Seeing the entire room go up in flames around her Titania sees teleportation as no more dangerous than staying put and promptly flickers out of sight, only to appear 15 feet away behind the thug she was standing next to. She launches a quick blast of magic at him but the heat from teleporting makes her vision hazy and it goes wide.
Move Action: Fey step to K13 (3 damage) (gain shadow walk again)
Minor Action: Curse thug #1
Standard Action: Eldritch Blast thug #1 (I13) Attack Roll: 1d20+6+1(bless) = 13 (Miss)
Startled by the impact of the bomb on the 2nd floor, Summer barely threw up her shield in time to deflect the majority of the falling debris. As she was using the provided wood to escape the encroaching flames she heard the drow being savaged by the beast 'Bacon' again. "I can't keep doing this; protect yourself!" she shouted at him before he was again surrounded by a brief glow as his wounds completely vanished.
Changing her focus to the two thugs still harassing the party she said, "Animals like that dog only do as they're trained, but you two are free to choose your own path; why won't you listen?! Or is that you've been as trained as those poor dogs?" Growling a little, she stomps through the adjacent flames in order to close in on the second thug before sticking him in the ribs. As the entire party takes on a subtle radiance she continues to yell at her foes, "Can't you see you're in the wrong here? The Ragesians are destroying your town and you're eager to help them!"
TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Care for a Poisoned Apple?! Round 3.75
One thug ignores Summer's plea, while the other scoff at her. "Don't listen to them lads! Think how much money we'll make once we take them in. Remember: 100 gold a head! That sod over there with the funny hat looks to be a deserter of sorts. We might even get more for his capture! Double time it, men! They musn't escape!"
The recruits listen in on their superior's orders, and rush their way towards and through the alleyway door.
Two take their positions on the sides of the door, while two others try to assault the closest target, which was Titania at the time. Both swung their saps at her head, but both missed their target entirely...
Enemy Moves:
Black Horse Recruits: G10: Move Action: Move to M10 Move Action: Move to M12
H10: Move Action: Move to N10 Move Action: Move to M14
M10: Move Action: Move to N13 Standard Action: Charge to L14
Sap (std; at-will)
+6 (+7 due to Charge -2 due to concealment) vs. AC; 4 damage.
Torrent 21 Swain C. Angevin 19 Attack Dogs 18 average Black Horse Thugs 17 average Knight (Elite) Delayed Dorn Kir Delayed Titania Shaylee 14 Summer Storm 13 Black Horse Recruits 12 average Traorin Xinskarr 10 Areneth Thalant 7
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
(H15) Araneth HP 25/25 +5 Temp HP Cloud of Darkness @K11: block line of sight, totally obscured, enemies within are blinded until they exit. Areneth immune (Lasts until the end of Areneth’s next turn) Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(E15) Dorn HP 21/28 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls Knocked Prone
(H13) Summer HP 24/27 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K13) Titania HP 12/24 Bloodied! +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania
(I12) Traorin HP 25/33 +5 Temp HP +2 to next attack roll Bless: +1 to attack rolls Flanked (offers CA to the thugs)
(B1) Black Horse Scout #1 HP 0/28 Dead!
(B2) Black Horse Scout #2 HP -19/28 Dead!
(B3) Black Horse Scout #3 HP -17/28 Dead!
(I13) Black Horse Thug #1 HP 20/36 Warlock’s Curse (Titania) Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(I11) Black Horse Thug #2 HP 20/36 Marked by Traorin Warlock’s Curse (Titania) Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(L14, M14, L13, M12) Black Horse Recruits HP 1/1
(L11) Attack Dog HP 1/1
(P10) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 106/106
(H14) Torrent HP 30/30 Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details:
Attack Dog: HP 1/1 (A missed attack never damages a minion) AC 15; Fort 14, Reflex 16, Will 13, Speed 8; Vision: Normal
Black Horse Recruit: HP 1/1 (A missed attack never damages a minion) AC 15; Fort 15, Reflex 13, Will 13, Speed 6; Vision: Normal
Special:
Group Training:
The Black Horse recruit gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Black Horse Thug: HP 36/36 AC 13; Fort 16, Reflex 14, Will 14, Speed 6; Vision: Normal
Special:
Group Training:
The Black Horse thug gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Black Horse Leader (Elite): HP 106/106 AC 20; Fort 20, Reflex 16, Will 18, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Torrent (NPC): HP 30/30 AC 18; Fort 14, Reflex 12, Will 15, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Special:
Power Melee:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Illumination: Normal Light.
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
Areneth sighs loudly as the dog takes another bite into his arm, then feels the warmth of healing wash over him once more.
"I'll do my best. I hope you will believe that I'm not trying to get bitten." he says in Summer's direction, as he focuses his mind into his next attack.
Noticing that the recruits had decided to cluster together on the far side of the room, Areneth grins. He sidesteps the mangy mutt, and produces a clear faceted crystal from his pocket, about the size of an tangerine. A look of concentration takes hold on his face, replacing the grin with lips pressed firmly together. A soft light seems to grow inside the crystal, then dissipates in a flash.
In the next instant, two of the recruits disappear; then reappear in the corner of the pub, bodies ablaze. They collapse to the ground, filling the pub with the acrid odor of burning flesh.
Move Action:
- Shift to G14
Minor Action:
- Draw +1 Crystal Orb
Standard Action:
- Dimensional Scramble, centered on M13
- Damage/Effects:
* Recruit (L14) – Teleported to N11, takes 4 damage, lit on fire for 3 damage, and dies
* Recruit (L13) – Teleported to M11, takes 8 damage, lit on fire for 2 damage, and dies
Traorin once again faced the thug who had broken down the front door, the combat they were locked in was glorious. They stood as warriors in honorable battle while a building burned down around them, fantastic! The spirits of fire within the room gave Traorin a brief assesment of the two thugs in front of him and behind him, he made a mental note of the thug attacking Summer for what he was about to do.
Seeing an small opening in the guard of the enemy before him, Traorin darted his battle axe through the gap with a vicious underhanded swing, calling for the Spirits of the Storm to empower the strike with sky-lightning as he did so. The attack connected, drawing blood and searing flesh. As an afterthought Traorin used the ambient lightning still dancing accross his weapon to immediatly fly over his left shoulder and strike the thug behind him as well. He heard a yelp of pain and Traorin grinned in satisfaction. "You have fought well but it seems the odds are turning against you," Traorin told the thug before him, his tone turning serious, "There is no shame in retreating from this place once so outnumbered. No ammount of gold is worth your life surely."
Free Action: Nature's Wrath (Mark Thugs 1 and 2)
Standard Action: Tempest Assault on Thug at I11 1d20+7(including all modifiers)=23 Hit!
1d10+5=6 damage!(Marked Thug at I13 also takes 3 lightning damage)
Minor Action: Talk
[Up Next: Dorn][On Deck: Torrent (Round 4)]
Witch_Hunter_84 on
If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
Deciding that lounging against the wall of a cheaply constructed burning building is not a favourable long-term position, Dorn finally heaves himself to his feet, making his way over to the bar. Frowning at the swirling melee of fire and thugs in the centre of the room he looks up at Torrent on the bar and Areneth beside him, calling over the noise, "How's it going down here? Seems like everything's under control! I'll just take the dog for a walk, shall I?" Sliding around the drow he grins and gives a thumbs up before rolling over the bar and into position in front of the snarling hound.
Movement Action: Stand up
Standard Action: Walk to H15 (passing through Areneth to avoid fire)
[Up Next: Torrent (Round 4)][On Deck: Swain and Dorn]
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TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Care for a Poisoned Apple?! Round 4
Torrent looks around, noting the slow deterioration of the building's support structures.
"We can't stay here for much longer! Who knows when the tavern floor above us will collapse! Let's finish this, and make to our rendevous as soon as possible! We can't afford to idle! Not with the Ragesians bombing Gate Pass!"
Torrent raises her axe and offers a short prayer to the goddess of the wilderness.
As though on the beck of her call, a mystical blue tidal wave erupts from her holy symbol, smashing headlong into and knocking the thug closest to her off-balance, momentarily stunning the brigand. "Now Traorin-" Torrent shouts. "-Finish them!"
Torrent:
Standard Action: Watermark against the attack dog
Crashing Wave (std; enc) Divine, Weapon
+8 (+9 due to bless) vs. AC; 1d10+3 damage, and the target is dazed until the end of Torrent’s next turn. Attack roll:26Hit! Damage roll:7 damage, and Thug 1 is Dazed
Map (Round 4):
Initiative:
Torrent 21 Swain C. Angevin 19 Attack Dogs 18 average Black Horse Thugs 17 average Black Horse Scouts 15 average Knight (Elite) Delayed Titania Shaylee 14 Summer Storm 13 Black Horse Recruits 12 average Dorn Kir Delayed Traorin Xinskarr 10 Areneth Thalant 7
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
(G14) Araneth HP 25/25 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H15) Dorn HP 21/28 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls Knocked Prone
(H13) Summer HP 24/27 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K13) Titania HP 12/24 Bloodied! +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania
(I12) Traorin HP 25/33 +5 Temp HP +2 to next attack roll Bless: +1 to attack rolls Flanked (offers CA to the thugs)
(B1) Black Horse Scout #1 HP 0/28 Dead!
(B2) Black Horse Scout #2 HP -19/28 Dead!
(B3) Black Horse Scout #3 HP -17/28 Dead!
(I13) Black Horse Thug #1 HP 10/36 Bloodied! Marked by Traorin Warlock’s Curse (Titania) Group Training [+1 to attack rolls] Dazed (Until end of Torrent’s next turn)
(I11) Black Horse Thug #2 HP 14/36 Bloodied! Marked by Traorin Warlock’s Curse (Titania) Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(M14 , M12) Black Horse Recruits HP 1/1
(L11) Attack Dog HP 1/1
(P10) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 106/106
(H14) Torrent HP 30/30 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details: Attack Dog: HP 1/1 (A missed attack never damages a minion) AC 15; Fort 14, Reflex 16, Will 13, Speed 8; Vision: Normal
Black Horse Recruit: HP 1/1 (A missed attack never damages a minion) AC 15; Fort 15, Reflex 13, Will 13, Speed 6; Vision: Normal
Special:
Group Training:
The Black Horse recruit gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target..
Black Horse Scout: HP 28/28 AC 16; Fort 13, Reflex 13, Will 12, Speed 6; Vision: Normal
Black Horse Thug: HP 36/36 AC 13; Fort 16, Reflex 14, Will 14, Speed 6; Vision: Normal
Special:
Group Training:
The Black Horse thug gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Black Horse Leader (Elite): HP 106/106 AC 20; Fort 20, Reflex 16, Will 18, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Torrent (NPC): HP 30/30 AC 18; Fort 14, Reflex 12, Will 15, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Special:
Power Melee:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Illumination: Normal Light.
