Pumpkin Catapult Combat

Summary

In Session 5, the party encountered a hostile Pumpkin Creature in the middle of a Money Pumpkins field. The creature launched pumpkins as projectiles at the party, forcing them to make tactical decisions about whether to engage or retreat. Sucks demonstrated protective instincts by kicking Cat out of harm's way and engaging the threat directly, taking damage in the process. Despite creative strategic proposals from the party, the encounter revealed conflicting priorities about risk versus reward, ultimately leading to Sucks's decision to charge into the field wearing his goblin mustache for courage. The combat escalated as Sucks attempted to distract the creature while dodging thrown pumpkins, but when his Mini Disc Player skipped, he was ensnared by the creature's vine tentacles. Vasso's rescue attempt failed catastrophically, and Cat ultimately freed Vasso by using a Called Shot to sever the vine holding him.

Details

The combat began when the Pumpkin Creature launched pumpkins at the party from its position in the money pumpkin field. Sucks immediately acted to protect Cat, kicking her in the chest to move her out of the trajectory of an incoming pumpkin missile. "It's gonna hit me. And it doesn't hit Cat because I kick her in the chest," Sucks declared.

Sucks then attempted to intercept another pumpkin with his Ragged Bow, successfully splitting it down the middle with an arrow. However, the physics of the encounter worked against him: "You bullseye this pumpkin, you split it right down the middle in half, and then one of the halves just plows into your chest." The impact dealt 1 damage and knocked Sucks to the ground, covering him in pumpkin guts.

From his position on the ground, Sucks called out dramatically: "Sucks from the ground goes, cat, run. Tell my story." The creature demonstrated tactical intelligence by assessing the party's threat level during the encounter.

A second pumpkin struck Sucks, knocking the Ragged Bow from his hands. At this point, the party began debating their approach to the threat. Cat proposed two strategies: either sending Goober to eat all the pumpkins in the field, or using their hoodies as makeshift nets to catch the thrown pumpkins.

Vasso used prayer to confirm the creature's malevolent nature. Cat attempted to communicate with it using animal speech, but received no response, suggesting the creature was either non-animal in nature or unwilling to parley.

Safia advocated strongly for retreat, unmoved by the potential profit from harvesting the Money Pumpkins. The party's concern for Goober's safety proved decisive in their strategic calculus. As one party member stated: "I feel like Goober is one of our best friends now, and we shouldn't put him into danger."

As the debate continued, the GM warned that time was running out: "Sucks. Your danger sense is starting to go off. This thing's about to start whipping more pumpkins at you. What do you do?"

Sucks resolved the debate by taking direct action. He donned his goblin mustache for courage and declared: "Yeah, tell my story, guys. If and when I die. And then he runs out into the" field, charging toward the combat.

The party shifted to a new strategy involving nets. Sucks proposed a plan to distract the Pumpkin Creature while the others prepared nets. As he explained, "Sucks is gonna try to, like, run around it and dodge and stuff. Stuff to give everyone enough time to make these nets." Sucks ran circles through the field, successfully using Defy Danger to evade the creature's projectiles. The GM described the scene: "You are just running back and forth in circles, and this thing is, like, very frustratedly throwing pumpkins at you that you're just dodging out of the way of."

Sucks maintained his evasion by listening to Kate Bush on his Mini Disc Player, declaring "I'm vibing to Kate Bush while I'm doing this. That's why I'm pulling this off, despite my lankiness." However, the anti-skip protection failed at a critical moment. As Sucks reported, "The anti skip on the mini disc player like up. And then the. The song like, skips on the cd and then it messes with my rhythm." He attempted to recover with a front flip, but the maneuver failed. The creature seized the opportunity, and the GM narrated: "It wraps a vine around your ankle and your leg and it yanks you down to the ground."

Vasso attempted to rescue Sucks by running into the field while attempting to Cast a Spell, praying to Earth Mother to bless his weapon with magical power. His roll came up a 6, a complete failure. The GM described the consequence: "You are also surprised to find yourself quickly dragged to the ground and then whipping through the field, being dragged by your ankle through a bunch of pumpkins."

Cat positioned herself atop the cart with Safia's assistance and attempted a Called Shot to free Vasso. After missing her first shot, she successfully severed the vine holding Vasso's leg. The GM confirmed: "Arrow whistles through the air and slices right through the vine that was holding Vasso's leg. Vasso, you are not being yanked through the pumpkins any longer."

The Pumpkin Creature itself was revealed to be a small decomposing pumpkin with a carved mouth and eyes, wielding fat stubby vine tentacles that could stretch far beyond their apparent reach to both throw pumpkins and grab opponents.

Participants

Sucks — Protected Cat from pumpkin projectiles, shot an incoming pumpkin with his bow, took 1 damage and was knocked down twice, lost his Ragged Bow, charged into the field, then served as the distraction by running circles through the field while dodging pumpkin projectiles and listening to Kate Bush; was eventually caught by vine tentacles when his Mini Disc Player skipped
Cat — Kicked to safety by Sucks, proposed strategic options involving Goober and hoodies, attempted to communicate with the creature using animal speech, positioned herself atop the cart and used Called Shot to sever the vine holding Vasso, successfully freeing him
Vasso — Used prayer to assess the creature's spiritual nature and confirm its malevolence, attempted to rescue Sucks by invoking Earth Mother to bless his weapon; his Cast a Spell move failed (rolled a 6) and he was also dragged through the field by vine tentacles
Safia — Advocated for retreat over profit, assisted Cat in getting into position on the cart
Pumpkin Creature — Launched pumpkin projectiles at the party, demonstrated tactical assessment capabilities, threw pumpkins and used extending vine tentacles to grab opponents
Goober — Considered as a potential asset in combat but protected by the party's decision not to risk him

Consequences

Sucks took 1 hit point of damage from pumpkin impact and was knocked to the ground
Sucks was disarmed, losing his Ragged Bow to a second pumpkin strike
The party established Goober's status as a valued companion worth protecting rather than risking in combat
Cat's attempt at animal speech communication with the creature failed, providing information about the creature's nature
Vasso's prayer confirmed the creature's malevolent spiritual alignment
Sucks committed to direct engagement by charging into the field, escalating the confrontation
Sucks was dragged to the ground among the pumpkins, ensnared by the creature's vine tentacles
Vasso's failed Cast a Spell move (rolling a 6) resulted in him being grabbed and dragged through the pumpkin field by his ankle
Cat's successful Called Shot freed Vasso from the vine tentacles, though Sucks remained entangled
The party learned that the Pumpkin Creature's vine tentacles could extend much farther than their stubby appearance suggested
The party's initial net-preparation strategy was disrupted by the creature's ability to grab and drag opponents