Doug M's Way of the Wicked (Inactive)

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

I think the mist is stationary and not large enough to cover us to the gate. You could throw it on the men in the courtyard though to create confusion then throw a fireball down there so they don't know where it came from.

Doesn't Jax have Darkness as a racial spell? I figure cast that on Morsum. All of us except Edmin have darkvision so the darkness will not effect us.

"I am still in charge here Judge, do not forget that.Some one make that damned woman get her ass up here. Can any of you summon darkness or fog to obscure the field of battle?"

Do you guys want me to cast Fireball now? Would surprise affect the DC of their saves? Of do I cast it after I get upstairs?

Remember I want that group to advance so that the golem goes to battle with them as seen by the Bluff, and any Fireballs will not slow down that new and unhurt Monk (the special character).

So Fireball now or when I get to the top?

Cуровую can cast Pyrotechnics and was planning to cast it inside the guard tower to get us into that area, but if you want it on the courtyard simultaneous with Obscuring Mist then that should screen our escape from this roof.

Our ability to Fly should be keep hidden to the very last moment, let them devote all possible men in trying to take this position then we leave when the bulk of their men are in this tower so they will take time to reach where we Fly to and lets figure exactly where we are going before.

Do you guys want me to cast Fireball now? Would surprise affect the DC of their saves? Of do I cast it after I get upstairs?

Surprise does not usually affect saves. The flat-footed condition causes you to lose your dex bonus to AC, but not to reflex saves. (That's a bit inconsistent, but I suppose they decided this was simpler, and I see the strength of that.) What surprise does is give you a better shot at escaping if you win initiative... blast on surprise round, win initiative, run.

Remember I want that group to advance so that the golem goes to battle with them as seen by the Bluff, and any Fireballs will not slow down that new and unhurt Monk (the special character).

The golem is currently acting in a rather random manner. You might not want to count on it going into battle with them.

Edmin turns and looks at the Judge as he continues to chop at the siege engine. "I am still in charge here Judge, do not forget that.Some one make that damned woman get her ass up here. Can any of you summon darkness or fog to obscure the field of battle?"

This suggests that the large block will not be moved to cover the trapdoor before the enemy group coming up the stairs arrives -- they'll be there in two round, and it will take three for Edmin and Jax to be quite sure the trebuchet is destroyed.

Moving the stone block will require at least three people, or two if one is Grumblejack. Each attempt to move it is a FRA requiring the group to make a DC 15 Strength check, with everyone doing an Aid action on the strongest member.

Do you guys want me to cast Fireball now? Would surprise affect the DC of their saves? Of do I cast it after I get upstairs?

Surprise does not usually affect saves. The flat-footed condition causes you to lose your dex bonus to AC, but not to reflex saves. (That's a bit inconsistent, but I suppose they decided this was simpler, and I see the strength of that.) What surprise does is give you a better shot at escaping if you win initiative... blast on surprise round, win initiative, run.

Remember I want that group to advance so that the golem goes to battle with them as seen by the Bluff, and any Fireballs will not slow down that new and unhurt Monk (the special character).

The golem is currently acting in a rather random manner. You might not want to count on it going into battle (or, indeed, doing anything else).

Still Invisible Cуровую will try to throw her voice to make it sound that of the captain she heard musing then threatening her in combat and shout,

'Be careful men! There is an magical creature here, strike it from its rear, that's its weakness!

Then double moves upwards to join the group.
I just realized I did not post a Bluff with last night's post

Bluff before moving upstairs 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23

Is the group still 'in' Initiative?

This Bluff was for the advancing forces to fight the golem.

Bother. "We have to secure this opening! Everyone put your back into it!"

Cy, I think that it has been explained well before. Drop a fireball on the advancing guards and then RUN!!! If the golem attacks them great. If it does not, then no loss since it is a crap shoot anyway. We need you on the roof so that we can secure the trap door. Once on the roof, you should drop a fireball into the courtyard to maim/kill as many down there as possible including the commander and the annoying monk. Perhaps you will get lucky and one or both will miss their saves.

The reason you need to get up here is that we need to secure our position. As long as you are below, we cannot begin to put the stone on the trapdoor. Destroying the trebuchet can wait as I will take a full minute to summon Morsum.

