Hello, everyone. WaterDragonMaverick here with another chapter of my Owl House Dungeons and Dragons fanfic, "Your Turn To Roll". When we last left off, our party gained their reward from the tavern brawl against the bandits in Bone River. After getting their money and some supplies, they made their way toward Woodpine Village after an ambush by some goblins. After dealing with them, they learn that the archeological dig that Wrenn Shadowcloak was going to help with was captured by other goblins. Getting information and some new supplies, the gang rests up before they plan an attack on the enemy camp to free everyone that was taken by the goblins. With preparations made, let's continue the story.
But first, it has come to my attention that as a Level 2 Druid, Willow can't turn into something that can fly just yet. To make up for that mistake on my part, I'll give an explanation for the story of the campaign for her being able to do that this one time.
I was also going over the team funds and using the maximum each of their dice rolls for starting money to begin the campaign with alongside the equipment I already have for them because of backstory, here's what I've got for the team after everything in the previous chapter. Luz has 290 gold, Amity is down to 75, Willow has 175, Gus is at 260 gold pieces, and Hunter has a total of 300 gold. With that in mind, I'll be keeping track of the team's money for when they need it.
The Owl House is owned by Disney and was created by Dana Terrace
Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast and was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
After a restful night for Luz, her family, and her friends, they enjoyed a filling breakfast cooked by Camila before they heard a thunderstorm rolling in, preventing them from enjoying a day outside before continuing their campaign. "Heavy rain, but at least we can continue earlier. Let's get ready to free those captives from that camp of evil goblins," Luz declared, ready to continue the game.
"Rescuing people from goblins? Okay, now I want to see what happens," Camila says as Luz talking about where the campaign left off sparked her interest.
"Let's get everything ready then," Willow replied.
"Oh, I forgot," Vee gasped before turning to Willow. "I looked up Druids again and turns out, you can't go with an owl until Level 8."
"Really," Willow asked. Vee nodded, making Willow groan. "Oh, pollen puffs."
"Wait, we could actually have an explanation for that," Luz said. "You didn't transform back yet, right?"
"Yeah, why," Willow questioned.
"We can have it so your character hasn't mastered her Wild Shape powers yet and she isn't in full control," Luz explained. "You'll stay as an owl until something helps you get out of it."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Vee agreed.
"Perfect," Willow said. "Man, it would have been annoying if I kept doing that every time. Alright, until we get to that point, I'll just go with animals like bears and wolves. Leave flying animals out of it for a while."
"Alright, let's go," Luz said.
"What's this about Willow being an owl," Camila asked.
"We'll explain as we get everything set up, Mom," Luz replied.
Back in the basement, Camila watched from a sofa as the teenagers set up their game table and got everything ready. "So, let's talk about this again. Willow's playing as a plant and animal witch who is a tree elf, Gus is a gnome wizard with illusion magic, Amity is a different elf wizard that uses a sword and magic, Hunter is playing as a knight of sorts, and you're playing as a pirate," Camila asked her daughter.
"Basically," Luz explained. "There's a lot of details, so we tend to look up what we can when we need to. You can read the books if you want to find details you overhear in our campaign. Just don't reveal anything important during the battle like how strong the enemy is or what some items do."
"The mystery helps add to the fun," Gus says with a grin.
"Okay, I'll try not to get in the way too much," Camila smiled back before she opened up the Player's Handbook to browse through it a little while Vee began the campaign.
Clearing her throat, Vee started to narrate. "Last we left off, our heroes have made it to their next stop on their adventure through the island of Kuugaw. Now at Woodpine Village, the group has learned of a goblin camp that took over a dig site just outside of town. After some scouting, you found a total of 15 goblins, some wolves that have been captured by them, and a couple of monstrous canines known as worgs. You also took note of where the prisoners were before regrouping and preparing to infiltrate the goblin camp when you're rested up. Now, what do you do now that you've returned to the inn?"
"Well, I'll first look at Sariel and ask her about her form," Luz said before using her voice for Carmen. "Hey, why haven't you changed back yet?"
"Sariel hoots questioningly before beginning to frantically flap her wings. After landing on the ground, she starts to write in the dirt with her talons to explain," Willow narrates. "She writes 'Didn't master turning into birds. Stuck this way. Can't turn back,' then slumps on the ground."
"Would any of us know how to help her out," Amity asked.
"Roll me an Arcana or History check. Either one can work as you're using your Intelligence modifier," Vee said.
Turning to Camila, Amity helped explain. "Arcana means knowing about magical stuff while History is obvious." Rolling a die alongside the others, Amity looked at her result. "That's a 5 on the die, plus modifier and proficiency bonus… 11 total."
"That's a 2 on my die for a total of 8. So Sariel is likely the first Druid that Wrenn has met and he doesn't know what to do," Gus said.
"That's a 6 on my dice roll, so 7 total," Luz said.
"Mine is a 10, so my total is 14," Hunter says.
"With those rolls, Philomena and Caleb are able to remember details of some druids they've heard about growing up. If the Wild Shape form they take is weakened enough, they revert back to their original form," Vee explains.
"If this is the case, let's help her out," Hunter says as Caleb. "I'll pull out my longsword and by using the flat of the blade to deal subduing damage, I'll bonk the owl like turning off an alarm clock," he says.
"Roll to hit as your friend is obviously going to panic at the fact you're still drawing a blade on her," Vee says.
Giving his die a roll, Camila moved to peer over Hunter's shoulder and see the result. "Natural 20! That's going to be critical bonking," Hunter exclaimed.
"You could at least ask her out on a date first," Camila teased, making Hunter immediately turn red at the mistake with his phrasing.
"Rolling for damage," Hunter exclaimed as he dropped his d8 into his dice tray. "That's a 2 on the die. Critical hit doubles that, plus my strength modifier means… 7 damage total."
"With a bop from the flat of your sword on Sariel's owl form, she immediately returns to normal in a puff of springtime blossoms," Vee narrates.
"Thanks. I'm not the best when it comes to my Wild Shape abilities," Willow says in Sariel's voice. "I'm still learning to change safely to and from creatures that can fly or swim."
"Well, good thing you weren't a fish then," Hunter says as Caleb in an embarrassed tone.
"Hehehe… yeah," Willow said as Sariel as she moved a lock of hair out from under her glasses.
Clearing her throat, Vee began to return to the story. "Now, what will you do since Sariel's back to her normal self?"
"I suppose after all of that, it would be best to get some planning in since several of us prepare our spells in the morning," Amity states.
"Good call," Gus says.
"Alright, let's think this through. We know we're outnumbered by the goblins alone. But I'm sure that they'd be weaker than us and it would take 3 against 1 to be an even match on their terms. But with the magic, wolves, and worgs, we'll be in for a bigger challenge," Amity said, voicing Philomena and going over the notes she wrote down earlier.
"Well, I do have something to handle the wolves if the time comes," Willow said as Sariel. "While we could still beat them in a fight, I do have the power to make animals know we don't mean harm to them. All I'd need to do is give it some food after I get myself ready in the morning."
"If we can convince the wolves to leave, that would help us out a lot," Gus voiced as Wrenn.
"How could we do that, but still have enough strength to deal with the goblins and worgs," Hunter asked as Caleb.
"Roll me a Nature check, everyone," Vee requested.
"How does this work," Camila questioned as she watched everyone roll their dice.
"The Nature skill allows the player characters to remember anything about the terrain, plants, animals, weather, or anything that's about the natural world around them," Luz explained. "It's all the character's memory about it from research in books or seeing it for themselves. As for my roll, I got an 11 on my die. Plus my Intelligence modifier bonus, that's a 12."
"I got a 10 on my die, so my bonuses give me a 14 total," Gus said.
"That's the same result I got," Amity said as she looked at her 10 on the dice roll.
"That's a 5 for me for a total of 7," Hunter voiced.
"And I have a 17 for a total of 20," Willow states. "Gotta love skill proficiencies for modified 20s."
"Alright, then only Caleb wouldn't know this because he's more of a city kid. From all of your studies or travels, you've seen wolves listen to what's apparently seen as the pack's 'Alpha Wolf', the leader of the group. But Sariel's druidic ways help her understand that the Alpha is actually just the parent of the wolf pack. Find mom or dad, convince them you're friendly, and the entire pack listens to them," Vee states.
"I'm glad you know that, Vee," Camila said with a smile.
