DM Aron Marczylo's Kingmaker - Part 1: Stolen Land (Inactive)

Game Master overfiend_87

"Agreed. Time to see if that bow is just for show, Lukan" Ganit tells the soldier with a goading smile. "Is there anything else we need to do before they come through here?"

"I will do what I can to see that our blades are blessed, and our enemies' falter... and of course I have my blade."

"Excellent, into position then." Ganit takes the rope from Carina and ties it off on the base of a thick redwood. He then uses the same tree to provide himself cover to use against the cavalcade approaching, taking his time to smear a dose of the giant spider's venom on the head of an arrow and waiting patiently for the others in his group to signal the attack.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Poison use(not to get a nat 1): 1d20 ⇒ 5

Readied action to shoot after Carina casts her spell. Ganit will prefer to attack Kressel but if there is no clear shot, the closest non-Bronwyn bandit.

Readied Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19 +Medium Spider Venom
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
If within 30ft, Attack +1 and Damage +1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 PB Shot and Sneak Attack.
+5/+2 Base, -1/+2 Deadly Aim, +2/+2 Favored Enemy(Human); Total: +6/+6

I am hiding off to the side behind Cambyl where I can see the area around where the rope is going to be raised, but am hidden in the trees.

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

[ooc]I'm assuming I'll be able to make out Bronwyn given my dim light vision, but do you want me to make any rolls, combat maneuver's or something for the rope?[/b]

"I will cast Bless, as soon as you cast sleep, Carina."

"I will, as suggested, be over here waiting for a clear lane of attack on this Kressel woman."

I'm assuming I'll be able to make out Bronwyn given my dim light vision, but do you want me to make any rolls, combat maneuver's or something for the rope?[/b]

"I will cast Bless, as soon as you cast sleep, Carina."

[ooc]It won't be that late. It's still morning and there is plenty of light, though you will have to recognise him as he is still wearing his disguise, but I assume you saw his disguise when he left.

"He's gone far ahead. Do you trust him as he seems a little...odd." she asks curiously as she turns to Sir Bronwyn whilst on horseback, riding forward at a steady pace with the group of bandits behind them, though not in any formation as it's difficult to manouver through the trees and uneven terrain.

I believe sleep is a full around spell like summon monster meaning it'll go off after she casts it next round. Nice for a surprise attack.

Lukan crouches down behind a tree and knocks an arrow on his taunt bowstring. He doesn't draw it yet, but peers over a large bush, waiting to ambush the bandits.

Stealth: 1d20 ⇒ 16

He'll wait as long as he can before he thinks his or the group's cover has been blown. Ultimately he will want to shoot any female with axes he sees, but if waiting to shoot her ruins his surprise attack, he'll try to shoot whichever bandit he can.

He's not quite right in da head, that one, but the 'lord trusts'im, so... Still, I'd be a bloody fool to trust anyone down here. 'cluding you.

The outlaw smirks, somewhat taking the sting of his words.

Just as you don't trust me.

It appears the good ol' Oleg got 'mself some help from the north. We should have 'round three men for each one of them, but even so, theirs will be armed, armored and experienced.

The outlaw leans on his saddle, to whisper to Kressel:

We may have the numbers, but most are fodder such as these fools. People are goinna die. Juss hang back and save ya'self. We have need of strong people, don't be dien' around there. Ya have a bow?

The outlaw smiles, still leaning close to Kressel, and conspires:

Lemme ask'ya sumthing. Men talk lots 'bout ya, Kressel, and most say you have bigger stones than most of ya men and icewater in your veins. That you keep those idjits in line is a proof of that. But one story I didn't quite believe was 'bout the ring. Did you really take the wedding ring out of Svetlana's fingers? Men say you chopped off the ring finger, and toss'd the finger back to ole Oleg, is that true? Can I see that ring?

"A bow? Ha! I perfer to be close to my enemy when I cut them up. Shame about Oleg really but what the lords asks, he gets done." She looks at him cautiously, but relaxes then deciding to tell him. "No, I didn't cut off her finger, I only took the ring for insurance. It's not worth that much, but any bit of jewlery will make a bandit's life happy. However, the filthy Mites came into our came in stole a few bags filled with our loot, including the ring. We know where they live, in the old Sycamore tree south-east, by east from the camp, but we wouldn't dare attack. So many of them in number and we only want loot. I'd like to keep my boots clean than step on the ugly little blue bastards. They cause more trouble than the Kobolds ever since they started fighting."

