Kaladin, a man without a planet, and without a house name, wakes up to another day of dull Mytikas living. Life in the Protectorate is improving, but it still doesn't resemble home, or Creusa where most of the people here had come from originally. The trunk in the next room with the knife and sword in it look ever more attractive lately, as exploits of other adventurers and the rich rewards they've obtained for doing so circulate, mostly through rumor, and official news reels. Recruitment commercials play constantly, informing viewers to look into either the government complex, military camp, or one of the many administrative offices around the city for opportunities.

stares in the open space, snaps out of it, and stood up. Stretches, did push ups, and gathers whatever he needed - backpack, weapons, his hood - and went outside looking for something to do (edited)

decides to go to the nearest place where he can get a job or a contract or anything of sort (edited)

(i dont know if i did this correctly)

The nearest place is a corner admin office where most of the work is trying to get services running for the neighborhood- Kaladin's home being one of those served here. Several clerks and a handful of residents are inside working on various government or paperwork matters. There is an open booth where someone is waiting for something to do and they call you over. "Hello there. What can I help you with today? Did you need information or a form?"

"First would be that what jobs are available. If I need a form, then I will have a form" after a pause then added, "please." (edited)

looks around, trying to absorb what he can see around himself (notice?) (edited)

(Not necessary) "Alright, and your skills? I can find something for your I'm sure if you can let me know what you're capable of"

(does this office seems to give bounty hunting jobs or hire to kill?)

"I know a thing or two about fighting" taps his sword on his hip "and" takes a deep breath "i'm a teleporter"

(theres not an explicit feel here, but im obviously not going to send you out to do something youre unsuited for)

"Ah well, the academy would be interested to know we have another psychic citizen stepping forward. Well, there's always some mopping up needing to be done. There's some ruins near the city that we had Protectorate forces explore recently. They killed most of the ghouls living there, but we'd like someone to poke their head in and see if any hae returned to the site. Normally we would just let something like this go, but they're close to what's going to eventually become a major road, and we can't risk them ambushing travelers"

"So pop in, check, report back?"

"or kill if there's any ghoul that have cme back?"

"You'll have to access the situation when you're there. There will be an additional bounty paid out if you manage to clear the site, but if the numbers are too large, you're not helping anyone by getting killed and adding to their ranks"

"Alright. That will do."

(how do i get there?)

(i forgot to ask this yesterday, what are the rules on movements here? is it the same like 5ft per square?)

"Transportation will be provided for you if you're taking the job. Two militia will be with you but their job is mostly to watch the vehicle and ensure someone reports back if there is an emergency or something happens during the mission. You're the only one who is going to be clear to enter the ruins"

"Okay"

A small ticket is printed up, and it has a smart strip on it allowing you to get into the admin lot where the truck is parked. "The soldiers will meet you there in an hour. Orders just went out for them to get ready since you've accepted the job"

grabs the ticket, inspects it for a moment, and nods

grabs a bite before heading to the truck

Two militiamen stand near it as you arrive. One of them is pulling a charging cable out of a fuel port, and the other is loading their kitbags into the bay trunk of the vehicle, slamming the armored panel back down into place. The baggage handler gives you a polite wave as the engine starts up, and the door behind them opens to allow you inside

waves back "This planet we were going, you've been there before?"

“It’s this planet. You’re standing on it. “

"Oh. My... bad" closes his eyes for a moment, suppressing the shame "Well, shall we?" smiles

steps into the truck

They say nothing as they vehicle begins moving , the heavy engine thrumming as the power cell comes online. The vehicle pulls out of the western gate of the city , continuing to head west across the planet. “We have a two day drive to make it out to the site in question” the driver says. “We will need to set watches at night. You’re going to have to help too”

“There’s worse things than ghouls that walk around this planet when the sun goes down”

"Yes of course." (do I know anything about the creatures that lurk at night on this planet?)

"I'll volunteer to take the first watch"

(anything that is on the world anvil is information your character would have)

"let's go. We shouldn't waste time."

