(Page 1 of 2) The Saving Throw by Sean Regan
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SUMMARY: For the September flash fiction contest. Theme is "feather."The lava-filled cavern was behind them, and the seven adventurers advanced down the corridor. A noise from ahead. Three fantastic creatures entered the light. The seven spread for combat and within moments the advantage was theirs. But one cockatrice saw a gap; it hurtled toward Ilhan. The cockatrice attacked the wizard with beak and claws...
"The cockatrice needs a 17," said Dave, who was the dungeon master, as usual. He rolled d20. 18. "Hit. Save verse magic at +3."
"Two or better," Adam said, smugly. He rolled d20 and his smugness vanished. "One."
Dave laughed and raised his eyebrows. "Well," he said. "Ilhan's been turned to stone. Billy's ranger moves next."
Adam stared at the miniatures on the table. He had painstakingly painted the piece that represented Ilhan; now his blue-robed wizard was a statue in a dangerous dungeon. He paid no attention as Billy's ranger split the cockatrice in half. The combat ended.
"What about Ilhan?" asked Leslie, Billy's sister.
"He's stone," Dave answered. "His possessions are fine, but he's a rock. It can be reversed with a 'stone to flesh' spell."
Adam looked up at Billy and Leslie. They considered the powers of their characters. Each of them played two. Of course Ilhan knew 'stone to flesh', but he was already stone. Adam's paladin and Billy's ranger couldn't cast it, and Billy's half-elf fighter-mage lacked sufficient magical ability. Leslie had a useless dwarven bard and a well-meaning but inexperienced cleric who didn't know the spell.
"Was the save really at +3?" Adam asked.
Dave checked the number in his Monster Manual and passed the book to Adam. Leslie looked over Adam's shoulder at the 'cockatrice' entry. There was a sketch of the cockatrice, a mythical creature that could turn people to stone. It had a feathered body, reptilian wings, and a nasty beak.
Adam snorted at the picture. "What's a cockatrice anyway? Stupid overgrown chicken. A chicken that turns people into stone. Ridiculous."
Billy saw a solution. "No one can cast it, so we leave Ilhan, go to the nearest town, hire a magician, and bring him –"
"Or her," said Leslie.
"- back here to cast the spell."
"So we have to go through the lava cavern twice?" asked Leslie. "With all those dexterity rolls?"
"Yep," Dave replied.
"What are the chances?" Adam muttered. "What are the chances?"
"One in twenty," Dave said. "I shouldn't mention this, but doesn't Ilhan have a scroll with 'stone to flesh'?"
Adam scanned his inventory. "He does," he said, but his gloom returned. "But it doesn't matter because no one can cast it."
"Someone may be able to," Dave said. "Because of their language ability, thieves can cast spells from scrolls." He nodded toward Ted.
Ted.
Ted played only one character, a thief named Vexler. Ted loved to role play. He sat on the couch, and he said little and rose only to move the miniature Vexler wherever he wanted to go. He wore a hoodie and turned off the lamp next to him whenever Vexler tried to hide in shadow.
Sometimes he helped the team, but the others complained that he never helped them enough.
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