Gm, did I get a hit with my reposte? I take it in now down to 2 panache.
Gm, did I get a hit with my reposte? I take it in now down to 2 panache.
Ah right, Fyrtor. I thought that would only matter if you were hit but the aoo matters too. Yes you got off your riposte to stab the orc.
GM, is the orc Mass for hit still standing? How badly hurt is the orc that climbed out of the pit?
I'd like to run and reinforce Brolin, but it's be nice to do so without provoking attacks if I can avoid it.
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Kazad Gravr before the fall (head canon)
Adult Population: 1400
700 Civilians able to act as militia
Unlike human lands, every dwarf received some training in defending their hold. From beardling youths to wizened grumblers, each dwarf was expected to know how to hold an axe. Unlike the stat block, each dwarf had +6 to their chosen craft or profession. These were not warriors, but rather civilians with just enough training to survive in savage lands. During times of war, each was armed with a sturdy heavy mace and either a shield or heavy crossbow, while donning scale armor. This was with the exception of the miner’s guild, which fought with their pickaxes.
70 Guild Lords
The masters of their craft, these stubborn old dwarves were community leaders. In times of war, the guilds rallied around them. They were not warriors, but rather directed their kinsmen. The dwarves of Kazad Gravr rarely had need to call the guilds to arms. But in the handful of times that it did happen, the Guild Lords took it as a competition to win the most honor. Up until the fall of Kazad Gravr, it was the gem cutters guild which held the most distinction for valor at arms. Which, if one thinks about it, might explain their fall.
Kazad Gravr had within it the Miners, Gem Cutters, Brewers, Famers, Masons, Boyers, Smithing and Engineers Guilds. Except for rare circumstances a dwarf was born into a guild and was expected to master the craft of their forefathers. The notable exceptions was the priesthood and the Rune Smiths. The former were open to any dwarf who showed true conviction. The latter was the most secretive, as only those with ‘the art’ were chosen. It was the smallest and most prestigious guild of all.
80 Clerics
The dwarves of Kazad Gravr always faced death should they be discovered. This made them a religious lot, and being dedicated to the gods brough much honor. They were expected to tend to the guilds during conflicts, to keep as many dwarves alive as possible.
100 Sharp Shooters
Kazad Gravr was never a large settlement. Each Dwarven life was precious. As such, archery was of great importance to them. The hold’s boyers doubled as a standing army. Each boyer was expected to make his own bow and arrows, and to man his defenses. The hold had many a watch tower hidden in the mountains, manned by these dwarves. Algric was one of them. Though unlike many of his fellows, he never mastered the art of sneak attacking a foe (warrior 6, rather than rogue3/ranger2). Instead, he was well known and respected for his pure skill.
50 Rune Wardens (Minimum: Weapon Master Fighter 4 / Brawler 1. Could be personalized though, such as now deceased Prince Magnus, who was a Deep Marshal Magus 8, or King Durnim Goldbrow, who died peacefully in his sleep as an Arsenal Champion Warpriest 10)
The true military force of Kazad Gravr. These were the reason Kazad Gravr lacked a true military. Each dwarf was of noble blood, and their craft was war. Where other dwarves were craftsmen who did militia training, the Rune Wardens learned to use their runic weapons from childhood. Their ‘right’ of leadership was tied to their duty of protecting the hold. They were dispatched to deal with any threat which might threaten the hold, and were to end it before any other dwarf needed to fight. Every Rune Weapon was unique, and was a treasured heirloom. Tales were sung of Logi Brightblades, and of how he stood alone against a tribe of hill giants with naught but his twin long swords. Sagas were told of Orridin Ironfoot and his maul ‘Shieldbreaker.’ It was he who slew the maurauding barbarian chieftain Sven Bluetooth and the man’s seven sons in ritual combat. Each Rune Warden had his own distinct fighting style centered around his heirloom weapon(s). This was not a unified fighting force, but rather individuals who were expected to be individually heroic and self-reliant. A noble family’s standing had everything to do with the honor that their clan’s weapons brought.
Every Rune Warden dreamed of making his name a legend, and having his name carved on the Doors of Honor. Kazador was one such dwarf, and as far as he knows, the last of his order. When the Rune Wardens fell in open battle, Kazad Gravr lay open for the orc hordes. By divine Right, the king of Kazad Gravr was the head of the Rune Wardens. The loss of the order effectively destroyed noble ruling caste. The last defense of the doomed hold was completley in the hands of the guild lords.
400 Miscellaneous
Barbarian wanderers. Rune Smiths. Druids. Skalds. Crippled veterans. Living ancestors so old that their beards needed to be carried. Fleet of foot young tunnel runners. Secretive merchants and their roguish bodyguards. Grudge settling bounty hunters. Experimental alchemists. There were many dwarves who did not fit into the neat stat blocks above. This also includes the dwarves who would be in a guild above, but whom due to personal achievements would need individualization.
