GM Rednal's Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

The wolf standing there turned its head looking at him its teeth silently barred at first before sniffing the air and it looks at Opi nodding.

Then pawing the air it pointed at the wolves and covered its nose with its paw representing they could smell them.

Then to the bandit closest to them by the tree.

The brown haired man takes in the sight – small halfling, large wolf, horse, and dead horse walking – then errs on the side of caution. He raises his gloved hands in the sign of peace. In a moment, thoughts in an unfamiliar voice press on the minds of all those present.

:: I apologize for the intrusion. With the company over there, it seemed safest to remain silent. We need to speak quickly as this trick is taxing. My name is Hawkren. I managed to avoid getting cannibalized. I'd prefer if your wolf doesn’t finish the job. Can you please let your Beastie know that I am not on the menu? You can think the message and be understood. ::

Use MindLink. Since Karlia speaks Common, I think she should be able to communicate mentally through the link. 1 of 12 rnds used.

Opi raised an eyebrow, and her staff. Welp. So they were cannibals. Well, people taste bad, so I wouldn't worry about us in that regard. Who are you, why are you interrupting my Big Damned Hero moment, and can you make my Big Damned Hero moment even moreso?

One could certainly hope. There were quite a few bandits, after all - the more help you had, the better.

It's odd to hear laughter in your head when it isn't your own.

:: I'm not a big damn hero, but I can help... and just now the odds are looking a little steep. Or I can skedaddle off, if you've got this hero-thing down to a fine art. Your choice. ::

The newcomer seems willing to believe that Opi is the stuff of legends.

'Opi don't get to carried away. I can bring the darkness of the night down upon them but that would give away our attack. Also, I can make creatures slumber for a short time to give you time to take them out. Also, the wolves can scent us so if you get within a decent distance they will smell us. No skedaddling for you, there is someone still alive and we will rescue them. Odds are steep but if we are smart we can do this. I can make the wolves sleep also but that will be tricky. It doesn't always work and its only for a short time.

Leaning over she licked Opi's cheek to ward her. (+2 Deflection to AC until hit)

Hawk's eyes widen and cast about...

:: I seem to have missed someone here. Who speaks? Regarding non-skeddadle options, I'm an indifferent spellslinger but I may be able to send a wolf on a goose chase, raise the spectre of fear in someone else, and generally stick my rapier in anyone else.

Opi nodded her thanks, since licking people was apparently a thing people did nowadays. Not weird at all. Nope. She wondered if she should be licking people to cast spells too. She had used touch spells in some interesting ways before...

Don't mind Karlia, she just doesn't want to be eaten by a wolf. Or by people. Or by people-wolves, but then we'd be screwed anyway. My plan is to speed us all up - you too, new guy - so we can do some extra harm and whittle down those numbers some. I should do that when the sneaky portion of this mission finishes and the all hell is breaking loose bit begins, though - it won't last very long.

Well, it certainly seemed like a plan - all that was left was to put it into action, eh?

:: Well, you folks aren't boring, I’ll give you that. I like 'speed' and I'm liking this big damn hero plan. If sneaking is on the menu, I can help. Hold on... This is going to feel strange. ::

A seed of knowledge is implanted in the brains of all present. The lesson blossoms like a flower conveying an intimate knowledge of how to be stealthy.

Use Share Expertise. Everybody gets Stealth as a class skill (+3 on check) plus 3 ranks in it (+3) in addition to their Dex bonus and any other mods. Rednal please let me know how many rounds I’ll need to maintain that for the team to sneaky Pete into position as well as how many rounds of telepathy I used so I can mark them both off.

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

'I am a wolf. I take care of my pack. When the going gets rough I will get big. Until then I will keep slumbering and protecting. Be warned, my darkness when dropped is hard to navigate.'

Crouching down she would start to slink forward towards the first bandit.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Opi's eyes widened as she became sneakier. Oooooh, Sneaky. Combined with her other abilities, it could be interesting...carefully not humming a song, she moved towards the first target.

Stealth: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30

Call it two rounds, assuming you're moving reasonably slowly. ^^

The boost to your stealthiness was clearly helping - none of the bandits seemed to realize you were approaching, and you'd likely be able to surprise them.

Which is 1 Standard or Move action, by the way. XD

Sneaking down behind the first bandit, Opi headed due South. When she spotted the bandit by the tree she murmured something as quietly as she could, hoping neither the chant nor the fact she started glowing alerted the man. Hopefully he was paying more attention to the path.

