There weren't as many eyes down below the decks, making shirking possible...
1d10 ⇒ 2
...but, alas, Ambrose wasn't quite able to find his companion, and he had to return before things really went south. Atsadi was similarly unsuccessful, and just got shoved back and told to get back to work. Well, at least you'd managed to filch a few items from the bottom of the bilges, yeah?
And with that, an unpleasant day drew to a close, and evening arrived once more...
Nighttime action: Influence. Using the Social Panache deed; spending 1 panache point to add 1d6 to Diplomacy check.
After passing out dinner, Ambrose takes his rum in the mess with the rest of the crew. Working in the galley hadn't given him much time to get to know the others, and it was high time he made a real effort at making friends. Besides, Azrael was safe enough for the time being, and locating his familiar would not necessarily ensure the bird's safety.
Catching sight of Ms. Quinn's flaming red hair, he makes his way over to rub elbows with her and hers. Taking a seat, he flashes a sardonic grin. "How is everyone enjoying the rat stew?"
Diplomacy check:1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 9 + (4) = 19I'm not sure if we should be selecting who we're interacting with or if it will be determined randomly. If you're taking suggestions, Rosie Cusswell is always fun.
Like Ambrose, Atsadi will continue trying to make friends on the ship. He's going to try engaging someone new this time. Diplomacy:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
If you've already interacted with someone, you can focus on them specifically. Otherwise, I roll it. Speaking of...
1d8 ⇒ 5
After moving around, Atsadi eventually ended up talking to "Badger" Medlar - an older, female half-elf woman who shaved her gray hair into stripes. She seemed rather unfriendly, and Atsadi's words weren't quite smooth enough to sway her - although she didn't change to outright hating him, either.
Meanwhile, Quinn just grinned slightly. "Tastes wretched." she said cheerfully. "Speaking of which... you look like you got bit pretty bad down there."
Ambrose winces at Ms. Quinn's pointed observation. "Our bilge rats are rather smaller in Korvosa," he says. This time, he's in a better position to feign mirth than the first time he'd made the comparison. It made one wonder - how do dire rats get onto the ship? Had they been there since they had left port? It was almost unthinkable that they had come from the ocean, but with the turns his life had taken, Ambrose would be less than enthusiastic about making that bet.
"Do tell, is there other overgrown wildlife out here in the Shackles that I should be wary of? Excluding our officers, that is."
I not realize you were waiting on me! Atsadi is done with his night actions.
Having little luck with the women on board, regardless of age, Atsadi takes his rum ration and turns in. The next day he wakes with a bright step and a smile, muttering to the rat souls floating invisibly around him as he works.
Quinn looked rather amused at Ambrose's question. "Taking all the fun out of it, huh? Well, there's actually quite a lot of nasty stuff around, especially away from the decent harbors. Giant crabs, giant sharks, maybe a tylosaurus if you're really unlucky... and some giants on a couple of the islands." She was tapping on her fingers as she mentioned them, clearly recalling something she'd learned in the past. "They mostly leave ships alone unless you linger or there's a lot of blood in the water, though. The Captains've made it a point to teach creatures to fear them, after all."
The Diplomacy check was actually supposed to be for a random person, assuming they were at the table with Sandara. Sandara was just the excuse for not saying 'Ambrose sits at a table with random people and chats them up'.
Ambrose raises an eyebrow as he sips his rum. "Have they? And here I thought we were receiving special treatment. How embarrassing." Crossing his legs under the table, Ambrose rubs his ankles together. His wounds had begun to itch fiercely since Sandara had pointed them out. "I am sure I cannot be the only one to have born Plugg's ire today. What have the rest of you been up to?"
Well, she's the one you actually went to talk to... XD Although it's not necessarily a bad thing to be on better terms with her... ah, and Atsadi's free to join in.
"Still sailing." Sandra answered with a sigh, rolling her eyes slightly. "They still refuse to tell us anything about where we're going or what they're trying to do. Not a smart move, if you ask me - working people hard without at least a bit of plunder ahead of them doesn't last for too long, but there's not much we can do about it."
