Attempting to Negotiate: Turning Thalia, the Elf Bandit, to Their Side
Nuon and Fiddlesticks, recognizing the perilous situation, decide to attempt to negotiate with the bandits. They focus their efforts on Thalia, the elf ranger, hoping to turn her to their side. With Aqua and Brook at their sides, they try to persuade Thalia to join them.
Charisma Check Calculation:
Nuon's Charisma Modifier: +3
Roll: 2
Total: 2 + 3 = 5
Despite her best efforts, Nuon's injuries make her plea weak and unconvincing. She winces in pain and stumbles over her words.
Nuon: "Thalia, join us... we need... urgh... your help to stop... ugh... the evil bard... and... save the... ouch... world..."
Thalia raises an eyebrow, unimpressed by Nuon's attempt, and seems more amused than persuaded. Especially when Nuon tries to smile at her, but instead, she vomits out a handful of blood, soiling her dress before groaning in pain.
Fiddlesticks's Charisma Check Calculation:
Fiddlesticks's Charisma Modifier: +1
Roll: 13
Intimidation Bonus (due to previous kill): +4
Total: 13 + 1 + 4 = 18
Seeing the state of the young bard, Fiddlesticks steps forward, his presence bolstered by the fearsome display of his earlier kill.
Fiddlesticks: "Thalia, you can see we're not to be trifled with. Join us, and together we can take down Dramaticus. The power and the influence if we succeed are yours if you side with us!"
Thalia looks at the brutalized Gorm and the bloodied half-orc, clearly shaken by the earlier display of violence. She hesitates, considering her options.
Thalia: "Alright, alright! I never liked these guys much, anyway. I'm in, but you'd better not betray me!"
Thalia moves to stand beside Nuon and Fiddlesticks, clearly convinced by Fiddlesticks' persuasive and intimidating demeanor. Or she simply sees more chance to survive with them than with the other two.
New Ally: Thalia, the Elf Ranger
Thalia's Stats:
Level: 1
Race: Elf
Class: Ranger
Strength: 10 (+0)
Dexterity: 15 (+2)
Constitution: 12 (+1)
Intelligence: 12 (+1)
Wisdom: 14 (+2)
Charisma: 11 (+0)
AC: 14 (Leather Armor)
HP: 12
Skills: Perception, Survival
Weapons: Longbow, Shortsword
Abilities:
Favored Enemy: Beasts
Natural Explorer: Forests
Battle Summary and Choices
Nuon’s HP:2
Bandit Status:
Rogar (Human Rogue): Unharmed
Thalia (Elf Ranger): Joined the party
Gorm (Dwarf Monk): Dead
Zogar (Half-Orc Fighter): Injured, HP: 10
Choices
Continue the Fight: With Thalia now on their side, they continue the fight against Rogar and Zogar. (Ability checks will be up to the AI to decide)
Attempt to Negotiate with Rogar and Zogar: Use Thalia's influence to attempt negotiating a truce or convincing the remaining bandits to stand down. (Charisma check: Thalia: 11) ?
Retreat: Use the opportunity to retreat with Thalia, regroup, and plan their next move. (Dexterity check for all 3) ?
Is negotiations fail, Nuon can scream "Fireball" and use Vicious Mockery right after that. "Oh, you believed that I'm gonna use Fireball? You bandits are so silly!"
With Thalia now on their side, Nuon and Fiddlesticks decide to use her influence to negotiate with the remaining bandits, Rogar and Zogar. Thalia steps forward, trying to persuade them to flee.
Charisma Check Calculation:
Thalia's Charisma Modifier: +0
Roll: 7
Total: 7
Despite Thalia’s best efforts, her attempt to negotiate fails. Rogar and Zogar, angered by her betrayal, ready their weapons for a fight.
Rogar: "Traitor! You'll pay for this!" Zogar: "We won't go down without a fight!"
The Battle Begins
Initiative Order:
Rogar (Human Rogue)
Fiddlesticks
Nuon
Thalia
Zogar (Half-Orc Fighter)
Aqua (Nuon's Otter)
Brook (Fiddlesticks's Otter)
Rogar's Turn:
Rogar, seeing Thalia as the biggest threat due to her betrayal, quickly nocks an arrow and fires it at her.
Attack Roll: 14
Thalia's AC: 14
Damage Roll: 1d6+2 = 5
Thalia takes 5 points of damage as the arrow strikes her shoulder.
Fiddlesticks's Turn:
Fiddlesticks, seeing an opportunity, uses his rapier to attack Rogar.
Hit Point Maximum: 15 (8 from Bard class + 1 from Constitution modifier + 6 from level up)
Armor Class:
Armor Class (AC): 13 (Leather armor + Dexterity modifier)
Speed:
Speed: 30 feet
Equipment:
Weapons: Rapier, Dagger
Armor: Leather Armor
Musical Instruments: Violin
Other Gear: Entertainer’s Pack (backpack, bedroll, 2 costumes, 5 candles, 5 days of rations, waterskin, disguise kit)
Features and Traits:
Fey Ancestry: Advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Trance: Elves do not need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semi-conscious, for 4 hours a day.