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
Swain once again faced down the Thug in combat, this time with a plan. Hoping that the Thug was as dumb as he looked, Swain looked directly behind him and called out "Move now, Anvil! His back is exposed!" As the Thug turned to see his new attacker, Swain struck, his sword going straight though the poor minion's shoulder. The battered and bruised assailant could barely stand at this point, nearly falling over as Swain pulled the sword back out. It was a wonder the man could still draw breath, having been cursed, burned, slashed, and now brutally stabbed. Swain knew he couldn't possibly take much more of this, and was all to ready to leave the burning pub. The building was becoming choked with smoke and ash, and he could hear the creak of the support beams as they bent and buckled. He couldn't get out of here soon enough!
Standard action: Wolf Pack Tactics on I11
OOC: If possible, I'd like to skip moving anyone. Everyone is in a great place, and I'd hate to throw Summer in a fire just to keep my [W] roll :twisted:...
[ Up Next: Most of the baddies (ouch)][ On Deck: The Good Guys ]
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TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Care for a Poisoned Apple?! Round 4.5
One of the thugs spit towards the Drow. "Money's all worth it! Rather die here than face Renard's wrath!" He swings his sap towards the Dragonborn Warden, knocking him in the face.
The other thug follows the example, and hits Traorin on the other side of his face with his own sap. Traorin soon found himself bleeding.
The last thug cranes his neck towards the outside. "Kathor! You ass! Get off your high horse and come in and help us here! Or Renard will have your head!"
The dog, now faced with a new opponent, nonetheless attacks the Half-Orc, biting Dorn on one of his exposed arms.
Within seconds, the knight (whom you all assume to be Kathor) comes rushing into the tavern trough the alleyway door, and hits Titania in the face with his weapon's pommel.
Titania:
Though none could hear him, you hear him whisper towards you: "Forgive me, but I'm under orders to do this."
Torrent 21 Swain C. Angevin 19 Attack Dogs 18 average Black Horse Thugs 17 average Knight (Elite) Delayed Titania Shaylee 14 Summer Storm 13 Black Horse Recruits 12 average Dorn Kir Delayed Traorin Xinskarr 10 Areneth Thalant 7
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
(G14) Araneth HP 25/25 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H15) Dorn HP 19/28 Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H13) Summer HP 24/27 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K13) Titania HP 7/24 Bloodied! Bless: +1 to attack rolls Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania
(I12) Traorin HP 16/33 Bloodied Bless: +1 to attack rolls Dragonborn Fury: +1 racial to attack rolls while bloodied
(B1) Black Horse Scout #1 HP 0/28 Dead!
(B2) Black Horse Scout #2 HP -19/28 Dead!
(B3) Black Horse Scout #3 HP -17/28 Dead!
(I13) Black Horse Thug #1 HP 10/36 Bloodied! Marked by Traorin Warlock’s Curse (Titania) Group Training [+1 to attack rolls] Dazed (Until end of Torrent’s next turn)
(I11) Black Horse Thug #2 HP 2/36 Bloodied! Marked by Traorin Warlock’s Curse (Titania) Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(M14 , M12) Black Horse Recruits HP 1/1
(L11) Attack Dog HP 1/1
(L13) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 106/106
(H14) Torrent HP 30/30 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details: Attack Dog: HP 1/1 (A missed attack never damages a minion) AC 15; Fort 14, Reflex 16, Will 13, Speed 8; Vision: Normal
Black Horse Recruit: HP 1/1 (A missed attack never damages a minion) AC 15; Fort 15, Reflex 13, Will 13, Speed 6; Vision: Normal
Special:
Group Training:
The Black Horse recruit gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target..
Black Horse Thug: HP 36/36 AC 13; Fort 16, Reflex 14, Will 14, Speed 6; Vision: Normal
Special:
Group Training:
The Black Horse thug gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Black Horse Leader (Elite): HP 106/106 AC 20; Fort 20, Reflex 16, Will 18, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Torrent (NPC): HP 30/30 AC 18; Fort 14, Reflex 12, Will 15, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Special:
Power Melee:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Illumination: Normal Light.
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
Titania looks to the Knight, and he notices that her demeanor changes. It's as if she isn't herself for a brief moment. In that moment, she whispers back to him in a low tone, audible only to him;
Knight:
"I must keep up appearances also."
With that, she raises her wand, and then something curious happens to everyone watching. One by one the two recruits and the knight start walking about the pub. Each has a look of shock and disbelief, as if their movements are not their own.
First, one of the recruits takes a step over. The recruit then, with his face turning to horror, swings his sap towards his own commander. The attack proved ineffective, but the shock was too much for the soldier, and he collapses. Next the second recruit climbs up on the table and swings at the commander, landing a blow against the knight's armor, staggering him slightly. The knight then moves around the table and brings his sword up against the recruit, cutting him down
Titania then takes the initiative to move towards the alleyway exit. She moves to the door, taking cover in the alleyway, but still leaving herself with a clear view of the battle, so she can provide assistance from range. Taking a deep breath, she focuses on healing some of her wounds.
Minor Action
- Warlock's Curse on Knight (L13)
Standard Action Decree of Khirad
- Targets: Recruit (M14), Recruit (M12), Knight (L13)
- Recruit (M14)
* Shift to (M13)
* To Hit: 1d20 + 7 vs. Will = 22 HIT!
* Forced Attack against Knight (L13) = 1d20 + 7 vs. AC (Gets +1 because other recruit is adjacent) = 13 MISS
- Miss on Forced Attack means Recruit takes 1d6 + 5 = 10 damage, and dies
- Recruit (M12)
* Shift 2 squares to (L12)
* To Hit: 1d20 + 7 vs. Will = 27 NATURAL 20!
* Forced Attack against Knight (L13) = 1d20 + 6 vs. AC = 25 HIT!
- Damage to Knight = 4
- Knight (L13)
* Shift 2 squares to (K11)
* To Hit: 1d20 + 7 (Should have been 8) vs. Will = 17
****Forgot Prime Shot, so that would be 18 versus Will, which is a hit
* Forced Attack against Recruit (now at L12): 1d20 + 11 = 19 HIT!
* Damage: 1d10+4 = 12
* Recruit dies
Move Action
- Move to (N12) – Path K13 > L14 > M14 > N13 > O12
- Gain concealment via Shadow Walk
Spend Action Point
Standard Action – Second Wind (+6 HP)
Notes
- Titania is now at 13hp, and not bloodied
- Titania is +2 to all defenses until the start of her next turn
- Titania has cover outside the door, but has line of sight through the doorway
- Titania has concealment
- Knight at 102/106hp
- Knight is at K11
- Both Recruits are dead
As Titania moves into the alley Traorin takes stock of his situation. He was hurt and mad and someone was now going to pay for it. With an enemy on both sides Traorin sizes both up quickly, the one nearest to the door is barely standing and the one near the bar is only in slightly better shape. There's my target," Traorin thought to himself. Calling once again upon the spirits of the storm to empower his strike, Traorin roars his fury and viciously slashes the Thug nearest to the bar with his electrically charged battleaxe, seriously wounding the already weakened fighter. As an afterthought, Traorin persuaded the ambient energy released by his strike to further punish the Thug behind him before it disipated back into the primal plane. Traorin heard the man scream, then fall as life finally left his battered body.
Turning to his side Traorin saw the Knight coming out of whatever spell Titania had him under and realized he had to strike before the knight got his senses back. Firmly planting his feat and summoning forth his ancestral heritage, Traorin let loose a mighty roar that sounded like the rumbling of a storm and then, a mighty clap of thunder. Using the legacy given to him by his blue dragon ancestors Traorin spit out a bolt of lightning at the staggering knight. The knight almost got away from it too, but few mortals are faster than the storm and the knight took the blast, singing him harshly. "This place is coming down, we need to move now," Traorin thought to himself.
Free Action: Mark Thugs #1&2
Standard Action: Tempest Assault on thug#1 at I13 1d20+6 (Dragonborn Fury & Bless) vs. AC=19Hit!1d10+3 damage=9 The Thug at I11 also takes 3 lightning damage and dies!
Minor Action: Dragon Breath on Knight at K11 1d20+7 (Con mod+2+Dragonfury & Bless) vs. Reflex=16Hit!1d6 damage=5.
Witch_Hunter_84 on
If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
Grunting in pain as the dog latches on to his arm, Dorn wraps his other arm around its neck, drawing it in close to his chest. He then hesitates, looking around at the crumbling, burning building. Whispering too softly for the others to hear over the fighting, he speaks to the dog, "I'm sorry, little one, you'd never make it out of here." With that, he firmly twists his arms and pulls his shoulders back, cleanly breaking the dog's neck. The monk gently lays the body down on the floor, stroking its fur almost tenderly for a moment before the rage overtakes his features again.
Filled with anger for the fate of the beast, he focusses his attentions on the closest enemy he can blame. Seeing the nearby bloodied thug, Dorn vaults the bar, flipping gracefully over the flaming debris and landing on his prey. Bearing him to the ground, the half-orc raises both his hands for a powerful hammer blow to the thug's head, battering him into unconsciousness, possibly even death. He then slowly rises to his feet once more, hands still clenching and unclenching repeatedly as he stares at the knight.
Movement Action: Five Storms' movement technique, shifting two squares to J14
When passing through fire in I14, make Acrobatics check to escape damage: [1d20 + 10 = 26]SUCCESS
Standard Action: Five Storms attack power, close burst 1
Against Attack Dog: Attack Roll [1d20 + 5 + 1 (Bless) = 26]HIT
1 damage kills (minion)
Looking down as the thug collapses in front of her, Summer grumbled under her breath, "Offered a chance to live and you refuse it. I will never understand." Glaring angrily at the lone remaining figure, the leader of the bunch, she yelled at him, "I thought you had actually listened, but you seem to be as determined to do this as your fallen friends. Does the money mean so much to you as well?" Stepping over the body, she moved across the room as her sword took on a bright radiance, leaping up on the table by the lone knight before slamming her sword into his shoulder.
Minor: Sun's glow on own sword. Move: I13 -> J14 -> K13 -> L12 Standard: Blessing of Battle on Knight: BoB on Knight (1d20+9=28, 1d8+4=11)11 damage on Knight, Traorin gains Resist All(2)
Areneth turns his gaze to the Thug near the door. There's an instant where the man looks bewildered, but before he could recover his composure he was blasted with lightning from Traorin's attack, and falls lifeless to the ground. Shaking his head slightly, an almost mournful look passes over Areneth's face,
"Poor fools." he thinks to himself, "Blinded by their lust for greed and fame. Shackles clamped on them by society, and their superiors. Just another form of slavery…"
Turning his thoughts back to the task at hand, Areneth nods in grim satisfaction. The battle has turned, and now he and his newfound companions were in control. It was just a race against time to get out of the building before it crashed down around them.
He moved his way carefully behind the bar, then over and towards the door, keeping his eye on the Knight, and mentally preparing for his next attack. Reaching his destination, he turned his full attention to the Knight. Focusing his mind, Areneth internalized his emotions and tried to project them as a knife of energy into the Knight's brain. Before he could fully gather his thoughts, however, a rapidly disintegrating beam cracked overhead, and his concentration, and therefore his attack, was lost.
