Bastion Vale (first expedition)

[fireinthedust]

Hired by the twin child-astrologists, Arravan and Navarra, to go north of the Town and Castle Bastion, to search out the caravan they claim has been waylaid, a party of explorers and adventurers meet at the town gate. Bastion Vale isn't wealthy, and aside from their weapons and skills they have little with them aside from the Soul Stones all people are gifted at birth, the clothes on their back, and a spirit of adventure.

True, the wilds are deadly, and a group of walkers is more vulnerable than one of the heavily armed caravans that pass between settlements... but no real efforts have been made to explore in years, and the Vale has grown wild since mortals retreated behind walls.

The band meet up, ready to travel. Castle Bastion looms over the town and the world around it, and lies to the north west of you. The road towards the caravan heads to the north and east.

What do you do?


OOC: Welcome! Post your character sheets in your first post, in spoilers. And introduce yourselves.

If at any time you want to turn back, go for it. If you teleport, fine. If you aren't, we check for travelling encounters as you walk back.

I'm going to let the dice fall where they may, but I'm not "trying to kill you". New PCs take time. But I'm not going to coddle anyone. I'm aiming to challenge the player, not crush their dreams. Make sense?

[Utilar]

Name: Deocran
Age: 40
Birth Sign: (1d12)[7]/(1d30)[11]

Hit Points: 12
Fortune: 50%
Corruption: 0%
Portal Risk: 0%
Hero Surges: 5
Mana Pool: 0
Fatigue: 0
Carry Weight: 12

Armor Rating: 6
Armor Worn: Large Shield (2), Helm (1), Bracers (1), Batle Harness (1), Boots (1)

DEFENCES
Dodge: 6
Will: 9
Fortitude: 12

ABILITY SCORES
Brawn: 2
Dexterity: 0
Toughness: 0
Spirit: 4
Senses: 0
Charisma: 0
Lore: 1
Artifice: 0

COMBAT ABILITIES
Melee: 4
Ranged: 0
Defense: 0
Magic: 0

CAREERS
Dwarf 0
Wildshaper 0

EQUIPMENT
(worn)
Soul Stone
Clothes: green and brown clothes so as not to call attention out in the woods

(carried)
Weapon: pitchfork
Carried Good: one phial of holy water
Trade Good: 1oz. Mithril nugget

Deocran is a Dwarf/Duergar who has been living most of his short life at the village. He arrived as a baby at a caravan and helps his family at the town's Smithry. As a younger son, he lacks smithing experience and runs errands for the family business, tired of a life without prospect he has taken on the opportunity to leave the village at pay and check on a caravan that is completely fine.

He's a Wildshaper and while he can't transform yet, he learned about it by talking to the town's geese. Or that's what he claims, his family thinks he's going crazy.

His speech color is Teal.

Ps.: Do you prefer 1st or 3rd person?

"Heya there, mates" - Deocran says, taking a good look at his companions for the first time. "About time we left, couldn't wait to get some time out of the village"

"Altho, if I got to be honest, I don't think anything has happened to that caravan. It shouldn't even have arrived yet and if anything got to it, nothing we could do about that ourselves, right?" - He says, trying to guess what his companions think.

"What do you think about taking a look at the Castle over there and then come back and follow down the road, meet the caravan as it comes?"

[JbeJ275]

Name: Darrack
Age:21
Birth Sign: 2/5
Hit Points:13
Fortune: 50%
Corruption: 0%
Portal Risk: 0%
Hero Surges: 7
Mana Pool: 0
Fatigue:0
Carry Weight: 11
Armor Rating: 4
Armor Worn: Leather Boots, Leather Cuirass

DEFENCES
Dodge:10
Will:6
Fortitude:7

ABILITY SCORES
Brawn: 1
Dexterity: 3
Toughness: 1
Spirit:0
Awareness:2
Charisma:0
Lore:0
Artifice:0

COMBAT ABILITIES
Melee:1
Ranged:2
Defence: 1
Magic:0

CAREERS
Career:(1) Huntsman
EQUIPMENT
(worn)
Soul Stone (see special rules)
Clothes: A leather jerkin/ shirt, hooded cloak, leather boots
(carried)
…
Weapon: Longsword
Carried Good: Sold
Trade Good: Sold

Darrack was born and raised in the woodlands, living there as far back as any could remember. He had only been in town to sell off his next round of goods and as far as he was concerned he couldn't get out soon enough.

