DM Flykiller's Council of Thieves

Game Master flykiller

Dracius - Cause Fear has 25ft. range, I don't think you can reach even the sleeping armigers from where you stand.
Illithia - thanks, I've also stolen this way from another game I am playing in :) A pity it seems to have died over Easter :(

Sorry, the map was cut off when I opened it, so I didn't quite see it... Revising

Round 0:
Dracius pops out of the bushes and approach with his glaive in-hand, moving to T25.

Round 1:
Dracius moves forward to P24, putting the armiger within his reach, when he will then cast cause fear vs. #2.

Sorry, I forgot about the delaying bit. Just Bishop left to go before Round 2 starts.

Round 1

Bishop seizes the opening made by his companions and charges Shanwen. He pulls his fist back and attempts to give the Hellknight a right hook.

Bishop will charge from H27 to M20
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Reach is strange with flanking. With Bishop and Illithia positioned where they are, Illithia may be providing a flank. I'll leave this ruling up to Flykiller though.

In this particular case it doesn't matter. I will look up the rules for flanking now. Are you ok with me rolling for AOOs?
EDIT: I looked it up and the case #3 here clearly states that reach provides flanking.
The black powder has burned out, and the smoke cloud began blurring, covering a bigger area.
It now provides partial concealment unless there are at least 3 squares of smoke between the attacker and target. Also attack from adjacent square grants no concealment, but is at -2.

I'm ok with that, makes things go faster.

Bishop's fist hits Shanwen's plate armor with a metal clang - this is the real thing, not some armiger's imitation. Shanwen barely registers the hit, his face white with anger at his minions.
"Get back, useless cowards! Protect the prisoner at all costs!"
Ignoring the threat from Bishop's fists and Illithia's glaive, he clambers up the carriage.
AOO from Bishop: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
AOO from Illithia: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Move N19-P21. Also, Shanwen is on higher ground roughly 6' above the land. Those with reach weapons have to be adjacent to him to reach him.
He makes it unscathed and looks around furiously, assessing the count of attackers and realizing most of his guards are asleep. In a fit of powerless rage, he clutches his holy symbol - a wooden pentagram - and promises eternal torment in the Eighth Hell for both you and the armigers who dared to let him down.
Channel Negative Energy, DC10 for half. Everyone but Ferrucio is affected
1d6 ⇒ 6

Will Save vs. Channel 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Illithia looks down at the armiger who had tripped. Wounds suddenly erupt all over her body as the darkness of the Nine Hells sweeps through her. She focuses Shelyn's will into healing energies to close most of the wounds. A gentle voice, almost a plea to the armiger: "Surrender. Or run. Please." Her glaive is held at the ready, in case the young man tries to take advantage of her respite.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Swift Action to Lay on Hands on herself.
Lay on Hands: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Will Save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Dracius winces as the wave of darkness rolls over him, its discordant cacophany attempting to drown out the music in his soul. He grinds it away with an act of will and shouts, "The beast is killing his own men! We must take him down!"

Illithia hears Dracius shout and realization dawns on her. He was trying to kill his own men. That would not be tolerated. Abandoning her attempt at persuasion, she decides instead to charge directly at Shanwen. Now she wasn't pulling her punches. This man was a threat to everyone. Not just her allies.

Charge from P18->Q20.
Power attack 1d20 + 4 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 2 - 1 = 15 (1d10 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11)

Will Save 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

"I'm a little more worried about him killin' us, right now."

Will Save 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

The Professor begins to make for the door of the carriage until he realizes one of the armigers is awake and Shanwen is up on top of the carriage. He points at the carriage roof with a chiding gesture, saying "It's a slippery slope once you start that."

Immediately the entire carriage roof is covered with a slick substance and it's very hard to stand or walk on it.

Then Dario draws his sword and advances on the awake Armiger.

Cast Grease on the carriage roof. Reflex save DC 13 or fall down. Move U25->S24

Did #6 wake up? And he's still prone, right?

Shanwen's Reflex save: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

Perception 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Dario shouts to the carriage, "Arael, can you hear me? Westcrown's Children finally have the teeth you've sought!