The Knight then gets a puzzled look on his face, and takes a quick glance behind him. At the same time, Areneth shouts to his companions, "His guard is down. Strike quickly!"
Move Action: Move to (L14)
- via H15 > I15 > J15 > K14 (rough) > L14 [6 squares]
Standard Action: Mind Thrust on Knight
- To Hit: 1d20 + 6 vs. Will = 12Miss
Minor Action: Distract on Knight
- No attack roll required
- Knight provides CA to the next attack against it from anyone
TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Care for a Poisoned Apple?! Round 5
As the battle rages against the remaining soldier, Torrent listens intently.
Her face starts turning pale, as she hears the creak and cracks of the top floor.
Their time in the tavern was up...
She shouts at the heroes, "Move quickly! This building is on it's last throes! Best finish quickly and leave! Unless you don't mind an early grave..." She left the warning as is, as she rushes out of the front door, making sure where she is stepping on (or whom, depending who was in her way).
Torrent makes it successfully out, just as her presumtion proved to be true: Timbers break and chunks of the ceiling fall to the floor of the tavern.
The warlord and the knight managed to hack the collapsing debris away, taking minor nicks and cuts, while large and heavy blocks of burning wood fall onto the warden and cleric. Though Summer's divine magic deflected some of the debris, it still managed to harm Traorin, with some of the falling floorboards knocking him on the head.
Torrent:
Move Action: Move to K10 Move Action: Move to M5
WARNING! !!!!!!!!!!!!!Part of the Top Floor collapses (@J11) !!!!!!!!!!!!! Trap Action: Collapsing Attack
Close Burst 2
Targets: All creatures in burst
Attack +4 vs. Reflex
Damage: 1d10+4 damage
Miss: Half damage
Clockwise: Attack roll (Swain) :13MISS! Attack roll (Traorin) :17Hit! Attack roll (Summer) :16Hit! Attack roll (Knight) :10MISS!
Damage roll: Traorin and Summer each take 5 damage, Swain and the knight each take 3 damage, and the attacked areas are now difficult terrain (triangle symbol)
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
(L14) Araneth HP 25/25 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(J14) Dorn HP 19/28 Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(L12) Summer HP 24/27 Bless: +1 to attack rolls Sun’s Glow on sword
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +2 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(O12) Titania HP 13/24 Bless: +1 to attack rolls Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania Second Wind: +2 to all defences until the start of next turn
(I12) Traorin HP 13/33 Bloodied! Dragonborn Fury: +1 racial to attack rolls while bloodied Resist 2 (ALL) (Until end of Summer’s next turn) Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K11) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 83/106 Warlock’s Curse (Titania) Distract (Grants CA to the next attack against it from anyone (used afterwards))
(M5) Torrent HP 30/30 +5 Temp HP Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details: Black Horse Leader (Elite): HP 106/106 AC 20; Fort 20, Reflex 16, Will 18, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Torrent (NPC): HP 30/30 AC 18; Fort 14, Reflex 12, Will 15, Speed 5; Vision: Normal; Saving Throws: +2; Action Points: 1
Special:
Power Melee:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Illumination: Normal Light.
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
Collapsed debris (marked by a black triangle symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement).
Hearing Torrent's warning, Swain braced himself and looked to the skies. Seconds later a large support beam escaped from its holdings above him, exploding into a shower of burning splinters after a good solid whack. The fiery splinters hurt, but he could manage. "People should really learn not to tempt fate." Swain muttered to himself, an amused smile lurking behind his look of focus and concentration. He loved it when he saw these things coming. Sadly, a second beam broke free about Traorin, whose wounds were already bad enough without the added trauma. Knowing the warden was in no shape to leave, Swain offered a few words of encouragement to help him fight on.
"Mighty Warden, commander of the tempest and death without a name, this building is falling to pieces! Our assailants lie vanquished, friend! Let us leave this place, dragonborn! The last of our enemies will die in vain, and I am not content to join him! Everyone!" he yelled over the din of the breaking support beams, "We are leaving! Leave the knight to his fate!"
Satisfied with his words, Swain passed Traorin and made a break for the door. Once outside, he relaxed his features and looked for Torrent. He was clearly happy to be out of the pub, even if it meant being outside in the middle of a bombing run.
Minor Action: Inspiring Word on Traorin
Extra HP healed roll: 1d6 → [5] = (5) Traorin gains 13 HP!
Move Action: Run to H10
[ Up Next: The Lone Knight][ On Deck: Titania, Summer, and Dorn]
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TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
As the very ceiling of this establishment collapses, the Knight coughs at the dust and ash, and struggles his way towards the alleyway door. Such was his focus, that he completely ignores the Longtooth Shifter standing on the table next to him.
"It's not about the money. *Cough* Even I believed this was wrong. *Hack* But orders are orders. And I must follow...* Wheeze* follow them like any soldier under duty..."
As he makes to the door, he suddenly realizes it's blocked. The man closes his eyes, raising his weapon high above him. WHen he opens his eyes, they gleam a bright and ethereal blue glow.
"Forgive me. This strike will most assuredly harm me more than you could ever imagine. There is no justice for what I'm about to do. For that, may Pelor forgive me for this injustice that shall befall unto you..."
The man brings his sword down fast and hard, hacking nearly right through the Eladrin's left shoulder. Many of her joints dislocate in the process, and she falls to the ground, unable to move a muscle. The knight sheathes his blade, and runs out of the tavern, deeper into the dark alleyway. Strangely, the soldier has not seen fit to kill her, leaving her only unconscious...
Enemy Moves:
Start of Turn (Immediate Reaction from an attack on him): Activate ???? True Strike
???? True Strike (imm reac, after being attacked by an enemy; rchg d5 d6)
Kathor gains a +20 combat bonus on any single attack performed until the end of Kathor’s next turn.
Move Action: Move to N13 (Take an AoO from Summer, if she wants to) Standard Action: Dazzling strike against Titania
Dazzling Steel (std; enc) Weapon
+11 (+31 due to ???? True Strike) vs. AC; 2d10+3 damage, and the target is immobilized until the end of Kathor’s next turn.
Attack Roll:30 (34-4) vs AC Hit! Damage Roll:21 damage
Titania is unconscious!
Action Point: Move Action: Run away to O20 (off map)
Summary:
Titania is @ 0/24 and is Unconscious!
Titania is Immobilized
Summer can make an AoO on Knight
Knight is @ O20 and running away (-5 to attack rolls; grants CA)
[ Up Next: Titania (unconscious), Summer, and Dorn][ On Deck: Another Ceiling Collapse!]
Surprised by the knight's flight, Summer still managed to deal him a glancing blow as he passed. "Your *duty* is to do what is right, not what you're ordered to!" She was planning to continue her tirade, but the knight's brutal treatment of Titania cuts her short. Not knowing if Titania was alive or dead, she ran through the door, stepped over the form in the alley, and checked the street for danger before kneeling and offering an extended prayer for the eladrin's recovery.
OA on Knight: MBA on Knight (1d20+7=25, 1d8+2=4) - Hit for 4 Move: To O10 Minor: Look around Standard: Healer's Mercy - Titania regains 10hp (Surge + 4), Summer is Weakened till EOMNT
[ Up Next: Titania and Dorn][ On Deck: Another Ceiling Collapse!]
Dorn's rage drains away as he sees the knight turn tail and run, and realises the danger he and his companions are still in from the building crushing or burning them to death. Hopping off the bar, he lands lightly and dashes for the door, joining Titania, Summer and Torrent in the open space outside.
Movement and Standard Action: Moving somewhere outside, at a guess we're essentially done with this encounter so it doesn't really matter where, but he has at least 12-16 squares of movement so he can go anywhere.
Titania's head swims as she regains consciousness. Looking towards the fleeing knight she momentarily contemplates sending a parting shot at his back but decides to show him mercy as he did her.
Looking around she takes stock of the situation and notices those still inside the burning building. "Don't just stand their you fools, the whole place is coming down." She shouts, looking pointedly at Areneth who appears momentarily distracted by the knights sudden flight.
Turning to the street she sees Summer, the last vestiges of divine magic still making the air glow about her. "Thanks." She says, then glances behind her at the horse, standing in the street. Taking a step forward she stops, eying the horse suspiciously, trying to gauge its reaction.
Free Action: Berate Areneth as I don't actually have a way to get him out of there before the rest of the building collapses.
Move Action: Move to O11.
Standard Action: Nature Check to see if the horse is one of those nastily trained war horses nobles often have who'll only accept one rider or if he's friendly enough that we just found a free ride: 1d20+1 =15
[Up Next: Treacherous ceiling][On Deck: Traorin]
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TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
As most of the heores leave the burning tavern, more debris starts crashing down around the remainders' ears. This time, most of it fell squarely on top of Traorin, nearly burying him alive. Still, the Dragonborn managed to shrug it off, though some old wounds were starting to bleed once more...
Titania:
Nature Check: Success
As you inspect the horse, you soon realize that it's a trained warhorse. The fact that it neighs and moves away from you as you come closer means it was trained to accept only certain riders.
Hazard Moves:
WARNING! !!!!!!!!!!!!!Part of the Top Floor collapses (@I13) !!!!!!!!!!!!! Trap Action: Collapsing Attack
Close Burst 2
Targets: All creatures in burst
Attack +4 vs. Reflex
Damage: 1d10+4 damage
Miss: Half damage
Attack roll (Traorin) :24CRITICAL HIT! Damage roll: Traorin takes (14-2=12) damage, and the attacked areas (G15-K11) are now difficult terrain (triangle symbol)
Summary:
Traorin is @ 14/33!
Squares G15-K11 is difficult terrain
[ Up Next: Traorin and Areneth][ On Deck: Another Ceiling Collapse!]
Traorin hurt all over, between fighting multiple enemies and the ceiling collapses he had had just about enough for one day. He could see that the rest of the ceiling was about to fall again, he immediately began to leave the soon to be ruin of a pub. Heading into the streets where he saw Summer playing around with a warhorse Traorin nearly collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. "Hey Torrent, would you mind helping me out here? I seem to have torn my wounds open in the collapse."
Move Action: Move to K9
Witch_Hunter_84 on
If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
Areneth steps out into the alleyway and looks towards the knight, making sure that he indeed intends to make his escape. Satisfied that the combat is at an end, he moves across the street to join the rest of the companions as the remainder of the building collapses in upon itself.
"So, should we find a discrete place to take a quick breather and close up some of these wounds? Then we can go see this Gnome."
Areneth looks around for a suitable place to get out of sight, and then says, almost absent-mindedly,
"Does anyone know anything about an Urgark? Apparently he's the one that tipped off these soldiers to come for us."
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TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Care for a Poisoned Apple?! - Encounter Complete!
XP Gained for Encounter:
Encounter XP: 1050XP / 6 PCs = 175 XP for each PC Total XP Gained (per PC): 175 XP
Treasure Found:
None for this Encounter!
The inn continues to burn horribly; almost a mere shadow of it's former self. As you all finally reach outside, you can see that the bombing of the city has just ended. Torrent leans near a wall, and tries to gather her breath from the quick (but all too violent) battle mere moments ago. Keeping her cool, she speaks.