"So do I, but my character doesn't," Hunter voices. "Can't exactly use what player knowledge you have for the roleplaying."
"Back to the plot," Luz declared before voicing Carmen. "We could find the leader of the pack and convince them first."
"Yeah, that's probably the best idea for the wolves," Willow replied as Sariel. "I could even try turning into one as we make our approach to the camp. Make it seem like things are fine if I resemble one of them after we get the others away."
"Sounds good. As for the goblins, it might be best if I were to try sneaking in and dealing with them quietly," Luz said as Carmen.
"We do have the disguise stuff too," Gus added as Wrenn.
"Then who would be going in disguise," Hunter questioned as Caleb.
"I'd have to move freely in order to get around and the disguise scroll would help a lot," Luz voiced. "Plus, I don't think chain mail is exactly the stealthiest."
"Then I'll play the role of prisoner," Hunter said.
"Okay, Willow's going as a wolf, Gus can disguise himself at least, Luz will use the spell scroll, Hunter and myself will play prisoners. But I do know that plans can go wrong with just one bad roll, so we better have a backup plan," Amity stated.
"This is mostly for the stealth route," Willow pointed out. "I'm ready to fight when we have to."
"Good point," Hunter agreed.
"I say our characters rest up and we prepare for the camp," Gus voiced.
"Alright," the other players all replied.
"After making your plans, you get your long rest for the evening. With morning preparations done and after paying some spare silver for a meal, the five of you all head back toward the goblin camp to prepare for the battle ahead," Vee narrated.
"As we do, I make sure to take a scrap of food from breakfast for the wolves we're going to tame," Willow voices.
"Hehehe, nothing says befriending a wild animal like pocket bacon," Luz chuckles, making everyone laugh.
"Okay, we'll need to be ready for anything, so I'll start off by giving Carmen the scrolls for Shield and Disguise Self," Gus said.
Luz nods as she prepares for the mission. "Then let's change now while the goblins aren't nearby," she told Gus. "Carmen will take out the scroll and start to read it. What do I need to successfully use it since I'm not a spellcaster?"
"I'll be nice and let you use any spell scroll given to you if you can pass a DC that matches it," Vee stated. "I'll even let you use Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma for whatever spell that works."
"In that case, I've got a plus 3 to Charisma," Luz says. "I'll charm magic into letting me use it without being a caster! Come on, 8 or higher," she exclaims before rolling her die. Looking at the result, she cheered. "Woohoo! 15 on the die!"
"Seeing the words on the scroll and imagining what you want to become with the Disguise Self spell, you read them aloud and as you do, the scroll begins to burn away into magic particles that swirl around your form and adjust your appearance to how you want this form to be," Vee narrates. "How does Carmen Valentina look as a goblin?"
Thinking about it for a moment, Luz snapped her fingers before she figured out what to do. "I disguise myself as one of the goblins we fought before. They might be part of the camp and I'm not sure if they know that group is dead," Luz explains.
"Smart," Willow said.
"I'll cast Disguise Self and do the same," Gus stated as he nodded in agreement.
"With the two of you taking the forms of some of the goblins you defeated earlier, this will be a bit more interesting," Vee remarked with a smile as she liked the idea the two came up with.
"I'll go around and try to find the oldest wolf of the pack, making sure to stay away from any of the other goblins. But to do so, I'll start by taking the form of a deer with my Wild Shape," Willow said as she narrated what Sariel would do.
"You watch as Sariel gets on all fours and her body changes. Her limbs get longer, she grows antlers on her head, and her skin becomes covered in bark-colored fur. Within seconds, you see her become a deer that fits in perfectly with the surrounding forest," Vee narrated.
"With my new disguise, I'll go and see just where that lead wolf is," Willow said.
"Then I would you to roll me a Perception check," Vee requested.
Rolling her d20, Willow was ready to find her target when she looked at the results and smacked her face hard. "Natural 1," she groaned.
Camila tilted her head in confusion before Gus explained. "Lowest roll you can get. Also known as a critical failure."
"You turn to try and search for the wolves, but end up getting your antlers caught in a low branch," Vee says, failing to hide a smirk as she described Willow's failed roll. The others couldn't help but laugh at the idea of Willow getting stuck that way.
After laughing for a bit, Luz decided to help. "I'll have Carmen help her get unstuck," she said.
"That would be an attack roll on the branches or… I'd say Sleight of Hand," Vee explained, giving a choice of rolls.
"I'll go with the second option," Luz told Vee as she rolled her die. "That's a natural 20," Luz says.
"With absolute ease, you untangle Sariel's antlers from the branch and get her away from it to make sure it doesn't happen again," Vee narrates.
"With that handled, I'll try and use my own Perception check to help her look for wolves," Luz says.
"I'll help out too," Hunter says.
"Perception checks from all three of you or at least one with advantage," Vee said.
"That's way better than before. 19 on the die for a total of 25," Willow voiced with relief.
"That's a 5 for me," Luz said. "Plus my Wisdom for an extra 1 and my Expertise in Perception for double my proficiency, that's 10 total," Luz said. "But since Hunter's willing to give help, I'll take the advantage and roll again in hopes of a higher number," she explains, informing Camila of the term. "That's a 13 on my die now, so that's 18 total."
"The three of you manage to spot a few wolves rounding a nearby corner, picking up on your scent," Vee states. "What do you do?"
"Since I'm still in the form of a goblin, I'll stay where I am," Luz said.
"I'll approach them carefully, making it seem like I'm a deer that's unaware of their position," Willow says.
"Roll a Performance check if that's the case," Vee tells Willow.
Knowing that none of them are proficient in Performance skill checks, Willow rolled her die and hoped for the best. Looking at her result, she was happy. "Modified 20," Willow announced.
"Putting on a good act of being a regular deer, the wolves start to silently stalk forward," Vee says.
"With that, I'll undo my Wild Shape and appear as myself while pulling out the bacon I saved. Then, I'll cast Animal Friendship on the leader of the pack," Willow says. "With this, it has to roll a Wisdom saving throw against my DC, which would be a total of 14," she adds. "If they fail, the target is charmed by me for 24 hours and will listen to what I say."
Rolling her die, Vee looked at the result and decided what to do for the wolves. "With a 3 on the die and a total of 4, the leader of the pack falls for your spell and walks up to you unafraid and docile," she explained.
"I give it the bacon and I tell it to take all the wolves around the camp and leave with them," Willow says.
"That'll be Animal Handling with advantage because of it being charmed," Vee elaborated.
Rolling her die, Willow looked at her first result and grimaced. "Anything's better than a natural 1," she said out loud before rolling again. "That's a 9, so a 13 total," she said after the second result.
"The wolf looks at you in confusion before it complies with your instructions. Leading the other wolves, the pack alpha takes its children and goes to find the others before they eventually leave," Vee narrates. "Congrats. You managed to take out a fight without any bloodshed," she told the party.
Everyone cheered and Camila gave a sigh of relief at the plan working well enough. "Now to deal with the goblins and worgs," Hunter said.
"I'll save my other Wild Shape for later, then," Willow said.
"Then I believe it's your turn," Amity told Gus and Luz.
"Time for the art of illusion to shine," Gus said with a grin as he was ready to help out.
"We'll go ahead and start tying some rope I have in my supplies to your wrists loosely, but looks like you're bound by it," Luz says for Carmen's next action.
"Sleight of Hand check, please," Vee asked.
Rolling her die, Luz checked to see what she would get for her action. "That's a 17 to make it 21," Luz says.
"Using knowledge and experience from helping tie things down on the ship you sailed on, you're able to tie some restraints on the others with enough skill that they look secure, but they can easily slip out of when they need to," Vee narrates.
"With that, let's get going into the camp with our 'prisoners'. Carmen should lead the way," Gus said.
"I start pulling the rope to drag the three into the area," Luz states.
"When you enter the dig site camp, you are immediately seen by three other goblins and they stop you," Vee said as she rolled a die a few times. "Two of them immediately believe you're part of the group they sent out earlier, but the last one eyes you with suspicion and speaks to you. 'What you do here? Where others?' What do you do," Vee asked, making the goblin sound like it was from Gremlins.
"Others killed by these three. Tough fight. Bring them back," Luz says, imitating the goblin voice well.
"Roll a Deception check for me," Vee asked.
Tossing her die gently, Luz looked at the result. "That's an 11. Plus my Charisma and proficiency, that'll make it 16," Luz tells the DM.
