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

Noriaki keeps pace easily with the group, though he isn't much use in the search. "I don't know about chasing the lovebirds. They've already stripped this far, there's no telling what we'll find." Noriaki thinks for a moment, recalling the passages about Ieana's "true form". "Then again, if they're on this island, and that distracted, they could be in real trouble."
 

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"If we wish to find them," Hú Lí says, "we may in the future have no better chance than we do now. I wonder what it was about this woman that so fascinated the ship's captain."
 


Entering the jungle once again, the adventurers descend into a river valley and soon meet the bank of a stream flowing south, most likely the same one that flows past their camp, although it is wider here. Ieana and Kovack seem to have headed south along the stream. There are a couple of obvious signs--Kovack has used his sword to shear off leaves and vines in a couple of places--but the jungle on this side is not thick and the trail quickly becomes more difficult to follow.

The vegetation on the other side of the stream looks especially lush.

[sblock=Nature 15 (active only)]On the other side of the stream, you see a small patch of viper nettles. The leaves of this plant secrete a poison that causes painful welts on the skin, but its berries are known to have various medicinal properties. This patch is not large enough to yield much fruit, but there is likely to be more in the area.[/sblock]
[sblock=Perception 25 (active only, +2 to check if trained in Nature)]The trail peters out fairly quickly. It looks as though Ieana and Kovack crossed the stream at some point.[/sblock]
 

Kane peers into the thick vegetation on the other side of the stream for any signs of danger or the curious couple. The fingers of his left hand curl into the familiar position that cuases his arcane shield to form protectively. He recognises a plant on amongst the foliage on the other bank:

"V-v-viper n-nettle. Itch-chy p-poison. B-berries g-good. They h-heal."

OOC: How deep is the stream? Is it a problem to cross it? If not, and the group decides to gather the berries from the other shore, Kane crosses the stream defensively, and picks all the berries on the first tree with his Ghost Hand, before searching out more trees to pick berries from.
 
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Talk about the viper nettle berries catches Takahaan's interest. "Yes, Hú Lí, we should cross the river to grab some of those berries. I doubt the stinging leaves will be much of a problem to our gang."

Looking back toward the lovebirds' trail they have been following, Takahaan finds trouble in seeing the next step in the path. Turning to the Pict, he raises his voice. "Hmm... Where shall we head next, my small, trail-sniffing friend?" he asks, with a curious, respectful smile.

OOC: Not even going to try the Perception roll :P
 

GM: Castile and Dartmoor still need to attempt the difficult Perception roll (they’re the only ones left who have a chance of succeeding). But as it isn’t relevant to this fight, I’ll keep going and remind you of the check again once it’s over.


The stream is not too difficult to cross, and the adventurers explore the area on the other side for more nettles. Castile, as usual, is breaking the trail. Slashing away some tough vines with her magic axe, she is startled when an offended plant slashes back!

The whipping of this large plant’s long, thorny vines seems to attract the attention of another one like it, and both creep forward on their roots. They are accompanied by two grotesquely twisted, vaguely humanoid plants, with bulbous, wasted limbs. One of them has a sword slung over one knobby shoulder, suggesting that it was once an actual person.

Behind them, another large plant sits in an unusually clear spot, as though the natural vegetation has retreated from it. It has large, sick-looking flowers which, in addition to their acrid stench, give off an almost palpable aura of malevolence.


Nasty Biting Plants: Round 1

GM: Initiative rolls (includes Takahaan’s combat leader bonus for the good guys)
Initiative for Hú Lí; Castile; Dartmoor; Kane; Noriaki; Takahaan; bad guys
13(1d20) +4 = 17; 18(1d20) +4 = 22; 3(1d20) +6 = 9; 3(1d20) +2 = 5; 7(1d20) +7 = 14; 16(1d20) +3 = 19; 15(1d20) +4 = 19


Castile is up first, then the bad guys go. (Unless Takahaan wants to use his Initiative-rerolling power: the bad guys are at Initiative 19.)