————
As can be seen by this head canon, the Rune Wardens were both the Nobility and the ‘warriors guild.’ Kazador has shown how mobile they could be. A handful could thus quickly end threats and retreat to safety without exposing the hidden hold.
Given the quality of these orcs, one could also see that once the Rune Wardens has fallen, the average dwarf would still be able to put up a fight...but would have been effectively doomed as they’d lack anyone with real combat experience.
Awesome headcanon. :D
I'd like to know if the orc Kazador womped is still up and at 'em before I do my turn. In an ideal world, I'd like to acrobatics away from melee to cast chain of perdition to blind the spellcaster and make them unable to target spells, and then start dragging people into the pit. They haven't gotten any spells off yet, let's keep it that way. But getting into a position where I can do that is tricky - I don't want to end my turn anywhere where I would slide into the pit, but I'm not seeing anywhere where I can see the caster to target them otherwise.
Right now my plan is to tumble back to where the rest of the party is, perhaps moving through the square where the orc Kazador attacked is/was standing, move through the silence and tell Mel and Turion what to expect, cast the chain spell and start dragging people into the pit, so we're ready to target the spellcaster when they come around the corner. Anyone got a better plan?
Sounds great, Kazador. To make that consistent with the map I drew, we'll assume there are other tunnels besides those drawn but the vaults are in the very heart of Kazad Gravr here.
Kazador: This guy is what you were fighting but he had an ax instead of a flail. It's very good he didn't get off a second full attack routine as he was going for it all on that one.
You guys are looking at 5334 xp each after this fight, assuming you defeat all the enemies. That's half of the remaining XP to level 8 and a lot more xp than the centipede.
Mel, Fyrtor, and Kazador finish off both of the orcs standing near them. For better or for worse, Algric kills the unconscious lieutenant with an ax-blow to the neck.
For worse, probably, but I get why Algric did it.
Let's keep that pit working for us eh? Now the grease should be a dc15 acrobatics to avoid falling in, and everything that finishes it's turn in the area takes and additional 1d6 cold.
GM, how do you make the fill of shapes semitransparent?I think I saw you do this and I'd like to be able to do the same in the future.
Paint can, custom, far right slider. You already picked up on making sure spell outlines are sent to back relative to the characters on the map, which is great! Saves me time. :)
Ah, I see. I'm on my phone right now, so I can't do that, but I'll try it next time when I'm at my computer. Thanks :D
Thanks for putting on nice spell templates! Makes life easier for everyone, especially me. I don't have to ask you "now where exactly did you want that spell?"
Nice counting distance, Brolin. You're exactly outside the silence spell.
^_^ am pleased to have players making things neater for me.
@Icy Grease: Nice one, Fyrtor.
Now they have to move at half speed(as per grease) and spend double movement(as per Frostfall) - so...a double move action for 60 feet gets reduced to half(30 feet), and the two 5-foot areas they have to cross each take 10 feet from that...
That means they effectively need to "stop" before or on the left side of it, and in general are unlikely to get a move AND an attack off, so they can rush on over and stand on the sloped pit area :)
(if the silence wears off, I could do another pit on the other 'side' so that we have an inverted 'V' of grease and icy between the two pits. Chances are they'd simply wait that one out, though, rather than jump over, so...all good :)
@Making life easy: Oh, it's win-win :) If I am not clear on my definition, then you get to interpret it and I have to roll with it. So it's in my best interest to show exactly where I want an effect ;)
That's right, Turion! :D
Gm, remember that every creature that ends it's turn in the icy area takes 1d6 cold damage. You may have ccalculated that in, I just didn't see it so I wanted to remind you just in case.
@Turion (icy grease) I'm glad that it's working out so well. We'll have to use the combo again in the future.
Ah thanks, Fyrtor. Forgot.
Sounds great, Kazador. To make that consistent with the map I drew, we'll assume there are other tunnels besides those drawn but the vaults are in the very heart of Kazad Gravr here.
Kazador: This guy is what you were fighting but he had an ax instead of a flail. It's very good he didn't get off a second full attack routine as he was going for it all on that one.
You guys are looking at 5334 xp each after this fight, assuming you defeat all the enemies. That's half of the remaining XP to level 8 and a lot more xp than the centipede.
Glad to see the headcanon was well received. And yes, the map should certainly stay the same. I’d feel really bad if I made you redo it!
Also damn...thanks team for locking that orc down. He could have made a real mess of us if he was allowed to keep swinging. Also, when you see orcs like that, keep that in mind when judging the Rune Wardens. Those orcs Hit mighty hard!
