Ok, map has been updated. For the mounts, I have placed the tokens of those riding horses/wolves next to their respective mount. If the mount moves, the tokens will need to move with it unless they dismount. Szacha is the only character currently not on a mount.
The day drags on, and the going through the bog is a very unpleasant experience. Flies and mosquitoes flit about each of you, biting and stinging without remorse. The horses, under the care of Johan and Martok, fare well enough given the strain and stress of carrying riders through the deep weed-tangled waters, and as the day nears sunset you can begin to make out solid ground not far to the north.
With a renewed sense of purpose, each member of the party moves with a little more zeal than before, eager to put the thick marsh behind them. As the group nears the level terrain there is an audible crackle from behind the group as Sasha lets out a scream of pain. Turning back you can see a dimly glowing ball of sickly green light floating near her head, crackles of static tearing through the air around it.
Male Human Cav 6/Sent 1 | AC 21 T 10 FF 21 | HP 61/61 | F +8 R +4 W +3 (+2 v Charm/Comp) | Init +2, Perc +9, Chal 2/2, Tact 2/2 (6 rnds), Inspired 1/1
Resolute:
AC 21 T 11 FF 19 | HP 60/60 | F +9 R +7 W +5 (+4 vs Ench) | Init +1, Per +5
Assuming movement is as per my discussion post. If not I'll modify
At Sasha's cry of pain Corentin turned Resolute as quickly as the bog's muck would allow and encouraged his old friend through the water and up onto the nearby ground.
"Guardian of this place! Your noble sacrifice is remembered but your soul has darkened. It is time you were granted your final rest!" he calls out in challenge.
Double move, drawing his axe during the move. swift action to challenge
I couldn't move Resolute's token so I put Cor where the lower right square of the horse's token would be
Ride check to negate attack on Resolute if needed:
A couple things to note, since we are using mounts. Galor and Resolute are both Combat Trained, so using them in combat doesn't require a Ride check. Riders can use the mount's move actions to position themselves, and still get a standard attack, so keep that in mind when moving. For Johan, since Thunder isn't Combat Trained, you need to make a Ride check while mounted during battle. Since the DC is 10, you would auto succeed, but that does use a move action each round in any case. Also keep in mind that if you double move you have the associated penalty to ranged attacks.
Dismounting is a move action unless you make the DC 20 Ride check to Quick Dismount. Because of this, Martok would have had a single move action left, which in this terrain, is a single square.
Male Human Cav 6/Sent 1 | AC 21 T 10 FF 21 | HP 61/61 | F +8 R +4 W +3 (+2 v Charm/Comp) | Init +2, Perc +9, Chal 2/2, Tact 2/2 (6 rnds), Inspired 1/1
Resolute:
AC 21 T 11 FF 19 | HP 60/60 | F +9 R +7 W +5 (+4 vs Ench) | Init +1, Per +5
Based on the updated movement Corentin will also attack
Resolute's nostrils flare as the powerful warhorse muscles his way through the bog. Bursting out of the worst of the water like a wave hitting the beach he manages to bring his masters axe into range.
Male Human [AC: 20/14 tch/16 ff; HP 49/49; Frt +6, Ref +9, Will +3; Init +5; Perc +10 and Darkvison 60' 40 minutes/day] Ranger/Infilitrator 5
GM Captain Trips wrote:
A couple things to note, since we are using mounts. Galor and Resolute are both Combat Trained, so using them in combat doesn't require a Ride check. Riders can use the mount's move actions to position themselves, and still get a standard attack, so keep that in mind when moving. For Johan, since Thunder isn't Combat Trained, you need to make a Ride check while mounted during battle. Since the DC is 10, you would auto succeed, but that does use a move action each round in any case. Also keep in mind that if you double move you have the associated penalty to ranged attacks.
Dismounting is a move action unless you make the DC 20 Ride check to Quick Dismount. Because of this, Martok would have had a single move action left, which in this terrain, is a single square.
Er, It is certainly my intention that Thunder be combat trained. Why do you say he is not? That would be his training priority. I have spent two tricks in Attack which is my understanding of how you get Combat Trained. No? The horse is my animal companion and is just like a druid's animal companion.
Johan takes a single shot at the wisp, moving his mount if needed (and possible) for a clearer shot.
"Do not use incantations against them; it won't work! Use magic for defence only!" reminds Szacha as he conjures images of himself for protection, then waddles his way towards the wisp.
Normally I'd give the +1 to hit in melee for being mounted and having "higher ground", but since we are dealing with a flying creature that is bobbing about, the bonus is probably not suitable for this encounter.