Rolling her own die, Vee checked to see if the goblin bought Luz's lie. With a 2 on her die, she nodded before speaking as the goblin again. "Take to others. Find gold on them," Vee said, pointing like the goblin was to Carmen.
"I only nod and take them with me," Luz says. "When we're out of sight, I'll take to the shadows and try to deal with some goblins with my sword."
"I'll have Specter pop out in the bushes nearby and use my link with her as my familiar to search various tents," Amity says. "I'm already tied up and following Caleb, so I might as well use that to my advantage."
"Luz, roll me a Stealth check. Amity, roll one for Specter, then give me a Perception check," Vee told the girls.
"That's an 18 on my die, so that's a total of 22," Luz proudly says.
"I got an 18 as well for the same since cats have proficiency in Stealth. That's 22 for me," Amity declares. "Now for Perception… 19 for another 22. Wow," she remarked in surprise.
"With the goblin form of Carmen and Specter slinking into the shadows, the cat soon notices a nearby tent that's empty. Perfect for the rest of you to hide in for the next bit," Vee states.
"We'll duck in there," Hunter says as he decides to play it safe.
"With the rest of you getting in the tent and closing it, Carmen is sneaking around quietly and soon encounters the goblin you first met with his back to you. He's currently alone after his encounter with you earlier, having sent the others somewhere else. Roll for an attack," Vee said.
"Time for the Rogue to shine," Luz says as she rolled her d20. "Natural 20!"
"That's critical," Gus cheered.
"That's a 4 and a 3 on my damage dice, so that's 7 and critical hits double. That's 14 damage," Luz said.
"With a clean and quiet swing of your sword, you decapitate this goblin and his head rolls into the bushes," Vee narrates.
"I'll be quick and drag the body out of the way in case of any other patrols. I know my stealth games," Luz says.
"You mean the one with the raccoon that uses a cane," Camila questions, remembering Luz and her siblings playing that series before.
"I bet a walking raccoon would make a great Rogue race. Natural with a couple of skills Rogues use, but have some other features too," Gus pointed out.
"Would be fun," Luz agreed. "Anyways, I know that the Disguise Self spell lasts an hour, so how long has it been?"
Tapping her chin in thought, Vee came up with an answer. "With the walk up and getting the others into their hiding spot, I would say about 10 minutes."
"I'll hide again and go searching for more evil goblins to deal with," Luz says before rolling for a Stealth check. "An 11. That's a total of 15," she told the DM.
"Sneaking into the shadows, you head off to find more of the goblins," Vee said. "While she does that, what do the rest of you do?"
"I'll have Specter search to find the prisoners and see if there's any way we can free them," Amity voiced.
"Because of her Stealth check earlier, she's able to sneak around and soon notices the cages where the dig crew members are locked up. Everyone you saw last time is still there, but they're worried. Give me a Perception check for Specter again," Vee tells Amity.
Rolling her die, Amity saw she got a 9. "12 total," she says.
"You notice a goblin going around with a sinister grin on his face, looking ready for any excuse to feed them to the worg," Vee states.
"Anything Specter can see on them," Amity asked.
"Just scars and earrings on this goblin. You don't see anything that stands out," Vee explains.
"Do I find another goblin," Luz asked.
"Within about two more minutes, you find another one that's lazing around and doesn't notice you," Vee replies. "Go ahead and roll another attack to see if you can take this one out too," she said while smiling at her sister.
Rolling her d20 again, Luz went to see if her attack was successful. "That's a 12 on the die, plus my Dexterity and weapon proficiency is an 18. But let's see if I can get a better roll because unseen foes have advantage against enemies," she said. "9 on the die, so the first was better."
"You do manage to hit it with that roll. Give the damage," Vee states.
"Okay, regular damage first," Luz said as she rolled a d6. "That's a 4 and my Dexterity modifier adds extra damage to it for 8. And my Dueling Fighting Style makes it 10."
"Another successful and quiet kill as you stab it in the back of the head," Vee says.
"I'll take it into the bushes with me," Luz replies as she rolls another Stealth check. "That's 16 for a modified 20," she said with a grin.
"You're more like a ninja than a pirate," Hunter chuckles.
"If these goblins weren't caging people up, I'd be worried about you playing your game this way," Camila voiced.
"It's okay. They're evil anyways," Willow said to the older woman.
"Just as you do this, another goblin comes by and wonders where the other one is," Vee says.
"I'll take this chance and go for another sneak attack," Luz says as she rolled her die. "Another natural 20!"
"You're on fire," Willow exclaimed.
"Okay, I'll roll damage. The first is a 3, then my Sneak Attack is a 6," Luz says. "I'll go for another decapitation of the evil goblin."
"With a swing of your sword, the goblin's head leaves its neck and is sent into the bushes," Vee narrates.
"Lather, rinse, repeat. I'll hide the body," Luz says before rolling yet another Stealth check. "Oh, that's a 5 on the die. That means I've only got a total of 9."
"As you drag the body away, you can tell this one is heavier than the others and you find it difficult to pull. You manage to hide it the best you can before stepping on a fallen branch, snapping it with a 'crack' that seemed louder than you expected," Vee narrates. Rolling her d20, she nodded at the result. "You hear somebody call out and realize it's one of the goblins."
"I'll stay as hidden as I can in the bushes, making sure I can stay tucked away for him to come to me," Luz says.
"Roll another Stealth check," Vee says.
Rolling her die yet again, Luz gave a sigh of relief when she saw the result. "Natural 18."
"You blend in with the foliage and shadows just as the next goblin shows up with a shortbow in his hand. He looks around and searches nearby where you are to see what happened, but doesn't notice you," Vee narrates.
"I'll go for my next attack," Luz says as she was ready to roll. "Madre de Dios! That's my third natural 20! I think I've gained the luck of Taliesin Jaffe," she exclaimed.
"If I wasn't looking at it myself, I would have thought you would be cheating," Amity remarked.
"Damage time, then," Luz says as she rolled her dice. "Ugh, a 1 on my regular attack. That's 2 damage, plus my attack stat bonus for 6 total. And my Sneak Attack is… 2 on the die for an extra 4 damage," she says, making sure her math is right.
"That's 4 for 4 on dead goblins in one hit," Vee says. "With a thrust of your cutlass, you slash the goblin's throat and kill him, making him drop dead on the ground."
"I'm going to hide this one as well, then move on," Luz tells everyone before rolling her d20 one more time. "13 for a total of 17."
"You hide another dead body in the bushes and sneak away. With that, we'll move on to the others before this becomes a one-woman pirate show," Vee snickers.
Thinking it over, Willow snapped her fingers as she came up with an idea. "How about Amity has Philomena prepare her rapier and I'll use my Thorn Whip cantrip to pull more goblins in close so she can finish them off," she suggested.
"Oh, that's a great idea," Amity said. "If she says she's planning that, I'll snap out of my link with Specter and prepare myself."
"My spell's still active. I'll lead them to you while I have Emily on my head as a sign of who I am," Gus added. "That'll make it easier to deal with the numbers we have to deal with. Sound like a plan?"
"Definitely," the girls agreed.
"I can join in too. I'll prepare to attack as well," Hunter said.
"I'll summon Emily and let her stay on my head, then go out to search for goblins to lure to the tent," Gus told Vee.
"Give me a Perception check," Vee said.
Rolling his d20, Gus made his skill check to see if he could find any goblins to go through with this plan. "Oh man, only a 5. That's only a 6 total," he said.
"It appears that many of the goblins are elsewhere and your search takes up more time of your spell. You and Luz only have about 30 minutes left of your disguise spells before the illusion drops," Vee states. "After that mark has hit, you find another goblin standing guard in front of a tent."
"I'll go up to him and point him in the direction I came from," Gus said before doing an impression of the goblin voices he heard before. "Prisoners loose! Help catch!"
"Roll me a Deception check to trick this goblin. I'll roll Insight for him," Vee says.
Rolling his die, Gus smacked his face with his hand as he saw the result. "Natural 1," he muttered.
"He got a 14, but that's a minus 1 because of his Wisdom modifier. Either way, he doesn't buy the lie and starts to get a closer look at you. What's the DC for Investigation on the Disguise Self spell," Vee said before asking for information.
"My spell save DC would be 14 to start," Gus said.
