I really want out of these cuffs, but I think that we need to get out of here before anyone else comes down to check on us or the tardy guards.
I remember coming in that way (I point to the exit heading up.)...shall we make a run for it? The more of us, the more likely we can overpower anyone else we meet. Once we're outside of these walls we should break into groups and spread out.
Swords up front?
I look to the others but do not wait for confirmation. I begin preparations -- tucking in and tightening anything loose. My hair dances around my shoulders, alive with energy.
HP: 35/37, Surges: 9/11(-1), AP: 1/1
The group proceeds towards the exit. The five swords in front. Most of you think you remember the way out.
The hall narrows to a tight passage and then a spiral stair that only goes up. You know this leads to a guard room, one level above, and your Karrnathi soldiers tell you that if you're going to meet resistance, that's where it will be -- a choke point for prison-breaks. You hope that you only have to face the "easy" skeletons from before and not a true karrnathi skeletal warrior.
You remember that the spiral stairs let out in the center of the room, where you can easily be flanked as you come up. The first guy up will likely be subject to several attacks.
Alester's Thranish knight training kicks in and he gets the group in order. He's got some natural leadership from bossing squires around, but it's his intimidating look that gets most of the group in line. Those nearest him see the dragonmark on his right arm glow slightly as he barks orders... and a few of the prisoners jump into position for fear of what might come next.
Alester, as you make the final turn of the spiral stairs, you see that the skeletal guards have in fact set a trap for you! Five of them ring the landing, and a 6th waits against the far wall (he's holding a lever on the wall... waiting to throw some sort of switch).
The room itself is mostly bare. There are two shallow closets, one of the north wall, one on the south, and a small table in the southern corner. But nothing else furnishes this room, not even chairs (skeletons don't need to rest).
The stairs are difficult terrain. Many of you will have to take several moves to get into the room.
If someone ends up prone on the stairs, you will have to make an Acrobatics Check (DC 14) or you too will fall prone as you try to step over them.
Bull Rush - Standard Action (Str vs Fort) Success = you push the target one square and you shift into his square.
Going Through an Enemy Square - Acrobatics Check (DC 20). Succeed and you can flip/tumble through an enemies square. You will provoke an Opportunity Attack.
Remember, unless you move out of the stairs square, you will be blocking everyone behind you (since the stairs are spiral, no one past the openning has line of effect/sight into the room).
If you try to pass someone on the squares it costs an extra sqaure of movement, because it is a tight squeeze.
Be aware, the skeletons can Bull Rush you back into the stairs' openning, and if you have no where to go you will fall prone on the stairs creating more issues for everyone else (see above).
Finally, each skeleton will get an OA on EACH of your turns. (You get 1 OA per creature's turn - regardless of how many creatures go. This also means that if you're surrounded by skeletons and they all move away from you triggering an OA, you get 1 on EACH skeleton).
Two of the skeletons lash out at Alester the second he shows his head, delivering terrible blows ()
The map is in two sections:
On the Left: a normal top-down view. Nothing strange.
On the Right: a sideview of the stairs. You must move from green# to green# sequentially. Once you're at green1 you will be at D4 on the normal map and can move normally.
Alester starts at green2. He needs 2 squares of movement to get to green1 (D4), but then he is on level ground and can move normally. Thringorn starts at green3, requires 4 squares of movement to get to green1 (D4)... and so on.
If you're at green2 you can see the room and can attack targets nearby (you can also be attacked -- and those in the room will get a +2 bonus as if you're prone!).
If you move from green2 to green1, the skeletons will attack you (OA) because you are moving through their threat-zone (and no, you cannot shift on the stairs -- unless you're able to shift more than one square of movement).
Total Damage to PLAYERS:
Alester: 16
Alester: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Orla: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs
Savi-Kai: suffering imprisonment effects (lose 1 Healing Surge per day); chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED).
Thringorn: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Zvia: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs.
**Imprisonment effects last till you reach 2 milestones.
Assuming the same type of skeletons...
Skeletons == AC: 17, Fort: 14, REF: 13, WILL: 12
**They explode with Necrotic Energy when Bloodied or Killed
The exit to the West. There are two other doors to this room (North and East)
Stairs squares are difficult terrain.
If someone is prone on the stairs, you need to make a DC14 Acrobatics Check to step over them, or you fall prone too and end your movement.
The ally npcs are colored green (lettered A-H).
Rallnik, Thanis, and Nirifanya are labeled with thier first initial.
