GaryD20

The party leaves the cover of the wagons and advance slowly toward the fallen cow and the stomach churning munching sounds. 

Before they can get more than a few feet from the wagons, a slight tremor rumbles the ground. As the companions look on, a form rises up from behind the dead cow. It rises up several feet into the nighttime air. As the creature rises, a monstrous maw splits open. Rows of dagger like teeth drip blood and chunks of entrails. Surrounding the maw is a mass of writhing, sinewy tentacles. Each appendage is thick and muscular, tapering to razor-sharp tips, as if honed for some unknown purpose. 

 As the tentacles unfurl, the monstrous form of the creature is finally revealed. 

The tentacles undulate and sway like writhing serpents. 

A putrid stench fills the air.

And there, in all of its hideous glory, stands the thing of nightmares!

Initiative OrderGemlia

Mort

Mordel

Gray

Worm

Kharn

Good luck!

Just wanna be clear, cause in the Game Forum everyone says their moving toward the cow. Here in the OOC, everyone says they're holding. 

Ok, so from what I read in the Game Forum, everyone, except Mort, is moving toward the cow? 

That's what I'm running with unless I hear otherwise.

With heightened senses, the party goes on the alert.

The agitation of the corral animals intensifies. Some begin trotting around nervously. Others press themselves against the railings in apparent attempts to distance themselves from something unseen.

As the animals scatter, a single cow can be seen standing alone at the center of the corral. It doesn't move. It doesn't make a sound. It just stands there, eerily.

Suddenly, the cow falls over on its side. Still no movement or sound comes from the animal. 

Then faintly, the sound of rending flesh, slurps and chomps, can be heard. 

Just for my information, before I post... Everyone holding their positions and waiting to see what happens next? Or is anyone planning on taking an activist first?

@Malkavian Grin No worries. 

Yeah, I'm not familiar with Savage Worlds, but I like the exploding dice from EZD6. 

@jokomaisu Thank ya, thank ya.

This is a great deal. I'm not to familiar with Starfinder. How "crunchy" is it? Are the rules and mechanics favorable for solo play? 

Going strictly off the list, I'd say IronSworn. I can't speak to Dungeon World or Fate Core, having never played them. 5E is just... Eck! Not a fan of it.

@eltorin Thank ya, thank ya.

I love the OSR inspired rulesets of games like Into the Odd, Knave, and Cairn. I like the idea of the fiction taking precedence over dice rolls, rules, and mechanics. I like the classesless nature of these systems, where the equipment characters carry and their in game experiences define them, not the class assigned to them and a list of skills they may or may not have. 

And I love the dice mechanics of Tunnels & Trolls. It's just so different than anything else out there. Probably the most fun you'll have rolling dice. In my opinion, anyways. 

Ok, just posted. Apologies on the delay. Should be good to go from here on out (knock on wood). 

The companions spend the rest of the day planning and getting things ready for the night to come.

Aelric, at one point, comes out to deliver a large basket of food and pitchers of water. Nothing fancy, just an assortment of dried meats and fruits, cheese and bread.

At another point, Aelric informs you that the boy, Bart, has recovered from his paralysis. The boy was still frantic with fear, on the verge of hysteria, and had to be given something to make him sleep. "Kept going on about something in the ground. Teeth and tentacles. I pray it's more delirium and less truth. Doesn't sound like anything I would want to come across. Much less at night."

The first night goes by uneventful for the companions.

The second day is spent much like the first, talking plans and strategies and waiting for nightfall. Aelric makes a couple appearances with food and information on Bart. The boys condition has improved overnight. Although no longer hysterical and terror stricken, he isn't doing much talking. "Still in shock is my guess," he offers.

As dusk begins to settle in on the farm, the companions begin settling in for their second night of waiting...

Well after midnight, as the moon begins its descent toward the horizon, a sound comes to Mordel's ears. Straining to make out what it is, he soon realizes that he is hearing the agitated sounds of the few cows and horses in the corral behind the barn. 

OocOk, so I have Mordel and Khane in one cart. Gemlia and Gray in a second cart. And Mort up top in the barns hayloft.

That's what I'm going with.

Good luck!!

And just because I may (or may not) be needing them shortly, everyone make a SURPRISE CHECK. That way I'll already have them if needed. I may not need them. This is just to save time in case I do.

