more thracia! dcc part 6!

moving right along ...

Judge Claire: So! Did you guys decide whether to climb back across the rope to investigate that stone chest some more? Or tuck your tails between your legs and go back where the dwarves are mining out the trap-door that statue rose up through?
Ariel: Well on the one hand, Ruri just got to be a level 1 thief, so she might be able to pick that lock now. But on the other hand, she doesn't have any tools to do it with, so maybe not. And also on the other hand, it's scary over there! Short died and Vinnie almost did too.
Heddy: Don't forget that I lost Ham over there too. But we killed the centipede thing before it got away with Short's body, so if there are more of them crawling around looking for carrion to scavenge, we should be able to watch for them and shoot them from a distance before going over.
Ariel: Well ... that would make it safer, I guess.
Sasha: Just mining away over here.
Akane: Kindly also. But Pestra will participate in this scavenger hunting.
Judge Claire: How long are you going to wait and watch for it?
Heddy: At least until the dwarves make it all the way through that stone slab.
Judge Claire: That's another 20 minutes or so. Let me roll for wandering monsters ... nope, you're in the clear. Stubbly and Kindly clear an opening in the statue-door and there hasn't been any sign of another crawly thing.
Heddy: I say we go for it. By which I mean, Shemp says someone should go for it while he covers them with his sling.
Sasha: Stubbly is done mining and is still feeling pretty fatalistic from his sister dying, so he's willing to climb across if our new thief needs some back up.
Akane: This is true for Kindly also. In fact, with two such mining dwarvesters, is a thief needed for getting into a stone chest?
Ariel: Ruri is happy to hang back and shortbow anything that shows up while you guys mine the thing open, for sure.
Sasha: Let's do it, then. Stubbs climbs with a 14.
Akane: For Kindly, 11.
Judge Claire: You make it across with ease. Are you doing anything besides going straight to the chest to pick-axe it open?
Akane: No, we are business-like dwarves.
Judge Claire: Both of you can make mining skill checks using your strength, then. It's going to take you 20 minutes to get through the really hard stone of this chest, minus one minute for every point your rolls beat a DC of 10.
Sasha: 14 for Stubbly.
Akane: Sadly, it's 7 for Kindly.
Judge Claire: That's basically a wash, then. Two more wandering monster checks. Well, you're faring a lot better than back in the first session. Neither of them turns up a 6. Inside the chest, you find a map, a wooden box with two turquoise stones in it worth 50 gp each, a large, gem-encrusted statue of a female goddess that's super-heavy --
Heddy: Meaning the statue is heavy, not that the goddess is a chunky one?
Judge Claire: Right. You estimate it's about 500 pounds and worth several hundred gp.
Sasha: Is that value mostly from the statue, or mostly from the gems. 
Judge Claire: Hmm. I'll just roll percentile dice to find out what portion of the value is gems. Looks like only 3%. It's mostly valuable as an art piece.
Sasha: Dammit.
Judge Claire: There's also an engraved tablet with what looks like four lines of poetry in some unknown language.
MSG: Speaking out of character, I think we'd be fools to try to get this statue out with just rope and brute strength. If anyone's character has a profession that would logically use a block and tackle for something, I think it would be good for them to suggest we go back to town and buy some gear to help us move the thing.
Judge Claire: Anyone?
Akane: Wouldn't miners?
Judge Claire: I'd say so.
Sasha: Well, Stubbly's not in a state of mind to come up with that, so it's up to your guy, Akane.
Akane: Kindly makes this suggestion, but only to Stubbly for now. We are alone with the statue, so no sense exciting greediness of companions with the information. We can return with the smaller items.
Sasha: Stubbly shrugs and says whatever. He rolls a 20 on his climb back, though, so I guess knocking our way into the chest made him a little perkier.
Akane: 8 for the climbing of Kindly.
Judge Claire: Okay, you're both safely back. Now what?
Ariel: Oh no! Short's grappling hook! How do we get it back?
MSG: Can we try doing, like, a whip-crack motion to whip it loose?
Judge Claire: I'd call that a skill check related to climbing. Agility DC ... let's say 8. Anybody want to justify grappling-hook-assisted climbing based on your profession? Otherwise you'll be rolling a d10.