We were paid to get the caravan, the sooner we're paid the sooner I get enough coins for a new bow. I say we find the caravan first and faff around in the castle later.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum


CHARACTER SHEET

Name:Bartrum
Age:24
Birth Sign: 11/12

Hit Points:12
Fortune: 50%
Corruption: 0%
Portal Risk: 0%
Hero Surges: 5
Mana Pool: 0
Fatigue:0
Carry Weight: 12
Armor Rating: 3
Armor Worn:Battle Harness, Boots

DEFENCES
Dodge:9
Will:6
Fortitude:8

ABILITY SCORES
Brawn:2
Dexterity:2
Toughness:1
Spirit:0
Awareness:1
Charisma:0
Lore:1
Artifice:0

COMBAT ABILITIES
Melee:2
Ranged:1
Defence: 1
Magic:0

CAREERS
Career:(0)Barbarian
Career:(0)Herbalist
EQUIPMENT
(worn)
Soul Stone (see special rules)
Clothes: Wears a shirt and pants that are heavily patched and repaired. Battle harness and Leather boots are also worn but still serviceable.
(carried)
…
Weapon:Longsword
Carried Good:watermelon
Trade Good:5lbs chicken meat (uncooked) Sold for travel provisions.


Bartrum was a child of a local herbalist and solider while he had a grasp of both fighting and plants he dream was to start seeing the world become a hero maybe even become rich. The twins little prediction had been just the thing he had been waiting for. Whith a old sword and some food he was ready to try and become a hero.
-
Bartrum nods in agreement with Darrack "He's right besides all anyone ever found in that castle was the dead knight and a lot of dust."

[fireinthedust]

Bartrum was a child of a local herbalist and solider while he had a grasp of both fighting and plants he dream was to start seeing the world become a hero maybe even become rich. The twins little prediction had been just the thing he had been waiting for. Whith a old sword and some food he was ready to try and become a hero.
-
Bartrum nods in agreement with Darrack "He's right besides all anyone ever found in that castle was the dead knight and a lot of dust."


OOC

Great stuff, folks.

THE KNIGHT: not dead! In fact merely enormous, and going near it is nerve-wracking, terrifying, for mere commoners. Player heroes can go for it, because you're heroes, but the eerie feeling is about as pleasant as going into a haunted house as a child; different but very similar.

HERBALISM: I'm reviewing the rules as we go. Technically Herbalism and Alchemy do the same thing: you make potions, as well as other mixtures (oils, tinctures, elixers, etc.) using herbs. So you'll not only be able to forage for them on your travels, but you'll be able to use them to make potions. If you want to call it "herbalism" or "alchemy", that's cool.

If anyone wants to "retrain" their character when I put up an option, preferably between adventures, let me know. You might want "knight" but find that "champion" is what you'd always wanted, or something, I dunno.

I'm running the game but I value player ideas and experience, so please talk to me if you have some thoughts or questions. :D

[fireinthedust]

OOC: We've got another player who'll be joining us soon. In the meantime, you're heading north? Or a side trek somewhere?

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum get's up and takes a few steps down the road "Hey no time like the present to get this done besides the castle will be here when we get back."

[fireinthedust]

The party travels north, along the edge of the Castle until the road diverts towards the north-east, and into the hills and forests towards wherever the caravan is supposed to be.

