Greetings. Welcome to the first session of /mlpol/'s first running of the classic third edition d&d campaign Red Hand Of Doom.
On this adventure, our heroes, currently three strong, will encounter dozens of trials that will test their strength, cunning, and friendship as they face an army of goblins.
If you'd like to join, there's still room for more in the party. Don't be shy to ask.
Our story begins in Elsir Vale, with our three heroes on the road to the town of Drellin’s Ferry. The three are seasoned adventurers, and exated heroes to boot. Having fought many battles together before, they are confident in their strength. Legend has it of a vast treasure in the Vault of Vraath Keep, hidden deep in the Witchwood; our heroes, have journeyed all this way to seize the vault for their own.
Despite that, they all have their own motivations to travel to Drellin's Ferry:
Sir Whiskers, a cunning and charismatic Tibbet Jester, is travelling to meet up with an old friend of his: Princess Princess Bagel Jennifurr Fluffykinz the fourth. He hasn't met his old friend since he was a kitten, and he's eager to meet with her again. She has arranged to meet up with him in Drellin's Ferry, and to accompany him on his adventure.
Sir Brozal, a mighty Orc Crusader of Pelor, has received a mission from a high-ranking Cleric of his order has received a powerful vision of war descending on Elsir Vale under the banner of a clawed red hand, and has sent Brolaz to the far reaches of Elsir Vale to avert impending disaster... Brozal isn't exactly sure if the vision was real, or if his master just wanted to get rid of him for the year, but he never turns down a good crusade.
Brother Chad, a wise and powerful Druid, has chosen to accompany his companions on their hunt for the lost treasure in the Witchwood. Sir Whiskers requested his aid because Chad is the most experienced woodsman he knows. Chad is wary of this region, for he's heard that it is ruled by a fierce and territorial Druid, but he embarks upon this jouney nonetheless, the secrets of the Witchwood too tempting to ignore.
...So tempting that he seems to have drifted off somewhere with his horse; probably fucking it again or something. Stupid hippie.
And so, let's begin:
>The afternoon sun beats down on you; the air is hot and still. The sparsely settled lands of Elsir Vale are starting to grow monotonous, with a seemingly endless line of dusty flyspecks of towns. The town of Drellin’s Ferry lies a few miles ahead of you. It’s a settlement hard on the borders of the Witchwood, and the best place from which to begin exploring the nearby forest.
This is the part where the players ask obvious questions that I thoughtlessly ignored in the first post, as well as implore about their surroundings.
1970 replies and 85 files omitted.
>>135742I use the wand and heal myself and Misty.
>>135743You also have lesser vigor prepared (same spell as the wand), mind. When you cast a spell on yourself, you can share it with your animals companion, so long as she's within 5 ft of you.
You would still have a move action after that. I would recommend standing up.
You could also attempt to mount your horse as a free action with a 20 DC Ride check.
Misty is on standby, albeit Shaken. You can handle her to do something as a free action.
I use lessor vigor and heal myself and her then stand up.
>>135745Alright, you both heal 1 hit point this turn.
You are at 26 HP, Misty is at 38.
Jorr rushes over to the door where Whiskers went, his dogs following.
Brozal, take it, would do the same.
Since Whiskers entered the barracks, I may as well illustrate it:
The interior of this stone building is open and spacious. Wooden timbers support the roof above, and here and there the remains of what were probably once interior dividing walls are evident. Two large boulders sit on the floor to the south, near a large hole that has been knocked in the southeast wall. Rubble from this hole has been piled in a circle to form a crude fire pit. Against the west wall of the room are arranged four doublebunk beds, each strewn with filthy covers. Another bed, this one larger, sits near the south wall, partially obscured by a badly damaged wooden screen. A poorly stuffed owlbear looms in the center of the room.
I’m going over to the door.
Sorry. My internet is shabby.
Alright, I'll assume that Brozal took his whole turn getting there.
The Veterans are... Still unconscious.
And Chad, being the only visible combatant standing in the middle of the courtyard, takes the full brunt of this volley and takes...
*rolls dice*
Fuck. He takes 36 damage as another volley of jagged spines rains down on him from the somewhere near the southwest tower.
Chad is at -8 HP and is now dying.
He'll stabilize on his turn because of the lesser vigor, but he's still going top be KO for a while without help.
Misty, with a humble 3 int, is visibly Frightened as her master is dropped.
Whiskers you're up next.
>>135750Whiskers, being unable to help Chad immediately, simply takes cover behind a bed and readies a shot alongisde the invisible cat.
Brozal enters through the door but not before tossing two alchemist’s fires at the unconscious veterans to ensure their deaths.
A ghoulish roar resounds from the top of the southeast tower.
>>135753I used your turn picking up your trident.
There's one in reach of the door if you want to do it next turn.
>>135754You don't see anything.
>>135755Can I not splash several with an alchemist’s fire?
Alright, it would be Chad's turn, but he's unconscious.
