g., P10) Treat the crater as difficult terrain if you just want to enter the square but not the tunnel. Stunt attacks to create new entrances may be possible if you know where the tunnel is - or are inside and want to make an exit.
Tunnels Tunnels are indicated by reddish brown lines on the map. (Not all tunnels are shown, only those that a PC has entered or seen.) There is bright light in the entrance square, dim light in areas within 1 or 2 squares of an entrance, and darkness farther in.
Medium creatures (and the snake thing of course) can enter these tunnels and move through them. Entering the tunnel at an entrance is automatic and no movement cost beyond entering the entrance square; leaving the tunnel and going back on the surface at an entrance requires a DC 10 Athletics check (this moves you from underground to the surface of the entrance square at a cost of 1 movement; failure ends the move action).
(If it isn't obvious, there is no line of sight or effect between creatures that are underground and creatures on the surface, except at the entrance squares)
[/sblock]
[sblock=Enemies]
Huge snakey creature
HP ??, bloodied ??
AC 17, Fort 14, Ref 16, Will ??
Basic Attack: Claw +8 vs AC; 1d8+5 damage
Snakey broodlings
HP 1 (minion)
AC ??, Fort ??, Ref ??, Will ??
Basic Attack: Claw +5 (+9 if grabbed by big snakey) vs AC; 4 damage
Mud Lasher
HP ??, bloodied ??
AC ??, Fort ??, Ref ??, Will ?? (Immune disease, poison)
Basic Attack: Slam +6 (+8 vs slowed or immobilized creatures) vs AC; 2d6+3 damage
[/sblock]
[sblock=Mechanics]
Snake Creature
Broodlings 1 and 2 (in tunnel)
Broodlings 3, 4, 5, 6
- Emerge from ground and menace innocent cow.
Mud Lasher 1
Mud Lasher 2
- Move: emerge/congeal out of mud
- Standard: Mud ball vs. Kaeysari (1d20+4=24) CRIT! OMG! KAEYSARI IS A CRIT MAGNET!!! But luckily this time, the attack doesn't do any damage, so it doesn't actually matter. Kaeysari is just slowed (save ends).
[/sblock]
[sblock=Map]
[/sblock]