"We should meet with Rivereye. No doubt this bombing might scare him off. It's all too vital we make our way to the Depository. I sincerely hope he's alright. Does anyone need healing?" The cleric spots Traorin shambling towards her, asking for healing. She nods. "Very well then, mighty Traorin. It shall be done."
Meanwhile, the rest of you soon realize the streets are starting to fill with panicking people, and though the bombing has ended, you can hear that a battle has begun at the west wall. Townsfolk rush about trying to put out fires or get to the shelter of temples, and soldiers hurry to their posts, slowed by the throng and chaos. All the while, bells ring urgent warnings up and down the mountain pass.
In the sky above, you can see Gate Pass' famous Griffon Riders and Ragesia's infamous Wyvern riders battle. Some of the wyvern riders were finishing with their bombing runs, dropping the bombs before finally entering into aerial combat against Gate Pass's defenders. Throughout the city, sounds of battle could be heard from every direction.
Here’s also each player’s HP total after the fight should you need to spend some healing surges: Araneth HP 25/25 Dorn HP 19/28 Summer HP 24/27 Swain HP 21/24 Titania HP 10/24 Traorin HP 14/33 Torrent HP 30/30
Consider this a short rest. Summer, Swain, and Torrent can use their healing powers to help heal you guys (remember to spend surges in the process)
Torrent’s Healing Words (if anyone wants one): One for Healing Surge + 4; another one for Healing Surge +4
Healing Word (minor; 2/enc [1/rd]) Divine, Healing
Ranged 5; targets Torrent or one ally; the target spends a healing surge and adds another 1d6 hp.
Traorin breathed a sigh of relief as Torrent's healing magic washed over him, he felt his many wounds knitting together and healing as strength returned to his body. "My thanks to you good Cleric, hopefully you weren't too thorough though, I will need scars to help tell the tale of this battle.". A distant explosion snaps Traorin's line of thought back to the matters at hand. "Once we all get healed up we better head over to that gnome with all haste. Lady Torrent is correct, the longer we wait here the more likely the gnome will do his best to hide from the coming onslaught."
Use healing surge +4 (16 hp regained) Traorin is at 29hp now. 11 healing surges left for the day.
Witch_Hunter_84 on
If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
As the people spilled out of the houses and the distant sounds of battle, Swain stopped to wonder if his friends and family had survived the destruction. The stunning amount of destruction the Ragesian army could cause wasn't exactly news to him, but he still wished he could know if his loved ones were okay. He couldn't exactly see the future though, which meant all he could do was hope. Suddenly, a look of inspiration flashed across his face, the barest beginnings of a plan flashing through his mind.
He hurried across the quickly filling streets to where Torrent and the others were standing, listening to all of their comments before addressing the group as he had earlier.
"First of all, you all did fantastically. We were tipsy, taken by surprise, and greatly outnumbered, and we still managed to come out relatively unscathed. I don't have much to say expect to always keep track of your environment and to work on cutting down enemies before they get to you. Other than that, keep up the good work." he switched to a much less formal tone now, stretching a little and loosening his posture. "Switching to the present, Traorin is right about making haste to Rivereye. The faster we get out of these streets and lost in the crowd, the better. I would like to find out more about this obviously planned attack, however, and our best lead is the name Areneth uncovered. Does anyone know who this Urgark could be?"
He reached into his backpack, the light from his torch shining out of the small hole his hand made. He quickly found what he was looking for, pulling out an envelope he had written a day before. He wrote a small "3" on the outside before handing it to Torrent. He hadn't realized it before now, but that letter was all he needed to get his plan started.
Having made sure that the Eladrin was able to get away from the collapsing building, Summer turned her attention to the half-orc and called on her goddess to mend his wounds as well. Seeing that, between her efforts and Torrent's, the party appeared to be back up to fighting strength, she relaxed a bit until she heard Areneth's words. "Urgark? I'm saddened to hear that. I knew him when he was a small time gang leader on the streets a few years ago. I haven't had any contact with him since then. I'd hoped he'd turned away from that life as I did. How did he know what was going here?"
Feeling the healing energy soak into his weary bones, Dorn manages a grateful smile towards Summer. Looking towards the still burning inn, the monk sighs heavily and murmurs a prayer for the dead. As he finishes, he turns and with a resigned expression remarks, "Let us go to the Depository, then, at least we are unlikely to end any more lives there."
!Ready
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TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Torrent reads through Swain's note carefully. When she realized he wanted to know where a temple of Ioun was, she merely jerks her thumb inwards towards Gate Pass's center. "It's probably near the statue of Coaltongue. Near the more 'noble' parts of the city." Afterwards, she picks up what was left of her gear, then waited for the rest of the group to finish. Satisfied that they were all healed up and ready to go, Torrent starts running ahead (at least twenty feet apart from the rest of the group) with Swain and Summer taking the lead for the others "Follow me!" she cries out...
As you leave for the streets, monsters and other beasts fly overhead through the skies: a constant reminder of the Ragesian assault. Buildings are crumpling and exploding a few streets over. People clog the streets trying to see what’s happening, and you have to get through them to accomplish your mission. You press out into the crowds, heading east, where you see a huge cluster of burning buildings, and as you get close to the gate to the next district, you are swallowed up in a huge throng of panicked townsfolk. Soldiers from the eastern districts are trying to push through the crowd to reach the battle at the main gate, while normal people try to flee in the opposite direction. The gates, designed to hold back invaders, are too narrow to let you all through. You’re being crushed, pushed back and forth, and though many are trying to yell for order, for people to let the soldiers through first, mayhem reigns.
Pressganged:
Attack: 1d20+4 vs Fortitude
Hit: Target loses a healing surge (Critical hit: Target loses two)
Alphabetical Order:
Areneth: 11 vs 11 = Hit
Dorn: 7 vs 14 = Miss
Summer: 24 vs 13 = Critical Hit!
Swain: 8 vs 15 = Miss
Titania: 8 vs 11 = Miss
Torrent: 11 vs 14 = Miss
Traorin: 21 vs 14 = Hit
Areneth and Traorin each lose 1 healing Surge
Summer loses 2 healing surges
And then something overhead roars, and all reason flees your mind.
Traorin, Swain:
You can easily recognise the roar as that of a dragon.
You are prey, helpless, and hundreds of shapes silhouetted against firelight swell close to you. As one, the crowd screams, and you fight to get away from the horror in the clouds, the thundering, dread-inspiring beats of its crimson wings driving you on in swarming terror. It’s all you can do to avoid being crushed in the press of bodies, and after minutes of struggling, you stagger wearily out of the crowd on the far side of the gate.
Terror in the skies:
The crowd is dominated from the dragon's roar. They are attacking each other... including you and your allies:
Crowd Attack: 1d20+5 vs Reflex
Hit: 1d6 damage
Alphabetical Order:
Areneth: 21 vs 13 = Hit
Dorn: 11 vs 16 = Miss
Summer: 16 vs 12 = Hit!
Swain: 9 vs 14 = Miss
Titania: 21 vs 15 = Hit
Torrent: 17 vs 12 = Hit
Traorin: 21 vs 15 = Hit
You regroup with your friends, watching panicked mothers crying out for their children, fathers carrying children burned near to death by the firebombing. Despair and confusion fills nearly every face, but you force your way onward, and you see your destination — the tower — standing high above the glow of your burning city. You rush past a building on fire, hearing the screams of a woman trapped on a top floor, the roars of pain of those few who have managed to stagger out of the inferno.
You pass looters smashing down doors of shops and pulling away trinkets that will be worthless in the coming days of battle. You even see a bewildered noble, so shocked by the attack that all he cares about is finding a lost pet.
Sometimes you see people fighting against the chaos — a city guardsman carrying a young girl, trying to find her mother; thugs from the local thieves’ guild gathered out in front of their hideout, shouting orders to organize a fire brigade; a cluster of young men in white cloaks shouting for the injured to follow them to a nearby church — but most just look to the skies, watching helplessly as Gate Pass griffon riders battle the wyvern knights of the Ragesians.
Overhead you spot one of these battles, and then hear a thunderous crack as the griffon rider shatters his lance in the throat of a wyvern. He tosses his broken lance down to the crowd with a cheer as the wyvern spirals out of control and crashes to the roof of a building the next street over. Then moments later a deep, challenging roar fills the air, thumping, pulsing wingbeats fan the city flames and kick cinders into the sky, and you witness a massive red dragon fly forth from the smoke and crush the stunned griffon and rider in its snapping maw with a sickening, crunching sound.
Once again, after too short a reprieve, pandemonium besets the crowd. The streets clear as people flee desperately, foolishly into the nearest building, and as the dragon swoops away into the night, headed for the colossal statue of Emperor Coaltongue in the central district, you see that your path to the depository tower is clear.
OOC:
Just a breather here. Just to hear some IC thoughts or dialogue regarding the chaos enveloping the city.
As Torrent takes off through the streets, Areneth jogs along after her, easily keeping pace with the more heavily armored members of the group. He spends a few moments thinking about the destruction of Gate Pass. The city itself meant little to him, having only been a resident for a short time, so he was mostly interested in making it through the maze of people and destruction and getting to their destination. He did spare a thought and a quick prayer to Ioun for the safety of those few people that he had grown to know and admire over the years. Those thoughts quickly vanished as the group approached the first gate.
"Wonderful," he called out, "It's like a funnel for people…and it's overflowing."
As the crowd compressed and tried to make it through the gate in both directions, Areneth found himself being buffeted about by the crowd, and starting to be separated from the group. Taking a few deep breaths to keep his calmness, Areneth forced his way back towards his companions, taking ahold of Swain, who has having a much easier time with the crowd, and they forced their way through the gate. Upon reaching the other side, Areneth stops for a second. His ribs were aching from a combination of the elbows and knees of the citizen of Gate Pass as they clawed their way through the portal, and he needed to catch his breath. Looking up, he saw that the rest of the group was still moving, so he double-timed it to catch up.
Just as he caught up to the group, the dragon's roar seized his mind. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Years of torment and fear brought on by the whipmaster from his owner's house were nothing compared to the sheer terror he felt. Crumpling to the ground with his hands over his head, he could do nothing but quiver and shake as the beast passed overhead. The crowd continued to surge on, kicking and falling over him as he was rooted in place by fear. A kick to the jaw by a fleeing citizen brought him back to his senses. The rush of pain and the trickle of blood from his lip drove the dragon's roar from his mind, and he was able to once again focus on the task at hand. Quickly locating the rest of the group again he moved his way through the crowd and continued towards the depository, the rest of the journey a blur of screams and burning buildings. The depository tower quickly came into view after that, and the group came to a halt. Wiping the blood from his mouth, Areneth says,
"I hope Rivereye hasn't fled already with all this chaos. Let's get in and out as quickly as possible, and find a way out of the city."