Once the spell was cast, she used her suddenly granted speed to arm her staff and fire it at the guard. Hopefully it would get rid of him. It wasn't subtle, but, well, Opi wasn't all that subtle.

Everyone gets an additional Standard Action

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 1) + 4 = 6

Shadowing the halfling, Hawk tries to ensure the first bandit dies before he can give warning – putting the mystical burst of speed to good effect.
MOVE: Sneaky
STAND: Attack
STAND: Attack

STAND: MW Voidglass Rapier (18+/2x)
Mods: MW, Voidglass, Opps Aplenty, Piranha Strike
HIT: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 - 1 = 24 crit?
Confirm: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (2) + 7 - 1 = 8
DAM: 1d6 + 4 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 4 + 2 = 11
+ crit DAM: 1d6 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 2 = 12

HIT #2: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 1 = 17
DAM: 1d6 + 4 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 4 + 2 = 16

ACK It ate my post reposting

Moving toward the bandit she would let the newcomer strike first. If the bandit was still up at this point her teeth would close around his neck.

Bite: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Crit Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

If the bandit was dead by this point she would sneak into the bushes once again otherwise she would try to finish him off.

Bite: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

It does that sometimes, especially if you take a long time writing them. XD I always copy my posts before submitting, just in case.

Working together, the three of you managed to take down two of the bandits, and the others yelped as they scrambled for their weapons. The wolves let out howls, then darted towards Opi and Hawk...

Bite (Hawk): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Bite (Hawk): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Bite (Opi): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

...to no particular effect.

Taking a step back, Opi levelled the staff with a cheerful smile. "Woof?"

Touch Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 4) + 4 = 9

If it was enough to finish the creature before her, she turned towards the ones fighting Hawk. If it wasn't the staff remained focused on the attacking wolf.

Haste Touch Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 4) + 4 = 11

Hawk presses his attack on the wolves hounding him, trying to put a quick end to at least one of them.
STAND: Attack
STAND: Attack

STAND: MW Voidglass Rapier (18+/2x)
Mods: MW, Voidglass, Piranha Strike
HIT #1: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (14) + 7 - 1 = 20
DAM: 1d6 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 2 = 12

HIT #2: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 - 1 = 26 crit?
Confirm: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 7 - 1 = 19
DAM: 1d6 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 2 = 8
+ crit DAM: 1d6 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 2 = 11

Charging towards the bandit to the south with the wolf near it she would bite at him as he was distracted by her companions and grabbing his weapons.

Her fur in the light was a shimmering black and white.

Bite Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Bite: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Opi, I think you're miscalculating your weapon's attack power. The Arm Cannon's attacks grow slower than the normal Destructive Blast, and haste attacks only let you make attacks with weapons, not cast sphere effects. Please review your abilities and recalculate appropriately. I'll hold off on calculating the damage you did until then. It may help if you separate arm cannon blasts and (spell) destructive blasts on your character sheet.

Everyone... note that Opi's power only gives you an extra attack when you make a full attack action. So if you move and attack, you won't get the benefits. XD I know you're still getting used to the system, so let me know if you wanted to do something else instead. (Don't worry, I sort of expected that you might need to shake things down a bit and get used to Spheres - this first module is short and intended to help with that. ^^ Think of it as practice, and try to read each ability used on you in full - it's all on the wiki.)

With a pair of strikes, Hawk managed to take down one of the wolves attacking him. Karlia darted at her foe a moment later, biting him, and he responded with a quick club strike aimed at her skull.

Melee (Karlia): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Meanwhile, the wolf by Hawk lashed out again...

Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

...to no more effect than before.

Yeah, I didn't spot that greater blast was not one of the talents that could be applied to the arm cannon. Sorry.

Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

If I can take a 5' step to form a flank with Opi, I'll do it. I'm including the +2 ATT and +4 (Opps Aplenty) bonus in my rolls. Remove them as needed.

Hawk shifts to a more advantageous position and stabs at the remaining wolf while keeping an eye on the rest of the opposition.

STAND: Stabby
STAND: Stabby

Ahh wasn't sure if it was like Haste or slightly different. That's okay!

Karlia dodged to one side as the club came crashing down and she launched herself up at him biting at his arm her teeth trying to dig into flesh.