[sblock=Terrain Rules, etc.]Perception Checks
If your passive Perception is high enough, you can examine appropriate spoiler blocks to locate hidden enemies. If your passive Perception is not high enough, you may make a Perception roll as a minor action, once per round, to attempt to locate them.

Terrain Rules
The dark green terrain is heavy undergrowth. It is difficult terrain. A small creature, or one who is prone, gains concealment while in heavy undergrowth if there is at least one square of heavy undergrowth intervening between it and an observer. If there are at least two squares of heavy undergrowth intervening, the creature gains total concealment.

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

The dark brown circles are trees; they are blocking terrain.[/sblock]

[sblock=Controlling Ishirou]Companion NPCs in Combat

Any PC can take a standard, move, or minor action to have an NPC perform an action of the same (or a lesser) type. E.g., if you want Ishirou to use his Eagle Claw Strike attack, you spend a standard action. If you want him to move, you spend a move action. An NPC is limited to the usual number of actions each round (but those actions need not all be granted by the same PC). An NPC who has an immediate action can likewise only use it if a PC has an immediate action available to use on his/her behalf.

NPCs can take free actions and opportunity actions normally, without the direction of PCs. They are always considered to have their weapons in hand and don’t need to spend actions unsheathing them.

If all of the PCs act in a given round without giving any actions to a particular NPC, I will have that NPC take one non-offensive action. This will most likely be Second Wind if it is needed and available, and movement or Total Defense if it is not. (It won’t be necessary for PCs to spend their own standard actions to have NPCs use second wind.)[/sblock]

[sblock=Ishirou’s powers and stats]Ishirou
HP 24/24, Bloodied 12, Surge value 6; Surges 7/7
AC 16, Fort 14, Reflex 16, Will 12
Skills: Acrobatics +9, Athletics +8, Perception +6
Striker: 1/round, Ishirou can deal 1d6 extra damage when he hits an enemy he has CA against.
:bmelee: katana +8 vs. AC, 1d10+3 damage
Steel Wind (Attack) (standard; full discipline, implement, psionic; close blast 2, each enemy Ishirou can see in blast)
Attack: +5 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8+4 damage.
Steel Wind (Movement) (move; full discipline, psionic; personal)
Effect: Ishirou is no longer marked. He moves his speed (6)+2.
[o] Eagle Claw Strike (Attack) (standard; full discipline, implement, psionic; melee touch, one creature or unattended object)
Attack: +5 vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2d8+4 damage, and the target takes a -3 penalty to AC until the end of Ishirou’s next turn. Against an unattended object, this attack deals 2d8 extra damage.
[o] Eagle Claw Strike (Movement) (move; full discipline, psionic; personal)
Effect: Ishirou flies his speed (6). If he doesn’t land at the end of this movement, he falls.
[o] Heroic Effort (no action; personal)
Trigger: Ishirou misses with an attack or fails a save
Effect: Ishirou gains a +4 racial bonus to the attack roll or saving throw.
[o] Second Wind

Conditions: none[/sblock]

[sblock=Perception 11]There is small but nasty-looking plant (twig blight) in G14.[/sblock]
[sblock=Perception 12]There is small but nasty-looking plant (twig blight) in I20.[/sblock]

[sblock=status]PCs
Castile (N12) HP 39/39; surges 13/13
Dartmoor (Q12) HP 33/33; surges 10/10
Hú Lí (Q13) HP 29/29; surges 8/8
Kane (O13) HP 28/28; surges 10/10
Noriaki (N13) HP 33/33; surges 9/9
Takahaan (O12) HP 29/29; surges 8/8
Ishirou (P12) HP 24/24; surges 7/7

Bad Guys
Blighted Caller (H17-I18)
Fungal Bloodthorn 1 (K10-L11)
Fungal Bloodthorn 2 (L18-M19)
Blighted Zombie 1 (K12)
Blighted Zombie 2 (M17)
[/sblock]

[sblock=Enemy Stats]Please read the appropriate block(s) only when necessary to resolve attacks or OAs.

