With the heart of the Stolen Lands explored and the bandits who ruled there scattered, the long-contested realm finally lies open for pioneers and settlers to stake their claims.:
Amid the rush of opportunistic travelers, the PCs find themselves stewards over a new domain, tasked with the responsibility of guiding and guarding a fledgling nation struggling to grow upon a treacherous borderland. Yet the threats to this new nation quickly prove themselves greater than mere bandits and wild beasts, as the monstrous natives of the hills and forests rampage forth to slaughter all who have trespassed upon their territory. Can the PCs hold the land they’ve fought so hard to explore and tame? Or will their legend be just one more lost to the fangs of the Stolen Lands?
When the bolts start to fly Illthir does her best to keep her head down and eyes open. She didn't really feel like attracting more attention now that they were shooting the armoured Alia. But maybe she'd get an opening if they got closer - or if the other cart needed to stop.
Squeezed slinging doesn't feel super hot. So Illthir is readying an action vs "distance closing". Maybe we'll come to an dead end or something and she can help Tartuk grease his breaks ^^?
Can i just get off and walk back.. I can't roll anything above junk
Yeah, me meither. BTW, GGGM: can only one of us make the ride checks? I would normally assume one of us has the "controls." And if not, can I Aid?
You could both squeeze up front and pass the breaks back and forth like an old married couple. ;) "Morty! You're drivin' too fast! Gimme the wheel!" You do have to be able to reach the breaks meaning you have to be up in the front square of the cart, or hanging on for dear life along the outside front of the cart. So long as you can reach the driver you can aid them.
Alia of the Blade wrote:
Yes, I cast it in the kobold lair, when I expected trouble, right after the Statue Smash. Here. Things seemed to move pretty quickly so I did not pull it down yet. If the 3 minutes are close to ending, I would refresh via Pearl.
"Ha, your petty magics are no match for my superior elven arcane-powers!", Alia comments the magic projectiles fizzling against her ward.
Thought you did, but I couldn't find it. You're still good.
Seeing what they are up against, Nakpik begins to slow his and Celyne's cart.
Wrong cart. Nakpik looks for a place to hide on Alia's and Illthir's cart.
Hot on the tail of the purple kobold the lead carts (Celyne, Alia, Illthir) come upon a sudden hairpin turn! (see card).
Kobold red:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 Kobold black (Give me that you idiot!):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 Kobold grey (OMG we're going to crash, aid):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10Tartuk's crew advances to the next card, by combining to pass one challenge.
Meanwhile, a little ways back, Zokon, Numalar and Scarlet come barrelling down a danger-free straight away. You guys auto advance, you can try and get a little advantage with drive checks. It will move you up feet but not full cards.
Perception DC 21 for Alia's cart, or DC 24 for Celyne's:
He's casting a spell. You can make out the words.
If you made the Perception check - Spellcraft DC 17:
Tartuk is casting create pit! A 10 X 10 foot section of earth just past the hairpin stretches downward out of sight taking the tracks with it! It's as if the whole area just melted. Someone is going to have to make a reflexive Drive check (DC 16)--AND FAST!
Perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Ducked into her cart for cover(and to reduce air drag and improve speed), Alia sees nothing.(Waiting if Ilthir or Nakpik has something to share) Um, clarification please? The card says hairpin turn, but the map says deadly hole, and the acrobatics check says drop into the hole? More importantly, I still don't understand if it's both checks or one of those...and if both can be tried? Is it either go slow and it's fine, or lean out and it's fine, or try going slow and if you don't make it in time lean out? I'll try and take another look at the chase rules while I wait for Ilthir and Nakpik.
Um, clarification please? The card says hairpin turn, but the map says deadly hole, and the acrobatics check says drop into the hole? More importantly, I still don't understand if it's both checks or one of those...and if both can be tried? Is it either go slow and it's fine, or lean out and it's fine, or try going slow and if you don't make it in time lean out? I'll try and take another look at the chase rules while I wait for Ilthir and Nakpik.
