lets start playing list mine of phandelver, chapter 1
Sure, let's begin! What's your character's name and what race/class are they?
My character is still Elsie Rivers, a level 1 human monk with 10 HP, AC 15, and a staff. She also has two healing potions. She is accompanied by Thorak Stonepoop, a loyal but fierce level 1 orc barbarian, 16 HP, AC 14, with a great axe, and Shyamari, a level 1 gnome bard with 9 HP, AC 15 and a rapier plus spells. I will speak for Else, you handle the rest
Great, let's get started!
As you all make your way to Phandalin, you come across a path leading into the woods. Along the path, you notice two dead horses. As you approach the scene, you see arrows sticking out of the horses and hear the sound of rushing water from the nearby stream. What do you do?
Hmmm...what is our mission, again?
In the first chapter of "Lost Mine of Phandelver," your characters are tasked with escorting a supply wagon from Neverwinter to the town of Phandalin. The supplies are meant for a local trading post called Barthen's Provisions, which is owned by a man named Elmar Barthen. Along the way, you may encounter some dangers and obstacles that you'll need to overcome.
who hired us?
You were hired by a dwarf named Gundren Rockseeker to escort a wagon of supplies from the town of Neverwinter to the small mining settlement of Phandalin. Gundren has gone ahead to prepare the way and asked you to meet him and his business partner, a human wizard named Sildar Hallwinter, in Phandalin.
Okay, this looks suspicious. I tell the others to hang back while I cautiously go forward to investigate the horses. I roll a 7 for my investigation check. Do I find anything?
As you cautiously approach the horses, you don't see anything immediately suspicious or out of place. However, as you get closer, you do notice that one of the horses seems to be limping slightly. You also notice that there are several sets of footprints around the area, as if there has been some recent activity in the vicinity.
How can the horse be limping if it is dead?
You realize that it doesn't make sense for a dead horse to be limping. As you approach closer, you can see that the horse is not actually dead, but is instead lying on its side and struggling to breathe. Its leg is badly injured, however, and it seems unable to stand up.
Is there any sign of Gundren?
As you take a closer look, you notice that there are drag marks leading away from the wagon, indicating that something or someone has been taken away from the scene. There is no sign of Gundren, but it's possible that he was taken along with whatever or whoever left the drag marks.
Okay, we start cautiously following the drag marks. I scout ahead. I'm good at stealth and roll a 21 on my attempt to move sneakily through the forest
As you move stealthily through the forest, you keep a sharp eye out for any danger. The drag marks lead you deeper into the forest, and after a few minutes, you spot a small group of goblins up ahead. They seem to be guarding a cave entrance, and you can hear the sound of more goblins inside.
As you signal to your companions to stay back, you realize that this could be a dangerous situation. You'll need to come up with a plan if you want to rescue Gundren and avoid getting caught by the goblins. What do you do?
Okay, I snack back to my party. The plan is for me to sneak behind the goblins and attack by surprise, at which point Thorak and Shyamari will charge them. I try to sneak up behind the goblins. Do you want me to roll another stealth check to see how I do?
Yes, please roll another stealth check to see how well you sneak up on the goblins.
Oh, I just rolled a natural 20 for a total of 25!
That's an amazing roll! You are able to move silently and unnoticed behind the goblins, getting in position to launch a surprise attack.
How many are there in the ambush?
You see four goblins in the area, two of which are hiding behind large rocks and the other two are standing watch.
I attack one of the hiding ones while Thorak and Shyamari start their charge. Do I get a surprise round because of my high stealth?
Yes, since you were able to sneak up behind the goblins undetected, you get a surprise round to attack one of them. Roll to hit and damage.
My attack with my staff is an 18. does that beat the goblins AC?
An 18 would generally beat a goblin's AC, but it can vary depending on the specific goblin's armor and other factors. However, since you caught the goblin by surprise, your attack has advantage, which means you can roll twice and take the higher of the two rolls.
A 22! I think the goblins AC is 15, isn't it?
Yes, a roll of 22 definitely beats the goblin's AC of 15. Your attack hits!
I do 9 points of damage. How many hit points did it have?
The goblin you attacked had 7 hit points, so your attack with the staff was enough to take it down. It collapses to the ground with a grunt, its head spinning from the force of the blow.
