DM Blayde MacRonan's Giantslayer... The Strange Adventures of Team Ruby (Private Campaign) (Inactive)

Game Master Blayde MacRonan

Rohan prepares to fight as he gathers his strength and looks on to the incoming battle. He knows the battle ahead and it's going to take a lot of effort but he doesn't seem to be sweating. Time is only right around the corner before the war begins. He gathers his self and wait for the next chance to strike on the the logs and send them flying down towards the battle.

what am I doing here I am planning to fight this war. I have to be strong I am strong I got this.

He looks to the rest of the group that are by his side and smiles. Knowing full well that he has the support of the group and at this battle will be won swiftly and carefully.

I was holding off on posting until everyone else had, but this part from LM's post, I felt, needed to be addressed:

So it sounds like the pole arms other than the long spears are not something most of us are proficient with, but the sharpened stakes should work for everyone. I think we need to meet them at the barricades and hold them for a round or two, then release the ‘area’ attacks of the boulder and logs once we have more targets to hit. Open to alternative suggestions, as always.

This is correct. The polearms (The glaive, the guisarme, the halberd, and the ranseur) are all martial weapons, whereas the longspears are simple weapons. When it comes to the use of martial weapons, Liesel-Marie (as an awakened bloodrager) and Patrol Sergeant Omast Frum (as a fighter), are the only ones trained in their use. Making things even more interesting is the fact that Kytynna, in addition to not being able to use martial weapons, can't even use the longspears due to the limited weapons training that monks (even unchained monks) have. Mesa (as a bard), Nyym (as a kinetic shinobi), and Rohan (as a kineticist) are all trained in the use of simple weapons and can therefore make use of the longspears. The sharpened stakes technically don't have a classification, but I'd qualify them as simple weapons as well. Which means that Kyt isn't even able to use those either (well, she could, but it would be with a -4 non-proficiency penalty to any attack rolls made with them).

So it would seem that you would need to find a way to maximize the use of these weapons with the people that you have available.

Liesel-Marie is not a thinker as much as a react-er, so the following thoughts will have to come courtesy of another, perhaps the Patrol Sergeant. Currently, we have two that can use the polearms and man the west(?) barricades, which have no sharpened stakes. We have one (Rohan) immediately nearby that can man the eastern barricade, joined by Mesa if she rejoins us, where they can use spears and sharpened stakes. Kytynna is devastating without a weapon and can certainly contribute if and when the orcs breach, certainly making the first one (or few) pay for their accomplishment.

My thinking is still that a round or two is all we will get at the barricades when the main force tries to enter, after which each barricade will lose a defender to launch an area attack, Rohan to release the logs, Liesel-Marie to roll and light the boulder. Will those others manning the barricades be in danger from the logs/boulder attacks?

OK, I think I have been picturing this incorrectly all along because I rarely can get to the maps easily (and apparently, when I do, they are the wrong maps! :D) There are two sets of barricades, aren't there? The first set (those closest to the gates) have the logs lashed in front of them. We could defend that set of barricades, release the logs and fall back to the second set of barricades, which have the sharpened stakes and the boulder. Is that close to the actual situation? I was actually picturing the situation where the barricades on the left had stakes while the ones on the right had logs, completely ignoring the fact that there was a second set in the larger map.

Mesa had taken the moment to return to the group and take up a position by the boulder at the top of the rise. This kept her back a bit and allowed her a view of the field. She whistled to let the others know where she was as she looked over the field. With a small sigh the dark haired woman considered the options.

The logs could wait until a sizable portion of the orcs had come in, or the giant. That would kill orcs and probably trip up the giant.

The boulder should be the first thing rolled through. It would likely continue out the gate and kill and burn more orcs that had not come through yet. It would be a proper opening salvo that they didn't expect. But it needed to be first before the orcs thought to spread out or hug the wall outside. Still with the rock rushing through they might take their time to prevent any other surprises like that.

The Tian-Min woman pulled out her pipe lighting it as she thought puffing on the end of the ornate wooden pipe. She could play from here and disrupt the drummer as well as boost her allies, and the orcs would have to go through the others to get to her. They could also easily fall back to her for healing. Really she needed to get a wand or something , but she could stockpile the potions. She had one bottle of Min Kai fire left and the elevation would help her chuck it further.

“ Okay....I think i have a plan." Mesa called.”First thing we should do is set the rock on them, It should roll out of the gate and hit all the orcs on the other side.... plus it can be on fire so more chaos. Now... do we have extra healing potions stashed or a wand or scrolls? Bring them to me and if you're hurt fall back behind the barricade and I’ll heal you with them. I'm gonna try and give armor and some health for you with my playing, though I can change that up as I go to suit what's needed. Drunky if you start growing weird stuff or your skin changes colors, just accept it, cause that's me doing my thing. Trust me it'll help.” Mesa breathed in. “ Okay next part every one but the Sarge here is gonna take cover, anything through that gate is gonna see him and rush him and when they get close enough boulder through them and through the ones who stayed outside. I can't move this thing so some one else will have to give it a push and let you know when to move.... or you know just stand just out of the way of it.”

Mesa ran her hand through her hair and let out a grumble.”Any one have any suggestions and offers as to what else we can do, or some gear we have I don't know about? Or maybe an alteration to my plan that makes more sense to you? Now's the time to discuss it so we get on the same page. Cause tah be honest I came up with all that in about four seconds and it's got holes in it so big you could fly a dragon through.”

OK, I think I have been picturing this incorrectly all along because I rarely can get to the maps easily (and apparently, when I do, they are the wrong maps! :D) There are two sets of barricades, aren't there? The first set (those closest to the gates) have the logs lashed in front of them. We could defend that set of barricades, release the logs and fall back to the second set of barricades, which have the sharpened stakes and the boulder. Is that close to the actual situation? I was actually picturing the situation where the barricades on the left had stakes while the ones on the right had logs, completely ignoring the fact that there was a second set in the larger map.

I've updated the Barricade Battlemap to give y'all a better view of the area. The stakes are on the eastern portion of the barricade (which is where I put LM's portrait) and I also show where the boulder is (which is where Mesa wanted to be positioned next to) as well.