Ariel: Can I try it as a Thief? Like, I'm sort of undoing a trap of the hook being trapped over there, right?
Judge Claire: Sure. That makes sense to me.
Ariel: I get a 13!
Judge Claire: You manage to pop it loose, then.
Sasha: Let's head back and check out what we find under that slab concealing the statue.
Judge Claire: You find that the opening you created accesses a round shaft that descends into the darkness beyond the reach of your dwarves' infravision. The walls are slick and oily.
Elle: Sounds like time to play "Dangle the Dwarf." I don't think we want to send a human with a lamp down there by themselves.
Sasha: Stubbly volunteers to go.
MSG: Wow, he's really got a death wish, huh?
Sasha: More like he's testing fate? Like, "Here's your chance to get me too, damn it!" The more stuff he survives the more he'll figure it's just not his time yet.
Judge Claire: All right, then. When you lower Stubbly down the well, at about the 10' point, he can see the shaft open up into a room below. At 20', he can see the top of the statue and a floor beyond it.
Sasha: I'll quietly call up that they should lower me another 60', then. I'll try grabbing hold of the statue and maybe sitting on its shoulders to get at the eye gems once I'm there.
Judge Claire: You manage it without too much difficulty. You find yourself in an unlit, circular room. There's a hallway leading away to the east. Murals are painted into the plastered walls of the chamber, but they're so faded with time you can't really tell what they depict.
Sasha: Well, I'm not here for the art gallery tour. Once I'm settled in place I'll use my dagger to pry out the gems and pocket them.
Judge Claire: It takes some doing, but you manage it. Oooh. Unfortunately, while you guys are in the middle of this operation, I rolled another wandering monster encounter.
Heddy: What better time?
Judge Claire: Okay, how are you guys set up? I'm going to say you need at least 25 points of strength supporting Stubbly on the rope.
Ariel: Vinnie will be one of them because he sure doesn't want to be fighting anything after that creepy centipede thing whacked him. He's got a 13.
Elle: Mendi is very strong and also Lawful, so if something spooks her, she's less likely to drop the rope and run, I'd say. Her 15 takes us over 25, but she wouldn't mind another Lawful character giving even more support.
Hettie: That's exceptionally astute. Tandy volunteers.
Elle: Nora's going to stick close to Kindly, since he leveled up and is a little tougher.
Ariel: Ruri will be guarding with her shortbow keeping an eye on the direction from the chasm.
Akane: Kindly is here near the door of secrecy. Pestra is on the other side, also watching the chasm.
MSG: Carson hangs near Kindly and Nora.
Heddy: Shemp is on sling duty.
MSG: How about let's make sure we don't have anyone positioned where they'll run across that pressure plate between those two columns. We don't want our rope-holders cooked.
Judge Claire: Okay. Oozing its way up over the lip of the chasm to the southeast, you see another one of those primeval slimes. Roll initiative. 
Heddy: Yuck. And then double-yuck because I waste a natural 20 on initiative against a creature that we found out last time always goes last, right? 21 total. 
Hettie: At least you beat out the rest of us. I'll be holding this rope on 12.
Elle: Son of a ... that's a natural 20 for me too.
Ariel: Stinkerooni! I'm on 12 like Het.
Sasha: I'm gouging out demon eye-gems on 18.
Akane: 10 for my characters.
MSG: Carson gets an 18.
Judge Claire: You're up, Heddy.
Heddy: I'll try popping it with my sling ... oh, 19. I'll stop complaining about the die, then. And a 4 on my damage die for 6 points.
Elle: Nora's not about to rush up and club it. But it's slow, so I guess I'll move a little closer in case that becomes necessary.
MSG: Carson takes the same approach.
Hettie: Rope duty for me.
Ariel: Ruri shoots her shortbow at it! Twang! 17! 4 points!
Judge Claire: You seem to do less than that because it's piercing damage, and your arrowhead melts.
Akane: Pestra also arrows this slime. But as a warrior, she can perform Mighty Deeds. She aims to cause her arrow to pierce through slimy substance and hit a rock that can add bludgeoning damage. Ah! I roll a 3 on the die of Deeds and a 14 on attacking die, totaling 16 in all. 
Judge Claire: I'll let you do full damage instead of half damage, then.
Akane: That is 8.
Judge Claire: Slime's turn. It oozes forward one square.