Rolling her d20 again, Vee looked at the result and said it out loud. "He got a 12, so he doesn't see through the disguise. But he is suspicious about your claims and starts to follow you."
"I'll start luring him back toward the tent where the others are hiding," Gus says.
"It takes you another 5 minutes to reach the tent from where you are, but you soon reach it and the others see you passing by," Vee states. "Are you ready to go through with this plan to catch this goblin?"
"Yup. I'll cast Thorn Whip to wrap it around his mouth to gag him and pull him 10 feet toward me," Willow said as she began to roll her spell attack. "That's a 16 on the die, plus my spellcasting modifier for a total of 22."
"That hits. Roll damage for the Thorn Whip," Vee told Willow.
Taking her d6, Willow rolled for the damage done to the goblin, hoping Amity or Hunter would be ready to finish it off. "That's 5 piercing damage," she said.
"I'll follow through with my prepared action and thrust my rapier into the goblin's throat," Amity declares as she rolls her die. "Ugh, a 9, so that's only a 13 total with my bonuses."
"That unfortunately misses," Vee says.
"Then I'll take my turn to attack it with my sword," Hunter announces as he rolls his die. "An 18 for a grand total of 23."
"That hits. While Philomena's thrust is blocked by the shield, Caleb's sword comes down and strikes at the goblin's head from the other side," Vee explained. "Roll damage."
"I'll use two hands for the strike," Hunter declared as he rolled a d10 instead of a d8. "That's a 4 to make it 7 damage," he says.
"That kills the goblin as you split its skull open," Vee states. "At least you guys got a team kill on this one instead of Luz taking it like she has been."
"Speaking of, what have I been doing at the same time as that," Luz asked.
"Roll me a Perception check, please," Vee asked back, which immediately had Luz roll her d20.
"That's a 17 for a total of 22," Luz replied.
"You notice another goblin speaking to a couple of others, including one in the cloak that the others saw before," Vee describes. "With three there, what do you do?"
"I'll pick up a rock from the ground and chuck it over in the other direction, making it seem like something happened there," Luz says.
"Give me a general Strength check since you're throwing a rock as far as you can to make a clattering noise," Vee requested.
"Ugh, a 3. There's the luck balancing out," Luz says.
"You try to pull up a rock from the ground, but it's too stuck in the dirt beneath and you can't get it," Vee says, then rolls a die. "However, as luck would have it, one of the uncloaked goblins is heading away. As that happens, only the cloaked goblin and another with a scarred lip are left in the area. What do you do?"
"Since I'm still disguised, I'll go up and speak with them. Try doing what Gus attempted to do," Luz says before doing her voice for the goblin disguise. "Need help. Prisoners trouble."
"Deception check, if you would," Vee asked.
"That'll be… an 11 plus 5 for a 16," Luz said.
Rolling her own die, Vee looked at the result and laughed. "Natural 1! And these guys have a penalty to their Wisdom, so it's more like a zero."
"They instantly believe you and will do whatever you say. Like you're a cheerleader asking out a nerd," Amity says, but ponders what she said. "Actually, that's kind of what we are a little when you remember our other interests and your mom's story about cheerleading tryouts."
Camila laughed at remembering the incident. "I still can't believe you tried turning your eyelids inside out to impress the kids there," she said fondly.
"Please don't demonstrate," Hunter said with a gag.
"Let's get back to the game," Luz said. "I'll try and send one of the goblins over to where I remember seeing you guys last while I handle the other one."
"Any preference for which you'll deal with," Vee asked.
"I'll handle the one with the cloak since I want it," Luz responded with a chuckle. "I point the first one toward the others, then guide the one in the cloak over to an area I claim to have seen a prisoner escaping."
"You usher the one with the sword away while the one with the cloak follows you to an isolated part of the camp," Vee narrates while rolling her dice to determine something else happening. "When you get there, the bushes start to rustle and the goblin immediately assumes that somebody's escaping," she says before speaking as the goblin. "Booyahg!"
Camila was confused, but looked in one of the game books and managed to find what Vee said, seeing that 'Booyahg' was how goblins referred to magic. "I thought they were just focused on weapons. These things can use magic," she asked.
"Oh yeah. Magic's a big part of D&D. A couple of different enemies can use it," Gus explained.
Returning to the description of the scene, Vee explained what sort of magic the goblin was using. "Placing its thumbs together and spreading its fingers forward, the cloaked goblin has arcane energy whip around his body and causes the cloak to flutter in the wind. He then unleashes a cone of fire that reaches 15 feet in front of it, incinerating the bush and scaring away a rabbit."
As Vee described the spell, Luz immediately made her move. "With the cloak fluttering, I thrust my blade into his back," she says before rolling for an attack. "Oh man, that's a 5. Total of 11 only," she groaned.
"The fluttering owlbear cloak gets in your face and your aim is off, causing your weapon to miss," Vee said before rolling her own d20. "And with another natural 1, he is absolutely oblivious to the blade near the side of his face, which you pull back quickly. With that, he'll go and investigate the bush he burned with a… Natural 20. He finds the bush turned to ash from how effective his spell was and is thoroughly invested in finding anything else."
"I take this time to flip his cloak up and then stab him," Luz declares.
"You seriously want that cloak undamaged," Hunter questions.
"Oh, you'd want the same," Luz said as she rolled her dice. Hunter tried to argue, but kept quiet as Luz was correct about him wanting one for his character. "Nuts, only a 6. Not that much better," she complained as Vee rolled a d20 of her own.
"As you toss up his cloak to stab him, you end up throwing off his balance before he steadies himself with an Acrobatics check of 19 total," Vee narrates. "The way he balances himself again causes him to turn and your attack misses. He now sees your sword drawn and glares at you, drawing his own scimitar, then takes a swing at you," she explains as she rolls her d20 again. "Another 17 for a total of 21. What's Carmen's AC?"
"Carmen's armor class is now at a total of 15 thanks to my leather armor," Luz said. "That'll hit me."
Rolling a d6, Vee calculated how much damage Luz took. "That'll be 7 points of slashing damage that your armor helps protect you from."
"I'm at 15 hit points now, so I've got to be careful," Luz says before rolling another attack. "An 8 for a total of 14."
"You try to swing your sword, but the goblin blocks it with his shield. After that, he tries to go for a counterattack on his turn," Vee said as she rolled an attack. "That's a 3, so you manage to dodge out of the way of his swing."
Rolling another attack, Luz finally cheered when she saw the result. "That's a natural 19! I swing for his face to deal… max damage with a 6 on the die," she said as she rolled the d6. "10 damage total."
"You finally succeed in bringing this guy down, slashing at his head and cutting halfway into his skull," Vee narrates. "However, the sound of your swords clashing bring attention as you now hear some goblins mutter out loud in their native language."
"I'll just take the cloak and get out of there," Luz says.
"You manage to remove the cloak and when you do, you see it's pretty small compared to your regular self. Only enough to wear on your shoulder or reach the center of your back," Vee said.
"I'll still keep it," Luz remarks.
"As for the other goblin you sent off, he's approaching the tent. What do the rest of you do," Vee asked.
"Second verse, same as the first," Willow says as she rolls her green and gold d20. "I cast Thorn Whip again with a… 12 on the die for a total of 18. That wraps around him and pulls him in with… ugh, 1 damage."
"We immediately get to work with our swords," Hunter said as he and Amity rolled their dice. "I have a 10 to make a total of 15."
"I have a natural 16," Amity says.
"Both hit. Roll me damage," Vee tells the two.
"5 on my die," Amity says. "That's 7 total."
"4 on my d8 for the same total," Hunter says.
"The two of you cut this goblin to pieces," Vee says. "Right now, the group has killed 2 goblins compared to Luz's 5."
"By this point, I would have returned to the tent and spoken to them," Luz says. "I managed to deal with five of them, but the last one was tricky," she says as Carmen. "We better get ready for a real fight soon."
Hunter nodded in agreement, then spoke as Caleb. "Very well. Let's prepare for a full frontal assault now that we weakened their forces."
"I'll lead everyone since I remember everything me and Specter saw with my Keen Mind feat," Amity states.
"By this point, your Disguise Self spells would be at 25 minutes remaining," Vee reminded.
"Let's keep them up until the duration is finished," Gus suggested.
"With Specter still around, I use my telepathic link with my familiar and see through her eyes to check if the coast is clear," Amity says, willing to play scout for the team before they moved.