Ferrucio should be at initiative step 22 now; he delayed his action in the surprise round to move to the top of the initiative order.

Description
Ferrucio watches the Asmodean cleric clamber up to the top of the carriage, screeching at his armigers as he does so. Then he grasps his holy symbol and a circle of ephemeral hellfire bursts out from him, opening wounds all over Illithia's body.

Ferrucio takes a moment to closely examine Shanwen's accoutrements--see if he can spot the key somewhere on his person--before ducking back to the bridge post and chanting the familiar words to open a portal that will bring through a creature to serve him. If Dracius and Illithia were willing to inflict mortal harm on Shanwen, that meant Ferrucio's hands should be untied at last...

will have to retcon to account for Grease taking place before Illithia's attack.
Ferrucio - I thought you delayed your surprise round action to start Round 1 earlier, and that it doesn't carry over to round 2?
OK, re-read the rules and it says 'for the rest of the combat'.

The delay rules say that your new initiative is wherever you delayed to. While I hadn't considered Ferrucio's interpretation, it does seem to be accurate, with the addendum that it would've restricted his actions in Round 1 to a standard action, as is normal for the surprise round.

The only thing that would change with Illithia's actions is that Shanwen receives a -4 penalty to his AC for being prone against a melee attack. However, if you want to treat the carriage as cover for him, that would also give him an AC bonus.

The heavy armor, although providing protection from attacks, restricts Shanwen's movements, and he falls flat on the carriage roof, unable to hold his balance. At this moment, Illithia's blade falls heavily on top of him, leaving a big dent in his armor and causing an outcry of pain. Illithia thinks she could hear a rib cracking. Nevertheless, Shanwen doesn't cease attempts to regain balance.
1d4 ⇒ 4
The frightened armiger continues to run from the horrors Dracius's spell caused him to imagine. Double move J18->H11
The other three armigers awaken and get their weapons, completely sure that the pain they feel was inflicted by the 'bandits' while they were unconscious.
They stand up from prone and draw blades. A5 provokes AOO from Illithia, provided she doesn't want to forgo it: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Ferrucio needs a Perception check.
Bishop to go.

I believe, by delaying into the normal combat round, he would get a full action, as he's now acting in round 1.

Edit: Deleting old actions as I was ninja-ed by the GM who changed everything. However, Dracius will take the AoO vs. Armiger #6 who's in reach of his glaive when he stands, though attempt non-lethal.

Also, if anyone takes a swing at him, Dracius will use his Adoration domain ability -- it's an immediate action.

Dracius hasn't acted yet in Round 2?

The delay rules say that your new initiative is wherever you delayed to. While I hadn't considered Ferrucio's interpretation, it does seem to be accurate, with the addendum that it would've restricted his actions in Round 1 to a standard action, as is normal for the surprise round.

While I disagree on the interpretation that delaying in the surprise round restricts the delayer to only a single standard action, in this instance the point has become mostly moot--my alternative sequence of actions would have been more or less identical in outcome, although I'd still be down at initiative step 10. Happy to thrash out the rules and come to a conclusion in the Discussion forum after this combat if necessary--or abide by whatever Flykiller rules, if he has a firm opinion.

Ferrucio needs a Perception check.

I made two: one vs. your DCs (failed) and one to see if Shanwen was carrying the key; they're in my spoilered Actions block. In case you actually need me to make another one:

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 (wow, I are awesome spotting guy...not)

Sorry I couldn't see your spoilered block under IE, had to open the page from Chrome to see it :( that's fine.

Sorry I couldn't see your spoilered block under IE, had to open the page from Chrome to see it :( that's fine.

That's weird. Would you prefer I stopped spoilering my actions and such in future?

I'm not sure what causes it, e.g I can see your 'disposition update' just fine. It must be two tags in a row or something. Spoiler followed by plain text displays fine.

Dracius realizes that the fight is not as over as he might have hoped, and calls upon his goddess to shield him. He then steps toward the prone cleric, his expression one of disgust.

