Warhammer Quest: The Sylvan Epic

[TomB]

If the building is on fire we should probably head there to lend what aid we can, but it sounds like that might be a bad idea. I think it's the Pit Master that Ty owes $5000 gold to, and if he has time he'd like to stop by and pay him what he can before skipping town. He'd also like to stock up a bit on Heal-Itt potions while he's there, but if we can't stop I'm sure he'll be fine.

The Lord wants his head for other reasons...

 

[rokapoke]

Tomas, nonplussed, looks back and forth between the others and his empty coinpurse.

 

[Oversoul]

If the building is on fire we should probably head there to lend what aid we can, but it sounds like that might be a bad idea.

The inhabitants were Darenaeok and his minions. But if you want....

I think it's the Pit Master that Ty owes $5000 gold to, and if he has time he'd like to stop by and pay him what he can before skipping town. He'd also like to stock up a bit on Heal-Itt potions while he's there, but if we can't stop I'm sure he'll be fine.

The Lord wants his head for other reasons...

Yes, I see that now. I conflated the pit master to whom Ty is indebted with the lord who has been hiring thugs to go after Ty because of, um, plumbing issues. Different people. My mistake.

 

[Oversoul]

Tomas, nonplussed, looks back and forth between the others and his empty coinpurse.

It's not empty anymore! Updated character sheets will be posted soon. I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to make any other changes. Everyone has considerably more gold now. Everyone who was actually here fighting, rather than drunkenly sneaking off with the count's daughter and also buying a donkey, has considerably more gold now.

 

[Oversoul]

Corticruss: "Well, if we want to get you out of here, the southern gate is probably not the way to go anyway. That's the way you came, and the direction from which the portals spread. So we could make for the eastern gate and swing by the fighting pits for Ty to make a payment on his debt and purchase some more potions. Now, are there any more 'pit' stops that we should make? Aha, get it? No? I'll stop..."

 

[Oversoul]

Quadruple post: It looks like Tyresius would have 4,204 gold on his new character sheet (ignore the ones in the main thread for the moment, as they are outdated). He gained the most total gold from the fighting in Middenheim, although Dorgath and Carrow aren't too incredibly far behind him (Kelgar showed up a little later and then Tomas showed up later still, as I thought he was still going to be an NPC at the time). His debt is 5,000 gold. Heal-Itt potions are 50 gold apiece.

 

[rokapoke]

It's not empty anymore! Updated character sheets will be posted soon.

Okay, I just thought it looked like everybody else's gold total had been updated already.

 

[TomB]

Revaethan chimes in...

"While I didn't see you leaving the house, I did get a look at the area where the Chaos gates started forming. I think the building is presently on fire. The whole neighborhood, really. We might want to get out of here before the fires and gates get blamed on us. We should find Lord Cael. He's ready to travel now..."

I just thought that helping put the fires out and setting the record straight about what happened while the incident is still fresh, rather than disappearing like as if we're trying to avoid the authorities, might be a better idea, but yeah, if they're just going to blame us for the mess either way, and if it's just Darenaeok's minions in the building then I guess maybe we should just let them cook. Assuming the authorities were also aware there was a "criminal enterprise" going on in there it's probably safe to assume they're running around arresting people and gathering whatever loot/documentation was there as evidence anyways...

Ty, suddenly flush with gold, wonders aloud if anyone has an extra magic weapon that he could purchase and use instead of the pit flail he keeps hitting himself with...

 

[Oversoul]

I just thought that helping put the fires out and setting the record straight about what happened while the incident is still fresh, rather than disappearing like as if we're trying to avoid the authorities, might be a better idea, but yeah, if they're just going to blame us for the mess either way, and if it's just Darenaeok's minions in the building then I guess maybe we should just let them cook. Assuming the authorities were also aware there was a "criminal enterprise" going on in there it's probably safe to assume they're running around arresting people and gathering whatever loot/documentation was there as evidence anyways...

Otto had been petitioning them to look into Darenaeok for a while. Legally, you guys probably wouldn't be implicated. Revaethan doesn't know that part. Corticruss is just trying to get you out of the city as soon as possible because he doesn't want to have to deal with the Cobbler's Guild. This makes no sense to you right now, but you'll see...

Ty, suddenly flush with gold, wonders aloud if anyone has an extra magic weapon that he could purchase and use instead of the pit flail he keeps hitting himself with...

It occurs to me that I should clarify something. Some of that was kinda sorta my fault. I mean, you're the one who rolled 1 to-hit multiple times. OK, technically that was me, but I blame you for all bad rolls on behalf of your character. However, I also messed up. And since this is behind the scenes for you guys unlike how it would be if we were running this in a more traditional way (around a table), I want to err on the side of overexplaining things like this...