Because you've been trying to plan this out, I've hesitated on pulling the trigger with regard to getting this battle started. Take advantage of this time and come up with a workable plan of attack, because once I feel you've done that, we'll be getting the party started. So speak up while you can.

Liesel-Marie turns and listens to the bard's plan, nodding. "OK, the boulder first. I can do that." She moves up to the bard, retrieving a pair of vials from her belt. "This is all I have for healing." She has other healing items, but there are only two 'cure' potions in her possession, which she hands you.

She holds up a pair of smokesticks, also. "Would these be of use? Maybe Kytynna can smoke the battlefield before I roll the boulder through?"

After the boulder rolls through the gap in the barricades, is there a way to close the gap?

"Keep a few potions for yourself if you need them, specially if you only have two. I meant if we have any in the party bag. I've got healing spells, but only enough power for a couple." Mesa explained, taking a puff of her pipe as she considered. "Smoke sticks would be useful. We can set one off right at the gate so that the orcs outside can't see what's going on inside.Then the second one when the first goes out. Maybe they will think there's a larger force here than there is and hesitate , that will buy us more time for the larger force to get here.

Liesel-Marie considers the two vials, shrugs, and puts them away. "I haven't carried any extra potions. Maybe Rohan has them. He's smarter about things like that. Keep the smokesticks if they help - I hope to be too busy to use them."

She looks at the boulder and down at the gate. "How will I know when to push the stone down the hill?"

Insert Song: Final Fantasy VII 'Holding Hands' [Desert Wasteland] - DrumUltimA

Kyt arrived back to the barricade. She looked around then approached Liesel-Marie and Mesa. Nyym had me come back with a few things. She set the three tangle bags down on the ground. There's also this thing that I don't know if we can make use of.

Kyt then handed to Mesa the ten-inch length of golden-toned wood that had been in the death grip of the fallen priest of Iomedae from Sanctuary.

I'm also supposed to let you know that the wall has been breached at the location of the tower and that Nyym will join us shortly. He said something about checking a hunch and that he thought he knew why the tower was marked, but that he had to check a couple more locations to be certain.

The elf looked annoyed.

Which was around the time that the syncopated rhythms of the war drums stopped.

"Something's changed, ready yourselves! Kytynna, take these smokers from Mesa. Toss one between the gate and the first barricade when they breach to obscure their vision. Hold the second until the smoke from the first one has started to clear and do it again. And don't stand in the middle between the logs - I don't want to roll this over you."

Liesel-Marie will ready herself to rage and use her strength surge to push the boulder and 'attack' it with her kinetic blade to light the alchemical agents. (Can she do that in one readied action?)

Mesa accepted the wand looking it over curiously. ” Yeah this will help.” Mesa darted down to the guard handing two of the tanglefoot bags to him. Alright when something comes through the gate use these and try to stick it up. Preferably in the path of the giant rock, you're gonna need to get out of the way so Liesel-Marie is going to be waiting on your signal to roll the rock down the hill. Don't use them both at once unless you have to. I kinda wanna force feed one to the giant out there and see what happens.”

Mesa ran back up the hill to the others by the rock. [b] Okay Liesel-Marie wait for his signal to use the rock..speaking of rocks... Get behind some cover and hide Rocky you're not the bait.” Mesa hisses at Rohan. ” Okay well I hope he finds what he's looking for and it will help because I don't think we have the time to spare any one to look for him right now.” Mesa curses as the drums stop setting the extra tanglefoot bag and the cocktail nearby on the ground for ease of use as she readies her Shamisen clenching her teeth on her pipe.

” Here we go....

After struggling to make the ascent, Nyym finally reached the top of the wall near the fallen tower. After crossing through one of the crenels, the half-drow slumped against the parapet, his muscles trembling with fatigue from his effort. Despite being highly athletic, he wasn't very good at climbing. Nyym decided to take time to recover his strength before continuing on with his plan.

Several moments later, as the rested half-drow regained his feet, the syncopated rhythms of the war drums had ceased.

Looks like Kagak and his squad are on the move.

Mood Music: Hollywood Undead - Undead (Instrumental)

The voice was one that Nyym knew all too well. As he turned to regard the speaker, Nyym held no illusions about what he would see.

Leaning against the opposite wall not more than 15 feet from him, was Bax.

She stared at Nyym from behind that mirror-like dark gray mask with those eerie yellow eyes of hers, eyes that hinted at excitement. And more than a little pleasure.

But of course you're here , said Bax, her voice a raspy hiss. You pursued me so ardently before. I could your feel your passion with each of those hot blades you used. But then that hatak came and ruined what should've been our fun.

I do have business that must be attended to. But I think I can make time for you. She drew the wheel of four tapering blades from behind her back, revealing it to be a starknife, a weapon that could be used by gripping either the outer rim to throw it or the crossbar that ran through the middle, turning it into a deadly melee weapon.

Shall we continue where we left off?

After the boulder rolls through the gap in the barricades, is there a way to close the gap?

Aside from physically filling the gap yourselves or being creative, no, there is no way to close it.

Liesel-Marie will ready herself to rage and use her strength surge to push the boulder and 'attack' it with her kinetic blade to light the alchemical agents. (Can she do that in one readied action?)

"Ready" might be a poor choice of words, since readying an action is a standard action that can use a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action to possibly interrupt another character's actions. Let's see if we can break this down into actions... Free action to bloodrage. Using the kinetic blade is done as part of another action (typically an attack action, a charge action, or a full-attack action in order to make melee attacks), so it isn't an action in and of itself. Activating strength stance is a move action that can be done as part of entering her bloodrage. Pushing the boulder would be a standard action that requires a DC 15 Strength check (the assumption from before in the tactics discussion was that more than one character would be attempting to do this, so since LM is contemplating doing this on her own, the move action to get it going is raised to become a standard action and the strength check DC becomes a 15 rather than the listed 13) and Liesel-Marie could then use her kinetic blade as part of the action of pushing the boulder. So, the answer would be yes, but she could do all of these things without having to ready an action.