Though he faces Shanwen, he projects his voice so that his disdain can be heard by all of them, "You would burn your own men in unholy fire just to strike at your enemies? Or was that just to wake them? Will you do it again now and kill them So far, the only harm that has come to your men has been at your hands."

Standard action: Cast shield (domain spell)
Move action: Step forward to 022, which should put Shanwen within reach of Dracius' glaive if he tries to stand, and provide flanking for Illithia. Fortunately, unarmed enemies don't threaten, so the move should be fine.
If Dracius is attacked, he'll use his domain power of adoration to try to nullify it (the first attack).

Dracius, you might want to add a skill check to these words, depending on what you're trying to achieve. You can use Perform(act).

I'm not sure what causes it, e.g I can see your 'disposition update' just fine. It must be two tags in a row or something. Spoiler followed by plain text displays fine.

<rewinding for a moment to take into account a GM ruling>

Please disregard the entirety of my most recent post describing my actions; Ferrucio is now at Initiative 10 and will not bother summoning the eagle at this point.

Actions for Round 2
Ferrucio looks closely at Shanwen, and spots a copper chain around the Hellknight's neck.

"The key!" he calls out to Dario. "Shanwen has the key around his neck!"

Ferrucio moves into the smoke cloud, glad of the protection from his kerchief, and then casts mage hand to retrieve the key on its chain.

Concentration check in case I need it vs. the smoke: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

If the retrieval is successful, Ferrucio will move the key 15 ft. towards Dario, over the heads of the armigers around him. It's probably out of Dario's reach at this point, but the armigers won't be able to reach it either.

Let's hope that distracts Shanwen!

posting from my phone so I can't see the map so bear with me.

Round 2

Bishop climbs up to where shanwen is and tries get a hold of him.
grapple
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 versus his CMD

Perform (Act): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Round 2 Count 10
The key begins to lift up into the air, but soon stops - the chain it's tied to clings to the many spikes on Shanwen's helmet, and the force exerted by the magical hand is not enough to either break the chain, or remove the helmet. The key is dropped, clinging on Shanwen's armor.
I think the key on the chain under armor of a conscious enemy is not quite an unattended object, though
Round 2 Count 9
Dracius's words, combined with Shanwen's graceless downfall, have a shattering effect on the morale of the armigers who have suffered the full burden of Shanwen's uncontrollable wrath. The fourth armiger casts a hateful glance at the carriage and spits on the ground, before making a run for the woods, deciding that this is the best chance for him to stay alive.Double move Q24->I23
Round 2 Count 8
Bishop climbs up on the greasy roof where Shanwen squirms, trying to get up. Ref save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24 Bishop manages to stand firmly on both legs, but is unable to grab Shanwen, who is fiercely kicking and pushing him away. The key glistens tantalizingly on Shanwen's breastplate.
Round 2 Count 4
Even prone and threatened from almost every possible angle, surrender is not an option for Shanwen. He attempts to invoke the power of his deity without losing his guard. Concentration: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9. However, he cannot maintain the required concentration and Asmodeus remains silent to his prayer.
Round 2 Count 3
The last armiger remains loyal to Shanwen, and strikes at Dario:
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6, but his swing goes wide.

Dario dodges a clumsy swing from the Armiger in front of him. "That's it. If you take a swipe at me, I'll do that same to you. We don't want to hurt you, but we are getting that carriage." His rapier flashes out at the Armiger.

Swift action: Activate Archaeologist's Luck. +1 to attack, damage, saves, and skills.

Attack #6 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 3 + 1 = 18
Damage 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 + 1 = 7

Wow, I seem to be doing an awesome job at finding corner cases in the rules that would normally pass totally unremarked in my gaming group...perhaps I should just play a fighter next time and swing a big axe? ; )

I will wait to see what happens before posting my actions for the next round.

Illithia calls down the power of Shelyn on Shanwen, asking the Rose for aid to finish this quickly. Given the morale of the armigers, a quick end to their leader might be the best - and only - way to save lives.