[sblock=Blighted Caller]Blighted Caller
AC 16, Fort 15, Ref 14, Will 16; HP 76, bloodied 38
Immune to blinded, gaze, sleep; Vulnerable 10 fire
:bmelee: Grasping Roots (reach 3) +6 vs. Reflex, 1d8+5 damage and the target is grabbed. The caller can have up to two creatures grabbed at one time.
Note: the caller has threatening reach 3.[/sblock]
[sblock=Fungal Bloodthorn]Fungal Bloodthorn
AC 18, Fort 15, Ref 12, Will 14; HP 41, bloodied 20
:bmelee: striking vine +9 vs. AC, 1d8+5 damage[/sblock]
[sblock=Blighted Zombie]Blighted Zombie
AC 16, Fort 17, Ref 15, Will 15; HP 68, bloodied 34
:bmelee: Fungal Slam +9 vs. AC, 2d6+5 damage and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends)
Roots of the Colony: If you hit a blighted zombie, and the other zombie is within 5 squares of it, then the zombie you hit takes only half damage, but the other zombie takes the same amount.[/sblock]
[sblock=Twig Blight]Twig Blight
AC 15, Fort 11, Ref 15, Will 13; HP 22, bloodied 11
Resist 5 poison; Vulnerable 5 fire
:bmelee: Bite +6 vs. AC, 1d8+4 poison damage
Note: The twig blights are small and gain concealment while in heavy undergrowth if there is at least one square of heavy undergrowth between the twig blight and an observer.[/sblock][/sblock]
 

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Shortly before crossing the stream, Castile notes that the trail is fading so much that Ieana and Kovack probably crossed around that spot. "So aside from the berries, keep an out for those two. We must be getting close to them by now." The dwarf is especially observant in looking for the couple, and her caution pays off as she first notices the animate plants.

"Look out!" she suddenly shouts. Castile jumps in front of Noriaki bearing her large shield. After deflecting the first vine slashes, she lets loose a wild swing of her axe, spectacularly missing the larger plant creature but easily cleaving into the smaller one.

[sblock=Castile stat block / actions]Actions
Pre-fight and free actions: Perception 27 succeeds to see where Ieana crossed the stream, 15 succeeds vs the 11 check, 10 succeeds vs the 12 check. (1d20+8=27;1d20+8=15;1d20+8=10)
Edit: Ah wait, these aren't passive, are they. I guess they're minor actions. The first check is the one that succeeded, so I guess I'll go with that, hehe. (I wouldn't want to spend two minor actions and miss out on attacking...)

Move: walk to L12. (via M13 to L12 to avoid OAs if possible)

Standard: Hack and Hew vs K10 creature misses AC 10, vs K12 creature (the zombie I think?) hits AC 26 for 19+2=21 damage... make that 10 damage on zombie 1 and zombie 2. Castile gains 8 THP, and the K10 creature and Zombie 1 are marked TENT. (1d20+8=10;1d12+7=17;1d20+8=26;1d12+7=19)


PC:Castile (Dekana) - L4W Wiki- Female Dwarf Fighter 2
Passive Perception: 18, Passive Insight: 13
AC:19, Fort:17, Reflex:14, Will:13, +5 saves vs poison, Speed:5
HP:39/39 + 8 THP, Bloodied:19, Surge Value:9, Surges left:13/13
Initiative +1
Action Points: 1 (encounter)

Conditions

Powers
MBA: Waraxe, +8 vs AC, 1d12+7 damage (see Combat notes below)
RBA: Waraxe, +8 vs AC, 1d12+7 damage, 6/12
Combat Challenge, Pass Forward
Crushing Surge, Tide of Iron
Dwarven Resilience, Hack and Hew
Dwarven Thrower Waraxe, Villain's Menace

Combat notes: +2 melee / close damage with THP, +2 to attack roll on OAs, OAs stop enemy movement[/sblock]
 
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GM: Perception checks for the "hidden" enemies (they're a bit incompetent, it seems) can be active or passive. I forgot to clearly label them as such.

I'll wait to see whether [MENTION=6676989]GROMkill[/MENTION] wants to use Spur to Action.

Edit: Castile gets another +2 damage from Dartmoor's tonic, I think? So 10 to each zombie.
 
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