Campaign Stormwreck Isle; Curse of Compass Rose (1-3)

Part 3 - Curse of the Compass Rose
View attachment 357_Promontory.mp3

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MAP:

Maps - D&D Beyond

www.dndbeyond.com

THE STORY SO FAR:

Stormwreck Isle: Journey to Stormwreck Isle (1-P)
Stormwreck Isle: Welcome to Dragon's Rest (1-1)
Stormwreck Isle: Spores of Seagrow Cave (1-2)​

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THE QUEST:

• The party seeks the wreck of the Compass Rose, a ship that went down decades ago and may be linked to the undead incursion.

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THE LOCATION:

​

Local Party Map​

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THE PARTY:

ITEM GLOSSARY:

Image	Name	Value (per)	Weight (per)	Description
	Wind Spore Mushrooms​	30	0.06 lbs	A rare fungus with a unique magical property. When a creature squeezes a wind spore mushroom's cap, it releases a small cloud of spores. For 1 hour, the creature doesn't need to breathe, as the spores provide it with oxygen.
	Obsidian Chunk​	10	1 lb	An uncut opaque black gemstone.
	Heart Cap Mushrooms​	30	0.2 lbs	These mushrooms bear an unsettling resemblance to human hearts.
	Potion of Healing​	50	0.5 lbs	This potion's red liquid glimmers when agitated. You regain 2d4+2 hit points when you drink this potion.
	A Fine Lute
	Boots of Elvenkind			While you wear these boots, your steps make no sound, regardless of the surface you are moving across. You also have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks that rely on moving silently.
	Spell Scroll of Command

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THE STORY CONTINUES:

Having departed from Dragon's Rest for the second time, your band of adventurers slowly make their way down the mountain paths towards the shore where you first landed. The journey is uneventful and peaceful, a welcome contrast to the carnage the party has faced since arriving on the island. Songbirds flutter across the path ahead of you as they dart back and forth between bushes, hunting the insects they harbor. Your walk down to the water does not take more than a half hour however, so the ramble through nature is fleeting.

Returning to the beach where you had fought the zombies, the party find the scene just as you left it. The battered corpses of the drowned sailors lay immobile where they were slain, the putrid grey flesh not appealing to any scavengers and having been left untouched. Your group moves cautiously past the bodies, one by one each battling the anxiety that the monsters will spring up again and attack.

The five of you convene on the short wooden dock. There is an old fishing net dangling over the edge and trailing in the water, where it appears to be tangled within a clump of seaweed. Several short lengths of aging rope are knotted here and there around the thick posts, some having been cut free in haste rather than untied. A rowboat not dissimilar to the one you arrived in is tethered to the dock, and you see a pair of oars laying across the seats. The boat appears big enough for 4 medium sized passengers.

North of your position, you can see a long spur of sharp rocks jutting from the ocean waves, extending several miles out.​

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INITIATIVE:
https://improvedinitiative.app/p/e88bk48y

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Can you turn off the feature where opening the thread forces you to view the initiative chart instead of the latest new post you haven't read? Makes browsing a bit cumbersome))

((Hmm... I don't think there's really a way for me to fix that. It's a quirk of the iframe being used to display the other page. I think it loads the iframes last, so they just take focus wherever they are.

I'll have to remove it from the first post and go back to posting it along with each post, then removing it from the previous posts. Ugh.))

Nac, hearing Zesty's shout and the commotion from downstairs, rushes down to help.

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Nac McWeeble
@Nae'blis​

|


You move the 25 feet down to the lower deck, and step up to the zombie you find Zesty fighting.

((And I guess you can still attack this same turn, so I'll just take what you'd given me.))

Your first blow catches the Zombie in the side of the skull, rattling something inside of it, like a screw loose inside a TV remote.

You deal 7 points of bludgeoning damage to Zombie 1.

Your left palm thrusts forward and impacts the undead in the chest with a loud crack.

You deal 5 points of damage to Zombie 1. |

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Zesty Zapcrackle
@Jon​

| You move South, being careful not to get too close to the Zombie and invoke an attack of opportunity.



