iserith
Magic Wordsmith
After three days of sea travel, the 3rd-level party made it to an island and made their way into the mountains to look for a hidden pirate treasure. They moved into the mountain hex and I rolled for a random encounter - a bulette. I describe the area as having a lot of holes in the ground as well as lengthy furrows and knocked over trees, the land generally despoiled and turned over. The players figured it might be some kind of burrowing monster and became more alert, but when I later described a fin sticking out of the ground coming straight at them through the dirt, they knew what they were up against!
Taking advantage of the terrain, some of the party climbed up the stony faces of rock walls nearby. But the rogue and barbarian were a bit too slow on the draw and the land shark leapt out of the earth and smashed them both under its massive bulk. Nearly dying straight away, they disengaged and climbed as well. Eventually they were able to climb to their escape from this terror as it could not burrow through stone.
Toward the end of the session, having explored the island for a few days, the party bedded down to rest for the night. They had not yet found the treasure trove, but had narrowed it down to a couple of hexes on the map to be explored the next day. I rolled a random encounter - it came up as a bulette. So, of course, this was the very same bulette they had encountered a few days ago, hunting them doggedly the whole journey! Immediately the PCs began to scatter again, but not the barbarian who had it out for this monster since the first encounter.
The barbarian's first action, after verifying the distance of the fin grinding its way through the dirt toward him, was to ready a grapple for when the land shark was within reach. The nearby warlock rolled low in initiative and was expecting to get smashed by the bulette's deadly leap just like the rogue had been. The bulette leapt from the dirt toward the barbarian and warlock at which point the barbarian's readied grapple went off - his Athletics check exceeded the bulette's, stopping the thing dead in its tracks. It was at this point the party, sensing a glimmer of hope, piled on the attacks and spells, dragging the beast through spike growth until it died. It got a few nasty bites on the barbarian, but he was raging and withstood it.
That clutch readied grapple turned another rout into some very satisfying payback! What are some very effective and dramatic readied actions you've seen?
Taking advantage of the terrain, some of the party climbed up the stony faces of rock walls nearby. But the rogue and barbarian were a bit too slow on the draw and the land shark leapt out of the earth and smashed them both under its massive bulk. Nearly dying straight away, they disengaged and climbed as well. Eventually they were able to climb to their escape from this terror as it could not burrow through stone.
Toward the end of the session, having explored the island for a few days, the party bedded down to rest for the night. They had not yet found the treasure trove, but had narrowed it down to a couple of hexes on the map to be explored the next day. I rolled a random encounter - it came up as a bulette. So, of course, this was the very same bulette they had encountered a few days ago, hunting them doggedly the whole journey! Immediately the PCs began to scatter again, but not the barbarian who had it out for this monster since the first encounter.
The barbarian's first action, after verifying the distance of the fin grinding its way through the dirt toward him, was to ready a grapple for when the land shark was within reach. The nearby warlock rolled low in initiative and was expecting to get smashed by the bulette's deadly leap just like the rogue had been. The bulette leapt from the dirt toward the barbarian and warlock at which point the barbarian's readied grapple went off - his Athletics check exceeded the bulette's, stopping the thing dead in its tracks. It was at this point the party, sensing a glimmer of hope, piled on the attacks and spells, dragging the beast through spike growth until it died. It got a few nasty bites on the barbarian, but he was raging and withstood it.
That clutch readied grapple turned another rout into some very satisfying payback! What are some very effective and dramatic readied actions you've seen?
