Showing posts with label horde pygmy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horde pygmy. Show all posts

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Game log 29 August 2021: There's silver in … somewhere else

 

Dramatis personae

Angelista, slayer
Poklov, Town Watchdwarf
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

The horde pygmies run away. The heroes loot the bodies of the horde pygmies and the hellshots and find nothing, but do find 120 coins in the fake bottom of a trunk in the back of the room. Felcanis checks the walls, and finds them true walls, not fake.

They wait in the room for a bit, then see some light to the southwest. After seeing that the light comes from some horde pygmies poking the bodies of their dead, Poklov runs at them, screaming.

Angelista throws a javelin at a horde pygmy, but misses. Poklov shield-slams into the same horde pygmy, killing it. Honsou aims. Poklov puts his axe into another horde pygmy's neck, almost cutting off its head, but somehow it stays up. He turns towards another, and gives it an axe blow to its chest. He swings for a third one, but misses. Angelista steps and readies another javelin.

In light of how much they can do to the gang of murderhobes, the horde pygmies turn and run. Honsou shoots the horde pygmy with the big wound in its neck, and not only does the arrow kill it, but it goes through and hits the horde pygmy in front of it, killing that horde pygmy. Poklov runs forward and goes for the throat of the nearest standing horde pygmy, taking off its head, and takes out another with a swing to its chest. 

They let the other horde pygmies run away; they're too tired to chase. After about an hour of resting, Lend Energy spells, and a Major Healing spell on Poklov, they're ready to go again. They make it back to the great hall where they came onto this level, and this time take the stairs down. Honsou brings the chest.

They find themselves in a room that is only about twenty feet to the other wall, which has a door on the other side, but goes about thirty feet to the left and the right. To the left, they see a frayed rope tied to an iron ring in the floor going straight up, halfway to the ceiling. Poklov tugs at the iron ring, which does nothing.

They spend a few minutes checking out the rope. Honsou goes near it, and learns that there are straight cracks in the floor, coming from the left wall and stopping about ten feet from that door. He finds that the rope dangling upwards; gravity is going the wrong way for it. Honsou shrugs, and throws the chest at the door, which does nothing. He finds the unharmed door locked with a poison needle inset in the lock, and sees its hinges a little too flush with the wall for his liking. He unsets the poison needle, then cuts the floating rope about midway through. The rope he has does nothing, but the rest of the rope still dangles upwards. Honsou tries putting the chest on the ring, but it falls, then checks the cracks of the door and thinks that opening the door triggers whatever the floor does. There's the musty smell of water beyond the door, though the door is neither wet nor warped.

At the other end of the room, Felcanis can make out two man-sized beings. She tells the others, and with that, the beings walk towards. Poklov starts chopping open the door, and Angelista goes to meet the two beings, whom he sees are a man with a pointed beard and a woman with wet hair. Both have broadswords and shields, but neither wears armor. 

Angelista tells them to halt, and the man asks her who they are. When neither the man nor Angelista says who he or she is, the woman asks, in a nasal voice, "Blah, blah, blah, where is the man with the half-shaved head?" Angelista says that she doesn't know, and the woman says, "Oh? So he's not up there? He's kind of wild-looking and had a bad date with a razor on his scalp." Since Angelista doesn't know who this is and neither group wants to say who it is, the two walk back and turn a corner.

After a few seconds, they hear dog-like roars around that corner. Then, two furry beings rush at them. They are bipedal yet canine, with big claws and thick fur. One has wet hair, and the hair on the underside of the snout of the other somehow makes a forked beard.

Honsou takes a shot, but his arrow doesn't get past the beast's fur. Both step towards Angelista and swat at her with their claws, but her shield and sword push them back. Felcanis yells, "They're werewolves! We need silver weapons and wolfsbane!" Sure enough, Poklov tries to put his axe in one, and he doesn't take heed at all.

As it dawns upon them that they cannot harm the werewolves, they run through the broken door, with Poklov holding them off until Felcanis casts Sunlight. The werewolves stop and look to the sky, letting Poklov get out; they do not run after them.

Res aliae

Nobody has the Swimming skill, which should make the unseen water even more fun.