Heddy: 12 on Shemp's next sling attack for 6 points of damage.
Judge Claire: The slime expires. No xp because it was such an easy battle. Once Stubbly gets the last gem loose, you haul him up none the wiser that there was ever even a fight. Under close inspection, you find that the gems are enormous, beautifully cut rubies worth at least 300 gp each.
Heddy: Okay, I say it's time to get back to town and cash in.
Hettie: No argument from Tandy.
Ariel: Ooh! We could always split the party again if anyone wants to stay!
Sasha: Spoken like somebody who still has two characters left alive in this party.
Akane: Wait, though. Before deciding, what appears on the map found by dwarves in a chest? Could be a shortcut for leaving, right?
Judge Claire: The map shows a complex of rooms. One of them appears to be the room you're in, complete with the chasm. It looks like there's an exit to the south that leads to an area with maybe seven more rooms, and two staircases that lead off the map. You can't tell if the staircases go up or down, though.
MSG: How many rooms between us and the staircases?
Judge Claire: If you count the unexplored southern half of this room, two as a minimum to get to the closer staircase, three to get to the farther one. Plus some hallways.
Heddy: Are there any traps marked on the map? Because my bet is, there are traps, so if the map doesn't show any, I really don't trust it.
Judge Claire: No indication of traps, but there is a section of hallway concealed by secret doors.
Elle: Of course, the whole damn map may be a trap, and when we get to that south "exit" we'll find out it's a dead end and all those bodies will animate and zombie-mob us.
Ariel: I for sure think we should keep the map, but also probably go back the way we came to get out.
Sasha: Sold! Let's do that.
Akane: My characters are agreeable.
MSG: Carson too.
Judge Claire: Anyone object? No? Then which direction will you take -- through the chapel where the lizardmen were, or along the hallway with the trap and plastered-over door?
Hettie: Considering we remain unaware of the other group disabling the trap, I'll favor the chapel.
Ariel: But there's like, twice as much bat-goo to walk through that way.
Sasha: Hey, nobody's washed their boots off, so I'm pretty sure we're used to the smell by now.
Ariel: Yeah, but the squishing is yucky too.
Sasha: There's going to be squishing either direction, though. It's just a question of how much.
MSG: Something to consider is the bat population and our much smaller number of infravision characters. If we do the shuttling back and forth through the dark again, our last two dwarves will have to cover that whole distance like, 10 times if we don't want to upset the bats with our lanterns.
Ariel: Plus Ruri's a thief now so she can check that trap to see if it's still working and then maybe break it if it is.
MSG: I'm leaning toward the trap hallway now.
Heddy: Sure. Let's just head that way.
Judge Claire: Rolling for wandering monsters again ... nope. You make it back to the hallway with the trap. Ruri can roll to check it out.
Ariel: Fooh. Only an 11.
Judge Claire: That's good enough now, because you've seen it before and Antwerp worked at it to disable it already, so it's pretty obvious where it is and that it's no longer functioning.
Ariel: Woohoo! Let's go!
Judge Claire: You reach the corner that leads back to the hall of bats. How are you going to go about things this time?
Elle: Lights on, full speed ahead, and fuck the bats, I say.
Ariel: I'm good with that.
Sasha: Doesn't matter to me. I've got infravision and am still in the who-cares-if-the-dungeon-kills-me stage of denial over Stumbly's death.
Akane: It's a suitable plan.
MSG: Yep, let's go.
Judge Claire: Okay then. Who's got the highest Luck stat now?
MSG: I think it's Carson with his 16. Our other lucky bastards have been spending Luck like there's no tomorrow.
Ariel: Vinnie had to or there definitely wouldn't have been a tomorrow for him!
MSG: Anyway, if I have to roll a Luck check, it's a 2.
Judge Claire: The bats swarm and swirl again, making vision impaired but otherwise causing no harm. You make it out into the sunlight once more.
Heddy: Shemp breathes a sigh of relief.
Hettie: I imagine we all do, with the possible mournful exception of Stubbly Stamps.
MSG: Let's get these wandering monster rolls out of the way then so we can pick up those polearms from our first encounter and head back to town.
Judge Claire: Three in the jungle ... no ... n-- whoop, that's a six. And the 12-sider follow-up is a 1, which is Gnoll Patrol A. What's your marching order?