Kyt took both smokesticks from Mesa and then produced a tindertwig that she flicked with edge of her thumbnail to set alight. The elf then applied the flame to the alchemically-treated stick, which caused a thick, opaque smoke to to issue forth, before hurling it in a high arc so that it would land just to the inside of the now open gate.

Kyt's throw: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 Target AC 5

So, a 10-foot cube is filled with smoke that lasts for 1-minute (unless a moderate or stronger affects it, causing it disperse in 1 round) before dissipating. The first 10 feet inside the portcullis and the first 10 feet inside the inner quarter are affected, meaning that only the first two orcs have escaped the effects of the smoke, which function like fog cloud (obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment [attacks have a 20% miss chance]; creatures farther away have total concealment [50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target].

Barricade Battle Song: Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay-Boom-Lay-Boom) - Shinedown

As Kyt's action would suggest, Team Ruby has the surprise round. Also, there is something that needs to be made clear: Omast and Team Ruby obviously start behind the westernmost barricade, while the orcs and other enemies start at the entrance to the inner quarter. Other orcs will appear at the entrance to the inner quarter, whether or not y'all have managed to dispatch any previous wave of orcs. So poor decisions or a string of bad rolls can and will cause the number of orcs on the battlefield to multiply rapidly.

Obviously, the surprise round does not apply to Nyym's one-on-one combat with Bax.

Once y'all have performed whatever actions you're planning on taking (in order of initiative, limited to a standard, move action, or free action), round 1 will start soon after.

Nyym: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Bax: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Twisted Heart Orcs: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17
Kyt: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Mesa: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Liesel-Marie: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Rohan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Nyym stood for a moment regarding Bax. His long white hair blowing in the wind as the 2 stood apart from each other. He had no illusions of what would happen if she charged. The result of their last encounter still vivid in his memory. He knew he really did not have time for this, but he was alone in this encounter that he knew would eventually come. Had even hoped for it...

One vanishes, another appears.

Nyym wasted no time and closed the distance to engage Bax before she could take advantage of it...

kinetic katana: 1d20 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 3 = 8

trip7: 3d10 ⇒ (4, 10, 9) = 23

kinetic katana: 1d20 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 3 = 27

kinetic katana: 1d20 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 3 = 23

damage: 2d8 + 1 + 8 ⇒ (2, 2) + 1 + 8 = 13

Due to his acting before Bax in the initiative order, Nyym gets to add his sneak attack damage this round due to her being flat-footed. So I'm adding the average of the 1d4 he would get (his damage dice with sneak attack goes down one step from 1d6 to 1d4 whenever he uses his elemental jutsu or any form of it). This will increase his damage to 15.

However before we get ahead of ourselves, Bax might have something to deal with that attack...

Fallen Tower Battle Music: Undead (Instrumental) - Hollywood Undead

He's got a quick first step, Bax said approvingly as Nyym came at her with his jinkourai-ken, or lightning sword. She held her starknife at the ready, prepared for the half-drow's signature weapon. But Nyym seemed somehow faster than he had been when Bax had last fought with him. She brought up her weapon, her intent to use it as one would a shield clear.

Nyym saw it and reacted, angling his sword so that it would go between the wheel of blades and the space of the crossbar grip. The momentum of his thrust carried the jinkourai-ken deep within her body.

Bax's Miss Chance: 1d10 ⇒ 21d10 ⇒ 8 While I could just roll 1d100, I decided to do this with 2d10 instead; the first number represents 10s, while the second represents 1-0. So the number in question is 28.

Bax stared into the half-drow's eyes before flickering from view, only to appear two feet from the spot where she had been standing previously.

Bax takes no damage from Nyym's attack as a result of the potion of displacement she drank. For this round and next two rounds after, she gets a 50% percent miss chance against attacks made against her.

In addition, I rechecked the effects of Bax's mask. There is no provision stating that those who were or weren't affected by the effect are immune to it for a 24-hour period, only that those who make the save take a -2 penalty on saving throws against fear effects and on Perception checks for 24 hours. Since Nyym has failed the initial DC 13 Will save against the mask's enchantment, he has to make another one if he wishes to continue engaging her in melee. Failure means he's shaken (takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks) for as long as he stays adjacent to her.

will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Fallen Tower Battle Song: Undead (Instrumental) - Hollywood Undead

As Nyym's mind recovered from this latest trick, he could feel the enchantment of her ceramic mask trying to affect him as well. Before his eyes, her head seemed to transform into an eerie flesh-less skull. During their last encounter, the half-drow had been unprepared for the mental attack.

But that was then.

The half-drow easily shrugged off the fear-inducing, mind-affecting effect. Mostly. He still experienced the occasional distracting flash when looking at her, but nothing that would seriously hamper his combat ability in this fight.

Though the assault on Nyym's mind had occurred within the space of a heartbeat, that short span of time was all she needed to launch an attack of her as the half-drow found himself dealing with Bax's starblade.

Bax's starblade attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21
starblade damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

She came at him, spinning the wheel of blades with a flourish, slashing and stabbing with a display of skill and precision that contrasted with her normally psychotic demeanor. Nyym tried using the length of the jinkourai-ken to keep her at bay, but the cunning woman dropped into a crouch even as she pivoted on her left foot and extended the starblade, using the motion to slash the half-drow's thigh. Bax rose to a standing stance as she completed the circle and came up from beneath Nyym's defensive strike.

Nyym winced as he retracted his leg, glancing down for a moment as he put his weight back on it. The wound wasn't as bad as he thought, but it wouldn't keep him from continuing the fight.

Nyym has 5 temporary hit points remaining before his actual hit points are affected.

Barricade Battle Song: Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay-Boom-Lay-Boom) Instrumental - Shinedown

Kyt has already taken her surprise round action, so that leaves Mesa, Liesel-Marie, and Rohan to take their actions.

Mesa considers a moment before smirking slightly and gripping her pipe a bit tighter in her teeth.

" Time to make this weird." Mesa began to play.