You fire your crossbow at Zombie 1, hitting it in the back of the shoulder.

You deal 7 piercing damage to Zombie 1

Ur'kokk moves 10 feet to the west.



It forces Zombie 1 to do stuff.

Ur'kokk deals 3 points of force damage to Zombie 1.

The zombie looks incredibly beat up. |

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Dungeon Master
(Ben)​

|From the rear of the darkened ship, a third zombie sloshes into the fray.

Zombie 3 swings for Nac, jagged teeth bared and ready to strike.

The zombie's leg gets tangled in some rope beneath the water, and as it lunges to attack, it's feet go out from under and the zombie falls prone in the water.

(( )) |

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Dungeon Master
(Ben)​

|Zombie 1 attempts to club Nac in the beard.

As Zombie 3 falls into the battle, it collides with Zombie 1 and knocks the blow wide, pulling Zombie 1 down to the ground as well.

(( ))|

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((Fuck. I for real rolled nat-1s twice for both attacks... Oh well.

))

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Dungeon Master
(Ben)​

|

From the aft part of the hold, lurking amongst the shadows and barrels, a Ghoul takes the moment of chaos as an opportunity to strike and surges towards Zesty.

The Ghoul slashes at Zesty with its corrupted black talons.

Zesty takes 9 points of slashing damage. |

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((@Jon, please make a constitution saving throw.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((

Player View - Improved Initiative

Track combat on the Improved Initiative player view.

improvedinitiative.app

Initiative tracker is being weird now that I removed it from the first post, so here's a direct link.

EDIT: Ohhhhh, it's not the tracker that's being weird. The forum update turned off the parsehtml tag. Ugh.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

<iframe src="https://improvedinitiative.app/p/e88bk48y" description="initiative" width="800px" height="460px"></iframe>

((Got that fixed, at least.

Still need a CON save from @Jon))

 

[Nac McWeeble]

((Don't remember if I already asked this, but do attacks and bonus attacks have to be on the same enemy?))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Don't remember if I already asked this, but do attacks and bonus attacks have to be on the same enemy?))

((Nope, they don't! Your bonus attack can be against a different target to the main attack.))

 

[Nac McWeeble]

((Nope, they don't! Your bonus attack can be against a different target to the main attack.))

((Cool, thanks!))

 

[Short Order]

Short Order addresses Moonsprout

Hey I think people are screaming, you want to go see if they found some presents?

 

[Moonsprout Beandirt]

Short Order addresses Moonsprout

Hey I think people are screaming, you want to go see if they found some presents?

Only one way to find out of those are screams of joy or of sheer terror! Let's check it out.

 

[Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd]

What? They're having fun somewhere below deck?! Why wasn't I told anything about this, gah!

Aims pockets the gold and the dagger before starting towards below deck. He stops immediately as he gets a thought.
He walks back over to the hole in the deck and jumps down the fast way.

 

[Dungeon Master]

What? They're having fun somewhere below deck?! Why wasn't I told anything about this, gah!

Aims pockets the gold and the dagger before starting towards below deck. He stops immediately as he gets a thought.
He walks back over to the hole in the deck and jumps down the fast way.

((Still waiting on Jon's roll before I move this forward, but gimme a DEX save.

I'll roll everyone else into the initiative once this turn is over though.))

 

[Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd]

((Still waiting on Jon's roll before I move this forward, but gimme a DEX save.

I'll roll everyone else into the initiative once this turn is over though.))

((Aye aye cap'n.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Gonna ride this for another hour until lunch, then I'll just roll on @Jon's behalf.

No sweat on being busy with stuff and not getting to do it yourself, if it comes to that.))

 

[Nac McWeeble]

((Aye aye cap'n.))

Ninja barbarian!

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Alright, rolling CON+3.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

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Dungeon Master
(Ben)​

| Zesty feels his muscles wanting to contract involuntarily and begin to go numb, as the ghouls claws gouge through his meat. The sensation passes however and only the searing pain of the wound remains. |

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Dungeon Master
(Ben)​

| Moonsprout and Short run across the deck. Their tiny legs get them to the top of the hatch and no further.

|

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Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd
@Jawneh​

| Aims jumps into the hole, it barely being large enough to fit the 50%-orc's immense bulk.