Ambrose nods, recognizing that his own fate has seemed squarely out of his hands for some time now. "Have you been sailing with this captain long? What can you tell me about him? If this is how he likes to conduct his ship, it is hardly a surprise that he would need to press a crew."
Atsadi grunts at Badger and moves to join Jeggare and Sandra. "What's this I hear about plunder? Is there going to be a ship soon? I'm not satisfied with being a rat slayer."
He sits down on the deck nearby, pulling a kukri from its sheath and polishing it as they speak. "Aye, have we e'en seen the Captain aside from the first day?"
"Been sailing too long, if you ask me." Sandra said sourly. "He mostly stays up in the Officers' area, though he sometimes comes down to the rest of us for some entertainment. Too good for the likes of us normal folk, see. His crew press ganged me, too, though I think they got a little more than they bargained for. Speaking of, this will tingle for a second..." She reached down her shirt and pulled out her talisman of Besmara. It pulsed slightly as a wave of energy rippled through the air, and you saw several people's heads jerk upright before they realized there was no problem - and, perhaps more to the point, most ordinary pirates weren't going to say a thing against a cleric of the goddess of pirates. Pirates weren't always known for their brains, but some things were so obviously stupid even they weren't going to do it.
Channel Positive Energy:2d6 ⇒ (5, 5) = 10
"There we go." Sandra said, nodding slightly as Ambrose's wounds healed. "Good as new, eh?"
"Not my kind o' Captain. The last one I sailed under would get his hands dirty with the rest of us. These waters aren't Chelaxian and we don't need anyone lording over their crew like that. 'Tis a damn shame."
Sandra looked like she agreed with Atsadi, and the three of you talked for a little while longer before turning in for the night. With that, you were starting to get used to your life aboard a pirate ship, and things continued.
The next day - your fifth onboard - the Captain brought out his 'pet' for a bit of entertainment. The pet in question was a brute of a man called Owlbear Hartshorn, a rather dim-witted sort who tended to act out for laughs.
Strength DC 10 (Atsadi):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
It was a bit narrow, but Atsadi managed to win the fisticuffs contest that the Captain called for, earning a tidy 150 GP from various bets in the process. That was the only good point for the next few days, as your sixth aboard saw a change in the weather and quite a lot of heavy rain. The next day didn't get better - it got worse as all signs pointed to a building storm, and on the eighth day, the storm broke over you. Ambrose didn't get to relax belowdecks, as all hands were called up to work the rigging and keep the storm upright. Jack Scrimshaw went overboard at one point, and only some smart rope work managed to get him back onboard (and right back to working in the riggings) before the ship sailed away. There was no rest or entertainment that evening, but by the next day, the storm was weakening and the tired crew slowly managed to get back to some semblance of normality. Extra rum was offered all around.
The next two days had reasonably pleasant weather as you passed close to some islands, though the eleventh day saw the two of you filling a few pots with crabs to tow back, killing a few territorial reefclaws in the process. (Bit therapeutic, that, since you couldn't attack the bloody officers.)
On the twelfth day, things were getting uncomfortably hot on deck, and persisted through the thirteenth as Atsadi dealt with a bout of fatigue - working belowdecks and possessed of resistance to fire, Ambrose was unaffected.
The fourteenth day, on the other hand, was very nearly fun as the weather returned to normal. You were both excused from normal duties and given the opportunity to practice boarding maneuvers, which was a not-so-small part of being a pirate. Given your talents, you performed rather well with it. Alas, the entertainment didn't last, and you could sense a definite hardening of opinion against you aside from the half of the crew you'd managed to get onto your side (all normal members, really, and none of the officers). This culminated in an attack on Ambrose on the nineteenth day of your trip, though he managed to knock his attackers out (killing them would've been a keelhauling), although the officers refused to prosecute the issue.