The castle, as you pass it by, is on a titanic rise above the town, which is surrounded by the chasm-moat surrounding the edifice as an impossible, impassible defence. The chasm is so deep that darkness and mist cloak the depths. The walls of the castle rest on the flat cliffs, and the aspect of both is so vast and alien that you have difficulty imagining how such a sight was constructed, if for true the giant knight and its kind had constructed it by hand and not with some great spell. Yet the blocks missing from the cliffs and chasm below are at times block-like, though so large that no mortal - and perhaps no giant - could have lifted the great slabs from where they were cut, let alone place them into the walls and the towers rising beyond. Only the distance between you and the castle allows you to see its shape, and then you must still turn your heads from side to side to take in the entire panorama. The architecture, the angles and forms, the spires, domes, towers, their tessellations, catwalks, angles, and the strange faces carved in bas relief upon the walls. It must be a fantasy, some great illusion that could make such strange and wondrous things appear on such a scale as this.

No wonder the Town below remains to the south, below the rampart cliffs leading up to the castle, while the eastern face of the castle is left to the wilds. No peasant farmer could live with their commoner's spirits undisturbed under the gaze of those stone faces with their stern, otherworldly vigil.

You can sense yourself humbled by the watchers of stone, tis true, but that sense that you were different from less venturesome souls your entire life, however dim that sense may have been, is clear now. None unlike yourself could pass this way and not feel the temptation to turn back, return to home and hearth and never chance the journey, if such would require being "discerned" so disquietingly by the views of these ancient walls, by these granite behemoths.


When the forest envelops the road, the trees hiding the castle, your spirit rushes with adventure. You've passed this first challenge, left behind the world where simpler souls tuck themselves. Whatever strangeness lies beyond, you will find it, face it, too, and live or die before you return. Triumph or death await you. TRIUMPH OR DEATH!

[fireinthedust]

OOC: whew!

Okay so:

1) What's the walking order?

2) Who's guiding the party?

3) Who's the lookout?

4) Who's going to forage for food?

5) Who's foraging for herbs?

6) Uhm.... anything else?

[JbeJ275]

Darrack begins taking more care in his step as they venture further from his usual hunting grounds, aware of the dangers that could be lurking, he constantly casts a steady eye over the surrounding environment looking for disturbed vegetation that may provide clues as to what other creatures use this path and when the last heavy loaded wagon passed through.

OOC: As a hunter I should be Ok at most of those, I don't really care which I end up doing though I'm defaulting to lookout.

[fireinthedust]

Darrack begins taking more care in his step as they venture further from his usual hunting grounds, aware of the dangers that could be lurking, he constantly casts a steady eye over the surrounding environment looking for disturbed vegetation that may provide clues as to what other creatures use this path and when the last heavy loaded wagon passed through.

OOC: As a hunter I should be Ok at most of those, I don't really care which I end up doing though I'm defaulting to lookout.

That would be a Career check. If you'd like to roll 1d12 + Awareness + Hunter?

[JbeJ275]

Ok, that's +1 for hunter and +2 for Awareness

[roll0]

[fireinthedust]

Ok, that's +1 for hunter and +2 for Awareness

[roll0]

Actually it's 1d12 + 1d4 +1d6

The 1 is the 1d4, the 2 is the 1d6.

The dice chain is 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, 1d14, 1d16, 1d18, 1d20. The dice roller in the forum can handle the weird dice if you don't have them (which I do, because eccentric).

The damage modifiers for attacks, for example, will use just the +1 or +2. But skill checks or attack rolls themselves use the dice instead. I just like it.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum looks up at the the towering castle and great stones with excitement. This had been the first time to venture so far out of town. He looks around at all the plants hoping to find something useful as they walk.
OOC: Bartrum will forage for herbs and will walk at the end of the group. What dice do I need to roll?

[JbeJ275]

Sorry:
[roll0]+[roll1]+[roll2]

Edit: Exact same result

[fireinthedust]

Same Dice Result: That's hilarious. Give yourself an extra Hero Surge for the luck.

I'll give you the results when we're ready to move forward. (ie: if the two players, Utilar and that noble, can join us (woo woo players!))


Bartrum: You'd roll 1d12 + Career + Awareness to forage. So if you're a hunter 0 with Awareness 2, you roll 1d12 + (nothing) +1d6 (for the Awareness).

