With Rirrik lost in his primal side, and Ryn and Ilura closer to zombies, Marcus was an obvious choice to assist Dr. Krauss. But it didn't make it any easier. He was used to swinging blades against foes, not making delicate incisions with a knife. And it showed in his clumsy attempt to aid the redeemed man.

Catch - no problem, just wanted to put it out there if it was an option.
19:31, Today: Marcus rolled 5 using 2d6.  Suck out the poison (what about defend)?

So.. yea. 5 is clearly a magic number for me. Failed the incision and might not be in time to catch the zombies advance.

It was a good idea in principle, but Marcus made quite the mess of Hiran's leg as he attempted to follow Hiran's instructions.  The wizard's leg garment was starting to stain with blood now, and to top it off, the woozy feeling wasn't going away either.

By this point the tentacled zombies is directly behind Marcus, reaching around him for a squeeze.  The other two are keeping Eryn company as she faces them on her own.

Eryn, Ilura, Rirrik what are you doing while this is happening?

Hiran

You take d4 damage, ignoring armor.  And you still have the -1 forward to a precision or accuracy action.  Your leg still works, but it is pretty mangled.

Marcus

You still have your hold, but you can't use it to prevent the damage you dealt to Hiran.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:06, Tue 14 Nov 2017.

Hiran seems to be fading in and out but in his bouts of lucidness he either moans in pain or tries correcting Marcus as he fumbles in his task. "OW! What are you doing I said make an incision not gut a fish." "You can't swallow the poison, spit it out you oaf!"

"I agree with Marcus, we have to stand our ground or they'll get us!" Eryn shouted, caught in the midst of multiple zombies. She did not enjoy having Marcus retreat without her, but she knew that right then Hiran's magic was their best shot at dealing with undead.

"Come on then, you abominations," she hissed. "Let me show your master we're not afraid of you!"

Eryn gritted her teeth and prepared for another assault, but she could already feel her defensive stance slipping due to the wet rocks.

quote:

Eryn rolled 3 using 2d6+1.  Defend the group.

Complete miss.

Edit: Grammar, missing word.

This message was last edited by the player at 19:04, Tue 14 Nov 2017.

"Just go butcher the zombies you are making my leg worse." Hiran seethes in pain and he's struggling to focus clearly as well.  He waits to see how the others fair before he considers risking a spell in his current condition.

Rirrik reared up right in front the two zombies that atleast to him had just unexpectedly popped into existence. He took only the briefest of looks for an escape route before he struck out with his claws. He growled in triumph as the attack connected, but in a moment of slight clarity he realized that the damage it caused had been minimal. Baring his teeth he got ready to try to tackle one of his enemies.

14:44, Today: Rirrik Lollygag rolled 1 using 1d6.  Damage.
14:44, Today: Rirrik Lollygag rolled 7 using 2d6.  Hack and Slash.
Once the enemy's counterattack is resolved, my next plan is to just try to get one of zombies to the ground. What should I roll when I do that? Defy Danger + Str? Treat it as a Hack and Slash?

This message was last edited by the player at 20:30, Tue 14 Nov 2017.

Ilura considered dashing for her sword, but decided her skills with the bow were more useful.   Plus there wasn't time.  She noted the location for later and focused on the mishapen beasts aiming for the one.  Thomas was already nearby, checking for anything else that might have been coming.  She gave a quick shout "KILL".  The crow wasn't terribly effective at damaging an enemy, but he could certainly distract.  He flitted about one of Eryn's zombies, cawing furiously managing to keepi just out of reach of creature's sword arm.  As expected, the abomination twisted it's head and lowered its guard slightly, setting her up for a neck shot.

"Hiran, watch the bones.  Don't want them popping up behind us"

She drew another arrow from her quiver and prepared to fire again.


You can decide whether the Command move is allowed to be combined with the Volley move based on my description.

quote:

23:14, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Volley at zombie.
23:14, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 1d8+2.  Damage (with crow's assist).

Feel free to roll the dice for a repeat of the above if that still seems like a reasonable thing for me to do.  If I get a 7-9, I'll go for the danger and try to avoid it using Dex.

The zombies were all too ready to accept Eryn's challenge.  They dropped their burning logs on the damp ground and battered themselves against her shield with a ravenous hunger in their dead eyes.  At first things seemed all well and good.  Then the fighter's footing began to slip.  She was able to keep her balance this time, but the zombies still slid her backward, pressing ever closer.