Before things could blow over, though... a sail was spotted on the horizon, and the Wormwood started to give chase. It took quite some time - more than a day, given the closeness of the vessel's speeds - but eventually you'd closed to within half a mile...
But first, you've reached Level 2! 8D Post your update summaries in the Discussion thread for approval. AFTER you get that, you may update your profiles. And we'll move on once that's happened.
Atsadi enjoyed the chance to get into a brawl. He would eagerly throw himself into the fight, cheering when he won some betting money. He’d have done his best to make sure no feelings were hurt from the beaten party though and he would have willingly spent some of that gold to buy extra drinks/food/whatever to soothe sides. It doesn’t do to cause too much mischief and soothing relations just means he could get another fist fight in the future without worrying about getting stabbed in the process—although that can be fun too.
The coming of the storm weakened even Atsadi’s generally cheerful self. Storms reminded him of home and of his choice to not return, of soft arms and softer lips. Of a woman he regretted never returning home to. He would grow increasingly surly and lash out (verbally, possibly physically) against anyone who got on his bad side. He wouldn’t complain about the extra work and would use it to avoid thinking—actually being in a more cheerful mood the harder the work got.
When Jack falls overboard, Atsadi would dash to the railing. With his…skills, he could leap overboard and give himself a swim speed to make reaching the boy easier. He wasn’t about to lose a man, even if it wasn’t his ship. He’d wink at Jack when he caught up to him, smiling a sharklike grin before grabbing hold of the, likely quite terrified, boy and dragging him back to the ship while in the form of a shark.
If others questioned the magic, he’d laugh it off and tell the following tale.
The Makua Cave:
Why, some believe that many in Arcadia can shapeshift—and they’d be wrong. No, shapeshifting is something earned. It is not an inborn gift for any to acquire. Atsadi would spin his tale with a smile while crouching, using wide hand motions and even a few stomps to elaborate on various points.
Atsadi gained his powers when he stole them from the mighty Makua, a shark that could shapeshift into a man. Now, Atsadi is not a cruel man, far from it (or so he would tell them). He wouldn’t just walk into another’s lair and steal from them—even pirates have reasons for stealing (if asked on this point, Atsadi just points out that he only steals from people who obviously don’t want their things as much as he wants them).
No, this Makua had done a horrible thing. Makua, legend said, was the son of the King of Sharks, Kamohoalii, and the famous beauty Kalei. He did not tell his people what he was and he married into Atsadi’s tribe, settling down with a woman. However, his shark-like nature overtook him and one night he kidnapped a young girl, ran to the ocean, and devoured her in plain sight of all. Atsadi’s people were outraged but they could not fight such a powerful figure. Later that night, they turned to Atsadi for help.
It should be noted here that Atsadi, throughout this story, refers to himself in third person. It’s simply how things are done where he comes from.
That night…Atsadi snuck into Maku's cave. He snuck up on the sleeping Makua and stabbled it in the back with a needle given to him by the town’s hermetic shaman. For you see, Makua, even in human form, showed his horrifying deformity. He had a round hole in his back full of shark fangs! When the needle struck the man, a black jet of blood covered it. Makua woke in a rage and attacked Atsadi!
Atsadi had brought his trusty trident made from the jaw of a great shark. He knew that the power of a shark was the only way to defeat the King of Sharks’ son. It was a mighty battle. They lept around the cave, and chased one another across the sands nearby. Finally, Atsadi was triumphant and Makua fled into the waves.
When Atsadi returned he presented the black needle to his Chief and he was granted his new tattoo. The blood of the shapeshift gave him his own abilities without the monster’s bloodthirsty habit. He will show off an elaborate, ]stylized shark tattoo along his shoulder.
Atsadi will end the story by grinning a mouth full of shark fangs, making his eyes wide, sticking his tongue out at an odd angle and letting out a fairly terrifying laugh (intimidate to demoralize). He’ll then stalk off laughing.
Boarding practice was great fun. Atsadi would have been the loudest, shouting and roaring defiance as he leapt and swung about the ship.