This once it is just easier for me to say 'you can read the spoilers'. There is a hairpin coming up the kobolds got around it by driving (and not leaning), and then-.
Trusting the Kobolds to know these caves better, Alia mirrors what they do, carefully taking the turn.(Unless we can maintain more speed by leaning and one check is enough, in which case that roll also succeeds - not taking risks otherwise) Ride-Drive:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
If Alia notices the Pit in time, or Ilthir manages to bring it to her attention, she does whatever is necessary to not get derailed, handling the minecart like a good metallic horse...easier for a smith than handling real animals, it seems - but then, Alia did calm that one horse down pretty successfully earlier...can we...can we jump it? Ride-Drive:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Okay so you made the drive check, your whole cart is around the bend. If anyone else in your cart wants to make the other challenge check you would normally shoot ahead (and basically rear-end Tartuk).
As for the peril you face immediately after the turn--which has a higher DC than listed in the spoiler because you did not see what was coming until you arrived, we'll have to see after everyone else chimes in.
Acrobatics (lean to the side):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Almost!
Noticing nothing Illthir simply shuffles to the side of the cart to help it take the turn, but her unwillingness to expose herself to the sporadic kobold fire limited her moments enough to make the effect negligible.
Celyne tries to guide the cart over the pit or off track around it.
There is no need to spot the pit; it is very obvious at the distance in which you encounter it. Better to use your perception to hear what Tartuk is saying and then make a spellcraft check to make sense of it. That in turn gives Celyne an edge in time to react, and allows her, or more probably Mikmek, to make a drive check against the lower of two possible DCs.
To Zokon's amazement one of the overhanging stalactites seems to pull itself away form the ceiling and drop into the cart on to Numalar! But instead of a solid spear of rock the thing unfurls like a sort of half-bat half squid and drapes itself over Numalar's hat and head.
For those who can see Numalar's new flesh hat (Zokon, Numalar and Scarlet right now), roll once and open all the spoilers indicated by your result.
thing from the ceiling - knowledge (arcana or dungeoneering) DC 11+:
It is a darkmantle, a magical beast and ambush predator common to underground environs. A fully grown darkmantle like this one can grow up to 3-feet in length and weigh near 40 pounds.
thing from the ceiling - knowledge (arcana or dungeoneering) DC 16+:
Darkmantles ambush their prey by camouflaging themselves amid a cave's stalactites and then then fluttering down upon their long hooked and webbed tentacles. They then grapple their surprised prey and constrict the life out of them.
thing from the ceiling - knowledge (arcana or dungeoneering) DC 21+:
As mentioned darkmantles are magical beasts and can generate a field of darkness similar to the spell of the same name, normally no more than once a day. Their incredible senses however are adapted to the effect. Darkmantles can even fly in complete darkness.
Beyond all of their other immediate problems, Zokon and Numalar notice a loud chugging noise coming from behind. In the darkness behind their cart they can make out another mine cart... if mine carts where all spikey and came with a ballista and a battering ram. Steam pours out of the things wake and it seems to be catching up.
Three particularly brawny bare-chested kobolds seem to be manning the thing. One has a sort of iron bar tied to his back in such a way that it protrudes above his head. Mounted atop it is a second head--or rather an iron Razmiran face mask dressed with wild straight black hair that flies about crazily in the tunnel. His crazed expression is locked on Zokon.
Edit My bad, forgot Scarlet wasn't in the caboose anymore.
Darkmantle yes and it's grabbed hold of Numalar I'll need to get it off him as soon as possible."
Zokon uses studied target on the darkmantle and stabs it with the rapier
Rapier+st:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Rapier+st:1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Dude i'm Australian.. the reference to Mad Max 3 and in particular
the character played by Angry Anderson is not lost.. very amusing...
ha! I hadn't even looked at your image link before I typed this.
Before Mikmek can even see the pit he leaves off the breaks and tries to will it over the magical gap.
"YEE-"
Drive (like the demon who drives a beam!):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14So close!
It becomes apparent the cart isn't going to make it. Time slows. Mikmek's triumphant cry turns into a slow motion basso of despair as the cart tilts downward to its doom!