Bang! Bang! Bang!  The zombie with the sawfish arm batted against her shield with surprising strength.  The swordfish-headed one put it's full weight into her and reached for Eryn's face with grasping arms and flaring gills.  The smell of rotten fish breath was almost overwhelming!  The combined efforts of both zombies soon had Eryn backed into a corner of sorts.  In front of her were the zombies, too close to use a spear on, and behind her was a pool of dark water.  One more misstep and she would go splashing backward.

Rirrik showed up and tried to help, but his efforts were largely in vain.  His swipe took out a chunk of flesh, but it looked like that flesh was barely attached to begin with.  To make matters worse, his efforts were rewarded with a backswing hit from the saw-arm of one of the zombies focused on Eryn.

That same zombie had an arrow appear in its throat a split second later.  Illura's crow let out a mocking caw and disappeared back into the darkness from whence it came.  However, a blow that would have devastated most foes barely seemed to inconvenience this undead monstrosity.

What do you do?

Eryn
You are at "hand" range with both zombies.  Your weapon will be ineffective for Hack and Slash in your current predicament.
Don't forget to add your XP if you haven't already.

Rirrik
You take d6 damage from the zombie's backswing.  As for taking a zombie down, if you want to purposefully deal damage as you tackle it, it will be Hack and Slash.  If you just want to knock it over, Defy Danger with an appropriate stat (probably +Str).

Ilura
Command (attack the same target) works with Volley so long as you are both attacking the same target, so your ok here..  It can work with any form of attack, even if it is not a Volley or Hack and Slash.

Marcus
The third zombie is attempting to grapple you while all this is going on.

Hiran saw what he feared would happen, the zombies of the master were overwhelming with power and threats garnered by the strange and brutal studies of his own devising.

He had to try and help.  He summoned forth more magical force trying to force his mind to focus through the fog the poison caused him. His willpower was strong and he pushed through the pain. This time he called forth a giant orb of force and thrust it at the head of the fish headed zombie.


13:38, Today: Dr Hiran Krauss rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  Magic Missle on fish head zombie -1 due to poison.
13:39, Today: Dr Hiran Krauss rolled 4 using 2d4.  Damage on fish head zombie.

OOC: Bring on the danger sir. Man the dice roller loves 4 damage for my missles

"Fall back! These aren't regular zombies.  We need to string them out and take them one at a time or lead them into a trap.  Like this, they'll kill us, especially if there are reinforcements."  She wasn't in favor of running away, but it certainly made sense to terrain that was more to their advantage for the fight.

Following her own advice, the ranger backed carefully toward the entrance before firing another bolt - desperately to help take some of the pressure off her fellow female.  She summoned Thomas again, then planted an arrow between the creature's eyes.

quote:

19:52, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Called shot on zombie.
19:53, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 1d8+2.  Damage (with crow's assist).

Cumulatively, that'd drop a standard zombie.  Do I have a sense of whether this thing is better armored, tougher or both?

EDIT: corrected formatting; removed implication of called shot
This message was last edited by the player at 21:33, Wed 15 Nov 2017.

Despite Ilura's warning, Eryn tried to convince herself that they were doing fine. The zombies were pushing her back, but for all their flailing they had yet to strike her directly. Torchlight flickered behind them.

"Rot-for-brains here don't even have the foresight to keep their weapons handy," she cried to the others. "They attack blindly. I'll keep them focused on me while you strike!"

Eryn drew her breath to regain some composure, but the air was rank with the stench of death and decay, and did not provide much refreshment.

I've got nowhere to retreat to, she thought. The fighter found herself forced to rely on brute strength alone, and so she took one final step backwards to gain some brief respite, before she flung herself forward in attempt to gain some ground on the zombies.

quote:

Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger (Str) to push the zombies back.

Ramming the shield into them.

This message was last edited by the player at 19:04, Wed 15 Nov 2017.

Marcus gave up on his attempt to aid the doctor just as Hiran dismissed him. With a glance over his shoulder, he noticed the approaching zombie. His blade and shield still at his feet, he needed to choose which to go for. At this distance, the shield was a safer bet. With a fluid movement, he grasped it and turned towards the zombie, still crouched. With no space to stand up, he coiled his legs and propelled himself forward, trying to take the zombie away from the wounded mage.

21:40, Today: Marcus rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Defy danger (Str) - force zombie back.
Can this be combined with some sort of an attack?

Rirrik watched as one of his companions slammed into the zombies with her shield. His rattled mind took this as the time to put all his strength into a tackle. He rushed headlong and blindly at the sawfish blade zombie trusting his pure momentum to carry him through. He probably should have trusted in something else...