The day the sail is spotted, he spends constantly looking at it as he works. He’ll be eager to fight, and makes no hiding it.
As an aside, if Atsadi does well enough on diplomacy (and Jeggare) to get all the indifferent people on their side, he would try very hard to get Maheem as well. I know he needs to roll like..a 18 or higher (25?) to even start work on him, but he would do so after convincing the others. He likes the man’s attitude!
"Update Summary" always refers to level up information. It tells me exactly what you're taking, and while low levels generally aren't a problem, there are very rare occasions when I have to deny a particular ability selection for the sake of fairness and balance. It's mostly just for the record, though. XD
The officers didn't even yell at Atsadi for speaking up - the prospect of a nice raid had heartened morale, and most of the crew were clearly looking forward to their share of the plunder.
The passing days often brought unexpected challenges, keeping Ambrose from getting complacent. Fishguts drunk himself into a stupor more often than not, forcing Ambrose to step up and take on extra kitchen responsibilities. He had been able to produce something edible most nights thanks to liberal addition of magespice, and the kitchen work kept him mostly out of trouble.
He had little interest in the mindless violence that served as entertainment aboard the Wormwood, but if he had been a betting man, he could have won a pile of gold in the brawl; he had seen what Atsadi could do in a fight. His father taught him the perils of betting with money you did not have, and good business sense prevailed.
When the storm came upon them, it caught Ambrose unawares. None of his prepared spells had proved to be useful, and he had to resort to pulling his own weight without magical aid. It took a fair bit of doing, but he managed to avoid being sent up into the rigging. Such work would surely have meant his death - it almost became the end of young Jack Scrimshaw. The lad was lucky Atsadi had been there to save him; if not for the Arcadian, he would have sailed with Besmara that very night. Ambrose paid Atsadi's story that night very close attention. Most of it sounded like bluster and hokum, but the wizard could not deny that the brawny Arcadian possessed a power Ambrose had never seen before.
Even kitchen work on a pirate ship could prove dangerous. The day began well enough, as pleasantly as a day ever starts for a pressed sailor, and catching crabs was easy enough as work went. Things took a turn for the interesting when a pack of reefclaws appeared, giving the two pirates a chance to blow off some steam. They fared better than they had against the rats, and that evening Ambrose cooked up reefclaw pasties for the whole ship. His friends even received a side of sauce - with a dash of magespice, it made for a passable attempt at thileu bark sauce, a Korvosan delicacy that made Ambrose long for home.
Boarding practice provided some relief from the drudgery of the daily work. Ambrose was used to drilling to repell boarders - training to board a ship was something new altogether. He got a taste of his more familiar role the next day as he was attacked by some of the more unsavory crewmembers. Belowdecks, he was able to turn the lights out on them and pick them off in the dark. The officers might have turned a blind eye to such behavior, but by now Ambrose was well versed in cooking up revenge. As the saying goes, it is a dish best served cold. The bilgewater cocktails had proved effective enough last time, but this time he added soap shavings to the potatoes for variety's sake.
When the ship was sighted, Lieutenant Jeggare could not surpress the feelings of unease that welled up within him. It had been over two weeks since his pressing into service aboard the Wormwood. The time had not been pleasant, but their activities so far had been much the same as any ship plying honest trade on the high seas. But sails on the horizon surely meant that true priacy would soon be underway, and it was unlikely that he would be able to avoid playing his part. Drawing his pentagram out from where it hangs under his shirt, Ambrose mouths prayers to Asmodeus. Prayers for strength, prayers that the ship belong to anyone but his father, prayers that the approaching chaos might bestow upon him a chance to punish his enemies. A Jeggare always pays his debts, and there would be Hell to pay for Plugg and his cronies.
Seeing the prayer on Jeggare's lips, Atsadi grins, clapping him on the back roughly. "A prayer for the Pirate Queen to celebrate a coming raid? Victorious or otherwise? ...or something along a quite different path, hm?"
He taps his nose, eyeing the pentagram in Ambrose's warily.