RED DOTS indicate bloodied npcs (ally and enemy, players are NOT indicated).
ORANGE DOTS indicate Savi-Kai's mark.
PURPLE DOTS indicate Thringorn's mark.
BROWN DOTS are NPC marks.
======================================================================
INITIATIVE -- bold shows who's turn it is
Skeletons
1:
2:
Alester: weakened (1/2 dam)
Thringorn: weakened (1/2 dam)
Thanis
Savi: weakened (1/2 dam)
Rallnik: weakened (1/2 dam)
Orla
Zvia
Nirifanya
Rallnik's men (A-D) (all weakened)
Thanis's men (E-H), (E is not weakened, the rest are)
======================================================================
Shadows wrap about Alester as he charges up the steps...
A turn = "your turn" is your set of actions that you get to take when your initiative comes up.
A round = once everyone has taken a turn.
Most defender classes have interrupts, like Savi's Shielding Power.
Everyone gets ONE Interrupt per ROUND (use it, and you have to wait till your next TURN before it refreshes).
Everyone gets ONE opportunity attack(OA) per enemy TURN. So if you are facing 5 enemies, you can have an OA on each of thier turns. But if one of those enemies triggers an OA multiple times in a round, you only get to him them once on their turn
eg, In this case of the stairs.
Alester runs up, each skeleton will get an OA on him, even if he runs in circles around the skeletons, casting ranged spells, and trying to open locks (all of these trigger OAs), each skeleton will only be able to attack him one time. They get 1 OA on Alester's TURN.
However, when it's Thringorns turn, each skeleton will again be allowed to OA him when he shows up on the steps. And OA again on Thanis's turn, on Savi's turn, on Rallnik's, ...
Opportunity Attacks on Alester (Current AC::15)
Opportunity Attacks on Thringorn (Current AC::12)
Total damage to players:
Alester: 24 (the 5 temp means only 19 dam)
Thringorn: 25
Thanis goes next. As he climbs the stairs, each of the skeletons will get another Opportunity Attack. PLUS, 2 more skeletons act on his turn (). Thanis charges the openning and uses his halfelven ability to slide further into the room... The skeletons hack him to within an inch of his life.
S3: (readied action attack) , miss
S4: (readied action attack) , HIT
5 OAs vs Thanis:
miss, HIT, miss, HIT, HIT
4 HITS
Damage: - YIKES!
Good news: S3 attacks him, meaning Thringorn, you get a free Basic Melee attack vs your mark, S3.
Bad news: Thanis has 3 hp left.
Better news: Thanis has one action left and he uses it to bull rush S2: vs Fort. Success, S2 is moved from the openning.
On his turn, Rallnik will just move as far as he can. He'll be able to get 2 squares into the room and he'll try to help flank with anyone.
Savi is at Green5
Rallnik is at Green6
Orla at Green7
Zvia at Green8
Niri at Green9
NPC allies are down the hall, behind Niri
On the sideview of the stairs. You must move from green# to green# sequentially. Once you're at green1 you will be at D4 on the normal map and can move normally.
If you're at green2 you can see the room and can attack targets nearby (you can also be attacked -- and those in the room will get a +2 bonus as if you're prone!).
If you move from green2 to green1, the skeletons will attack you (OA) because you are moving through their threat-zone (and no, you cannot shift on the stairs -- unless you're able to shift more than one square of movement).
Alester: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Orla: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs
Savi-Kai: suffering imprisonment effects (lose 1 Healing Surge per day); chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED).
Thringorn: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Zvia: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs.
**Imprisonment effects last till you reach 2 milestones.
Assuming the same type of skeletons...
Skeletons == AC: 17, Fort: 14, REF: 13, WILL: 12
**They explode with Necrotic Energy when Bloodied or Killed
The exit to the West. There are two other doors to this room (North and East)
Stairs squares are difficult terrain.
If someone is prone on the stairs, you need to make a DC14 Acrobatics Check to step over them, or you fall prone too and end your movement.
The ally npcs are colored green (lettered A-H).
Rallnik, Thanis, and Nirifanya are labeled with thier first initial.
RED DOTS indicate bloodied npcs (ally and enemy, players are NOT indicated).
ORANGE DOTS indicate Savi-Kai's mark.
PURPLE DOTS indicate Thringorn's mark.
BROWN DOTS are NPC marks.