19:45, Today: Rirrik Lollygag rolled 5 using 2d6.  Hack and Slash (Tackle).

Dr. Krauss's magical cannonball managed to strike its intended target with great effect, but its path wavered on its way there due to the urchin poison messing with Hiran's accuracy.  As the orb skimmed past the fragments of the skeletons, two red eyes flared up from within a cracked skull.  The bits began to coalesce into a solid form once more.  It was a haphazard lopsided monstrosity, but it was mobile and focused intently on clawing its way toward the source of the magic.  Hiran.

However, as the wizard's magic struck the swordfish head of one of the zombies by Eryn, Illura's arrow struck the head of the other.  And with her first arrow still lodged in its neck, the second snapped its head clean off.  The rotten head crashed into Rirrik who successfully tackled its now-motionless body.  Not only did the head land atop the ferocious gnoll, but it also knocked a sack from his belt that contained one of his pre-prepared meals.  It spilled open onto the salty floor, spoiling the breads and meats as they mixed with the sand, saltwater, and zombie flesh.

With the headless zombie now slumping to the floor, Eryn had no problem pushing back against the remaining one.  Its strength was no match for her own without its buddy helping.  As the fighter pushed with her shield, she was close enough to the monstrosity to notice a curious detail.  Hiran's blast had loosened the stitching that was holding its fish head on.  It would be so easy to reach out and tug that thread...

Meanwhile, Marcus was battling a zombie all on his own.  With impressive force, he was able to propel the octo-zombie back in the direction it had come from.  It flew several feet backward, lost its balance, and toppled onto the sand.  Its tentacle arms flailed in the air as it tried to get back up.

What do you do?

Hiran
A skeleton is clamoring toward you.  Also, the poison effect is gone now.  Maybe your body compensated, or maybe Marcus's aid was more effective than it seemed.  Either way, you're better!  Leg is still pretty mangled though...

Ilura
You do have a sense of whether these things are better armored, tougher or both.  But you are the one who has fought these foul creatures many times before.  Tell me, are these zombies above average, below average, or just average?

Rirrik
You have -1 ration.

Eryn
You have the opportunity to pull out the thread holding your zombie's head on.  However, you know it will get through your defenses as you try.  If you pull out the thread, take d6 damage.

Marcus
You asked, "Can this be combined with some sort of an attack?"  You could have rolled Hack and Slash instead of Defy Danger if you wished.  Even if you use something that isn't designed to be a weapon, you can still roll Hack and Slash if it makes sense that you would deal damage with it.  Something to keep in mind for future rolls.  We will keep it as Defy Danger this time.

Hiran scrambles to his feet and begins to just beeline away from the battle limping as quickly as he can. On his way he thinks back almost in a haze.  Maybe this is from the poison still seeping from his body or the loss of blood from his leg but he starts to see images of the overlord, his former master and remember bad memories but memories full of knowledge about these undead, who keeps them coming back, and how to slow down their onslaught.

His moment of peace is then shattered by a taunting screaming tormented spirit.  One of the many that still haunts him each and every day.

11:54, Today: Dr Hiran Krauss rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Spout Lore about the Undead.

Rirrik freaked out when the decapitated landed on his, grabbing at it with both hands he throws it hard out of the the tunnel. Catching his breath, he took the time away from immediate threats to himself to try to calm down. He leaned against the rock, breathed deeply, and tried to gain his composure. Thinking with the pounding in his head was still hard but atleast he wasn't slavering at the mouth and charging around anymore.

Hiran
Even as the spirit screams in Hiran's ear, he is still able to piece together a few useful scraps of knowledge about skeletons and zombies.  Firstly, they are stupid.  Incredibly stupid.  If they are given orders they will try to carry them out no matter what, so if you know what they were ordered you can use it to your advantage.  Secondly, skeletons like to reassemble, but can only do so if there is enough material, and they have enough magic. (Which usually recharges over time.)  He takes a guess that his magic blast gave it just enough oomph to start reassembling again.  The magic that animates zombies can't do that though.  The vessel is too squishy.  They can, however, spread their un-life to other vessels.

Dr. Hiran Krauss, who was the fellow follower of the Overlord who first taught this information to you?