"Roll Stealth and Perception checks for Specter, please," Vee asked.
Give her d20 a toss, Amity looked at the result for her cat familiar. "That's a 16 plus 4 for a modified 20. And for Perception… that's a natural 19 for 22."
"Your cat lives up to its name and sneaks through the camp like an apparition, easily making her way around spike barriers and tents before reaching the highest part of the camp by walking up a fallen branch that leads to a tree," says the Dungeon Master. "As she reaches the top, she sees that a number of goblins are barking orders or complaining right where Carmen just came back from, which you can tell by the dead goblin that wasn't taken into hiding during her rush. Getting closer with her natural feline grace and stealth, Specter starts to overhear the conversation between one of the cloaked goblins and the largest of the entire tribe."
"As this is going on, I make sure to mutter everything out loud to the others," Amity voices.
Nodding in response, Vee began to speak as the goblins. "Juzba dead!? Booyahg killed?! What happened?!"
"Don't know. Wolves missing. No way to track."
"Stupid," Vee says as she voiced the first goblin and smacked her head to show the leader was slapping the head of the other goblin. "Worg search. Find killer. Cut head off. Show prisoners."
"Yes."
"Keep searching. Kill on sight," Vee said before ending the goblin's conversation. "And with that, you watch as the goblins split up to search for who apparently killed one of their own."
"How many were there," Amity asked.
"In total, you saw about 8 goblins from Specter's perch up top," Vee told her.
"Plus the worg, we have 9 enemies remaining," Hunter said. "Shall we try and deal with more of these guys like we have been?"
"Yeah, probably for the best," Gus agrees before he voiced an idea as Wrenn. "Perhaps I could use some of my illusions to help lure more this way?"
"I think it would be better if you come with me," Luz said as Carmen. "Before I leave the tent, I toss the cloak I stole to Caleb," she adds before getting back into character. "Here. They might suspect me if they see me with this cloak."
"Huh… smaller than I wanted," Hunter says as Caleb, making some of the others chuckle.
"Maybe the leader has a bigger one," Amity retorted as Philomena.
"In any case, we need to get out of this tent, Wrenn. Vamanos," Luz said as Carmen.
"Stealth checks from both of you, please," Vee requested.
Rolling their dice, Luz and Gus tried to see how stealthy their characters could be. "I have a 17, so a 21 total," Luz declared.
"I'll cast Minor Illusion to make it seem like our footsteps are going the opposite of where we're going," Gus explained before he made his roll.
"I'll let you roll with advantage because of that, Gus," Vee said as she thought it was a good idea.
"Thanks. Because that was a 7 for a total of 10. Let's see if I get a better roll," Gus told Vee before giving his d20 another toss. "That's a little better. 14 total."
"With the illusion of your footsteps going the opposite direction, the two of you manage to sneak away before another goblin hears the noise near the tent," Vee declares.
"Let's take another chance, guys," Willow says as she started to shake her 20-sided die. "I'll cast Thorn Whip and aim for wrapping up the goblin's mouth to mute him." Letting the die drop, Willow looked at the result. "That's a 10 for 16 total."
"Hits. Go ahead and roll the damage he takes as you pull him in," Vee tells Willow.
As she grabbed her d6, Willow accidentally dropped it on the floor. "Oops. That's a 6, but obviously doesn't count since it wasn't in my dice tray," Willow chuckles before Hunter picked up the die for her. "Thanks. Okay, for real this time," she said before tossing the die into her tray. "That's 4 piercing damage."
"As she pulls the goblin forward, I'll rush with my sword again," Hunter said as he rolled his d20. "17 to make it… 22. And for the damage… that's 6 total."
"With another display of effective teamwork, you take out one more goblin by cutting this one's head clean off," Vee stated.
"And with that, I think we'll sneak out the back of the tent," Amity says.
"As you do that, we'll continue onto Gus and Luz. Wrenn and Carmen are still disguised as goblins for the next 20 minutes, but soon see a couple of goblins searching the bushes and tents for whoever has killed one of their own," Vee explained.
"I'll use another Minor Illusion while we're hiding to throw my voice and create some footprints since I'm an Illusion Wizard and can do both at once," Gus said. "Ow! That's my foot you're stepping on."
"Smart thinking, Gustavo," Luz complimented.
"With the footprints and voice thrown, it'll look like I went into the bushes behind them and we're hiding poorly," Gus adds.
"I'd say that this would be a Performance or Deception check, but that's smart thinking and I won't have you roll it this time," Vee says. "When the goblins hear that, they see the footprints and double back to check the bushes that your fake tracks lead to."
"When this happens, I'll sneak up behind one and get my sword ready," Luz replies.
"Go ahead and give me an attack roll because your current Stealth check is too high for them to notice you," Vee says.
Rolling her d20, Luz hoped she could hit the Goblin. But then she remembered something. "Wait, I forgot I had advantage on that other guy earlier. I was behind him."
"You were behind him, but he did see you earlier. I'll go with that for your previous rolls against the magic goblin," Vee explains, justifying how Luz's mistake earlier affected the gameplay.
"Alright then, let's see if I can hit this guy by going for his head and catching it before it alerts the other guy," Luz says as she rolls her d20, ready to take advantage when she needed it. "Natural 18! Okay, now we're talking," she exclaimed before rolling her dice for damage. "Nuts! 1s on both my attack roll and Sneak Attack. All together with my bonuses from Dexterity modifier and Fighting Style, that's 8."
"Just manages to kill him when you swiftly decapitate him," Vee says while rolling a die. "I'd like you to make an Acrobatics check to try and catch the head. I'll say that the DC for this is 15. Beat the other goblin's Perception check and he's none the wiser."
"Come on, Expertise. Don't let Mama down," Luz mutters to herself as she gave her 20-sided die another roll. Looking at the die's result, Luz grinned. "Yes! 17 for a total of 25! I catch that thing like I'm a wide receiver in a state championship football game," she cheered.
"Now I want to read or watch Eyeshield 21 again," Gus remarked.
"Maybe later," Vee says. "But yeah, you manage to grab the head easily so that it doesn't make a sound. With the severed goblin head down gently, the other goblin is poking around the bush and is confused when nothing is in there. What do you do next," she narrates.
"I'll go for another attack," Luz says, preparing to continue her skills as a Rogue and rolls her d20 again. "That's a 3, but I do have advantage since he didn't see me. My new roll is… 16 on the die. That's 22."
"Roll damage," Vee says.
Doing so, Luz shook her dice and dropped them into her dice tray to see what the damage total was. "That's two 2s. So a total of 10 damage with my cutlass."
"With a thrust of your sword, you stab him and he's sent into the bushes with blood dripping from the wound in the back of his head," Vee states.
"This is sounding a lot like one of those slasher movies," Camila remarked. "I really hope my baby doesn't become a Voorhees in real life."
"If I met a kid like Jason in real life, I'd try and be his friend," Luz remarked.
"So far, that's 5 goblins left," Amity said as she returned to keeping track in the game. "I think it's best if we managed to reach the center and face off against the remaining foes with all our skills. And to signal the others, I would have had Specter watching everything and then command her to go guide them back to us."
"Works for me," Gus says.
"Same. I'll just use one feature I remembered I have as a Fighter," Luz said. "I'll use my Second Wind to regain a d10 roll plus my Fighter level for health." After saying that, Luz rolled her die and counted up how much she recovered. "An 8, so I get back 9 health. I recovered fully from that brief duel I had earlier," she told everyone.
"That's really useful. How many times can you do that," Hunter asked.
"I need to rest up before I can use it again," Luz explained. "Anyways, Carmen takes a deep breath and gets ready for the fight. She'll follow the cat she knows belongs to the very lovely elf she's been flirting with."
"With Specter telling me with our telepathic link that she's bringing Carmen and Wrenn to us, I'll lead everyone to where the goblins were keeping everyone prisoner," Amity declares.
"The five of you soon gather by the cages and the prisoners look scared at the two new goblins that have shown up," Vee says. "One of the humans locked up gets in front of everyone else and stares you down in defiance."
"Wrenn will dismiss his goblin form and speak to him," Gus replies. "We're here to help. We've been dealing with those goblins all morning."
"You have? Then why is one with you," Vee asked as the prisoner.
"Carmen dismisses her own disguise and starts to pull out her thieves' tools to try picking the lock," Luz says. "It was our plan to get into here. I'll have you out soon."