Music.

The first thing every one in the party, and the Guard, noticed was the thickening of their skin. It wasn't like the scales or plate that had come about before when she played, this time it simply seemed their flesh had gotten thicker, and a bit more rubbery, though the coloration of it had turned pitch black.

+2 to AC

The second effect however would likely be enough to give the orcs pause. Sprouting from the backs and shoulders of the entire group, and the Guard, were what looked like hundreds of writhing squirming tendrils of the same black material that covered their skin. The crown of black tentacles wiggled and squirmed along the top of the group seemingly eager to go after the orcs and in Nymm's case,Bax.

Tentacle Mass (Ex): The player grows a thick mass of tentacles that can be used as a primary natural weapon. The tentacles deal 1d8 points of damage if the player is Medium. Basicly 1 extra attack at a d8 damage.

Though it all Mesa grinned like a mad woman.

Extremely short on time, sorry for the delay and the brevity of what follows. Liesel will move to the boulder, enter her bloodrage, initiate her strength surge, and try to move the boulder from its resting place. As it over-balances from its resting spot, she will call forth her kinetic flame blade and strike the boulder to ignite the chemical payload it carries. If time allows, she will follow it downhill to the first set of barricades where her polearm awaits.

Strength check: 1d20 + 2 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 2 + 8 = 22 I think that might do it!

Due to things going on, Rohan's player has given me permission to bot his character for now. So, to keep things moving...

Bardic Music Transition: White Wedding - Murderdolls

Rohan immediately summons Stone saw blades from the ground as though they were spinning out of the ground from beneath the earth and darts two of them towards one of the first orcs at the broken gate, with final saw blade immediately flying towards the second orc.

Stone Saw blade attack : 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Damage Saw blade 1, 1st Orc at gate: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Damage Saw blade 2, 1st Orc at gate: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Damage Saw blade 3, 2nd Orc at gate: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Screams erupted from the gate as the first two orcs to make it through to the inner quarter as the spinning stone blades ripped through flesh, leather, and bone. When the attack was over, only one of the pair still stood, and that it seemed was due mostly to an overdeveloped sense of fierceness inherent to most orcs.

End of the surprise round at the barricade; round 1 for them starts now. Adjustments to that map are forthcoming. At the fallen tower, round 1 has come to an end; round 2 for that fight starts now.

Nyym, you're up!

Nyym: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Bax: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Twisted Heart Orcs: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17
Kyt: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Mesa: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Liesel-Marie: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Rohan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Omast Frum: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7

I forgot to take into account LM's use of the boulder in her brief post while making mine. On her turn in round 1 of the barricade battle, she gets to make an attack roll (the boulder has a melee attack bonus of +10; on a successful hit, it deals 3d6 points of bludgeoning damage plus 1d6 points of fire damage since it’s on fire). In addition, any creature struck by the boulder must succeed at a DC 10 Reflex save or be knocked prone.

My turn's not for a while, but when I roll, do I need to roll for each of the Twisted Heart Orcs that came forward, or just one roll for all of them?

One roll is all that is required, using the boulder's attack bonus and Liesel-Marie's modifiers from Strength and rage (I'm treating this as a thrown weapon).

Nyym smiled at this new trick that Bax has resided to bring out.

Impressive

Nyym drew from his fight with Vorom for his next move.. moving as if to strike from the right, Nyym feints back left..

feint: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

trip7: 3d10 ⇒ (10, 1, 10) = 21

feint: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

[trip7: 3d10 ⇒ (3, 6, 4) = 13

Following up a the feint that he was sure would not work, Nyym opts not to strike and instead goes full defensive in the hopes he can tend off her next attack

Attempting a feint and fighting defensively both take a standard action. So you can only do one or the other, not both, in the same round. Since you've already rolled for the feint, we'll just say that he's preparing to defend himself against Bax's inbound attack.

Nyym's attempt to slip Bax's defense caused his opponent to shore it up even further in an attempt to minimize any holes that were present before going on the attack. Bax is fighting defensively as a standard action, increasing her AC by 3 (due to her ranks in Acrobatics), but takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls).

Bax's starknife attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 (-4 to the roll)
starknife damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

But her caution served to blunt Bax's offense, as Nyym was easily able to pick off her attacks as they came at him.

Bardic Music Transition: White Wedding - Murderdolls

While the two rivals engaged in their struggle, on the ground near the gate, the initial squad of Twisted Heart orcs began to move further into the Inner Quarter.

Kyt took the second smokestick and which she then lit before tossing it so that it would land just in front of the barricade.

Mesa, you're up.

Everyone remember you buffs +2 to AC and an extra attack at a d8

Mesa continued to play, her eyes darting over the battlefield taking note of any changes taking place to react to them as need be.

Just for the sake of moving things along, Liesel-Marie is up next. She gets to make the attack roll with the boulder and roll its damage before taking her official action for the round, as pushing the boulder was something she did in the surprise round.

Sorry, I have had very little time to spare since before the holiday.

Resolving surprise round
Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 Not including any modifiers from her as you indicated the boulder came with its own melee attack bonus of +10.

Damage: 3d6 + 2 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 3) + 2 + 2 + (2) = 11 Strength bonus, enraged bonus, fire damage

Those are some very sad rolls.

Round One action to come

Round One

As the boulder makes its rumbling way down the hill, smoking and sputtering from the burning chemicals on its surface, Liesel-Marie follows it to the barricades nearest the gate as she readies the composite shortbow.

Taking a position opposite the Patrol Sergeant (second square straight up from his current position, please) where she had stashed the glaive and the guisarme, she draws back and lets fly an arrow at the visible orc emerging from the smoke. The black rubbery tentacles are an odd site as they seem to caress the bow after she makes the shot.

Bow shot: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Still raging. With the surprise round, she has 17 of 19 rounds remaining.

Confirmation roll for potential crit: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Promising! I think that's an extra +6 damage for poking his snout where it oughtn't be!