Quinn, too, eyed Ambrose's pendant with a certain degree of caution - certainly, the Pirate Queen had little love for the Devil King, and their minions had fought on more than one occasion... but just as clearly, she wasn't making a big deal about it. Pirates rarely did - the sea had dangers enough without going and making extra enemies, and she definitely liked the two of you more than most of the rest of the crew.
Ambrose gives Atsadi a side-long glance from his position near the rail. "There is no celebrating slavery. Remember that while you shed blood for the gain of another."
On principle, Ambrose has few reservations about work that benefits somebody else. Such work is almost always mutually beneficial; if it does not reap immediate material rewards, it usually improves one's standing or incurs a debt to be collected at a convenient moment. And therein lies the problem with being a slave - one's toil is subverted into meaninglessness. No reward is earned, no debt is incurred, and the slave is no better off than they were before. Without this most basic form of agency, the slave has no power, no means of improving their station. Whatever happened, Ambrose would have to find a way to dispose of his yoke, and Asmodeus willing, that opportunity was approaching with three sails full of wind.
(Of course, Asmodeus had opinions of his own about slavery, and as a whole was more 'for' than 'against'...)
As you got ever closer to the ship you were pursuing, Riaris Krine - the pirate lady who'd taught you about boarding before - had the two of you join her up on the poop deck. "The ship’s wheel is on the aft deck, just below the sterncastle. You’re going to grapple over, kill the guards on the sterncastle, take the wheel, and guard the ship’s boats. Kill anyone who tries to get away on one of the boats. Don’t move from the wheel until the fighting’s done, or you’ll have to answer to me. Oh yeah, as we get close, it’s going to get foggy. Just stick to what I told you to do. Atsadi, you're in charge." she explained. "Any questions?"
Also, Ambrose, I did say your update was good. XD I recommend updating your alias and stat bar now.
”Slavery is something that you can change. Besmara tells us to take our opportunities as they come. Trust me this, Ambrose, we shed blood for our own entertainment and purposes. When an opportunity to be free of this ship comes...well. We may also get the opportunity to impress our sorry hell-spawn of a Captain and be moved to real crewmen, aye?”
With a shrug, Atsadi watches the ship, his concerns apparently more on seeking fortunes aboard the ship before him than their current sad state.
Pleased to be given a task, Atsadi nods his head. ”Oh aye. We'll kill whomever tries to get away. Or at least knock them out. We lookin' to ransom any of these folks?”
Asmodeus is in favor of slavery, but that's entirely from the position of a slaver. He's hardly a patron of slaves; the best thing an Asmodean slave could do would be to gain influence over their slavers and free themselves through guile or force.
"I know hellspawn," Ambrose sneers, "and I resent the comparison."
Lieutenant Jeggare shakes his head - Krine's instructions were exceedingly clear. He grits his teeth as Atsadi raises the question of ransom. While he would prefer to avoid bloodshed, trying to take captives would only complicate matters.
As the moment for boarding approaches, the tiefling prepares himself with mage armor, and the protective heat shimmer creates a nimbus around his red coat.
Several pirates looked askance at Ambrose as he cast a protective spell - although the fact that he wasn't messing with anyone's mind seemed to allay their concerns for the moment... and your ship continued to close in on the one you were pursuing.
With the lack of questions, though, Riaris moved on to the next group of salty sea-dogs, barking out orders to them with the ease of one who'd done this many times before. The grappling hooks you were to use were set nearby, and as the ships closed to within 120 feet of each other, the attack began in earnest as crossbows began firing and several clouds of fog enveloped the other ship. It would take another 24 seconds or so to get close enough for you to throw the hooks and attempt to make your way over - and you could see four guards on the aft deck you'd been told to target. Anyone you could take out now would be one less foe to worry about when you got over there...
We'll be doing this round by round, since they may react to you. XD Note that the fog gives a 50% miss chance against attacks you make. You're closing at a rate of 30 feet a round, beginning 120 feet away. No need for initiative - you can simply act first.
