Murder Hobo Squad: A Lost Mine of Phandelver/Dragon of Icespire Peak & Beyond D&D 5E record (Beware Spoilers!)

We had difficulties this week.  Talindra didn’t have his computer so was on coms but couldn’t see the game or her character sheet and I kept forgetting this.  Everyone had had a busy day and we started an hour late.  We are still figuring out Dynamic Lighting (I think this is our third map using it) and I never know for sure what the players can and can’t see.  I kept forgetting Legendary Actions.  An 8 man party so heavily skews any encounter that Gorthok has 75hp in the module and I had to crank him up to 400hp here and give him new toys.  The map quite often didn’t make sense.  We all made the best of it.

As for the maps below, if it’s greyed out, they shouldn’t be able to see it.  They can only see each other’s HP values, but can see enemy HP bars.  Bilba, Falcon, and Talindra are at the top of the tower, but needed to be hanging over the edge so their tokens could see beyond the walls there.  They are taken from my screen and I can see everything, including each individual light source and all the hidden stuff.

A huge boar with glowing blue-white eyes and lighting crackling all over its body ran out of the woods from the north-east, surrounded by maybe two dozen Orcs, with great axes raised.  As they ran across the clearing they shouted out, “Gorthok!”  From on top of the tower Bilba shot the boar, while Falcon tried to thin the herd.  Talindra cast a Web to try and trap the boar and as many Orcs as she could.  Ramond and Karson moved to flank the northern door and braced for attack.  Ramond telepathically called for Thunderer, his warhorse, to come and aid them.

The sounds of shouting outside woke up Melandrach, who’s fever had broken at last.  He got out of bed, grabbed his longsword and went outside to see what was going on. The Boar continued its charge, ignoring the web, and rammed in to the palisades, ramming a big hole through them.  Karson jumped out of the way of falling timbers, but one caught Ramond around the head, knocking him prone.  Karson and Ramond took their readied attacks on Gorthok as best they could.  As Karson’s blade cut the Boar a spark of lightning jumped off of it has zapped Karson.  Ramond also got shocked in return for his Smite, but his magic armour makes him resistant to lightning damage.  As the timbers fell, Gorthok let out a loud squeal, and Araloth woke up, feeling rough but capable of acting.  He grabbed his sword and shield and headed outside.  Reidoth cast haste on Ramond and then hid around the corner.  Bilba put another arrow in his hide as Ramond picked himself up, cast Shield of Faith on himself, and Smote Gorthok twice, getting zapped each time, while shouting, “The Boar must die!” (DM: I finally remember he has legendary action at this point, but repeatedly forget during this combat.  I’m still new to 5E.) The boar counterattacked Ramond with his hooves, doing bludgeoning and thunder damage.  Karson Marked the boar and then landed a critical hit with his axe, while getting shocked back.  From the top of the tower, Talindra hexed and Eldritch Blasted Gorthok.  The Orcs ran forward and tried to flood the breech, but mostly found their path blocked.  Some followed the path south.  The Orcs that could, attacked Karson and Ramond.  Falcon took shots at the southern Orcs as they ran by.

Melandrach crossed the courtyard and killed two of the Orcs attacking Ramond, and stepped in to the gap, blocking the hole in the fence.  Gorthok reacted to this by continuing his attack on Ramond, but missed with his tusks.  He then used his turn to hot Ramond with his hooves but miss with his tusks.  Reidoth’s owl familiar flew down and conveyed a Cure Wounds to him.  Araloth left the guest quarter, asking what was going on.  Falcon shouted out that the Orcs were circling round to the south.   Araloth ran over and killed the last orc trying to attack Ramond.  He then backed up a bit, still confused by events.  Bilba put another arrow in to Gorthoks hide as Ramond Smote it three times, getting zapped for each.  Gorthok attacked him back with his Lightning Tusks.  Ramond continued to chant out praise to Tempus throughout as he held his ground.  Karson cut the boar twice, getting shocked each time.  Gorthok rose up and trampled Ramond into unconsciousness with his Thunder Hooves as Talindra Blasted the Boar from above.  She then used her magics to heal Ramond back to consciousness as she sent her familiar south to see what those Orcs are up to.  The Orcs around the Boar started helping each other over the Palisades, ready to attack the party from behind.  Falcon shot at the Orcs to the south, killing one.  He shouted out, “They’re at the south gate”.