Liesel-Marie sent the fiery boulder on its path down the hill toward the remaining orcs that had come through the gate. The sight of the nearly ten-foot wide rock limned in green flame filled the normally ferocious warriors with a sense of horrid apprehension as it crashed through the center of the barricade towards them.

Orc Reflex saves: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2 to avoid being knocked prone

Set in motion by the Erutaki warrior, the boulder blasted the orcs off their feet with such force that there was little doubt as to their individual fates in the face of the unrelenting object, with the stink of their burning corpses lingering in the wake of its passing.

All of the remaining orcs from the first wave are dead and will not be on the updated map.

Patrol Sergeant Frum stared wide-eyed, first at the destruction on the field, then back at Liesel-Marie before letting out a sharp whistle and nodding his approval. Damn, woman! I'm glad you're on our side.

On the other side of the wall, a gasp erupted from the orcs present as the boulder came through the smoke-filled gate, ending its run as it slammed against the earthmaul.

General Kelseph immediately began barking out orders to her men, who set about attempting to brave the conflagrant rock to carry them out.

This has given those at barricade a reprieve of two rounds as the orcs work at following the general's commands. Use them wisely! This ends round 1. Round 2 begins now. Nyym, you're up!

Fallen Tower Battle: Undead (Instrumental) - Hollywood Undead

Bardic Music Effects = +2 natural armor bonus to AC; tentacle mass (extra attack at 1d8 damage)

Nyym: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Bax: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Twisted Heart Orcs: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17
Kyt: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Mesa: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Liesel-Marie: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Rohan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Omast Frum: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7

Nyym smirks at his opponent as she closes ups her defences. But he knows that she is a full bag of tricks and is determined not to underestimate her.

She is one tough customer, if I mess up here there is no back up this time. They way she moves could almost be considered attractive were it not for the fact that she was here to kill him and the others.

The sudden thought of attractiveness surprised him, but he quickly pushed that thought away as he needed to focus on not getting himself killed.. He rolled again into a feint, this time to the opposite side in the hopes of keeping her off balance..

feint: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

trip7: 3d10 ⇒ (5, 10, 9) = 24

feint: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

trip7: 3d10 ⇒ (6, 2, 6) = 14

GAHHHH these dice rolls sucks lol

Liesel-Marie nods solemnly at the Patrol Sergeant. "You should be." Then she favors him with a savage grin. "What's next? Logs?"

Just checking - do the burning bodies create difficult terrain for the attackers?

Just checking - do the burning bodies create difficult terrain for the attackers?

Just a quick reminder...

Dead Bodies: While bodies and prone allies don’t normally impede movement, the barricades and the craggy nature of the inner quarter’s hill create a special exception. A square containing a single fallen orc does not require additional movement, but it cannot be charged through; a square containing two fallen orcs costs 2 squares of movement to cross; a square containing three or more fallen orcs costs 3 squares of movement to cross. If the PCs can cause orcs to fall in particular spaces (such as by taking readied actions that trigger when an orc enters a specific square), the number of fallen enemies can quickly pile up, in effect strengthening the barricades.

Barricades: Two barricades have been set up on the hill leading toward the western gate. The barricades are approximately 3 feet high and 5 feet wide. It costs 2 squares of movement to cross a barricade. A barricade provides cover, but only to creatures within 30 feet of it. An attacker can ignore the cover if he’s closer to the obstacle than his target.

Brace and Reach Weapons: The glaive has the reach special weapon feature, the guisarme has reach and trip, the halberd has brace and trip, the two longspears have brace and reach, and the ranseur has disarm and reach.

Reach: You use a reach weapon to strike opponents 10 feet away, but you can’t use it against an adjacent foe.
Trip: You can use a trip weapon to make trip attacks. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the weapon to avoid being tripped.
Brace: If you use a readied action to set a brace weapon against a charge, you deal double damage on a successful hit against a charging creature.
Disarm: When you use a disarm weapon, you get a +2 bonus on Combat Maneuver Checks to disarm an enemy.

Rolling Logs: Two bundles of logs have been lashed to the western side of the westernmost barricade, one on each side of the road. This timber can be cut loose to roll downhill with devastating effect. Releasing the lashings of one of the log bundles requires two full-round actions (thus, releasing a bundle takes one character 2 rounds, and two characters 1 round; four characters could release both bundles in 1 round). Alternatively, a bundle can be released as a standard action by dealing at least 2 points of damage to the lashings with a slashing weapon. When unleashed, a bundle of logs tumbles down the hill in a 20-foot-wide line, attacking all creatures in its path. A bundle of rolling logs has a melee attack bonus of +15; on a successful hit, it deals 3d6 points of bludgeoning damage. In addition, any creature struck by the logs must succeed at a Reflex save or be knocked prone. The rolling logs stop when they reach the western curtain wall.

Sharpened Stakes: The easternmost barricade is equipped with sharpened and splintered wooden fences that were salvaged from the wreckage of nearby homes. A PC can ready an action to impale an incoming attacker on the fence posts as though readying a brace weapon against a charge. If readied in this way, the fence posts deal 2d8 points of damage to an orc that ends its movement on the barricade in a square threatened by the PC.

I'm preparing a post and should have it up tomorrow, but I wanted to address LM's query. With all the extra hours I've been getting at work, I've been really tired as of late, so forgive me for not being very active.

Seeing through Nyym's attempt to catch her off-guard, Bax made a tsking noise as she deftly avoided his attacks. Perhaps I overestimated you, she said with a hint of sadness. Perhaps you're not ready for me just yet. I should have known. After all, you're only a male. She hopped back a few steps, breaking the combat between them. But I still have faith that you can be more than this. Perhaps we'll find out next time?

And with that, the masked woman turned, hightailing it to the wall and leapt over the side into the Inner Quarter.

Acrobatics check: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24

Bax used a full-round action to withdraw from combat and Acrobatics successfully to soften her fall (the DC was 15). Using withdraw, our half-drow is unable to perform an attack of opportunity on her as the square she starts out in is not considered threatened by any opponent she can see (which was Nyym in this case), and therefore visible enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against her when she moves from that square. If Nyym goes over to where Bax jumped, he'll see no sign of her. Almost as if she had vanished into thin air... This effectively ends the battle at the fallen tower.