You specified that Ty would lead with his fist spike, but switch weapons to the flail if his enemies were weakened (to take advantage of the higher damage and Death Blow potential). I spaced out and the only note I wrote was like, "Tyresius: default weapon Pit Flail." I had it right at first, but then started having Tyresius only use the flail for a while. The flail worked fine mostly, but you also got a run of rolling 1 to-hit. I even brought it up, and only after you stated the switch yourself did I realize that I hadn't been using the default weapon choice you had actually specified in the first place.

Magic weapons are good to have and you do want them, but your Fist Spike is arguably good enough to be an endgame weapon in its own right. For example, the magic weapon that Tomas is using is a Blade of Leaping Copper. It gives him +1 Attacks. Your Fist Spike gives you +2 Attacks. Unlike most melee weapons, it cannot cause deathblows. But its special ability lets you move into spaces occupied by enemies you kill with it. So you could potentially bulldoze your way through a line of monsters. Some monsters are harder to hit with non-magical weapons, so there is that consideration too. But I do remember that in an old group where we played this game, we had a party with a Pit Fighter and the player using him was sometimes employing the plain old Fist Spike for its advantages, even though the Pit Fighter was Level 6 and had accumulated some excellent magic weapons. He could often kill enemies in a single hit, but he found it more useful to be able to move around the room mopping them up as he went.

If you want to buy a magic weapon from someone else in the party, Dorgath does still have Elf-Biter, Axe of Grom. He gets better use out of his Great Axe with the runes on it, but Elf-Biter is pretty formidable. It ignores Armor, and then once Toughness and any other defensive modifiers are subtracted, it deals double damage! Once Spiderman either does or doesn't sell that one to you, let me know how many Heal-Itt Potions you're planning to buy and how much gold you're using to make a payment on your debt.

 

[Spiderman]

"It sounds like the authorities are taking care of "clean-up". Let's go with Lord Cael and see what else Chaos is up to."

 

[Mooseman]

"Going with the Lord may be the best course of action now. I am going to kill somepeople once I figure out who."

 

[TomB]

You specified that Ty would lead with his fist spike, but switch weapons to the flail if his enemies were weakened (to take advantage of the higher damage and Death Blow potential).

Not to nit-pick, but I think I left switching weapons up to your discretion unless otherwise specified, and the reasoning you mention was the line of reasoning you were figuring to use when making the decisions. It's cool, and I knew the 1 in 6 chance for the Pit Flail to miss and damage me would come into play eventually. It did seem to happen at an inopportune time, but that's the breaks I reckon. Moving forward, let's go closer to the logic your RL friend used and lead with the Fist Spike unless otherwise specified, or in a situation where multiple small opponents would be very vulnerable to a deathblow maneuver.

Ty would like to purchase 10 Heal-Itt potions (they really do come in handy) for $500 gold. Barring additional spending opportunities, Ty will settle half his outstanding debt by paying $2500 gold to the Pit Master, leaving his pocket money at $1204. Will we need horses?

And who pissed off the shoemakers?

 

[Oversoul]

Will we need horses?

You're traveling with a large party of elves in this case, so they don't do much. Later on, they can be helpful. Throg doesn't get a horse, though. He is stuck with his donkey.

You part ways with Corticruss, Darvalk, Skullcrusher, and Otto. The elves seem to be navigating by retracing their steps, and you get close enough for Tyresius to check on the fighting school. It is now late at night and it no one seems to have stuck around with all of the chaos going on in the city. But Tyresius bumps into the pit master and is able to conduct his last-minute business. Following that, there are no further interruptions. You make it out onto the road and head for the Loren forests. Throg, shoved in the back of a cart with some supplies, wakes up late the next morning, confused and a bit transformed since the last time he remembers...

Look over your updated character sheets in the main thread. I changed the format a bit, but things should be clear enough...

 

[Oversoul]

I'm assuming that everyone has reviewed the updated character sheets. Time to move on, then...

Lord Cael is in a hurry to get back to his homeland, hoping there will still be a homeland to save by the time he arrives. The pace is intense, especially for poor Throg. He has little recollection of the night that the party left Middenheim. He knows that he had more gold at one point. For some reason, the count's daughter was with him. And now he has far too many pairs of shoes. Some of them don't even fit him! He worries that he wasted his financial windfall on young women and unnecessary footwear. But his new donkey does an admirable job of towing him on a cart and eventually he recovers. Throg is back to his old self. Better, really. The wood elves keep their distance from him. He scares them. Come to think of it, he scares me too. Anyway, trip is largely uneventful. You pass by everything quickly and there are enough elven archers traveling with you that others steer clear of you. The breakneck pace is interrupted when Revaethan finds fresh signs of a wood elf troupe in the area. Lord Cael urges the need to press on, but his men need to restock their supplies and are desperate for a little rest and entertainment.