Right now we are in retreat and secure mode. Bombing the guards in the tower and then the guards in the square below will really hurt a lot of their forces, and hopefully kill many of the grunts. After you fireball those in the square, obscuring mist would be good to help cover us. However, I think that using Jax's Darkness is the best choice. It has a 20' radius area of effect. If cast on Morsum's backpack, then in effect Morsum would become a 40' ball of black moving across the sky. It is nighttime, if it is cloudy out, then the chance of us being spotted is pretty close to 0. If it is clear out, then there is a chance that some soldier might notice a few stars blinking on and off as Morsum carrying us moves between the viewer and the star, but even with this, the chance of being noticed is greatly reduced. Finally, if someone does notice us, then they would still have to attack us and hit. I do not know what the bonus is, but I am guessing that without long range darkvision, we should get total concealment and possible an AC bonus during the 1-2 rounds that it will take Morsum to carry each group over.

If you cast fly on Grumblejack, that will greatly lighten Morsum's load and allow him to carry Edmin, me and Ragnar on the first load I think. This will leave Xen, Jax and Cy. With Grumblejack's size, he should be able to carry all 3 I would think. Not sure what his strength is, but as an Ogre, I would assume at least 18 or 20.

Judge if you read my posts (thrice here and once in discussion) Cуровую had Bluff then double moved towards the group and Grumblejack is just ahead of her, my question was where and when did the group want the Fireball before or after she came up. We are in agreement to the spell being useful as that is obvious to even Ragnar, I was asking where and when to cast it.

There were conflicting commands and unclear suggestions where and when to cast from either atop the stairs or atop the roof, I was just asking for you guys to make it clear.

Also that 'someone important' you mentioned will surely Evade any Fireball and come fast moving towards Cуровую if she let's Invisibility down.

The Monk is in the courtyard, even with fast movement, she cannot make it to the tower and up 3-4 flights of stairs in 1-2 rounds. If the "someone important" is another monk, then you will still have a full round to get upstairs and you have Grumblejack with you as I would expect him to help guard the rear and be the last up. Even Grumblejack knows that the Cardinal and other leaders will be less than pleased if he left Cy behind against a whole troop of guards.

As far as the casting goes, I have been saying ever since it was announced that there were a half dozen guards, a sergeant, a cleric, and someone special in the room below that you should have immediately dropped a fireball on them. If you want to protect your invisibility, then just flee back. I think that the extra damage you will do killing or badly injuring 10 or more enemies is worth the risk, but it is your character.

If you cast fly on Grumblejack, that will greatly lighten Morsum's load and allow him to carry Edmin, me and Ragnar on the first load I think. This...

The special character is wearing the same robes as the Seeker, Judge what does that tell you?

I suggested twice before Dren can cast Levitate on others who then can 'hang on' to Edmin who can have Fly on him, I think Edmin is more dependable than Grumblejack with Fly which is a major resource.

As indicated on my post I like the Darkness idea coupled with Obscuring Mist.

FIREBALL!

[ooc] Obscuring mist the enemy group, cast fly and levitate, then use darkness on ourselves, fireball them as we fly across the chasm? Ragnar gets left behind along with Grumbles to guard the top of the tower?

We could use the fly to get them over as we try to secure the gate. Darkness with OM will be a good way to get over. We also need to FB the rookery...

I can make Morsum so that he can fly. Also, if we cast levitate on Ragnar and Grumbles, we can easily bring them behind us. If the weight of Grumblejack and Edmin are eliminated, then Morsum can easily take the other 5 of us in 2 trips.

Okay, current status. Zimu and Grumblejack have just climbed, panting, up the ladder to the roof. The soldiers are two rounds behind them. It will take three more rounds to smash the trebuchet beyond repair. It will need six more rounds before Morsum is summoned.

It is exactly at this point that Xenfal finishes setting off the rocket.

Let's see a Reflex save from Xen. 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18 That just makes it. Xen leaps backwards as the rocket flares into life.

sssssssssssFWOOSSSH! The rocket leaps off the top of the tower and soars into space. Its flame is blue and very hot. It ascends very fast, reaching an altitude of at least three hundred feet above the top of the Keep.

WHOOOMPH

An enormous red fireball erupts into space high above Balentyne Tower. It is much, much bigger than you would expect from the relatively small size of the rocket. (Belatedly, it occurs to you to wonder who designed and built that rocket. Zargo, of course.) For a moment the entire fortress, Keep and courtyard and walls and bridge and gatehouse, is illuminated by a lurid glow -- the color of a bloody sunset, but pouring straight down from above.

