GM Woran's Rise of the Runelords

Game Master Woran

"He's a bulette-sized pain in the ass, but workin' there lets me indulge in certain... practices of mine, we'll call it."

As she's jogging alongside Oskar, Taj has to ask. "What... sort of practices? Are you... some sort of alchemist? I've always been fascinated... by alchemy." She takes deep breaths, but it's hard to talk at a run like this.

He shrugs, as if she'd thanked him for passing the salt. "Yeah, sure. Hell, you n' yer brother are helping out pretty fiercely for having been here what, an afternoon, tops?"

The town square pulls into view, and Taj slows down as she sees the others.

She blushes a little at his comment, glad that her dark skin hides most of her reaction. "Snow could never stand by. He's just... good. Good through and through. Me, I'm impulsive. And I couldn't bear to see my new friends get hurt without doing something to help."

She holds up the smelling salts. "We're back! Did we miss anything?"

Has taken out a brand new looking crossbow . taken the tag off of it, and is reading the instruction manual

"For enjoyment and safety do not place bow vertical to object of desire to be shot. Place string of much strength into tab A and .. BAH. Halflings speak Tadlane? Why are these instructions so bad? "

Red has been a model prisoner so far. Being knocked unconscious has made him a lot more agreeable.
While Rataji and Oskar go look for smelling salt, everyone at the square has the chance of catching their breath and picking pieces of goblin from their clothing.

The clouds of smoke seem to lessen here and there, and the sound of battle comes more sporadic.
Smelling salts at the ready, red's ropes get a good checkup. No one wants the little bugger to wiggle out once concious.

Just when you are ready to wake the goblin up, you hear a scream of fright from the south, followed by frantic barking.

"I'll try to assist you all in the goblin hunting expedition" Eldira looks longingly at the archery contest in the distance, "Something tells me that I could use the training."

Looking around, the town square a lot of her arrows are stuck in the ground or lay splintered under market stalls.

"We better check that scream out!" Taj looks at the others, then at the unconscious goblin.

Taj grabs a local in the square. "Can you watch my goblin prisoner? Don't kill him! We'll need him alive to question."

She runs to the south, trying to track the sound.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Rodrak moves to follow Taj, also keeping a sharp eye on the horizon and trying to figure out if the scream means a renewed Goblin offensive.

"This whole taking gobs alive is new for me. I get questioning, but... it doesn't feel right."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Grabbing a local, you barely have time to hear her protests before rushing off to the south.

Rodrak's keen ears easily filter out the sound of barking, steering the group into the alleys between the houses.

At an dead end, you can barely make out a man hiding behind a rainbarrel, calling out randomly for help.
A hunting dog is at the mouth of the alley, fighting savagely against a goblin on a goblin dog.
As you rush close, the goblin scores a heavy hit against the neck of the hunting dog. The dog crashes dying to the ground as the rider's goblin kin (who were themselves cowering nearby as the dog was handled) throw up a cheer and emerge from hiding.
The goblin dog licks its chops as the rider mimicks its mount and licks clean its blade, eyes focused on the cowering man.

Gobbos: Not having heard you approach, the goblins draw their weapons, waiting for a command from their war-band leader before going in for the kill.

Scared man: His cries become more desperate as he looks around for a way to escape, but boxed in between several stone houses there is no way out of the alley except either trough the goblins, or growing wings and flying away.

Round 1

Gobbos
Scared man
Snowflake
Oskar
Eldira
Justin
Goblin Commando
Rodrak
Rataji

Bold may post an action.

The cathedral square link will at first take you to that map, but the new one is on the slide under the current one.

I can't make out which are the roofs and which are other things. Is the cowering guy on top of a roof, near a staircase?

He's in a back alley

"Save the dog, i think its the third townsfolk we've seen doing their jobs!

Yes, but is he up on something? I'm having trouble grokking the map. Are the metal things roofs or sewer drains? I think they're roofs... And he looks like he's up on one, with a staircase.

He's up a few steps and around a corner. the other door to that house is elevated by stairs as well , so likely its a built up basement

given the fountain i doubt i'll be blocking any charge lanes moving up...

"For releasing of lever to be sending much speed of projectile at targe.. BAH! he points the crossbow in the general direction of green and snaps the lever

Crossbow attack: 1d20 + 1 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 1 + 3 = 20
Crossbow damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

is there something i can do to make the map clearer?

Having picked up his shield from the plaza, Vy holds it before him as he walks forward, while casting Stabilise as soon as he gets in range of the dying dog

I have no idea if it makes it clearer, but I put some dark red lines at the edges of the roofs. The light gray is the actual alley, and the gray slate/orange tiles are the roof.

Moving into position and attacking blue.

