Sellsword

I'm not sure if I will be able to get a post up tonight--if not, I'll follow up with some closing posts on Monday. Will also include experience information, and we can start discussing next steps.

Agreed on all points!

Okay, thank you! I lost one round of edits at some point, it likely happened then. Appreciate the update!

We should be able to limit the extent to which the door opens--whether it's holding it with a shoulder or using a crowbar or some other kind of wedge. So while it might not be perfect, we can hopefully restrict it to 1-2 rats at a time at most. I like the idea of slamming the door in the face of evil, definitely a tactic I plan to use going forward. I'm not sure how heavy on traps Barrowmaze might be, but I'm assuming they're a real threat, so I'm not thrilled about rushing into rooms.

Assuming we survive the encounter and whatever happens after, it's probably worth discussing--now that we've found an entrance to Barrowmaze, are we ready to explore it? Or should we stick to barrow-looting for a while? It's worked out pretty well for us so far. I would love to be able to afford some upgraded equipment and gain a level before we really try to tackle the dungeon, what do you guys think?

A couple retainers and a trained dog wouldn't be a bad idea either. Thoughts?

The chaotic melee continues on, your foes eerily silent as you dodge clubbing strikes by the giant skeletal warriors and the raking swoops of the bonebats. Jack distracts the most wounded of the skeletons, striking it in the skull with a slung stone. At the same time, Mandons, Theoath, Amarandé and his hounds join together in pulling the warrior to the ground, shattering its legs and arms until it is no longer a threat. Once again, Valandil snaps the Sword of the Dales to the sky to meet the dive of a bonebat, parts of the bony wing exploding from the impact as it swoops back towards the ceiling.

From the shadows, each of the bonebats dives at Jack and Kordannaghlan, skeletal talons raking across the exposed skin of their head and neck. Though the wounds are only minor, each is gripped by a numbing paralysis, dropping their weapons before falling to the ground, arms and legs at odd angles.

Mandons slides under a crossing fist of the remaining giant skeleton. The accumulated might of your group, even without the aid of Jack and Kordannaghlan, is simply too great and in a flurry of ringing slashes and crushing blows, you drive it to its knees before Amarandé strikes a killing blow. Though he doesn't quite separate head from spine as he intended, the final strike is enough to render the animated undead still.

The bonebats, responding to whatever call it was that led them to attack, disperse in silent release of necromantic energy, bones scattering to the far corners of the room. The turned skeletons, as well, collapse into piles of bone. In the moment of silence that follows, the sense of being watched also fades, as does the feeling of malice that accompanied the watcher.

Rushing to Jack and Kord's side, their muscles begin to twitch as the paralysis is purged, and they once again regain the ability to climb to their feet, albeit shakily. Your foes defeated, you enjoy a brief sense of relief, though it is quickly followed by disappointment and perhaps frustration. Though you have found the Sword of the Dales and discovered the ultimate fate of the rest of Randal Morn's band, Randal Morn himself is nowhere to be found. You are left only the note that was tied to the Sword, which Valandil shares once again with the group.

Besides the Sword, the casket as well as the rest of the chamber are empty--the only thing that remains is the phantasmal image of the weapons-mage Shraevyn, which looks on silent and emotionless.

OOC: If I have been tracking hit point totals correctly, I show the following wounds:

Amarandé - 5/9 remaining

Snicker - lightly wounded

Theoath - unharmed!

Valandil - 19/21 remaining

Lirion - 7/11 remaining

Kord - 10/16 remaining

Mandons - 8/18 remaining

Jack - 20/23 remaining

Please let me know your course of action!

Slow start to the week! I'll move the combat forward tomorrow, as less than half of the players have posted so far. Catch you then!

No worries, we'll be here!

We've got your back @cailano! It's your game, doors can open whatever way you want them to!

Mandons squares off against the lone remaining zombie, quickly darting in to strike. His first blow lands, cutting deeply, and the warrior continues to hack away until the undead creature is still.