@no more orcs coming out...from the corridor, or the pit itself? :)
or both?
Looks like both to me. Sadly, our foes are not stupid enough to run headlong into a pit once they know it's there.
Aye. My mistake - I was not aware the pit was empty and was uncertain if they'd simply wait it out as well, in which case peppering them from above would still be desirable.
But that seems to have resolved itself. Alas, I like the regrouping they do, just right for a new pit. *smiles*
I wonder who will win Init after the previous spell runs out...
Orcs are impulsive so they will keep rushing forward to a point but they are also intelligent so they won't do that indefinitely.
Aye, as said, I figured they would stop storming, but was unaware those in the pit were done for - last I looked there were a few left, now it's empty.
On a side note: With casters, I see it as stating intent. I may declare to cast a spell - but I only update my dailies(or arcane pool spent) when the GM confirms it's what happens by not contradicting. But maybe I was unable to get the spell off, or my target was killed before, or someone with silence shut me down etc...it's harder to 'reconstruct' after the fact than simply look at the previous post and update(together with HP state if applicable). Just figured I should clarify that, maybe.
So, is it out turn? Did the orc just not so anythi g against us directly?
The orcs aren't coming out of the hallway anymore. There are plenty of dead orcs in the spiked pit...
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Combat log so far. Because Brolin charged during the surprise round, he can't have cast Silence the same round. Therefore I'm assuming he cast Silence one round before the surprise round.
Pre-combat: Brolin casts Silence (7/7 rounds remain)
Round 0 (Surprise)
Fyrtor charges
Mel moves and shoots
Kazador charges
Algric falls prone and gets up
Brolin charges
Kelian charges
Nelly moves for position
Túrion casts Spiked Pit
---
Silence: 6/7 rounds remain
Spiked Pit: 7/7 rounds remain
Round 1:
Orcs do stuff, mostly falling in pits or hitting people
Kazador full attacks
Algric full attacks
Fyrtor attacks
Mel moves and shoots
Túrion readies to cast Grease
Brolin attacks
Kelian attacks
---
Silence: 5/7 rounds remain
Spiked Pit: 6/7 rounds remain
Round 2:
Orcs do stuff
Túrion's readied action goes off, casting Grease
Mel shoots twice
Fyrtor studies and readies an attack when target flanked
Algric pulls axe, charges into flank position
Kazador full attacks
Túrion casts Magic Missile to tickle boss
Brolin casts Haste
Kelian attacks with smite
---
Silence: 4/7 rounds remain
Spiked Pit: 5/7 rounds remain
Grease: 7/7 round remain
Haste: 7/7 rounds remain
Round 3:
Orcs do stuff
Mel attacks twice
Kazador full attacks
Algric full attacks
Fyrtor full attacks
Túrion casts scorching ray
Brolin rushes into corridor, makes attack
Kelian attacks
---
Silence: 3/7 rounds remain
Spiked Pit: 4/7 rounds remain
Grease: 6/7 round remain
Haste: 6/7 rounds remain
Round 4:
Orcs do stuff
Fyrtor takes AoO on orc's turn
Mel full attacks
Kazador full attacks
Algric coup de grace on orc lieutenant
Brolin falls back, casts Chains of Perdition
Fyrtor moves and casts Winter's Grasp
Túrion readies toppling magic missile
Kelian attacks
---
Silence: 2/7 rounds remain
Spiked Pit: 3/7 rounds remain
Grease: 5/7 round remain
Haste: 5/7 rounds remain
Winter's Grasp: 6/6 rounds remain
Chains of Perdition: 7/7 rounds remain
Round 5:
Orcs do stuff
Algric attacks an orc
Kazador full attacks
Mel looks for target, moves for position
Fyrtor heals Brolin
Brolin directs Chains of Perdition to drag orc
Túrion continues holding readied toppling magic missile
---
Silence: 1/7 rounds remain
Spiked Pit: 2/7 rounds remain
Grease: 4/7 round remain
Haste: 4/7 rounds remain
Winter's Grasp: 5/6 rounds remain
Chains of Perdition: 6/7 rounds remain
Round 6:
Orcs wait
Túrion consumes a 2nd level spell slot
Mel moves and starts Healer's Hands on Kazador
Fyrtor moves and begins Summong Nature's Ally III
Kazador stands still for healing
Algric?
Brolin?
Kelian?
---
Silence: 0/7 effect ends
Spiked Pit: 1/7 rounds remain
Grease: 3/7 round remain
Haste: 3/7 rounds remain
Winter's Grasp: 4/6 rounds remain
Chains of Perdition: 5/7 rounds remain
Round 7:
Mel finishes patching up Kazador
Kazador has to hold still until she's done
---
Spike Pit: 0/7 effect ends
Grease: 2/7 round remain
Haste: 2/7 rounds remain
Winter's Grasp: 3/6 rounds remain
Chains of Perdition: 4/7 rounds remain
very nice Mel.