You fall about 8 feet down into the grey-toned darkness. As you drop, you notice the matching hole in the floor of this level, that you are quickly descending towards.



With catlike reflexes, you part your legs just in time to brace yourself on either side of the hole, causing an enormous splash and sending a wave across the knee-deep water.



((From your current position, you cannot see anyone at all. Zombie 3 and Zombie 1 are prone, underwater. Nac, Zesty and the Ghoul are obscured from your sight by the stairs.)) |

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((Oh good, I don't have to bother covering up the back end of the ship on this level now.

Aims has been rolled into the initiative.



@Nae'blis is up.))

 

[Nac McWeeble]

((I can see the prone zombies, right?))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((I can see the prone zombies, right?))

((You know they're there, yes. They're at your feet like undead koi.

Oh and to make sure we remember, since they're prone, attacks against them from within 5ft will have advantage.))

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

((Thanks, yeah busy days… sorry. This is supposed to be an off week between jobs and I haven’t been home at all…

Also… ouch. ))

 

[Nac McWeeble]

((You know they're there, yes. They're at your feet like undead koi.

Oh and to make sure we remember, since they're prone, attacks against them from within 5ft will have advantage.))

((Time to fuck up their feng shui then.))

Nac seems the two zombies floundering about like... well, flounders and remembers what his Sensei Ti'vareas had to say about situations like these: "Nac, whenever you have an enemy prone in front of you, stomp like you've never stomped before! Now quit pesterin' me!"

Nac lifts his foot and stomps on the head of Zombie 1, and then lifts the other foot and stomps down on Zombie 3 with his bonus attack

 

[Nac McWeeble]

((Thank god for advantage on that first one, lol.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Thank god for advantage on that first one, lol.))

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Nac McWeeble
@Nae'blis​

| You stamp on Zombie 1, smashing it's face down through the water into the decking. There's a gurgling sound as it roars and fights to move, but no bubbles due to the lack of breath.

You deal 4 points of bludgeoning damage to Zombie 1.

It refuses to stay down and keeps squirming.

You stomp your foot down into the water at Zombie 3, connecting and momentarily standing higher in the water atop the undead skulls.

You deal 5 points of bludgeoning damage to Zombie 3. |

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((@Jon))

 

[Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd]

Aims is all confused. He came down here, but there's no enemies?! What?!

Hey! Wheres the beef zombies?!

 

[Short Order]

Short Order walks with Moonsprout on over to the stairs

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

((Well, this ghoul has my number if I don't heal...I think cure wounds can heal me. Doesn't say it can't, but please let me know if I can't and I'll redo this.))

AIMS'! Behind the stairs leading down! Could use you're help with this ghoul that doesn't like me much!

The ghoul coming from the shadows has caught Zesty unaware and leaves him dangerously injured. Chanting in elvish, Zesty attempts to cast cure wounds on himself by placing his hand over his wounded arm. The incantation sounds something like "Help me Zesty One Kenobi, you're my only hope." The universal translator might be broken.

Zesty casts Cure Wounds on himself. Ur'kokk tries a Force Strike against the downed zombie 1 (which I'm pretty sure is a disadvantage roll, but not much else I can do so may as well try.)

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

((I LOVE UR'KOKK!

That heal though....))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Well, this ghoul has my number if I don't heal...I think cure wounds can heal me. Doesn't say it can't, but please let me know if I can't and I'll redo this.))

AIMS'! Behind the stairs leading down! Could use you're help with this ghoul that doesn't like me much!

The ghoul coming from the shadows has caught Zesty unaware and leaves him dangerously injured. Chanting in elvish, Zesty attempts to cast cure wounds on himself by placing his hand over his wounded arm. The incantation sounds something like "Help me Zesty One Kenobi, you're my only hope." The universal translator might be broken.