Heddy: Level ones up front?
Akane: Agreeable to Kindly. Also, he has 3 kits of lizard medicine and our level one characters number 3 also. So each should take one, I think.
Sasha: Stubbly will go in the second row if we're doing two-by-two.
Akane: Kindly and Pestra accept first-row placement.
Judge Claire: Okay. After that we should go by your level 0 numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4 ... assuming there are any 1's and 2's left.
Heddy: Not for me.
Hettie: No.
Elle: Long gone.
Judge Claire: Kindly and Pestra need to roll Intelligence checks then, to see if they surprise the gnolls or vice versa.
Akane: Those rolls are 4 and 7.
Judge Claire: Gnolls come in at 7, so no surprise. I'll roll d4+2 and multiply by 10 for the distance you spot each other at ... 40' roll initiative.
Heddy: Yet another natural 20, which bumps to 21 with my Agility.
Hettie: 13.
Elle: A mediocre 10.
Ariel: 19!
Sasha: Trudging along on 2.
Akane: My characters on 3.
MSG: Carson's a 5.
Judge Claire: Heddy, you're up. 
Heddy: Shemp gets right at 40' and fires his sling for a 20 total. 3 points on whichever one is in the lead.
Judge Claire: Ariel?
Ariel: Ruri shoots her shortbow at that same one! Twang-o! 14!
Judge Claire: Hit.
Ariel: Only 2 points. Then she'll move off into the bushes to the side to hide so she can do a backstab next turn maybe! Hey, These guys don't have ranged weapons too, do they?
Judge Claire: It looks like they're carrying maces and longbows.
Ariel: Yikes! Vinnie will move forward some but then get in the bushes for cover. That way he can move up and attack next round if nobody sees him and shoots him.
Sasha: You're really strategizing the heck out of things lately, Aers.
Ariel: It's fun to!
Judge Claire: Hettie, Tandy is up.
Hettie: She'll follow Vinnie's cue and slink into the bushes at his side.
Elle: I'm next, right? Mendi throws a rock at the leader ... misses ... then takes cover in the bushes too. Nora ... hmm. She'll join Tandy and Vinnie.
Ariel: We're going to need a bigger bush!
Judge Claire: MSG, what's Carson's game?
MSG: He'll go in the bushes near Mendi. He's got that 40' movement from his lucky sign, but no way is he charging up alone against 4 gnolls this round.
Judge Claire: Gnolls' turn! Akane and Sasha, who's got the worst luck of your characters?
Akane: Pestra, 5. Kindly, 13.
Sasha: Stubbly is down to 8.
Judge Claire: The gnolls duck into the bushes too, and fire at Pestra from cover. There are two of them to either side of the path. Oof. Leader fumbles. Rolls a 1 on the d4 though and just embarrasses himself. Second gnoll on Pestra ... 11, for max damage, 6 points.
Akane: Pain, but not death.
MSG: Not death, yet. I'll cross my fingers for you. 
Judge Claire: Another hit, for 5 damage.
Akane: Now, it's death.
MSG: No, Pestra's level 1 now, so she's got one round for someone to patch her up with that lizard kit.
Judge Claire: Last gnoll on Stubbly. It's a hit, I'm afraid. But only 2 points of damage. The gnolls remain 40' away and now have cover. Akane is next. 
Akane: Kindly administers lizard aid to Pestra.
Judge Claire: She regains 3 hit points but remains unconscious. When she wakes up, she'll have a 1-point temporary Stamina loss.
Akane: Does time remain to drag her into the bushes?
Judge Claire: Well, you had to find the first aid kit on her, open it up, and use it, so I think no. Sasha's turn.
Sasha: Stubbly will charge up to the leader with a dwarven war cry. I think that takes my whole turn if we were still at 40' away.
Judge Claire: Yes. Now it goes back to Heddy.
Heddy: Cover or no cover, Shemp is firing at the leader. Another 20 to hit, this time for ... max damage of 6.
Judge Claire: He's not looking so good. Aers?
Ariel: Ruri's just sneaking this turn. I roll 18 to get around behind one of them. But not within reach yet, in case they notice me. If Vinnie's on the leader's side of the trail, he goes for him otherwise I guess he rushes one of the other dudes. That's only an 11 either way.
