Fyird: I either need to generate your character sheet in Hero Lab (using an updated sheet of yours) or I need you to send me your hero lab profile so I can import it, either is fine by me, let me know your preference.
Mird: You have a few missing pieces on your character sheet like skill points unallocated and feats missing, I need to figure out what you want for these so I can get your sheet handled for this upcoming combat. Specifically you are missing 7 skill points allocated and 2 Feats. Current information for your skill point allocation is as follows:
Acrobatics: 1
Handle Animal: 1
Intimidate: 2
Knowledge: Dungeoneer: 2
Knowledge: Nature: 2
Perception: 2
Sense Motive: 1
Stealth: 2
Survival: 1
You can go up to 3 in any of these skills or you can add additional skills if you so choose, you have 7 points to spend.
You also are missing 2 feats, the following is your current Feat List:
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Armor Proficiency (Light)
Armor Proficiency (Medium)
Endurance
Martial Weapon Proficiency - All
Shield Proficiency
Simple Weapon Proficiency - All
I need two more feats for you.
Selena gestures towards her companions, gathering them close to her.
"I think... I might be able to distract them with a glowing figure I can sometimes create" . "But I'm not sure how best to use it. Do you want me to try to send some of them further away for a short while?"
Thantos nods in agreement as he absentmindedly twists the ring on his finger, anticipating the imminent struggle.
"It seems the fewer we engage at a time, the better. I have a few tricks ready for them as well, but will have to rely on the rest of you to inflict most of the actual harm on our lumpy looking friends over there.”
Studying the Situation, Armand adds in a whisper:
The orcs in the trees are a problem. If we opt to engage the orcs and goblins on the ground they'll have range and height on us...if they choose to fire into their own people. If we opt to engage the Orcs in the trees, we're going to have to take them one at a time, and I don't know how well Dirk or I would be able to climb to meet them in this heavy armor.
"I could try to distract the orcs in the trees with a figure of light... You could then focus your attacks on the others."
"An excellent notion Selena. I can assist in the illusion by adding a phantom voice that speaks to them in Orc. What would lure an orc out of a tree, the promise of treasure? If, in the end, arrows do start to fly our way, I could envelope the party in a shroud of mist."
Fyird: I either need to generate your character sheet in Hero Lab (using an updated sheet of yours) or I need you to send me your hero lab profile so I can import it, either is fine by me, let me know your preference.
Mird: You have a few missing pieces on your character sheet like skill points unallocated and feats missing, I need to figure out what you want for these so I can get your sheet handled for this upcoming combat. Specifically you are missing 7 skill points allocated and 2 Feats. Current information for your skill point allocation is as follows:
Acrobatics: 1
Handle Animal: 1
Intimidate: 2
Knowledge: Dungeoneer: 2
Knowledge: Nature: 2
Perception: 2
Sense Motive: 1
Stealth: 2
Survival: 1You can go up to 3 in any of these skills or you can add additional skills if you so choose, you have 7 points to spend.
You also are missing 2 feats, the following is your current Feat List:
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Armor Proficiency (Light)
Armor Proficiency (Medium)
Endurance
Martial Weapon Proficiency - All
Shield Proficiency
Simple Weapon Proficiency - AllI need two more feats for you.
Perception
DM
Dirk adjusts the strapping on his banded armor as he nods his agreement.
"If Selena and Thantos can keep the Orcs distracted, Lash, Fyird and I can slip in, take out the goblins and retreat back into the trees before they know the Goblins are gone. Mird, if you'd stand just out of sight at the treeline and be ready with your bow to cover our retreat."
Inspiration setting with Dirk he asks Mird to check whether there is some kind of path around the forest. Mird, for his part, discovers small animal trails made by some of the larger animals as they skirt the edge of the clearing around to the area of the forest right next to the lake, whether hunting or being hunted, these larger animals, over time, have used this trail to get as close to the lake as possible without leaving the cover of the forest itself, and the trail still exists in at least some partial form. Overgrown, but only with low brush (and no thorns) it's somewhat indistinguishable from the surrounding forest undergrowth, except by Mird's trained eye.
Moving around to the east as quietly as you can, you finally arrive in a small blind, hidden behind some rocks about 15 feet from the nearest goblin, with the others somewhat farther away (you estimate between 15 and 25 feet (5 - 8 yards) from you).