Melandrach landed two attacks and got shocked twice.  Gorthok reacted by trying to gore Ramond, but missing.  He then trampled Ramond unconscious again and then gored Karson with his tucks.  Reidoth healed Ramond using his owl again as Araloth ran in and stabbed the Boar, getting zapped, before backing up.  Gorthok reacted by failing to trample Karson.  Bilba hit the boar from above again, as Ramond picked himself up and Smote the boar once more.  He called his mount, Thunderer, over to help deal with the Orcs at their backs.  Gorthok kicked Karson in to unconsciousness.    Thunderer charged the nearest Orc and trampled it to the ground and then kicked it to death, before backing away.  Gorthok kicked Ramond again, knocking him out.  Talindra healed Ramond, and threw a web at the Boar and the cluster of Orcs, allowing the old web to expire.  The two Orcs that could, moved up and attacked Melandrach.  One ran over to attack the horse as those outside struggled with the web and tried to scale the walls.  Falcon killed one of the Orcs flanking Melandrach.

Melandrach swung his blade at the Boar, missing twice, but punched and kicked the nearby Orc to death.  Gorthok gored Melandrach to unconsciousness, and ran out of the webbing, stepping over Ramond, Karson, and an Orc, failing to trample Ramond on the way.  Reidoth used his familiar to heal Karson, and advanced towards his fallen friends.  Araloth took a wild swing at Gorthok and held his ground.  Bilba leant over the edge of the tower and put an arrow in to the rump of the Boar.  Ramond stood up, screamed defiance towards the Boar, and hit it with a mighty swing.  He got zapped in return.  Both of them are on their last few hit points.  He swung again, and missed.  His third blow landed, hitting hard enough to kill it, but as the light in its eyes faded, the spark in its soul reignited.  Weak on its legs its eyes were brighter than ever and the lighting arcing over it became erratic.  Ramond survived the return shock.  Karson got up, turned his sword in to a metal bird and set it on the Boar.  It landed an attack, and got shocked in return.  The bird vanished and the sword reappeared in Karson’s hand.  A bolt of lightning hit the boar from above.  There was a bright flash of light, and the Boar vanished, leaving onl a large circle of charred ground where it had been.  He then chased after an Orc to the east.  Thunderer tried to attack one of the Orcs on him, but missed.  Talindra tried to look south, but couldn’t see any of the Orcs, so she Blasted the Orc attacking Melandrach, and also another in the web, killing both.  She sent her familiar to look for the southern Orcs and could see them working their way around the building, bunching up by a door.  One of them was dead with an arrow in it.  From his vantage point by the open door to the dining room, Reidoth saw those Orcs open their door and run through the dining room, heading for the stairs.  Two of the Orcs outside hurt Thunderer while the others struggled with the web.  Falcon killed one of the webbed Orcs with his longbow.

Reidoth moved to see Melandrach and used his familiar to heal him.  He alerted the others to the Orcs inside.  Araloth moved over and attacked one of the Orcs attacking Thunderer, who Bilba then finished off.  Ramond killed the other Orc, drank a healing potion, and then mounted Thunderer.  He then rode around the building in search of Orcs.  As he circled around, Corwin poked his head out of a window over the stables and said the Orcs had gone in the doorway opposite.  Karson went after the two remaining Orcs from the cluster, killing one.   With no viable targets and the courtyard mostly clean, Talindra made her way down the stairs.  She could hear footsteps in the next room, so she remained in the stairway with a readied Eldritch blast.  The Orcs continued their way up the stairs and around the halls mezzanine balcony.  The last Orc outside broke free of the web and then bolted for the trees.  Falcon tried to shoot it, but missed.

End Turn 6

Melandrach ran in to the building and up the stairs and fired two Sunbolts at the trailing Orc, but missed.  Reidoth entered the dining hall, and could see the Orcs running around the balcony level above.  He produced a flame and threw it at one of them.  He shouted to alert the others he’d found more Orcs.  Araloth entered and chased up the stairs.  Bilba made her way down the stairs and on to the landing.  Ramond rode over to the door, dismounted and ran through the door, up the stairs, killed the trailing Orc, pushing him over the edge, and moved on to injure another.  Karson gave chase to the fleeing Orc outside, as Talindra stepped out through the doorway and Eldritch blasted the closest Orc.  The inside Orcs took stock of their situation, considered jumping down, but decided to go down swinging.  Ramond got beaten to unconsciousness again (DM: I really need more ways of saying this), but Talindra was lucky enough to dodge a charge.

End Turn 7

Melandrach Sunbolted both Orcs, killing them both.  Karson finished off the one outside.  Reidoth ran up the stairs and healed Ramond.

DM: It was late and we’d had a long hard fight so we called it and will start here next session