(heras is the planet you're on if you wanted to get a map of it, the world anvil has the updated copy)

Heading west, the ruins in question are outside the city of Persepha, where a large fight between Protectorate special forces and ghouls took place. You're expected to get there tomorrow. The route is somewhat patrolled as there is some trade and general travel between Persepha and Mytikas, and you do not run into any trouble during the day. you exchange waves with a patrol going the other way, and also pass three long trucks full of trade goods bound for Mytikas later that same day. Camping in the evening, the crew begins setting up a pressure tent next to the truck.

after I set up my things and helped the others, I did one round around the camp walking "As I said, I can do the first watch"

"Three hours on, six asleep then. Alright, we'll get some rest now. If you see something, wake us up, even if its minor. I'd rather be alive and grumpy in the morning than lunch for something else because you were being polite"

(d10)

(do I roll here? how?)

(if its on roll20, i rolled 1) (edited)

"You can count on me". not even looking back, Kaladin starts his watch up and alert

(Yeah post your results here from roll20, sometimes I'm on mobile so i dont have the window open to check)

(We dont have any dice bots or anything here)

(i see, copy-paste or screenshot?) (edited)

(1/10)

(Just the value is fine)

Your watch finds nothing during the first hours of the night aside from small insects and a field mouse who gets a little too close to an empty ration wrapper and ends up dragging it back into the long grass Your companion relieves you close to midnight, and you settle into the pressure tent and sleeping roll set aside for you. The other solider is fast asleep, though is wearing their boots and has decided to stay in most of their armor

You manage to fall asleep for either a few minutes, or a few hours, before there is a single gunshot near the tent, the pop of a flare being fired into the sky, and a shout for both of you to wake up

another burst of bullets streaks past the tent into the long grass, and something shrieks in pain

(oof... I'll change my writing style from this point) Kaladin hears the gunshot, bolts upright, and immediately assesses the situation, looking particularly on where the enemy gunshots came from and checks the status of my companions (edited)

while drawing his sword, Kaladin attempts to get cover.

Emerging from the tent, you see no enemy gunshots, but some sort of creature 30m away in the fields. It shambles toward the camp, and has been clearly struck by your companion's shots, but it has not fallen like something shot should.

(initiative)

(pfft)

(init 4)

(6)

(I'll get some art and their turn up in a sec)

(need to sleep. will continue tomorrow so around 8h from now)

The creature snarls, blood pumping down the side of its body from the bullet holes. It is wounded but not so much that it cannot stand or will be driven off. It barrels 20m toward the camp, still snarling, an hunched low in the grass to spring (10m from you, and you're up)

(I'll throw my thermal knife to it, 1d6+1dmg 2shock vs 15AC range range:20/40)

(what's the modifier to this?)

(oops nvm. I rolled 5 with mod of 1 but I dont have a mod so it's 4) (4/20)

(dang)

(Where did you roll this? I don't see anything in the roll20)

(found ot, one sec)

(You dont need to post all the modifiers, roll20 does it for us) The knife goes flying wide into the night, missing by a wide margin

The soldiers with you both level their combat rifles and open fire but the creature is too low and too quick for them to hit, their shots rip up dirt or scorch the night air, before it bounds forward to land among your group (in melee with all 3 of you) And its cloven hooves knock the soldier on watch off his feet, onto his back and into the ground- prone, and wounded

As the soldier was knocked prone, Kaladin switched to his sword and sweeps an attack to the creature

(15/20, 4dmg) (edited)

The sword sweeps up into the creature's flank and it roars as you bite deep. Their rifles useless in close confines like this, knives are pulled from sheathes and the proned warrior rises to his feet again dusting himself off, he's unable to do more than drop his rifle down and hope he has time to reach his knife before getting hit again. The creature's hooves kick out again, this time in front, boxing Kaladin squarely in the chest (19/3)

(means 3 dmg?)

Kaladin loses his footing for a moment and immediately swings his blade again

(8/8)

Kaladin whips his head to guy who was proned "disengage and use your gun!"

(3 damage yes) The soldiers do not listen to you, as backing away from the creature means it has the chance to tear into their flanks. They both jump on it, trying to bring it down beneath their weight, and do so, flattening it against the ground "Kill it!" one yells

(oh right. the reaction of course. sorry... my turn?)

(10/7)

(if not my turn then ignore this lol) Kaladin steadies his stance and plunges his sword into it

The creature shivers as your sword punches through the top of its head and it collapses, life leaving its body

(yay) Kaladin pulls back his sword wipes its blades with a cloth. He then reaches out a hand to the others and help them stand up. "You both alright?"

(melee weapons uses dex as attack bonus?)