Without a ranged weapon because he's an idiot, Atsadi takes a moment to close his eyes and mutter a prayer to Besmara. As he does, a swarm of white spirit energy writhes up his body and and settles along his tattoos, causing them to glow with a faint luminescence. Use 1 Spell point to gain Tremorsense for 24 hours
Round 2
"I hope you have a weapon to hit them with from here, Jeggare."
Atsadi balls his hands up as he moves to the edge of the ship. He lets out a shrieking warcry and throws one arm forward as a ball of black and white energy coalesces around his fist. The ball hurtles forward toward one of the opposing enemies. I didn't realize ghost strike had a range of 100 + 10 per caster level...120 feet yay!
Ghost Strike [Exhaustion:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 (vs Touch). He infuses the strike with energy (1 spell point) to improve the effect to exhausted. The opponent makes a DC 14 fort save to negate. Exhausted: -6 Str/Dex and move at half speed
"Hmm..." Ambrose frowns, considering the situation. He did not have a ranged weapon - the captain did not seem one for equipping his slaves. He might have prepared his spells differently had he known they would encounter an enemy ship - perhaps the only time he would consider preparing the odious magic missile spell. He would simply have to make do with what he had.
By now there was no use hiding his wizardry. Chanting in Infernal, he waves gloved hands in the air and smoke begins to leak from his eyes. Suddenly, a burst of flame appears on the deck of the enemy ship, crawling up the lines and onto the lowest sails. Casting silent image to create the illusion of flames on the deck. The flames give off no heat, but the enemy won't get a save until they interact with the illusion. Ambrose will maintain the spell with concentration as long as is prudent.
Atsadi lets out a laugh and shakes his head. "That's a thing we'll need to fix when this is over. By the way, do you think we should be takin' any of them alive for ransoming? Maybe if any of 'em look like nobles."
Concentrating on his spell, he scoffs at Atsadi. "Remind me to be condescending when I am not busy distracting the enemy," he says through clenched teeth. Of course the barbarian would disregard anything but brute force as being an effective tactic.
At the man's second question, his response is no less acerbic. "I would not have thought you capable of leaving them alive," he says. Suddenly, a thought passes through his mind - hostages should translate directly to allies against Plugg and Scourge. Nearly losing his concentration at the idea, he nods. "I think that is a fine idea," he says less harshly. "But do not get yourself killed in the attempt."
Too late, it occurs to the tiefling that Atsadi, though nominally in command of the boarding action, had momentarily deferred to him. That was behavior Lieutenant Jeggare would have liked to reinforce, but his impatience may have cost him the opportunity.
I can do more than murder and pillage, my dear Ambrose!" Atsadi laughs and thumbs a fist to his chest.
"Why, capture and ransom is an integral part of pirating! If you just read through Besmara's Holy Book under The Code, Chapter Six, Section A, sub-section 3 it says right there. "Ransom your foes and make gold."
There was something of a flurry of activity on the other ship - but it didn't look like it had them fooled for very long, given the number of people aboard.
1d100 ⇒ 191d4 ⇒ 1
Ranged Atk:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
As Ambrose concentrated, a heavy crossbow bolt shot across the rapidly-closing space between the ships and bounced off of the armor he'd conjured, falling into the ocean as the range continued to close.
As an aside, Atsadi has on his armor and his sheet was updated to reflect that. I can't recall if I said it before.
Round 3
"Ka Mate!" he cries out as the crossbow bolt bounces off of Jeggare's armor. He starts to form a ball of black energy but stops and suddenly grins. He transfers the ball to one hand. The pirate reaches out, fingers splayed, before harshly gripping his hand into a fist.
using Unwilling Participant to add the one who shot the crossbow to his collective. They make a Will Save DC 14, he knows if it succeeds or not.
He follows this movement up by hurling the ball of black energy at another of the crossbowmen. As the ball fully forms and is launched, ghost-like faces appear in the air around him and begin whispering. Jeggare may even the familiar face of a former crewman or two that fade quickly. Ghost Strike(Fatigue):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 and target is fatigued for 2 minutes upon hit. They get a Fort Save (DC 14) to reduce it to 1 round.