Swift action to Smite Shanwen.
Glaive /w Power Attack and Smite: 1d20 + 4 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 3 - 1 = 17 (1d10 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16)

To be honest, I had an issue with the expected finesse of the spell. It seemed to me that you wanted to perform an equivalent of Arcane Trickster's Ranged Legerdemain ability. And I felt it's a bit too much for a 1st level wizard. It did have an effect though - the key is visible and up for grabs now.
Round 3 Count 21
Dario's rapier finds a tiny dent between the rings of the armiger's chainmail, and pierces a sensitive spot, causing a cry of pain. Armiger's eyes widen from surprise and fear as he realizes Dario is more than a match for him in battle, and he can die in a very real way in the next moment, protecting some unimportant prisoner.
Round 3 Count 20
The Rose hears Illithia's prayer, as the glaive is guided with divine precision and strength directly at Shanwen's heart. The plate armor has withstood the impact, but bended inwards, forcing Shanwen's heart to stop beating from the shock. The force of the strike makes Shanwen's lifeless body to slide across the greased roof and fall down from the other side, where Dracius is under threat from the remaining armigers. They look at their master's corpse in terror.
Round 3 Count 18
The first armiger witnessed the death of his master by the same woman who has expressed desire to spare his life, and did not want to try her patience. He left the battlefield with great haste. Double move O18->M11
Dracius is up. Armiger 3 still looks like he wants to avenge his master, but the two others are shaken and about to flee

Dracius looks at the remaining armiger and his fixed gaze of hatred and says, "I do not wish to harm you -- but I will if need be."

He shifts his glaive and grabs his hoy symbol once more, drawing the same terrible images as before and directs them out at the man, hoping to take the fight out of him.

Casts Cause Fear .

To be honest, I had an issue with the expected finesse of the spell. It seemed to me that you wanted to perform an equivalent of Arcane Trickster's Ranged Legerdemain ability. And I felt it's a bit too much for a 1st level wizard. It did have an effect though - the key is visible and up for grabs now.

Eh, I'm not going to debate the point; it would probably make me sound petulant because I can't convey body language or tone of voice in a post. But I will perhaps restrict myself to less inventive ways of participating in combats in the future (i.e. magic missile and such). This medium, it appears, does not lend itself well to doing things that might require discussion.

Now let's get Arael and get out of here. : D

Round 3 Count 17
Dracius steps back before the man can react and casts a spell which should force him to flee.
Round 3 Count 15
Will save: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17
Even though the man is able to resist the initial horrific urge, he realizes he is left alone and everyone else is retreating. He runs in the direction of the citadel, but tracing his path you can see that the four dismounted armigers have abandoned the attempt to catch the elusive members of Shanwen's group and now run in your direction. You realize that by the time they meet the magically frightened deserters, the magic will wear off and they are likely to try and re-take the carriage from you.
The combat is over for now. Shanwen is dead, four armigers have consciously deserted, the remaining six will approach your position in about a minute. You have to hurry if you want to save Arael and retreat safely.

Posting from my phone; will get to the map later tonight.

Seeing the last of the armigers fleeing--whether magically-induced or not, he couldn't tell--Ferrucio rushes over to join his companions. "The key," he says, clambering up the side of the carriage and grabbing a hold of Shanwen's corpse via a convenient projection on his armour. "It's around his neck."

Bracing a leg against the side of the carriage, Ferrucio hauls Shanwen off the top of the carriage and dumps his body unceremoniously on the ground. Presumably the grease will reduce the friction enough for Ferrucio to overcome the inertia. Ferrucio pulls the chain off Shanwen--breaking the chain if it's easy enough--and then tosses the key to Dario before going through the Hellknight's remaining possessions in search of anything of value.

Dario snatches the key out of the air and hurries to the carriage door. He takes some deep breaths as he tries to unlock the door, hoping to steady his nerves as he tries to fit the seemingly enormous key into the suddenly tiny keyhole.

Assuming it fits and unlocks the door... (Wouldn't that be horrible if it didn't?)

With a satisfying click, the Professor yanks the door open. "Arael? It's Dario. Let's go, man."

Ferrucio finds a light blue potion on Shanwen's body.