Satisfied with having the zombie on its back, and reflecting for a moment whether it would be better if they were fused with turtles instead of more menacing sea creatures, Marcus turned to see a new danger threatening the mage. Rushing back to Hiran, he tried to reach the doctor before the skeleton did. "Light prevails!" The paladin managed to grasp his sword and turn to slice at the re-reanimated creature, but not fast enough to avoid a counterattack.

19:28, Today: Marcus rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  Crush the skeleton.
19:28, Today: Marcus rolled 5 using 1d10+2.  Bone damage.

Marcus's slice severed the bottom half of the skeleton clean off.  Unfortunately the top half managed to grab hold of Marcus's arm and climb aboard.  Now that it was literally right on top of the paladin, it began to scrape and claw at him with every spare bone of its body.

Marcus
I am assuming "Crush the skeleton" was a Hack and Slash roll. ;)  Where did the +2 in your damage roll come from though?

Also, take d6 damage from the skeleton clinging to you.

Klauss Rottman, he was the man who taught Hiran magic.  Klauss Rottman was one of the Overlord's greatest wizards.  The people called him a Wizard of Murder, what Hiran didn't teach himself was taught to him by Rottman who was a very intelligent and learned man. What happened to him during the downfall is a mystery, but if the overlord is coming back he can't imagine he wouldn't try to bring back Klauss as well.

Krauss recalled the information he had and he took a rough guess as to what it might be the undead were sent there to do.  Realizing he'd never outrun the skeleton on his heels he decided to attempt to play dead.  Hiran held his breath dropped prone and tried his best to make the creature believe he was no longer alive.



14:04, Today: Dr Hiran Krauss rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Playing Dead.
I used charisma assuming that made sense. If you prefer a different stat let me know

Seeing one zombie go down the moment its head was off, Eryn decided that taking it out quickly was worth the risk it posed. She reached out and grabbed onto the first thread she could reach, and pulled as hard as she could. At the same time, the zombie clawed madly back at her, scratching her face even as its head came lose and toppled to the floor. Eryn winced and pulled back, her foe collapsing... but was it truly vanquished?

Turning to check on the others, Eryn spotted a skeleton that had reformed itself already. Seeing Marcus going after it, the fighter tried to check on the fallen enemies before her. If they kept rising, it would be impossible to prevail.

quote:

Eryn rolled 3 using 1d6.  Taking damage from zombie.

No way I could resist an opportunity like that. Minus 2 armor equals 1 damage taken.

quote:

Eryn rolled 4 using 2d6.  Defy Danger (Int). Quick thinking to make undead stay down.

Tried using Defy Danger instead of Discern Realities because I want to figure out a quick way to make them stay down permanently. Tell me if you want a different move rolled. (No really, because that result was bad. :P)

This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Thu 16 Nov 2017.

Marcus has the skeleton that was after Hiran well distracted, but not long after Hiran began playing dead the octo-zombie wandered over.  It stood next to the doctor for a moment, almost as if it were contemplating, then it wandered off back toward the rest of the party.

Meanwhile, when Eryn pulled the thread and the zombie slumped over motionless, it stayed that way.  At least for now.  With her check, Eryn determined that they were no longer animated as far as she could tell.  Which left only one and a half mobile enemies remaining.

Eryn
No need for a Defy Danger, because there is not any danger to defy at the moment.  As for figuring out how to keep the undead down, you could try Spout Lore if it is something you might already have in your memory.  If you want to search for clues on the bodies, it would be Discern Realities, I suppose.  Or you could always just try an educated guess too.  Not everything needs a roll.

If Marcus is close Hiran will try to whisper to him from the ground. "Spread the bones of the dead skeletons and don't use spells against them.  The Zombies will stay down."

It was amazing how quickly the tide of a battle could turn, and then turn again.  She had been worried when her first target barely noticed the arrow in its neck.  In the heightened state of combat, she'd forgotten how senseless the things were.  They never acknowledged their damage until they were totally out of the fight.  Though in truth, when Growler and her mentor had been dealing with them, not many had a chance to experience the sensation of "damaged, but not yet destroyed", and those that did didn't have long to react to it.

She switched her aim to the tentacled creature and was about to fire when Hiran went down.  "Hiran!!"  She ran toward the mage, signalling her crow with a whistle, re-aiming and firing as she ran.  She hadn't seen what had hit the mage.  She prayed it wasn't a shadow...

quote:

23:04, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 1d8+2.  Damage (with crow's assist).
23:03, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Volley at Octopussy.

She'll accept danger - likely putting herself in range of the zombie.  If she can, she'll do her best to dodge.

quote:

23:11, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Defy danger.