RED OAK: ARCHIVE

[Longman]

You can't exactly see the eastern approach to the tree fort but it seems very unlikely it would be as exposed as the western one which just got Talin shot.

East is probably the best but it will take the longest. There is no difference between north and south.

Let me know how you want to approach and I'll start making those sneaking rolls.

(PS - Happy New Year. Moved house and holiday over, now selling old house so still pretty busy but can post more regularly from now on...)

[Woe]

Hmm... don't want to leave them behind us and don't want to attack a fortified target.

A few thoughts before we go. Are the trees tall enough (redwoods) where we can cut one down and have it crash on the hidden area? Is it possible for Tiana with spider climb to haul in the others and drop from trees above? Do the NPCs have any brilliant ideas?

[Longman]

The tree in question is a beech tree and the tree house is 40' up. The stand of beech trees reaches at least 100 tall although the upper 20' won't be great for climbing.

If Tiana used Spider Climb and Disc to haul Bruce and Kilian then everyone in the party could easily get up one of the nearby trees to 80 in height, although you might well be seen. From there, you could use disc to drop in party members. I'd have to work it out by weight.

I like the treefall plan, and if you had Kilian on hand to oversee the choice of tree, it could work. But how would you do the cutting quietly? (Or would you not bother?)

Bruce suggests surrounding the tree, staying behind cover, and waiting to see what happens. "They've got to get down sometime," he says. Even though you have told him about the whole shape-changing into weasels thing he still hasn't quite thought it through.

[Woe]

The tree in question is a beech tree and the tree house is 40' up. The stand of beech trees reaches at least 100 tall although the upper 20' won't be great for climbing.

We definitely live in different climates! You need to get bigger trees where you live in order for my ideas to work. There's a big difference between treefall of a beech tree and treefall of a redwood.

If Tiana used Spider Climb and Disc to haul Bruce and Kilian then everyone in the party could easily get up one of the nearby trees to 80 in height, although you might well be seen. From there, you could use disc to drop in party members. I'd have to work it out by weight.

That was the plan, though I don't know if "drop in" would be as appropriate as "airdrop". Tiana would shield herself then spider all the way down. She can move 40' so that'd be one turn. If it's like last time, she'd be able to carry the two dwarves. The others can either come from below or try to keep up on their own. Hah. Come from below.

I like the treefall plan, and if you had Kilian on hand to oversee the choice of tree, it could work. But how would you do the cutting quietly? (Or would you not bother?)

Shoot, I didn't think about the noise. Any chance Kilian discovers a Chainsaw +2, Silence 15'r nearby? Yeah, they're carrying excavation tools not lumberjacking tools. I don't see how they can pull it off. My vision was he'd somehow cut down a redwood tree, which tend to fall better in a forest of redwoods than a beech does in a forest of beech trees.

Bruce suggests surrounding the tree, staying behind cover, and waiting to see what happens. "They've got to get down sometime," he says. Even though you have told him about the whole shape-changing into weasels thing he still hasn't quite thought it through.

"Bruce, them nisha aren't like me an' you. The first time we encountered 'em, one disappeared right before our eyes. We dought 'e went invisible. Later, we saw 'em... many of 'em... turn right from a man into a weasel. Or even smaller, to a mouse. Dey might come down, but we won' see 'em come down as mice. Dey den sneak up and grow into man-sized weasels to attack. Not to say about odders who may sneak up on us. No, we either charge dem or we leave quickly. No other way about it."

Here's a crazy idea. Do I know if the fort has an open top or a closed top? The idea is, pelt them from arrows from the top whilst two sneak from the bottom and set the tree -- and hopefully not the whole forest -- afire.

[Woe]

Tiana is 3rd level, right?

"Selene's light, where is my brain today?" Tiana exclaims. The others look at her quizzically. "I can cast my web into that fort, and then we light it."

Would that plan work?

[Longman]

Tiana is not 3rd level yet. Look on your character sheet! (Incidentally, yes that would have worked).

You are in standard Englishy type forest and these trees are standard Englishy type beech tree height. Sorry no giant redwoods here. It was still a good idea though, and there is a tree is the right position to be knocked over. No chainsaw of silence, though.