Anyone else deciding to hide stealthily or are Cambyl and Jameson being out in the open?

You might want to roll a stealth for Cambyl - he is holding the rope to dismount people, and I am sure would be hidden by a tree where he can pull the rope up once Bron passes. He has apparently been busy this weekend. James will probably respond later today, he has been fairly reliable.

What in the seven hells is a might?

You don happen to have a man by the name of Falgrim Sneeg around your camp? I couldn't see'im back there, it may be that the basterd's somehow disguising'mself or hiding in the woods. 'His lordship' has put a price on this fool's head after he tried to get intimate with a prisoner who he had no bus'ness getting intimate with. If you know where he's at, we could get'im and share the pot, whaddya say?

I certainly hope I'm not out in the open, that would be a bad plan I think... Although, is stealth the right thing for hiding? I always thought it was more for moving quietly...

Stealth: 1d20 ⇒ 7

I certainly hope I'm not out in the open, that would be a bad plan I think... Although, is stealth the right thing for hiding? I always thought it was more for moving quietly...

Stealth: 1d20

You are in the same old world as me. In the old AD&D they had Move Silently and Hide in Shadows as separate skills for a thief. At some point they combined them into stealth.

I certainly hope I'm not out in the open, that would be a bad plan I think... Although, is stealth the right thing for hiding? I always thought it was more for moving quietly...

Stealth: 1d20

I assume we are all in some sort of cover and are not moving around. Wouldn't that give us a bonus to our stealth checks? Carina, can you silent image stuff in front of people that stand out like sore thumbs... ahem Cambyl ;).

Stealth 1d20 - 4 ⇒ (8) - 4 = 4

I'll be behind some trees but I don't think it's going to help much.

What in the seven hells is a might?

You don happen to have a man by the name of Falgrim Sneeg around your camp? I couldn't see'im back there, it may be that the basterd's somehow disguising'mself or hiding in the woods. 'His lordship' has put a price on this fool's head after he tried to get intimate with a prisoner who he had no bus'ness getting intimate with. If you know where he's at, we could get'im and share the pot, whaddya say?

Mites are common and you most likely would've run into them in the past, though you won't know things like weaknesses ect but generally know what they are.

"He is with the lord down south last I heard. Unless he has angered him somehow I have no reason why the lord would want his head." she eyes him suspeciously.

Kressel stops suddenly, putting her hand up to holt the advancement and then she leers at both Jameson and Cambyl.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" she says drawing her axes. "I won't ask twice. Surrender now and I might be merciful."

MAP

Choose where to place yourselves. Cambyl and Jameson are seen whilst everyone else is hidden. you can place yourselves no lower than the G row.

Kressel

E15 for me please.

"Are you the bandit Kressel? I've been sent to bring you to justice for what you did to Oleg! Will you surrender?"

I will give her the chance to come quietly.

F10 seems like a good place to avoid concealment penalties so I'll take that square, sir. Thanks!

Ganit waits silently with his shoulder pressed against the tree separating him from the large crew of bandits, his bowstring pulled and cradling a poisoned arrow.

So much for the element of surprise...

If other's disagree, they can change this, but my thought now that we have a layout is:

Cambyl at G12 with the rope strung between G12 and L8.
Carina at G7 where she can see most of the area with spells.
James at G6 - hidden(not very well) - and in position to charge - or command surrender as the case may be.
Ganit at F10 as he posted, with good line of sight for arrows to most of the combat area.
Lukan at F10 - also with his bow and a good line of sight to most of the combat area.

Not sure how dense this brush/trees are, but a charge through the trees might not work from E15 James.
________________
I begin casting Sleep. - Centered at the N6/G7 intersection - should get 3 of them this way. May change the location if they move before next turn.

Bron looks expectantly to Kressel, but even though he's only known her for a couple hours, it's plain to see that she's not the kind of person to surrender in any situation, much less one on which her forces outnumber the attackers.

Damnit, they're here! It's them fools who came from north!

I'll just throw in an Iniative roll for good measure: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Please put me at G11

This is a damn ambush, not a diplomatic summit!!

Lukan lets an arrow fly straight towards Kressel.

Longbow Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Longbow Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 6

Abandoning the rope, as the bandits are clearly no longer surprised, Cambyl draws his sword.

"I suggest you listen to the man, bandits. Cayden Cailean is on our side this day."

