GM G's Before the Dawn II - Rescue at Azlant Ridge (Inactive)

Game Master Magabeus

Just before you left Bloodcove the oread Kerastes said his goodbyes, explaining that he received a summons from Ambrus Valsin to return to Absalom as soon as possible. In his stead a newcomer arrived, bearing credentials that identified the newcomer as a trusted pathfinder.

You are now several days northwest of Bloodcove—days of dusty, dirty running and riding as your caravan guide, the scoundrel Raimondo Scevola, whipped his horses and wagon-drivers to go faster, faster! Closing in behind you, no more than an hour by horse now, ride dozens of Aspis mercenaries. Your activities in Bloodcove, it seems, were not as secret as you hoped.

A sudden cry goes up among the wagons, and all eyes look back the way you came. The days-old familiar sight of pursuing horseman has vanished. “They’ve given up the chase!” Raimondo declares and a tired cheer erupts from his caravan. Raimondo signals for the wagons to stop [b]"The horses need the rest.

Please position yourself in the red box on the map and make a perception check...

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

"Why do i not believe they've given up?" He draws his bow and readies an arrow, just in case.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Benson nocks an arrow to his bow. He peers at the maze of green vines and leaves that obscures so much that could be deadly from view in this accursed jungle.

The obvious answer, Raevin, he thinks, is that they were scared off by something more dangerous than us. He keeps this thought to himself, however, the better to hear sounds that might be the last he hears.

Placeholdering for my desired PC, won't have much until tomorrow afternoon, darn RPGSS Submission :P

"Something definitely seems off," Wyeth agrees with Raevin, prepped crossbow at hand as it has been since the chase began.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9 Sadly, he has no clue what that "something" is...

Are we headed "northwest" with the fallen tree blocking our path?

Wyeth: you are traveling northwest to the fallen tree on the map. The fallen tree is not there, it is one of these situations where that makes no sense at all but they took a standard flipmat.

Everyone: ignore the fallen tree on the map!

Posting from a tablet, so can't drag my icon. Marduk will stand next to Wyeth.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
"I agree, something serious must have caught their attention."

Sorry guys, there has been a loss in my immediate family and I won't have Vassago ready until Sunday/Monday. Good luck

-Posted with Wayfinder

No need to apologize David. Sorry to hear of your loss, take the time you need.

sorry for your loss, be well

What are you? The +4 initiative club?

Raevin, Marduk and Benson hear sounds north and south of them! Seems like some Aspis men have decided to stay on the hunt! In the south they see two men on horseback armed with bow and arrows and on the north two more, of which one Purple readies a lance. The men on the south both fire an arrow at the nearest Pathfinder, which happens to be Benson! One of the arrows scratches his arm 1 damage

Initiative - Surprise Round
Raevin
- - -
Enemy North
- - -
Benson 26/27 hp
Marduk
- - -
End of Surprise round
- - -
Enemy South
- - -
Wyeth - Was surprised

The above means that anyone above the first - - - can act: in this case only Raevin can act, then the northern enemy get to act, then Benson and Marduk and so on

Based on the glimpses we got as they pursued us, how many enemies might we be facing if they all attack?

Closing in behind you, no more than an hour by horse now, ride dozens of Aspis mercenaries.

Raevin fires his bow at the nearest Aspis merc.

to hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
dmg if hits: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Raevin draws first blood! The two mercenaries at the north move closer, the one with the bow shoots at Marduk, but just misses thanks to the half-orc's miraculous training as a monk!

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

Initiative - Surprise Round
Benson 26/27 hp
Marduk
- - -
End of Surprise round
- - -
Enemy South
- - -
Wyeth
Raevin
- - -
Enemy North
- - -

"Benson, shall we go enlighten these thugs to the prospect of behaving = no harm? Also, shall we just pick 1 side, south?"

Marduk knacks his knuckles and in his mind asks for Irori's favor.
He heads south and takes total defense.

