Hoard of the Dragon Queen Game Thread

[Filtro]

For the past several days, you have been traveling a road that winds lazily across the rolling grasslands of the Greenfields. Sundown is approaching when you top a rise and see the town of Greenest just a few short miles away. But instead of the pleasant, welcoming town you expected, you see comlumns of black smoke rising from burning buildings, running figures that are little more than dots at this distance, and a dark, winged shape wheeling low over the keep that rises above the center of the town.
Greenest is being attacked by a dragon!

[Muenster Man]

Torrash's heart felt like it was in his throat. Never been in a real fight before. Trained until my legs gave out and my knuckles were bloody for many years, but that was all practice. Even going a few rounds with Belak has been mere child's play for what comes next.

Breaking out into a fast jog, he yells back at the group. "THIS IS WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR! THESE ARE THE ANSWERS AND THIS IS THE GLORY WE SEEK! THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WE WILL PROTECT! ONWARD!"

The group still had several miles to go, and many innocent lives would be lost in the meantime. Torrash had to remind himself to pace his stride or he'd be exhausted on arrival. Grabbing a javelin from his back, Torrash remembers his combat theory training.

When approaching a distant target, take the time to attack from range at first while trying to keep your shield up. Your momentum will help carry thrown objects with little accuracy loss from movement. Then, when the target(s) are weakened, close in and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Torrash draws his shield as well, ready to engage in combat.

[Anubis Dread]

A dragon? Was a friend of Torrash? If it was it probably wouldn't be attacking a town like that. Unless it was a mean town... but if it was a mean town he wouldn't be yelling about protecting it. Innocent wasn't really sure what he could do to help out protecting a town, since he was small even compared to his companions. And especially compared to a full sized dragon! But it would be boring not to at least try if his friends were going to do so.

"Yes sir shiny dragon man!" Innocent agreed, nodding firmly before following behind the paladin... right behind... carefully angled to hide from any enemies that may or may not be around behind. Innocent liked the dragonborn. He as made of silver after all. If you had him in a store, and gave him to a shop keep, you could buy EVERYTHING in the store! Unless the things in the store were silver and weighed more than Torrash. Or were made of gold. But he was a careful halfling. He didn't want to get caught in the open.

Spoiler

Show

Lightfoot Halfling racial to hide behind Torrash for... pretty much ever. Innocent is shy

Stealth: (1d20+8)[16]

[tomafox]

Veran feared this would be happening. He needed to find Talis and fast.
"Alright. Look alive, friends! We came here looking for dragons and here we found one.
Even so, our priority should be to help the people find a safe place, first. After we evacuate or secure the town, we will engage the dragon and bring him down, along with any fanatical idiotic cultist and kobold who cross our path!"

The bard then started playing on his viola and singing, performing an inspirational song as the five of them ran towards the town.
Performance - (1d20+5)[6]

So far away we wait for the day
For the light source all wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

Tan tan taran tan tan tan tan

[Muenster Man]

As he got closer to their target, Torrash couldn't help but feel a little sad at Veran's song. He appreciated the effort, but he wasn't sure it was helping.

[Surgate]

Belak finally caught up with the rest of the group. He hung back from everyone to contemplate how he was going to prove his dedication, and what awaited them in Greenest when the sight of a dragon attacking conjured dim memories of a long forgotten past. His head felt like an egg slowly boiling, ready to crack open if enough force was applied, and then Torrash's cry, and that horrible tune finally helped him regain his senses.

His armor weighted him, and his shield was now firmly in the grasp of his left hand, sword drawn in his right. This wasn't the first crisis he has encountered, and all his training with Torrash had helped him maintain the confidence he earned after that horrible and grotesque encounter with the walking undead...there was something even more terrifying still seeing the power of a dragon fly over head, unmatched, an image of what he once was.

Belak shook all such thoughts from grasp, and focused his attention on the perfectly shining brass wedding ring on his left hand, over the gauntlet's ring finger. It never tarnished, so he exposed it always, and it reminded him of home...

"Stay sharp, follow Torrash, and we can make a difference. Bahamut guides us!" Belak spoke with confidence, though his face was furrowed in absolute seriousness.

[kazooka]

Leif leaned heavily on his staff, ignoring the pain that shot up his right leg with every thudding step as he increased his pace to keep up with the others.

"Um, excuse me, pardon me, yes, um, what is it that we're doing here? I mean not that I'm questioning anyone's abilities or decisions, t's just...well, it's my understanding that the usual contingency upon spotting a dragon is to take cover and possibly report it to the nearest authorities? Whereas, I can't help but notice that we seem to be marching towards the, uh...dragon."

[Anubis Dread]

"But Mr. Lief sir, we ARE the closest authorities!" Innocent noted, cocking his head in confusion. "And if we weren't then they would be over there anyway, so we'd need to go there to tell them a dragon was attacking them," he went on, pointing at the town in the distance as though his sentence made any logical sense.

Innocent wasn't very happy about running towards a big scary monster either, but they had some strong people with them. They'd be fine as long as nobody noticed them...

