D&D 5E Witcher: Mother of Monsters

[Shayuri]

Talashia bares her teeth in a rictus of disgust as the creature flops its way over to her and flails ineffectually at her magically indistinct visage. The clouds continue to swirl around her, making short lived mannequins of her that form and move and dissolve only to be replaced by more. Lightning spews from her hands, boring ever more deeply into the drowner's unclean flesh!

(Action to Witch Bolt) [roll0]

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: Well [MENTION=6672752]Aramalian[/MENTION] in the Witcher setting monsters generally have resistance to damage from non-magical non-silver weapons. While Fergus is a witcher, he’d earlier dropped his silver sword during combat due to a critical failure (natural 1), so he’s fighting with his steel sword, which Drowner #3 resists damage against, so it’s still alive…so your attack is still completely valid and will slay it. [MENTION=93196]Axel[/MENTION] Take your opportunity attack with disadvantage before anyone else goes; whether or not you kill Drowner #2 will affect whether it gets to attack Elora. Also [MENTION=2820]Fenris[/MENTION] Take your pportunity attack with disadvantage against Drowner #5 before anyone else goes. [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] make a DC 12 Con save to continue concentrating on witch bolt.

Foul teeth clenched on Kynee’s boot, the drowner scampers around the cat witcher’s weaving blade, attempting to reach more succulent easier prey inside the ruined cottage. (provokes an opportunity attack, but your opportunity attack has disadvantage due to its Agile Withdrawal trait)

Ice momentarily covers the tree litter and a far wall as Elora’s icy blast goes wide. Her voice attracts more than just allies, however; another drowner appears from the northern clearing, sniffing at the fallen corpse of one of its kind and hissing into the night air.

Black ichor and bits of putrid flesh tear away from the drowner nearest to Talashia as the intense blue-white crackling bolt of electricity flenses its skin from its bones, boring right through the monster. However, it continues lunging forward in mindless hunger, its nictating membranes momentarily seeing through the sorceress’ illusion. It rakes its claws down Talashia’s arm instinctively raised to defend herself, tearing through cloth and flesh. (5 damage, DC 12 Con save to concentrate)

Steel is not silver, and Fergus remembers that lesson well as he hews into the frothing drowner gnashing at him against his shield. However, with his silver weapon several paces away he makes do with what he has, black ichor flinging against the other drowner’s face as he disembowels the one on top of him.

The dwarf Barakor’s sudden appearance from the western trail into Lower Posada is accompanied by a burst of ichor as his ancestral weapon pulverizes the drowner’s head down to its ribcage, leaving the grotesque remnants flailing blindly before collapsing, sliding off Fergus’ shield to the cold forest floor.

Scampering away from the armored dwarf, the last of the drowners circles to attack from Fergus’ flank, but the witcher is able to whirl and deliver a parrying punch with his gauntlet. Rolling with Fergus’ parry, the drowner attempts to scamper away from him. (provokes an opportunity attack, but your opportunity attack has disadvantage due to its Agile Withdrawal trait)

GM: Initiative Players, go in any order you like ➔Drowners Monster Stats AC 12 Drowner #2 HP 18 9 Drowner #3 dead Drowner #5 HP 18 Drowner #6 HP 18 17 11 (witch-bolted) Drowner #7 HP 18

GM: Dice Rolls Talashia’s mirror image (6+ Drowner #6 targets mirror image) _: 1D20 = [4] = 4 It targets Talashia Drowner #6 attacks Talashia (AC 13) _: 1D20+4 = [11]+4 = 15 Hits! Drowner #6 damage vs. Talashia _: 1D4+2 = [3]+2 = 5 5 damage Drowner #5 attack vs. Fergus (AC 18) _: 1D20+4 = [9]+4 = 13 Misses!

 

[Shayuri]

The drowner, against all odds, selects the actual Talashia from the strange misty simulacra that seethe around her...the disadvantage of such trickery was that the true target WAS still visible...and its claws rip at her! Or would have.

At the last second, magic flares. With a sizzling crack its strike is thrown aside as a bolt of lightning arcs from Talashia's shoulder and plows into its arm, knocking the attack aside.

And all the while, that bolt of lightning still courses from the sorceress' hand, chewing the drowner's substance away into ash that patters to the floor beneath it...

