Aylmora stands ready with her crossbow locked and loaded.
This large throne room is decorated with hanging furs along its walls, mostly black and red-striped fi repelt skins, various dog pelts, and in some cases, what look like horse hides. Four square timbers support the ceiling, their faces studded with dozens of iron spikes, with the lower reaches decorated with dozens of impaled and severed hands in various stages of decay. To the northeast, a wooden platform supports a throne heaped with dog pelts and horse hides. Dog skulls adorn the armrests and a horse skull leers over the throne’s back. Seated on the throne is a goblin in a gleaming breastplate, at his side a huge gecko nearly ten feet long if you include the tail.
"Stop where you are!" he shouts, rising to his feet. "I am Ripnugget, warchief of Thistletop!" he points at Gob. "You may approach me, blue-skin, with you I will speak!"
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"No." Gob states this flatly while looking at Snovli and Tudmunch.
"I am Chief Slickarm, of the Sandpoint Tribe. You may approach me. Your tribe is gone. My associates and I dispatched them. You, and whatever pathetic underlings you may have left may join my tribe and your lives will be spared. If you refuse, we will kill you and carve your names into every large stone within ten miles."
Gob holds his crossbow steady, his posture solid.
Gob is not bluffing, merely stating his intentions.
2PP Energy Ray (ranged touch): ; damage:
Party are in A7-B9.
Gob can only hit Ripnugget if he advances into the room at least five feet. Ripnugget laughs and vaults off the throne and onto the back of the lizard, sweeping out his dogslicer.
"You want to challenge chief Gob?" he brandishes his weapon.
Initiative, if needed:
"Snovli, Tudmunch, stay out of the way and defend yourselves! You will soon see who is worth following..."
Ripnugget:
Initiative
Initiative:
Initiative
Thanadros lowers his weapon and watches as Gob and Ripnugget square off.
Gornak was waiting for Gob to say his piece, and now he's waiting (slug-footed) just outside the door.
After Ripnugget acts, Gornak will double-move into the room.
Aylmora waits near the back with Vaclav, keeping an eye out for any enemies that may sneak up from behind.
Vaclav whispers to Aylmora,
Aylmora whispers back to Vaclav.
Albrecht's Initiative:
Gob advances a short distance into the room, as Ripnugget starts forward slowly, moving to one side to get a clear line-of-sight on Gob. Suddenly he surges forward with a battle-cry.
Gob's prepared energy ray arcs like lightning from his finger-tips and slams into the attacking goblin. He howls but keeps coming, slamming into Gob hard.
Attack: Damage:
Giant Gecko Bite: Damage:
As Ripnugget charges, arrows speed from the rafters and a voice starts chanting. The arrows do not target Gob, instead they shoot at the rest of the party.
Archer #1 (Thanadros): Damage:
Archer #2 (Gornak): Damage:
Archer #3 (Albrecht): Damage:
Ripnugget/Goblins: 23 (acted)
Vaclav: 18
Gob: 17
Thanadros: 13
Aylmora: 6+
Gornak: 6
Albrecht: 5
Crossbow: ; damage:
Vaclav steps forward a pace and raises his bow to sight in one of the goblins in the rafters over his companions' heads.
Attack Archer 1 Longbow ... damage
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When the arrow sinks into Thanadros's buckler, he quickly aims and unleashes a volley of arrows at the new threats.
Focused Close Rapid Shot Mwk Composite Longbow(+2) ; | Damage ; | Crit: 20/x3
Which squares are Gob and Ripnugget in?
The goblins in the rafters are using the pillars for partial cover (20% miss chances) as they shoot. Vaclav and Thanadros can clearly make out the two to the west and one to the north-east, the one to the south-east cannot be seen by them.
Vaclav's attack: % Vaclav's shot wings the near goblin.
Thanadros' attack #1: % Thanadros' first shot quivers in the far pillar.
Thanadros' attack #2: % His second shot accurately skewers the goblin, and he tumbles from the rafters and lies still.
Gornak tries to swing for a home run, using Ripnugget's head for the ball.
"Hey, quit moving around, you little pipsqueak!"
Round One:
Aylmora retrieves a jar of harpy musk from her belt pouch as she focuses her attention on Ripnugget. With a primal scream she unleashes her rage in a massive mental assault upon the goblin chieftain's thought pathways. Unfortunately, the sudden release of the young woman's turbulent emotions leaves her unable to see clearly for several moments.
Easily dodging the arrow sent his way, Albrecht waits for Gornak to swing at Ripnugget before stepping up and sending a flurry of sword slashes at the mounted goblin chief.
Ripnugget's Will Save:
Aylmora's psyche plunges into the goblin's mind, shattering it like glass. Too late she realises she has gone too deep, too fast, Ripnugget is dying, and dragging her with him. The goblin chief reels in his saddle, blood pouring from ears, eyes and nose he clutches his head and shrieks, tumbling from his saddle as Gornak's lucern hammer sweeps through the space he just occupied.
Instead the hammer crunches down on the lizard's spine. A moment later Albrecht decapitates it with a sweep of his temple sword.
Aylmora blinks, disconcerted to find herself uninjured, but tired (don't forget the loss of power points).
Another hail of arrows hisses at the party:
Archer #1 (Thanadros): Damage:
Archer #3 (Albrecht): Damage:
Archer #4 (Gornak): Damage:
The goblins are largely shooting wild after the death of their cheiften, but one scores a hit on Albrecht. Above the entrance, as Albrecht advances, a net drops!