Nodding in agreement the seven of you prepare for your assault.
Chanting softly, Selena calls into being a phantom of lights across the norhern most point of the pond, in between the trees while Thantos calls up a ghostly voice shouting (albeit softly) in orc:
Raiders in the Tree Line! Kill them!
The reaction to the spell is immediate, the Goblins jump up from their lounging and draw swords, the orcs stop skewering fish with their spears and look around, and the orcs in the tree line shift down in their blinds.
All three of the goblins turn toward the source of the sound, their backs now firmly toward you, expecting to find one of the orcs climbing down out of the trees and come running.
The orcs have a mixed reaction, of the four orcs on the ground, three raise their spears ready to attack. However the orc at the south west end of the lake (O7) looks up confusedly and starts looking around, trying to figure out what's going on, obviously he didn't buy the distraction and can't see the figure in the trees.
Of the orcs in the trees you hear the twang of 3 consecutive bows as the orcs, likely, fire on the dancing lights image...it's impossible to tell from where you're at, but the orcs in the trees all seem to be agitated about something. One of the farther away starts calling out in orc.
Hold your fire you IDIOTS! There's no one there, just some lights!
Another, however, does something very curious indeed. Instead of firing his bow at the image or looking around trying to find what's going on, this one with a huge grin on his face turns south, toward the goblins, draws an arrow and fires, the grin on his face obvious from even your position.
We're being attacked! Kill the slavers and escape! Now's our chance!
Taking advantage of the confusion, Dirk, Armand, Fyird and Lash burst from hiding and sprint across the open ground, engaging the Goblins.
Armand Draws his mace and edges over to G3 to attack.
Selena stays within the treeline, continuing to manipulate the humanoid shape in what she hopes is a realistic manner.
She draws her sword but wields it defensively, staying behind the trees as much as possible.
Deciding the confusion is serving to the party's advantage, Thantos causes the phantom voice to shout the same words in Orc again.
He watches Dirk, Armand, Fyird and Lash, waiting to see how the battle unfolds.
Init
Lash charges one of the slower reacting goblins, her blade darting forth to skewer the little menace
Round 1
-------------------------
Mird gets into position to fire but does not take a shot.
O6 is the first to recover from looking around for the source of the noise. Seeing Dirk, Armand, Lash and Fyird charge out from the tree line, he heaves his spear at Lash, striking her a glancing blow which cuts a deep gash across her shoulder.
From the Tree line the twang of a bow announces one of the orc archers, O4, engaging in combat. His arrow flies wide of any target at all, burring itself in the mud of the bank.
Selena draws her sword and realizes that most of the attention is now turned back toward the melee characters, even from this range it is clear that the orcs in the trees are paying little to no attention to her ghost anymore. Dropping into a combat stance she assesses whether any of the combatants will approach her.
Another orc on the ground (O9) heaves his spear, this time at Fyird, who quickly lunges left and the spear flies wide.
Calling his war cry, Dirk steps up to G2 and takes a swing with his mighty sword, catching the goblin squarely in the shoulder and cutting deep, unfortunately the sword catches on a buckle in the goblin's armor and does not penetrate farther. ()
Lash shrugs off the spear and steps into a thrust with her rapier, attempting to skewer G3...unfortunately her attack misses as the Goblin skitters aside.
The Goblin's return attack, however, does manage to slip through Lash's already weakened defenses and catches her in the upper thigh, cutting a bright line of blood.
Another orc on the ground (O8) takes aim at Dirk, launching it's spear but it only screeches off of Dirk's armor, being turned aside without harm.
Thantos uses Ghost sound again to try to distract the combatants, but none of them seem to care with the appearance of the Melee Combatants.
Fyird steps into his swing at G1 but his axe blow is turned off of the goblin's parry, unfortunately G1 cannot seem to turn his parry into an attack as the force of Fyird's blow pulls G1's shortsword out of line as well.
G2, the largest and obviously most experienced goblin in the group (also bleeding profusely from Dirk's sword strike) pokes ahead with his shortsword under Dirk's extended reach as he tries to remove his blade from the Goblin's shoulder, and catches dirk cleanly in the chest, poking a shallow wound through a chink in Dirk's armor.