Bow: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 171d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

slightly optimistic

Justin: Even tough the instructions that came with the crossbow are unclear, you not only manage to fire a bolt, but it even finds its mark. You even surprise yourself. 4 damage on green

Snowflake: Moving up, stabilize the poor dog.

Eldira: For all your previous bad luck, your arrow finds its mak this time around. It hits the goblin with such force that the arrow goes straight trough, pinning the goblin to the wall. Blue is dead

I am delaying oskar

Goblin Commando: Having seen two arrows find its mark, it draws a bow, firing a shot at Eldira.
shorbow attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2
With surprising accuracy, the commando returns fire.
2 damage for Eldira

Round 1

Gobbos
Scared man
Snowflake
Oskar Delay
Eldira 2 damage
Justin
Goblin Commando
Rodrak
Rataji

Bold may post an action.

Sorry about the delay!

Oskar growls over his shoulder at Rataji, "I heard people say they think goblins look 'cute'. I don't see it."

With that, he runs toward the enemies, drawing a dart from his belt as he goes. When he's gotten in front of Eldira, he flings it toward the nearest gob.

Move action, get me to the square I'm at (as I go, drawing a wushu dart as part of the move action). Standard action, throw it. The post above says Blue is dead, but on the map it's Green that is bleeding out. GM, I'd like this attack to be directed at whichever of those two jokers is still standing. Either one is within the first range increment.

Wushu dart attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Damage: 1d3 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Oh look, another abysmally low attack roll. That's fun. On the plus side, I guess it matters that much less which goblin is down. :-\

"Depends on how you define cute," Rataji grins. She follows up after Oskar, and then bypasses him to close with green. Sparks are flying from her hair, and her heart is racing as she wields her blade. "Babies are small, have big heads, and put everything in their mouths. Goblins are small, have big heads and put everything in their mouths! And both have poor impulse control. If you find that cute, I can sort of see the argument."

Rapier: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

This attack is against whichever of green or blue is still standing. And thanks for the red outline... It really helped me define 'roof' and 'not roof'!

She yells in goblin, "Yog vim li cas koj yuav mus tom qab uas tus txiv neej thaum koj yuav tau kuv?"

Oops. I switched green and blue around, my bad. I swear I'm not color blind. I rectified it on the map

Muttering something about needing to find a ranged weapon and lack of proper charge-lanes in these human cities Rodrak moves up to cover the entrance of the alleyway. Seemingly unbothered by the pinned goblin he moves into the square it just vacated.

As I don't seen an option to charge I double move into the square where Blue died, probably risking an attack by Green.

Oskar: Their small size still makes it hard on you. The dart flies wide.

Rataji: Your rapier flashes and you pierce the goblin next to Justin's arrow. Gurgling, the goblin falls to the alley floor. Green is now dead

Rodrak: In the space left by blue, you can move up without a risk.

Gobbos: Angryly shouting, Yellow runs up to Rodrak, seeking revenge. Probably not as much for his fallen fellows, but most likely because you stand between it and a tasty meal.
dogslicer attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21 damage: 1d4 ⇒ 4
Its dogslices finds a gap in your armor, making a deep gash 4 damage

Scared man: Still behind his rain barrel, he calls out to you, "Oh for the love of Shelyn, please help me! They caught me without a weapon and now I'm trapped!"

Round 2

Gobbos
Scared man
Snowflake
Eldira 2 damage
Justin
Goblin Commando
Rodrak 4 damage
Rataji
Oskar

Bold may post an action.

"They're goblins. Your teeth should suffice. I don't think you'd be very effective with the dogslicers or my crossbow, anyone have something bigger to throw him?"

In the meantime, daze dc 14 on the goblin commando

"Sure, I have a dagger, but I'm kind of busy now..." Taj says, as Green drops off her rapier.

Vy hears the banter between Oskar and Taj.
Ofcourse she would get friendly with some half again my size and weight, and he doesn't look like he would be easily modified with a free drink and a quick quip about the mysterious ways of women.

Oh well, back to the fight at hand. The ally is small so the melee fighters will get bunched up. So let's help the ranged fighters. The skaven is doing his dazzling work..

Vy walks forward and casts Guidance on Eldira

"Goblins are cute compared to human babies. Those weird furless things are seriously creepy"

Eldira, looks appreciatively back at Snowflake before shooting her arrow at the yellow goblin, and while the dwarf is a low target, the goblin is fortunately even smaller.

"Don't move too much Rodrak, and everything should be fine."

Bow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 191d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Justin: commando will save: 1d20 ⇒ 17
You try to daze the commando, but he shakes it off.

Snowflake: you magic bolsters Eldira.

Eldira: with some help from your friends your arrow finds its mark. Yellow takes a nasty hit but remains standing.