"I'll keep an eye out for the goblins," Willow says.
"I might as well assist her," Hunter adds.
"Roll me a Perception check with advantage, Willow. And Luz, give me a check with your thieves' tools," Vee told the girls.
"What does she need to use for that," Camila asked as she looked at the Ability Score descriptions in the game books.
"It'll be my Dexterity plus my proficiency since I'm a Rogue with some skill in using those tools," Luz said before rolling her d20. "That's a 4, so 10 total."
"You're unused to picking the lock on a cell this shabby, so it takes you about a couple minutes to really find all the pieces you have to move to open the cell door. But when you do, you hear a 'click' and the cage opens up," Vee describes. "Willow, what's your Perception?"
Rolling her die twice, Willow looked at both results. "15 and 18. That means my total is 24."
"While Carmen picks the lock, you notice that the worg in the pit isn't there anymore. You then feel Caleb tap your shoulder just as you hear some muttering in broken Common heading your way. When you do, he points in a direction just a bit away to show you what he noticed. You hear a growling sound and see shadows approaching your direction."
"Carmen, we've got company," Willow voiced as Sariel.
"Seeing that, Carmen will give her thieves' tools to one of the people in the cages," Luz says. "If anybody is a locksmith, use these to get everyone out. We'll deal with these last few goblins."
Rolling a pair of dice, Vee decided what to do for what Luz chose to do. "Wh-what are we supposed to do with these," she said as a woman in the cage.
"If you don't know what to do, then I guess just hang onto them for now. I'll be back for them later," Luz replied as Carmen. "And to get ready, I pull out my pepperbox and check over the ammo. If it's all full, I get ready for the fight."
"When you do, the figures then step into view. You see the last 5 goblins all with glares on their faces. There are two of the ones in cloaks and two of the regular warriors, but the leader of them is a bit taller and wearing a chain shirt instead of full leather armor. You can also see a javelin strapped on his back and he has small bones decorating his hair. His face is littered with small scars, his ears have notches in them, and he has his hands painted red like the blood of his latest kill," Vee describes.
"Guess we know who the boss is," Hunter remarked.
"You also see one of the goblin warriors riding on top of a large monster. Its body is a hulking chest with a hunched back, a hairless equine face with teeth like a dog, and a malevolent glare in its eyes. This is a worg," Vee said as she got her miniatures ready.
"Whoa… This is gonna be tough," Gus remarked.
"It'll be worth it to help these people," Luz replied.
"The goblin boss looks at all of you and glares before speaking," Vee said before doing her voice for the goblin. "Intruders. You face Azzinax! Attack," she exclaimed. "Roll for initiative."
Seeing that the battle was beginning, Camila watched as the teens rolled their dice to determine who would go when in the turn order. "Win this, kids," she encouraged.
"I got a 15 for a total of 16," Willow said.
"2 for a total of 5," Gus declared.
"Natural 1," Amity relayed. "That's 3 total."
"13 on my die, so that's 17," Luz told everyone.
"Straight 11," Hunter said.
"Now, for all of these guys," Vee said before rolling her d20 a number of times. "Natural 1, so one of them goes at the same time as Philomena… Natural 2… 15… 14… Another 15… And finally, 17."
"What's the turn order," Camila asked.
Going over the math of the rolls and modifiers, Vee nodded as she figured everything out. "Okay. Here's the order. Azzinax with 19 goes first. Carmen is second alongside one of the cloaked goblins with a 17 total. Sariel goes at the same time as the worg and the goblin riding it with totals of 16. Caleb is fourth with an 11. Wrenn goes next with his 5. The second cloaked goblin after with a 4. And finally, Philomena and the last goblin go at the same time," she explained.
"Lot of matched initiative rolls," Gus remarked.
"Yup. Anyway, Azzinax starts combat off by running toward Sariel with his scimitar and swings for two slashes," Vee says before rolling her d20. "Natural 1 on his attack, so you bash away his swing with your shield so hard that he spins around wildly. This helps justify his disadvantage on his second attack," she adds before rolling twice. "10 and 4. That's 8 total."
"Misses me," Willow says.
"He tries to swing his scimitar, but you back out of the way just in time," Vee explains.
"Carmen's turn," Luz says. "I'll take my pepperbox and aim it right at the goblin Amity would be stuck going at the same time as. And as a reaction, can I prepare that Shield Scroll?" Rolling her d20, Luz looked at her result and calculated the bonuses she had. "14 plus… that's a modified 20."
"That'll hit. And yeah, if you can use the same DC as the Disguise Self spell, I'll let you use the Shield spell," Vee said.
"Rolling damage," Luz said as she picked up her d10 for her sidearm. "2 for 6 total."
"You take aim with your pepperbox and as the bullet flies toward the goblin, it impacts and pierces into its body. It starts to cough up blood and staggers, looking pretty rough and nearly dead," Vee describes. "The cloaked goblin sees what you're doing and yells 'Booyahg!', preparing to unleash magical darts that look familiar to you."
"If I recognize this as Magic Missile, I'll make sure to use the Shield scroll," Luz says. "Come on, 11 or higher," she said before looking at the result. "Oh man, that's an 8. 9 total with my Intelligence modifier," she grumbled.
"The darts go flying at you and pierce through the spell scroll, destroying it before you get the chance to fully use it," Vee explained before rolling damage. "With three darts, that'll be 8 points of force damage that impact against you."
"Well, there goes the damage I healed up earlier. Good thing I did that," Luz remarks.
"It's your turn along with the goblin and worg, but I'll let you explain your move first," Vee told Willow.
"Okay, only two other Level 1 spell slots left. I'll use one of them for Entangle, forcing the worg and goblin to make a Strength saving throw or be restrained by my vines. Also affects anything in the 20-foot cube," Willow says.
Rolling her d20 a few times, Vee tried to see which enemies made their way out of Sariel's vines. "Since they're all close together aside from the boss, that'll be the other goblin warrior and one of the cloaked goblins," she says before looking at the numbers. "DC of 14 means the first one breaks free with a 17 total. 5 total for another… 8 total of that… but the worg easily breaks free as it muscles its way past the vines despite its rider being caught," Vee says.
"So who's captured," Camila asked.
"That would be the rider that was thrown off and the cloaked goblin that faces off against Luz's character, Carmen," Vee says.
"And for my bonus action, I'll use my second and final Wild Shape of the day to transform into… hmm, should I go Brown Bear or Dire Wolf," Willow said as she was asking what to do for her transformation.
"I say the wolf," Hunter suggested.
"Wolves are pack animals. They prefer to group up for advantage attacks in the game," Luz responded. "We're dealing with separate enemies and Willow technically has to deal with two. I say she goes Brown Bear to use Multiattack like our first session."
"If somebody got closer to her, she'd be able to use the wolf's ability," Amity theorized.
"But she'll have more chances to deal heavy damage to the enemies she does fight as a bear," Gus debated.
"Mom, what do you think? You can be our tiebreaker," Luz asked.
Camila pondered it for a moment, then looked at the kids. "I say that you go with the bear. Gus is right about having more chances to finish the fight quicker and help the others," she said.
"Okay then. I'll transform into my bark-like Brown Bear form and roar before circling around the worg, ready for battle," Willow said.
"The goblin will try to break free from the vines," Vee says while rolling a 20-sided die. "But fails and can't even wiggle enough. As for the worg, it'll go for a bite attack on you with a 13 on the die for a total of 18."
"That'll hit," Willow says.
Rolling two d6s, Vee calculated what the damage will be on Willow's bear form. "That'll be 12 damage total and I need you to roll me a Strength saving throw. Oh, and a Constitution check to see if Entangle stays up"
Tossing her d20, Willow hoped for a good roll and looked angry at her result. "CRAB APPLES! Natural 1," she exclaimed. "Let's see about my spell… Natural 17."
"The worg's powerful jaws and large size end up throwing you to the ground, knocking you prone. However, you maintain concentration on the vines," Vee narrates. "Caleb, you're up."
Hunter pondered what to do, but knew that the boss of the goblins was the bigger threat since Willow's current form gave her extra health. "I'll go against Azzinax and with my weapons drawn, I'll rush him for an attack as Caleb speaks loud enough for all to hear," he explained. "In the name of the Alexandrian Empire, these people will be freed and you will be punished for your crimes against the village of Woodpine!"
"Roll an attack while the people are hearing you defend them," Vee says.