======================================================================
INITIATIVE -- bold shows who's turn it is
Skeletons
1:
2: Marked by Thanis
Alester: weakened (1/2 dam), 2nd Wind (+2 def), Shroud of Concealment (+2 def), Bloodied! (near dead) - can move further!
Thringorn: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied! has an attack vs S3!
Thanis: Bloodied! (near dead)
3: Marked by Thringorn
4:
Savi: weakened (1/2 dam)
Rallnik: weakened (1/2 dam)
Orla
Zvia
Nirifanya
Rallnik's men (A-D) (all weakened)
Thanis's men (E-H), (E is not weakened, the rest are)
5:
6:
======================================================================
I turn back to those behind me.
Something is wrong with these stones. Do you see these holes in the workings of the stairs? Nothing good will come out of this. Move quickly before they are sprung!
I carefully climb the stairs, trying to ready myself for the coming attacks (and wishing I had my armor). I stop (S2) and lean as far back against the wall as possible and focus on the first skeletons I can see.
Aegis of Shielding on S5 (vs. Ref)
Sword Burst on S1 Sweet!
on S3 Woot!
on S4 poo.
on S5 Yeah!
Damage S1,3,5
I count 5 squares to green2. That means I need 10 squares of movement to get there, and with speed 6, it's going to take two move actions. Running doesn't help, that would only get me 8 squares of movement, right?
Is there any way to use Acrobatics to move more quickly through difficult terrain?
Ruling: (trained only) We'll make it like an Athletics Check Long Jump... Acrobatics Check divided by 10 = the number of squares you gain of normal movement up/down stairs. This check is made as part of a normal move.
Can I share green2 with Savi? Can green3 at least see D4 (and therefor Alester)?
Can green3 see D4? Yes. Each green# can only see the adjacent green#, but green1 is a special square, and yes, green3 can see it (it's got superior cover, but that only matters if you're attacking).
BUT! I'm not sure if Alester is going to stay in that square... it seems awefully dangerous, and he does have extra movement to spare.
In a burst of Elven grace, Orla parkours her way up the stairs.
Acrobatics: Unfortunately, the stairs are slipperier than they look, and it takes all of Orla's grace not to faceplant on the way up.
It takes Orla two move actions to reach green3, where she stops. If the bloodied Alester is still visible from there, she will utter a Majestic Word, allowing him a healing surge +5, and sliding him to C4.
HP: 29/29 Surges: 4/8 AP: 0/1
Orla somehow makes it up the stairs... though just barely ;)
And her words of encouragement keep Alester conscious a little longer.
Rallnik rushed out of the stairs and the remaining 4 skeletons by the openning swing at him as he runs past.
OAs: 1) miss, 2) *hit*, 3) miss, 4) *hit*
2 hits for: damage.
Savi is at Green2
Orla at Green3
Zvia at Green8
Niri at Green9
NPC allies are down the hall, behind Niri
On the sideview of the stairs. You must move from green# to green# sequentially. Once you're at green1 you will be at D4 on the normal map and can move normally.
If you're at green2 you can see the room and can attack targets nearby (you can also be attacked -- and those in the room will get a +2 bonus as if you're prone!).
If you're at green3 you can see D4 only (and it that square has cover from you)
If you move from green2 to green1, the skeletons will attack you (OA) because you are moving through their threat-zone (and no, you cannot shift on the stairs -- unless you're able to shift more than one square of movement).
Alester: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Orla: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs
Savi-Kai: suffering imprisonment effects (lose 1 Healing Surge per day); chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED).
Thringorn: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Zvia: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs.
**Imprisonment effects last till you reach 2 milestones.
Assuming the same type of skeletons...
Skeletons == AC: 17, Fort: 14, REF: 13, WILL: 12
**They explode with Necrotic Energy when Bloodied or Killed
The exit to the West. There are two other doors to this room (North and East)
Stairs squares are difficult terrain.
If someone is prone on the stairs, you need to make a DC14 Acrobatics Check to step over them, or you fall prone too and end your movement.
The ally npcs are colored green (lettered A-H).
Rallnik, Thanis, and Nirifanya are labeled with thier first initial.
RED DOTS indicate bloodied npcs (ally and enemy, players are NOT indicated).
ORANGE DOTS indicate Savi-Kai's mark.
PURPLE DOTS indicate Thringorn's mark.
BROWN DOTS are NPC marks.
======================================================================
INITIATIVE -- bold shows who's turn it is
Skeletons
1:
2:
Alester: weakened (1/2 dam), 2nd Wind (+2 def), Shroud of Concealment (+2 def), Bloodied! see the note above about spending a HS
Thringorn: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied!