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
During the walk Bartrum stays in the back. He looks at the plants on the side of the road trying to gauge their properties and if any were worth taking along.
[roll0]+Awareness[roll1]

[fireinthedust]

OOC: I suppose it's the two of you, then? Ah well. Plan accordingly!


IC:

Bertram is searching through the underbrush during their journey, but perhaps thoughts of the titan's castle had given him euphoria for a moment, as he picked up what he'd thought were sunglow berries... they were in fact some kind of insect eggs the size of robin eggs. Small black mites crawl upon his fingers, too, causing a minor itch.

However, while it wasn't an ideal find, you're not certain it was for nothing. You see beyond the bushes and trees to the side of the road, and spot an old wall that has been covered in vines by the press of time. There is a gate, and above the gate you see the mark of the old Potioners' guild! Perhaps whatever property lies beyond was once the garden of an apothecary some decades ago? A cottage or farm of one who'd lived outside civilization's walls, to grow their herbs and ply their trade?

Your party will have to look and see.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum react like anyone would in such a situation.
"AHHHHHHHHH!?!?!%$#^@" Screaming and swearing profusely as he hurriedly tries to brush the mites off of him.
On the matter of the gate Bartrum is intrigued but considering he just grabbed a fist full of insect eggs is understandably hesitant.
"I'm not sure I guess there could be some neat stuff but I'm just worried well find whatever laid those eggs inside." He jumps slightly feeling a few more crawl around and again brushes his arms and clothing trying to knock the bugs off.

[JbeJ275]

Do not worry so much, I'll go in first if you like but keep your eyes clear and it'll be fine.

[fireinthedust]

The gate is up a rise from the road, and thick foliage blocks any direct view between you and whatever lies beyond the gate and wall.

Are you going to explore? And if so, who is going in first?

Are you going to continue on the road north?

Ooooooh, classic fantasy RPG questions.

[Sleepy Shade]

ooc: Bartrum will follow Darrack. And I vote we go inside.

[JbeJ275]

Darrack leads in, taking care to ensure his steps are softened and brandishing the longsword ahead of him as he advances.

[fireinthedust]

ooc: Yay!


IC: You creep through the foliage, getting closer and closer to the gate. You get to the doorway, look through, and see the following.

The wall to either side is stone covered in plaster, crumbled here and there, with ivy and vines over much of the surface.

There is a long plot of land inside the walls, thick with overgrown plants, including weeds as well as very unpruned plants that are often cultivated by apothecaries. In one corner of the garden is a large tree that seems like it was made of many, many small trees or thick roots, tangled together. There are thick knots of root-branches, each the size of barrels in its bulk, and more at the top among the branches and leaves.

At the end of the garden is a ruined wattle-and-daub cottage. The window has no glass, the doors on either end of the cottage are rotted off and fallen away, and the thatched roof on one section has a large hole.

[JbeJ275]

Not really recognising the plant's medicinal qualities Darrack continues into the cottage looking for anything of value.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartum
Bartrum looks over the strange plants and tries to identify them. Especially the tree
[roll0]+Awareness or lore? [roll1]
Batrum draws his sword as he draws near the house and with hesitation looks over to Darrack. "We go in on three?"

[fireinthedust]

Plants: Various. You find 1d6 each of the ingredients for making healing potions! There are three. Roll how many you find of each. Also a rare root that you think is useful for... you're not sure. Anti-toxins?

House: Wait, are you going in on the left side, the right side, or... I dunno what players might think of. It's a cottage with three "rooms" you can see here. Two doors, one ot the left and one to the right. Both face you.

[JbeJ275]

Darrack will maneuverer to the left doorway and quietly lean down, pick up a small stone and throw it gently through the hole in the roof. He stands still for a moment awaiting a response, if none comes he continues in through the left doorway.

[fireinthedust]

Hole in the roof: The stone passes through the hole, rustling the loose thatch, but making no clear sounds beyond that.