WHOOOMPH WHOOOMPH Improbably, a second and third fireball erupt, each as big as the first one, a fraction of a second apart. A moment later, the sound of the detonations cracks and echoes across the stones of Balentyne.

For a long moment everyone, heroes and villains alike, is struck silent, staring upwards. Then the lights fade out of the sky and the echoes disperse and there is silence...

...for a moment. Then, as if in answer to the detonation, thunder rumbles in the distance. The storm that has been looming all day is near, and will soon break over Balentyne.

Dren ignores the rocket, waiting to savor anything until after they succeed, seeing Cy hurt...Here you look hurt.

You are being followed yes? Give them a charge of that wand and step back, we will kill any others that try to come through or survive and then seal the top.

Dren hits Cy with the Wand of CLW this round. He never put it away.
CLW Wand 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

%#!@ that was...epic

I can become small...very small and should be able to be carried by someone flying along with someone else being carried. I can levitate somneone else and they can then carry up to 500lbs along with themself while being pulled by a flying creature.
Once we kill the group following Cy and Grumbles we can move to the gate under cover of our spells correct?

Was a cool description, Dren is just pre-occupied by Cy's injuries since they are pretty bad.

%#!@ that was...epic

Why, thank you.

The in-game justification is that the Cardinal told Zargo to build a rocket that would send a clear, unmistakable signal. Zargo went away and did that. Then the Cardinal cast Heal on Zargo, and told him to build a rocket that would send a clear, unmistakable signal *once it was lit*, and not before. Then Zargo went back and did that.

Zargo is actually very good at his job! Just, don't ask him to do subtle. He doesn't really get the whole subtle thing.

Meanwhile, you have soldiers coming up two rounds behind you, Edmin and Jax are chopping up the trebuchet, and the Judge is incapacitated, trembling and gasping. That leaves Dren, Zimu and Xen to help Grumblejack move the block if that's what you want to do. Casting Fireball at the soldiers is also an option; if you want to do that, look at the map and tell me how you're setting up the shot.

Xen will help move the block

It was a sweet description of the rocket blast - although I sort of wish that we had fired it into the square below with the monk and commander, and then just had Cy fire a fireball up 400' into the sky. It was not quite the old AD&D Meteor Swarm, but certainly felt close.
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Regarding the guards coming up the stairs. Cy needs to stand by the trap door. She waits for 2-3 guards to come up the stairs. She then fires a fireball to detonate against the north wall in the stairwell. This explosion is a 20' radius sphere, and thus should get the northern 20' of both room 42 and room 44 (I think those are the numbers). Hopefully this will incinerate a half dozen or more of the guards and at least 1 or more leaders.

As soon as the fireball is launched, Dren slams the trapdoor shut and Grumblejack and Xen push the boulder on top of it.
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Sorry I do not have more, gotta run for a few hours.

I'll just keep on breaking this thing. Let me know when we're flying across the grounds. I bet they'll be coating us in arrows. Hopefully if we drop some mist on them and cover ourselves in darkness, it'll keep me..er..us..alive.

I have a paper due via email in two hours I will post after.

Also we should post our round by round plans, I have some listed at home for the group based on what everyone has posted so far, DM I'll be get to that in a little.

I have a paper due via email in two hours I will post after.

Also we should post our round by round plans, I have some listed at home for the group based on what everyone has posted so far, DM I'll be get to that in a little.

This will help you with the essay.

Strong Bad!

WHOOOMPH WHOOOMPH Improbably, a second and third fireball erupt, each as big as the first one, a fraction of a second apart. A moment later, the sound of the detonations cracks and echoes across the stones of Balentyne.

NICE scene and very descriptive DM!

DM I don't suppose Cуровую could cast Pyrotechnics on the third ball of flame so while everyone in the fort and town was watching the show as I had asked? That would be effective way to blind quite a few of the soldiers.

Round by round strategy, open to further suggestions and actions

Round 0 of Rocket - Rocket is launched, big spectacle, can Cуровую use the light show to study the ground forces, to see their locations and positions? Dren heals some of Cуровую wounds, Ragnar, Edmin and Jax strike at the siege weapon. Judge is Summoning

Perception to study the enemy on the ground level as they are illuminated by the light show 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Can Cуровую cast Pyrotechnics on the third of the flares? Or should she wait?