Bite Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Bite Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

As a general rule of thumb, assume that Spherecasting powers are different than Vancian spells even if they have the same name. ^^ The last thing I want is for the three of you to get in trouble because you thought a sphere power did something it actually didn't...

Opi's blasts hit her canine target hard, and Hawk finished off the other, leaving them free. Karlia, meanwhile, managed to land one blow on her target, who promptly retaliated.

Melee (Karlia): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Another bandit closed with Karlia, and two more two Hawk and Opi - the rest of the bandits that were left.

Melee (Karlia): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Melee (Hawk): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Melee (Opi): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

And Opi's very tough despite being so tiny... XD Looks like no hits!

Hawk sends a flurry of thrusts at his remaining opponent, trying to kill the bandit quickly. Amid the battle, he glances toward Karlia and frowns, saying to Opi, "It looks like your wolf-girl has more than her fair share of enemies... Let's do something about that."

If I manage to kill my enemy with the first shot, I'll send the second into Opi's opponent. If both our guys are dead, I'll use a MOVE action (40') to swing around the bush to flank one of Karlia's enemies.

STAND: Stabby
STAND: Stabby

Opi is tough because she's tiny. It is why I, as a Big Person, and so easily defeated by colds.

"Karlia! Remember to share!" Opi shifted back five feet once more, so she could more easily aim the staff at the bandit's face. Then she tried to shoot him. In the face. She didn't do subtle well, but they were cannibals, after all. Maybe she should shout 'Eat this!' next time or something, to really drive the point home.

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
Damage: 1d6 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Hasted Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Bite Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Her first attack went horribly and she growled out. If the mental connection was still there she would send. Quit distracting me my friend. I will show them what being prey is really about.

Bite Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

This time her jaws crunched into the man trying to hit her. The satisfying snap of teeth on bones. These men ate men. It was time they figured out they were not the top of the food chain.

Karlia, sorry for being miserly with Mind Link. Unfortunately, I looked at the feats available through Spheres of Power after I completed my build. Otherwise, I would have been tempted to take one of the feats that boosts my time for psi powers. Right now, I'm being conservative with rounds in case I need to pull out some of my tactically nasty options. As we level up, I plan to boost my abilities in that regard - so we can have Mind Link running through-out battles.

Hehe, its okay. I know there is a feat somewhere where you can talk in beast form so I should look into that one.

[oc]*Repeats the bit about Haste and Full Attacks* It doesn't give you an extra standard action - it gives you an extra attack when you make a full attack, which precludes movement other than a five-foot step.[/ooc]

Hawk's thrust managed to take down his target, and he stabbed into Opi's attacker a moment later - which she handily finished off. Karlia took down one of her foes, leaving one bandit left... who spat out a curse and turned to run.

Withdrawing, so he doesn't provoke. You could TRY to chase him, of course... XD

I've got a move of 40'. I'm happy to go after this clown if you guys want to clean sweep the lot - and assuming you can't bring him down with ranged spells.

I also have a movement of 40 and will take off after him. Using my Darkness to slow him down if I have to.

Opi, being small and awesome, moved as close as she needed to get to the bandit and then shoot him.

Touch Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

So with a move of 40' and Close range on my TK attack, I think I should be able to just hit this guy. If I'm wrong, I'll just go with a double move to get past the bandit.

In pursuit of the flesh-eating bandit, Hawk sprints after the wolf. As he closes on their target, a wave of nearly invisible energy pours from the scoundrel, quickly melds into a dagger-like shape, and launches at the bandit.

MOVE: 40'
STAND: Mind Blade (TK Sphere - Weaponize & Dancing Weapon)

I don't have the Sphere of Power book yet so I'm going by the info on the wiki... To that end, I'm not really sure if using a Weaponized TK blast costs from my Spell Pool or not. Please let me know.

[ooc]Weaponize does not cost a Spell Point. ...It's also not very powerful, which is why it doesn't cost a spell point. Also, Hawk, I need you to format your profile so it's exactly like Opi's. There's a blank chassis on the wiki with the formatting. o wo/[/spoiler]

Between Opi's blast and Hawk's mind blade, your trio managed to bring down the last of the bandits. That seemed to have rendered the immediate area safe - for awhile, at least. There was still the body back in the middle of their camp, as well as the bodies of the bandits and who-knew-what-else lying around here.