Net Attack #1 (Gob): ranged touch
Net Attack #2 (Albrecht): ranged touch
Both Gob and Albrecht are entangled.
Gob fires his crossbow at the nearest goblin still alive, then he reloads. I hope the netting makes me seem less of a threat to them...
Crossbow: ; damage:
Crit confirmation: ; damage:
Goblin #1 takes another hit, he's not very healthy but not out yet.
The rafters are in easy reach of Gornak's hammer.
"Cut your way out, Albrecht," Gornak suggests as he steps around the entangled adventurers. He reaches up to whack one of the goblins out of the rafters.
<cough> Initiative order.
Ripnugget/Goblins: 23 (acted)
Up next:
Vaclav: 18
Gob: 17
Thanadros: 13
Aylmora: 6+
Gornak: 6
Albrecht: 5
Vaclav draws another arrow and fits it to his bow. He sights on the leftmost (western) goblin and looses another arrow.
Longbow ... damage (+1 to hit and damage at or inside 30')
Net rules from PRD:
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 20 Escape Artist check (a full-round action). The net has 5 hit points and can be burst with a DC 25 Strength check (also a full-round action). A net is useful only against creatures within one size category of you.
A net must be folded to be thrown effectively. The first time you throw your net in a fight, you make a normal ranged touch attack roll. After the net is unfolded, you take a –4 penalty on attack rolls with it. It takes 2 rounds for a proficient user to fold a net and twice that long for a nonproficient one to do so.
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Thanadros continues to shoot at the goblins.
Focused Close Mwk Rapid Shot Composite Longbow(+2) ; | Damage ; | Crit: 20/x3
Flinching back from the arrows flying his way, Albrecht gets caught in a net that he promptly begins to start to try to cut and squirm his way out of.
Another hail of arrows hisses at the party:
Archer #1 (Thanadros): 1d20+6 Damage: 1d4+2
Archer #3 (Albrecht): 1d20+6 Damage: 1d4+2
Archer #4 (Gornak): 1d20+6 Damage: 1d4+2The goblins are largely shooting wild after the death of their cheiften, but one scores a hit on Albrecht. Above the entrance, as Albrecht advances, a net drops!
Round Two:
"See how the even the mighty Ripnugget falls before the great Chief Slickarm!" Aylmora cries out in the Goblin tongue. "Surrender now or suffer his wrath! He will write your names on every wall and feed you alive to a herd of horses!
"This can end as soon as you lay down arms!"
Gob again shoots the nearest goblin.
Crossbow: ; damage:
Gob's shot goes wide; Thanadros' shots:
Shot #1:
Shot #2:
The winged and wounded goblin slumps down on the rafters, a third arrow embedded in him.
Aylmora's shout gives the goblins pause, while Gornak advances and with a sweep of his hammer smashes one goblin from his perch above Albrecht, who slashes the net to string.
Vaclav's shot:
Vaclav nails the gobling war-chanter, who tumbles from the rafters also.
Two goblins remain. One above the door, one in E4. Both throw down their dog slicers, wailing fearfully.
"They're surrendering. Their lives are in your hands," he says to the group.
"If we take them with us, they remain bound. and tied to each other. They have not earned even a modicum of trust..." Gob says, then whispers, "I will not kill them in cold blood."
Thanadros looks to Snovli and Tudmunch, and then to the other two.
"Normally, I do not let goblins live, but If you think they can be redeemed along with the others, then I respect your wishes. However if they cross the line, then they will die." Thanadros says as he looks to the two goblins.
He then turns and whispers to Gob. "You have more then proven your friendship and loyalty to me friend Gob, but do you truly think you can redeem these goblins? As their Chieftain, you will be held responsibility of their actions..."
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"Can you redeem a wolf that sets upon a deer? Goblins are depraved, and could survive less cruelly only if shown a more compassionate way that is also an easier way. Otherwise, they'd revert to instinct and conditioning."
Gob pauses, looking at Tudmunch and Snovli, hoping his words hit some chord in them as he speaks to Thanadros, "If a wolf pack attacks you or your flock or your kin, but you kill their alpha and kill or injure the rest, and they flee, or cower, do you give in to vengeance and slaughter them?"
"Not vengenance, practicality. The wolves must be killed so that they do not breed a new pack to menace the people and herds anew." Vaclav states flatly. He frowns, apparently just catching on that Gob is speaking metaphorically.
"Maybe we can just chase them away from town? If they live in the swamp or something, they probably won't trouble the folks in Sandpoint so much."
Now that the battle is over, Gornak's taste for fighting has evaporated. He looks regretfully at the broken body of the goblin he smashed out of the rafters.
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Gob looks to Vaclav. "But, that's genocide. And would probably upset the local food chain until another predator moved in. Thing is, it could be worse than the wolves... or goblins."
Gob looks to Gornak, "Friend, that's a good idea. Goblins are sentient, for what it's worth, and can be reasoned with at times. If nothing else, they understand consequences... their culture is built on negative reinforcement. I should know." Gob smiles grimly. "For obvious reasons I do not believe goblins are inherently evil, however I do believe it is highly unlikely that 'redeeming' a large number of them is possible. Making a pact with them that they'll honor because f threat of retaliation, sure, but someone would have to keep checking in on them."