Round 1 after Rocket - Grumblejack and Xen prepare to bar the way up to the tower. Edmin, Jax and Ragnar continue to try to break the trebuchet. Cуровую will confer with Dren, and offer him the wand because if she uses it she will use her Invisibility and will ask if perhaps they should consider using TWO Fireballs on the ground courtyard, one from the wand and another cast by Cуровую to maximize damage if there are enough targets.

Round 2 after Rocket (AR) - Cуровую will take the Rod of Extend from Xen. Jax and Dren look to study the ground to see how they can harm the most of the forts troops with Fireballs.

Round 3 AR - Soldiers and support arrive unless the encounter the golem in combat. Cуровую or Dren cast Fireball on the soldiers approaching then the door to the roof is shut behind her and separates them from the rooftop. Edmin, Jax and Ragnar completely demolish the trebuchet.

Round 4 AR - Cуровую and Dren each cast a Fireball on the courtyard below? Spell and wand.

Round 5 AR - Cуровую will cast Fly on Edmin via scroll.

Round 6 AR Morsum is Summoned and Jax cast Darkness as the group prepares to depart. Character withe best Dex hurls a torch on the courtyard and Cуровую casts Pyrotechnics (too bad we can not have a fire elemental with Morsum that would be great with Pyrotechnics cast on it) and Dren uses Jax's Scroll of Obscuring Mist as the group leaves.

Between Fireball followed by Pyrotechnics and Obscuring Mist we can really make a mess of the soldiers down there unless they have their own range spells and weapons.

For the troops coming up the stairs what would be better, Wand DC 18, 8D6 damage or Spell DC 20 5D6 +3, higher damage or higher DC?

You don't have time to cast on any of the flares -- they go off, boom boom boom, in the space of a second or two.

For the troops coming up the stairs what would be better, Wand DC 18, 8D6 damage or Spell DC 20 5D6 +3, higher damage or higher DC?

It's actually possible to calculate this. Assume the average soldier has a +1 Reflex save. So he'd save 20% of the time against the wand and fail 80% of the time. Then average damage from the wand will be (0.8 x 28) + (0.2 x 14) = 23.6 hp. For your own fireball, it would be (0.9 x 20.5) + (0.1 x 10.25) = 19.7 hp. Against higher save bonuses, the numbers are different, but the wand still comes out ahead. Evasion complicates matters but this is left as an exercise for the student.

One fireball from the wand should be sufficient down into the room below us in the tower. More is overkill. We want to kill as many as possible, but I assume that we are going to want to save all the resources we have as we do not know what we are going to be up against in the gatehouse and after. It is clear that the bugbears are not going to be here instantaneously. It might take 10 minutes or 1 hour. We really should have asked more questions about this earlier.

For the courtyard, if it is big enough, then two fireballs would be a good choice. Especially if we can overlap them on the commander or the monk and/or any healers.

Pyrotechnics I think may be better used once we are on the gatehouse. If we have to go down through a trapdoor from the roof, dropping a torch and casting pyrotechnics on it would be wise.

Finally, Obscuring Mist and Darkness are effectively being used for the same purpose. I do not think that we need both. Since Darkness can move with us, I think that using it on Morsum as I have mentioned is the best choice.

One thing of note. If we use Darkness, and cast Fly on Edmin, he is the only one without Darkvision. Thus, he will have to be holding onto Morsum or some rope from Morsum - likely the same rope that any levitators are holding onto. Otherwise he will be flying blind.

Round 0 of Rocket - Rocket is launched, big spectacle, can Cуровую use the light show to study the ground forces, to see their locations and positions?

Dren can, because he's snuck over to the edge. He snuck because be doesn't want to be shot at by the crossbowmen on the walls. (They're below you, so you'd have partial cover, but there are several of them.) If you want to go and look, you can -- tell me if you're sneaking or just strolling over.

Also since we are above them they probably don't know we are up here yet...didn't want to play our hand being up here just yet.

Dren I am guessing would have seen what is going on below but quickly moved back in case you want to include a little more detail about what is going on down there. I imagine the courtyard is lit anyways so I could have seen what they were doing without the light show, that just made it that much easier to see them.

Of course Cy is invisible so I wouldn't knnow you need healing and wouldn't have come over until you called me. If you hand me the wand Dren will use it to FB the guards below. If this occurs...

