D&D Beginner's Game: Act 1, Scene 3: The Hunted

The Dungeon Master

(ooc : while I appreciate every effort to keep player and character knowledge separate, this is one of those times where the flow of the game benefits from you letting lalwende read that last post to Stu! I think it's safe to assume you've been warned)

Professor Moriarty

Noticing Stu's reaction to the door, Lalwende steps away from the door. Using her half staff to maintain what she hopes is a safe distance, she gently prods the door.

The Dungeon Master

As the door swings open a bolt of electricity arcs down from the ceiling, striking the end of the staff, cracking it, but passing harmlessly through to the floor.

(Ooc : staff effectiveness as weapon diminished, now does 1d4 damage)

Kolido

Ooc: not sure, was I meant to do something there with the door?

Professor Moriarty

Lalwende puts the staff away and grips her orc sword tightly. Motioning the others to follow, she cautiously steps through the door.

Banjo

Kolido wrote: »

Ooc: not sure, was I meant to do something there with the door?

Not necessarily but technically the other characters don't know what you've sensed until your character tells them. This is the difference between player knowledge -things kolido knows - and character knowledge, things Stu knows.

For example you might have deliberately not warned Lalwende about the ward on the door to get her killed so you could cook and eat her foot if that's what floats Stus boat

Brutha will always share by default since JasonB has stepped back. He's a retainer with benefits for 9Lives!

conor222

9lives and brutha investigate what the blockage is up ahead

The Dungeon Master

conor222 wrote: »

9lives and brutha investigate what the blockage is up ahead

OOC : Sorry, just to be clear, as per this post there are skeletons hanging from the roof and chained to the walls that are obscuring the other end of the corridor, which continues south beyond them. 9 Lives and Brutha are standing fairly close to them.

conor222

We push through the skeletons to see whats behind them in the corridor

Guffy

Echtrae jumps back in fright at the crack of the electricity, "that scared the bejaysus outa me" he quips.

"Can you see whats throught the door?" Echtrae moves back towards the door to see if he can see what's through it. Ready to jump again should he see another jolt of electricity coming his way. Not that he would have time but it made him feel a little bettera being prepared.

Kolido

Stu "Well save to say my senses are working, I think we had a lucky escape. I'm going through, who's with me?"

Nebelwerfer

Webby cheers on Stu.

"Get in there son...".

The Dungeon Master

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Lalwende puts the staff away and grips her orc sword tightly. Motioning the others to follow, she cautiously steps through the door.

Lalwende opens the door, followed by Stu, Webby, Echtrae and Fector

OOC : Order defined by the level of interest you expressed in going through the door. Why am I telling you this? No reason....

As Lalwende pushes through the doorway - unmolested by any electrical shenanigans - she is struck by how the cacophony of echoing squeals is suddenly quiesced, creating a strangely deafening stillness.

The room the group have entered stretches out 90, maybe 100 feet before them. There are two doors visible, one about halfway along the west wall and another towards the western edge of the south wall. In the south eastern corner a wooden platform hangs over what appears to be a pit. There's some kind of graffiti scrawled on the eastern wall.



But what holds your attention is the large group of giant rats in the middle of the room, the rats whom you just startled in the middle of picking the last scraps off some other hapless adventurer. I'm not saying it's Aesc, I mean for one thing you remember Aesc having skin and a face, that's nothing like this guy. Some of the larger rats rear up to their full height - a good 3 or 4 feet - and begin chattering their teeth, then there's a long hissing squeak and they charge.

It's hard to tell how many there are, given how fast they're moving and how they seem to swarm over eachother. Definitely 6, maybe 10? They're about 40 feet away from you. 39. No wait, 38....


https://rolz.org/dr?room=The%20Meatgrinder%20Boards.ieD%26D
No rush given how long I've kept you all waiting, but once I have 3 init rolls for quorum, we can proceed.

The Dungeon Master

conor222 wrote: »

We push through the skeletons to see whats behind them in the corridor

As you pass the skeletons, a bony hand falls on your shoulder.

Literally.

Then rolls off onto the floor. Brutha mutters an apology, he must have joggled the feet of one of these osteal ornaments. Any remaining connective tissue holding them together is desiccated to the point of practically being dust, they've been here a long time.



Beyond the skeletons, more corridor - a corner turning east and a short distance beyond that another door.

conor222

We make our way up to the turn in the corridor. 9lives chekcs to see if he can see anything at all of interest, slope of the floor, sounds, potential traps. Barring any surprises he lines up the door and sees if its locked and if he can hear anything beyond.