Zesty casts Cure Wounds on himself. Ur'kokk tries a Force Strike against the downed zombie 1 (which I'm pretty sure is a disadvantage roll, but not much else I can do so may as well try.)

((You can certainly use Cure Wounds on yourself. Any creature you can touch. And you can touch yourself.))

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Zesty Zapcrackle
@Jon​

|You conjure arcane health insurance and the wounds on your arm begin to knit together slightly.

You heal 5 points of damage.

Ur'kokk shoots into the water at Zombie 1, smashing the corpse with the Force (strike).

Ur'kokk deals 6 points of damage to Zombie 1.

The monster's face is mostly caved in from the weight of Nac's feet, and the magical pummeling of Ur'kokk, but it just will not stay down.|

---

((Zombies.



@Jawneh is up.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Moonsprout and Short will get rolled in during the next round.))

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

((I feel like zombie saving throws are stupidly high lol))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((I feel like zombie saving throws are stupidly high lol))

((Zombies are just deceptively tough. They're a pretty low CR monster, but if you aren't hitting them with radiant damage or scoring crits, they could literally just do this all day.

))

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

((Aims'll crush one of their heads! Headless zombie can't do much!))

 

[Short Order]

((murder druid incoming to murder everyone))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Aims'll crush one of their heads! Headless zombie can't do much!))

((Really just depends on the damage dealt. The higher the damage dealt, the harder it is for them to get by with undead fortitude.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Aims'll crush one of their heads! Headless zombie can't do much!))

((Thought about this while grocery shopping; Actually, they could! These zombies, and most undead in D&D, are magical creations. I'd interpret that to mean they don't necessarily have to follow the same "kill it by destroying the head or removing the brain" rules as in other media.

Think Thing. You could lop off limbs and they all just come scuttling back towards you, until you bash enough of the evil out of it to make the husk stay down for good.

You might get a crit and blow up it's head and that kills it, for flavor, but I'd also say it's possible for a zombie head to bite you even if decapitated, were it still possessed of dark magics.

Oh and @Jawneh remember that it's difficult terrain down here. You're moving at 1/2 speed, so 15ft per.))

 

[Zesty Zapcrackle]

((Thought about this while grocery shopping;

((Man, we've got you thinking D&D while SHOPPING now?! What have we done to you!?))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Man, we've got you thinking D&D while SHOPPING now?! What have we done to you!?))

((Dude, I'm so ADHD I'd think about anything but the actual shopping.

But yeah, definitely rather be thinking about logistics of this game than the humans around me.))

 

[Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd]

Aims starts waddling through the water straight towards zombie 1.

Oi! You filthy rotting cheese brain! Keep your hands off Ur'kokk! Not on my watch!

After walking as far as he can, Aims grabs one of his handaxes and chucks it at the zombie.

 

[Dungeon Master]

Aims starts waddling through the water straight towards zombie 1.

Oi! You filthy rotting cheese brain! Keep your hands off Ur'kokk! Not on my watch!

After walking as far as he can, Aims grabs one of his handaxes and chucks it at the zombie.

((You're more than 5ft away, and with it being prone you've got disadvantage on ranged attacks. So gimme another to-hit roll.))

 

[Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd]

((You're more than 5ft away, and with it being prone you've got disadvantage on ranged attacks. So gimme another to-hit roll.))

((Oh snap. I missed that.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Oh snap. I missed that.))

((Rolling the same thing twice.

I did, however, completely overlook the whole weapon switching thing. It's the same deal Jon had with his crossbow, you wouldn't be able to stow, draw and attack with a new weapon all in 1 round.

You can drop, draw and attack. Meaning you'd need to drop your greataxe to be able to throw a throwing axe on the same turn. You would be able to pick up the greataxe, move, and attack in the same turn on the next round, though.

EDIT: If it's any help deciding, I don't mind divulging that you will hit it, should you still actually attack it.))

 

[Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd]

((Rolling the same thing twice.

I did, however, completely overlook the whole weapon switching thing. It's the same deal Jon had with his crossbow, you wouldn't be able to stow, draw and attack with a new weapon all in 1 round.