Everyone gets 200 XP from this fight, bringing your total to 7,655 experience and only 345 XP away from tier 3. Since there is a lull in the action at the barricades, I'll go ahead and give the experience for defeating the initial six orcs that came through the gate. That's another 210 XP, bringing the the total earned to 7,865 and only 135 XP away from tier 3. Once the combat resumes at the barricades, I won't be handing out any more experience until the combat is over. I also won't count this and next round against LM's use of rage for her character. But, she has to sell me on her still being in it during those 12 seconds, to use a little wrasslin' vernacular. Make me believe that she's ready rip off heads and drink the blood of her enemies as though she were cracking open a few cold ones.

Barricade Battle Music Transition: Battle Royale (feat. Panther) - Apashe

Kyt looked back at the others. I think they're getting the next wave of orcs together, if what Patrol Sergeant Frum says is accurate. How do prepare for that in the meantime? Do we go with using the logs, like Liesel-Marie suggests or what?

Nyym: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Bax: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Twisted Heart Orcs: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17
Kyt: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Mesa: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Liesel-Marie: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Rohan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Omast Frum: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7

The music dies off as Mesa whistles a little.

"Well that was the start of it. I say wait on the logs until a bigger force comes through, or the giant." Mesa commented. " What i wouldn't give for a few gallons of oil or grease to coat the path with. Guess that might make it too fun."

Nyym darts over to look for where Bax might have landed. Not seeing any sign of her where she should be, Nyym swore under his breath..

You gotta be kidding me, 1st the guy that attacks Silvermane vanishes into thin air. Now Bax too.. I swear I'm starting to think this bunch is related the way the disappear and run.

Nyym froze for a second as he realized he spoke out loud.. Ducking behind the ramparts, he raised back up enough to look back over.

I swear I'm gonna get myself killed being careless like that.. I better get my focus back and find out what she and the other she spoke of are up to. If what she said is true, I better find that group.

Nyym looks out to see if he might see any movement of enemy's as well as checks locations where he last say the markers when last he was up here.

stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

I hope the others are faring better. They do have LM with them after all and she can take 6 by herself.

Nyym quietly chuckled at the thought of the damage LM could do when she raged.. He almost felt sorry for the Orcs.. almost..

Hehe, thanks for the vote of confidence.

Liesel-Marie is stomping and snorting like a bull behind the barricade, waiting for the attack she knows must be soon. She has worked herself up into enough of a lather that she has to keep herself from simply charging into the mass beyond the gate.

Polearm in one hand and greataxe in the other, she stalks over to where the rope lashing the logs so she is ready to send them down the hill when given the signal.

On the other side of the wall, as her men continued to deal with the burning boulder and smouldering earthmaul, General Kelseph beckoned one of the orcs to approach her. The warrior seemed no different from the ones that had gone through the gate earlier, save that in addition to the standard weapons of falchion and bow, he also carried a pair of unusual looking spherical devices on his left hip.

Once he stood before her, the general laid out her plan to him. You will accompany the next group through the gate. Let the others charge in recklessly. But it is imperative that you do not. You will assist me in laying the groundwork for the wave to come after.

The orc's lips curled into a smile that was half proud, half sinister as he nodded in acknowledgement of his general's order.

Kelseph then looked past him to point out three others of his fellow orcs, shouting at them to prepare themselves for glory as they would be next to go through the gate. This brought up a new round of cheers.

Back at the barricades, Patrol Sergeant Frum approached Mesa. Things are going well now, but we need to talk about an exit strategy should this position become a lost cause. The human then pointed south, back in the direction that both Kyt and Nyym had gone and from which the elf had come back.

With the tower brought down, there's sure to be a gap that you and yer friends can use to get out of here when that happens. Don't you worry 'bout them hitting ya while yer gettin' out. I'll make sure to give 'em what they came for. That's a promise.

At this point, all of them could hear the cheering going on beyond the gate.

"That exit strategy better include you as well idiot. We've already lost to many to this crap and there's no sense losing another because you wanna be a dumb arse hero type." Mesa snorted looking up as she heard the cheers. " Sounds like wave two's getting ready to rush us. While i would love to think they are just gonna rush us again like cannon fodder, it would be stupid to assume who ever's commanding them would just toss more in to watch them die. Everyone keep an eye out for anything unusual this time. If it's just more orcs good, but surprise is over and they're gonna send start sending in siege breakers in the next few waves if they have any brains between them."

Hopefully everyone had an awesome Christmas and New Year. As promised, now that work has slowed down somewhat for me, here's the latest post. The Barricade Battlemap has been updated to take this into account. Enjoy!

Nyym made his way through the gate tower door and up top to get a better overview of what he could see going on beyond the wall. But before he could, something else caught his attention.

On the tower opposite him, Nyym could make out a group of seven orcs preparing themselves for battle. One in particular stood out to him, as in addition to the large battleaxe and five smaller axes that adorned his body, this orc also carried with him a set of war drums.

Immediatey something Bax said before came to the half-drow's mind. Looks like Kagak and his squad are on the move.

The six orcs with Kagak aren't really different than what the group has encountered before: each are wearing studded leather and carrying both falchions and javelins for weapons. Their leader seems better equipped: chainmail and a steel shield for armor, along with a battleaxe and 5 five throwing axes for weapons.

Lets see if Nyym is noticed by anyone in this squad. The DC is 26, based on his Stealth roll.

Orc Perception check 1: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8
Orc Perception check 2: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13
Orc Perception check 3: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16
Orc Perception check 4: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16
Orc Perception check 5: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3
Orc Perception check 6: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6
Orc Perception check 7: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Looks like they are completely unaware of the half-drow's presence, even though three of them are keeping an active eye for trouble.

Confident that the squad across from had yet to notice him, Nyym caught movement down below. On the ground, four orcs were approaching the smoke-filled portcullis. It seemed that another was preparing to go after his friends in the inner quarter's square.

Looks like Nyym has some thinking to engage in. What will he do now?

