Couldn’t resist sitting down after lunch for another short session…
The heroes are resting outside the Monastery of the Fire Opal, on the low mound that lies within the marshy fen all around. With Nevim under the effects of strange fungal spores which have rendered him unconscious, the party has been forced to rest and see what happens. While they wait, Grimblade applies some first aid to Flamepaw’s chest wound. After a little under three hours, Nevim’s eyes flicker open – he’s recovered!
As the heroes have left the dungeon, I decide to treat this three-hour rest as a chance to recoup their Luck Points. Additionally, the rest gives Flamepaw three Magic Points back. Flamepaw also recovered 3 hit points from the First Aid skill check. I give everyone an Experience Roll, although Nevim can’t use it because of his condition.
Flamepaw tries to improve his Arcane Casting skill – rolls 29 + 21 (from INT) which is below his skill rating, gaining him only +1%. Grimblade attempts to improve his Perception skill – rolls 41 + 15 and beats his skill of 46% to gain 1d4+1 = 3%.
Having discovered a cache of coins in the fungus room, the heroes are keen to return home with more than a single garnet! They figure that a simple run to the fungus room, taking care to avoid the spores, will net them a handsome prize. What could go wrong, right?
Back Into The Dungeon…
Going down the steps, the heroes once again enter the wide vaulted chamber, perhaps 30 feet square with a 20-foot-high roof. Burnt out streamers of webbing drape from above while the lines of arches, which start around 8 feet up and meet at a domed peak, draw the eye. The floor is strewn with stone, broken and rotted wooden weapon debris, and the hulking remains of a heat-scorched giant spider. There appear to be three exits: one southward, another westward, and a third eastward. In the southwest corner, there appears to be a pile of around ten mouldy sacks.
The heroes head east, following the route they so recently returned by. Grimblade is up front, Flamepaw behind, and Nevim at the rear; all have weapons readied. At the south corner of the passage, they pause briefly, listening.
Team Roll for Perception using Flamepaw’s skill of 58% – score 86. Are there any wandering monsters? Roll d10, score 8 – nope.
With no obvious threats ahead, the party presses on and reaches the pair of doors at the north end of the corridor. The door to the west is closed but ajar. Grimblade pushes it open and the group heads west to the room with the leather bags of coins.
Have the Giant Rats returned? Good odds – draws “Yes”. Are they aggressive? Tests Neutral (Hungry) Passion 58% – scores 55. Yes they are! How many? Roll 1d6+3 for 4 in total.
Peering into the gloom from behind the lantern light, Grimblade once again sees the dark eyes of the Giant Rats looking at him from the dark. With dismay, he notes that they are hungrily moving to attack.
Roll Initiative – Flamepaw 22, Grimblade 21, Nevim 19, Giant Rats 14.
Flamepaw, seeking to preserve precious Magic Points, walks forward with staff in hand. Grimblade moves to engage the nearest Giant Rat, while Nevim moves into the room with his sword and shield warding low. Three of the rats all close by moving 10 feet each, while the one engaged by Grimblade attacks.
Giant Rat rolls to attack – Rat Attack (Bite) 50% – and rolls 04 to crit! Grimblade has an Action Point banked from his Delay, tries to Parry – scores 36 to succeed, but the Giant Rat still gains one Special Effect. The rat uses Circumvent Parry and rolls for location – hits the Half-orc’s right leg for no damage.
With the rats nipping at their feet, the heroes decide to get this over with quickly. Flamepaw strikes out with his staff!
Roll to hit scores 31 – a hit! Giant Rat tries to evade, rolling 36 to succeed! By the way, I don’t think evading rats should go prone… so this one doesn’t.
Grimblade strikes at the rat who attacked him, using his broadsword.
Attack roll scores 11 to hit. Giant Rat evades but fails with 92. Grimblade chooses the head and rolls 1d8+1d2 damage – 9 points!
The Giant Rat’s skull crunches under the mighty swing of Grimblade’s sword, killing it instantly! Meanwhile, Nevim moves up to engage the one rat without a partner.
The Giant Rats all attack, biting at the heroes…
The rat on Flamepaw rolls 51 to miss; the one on Nevim rolls 86 to miss – but Nevim decides to use the banked Action Point to react with a Parry. Nevim scores 61 but opts to spend a Luck Point to reverse the die values – making it 16 – for a hit. He chooses the head location and rolls 1d8+1d4 with his longsword – scores 6 points of damage. The third rat attacks Grimblade, rolling 22 to hit; using his last Action Point, Grimblade attempts a parry – scores 82, but spends an Action Point to reverse the numbers to 28 and beat the attack.
All the rats snap at the legs and thighs of the heroes but Nevim bats one away with a hefty swing of his longsword, knocking it unconscious and leaving it to bleed to death.
Flamepaw strikes out again at the giant rat with his staff…
Rolls 02 for a critical hit! Rat tries to evade – rolls 45 to succeed. Flamepaw uses the special effect to choose Press Advantage, forcing the rat not to attack on its next turn.
The creature skitters away from Flamepaw, unable to get near enough for another bite. Nevim thrusts out with his longsword at the other rat…
Rolls 61 for a miss – but can’t resist spending the Luck Point to reverse the digits again! Now it’s a 16 and a hit… unless the rat evades… it rolls 45… but I spend another Luck Point to force a re-roll! It scores a 100 for a fumble! Nevim uses his two special effects to choose the head location and maximise damage! Takes an 8 on the 1d8 and rolls the 1d4, scoring 2…
The giant rat tries to evade the well-placed blow but trips over its own tail, ending up having its head split open by the big man’s blade! Nevim steps forward to close on the last of the creatures.
As the giant rat is unable to attack under the advantage that Flamepaw is pressing, it tries to outmanoeuvre the two heroes engaged with it.
As Nevim has no more Action Points, he cannot oppose the rat’s Evade check – it scores a 33 to succeed, by the way. Flamepaw opts to let it run, allowing it to disengage.
Scuttling away from the fight, running along the west wall and across the leather sacks, the giant rat then runs along the south wall to disappear.
“Funny how those rats keep disappearing like that,” says Grimblade.
Nevim shrugs, saying, “They probably have a bolthole.”
“Let’s focus on those leather bags, gentlemen,” says Flamepaw.
Walking up to Nevim, who stows his weapon and shield, Flamepaw reaches out a single paw and touches the warrior. Warm energy suffuses the human, placing the Deflect cantrip upon him. He then does the same to Grimblade and himself.
The Deflect cantrip costs 1 Magic Point and lasts for the remainder of the scene. It wards the recipient against tiny impacts of foreign matter, as long as they are smaller than a child’s fingernail. Flamepaw casts cantrips as Easy Arcane Casting tests, at 98%.
Having placed the Deflect cantrip on the party, Flamepaw directs his compatriots to open the leather bags and transfer the coins to their own backpacks. With the mould spores in the air unable to penetrate the cantrip, the group is unaffected. They count out 1000 silver shillings and 250 gold sovereigns, which weigh 13 ENC in total. They split it evenly across Flamepaw’s and Nevim’s backpacks, because Grimblade doesn’t have one yet.
Wandering Monster check – rolls 1d10, scores 7. No monster.
Loaded with the coins, the party decides to find its way back to the entrance and head to Dragon’s Port. It’s a three-mile walk to town but an uneventful journey.
The heroes earn themselves another Experience Roll for looting the room and beating off the Giant Rats. I’ll work out how they use the money (and the rolls) later.
Good use of Deflect