Goblin commando: moving its mount a five foot step back, the commando fires at Eldira again.
shortbow attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
But its arrow goes wide.

Round 2

Gobbos
Scared man
Snowflake
Eldira 2 damage
Justin
Goblin Commando
Rodrak 4 damage
Rataji
Oskar
Bold may post an action.

There are too many foes to tumble past for her to flank the commando, at least yet. But she knows that Rodrak is more than capable of taking out the yellow goblin before him, so she tumbles past that one onto the stairwell, leaving a charge lane open for Oskar if he wishes it.

Acrobatics vs Yellow's CMD: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Rapier attack vs Goblin Commando: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Confirm Crit?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Crit Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Rodrak looks not so much hurt as annoyed by the Goblin's attack and takes aim to return the favor. Seeing the arrow thud in the target before him he tries to make use of the distraction to take out his foe.

Attack - Warhammer: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 4 + 1 = 141d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

"T'fu, eti rebyata chertovski..."

Oskar run into one, trying to hammer it down with all his might.

Charging Yellow.

Attack Unarmed: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 2 = 19

Damage Unarmed: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

I'll clear out of Eldira's way ASAP.

Rataji: With grace you manage to tumble past yellow.
The frustration of the whole fight in the cathedral square resonates in your trust. This time your rapier finds a weakness in the goblin armor, making your thrust penetrate far more deeply then normal.
Nearly off balance by your trust, you pull upward and nearly slice off the commando's arm. that is one very dead goblin.

Rodrak: Being your normal size again makes it easier to aim your strikes, but these little green pests are just too quick on their feet... miss

Oskar: Running to the fore, you put that speed to good use, as this time, the goblin is too slow to dodge. Your fist connects solidly with the ribcage and you can feel bones break. Yellow is dead.

Scared man: Hearing the dying sounds of goblin he calls out: "Is it safe? Are they gone?"

Round 3

Gobbos
Scared man
[b]Snowflake[b]
[b]Eldira[b] 2 damage
[b]Justin[b]
Goblin Commando
Goblin Dog
Rodrak 4 damage
Rataji
Oskar

Bold may post an action.

"এই যুদ্ধ এখন শেষ করতে হয়েছে"

Vy, after casting Guidance, slips past Rodrak to reach and touch Taj

"আপু, যে কুকুর অতীত পেতে আমার উপহার ব্যবহার. Oskar এবং Rodrak বলুন পর্যন্ত আপনি যে কুকুর আক্রমন অপেক্ষা করতে!"

"Yes, you are, unfortunately, safe. Your practice of hiding behind your more civil minded canine here was sadly effective "

its not nearly as much fun without the rider on it, but daze the goblin dog Dc 14

And reload the crossbow in case i'm getting TOO snarky

Snowflake: Using your magic, you infuse your sister with a bit of divine power.

Justin: Usint your magic, you could the mind of the goblin dog. It looks slightly comical, its eyes staring in the distance, its tongue hanging out.

willsave: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Goblin dog: It drools slightly on the pavement.

Round 3

Gobbos
Scared man
Snowflake
Eldira2 damage, delayed
Justin
Goblin Commando
Goblin Dog
Rodrak 4 damage
Rataji
Oskar

Bold may post an action.

"Se ud, jeg kommer igennem!"

Not wanting to bottleneck the alleyway, Oskar tries to vault up past Rataji to get to the other side of the goblin dog, but doesn't manage to do so without leaving himself open to its jaws for a moment. Once he lands, he plants and throws a side kick at the beast.

Acrobatics to not draw an AOO, then attack once I'm in position.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Oh well, I'm gonna draw an AOO from the dog. You only lose the move action if you try and go through the creature's space, IIRC.

Unarmed attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Unarmed damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

whoops.. just noticed that daze is humanoid only.

After beeing distracted for a moment to long Eldira tries to bring the world goblin quota closer to 0.0.

Attacking the green goblin.

bow: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 241d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

There are no more goblins. Green is dead. There is a live pesky goblin dog... So perhaps Eldira's shot could have gone off against the dog? Also, if the dog was undazed, and it attacked the person in front of it, there is a parry and riposte just waiting for it in my last spoiler, upthread.

With Oskar already positioned, Taj sidesteps into a doorway for flanking.

Rapier, Guidance, Flank: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 2 + 1 = 28
Crit?: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 2 + 1 = 14 Includes anatomist

Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Crit Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

My bad for the daze. I'm not going to retcon it. That's just too inconvenient. Just assume its too confused to do something for a moment without its rider. Its not a smart animal. Eldira's attack can go against the dog, no problem.