Nyym weighs his options for a moment. 2 groups, 1 closing on his companions and the other across the way from his current position. A quick plan to aid his companions below as he could see what they could not... A wicked smirk embraced his lips at his next thought..

I seeeee youuuu... And now they do too as the unseen becomes seen. I chose... YOU..

Nyym is now using a racial ability as he cast Farie Fire, targeting the center most orc in the party so as to highlite all those immediately in his area. I choose the color violet for the fire.

Nyym smiles at his handiwork only for the briefest of moments as he turns his attention to the other group atop the other tower.. Moving so as to not break stealth. He searches for a way to approach the other group and remain unseen and also a posible way to deal with them quickly..

perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

trip7: 3d10 ⇒ (4, 10, 10) = 24

perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

If Nyym hadn't turned his attention back to the squad on the tower across from him, he would've seen the reaction to his gift to the orcs below. Not that he really needed to, as he was pretty sure that these creatures, being primarily from the surface world, were woefully unprepared for a decidedly drow tactic.

And he was right.

The three that were to serve as fodder for the members of Team Ruby began to howl as flames of a vivid violet hue limned not only the group, but also seemed to spring up all around them. Even the lintel and seal of the gate's entryway had erupted with the eerie fire.

The fourth orc, though initially as alarmed as his companions, seemed to regain his composure once he realized that the fire didn't actually burn his flesh or that of the other orcs.

Yet he kept that information from the others. Let them charge forth recklessly. After all, he had been given orders from General Kelseph to let them do exactly that. Their deaths would pave the way to the greater glory of conquering this human town.

Due to positioning, both Mesa and Rohan can make a DC 9 Perception check to notice the flickering violet flames that have suddenly appeared in (and on) the gate. I figured the DC would have been higher, but as the orcs are "visible" due to the use of Nyym's spell-like ability, that set the DC at 0, with the added 9 coming mainly due to distance (+7) and unfavorable conditions due to being on an active battlefield (+2).

Meanwhile, Nyym's observation of the squad across from him turned up little as their leader, the one he believed to be Kagak, was in the midst of setting up his war drums while the others acted as guards. All of them seemed totally oblivious to plight of their fellow orcs below, however, as their main focus seemed to be on the defenders in the square.

The half-drow began to look for an alternative route to reach this group, and he quickly came up with one, though there would definitely be some risk involved.

He could lower himself onto the top of the gate and make his way to them from there. However, there were three orcs situated near where he would have to climb up to get to them.

Risky indeed, but it was also the fastest and most direct route to the squad. The only question Nyym had to answer was whether or not it was a worthy risk.

Due to time constraints with the previous post, I couldn't give Nyym the information he needed to make a decision. So we'll do that with this post instead.

Meanwhile, Nyym's observation of the squad across from him turned up little as their leader, the one he believed to be Kagak, was in the midst of setting up his war drums while the others acted as guards. All of them seemed totally oblivious to plight of their fellow orcs below, however, as their main focus seemed to be on the defenders in the square.

The half-drow began to look for an alternative route to reach this group, and he quickly came up with one, though there would definitely be some risk involved.

He could lower himself onto the the top of the gate and make his way to them from there. However, there were three orcs situated near where he would have to climb up to get to them.

Risky indeed, but it was also the fastest and most direct route to the squad. The only question Nyym had to answer was whether or not it was a worthy risk.

Nyym's Stealth would not be in jeopardy while he moved, provided he only does so at no more than half his normal speed (15 feet, in this case). He would have to make two checks: one for Acrobatics [DC 5 to maintain his balance while going across the top of the gate], while the other would be dependent on whether he decided to jump up from there and grab a parapet or not. If he does the jump, then he would need to make a DC 16 Athletics check. He can opt to use Acrobatics in place of Athletics, but it would impose a -5 penalty to his roll. Alternatively, Nyym could drop down from the top of the gate onto the battlefield and make his way to the tower's door and take the stairs. This would require a DC 15 Acrobatics check to soften his fall, and though he would end up prone on the ground, his Stealth would still be maintained. If he fails that check, however, then he would take 1d6 falling damage, still end up prone on the ground, but would have to make a new Stealth check to avoid being noticed by both groups of orcs.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Mesa blinked as the Orcs coming through the gate now seemed to be burning.

" Huh. i guess after the flaming boulder the orcs decided to fight fire..... with fire."

In the distance there was suddenly a scream that sounded like 'YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA' which was largely ignored.

Rohan stands there ready for the next wave of Orcs, thinking to himself that we got this, that this is going to be easy for us. Sadly he wasn't considering the additional foes beyond the wall. He stood his ground and prepared to launch another round of attacks, waiting to target 3 different Orcs at one time, hoping to provide enough impact to slow their progression down. There was little time to wait but he had to be ready for the fight.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Rohan noticed the flickering of flames and the Orcs didn't seem to be burned by them, he quickly considered the fear of the Raggedy man but shook his head and prepared to launch some attacks off.

It appears that its Rohan turn in the initiative order so I am going to process his attacks if they happen at a later time let me know.

Rohan took a step to the south and swiftly moving as though there was immediate danger where he once stood, but his moves caused him to spin around and doing so he lifted 3 rocks from the ground and sent them flying towards the 3 orcs at the bottom of the gate as though they were a part of his extension. The rocks flew with grace piercing into the flames, of course not knowing the outcome, he hoped that they would make contact.

Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 "Use of extended range 120 feet"
Orc 1 Dmg: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Orc 2 Dmg: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Orc 3 Dmg: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Liesel catches sight of the big man moving quickly and launching some of his earth magic at the gate, but she doesn't have the angle to see his target. She feels the blood pounding through her veins as she readies herself to take on any his missiles didn't take down.

I adjusted that last line for you, Mesa... You're welcome! ;)

In the distance there was suddenly a scream that sounded like 'YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA' which was largely ignored.

Rohan lifted three rocks from the ground and sent them flying toward the gate, through the smoke, toward the orcs outlined with violet flame. The fourth orc heard the meaty impacts as each of them were struck by the tall man's assault. And yet despite their injuries, none of them went down, so eager were they to fight for the greater glory of the Twisted Heart aliiance and General Kelseph.

