Cave Pursuit: Deeper Into the Dark

What You Know

• The party is inside the cave, past the entry bottleneck, in active pursuit of a fleeing ogre
• One ogre is dead at the bottleneck behind you - that path is clear for now
• The bloodied ogre is running away from the party, heading deeper into the cave
• You are chasing it. It has 40ft movement; most of you have 30ft. It is faster than you
• Visibility is limited to 60ft darkvision - the ogre could be right at the edge of your sight or already pulling away
• The ogre is almost certainly running toward something: reinforcements, a defended position, or a rallying point
• This is a pursuit, not a cautious advance. Every round you don't close the gap is a round it gets closer to help

Current Party Status

Barzer is at 4 HP. Any hit from any enemy will likely drop him to 0. He cannot join a sprint. He is the anchor that limits how hard the party can push this pursuit.

Darkvision Roster

Every member of this party has darkvision. No light source is required for vision.

All darkvision is 60ft. You can see 60ft in magical and non-magical darkness. Beyond 60ft: nothing. This means the cave beyond your vision radius is a complete unknown - threats can exist just outside your sight.

Darkvision Limitation Note

60ft darkvision means an enemy at 61ft is invisible to you. In an open cavern, a ranged threat - a goblin archer, a caster, something with a bow - can fire at you from outside your darkvision range without being visible. Stay aware of that blind zone.

Spell Slots

Depleted from the first encounter. Treat each remaining slot as a premium resource.

Immediate Priority: Heal Barzer

Before advancing a single step, Selena must use Healing Word on Barzer. At 4 HP he is a liability - not because he's weak, but because a stray arrow or goblin attack drops him instantly. Selena's Life Domain healing bonus makes even a 1st-level Healing Word substantial.

Selena's Healing Word (1st level) + Life Domain: 1d4+5 (Wisdom mod) + Life Domain bonus = minimum ~9-10 HP restored. That brings Barzer out of one-hit territory.

Do this before the party moves.

The Core Danger: It's Leading You Somewhere

A fleeing ogre is not a solved problem. It is bait.

Ogres do not run blind. If it's fleeing deeper into its own cave, it knows what's back there. The party does not. When the chase ends - when it reaches its destination - you will arrive at whatever it was running toward. Strung out from the chase, out of position, and possibly winded.

The ogre's goal is to reach its friends. Your goal is to stop it before it does, or be ready for what's waiting when it arrives.

Speed Reality Check

Without Dash: The ogre gains 5-10ft per round on every party member. Over 3-4 rounds it's completely gone into the dark beyond 60ft.

With Dash: Double movement, but you cannot attack that turn. The party has to decide: burn actions to close the gap, or fire while running and hope to slow it.

Questions to Decide Now

1. Heal Barzer first: Selena uses Healing Word (bonus action) on Barzer before moving - non-negotiable. He cannot sprint into a fight at 4 HP
2. Who sprints?: Kaltor and Theren can Dash ahead; Theren is the fastest at 35ft. Do faster characters push ahead and risk separating from the group?
3. Slow it down: Theren can fire while moving (move-attack-move). Can Nysera or Elaris get off a Ray of Frost, Command ("Halt"), or Ensnaring Strike to cut its speed?
4. Barzer's position: He cannot sprint. If the party strings out, he and Selena are at the back, exposed, and separated from Kaltor's protection
5. Abort threshold: At what point do you stop chasing and consolidate? See the chase document