Marduk has deflect arrows.

"One etiquette lesson coming up."

He lets fly an arrow at rider due south of Marduk. He ends his movement next to Marduk, stowing his bow as he moves.

Bow: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Benson, this is a surprise round, so move or shoot. Also stowing your bow can not be combined with a regular move, only drawing can. To keep things moving we will say you did not shoot and dropped your bow while moving next to Marduk

Attack Marduk: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2
Attack Benson: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 1

Both riders at the south fire an arrow, one at Benson and one at Marduk. The casual onlooker might think that the arrow aimed at Marduk is a sure hit, but with a casual flick of the wrist the half-orc deflects the arrow. The arrow shot at Benson goes wide. The riders then move to the west

Initiative
Normal rounds!
Wyeth
Raevin
- - -
Enemy North
- - -
Benson 26/27 hp
Marduk
- - -
Enemy South
- - -

Raevin fires again at the one he wounded before...

to hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
dmg if hits: 1d6 ⇒ 1

well damn

"Not fond of this," Wyeth mutters as he draws a bead on the same enemy as Raevin in an effort to concentrate their damage.

Crossbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 4

He'll use his MA to reload after firing.

R=1, W=2: 1d2 ⇒ 2
Charge!: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 8 + 2 = 29
Lance Damage: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (6, 3) + 6 = 15
Longbow Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

The rider with lance charges towards Wyeth and almost impales the half-elf! Although Wyeth is still standing the puncture wound from the lance hurts a lot. The other mercenary shoots an arrow at Raevin and misses.

Initiative
Benson 26/27 hp
Marduk
- - -
Enemy South
- - -
Wyeth 3/18 hp
Raevin
- - -
Enemy North
- - -

Marduk heard the cry of pain from Wyeth.

"Wyeth, come over here so we can defend you better when Benson and i finish with these two."

Marduk moves diagonally and makes a running long jump, while frowning angrily at the SE enemy.
Jump: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Hmm, nice, that gets me 20ft worth of distance.

If he does indeed end up (land) next to the enemy, he'll punch in a defensive stance.

Right hook, fight defensive: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 3 - 4 = 16 Dmg: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Raevin moves back and fires again...

to hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
dmg if hits: 1d6 ⇒ 1

cmon... twice in a row? I should just throw away one arrow a round and not bother rolling at this rate, lol

Not sure where Marduk ends up, as his marker did not move and he specified the SE enemy, while the enemies are SW of us. Unless by SE enemy he means the one nearest Wyeth, but I'm not sure why the jump unless for show. Benson will attack whichever one Markduk is trying to attack. If that is the one SW of Benson and Marduk, he will charge to cover the ground and still attack. If it is the one closest to Marduk, Benson will also charge, if he has a clear path.

Dueling Sword, 1-handed: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Add +2 if he is able to charge.
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

AC = 17 if he was able to charge, 19 otherwise.

Given Marduk's speech I am interpreting SE enemy as the eastern one of the southern enemies. The jump however does not give you any additional movement above your regular movement. From acrobatics: "No jump can allow you to exceed your maximum movement for the round". You are not a lvl 3 monk yet, so no fast movement. I have changed your action to a charge

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 4

Marduk and Benson charge one of the archers and disable him with a right hook and a quick slash. The other archer shoots an arrow at Benson that misses and removes himself from the vincinity of the vengeful Pathfinders.

Seeing the combat turning their way Raevin fires an arrow at the treetops.

Initiative
Wyeth 3/18 hp
- - -
Enemy North
- - -
Benson 26/27 hp
Marduk
- - -
Enemy South
- - -
Raevin

Guess what, Saitama is free from his other PbP! I am ready to jump in whenever you are ready GM :)

BROTHER SAITAMA!!!!!

Good to have you with us Saitama! You can jump in right after this combat.

Saitama Awareness Points: 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Saitama's joining the party? The enemy is doomed! DOOMED I tell you!