Looks like they're back, Kyt said with a sigh.

Well, ya know what they say 'bout looks, offered the patrol sergeant as he hefted his sword before him.

The elf gave the human a quizzical look. That they deceive?

Without missing a beat, Frum responded. That they kill.

Kyt shook her head even as a smile touched her lips.

Nyym had a burning desire to get across to the other tower and engage the group of orcs that were set up at top of it. But given the odds. 7 on 1 just did not sit well with his sence of survival. With that in mind he opted to use another of his natural abilities. Nyym cleared his mind to call forth the next trick up his sleeve.

Let the light reveal what the dark conceils.

4 lights, each with the brightness of a torch suddenly appears above the tower occupied by the orcs as if they were the 4 corners of an invisible room.

Nyym has casted another racial spell like ability called dancing lights. In torch form it lights up the immediate area plus an area up to 20ft around each.

Lets see how they like being brought into the light. Mesa, ur dance partner has arrived.

As he thinks this, another wicked smirk appears on his lips.

Atop the tower where the squad of seven orcs had gathered, four flickering lights that resembled lit torches manifested in their midst. Kagak swore loudly. Somehow their position had been compromised. It would only be a matter of time before someone would come to investigate this occurrence.

I need four of you to go down and keep anyone else from getting up here, he barked in Orcspeech even as he indicated the ones he wanted to leave. The rest of us will stay here and continue carrying out our mission.

As the four made their way to the stairway, Kagak knew that what he had just demanded of them would only serve to delay the inevitable. But none of that mattered to the orc skald. After all, that was just life on the battlefield.

But before it all came to an end, Kagak would foment as much chaos as he could. And that thought put a large smile on his face as he began to play his drums.

It seems that the fight is back on! The map has been updated to take into account Nym's use of dancing lights in his last post, as well as some of the action that place during this post. Everyone on the ground gets a Perception check to notice the spell's activation. The Patrol Sergeant, Kyt and Liesel-Marie's DC is 6 (they're closer), everyone else has a DC 7.

Kyt: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Liesel-Marie: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Patrol Sergeant Frum: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Mesa: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Rohan: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (15) + 0 = 15

Looks like everyone can see the flickering lights atop the tower. Nyym has already taken his action for the round with the use of his dancing lights spell-like ability. So we'll pick up Round 5 with the actions of the Twisted Heart Orcs....

Three of the orcs limned in violet fire roared loudly as they charged through the smoke and into the inner quarter. The fourth orc, however, entered more cautiously than the others, holding in his hand one of the warped clay spherical objects that had been on his hip. He gazed briefly at the sparking red fuse and crimson bull's-eye that adorned it before hurling the orb in a high arc over his advancing companions so that it landed on the other side of the second wall of smoke.

If you haven't already guessed it, the orc is throwing a grenade. Since he can't see through the other barrier of smoke, he can't hit someone directly. However, he can target the grid intersection to the limit of his throw. which would place it at the point just behind Liesel-Marie's position on the map, as that grid intersection would be exactly 40 feet from where he stopped after entering the inner quarter (10-feet in front of the smoke-filled gate). Since the damage from this throw is treated as splash and not a direct hit, a Reflex save will need to be made to take half damage by anyone within 10-foot of where it lands.

Orc Bombardier grenade throw: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9; -8 due to range, though he only has to hit an AC 5 to be successful, so all he needs is a 13. If he misses, then we'll handle the deviation of the throw below the damage.
Grenade Splash Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Splash Deviation Roll: 1d8 ⇒ 5

The hissing clay sphere hit the ground, then bounced a few times to land just a few feet in front of the second barricade, where it exploded. The fiery detonation swept through where Rohan had just been standing. Mesa, on the other hand, was not so fortunate as the flame from the blast threatened to wash over her.

Guess who needs to make a DC 16 Reflex save to take half damage? Half damage would still be 1 point of damage, unless she has some sort of protection from fire. I positioned the blast template on the map as best as I could and while it's not "exact" exact, it works well enough for this purpose.

Even before the fuse grenade exploded, Kyt had already begun to move, darting between the smoke and logs in attempt to reach lit up tower. However, the sight of the glowing orcs drew the elven monk from her initial destination. Kyt drew the sword she carried while shifting course so that she could take on the enemy that immediately threatened her friends.

Kyt's temple sword attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16 -1 due to Grazed threshold
temple sword damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

The elf's eyes seemed to hold an eerie lambent glow as she brought her weapon to bear against her foe, the sword rending flesh as it sliced from the orc's right shoulder down to its left hip. Amazingly, even this grievous injury wasn't enough to bring the orc down.

Alright, that's enough from me. Time to let Mesa take it from here, because the bard is now up. Liesel-Marie, get ready to post after that.

Music Transition: All Along The Watchtower (With Cylon Intro) - Bear McCreary

Nyym: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Twisted Heart Orcs: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17
Twisted Heart Bombardier: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Kyt: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Mesa: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Liesel-Marie: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Kagak: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Rohan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Omast Frum: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7
Kagak's Orc Squad-Mates: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (4) + 0 = 4

Reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

” GAAAAAH, HOT HOT HOT ...” Mesa yelped bouncing away from the fire.
Her attention quickly snapped to the orcs at the gate trying to pinpoint the one who threw the bomb.” I need to mug that guy....”

At least her attention was focused on the one with the bomb, until she heard the drum beat. Her amber eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to the wall and where the sound was coming from.

” Awww frak no..... Get out of here with that weak Kuso. You learn how to play drums by echoing all the blows to your head you must have taken as a little piggy?!”Mesa yelled.

Mesa growled ducking behind cover and flipping her Shamisen over to expose the back of it with a light thump of her fingers. Her blade was drawn out and stabbed into the wooden barricade next to her as she cricked her neck before she screamed out again before starting on a drum beat of her own. “ Let me show you how this is done scrub!”

Performance: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12

Countersong

MUSIC