Aubrey's Rise of the Runelords campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Aubrey the Malformed

Main party:

Main party:

Dravite:

** spoiler omitted **

DM-

Main group:

Main group: ** spoiler omitted **

Dravite creeps closer to the ogre in the cookhouse, hugging the shadows. The ogre doesn't notice him, humming happily and engrossed as it is with turning over the remains of the dismembered rangers on the smokers. Dravite reaches a good spot from which launch a fusillade...

... And the front gate of the keep crashes open, to reveal Hudak, Elisile, Vethran, a halfling Dravite has never seen before, and Alwyn, who is looking even more manic than usual. Besides them, struggling with a polearm on which are threaded three gory ogre heads, is Illes.

The ogre at the cookhouse roars and reaches for its weapons and more ogrish bellows rise up around the bailey.

And so we are all back together again. I'll give you the map a bit later - in the meantime, roll initiative.

1d20+3=19 initiative.

Init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Init: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

ALWIN'S INIT 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
ILLES' INIT 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

as those two are gone for the nonce.

Dravite/Vethran 19 tied
Alwyn 19
Elisile 15
Hudak 14
Camlo 11
Illes 7

Dravite sees the rangers' parts being so callously treated and his eyes grow cold and dark with anger. "I'll be feedin' ye ta da vultures ya vile kin o' da tallfolk!" he says aloud and unleashes a volley of giant death at the cook.
1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
If the first attack (2 arrows, manyshot) hits--2d8 + 32 ⇒ (2, 1) + 32 = 35
If the second attack hits--1d8 + 16 ⇒ (2) + 16 = 18

Waiting for map to optimize blast radius.

“Dravite?!”

“Dravite?!”

Aye lass, tis me, and seein' ye 'as screwed oop me shot!

My turn? Any chance of charging the ogre?

"Well f%+%ing met! You ogres are screwed!!!"

"Ha! I knew you couldn't stay away for long!"

Calm down, gentlemen - I need to roll the ogres' initiatives and give you the map. This I will do tonight. Maybe a bit of description in the meantime...

The ogre in the cookhouse grabs the deliciously-smoked mortal remains of a horse and prepares to rush the party as they emerge from the keep's main entrance. Ogres begin to force their way out of the barracks to the west, bursting the door off its hinges in their eagerness to crush and rend. And the ogres by the south gate also come hurtling up.

OK, here's the plan. A to Z across the top, 1 to 30 down the side. This is a moderately complicated map (but no round bits, at least). There are the following main elements: the curtain wall of the fort; the south gate (in said curtain wall); the pond; the cookhouse; the barracks; and the keep.

The wall first. This is a straight line with with a number of kinks. I'm only describing the inner perimiter of it for simplicity and so we'll just do it as a line, as follows. Start at the the point at the far bottom left (A30). From there, it moves four squares to the centre point of D-E/30. It the kinks upwards at about 45 degrees in a straight line from D-E/30 to the centre of P-Q/23-25. It then turns back slightly on itself in another straight line to the centre of N-O/20-21. After that, it then heads off in a straight line to Z/14-15 at the far right of the map. It then bends back again, the line heading to X-Y/10-11, before finally bending one last time to Z/9-10. Stupid wall.

The south gate is on the section of wall at K-L/27. The pond is just to the right of that; draw a straight line from L-M/26-27 to N-O/20-21. The triangle that makes with the wall is the pond, a rather nasty pool of sewage filled with bloated corpses.

The barracks, at least is easy: it is the rectangle A-F/13-22. The door is at F/19-20.

The keep (the section that matters) is as follows: start at A/10-11, and draw a straight line to P-Q/3-4. Then it bends back to O-P/1. The entrance to the keep is along its front wall at H-I/6-7.

The cookhouse it little more than an open frame with a roof abutting the curtain wall. From T-U/17-18 draw a line to R-S/13-14. From there, draw another to X-Y/10-11. Although it is open to the outside, there are two large smokers inside that you will need to manouevre around if you go in there: one at W-X/12-13 and another at U-V/15-16.

The line along A the cliff face and so effectively impassable. However, the line along Z (and along 1 where the keep isn't in the way) is open as this map only represents about half of the bailey

There are currently five ogres visible: the one in the cookhouse (S-T/12-13); four by the south gate (E-F/27-28, G-H/24-25, L-M/23-24 and the one you saw - not Dravite - with mink attached to his face at H-I/26-27). You can hear more, especially from the barracks.

The main party emerging from the keep will be near the entrance to the keep (within 20'). Darvite will be near the cookhouse somewhere, probably near the wall as he was sneaking in from the right. Please place yoursleves as appropriate on the map.

Ogre initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 17

Dravite 19+
Vethran 19
Alwyn 19-
Ogres 17
Elisile 15
Hudak 14
Camlo 11
Illes 7

Dravite. I'll assume you use the action you posted above.

Dravite swears his unending revenge on giantkind and unleashes with his bow. But his fury gets the better of his judgement and his arrows simply hit the ogre's hide shirt, which absorbs the impacts.

Two misses.

Vethran.

I'm in J8. Fight!

By heck, that's a bit complex.

Camlo was up ahead so will be in G13

Y10 for Dravite.