Armand halts his swing with his mace and steps up behind lash, placing his hand on her shoulder as a white light infuses Lash's wounds.
The final orc on the ground tosses his Javelin into the fight with you and the goblins, but it falls short, almost hitting one of the three goblins instead of Lash.
Adrenaline dulls the pain and pushes Dirk into full combat focus. Sights and sounds slow to a crawl as Dirk finishes a spinning maneuver that ends in an over-hand chop of his great blade.
Thantos intakes a deep breath as he recalls a spell to further disrupt the enemy ranks. As he casts the spell his eyes and mind are focused on the Goblin that attacked Lash. But as the spell completes, he recalls another day from many years ago when he used a similar spell to humiliate a classmate during a duel. The thought instantly passes out of his mind, having been painstakingly trained to avoid distraction. If someone were staring into his grey eyes, they would not have seen anything but the remarkable concentration one would expect from a former star pupil of the Kethlenica School of Knowledge.
Selena moves closer to her fighting companions, and casts bless when she can catch the largest number in the radius.
Seeing his companions in relatively good shape, Armand will take another swing at the closest Goblin (G3).
Round 2
----------------------
Mird's arrow streaks out of the woods behind the party and arcs over the small lake to thud into one of the orc archers, a high squeal followed by a falling body, the crackling of underbrush and a dull thud identify the orc as dead.
One of the orcs at the lake (O6) Raises another spear ready to throw but looks up into the archer treeline and holds his attack.
From the treeline two arrows streak out of the archer's stands, one strikes the shoreline behind the middle goblin while the other thuds into the already heavily damaged Goblin Leader's back. It's obvious the orcs in the tree line (at least some of them) are either very bad shots or they're aiming at the Goblins instead of you.
A female voice raised high in chant creshendos from the treeline and a warm feeling spreads through your bodies, your feel your sword lighten a little, giving you better control over it's angle of attack, and you feel heartier somehow.
Not all of the Goblins on the ground seem to be responding to the missile fire from the treeline. O9 heaves a second spear Fyird's way, the spear just missing behind him to thud into the ground a short distance away.
Dirk's overhead chop whistles clean by G2 who got knocked forward by the arrow embedding itself in his back...pushing him out of line for Dirk's strike.
Lash pokes ahead with her Raiper at G1, testing his defenses, and gets her blade soundly parried.
The goblin attacking Fyird makes a fatal mistake, it's feet partially in mud, it tries to thrust forward with it's shortsword at Fyird, but it's back foot slips out behind it and it's front foot sinks about half a foot deeper into the muddy shore, it's strike throwing it off balance and practically laying it out flat.
Chanting from the forest line ceases and the goblin, already stuck in the mud practically doubles over laughing, obviously caught in the throws of Thantos's spell.
Fyird's followup strike can't fail to miss as the goblin has no defence and is even leaning over, it's neck exposed. Seeing his opportunity, Fyird's axe falls, and so does the Goblin's head.
Another of the orcs on the ground (O8) hurls another spear in Dirk's direction, and again the spear misses wide, but not by much.
Another arrow flies out of the trees and strikes the bank just behind the Dirk's goblin, there is no doubt that the majority of the archers, at least, must be aiming for the goblins. Why they've chosen to help you remains a mystery.
Dirk's Goblin lunges forward at Dirk with his shortsword, trying desperately to maneuver Dirk between him and Armand who is quickly moving over toward the Goblin leader.
Unfortunately, the maneuver works and, not seeing Armand's approach, Dirk turns with the Goblin, blocking Armand's swing, causing the attack to miss it's target.
Finally feinting and parrying Lash's tentative strikes, G1 makes a lunge at Lash, after a particularly viscous parry of her Raiper, attempting to skewer the minorly hurt Lash. Unfortunately for the Goblin, the strike is soundly parried by a downthrust from Lash.
"The orcs are targeting the goblins... at least some of them."
With a glare Dirk turns to regard the goblin that used him as a shield.
"Clever tactic. Unfortunately, you now have my undivided attention."
Selena surmises some of the events unfolding on the battlefield.
"Leave the orcs alone for now. Incapacitate the goblins, and then we can try to negotiate."