I will Fireball the guards coming up. Shouldn't we make sure these guards and the whatever leaders are with them are dead since we have to wait until the judge is done anyway before closing the trap door here?

Dren will take whatever cover he can to view the guards coming up from their light or via Darkvision. Please remember it is dark down there since we had remove any light sources on our way up.

Dren can, because he's snuck over to the edge. He snuck because be doesn't want to be shot at by the crossbowmen on the walls. (They're below you, so you'd have partial cover, but there are several of them.)

Cуровую would like to do so too, she rolled a Perception 29 and is Invisible and can make better gauge of the situation, she can move this round then next round move back to ready an action to Fireball the arriving soldiers.

One fireball from the wand should be sufficient down into the room below us in the tower. We really should have asked more questions about this earlier.

Well they do have a Monk and a cleric coming up, assume the cleric has a channel to heal the men, and some of us did ask that question even before our current stew day.

Dren you can assume Cуровую asked for healing then held you arm.

He would be looking to heal you if you are hurt so yes as long as we have enoough time! The healing wand is out and at the ready.

Cуровую would like to do so too, she rolled a Perception 29 and is Invisible and can make better gauge of the situation, she can move this round then next round move back to ready an action to Fireball the arriving soldiers.

Okay. As noted, there are a lot of soldiers down in the courtyard. Given one round, you can't see the whole courtyard (if you look at the map, you can see why not) but there is a big knot of a dozen or more around the Commander near Area 32. You don't see the blue-robed woman.

Alright then: you want to take a CLW from Dren, and then fireball the group that's coming up behind you. (Obviously this means nobody is moving the heavy stone over the trap door quite yet. Is anyone standing by to move it?)

You're standing at the top of the trap door invisibly, which means that the soldiers aren't going to spot you until/unless they make a pretty high Perception check. So, you'll probably get a surprise round.

Xen and grumble are standing by

Helen stop messing around and fireball now

This group is pausing for a moment a few yards from the bottom of the stairs -- you can hear faint murmurs, the clink of armor, a scuffle of boots.

Now, one of the great things about Fireball is that you don't need direct line of sight, because the fireball expands from a point. You can't exactly shoot around corners, but if you shoot at the bottom of the stairs, you'll certainly catch some of them. So, do you want to (A) let fly now, or (B) wait until they're coming up the stairs? (A) has the risk that you might not get all of them. (B) has the risk that one or more survivors (if there are survivors) might end up adjacent to you. What do you prefer?

Cy is handing the Wand to Dren who is then releasing a charge at the soldiers when he sees the first one round the corner. He will slink into the darkness as he prepares to release the Fireball.

stealth armor 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 + 2 = 22

A wand suddenly appears in Drens hand...he grins and slinks over to the opening, trying to stay in the shadows. As he sees the first soldier round the corner he feels the magic of the wand...grasps at it pulling it forth through his own strength of will and makes the wand his...

use magic device 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21

A red bead races from the end of the wand towards the soldier...BOOOOM!!!

I figure that we should be able to see the halfway down point of the stairs, where an exploding fireball should effect both the 3rd and 4th floor stairway rooms. Dren should be able to shoot from the roof by looking down through the slightly ajar trapdoor. The second the fireball is released, the trapdoor is slammed and Grumbles, Xen, Jax, Edmin and anyone else available except for the wimpy and now ill Judge will then push the boulder onto the trapdoor to secure it.

The Judge continues to look even sicker than he has recently as he continues to commune with other realms to bring Morsum into this one.

Given one round, you can't see the whole courtyard (if you look at the map, you can see why not) but there is a big knot of a dozen or more around the Commander near Area 32. You don't see the blue-robed woman.

Given Perception 29 and unhindered scanning of the area what would be the [i]juiciest and choicest of targets? Would it be that group?

'The Monk princess is no longer on the ground, given her speed and tenacity she may be on her way back here now, possibly healed.'

So Round 4 after the rocket, double Fireball, hopefully we get a surprise on them, followed by Pyrotechnics or Obscuring Mist to the courtyard while Grumble and Xen seal the door?

(Obviously this means nobody is moving the heavy stone over the trap door quite yet. Is anyone standing by to move it?)

you'll probably get a surprise round.

Can Grumblejack and Xen take Readied actions to move the stone and debris from the trebuchette to block the door as soon as Dren triggers the wand?

Dren has a pretty high Stealth he would be hard to spot as well.