Portal to D&D IC - Thundercracker

[Thundercracker]

As soon as the ring is in place, the band tightens until your finger starts to turn a bit purple. The gears and mechanisms whir, and the gemstone flashes with a bright light, pulsing 3 times before its grip on your finger loosens.

"Ah. Well. It seems you do indeed possess a Moderate Perk. And you would be willing to trade it away? Is this correct? If so, then I can offer you... a fair price."

“Depends, what are you offering?” Arelyn asked.

“What’s this device?” she asked, “and how exactly does one go about acquiring and trading perks? I might be able to get more for you if you’re interested in them.”

“Do you know if perks can be stolen or forcibly taken?” she asked.

[Rizban]

"Perks are rare and special. None really knows where or how they are acquired, and they seem to only be transferred if done willingly.

For this, I can offer you... say... 100 gold?"

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn

“I’ll trade it to you for a belt of healing,” Arelyn said.

If he doesn’t want to part with the belt, Arelyn will keep the perk and take the basic tunic/pants for the pitons and bronze pips she has.

[Rizban]

With a gleeful grin, he practically spits out the word, "Deal!"

The crystal of the ring flares brightly, and you feel the Perk pulled from you into the device, which suddenly releases your finger and zips through the air and back into the merchant's pocket.

He procures a healing belt from a nearby drawer and passes it to you.

"Quite assuredly, it has been a great pleasure doing business with you. Should we ever meet again, I hope we can conduct similar deals."

Spoiler

Show

You've already exchanged the bronze for the clothing.

[Thundercracker]

“Hopefully I can find some more perks,” Arelyn said, strapping on the belt, “it had definitely been a pleasure, I’m pretty sure you literally saved my life.”

She immediately used one of the charges (2d8)[10]

“You’re sure there’s no way I can contact you?” Arelyn asked, “is your name known to the townsfolk living around here?”

[Rizban]

He just gives you a cheshire grin as he and the entire shop around you fades from view.

Briefly dazed, you recover as you drop several inches into the knee-deep water of the swamp where you entered the door. Thankfully, you still have all of your possessions.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn used a second charge from the belt and walked south, hopefully towards the town she recalled lay in that direction.

(2d8)[12]

[Rizban]

Spoiler: DM

Show

Question, can you give me the coordinates or whatever of where you think you are on your map? I want to make sure we're thinking the same thing here.

[Thundercracker]

I’m thinking I’m around bz48 or so. Recalling the nearby surroundings, Arelyn will skirt around the swamp, cross the stream, and get back to the path heading southwest .

[Rizban]

That's about where I had you, so we're good.

You travel along the path to the southwest a ways before you stumble through a spiderweb. As you're batting futilely at the air and wiping the strands from your face, you hear a chittering.

A tiny monstrous spider is scurrying quickly towards you from the tree!

Initiative
(1d20+5)[10]
(1d20+3)[21]

[Rizban]

The tiny spider leaps from the tree to attack you!

(1d20+5)[7] - [1]+poison - (1d2)[1] Str damage (Fort DC 10 negates)

But it misses you completely and lands harmlessly on the ground next to you.

[Thundercracker]

Spoiler

Show

AoO with a rock as the tiny spider passes through her space to try to attack, if this applies: (1d20+1)[17]
Damage: (1d6)[4]

If Arelyn can back up 30’ without provoking an attack, she will do that and drop a rat swarm on the spider. (1d6)[1]

If she can’t , she will take a 5’ step back and hit it with an eldritch blast:
(1d20+2)[14]
Damage: (1d6+1)[3]

[Rizban]

Spoiler: DM

Show

You can't make an AoO while flat-footed.

You blast the spider into a state of crispy death.

Encounter Notice
Enemies Defeated: Experience Gained:	1 50

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn continues on, more or less following the path to the southwest and hoping to find a settlement and someone who can tell her where there are more rabbit dens, or a temple where she can dedicate to a deity.

[Rizban]

It takes time, but you manage to find your way along the trail without too much difficulty. Although, you do have to backtrack a few times as the path meanders.

The trail leads deeper into the forest, and the undergrowth thins as the tree canopy nearly blots out the sun. You travel for about two hours, and the sun has moved well into the afternoon. You've become fairly thirsty and are beginning to feel the first pangs of hunger. When was the last time you ate or drank anything? It's been so stressful lately that you can't quite remember...

Ahead, you see the underbrush thicken suddenly, and through the branches you can see hints of open sky. A clearing?

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn paused near the edge of the clearing to see if she can hear or see any danger, then proceeds into it (assuming it’s clear).