If there is still a Goblin up Fyird attacks it. If not he will move to the closest available target, and if he can reach it in time attack it as well.
Battleaxe attack (Chanting)
Battleaxe Damage (Chanting)
Armand maneuvers around Dirk's left side and comes in at G2 swinging.
Round 3 Rolls
-----------------
Mird shifts his focus to one of the orcs on the ground, the farthest across the lake and fires, his arrow getting caught in the overhead branches as it flies high.
The orc in the middle of the pond seems to make up it's mind as it tosses it's spear into the melee fray, missing the closest of the goblins by some distance but coming no where close to your party members.
From the tree line, two more arrow shots twang out, as one embeds itself in the mossy bank and another embeds itself through the back of the neck of the Goblin leader, killing him without question.
Selena - Seeing her target fall from the orc's arrows, Selena shifts focus to the only goblin standing, sending a ray of fire between dirk and lash to soundly strike G1 in the face.
Another arrow from the tree line streaks out but hits nothing.
The orc on the west outcropping of the lake (O9) shouts a sentence in Orc and proceeds to hurl another spear at Fyird.
You idiots! The queen will hunt us down and kill us before letting us escape! Kill the humans!
The spear flies true and pierces Fyird's side, digging deep into his chest. (Fyird: 17 damage).
Dirk turns toward the only goblin left standing and steps into his strike, cleaving a line right down the front of the goblin, and opening it's chest, killing the creature where it stands.
Seeing the Goblins fall, The orc closest to the melee on the south bank, drops it's spears and makes a break for the west end of the clearing, heading for the animal trail you came up yourselves to engage the fight.
From the tree line another orc voice, one you recognize from before, this time yelling in orc followed by common.
"Humans! Belay your actions, we mean you no harm, if any of my brethren take up arms against you, kill them but spare the rest of us, we wish to talk!"
At once 4 simultaneous twangs of bow shots ring out from the north part of the clearing, but the arrows do not head toward you, they strike the orc making a break for it, and he falls to the ground twitching, and then moves no more.
The rest of the orcs, especially the ones on the ground, drop their spears and put their hands out, a universal gesture of surrender.
Selena turns to her human companions.
"Now we are getting somewhere. Do not harm the orcs, I will see if I can negotiate with them." She looks towards Armand. "With your permission, of course."
Selena holds her sword aloft, but in a defensive position, not aggressive, as she slowly approaches the orcs.
"If you truly wish to talk, as you say, then one (and only one!) of you take up the spears and the arrows and bring them here. Also, speak only in our common language, or not at all. Not all who are here can understand the orcish tongue. I deprive you of your weapons not for the sake of cruelty, but only as a defensive measure. We are used to the trickery of those like yourselves."
Mird shifts his focus to one of the orcs on the ground, the farthest across the lake and fires, his arrow getting caught in the overhead branches as it flies high.
The orc in the middle of the pond seems to make up it's mind as it tosses it's spear into the melee fray, missing the closest of the goblins by some distance but coming no where close to your party members.
From the tree line, two more arrow shots twang out, as one embeds itself in the mossy bank and another embeds itself through the back of the neck of the Goblin leader, killing him without question.
Selena - Seeing her target fall from the orc's arrows, Selena shifts focus to the only goblin standing, sending a ray of fire between dirk and lash to soundly strike G1 in the face.
Another arrow from the tree line streaks out but hits nothing.
The orc on the west outcropping of the lake (O9) shouts a sentence in Orc and proceeds to hurl another spear at Fyird.
** spoiler omitted **
The spear flies true and pierces Fyird's side, digging deep into his chest. (Fyird: 17 damage).
Dirk turns toward the only goblin left standing and steps into his strike, cleaving a line right down the front of the goblin, and opening it's chest, killing the creature where it stands.
Seeing the Goblins fall, The orc closest to the melee on the south bank, drops it's spears and makes a break for the west end of the clearing, heading for the animal trail you came up yourselves to engage the fight.
From the tree line another orc voice, one you recognize from before, this time yelling in orc followed by common.
** spoiler omitted **
"Humans! Belay your actions, we mean you no harm, if any of my brethren take up arms against you, kill them but spare the rest of us, we wish to talk!"
At once 4 simultaneous twangs of bow shots...