Meanwhile, Kord, Amaril, Theoath, Amarané and his hounds fan out, splitting the attention of the giant skeletal warriors. Though Theo and Kord are unable to land effective attacks, the others consolidate hits on the skeleton that has already been wounded. Bone shards fly as sword and staff strike the creature, and the hounds growl terribly as they dart in and snatch at flailing skeletal limbs. The creature, however, was likely mighty in life and retains much of that strength in undeath--it withstands all of the blows, continuing to lumber around the chamber.

The skeletal warrior swipes at Kordannaghlan but the gnome deftly avoids the attack. Snicker, however--one of Amarandé's hounds--is not as lucky, as the other skeleton pummels it with a bony fist. The dog yelps and rolls away from the attack before getting back to its feet, wounded but still ready to attack.

Raising the Sword of the Dales high, Valandil slashes at one of the bonebats as it swoops overhead. The blade rings as it crashes through ribs, more bone splinters flying, but it pulls away before it can be sundered by the mighty blade. Both swoop and dive, seeking to bite and claw at the group, but you raise shields and weapons and are able to avoid any harm.

OOC: One of the giant skeletons and one of the bonebats are each heavily wounded, the others are as of yet unharmed. You're getting closer, and have had some near misses on attacks. Theoath's protective aura has been putting in work, as have Amarandé's spells to aid you in hitting the enemy!

Dougal tries his best to keep his shoulder on the door, holding against the pressing tide of rats. Thanarkalian's plan might work, but there might not be time to get everything in place. "I think Serpe & Zaivie might be right, we might have to kill these things! Tharn, if you can wedge the door shut might buy us some time, but I think we'll still have to deal with these rats one way or the other."

"Tharn, Allen, Zaivie...you guys should probably get ready for when they break through!"

It doesn't seem like there will be room enough for too many to start hacking at the rabid beasts, but at least only one can come through at a time. "I'll get out of the way as soon as you're ready!"

OOC: If there's room enough for Dougal to be of assistance, he'll join in the fray, but I think he'd be most effective by not getting in the real warriors' way. He'll hold the door as long as he can with Zaivie's help, but even if Tharnakalian manages to get his crowbar in place, I wouldn't want to leave this pack behind us. I agree, they'll likely just gnaw through the door.

I thought the doors opened inward?

Ever one to shy away from the face of danger, Dougal slams the door shut as quickly as he opened it. If someone has a bow drawn behind him, he will of course have the courtesy to duck and allow them to fire before shutting the door. "I had a dream once," he says, exasperated, "about hyperintelligent giant rats that had claws like opposable thumbs and could use them to open doors. Terrifying."

"Maybe we should...uhh," he pauses, out of breath, "just skip this one until we're ready to handle what's inside?"

OOC: Terrifying.

This tactic worked in a convention game I was part of once. Close the door!

Then we can douse the floor outside the door with lamp oil, open the door and ignite the pool. Rats can run through flame to get us while someone can shoot into the room. Thoughts?

Or we can just rig one of these up outside the door...

Oh, now I see! 😶 I wondered why there were so many rolls, I just used the top one. Didn't realize you were rolling for future rounds.

"The room looked empty, but I admit I didn't get close enough to the hole to see what might have made it or what direction it was going. Whatever it was, I hope that whoever came in here before us killed it! Or if it killed them, hopefully its belly is full and it is hibernating."

Dougal nods at Tharnakalian. "Sounds like a plan!" As Thomas is already looking over the first door on the south wall, he'll quiet down so that the thief might be able to hear whatever terrible foe lurks behind it.

Black Dougal is flattered.

When posting actions, certainly when posting actions that are potentially dangerous, I try to make sure there's either party consensus or make it so that I'm the only one at serious risk--and that's usually just to gather more information (such as checking for traps or scouting ahead with backup that has a torch). I also generally include "unless someone has a better suggestion" or "unless someone is seriously against it" in my posts, giving people a chance to speak up before I open the proverbial coffin. 🙃 I try not to be reckless to the detriment of the group, but I also try to keep the game moving since I definitely understand @cailano's comments about parties getting bogged down by analysis paralysis.