Left Door: Before you enter you can smell the damp of years of moisture on this structure, with lots of shadows where the light doesn't pierce the foliage around the cottage. (The garden gets the light, but the cottage is not in direct light)


Are you going in alone, or waiting for your companion to enter with you? He's looking around the garden at the plants while following you, but identifying plants takes time.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum quickly harvests a few plants for later and joins Darrack by the door.
[roll0]
Bartrum waits for Darracks signal and enters the door with him.

[fireinthedust]

Plants: You get five Golden Heartflowers. The other plants you'll need to roll individually (two more rolls), plus you've already spotted that root-plant. When you have time after exploring the cottage, I suppose, you'll collect them properly. You're certain, however, that this garden could be used to make a very productive herb garden.


The cottage: Do either of you have a light source?


Inside the cottage you can see a shaft of light from the hole in the ceiling, but shadows all around it. There is a large lump in the far corner (not far from the right-hand door area), and under the hole in the ceiling you can see a mound of leaves and twigs collected in some sort of nest. There is an old table with a wooden chair, both made of dried wood from exposure to the rain. The entire area is very damp, and there is a rich smell of rot here.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum quickly fishes a candle from his pack and lights it hoping to illuminate the room.

ooc:The book really didn't specify a lot of equipment or how much it cost. It gave the rule of thumb "If it makes sense for your character to have it they have it."

[fireinthedust]

Candle: Just this once, given the circumstance. However, eventually I'll want to have the group find things around them to use. But if the other two players had stuck around I'm sure one of them would have had a candle or torch. On the other hand, let me note the description for this area.


IC


As you light the candle you see the cottage in full. It's a normal home that's not too far gone, though lots of leaves have made a pile in one area.

The room you're in has an apothecary's kit, and a rack filled with potion vials and dried herbs. Lots of pipes, tiny ovens, pots in odd shapes, that sort of thing. The kit takes up the back wall and left corner here. Chances are the herbs are dead, and the potions are probably stale and useless. However, if you'd wanted to make potions this is a handy find. Now you'd need to set it up and get firewood to fuel it. There is also a tall cupboard filled with garden tools, without a door. The room here is likely the work room for whoever lived here.

The middle area is the living area, with an old table and chair under the hole in the roof, and on the opposite wall you see a fireplace and a rotted chair, with a side table next to it that has been knocked over. A pipe must have been on top, and it sits next to an ash tray on the floor. On top of the table is an old glass lantern and a jar of what could be oil, stopper still in place.

The far area of the cottage is illuminated. It is filled with a large pile of leaves and dirt. There is a pile near the door of skeletons of animals in what look like dried silk. You see one of the skeletal husks is human shaped, wearing a bright red tunic and a gold ring.

In the center of the nest you see the light from your candle reflected back to you in eight variably sized black orbs. You recognize the head of a giant spider at the same time it decides that you're the ones who chucked a rock through the hole in the roof, and that you're probably made of food.


OOC: roll 1d12 plus Dexterity please. If you want to spend hero surges or Fortune to boost your die rolls, please do so.

[JbeJ275]

Darrack goes for his sword with haste as the spider turns towards him.

[roll0]+[roll1]=

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum

Bartrum raises his sword ready to skewer the over grown arachnid.

OOC:[roll0] + [roll1]
I looked through the PDFs and I don't think you actually defined what Fortune and Hero surges can do. There is some general outlines but no concrete rules or examples of how they work.
I will use one point of Hero surges to reroll any crappy rolls.

[fireinthedust]

The large spider is going to charge forward. Let's see how fast it moves!

[roll0] [roll1]

[fireinthedust]

The spider attacks first!

Rushing in faster than either of you can react, it leaps upon Darrick, who had entered first. Seeing it move is impressive, as it seems to move supernaturally fast. It being the size of a large dog, it bounds upon the hunter and jabs his shoulder with its fangs.

[roll0] damage from the fangs. Green ichor glistens from them, though you'll tell us how badly it struck you. Could you please roll d% for me?

Bartrum is next, his sword out, ready to strike the spider before it leaps away.

Darrick will then react, able to perhaps draw his sword.

