The Seventh Adventure

Mushgnome's Hobbet-centric PBP

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Post by mushgnome » Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:18 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

Kiplyn descends 40' and is just above Dougal, who is studying the web, deep in thought. Kiplyn sees that Dougal has a serious, far-away expression on his face. He is absent-mindedly fidgeting with the middle finger of his right hand; probably not even aware he's doing it, just a nervous tic.

Dougal is mesmerized by the thoughtful architecture of the Spider-Goat's web. He feels like there are intricate and hypnotic patterns in the webbing, that are beyond his senses but would have meaning to other spider-thingies. The web is not slapped together willy-nilly style; it is constructed with great care from three different types of strand: radiating cable-like structural strands, a matrix of sticky webbing for catching prey, and taut, hair-thin strands for transmitting vibration. Within his immediate 30' bubble of lantern-light, Dougal doesn't see any central piles of treasure or shiny objects. However, here and there are the cocooned remnants of past meals, and Dougal has the gruesome thought that some of the hobbet-sized cocoons might contain valuable items. The Grand Chasm stretches out of sight to the west, and is choked with webbing as far as the eye can see. From past Adventures, Dougal remembers that the Chasm makes a big C shape, about 200 feet long, and that the Spider-Goat's hunting grounds stretched as far as area 6 on the map. Dougal would bet money, the entire Chasm is fully webbed (not just this end of it).

As Dougal dangles at the end of his rope, he can't shake this thought: The web was specifically designed to catch falling hobbets. He doesn't have to be frightened; it will surely hold his weight. So long as he watches his step and avoids the sticky strands, it should be quite safe to move around in the web. In fact, Dougal can't help thinking, that the raw silk might feel nice against the bare soles of his hobbet-feet, like a soft pair of slippers.

Will Dougal trust his spidey sense and try his luck at web-walking? What about Kiplyn? How does he react?
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by mgtremaine » Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:59 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

Kiplyn speaks softly "Are you ok Dougal? Does your ring feel strange or something, you keep touching your hand, you don't think it some sort spider ring or something do you?"
[f=4]Wen the Pale, Elf Hero/Spellbinder (MV 12", AC 9, HD 4/2, hp 11/11, FC Hero, L) helm, bow[/f]
[f=47]Kiplyn Sorefoot, Hobbet Thief (Lv: 4 AC: 5 Hp 12) Leather+Shield+Dagger, Sling[/f]
[f=59]Tass Purrfoot (Agile Hobbet Varlet, MV 9′′, AC 7, HD 2, hp 8, FC 2 men, SV T7, N)[/f]

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Post by rredmond » Wed Jan 19, 2022 10:51 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

Noh' helps with holding a rope and sees there are plenty of eyes down below, so he nods at Carc to stay on his shoulder.
mushgnome wrote:
Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:38 pm
@rredmond, watching this play out, do you still want to send your animal companion down the hole? If so, I would roll 1d6 and make an Investigate check for Carc, like I did for Dougal. Since Dougal already rolled 5, here is my situational ruling: On a roll under Dougal's 5, Carc learns nothing new. On a roll of 5+, his keen animal senses pick up something that Dougal missed. But on a roll of 6, Carc learns a little too much, and Noh's Mythos increases to 1.
So Noh would incur the Mythos point? Not Carc, good, sounds fair. Maybe next time ;)
[f=47]Noh’won the Wiser[/f]
Kiplyn: ...no closer to pancakes and rest!
[f=59]Garamon [Hardy Hero, MV 9′′, AC 4, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L][/f]
Wraislin: arcane fire spewing from his fingertips and reaping barbeque death!

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Post by mushgnome » Wed Jan 19, 2022 11:39 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

@rredmond, we can definitely have an ongoing conversation, to hash out the exact details and extent of Noh and Carc's special connection. To what extent do they share thoughts and feelings? If one of them is harmed, does it affect the other? Does Carc have his own independent Mythos score, or is he an appendage of his master's will?