Shouting at the top of his lungs, Gizsmith points out the wisp to the others and quickly works his hands through the motions of a fanimilar spell. Casting his fingers forward, the gnome fills the air around the creature with sparkling motes of light, hoping to hinder its attacks and natural defenses. Sasha and Galor both turn to attack the suddely appearing creature, but it is amazingly agile and swerves through the air, avoiding their efforts. Corentin spurs Resolute towards the wisp a second after Martok slides off of the warhorse and into the deep bog, water coming up well past his chin. The dwarf works his way forward through the muck and mire as Corentin takes a swing at the wisp, his weapon passing harmlessly through the air above it as it darts down at the last second. Johan, on the back of Thunder, guides his mount with his knees to open up a shot, and looses an arrow at the aberration, the shot connecting with its almost invisible form and causing it to spin in the air for a moment. Szacha calls out a reminder to the group about the use of magic, and surrounds himself with multiple images in defense against the creature.
Its element of surprise foiled, and its form covered with the shining glitter from the gnome's spell, the wisp darts to the east and then north, gaining altitude as it moves before coming to a stop seventy feet above the heads of the party. Withdraw action.
Sadly Roll20 has no method of showing elevation. The wisp is 70' off the ground at this point.
The game of cat and mouse has begun, and the party is up!
Martok spit out water and cursed his luck. "Bad idea."
He looks at the will o wisp so far up the sky and shook his head, "I can't do anything about it. I hope you all are good shots."
He then saunters over to drier land and waits to see how things develop. He yells out to no one in particular, "I can protect someone from its energy attacks..."
move and hold my action; attack if it comes down to me
Male Human [AC: 20/14 tch/16 ff; HP 49/49; Frt +6, Ref +9, Will +3; Init +5; Perc +10 and Darkvison 60' 40 minutes/day] Ranger/Infilitrator 5
Firing another single arrow Johan hopes for a hit. It is a difficult shot. See how the creature winds and bobs. Perhaps someone can guide me with magic?
Male Human [AC: 20/14 tch/16 ff; HP 49/49; Frt +6, Ref +9, Will +3; Init +5; Perc +10 and Darkvison 60' 40 minutes/day] Ranger/Infilitrator 5
Don't make me do statistics here. I'll do it if I have to... :) Obviously if you need a nat 20 its better to roll twice at -2. And if the AC is low its also better. But there is some middle ground that I suspect I am in that its better to shoot once without that -2. And you get one answer if you figure only a chance to hit and a different one if you compute average damage because every 20 rounds or so I'd hit twice and do a lot more damage.
Male Human Cav 6/Sent 1 | AC 21 T 10 FF 21 | HP 61/61 | F +8 R +4 W +3 (+2 v Charm/Comp) | Init +2, Perc +9, Chal 2/2, Tact 2/2 (6 rnds), Inspired 1/1
Resolute:
AC 21 T 11 FF 19 | HP 60/60 | F +9 R +7 W +5 (+4 vs Ench) | Init +1, Per +5
Corentin curses under his breath as it becomes evident what the difficulties of this fight will be. There was nothing to be done about that now but to focus on what they could control.
"Defend Johan, he's our best chance in this. Prepare to strike when it comes into range!"
Spinning Resolute once again he then moves towards the rise that Johan and Gizsmith are on.
Double move, prepare an attack for if the Wisp comes in range
Sacha having been badly burned by the wisp, Szacha thinks about Martok's talk of protection from elemental forces. Yes, it made sense, and perhaps he could find a way, the right tuning, to bring about such an effect.
Humming, he shifts the shape of his mouth, the placement of his tongue against his cheek, the orientation and stretch of his spine, until he feels it, a tingling sensation in his finger, which he is quick to amplify and shift. First it is fire, but, easily, he figures a way to rotate each element, until he feels electricity once more.
Putting a hand on Sacha: "Trust me, you won't regret it." he releases the vibration in her body, and a small spark bridges between them.
Spell Keening (full round) to cast Resist Energy to Sacha (resist electricty 10) for 50 minutes).
Sliding her sword into it's sheath, Sasha nods a thanks to Szacha and then prepares her sling staff. Loading swiftly, she flings a rock at the wisp, but the shot goes far wide.
Martok and a few of the others position themselves to strike the flying creature as Johan fires off another arrow while Sasha unleashes a sling stone, both missing by quite a bit as the agile creature bobs and weaves through the air. Szacha, hoping to protect the halfling from further attacks, chants loudly as he shapes the very nature of the arcane threads surrounding his spell, imbuing her with protection from the electrical nature of the beast. Gizsmith waves his hands high into the air, surrounding the group with magical energies which suddenly hasten their movements and quicken their reaction times.
The creature, high above the heads of the party, remains motionless, ready to zip out of the way of any further attacks. Full defense action this round.
The party is up! Remember to include the +1 bonus to hit from Haste as well as the extra attack if using a full attack action.