"-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!"
What's Toonces doing at the end of round 7? I don't think she actually did anything last round. ;)
Alia turns the hairpin only to find a pit before her! Fortunately for her and her passengers she picked the culturally-insensitively-painted mine cart and jumps the gap somehow landing square on the tracks again.
Tartuk nearly snaps his wand in two.
Zokon stabs the darkmantle scratching Zokon's nose in the process.
Non-contiguous Round 8ish! (Theme ♬)
The Bold May Act!
_________________
__ Illthir -2 hp
__ Numalar -13 hp, grappled
__ Alia
__ Zokon -20 hp
__ Scarlet -12 hp, 1 nonlethal
__ Celyne
__ Luna -5 hp
__ Mikmek
__ Nakpik
__ Tartuk
__ Very Angry Kobold
__ kobold cultists
__ darkmantle -7 hp, grappled (aggressor)
Map updated
hp 21/21 AC 19, 16, 14 saves F 4, R 7, W 3, bab 2, init +3, spd 40, cmb 4, cmd 17 tiger
skills:
acro 8, climb 1, perc 6, stealth 7/11, swim 1
Toonces?
Luna, feeling the cart start to tilt down while still flying forward, attempts to leap out and land on the edge of the pit safely, because, well, because she's a cat and she can.
If she can, she'll try to grab Celyne (standard) safely and pull her to safety too (as part of the move state above)... but understood if she can't
Celyne, if not grabbed by LUna, tries to leap out on her own and land on the other side of the pit, using the momentum of the cart to propel herself forward and out.
Yeah, from Saturday Night Live. The driving cat. The cat who can drive a car.
Luna, feeling the cart start to tilt down while still flying forward, attempts to leap out and land on the edge of the pit safely, because, well, because she's a cat and she can.
Luna Tiger wrote:
If she can, she'll try to grab Celyne (standard) safely and pull her to safety too (as part of the move state above)... but understood if she can't
Luna doesn't know the fetch trick but Celyne could still push her with a move action (which she still has available). So yeah you could have Celyne scream a warning to Mikmek, and then abandon him and the cart to certain doom while Luna attempts a reflex save (DC 16) with Celyne in her jaws. All assuming of course Celyne can "push" her (DC 27, because Luna's wounded) into doing it.
Oh, Luna is not actually all that strong. Assuming that Celyne and all of her armor and equipment weighs a bit more than 150 lbs that puts Luna in heavy load territory for a quadruped, meaning she has a maximum operating Dex mod of +1, and a -6 penalty to any check related to Dex or Str. So she has to make the reflex save with a total modifier of -1. So you would need to Roll a 17, after the handle animal check.
Alas Celyne used her standard action to get around the hairpin without flipping over. She has a move action left though and can make her own reflex save to vacate the cart, without Luna's help.... There goes a half hour of research. ;)
Celyne sees Scarlet coming and yells "Careful, there's a pit and Mikmek is at the bottom, hurt... try to get your cart to jump it... DRIVE!"
"Luna, Come!" She stands to the side and tries to get LUna to come to her so she won't be in the way of Scarlet's cart if she indeed can get it to jump the pit.
As their cart rapidly approached Tartuk's Illthir started to chant, quietly at first but then rising quickly in both volume and tempo. The familiar words granted courage and helped her forget that her armour was still in her backpack. Those close enough to hear could feel their blood starting to call for war, to spill the crimson liquid across the damp caverns. Giving in to fury would be as easy and blinking ones eyes!
"Ritheann an fhuil
Éiríonn arda
Buaiteann Bás
Glaonna cogaidh! Ritheann an fhuil
Éiríonn arda
Buaiteann Bás
Glaonna cogaidh!!"
Standard to use Inspired Rage. Every ally that hears it (though understanding is not needed) can choose to accept the effects for one round at the start of their turn (no fatigue afterwards). The Spirit Totem attack happens as a free action each round (for each rager). It does not gain any benefits or penalties to the rolls and always uses the profile in the spoiler. Nor does it provide flanking.
