Rise of Minodom Part 2 - Bonding over Deforestation
This time on Rise of Minodom
So after their odd meeting, swap players to world map.
'DM this is the map for 'The Realm' game.' -Talas OOC, concerned that I messed up.
'I know...' -Me
Slight OOC catching up for Talas to know exactly where we are timeline wise, since was surprise.
Chireep checks with Talas to make sure he has a good idea of where they are on his map, points out a section of the Bright Woods.
'So where are you taking this message from?' -Chireep
Talas informs her he is taking it from the elves city.
'You came from Vaeri'Jaestra?' - Chireep
'Yeah...' -Talas
'Interesting. Just wondering.' -Chireep
'Never been to Hollo'Dar, they friendly to elves?' -Chireep
'We'll find out.' -Talas
The two decide to head to Millstone first from the Woods, then follow the roads south to Hollo'Dar. Paths make the trip in the mountains much easier.
Talas realizes mid-trip they have no money, plans to bunker at Millstones Inn for a night suddenly have a monkey wrench in the gears.
Worry about it when they get there I guess.
'Don't worry. I know how to get us some money.' -Chireep as she makes a huge over exaggerated wink.
Short spat about Chireep receiving a slap if she robs someone. Chireep claims she never intended to rob anyone, tells Talas to learn how to insinuate better.
In the midst of this, roll for random encounters.
Laugh as I land on 16. Second hardest random encounter for this section of the woods.
'Ohshit he's laughing.' -Chireep OOC
'You didn't see me roll.' -Me as I am double checking what monster they just got.
'I roll perception, can I roll perception?' -Chireep joking OOC
Players banter back and forth about what they are going to die to, or who is going to abandon who first.
This was a surprising development I loved as we play, whenever I have to briefly set something up, they have character conversations against each other. This time its OOC kidding, but later they do legit role-playing.
Begin describing the setting 'So a couple days into your journey you are walking down the road, and the two of you have had some time to small talk a bit. There's enough trust at this point that Talas you think they won't kill you in your sleep anymore, but you do know Chireep is off her rocker. As you are walking down the road Cleo stops and hisses at the forest to the south of you.'
Perception checks!!!!
11 & 23.
Freaking Chireep and her 23. Nature AND perception proficiency bonuses.... *slight mumbling
'Talas, you are looking through the trees trying to find what's up, but are a bit at a loss. Chireep, after spending literally 3 decades in the woods you almost immediately pick out an Awakened Tree right off the side of the road' -Me
'Fuck.' -Chireep OOC
'The Awakened Trees' roots erupt upward from the ground and stretch toward the road, re-plant themselves, and then pulls the rest of the tree towards you with a sort of rapid tug of war motion to move.'
'Oh like the trees in Prince Caspian?' -Talas OOC
'Actually yes.... good example.' -Me
'It's a Treant, they're fuckin' dicks.' -Chireep to Talas
Initiative!
18 Talas, Tree, Chireep, AND Cleo get 2's.
Tie breakers.
Talas, Cleo, Tree, Chireep.
Talas casts Vicious Mockery on the Tree.
Tree fails wisdom saving through, cause it's a tree. 4 damage and disadvantage next attack roll.
Tree shudders slightly making a rustling leaf sound, like a breeze in autumn.
Everyone forgets Cleo is next in initiative, Chireep goes next and nobody realizes mistake till after the turn.
Doesn't matter because she misses attack.
We roll with it.
'CLEO SAVE ME!' -Chireep to raptor.
Points rigorously at tree 'SHOOT HER! SHOOOOOTTTT HER!'
Cleo's turn.
Hits with 6 damage.
'Cleo charges forward to save her friend and master who somehow broke the laws of physics and moved faster than the Tree and a Raptor, jumps through the air and bites off one of the smaller branches.' -Me
Trees turn. Misses
'Roots burst forward from the ground aimed at Cleo, but Cleo is a tiny little raptor and thus is matrix dodging her way through the onslaught of tree appendages, jumps onto a root, leaps off of that, and lands next to you Chireep on the opposite side of the tree.'
In the midst of this description Talas and Chireep are alternating between cheering and singing the Jurassic Park theme.