The dwarf then invokes his flame spirit to grant good luck to the archer. Once that is complete, he starts a low chant, from deep in his chest.
cast fortune as standard action on Johan, gets to reroll any d20 roll per round cast 'chant' as move action to extend fortune as long as chant is going
The party remains prepared as the strange creature hovers in the air, ready to dodge and weave at a moment's notice. Johan, imbued with Martok's spiritual connection to otherworldly influences, fires off two arrows at the wisp, the first narrowly missing the creature and the second one by a much wider margin. Szacha throws a javelin high into the air to no avail, the missile slowly floating past the creature before falling back to the ground. Sasha, in a stroke of good luck, zips a sling stone into the wisp, causing it to flicker a moment in agitation.
The wisp, still covered with the glimmering motes of glitterdust, maintains its distance and prepares for the next volley. Full defense action
Yes, I know, not the most exciting combat imaginable, but this thing is terribly smart, so it needs to be played accordingly!
Martok continued to chant and the Fire Lord continued to enhance the accuracy of Johan. The dwarf then pointed to the female halfling and also asked Lord Fire for his blessing.
standard action to cast fortune on Sasha and chant to cotinue fortune for both Johan and Sasha
Knowing things were not going their way, the dwarf tried a new tactic, "Why did you attack us? We have no quarrel with you. We are merely defending ourselves from your aggression. My friends and I are looking for a place in these marshes. You may have heard of it. Can we talk?"
@Martok - Diplomacy is generally not allowed in combat, as you can't use Diplomacy to change the attitude of someone or something actively trying to do you harm. Diplomacy checks also constitute 1 minute of talking, which is 10 rounds. :) However, in this case I will allow it to a certain extent. Sadly the DC for influencing a hostile creature is 25+.
Maintaining its defensive posture, the wisp hovers in the air, its lights flickering in and out of the visible spectrum, while the dust surrounding it keeps it completely visible. At Martok's words the creature stops flickering for a brief moment, and seems to calm down, almost as if taking a moment to study each of you. As soon as it began, the time of calm ends and the wisp becomes agitated once more.
"Just keep talking to it Martok! Everybody keep your weapons nearby but stop firing. There's no point." offers Szacha, then he speaks directly to the aberration: "We have traveled to this land to ask of the ancient druids a favour. We wish to fight a greater darkness and ask for your support!"
It's not exactly how its supposed to play out, but I'm going to throw you all a bone here since you are beating at the right bush.
Hearing the name of the venerable druid, the wisp seems to slowly become less agitated. The angry pulsing colors settle into a more soothing and rhythmic pattern. Upon hearing Martok's soothing words, the wisp slowly lowers itself to the ground, still a safe distance away. As you watch the creature you see the ghostly image of a venerable human with a bushy beard that appears within the creature’s glow. "So, he still lives then? After all this time?" the creature says, its voice strange buzzing noise almost, sounding as if several voices of different tones were speaking all at once, the sound somewhat disturbing at first. "Why does he send you here? I am no longer of use to anyone. I am now the last."
Male Human Cav 6/Sent 1 | AC 21 T 10 FF 21 | HP 61/61 | F +8 R +4 W +3 (+2 v Charm/Comp) | Init +2, Perc +9, Chal 2/2, Tact 2/2 (6 rnds), Inspired 1/1
Resolute:
AC 21 T 11 FF 19 | HP 60/60 | F +9 R +7 W +5 (+4 vs Ench) | Init +1, Per +5
Corentin lowers his axe but keeps it in hand as the creature descends peacefully. When it speaks the spirits words resonate with the cavalier, reminding him of his own recent statements.
"He does, thanks to the blessings of his heritage, though the years lay heavily even for him. He has sent us to seek a cache of items hidden away in times past by your order. It is his hope that they will be of aid in striking against the Twisted Heart tribe who recently attacked Trunau in an effort to claim relics of old."
Halgra listens intently as the party discusses the proposition, and poses questions of their own. "Indeed there is reason to believe that this will be no simple manner, as the hold that the chieftain claims as home will no doubt be will guarded." she remarks, in response to Szacha's statement. Turning to Corentin, she answers, "Something has changed, but what that is we are not sure. Perhaps they only now puzzled out that the famed tomb of the lost chieftain rested below our fair town, or maybe they lacked the coordination. Either way, they chose now to act."
She motions to the curtain separating a side room from the main meeting chamber, at which point a young girl pulls aside the cloth and an elderly looking elf slowly enters the room. Silvermane is no stranger to the city, and the fact that your party saved his life during the attack only solidifies your recognition of the ancient druid. He manages a smile and he bows in your direction and then turns to Halgra, his hands working in constant motion, using his sign language to communicate with the defender of Trunau. "Silvermane first asks me to thank you for saving his life during the raid. He tried as best as he could to fend off the attackers but their sheer numbers proved too much for him to manage. He owes you a debt, and he wants to repay that debt now."
