Subduing the Sniff Lord

Summary

In Session 3, the party coordinates a multi-stage takedown of the Sniff Lord after distracting it with a thrown goose. The confrontation begins with Vasso using his I Am the Law paladin ability to force the creature back, followed by Sucks poisoning it with Serpent's Tears, and Katniss delivering a non-lethal blow with a broom handle using Called Shot. The party then restrains and disarms the unconscious creature before it regains consciousness, successfully capturing it alive.

The subduing required each party member to contribute their unique abilities in sequence, with Vasso controlling the creature's movement, Sucks weakening it with poison, and Katniss rendering it unconscious. The capture is completed just as the creature wakes up, bound and with its tusks blunted by wine corks.

Details

After the Sniff Lord is distracted by the thrown goose, Vasso takes command of the situation. He employs his I Am the Law ability, shouting and clanging his sword on rocks to command the creature to back away in the name of mother earth. Rolling a 10, he successfully makes the creature retreat cautiously.

With the creature momentarily pacified, Sucks shoots an arrow into the Sniff Lord's neck. The arrow is poisoned with Serpent's Tears, though the attack rolls only 1 damage and the arrow barely seems to affect the creature initially. After a few seconds, however, the poison takes effect, causing the creature to convulse and shake.

Katniss then delivers the critical blow by using Called Shot to throw a broom handle at a pressure point in the Sniff Lord's neck. Rolling a 9, the attack succeeds without dealing damage. As the GM describes: "And the. The broom handle that you decided to use jabs it in that fatty part of its neck where it's like huge jowls are hanging down and it passes out." The creature falls back, breathing hard but temporarily unconscious: "It just like, it falls back. It's not out by any means. It's breathing really hard. But it has momentarily been pacified."

Vasso quickly moves to hog-tie the unconscious creature using all the rope from his Adventurer's Kit. Rolling a 7 (a partial success), he manages to bind the creature but has to use every bit of rope available, completely emptying his inventory of that resource.

Katniss smashes wine bottles to extract corks and places them on the Sniff Lord's tusks to blunt them. The timing proves critical: "You're able to put the corks on it, the ends of its tusks, just before it wakes up. And now it's just like snorting and flopping around, trying to break loose." Despite the creature's violent attempts to escape, Vasso's bindings hold fast.

Participants

• Vasso — Uses I Am the Law to command the creature to retreat, then hog-ties it with rope from his Adventurer's Kit
• Sucks — Shoots the Sniff Lord with an arrow poisoned with Serpent's Tears
• Katniss — Delivers the knockout blow with a broom handle using Called Shot, then blunts the creature's tusks with wine corks
• Sniff Lord — The creature being subdued

Consequences

• The Sniff Lord is successfully captured alive, bound with rope and its tusks blunted with corks
• Vasso exhausts all rope from his Adventurer's Kit, leaving that section of his inventory completely empty
• The creature remains conscious and struggles violently against its restraints, but cannot break free
• The party demonstrates effective coordination in neutralizing a dangerous threat without killing it