Judge Claire: The leader went to the opposite side from where he saw the three characters duck into the bushes, so you're now engaged with number 3. Het? That's the side Tandy is on too.
Hettie: She'll charge the same fellow. 18 to hit, battleaxe damage is 7.
Elle: Mendi heaves another rock at the leader. 17, minus 2 for range and minus 2 for his cover would be 13, right?
Judge Claire: Yes, and it's a hit. 
Elle: 4 points.
Judge Claire: That kills him.
Elle: Nora tries to finish off the injured one. 12.
Judge Claire: That's a miss.
Elle: I'll spend a point of Luck.
Judge Claire: He's down. MSG?
MSG: Carson rushes the one who was with the leader and hopes he doesn't regret it. Big miss.
Judge Claire: Gnolls' turn. One is unengaged, and he takes off running through the woods. The other one tries saying an oath to invoke his god, but fails, so he runs too, which means Carson gets a free swing on him. 
MSG: That's a 17 for 5 points of damage.
Judge Claire: He keeps running. Anyone want to pursue the gnolls into the forest?
Heddy: And risk running into a big encampment of them that those two ran off to? No thanks.
Hettie: I think we should make haste from this vicinity -- carrying Pestra if necessary.
Judge Claire: In that case, Pestra wakes up in a few minutes ... unfortunately, just in time for another random encounter.
Elle: Holy hell. If we live and decide to come back, can we for fuck's sake take a different route? 
Judge Claire: This time, you run across a band of uncivilized-looking peasants with makeshift clubs. They appear to be fleeing from someone or something, and are startled to come up face-to-face with you. What do you do?
Akane: Kindly attempts soothing them with a speech of, "What's wrong? Do you need help?"
Judge Claire: They don't understand your language, but roll a d20 and try to get under your Personality.
Akane: Kindly is very personable, and also rolls a 3.
Judge Claire: The leader of the group makes a series of quick gestures, pointing behind them and then at all of you as though indicating that the two groups should ambush their pursuers. You hear the noise of numerous figures rushing through the woods. They'll arrive very soon.
Heddy: I like the sound of an ambush better than trying to convince whoever it is that we're just passing innocently through.
Hettie: Especially if whoever it is turns out to be another batch of gnolls. Tandy hides in some bushes.
Elle: My characters do too.
Ariel: Well ... maybe these guys did something bad and whoever's chasing them are the good guys? Only I don't guess there's time to talk it over, so I hide too.
Sasha: Same.
Akane: Yes -- new allies are preferred to angry gnolls.
MSG: Yep, hiding.
Judge Claire: Luckiest character makes a Luck check.
MSG: Still me, I think. that's an 8.
Judge Claire: You hunker in the bushes while the peasants move across the ruined street to the far side, half in cover but still visible and looking over their shoulders. A troop of 6 gnolls rushes right between your ambush formation, and you get a free surprise round.
Akane: Pestra attacks shortbowingly. Her Deed attempt is to pierce one gnoll and have the arrow continue to the next. Sadly, her total is 11 only, though her Deed would have succeeded. Kindly attacks this number 4 gnoll, with a Deed attempting to knock him into number 5 and possibly entangle them together. It's a fist attack from him ... but only a 12 to hit.
Sasha: Stubbly clubs the hell out of this guy next to -- no, that's a fumble. ¡Híjole! 2 is that Reflex save or go prone, right? I make it. 
Ariel: Ruri gets in behind this number 3 dude and backstabs him! STAB! Boo, 6. Vinnie tries to smack the same guy ... nope.
Elle: Mendi throws a rock at number 6 -- what is wrong with us? Fumble. Reflex save or prone ... botch. Nora takes a club swing at the one Kindly attacked. Miss.
Heddy: Shemp tries to break our miss streak with his sling. Wow. This must be Karma for ambushing people without knowing the situation. I fumble too. What's a 3 do?
Judge Claire: You nearly lose hold of your weapon. -2 on your next attack.
Heddy: What happens if you fumble with a -2? Rhetorical question only.
MSG: Axe on number 6 ... miss.
Hettie: Tandy goes for number 6 too, but not with that die. Why in all of creation do we keep passing it around?
Ariel: It's our official DCC 20-sider!
Hettie: I'm getting a different one. Look: 15. For 7 points.