Oskar: Inspired by Rataji, you attempt to be as nimble on your feet as her, but it looks like you need a couple of lessons to actually pull it off.

attack of opportunity from dog: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

The dog lunges at you, but its teeth fail to pierce your armor.
In return, you fist solidly connects with the goblin dogs body and it yelps loudly.
As your fist connects, the skin of the dog feels *filthy*.
fort save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
You can almost imidiately feel your hand start to swell and your skin turns an angry red.

Eldira and Raraji nearly simultaniously you shoot and stab the dog. Being pierced trough from both sides, the dog lets our a pained howl before collapsing, blood gushing from the massive wounds.

Wrapping up combat now as this dog is most defenitely dead.

For any difference it might make, I did say a kick, so it's probably foot and not fist. And I don't need lessons so much as I need a lower armor check penalty! :-)

"Right, that should take care of them."

He takes a wistful look at the dog, downed while defending its master."Gotta keep thinking about the ones you can safe, not the ones you can not...", he mutters under his breath.

He turns around and shouts into the alleyway. "Oi, mister, you got somewhere nearby where you can hole up safe?"

"Yes, can we help get you somewhere? Maybe the Rusty Dragon? It has a fantastic curry and is very comfortable." Then she helps the man get up. "I'm so sorry about your dog."

For any difference it might make, I did say a kick, so it's probably foot and not fist. And I don't need lessons so much as I need a lower armor check penalty! :-)

Then your foot swells uncomfortably large in your boot as some skinflakes landed on your ankle. It gets triggered by unarmed attacks. You might want to have that looked at :P

Standing up from behind the barrel is a man you guess is in his thirties. His clothes are of a quality that the locals cant afford.
You can find his image at the map link

Gracefully accepting Rataji's help, you can see he is pressing a cloth against his injured hand.
"Thank you so much my dear lady. Normally I would make a more formal acquaintance with you but I fear I would just bleed on you. Thank Desna you came around when you did or I might find myself as unlucky as poor Princess."

With a sad face he stands next to his dog. Still adressing Rataji, "I am Andern Foxglove. I wish we had met under more favorable circumstance."
Kneeling, Aldern gently places his hand on Princess bloody fur, then frowns. With no regard for his clothes, he bends down further into the blood on the ground and places his ear on Princess chest.
"Why... I think she's still alive! Altough barely!"
A broad smile breaks trough on his face and beaming, he looks up at Rataji.
"If we could get Princess to the Goblin Stomp stables, we could get her stitched up there. I also have my hunting gear stashed there. I was on my way there to retrieve my bow so I could help defend. I'm a lousy swordsman, and your skill with the rapier makes me look even worse in comparison. Altough I have to say it all pales compared to your beauty."

...Is Aldern slightly blushing?

Standing up, Aldern only now really notices the rest of the party. "Oh please forgive my manners. You were all very brave, rushing in to help me."

Justin mutters to himself for a moment"Amddifad o dymor nythu safonol y gwryw dynol ..."

"We need to move. Not everyone will have a dog to hide behind."

Closing his eyes,Vy thinks of a green meadow, in a glade.
Ëvery one that is wounded, especially that dog, gather around me"

He concentrates, says a little prayer, and let's go of some energy from the realm of light

positive energy burst: 1d6 ⇒ 6

With a small whimper, the dog regains conscious.

"Easy now Princess. Easy. Good girl."
Aldern quietly comforts Princess, and when she has calmed down, he lifts her up.
"Ok, I am ready to go."

Andern Foxglove's praise momentarily stymies the otherwise confident Taj. He saw my hair catch flame, didn't he? He knows I'm strange and he's stil interested? The problem is, Taj is not sure she's interested in return. He appears somewhat clueless and helpless. She prefers guys who think on their feet, but maybe she's judging him on too little information. "Well, um, we're glad we can help. We can get you to the stables if you show the way. Um, I'm new and have no idea where anything in town is!"

Then she remembers her manners. "I'm Rataji Diras, and this is my brother Snowflake. The dashing half-orc is Oskar, this fine dwarf is Rodrak, the snarky one with the whiskers is Justin, and the lady with the bow is Eldira."

When Vy channels, Taj hugs him. "I have the best big brother in Varisia!" Then she looks at Oskar. "Is your foot okay now? I can't believe that the goblin dog was able to sting you right through your boot!" A thought occurs to her. "Justin, can you prestidigitate Oskar's boot and my blade? It wouldn't do for any of us to get sick right now."

The rat twitches his fingers a bit and gathers what dust he can off the boot, blade... and uses the excuse to give the half orc a much needed washing in general. He hmmms... at the collected dust, eyes their new compatriot a little while bouncing a swirling ball of goblin dog dander and half orc trail leavings, but he is unfortunately holding the dog, so the orb gets tossed down the alley