(Attack bonus is something that scales with your character and is not the same as your attribute. It can use either Strength or Dex depending on what you prefer)

(i see. ok)

(Right now both of your weapons are set to dex)

"At least we are alive." Kaladin steps 10m out of the camp to the direction where the beast came. He listens and watches closely if there are others that might attack them.

It seems like the danger has passed for now. The combat and the gunfire has driven away anything else that might come looking for an easy meal tonight. Even the ghouls know better than to attack an alert camp

Kaladin steps back into the camp and speak to the guy next to take the watch. "I believe it is your turn, but I am pretty sure we would not be disturbed again." Then turns his head to the other guy, "you got something to heal yourself?"

He nods, and passes a vial of healing powder to you too. "Crack the vial, pour it on the wound, and then make sure you bag the trash. No trace" he says "Something could get the scent and track us later"

Kaladin does what was instructed and continues his sleep

(how much hp would I get back?)

(D6)

(@7/8 hp)

The next morning everyone is recovering from the problem. During the night. The large creature is not recorded on Heras logs before now and they take pictures of it as well as some scans

While they are doing their work scanning and all that, Kaladin sits one knee down beside them and studies the creature, "do you hav any idea where this thing came from?"

"No idea. Probably had a den or nest near here. Haven't really been on the planet long enough for us to document the creatures, and the natives dont say much about it"

"We need to keep moving after this"

"We'll be at the ruins by afternoon, try to get some rest on the way , things there could go wrong real fast if we're not careful"

"yeah I reckon it will" Kaladin helps pack things, suppresses a yawn, but finds a comfortable position on the truck and sleep on the way to the ruins

(Stop spamming the roll20 chat with non-related game rolls)

(It makes it hard for me to find things I need) You're gently awoken by one of the soldiers as the truck comes to a halt, 500m from the site of the ruins. Through some thick trees, you're blocked from sight from anything that might be lurking there, but there is no smell of rot or sounds of ghoul shrieks on the wind.

(oh my god. I was playing with another game. I didnt realize it sends it to the Starts without numbers game too) (edited)

Kaladin steps out from the truck and scans the surrounding trees, "So this is where I'll start?"

"Correct. This is as far as we go, just in case you lead a pack of them back toward us

Kaladin nods then starts to walk towards the ruins, making less noise as possible and on the lookout for anything that moves

(notice or sneak?)

(I would say sneak /dex)

(11/dex)

(oh wow, nice roll) You're not detected moving through the woods, and you come to the south side of the ruins which almost abut directly to the treeline. A village, or some sort of large building meant to serve as a self contained one stood here once. Only the small rocks that formed its base foundations are still standing, and as of right now there are no ghouls present that you can see- but a thorough check of the area is needed. They may not be here, but they may return, or there may be other evidence of a pack of them nesting here.

(I was thinking it was not, but then I remembered we use 2d6 for rolls lol)

As he steps out from the trees, Kaladin stops on his tracks to scan the ruins. Seeing there are no ghouls or any of sort, he rounds the ruins for thorough search for about 2 hours

(are 2 hours enough?) (edited)

(Let’s play and find out)

Kaladin did another hour roaming around the ruins just to make sure there are no ghouls

Spending two hours combing the ruins you can see ghouls are nesting here. Chewed bones , buzzing flies around recent but unfinished kills, and scratch marks on the few upright stone walls are all proof that at least a few of the original inhabitants have returned but there are none here at the moment

Kaladin did not hesitate. He goes back through the forest to the waiting truck, still threading carefully and watching the path

You don't seem to be followed, and the two guards at the truck raise their weapons for a moment before seeing it was you, and lowering them again. "How's it look in there?"

Kaladin looks back and scans the area before answering, "There are evidences that the ghouls are nesting there. I was fortunate they were not there when I arrived." (edited)

"Any idea of the numbers? Something you can handle?"

(could I? How many ghouls could I estimate from that?)

(We didn't really do anything in the scene to try to get hard numbers, you bounced right after a surface level investigation)

(So all we really know is some are there)

(I see)

"I do not think I can handle that many alone"

"However, I did not have a closer look to really tell how many are there. I am willing to go back and do a more thorough investigation"

"Well, your wounds healed last night, we have another few hours before we need to think about getting out of here. They'll be back soon. you think you've got another run at the place in you?"

"I do think so, yeah." Looks back into the forest, "You got a compad? I will signal you when things will go rough."

