(IC) Against the Giants PBP Group 2

[TaranTheWanderer]

Spoiler: Donnell - Mini-sheet

Donnell Race: Human HP: 43/43 TH: 14 AC: 17/19 w shield

Pass Perc: 14 Pass Inv: 10 Pass Ins: 17 Initiative: +2

HD: 5/6 Action Surge: 0/1 Second Wind 0/1 arrows: 20

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After looking for arrows to fill his quiver, Donnell Straps on his shield and bangs on it with his fist.

"I'm good to go, Doc."

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Spoiler: OOC

I replenished his arrows. If there's a long bow I could use, that would be pretty awesome - I assume I can still sneak attack with a long bow?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

After looking for arrows to fill his quiver, Donnell Straps on his shield and bangs on it with his fist.

Sadly, Captain Caine had lost all but two of his twenty archers in the battle with Smolderheart. Many of them had not fully emptied their quivers. There were plenty of arrows to go around, though there were even more that had been broken.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Caine, listening to the plan, added a few changes of his own. He sent six footmen with Doc and Donnell, who were also joined by Tamanar the elf Knight, who had elected to stay behind, finding weapons that better suited him and pieces of armor that fit. He was not as well-armed as he would be in his natural state, but it would do.

Six more footmen would accompany Doc and Gimlack through the tunnel, following the Elemental, who's bursting through the floor would launch the true assault (some banging on the gates would be done earlier, both to distract the giants from noticing the grinding sound beneath their feet, and to test the strength of the various doors, that would (if all went well) be knocked down as quickly as possible after the assault began.

All that was needed was to be sure what befell Kahru.

OOC: @Tonguez?

 

[Tonguez]

Silently Kahru the hawk flitted into the smoke hole over the Great Hall finding a perch amidst the rafters where he would not be spotted by the eyes of the giant sentinel or struck by a rock hurled up towards him.

Mudsmuck was here and Kahru felt his feathers ruffle as he suppressed a cry of rage, shifting from one taloned foot to another as he swearing that the accused ogre would soon be dead! Five other hill giants, including a youngling who stuck close to the ogre.

More intriguing though was the two steinjotunen bound to the post below him, yet more prisoners to be released, if the druid get release them then perhaps they would be persuaded to turn against the Hill giants and fight their way out?

But how was a hawk to communicate the druids thoughts to the steinjotun? Could he sneak down behind Utharn and break the bonds? No, for now he would return to the others and join the assault on the doors.

Again Kahru took to wing, darting back up through the smoke hole before he was spotted, and returned to the others reporting on what he had seen

"there are five Smud-jotun within, armed, including a youngling protected by an Ogre. Be ready for their rocks The ogre is mine to kill!

Colonel, the Steinjotun leaders are bound to the pillars of the hall, more prisoners to released - they may be of aid to us"

OOC: Stealth Hawk dex +3: 1D20+3 = [18]+3 = 21 Sorry for holding things up, Mission Bugbear in the Back end is go!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

With Kahru's report, the plan was fully hatched. The earth elemental spent forty minutes clearing a tunnel into the Great Hall, leaving the last few feet for a single, explosive rush upward. While the creature cleared rock, earth, and stone, Captain Caine's men hammered on the large doors, taking a few test-swings of their makeshift ram. The doors were enormous, and thick. Everything that could be done to weaken them was done.

When the time was right, operation Ankheg was a go, and the elemental lifted its powerful arms above it, moving stone mass to the very tips of its arm-like appendages. It smashed its way through. The Colonel & Gimlack, and a few soldiers who were closest by its feet, ready to move, were showered with rocks and dirt. And then the elemental was away, climbing out of the hole it left behind. The soldiers shouted, and the shouts carried to the pikemen and Caine, who still sat upon his horse in the courtyard. Caine blew a horn, and the pikemen began to swing their ram in earnest, smashing it against the steading's main doors.

In the hallway to the north-west, Doc, Donnell, Kahru, Tamanar, and a few soldiers stood by what was nominally a servant's entrance to and from the kitchens. Normally the door was designed to swing both-ways, and though the giants had barricaded it, they had only done the barest minimum to stop the door from being pulled, if one were strong enough to do so.

OOC: The servant's door will need to be opened on Round 1, but it's going to take a dc20 STR check (Athletics will do, why not?) Kahru can give it a shot, and I'm sure Donnell or some soldiers can give him the help action for Advantage, but it WILL take his action, I'm afraid. Gimlak & the Colonel each need to make a dc14 STR Save, or enough rocks fall on them that they take 8 damage and are restrained. They can use an action to free themselves or each other. The debris will block the soldiers behind them from moving this round, but they will clear it with their turn. The elemental is free to attack, if the Colonel wants to order it to. Any questions? I'll post the round roller.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

GM: Encounter: Great Hall

Spoiler: Map

(General Features) Difficult Terrain: Barrels, Crates; Visibility: Dim (Firepit, Brazers); Cover: Pillars, Walls.