The key fits the lock, and inside you see a very pale half-elf, with bruises on his face and hands. He is very weak, but delighted to see you. "Dario! Ferrucio! How did you find me? Are these people with you?"

"Yep, name's Bishop. Now let's get you out of here." He says while he reaches in to help the weakened half-elf out of the carriage.

Dracius keeps his eyes on the horizon, "Can we have this conversation on horseback? They're returning, and I think it's probably best for everyone if we've vanished through the cloud of smoke before they arrive."

"Just one word before we go - how is Janiven? Why is she not here?"

I will return you to Westcrown later tonight

"Also they got my gear over there" he points to a large woolen sack inside the carriage, obviously containing weapons and armor. The sack weighs 40lbs. Grab it and let's go!

While you were searching Shanwen's body, you also found a letter with a seal on it. The letter reads:
From: mayor Aberian Arvanxi, Westcrown
To: Master of Blades Kassir Voidai, Citadel Rivad.
Dear Kassir,
I am taking this opportunity to remind you of a request I made over a month ago. These "Bastards of Erebus" have become a real nuisance since then, and now they are a serious threat to the flow of trade in the city. Despite all the efforts I have consistently made to allow the dealings of your Order in the city to go unhindered, I have not heard from you on this issue. Surely you must realize that I am experiencing rising pressure from the other Orders, and will not be able to maintain my stance much longer without being able to present evidence of the positive results of our collaboration. The bearer of this letter will inform you of what did I have to go through to rule this little problem of yours in your favor. I expect you will not remain deaf to my plea, and dispatch the force necessary to deal with the "Bastards" problem once and for all, to our mutual benefit.

The horses allow you to quickly outrun the armigers, and the rest of the trip back is uneventful. You arrive at Jacovo's stables before the other group does, so you have to wait a bit for them to arrive. Not everything is quiet at the stables, however: a handsome, finely dressed man with blond hair and a golden earring is berating Jacovo about something. As you come closer, you hear him cry out in a bout of theatrical disappointment:
"Jacovo, how dare you make a fool out of me? I was taking you for a man of the word, and the word was 'Palomino'! 'Not to worry', you said, 'I have a perfect specimen', you said, 'You can have it anytime', you said! So where is it, I ask you? Where is the 3-year old palomino stallion with the silvery mane you promised? Where are the chestnut mares with white pastels? Do you want me to strain my voice chords arguing with you on a cold evening and ruin my career? That's what you want, isn't it? Will it make you happy?"
Jacovo is red with embarrasment. He opens his mouth from time to time but is unable to fit a word in between the man's colorful epithets and theatrical gestures. The description of the horses the man is after fits some of your horses suspiciously well.

As the carriage opens and Illithia sees, with not a little relief, the battered but conscious figure of the man they came to rescue. As she helps him out of the wagon, her healing energies flow into him. "Janiven lured away half of the force protecting you, which allowed us to take the wagon. Sadly... there was a casualty, though none of ours." When Arael points out the bag with his gear, Illithia moves over to it and hefts it easily over her shoulder.

Lay on Hands: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Illithia can't fail that Perform Check xD.

When they arrive back at the stables and dismount, Illithia can hear a familiar voice coming from the other room. She walks into the other room, thinking she knew the voice, but her suspicions were confirmed. Seeing Jacovo's distress, Illithia attempts to rescue him by cutting off Thesing: "Is.. is that Mr. Ulvauno of the Westcrown Opera? It can't be. Shelyn be blessed, it is! I am an admirer of your performances, sir." Illithia's fandom attitude is a sharp contrast to the cut still present on her cheek, and that she's still a little sweaty from the ride.

Diplomacy Check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Dario helps Arael out of the carriage and then the half-pulls, half-carries the man to the horses. Seeing Illithia with Arael's bag, he nods and proceeds to push him up on a horse. With an inspired leap, Dario slides in behind Arael and whips the reins around to spur the horse onward.

Once they reach the stables, Dario says, "Easy Arael. Bishop, can you help him inside? Maybe Jacovo has something to drink." He stops when he hears the argument.

Knowledge, Local 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Ha! I guess opera wasn't on Dario's list of books!