Wyeth would have yelped in surprise and pain had the brutal lance blow not knocked the breath out of him. Staggering about but somehow managing to stay on his feet, he raises his loaded crossbow.

"Don't need 'defending!' " he shouts indignantly (or at least that was his intent... it came out more of a wheezing gasp) as he fires.

Crossbow=>Purple Horseman: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Dropping his crossbow immediately after taking the shot, Wyeth backs away to the south while unshipping his fauchard.

The square he's ending up in looks like difficult terrain; is it thick enough to provide any cover/concealment?

Wyeth, I moved you to a place that provides cover, the green bushes are difficult terrain and provide cover, the rest not.

Wyeth's shot misses. The horseman points his lance to Raevin and strikes home with a trully amazing move! Raevin goes out cold from the grieveous wound. The archer shoots an arrow at Wyeth and fires true despite the cover. This is enough to drop the oracle.

Marduk then sees a familiar sight coming from the east! There is no time to be amazed, saviour the moment for later but there is Saitama!

Initiative
Benson 26/27 hp
Marduk
Saitama
- - -
Enemy South (now West)
- - -
Raevin -1/10 hp, prone, needs stabilize roll
Wyeth -4/18 hp, prone, needs stabilize roll
- - -
Enemy North (now East)
- - -

Figured you can use the help with these hot GM dice

You should have seen my Ledford dice in 1st steps, not shabby either.

"Wyeth, Raevin!!"
Marduk's sorta losing his cool, but not quite yet.
"Benson, archers first, lancer after?"

Marduk makes a doublemove around, making the NW archer see an angry half-orc approaching.

And luckily out of a charge distance option.

stabilize, dc 10: 1d20 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 - 1 = 6

... and Raevin continues to bleed, now -2 hp

Benson can only attack this round by charging the one closest to our fallen comrades.

dueling sword: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 8 + 2 = 15
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Benson races toward the horseman, dueling sword ready. As he closes, he leaps and swings.

GM, be aware Wyeth has the Lame curse and is limited to a 20' move. Based on where I remember him being, I don't think he could have made it to that bush. If it's a GM fiat thing that's fine, I just want to be sure you're aware.

Also: "Ow."

Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 1 - 4 = 2 Still bleeding, at -5 next round.

Almost think you need a Saitama heroic charge!

-Posted with Wayfinder

Go ahead Saitama! You can act

Wyeth, no problem. I forgot it, but the +4 cover bonus to AC did not save you, so we will leave it as is.

AoO, Reach weapon: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 1 = 24
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Marduk moves towards the nearest archer. Benson decided to take on another target and charges the lancer. The horseman deftly put his lance between Benson and himself and Benson ran right into it! The return swing was a miss.

Initiative
Saitama
- - -
Enemy South (now West)
- - -
Raevin -2/10 hp, prone, stabilize roll failed, hp damage applied
Wyeth -5/18 hp, prone, stabilize roll failed, hp damage applied
- - -
Enemy North (now East)
- - -
Benson 22/27 hp
Marduk

"FOR JUSTICE!", shouts Saitama as he runs up from the path. "Mr. Keras-", the Iroran looking at the battle before him. Seeing an old friend down, he immediately moves to his aid. "Don't worry miss, I'll get you next!", speaking to the unconscious Raevin before placing his hand on Wyeth.

Lay on Hands @ Wyeth: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Thanks for the save! Disabled is plenty fine, go help Raevin now.

Nothingness gives way to a dull roar as Wyeth regains consciousness. Head pounding beyond all reason, he slowly opens his eyes to see Saitama.

With a groan, he slowly closes them again. "Great," he says weakly. "Hallucinating now." Moving cautiously -- and as little as possible -- he gestures weakly. "క్యూర్ కాంతి గాయాలు!"

Cure Light Wounds->Self: 1d8 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (4) + 2 - 1 = 5 You can queue that up for his next-round action. The -1 is damage taken for performing a Standard Action while Disabled.