Giving his gold-colored d20 a toss, Hunter checked the result. "Ugh, that's a 2, so a total of 7."
"You swing your sword, making him dodge as you declare this," Vee explains. "Wrenn's turn. What does our gnome do?"
"With everyone focused on the battle, I'll cast my own Magic Missile, aiming one at the goblin Carmen shot and the other two go for the worg," Gus declares as he rolls his dice for three darts of magical damage. "The one to the goblin is 2 damage while the worg takes 8 force damage."
"The goblin takes the dart right between the eyes and it coughs up more blood as it's slain. The worg takes the two darts into its shoulder and glares at you when it releases Sariel from its jaws," Vee narrates. "And for the other cloaked goblin, he holds out his hand and points a ring toward Philomena, seeing her as an easy target. With a golden glow coming from the ring and a yell of 'Booyahg!', a blast of magic light is sent your way with a 13 to hit."
"I cast Shield as a reaction, giving me an extra 5 to my AC and blocking this spell attack with an arcane barrier," Amity declared.
"With that, the blast of light fires at you before a twirl of your sword creates a circular barrier, making the spell move around you like a light going through a prism," Vee narrates. "With that, the goblin gasps in surprise. It's your move."
"Philomena will activate her Bladesong as a bonus action for some extra defense and rush the goblin that tried to attack her, thrusting her rapier forward," Amity declared, then growled in frustration when her roll was a natural 1.
"With all the grace and agility of a giant spider wearing roller skates on an ice rink, you trip and your sword lands in the dirt next to you while you catch your footing," Vee says with a snicker, making the others laugh at the description. "And back at the top for Azzinax, he'll focus his attention on Caleb as he attacked him. His first attack is a roll of 8 for a total of 12. His second one is a 17 with a disadvantage making it 2 for a total of 6. Both of his strikes miss or bounce off your shield. With those attacks as a failure, he'll use his bonus action to Disengage and run back for safety. Carmen, it's your turn."
"I'll put away my pepperbox and go after that restrained goblin with my cutlass," Luz says. "With it like that, I have advantage and can use my Sneak Attack," she explained before rolling for her attack. "That's a 15 and a 5, so a total of 21 for my attack. And for my damage done, that's a 3 and a 4 on my dice, so 13 total because of my Dexterity bonus and Dueling."
"The goblin is defeated as you swing your sword and cut into its chest hard enough to slash apart the vines it was trapped in and split apart its armor," Vee elaborated.
"Is the cloak safe," Luz asked.
Rolling her d10s to decide, Vee looked at Luz. "Yes."
"Sweet," Luz cheered as she had another cloak to get.
"Willow's turn. What's Sariel do," the Dungeon Master asked.
"I'll get up from being prone and begin to attack the worg with my claws and teeth," Willow says as she rolled her 20-sided die. "9 on the die for the first hit with a plus 6 for 15. And for the second, natural 19."
"Both hit. Roll damage," Vee says.
"For the bite, that's a d8 plus 4," Willow says before getting her roll. "That's a total of 6 for my bite. And I'll get 2d6 plus 4 for the claws," she tells everyone. "Total of 10."
"16 damage plus the 8 from Wrenn's use of Magic Missile… the worg is looking pretty rough," Vee says as she goes over the damage done to the monster. "He'll then attack with another bite with an 11 on the die for 16 total."
"Hits," Willow says.
"You take… 9 damage and I need another Strength save and a Constitution check," Vee says after rolling the dice she needed.
"10 on my die for a total of 14," Willow replies. "And Constitution is a Natural 19."
"You fight against the worg's jaws and stand your ground, unmoving from your spot. And as for the goblin rider… he still can't break free from the vines that are still up despite the damage you're taking," Vee explains, making sure to roll for the goblin still trapped.
"My turn," Hunter said as he prepared to continue the fight. "I'll go for another swing of my longsword and bring it down on him," he decided before rolling his d20. "I got a 12 on my die, so that's a total of 17."
"That just hits," Vee says, making the others cheer for Hunter.
"I'll make this a two-handed strike," Hunter adds while tossing his d10, then adding his modifier to the result. "That's a 4, so 7 damage. But as I do this, I'll use Divine Smite. With it, I'll use up one of my spell slots as a Level 2 Paladin to deal an extra 2d8 of radiant damage as holy energy comes from my weapon. My blade shining with a golden glow that indicates the power of my faith allows me to fulfill my duty."
"Go ahead and roll," Vee says.
Borrowing a d8 from Gus, Hunter tossed the dice into his tray and counted the total. "That's an extra 13 points of radiant damage," Hunter said with a grin that showed off the gap in his teeth.
"As you bring down your sword, the glowing light slams into Azzinax and injures him further," Vee narrates. "Gus, it's Wrenn's turn."
"I'll summon a dancing mote of flame at the tip of my finger and cast Fire Bolt at the worg, hoping to finish it off," Gus decides as he rolls his d20. "Natural 20! This thing is going right into its mouth!"
"That's a spicy meatball," Luz chuckled while Gus rolled damage on his attack.
"2 on my die, so doubled to 4 fire damage total," he says.
"As the flame goes at the worg and into its mouth, it ends up burning everything off its head and leaves nothing but the charred skull on the rest of its body," Vee says, removing the worg miniature. "As for the goblin with the ring, it draws a shortbow and tries to attack Philomena from a distance after the failed attack earlier. It rolls an 8 for 12 total," she adds.
"That'll miss thanks to my Bladesong giving me better AC. I cut the arrow in half as it flies at me," Amity says.
"Then he'll Disengage and try to run for cover," Vee explains as she started to move the figurine across the map.
"If he hasn't made it to cover, I'll use my own Magic Missile to make sure he takes damage this time," Amity declared as she started to get some dice. Tossing 3d4s, she added up the total and looked at the Dungeon Master. "A total of 10 force damage."
"That goblin takes the darts to the back, but is still standing. It does look in really bad shape, though," Vee states. "As for Azzinax, he's breathing heavily before he tries to attack Hunter again with his scimitar and a 16 on the die. That makes it 20."
"That'll hit me," Hunter says.
"With anger on his face, Azzinax the Atrocious swings his scimitar into your side and deals 3 damage as it is blocked a bit by your armor, but you still feel him cut into something. And for his second attack, he misses as you jump out of the way. He got a natural 3 to try and hit you."
"Carmen's turn. She'll take aim with her pepperbox and hope to nail the goblin with the ring in his eye with… a natural 18 for 24," Luz exclaimed.
"No need to roll damage. He was on his last legs after the Magic Missile," Vee says. "With a precise shot like an owl hunting in the night, your bullet nails it right through the eye. Its head explodes like a watermelon stuffed with a firecracker."
"Really hope that those prisoners aren't traumatized by seeing these kills," Camila remarked.
Vee pondered it for a moment, then shrugged as she didn't know if that would be needed for the story. "Sariel's turn."
"I'll go after the last remaining goblin, ready to rip it to shreds," Willow said with a grin that seemed a bit too eager. "I got a 7 on the die, so that's 13 total for the first attack."
"Your bite misses," Vee states. "But you still have advantage because of the vines restraining him."
"Alright, let's see if he becomes a snack," Willow says with another roll of her die. "An 11 for 17 total."
"That hits," Vee tells her.
"That's 9 damage total with a 5 on my bite," Willow says.
"He's still standing despite your teeth crunching into his shoulder through the vines," Vee says.
"Then time to slash at him," Willow says before she rolled her d20 two more times. "That's a 13 and a 3, so 19 to hit. And the damage is 8 total."
"With a powerful swing of your bear paw, you shred this goblin and the vines holding him to ribbons, sending a spray of blood across the plants and ground," Vee describes. "And with that, it's now Caleb's turn."
Hunter grinned as he rubbed his hands together with his d20 rolling between his palms. "Time to end this. With a swing of my sword and another Divine Smite if I hit, I'll go for him again in hopes of finishing him off," he says before giving his d20 a roll. "Natural 20!"
Everyone cheered as Hunter was able to score a critical hit as the finishing blow against the goblin boss. Even Camila was pretty vocal about her adopted son's good roll. "THAT'S MI HIJO!"
"And for the damage, 8 on my regular sword swing, 7 on the Divine Smite, double that for 30 damage, and add my Strength modifier for an extra 3. 33 points of damage total," Hunter says.
"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, giving Hunter permission to describe his own finishing move.
