Six From Gate Pass - Chapter 3: Shelter From The Storm

[funkmamagoat]

OOC: ok, willing to try and fascinate them, but rules are a bit ambiguous, reads either I can fascinate creatures within 90 feet, or only one every three levels after 1st level? Will clarify with Greg...

 

[funkmamagoat]

Kirio ponders a moment then smiles sheepishly "you know, on second thought, forget the whole fascinate thing, I'll just play to boost your attacks, it would not affect enough of them..."

OOC: ok, so forget the whole fascinate thing, 2 is not really worth it, better if I just play inspire courage...

 

[Gregor]

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Goblin Camp

GM: I'm going to determine the surprise round first - your stealth vs. the goblins' perception. I'm making the role from a range of 30ft, which is when you could likely be spotted / also have line of sight and effect. I'm only rolling perception checks for specific goblins (the ones most likely to have line of sight on you) as most of them are probably sitting around and can't really see over the wall / have a smoky fire in the way, etc. The goblins at F11 and 14, I 13, K 11 and N11 and 13 have a chance of spotting you. You all get bonuses to your stealth rolls (effectively increasing the DC that the goblins had to beat) due to distance and the weather, even though Alric rolled a 4, it was more like a 10 for the nearest goblins to beat. So, here is what ended up happening. Every goblin that had a chance to be aware of you, except for N11, is aware of you. Every other goblin in the camp is totally oblivious. Thus, a surprise round now happens where both the party and those few goblins that spotted you get to take a standard action. Combat will then flow round to round after that. I'll continue this in the next post, where I'll roll initiative.

 

[fromage67]

Bronze Trident

"So, let me explain how this works Romeo." says Reece, "Annual guild membership is 50 pieces of gold, paid in full up front. You then sign your name into the ledger so we have a record of you and can track your payments and your standing in the guild. There is another step as well, but we'll discuss that once you've paid and signed." He lets that sink in and then continues. "Your membership grants you access to the Guild itself which I will also reveal once you've paid and signed. Membership grants you the right to take jobs on behalf of the guild, as well as access to our vendors and their ... 'rare' goods and services. Membership also means that pulling a job will not result in you being found in an alley with your throat cut for taking business away from the Guild. Any and all jobs you pull require that you give 10% of your profit back to the Guild. I mean any job, from robbing the archives of the Lyceum to stealing an old woman's daily bread. We want our 10% whether its a few hundred gold or the heel from that loaf. That fee goes towards Guild operations and upkeep. Leadership of the Guild is not something you're in a position to know, so don't even think of asking. Its hazardous to your health. As for me, I am your one window to anyone above or below me in the Guild, so stay in my good books and opportunities may open up for you. Get out of my good books and well ... I've already told you about how a man becomes chum right? I am also your classic fence, so don't hesitate to use me if you need to sell an acquired item. We have a number of vendors, but do think of ol' Reece now and again if you're looking to make your best profits. Now, do you have any questions?"

Lars/Romeo stretches his legs and says, "You, ummm, are kidding, ahh, right? 50gp." Lars/Romeo sees Reece's grim expression and sighs loudly, "I, ahhh, sure hope that, ummm, it will be worth it. The Gatepass guild, is, ahh, not so, ummm, unreasonable." Lars/Romeo pulls out a pouch from under his shirt and laboriously counts out the annual fee.

He then takes the pen and makes a great show of concentrating as he scratches a nearly illegible Romeo in the ledger. He smiles awkwardly, exposing a very unhygienic set of teeth, "I'm not, ummm, very good, with, ahhh, letters. So, umm, what is this, ahh, mysterious next step?"

 

[Gregor]

Goblin Camp - Surprise Round

The party attempts to sneak through the underbrush and approach the goblin camp. Along the way, either by stepping on a branch or scraping armor against a tree, you cause enough noise for a small number of goblins to turn their heads and prepare for battle.

GM: This is the surprise round, you are limited to standard actions only (though in the surprise round a charge counts as a standard action). Ignore DM #2 and #3 initiatives, I'm just rolling them all now and they will come into play after the surprise round. Remember, only the goblins at F11, F14, I13, K11 and N13 are aware of you.

