The road north, first blood
(GM Comment: Up to now I've been using target as the number you need to roll equal to or
less than to succeed in an action. That way, the target number is the percent chance of success. Fro example, target: 5 means a 5% chance. However, upon consideration, I've decided to reverse that as of this update so that the target is the number you need to
reach to succeed. So, target 96 is a 5% chance. This way, skill bonuses are added to rather than subtracted from you rolls, and we're less likely to ever have to deal with negative numbers. It also reads a bit more intuitively. Though it does mean, for example that "target 96" is a 5% chance of success.)
RomansSee if there are fish in the lake in the lake, if so try to spear one for dinner.
While still, algae in the water makes the visibility surprisingly poor. Not knowing the first thing about spearfishing, but realizing that you're very obviously not going to be able to spear any fish without getting wet, you remove your pack and your clothes and set them down on the dirt. Stepping into the chilly water, your feet ooze and slide across the slimy algae-covered rocks and pebbles, but you retain your balance. Wading out to about waist deep water with your spear, you relax and stand very still, waiting for any fish to come near. Before long you see small hints of movement at the edge of your vision. It seems that there's at least something in here besides you. Now all you have to do it wait for it to come close enough to spear.
As you wait, you see some of your companions on the road, though from the recessed angle at the lake, it's difficult to be sure which. While you're looking up, you feel something brushing against your left calf. Turning very carefully to avoid scaring it, you see a small fish meandering at your side. Rotating your upper torso around and position the spear, you strike.
(
Target: 99 Roll: 23)
It was a good attempt, but the fish effortlessly evades your thrust. In fact, it seemed to have moved before the speartip entered the water. Considering this, you suspect that you telegraphed your motion with your body, and the fish reacted to the the great big thing it was swimming next to moving rather than the spear.
As for the fish, it darts around behind you and swims between your legs, apparently trying to hide between your thighs. Seeing that you can't spear a target this close, you rest the base of your spear to the lake bottom and hook the top against your shoulders and neck so that your hands are free, and simultaneously clench your legs and grab with both hands.
(
Target: 99 Roll: 58)
The fish escapes and your effort bounces your spear off you and into the water. A little annoyed, you submerge yourself to retrieve the spear. Good thing you removed your clothes. It wouldn't do to be walking around in the cold air, dripping wet. Glancing up, you notice that your companions are no longer visible along the road, so you decide to cut your hunting expedition short.
Strangely, about halfway back to shore you see two fish dart past you. Deciding to take the target of opportunity, you thrust your spear again.
(
Target: 99 Roll: 48)
Another miss. As you pull back your spear, however, you see three more fish. You spear again.
(
Target: 99 Roll: 69)
Another miss. But by this time there are perhaps half a dozen fish, where earlier there were none at all. What could be driving them to the lake edge? Turning, you see nothing. But a dread sense of foreboding tells you that maybe now would be a good time to get out of the water. Rushing, you nearly trip and fall on the slimy rocks, but manage to escape, despite terrifying imagery in your mind of hands reaching out and grabbing you.
From the safety of shore, you look out back over the water and see nothing out of the ordinary. Shrugging, you dry yourself with your cloak, put your clothes back on and head back to the road. It seems your companions have grouped up a short distance north of you. You quickly catch up, with a sense of relief, as if you'd just avoided something terrible.
Romans, Andres, Pencil, Kashyyk, Hawk, CrazyabeThen follow the rest to Woodchuck Falls.
Andres follows Dustan and DigitalDemons to Woodchuck Falls.
Pencil heads towards the others and joins them, travelling to Woodchuck falls, looking for anything edible along the way.
I quickly descend from the balcony and jog to catch up with Dustan and Digital, then continue on to woodchuck falls with them.
Tag along with the others going to Woodchuck Falls.
try and make it to Lake town, no point at staying here...
While you don't all agree on destination, the consensus seems to be to follow after Dustan and DigitalDemon up the north road. With no sense of scale shown on the map, it's not clear how long the trip it will take, but it seems you'll have at least some time to decide whether to split up or stay together before reaching the fork in the road.
A few minutes after the 7 of you regroup, Romans catches up with wet hair, and smelling of algae.
looking for anything edible along the way.[/b]
(
Target: 12 Roll 38)
From time to time during your trip, Pencil meanders off the side of the road into the brush and looks around, but always does he come back empty handed. Presumably the refugees who've been passing through this area have scavenged most of the edible greenery.
~Six hours laterThe road has been long and quiet. Whereas weeks ago you were seeing travelers along the road every few days at least, here in the heart of Rumen Valley, the road is empty. At one point, you do spy a deer buck grazing a few hundred feet from the road, but upon seeing you he runs. Still, it's encouraging to know that game does still exist here.
It is still an hour or two before sunset, but at least you've reached the fork in the road. A small engraved sign indicates that the City of Lake Town lies to north, Woodchuck Falls to the northeast, and Junction trading point back the way you came from, to the southwest.
It appears that someone has helpfully updated the sign with chalk.
It's now time to decide where to go. Though unless you wish to continue travelling after dark, it might be worth setting up camp for the night and resuming your journey tomorrow. You still have an hour or two before sundown. While you consider your options, however, Hawk spies two travelers approaching your position from the brush off the road. Turning to greet your new guests and hopefully gain new information, you greet them.
"Hail travellers."There is no response.
The pair are moving at a fast walk. One male, one female, both...a bit pale.
"Guys, I think those are zombies.""Halt, and identify yourselves!"There is no response. You draw your weapons.
