DM Carbide runs *! Rise of the Runelords !*

Game Master John Woodford

Reynard tosses Trox his club, then cracks his knuckles. "These work just fine." he says, brandishing his claws.

Never understood why claws are B/S and bite is B/P/S in Pathfinder, but they are!

Erond, you have a shocking bow. You should be doing another 3d6 electricity damage with the crit.

Checking the map, Erond is also something like fifteen feet below the floor of the chamber with the hags. Keep that crit in the queue for when you can actually see a target.

Are Skarn and Reynard delaying?

[dice=Knowledge (nature)]1d20+10 +3 to identify creature abilities and weaknesses

Ok, that's a 20, so in addition to what they are. I'd like to know any special abilities and resistances they have.

Are any buffs still up from the last fight?

"Hold fast and buff up," Skarn suggests.

Skarn will cast divine favor on himself (+4/+4), and make his weapon Bane (+2/+2 +2d6) against their type.

No, I cast a spell and did a free action, right?

Gotcha. That's what I get for skimming older posts on my phone. Reynard, what are you doing?

Erond will cast overland flight, and 5ft up instead of attacking if he does not have line of sight.

Reynard moves forward to engage. Double Move.

Sorry. Got busy IRL and forgot to check the thread.

Although Reynard can easily draw his club as part of a move action, I don't think he can toss it to Trox as a free or swift action. Do you want to give Trox a weapon and take one move action, or do the double move?

Fair point. I'll take a single move.

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Erond-acted
Reynard-acted
Skarn-acted
Hag G-acted
Trox
Cordwin
Hag B
Druamin
Hag L

Reynard arms Trox and moves up, Skarn prepares spells, and Erond inspires the party and casts a spell, rising slightly into the air.

One of the hags takes a deep breath and blows out a dense cloud of fog that fills most of the chamber, blocking all three from sight.

Trox and Cordwin can act! Note that everyone in the room is concealed.

Cordwin will try and dispel the fog.

Dispel Magic: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Erond-acted
Reynard-acted
Skarn-acted
Hag G-acted
Trox
Cordwin-acted
Hag B
Druamin
Hag L

Cordwin attempts to dispel the fog, but is unsuccessful.

Trox?

When the fog comes at first Trox holds his breath but when no one starts coughing relaxes and breaths normal. "Won't save you."

He moves forward thought the fog closing carefully shield held high.

Single move into the room, not to melee range.

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Erond-acted
Reynard-acted
Skarn-acted
Hag G-acted
Trox-acted
Cordwin-acted
Hag B-acted
Druamin
Hag L

Trog moves into the fog. A steely claw flashes out of the mists and hits him, but fails to get through his armor.

Druamin is up!

"Well, I don't like all this fog. And I sure don't want to go wandering into that soup with those three hags waiting for me. But I think there's nothing else we can do."

Druamin stride forward but edges along the rock wall. Kobu stays with him.

Double move.

Druamin and Kobu edge into the cloud.

Another pair of claws flash out of the mists at Trox. One fails to get through his heavy armor, but the other one hits him for 11 HP.

Round 2:

Erond, Reynard, and Skarn can act! Keep in mind that you don't know exactly where the hags are, although you can hear them moving.

"Perhaps we should all drop back from the fog, and not fight on their terrain?"

Skarn delays.

"They're not going to come to us. If we can't dissipate this fog, we've got to fight in it." Reynard says, before downing an extract of Shield and stepping into the fog.

Erond will also try to dispel the fog.

CL: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Skarn will follow Reynard into the fog and attempt to stay next to him.

Round 2 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Erond-acted
Reynard-acted
Skarn-acted
Hag G-acted
Trox
Cordwin
Hag B
Druamin
Hag L

Erond's spell fails to clear the air...barely. Reynard drinks an extract and strides into the fog, reaching one of the hags. She bites and claws at him, but to no avail. Then she takes a short step backwards and is lost to sight.

Trox and Cordwin are up!

Trox takes a small step forward.

"Gonna kill you."

+1 Adamantine Longsword PA: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

+1 Adamantine Longsword PA: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

Trox swings twice at the purple ugly.

{The attacks would be at -4 I think if the fog counts as blind. I did not add any of thsoe modifers as I am not sure what applies.}

Trox, that first attack is a critical threat. You can take your second roll as confirmation and roll your second attack, or vice versa.

Cordwin will try and dispel the fog again:

Dispel Magic: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

I was so worried about concelement I forgot that.

Confirmation Roll
+1 Adamantine Longsword PA: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Round 2 (ongoing):

The hag staggers back under the twin impacts of Trox' mighty blows, barely clinging to life, just as Cordwin dispels the fog cloud. The return of visibility is brief, though, as the blue hag promptly casts another fog cloud spell. Then she rushes for the exit, passing close enough to Skarn and Reynard for them to take attacks of opportunity against her.

Druamin is up, and Reynard & Skarn get their AoOs.

Taking advantage of the brief moments that the fog is clear, Druamin sees one of the hags only a few steps away. As billows of fog form in the air, he strides forward with Kobu at his side. Sensing that he's close enough, he strikes out at the hag.

battleaxe@blue, concealment: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
tohit, 1 is miss: 1d5 ⇒ 3
dmg: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"Kobu, attack!" A dark blur moves through the fog and slaps at the hag's location.

tail slap, concealment: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27
tohit, 1 is miss: 1d5 ⇒ 2
dmg: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

AOO:

Heavy Pick +1 Hit: 1d20 + 11 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 11 + 4 + 2 = 32
Heavy Pick +1 Damage: 1d6 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 2d6 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 4 + 2 + (3, 6) = 26 x4, P

Skarn hits the hag as she goes by.