Halgra begins translating as the elf turns to you, his hands still in motion as he works through his offer. You face a challenge that will prove to be most difficult, and I may be able to better equip you to deal with it. The Vault of Thorns, a demiplane created by the druidic Council of Thorns, of which I was once a member, contains a cache of items that can help in your fight against this Twisted Heart menace. The entrance to the Vault is located within Ghostlight Marsh, a swamp to the northeast surrounding the confluence of the Kestrel and Esk rivers. To find the Vault of Thorns, you should look for a marker in the form of a circle of thorns carved into a stone near the banks of the River Esk. This marker will put you on the right path through the swamp to find the Vault, but the entrance to the demiplane is hidden.
At this point, the elf produces an ancient, leaf-embossed brass lantern. This is called a ghostlight lantern. If the husk of a dead will-o’-wisp is placed inside the lantern, the lamp will produce a beacon that points to the circle of standing stones that marks the Vault’s entrance. Once you reach the druidic circle, you need only wash the supernaturally fueled lantern’s light over the central standing stone to open the portal into the Vault of Thorns.
The elf then stands still, the effort of the speech obviously tiring him. Halgra picks up where he left off, stating, "Once you have secured the items within the cache, you will continue along the river towards Redlake Fort. It is there we believe that this Twisted Hearts tribe is making their home. We know at least that the giantess claims the fort as her lair, so it would only make sense that the rest of the tribe would be close by."
"I have arranged for your transport aboard a keelboat that regularly plies the rivers of southern Belkzen. The riverboat’s captain, a half-orc named Raag Bloodtusk, has agreed to transport you to Ghostlight Marsh and then up the River Esk to a location near Redlake Fort in exchange for your efforts in helping sail the boat and defending it from any dangerous river denizens. Overland travel to Redlake Fort would be foolhardy and dangerous, as it would take you right through the orc-infested Hold of Belkzen. Bloodtusk’s riverboat, on the other hand, is well known among the orc tribes along the river, he enjoys rights of safe passage from these tribes’ chieftains, which makes a river journey far safer than traveling overland."
Halgra then passes a rolled parchment across the table, "Your letter of introduction to the captain, if you should choose to accept our request."
The last one... thinks Szacha as he recalls Silvermane's words.
"The last one of the Council of Thorns. This is grave news, and we would not wish you any harm. Silvermane has granted us access to the Vault, and provided us with a ghostlight lantern to find it. As you may well know, it needs the remains of a passed will o' wisp. Would you guide us to the resting place of one such past member of the Council? We have to qualms with you, mighty spirit of the marsh!" offers Szacha.
At last someone remembers they have the lantern with them! Had you had it out, or even visible, the wisp would have seen it immediately and questioned you about it. :)
At the mention of the lantern, the wisp brightens immediately, "He kept it safe, as he promised, all these years. It warms what remains of my soul to know that you would take the fight to these beasts that trouble you, and I will help how I may. Please follow me." it says, taking off almost at once, setting a brisk pace, but one that does not leave you far behind. Several times the glowing wisp stops for long enough for Szacha to catch up with the rest of the group before slowly bobbing off to the north once more.
After an another hour of travel, you come to dry land at last. The wisp leads the party to a small clearing, and at the center of the clearing is strange collection of pale, spongy spheres, each about two inches in diameter. Gizsmith recognizes the small spheres as the husks, or corpses, of dead will-o-wisps. "Here lie my brothers and sisters, those that gave the ultimate gift in defense of these lands, sacrificing their lives to turn away the hordes of invading orcs. As the orcs have returned to their old ways once more, so now do we stand ready to aid your cause."
The wisp slowly bobs towards the pile of dried husks, speaking softly once more, the strange buzzing sound making you feel like all of the spirits of the dead wisps are conversing at once, "Gently place one of these spheres into the lantern and close the shutter."
Stepping forward, Szacha produces the lantern, taking one of the wisps up in his hand carefully and placing it within the device. As he closes the shutter the lamp spins in place for a moment before a pale blue beam of light washes out of it, pointing off to the northwest. As he moves his arm Szacha notes that the lamp revolves slightly, always pointing in the same northwest direction.
Male Human Cav 6/Sent 1 | AC 21 T 10 FF 21 | HP 61/61 | F +8 R +4 W +3 (+2 v Charm/Comp) | Init +2, Perc +9, Chal 2/2, Tact 2/2 (6 rnds), Inspired 1/1
Resolute:
AC 21 T 11 FF 19 | HP 60/60 | F +9 R +7 W +5 (+4 vs Ench) | Init +1, Per +5
Rather amazed at the turn of events Corentin whispers a short prayer to Milani for those who gave their lives and more to defend their home before saying, "Thank you Guardian, your aid is greatly appreciated. Might I ask your name? I'm sure that Silvermane would be comforted to know that another of his order still holds to this world."