[JbeJ275]

d%= [roll0]

[fireinthedust]

d%= [roll0]

77 is well above the 50% Fortune rate by 27%, so that's a fail. You could burn 27 fortune points to automatically succeed, or spend all your Surges (iirc it's 5 to start) to give yourself a bonus to your result of 77.

This is where playtesting comes in. Normally Surges have only been used for regular rolls, so you'd get a 1 for 1 bonus to checks. Using them for Fortune checks would be useless on 1:1, though, so if we're looking at the approximate value it's more like 1 Surge = +5%. If you spent all your Surges right now to buff your saving throw, you'd get a +25% bonus, meaning you'd then be able to save automatically by spending only 2 Fortune. Your Fortune would permanently be 48% (unless you can increase it via questing), and you'd be out of Surges for today, but you'd be alive.

Anyway, if you choose not to do that, or you want to see what the damage would be from the green ichor venom of this spider, I'll roll that now! :D

[roll0]

[JbeJ275]

77 is well above the 50% Fortune rate by 27%, so that's a fail. You could burn 27 fortune points to automatically succeed, or spend all your Surges (iirc it's 5 to start) to give yourself a bonus to your result of 77.

This is where playtesting comes in. Normally Surges have only been used for regular rolls, so you'd get a 1 for 1 bonus to checks. Using them for Fortune checks would be useless on 1:1, though, so if we're looking at the approximate value it's more like 1 Surge = +5%. If you spent all your Surges right now to buff your saving throw, you'd get a +25% bonus, meaning you'd then be able to save automatically by spending only 2 Fortune. Your Fortune would permanently be 48% (unless you can increase it via questing), and you'd be out of Surges for today, but you'd be alive.

Anyway, if you choose not to do that, or you want to see what the damage would be from the green ichor venom of this spider, I'll roll that now! :D

[roll0]

I'm going to take the damage, don't want to lose fortune this early.

Also what kind of animal gets a rock thrown at it and just does nothing? I literally can't think of a single animal that isn't at least startled into movement when you disturb it.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum

Bartrum Stabs at the large spider angling it so he shouldn't hit Darrick

D12([roll0] )+Job (0)+Brawn?[roll1]

[fireinthedust]

I'm going to take the damage, don't want to lose fortune this early.

Also what kind of animal gets a rock thrown at it and just does nothing? I literally can't think of a single animal that isn't at least startled into movement when you disturb it.

Great question! I was thinking that it was asleep in its nest, then your stone woke it up. The cottage has three rooms: Lab, Hole/Table, and Nest. Your stone went into the hole, hit some web strands, warned it that you were coming in so it readied itself to jump up and attack. I'm worried I didn't describe the cottage well enough, so I hope that doesn't get in the way. I don't know how to draw a proper diagram like I would in person, to post here without photobucket (which is a pain and I can't use it on my phone).

On the bright side, you both get to attack it now! And (if you survive) spider venom can be an alchemical ingredient you can sell for cash.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum again tries to strike at the spider. "Get off him you eight legged freak!"
D12[roll0] +Job (0)+Brawn?[roll1]

[fireinthedust]

Bartrum
Bartrum again tries to strike at the spider. "Get off him you eight legged freak!"
D12[roll0] +Job (0)+Brawn?[roll1]

It should be d12 + Combat/Melee + Brawn.

I'm tinkering with the rules slowly, when I'm not illustrating an RPG adventure that's upcoming. Needs works, but I'm close!


Anyway: You chop into it, sending ichor flying across the room. The great spider reacts to your attack by leaping back a pace, more reflex than skill, but the beast still lives.

Darrick! You're up and within reach!

[fireinthedust]

Question: What do you think of the spider changing the damage from the poison to Fatigue points? I think stylistically that fits the overall game better. I'd reroll the effect, to maybe 1d3 or 1d4 Fatigue. Maybe the bite would also have smaller damage, like 1d4 tops, because it's the poison that it focuses on?


Also: Not that I have been throwing rocks at spiders, but I was thinking about their behaviour. I'm pretty sure they're ambush predators, so a disturbance would have them alerted and getting ready to pounce. A bear or lion would maybe make a noise, but house spiders seem to try to stay hidden. Does that sound reasonably accurate? Not an expert.