Revaethan is able to convince the troupe to allow the party to visit them. Each visitor makes an offering of 4 gold. However, this turns out to be worth it: the elves are having a ceremonial celebration, and in their good mood are generous enough to supply you with enough food and drink to comfortably reach your destination. They are also open for trading, but most of their equipment is only of interest to elves...

At this time, anyone can buy the following...

Elf Rope: Costs 75 gold. Does not break as easily as normal rope.
Elf Waybread: Costs 2 gold per cake. Delicious rations that function as provisions, but do not spoil as easily as normal provisions.

Carrow, being an elf, also has access to the following elf-specialized items...

Arrows of Sure Flight: Costs 2 gold per arrow. +1 to hit. Always destroyed once fired. Only an Elf gets the bonus from these arrows.
Cloak of Concealment: Costs 750 gold. Once per adventure, this cloak may be used to hide the Elf for the duration of an entire combat or until he takes any offensive action. While journeying between adventures, this cloak can be used to hide if the party is waylaid or otherwise confronted by hostile forces.

 

[Spiderman]

I looked at my character sheet but nothing really seemed to have changed, except maybe the gold amount...(?)

"Ah, elf rope. A step up from this shoddy one. I'll buy one."

 

[turgy22]

Throg will feed his old rations to his donkey and try to trade a pair of shoes for elf bread.

 

[TomB]

"Good rope is always a good idea."

Ty will purchase a hank of rope and 20 chunks of Elf Waybread, since he doesn't really have much in the way of provisions.

 

[Mooseman]

Carrow buys all of it.
Elf Rope: 1
Elf Waybread: 40
Cloak of Concealment:1
Arrows of Sure Flight:12

 

[rokapoke]

Tomas buys a rope and 20 waybreads. "Well, since everybody else is shopping..."

 

[Oversoul]

The elves are initially uninterested in Throg's human shoes, but they decide that they might be able to use a pair as trade goods later and agree to the exchange. The donkey happily eats Throg's untainted provision, but spits out the poisoned ones. The other business is conducted with no problems, and the wood elf troupe moves along. Lord Cael leads you through a mountain pass, where more of his kind approach. It seems that they are scouts looking for any sign of his return. They report that there have been increasingly more attacks on Athel Loren by invading enemies. These elves join Lord Cael's group. As you draw closer, evidence of the invaders manifests: you see several dead goblins. Eventually, you start seeing live goblins too, but the archers take them down before they can get close.

Lord Cael leads you to a temple, but before you can actually get close to your destination, more elves arrive and there is an argument. The invaders are too numerous and the defensive forces are stretched too thinly. The elven leaders cannot agree on where to send their troops. After conferring with the others for a minute or so, Lord Cael suddenly turns on his heel and walks to Revaethan...

"Get to the temple and help the priestesses. That's more important. I'll deal with the invasion for now."

Revaethan leads the party on into the temple. He is confronted by an elderly elf priestess.

"Revaethan! Back in time to see Loren die, are we?"
"No, Thathra. This elf," he gestures toward Carrow, "has uncovered the Sylvan Epic. It's not too late."
"Every day, the Wildwood swallows up more. We are attacked on all sides. Worse still, there is a sickness in the forest. I can feel it."
"If we can get to Welhallas..."
"You want to save the forest, hero? Well, you can start here. Something has gotten into the undercroft. Go down there and kill it, before it does whatever it's trying to do to this temple."

Revaethan takes you to a stairwell leading beneath the temple.

"Well, I suppose that we'd better get started. I have no idea how anything hostile got down there, but I'm ready for a fight anyway. While I'd like to charge into the fray, I understand that your group has worked together before. Do you have a marching order worked out? I don't know that my swords would be much use if I'm not on the front line, but that may go for some of you as well, and we could really only have two abreast while fighting in a narrow passage, although we could easily spread out more in a larger chamber. If you insist, I could stay near the back to guard Carrow and the wizard from ambush. Or I could wait in the middle, ready to step in if one of you gets hurt. I leave the decision in your hands, but this is something we should decide on before we descend..."

For this dungeon, the party consists of...
Throg (very high melee damage, high defensive capability, weak ranged attack)
Dorgath (high melee damage, very high defensive capability, mediocre ranged attack)
Carrow (middling melee damage output, good defense, best ranged attack)
Kelgar (inconsistent melee damage, mediocre defense, can bless himself and others)
Ty (highest average melee damage, decent defense, no ranged attack)
Tomas (weak melee damage, poor defense, can cast spells)
Revaethan (high melee damage, mediocre defense, no ranged attack)

Determine a default marching order for corridors (wide enough for two abreast). Optionally, you can give me a default setup for how you'll initially approach in larger chambers (wide enough for four abreast).