Judge Claire: Initiative, please. 
Heddy: 13.
Hettie: 6
Elle: 3. So much for the new die improving things.
Hettie: Next time I'll just keep it for myself.
Ariel: I'm using the DCC one! I believe in you, DCC die! Woohoo, 16!
Sasha: 6 for Stubbly.
Akane: 18!
MSG: And ... 2.
Judge Claire: 19 for gnolls, 5 for peasants. Gnolls first. The gnoll leader roars in fury and moves to attack Vinnie. Hit.
Ariel: He's dead. Unless I can do that dodge thing again with my last 7 luck.
Judge Claire: Spend 6 and if you roll a natural 1 you dodge.
Ariel: No, he's dead.
Judge Claire: Number 2 moves up to the peasants and tries to intimidate them into surrendering. He rolls a savage 13, which I think is not enough to overcome the seemingly greater numerical odds. 3 can reach Ruri or Stubbs, and I know Stubbs' luck is way lower, so ... 11 to hit. Damage is 4.
Sasha: Stubbly is reunited at last with his sister.
Judge Claire: Number 4 goes for Nora. Swing and miss. 5 goes for Ruri. 11.
Ariel: Just what he needed, boo!
Judge Claire: 5 points.
Ariel: Yow!
Judge Claire: That leaves number 6, and out of Tandy and Carson, I know Tandy's luck is worse. Het, you're hit for 4.
Hettie: Expired.
Elle: Here, you can play Nora if you like. 
Hettie: Thanks, although I don't have high hopes for it lasting long.
Judge Claire: Akane, it's your turn.
Akane: With a Deed of Might, Kindly attempts to punch through the skull of number 4. Deed die is only 1, but my roll for hitting, 19. Only a 4 for damage. Pestra attempts a bull's eye on a gnoll's eye, shooting at their leader. Success! 9 damage!
Judge Claire: Blood gets in his eyes, and he'll have a -2 on his next attack. Aers?
Ariel: I'm daggering number 5 like crazy! I only roll a 7, but I'll spend 4 luck to try and get a hit. My Luck dice add up to 7, so that's a hit, and I'll spend another 4 to try and kill him ... 9 damage!
Judge Claire: That takes him out.
Ariel: Now I'm running and hoping number 3 misses with his free attack.
Judge Claire: He does!
Ariel: Woohoo!
Judge Claire: Heddy?
Heddy: Shemp moves back out of easy reach of gnolls 1 and 3 and lets fly with his sling. This is at - 2 for that fumble. Miss.
Judge Claire: Hettie, I'll let Nora go on your initiative now that you're running her.
Hettie: Exceptional. She'll club the injured number 4. I'm spending 2 luck to turn this 11 into a hit. Damage is 3, I'll spend another luck to make it 4, because I don't think these hyena horrors have more than 8 except for the leaders.
Judge Claire: You're correct, and he is dead. Peasants go. The first one hits number 2 for 3. Second one also hits, for 2. Next guy misses ... next guy hits for 1 ... then another miss ... then another 1. Number 2 is on his feet, but barely. Elle, it's Mendi's turn.
Elle: Rock to the head for number 3. That's 10, and I'll spend 3 luck to make it 13, which hits, right? 3 points.
MSG: Carson's up, right? That's a 7. I hate spending 6 whole luck on a guy I'm pretty sure has only 1 hit point left, but if I don't hit him, he'll probably kill me on his round, so I do it anyway. There goes my beautiful 16 luck.
Judge Claire: You're right about his 1 hit point, though. He's now dead. You guys and the peasants now outnumber them 4 to 1, so the leader barks a command to retreat, and he and number 3 take off running. Number 2 tries it too, but that's 6 free hits on him, and he goes down. The peasants cheer and dance in celebration. 4 xp for the survivors. You recover 4 maces and 4 longbows as well. That's on top of 2 of each from the previous battle, which I forgot to give experience for, so add another 2. The peasants don't hang around to chat ... they seem to think more gnolls could appear at any moment, and dash off after their brief victory demonstration.
Heddy: As I think we should do also.
Judge Claire: Assuming no one disagrees, your characters make it back to town and can all level up to be available for future sessions. For now, though, I think we're overdue to switch back to the Death's Door party ...

continued next post!