Male Varisian Human Rogue/2 Urban Ranger/4 HP: 30/30* |AC 22 T 16 FF 18| Fort +8/Ref +13/Will +3| Init +5| Perc +10| SM +10
"Ah, my sweet, what need have I of pastries with you by my side? For your sake, though, I will offer them our assistance." The Varisian waits until the crowd has thinned before approaching the speaker. "Your pardon. Do you require any assistance with your present difficulties? My lovely wife was looking forward to your fine products, and the people that we represent have done business with the House in the past."
In case it wasn't clear, that last part was spoken more quietly than the rest.
“Oh... Oh, yes!" says the well-dressed young woman, realizing the subtext of László's quiet words. “We could really use your help. This ant situation in the sugarpress is dire! We’re losing thousands of pounds of sugarloaf an hour, and frankly I doubt we’ll be able to turn these clicky beasts back. We expended all the available sword arms just chasing the monsters back into the basement. If more ants show, we’ll surely lose the entire mill. I hope you aren’t here to buy food, because if Cartahegn must continue to devote all its resources to fighting off the ants, expect food prices around Bloodcove to triple overnight! “But an idea came to me, you see—my housekeeper makes a sort of lotion that frightens bugs away, and I bet if someone dumped a load of it in the ants’ tunnel, it would keep them away until we could brick it up! You didn’t happen to bring any other guards or soldiers with you, did you?" She asks, an unsure glance going Yanos' way. "If you were hoping to buy food and are willing to help us out, I promise you quite a discount in exchange for your services once we’re open again.”
One of the oldest and most stable buildings in Bloodcove, the sugarpress was built on a solid brick basement atop one of the city’s few patches of dry ground. Cartahegn devotes most of the basement space to supporting the furnaces for the refining process upstairs. Dry storage occupies the remaining space, mostly leftover molasses and lime for clarifying the bagasse.
After the humidity above, the stark dryness of the basement stands out as unsettling, almost as unsettling as the acrid smell and constant, methodical clicking emanating from the darkness. The remains of bags and crates lie scattered across the floor amid a sea of grayish dust.
The young woman, a Chelaxian from a minor noble house who introduced herself as Novaria, leads your group through the structure. Armed with her maid's special bug goo, you follow her through the wreckage to a large furnace chamber containing a maze of pipes and air ducts near the ceiling. The floor, however, remains clear aside from coal scattered from the chute along the far eastern wall. It would appear that the ants broke through the flagstone floor in the northeast corner, and two large specimens guard the entrance to their tunnel. Antennae twitching violently, their heads swivel in your direction.
I am unable to create a map at the moment. I would prefer to continue without one. You stand at a 10' doorway to the room, so all I really need to know is who stands in the front ranks.
Initiative Order: Peri, Yanos, Haris, Barlor, Ants, Shel, László
Ha. Hadn't realized I was a "healer". Yeah, put me in front. Here I go. :)
Barlor rushes forward, club in hand, yelling nothing in particular due to a dreadfully unfaithful wit.
"Aaaaaaggghhhhh!" Club:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10, Damage:1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 "Git 'em Ing!" Handle Animal:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 Ing Gore:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5, Damage:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 EDIT: Nvm, Ing is sniffing for sugar and Barlor isn't doing much better.
If I have time before opeing the door, I'll draw one of the two wands on my wrist and offer to give Mr. Barlor a boost. <Enlarge Person for 1 Min>
Round 1, Init 20
As soon as we see the ants, I'll use my Enlarge PowerSwift Action, and leap intp the combat, staying 15ft away from as many ants as I can so that I can attack any that come at me while striking them with my superior reach.Charge and Strike
Acrobatics:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 (in case I need to move over/through difficult terrain, and for flavor as a rush foreward, leap and try to drive my weapon through a exoskelatal "skull".
Perception:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18 as I look for any hidden threats.
As the ants begin to advance Peri strikes one with a magic missile. Then Yanos and Barlor stomp into the room, their increased size creating a strong barrier to protect the back ranks. Yanos lunges forward, his spear injuring one. Haris dashes out to the side and throws a dagger at one, but the weapon skitters harmlessly off its carapace. Barlor's club swings wild, and Ing runs in circles.
The ants scramble forward to bite at Yanos, pushing past his spear without taking further injury. Both clamp their jaws into his legs, and one seems to lock its jaws on him.
Ant bite:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21 Ant bite:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Out of Character, can you tell me if Calm Animal would have worked on these creatures? I'm asking because I am really debating getting a wand of it. I have it as a Domain spell, and at first I prepped it, but the last few games decided not to, and I'm kind of wanting to keep a tally just how often it may have worked, or not. In this case, I believe the imprtant part of the spell relates to "normal" animals, rather than familiars, animal companions, or Int animals. Just to note, I did not prep it, so I can't use it. I'm just wondering if it would have worked at all, or not.