[Filtro]

The sun has set by the time you reach the edge of town. Burning buildings and a half moon provide dim light throughout the town. The inside of the keep is brightly illuminated.

As you arrive, you notice most of the flames come from haystacks and barns, not from homes of shops - thatch isn't as flammable as it looks.

Without warning, five humans dash out from between two buildings on your left. A limping man and three young children race across the street into more shadows, and a woman carrying a round shield and a broken spear turns and faces back in the direction from which they came.
Eight kobolds stream out of the alley on the family's heels and fan out around the woman, who looks determined to delay the creatures for as long as possible

Please roll initiative.

GAME MAP

Spoiler: Initiative Rolls

Show

woman - (1d20)[4]
limping man - (1d20-2)[18]
child1 - (1d20)[15]
child2 - (1d20)[19]
child3 - (1d20)[11]

K1 - (1d20+2)[19]
K2 - (1d20+2)[19]
K3 - (1d20+2)[5]
K4 - (1d20+2)[20]
K5 - (1d20+2)[9]
K6 - (1d20+2)[4]
K7 - (1d20+2)[14]
K8 - (1d20+2)[12]

[tomafox]

(1d20+3)[4]
Veran wondered where Talis could be and if she was still alive.

[Muenster Man]

Torrash slows down just enough, throws his arm back, and lets his javelin fly at the closest kobold.

Spoiler: Attack Roll

Show

Attack: (1d20+6)[17]
Damage (1d6+4)[6]

Immediately after, he picks his speed back up to full while drawing his longsword. He positions himself to face the oncoming kobolds, beside and just a half-step ahead of the woman with the spear and shield. Looking back at her, he says "Protect your family or stay and fight. Choose quickly!"

Torrash looks back at the kobolds to see if any would advance on him.

[Muenster Man]

Spoiler: Initiative!

Show

Ahhhhh, forgot to roll this
(1d20)[6]

[Anubis Dread]

Nobody saw him? Nobody saw him. Good, that meant he could just hide behind the big dragon man rather than be attacked by lots of kobolds. Though he should probably help too...

Nodding, the halfling remained hidden for now. But that was the first step to helping, right? He wasn't all that good when he didn't attack from hiding

Spoiler

Show

Initiative: (1d20+4)[20]

[Surgate]

Belak stood shoulder to shoulder with Torrash, "This is the line! They move no further than this!" Belak shouted, sword and shield raised, brows furrowed, his mouth pursed in absolute focus. Kobolds...disgusting creatures.

Spoiler: Initative

Show

(1d20+1)[10]

[kazooka]

Leif had some very strong doubts about all of this. He had joined these armsmen with the idea that it would be the best protection he could get on the road to Greenest. Now, he was beginning to wonder if he hadn't put himself in the most dangerous position possible, a suspicion confirmed when a large number of kobolds emerged from the smoking wreckage of the town.

"Not much point in running, I suppose," he muttered, shifting his weight away from his withered leg. The brace he had constructed allowed him a reasonable degree of movement and agility, but he suspected it wouldn't hold up to sustained flight, or combat for that matter. Fortunately, he had prepared something especially for this dangerous trip. He spoke a long, complicated passage of proto-Elvish and thumped his staff against the ground and was immediately encased in a shimmering, translucent sphere.

Spoiler

Show

(1d20)[8] Initiative
Leif casts Mage Armor on himself giving him AC 13 for 8 hours.

If hit by an attack, Leif will take his Shield reaction, giving him +5 AC for a full round.

[Filtro]

Initiative Stack
1 - Innocent, Children, Limping Man
2 - Kobolds 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8
3 - Belak
4 - Kobold 5
5 - Veran, Torrash and Leif
6 - Kobold 3
7 - Woman with Spear and Shield
8 - Kobold 6

GAME MAP

The children keep running away. The man stops for a moment, watching the woman, "Linan! Keep running, woman!"

[Anubis Dread]

He really didn't like this... if he took a shot, they'd all know where he was, but if he didn't the lady could get hurt... struggling for himself for a bit, Innocent eventually poked his head around his dragonoid shield and took a pot shot at the frontmost kobold.

"Meanie!" Innocent stuck out his tongue as he shot an arrow... before immediately running to the absolute back of the group. Maybe... maybe they still didn't know he was there...

Spoiler

Show

Shortbow: (1d20+6)[15]
Advantage From Stealth: (1d20+6)[24]
Damage (including Sneak Attack): (2d6+4)[14]
On Crit Add: (2d6)[4]

[Surgate]

Belak braced himself, shield raised, sword ready to swing at the closest of Kobold he could get to, and as they advanced, Belak's draconic mind relished the thrill of another battle, despite the dangers abroad, his pride couldn't be tarnished, much like his wedding ring.

Of course he needed to protect the defenseless, as Bahamut surely would agree with, but what was wrong with enjoying the sport of it all?

Spoiler

Show

-Attack Closest Kobold, (1d20+6)[7]
-Damage on hit, (1d8+4)[8]

[Filtro]

Little Innocent shoots an arrow and pierces one of the kobolds' head. At this point, they seem to notice the five of you moving towards them. Some of them keep going for the woman, others start moving towards the party.

