[IC] Chapter 2-5: You're whirling 'round...

[DM Surranó]

The pony moves forward with Lugar and Giant. The divine torch illuminates quite some area, revealing a fork in the road, apparently the path leading to the second circle.
Private to Giant

This time Giant has the eagle eye (natural 20 on spot) and while Lugar keeps both his eyes on the illuminated mantis Giant spots another one sitting on a darker mushroom's trunk just across the path leading to the second circle.

See current map attached. remember 1sq=10ft. If you can't move your token just tell me your coordinates as follows:
- Giant: M10
- Lugar: N10
- Pony: M11
(valid for this image only because the place is 128x128 5-ft-squares total. if you run out of the alphabet within a single image we'll discuss.)

[Silent Giant]

The pony moves forward with Lugar and Giant. The divine torch illuminates quite some area, revealing a fork in the road, apparently the path leading to the second circle.
Private to Giant

This time Giant has the eagle eye (natural 20 on spot) and while Lugar keeps both his eyes on the illuminated mantis Giant spots another one sitting on a darker mushroom's trunk just across the path leading to the second circle.

See current map attached. remember 1sq=10ft. If you can't move your token just tell me your coordinates as follows:
- Giant: M10
- Lugar: N10
- Pony: M11
(valid for this image only because the place is 128x128 5-ft-squares total. if you run out of the alphabet within a single image we'll discuss.)

Hey Dude, stop! - he whispers and points there - See, there is another one. Huh, they are staying there as two bug-guards of the passage.

[Toot]

Toot was starting to wonder if it was time to take a more physically capable and intimidating form.  He avoided physical combat as much as possible and preferred to let his Summon's do the fighting for him.  Usually only using his Wild Shapes for transportation.  But now that Toot had learnt a great deal of nature's secrets from his last encounters underground, his Wild Shapes could take on a much more menacing size and strength.  The only problem was that some of his magic items were command word activated.  His animal vocal cords would not be able to imitate the sounds of speech needed to call upon their magic.  All the rest, except his ring (of sustenance), he could remove before the Wild Shape and put back on afterward as their magics would grow and stretch to accommodate his new size (if the form has that body part).  

Glancing at the pony, Toot considers that appearing as a typical mount might fool even a dragon into believing Toot not to be a worthy target for a breath weapon.  Transforming into a dire bear and pretending to be a companion to the Giant might be a good ploy too.  Toot would be physically powerful and able to completely communicate with Boo!  An ape would likely be a little more suspicious.  How many adventuring groups had a trained ape carrying a large quarterstaff as a pet?  

While considering all of this, Toot moves 40' [if Toot can see the new Mantis...] and then points his wand at the other Mantis and whispers, "Glowy." The spell's duration was only a minute (10 rounds) but the effect would last long enough for everyone to see the creatures and lure them into the light if they intended to fight them.  

[OoC: Knowledge-Nature: +13 (Mantis info)= Result 20; Know-nature: +13 (mushroom info)= Result 15; Spot check: +7= Result 26!; Listen: +7 = Result 10 ]

"Me not want to kill Vermin but me also not want to become lunch for vermin if we be running away from dragon and they decide they suddenly peckish.   Me considering Entangling Mantis's with new wand to impede movement so we can get few shots on them.  What you all think?"

[DM Surranó]

OOC - not killing just getting a few shots on them, eh?

Toot spots the second mantis! (-5 for distance = 21, DC19 )

OOC2 - moving 40ft straight into its direction would put Toot into 5ft step distance from the mantis. Is it what you intended?
EDIT: or did you mean that you've already made that move on roll20? in that case that's fine, except you couldn't see the mantis when you started, only when you arrived to your current spot, but we can handle that.

[Silent Giant]

I can go forward and test if they attack me or not. Are you all ready for fight? You can shoot them if they attack me

IF everybody is ready THEN he changes his weapon to double axe and starts blinking and goes forward (40ft, roll20)

OOC - speak with animals? animal handle+diplomacy?

[Toot]

Toot spots the second mantis! (-5 for distance = 21, DC19 )

OOC2 - moving 40ft straight into its direction would put Toot into 5ft step distance from the mantis. Is it what you intended?
EDIT: or did you mean that you've already made that move on roll20? in that case that's fine, 

[OoC: Yes, I already moved my token and placed Toot and Boo behind the meat shei... I mean pony.]

except you couldn't see the mantis when you started, only when you arrived to your current spot, but we can handle that.

[OoC: I'm not sure what you mean.  Toot had his Faerie Fire wand still in his hand from last round.  Ahead of him, Toot could see SG stop and point in the direction of something.  Toot was following so he stopped and saw the Mantis in the direction that SG was pointing.  So Toot "Glowy-ed" him so everyone could see the Mantis.]

OOC - not killing just getting a few shots on them, eh?

[OoC: Well I meant, get a few shots to kill them before they can get through the entanglement. ]

OOC - speak with animals? animal handle+diplomacy?

[OoC: Speak with animals doesn't work on Vermin.  I don't think there is a way to communicate with Vermin unless you want to wrestle Boo's Helm of Comprehend Languages onto the Mantis's head.  Actually, Toot has a, Hand of the Mage.  He might be able to Mage hand the helm over to the Mantis and drop it onto it's head.  Since Mantis have zero Intelligence, it might not even resist as long as it doesn't see the floating helm as a threat.  But getting the helmet back might be a problem, though. ]

[OoC2: However, there is a Feat (in Pathfinder   ) which allows you to target vermin with spells and special abilities as if they were animals called, Vermin Heart.  It's too bad that it's not in 3.5e because I feel it's a feat that fits Toot very well.  Personally I think vermin are a type of creature that Druids should be able to use their Wild Empathy upon.  Even Gandalf was able to speak to a moth in the Hobbit but apparently only in Middle Earth do such abilities exist.    At least in 5e they fixed the problem by lumping Vermin and Animals in with Beasts. ]

[Torin]

Torin and also the pony move forward. (OoC - I moved the tokens, cos now I could use my laptop, last time my honey did some very important post on FB, but she is coming and I must switch back to my tablet.)

[Merrinna Starsong]

(Is SG running into the entanglement? She isn't about to get tangled up with a very large insect so will wait near the edge in case it gets close.)

[DM Surranó]

OOC - all clear now and glad Merri can also move around

Toot glowy-s the second mantis and Giant bravely moves forward just about halfway between the two. Apparently they are waiting for some prey to wander conveniently close to them.

[Silent Giant]

SG goes forward 10ft.