Chad never specified his bonus tricks, but I'm going to have Misty take the initiative to perform the guard trick, and have her stand over Chad defensively offering him partial cover, shuddering in fright.
Chad is at -7 HP. He is still unconscious. Misty is at 39.
>>135756Nah, the others are on other sides of the courtyard.
What's your HP at?
A ghoulish roar emanates from the top of the southwest tower, the sound echoing across the courtyard.
Now, lets see what moves next...
>>135757Nice get, i would like her to be standing right above me so she gets the full blunt of whatever.
>>135760Okay. that's reasonable, since she has 3 int and can thus act on her own accord.
"... So.. What's the plan?" Jorr says, looking up at the tower with an arrow knocked, squinting in the moonlight
His dogs are panicked, tails between their legs, huddled on the other side of the room.
Brozal's turn.
[1d20 = 2]
Actually, i'll just have him check that vial at the two goblins closest to eachother by the north wall.
>>135763Eh, the splash damages one of them.
Okay, I need to figure out if Whiskers is near the door/hole.
>>135765Brozal slashes the throat of a nearby veteran and closes the door behind him. “We’re going to barricade ourselves inside and get a short rest. We will also use this as a chokepoint to fight off the rest of the hobgoblins.”
>>135763He does that instead of slashing a throat
Another volley of spines rains down.
"Ack!" Jorr shouts as a giant needle rains down from the hole in wall and impales him.
Misty takes tow shots while guarding Chad, her flank looking like a pincushion now.
She sustains 14 damage, dropping her down to 25 HP.
>>135767While you're doing that, two more projectiles rain down from the tower and impale you.
You take 8 damage.
It is Whiskers turn now.
He's in the back of the barracks, hiding with Jorr's dogs.
>>135769He simply readies his crossbow, ready to fire against any enemies that try to enter the area.
Bagel, on the other hand, is ready to rush out and heal whoever asks with the last charge of the healing belt.
Oh yeah, Whiskers finds an odd sack next to him as he goes behind the bed.
Chad's turn, still unconscious at -6 HP. I would assume that Misty is repeating the same action as before.
Misty is at 26 HP and is now shaken.
Jorr decides that standing on the frontline is above his paygrade, and stands back from the hole to where his dogs are, pulling the spike out of his side.
"... AAAAH..! What the blazes was' that?!" he ponders, staring at the jagged, bloodies projectile
Brozal's turn.
>>135771She stays in the same position as before.
Brozal, you would have been able to tell that the spines rained down on you from near the southwest tower.
>>135772Brozal taps Jorr with his trident and says, “Griltenfag.” A radiant light cloaks Jorr as lesser vigor is cast on him. Brozal then moves away from the hole and looks for something to block it with.
But I'm going to require a spot check for you to see what shot you.
>>135775The woodsman holds up a hand in refusal.
"Save yer' resources. We still got a while to go." he says, holding up a vial
"I'm covered."
Brozal, you still have a standard action. I you could try to move one of the beds part of the way.
>>135776Rolled zero on spot. Brozal is spacing out.
Whiskers, it will be your turn soon, when you said bagel heals "whoever needs it", did you mean Chad?
>>135777I move one of the beds in front of the doorway.
>>135780Whoever's inside the building.
>>135783I guess Chad is on his own then (except for Misty).
Meanswhile, the unknown assailant continues to rain hell down on the courtyard, piercing into poor Misty who has bravely resigned herself to using her flank as a shield. She takes another 17 damage, neighing in pain.
Misty is at 9 HP, blood dripping down her quaking legs as she loyally stands over her master.
Whisker's turn, if he still wants to do anything.
>>135785You succeed in moving the bed halfway to the door.
>>135786I feel like you're trying to tell me something, but I doubt it'd work.Whiskers decides to check on the little bag, since it's right next to him.
And, that would make it Chad's turn... He's still unconscious though.
Misty by the HoH rules I'm using should really be panicked and running away by now, but she's well-trained and has Vow of Loyalty, so I'll have her stand by.
Chad regains 1 HP and is at -5 HP
>>135787Gold coins, and quite a few at that.
"We gonna wait it out or what?" Jorr asks, helping Brozal push the bed towards the door.
He points to the gaping hole in the wall.
"Reckon te bunk will be enough to bock it?" He asks
Brozal's turn. He may spend this turn positioning the bed in fron
The bed has been positioned to the door.
Brozal hasn't responded, so I'm going to assume he's moving the bunk.
It's really not that big, but perhaps in front of te boulder it could keep a large monster from slipping through.
With Jorr's help, he could get it halfway across the room with his turn.
>>135788Brrozal covers the doorway with the bed. “We will rest for a moment and fight them in the doorway. We will use it as a chokepoint so we don’t have to fight them in the open.“
>>135790Brozal will go to get the boulder.
... Okay, I guess that means Misty is the only conscious creature left in the courtyard.
Poor horsie...
*rolls some dice*
>>135791You'll need more than that to fill the hole, but it'll help obscure the line of fire.