DM Jaliera tries a bow shot and misses. Kriv shoots a fire bolt and it too misses. This was the orc's opportunity. It fought against the webs and won the battle, breaking free of the bindings. With that it disappears inside the cave mouth.
Orc strength check to break out of the webs Neptune rolled 1d20+3 and got 14
... and as I said in my post 3 up, I toyed with the idea of disadvantage because of shooting through the webs. I also didn't have the rolls rolled at -5 for 3/4 cover. I also didn't give the orc advantage for having 3/4 cover on his dex check for having cover. In a face-to-face game I would undo everything but for the sake of moving this along, I'm considering it all a wash. Let's continue as is.
The orc has disappeared into the cave. Kallista, as of this moment, is still concentrating on the web. There is no sign coming from the cave but you all know that orcs lie in wait. Chandan will be the first to decide what to do next. The party has split up and he's alone so the decision is his and his alone. Does he make his way into the cave or does he wait?
He pulls his face out of the dirt, having leapt to the ground when Kriv unleashed his fiery breath. Such marvellous powers his companions have, yet these intractable orcs refuse to be drawn out.
Is it a stand-off? Would the Many Arrows hold their ground in the cave until nightfall, when the advantage would swing in their favour?
It's conceivable that the party will have to root them out, or risk doing battle later on the orcs' terms.
But there'll be no rooting out while the cave mouth is snarled with magical webs, so Chandan makes like an orc and holds his ground too.
A nod of encouragement from Chandan as he sees his companions dart to gather wood. Hopefully the orcs see too and get the message. It's a raid. Karma has come full circle.
For his part, Chandan stands guard with his spear.
So the firewood and leaves are gathered. Kallista's web is still there; it'll last for an hour, so long as she concentrates on it.
But the orcs have time too. What are they doing? They have not left. They seem to want to wait this thing out.
Where do you build the fire? You would need to get inside the cave for it to have any chance of it working and that's assuming that the cave is shallow and goes nowhere.
ooc: I waited to confer with my FTF pals (sans Zeim) about this strategy at our annual 4th of July BBQ. The DMG did not prepare me for the tactic. Normally they gang up on me when I DM, but not this time. To quote them, "Unless there's some sort of airflow/vacuum, this cannot work". There is none.
DM
The leaves, kindling and firewood are placed as far into the cave as posible. Much of it is inside the web but with the strands covering the cavemouth, most of it is at the edge of the cave. All it takes to light the firewood and leaves are a couple of bolts of fire, from a distance. Soon enough the fire starts to burn and a plume of smoke rises. If any of the smoke does go in the cave, it's not sufficient to smoke them out. And the web burned away.
(OOC - All it takes is blocking the entrance to the cave once the fire starts with brush. Tree limbs, foliage, etc. The fire being placed further inside so the brush doesn't catch fire. The smoke has nowhere to go but deeper inside. It's the same concept of creating a hole in the roof of a tepee to let the smoke escape. If you don't, you die of asphyxiation.
If you rule it won't work we'll do it the hard way I guess.)
[ooc: I'll take some combination of the actions specified in AJ's article (requiring a fanning of smoke into the cave) and Zeim's suggestion of trying to block off the entrance to funnel the smoke. Neither of these tactics were stated earlier. Simply making a fire from a distance is not enough. I figured you didn't want to get close enough to draw fire. And if you are getting close enough to do that ... expect the expected.
Please place yourselves on the grid as you prepare to take these actions and what, specifically, are each of you are doing?]
[Well Chandan doesn't have Fly or Meteor Swarm, so he'd better make use of what he's got! ]
Chandan
Although the wood catches, the smoke does not draw into the cave with the gusto the party had hoped for.
So Chandan sings quietly in his native tongue and the wind starts to blow on the coiling smoke and spitting flame. Not a gale, but sporadic gusts in direction that aids their plan.
Having helped gather and tossing wood into a pile, he will be brave and approach the cave mouth in a crouch so that most of the smoke should hide his presence. Then he will also try to help fanning the smoke into the cave by waving a sleeping blanket from his pack.
Standing in the cover of the rocks to one side, near to where the vagrant was using his powers to waft the smoke in, Kriv stood ready with maul and magic to strike back should any enemy emerge as the situation demanded.
She stands off to one side, sheltered by some of the larger rocks, also ready to act should any of the orcs appear.
(OOC - Ready Action - Magic Missile spell. Trigger - An Orc comes into view)
In the meantime, she takes the frying pan out of her mess kit and with a wave a Spectral Hand appears. It takes the frying pan, moves over to the fire, and begins to wave it back and forth, helping to waft the smoke deeper into the cave.
OOC: Another long post lost because, like an idiot, I hit the wrong key! When will I learn? DM Whether it was the smoke that choked them out or just their bloodlust taking hold, five orcs come charging out of the cave with a javelin in one hand and a great axe in the other. They dodge the fire and find targets immediately. As soon as they decide who to attack, they hurl the javelin and rush forward, quicker than one might guess they would, to attack with their axe.
Moments after the first five attack, two others follow from the cave. One is a very large, brawny orc. That orc targets the biggest opponent he can spot and hurls his javelin at Kriv.
The other to emerge isn't an orc at all. It's too big to be an orc and the realization strikes that this is an ogre! He has a stack of javelins in his hand and he takes partial cover behind the bolders where he can direct the orcs and still get involved in the fight.
So much easier to do FTF <sigh>. I rolled the attacks. Of course, they might not all happen because Jaliera, Kriv and Kallista have readied actions. I split up the attacks evenly (so far) so if you happen to hit and kill the orc that attacked you, you won't take this damage. I recorded Chandan's damage because he doesn't have a reaction.
ogre initiative Neptune rolled 1d20 and got 19 orc-1 Hurls Javelin at Chandan Neptune rolled 1d20+5,1d6+3 and got 16, 7 Hit! orc-2 Hurls Javelin at Jaliera (half cover -2 to hit adj) Neptune rolled 1d20+3,1d6+3 and got 16, 7 Hit! orc-3 Hurls Javelin at Kalista (half cover -2 to hit adj) Neptune rolled 1d20+3,1d6+3 and got 6, 9 Miss! orc-4 Hurls Javelin at Davroar Neptune rolled 1d20+5,1d6+3 and got 6, 7 Miss! orc-5 Hurls Javelin at Kriv (half cover -2 adj to hit) Neptune rolled 1d20+3,1d6+3 and got 19, 6 Hit! Big Orc Hurls Javelin at Kriv (half cover -2 adj to hit) Neptune rolled 1d20+3,1d6+3 and got 13, 7 Miss!
Would the orcs not be at a disadvantage running through smoke out into bright light not knowing what to expect? Do we get advantage with a readied action?
Jaliera
The orcs rush out but she is ready as one turns in her direction. She lets fly hoping that it hits.
Rolled 2 to hit dice, if no advantage use the first one.
Jaliera Arrow Gypsy rolled 1d20+5,1d20+5,1d6+3 and got 12, 8, 8
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