Talas turn.
'I'm gonna roll acrobatics to see if I can get on top of the tree.' -Talas
'Up in the branches?' -Me hesitantly.
'Yeah' -Talas
'Oh hell yeah, I'm down for that.' -Chireep encouraging.
Rolls acrobatics skill check.
'...' -All of us.
'We're gonna die' -Chireep
'So Talas gets the bright idea to climb the tree and charges forward at it. Now the tree doesn't have a face but you can kind of sense that it sees you coming, and as you are approaching a branch snaps around the tree trunk and hits you down the road a few feet.' -Me
'Well.... Can I attack? I didn't use all my movement...' -Talas
'You can move 10 feet closer again but you can't att-' -Me
'I have a crossbow.' -Talas
'OH RIGHT! Okay yeah you can fire your crossbow.' -Me
Has to roll accuracy at disadvantage because range on hand crossbow is 80-320 feet or something.
Only gets 7, tree AC is 13.
'After landing from the trees blow, Talas rolls to turn around, draws his crossbow and fires. The bolt might have gone up into the leaves somewhere, but it gets deflecting by a root mid-air, spiraling off into the forest.' -Me
Now it's Cleo's turn, since we are back to actual initiative.
Cleo attempts to latch onto the tree for bonus action. Only gets a 4, but it's not an attack. Doesn't go against AC, tree has to beat the roll.
Chireep is yelling inspirational quotes at Cleo as she attempts this.
'Cleo manages to matrix her way through all the roots again and digs her claws into the trunk of the tree and rakes her claws through the trunk of the tree.'
Deals freaking 10 damage to the tree. Since rake is 2d6+2.
Cleo team carry.
'I love you Cleo!' -Chireep shouts.
Chireep is #1 Raptor Groupie.
At this point in the battle, Chireep has done 0 damage, Talas has done 4, and Cleo has done 15.
Trees turn.
Rolls 18 on accuracy against Cleo.
'OH CLEO! it's fine she has plenty of health.' -Chireep
Tree hits for 14.
Cleo now has 4 remaining.
'While Cleo is latched onto the tree, a branch comes and wraps itself around her and then throws her full force against the tree next to Talas. Cleo just stays there laying on the ground after landing. She's trying to get back up, can still fight, but....' -Me
Chireeps turn. Uses bonus action to command Cleo to stand down and stay away. Uses clicks and odd animal sounds.
'Cleo looks at you, in pain and slightly worried, but obeys and goes behind Talas.' -Me
Uses main action to back off a few feet and uses Poison Spray again.
'Come on mama needs a new pair of shoes.' -Chireep OOC, as she rolls accuracy.
Hits.
'MAMA GETS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES!' -Chireep OOC
'You lift your hand and start muttering to yourself, Talas isn't sure if it's more 'Chireep-ing' or an actual spell. A glowing green hexagon appears on your hand and starts spinning, from the center a green mist starts leaking up. After that a blast of poison comes from your palm and hits some of the leaves and a branch on the tree. The leaves wither and die and the branch cracks, it is still attached to the tree but it's dead.' -Me
Talas turn!
Uses bonus action to heal Cleo with Healing Word.
Cleo bumps back up to 12 hp from 4, looks like shes doing a lot better now.
'Because Talas has healed Cleo, Chireep gains respect for Talas. You alright in my book.' -Chireep OOC
'So I only partially moved and can still attack.' -Talas
'Yes.' -Me
'I'm going to fire my crossbow again.'
'Uh Talas. Reloading is a bonus action, and you never reloaded.'
'Oh. Never mind.'
Instead casts bardic inspiration on Chireep.
Cleo team carry up again.
Due to being thrown so far away by the tree, Cleo now gets benefits from charge.
'If the user hits with a claw attack after charging the victim must make a strength saving throw or be knocked prone.'
Praying this raptor doesn't knock over a freaking tree by some miracle.
*Rolls D20 for claw attack accuracy.
HITS.
Roll damage before seeing if tree is knocked over.
Rolls for tree save against being knocked prone.
...
......
Players start snickering at my silent disbelief.