(Shield as a Reaction; raises AC to 18 and negates the hit.)
(More Witch Bolting! [roll0])

Undead flesh is resilient though; feeling no pain and needing no blood nor sinew to move. The destruction, enough to cut a man down, isn't enough to stop it even now.

"I don't suppose anyone can spare a sword or something over here?" Talashia calls through gritted teeth. "It would be greatly appreciated!"

 

[Fenris]

OOC: The Update last night ate my post.

Fergus swings at the drowner but the creature slipping off his shield combined with it's own uncanny agility meant his swing goes wide.

_: 1D20+5 = [19]+5 = 24
1D20+5 = [4]+5 = 9

 

[Aramalian]

"Where ya goin', ya slimy wretch?" the dwarf calls, chasing after the slippery drowner and getting angrier by the moment. Passing the corner of the dilapidated hut, he spots a familiar face! But his angry monologue is still directed at the sickening creature before him.

"Your foul kind should not EXIST" In mid-sentence, he swings his hammer across the top of his shield and slams it into the drowner's midsection. Along with the chopping force of the blow itself, a reddish-black energy crackles along his arm, down the weapon and into the drowner!

OOC: Attack Roll on Drowner #5: 19 Weapon Damage: 13 Divine Smite Damage: 12 Paladin Spell Slots remaining: 1 (3/LR total)

He manuevers to keep his shield between him and any other drowners he sees, trying to position himself between them and any entrances to the cottage that are near him.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: So, before people start taking their turns, I want to draw everyone's attention back to my post just upthread. We're handling opportunity attacks. It's still the drowner's turn technically. You'll notice I handily denote that in the initiative with an arrow thus: [SECTION]Initiative Players, go in any order you like ➔Drowners[/SECTION] In particular, we're waiting for [MENTION=93196]Axel[/MENTION]'s opportunity attack (with disadvantage, cause sneaky drowners) on Drowner #2 which is the one on the bottom of the map holding Kynee's boot in its mouth. If Kynee's attack kills Drowner #2, great! If not, however, Drowner #2 is going to advance on Elora and attack her. So, kindly hold the spectral horses.

 

[Shayuri]

(oops...sorry...I saw the rolls for the drowners and didn't notice it wasn't completely resolved. )

 

[Axel]

As the monstrosity turned away, Kynee swept her silver sword low and fast at its retreating back. Not fast enough (AoO: 2#1d20l1+2 6 18) though.

ooc: Sorry guys. In an area with spotty phone and internet coverage at the moment. I'll endeavour to look more frequently.

 

[Aramalian]

OOC: My bad, coach! I'm just so excited to be in an actual active Pbp game!

Sent via EN World mobile app

 

[Quickleaf]

Scrambling under Kynee’s silver blade, the drowner clutching her boot (#2) rushes at Elora, nimbly hopping between elevated flagstones and door frames so that it luckily evades the caltrops. However, Elora is quick to step back out of the drowner’s reach, the monster landing right next to her, boot still dangling from its mouth, hungry black eyes watching her. It seems to be muttering something against the boot leather, "Maaataaa..." but do such creatures truly possess the ability to speak?

Barakor’s devastating blow dislocates the jaw of the drowner he’d been chasing (#5), sending it whizzing past Kynee’s shoulder and clattering against a tree. The rest of the drowner’s skull oozes black ichor as its body slumps to the ground, streams of light cracking through its flesh causing its body to wither and decay rapidly.

Staggering backwards from the impact of the magical shield, the drowner attacking Talashia (#6) begins its slow advance against the bluish lightning crackling from Talashia’s fingertips, its body leaning in to gain traction on the ground even as chunks of its flesh burn and are torn away, revealing its hideous skeleton beneath.

Meanwhile, the newly arrived drowner (#7) drops low and hisses at Fergus and Barakor.

GM: Initiative ➔Players, go in any order you like ✓Barakor Elora Fergus Kynee ✓Talashia Drowners Monster Stats AC 12 Drowner #2 HP 18 9 Drowner #3 dead Drowner #5 dead Drowner #6 HP 18 17 11 7 (witch-bolted) Drowner #7 HP 18

GM: Dice Rolls Drowner #2 DC 15 Dex save vs. caltrops _: 1D20+2 = [19]+2 = 21 succeeds Drowner #2 attacks Elora (AC 13) _: 1D20+4 = [4]+4 = 8 misses!