Spoiler: Allies

Name * AC * HP * Hit Dice * PasPrc * Spells (Etc) * (Notes)
(PCs)
Colonel AC19* HP 63/73 THP 14/14 HD 6/10 PP19* SSdc18 2/4 1/3 3/3 2/3 2/2 CD 2/2 WotS 4/5 MyS 1/1 DivInt 1/1
Doc AC14 HP 93/93 THP 14/14 HD 10/10 PP20* SSdc16 1/2 Wls 1/4 Crs 0/1 PL 2/4 Wsp 1/1
Donnell AC19* HP43/43 THP 14/14 HD 6/6 AS 1/1 2W 1/1
Gimlak AC18 HP 72/72 THP 14/14 HD 10/10 PP12 SSdc17 4/4 3/3 1/3 3/3 2/2 SpP 7/12
Kahru AC15 HP 63/93 THP 14/14 HD 8/10 PP17 SSdc15 4/4 3/3 3/3 WS 2/2 Rage 1/3 Staff 6/7
-Kahru-Bear AC12 HP 42/42

Spoiler: Allies

Name * AC * HP * PP * (Notes)
(NPCs)
Captain Caine[/v] AC17 HP 26/44 THP 14/14 HD 4/8 PP9 LShip 1/1
Footmen AC18* HP28ea PP10
-FM1 28/28; FM2 28/28
Pikemen AC16 HP 40/40 PP11
Stone Giants AC15 HP 115ea
-Laerthar 56/126; Utharn 76/126

Spoiler: Enemies

Name * AC * HP * PP * (Notes)
(BGs)
Hill Giants AC12 HP 105
-HG1 105/105; HG2 105/105; HG3 105/105
Hill Giant Servant AC12 HP 59/59
Mudsmuck AC14 HP 68/68
Young Hill Giant AC14 HP32/32

GM: Begin Round One

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Spoiler: Donnell - Mini-sheet

Donnell Race: Human HP: 43/43 TH: 14 AC: 17/19 w shield

Pass Perc: 14 Pass Inv: 10 Pass Ins: 17 Initiative: +2

HD: 5/6 Action Surge: 0/1 Second Wind 0/1 arrows: 20

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OOC: @FitztNot sure if Donnell was able to secure a long bow? Also, since Kharu was inside, Donnell would ask how the giants were secured. Maybe he can gather the tools he needs to free them quickly? Correction to your stats: Am at 5/6. Also unless we got a short rest while prepping, I've used up my Action Surge and Second Wind while fighting the Hill giant torturers.

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Donnell listened to Kharu's story about the imprisoned Stone Giants,

"Let me see if I can free them. How were they tied?"

"Also, if we kill the hill giants and free the Stone Giants, maybe we can put the hill giant Prince under the care of the stone giants?"

***

When the planning is done, Donnell moves into position, tying a rope to the heavy handle to pull the doors open, they secure the end of it to one of the horse's saddles and readied to heave the serving door outward, away from the giants.

Donnell grabs the rope and waits for the call to heave the door open.

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OOC: there's a hallway leading away from the NW doors where a horse can pull the rope to swing the northern door open. The hallways are plenty big to accomodate a horse as well. Not sure how that works since you can't stack advantage. Donnel's Athletics to help open the doors: Athletics: 1D20+8 = [13]+8 = 21 Although, now that I think of it, I guess I didn't need to roll. Edit: since it's 2d20, we can use my roll as one of the dice and I'll use up my first round's turn also?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

OOC: @TaranTheWanderer I think the main way that a horse would help, mechanically speaking, would be to allow someone to make an Animal Handling check in place of an Athletics, if that were a better bonus. I like the story of it, though! You could get a longbow, from one of the surviving archers, who've collected up the non-broken bits of gear to "Send back home t'his wife an' wee ones", or "To sell an' give the gold to his poor mum." (and various other similar thinking). In other words, you could pay for it, or you could "promise to give it back should any of us survive", or something like that of your choice.

 

[Tonguez]

OOC: Strength check: 1D20+7 = [10]+7 = 17 Looks like I'm helping Donnel with the Horse. The Squire is starting to give me performance anxiety NB oh I forgot I can cast Guidance! Guidance: 1D4 = [3] = 3 so if I cast that on myself I push the Athletics roll to 20! or I can cast it on Donnell if that makes a better story heh!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

OOC: Let's go with it...

Donnell and Kahru hitched a horse to the big iron ring that the orcs and other servants had used to heave the great door open (when they didn't just push against it) while carrying food from the kitchen. The horse gave a great heave, and the door opened. A few large barrels fell and rolled into the hall, and the soldiers stepped around them on their rush to get through the door. A large barricade had been erected, but the fat giantess who's job it had been to watch out for just this sort of thing had her head turned, looking across the hall at the eruption and the elemental that was climbing up from underground. Her head snapped back and she took a few steps back while lifting a large rock.

OOC: First through the door will get a rock thrown at them. Kahru & Donnell used their action, but they can move first if they want to save an NPC Soldier from likely getting crushed. Tamanar will take the lead, if asked, as well.