Game: Basic Fantasy RPG
Featured Players: the Dungeon Master, Hurling the Halfling Thief, Luca the Human Magic User
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DM: Your fingers find the catch and trigger it, and a section of the wall swings back, revealing a narrow corridor that stretches back into the darkness. And from somewhere in the darkness, you hear a chorus of animals growling.
Hurling: Can I tell what kind of animals by the sound?
DM: It sounds like wolves.
Hurling: Can I tell how many?
DM: It's hard to tell. The chamber makes the sound echo.
Luca: I'll step forward and hold up the torch, see if I can cast some light down the corridor.
DM: As you bring the torch closer, you can see three sets of orange-glowing eyes, reflecting back the torchlight. They're about forty feet back, just outside of the primary reach of the light.
Hurling: I'm going to light an oil flask and throw it at them to see if I can scare them away.
DM: Okay. Make an attack roll.
Hurling: Oh shit. [starts laughing] I rolled a one!
DM: Fumble! [laughing] Okay, here's what happens. The flask must have been slippery with oil. You cock back your arm to throw it, but it slips out of your fingers and drops to the floor right in the middle of the party.
Hurling and Luca: [laughing]
DM: Everybody roll a Dragon Breath saving throw. I'll roll for the NPCs.
Hurling: [still laughing] I failed!
Luca: I failed too.
DM: Johanus failed too, but Gregor made the save. He jumps out of the way. The rest of you guys are all flecked with burning oil.
Hurling: Oh shit!
DM: Since the flask just dropped--it didn't actually get thrown--we'll say it doesn't shatter. It just sort of flings droplets of burning oil all over. Everybody roll a d4 for damage.
Hurling: Two.
Luca: Thank goodness, I rolled a one.
DM: Johanus got a 4. I guess his leather armor was cured in something flammable. He bursts into flame and starts screaming. The rest of you are all on fire too, but not as bad.
Hurling: What are the wolves doing? Are they attacking?
DM: Not yet. The fire is freaking them out. They're growling and barking. Froth is flying out of their mouths.
Luca: [laughing] Well, I guess I'll start trying to put myself out.
Hurling: I'm going to charge the wolves.
DM: [laughing] While you're on fire? You're not going to try to put the flames out first?
Hurling: No way! I raise my sword and run toward them, screaming. Yaaaah!
DM: [still laughing] Alright. Let me see something. [rolls 2d6, and starts laughing harder] They failed their morale check!
Luca: [laughing] I guess the sight of a flaming, screaming hobbit charging at them is more than they want to deal with.
DM: The wolves see Hurling coming, and they just turn tail and run for their lives.