That said, I'm also on board with @LarsWester's comment. Some of the best moments at a gaming table have been when a party member goes rogue, and I'd never want to take away a player's ability to play their character.

For dungeon exploration, I think generally the intention should be to check things as we go in the order we find them--so clear the doors closest to the exit, for example. Right or left really doesn't matter (assuming we don't have any inside knowledge that would instruct the decision.

OOC: 7 versus the opponent's 8, but just enough to seize the initiative!

The Sword of the Dales sings in Valandil's hands, blue light flashing as the elf hacks downward, crushing through the creature's clavicle and severing the unfortunate soul's arm and shoulder.

Standing nearby, Amarandé finishes his incantation and the familiar affect of his magic takes place, dim light limning the nearest foes, providing contrast that makes them easier to track in the poor lighting. Both Theoath and Mandons throw themselves at their respective foes, Theoath cutting deep into one of the skeletal giants while Mandons hacks apart another zombie, leaving only one stumbling, animated Freedom Rider foe. Bone shards fly as Theoath pulls his blade free of the thick bone it cut into--the weapon is not ideal for the task of hacking apart skeletons, but not entirely ineffective. Before it can counter, a slung bullet races across the chamber from Jack, knocking the creature's skull, dislodging yet more bone chips as it turns to surveil the room. Though damaged, the skeletal giants are resilient foes. They shake off Amarandé's packs' attempts to pull them down, the hounds being largely ineffective this round.

The zombie ambles towards you aimlessly, unable to track a single foe effectively. Both skeletal giants, however, turn on Theoath. The paladin of Chauntea dodges the blow of the first, but is unable to completely avoid the second skeleton's attack. Fortunately it is but a glancing blow, and Theoath recovers quickly.The skeletons turned by Amarandé's divine presence continue to shuffle in the far corners of the chamber.

Just as you start to gain confidence that you might overcome these foes, however, a pair of creatures descend from the shadows overhead.

Each is perhaps the size of a small dog, but has a wingspan that stretches nearly five feet. Though their wings have no membrane they are possessed of flight, and the air is chill as they pass overhead.

Though he has little chance to pause during the melee, Theoath extends his senses, trying to locate the fell spirit that has been watching over you throughout your search of the tomb. Whoever--or whatever--this presence may be, it does not actually seem to actually be present. Theo is not given long to think over the implications of that, however, as the skeletons ready for another attack.

OOC: One zombie and the two skeletal giants remain, and two of the flying skeletal creatures have joined the fray. If it's not evident from the text, bladed weapons are less effective against the skeletons. Actions please!

"Looks like the way ahead is clear, at least for now. I say we backtrack a bit and take a look at those two doors," Dougal says, pointing at the doors next to one another on the south wall. "We could open them, one at a time, see what might lie behind them. Either that, or take a look at the corridor heading north just past the room we dropped into. Any thoughts?"

OOC: When it comes to doors, Dougal will give them the standard runover looking for any sign of traps. He'll avoid actually touching door handles and such as much as possible, using a boot or his staff where it allows. As a last resort, he'll open doors like a normal human being, but only after doing his best to make sure a poisoned needle or something isn't going to end his life prematurely.

"Safety first!" he says to himself, a look of surprise that he spoke out loud on his face. He was clearly interrupted from whatever he may have been thinking about.

OOC: I'll defer to anyone else that has strong opinions, but I think clearing rooms closest to our exit first makes the most sense. And the thought of something bursting through a wall like the Kool-Aid Man is pretty terrifying.

I'll get the next post up today, was allowing a chance for a few of the others to chime in. I'll move the game forward today.

"Don't forget death from above," Dougal points out, sticking a finger towards the ceiling. "I get the heeby jeebies every time I think about those centipedes."