The Dungeon Master

As far as 9 Lives can tell, the door is safe to approach - he can't see any signs of mechanisms or pain-delivery systems in the floor, walls, frame or door itself. Straining his ears, he can't hear anything beyond the door, and Brutha shakes his head to indicate that neither can he.

conor222

Lets assume the position Brutha!
Brutha ready to swing if something comes through the door and 9lives sees if the door will open

The Dungeon Master

The door swings open. On the other side is a well-lit room with a brightly coloured cyan wall opposite you and sandy yellow hexagonal tiles on the floor. In the middle of the room, which is a little north of where you're coming in, there's a chest. Across the northern wall - which is white - someone has scrawled "Don't sleep". On the southern wall - which is also white - you can see 2 doors, one at either end. There's a mirror on the west wall, opposite the chest.

conor222

9lives enters the room, looking at the tiles on the floor carefully to see if they are safe to step on. As he approaches the middle of the room he looks at himself the mirror

conor222

9lives approaches the chest in the middle of the room, keeping an eye on the mirror in front of him

Nebelwerfer

OOC: *cough*

Professor Moriarty

Ooc: I think the Slurp got the Dungeon Master.

Nebelwerfer

OOC: What? Its Wednesday, 10.30...AM!






OOC: I suppose... that could be entirely possible.

Professor Moriarty

Ooc: The Slurp was a creature that fell from the ceiling and attacked me early on in the thread. Of course, it's entirely possible that the DM is currently passed out clutching a bottle of vodka behind a few wheelie bins.

Nebelwerfer

OOC: I got the reference, though assumed the latter more likely.

The Dungeon Master

Nebelwerfer wrote: »

OOC: *cough*

OOC :

Maybe I need to be more assertive.
I've been waiting on a damage roll from you for 2 weeks dude...


https://rolz.org/dr?room=The%20Meatgrinder%20Boards.ieD%26D

#d6

Also, roll a d8 while you're there.

Prof, I need a d20 from you.

SLURRRRRP WAS A SOUND EFFECT!

Professor Moriarty

A shiver runs down Lalwende's spine as she recalls the horrible sound that the nameless ceiling creature made when it attacked her from above.

Nebelwerfer

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

OOC :

Maybe I need to be more assertive.
I've been waiting on a damage roll from you for 2 weeks dude...

OOC: Sorry I must have missed that

OOC: Apologies to all for delaying the game! Oversight on my part! My bad!

The Dungeon Master

The rats charge, 16 beady eyes fixed on Lalwende as she crosses the threshold. Hearing the squeals - mostly rodent, but not all - Webby pokes his bow through the forest of legs he calls his travelling companions and takes a pot-shot at the leader. His arrow flies true, and the rat tumbles under the feet of his pack. They falter slightly, but maintain their momentum, and then they are upon the party.

Webby tries a sneaky shot into the throng but his arrow glances harmlessly off the ground. Stu waves his dagger around, having no experience or knowledge of knife fighting. Lalwende on the other hand is all too familiar with the harsh realities of the gutter, clubbing at the mass of fur and incisors with her ruined quarterstaff. One rat falls but the rest swarm on her, their combined weight pushing her over, teeth and claw seeking every piece of exposed flesh, rending and tearing. She convulses on the ground for a mercifully short time.

Fector swings his hammer at the writhing muroidean mass, Echtrae thrusts his torch at them; brains splatter and fur smoulders, and they forget their meal. A rat leaps at Webby's throat, he parries its maw with his sword, breaking off a fang. Stu makes a harmless half-stab forwards; his flocculent foe first nips at his hand in an exploratory manner and, when there's no counter-attack, leaps at his throat and ripping it open.

Seeing his comrade fall, Echtrae lashes out awkwardly with his torch, stumbling over another rodent who had been trying to circle Fector and falling flat on his face. Fector takes this moment of confusion to introduce his warhammer to the top of the rat's head. It makes a hell of a first impression.

2 rats remain. As Webby engages with one, the other leaps at his arm, sinking it's teeth in deep. He screams, dropping his sword. He chops at its snout with his free hand until it releases, using it's disorientation to clamber on its back and bridle it with his short Rope of Lawfulness™. He pulls back hard on the reins, exposing it's throat. Lying on the floor, Echtrae grabs Webby's sword and sweeps it across the rats throat, bathing himself in gore. While struggling with conflicting biological imperatives - the need to flee, the need to feed, the drive to protect the pack - the final rat does not notice Fector taking aim, nor the final croquet swing that sends its head sailing across the room and into the pit beyond.

OCC :
Lalwende and Stu Pendous are dead. Let me know if you want to be magically revived, re-roll another character, or call it quits there.
Webby is on 1 HP and no longer has his noble rat-steed
Fector took a bit of damage and sits on 3HP
Echtrae is unharmed
And lets not forget the rats, who were only protecting themselves. Bow your heads!

The Dungeon Master

conor222 wrote: »

9lives approaches the chest in the middle of the room, keeping an eye on the mirror in front of him

He arrives at the chest, finding nothing of note on his journey or at his destination. Across the room, a passably dashing young rogue keeps an eye on him too. (that's the mirror)