Letting his hands fall back against his chest, Wyeth deems it best to just lie still for a few moments and hope no one notices him.

Arrow: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 3 - 4 = 0
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3

Wyeth, because Saitama acted before you made your stabilize roll you are at 1 hp before casting. Also you are within melee distance of the lancer, so you might want to reconsider casting a spell.

Kill them all!" the lancer shouts. The archer at the west fires an arrow at Benson but misses. He then moves away from the scary halforc.

Initiative
Wyeth 1/18 hp, prone
- - -
Enemy North (now East)
- - -
Benson 22/27 hp
Marduk
Saitama
- - -
Enemy South (now West)
- - -
Raevin -2/10 hp, prone, stabilize roll needed

OH... thanks, I missed the initiative order aspect. Okay, minor retcon then; if Wyeth's not Disabled he'll lie there unmoving for a few seconds to "recover" from the "hallucination." And then try to scope out the situation through mostly-closed eyes. I hate to let a round slip by -- especially in a critical situation like this -- but he doesn't have any "one shot guaranteed kill" abilities, and he won't be any help if he gets himself killed.

EDIT: Technically, he's taking a Delay action.

stabilize roll, dc 10: 1d20 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 1 - 2 = 4

now at -3 hp, sigh

I'm not clear on the initiative and the designations of the enemies. There are three enemies on the board, but only two listed in the initiative order. Where is the Lancer? Is he part of Enemy North (now East)? And are the other two (red) Enemy South (now West)? If that's correct, then I'll wait for The lancer to act.

Lancer is part of enemy North, together with the northern archer (red). The southern archer (red) is enemy South

Ride Check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

The lancer has trouble controlling his mount while disengaging from Benson but succeeds eventually. The archer fires another arrow at Benson and then moves back north.
Benson: you get to make an attack of opportunity against the lancer

Initiative
Benson 22/27 hp
Marduk
Saitama
Wyeth 1/18 hp, prone
- - -
Archer South
- - -
Raevin -3/10 hp, prone, stabilize roll failed and not succeeded, hp damage applied
- - -
Archer North + Lancer

Marduk takes a doublemove to get to the southern archer.

"Stop running and accept punishment, i won't kill you. Merely a disciplinary beating."

"Don't worry miss! I shall cast Iroran Gentle Healing Punch!!!TM"

Iroran Gentle Healing Punch aka Lay on Hands @ Raevin: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Afterwards, he will move north. "Come back here you cowards! You need to be smote with fisticuffs of justicing!"

Despite it being peaceful in his absense (relatively speaking), it's fun to once again see this merry spouting warpriest paladin. :)

Same here :) I was going to stick with warpriest to evangelist, but I think the Iroran Paladin on its own may be fun, other than the lower unarmed strike damage due to the poor level scaling. Still debating a 2 level brawler dip, too, to get the flurry. In either case, the biggest downside is the lack of spellcasting for a while. Bah.

Dueling Sword (AOO): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Critical Threat: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Critical: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
"Coward!" Benson screams as the lancer attempts to ride to safety.

Then he notices Marduk closing on the archer to the south and nimbly positions himself to intercept, with Marduk threatening from the opposite side. His blow, while not so well placed as his previous attack, tries to exploit an opening as the horseman struggles to fend off threats from two fronts. "That's your leader's blood on my steel!" he says as his blade closes.

Dueling Sword (AOO): 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 8 + 2 = 18
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
sneak attack damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Alright, I'll slip in here at the end of the group, I guess.

Having given his head some time to stop spinning, Wyeth carefully opens his eyes again. Thankfully, the apparition is gone... but a soft groan to the north brings Raevin to his attention. Ten feet away, he is just starting to stir.

Seeing and hearing no immediate threat -- where did that lancer go? -- Wyeth crawls over to Raevin and pulls out a wand.

Cure Light Wounds -> Raevin: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 Sigh.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.