Bardic Inspiration (d6): As a bonus action, a creature within 60 feet that can hear you gains an inspiration die (d6). Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.
Spellcasting: Can cast bard spells from the bard spell list.
New Features at Level 2:
Jack of All Trades: Add half of your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.
Song of Rest: During a short rest, you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain an extra 1d6 hit points.
Spells:
Cantrips:
Vicious Mockery
Prestidigitation
1st Level Spells:
Cure Wounds
Charm Person
Faerie Fire
Healing Word (new spell)
Fiddlesticks (Level 4 Rogue, Arcane Trickster)
Race: Human Class: Rogue (Level 4) Subclass: Arcane Trickster Background: Merchant Ad Writer Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Ability Scores:
Strength: 10 (+0)
Dexterity: 18 (+4)
Constitution: 12 (+1)
Intelligence: 15 (+2)
Wisdom: 10 (+0)
Charisma: 13 (+1)
Proficiencies and Languages:
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: Thieves' tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Acrobatics, Deception, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Languages: Common, Elvish, Goblin
Hit Points:
Hit Point Maximum: 27 (8 from Rogue class + 3 × 4 from Constitution modifier + 6 from level up)
Armor Class:
Armor Class (AC): 15 (Leather armor + Dexterity modifier)
Speed:
Speed: 30 feet
Equipment:
Weapons: Rapier, Dagger, Shortbow
Armor: Leather Armor
Other Gear: Thieves' tools, Explorer’s Pack (backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, waterskin, 50 feet of hempen rope)
Features and Traits:
Sneak Attack: Once per turn, can deal an extra 2d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll.
Cunning Action: Can take a bonus action on each turn to Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
Mage Hand Legerdemain: Can make the spectral hand invisible, and can perform additional tasks with it.
Spellcasting: Can cast spells from the Wizard spell list.
New Features at Level 4:
Ability Score Improvement: Dexterity increased to 18 and Intelligence increased to 15.
Uncanny Dodge: When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.
Nuon and Fiddlesticks, along with Thalia, check the status of the two remaining bandits, Rogar and Zogar, to see if they survived the battle. They need to determine if they can gather any valuable information from them before deciding on their next steps.
Rogar (Human Rogue) - Death Saving Throws:
Roll 1: 9 (Failure)
Roll 2: 17 (Success)
Roll 3: 5 (Failure)
Rogar succumbs to his injuries and does not survive.
Zogar (Half-Orc Fighter) - Death Saving Throws:
Roll 1: 13 (Success)
Roll 2: 11 (Success)
Roll 3: 6 (Failure)
Zogar stabilizes but is critically injured.
Interrogating Zogar
With Rogar deceased, they turn their attention to Zogar. Fiddlesticks uses his cunning to interrogate the injured half-orc.
Fiddlesticks's Intimidation Check Calculation:
Charisma Modifier: +1
Roll: 16
Intimidation Bonus (due to previous kill): +4
Total: 16 + 1 + 4 = 21
Zogar, fearing for his life, agrees to talk.
Fiddlesticks: "Why were you here, and are there more of you around?"
Zogar: "We... we were just a small group. No one else around here. We were camping here because it's a good spot for ambushing travelers. We were planning to rob anyone who came by. Please, don't kill me."
Thalia: "He's telling the truth. This group was just trying to survive by stealing from others. There's no larger bandit threat in this area."
Aftermath
Satisfied with the information, they decide to tend to Zogar’s wounds, ensuring he is stable enough not to die immediately. They tie him up to prevent any chance of escape.
The party then takes a moment to bury Rogar and Grom respectfully, acknowledging that despite their actions, they were still a living being.
Resting for the Night
With the area secured and no immediate threats nearby, Nuon, Fiddlesticks, Thalia, and their otter companions set up camp for the night. They take turns keeping watch, ensuring they are not caught off guard.
Nuon: "We'll rest here tonight. Tomorrow, we continue our journey with fresh strength."
They settle in, allowing themselves to recover from the battle and the day's events. The night passes uneventfully, giving them all a chance to heal and regain their energy.
The Next Morning
As dawn breaks, the party wakes up feeling refreshed and ready for the challenges ahead. They gather their belongings and prepare to continue their journey.
Choices for the Next Steps
Search the Bandit Camp: Before leaving, they do a thorough search of the camp for any supplies, weapons, or clues. (Wisdom check for all)
Release Zogar: They decide whether to release Zogar or take him to the nearest authorities. Or try to recruit him. (Charisma check for Nuon)
Head to the Forgotten Fen: They continue their journey toward the Forgotten Fen, eager to find the tablet and progress in their quest.
Scout the Surrounding Area: They take some time to scout the surrounding area for any hidden threats or useful paths. (Wisdom check for all)