As the party runs through the chaotic streets of Gate Pass, Dorn's face shows more and more anger and sadness. Though he stops when he can, helping lifting a child who has fallen and handing her back to her parents, warning looters away from innocent bystanders with a fierce scowl, he clearly feels it isn't enough. "All these people, they will be homeless, even if they do survive," he raises his voice over the tumult to his new companions, "we must find this Rivereye if he can do anything to help us help them!"
Doing his best to keep the smaller members of the group safe from the crushing crowds, the half-orc grimaces in distaste as he is forced to jostle and shove civilians out of the way. Then, as the dragon appears and its roar shakes the city, the first hint of despair washes over him. For a few moments, he stands with his eyes closed and his hands limp, before he seemingly regains his purpose, jogging to keep up with the party once more.
"By the spirits, an ancient one!" Traorin stared in awe as he looked upon the Red Dragon. The thing was quite possibly the most massive thing he ever saw, equal parts fear and reverence coursed through his body. He knew in his heart as soon as he saw it that this city would fall before the might of Regesia, between the dragon and the numerically superior army outside its walls the fall of the city would only be a matter of time. They needed to find that gnome and get out of the city.
"This city won't last long with that dragon in the sky! We need to locate Mr. Rivereye as soon as possible and get his information to where it needs to be!"
Witch_Hunter_84 on
If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
Fending off blows from frightened townfolk Titania fast begins loosing her temper. "This is idiocy! The mere presence of such a powerful army should have snuffed out any thought of fighting back. There's no need for them to attack the city like this!"
Crushed by the scared mob and attacked randomly by people acting mindlessly, Summer's faith in people was somewhat shaken, "I never imagined it would be this bad..." As the group continued, however, she considered the situation and realized that while it was drawing out the baser instincts in the populace, it was also giving individuals the opportunity to do something good about the situation. Like her party was trying to do! Battered in body but bolstered in spirit, Summer, along with Swain, lead her companions onward.
Swain walked through the streets in a daze, looking sadly upon the state his birthplace was in. The streets were filled with panicking civilians, running from an enemy that they couldn't even see. Looters and thieves stole the last of the city's dignity before his eyes, while the Poison Apple went from one of few to one of many as buildings everywhere succumbed to the raging fire surging through the area.
Although his face remained the same in spite of the anarchy, he felt more and more put off by the absence of the Gate Pass guard. When he finally found them, pushing through the massive wave of people to get to another battle, he was about to help before a massive stampede of people nearly crushed him and his companions. He blocked a few fleeing urchins with his shield before slowly making his way thought the crowd, making a path for the rest of his party to get through. He was vaguely aware of Summer walking by his side and Areneth moving behind him, but he figured they would be fine...until he heard the roar.
A red dragon's roar is a complex thing, and although he had heard it many times before he had only begun to understand it. It was both proud and humble, both loud and quiet...some of its terrifying power over him had faded with time, but he knew the others would probably feel differently. Once they had their wits about them he continued to follow Torrent and lead the group to the supposed location of Rivereye (who would almost certainly be in some kind of trouble, either because of the army or Dorn's earlier tempting of fate), ignoring any chatter that wasn't directed at him. He was too busy dreaming up various plans and courses of action. All it would take was that single moment that would ignited the proverbial bomb in his mind, sending plans off in all directions like flaming embers and burning shrapnel.
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TiamatZGhost punsThe Banette of my existenceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
"Be that as it may, TItania, but folk of Gate Pass are a stubborn lot, and they'll defend their homeland with tooth and claw and fervent loyalty. But our duty is to find and meet up with Rivereye at the Depository..." Torrent remarks as they kept running towards the tower in the distance...
Soon...
You see the dark needle of the Depository Tower long before the guarded gate appears along the roadway. Now as you come to the massive iron gates, four well-armed guards (three orcs and a dwarf) snap to greater attention and prepare for a confrontation. In a respectful voice, the dwarf asks for the required owner’s key, which Torrent produces. He and the other guards visibly relax.
“The Ragesian incursion and rioting have us all on edge, please forgive our harsh diligence,” the dwarven guard says as he tests the key on a special lock plate. He hands it back mechanically when the latch opens. Placing his lips against the opening, he whispers something and the large cogs and gears on the sides of the gates rumble and turn. In a moment, the way is open and one of the orc guards clumsily gestures a welcome for all to enter.
As you pass in, the chaos of the city disappears. Untouched by Ragesian bombs, a beautifully tended garden wends its way past splendid fountains. The left basin recalls elemental spirits of local legend — a dragon, a worm, a kraken, and an eagle — while a statue of Emperor Coaltongue, posing with torch held high, dominates the basin on the right. The torch glows as if lit by a never-ending flame.
You count four other guards patrolling the grounds, dwarves and orcs again, and continue towards the large double iron doors that are the only entrance to the central structure. Once again, Torrent’s key is used and the orc guard speaks a secret phrase to gain entrance. “There’re guards inside,” the orc politely says, with a gruff and graveled voice; his smile looks like a grimace.
“So be careful and don’t accidentally open the wrong locker. There are lanterns here for light.” With a chuckle, he adds, “You’ll regret them if you meets up with the ugly gnome in there now. Oh boy, is he ugly. Probably got hit with the ugly stick way too many times. Hurhur.”
The first floor of the tower is one huge room, and though the far side is hidden in shadows, it looks to be about sixty feet in diameter. A broad stone ramp circles clockwise upward to the left of the door, while the interior of the room is filled with aisles of metal lockers, each slightly larger than a coffin propped upright. Squat round columns twenty feet high support the ceiling. You all spot a small hunched like shadowy figure standing at the top of the stairs...
Some Depository Facts:
The compound is 120 feet square. The tower is 60 feet in diameter and 80 feet high with 4 stories.
The main gates are 20 feet high and are complemented by a 20 foot high iron fence that surrounds the compound.
The tower entrance doors are iron (Break DC 25).
The gates are reinforced iron (Break DC 35).
If anyone's curious, an Arcana check of DC 20 is in order to identify the never-ending torch's origin.
Posts
Minor Action: Curse thug #1
Standard Action: Eldritch Blast thug #1 (I13) Attack Roll: 1d20+6+1(bless) = 13 (Miss)
Changing her focus to the two thugs still harassing the party she said, "Animals like that dog only do as they're trained, but you two are free to choose your own path; why won't you listen?! Or is that you've been as trained as those poor dogs?" Growling a little, she stomps through the adjacent flames in order to close in on the second thug before sticking him in the ribs. As the entire party takes on a subtle radiance she continues to yell at her foes, "Can't you see you're in the wrong here? The Ragesians are destroying your town and you're eager to help them!"
Move: ->G12->H13
Fire hot! (1d20+4=10) - 3 HP
Standard: Sun Burst on T1: Sun Burst (1d20+8+1=20) vs AC 13 = SB Damage (1d8+4=9)
(Forgot Bless, not that it mattered. Added it in.)
Results:
Traorin loses Resist 2(All)
Areneth goes to full (0 HW remain)
Summer takes 3 damage
T1 takes 9 damage to 11
All the good guys gain 5 temp hp
One thug ignores Summer's plea, while the other scoff at her. "Don't listen to them lads! Think how much money we'll make once we take them in. Remember: 100 gold a head! That sod over there with the funny hat looks to be a deserter of sorts. We might even get more for his capture! Double time it, men! They musn't escape!"
The recruits listen in on their superior's orders, and rush their way towards and through the alleyway door.
Two take their positions on the sides of the door, while two others try to assault the closest target, which was Titania at the time. Both swung their saps at her head, but both missed their target entirely...
Enemy Moves:
G10:
Move Action: Move to M10
Move Action: Move to M12
H10:
Move Action: Move to N10
Move Action: Move to M14
M10:
Move Action: Move to N13
Standard Action: Charge to L14
+6 (+7 due to Charge -2 due to concealment) vs. AC; 4 damage.
O11:
Standard Action(s): Charge to L13
+6 (+8 due to charge + group training- 2 due to concealment) vs. AC; 4 damage.
Map (Round 3.75):
Initiative:
Swain C. Angevin 19
Attack Dogs 18 average
Black Horse Thugs 17 average
Knight (Elite) Delayed
Dorn Kir Delayed
Titania Shaylee 14
Summer Storm 13
Black Horse Recruits 12 average
Traorin Xinskarr 10
Areneth Thalant 7
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
Cloud of Darkness @K11: block line of sight, totally obscured, enemies within are blinded until they exit. Areneth immune (Lasts until the end of Areneth’s next turn)
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(E15) Dorn HP 21/28 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Knocked Prone
(H13) Summer HP 24/27 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K13) Titania HP 12/24 Bloodied! +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania
(I12) Traorin HP 25/33 +5 Temp HP
+2 to next attack roll
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Flanked (offers CA to the thugs)
(B1) Black Horse Scout #1 HP 0/28 Dead!
(B2) Black Horse Scout #2 HP -19/28 Dead!
(B3) Black Horse Scout #3 HP -17/28 Dead!
(I13) Black Horse Thug #1 HP 20/36
Warlock’s Curse (Titania)
Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(I11) Black Horse Thug #2 HP 20/36
Marked by Traorin
Warlock’s Curse (Titania)
Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(L14, M14, L13, M12) Black Horse Recruits HP 1/1
(L11) Attack Dog HP 1/1
(P10) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 106/106
(H14) Torrent HP 30/30
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details:
Special:
The Black Horse recruit gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Special:
The Black Horse thug gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Special:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
COLOR="Lime"] Up Next: Dorn, Traorin and Areneth[/COLORCOLOR="Cyan"] On Deck: Torrent (Round 4)[/COLOR
"I'll do my best. I hope you will believe that I'm not trying to get bitten." he says in Summer's direction, as he focuses his mind into his next attack.
Noticing that the recruits had decided to cluster together on the far side of the room, Areneth grins. He sidesteps the mangy mutt, and produces a clear faceted crystal from his pocket, about the size of an tangerine. A look of concentration takes hold on his face, replacing the grin with lips pressed firmly together. A soft light seems to grow inside the crystal, then dissipates in a flash.
In the next instant, two of the recruits disappear; then reappear in the corner of the pub, bodies ablaze. They collapse to the ground, filling the pub with the acrid odor of burning flesh.
Move Action:
- Shift to G14
Minor Action:
- Draw +1 Crystal Orb
Standard Action:
- Dimensional Scramble, centered on M13
- To Hit:
* Recruit (L14) – 1d20+5 = 24 HIT!
* Recruit (M14) – 1d20+5 = 9 Miss
* Recruit (L13) – 1d20+5 = 24 HIT!
* Recruit (M12) – 1d20+5 = 9 Miss
- Damage/Effects:
* Recruit (L14) – Teleported to N11, takes 4 damage, lit on fire for 3 damage, and dies
* Recruit (L13) – Teleported to M11, takes 8 damage, lit on fire for 2 damage, and dies
Notes:
- Cloud of Darkness Ends
COLOR="Lime"][B]Up Next: Dorn, Traorin[/COLOR COLOR="Cyan"]On Deck: Torrent (Round 4)[/COLOR[/B]
Seeing an small opening in the guard of the enemy before him, Traorin darted his battle axe through the gap with a vicious underhanded swing, calling for the Spirits of the Storm to empower the strike with sky-lightning as he did so. The attack connected, drawing blood and searing flesh. As an afterthought Traorin used the ambient lightning still dancing accross his weapon to immediatly fly over his left shoulder and strike the thug behind him as well. He heard a yelp of pain and Traorin grinned in satisfaction. "You have fought well but it seems the odds are turning against you," Traorin told the thug before him, his tone turning serious, "There is no shame in retreating from this place once so outnumbered. No ammount of gold is worth your life surely."