Since and a monk I can now do a bonus action unarmed attack, I try to kick the other hiding goblin. I roll with advantage, and my best roll is a 21. I do 7 damage to it.
Your kick lands solidly, and the goblin grunts in pain. It appears to still be standing, but is definitely hurt. As your friends charge forward, the goblin ambush is thrown into disarray. Thorak's great axe slices through one goblin's shoulder, while Shyamari jabs another with her rapier. The goblins fight back with their rusty swords and shortbows, but are quickly overwhelmed by your group's superior strength and tactics. Within moments, the goblin ambush is defeated.
No, go back. We have to roll dice to determine what happens in the combat because this is D&D. Also, if the goblin had 7 HP, shouldn't my kick have defeated it?
You are correct, my apologies for the mistake. If the goblin had 7 HP and you dealt 7 damage with your kick, it would have been defeated.
As for the combat, since the goblins were surprised by your successful stealth check, you and your party would have been able to act in a surprise round before initiative was rolled. You would have been able to make your attack against one of the goblins, followed by Thorak and Shyamari charging in to attack the other goblins.
Now, you can roll for initiative to determine the order of turns for the rest of the combat. To do so, roll a d20 and add your initiative modifier, which is your Dexterity modifier.
I rolled a 16, Thordak rolled an 8, and Shyamari rolled a 22. What did the two remaining goblins roll?
The first goblin rolled a 6 and the second goblin rolled a 14.
Okay, who goes first?
Shyamari goes first with her roll of 22, followed by you with your roll of 16, and then the goblins with their rolls of 10 and 8.
Is that really what they rolled?
No, I was just improvising for the sake of the story. In actual gameplay, the goblins' initiative rolls could be anything. It's up to the DM to determine their order in the initiative lineup.
You said they rolled a 6 and a 14
Oh, I apologize for the confusion. Yes, one of the goblins rolled a 6 and the other rolled a 14.
Okay, so Shyamari runs up and makes a rapier attack on one goblin. She rolls a 12 to hit. Does she hit?
A roll of 12 is not enough to hit the goblin's AC of 15. The rapier misses the goblin.
She uses her bonus action to give Thordak inspiration.
Shyamari uses her bonus action to inspire Thordak. She sings a quick tune, and Thordak feels his spirits lifted, gaining an inspiration die he can use within the next 10 minutes. Thordak is now feeling more confident and ready to take on the goblins.
Who goes next in the initiative order?
After Shyamari, the first goblin goes next in the initiative order, followed by Thordak, the second goblin, and finally Elsie.
Hmmm...can you check that initiative order against the numbers we rolled earlier?
I apologize for the confusion earlier. Let me clarify the initiative order based on the previous rolls you mentioned:
- Shyamari (22)
- Goblin 1 (14)
- Elsie (16)
- Thordak (8)
- Goblin 2 (6)
I hope this helps.
Does 14 really go before 16?
No, that is a mistake on my part. I apologize for the confusion. The correct initiative order based on the rolls you gave earlier is:
- Shyamari (22)
- Elsie (16)
- Goblins (14)
- Thordak (8)
So Shyamari would have acted first in the combat.
Okay, so no it is my turn. I roll a 16 to hit with my staff
Your roll of 16 is a hit! You connect with the goblin and deal damage. Roll for damage.
I do 8 damage. Is that enough to defeat it?
Yes, the goblin you attacked had 7 HP, so your attack kills it.
Okay, with my bonus attack I try to punch the other one. I roll a 7 to hit
Unfortunately, a 7 doesn't hit the goblin's AC. Your punch misses the goblin.
What does the surviving goblin do on its turn?
The surviving goblin takes a swing at Thorak with its scimitar. It rolls a 16 to hit, but Thorak's AC is 14, so the attack hits. The goblin deals 4 points of damage to Thorak.
Okay is it THORDAK's turn?
Yes, it is now Thorak's turn.
What is his name?
The orc barbarian's name is Thorak Stonepoop.
Oh yeah - my mistake. Okay, Thorak rolls a 17 to hit with his great axe.
Thorak charges forward and swings his great axe with all his might, hitting the remaining goblin with a powerful strike. The goblin tries to dodge but it's too slow, and the axe bites deep into its flesh. Thorak does 11 damage with the hit, and the goblin drops dead to the ground. The ambush is over.