I don't think there is a single "right" answer to these questions. I'm somewhat intrigued by the idea that an animal companion could know more Mythos than their master, and what that would look like, in-universe? Perhaps in that case, the Druid would see their animal companion as a sort of mentor or spirit guide. There was an underrated Playstation game called "Mark of Kri" that featured a raven animal companion 'Kuzo' (voiced by Keone Young of Deadwood fame). Sometimes I think of Kuzo when Carc is having his adventures.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by kipper » Thu Jan 20, 2022 3:52 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

Dame Simonetta waits, her brow furrowed in concentration. She is listening carefully for any odd sounds and is ready to pull the rope at a moment's notice.

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Post by mushgnome » Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:07 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

Dame Simonetta doesn't hear any approaching monsters, nothing threatening. She does hear one thing that's kind of odd, though:

As Kiplyn whispers to Dougal, the way his voice echoes is strange. "Are you ok Dougal... Dougal... Dougal..." with a long decay time.

The chasm is a relatively claustrophobic space, only 20' wide and choked with webs. Dame Simonetta wouldn't expect such a long echo. It's weird.

Dame Simonetta listen roll 1d6=5, success. Maybe it was the brow-furrow, that made the difference.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by ehiker133 » Thu Jan 20, 2022 5:06 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

Dougal spider walks.
Does Dougal spider walk??? lol. Is the Pope a part of a generations-old worldwide conspiracy to subjugate all of the Earth's denizens to Catholicism?
[f=47]Dougal Blackfoot (MV 9", AC 6, Lvl 4, HP 10/10) [/f]
[f=59]Goldwen (Sagacious* Abbess, MV 9′′, AC 6, HD 2+1, HP 9, FC 2 men, SV C3, L][/f]

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Post by mushgnome » Thu Jan 20, 2022 5:57 pm

Re: The Seventh Adventure

This scene plays out from two different perspectives.

The other Hobbets watch as Dougal ignores Kiplyn's question, lets go of the rope and trusts his weight to the web. With a sickening lurch, Dougal immediately drops ten feet into the void, as the web sags under his weight. Then he trampolines back up again, and with a cartoonish 'booooiiiing' Dougal is oscillating in the web, bobbing up and down like a cork. (If you've ever seen a cellar spider's defensive vibrations, it's kind of like that.) His situation looks precarious, like a tightrope walker in a hurricane!

Does Kiplyn join Dougal in the web, now that he sees how safe it is?

From Dougal's point-of-view however, the motion of the web is gentle and soothing, like a ship in calm seas. Dougal is confident the web will hold his weight, and there is absolutely no chance he will fall. Spider-Goat didn't half-ass this web; it's strong enough to catch a moose. Does Dougal want to explore a bit, maybe check out the area to the west? From his perspective, it's like he's standing at the bottom of a 50' canyon, and the floor of the canyon is a soft carpet of gently undulating silk. It feels nice on the soles of his feet.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by mushgnome » Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:25 am

Re: The Seventh Adventure

A Few More Words about Climbing

I mentioned earlier that abseiling down a rope is the easiest difficulty 1, with automatic success for thieves and 5-in-6 odds for non-thieves.

Getting back up the rope is difficulty 2 if the rope is adjacent to a wall (as in this case), or difficulty 3 if the rope is dangling in empty space.

There are lots of things a climber can do to improve their odds of success, such as setting iron spikes, or having a climbing partner at the other end of the rope. For example a non-thief normally has 4-in-6 odds to climb a rope up a wall, but if they have two friends hoisting from above, they get +2, improving their odds to automatic success (unless rushed or attacked).

Your DM's intention is that, with patience, teamwork, the proper equipment, and using a thief as the lead climber to set ropes, it should be safe enough for the whole party (not just the thieves) to tackle some moderately difficult climbs. Look at Ursa, for example: She's not thief-class (as far as you know) and yet she had hundreds of feet of rope in her inventory. She is old and wise, and wouldn't be climbing hundreds of feet in the air, unless she was pretty sure she had a 100% chance of success.

I bring this up just in case the party thieves get into trouble, and the non-thieves have to climb down in the hole to rescue them.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by Scottenkainen » Fri Jan 21, 2022 2:44 am

Re: The Seventh Adventure

"Whoa!" Beppo yelled in surprise when he saw his companion bounce in the web. To the others he said, "Are you sure there are no more of those things...?"

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