Hmm.. I was going to use Charm Person, but that won't work if Lukan attacks. Should we roll initiative to determine who goes first?

Sorry bud, just roleplaying it out. The early poster gets the worm =) I did forget to post initiative, so I'll do that now. By the way, sometimes I can be blind on these forums and miss stuff, were we planning on using diplomacy first? Sorry if I overlooked it.

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

It will be interesting running a country with you all - clearly careful planning is not one of our strong points.

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Hey man, I readied an action and I'm sticking to it. Not sure about initiative rolling since Aron typically posts it for us but technically speaking: Lukan, Carina and I would act first since we have a surprise round for passing our stealth checks. I think Bron posted his to keep the bandit identity thing up.

EDIT - at the risk of not conforming and thus not being popular, I'll roll up my initiative too.

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 (Nat 1... should have waited. Let this be a lesson to high school kids everywhere)

No worries. I think I mentioned it once, but that would have gone out with the ambush idea. Also, I've just been waiting to use Charm Person this whole time :D. In any case, without a surprise round, It wouldn't matter for me. I'll just cast Bane first round, probably.

Eh, its always a mess doing a surprise round. Here's what the PFSRD says:

From my limited understanding of the rules, and please prove me wrong, you can not cast a spell while hidden unless you have silent spell because you must cast it in a strong voice which would be loud enough for the bandits to hear (Reference) . Even some somatic components could give you away. This would expose Carina and probably start the combat. Heck I'm sure none of us would let some strange mage in the woods start casting a spell without acting. Now her initiating the spell would be considered her action in the surprise round and since I don't like to waste time or actions, I'd like to act in the surprise round rather than waiting for her to finish casting.
I can tell you one thing. I would not want this to be ruled that you can cast while stealthed. It would be horrible if enemy mages could cast while stealthed and not be revealed. It is one reason silent spell is worth taking other than the odd times when you are deafened or silenced.

Eh, its always a mess doing a surprise round. Here's what the PFSRD says: ** spoiler omitted **

From my limited understanding of the rules, and please prove me wrong, you can not cast a spell while hidden unless you have silent spell because you must cast it in a strong voice which would be loud enough for the bandits to hear (Reference) . Even some somatic components could give you away. This would expose Carina and probably start the combat. Heck I'm sure none of us would let some strange mage in the woods start casting a spell without acting. Now her initiating the spell would be considered her action in the surprise round and since I don't like to waste time or actions, I'd like to act in the surprise round rather than waiting for her to finish casting.
I can tell you one thing. I would not want this to be ruled that you can cast while stealthed. It would be horrible if enemy mages could cast while stealthed and not be revealed. It is one reason silent spell is worth taking other than the odd times when you are deafened or silenced.

It is up to DM Aron, but the way I look at it, I am casting from behind 80% coverage - being in the trees/bushes. Bron is chatting while Cambyl, James and Kressel are all yelling commands at each other. Could they hear me - probably with a perception check. Would this identify where I am - unlikely unless they have VERY good hearing and direction sense.

Oh, I was going to cast only after they saw me. But if you guys shoot at her, charm person won't work, so I'll just wait for my first combat action, which will be casting Bane.

You should let me roll the iniative, it means I can roll everyone's and I can keep it in order and know who goes when much easier than several people who posted up their iniative. Also so that DM get's the blame when the roll messes up ;) Also reguarding the surprise round I believe Lukan is right and it is a single standard action so you can't cast spells like sleep which is a full round action, however simple standard action spells like magic missile I'd have no problem with. It's trees so not sure about the coverage unless you're attempting to remain under cover.

Surprise Round

Lukan's arrow flies true and strikes her hard in the shoulders, but she whinces as she tears it out of her shoulder.
"You're dead, boy." she snarls.

no other surprise rounds?

The second arrow hits Kressel hard in the chest, but she smirks away the pain as she wrenches the arrow out of her and she leers at Ganit with the look of disgust on her face. A attack like that would've killed most people but she appears to remain standing.

I am attempting to cast Sleep - I am not sure whether it should take effect at the beginning of my next round (Round 1), or after my move or standard action. Realistically since it is 1 round and I can make a move or a standard action during the surprise round, it would make sense for it to be cast in the middle of my next turn - thus, essentially I use my Surprise standard action, and my Round 1 move, then the spell goes off and then I get my Round 1 Standard action. Please correct me if I am wrong and I will figure something else out.