Thanis: Bloodied! (near dead)
3: Marked by Thringorn
4:
Savi: weakened (1/2 dam)
Rallnik: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied!
Orla
Zvia
Nirifanya
Rallnik's men (A-D) (all weakened)
Thanis's men (E-H), (E is not weakened, the rest are)
5:
6:
======================================================================
"No! I need to get upstairs... " Niri go charging up the stairs, but has to stop short when he gets to Orla. He tells Orla as he runs up behind her, "Get me a clear line to that room and I can asks for the spirits' help to keep us alive!"
The rest of the NPCs see Zvia come back down and wonder what to do next. They wait in the hall with her.
Finally, the last of the skeletons attack. One pulls a level on the wall and a spray of necrotic energy shoots into the stairs (). Another tries to push Alester down into the stairs, but Alester is not easily moved! The rest just swing away with their blades. Savi is easily able to defender herself, but Thanis is not so lucky. The half-elf Karrnathi soldier gets run through, and he drops to the ground, dying.
Savi is at Green2
Orla at Green3
Zvia is off the stairs (adjacent to green9)
Niri at Green4
NPC allies are down the hall, behind Zvia
On the sideview of the stairs. You must move from green# to green# sequentially. Once you're at green1 you will be at D4 on the normal map and can move normally. It costs 2 moves to enter ANY green# square, 3 moves if you are moving through an ally.
If you're at green2 you can see the room and can attack targets nearby (you can also be attacked -- and those in the room will get a +2 bonus as if you're prone!).
If you're at green3 you can see D4 only (and it that square has cover from you)
Otherwise you can only see adjacent green#s
If you move from green2 to green1, the skeletons will attack you (OA) because you are moving through their threat-zone (and no, you cannot shift on the stairs -- unless you're able to shift more than one square of movement).
Total Damage to PLAYERS:
Savi: 6 necrotic damage and you're slowed.
Alester: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Orla: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs
Savi-Kai: suffering imprisonment effects (lose 1 Healing Surge per day); chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED).
Thringorn: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Zvia: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs.
**Imprisonment effects last till you reach 2 milestones.
Assuming the same type of skeletons...
Skeletons == AC: 17, Fort: 14, REF: 13, WILL: 12
**They explode with Necrotic Energy when Bloodied or Killed
The exit to the West. There are two other doors to this room (North and East)
Stairs squares are difficult terrain.
If someone is prone on the stairs, you need to make a DC14 Acrobatics Check to step over them, or you fall prone too and end your movement.
The ally npcs are colored green (lettered A-H).
Rallnik, Thanis, and Nirifanya are labeled with thier first initial.
RED DOTS indicate bloodied npcs (ally and enemy, players are NOT indicated).
ORANGE DOTS indicate Savi-Kai's mark.
PURPLE DOTS indicate Thringorn's mark.
BROWN DOTS are NPC marks.
======================================================================
INITIATIVE -- bold shows who's turn it is
Skeletons
1:
2:
Alester: weakened (1/2 dam), 2nd Wind (+2 def), Shroud of Concealment (+2 def), Bloodied!
Thringorn: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied!
Thanis: (dying)
3: Marked by Thringorn
4:
Savi: weakened (1/2 dam), SLOWED (se)
Rallnik: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied!
Orla
Zvia
Nirifanya
Rallnik's men (A-D) (all weakened)
Thanis's men (E-H), (E is not weakened, the rest are)
5:
6:
======================================================================
<<map>>
ALL Saving Throws are made at the END of your turn (unless you have some special feat/power that says otherwise). You make a d20 roll: 10 or above and you succeed. There are no modifiers to this unless you have a special feat/power. This means that most times you have to suffer the effects of whatever has happened to you at least once.
eg. Savi is slowed. On her turn, she will have a speed of 2. At the end of her turn she can roll a save. If she makes it (10 or higher), next turn she moves full speed, otherwise she's still slowed.
DYING
When you drop to negative hp, you are "dying". On your turn, you get no actions. You make a saving throw at the end of your turn. If you succeed, no harm befalls you. If you fail (1-9), you have earned 1 FAILED DEATH SAVE. If you earn 3 of these, you die-die. If you roll a natural 20 on your death save, you come back.
At any point, if someone casts a heal on you, you are considered to have 0hp before the heal takes effect (it doesn't matter how negative you were prior).