Standard Action: Tempest Assault on Thug at I11
1d20+7(including all modifiers)=23 Hit!
1d10+5=6 damage! (Marked Thug at I13 also takes 3 lightning damage)
Minor Action: Talk
[Up Next: Dorn] [On Deck: Torrent (Round 4)]
Standard Action: Walk to H15 (passing through Areneth to avoid fire)
[Up Next: Torrent (Round 4)][On Deck: Swain and Dorn]
Torrent looks around, noting the slow deterioration of the building's support structures.
"We can't stay here for much longer! Who knows when the tavern floor above us will collapse! Let's finish this, and make to our rendevous as soon as possible! We can't afford to idle! Not with the Ragesians bombing Gate Pass!"
Torrent raises her axe and offers a short prayer to the goddess of the wilderness.
As though on the beck of her call, a mystical blue tidal wave erupts from her holy symbol, smashing headlong into and knocking the thug closest to her off-balance, momentarily stunning the brigand.
"Now Traorin-" Torrent shouts. "-Finish them!"
Torrent:
Crashing Wave (std; enc) Divine, Weapon
+8 (+9 due to bless) vs. AC; 1d10+3 damage, and the target is dazed until the end of Torrent’s next turn.
Attack roll: 26 Hit!
Damage roll: 7 damage, and Thug 1 is Dazed
Map (Round 4):
Initiative:
Swain C. Angevin 19
Attack Dogs 18 average
Black Horse Thugs 17 average
Black Horse Scouts 15 average
Knight (Elite) Delayed
Titania Shaylee 14
Summer Storm 13
Black Horse Recruits 12 average
Dorn Kir Delayed
Traorin Xinskarr 10
Areneth Thalant 7
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H15) Dorn HP 21/28 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Knocked Prone
(H13) Summer HP 24/27 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K13) Titania HP 12/24 Bloodied! +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania
(I12) Traorin HP 25/33 +5 Temp HP
+2 to next attack roll
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Flanked (offers CA to the thugs)
(B1) Black Horse Scout #1 HP 0/28 Dead!
(B2) Black Horse Scout #2 HP -19/28 Dead!
(B3) Black Horse Scout #3 HP -17/28 Dead!
(I13) Black Horse Thug #1 HP 10/36 Bloodied!
Marked by Traorin
Warlock’s Curse (Titania)
Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
Dazed (Until end of Torrent’s next turn)
(I11) Black Horse Thug #2 HP 14/36 Bloodied!
Marked by Traorin
Warlock’s Curse (Titania)
Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(M14 , M12) Black Horse Recruits HP 1/1
(L11) Attack Dog HP 1/1
(P10) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 106/106
(H14) Torrent HP 30/30 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details:
Special:
The Black Horse recruit gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target..
Special:
The Black Horse thug gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Special:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
COLOR="Lime"] Up Next: Swain[/COLORCOLOR="Red"] On Deck: Most of the baddies (ouch!)[/COLOR
Hit: 1d20+4 → [15,4] = (19)
Damage: 1d10+4 → [8,4] = (12)
Free action: talk
[ Up Next: Most of the baddies (ouch)][ On Deck: The Good Guys ]
One of the thugs spit towards the Drow. "Money's all worth it! Rather die here than face Renard's wrath!" He swings his sap towards the Dragonborn Warden, knocking him in the face.
The other thug follows the example, and hits Traorin on the other side of his face with his own sap. Traorin soon found himself bleeding.
The last thug cranes his neck towards the outside. "Kathor! You ass! Get off your high horse and come in and help us here! Or Renard will have your head!"
The dog, now faced with a new opponent, nonetheless attacks the Half-Orc, biting Dorn on one of his exposed arms.
Within seconds, the knight (whom you all assume to be Kathor) comes rushing into the tavern trough the alleyway door, and hits Titania in the face with his weapon's pommel.
Titania:
Enemy Moves:
Standard Action: Sap Traorin!
Sap (std; at-will) * Weapon
+6 (+7 due to Group Training) vs. AC; 1d4+3 damage.
Attack roll: [URL=" http://4e.orokos.com/roll/36780"]17[/URL] vs AC Hit!
Damage roll: [URL=" http://4e.orokos.com/roll/36780"]7[/URL] damage
Black Horse Thug #2:
Standard Action: Sap Traorin!
Sap (std; at-will) * Weapon
+6 (+7 due to Group Training) vs. AC; 1d4+3 damage.
Attack roll: [URL=" http://4e.orokos.com/roll/36779"]25[/URL] vs AC Hit!
Damage roll: [URL=" http://4e.orokos.com/roll/36779"]7[/URL] damage
Attack Dog:
Standard Action(s): Bites Dorn
+6 vs. AC; 1d6+3 damage.
Damage roll: 7 damage
Black Horse Leader:
Standard Action: Charge towards Titania (L13)
+11 (+12 due to charge; +10 due to concealment) vs. AC; 1d10+4 damage.
Damage roll: 10 damage
Map (Round 4.5):
Initiative:
Swain C. Angevin 19
Attack Dogs 18 average
Black Horse Thugs 17 average
Knight (Elite) Delayed
Titania Shaylee 14
Summer Storm 13
Black Horse Recruits 12 average
Dorn Kir Delayed
Traorin Xinskarr 10
Areneth Thalant 7
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H15) Dorn HP 19/28
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H13) Summer HP 24/27 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K13) Titania HP 7/24 Bloodied!
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania
(I12) Traorin HP 16/33 Bloodied
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Dragonborn Fury: +1 racial to attack rolls while bloodied
(B1) Black Horse Scout #1 HP 0/28 Dead!
(B2) Black Horse Scout #2 HP -19/28 Dead!
(B3) Black Horse Scout #3 HP -17/28 Dead!
(I13) Black Horse Thug #1 HP 10/36 Bloodied!
Marked by Traorin
Warlock’s Curse (Titania)
Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
Dazed (Until end of Torrent’s next turn)
(I11) Black Horse Thug #2 HP 2/36 Bloodied!
Marked by Traorin
Warlock’s Curse (Titania)
Group Training [+1 to attack rolls]
(M14 , M12) Black Horse Recruits HP 1/1
(L11) Attack Dog HP 1/1
(L13) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 106/106
(H14) Torrent HP 30/30 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details:
Special:
The Black Horse recruit gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target..
Special:
The Black Horse thug gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls for each ally that is adjacent to the target.
Special:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
COLOR="Lime"] Up Next: Titania and Summer[/COLORCOLOR="Red"] On Deck: The Recruits (if they survive)[/COLOR
Knight:
With that, she raises her wand, and then something curious happens to everyone watching. One by one the two recruits and the knight start walking about the pub. Each has a look of shock and disbelief, as if their movements are not their own.
First, one of the recruits takes a step over. The recruit then, with his face turning to horror, swings his sap towards his own commander. The attack proved ineffective, but the shock was too much for the soldier, and he collapses. Next the second recruit climbs up on the table and swings at the commander, landing a blow against the knight's armor, staggering him slightly. The knight then moves around the table and brings his sword up against the recruit, cutting him down
Titania then takes the initiative to move towards the alleyway exit. She moves to the door, taking cover in the alleyway, but still leaving herself with a clear view of the battle, so she can provide assistance from range. Taking a deep breath, she focuses on healing some of her wounds.
Minor Action
- Warlock's Curse on Knight (L13)
Standard Action
Decree of Khirad
- Targets: Recruit (M14), Recruit (M12), Knight (L13)
- Recruit (M14)
* Shift to (M13)
* To Hit: 1d20 + 7 vs. Will = 22 HIT!
* Forced Attack against Knight (L13) = 1d20 + 7 vs. AC (Gets +1 because other recruit is adjacent) = 13 MISS
- Miss on Forced Attack means Recruit takes 1d6 + 5 = 10 damage, and dies
- Recruit (M12)
* Shift 2 squares to (L12)
* To Hit: 1d20 + 7 vs. Will = 27 NATURAL 20!
* Forced Attack against Knight (L13) = 1d20 + 6 vs. AC = 25 HIT!
- Damage to Knight = 4
- Knight (L13)
* Shift 2 squares to (K11)
* To Hit: 1d20 + 7 (Should have been 8) vs. Will = 17
****Forgot Prime Shot, so that would be 18 versus Will, which is a hit
* Forced Attack against Recruit (now at L12): 1d20 + 11 = 19 HIT!
* Damage: 1d10+4 = 12
* Recruit dies
Move Action
- Move to (N12) – Path K13 > L14 > M14 > N13 > O12
- Gain concealment via Shadow Walk
Spend Action Point
Standard Action – Second Wind (+6 HP)
Notes
- Titania is now at 13hp, and not bloodied
- Titania is +2 to all defenses until the start of her next turn
- Titania has cover outside the door, but has line of sight through the doorway
- Titania has concealment
- Knight at 102/106hp
- Knight is at K11
- Both Recruits are dead
COLOR="Lime"][B]Up Next: Summer, Dorn, Traorin, Areneth[/COLOR COLOR="Cyan"]On Deck: Torrent (Round 5)[/COLOR[/B]
Turning to his side Traorin saw the Knight coming out of whatever spell Titania had him under and realized he had to strike before the knight got his senses back. Firmly planting his feat and summoning forth his ancestral heritage, Traorin let loose a mighty roar that sounded like the rumbling of a storm and then, a mighty clap of thunder. Using the legacy given to him by his blue dragon ancestors Traorin spit out a bolt of lightning at the staggering knight. The knight almost got away from it too, but few mortals are faster than the storm and the knight took the blast, singing him harshly. "This place is coming down, we need to move now," Traorin thought to himself.
Standard Action: Tempest Assault on thug#1 at I13
1d20+6 (Dragonborn Fury & Bless) vs. AC=19 Hit! 1d10+3 damage=9 The Thug at I11 also takes 3 lightning damage and dies!
Minor Action: Dragon Breath on Knight at K11
1d20+7 (Con mod+2+Dragonfury & Bless) vs. Reflex=16 Hit! 1d6 damage=5.
Filled with anger for the fate of the beast, he focusses his attentions on the closest enemy he can blame. Seeing the nearby bloodied thug, Dorn vaults the bar, flipping gracefully over the flaming debris and landing on his prey. Bearing him to the ground, the half-orc raises both his hands for a powerful hammer blow to the thug's head, battering him into unconsciousness, possibly even death. He then slowly rises to his feet once more, hands still clenching and unclenching repeatedly as he stares at the knight.