You only get a standard action in a surprise around and casting sleep is a full round action. This is because where standard action spells such as magic missile for instance you can move then cast the spell, but a full round spell requires you to concentrait for the entire round, no moving or anything. Just going to roll iniative for those who didn't and for bandits.

Round 1

Iniative:

Carina Stigard: 22
Sir Bronwyn Raslov: 12
Lukan: 4
Ganit: 4
Cambyl 1d20 ⇒ 5
Jameson Addercop IV 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Kressel: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Bandits: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Order:

Catrina Stigard
Jameson Addercop IV
Bandits
Kressel
Sir Bronwyn Raslov
Cambyl
Lukan & Ganit (same iniative bonus, same dex...so one of you can choose to be first.)

MAP

Catrina goes first anyway so starting sleep would be a nice move, assuming the bandits would be effected.

Is it possible to charge through the trees at Kressel or is the terrain too rough for that?

The outlaw looks at his so-called partner and shouts, angrily:

What!? Your wit dem? I'll cut off your cawk and stuff down your throat, turncloak!

Bluff Check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

One hundred gold pieces for the man who gets me that traitor!

After you, my good buddy Ganit =) afterall you would have the slight advantage since these are humans. Bron, are you seriously going to try and lie that Kressel is with us after we just made her into a pin-cushion? Yer crazy man hehehe.

Lukan shouts from his partial cover behind a bush, "You can still surrender! Lay down your weapons immediately!

I am confused. Am I able to start the sleep so that it goes off after my Move Action in this round? Standard(surprise)+Move(round 1) = 1 round total? That was my plan for casting sleep. Then I would start casting another sleep as my standard action this round to go off next round.

Target is between M11/N11 so that it gets the 3 bandits there.

I actually shouted that at Ganit. I figured if she sees Ganit ambushing her, it would be easy to put 2 and 2 together and figure I'm on it too. Aaand if she did that, she and her men could easily swarm me.

In an unrelated note, sorry about "that" word up there.

Is it possible to charge through the trees at Kressel or is the terrain too rough for that?

It's difficult terrain, hence why the bandits are also organised in a disorganised way. You're all in the heart of woodland here so charges wil be difficult if not impossible.

Concerning sleep, no you can't start carsting sleep in surprise, but you can here at the begining of the round proper.

Surprise Round
Since I cannot cast sleep yet, I will fire my crossbow at Kressel.

Attack-Crossbow:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2

Round 1
Begin casting sleep.

Round 1 Init 20

Jameson rides Donal over to Kressel and attempts to strike her with the lance.

Ride to 10' away and attempt to jab Kressel

Ride: Fight w/ Combat Trained Mount DC 10 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Mounted Lance 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 241d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Looking to Bronwyn, Jameson snarls, "You're next scum."

I will wait to see what Kressel and Bronwyn do, but I'll likely run up towards Bronwyn and cast Bane. However, I might also use Shield of faith, if it looks like things are going to get tricky with all the bandits.

Catrina's bolt sails through the air harmlessly before she takes her time to cast her spell.

Bandits

The bandits dismount, using their light armour to their advantage to run and get as close to the group as they can for now.

One of the bandits provokes an attack from Jameson and the lance wickedly cuts him down, but doesn't kill him.

Jameson's attack 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Lukan has a bow out so now provoke of oppitunity for him.

Kressel

Taking a 5ft step the bloodies Kressel keeps her axes in her hands and then lashes out with her weapons to cut Jameson down off his horse.

attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 & 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Could use an updated map so that we all know who we are attacking. And where I am dropping the sleep spell.

Whoops, I was planning on it but forgot to post the map.

MAP

Not sure whether we are done Round 1 or not, but will post where I plan on centering the sleep spell.

Round 2

Center sleep spell at: the junction of H9/I10 - should get 4 of them. DC 15. [ooc] I assume that animal pic is just background.

Move - straight back 30' as long as I still have clear vision to the whole area.

Begin casting another sleep spell.

Round 1 Initiative 4

With his bow still in his left hand, Ganit whips the tail of his jacket in the air as he spins around to position himself behind the bandit flanking Lukan. All the while drawing his sword with his free hand and slashing downward against the man as he completes his movement. 5' step into square E11, free action to draw weapon during move, standard action to attack bandit in E10

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Damage: 1d6 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 4 + (5) = 12

Base +3/+2, FE +2/+2, Flanking +2/1d6 sneak attack