Kobolds 2 and 4 rush towards the woman, trying to stab her with their daggers.
They are using Pack Tactics, so they gain advantage
K2 roll1 - (1d20+4)[20]
K2 roll2 - (1d20+4)[8]
K2 damage - (1d4+2)[4]

K4 roll1 - (1d20+4)[24]
K4 roll2 - (1d20+4)[19]
K4 damage - (1d4+2)[3]

Kobold 7 and 8 engage Torrash in melee combat.
They are using Pack Tactics, so they gain advantage
K7 roll1 - (1d20+4)[19]
K7 roll2 - (1d20+4)[6]
K7 damage - (1d4+2)[4]

K8 roll1 - (1d20+4)[6]
K8 roll2 - (1d20+4)[9]
K8 damage - (1d4+2)[4]

GAME MAP

Initiative Stack
1 - Innocent, Children, Limping Man
2 - Kobolds 2, 4, 7 and 8
3 - Belak
4 - Kobold 5
5 - Veran, Torrash and Leif
6 - Kobold 3
7 - Woman with Spear and Shield
8 - Kobold 6

[Filtro]

The kobolds stab the woman nearly to death, but she seems to endure the wounds for now, and still stands.

[Filtro]

Belak quickly assisted Torrash, swinging at one of the kobolds, who dodged the attack

Kobold 5 rushes in to attack Belak with his dagger
atk roll - (1d20+4)[16]
damage - (1d4+2)[3]

GAME MAP

Initiative Stack
1 - Innocent, Children, Limping Man
2 - Kobolds 2, 4, 7 and 8
3 - Belak
4 - Kobold 5
5 - Veran, Torrash and Leif
6 - Kobold 3
7 - Woman with Spear and Shield
8 - Kobold 6

[Muenster Man]

Stepping back to get a good angle on his opponents, Torrash inhales deeply, and exhales a cone of frost on his opponents, targeting the 3 in front of him and Belak (hopefully more in the back as well) while avoiding his allies.

Spoiler: Cone of Cold

Show

15 foot cone of cold
Damage: (2d6)[9]
Constitution save for half damage: DC 11

Should Torrash clear a path, he'll run up to the two kobolds attacking the woman with the shield and will growl at them in Draconic "Fight me instead, or run if you will! Otherwise you'll suffer!"

Edit: Torrash will use his reaction to attack any other kobold besides the two in front of him if they provoke an attack of opportunity

[tomafox]

Veran holds his position behind the warriors and shoots a bolt at kobold 5.
(1d20+5)[23]
(1d8+3)[8]

[kazooka]

Spoiler

Show

Still casting mage armor

[Filtro]

K5 con - (1d20-1)[2]
K7 con - (1d20-1)[4]
K8 con - (1d20-1)[8]

[Filtro]

Torrash freezes the three kobolds and rushes to the others, flanking the human.

Leif casts a magical protection around himself.

Veran moves into position and shoots an arrow through Kobold 2's head, killing it.

Kobold 3 moves in to attack the woman
They are using Pack Tactics, so they gain advantage.
[roll=atk roll]1d20+4[/roll]
[roll=advantage]1d20+4[/roll]
[roll=damage] 1d4+2[/roll]

GAME MAP

Initiative Stack
1 - Innocent, Children, Limping Man
2 - Kobolds 2, 4, 7 and 8
3 - Belak
4 - Kobold 5
5 - Veran, Torrash and Leif
6 - Kobold 3
7 - Woman with Spear and Shield
8 - Kobold 6

[Filtro]

atk roll - (1d20+4)[15]
advantage - (1d20+4)[23]
damage - (1d4+2)[4]

[Filtro]

The woman drops her shield and falls, bleeding, on the ground.

Kobold 6 rushes towards Veran to cut him
(1d20+4)[15]
(1d4+2)[4]

The children run and hide behind the house. The limping man stops, "Linan! Nooo!"

GAME MAP

Initiative Stack
1 - Innocent, Children, Limping Man
2 - Kobold 4
3 - Belak, Veran, Torrash and Leif
4 - Kobolds 3 and 6

[Anubis Dread]

Oh no oh no oh no, this was bad. But at least they weren't paying any attention to him. Though it would be better than them paying attention to the woman... still they could get to her and help her still! Not him specifically, blood made him woozy, but one of them.

For now Innocent shot off another arrow, before leaping back to the back of the group.

Spoiler

Show

Attacking the kobold attacking Veran - since he's adjacent to an ally I get sneak attack.

Attack: (1d20+6)[26]
Damage: (2d6+4)[13]
On Crit Add: (2d6)[6]

[Filtro]

Innocent shoots Kobold 6 in the eye, piercing his skull. He's a goner.

Finally noticing the party and that his pack was losing this fight, Kobold 4 moves away, drawing his sling, tossing a stone at Torrash.
(1d20+4)[23]
(1d4+2)[6]

GAME MAP

Initiative Stack
1 - Innocent, Children, Limping Man
2 - Kobold 4
3 - Belak, Veran, Torrash and Leif
4 - Kobolds 3 and 6