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Game log 25 July 2021: Small isn't beautiful

Dramatis personae

Angelista, slayer
Poklov, Town Watchdwarf
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

The horde pygmies run east. Poklov shield-slams a horde pygmy, knocking it out, while Angelista picks up her javelin.

To the east, the heroes hear a bunch of "pffft" sounds. Angelista and Poklov go east, and see the horde pygmies turned towards the north, with a bunch of hellshots are running at them. The hellshots see Angelista and Poklov and rush towards them. Honsou and Felcanis reach the others.

Two hellshots slam a horde pygmy, knocking it out. One tries to slam Poklov, but he steps out of the way. Another tries to run at him with its spear, but misses. Angelista runs at one with her sword, but misses. Poklov steps and misses with his axe. The horde pygmies stand there with their blowguns to their lips. Felcanis moves towards the others. Honsou moves towards the others, pulling out an arrow as he does.

One hellshot runs at Angelista and misses with its spear, as does another on Poklov. One stabs Poklov with its spear but it doesn't get through armor, while Poklov blocks another stab with his shield, and steps away from a third. Angelista slashes her sword hard into the weapon arm of the hellshot in front of her, but misses. Poklov swings for the leg of the hellshot by Angelista, but it parries with its spear. Felcanis rushes forward to get near the fray. Honsou shoots a hellshot, but the arrow just sticks onto its skin.

One hellshot runs around the back of the gang. A hellshot stabs at Angelista, and gets past her shield and armor. Another tries to stab Poklov in the face, but he parries. A second one does hit, but his armor stops it. A third one tries to hit his eyes, but misses. Angelista whacks a hellshot's midriff, but it stays standing. Poklov chops the legs off a hellshot. The horde pygmies, still holding their blowguns to their mouths, step forward. Felcanis runs to Angelista. Honsou gets out another arrow.

A hellshot runs into Angelista's back, but bounces off her and falls down. Another gets past her shield for a small wound, while three hellshots, including two on the ground, miss Poklov's eye slit. Angelista slashes hard on the one before her, dropping it, then says to the one behind her, "You are next. I would run." Poklov chops twice at the neck of a hellshot, but it stays standing. The horde pygmies shoot their blowgun darts at Poklov's eyes. Five darts hit, blinding him. Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding on Poklov. Housou shoots a hellshot on the ground, but it still writhes. It tries to shove its spear up Angelista's rear, but it can't get through her armor. The other hellshots try to poke Poklov in the eyes, but miss.

Angelista steps and misses the hellshot to her left. "I'm covering your left, dwarf!"

Poklov swings blindly at a hellshot, but misses. "Thanks, lass!"

The horde pygmies pull out more darts. Felcanis casts Major Healing on Poklov, and he can see out of one eye again. Honsou pulls a chest he found earlier in the dungeon, and stands over a hellshot's head, ready to drop it on it. The other hellshot on the ground passes out. The hellshot in the back tries to stab Felcanis, but breaks its spear instead. The other two try to stab Poklov in the eye. They not only miss, but one of them breaks its spear.

Angelista slashes hard at the one on Poklov's left, though it stays up. Poklov plants his axe into a hellshot and it falls dead as it tries to step away.

The horde pygmies step back and aim with their blowguns. Felcanis casts Major Healing on Angelista. Honsou smashes the trunk on the hellshot's head. It passes out.

Two hellshots try to hit Angelista. The one missing legs tries to feebly stab her with its spear, while the other bites her. It gets past her shield, but tastes armor and tough skin. Angelista steps back and cuts a hellshot, though it stays awake. Poklov smashes his axe into a horde pygmy, knocking it out. He swings his other axe at another horde pygmy, but it steps away. The horde pygmies again fire their darts at Poklov, one hitting him in his already hurt eye. He stays awake, but falls. Angelista yells, "By the gods, dwarf, are you trying to get killed?"

Felcanis smashes a hellshot with her mace, but can't get through its armor skin. Honsou whips out a knife and tries to throw it at a hellshot, but misses. One hellshot tries to bite Felcanis another tries to stab her, but both miss. Angelista shoves her spear into the innards of the hellshot before her. The horde pygmies get out more darts.