Atsadi gets a +1 to his attack if the opponent fails their save from Unwilling Participant. I wish I had done that last round! I forgot it was a move action.
Edit: For the next attack anyone on the enemy ship makes against Atsadi or Jeggare, he uses Spilled Salt as an Immediate action. The enemy takes a -4 penalty to the attack.
Shaking his head at Atsadi's banter, Ambrose laments the simplicity of Besmara's faith. "With only one holy text, it is no wonder that your Pirate Queen has so few followers! Frankly, I had not realized that her worshipers read at all."
When he was first introduced to Asmodeus's religion as a student at Korvosa's Acadamae, Ambrose had been intimidated by the incredible volume of the faith's sacred books, deuterocanonical works, and apocryphal texts, to say nothing of the exponentially greater numbers of histories, commentaries, analyses, summaries, and supplements that Asmodean scholars had produced over the ages. However, after digging in, Ambrose soon learned to appreciate his newfound church's robustness. As dedicated to the iron rule of law as the cult is, such simple commands and strictures like 'ransom your foes and make gold' are completely inadequate for the task of governing civilization. What is a foe, and what is a ransom? How is a ransom distinguished from a bounty? How is the value of the ransom to be determined, and what is to be done should the sum go unpaid? And how exactly does a ransom 'make' gold? It is plainly obvious that granting pirates and kidnappers the authority to mint currency was a patently foolish idea, not to mention the contradiction in terms that accompanies elevating lawless criminals to vital governmental offices.
Still, the heat of battle hardly seemed the proper place for such theological discourse.
Round 3
Ambrose barely flinches as the crossbow bolt whizzes toward him - less out of bravery or confidence in his magic than simply not seeing it while he focuses on his illusion. The spell seemed to work as a distraction for a moment, but it was looking like the enemy was catching on to his trick. Still, there wasn't much else he could do until they prepared to board, so he holds his place and tries to push the distraction for all its worth. Soon they would be close enough that he might be able to start setting real fires.
One certainly hopes you had your armor on before attacking another vessel. XD Note it as an 'armor' bonus in the breakdown, though, rather than something like 'scale'.
Also... *Checks* Ah, Collective can add people within Medium range, so that's all in order. ^^
Will Save vs Unwilling Participant:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Atsadi's psionic powers reached out... but didn't quite manage to penetrate the guard's mental defenses. He did, however, manage to smack the guy in the face with an Exhausting Strike-
Fort DC 14:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
-and have it take hold. The added force behind his magic meant that the exhaustion was going to linger, too, which said nothing good. The bad news? It had definitely attracted some attention from various crossbowmen on the other ship, and they didn't hesitate to open fire...
Atsadi lets out a roar followed by a massive laugh. "You think that will take down Atsadi! Come and fight like true men, with a weapon in your hand." With his chilling cry, he once again swipes his hand through the air as if fishing for spirits or swatting a fly. He reaches into the depths of one of their minds and tries to draw it into his collective. DC 14 Will save.
Of course, following this he hurls another of the necrotic balls at a different guard. "You can feel your lifeforce slip away, can't you? Just wait till Atsadi comes and rips your throat out with his teeth!"
Ghost Strike (Fatigue):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14 DC 14 Fort or Fatigued.
*Checks the actual map* ...Alas, I don't see any light sources. It's also daytime, and fuel isn't always so easy to come by on long voyages, so ships rarely have lights lit longer than they really have to. I like the creativity, though. ^^
Makes sense. I've got to say, Spheres casters definitely have a lot more they can do relative to wizards early on.
Round 4
As they near the other ship, Ambrose allows his illusion to fade; it was doing very little good anyhow. While Atsadi antagonizes the enemy with ectoplasmic rat souls or whatever barbarian magic he was using, Ambrose readies the grappling hooks.