Spot/listen (1d20+4)[9] (1d20)[15]

[Rizban]

In the middle of the clearing is a massive, ancient oak tree. The trunk itself is 40 to 50 feet tall before even considering the huge branches. The crown of branches is more than twice that across, with many branches larger than the surrounding trees. The ground is an almost smooth carpet of fallen leaves with no sign of fallen branches.

The trees in the nearby forest show signs of having been pruned back and maintained to make the clearing into a perfect circle with plenty of space between them and the oak.

On the far side of the clearing, in the sun between the oak and the distant trees, you see an expansive manicured garden filled with herbs and flowers. Though there are no obvious borders or walkways, making it look almost wild, the garden is obviously organized and maintained beyond the simple whims of nature.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn paused at the edge of the clearing and checked for magical signatures. Assuming she finds none she skirts the edge of the clearing and approaches the garden, then checks again, and searches for traps near the edge of the garden.

Search: (1d20+4)[7]

If she finds nothing she’ll move around the edge of the garden, keeping her eyes and ears open for a source of food or water.

[Rizban]

When you enter the clearing, you get the distinct feeling of being watched by a disapproving parent, your every action observed and silently criticized. Glancing around, you see neither man nor beast, but the sensation doesn't dissipate.

You approach the garden and find no traps, but you do spot a spring of crystal clear water burbling up from near the roots of the central tree and flowing through the garden before disappearing into the forest beyond.

[Thundercracker]

“Hi,” Arelyn said, “I don’t mean any harm, just passing through.”

It was probably a dryad or Druid or something watching her, but she had a goal to find a town or something and she meant to stick with it.

Arelyn moved around the edge the garden to take her fill of water after it had flowed through, then followed the stream.

[Rizban]

You walk past a very well maintained stone and gravel path that winds through the forest, following the natural contours of the land and vegetation...


...and instead follow the narrow, winding stream into the underbrush and push through into a more open but definitely wild and untended forest.


In the distance, you can hear the bark of a wolf.

[Thundercracker]

"Well Crap," Arelyn thought. She backtracked to the path and followed it into the forest, keeping her eyes and ears open for wolves.

[Rizban]

The undergrowth seems to have weaved through itself and grown thorns, preventing your return to the clearing without forcing your way through, though you think you could find the path if you travel that general direction...

[Thundercracker]

The undergrowth seems to have weaved through itself and grown thorns, preventing your return to the clearing without forcing your way through, though you think you could find the path if you travel that general direction...

"Oh come ON," Arelyn groaned. She gave up trying to get back to wherever that plant spirit or dryad or whatever it was was trying to keep her out, and went back to her original plan of following the flowing water downstream. Hopefully the path would cut across or near it at some point.

[Rizban]

Giving up on looking for the path, you start to follow the flow of the water downstream.

You travel only just past the curve of the next hill before you find yourself staring into the eyes of a fairly large wolf.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn drops a bat swarm on top of the wolf and retreats back around the corner.

Spoiler

Show

Swift, inspect the wolf..

Standard: damage: (1d6)[4], inflicts 1 bleeding.

Dc 11 fort save or nauseated.

Move: back up out of line of sight.

[Rizban]

Inspect
Greater Werewolf

Fort Save - (1d20)[15] (only fails on a 1)

[Rizban]

With a furious howl, you hear it roar, "YOU DARE?!"

The wolf leaps over the hill and pounces atop you, savaging at you with its teeth.

(1d20+10)[26] — (2d6+8)[16]

[Thundercracker]

With a furious howl, you hear it roar, "YOU DARE?!"

The wolf leaps over the hill and pounces atop you, savaging at you with its teeth.

[roll0] — [roll1]

Arelyn looked down at the horrible wound and waited a second to die. Then looked up at the werewolf in surprise when she didn’t.

“Wait wait, I didn’t know, I’m sorry!” she said, “here, I’ll heal you, please don’t kill me!”

(Wonder if I can cry on demand..) Arelyn tried for some tears as she fell to her knees and used a charge from the belt, the bluish glow held in one hand for the wolf to accept or decline as she begged for her life.

[Rizban]

Spoiler: DM

Show

That's a Diplomacy or Bluff check, depending on your intentions.
Never mind. In honor of a completely random and arbitrary milestone unrelated to anything happening here, your roll is considered an automatic natural 20, and his Sense Motive/reaction is an automatic natural 1.

He releases you, steps back, and sits down with a firm plop.

"Oh, very well then. Do hurry up with the healing."