The body of the hellshot before Felcanis suddenly glows in bright light. Felcanis misses a hellshot with her mace, and Honsou pulls out another knife. The unlit hellshot passes out, while the lit-up one tries to stab Felcanis. However, its spear breaks. Angelista steps on a downed hellshot as she tries to stab the brightly-lit hellshot. She misses, her eyes hurting from the light. Poklov kneels. The horde pygmies start aiming again.

Felcanis misses the dazzling hellshot with her mace, while Honsou grabs his bow. The dazzling hellshot tries to bite Felcanis, but misses, its own eyes dazzled from its body's sudden light. Angelista misses with her broadsword, and Poklov stands. Honsou pulls out an arrow, and the glowing hellshot misses Angelista. She swings at it again, this time hurting it. Poklov quickly grabs his axes and puts one of them into a horde pygmy, knocking it out. The other horde pygmies start running past the heroes.

Felcanis starts casting Dispel Magic to try to get rid of the glow of the hellshot. While she's casting, the hellshot tries to bite Angelista, but she blocks it. Honsou shoots down a horde pygmy. The hellshot again tries to bite Felcanis, missing, and Angelista gets her sword into it, killing it, and ending its glow. Poklov kills a fleeing horde pygmy with his axe. Honsou pulls out his knife and tries to stab another, but misses. Angelista sheathes her sword, while Poklov kills two more. Felcanis, now no longer needing to cast her spell, swings and misses a horde pygmy. Honsou stabs at another one, knocking it out. Angelista pulls out her javelin.

Monday, July 12, 2021

Game log 27 June 2021: Don't split the party!

Dramatis personae

Angelista, slayer
Poklov, Town Watchdwarf
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

Honsou searches the wardrobe and finds nothing. Felcanis sees the bedposts are intact and the frame is mostly intact, but otherwise it doesn't look too comfy.

They leave and back down the hallway. After walking past the room with the secret door, they find a door on the left side of the hall. Honsou unlocks it, and they find themselves a room with three green copper slabs about knee-high on the other side. They check them out, and see holes cut in the middle, about 18 inches across. Honsou looks down the hole of one of them, and there's a faint smell of … ewwww.

"Latrines," says Angelista.

Since there is nothing in the room but ancient shit, they go back down the hallway. After some twists and turns, the hallway stops, and they see trapdoor above.

Angelista asks Poklov, "Are you sure you want to get up there?"

Poklov shrugs. "It looks like a nice hidey-hole. There's gotta be something fun there."

Angelista shrugs. "I do not recommend messing with that but if you say so"

After some chatter, Honsou stands on Poklov's shoulders, and tries pushing the trapdoor above. He cannot shove it as there seems to be something atop it. Angelista tries, and finds she can push it open; a few barrels fall off it as she pushes. She lifts herself up after Felcanis casts Continual Light on her helmet.

The storeroom is about 60 feet square, with a way out on to their left. Loads of barrels are near where Angelista is. She lowers it for Felcanis, but she falls and cripples her left leg. Poklov starts bandaging her, but Honsou climbs up.

Angelista and Honsou wait as Poklov bandages Felcanis, trying to find out how they will get Bill up through the hole. After a few minutes, Honsou hears some skittering to the northeast. They get up, and see what looks like two big centipedes at the edge of the light. Honsou readies his bow and arrow, and Angelista misses when she throws her javelin at a centipede. The centipedes move towards them, and Honsou shoots one. His arrow hits, but the centipede's chitin looks like it stops a lot of the blow.

Angelista pulls out her sword, and swings when the centipede Honsou didn't shoot gets next to her. However, she doesn't get a hard blow, so the centipede's chitin stops it. The centipedes make hasty bites at them, but miss. Angelista yells for Honsou to get back down, but he has trouble grabbing the rope. Angelista's swing misses a centipede, and she steps back from their blows. Honsou still has trouble trying to get his footing to go down. Angelista again swings at a centipede, and this time hurts it. However, she doesn't block its bite, and some of its poison gets into her blood. She does parry the other's bite, however.