When passing through fire in I14, make Acrobatics check to escape damage: [1d20 + 10 = 26] SUCCESS
Standard Action: Five Storms attack power, close burst 1
Against Attack Dog: Attack Roll [1d20 + 5 + 1 (Bless) = 26] HIT
1 damage kills (minion)
Against Thug: Attack Roll [1d20 + 5 + 1 (Bless) = 25] HIT
1 damage kills (1 HP was remaining)
[Up Next: Summer and Areneth][On Deck: Torrent (Round 5)]
Move: I13 -> J14 -> K13 -> L12
Standard: Blessing of Battle on Knight: BoB on Knight (1d20+9=28, 1d8+4=11) 11 damage on Knight, Traorin gains Resist All(2)
[Up Next: Areneth][On Deck: Torrent (Round 5)]
"Poor fools." he thinks to himself, "Blinded by their lust for greed and fame. Shackles clamped on them by society, and their superiors. Just another form of slavery…"
Turning his thoughts back to the task at hand, Areneth nods in grim satisfaction. The battle has turned, and now he and his newfound companions were in control. It was just a race against time to get out of the building before it crashed down around them.
He moved his way carefully behind the bar, then over and towards the door, keeping his eye on the Knight, and mentally preparing for his next attack. Reaching his destination, he turned his full attention to the Knight. Focusing his mind, Areneth internalized his emotions and tried to project them as a knife of energy into the Knight's brain. Before he could fully gather his thoughts, however, a rapidly disintegrating beam cracked overhead, and his concentration, and therefore his attack, was lost.
The Knight then gets a puzzled look on his face, and takes a quick glance behind him. At the same time, Areneth shouts to his companions, "His guard is down. Strike quickly!"
- via H15 > I15 > J15 > K14 (rough) > L14 [6 squares]
Standard Action: Mind Thrust on Knight
- To Hit: 1d20 + 6 vs. Will = 12 Miss
Minor Action: Distract on Knight
- No attack roll required
- Knight provides CA to the next attack against it from anyone
COLOR="CYAN"]Up Next: Torrent (Round 5)[/COLOR COLOR="LIME"]On Deck: Swain[/COLOR
As the battle rages against the remaining soldier, Torrent listens intently.
Her face starts turning pale, as she hears the creak and cracks of the top floor.
Their time in the tavern was up...
She shouts at the heroes, "Move quickly! This building is on it's last throes! Best finish quickly and leave! Unless you don't mind an early grave..." She left the warning as is, as she rushes out of the front door, making sure where she is stepping on (or whom, depending who was in her way).
Torrent makes it successfully out, just as her presumtion proved to be true: Timbers break and chunks of the ceiling fall to the floor of the tavern.
The warlord and the knight managed to hack the collapsing debris away, taking minor nicks and cuts, while large and heavy blocks of burning wood fall onto the warden and cleric. Though Summer's divine magic deflected some of the debris, it still managed to harm Traorin, with some of the falling floorboards knocking him on the head.
Torrent:
Move Action: Move to M5
WARNING!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!Part of the Top Floor collapses (@J11) !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trap Action: Collapsing Attack
Targets: All creatures in burst
Attack +4 vs. Reflex
Damage: 1d10+4 damage
Miss: Half damage
Attack roll (Swain) : 13 MISS!
Attack roll (Traorin) : 17 Hit!
Attack roll (Summer) : 16 Hit!
Attack roll (Knight) : 10 MISS!
Damage roll: Traorin and Summer each take 5 damage, Swain and the knight each take 3 damage, and the attacked areas are now difficult terrain (triangle symbol)
Map (Round 5):
Initiative:
Ceiling Collapse 3 (Done) 20
Swain C. Angevin 19
Knight (Elite) Delayed
Titania Shaylee 14
Summer Storm 13
Dorn Kir Delayed
Ceiling Collapse 2 12
Traorin Xinskarr 10
Areneth Thalant 7
Ceiling Collapse 1 6
(Since there's going to be a number of identical monsters, I decided to take the average of each monster’s initiative, just to help reduce the complexities of facing off more than 5 enemies in the initiative bar. )
Here's how it goes: Allies/enemies take turns out of order in a group/block.
Stats:
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(J14) Dorn HP 19/28
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(L12) Summer HP 24/27
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Sun’s Glow on sword
(H12) Swain HP 21/24 +2 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(O12) Titania HP 13/24
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Concealment: -2 to attack rolls against Titania
Second Wind: +2 to all defences until the start of next turn
(I12) Traorin HP 13/33 Bloodied!
Dragonborn Fury: +1 racial to attack rolls while bloodied
Resist 2 (ALL) (Until end of Summer’s next turn)
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
(K11) Black Horse Leader (Elite) HP 83/106
Warlock’s Curse (Titania)
Distract (Grants CA to the next attack against it from anyone (used afterwards))
(M5) Torrent HP 30/30 +5 Temp HP
Bless: +1 to attack rolls
Monster Details:
Special:
On any melee weapon attack, Torrent may take a –2 attack penalty and add +3 damage.
I posted the coordinates of everyone as well, making it easier to plan your attacks (Letter, then number).
Another way to make it easier is to post what monster you hit e.g. Melee Basic attack on Grunt(F5)
Features:
Table: The table is all tall enough that a Small creature can move under it and gain cover from doing so. Hopping onto a table costs 1 extra square of movement. A character can use a standard action to tip over a table, which can then grant cover to a standing creature or superior cover to a prone creature.
Kitchen door: The door to the kitchen (leftmost from the map) is locked (Thievery DC 20 to open).
Pub Walls (Interior): The Interior of the walls are quite thin. To break a hole through the wall, a Melee Basic Attack vs AC 18 is required. On a success, a medium sized hole is made, allowing you to move through it.
Flaming Debris (marked by a fire symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement). Any character that starts their turn or moves through one takes 3 fire damage (An Athletics/Acrobatics/Dungeoneering check of DC 20 negates the damage).
Collapsed debris (marked by a black triangle symbol): These are treated as difficult terrain (costs two squares of movement).
COLOR="Lime"] Up Next: Swain[/COLORCOLOR="Red"] On Deck: The Lone Knight[/COLOR
"Mighty Warden, commander of the tempest and death without a name, this building is falling to pieces! Our assailants lie vanquished, friend! Let us leave this place, dragonborn! The last of our enemies will die in vain, and I am not content to join him! Everyone!" he yelled over the din of the breaking support beams, "We are leaving! Leave the knight to his fate!"
Satisfied with his words, Swain passed Traorin and made a break for the door. Once outside, he relaxed his features and looked for Torrent. He was clearly happy to be out of the pub, even if it meant being outside in the middle of a bombing run.
Extra HP healed roll: 1d6 → [5] = (5)
Traorin gains 13 HP!
Move Action: Run to H10
[ Up Next: The Lone Knight][ On Deck: Titania, Summer, and Dorn]
"It's not about the money. *Cough* Even I believed this was wrong. *Hack* But orders are orders. And I must follow...* Wheeze* follow them like any soldier under duty..."
As he makes to the door, he suddenly realizes it's blocked. The man closes his eyes, raising his weapon high above him. WHen he opens his eyes, they gleam a bright and ethereal blue glow.
"Forgive me. This strike will most assuredly harm me more than you could ever imagine. There is no justice for what I'm about to do. For that, may Pelor forgive me for this injustice that shall befall unto you..."
The man brings his sword down fast and hard, hacking nearly right through the Eladrin's left shoulder. Many of her joints dislocate in the process, and she falls to the ground, unable to move a muscle. The knight sheathes his blade, and runs out of the tavern, deeper into the dark alleyway. Strangely, the soldier has not seen fit to kill her, leaving her only unconscious...
Enemy Moves:
Kathor gains a +20 combat bonus on any single attack performed until the end of Kathor’s next turn.
Move Action: Move to N13 (Take an AoO from Summer, if she wants to)
Standard Action: Dazzling strike against Titania
+11 (+31 due to ???? True Strike) vs. AC; 2d10+3 damage, and the target is immobilized until the end of Kathor’s next turn.
Damage Roll: 21 damage
Titania is unconscious!
Action Point: Move Action: Run away to O20 (off map)
Summary:
Titania is Immobilized
Summer can make an AoO on Knight
Knight is @ O20 and running away (-5 to attack rolls; grants CA)
[ Up Next: Titania (unconscious), Summer, and Dorn][ On Deck: Another Ceiling Collapse!]
Move: To O10
Minor: Look around
Standard: Healer's Mercy - Titania regains 10hp (Surge + 4), Summer is Weakened till EOMNT
[ Up Next: Titania and Dorn][ On Deck: Another Ceiling Collapse!]
[Up Next: Titania][On Deck: Treacherous ceiling]
Looking around she takes stock of the situation and notices those still inside the burning building. "Don't just stand their you fools, the whole place is coming down." She shouts, looking pointedly at Areneth who appears momentarily distracted by the knights sudden flight.
Turning to the street she sees Summer, the last vestiges of divine magic still making the air glow about her. "Thanks." She says, then glances behind her at the horse, standing in the street. Taking a step forward she stops, eying the horse suspiciously, trying to gauge its reaction.
Move Action: Move to O11.
Standard Action: Nature Check to see if the horse is one of those nastily trained war horses nobles often have who'll only accept one rider or if he's friendly enough that we just found a free ride: 1d20+1 = 15
[Up Next: Treacherous ceiling][On Deck: Traorin]
Titania:
As you inspect the horse, you soon realize that it's a trained warhorse. The fact that it neighs and moves away from you as you come closer means it was trained to accept only certain riders.
Hazard Moves:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!Part of the Top Floor collapses (@I13) !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trap Action: Collapsing Attack
Targets: All creatures in burst
Attack +4 vs. Reflex
Damage: 1d10+4 damage
Miss: Half damage
Damage roll: Traorin takes (14-2=12) damage, and the attacked areas (G15-K11) are now difficult terrain (triangle symbol)
Summary:
Squares G15-K11 is difficult terrain
[ Up Next: Traorin and Areneth][ On Deck: Another Ceiling Collapse!]
"So, should we find a discrete place to take a quick breather and close up some of these wounds? Then we can go see this Gnome."
Areneth looks around for a suitable place to get out of sight, and then says, almost absent-mindedly,
"Does anyone know anything about an Urgark? Apparently he's the one that tipped off these soldiers to come for us."
XP Gained for Encounter:
Total XP Gained (per PC): 175 XP
Treasure Found:
The inn continues to burn horribly; almost a mere shadow of it's former self. As you all finally reach outside, you can see that the bombing of the city has just ended. Torrent leans near a wall, and tries to gather her breath from the quick (but all too violent) battle mere moments ago. Keeping her cool, she speaks.
"We should meet with Rivereye. No doubt this bombing might scare him off. It's all too vital we make our way to the Depository. I sincerely hope he's alright. Does anyone need healing?" The cleric spots Traorin shambling towards her, asking for healing. She nods. "Very well then, mighty Traorin. It shall be done."