Elisile is H8.

Hudak is at I10.

Ithers is out of town, so let's place Illes at I7, waving the white flag of war.

Good map. You might be missing a smoker and the cookhouse wall might need to come in a little bit, but other than that it's spot-on.

Good map. You might be missing a smoker and the cookhouse wall might need to come in a little bit, but other than that it's spot-on.

I'm getting better at reading your instructions I think!

More PCs added in. And that dastardly smoker that stopped existing at some point...

Waiting for Vethran. Hopefully the blast dynamics are optimised.

I'll start in I8.

It's Vethran's go too.

Seeing the cluster of ogres on the far side of the courtyard, Vethran immediately intones his signature spell, sending a blazing ball of fire into the ogres' midst.

Fireball centered at H-I/25-26. I believe that should hit all 4 ogres to the south. Fire damage: 10d6 + 3 ⇒ (5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 2, 1, 2, 2, 5) + 3 = 44. Reflex DC 21 for half. Move action to draw my wand of scorching ray.

1d20 ⇒ 4
1d20 ⇒ 20
1d20 ⇒ 20
1d20 ⇒ 12

The fireball explodes, tendrils of flame rushing outwards like the petals of a red-orange flower, ephemeral but beautiful (Vethran is an artist in flame). When the golden petals have evaporated, one of the ogres lies dying, lungs seared by breathing in the hot gases. Two others totter but somehow live, and their leader howls in rage, the mink skins rammed on to his mutilated jawbones mere tatters of scorched fur.

Alwyn.

mink skins....roflmao!

Alwyn steps forward, pointing his greatsword at the scorched ogres. A spectral copy of it materialises above one of them, promptly plunging into the ogre's neck.

Move to J12 before casting Spiritual weapon at one of the non-minky burn victims. Attack roll 14+6(BAB+WIS)=AC 20, damage 7+2=9.

Alwyn's magical greatsword crunches through the ogre's spine, felling it instantly.

OK, to clarify, the ogre in E-F/27-28 is the one killed by Vethran's fireball. The one in L-M/23-24 is the one killed by Alwyn's spiritual weapon.

The ogre by the cookhouse rushes at Dravite, the gently-smoked and extremely flavoursome horse haunch in its hands swingly wildly. Charges to (1d20 + 16 - 4 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 16 - 4 - 2 + 2 = 30 to hit, damage 1d8 + 10 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 6 = 22.) The impromtu weapon crashes into Dravite, rocking him back on his feet. The ogre then drops its weapon and goes for its ogrehook (next round).

Dravite:

More to come in a moment.

Meanwhile, their skin virtually burned off and hanging in crisped shreds from their horridly glistening flesh, the ogres ravaged by Vethran's fireball hurl themselves into the fray, and in particular at Alwyn. Alwyn dodges an incoming club but is ripped up by the other's ogre hook.

G-H/24-25 charges to H-I/14-15 and H-I/26-27 charges to J-L/14-15. Two attacks on Alwyn (Camlo's too small to matter). Attack 1: 1d20 + 16 - 3 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 16 - 3 + 2 = 31, damage 3d6 + 9 + 13 ⇒ (5, 4, 1) + 9 + 13 = 32. Attack 2: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 2 = 19, damage 2d8 + 7 ⇒ (3, 1) + 7 = 11

Four ogres burst out of the barracks building, clubs waving. They crane about, looking for the fight, and howl with joy as they spot the party and move into position.

Ogres emerging from the barracks end up at L-M/11-12, L-M/13-14, N-O/12-13 and N-O/14-15.

Elisile.

So that's just 7 ogres left to take out then? <gulp> Where's the nearest exit?

At the moment.

So that's just 7 ogres left to take out then? <gulp> Where's the nearest exit?

By the way, you don't have Vethran on the map - he's just in front of Illes.

Three moor o' de brutes! Comin' from de north oot o' de old tower!

Four ogres burst out of the barracks building, clubs waving. They crane about, looking for the fight, and howl with joy as they spot the party and move into position.

Ogres emerging from the barracks end up at L-M/11-12, L-M/13-14, N-O/12-13 and N-O/14-15.

"Excellent! I have them right where I want them - surrounding them from the inside!" Alwyn grins manically. "And there's more coming! More fodder for the sword!"

Swwet Gorum, that is one juicy Fireball target. BTW, where did the steak-wielding ogre charging Dravite end up?

Just reposting this:

Spells still in effect as we entered the courtyard:

Vethran: Cat's grace, Protection from arrows - +4 DEX, DR 10 vs missiles
Camlo: Cat's grace - +4 DEX
Elisile: Cat's grace, Shield - +4 DEX, +4 AC
Hudak: Bull's strength, Protection from evil, Heroism - +4 STR, +2 AC, +2 attack bonus
Alwyn: Heroism - +2 attack bonus
Illes: Alter self, Eagle's splendor - +2 STR, +4 CHA

Not to hinder us, but it is pretty optimistic to imagine those are all still running. All of mine except Heroism had a duration of 3 minutes (from scrolls) and we fought and then stopped to make a head skewer. Realistically Heroism is the only one still active (of mine). Elisile's casting would last much longer as would Vethran's.

That's what comes of a low WIS.