D&D Adventure #5: Oakgate Complex

[FatherJack]

Thor is wearing a hat and riding a bear.

Howdy. Name's Thor.

[Grimmie]

Sorry for the delay in action. I've been fannying around with the wiki and putting hexes on the global map so I can judge travel time between areas. Also played around with a few of the roads, mountains and landmarks. Nowhere you've visited has been changed, but there are probably a few new details on there. (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2uvsqj0hx75rz ... 20Area.png)

The university students are already in the long section of the caravan along with tent poles and canvas, and a crate of food supplies. They sit four astride and face each other, a few are already entertaining themselves with a top-trumps style card game bought from Siriath's Magic Mile, each playing card producing a different visual magic effect when drawn. The wagon does have room for ten but it'd be quite cramped inside at full capacity, so some of you may choose to ride your mounts.

Let me know where you are, plz.

Bill walks up front, rolling the fabric windows of the covered wagon up before tending to his oxen. Feed bags get taken from their muzzles and stored away, and he hops up to the drivers seat. You get taken east out of Siriath, through the Angler's Wharf, south through the Traveller Camp, and begin to make your way towards Springdell Crossing, your first stop-off. Everybody apart from Thoon will have come from this direction to Siriath.

Threader, the wide open expanse of Silvervale's plains is still a little alien to you. You're used to craggy coastline and sandy shores, and the fact that you have to travel for a whole day by cart before finding any sort of civilisation is hard to grasp.

A few hours pass and lunch gets eaten on the hoof. Conversation with the students is light hearted but short, many of them feel intimidated by the fact they have an armed chaperone for the journey, wondering what the university expects them to encounter along the way.

Could I get Spot checks please?

Threader, Thoon. That's a d20 dice plus your Spot modifier. Thoon, that's d20+1, Threader is d20+0

You can all find your character sheets here, I'll try to update them regularly, just let me know if anything changes: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rs41azfy4b2391e/wyXOiv0DW9

[Shada]

WHAT DO MY PIRATE EYES SEE

Threader is in the caravan.

Roll(1d20)+0:
15,+0
Total:15

[Mr. Johnson]

My horse has carried me this far, I'm sure it can carry me a bit further. Here's your drink Threader, but be warned; it's mighty stuff!

Oh, and:

Roll(1d20)+1:
18,+1
Total:19

[shot2bits]

Orovan has wedged himself into the caravan and has been puffing away on his homemade pipe for the duration of the journey

spot
Roll(1d20)+5:
20,+5
Total:25

And it seems to give him superb eyesight.

[Grimmie]

Christ, who knew opiates gave you eagle eyes?

Orovan's the first to spot the pack of eight wild dogs flanking the caravan in the distance. They're quite far away, maybe another five minutes till they catch up on the slow bovine cart-pullers, but have been advancing for a couple of minutes now.

[FatherJack]

Thor's mounted to the right and behind of the caravan.

Go go Eagle Eyes:
Roll(1d20)+6:
3,+6
Total:9

Alas, just crappy human eyes.

[Grimmie]

Thor's clearly just too excited by the fact he's riding a bear to care.

[Dog Pants]

Shankley is riding on Humbug.

Roll(1d20)+5:
20,+5
Total:25

Dogs ahoy! I'll call them out. Is it natural behaviour for wild dogs to be stalking such a large group?

[Grimmie]

Don't spend all your good rolls at once, guys.

Maybe. Going to need a Knowledge: Nature check to be sure though.

[shot2bits]

I can do one of those.

knowledge (nature)
Roll(1d20)+3:
16,+3
Total:19

[Grimmie]

I can do one of those.

knowledge (nature)
Roll(1d20)+3:
16,+3
Total:19

Good stuff.

With the amount of unguarded traffic that travels along this road (see: Alysia and Elliot) you don't think it's too uncommon for wild dogs to be stalking what they've learned to be meals on wheels. Packs this big usually have a leader figure to bolster their strength, and as they approach you're able to make out that one of the dogs is different - it has two heads.

[Dog Pants]

Aww, twice as licky. Maybe we should let them catch us and fight on our terms. Hopefully we can take out the leader with ranged attacks before they make contact and change their minds. Behead the pack, so to speak.

[shot2bits]

Aww, twice as licky. Maybe we should let them catch us and fight on our terms. Hopefully we can take out the leader with ranged attacks before they make contact and change their minds. Behead the pack, so to speak.

I can try and get them to bugger off using wild empathy which ill give a go now, i dont know if it works against groups of animals or just 1 in which case i will target that lovely 2 headed doggy with it.

wild empathy
Roll(1d20)+0:
19,+0
Total:19

these rolls

Cooee! if you fluffy rapscallions are looking for food im afraid you wont find much here, we are all skin and bones, tough and chewy, perhaps catching a nice fresh deer in the woods would be more to your liking *

If that doesnt work i agree with pants that we should go for the leader and hopefully the rest will disperse if we can take it down quickly.

*i dont think what i say/do actually matters for the skill check, nor do i think they can actually understand me with my current skillset but Orovans just a bit weird like that.

[Dog Pants]

Your vocalising reminds me of the old Speak With Mud spell once published in Dragon magazine. It didn't give the mud any intelligence it wouldn't usually have, or the ability to reply to you, it just let you talk to mud.

[shot2bits]

Your vocalising reminds me of the old Speak With Mud spell once published in Dragon magazine. It didn't give the mud any intelligence it wouldn't usually have, or the ability to reply to you, it just let you talk to mud.

i want that spell, you guys go clear the dungeon, ima chat with the mud

[Grimmie]

Your vocalising reminds me of the old Speak With Mud spell once published in Dragon magazine. It didn't give the mud any intelligence it wouldn't usually have, or the ability to reply to you, it just let you talk to mud.

This one? https://web.duke.edu/DRAGO/humor/useless_spells.html

[Grimmie]

I can try and get them to bugger off using wild empathy which ill give a go now, i dont know if it works against groups of animals or just 1 in which case i will target that lovely 2 headed doggy with it.

Wild empathy works with gestures and vocalisations - so I guess that counts as a vocalisation!
Your modifiers are +2 (druid level) and.. -2 (charisma modifier), so you get a straight up 19.

You also have to be within 30 ft for it to work, but that's a moot point 'cause you didn't hit the required 20 to change them from Hostile to Unfriendly anyway.

The dogs continue to approach. They'll be on the caravan in four minutes.

[Dog Pants]

That's the one, although it had a description in the magazine.

[Grimmie]

The gloomy autumn, overcast sky darkens and rain begins to dot the grassy plains, heavy raindrops kicking up dust and dirt.

Almost as though they had been waiting for something to change, the dogs stop stalking the caravan and with a chorus of barks and howls begin to sprint towards you. The oxen drawing the caravan react with a jerk, shaking everybody inside around.

Can Threader, Orovan and anyone else not riding a mount make a Reflex saving throw please?

Also, do you guys fancy doing this first combat over the forums or live over Roll20? The first is slower, but it's unlikely we're all going to be online till the weekend to do it on Roll20. Of course, I can just give you the link to the Roll20 page and let you log in when it's your turn in initiative to move your guy around.