Setting fire to a large live tree will be tough - do you have a lot of oil? Also, you have no way of knowing whether the tree house has a roof.

All this discussion is taking place pretty fast in real terms - it's actually been only about ten seconds since you got back to cover. So far there is no indication anyone has moved from the treehouse - but in weasel form they are pretty sneaky, as you have just pointed out to Bruce.

"I want to fight goblins!" says Bruce in reply to Kilian's spiel. "Line them up and whack them on the head. Pow! None of this sneaking around. Where are the goblins, anyway?"

[Woe]

I've been confused for a bit whether Tiana actually hit third level, or whether she was close but not quite there yet. You had me pick spells, and I probably drank too much eggnog the same day. It's why I asked. The fire idea is definitely out without the web. With the web, it's brilliant.

Oh it's an English beech. That's too bad. American beeches are taller because... um... everything is bigger in Texas.

"Gobbies are northeast of here, the direction 'ere 'eading. Ye can pew pew them all ye want soon 'nuff." Kilian drawls.

"Hmm... ye have an interesting idea." Kilian says to Anna after she suggests downing the beech tree onto the nisha. Kilian quickly does some math to figure out how long it'd take him to cut down a 3' wide tree (I think -- handwavy math) and comes up with 15 minutes. "I dunna think it would work. Dey'd be 'ere before we got dat tree down."

Some more discussion ensues, in which the PCs decide that the best plan is the spider climb+dwarven paratroopers approach. Tiana looks at the best route in. Her move is 40' so that'd be 80' on the trees. I don't think she needs to literally drop the dwarves in though, as she can climb down with them and scamper away next round, or extract them if things go south. Maaaybe toss a token net down first, but that fog of war just doesn't help right now!

Freya, Talin, and Anna would provide fire support from the ground. If Anna and Freya are up for it, they could advance to the trunk checking for traps the whole way.

Fido... oooh, can Fido's mighty tail knock down the beech tree in one furious blow?

[Longman]

Ember Wossername taught you spells you can't use yet. That was me being nice. Otherwise you'd have had to go back to Brant to learn 2nd level spells about a week into the new adventure. If you could add those, and your new 1st level choices to your sheet, that's be awesome.

Now, onto the tree thing.

I;m going to say you all move into the woods on the north side as stealthily as possible so you do not have to run over open ground. Nothing happens. You have your eye on a beech tree growing near to the main tree that the ivy mass / tree-house is in. Its trunk is about 20 feet from the trunk of the main tree and some of the upper branches overlap.

You are 120 feet from the base of the 2nd tree - and therefore 140 feet from the treehouse tree.

If Tiana wants to go for it she has to sneak within 40 feet to start the climb, and then again to get up the tree with Dwarves in tow.

The others can surround the tree and fire arrows? Or rush the base en masse once the trap is sprung? Let me know if you need a map. I think we may need one once the poop hits the fan, but maybe not before.

[Woe]

Mostly good. The archers will primarily be a distraction before the dwarves rush in. If they hit something, great! If they don't, at least make good thunks on the fort. That should help keep them from looking for Tiana.

After the dwarves get in, the plan will be for Tiana to drop down and get Talin and Freya, then deposit them in too.

In theory.

*gulp*

[Longman]

No traps discovered on your approach. Check.
Everyone at 140 from main tree. Check.
Tiana casts Disc. Check.
Tiana casts Shield. Check.
Tiana casts Spider Climb. Check. All 3 1st level spells are gone. (This is great EXP for her, by the way...)
Dwarves climb aboard the disc. Check.
Tiana tries moving as quietly as she can along the sides of trees. It's much quieter doing that than rustling through the beech mast. Check?

She gets to within 60 feet of the main trunk (40' of the trunk she wants to climb up) and has not yet been bombarded with poison arrows.

I need to know if the others have started firing already, or if they wait til now, or let her sneak even further. You all have the ivy mass in your sights. Even Bruce although he's not sure how much good a throwing hammer is going to be.

"How hard is it to use a crossbow, anyway?" he whispers, as Tiana scuttles up another tree.