Shel and László leap into the fray, but find the ants hard exterior difficult to pierce. Peri continues firing magic missiles, slowly whittling away at an ant. Yanos throws off the one clamped to his leg and tumbles backward out of reach as one of Haris' daggers lands true, cracking into its side. Barlor and Ing seem to be having trouble coordinating their attacks, but draw the attention of the ants with their antics.
Barlor manages to fend off one, but the other bites viciously into his forearm and won't let go.
Ranger 2/Rogue 10 | HP 85/99| AC 29/ 22(23) touch/23(24)flatfooted | Sneak Attack +5d6 | Resiliency 1/day F+16,R+22,W+13 ((1/day can reroll Will save)| Init. +10(+12)| Perc +19/24*(+21/26)| Evasion | Trap Sense +4 | Improved Uncanny Dodge
With all the combatants, could Shel take a 5' step and flank one of the ants? If so, Shel will attack as follows. If not take away two to hit and the sneak attack damage.
Shel jumps forward to slam a dagger into one of the ants armor played hides.
Shel can shift to flank. For cinematic fights without maps assume you can shift to flanking in 2 rounds, or 1 round with an acrobatics check to avoid AoOs.
Male Varisian Human Rogue/2 Urban Ranger/4 HP: 30/30* |AC 22 T 16 FF 18| Fort +8/Ref +13/Will +3| Init +5| Perc +10| SM +10
Round 2:
The rogue had a perfect shot lined up on the ant that had grabbed Barlor, but when the dwarf threw the giant insect off he was unable to track its path.
Attack on the one that grabbed Barlor, incl. PBS:1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 1 = 8
Initiative Order: Peri, Yanos, Haris, Barlor, Ants, Shel, László
Shel and László circle to flank the ant on Barlor, but only Shel is able to exploit their position, thrusting her dagger deep into its back. Peri unleashes another missile to scorch its head. Haris tries to throw another dagger, but it slips from his grasp, nearly hits Peri, and spins off into the darkness. Barlor breaks free and throws it onto Ings sharp tusks. Though it staggers and flails its antenna, and oozes bug goo from multiple wounds, the ant somehow remains standing.
Meanwhile, Yanos leaps forward to impale the other ant to the ground where it twitches, then curls up dead.
The remaining ant, though badly wounded, resumes its single-minded attack on Barlor, but only manages to scrape his armor.
Barlor makes a crashing swing of his club, enjoying his enlarged stature.
Club:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13, Damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Ing snorts mockingly at the big clumsy druid, and continues to try to do his job for him.
Gore:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6, Damage:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Shel pulls out her blade and quickly shoves it back deeper into the ant. Something inside gives, like a wineskin filled with jelly, and wet innards splosh across her arm and face. The ant twitches for a moment, but any question of surviving this time is answered when Barlor squishes the giant vermin's head like a ripe juicy plum.
Victory is yours. Peri can save the charge as it wasn't needed. (Neither was Barlor's, but he actually would have hit this round, so I gave him some flair.
Can you desribe the room/area a bit more? I'd like to do an investigation real quick to see if there are any "hidden" ant holes and make sure there are no reenforcements on the way, and if there is a way to block or fix up the section of the floor they came through. (If it's not really a big deal, don't worry about it). :)
"Ol' Deadeye is pleased. It is said that he crafted the first bows and weapons to allow us mortals to defnd against the wilds, as we have done.", as I clean of my spear and gather up anything I may have dropped.
Perception:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Once the area is pretty clear, I'll gather everyone to me for some healing.Channel Energy:2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7
There does not seem to be any other ant holes then the large one these two were near. No reinforcements have yet arrived, though in time they likely will.
Male Varisian Human Rogue/2 Urban Ranger/4 HP: 30/30* |AC 22 T 16 FF 18| Fort +8/Ref +13/Will +3| Init +5| Perc +10| SM +10
László's bruises fade away under the cleric's ministrations. "So, our way is clear, yes? It is time that we placed the lotion into the tunnel and were on our way."
As the others coat the tunnel in the alchemical repellant given to them by Novaria, Shel finds a document storge room nearby and begins looking through it, but House Cartahegn’s esoteric filing system is very complicated.
Sorting through it requires a Linguistics check to sort out, but because Novaria will likely come down into the basement soon to check on your group you limited time to figure it out (a 3 check limit).
A note about Linguistics checks - it is a skill that requires training to use, so Shel will likely need to find someone in the group with it and convince them to help. I will also allow untrained aid another checks for this. Since I am unsure who is going to help in this, please make any necessary rolls yourselves.