Reynard reaches out with a claw as the hag rushes past.

Attack, +1 Claw: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15
Damage, Magical B/S: 1d6 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

Reynard is taken by surprise as the hag rushes past him and can't get a solid hit in. Druamin and Kobu follow the sound and find the hag, both managing to hit her. She's still up, though.

The badly wounded hag facing Trox retreats from the fighter and is lost to sight. Trox hears her muttering, but observes no effects when she finishes.

Round 3:

Initiative order
Erond-
Reynard-
Skarn-
Hag G-
Trox
Cordwin
Hag B
Druamin
Hag L

Erond, Reynard, and Skarn are up! Erond, FYI you're in reach of her, and you'll still be in her reach if you retreat 5'. You still have that crit queued up, though, so you'd probably kill her but take an AoO in the process.

Annis Hags: AC 20 T 10 FF 19 HP taken - Blue: 34 Green 0 Lilac: 52

Skarn follows the hag that just went past him, listening for her chatter, and attacks when he sees her...

Heavy Pick +1 Hit: 1d20 + 11 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 11 + 4 + 2 = 19
Heavy Pick +1 Damage: 1d6 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 2d6 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 4 + 2 + (6, 3) = 27 x4, P

Reynard advances side by side with Skarn, trying to finish the injured hag.

Attack, +1 Claw: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 15 + 2 = 23
Damage, Magical B/S: 1d6 + 15 + 4d6 ⇒ (5) + 15 + (1, 5, 2, 1) = 29

Just to be sure, it looks like I've got flanking there, but I'm not 100% sure that the fog cloud wouldn't prevent that. If so, drop the last +2 to attack and +4d6 damage.

Reynard, on the one hand you're out of the fog cloud, but on the other hand Erond is using a bow and can't serve as a flanking buddy (unless he's got some ability I'm not familiar with).

Round 3 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Erond-
Reynard-acted
Skarn-acted
Hag G-
Trox
Cordwin
Hag B
Druamin
Hag L

Skarn can't get a good hit on her, but Reynard wounds her further.

Erond?

That's fair, I didn't think about the weapon he was wielding.

I can see where this is going, and the combat tactics in the scenario are clear on what they'd do in this situation.

Erond delays, but maintains his inspiration.

From within the fog, the green hag shouts out, "WE SURRENDER! MERCY!"

What do you do?

Skarn plants his heavy pick firmly into the ground, eyes narrowing as he glares into the swirling fog. His voice booms across the clearing, carrying both authority and threat.

"Enough! All of you, emerge from the fog at once! Every hand raised, and no one moves a muscle! Cease all hostilities immediately!"

He steps forward, pick in hand, making it clear he means business, scanning the mist for any sign of movement while giving the rest of the party a clear signal to hold their actions.

Trox hesitates but does not lower his sword or shield. When they step out he will stand close and ready to strike if they are betrayed.

"Best you do as he says."

They are quite sincere in their offer to surrender, exiting the fog with clawed hands on heads and not making any threatening moves.

Trox looks at the one that he attacked.

"Well that does not look great. What is your story?"

He steps back noting the size difference. "Who else is down here?"

One of them spits, "Barl Breakbones, may his flesh rot while still he lives. And his guard, his doxy, and her little toy."

Cordwin pipes up, Might you dismiss that fog since we are being all friendly-like? He asks just to make sure no one - or no thing is setting up an ambush.

Cordwin, you're aware that the fog cloud spell is not dismissable.

Yeah, I had checked that and was gonna demand it myself.

The three look at each other. "There's a way, but it will take us ten minutes."

One of them adds, "I can move it, though."

"just stay out of it. Alright, come clean, tell us what you know, anything might help, and we'll let you live, dwarf's honor." Skarn threatens them with his weapon as he speaks.

The three of them relate a somewhat tragic tale, depending on how one feels about ogres. They’ve been with the Kreeg ogres for many years, watching chiefs rise and fall, and things had been…if not wonderful, then at least reasonably good. That changed around a month ago, when three stone giants arrived at Hook Mountain. Their leader, a skilled necromancer who called himself Barl Breakbones, killed the chief and most of his loyalists with contemptuous ease, and set the remaining ogres to mining and refining ore and forging weapons sized for giants. The chief supposedly didn’t resist Barl because the giant bore a Sihedron medallion, which had also been the symbol of the Kreegs because of the giant statue. Barl set the hags to work using their coven magic to make it rain, especially north of Turtleback Ferry. They don’t know why, though they suspect he wanted to drown the town. They’ve been unwilling to ask any questions after Barl’s second giant bodyguard disappeared (they’re pretty sure that Barl killed him). They are quite sure that Barl is actually working for someone else. He hasn’t mentioned any names in their hearing, though. 

A couple of days ago, a beautiful human woman showed up at the Kreeg lair with a human man in tow. They’ve been staying with Barl since then. The hags have no idea who they are, but since they’re still alive they must be important,

Skarn looks to his companions, "Any thoughts on these revelations?"

What do you do?