Karlia would move over to the fire as she let go of her transformation turning back into her womanly form.

Kneeling at the person she would check him out to see how he was doing and if he had even been conscious for the fight.

After that she would start searching the camp for anything of note if no one else had at that point.

Opi nodded as the attacks brought the man down and headed to the bound if there are any other captives, and where they are?"[/b] Kneeling, she focused a minor healing spell into the gentleman, to see if there was anything left to heal.

Now that I'm on a computer again... I'll get my profile updated, sorry for the delay.

Hawk watches Karlia transform with a raised (and amused) eyebrow. "Full of surprises, aren't you?" Since the prisoner is being taken care of, the rascal begins inspecting the dead bandits - coup de grace-ing those that still breathe and searching them for anything of value, whether monetary or informational.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Why do I keep getting the tags wrong? XD;

A search of the camp turns up little of true value beyond what the brigands carry in their pouches - although they did have hide armors, clubs, and light wooden shields. A sack next to the ale kegs holds 350 cp recovered from wagons that one of the brigands was ordered to split with his fellows.

The captive, on the other hand, is still alive - although clearly quite wounded. Scrawled on his chest in drying blood is a stylized
bull’s head. "...Hawk?" he said, squinting slightly at his fellow traveler. He was recognizable to the newcomer as Hans - one of the wagon drivers. He was clearly suffering from prolonged terror, but seeing Hawk seemed to be helping.

I dunno. Maybe the same thing that left my last post half mangled. Where did the middle bit go?

"Hoorah, we got to be Big Damned Heroes after all." Opi examined the man. "I'm going to heal you now, so if you feel faint feel free to lie down."

Spheres Cure: 3d8 + 3 ⇒ (2, 3, 7) + 3 = 15

Hawk sheathes his rapier and crouches down next to the driver, giving him a hand to clasp along with a grim smile. "Glad you're still with us, Hans. I know you don't feel lucky... neither do I. But we were the lucky ones. And this lady here and her friend yonder were a big part of it. She'll take good care of you." He gives Opi a nod of thanks.

The scoundrel stays with the driver, listening if the man wants to talk or just providing him with comradeship.

Making sure to clean her mouth before she approached the conscious man again.

"Hello there. I have a rag to help you clean up but before we do. Does anyone recognize what they drew on his chest?"

Knowledge Arcane/Nature: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

"By the way, my name is Karlia." She would hand him a clean moist rag if he had the strength to clean himself.

"I will collect all their gear, and I will count what they have in their pouches. They have a small sack of coins also that had yet to be divided. All of it is usable."

The cures were definitely helping him, and he looked much better by the time Opi was done. Meanwhile, Karlia was able to identify the mark as the symbol aleph from the ancient Irkainian language of Semuric. It is both the first letter of that language’s alphabet and a symbol meaning “ox”.

"Don't let your guards down." Hans said. "A few of them went South, over thataway - including their leader. And they're none too picky about what they eat."

"Yes, we gathered that these ones hungered for the taste of people. Never saw the point myself." Standing, and brushing off the front of her clothes, Opi shrugged. "Do you know if they're likely to return, and if they took any more of your people as a light snack? If they are, we might want to hunt them or ambush them. If not...well, we might want to anyway, but leaving becomes more morally acceptable."

"They put the symbol Aleph from the ancient Irkainian language of Semuric on him. Its the first letter of that alphebet and also a symbol meaning ox."

She could easily see the connotations of marking one's food as food.

"We should get him to safety before we go to hunt anyone else." Shifting slightly. "Can you show me the area that they left on and maybe I can pick up a scent."

"Hans, any idea why they were heading south? Did you see or hear anything to explain it?"

"Dragging their stolen goods, I think." Hans answered, shuddering. "This is just a temporary camp - their real base is probably down the river somewhere, and their leader... he's a beast of a man if I ever saw one."

Opi considered. "I guess this means that they didn't take anyone? Well, then, we can either follow them and make sure they eat their next meal in the next life - which will hopefully involve magma of some kind - or we can go our own way."

Hawk frowns in thought before turning to the wounded driver. "Are you able to go on by yourself or would you be willing to hide nearby until we return?" He shares his thoughts with Opi. "There were any number of good folk in this caravan. They didn't deserve this death... and the bastards that did it don't deserve to breathe another day. I'm of a mind to hunt them down and put them on the menu for maggots and crows."