Also, give me INITIATIVE ROLLS. Again, just so I'll have them already, when/if needed.

Hey, I haven't forgotten about y'all. Got some personal stuff I'm dealing with. If I don't get anything posted today, then I'll for sure have something posted tomorrow. After that I should be back to posting regularly again.

Aelric nods his head as the companions begin to discuss their options and make their plans. "Do what you must to end this. Use whatever you need from around the farm. I'll leave you to your planning. I'm going to check in on the boy, Barth."

Aelric turns and heads off toward the farmhouse.

PlansYou guys let me know what the plan is here. What's the overall strategy? How are you gonna go about implementing it, etc.
I'm just going to assume that whatever you need for the plan is available on the farm. Within reason, of course.

Vaults of Torment gets my vote. Mörk Borg is already a hellscape of a setting. But, a prison in Mork Borg? Holy crap! Could you imagine? They all sound good though. Plus, if I've read everything correctly, the first three all lead into the STANDARD game. Good times!

@Whitleyrr @Kanavel Welcome to / back to MW. What systems are you into (other than 3.5)?

@guitarist Always welcome. Post when you can. I've been slow posting myself. Real-life can be a pain in the arse at times! 

Investigating the hole at the corral, Mordel doesn't find any claw marks or footprints. Nor fur. He does find what seems to be a gunk of some short of slimy substance mixed in with the dirt. 

At the cornfield, Gemlia observes the hole to be roughly 2 to three feet wide (hard to tell exactly as the soil is very loose and pliable). Good dirt for growing crops. Probing the hole with her mace, she discovers the hole to be fairly shallow. It seems to penetrate just below the surface a few feet and turns back towards the forest. 

Turning to Mort, Aelric says, "Nothing sickly or runtly, but if it means stopping this creature from killing another person I'll gladly supply whatever I have as bait, if you think it will be of use." 

@eltorin Also, I know Gemlia is inspecting the hole at the cornfield. Mordel are inspecting the hole at the corral correct?

@eltorin @Malkavian Grin No ability check roll needed. Both of you are pretty descriptive in what you are doing and searching for. And I don't think the information you are looking for requires any special knowledge or training, etc. 

3 hours ago, guitarist said:

Hi folks, I’m still here, just a bit of writer’s block lately.  Didn’t want y’all waiting on me.  Hope everyone’s well today.

Everyday above ground is a good day in my book.

Here's my 2¢ for what it's worth...

(1) If going strictly by simple mechanics and ease of use and understanding, you can't go wrong with Index Card RPG and Tiny Dungeon. EZD6 also, now that I'm thinking about it. All three are very simple mechanically. Especially Tiny Dungeon. For a new GM these would be very first timer friendly. For new players to, for that matter.

The down side is that there aren't a ton of prewritten adventures out there for them. There's some, but not many.

Index Card has a free Quick Start on DriveThru. Not sure about Tiny Dungeon and EZD6. I'd have to check.

(2) Can I get some love for Tunnels and Trolls on here? Maybe not the best system for a straight up newbie GM, but a GM already with experience as a player in other systems shouldn't have much of a problem. There's a tad bit of math involved but after a combat round or two it'll become second nature. It's pretty easy to pick up. There's a shit ton of solo adventures out there for it. Might have to do a little more digging for GM led adventures but they're out there. Shouldn't be a problem.

A Quick Start or free rules? I'd have to check.

Tunnels and Trolls is the shit. Don't know why this game doesn't get more love than it does.

"Aye," Aelric says with a nod to Mordel. He indicates a barn off in the distance. "You can put up there. Up in the hayloft. It's pleasant enough. Plenty of room and an advantageous view I would think."

The old farmer turns and begins heading off in the direction of the half eaten cow. It lies not far from the barn. As the companions draw nearer they see a corral that they hadn't noticed before coming off the backside of the barn. A section of the fencing has been knock down and scattered, which is why it wasn't noticed before. Just inside the fence line a hole, roughly three feet in diameter, can be seen. The cows blood and entrails litter the ground around it.

"There is another one over there," Aelric says pointing to the edge of a nearby cornfield, close to where the body of Larz lies. The first few rows have been trampled down and another hole can be seen.  

"Can you make anything of it? I can't. I've never seen anything like this in my life." Aelric looks at the party expectantly.