Honsou slips and falls into the hole, and cripples his right leg as he lands. Angelista backs towards the hole, but can't get her grip right. One centipede's bite can't get through Angelista's armor, but the other does, and puts more poison into her. Although numb from the poison, she gets her grip on the rope, and gets down it.

The centipedes start scurrying down the sides of the hole. Angelista grabs her sword again and hits a centipede on the wall. Poklov can't get his axe out fast enough to smack the other one. That centipede likewise misses Poklov as it gets to the ground. Honsou crawls out of the way as Angelista takes out a centipede. Poklov lands a blow on the other centipede, which then tries to get away. It can't do so in time to get away from Angelista's sword, killing it.

Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding on Honsou and Angelista. Then she casts Neutralize Poison on Angelista and Minor Healing and Major Healing on Honsou, letting him walk again. After Poklov gets done tending to her leg, Felcanis swigs a Minor Healing potion, fails to get her Major Healing spell to heal her, gets her Minor Healing spell to heal herself, falis on Stop Bleeding, then succeeds on her second Minor Healing spell.

Angelista pulls herself up after some trying, then pulls up Felcanis. Honsou follows, and Poklov puts the rope around Bill to let Angelista lift him. She tries, but pulls a muscle in her shoulder. Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding on Angelista, and she tries again, this time getting Bill up. Felcanis casts Major Healing on Angelista, and Poklov follows up, bringing up the gear they took off Bill.

This storeroom is filled with bugs, but one small chest is still there. A hidden drawer has 60 copper farthings and 10 silver pennies. One of the barrels has 20 animal horns. They take the money, leave the horns.

They take the only way out, a hallway on the end of the left wall, and find themselves back in the big chamber with the stairs up to the first level. They turn right, and find a big throne at the wall. Honsou thinks that if he pulls the throne forward, it will do something to the wall. He does so, and it opens to a hallway going left and right. They follow it right and after some twists and turns, the hallway stops, and they see an open hole above and two dead big centipedes at their feet.

This springs the line of the Erstokkian sage Yogībêra: "Déjà vu all over again."

They turn back to the big room, and leave through a hallway on the other side of the stairs up. After a couple of turns, they reach a big room about 20 ft. by 30 ft., with a latrine on the right side and a hallway out on the other side. More importantly, they see a gaggle of 3 ft.-tall humanoids with tiny heads, misshapen features, bugged-out eyes, and swollen bellies. They sharpen their teeth to points, and look hungry.

Angelista thinks that if the heroes don't attack these humanoids they won't hurt them, so goes towards to the latrine to check it out. As she does so, most of the horde pygmies run down the other hall, though seven move between her and the other murderhoboes.

Once Angelista is near the latrine, the horde pygmies blow darts at her. Four of the horde pygmies miss Angelista with their blowdarts, two hit but do not get through her armor, and one gets stuck into her shield. Honsou tries to shoot one with its back turned towards him, but misses. Poklov kills one with its back turned, but the other caught sight of him through the corner of its eye and got away from his axe. Angelista launches her javelin at the closest target, killing it.

The other horde pygmies run towards their fellows.

Res aliae

I was a little too permissive with Climbing in combat. Angelista got active defenses when she would have logically made her sword and shield unready, though she failed both anyways. Time might have been an issue I shouldn't have overlooked: the Basic Set gives the climbing rate of rope down at two feet a second (p. B349), and this was a ten-foot drop. However, this was only a ten-foot drop, so a Climbing roll is a little more like a controlled Jumping roll.

The fight with the centipedes was a challenge only because they split the party. To be fair, Felcanis being a lousy climber didn't help matters, but Poklov chose to bandage her below with the other two up top. I asked if they were sure they wanted to do this a couple of times and yes, they were sure.

State of the healing spells. Below is how many of each healing spell Felcanis has cast on each PC during this day. I keep having to scroll back and find this, so I'm putting this out on the blog:

Major Healing: Angelista, Felcanis, Honsou 2, Poklov
Minor Healing: Angelista, Felcanis 2, Poklov

We didn't game yesterday since Brandon (Poklov) was going to be gone and John (Felcanis) was going to be mostly gone. It might happen this coming Sunday (the 18th).