(Hawk, bow attack target 50, roll 26+20 MISS
DigitalDemon, bow attack target 50, roll 78 HIT
The arrows strikes the male zombie in the chest. It doesn't slow.
(Hawk, bow attack target 50, roll 39+20 HIT
The arrow strikes male zombie in one thigh. It doesn't slow.
DigitalDemon, bow attack target 50, roll 53 HIT
The arrows strikes the male zombie in the shoulder. It doesn't slow.
Hawk and Digital Demon release several arrows, three of which strikes the male zombie, who doesn't slow despite one of the arrows clearly passing through a lung. A horrible sense of dread fills you as you wonder if it's even possible to kill that which is already dead.
(Hawk, bow attack target 50, roll 46+20 HIT
Another arrow to the chest.
DigitalDemon, bow attack target 50, roll 46 MISS
Another arrow to the chest, but the zombie seems unaffected. It seems it will take more than cutting flesh to kill them. By now the two zombies are at melee range, and it's time for swing with sword and stab with spear.
Dustan Axe attack, target 50 roll 46+20 HIT
Dustan swings down at the male zombie, cleaving through its left collar bone and staggering it slightly.
Kashyyk, sword attack, target 50, roll 24 MISS
Romans, spear attack, target 50, roll 49+20 HIT
Roman spears the female zombie clear through the abdomen.
Pencil, knife attack, target 50, roll 79+20 HIT
Seeing that the female zombie is focused on Romans, Pencil jams his knife into its eye socket and twists the knife through its brain.
Andres, sword attack, target 50, roll 48+10 HIT
Andres slashes a zombie
Crazyabe prays target ? roll 3
ZOMBIE's turn
Male zombie, bite attack, target 50, roll 48 MISS
Female zombie, grapple bite attack, target 50, roll 67+10 HIT
Melee seems to have more effect on the zombies, but they clearly feel no pain. Dustan strikes a particularly effective blow to the male zombie's collar bone that causes it to stagger and impedes its movement, but the zombie neither cries out nor stops its advance.
Roman, however, scores what might have been a slowly fatal gut wound on one, and to your extreme horror, the zombie simply keeps walking towards her, sliding down the spear pole it is still impaled on. Unable to pull the spear back through the still-moving zombie, she instead lets go and and rushes back, the spear still stuck.
Seeing that the female zombie is focused on Romans, Pencil jams his knife into its eye socket and twists the knife up through its brain. To your further horror, the zombie ignores this and simply turns to Pencil and grabs his arm conveniently near her face and takes a bite out of his right forearm. Pencil screams and jumps back out of the zombie's grasp, letting go of his knife in the process.
Dustan Axe attack, target 50 roll 95+20 CRITICAL HIT
Kashyyk, sword attack, target 50, roll 73+10 HIT
Andres, sword attack, target 50, roll 66+10 HIT
Crazyabe prays target ? roll 42
Zombie attack, target 50, roll 36-20(damage) MISS
The fight now being a close skirmish, and their arrows seeming ineffective, Hawk and DigitalDemon retreat back 10-15 feet with arrows at the ready, but holding back from firing lest they risk shooting their companions.
Dustan grips his hatchet with both hands, then slams it down into the male zombie, burying it up to the wood into the zombie's chest. the zombie is knocked off its feet by the force of the blow, and Dustan yanks axe along with chunks of lung and bone as it goes down.
Seeing the male zombie down, Kashyyk switches to the female zombie with Romans spear still stuck in her abdomen, and with a good strike, manages to clearly remove the zombie's arm at the bicep.
Andres approaches from the other side and slashes his sword across the female zombie's other arm, not quite enough to remove it, but damaging it enough that it falls limp from shoulder to elbow, with its remaining hand and forearm twitching.and grasping ineffectually. The zombie ignores this and continues biting at the target in front of her, to no effect.
Then, to your horror...the male zombie gets back up.
Dustan Axe attack, target 50 roll 71+20 HIT
Kashyyk, sword attack, target 50, roll 77+10 HIT
Andres, sword attack, target 50, roll 66+10 HIT
Crazyabe prays target ? roll 29
A few more sword and axe swings, and the zombies are knocked again to the ground, where the several of you continue slashing and chopping at them until they're no longer able to stand. And yet, even though they're in pieces, with arms and legs and heads fully detached from their bodies, the various pieces
continue to move independently of one another.
Testing experimentally, Andres carefully chops a single zombie finger clear from its hand with his sword and watches it continue to wiggle slightly for several minutes unabated.
Killing these might be more difficult than you imagined.
Romans recovers her spear., noting that while now slightly gross, has much less blood on it than it would have had it passed entirely through the abdomen of a still living human. As for Hawk and DigitalDemon's arrows, those that hit the zombies were mangled irreparably during the hack and slash part of melee, but manage to recover the two that missed.
Pencil grips his arm, moaning quietly. Hawk retrieves his knife for him and drops it on the ground where he lay.
It is about an hour until sundown.
Hawk +2 Archery skill
DigitalDemon +2 Archery skill
Dustan +2 Axe skilll
Kassyk +2 Sword skill
Andres +3 Sword skill
Romans +1 spear skill
Pencil +1 Knife skill
-2 arrows Hawk
-2 arrows DigitalDemon
Pencil has a bite-sized chunk missing from his right forearm, and is bleeding
Author
Topic: Assault on Necromancer's Lands (Game thread) (Read 12140 times)