"The Pirate Code must not require that ransomed foes have throats," he says dryly.
Although none of them came particularly close. Finally, your ship caught up to the other, and there were just a few feet separating the two vessels.
It's time to board! Throwing a grappling hook requires a ranged attack roll, treating the hook as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 feet (you're within the first range increment now). The other ship's rail is AC 5. Once the hook is set, you must tie off the rope as a move action, then shimmy along the rope, requiring a DC 15 Climb check. You will be flat-footed and can expect to be attacked while shimmying across, and if struck by an enemy's attack, you must make a DC 10 Reflex save or lose your grip and fall into the water. Your superiors disapprove of other methods of crossing, like jumping across without using the grappling hook, because they very specifically want to physically link the ships together to make it harder for your prey to get away. They also dislike relying on strategies like magic that they can't expect all members of the crew to use - uniformity is important whe your crew changes regularly. XD
You owe me a Will save too! Atsadi tried to absorb one of them into his collective.
"Can you summon some distractions for us, Devilman?" Atsadi spins his head, locks flying out behind him as he looks at Jeggare intensely. "I don't relish crossing with all four of them shooting at us."
Question: Atsadi's Stance Unbroken Stride states he can walk on "other unfirm surfaces" including water, lava, and spider webs. Could he use that to cross the line without a check?
Snatching one of the hooks and spinning it in his hands, Atsadi hurls it across the small opening. Grapple Touch:1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 3 + 1 = 23
As the hook flies across the way, Atsadi's eyes meet with one of the guards who finds themselves pulled forcefully into the tribesman's mental collective. Move action to make another guard fall into his collective.
He also takes a moment to shift his stance, boots pressing into the wood and suddenly seeming lighter. Swift action to change stance to Unbroken Stride so he can walk across the grappling hook line without issue next round.
"Atsadi's coming for you boys...you should put down those weapons." He lets out a chilling laugh, various bolts and arrows stuck to the deck all around him.
Ambrose shakes his head no. "Not until we are linked." Summoning a creature now would only delay their boarding action, and if their response to his illusion had been any indication, it would be an ineffective distraction.
While not helpful, as a random aside, Ambrose currently has a +2 morale bonus to attacks for being in Atsadi's Collective. One bonus disappears next round, the other persists for another 2 rounds.
It is Round 2 of boarding the ship. o wo Incidentally, I should probably let you know that you're on the clock... Unbroken Stride does sound like it would let you run across without a check, though, Atsadi.
Will vs Collective:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Atsadi managed to land his grapple, but couldn't quite manage to force someone into his Collective - and his grappling hook still hadn't been tied off. Meanwhile, Ambrose hadn't exactly managed to land his own toss, leaving you two stuck on your own vessel for the moment. Noticing the grappling hook, though, a number of the sturdier people onboard your target quickly took aim.
Ambrose at least has the decency to wince as Atsadi is fired upon, two arrows hitting their mark. But that was precisely why there was no time to waste. Momentarily forgetting his place, the old Lieutenant Jeggare calls out commands to a crew that is not his while he readies for another throw. "Where is our damned covering fire?" he roars above the din. "Fire at will, you louts!"
Grappling hook:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
He fares better on the second throw, and the hook bites into the wood of the enemy ship's railing. Wasting no time, he ties it off and sets it to prepare for boarding.
As one of the bolts punches through scale into his side, Atsadi closes his eyes and tries to block out the pain. Counter - Body of Delusion Autohypnosis:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15 (vs the opponents attack roll of 17 Which unfortunately doesn't seem to help much.
He'll push past Ambrose as he sees the other pirate tie off his rope and move swiftly across it, his footing sure and steady. His resolve seems weakened though and he makes no witty jests at the opponents on the other side.
Normal move across to the opponents.
As his feet hit wood, he'll open his mouth wide, letting out a stream of faint, mist-like shapes which curl and sway. The mist settles in the area, healing some of Atsadi's wounds. Channel Energy:1d6 ⇒ 6
