OOC Chat

[Jenara]

Doh!

Yes your right.... sorry.

[JadedDM]

Okay, now it's Jerrard's turn to come within inches of death only to be saved at the very last second.

[Breila]

What would have happened if Babushka had made the herbalism check? Just knowing what would help might have been of little use, because her possessions don't list something like "collection of standard medicinal herbs"... didn't think they were so powerful...

[JadedDM]

Well, they were right at the cave's entrance. If she had passed, she likely would have recognized some useful herbs or plants growing outside the cave, sent someone to fetch them, and then quickly made a remedy.

[Breila]

If she had passed, she likely would have recognized some useful herbs or plants growing outside the cave, sent someone to fetch them, and then quickly made a remedy.

Jaded, don't you know just how unrealistic that is?

I know I'm going to sound professoral now, but I feel I have to live up to the third "profession" listed in my profile.
I'm working as a volonteer for a museum of natural history that is doing an inventory of all naturally growing plants in our land, so I know quite a lot about them (though I limit my herbalism to wild vegatables, fruit and spices and most basic medicine).

First, even if powerful medical plants were as common as brambles and dandelion (which both have medical uses, but are no match against poison), and a simple tea-like brew was sufficient to extract the active ingredient, ten minutes would be a tight schedule.

Second, plants are often very similar to each other and hard to describe to lay people (Jerrard's plant lore would have taken some care of that, though). Every year, hospitalization and death occur because people collecting ramsons (known also as bear's garlic) have instead gathered lily of the valley or autumn crocus.

Third, it is spring. Most plants have just pushed a few leaves over the litter of dead leaves and grasses. Spotting anything useful in passing is not really possible. A flowering foxglove (in July) is seen from yards away, to find it in April, you have to look at nearly every plant spreading its leaves in a clearing, and can still make mistakes. It's not possible to describe the details necessary to find them to a layperson. Of belladonna, the fruit are needed. They're ripe in September.

Fourth, most herbal remedies need more preparation than making tea. They have to boil for some time (valerian), be crushed with oil (St. John's wort, calendula), some even need to be distilled.


No, all things considered, I'm happier with the outcome as it was. It would have felt like cheating to me if Babushka had come up with something. Perhaps the die roll simply stated that there was nothing to find at the moment?

But: Why wasn't there a saving throw against the poison?

[JadedDM]

Well, I guess I could make the point that what may be unrealistic on our world might not be so on an alien fantasy world, but it seems moot. She failed the roll anyway, so it's not really an issue.

But: Why wasn't there a saving throw against the poison?

There was, and she got a +1 to it because the poison wasn't very strong (I also took her gnomish resistance of poison into account, but the roll was too low). It's in my post where she was first bit, you might have missed it.

[Jenara]

And if locky would have acted quick enough she would have got +2 as well.

I'll be able to post later today.

[Breila]

I'm going to be offline from Saturday to Saturday, away on my real world quest.

Babushka's plan would be to look at the tunnel behind the breeding chamber, the only place of that level the group hasn't explored yet.

[Jerrard]

I'm going to be patchy the next four days myself , so i'll be dragging Jen along with me, she's all mine! haha

Long Bank Holiday here...

[JadedDM]

Hey, Jenara, Cure Light Wounds restores 1d8 HP, not 2d4+1 (which is what a potion does, I think that's what you were thinking of at the time).

[Jenara]

Doh! my mistake..
I'll edit it now

[Jenara]

We'll both respond later today.. sorry.

Jaded, you going to take a drop by Borderlands later?

[Breila]

Let's see... I've drawn the map, photographed it, resized the image - will it work now?

It's not to scale and not very accurate, but shows how the paths interconnect - and that we've not explored one tunnel on this level, the one branching from the path between the breeding chamber and the mad trees (on the very right of the map).

[Jenara]

Quick heads up, we are away all weekend. Back on Sunday..

I'll post if I can..

[JadedDM]

Comparing that to my own map, Breila, it is very accurate. The dimensions are not perfect, but still very good. The only real mistake I see is that the river should extend down the path the party just took to the second level (at the bottom, where you have labeled 'v down').