I've edited it a couple of times now due to typos. There are quite a lot of active spell effects to track.
Very useful! Thanks for the breakdown
@GM, what are the floors and walls made of? Are the natural tunnels that have been utilized, or are the cut stone?
Yes, thank you Mel. Fyrtor can get off his SM III as there was sufficient time for that but the orcs are coming back now in round 7.
Almost all of the tunnels are cut stone but some of Kazad Gravr is natural tunnels/caverns. 81-100 on the d100 in any given area means you're in a natural area, unless that area has already been described as natural or cut.
Yes, thank you Mel. Fyrtor can get off his SM III as there was sufficient time for that but the orcs are coming back now in round 7.
Almost all of the tunnels are cut stone but some of Kazad Gravr is natural tunnels/caverns. 81-100 on the d100 in any given area means you're in a natural area, unless that area has already been described as natural or cut.
Cool, so should I roll to find out if this area is cut or natural?
Yes, go for it.
Know the problem with Dwarven holds? They’re always orc sized. Just make all the tunnels ‘just’ tall enough for a tall dwarf to walk through. Any orc invader will need to kneel or squat to fight.
Boom! Orc invasions stopped.
So, a halfling fortress where everything is 'small-sized'?
That said, I think they would simply breed elite Goblins with Orc Stats in that case...
also thanks@Mel!
@GM I am going to drop some aether elementals, normal the number is 1d3, should I roll it that way, or do it as a d100 broken into 3 parts?
yeah.... and dwarves like a nice big stately tunnel... But if they could get over that it would be a good idea!
Haha. No, Fyrtor. That's just a d3. I see I've unintenionally earned a reputation for loving the d100...
@Brolin, nice job with mirroring kazador for the illusionary wardens :)
@Brolin, nice job with mirroring kazador for the illusionary wardens :)
They're less useful if the orcs can ignore them and all whale on Fyrtor. :\
Haha. No, Fyrtor. That's just a d3. I see I've unintenionally earned a reputation for loving the d100...
I just know that you didn't like the 1d2 for the miss chance, I figured you might want handle the 1d3 the same way. :)
@Brolin, nice job with mirroring kazador for the illusionary wardens :)They're less useful if the orcs can ignore them and all whale on Fyrtor. :\
Yeah... I kinda wish I'd done things differently now....
Question: If one of us phased through the Rune Warden frontline to attack an orc, would that orc be flat-footed?
@Turion
Remember to roll the cold damage from ending your turn on the ice :(
Ah, don't worry, Fyrtor :) I would have rushed ahead anyway :P So I'm glad you get to take the nap, not me :)
Due to the Icy area, I can't get Nelly up there AND let her guard us - but we'll see what happens.
@Fyrtor: Winters grasp does the damage on beginning the turn there ;)
@Fyrtor: Winters grasp does the damage on beginning the turn there ;)
Hih, you're right. That makes it better than I thought. I' debating whether or not my 9th level feat should be time spell. Now deciding will be even harder...
@Fyrtor: Winters grasp does the damage on beginning the turn there ;)
Huh, you're right. That makes it better than I thought. I'm debating whether or not my 9th level feat should be rime spell. Now deciding will be even harder...
Fyrtor! I sent you a PM. You should look at it.
So guys, I have a question that I have asked before but never gotten resolved. The text of the grease spell implies that creatres that fail their save are flatfooted, but as far as I can tell the rule don't otherwise support that. So, GM what do you think? Is the prone orc flatfooted?
Here's the portion of the text that mentions being flatfooted.
A grease spell covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease. Any creature in the area when the spell is cast must make a successful Reflex save or fall. A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10 Acrobatics check. Failure means it can’t move that round (and must then make a Reflex save or fall), while failure by 5 or more means it falls (see the Acrobatics skill for details). Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed....
It matters a lot to Fyrtor because if the orc is flatfooted I'm going to wail on him hard. If he isn't... I'm not sure just yet.
From Acrobatics:
You can use Acrobatics to move on narrow surfaces and uneven ground without falling. A successful check allows you to move at half speed across such surfaces—only one check is needed per round. [...] While you are using Acrobatics in this way, you are considered flat-footed and lose your Dexterity bonus to your AC (if any).
Moving through an area of grease counts as this application of acrobatics, so they're flat-footed if they've moved in the area. On the other hand if they stand still in the grease, they're not flat-footed (which is a change from 3.5, where rogues could happily sneak attack anyone standing in grease all day long].