OOC

No problem. I just figured that once I got directions, I'd buy a bit of produce as thanks.

Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent bit of schtick. :)

Hero, could you please amend Trees' post to describe him arriving at the tavern, rather than/as well as setting out to it?

I plan to. Only had time between work meetings for that first post. I plan to add another with the arrival shortly.

Okay, thanks. :)

I created a viable wizard, but I feel like Trees is going to be more enjoyable to watch

And that's everyone up.

I'm putting together a header to track character resources and status... does this seem like it covers every important expendable for each of you?

Thatch
HP 33; HD 3; Relentless Endurance | Orcish Fury | Second Wind | Action Surge

Trees
HP 28; HD 3; Bardic Inspiration 4d6 | Feytouched (Misty Step | Bless )
Spellcasting: 1st | 2nd

Glanduk
HP 20; HD 3; Pride of the Horde | Arcane Recovery
Spellcasting: 1st | 2nd

Milo
HP 27; HD 3; Hunter's Sense
Spellcasting: 1st

Looks fine for Thatch.

I don't think I'm missing anything

Looks good for Milo as well.

Looks good to me!

Replies coming shortly. Things have been a bit hectic.

Sorry for the delay guys. My wife is in the hospital, so I've been sort of run ragged. But I will try to post tonight.

Understood. Hope she gets well soon.

Sorry to hear that, Moridin. I hope things are going well for you.

Thanks guys. She is out of the hospital for now, but still being treated by home health. But that is way easier to deal with than driving to the hospital every day.

I love that Trees actually played a real song. Bonus points that it brought back old memories

Just a heads-up to all of you; I have a busy couple of weeks at work here, so I probably won't be posting very much.

Thanks for understanding!

All right. First, I'd like to apologise again for being sluggish on the replies – I've been sleeping like crap and the current lockdown in NZ has left me demoralised and drained. But things are getting better, and I plan to keep up a snappier rate as we get into our first combat.

It's going to be a complex one, so there are some factors and special rules to keep in mind:
* Clever and novel uses of skills, spells and abilities are always welcomed. I value the spirit of the rules over the letter, so pushing things beyond their written limit is something I encourage. For things that feel like a stretch, I'll often call for a skill check or spending Inspiration.
* Speaking of which, you all get Inspiration for the good roleplaying so far.
* There are a half-dozen goblins in the inn so far, and there's a chance reinforcements will arrive each round from five potential entry points (the front and back doors, the left and right windows, and the attic stairs, marked in red on the edges of the map). Think Night of the Living Dead or Assault on Precinct 13 – this isn't a stand up fight, this is a siege.
* The goblins are attempting to abduct people. Any round in which a goblin is left to its own devices (not engaged in combat, not affected by a condition) it will attack the hit point pool of the non-combatant bystanders. For every 4 HP of damage they deal, they knock one out and drag them off.
* The milling, terrified crowd and tipped over furniture, scattered plates and cutlery mean that the taproom counts as difficult terrain. If more than half the crowd is abducted or if they are pacified, escape, etc. this will no longer apply.
* I'm using mook rules for the goblins to cut down on bookkeeping: any attack that deals 4 or more HP of damage takes one out; any attack that deals less than that is ignored. Spells or effects that inflict potentially debilitating conditions may also take them out at the GM's discretion.
* There are two competent allied NPCs you can call on to aid you. This works sort of like lair actions for monsters: each turn, one of the PCs (in order based on Charisma: Trees, Thatch, Glanduk, Milo) will be able to choose one of the following NPC actions to occur.

Black Ravens & Unseen Barmaids. Iminyel's unseen servant staff or Kyrtsor's artifice-wrought raven Mnimi interfere in the fight. A target you choose suffers a the following random condition until the end of your next turn: 1: Blinded, 2: Poisoned, 3: Prone, 4: Restrained.
Mistress of the House. Iminyel's authority helps you sway the crowd. You gain Advantage on one Charisma check to influence them or on an ability check which the crowd could help you with made before the end of your next turn.
Take the Blow. Kyrstor expertly parries an attack or interposes himself between the hostile and victim. Choose a target (A PC or the crowd): the first successful attack against them before the end of your next turn has its damage reduced by 1d8.

All right. Hopefully that makes sense – if not, ask any questions you have. (Also, check out that awesome floating status tracker, courtesy of Qralloq on the Discord!)

First step is to roll Initiative. As per the House Rules thread, I run group initiative: each of you make an Initiative check against a DC of 17 (higher than normal because the goblins are staging an ambush). If two or more PCs succeed, the PCs get to go first as a group in whatever order you post in, then the enemies will go. If you fail, the enemy acts first. In either case, on round one Trees Glum gets to choose the allied NPC action.