The vehicle has some communications gear in it, and they can get and send any signal traffic to you

Kaladin mutters to himself, "You should've thought of this before you went, Kal"

Then to the others, "I will contact you whatever I can find there." And then starts to head off to the ruins... again. Stealthily of course.

If there are ghouls in the area your passage through the woods doesnt alert them. Returning to the camp, you once again see the claw marked buildings, the half eaten kills piled up in a small area of the ruins, and some piles of sticks and burrowed dirt almost like a warren

Kaladin scans thr ruins, trying to tell how many ghouls could be nesting here

(notice?)

(Notice or survive, with wis either way)

(terrible, 4)

There could be anything from 3-20 ghouls here, you're having a hard time determining how many might be feeding or how many distinct claw marks there are

Kaladin takes out his compad and tells the others, "There could be at least 3 ghouls, possibly at worst 20 of them. It is rather hard to tell"

"And there's no way to narrow this down at all? nothing in the woods nearby? What about the den in the ruins there?"

(I thought I was scanning all of it including the den?) (edited)

(I’m trying to spoon feed you info since you rolled poorly

(You can still get what you need just more risk)

(I see. Okay.)

"I'll get deeper. Will report in a moment". Kaladin goes deeper into the ruins to get more feel particularly on the den. (edited)

The den is the only part you haven’t seen much of, a pile of sticks and rocks protecting a large hole dug into the ground like burrowing animals might make. The smell of rot and some ambient heat billow out from the ground as you get close

Still no ghouls on sight, Kaladin gets more closer and tries to peer into the hole (Do I have some kind of flashlight?)

(What equipment do you have? Do you have something capable of making light ?)

(compad is the only thing I have that produces light, I think)

(That’ll work)

Kaladin takes out compad and hovers it over the hole, using the light to see into it.

(Evasion save)

(my god)

(16v14)

(yay)

A pair of ghoul hands reaches out to try to grab you and pull you inside, youve been able to draw it out enough for a strike

(so i roll for attack?)

(Yes we can do that)

As Kaladin peers into the darkness with just the compad for light, two ghouls suddenly emerged and tries to grab him. His training paid of as he just barely evaded the attacks. Kaladin swiftly takes out his blade and swung to the nearest ghoul. (edited)

(11/4dmg) (edited)

(do we have attack of opportunity here? If so, please ignore the running away) (edited)

(yes, there are opporunity attacks)

(was it a hit?)

(No, but you do shock damage)

(and you said ignore the rest of your post if opportunity attacks were a thing, so im waiting to see what you did)

(ah sry I didnt know it was not a hit. I was waiting for that. I realized I did not need to wait) (edited)

(Taking the attack opportunity) As he takes out the compad, Kaladin tries to run away from the ghouls and tries to contact and alert the others.

(15/2 , as you disengage)

Kaladin runs as fast as he can. He tries to find a hiding place in the ruins. (sneak?)

(sneak/dex yes if you're hiding in the ruins)

The ghoul emerges from the hole in the ground that is its nest, with a second one behind it

(10/dex)

@Nekosmash (was the 2 shock damage?)

(Don’t tag me. And if 15 is below your armor class then yes)

(8 for the ghouls notice) The ghouls do not seem to have a firm sense of where you have run to. You are 10m away crouched behind a tumbled down wall for the moment. They sniff the air and mill about , unaccustomed to the bright light of daytime, as they prefer to hunt at night

(sry) Kaladin peaks around the corner, notes the position of the closes ghoul, takes out his Thermal knife, aims carefully, and throws it to the nearest ghoul. He then takes out his sword and teleport right above the second ghoul plunges his sword to its head. (22/2 for knife. Dang I got crit hit but rolled nat1 for damage. Should I roll for the sword?) (edited)

(oof I forgot about effort. How does this work?)

(first you only have one attack per round. Second unless you have the efficient apportation Technique, teleporting uses your main action. Your total effort score is 1+(con or wis modifier)+(highest psychic discipline skill level). Highly suggest reading the core book pages 29-31, 42, 48-51.) (edited)

the first ghoul, already wounded by your previous attack falls, the knife embedded deeply into its head. The second closes in with you, as you've teleported directly at them, (1 shock damage, I missed). Its claws rake your armor, bruising you but not doing any further damage (And then you're up) (edited)

(And i can help you with effort if you need it)

Removed for inactivity