[JbeJ275]

Question: What do you think of the spider changing the damage from the poison to Fatigue points? I think stylistically that fits the overall game better. I'd reroll the effect, to maybe 1d3 or 1d4 Fatigue. Maybe the bite would also have smaller damage, like 1d4 tops, because it's the poison that it focuses on?


Also: Not that I have been throwing rocks at spiders, but I was thinking about their behaviour. I'm pretty sure they're ambush predators, so a disturbance would have them alerted and getting ready to pounce. A bear or lion would maybe make a noise, but house spiders seem to try to stay hidden. Does that sound reasonably accurate? Not an expert.
It varies, most human-spider interactions have the spider fleeing if possible but that would be less likely due to the decreased size difference. Really it’s your world so it’s what you think makes sense.

Also: [roll0]+[roll1]+[roll2]

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Batrum moves in and attacks again.
[roll0]+[roll1]+[roll2]

[fireinthedust]

The fight is quick after the first moments, as the wounded spider is no match for two armed heroes. One, two strokes, and it is downed before it can flee. You aren't sure, but the creature seemed to be reluctant to flee before you could attack.

The poison in Derrick's wound is worse than the actual bite. You can feel the venom tingling in your body, causing your muscles to slow and your hands to numb.

The two of you are in the cottage (as previously described). The spider died and fell back upon the pile of material used as its nest.

What do you do now?



OOC: (Just finishing up some stuff here in RL; been a strange week; wasn't sure how to post, but I'm trying to make myself "just write" with this and other games; anyway, sorry about the wait!)

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum looks around the hut trying to identify anything of use. He keeps a good distance from the spiders nest for the moment though.
[roll0]+Lore[roll1]

[JbeJ275]

Derrick just lies still in the corner, clutching a cloth over the open wound and resting for a while as his system tries to work through the poison.

[fireinthedust]

OOC: Yay! The game's not dead!


Bartrum: Looking around the garden? You find other ingredients for healing potions. You've found 5 of the first ingredient, so you need to roll 1d6 for the other two. When you have all three components, combine them; your lowest roll will be how many potions you can brew right now, until you get the other ingredients.

Looking around you notice... something in the tree on the side of the garden. There's an arcane staff sticking out of one of the knots in the tree branches. And a boot! You recognize the staff's design, the wood clearly polished and crafted from the proper wood, the tip pointed up and away from you is carved to the form of a dragon. Yep, that's an arcanist's fire staff, what they use when they cast eldritch fire bolts.




Derrick just lies still in the corner, clutching a cloth over the open wound and resting for a while as his system tries to work through the poison.

Derrick is exhausted, woozy, and the venom of the spider is making everything seem surreal and exaggerated. The shelves of the apothecary are full of strange old herbs and liquids. The alchemist's ovens and piping is tangled and bizarre, with the large round oven looking like a gorgon's head with the pipes and tubes its writhing serpentine hair.

The nest across the cottage seems so near, and while you haven't seen the spider's corpse move, you can't stop the idea that it's going to move, twitch back to life, if you stop looking at it for even a second!

The bodies around the nest are staring out from their wrapping, sucked dry, frozen in the moment of death. That could have been you. THAT COULD HAVE BEEN YOU!

OOC: You're experiencing Fatigue, which is a penalty to all checks. I modelled that mechanic off my depression/ADHD, which makes it harder to think and act if I'm having a rough day or am off meds. Ugh.
The surreal experience of coming of the venom is not, however, but I'm going for a narrative style of your experience here. Immersion. Like a film sequence. Happily I don't hallucinate, that's just narrative/immersive colour.

Anyway, you're aware that it's what you're going through. You're not sure how long the venom will take to work through your system; even if you did know, you're woozy and can't remember if you know. It will go, but it might take a few hours or even a day.

Roll 1d4 for us, and that's the exact penalty you'll experience until the venom wears off.