"I want to beat this guy by swinging my sword so hard my Divine Smite ends up slashing him to pieces like Future Trunks cutting apart Freeza in Dragon Ball Z," Hunter exclaimed.
"With a swing of your longsword, a trail of golden light follows and as you cut through Azzinax's armor, you watch as the light slashes through the rest of his body and turns him into chunks of goblin before a final burst of holy energy vaporizes him in a radiant blast that lights up the area for the entire camp to see," Vee narrates.
"Carmen gives a low whistle as she's impressed by that last attack," Luz says.
"Sariel is staring in awe at what just happened as she returns to her normal self," Willow adds.
"Philomena would be the same," Amity said.
"Wrenn will go to the prisoners and take back Carmen's tools to give to her," Gus said. "Come on, we've got some villagers to bring back home."
"On it. I'll have you out in a moment," Luz says as Carmen.
"The rest of the morning, you work to get the villagers out of their cages and help remove some of the barricades the goblins set up. As well as get rid of the bodies," Vee states. "Do any of you want to do stuff while you're still in the camp?"
"I'll go after that last goblin I killed and take his things," Luz says.
"The obvious things would be his cloak and the ring, which you easily take off of him," Vee tells her sister. "But when you check his weapons and armor, you see that the fall to the ground was too much and that his old weapons snapped beyond repair. Even his shield broke into pieces."
"All I really care about is the cloak and ring, so I'll pocket them," Luz remarked. "Oh, and I'll make sure to check all of the bodies of the goblins for any money they have. I'm sure that the boss lost his wallet during that last attack, though. That's one less pocket to clean out."
"I'll actually make this easier for you guys since this was a lot," Vee says. "After freeing everyone and dealing with all the goblin bodies, you find that they've been keeping various treasures inside the largest tent of the camp, which acted as Azzinax's personal tent. With it, you find all the treasure this goblin camp has taken from around the island of Kuugaw."
"Cool! What do we find," Gus asked.
Rolling the appropriate amount of dice needed for determining the amount of treasure, Vee looked at everyone after doing all the math and checking the right notes. "Counting what all the goblins had in their pockets, you find 2100 pieces of copper coins, 800 silver pieces, and 100 gold pieces. Alongside the vast amount of coins, you also find four beautiful gemstones that look like they're worth about 50 gold each. You find two translucent white stones with a light blue glow, a transparent pale blue-green gem, and an opaque dark gray stone with red flecks in it," she says.
"Would I be able to tell what gems they are," Willow asked.
"Roll a Nature check for me if you want," Vee says, then watches as Willow got a natural 19. "The first two gems are moonstones, the second is a zircon, and the last one is a bloodstone."
"Neat. I call dibs on the moonstones," Luz says. "You can give me the least amount of coins as trade."
"Fair enough. More gold for us," Hunter chuckles.
"Also, you manage to find 3 unique-looking items among the hoard of treasure that the goblins kept," Vee adds. "You find chain mail armor that seems very different from Caleb's own, as if made from a very hard material. You also find a brass bottle with a lead stopper that seems filled with a swirling thick smoke. You also come across a weapon that looks very interesting because you can sense a magical aura from it as soon as you touch it. You find a rapier that looks pristine and has a sharp blade that can pierce into foes with greater ease than the one you originally took from those bandits."
"Philomena will take it with her," Amity says.
"Okay, then I guess we'll just need to divide up the treasure between us and give the rest to the villagers to take with them to help them out," Luz says.
"I'll hold onto that bottle so that I can find out what it is later. Carmen already has that ring in her pocket and two different owlbear cloaks," Gus says.
"Obviously since the armor is left, Caleb will take it and change into it later on," Hunter declared.
"I'll start passing out the money to everyone," Willow says. "Okay, converting all the money to gold, we have 21 gold in copper and 80 in silver. That's a total of 201 gold in coins. With the gems, that brings it up to 301. I say we give the zircon and bloodstone alongside all the copper to the villagers and archeologists. Since Luz is having Carmen keep the moonstones, we can take away 50 gold from her share."
"I did say that," Luz smiled.
"That leaves us with 180 gold to distribute between us," Amity says. "Give Carmen 20 and each of us gets 40."
"Or we all get 45 each while Carmen keeps what treasures she has," Hunter counters.
"That's fair," Luz says in good sport. "I think that if we have everything, we help everyone get back to town safely."
"With all of this, it's the middle of the afternoon when you get everyone back to Woodpine Village. Seeing all the people safe and sound, the village celebrates and invites their heroes to the tavern for drinks on the house," Vee states.
"All of this is a bit overwhelming for Philomena because of the vast difference between her usual gatherings back home. But she isn't against it," Amity says, describing how her character feels in the situation.
"Carmen is drinking like a pirate does and goes to town on what's given to her," Luz exclaims.
"Caleb is a bit exasperated, but is talking to all the people and reassuring them that they'll be safe with him and the Alexandrian Empire helping," Hunter says.
"Let's actually focus on that. As Caleb is speaking to some of the patrons of the bar, he's approached by an elven woman with dark hair," Vee says. "Thank you very much, sir. My family was worried about my husband being stuck there."
"It's not a problem at all, Ma'am. I swore an oath when I became part of the Empire's ranks. I promised to uphold and respect our paramount laws. My word is my bond as oaths and laws are meaningless without loyalty. I must be willing to brave through overwhelming odds to keep order, even when nobody else will. This is my responsibility and I will continue it," Hunter declared as Caleb.
"A number of the patrons raise their mugs and glasses to that, respecting your words as a Paladin that saved them," Vee narrates. "As you all enjoy the afternoon's revelry, I think that's a good stopping point for now."
Letting out sighs of relief, the five players and Camila all spoke of what happened. "I can't believe I got all those Sneak Attacks in," Luz remarked.
"Yeah, it was pretty surprising," Gus said.
"Hunter, that last attack was amazing," Willow complimented.
"Heh, yeah. Thanks, Willow," the blond says as he looked away with a blush.
"I definitely see why you wanted to keep playing," Camila said to the kids. "This was incredible."
"And we were only at Level 2 for this whole thing," Amity stated.
"Oh! That reminds me. Because I want this to be a story-based thing instead of keeping track of experience points, you're all at Level 3 now," Vee told the others, making them cheer.
"Finally, we get Level 2 spells," Gus exclaims.
"I know a few I want to get for Philomena," Amity remarked.
"And I finally get to go with my planned subclass for Paladin," Hunter smiled.
"Guess I'm going to have a trickier choice then. Do I level up as a Fighter or as a Rogue? Which would be better," Luz questioned. Thinking about it for a moment, Luz gasped as she figured it out. "I got it! Start focusing on Fighter to get the Action Surge feature, then continue being a Rogue for Swashbuckler."
"Sounds good to me," Vee says. "Let's continue more of this later. You guys can get the details written down for your Level 3 characters and I can set things up for our next session."
"Hmm… I'm wondering if any of our other friends would be interested in playing with us," Luz asked.
"You could always ask," Camila said.
"I'm sure Ed and Em wouldn't mind. Maybe my dad, too," Amity said.
"We can invite the rest of our roller derby team," Willow suggested.
"Maybe Matt and Jerbo would be interested in joining us," Gus said to himself.
"I definitely think King would want to play," Luz says, then realized something. "Shoot, I have an afternoon shift today!" Quickly gathering her things, Luz prepared to run out the door and get going to Eda's shop to help out. "I'll see you all later. Bye!"
And with a slam of the door and the sound of footprints rushing away, Luz Noceda left her family and friends still cleaning up in the basement. "On the plus side, maybe she can get those custom sets for us she talked about before bed," said Vee.
And with this long chapter finished, our heroes have saved the day. With the goblin camp defeated and treasure obtained, our team is about ready to continue on their way to their next destination. And with them at Level 3, their strength will help them deal with any upcoming threats. Just what is the ring that Luz grabbed for her character? What awaits our heroes in Chapter 4? Will there be a guest in the next chapter or will we wait until later? Find out everything later on "Your Turn To Roll".
As for their current money, I hope you were keeping track. While Luz has the gems added to her stuff, she doesn't get any gold from them just yet. She's still at 290g. Meanwhile, the others are 45g richer. Amity, 120g. Willow, 220g. Gus, 305g. Hunter, 345g. With this much gold, I'm sure that they'll be shopping later on.
Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.