You can drop, draw and attack. Meaning you'd need to drop your greataxe to be able to throw a throwing axe on the same turn. You would be able to pick up the greataxe, move, and attack in the same turn on the next round, though.

EDIT: If it's any help deciding, I don't mind divulging that you will hit it, should you still actually attack it.))

((What if, for arguments sake, i use my side ax I always have strapped on my belt. I could very easily still carry my main ax in one hand as I grab and throw the hand axes all within a turns time.

But if you don't want to entertain that, Aims will spring his ass right into Zombie 1. ))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((What if, for arguments sake, i use my side ax I always have strapped on my belt. I could very easily still carry my main ax in one hand as I grab and throw the hand axes all within a turns time.

But if you don't want to entertain that, Aims will spring his ass right into Zombie 1. ))

((It'll have to count for switching just as it did for Jon. The handaxes are classed as one handed, so you gotta switch to throw it.

And what does "spring into zombie 1" mean?))

 

[Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd]

((It'll have to count for switching just as it did for Jon. The handaxes are classed as one handed, so you gotta switch to throw it.

And what does "spring into zombie 1" mean?))

((Oh, that means autotext was being a dumdum and did spring instead of sprint. So I'll dash at the zombie instead of attacking then.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Oh, that means autotext was being a dumdum and did spring instead of sprint. So I'll dash at the zombie instead of attacking then.))

((Wooooooord, that makes sense now.

I'll move it forward when I'm back at my desk.))

 

[Dungeon Master]

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Aims'Orreh Mwuh'Bwadd
@Jawneh​

|

You dash.|

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Dungeon Master
@Ben​

| Zombie 3 rises to its feet, water streaming out of hollow chest cavity as the monster emerges from the surface.

Zombie 3 turns and swipes at Aims barrelling up to it.

Zombie 3 misses. |

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Dungeon Master
@Ben​

|Zombie 1 also pushes itself shakily up from the ground, it's face almost flat from the monk's sole punishment.

The monster opens a creaking jaw to scream and, adopting some vague form of fighting stance known in life, the Zombie hurtles it's fist towards Nac.

Zombie 1's blow weaves through Nac's defenses, and hits him critically in the beard. The bony fingers wrap around a braid, and rip it out. :d-20

Zombie 1 deals a huge 13 points of bludgeoning ((and beard)) damage to Nac. |

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Dungeon Master
@Ben​

|The ghoul is ravenous, determined to make a meal of the tiefling. Its sunken eyes hold malicious intent and the gnarled teeth snap together viciously.

It again slices its talons through the air at Zesty. The wickedly sharp nails pierce into the tiefling's abdomen and gouge deep, almost disembowling the infernal inventor.

Zesty takes 9 points of damage from the Ghoul.

((Gimme another CON saving throw, @Jon.))|

---

 

[Short Order]

((don't worry guys Moonsprout is on his way))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((don't worry guys Moonsprout is on his way))

((Yes, to tell you you're all doing great and to go search for errant ship-weed.))

 

[Moonsprout Beandirt]

((what the hay, how long until we get within helping (or for Short Order, hurting) range??))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((what the hay, how long until we get within helping (or for Short Order, hurting) range??))

(( /!\ Bollocks. I forgot meant to roll you two in before the next round started, but spaced that the Ghoul was the restart.

I rolled you both in to initiative now, and moved you to the lower deck. Short's standing on a zombie corpse, but that's fine.

))

 

[Nac McWeeble]

((Am I correct in assuming that I'm up after the ghoul? Or are we waiting for the CON save?))

 

[Dungeon Master]

((Am I correct in assuming that I'm up after the ghoul? Or are we waiting for the CON save?))

((Yis. You're up after the ghoul.

Just to give a priority order that doesn't keep moving the active person to the top;



And yes, I was still waiting on Jon's CON roll, but we can get it moving. I generally feel letting you guys roll your saves is going to cause less salt, since then it's not my luck affecting your outcome, but...

I'll attach the roll to this post and let the fates decide.))