'Cleo, after being healed, has new vigor. She starts sprinting down the road toward the tree again and when she is barely even halfway there she extends her claws as she jumps and shrieks. Lands on the tree and doesn't even wait, just starts freaking out, clawing and climbing around the trunk of the tree. Bark and other tree parts are flying everywhere. The force of the impact on the tree knocks the tree down onto its side so it's now laying on the ground with a raptor clawing at it.' -Me
Trees turn.
Take into account de-buffs due to lying down and other conditions.
The tree at this point thinks that this velociraptor is a demon, and it's frantically trying to get this thing off.
Rolls 1, on the first roll of disadvantage.
Have I ever mentioned I don't know why I still try? Cause I don't.
'The tree is useless, it's panicking at this point, knocked down and flailing, does 0 damage. It doesn't even get near Cleo, whom is just rolling around on this thing having fun.' -Me
Chireeps turn.
'Third times the charm! Hit it with that poison spray!'
Hits and 9 damage with bardic inspiration.
'You walk up to the flailing tree and notice a particular section of the trunk where the bark got pulled off by Cleo. You tear more of the bark off, shove your hand under the first layer, and cast poison spray directly into the tree. A four foot section in the trunk around you starts withering and dying. It looks almost burned, but feels sickly and peeling.' -Me
Talas goes.
'I run up with my rapier and stab it.'
'FINISH IT OFF!' -Chireep
Gets a 12 accuracy, plus 2 accuracy from proficiency. Beats AC by 1.
8 damage, still not dead.
'You sprint up to the tree and see the dead section that Chireep made, and impale your rapier into the tree at the dead area, but then twist your blade up into the living section. Entire rapier but the hilt is buried in the trunk of the tree.' -Me
Talas spends bonus action extracting blade from the trunk.
Cleos turn, team carry finally misses, doesn't beat AC.
'Cleo prepares an attack and jumps up so as to tear back into the tree as she lands, for what WOULD be the killing blow, but finally some of the flailing roots manage to deflect Cleo off to the ground. She isn't hurt, but is off-balance so she has to worry about landing instead of attacking.' -Me
Trees turn. Already know its GG. Only thing it can do really is pull itself back up, invoking attacks of opportunity.
'We gonna fuck it uppppp!' -Chireep
Don't even make them roll for it, there's 3 of them and the tree has 3 hp remaining.
'As the roots are coming out of this thing, it's pulling itself upright and the branches are pushing off the ground. All 3 of you wail on it again.' -Me, I let them choose how they deal their killing blows.
Talas decides to repeatedly stab and carve the tree up with his rapier.
Chireep wants to start smacking it with her quarterstaff in the weaker dead sections.
Cleo sticks to what works and jumps back onto the trunk, clawing at everything again.
'As the tree is pulling itself up, you all go to town in a glorious fanfare of professional weapon handling. Chireep starts masterfully spinning her staff above and around her, using the momentum to bring stronger blows than she could to the weaker parts of the tree. The staff is forcing its way through the dead bits like a lumberjacks axe. Cleo is clawing her way and climbing her way up into the leaves, the snapping of branches is heard. Talas is impaling the trunk, pulling out the blade, slashing across the length and then impaling again.' -Me
'You hear a great rumbling from within the tree, you can tell it's in pain. Then you feel as if the consciousness is gone and there is a small pulse of magic from the tree.'
'Do we absorb it like the dragonborn?' -Chireep OOC jokingly.
'Uh... yo-you gain precious knowledge of the uh.. of the XP's.' -Me in retort.
Cleo pokes her head out of the leaves from above and chirps as she tilts her head.
Roll for 'random event'.
'After the battle ends and you stop hitting it, you hear a loud crack from where Chireep was smacking it with her staff.'
Tree is falling over since Chireep made it easily more than halfway through the tree.
Tree falls to the south harmlessly, nobody is in the direction of the fall.
Cleo leaps deftly from the tree as it tips over.
'The awakened tree is defeated!' I announce.
'Treants are DICKS.' -Chireep
The party continues its journey afterwards, and Chireep attempts to engage Talas in conversation about 'her godlike raptor', insisting that he said something along those lines in battle.
Talas denies this.
Posted Aug 18, 2016, 8:29 PM UTC · edited