The systems are different--Labyrinth Lord (the system for which Barrowmaze was designed) is 2d6 to turn undead, BFRPG is a d20. The Barrowmaze table is actually +1 to the Labyrinth Lord values on 2d6.

Hate to point out something that technically works in our favor, especially against undead, but I don't think @cailano intends for us to have an effective bonus to turn undead.

"We should make sure there's nothing roaming these halls before we start kicking down doors. I'll scout ahead, check the corridors if someone wouldn't mind following me with torch. The rest of you mind keeping watch on those doors?"

OOC: Do the doors open inward or outward towards the corridor? I'd like to peek down the visible corridors, make sure there are no baddies lurking (at least as far as the torchlight or maybe a lantern will reach.

To the group--take anything I suggest with a grain of salt, just throwing out options. If it's clear, then I think we listen at each of the doors before choosing one to open. I'll keep checking the corridor for traps, then will check whatever door we choose (hopefully along with Thomas--two sets of eyes are better than one!).

@Arbuthnott very good questions! I've let you all suffer enough through the riddles & misleading parts of the module, I won't draw it out here. This is indeed the Sword, and the end of the tomb complex.

The chamber you are in is large, but terminates in a wall with no other exits. Both walls had secret compartments (I'll talk about plot holes later, if anyone cares to) hiding the undead, but they're basically just small alcoves.

Warned of the oncoming attack, you are prepared and react quickly. Before anyone moves, Amarandé is already part of the way through a spell, divine radiance of his goddess Mystra enveloping each of you, steeling you against the melee to come. Mandons and Amaril rush towards the zombies. The half-orc parries several reaching arms, clearing a space for Mandons to race through the group with his sword. Two quick cross-cuts and one of the zombies is severed below the ribs, parts tumbling to the ground.

Amarandé's hounds attack the closest giant skeleton, growling loudly as they surround it and snap at bony legs. Only one manages to connect and is shaken loose as the skeletal warrior turns its attention to the hounds. Meanwhile, Kord races towards the other giant skeleton, sliding between its legs while attempting a cut. It misses, glancing off the huge femur, but the gnome manages to disengage again without harm.

Valandil steps forward towards the casket, reaching in to withdraw the blade. The blade is well-balanced, lighter than he'd expect it to be, and its highly polished steel gives it a mirrorlike appearance. The hilt is inlaid with gold and precious gems, and the whole weapon glows with a soft blue radiance. Though there is no emotion, no intelligence within the steel, the power of the enchantment on the blade is palpable.

The undead make no reaction when Valandil turns to face them with blade in hand, continuing to lumber forward as warriors and hounds from your party dart between them. Valandil slashes at the nearest zombie, a glancing blow by any measure, but the Sword of the Dales pulses with power, cutting deeply into the creature's leathery flesh, nearly severing the arm.

OOC: The Sword of the Dales functions as a +3 long sword when utilized in combat. It is possessed of other abilities as well, but that's the only one pertinent to this combat.

I'll pause here to take actions for the first round, and give others a chance to catch up. Jack, Theo & Lirion can include surprise round actions if they like. I gave Amarandé the benefit of the doubt with the bless spell, you'll likely need all the help you can get!

So far during the surprise round one of the zombies has fallen to Mandons' blade, another was wounded by Valandil, and one of the hounds gnawed on one of the giant skeletons. The bless spell is in effect, adding +1 to attack rolls going forward. Please post your actions, I'll move forward tomorrow!

"Best case scenario," Dougal says with a smile, shedding just a bit of his former gravitas, "another adventuring band made them, and either we either never meet or pass them by amicably. Worst case..." he continues, trailing off, "it's another band, maybe Bertrand, that sees us as rivals and cuts our throats. Or maybe hobgoblins, and they try to cut our throats. Could also be zombies or ghouls, potentially orcs, maybe evil cultists worshipping some dead god?"

Dougal investigates the tracks, then shakes his head. "Odds are it's something that's going to try and kill us. Best be on our toes."