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Initiative

1 - Kirio
2 - Hrimr
3 - Alric
4 - DM #1
5 - Arnir
6 - Bannock

**********

Kirio takes out his flute and begins to play a rousing tune intended to inspire courage in his comrades (the party receives +2 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +2 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls while Kirio plays)

GM: Kirio, in the interest of moving things forward, I am acting on your stated intentions both on the board and via email to begin with inspire courage.

Goblin Camp - Surprise Round

 

[The Bashar]

Hrimr notices that the party's passage through the woods has turned the head of a few goblins. He readies a spell and waits for them to approach.

OOC: I am readying Soften Earth and stone. I will be casting in a rectangle (2x5) from D12&13 to H12&13. The trigger for my readied action will be if any goblins enter that area. Any goblin caught in the mud has to make a reflex save vs DC 15. If it fails it it gets stuck in the mud for 1d2 rounds. The area turned to mud is treated as difficult terrain.

 

[Adjuntive]

ignore this post.

 

[Adjuntive]

OOC: ignore the last post. totally forgot about the standard action restriction during a surprise round. my bad. DM allowed me to repost my turn.

Seeing the goblins rear their head at the party's presence Alric feels no surprise due to his own dumpster-like movement. Knowing his time is short to keep the goblins inside the fence he charges to the entrance of the fort (E12) and uses his momentum to skewer the guarding goblin.

OOC: forgot the song bonus. Actual attack result is 22.

 

[Gregor]

********
Goblin Camp

Alric, your bastard sword impales the goblin with a horrible wet ripping sound as the steel shears armor, flesh and cracks bones. The tip and a good two feet of steel protrude from the goblin's back, glistening with blood. The goblin is slain instantly.

Up close, you can see that the goblins are armed with short bows, morning stars and small wooden shields that are painted with the spider-shaped emblems and markings you've seen in the swamps and that are plastered on the cliff-face behind the camp.

The other goblins that were able to notice your arrival, take aim with their short bows and loose a salvo of crude black feather-fletched arrows at Alric. One arrow finds a gap in the warrior's heavy armor and drives into his flesh.

GM: You only take 4 damage, not 8 Alric. Miscalculation of your AC on my part.

 

[Gregor]

********
Bronze Trident

Reece looks over the scribble that Romeo claims is his signature, raises an eyebrow and shakes his head. "No problem Romeo, not everyone in the guild can read or write. At least I'll always know that this smear means you." He chuckles and writes down 'good standing' next to your name, blows on the ink and then shuts the book. He takes your purse and places it into a drawer on his desk. He opens another drawer and pulls out a heavy bag filled with what sounds like more coins. When he starts to dig around in side the bag though, you see that he is taking out black iron rings that he is inspecting for size. He gives you a couple and when you find one that fits, he says: "That is your guild ring. You wear it on your left index finger. Wearing that ring is your only method of gaining access to the guild house and we use it as identification amongst our members. Put it on and follow me."

Reece takes you out of his office, which he pauses to lock back up and takes you across the main cellar room, over to the other iron door. Up close you can see that this door has a number of reinforcements on the metal, as well as four different heavy locks that Reece uses a different key for each. Finally, he swings the vault-like door open and before you is a barricaded wood and iron trap door in the floor. Reece laboriously slides back the iron barricades and lifts the heavy door up by a large iron ring on the surface. The faint smell of mildew and sewer rises into your nostrils and a wrought iron ladder leads down into the darkness. Reece picks up one of 5 lanterns that hangs from some hooks on the stone wall and heads out into the main room to light a wick from the burning one on the barrel. When he returns, he hands you the lit lantern and says: "Here you are Romeo, just head down that ladder and follow the old sewer tunnel. There is only one path to follow from this location so you'll have no trouble finding the guild house. Make sure your ring is visible. Also, this is a one-way entrance only so you'll want to locate another exit when you're down there. Oh and watch your tongue down there, we all may be guild mates, but you would not be the first green member to have his throat slit over some choice words."