[fireinthedust]

Ooc: I’m working on some fixes for the system. When it’s ready, i Think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Same basic idea but better.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum quickly gathers up some more herbs from the garden. If he's lucky he might be able to make an antidote.When he see's the the Mage's staff he thinks it's odd that there would be a staff in the tree he also tugs on the boot to see if it come free. Never know when you'll need a spare boot.
Potion ingredients 1[roll0]
Potion ingredients 2 [roll1]
he takes the boot and the staff.

[fireinthedust]

Bartrum
Bartrum quickly gathers up some more herbs from the garden. If he's lucky he might be able to make an antidote.When he see's the the Mage's staff he thinks it's odd that there would be a staff in the tree he also tugs on the boot to see if it come free. Never know when you'll need a spare boot.
Potion ingredients 1[roll0]
Potion ingredients 2 [roll1]
he takes the boot and the staff.

Potion ingredients: You pluck certain flowers and berries, whose names you can't currently remember. At any rate, if you had some booze and a pot to boil them in, you'd have one healing potion right now. You'll need some more PI2, but you're well on your way.

Staff and Boot: Which one are you grabbing first? As you get closer you see there are red fruit similar to apple-sized tomatoes the color of pomegranite seeds; very tempting and ripe looking.

Roll your perception for me?

[JbeJ275]

Let's see just how I'm doing while I rest up.

[roll0]

[fireinthedust]

Let's see just how I'm doing while I rest up.

[roll0]

Ooof! So that's -4 to all checks due to the venom of the spider. Logically i would understand if you use your teleportation option to zip back to town.

Do you want to look through the alchemist's shelves, see if they had an anti-venom that might have survived all this time?

I'm imagining you sitting approximately near the doorway, so you could look out and see Bartrum picking the ingredients as well as when he moves over to the tree. Would that be the case? Or are you further into the cottage away from the doorway?

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartrum reaches for the boot first while the staff was very tempting he wasn't sure if it was trapped or not. Better to take the boot and see if there was anything left in it before he started grabbing magicy staffs that might be trapped.
(Perception isn't a skill but Awareness is.)
[roll0]+[roll1]

[fireinthedust]

Bartrum
Bartrum reaches for the boot first while the staff was very tempting he wasn't sure if it was trapped or not. Better to take the boot and see if there was anything left in it before he started grabbing magicy staffs that might be trapped.
(Perception isn't a skill but Awareness is.)
[roll0]+[roll1]


OOC: Perception/Awareness: Whoops! Sorry, working on something where I'd switched the two. eek!

IC: You grab the boot, jumping up and getting a good grip. As you do, you note that it's still attached to someone! Wrapped in the wooden cocoon of the tree, you see a skeleton's eyes staring down at you. As you fall back, taking the boot with you, the skeletal leg of the body is revealed.

That is just enough warning for you to react to the lasso-like branch of the tree itself, as it tries to snare you in its wooden embrace!

OOC: Roll your Dodge + Dexterity for me? You want to roll high.

DERRICK: Your woozy vision is good enough that, looking out the door of the cottage from where you're sitting, you can see Bartrum jumping up to grab a boot, and then the tree lashes out with a branch and tries to grab him.

[Sleepy Shade]

Bartrum
Bartum dodges the vines as best he can as he tries to back away from the tree. He might need Derrick to help him out with this strange tree.
(With how your rules Are written I hope this is correct)
1d12+dodge 9+ Dex 2
[roll0]+[roll1]+[roll2]

[fireinthedust]

Bartrum
Bartum dodges the vines as best he can as he tries to back away from the tree. He might need Derrick to help him out with this strange tree.
(With how your rules Are written I hope this is correct)
1d12+dodge 9+ Dex 2
[roll0]+[roll1]+[roll2]

I believe so. I’m still tinkering, but you are being such a good sport about it. I’m currently going over the new Witcher RPG, but I have the new version of this game fairly well moved forward. Minor reorganization and adding things around, based on some ideas I had making a sci-fi game (which I had tried to let percolate until I could express it). I will post them today and send you two the link, if you like?

Dodge: I’m on my phone and will check shortly on my computer.