Meanwhile, the rest of you soon realize the streets are starting to fill with panicking people, and though the bombing has ended, you can hear that a battle has begun at the west wall. Townsfolk rush about trying to put out fires or get to the shelter of temples, and soldiers hurry to their posts, slowed by the throng and chaos. All the while, bells ring urgent warnings up and down the mountain pass.
In the sky above, you can see Gate Pass' famous Griffon Riders and Ragesia's infamous Wyvern riders battle. Some of the wyvern riders were finishing with their bombing runs, dropping the bombs before finally entering into aerial combat against Gate Pass's defenders. Throughout the city, sounds of battle could be heard from every direction.
Araneth HP 25/25
Dorn HP 19/28
Summer HP 24/27
Swain HP 21/24
Titania HP 10/24
Traorin HP 14/33
Torrent HP 30/30
Consider this a short rest. Summer, Swain, and Torrent can use their healing powers to help heal you guys (remember to spend surges in the process)
Torrent’s Healing Words (if anyone wants one): One for Healing Surge + 4; another one for Healing Surge +4
Ranged 5; targets Torrent or one ally; the target spends a healing surge and adds another 1d6 hp.
!Ready
He hurried across the quickly filling streets to where Torrent and the others were standing, listening to all of their comments before addressing the group as he had earlier.
"First of all, you all did fantastically. We were tipsy, taken by surprise, and greatly outnumbered, and we still managed to come out relatively unscathed. I don't have much to say expect to always keep track of your environment and to work on cutting down enemies before they get to you. Other than that, keep up the good work." he switched to a much less formal tone now, stretching a little and loosening his posture. "Switching to the present, Traorin is right about making haste to Rivereye. The faster we get out of these streets and lost in the crowd, the better. I would like to find out more about this obviously planned attack, however, and our best lead is the name Areneth uncovered. Does anyone know who this Urgark could be?"
He reached into his backpack, the light from his torch shining out of the small hole his hand made. He quickly found what he was looking for, pulling out an envelope he had written a day before. He wrote a small "3" on the outside before handing it to Torrent. He hadn't realized it before now, but that letter was all he needed to get his plan started.
"Heh, lightweight"
Ready
As you leave for the streets, monsters and other beasts fly overhead through the skies: a constant reminder of the Ragesian assault. Buildings are crumpling and exploding a few streets over. People clog the streets trying to see what’s happening, and you have to get through them to accomplish your mission. You press out into the crowds, heading east, where you see a huge cluster of burning buildings, and as you get close to the gate to the next district, you are swallowed up in a huge throng of panicked townsfolk. Soldiers from the eastern districts are trying to push through the crowd to reach the battle at the main gate, while normal people try to flee in the opposite direction. The gates, designed to hold back invaders, are too narrow to let you all through. You’re being crushed, pushed back and forth, and though many are trying to yell for order, for people to let the soldiers through first, mayhem reigns.
Pressganged:
Hit: Target loses a healing surge (Critical hit: Target loses two)
Alphabetical Order:
Areneth: 11 vs 11 = Hit
Dorn: 7 vs 14 = Miss
Summer: 24 vs 13 = Critical Hit!
Swain: 8 vs 15 = Miss
Titania: 8 vs 11 = Miss
Torrent: 11 vs 14 = Miss
Traorin: 21 vs 14 = Hit
Areneth and Traorin each lose 1 healing Surge
Summer loses 2 healing surges
And then something overhead roars, and all reason flees your mind.
Traorin, Swain:
You are prey, helpless, and hundreds of shapes silhouetted against firelight swell close to you. As one, the crowd screams, and you fight to get away from the horror in the clouds, the thundering, dread-inspiring beats of its crimson wings driving you on in swarming terror. It’s all you can do to avoid being crushed in the press of bodies, and after minutes of struggling, you stagger wearily out of the crowd on the far side of the gate.
Terror in the skies:
Crowd Attack: 1d20+5 vs Reflex
Hit: 1d6 damage
Alphabetical Order:
Areneth: 21 vs 13 = Hit
Dorn: 11 vs 16 = Miss
Summer: 16 vs 12 = Hit!
Swain: 9 vs 14 = Miss
Titania: 21 vs 15 = Hit
Torrent: 17 vs 12 = Hit
Traorin: 21 vs 15 = Hit
Areneth takes 4 damage
Summer takes 5 damage
Titania takes 2 damage
Torrent takes 4 damage
Traorin takes 5 damage
You regroup with your friends, watching panicked mothers crying out for their children, fathers carrying children burned near to death by the firebombing. Despair and confusion fills nearly every face, but you force your way onward, and you see your destination — the tower — standing high above the glow of your burning city. You rush past a building on fire, hearing the screams of a woman trapped on a top floor, the roars of pain of those few who have managed to stagger out of the inferno.
You pass looters smashing down doors of shops and pulling away trinkets that will be worthless in the coming days of battle. You even see a bewildered noble, so shocked by the attack that all he cares about is finding a lost pet.
Sometimes you see people fighting against the chaos — a city guardsman carrying a young girl, trying to find her mother; thugs from the local thieves’ guild gathered out in front of their hideout, shouting orders to organize a fire brigade; a cluster of young men in white cloaks shouting for the injured to follow them to a nearby church — but most just look to the skies, watching helplessly as Gate Pass griffon riders battle the wyvern knights of the Ragesians.
Overhead you spot one of these battles, and then hear a thunderous crack as the griffon rider shatters his lance in the throat of a wyvern. He tosses his broken lance down to the crowd with a cheer as the wyvern spirals out of control and crashes to the roof of a building the next street over. Then moments later a deep, challenging roar fills the air, thumping, pulsing wingbeats fan the city flames and kick cinders into the sky, and you witness a massive red dragon fly forth from the smoke and crush the stunned griffon and rider in its snapping maw with a sickening, crunching sound.
Once again, after too short a reprieve, pandemonium besets the crowd. The streets clear as people flee desperately, foolishly into the nearest building, and as the dragon swoops away into the night, headed for the colossal statue of Emperor Coaltongue in the central district, you see that your path to the depository tower is clear.
OOC:
"Wonderful," he called out, "It's like a funnel for people…and it's overflowing."
As the crowd compressed and tried to make it through the gate in both directions, Areneth found himself being buffeted about by the crowd, and starting to be separated from the group. Taking a few deep breaths to keep his calmness, Areneth forced his way back towards his companions, taking ahold of Swain, who has having a much easier time with the crowd, and they forced their way through the gate. Upon reaching the other side, Areneth stops for a second. His ribs were aching from a combination of the elbows and knees of the citizen of Gate Pass as they clawed their way through the portal, and he needed to catch his breath. Looking up, he saw that the rest of the group was still moving, so he double-timed it to catch up.
Just as he caught up to the group, the dragon's roar seized his mind. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Years of torment and fear brought on by the whipmaster from his owner's house were nothing compared to the sheer terror he felt. Crumpling to the ground with his hands over his head, he could do nothing but quiver and shake as the beast passed overhead. The crowd continued to surge on, kicking and falling over him as he was rooted in place by fear. A kick to the jaw by a fleeing citizen brought him back to his senses. The rush of pain and the trickle of blood from his lip drove the dragon's roar from his mind, and he was able to once again focus on the task at hand. Quickly locating the rest of the group again he moved his way through the crowd and continued towards the depository, the rest of the journey a blur of screams and burning buildings. The depository tower quickly came into view after that, and the group came to a halt. Wiping the blood from his mouth, Areneth says,
"I hope Rivereye hasn't fled already with all this chaos. Let's get in and out as quickly as possible, and find a way out of the city."
Doing his best to keep the smaller members of the group safe from the crushing crowds, the half-orc grimaces in distaste as he is forced to jostle and shove civilians out of the way. Then, as the dragon appears and its roar shakes the city, the first hint of despair washes over him. For a few moments, he stands with his eyes closed and his hands limp, before he seemingly regains his purpose, jogging to keep up with the party once more.
"This city won't last long with that dragon in the sky! We need to locate Mr. Rivereye as soon as possible and get his information to where it needs to be!"
Although his face remained the same in spite of the anarchy, he felt more and more put off by the absence of the Gate Pass guard. When he finally found them, pushing through the massive wave of people to get to another battle, he was about to help before a massive stampede of people nearly crushed him and his companions. He blocked a few fleeing urchins with his shield before slowly making his way thought the crowd, making a path for the rest of his party to get through. He was vaguely aware of Summer walking by his side and Areneth moving behind him, but he figured they would be fine...until he heard the roar.
A red dragon's roar is a complex thing, and although he had heard it many times before he had only begun to understand it. It was both proud and humble, both loud and quiet...some of its terrifying power over him had faded with time, but he knew the others would probably feel differently. Once they had their wits about them he continued to follow Torrent and lead the group to the supposed location of Rivereye (who would almost certainly be in some kind of trouble, either because of the army or Dorn's earlier tempting of fate), ignoring any chatter that wasn't directed at him. He was too busy dreaming up various plans and courses of action. All it would take was that single moment that would ignited the proverbial bomb in his mind, sending plans off in all directions like flaming embers and burning shrapnel.
Soon...
You see the dark needle of the Depository Tower long before the guarded gate appears along the roadway. Now as you come to the massive iron gates, four well-armed guards (three orcs and a dwarf) snap to greater attention and prepare for a confrontation. In a respectful voice, the dwarf asks for the required owner’s key, which Torrent produces. He and the other guards visibly relax.
“The Ragesian incursion and rioting have us all on edge, please forgive our harsh diligence,” the dwarven guard says as he tests the key on a special lock plate. He hands it back mechanically when the latch opens. Placing his lips against the opening, he whispers something and the large cogs and gears on the sides of the gates rumble and turn. In a moment, the way is open and one of the orc guards clumsily gestures a welcome for all to enter.
As you pass in, the chaos of the city disappears. Untouched by Ragesian bombs, a beautifully tended garden wends its way past splendid fountains. The left basin recalls elemental spirits of local legend — a dragon, a worm, a kraken, and an eagle — while a statue of Emperor Coaltongue, posing with torch held high, dominates the basin on the right. The torch glows as if lit by a never-ending flame.
You count four other guards patrolling the grounds, dwarves and orcs again, and continue towards the large double iron doors that are the only entrance to the central structure. Once again, Torrent’s key is used and the orc guard speaks a secret phrase to gain entrance. “There’re guards inside,” the orc politely says, with a gruff and graveled voice; his smile looks like a grimace.
“So be careful and don’t accidentally open the wrong locker. There are lanterns here for light.” With a chuckle, he adds, “You’ll regret them if you meets up with the ugly gnome in there now. Oh boy, is he ugly. Probably got hit with the ugly stick way too many times. Hurhur.”
The first floor of the tower is one huge room, and though the far side is hidden in shadows, it looks to be about sixty feet in diameter. A broad stone ramp circles clockwise upward to the left of the door, while the interior of the room is filled with aisles of metal lockers, each slightly larger than a coffin propped upright. Squat round columns twenty feet high support the ceiling. You all spot a small hunched like shadowy figure standing at the top of the stairs...
Some Depository Facts:
If anyone's curious, an Arcana check of DC 20 is in order to identify the never-ending torch's origin.