Savi, you're the first one to hear a slight... cracking noise. Like someone cracking their knuckles... just it's way too loud and way too much. And you swear you hear a groan coming from Thanis ().
Meanwhile, two of the skeletons attack, but Thringorn and Savi are too skilled to be hit. Then Rallnick shifts over to try and gain a better position and drives his blade into Alester's target.
Rallnik and Alester's tag team is enough to Bloody their target. This causes the now familiar necrotic burst from the skeleton... most of you are able to dodge its effects.
Once again, Orla can feel the explosion of necrotic energy, but she is just a bit outside of the range of it.
Savi is at Green2
Orla at Green3
Zvia is off the stairs (adjacent to green9)
Niri at Green4
NPC allies are down the hall, behind Zvia
On the sideview of the stairs. You must move from green# to green# sequentially. Once you're at green1 you will be at D4 on the normal map and can move normally. It costs 2 moves to enter ANY green# square, 3 moves if you are moving through an ally.
If you're at green2 you can see the room and can attack targets nearby (you can also be attacked -- and those in the room will get a +2 bonus as if you're prone!).
If you're at green3 you can see D4 only (and it that square has cover from you)
Otherwise you can only see adjacent green#s
If you move from green2 to green1, the skeletons will attack you (OA) because you are moving through their threat-zone (and no, you cannot shift on the stairs -- unless you're able to shift more than one square of movement).
Total Damage to PLAYERS:
none
Alester: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Orla: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs
Savi-Kai: suffering imprisonment effects (lose 1 Healing Surge per day); chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED).
Thringorn: chains broken, still cuffed (WEAKENED)
Zvia: suffering imprisonment effects (-2 to all skill checks and lose 1 Healing Surge per day); completely free of chains and cuffs.
**Imprisonment effects last till you reach 2 milestones.
Assuming the same type of skeletons...
Skeletons == AC: 17, Fort: 14, REF: 13, WILL: 12
**They explode with Necrotic Energy when Bloodied or Killed
The exit to the West. There are two other doors to this room (North and East)
Stairs squares are difficult terrain.
If someone is prone on the stairs, you need to make a DC14 Acrobatics Check to step over them, or you fall prone too and end your movement.
The ally npcs are colored green (lettered A-H).
Rallnik, Thanis, and Nirifanya are labeled with thier first initial.
RED DOTS indicate bloodied npcs (ally and enemy, players are NOT indicated).
ORANGE DOTS indicate Savi-Kai's mark.
PURPLE DOTS indicate Thringorn's mark.
BROWN DOTS are NPC marks.
======================================================================
INITIATIVE -- bold shows who's turn it is
Skeletons
1: Marked by Rallnik, Bloodied!
2:
Alester: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied?
Thringorn: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied!
Thanis: Dying (making death saves, and strange noises...??)
3: Marked by Thringorn, Bloodied!
4:
Rallnik: weakened (1/2 dam), Bloodied!
Savi: weakened (1/2 dam)
Orla
Zvia
Nirifanya
Rallnik's men (A-D) (all weakened)
Thanis's men (E-H), (E is not weakened, the rest are)
5:
6:
======================================================================
My hair dances about my shoulders as I focus power through my sword and strike out at the group around me.
Sword Burst on S3
on S4
on S5
Damage
Crit Fire Damage
I move away from the stairs (D5), pulling my sword into a defensive position to guard against the coming attacks.
Save vs. slow
Savi's stats
HP: 29/37, Surges: 9/11(-1), AP: 1/1
PS. Check the bold info at the bottom of this post -- I think you get a free shot on S3
The skeletons at the edge of the stairs try to swings at Savi-Kai as she moves up the steps. She gets distracted for a moment trying to remember something about Thanis's body... and a blade is sunk deep into her ().
Total Damage to PLAYERS:
Savi: 12
:)
You saw from your perception check that there is a thick blackish-green liquid slowly stitching up the blade cut on Thanis.
Your Arcana tells you:
It's definitely not natural. You can sense a bit of necrotic energy coming from the liquid...
You pretty sure this isn't an effect of the skeletons or the room or the dungeon.
Your solid arcana roll also triggers a memory you had from a few days ago, soon after Thanis arrived in the cell and you all started sharing stories. You heard several rumors from the men coming into the cell (<<This is a link to that post>> click on the spoiler to see the rumors).
You remember it being mentioned from his men that Thanis was experiemented on. Perhaps this oozing liquid has something to do with those experiements?!