Once it is Uro's turn:
Through sheer anger and determination, Uro shrugs off most of the pain caused by the chieftains massive strike. The giant orc channels the rest of the pain and lets out a mighty roar!
"Waaaaaaagggghhhh" Using the Stare Down feat to intimidate all enemies within 30 feet of Uro.
At first, Jym thinks the wand malfunctioned. Then, a moment later, Uro's fighting roar rips out and both crocodiles cringe back, still able to fight, but at a disadvantage . The chieftain, however, simply sneers: you realize he's shrugging off minor fear effects like they're nothing.
Sorry to be a stickler, I don't want to die. :-P
The crocodiles do more than merely cringe; they take to their heels and flee. With a 200-ft. sprint, this effectively puts them out of the fight, as they won't be able to trot back before the summoning spell duration ends.
As the crocodiles depart Bal completes his altogether slower second floor defenestration, tossing his shield out the window before lowering himself cautiously and with some effort down a rope.
This looked way more stylish when I played it through mentally - glad Uro is taking care of those giant reptiles. Probably should have ditched more gear before trying this. Iomedaes bearded uncle! this armor is heavy
Once down successfully, Bal will attempt to gather his shield and flank the Chief.
Athletics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Beats chest and cues Johny Weissmuller yodel :)
Luckily for Bal, the bullywug soldiers are gathered around Ixotl's tree and aren't there to inhibit his impressive-looking descent. Taking position at the chieftain's back, he is in time to see the next exchange:
The bullywugs under Ixotl's tree quit jumping, and the two that haven't thrown them yet retain their hand axes. After an order from the shaman, they start climbing the tree:
The shaman finishes his drink, tosses the empty bottle aside, and also begins to climb.
Athletics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jym starts to pluck a rousing tune to inspire his comrades. You'd think this would be hard to do on a ridiculous instrument like a fiddle, but Jym makes it work. Magic, y'all.
Uro spits blood at the bullywug chieftain and fires back!
Uro:
Spending Hero Points: Spending a hero point can be done at any time, even if it is not your turn, and does not require an action on your part. In game terms, one hero point allows you to do any one of the following:
Add 1d6 + your Charisma modifier as a circumstance bonus or penalty (your choice) to any one die roll of any kind. You can also use this function when Taking 10 or Taking 20 on a skill check (Chapter 4). The bonus/penalty increases to 2d6 + Cha mod at 6th level, 3d6 + Cha mod at 11th level, and 4d6 + Cha mod at 16th level and above.
Cause an attack, spell, or other offensive ability targeting an ally to target you instead (by “getting in the way”).
Change the result of a d20 roll to a “10” (as if the character had Taken 10, but without any of the limitations of that mechanic).
Completely re-roll one die roll, or force an opponent to do the same.
Convert a critical hit against you to a normal hit.
Provide an additional 1d6 + Charisma bonus rounds of use of a “rounds per day” ability such as Rage or Bardic Inspiration, or an additional use of a 1/day ability.
Recover a number of lost hit points equal to the amount by which a die roll would otherwise be improved (1d6 + Cha modifier at 1st level, etc.).
Reduce the severity of an inflicted condition (Chapter 7) by 1 step for the duration of an encounter (this allows the character to disregard the effects of any minor condition). At 6th level, severity can be decreased by 2 steps; by 3 steps at 11th level, and by 4 steps at 16th.
Take a single 5-ft. step, move action, or single iterative attack as an immediate action.
The chieftain's whoop of victory after his last solid blow turns into a grunt of pain as Uro's axe bites. He gives ground slightly -- possibly just enough for Uro to get in another lick.
At the same time, Elabrin, noticing Uro's plight from the window, targets the chief with magic missiles:
*
Lavinia tries to prove she's not totally helpless -- maybe donning the armor made her feel like a badass action hero or something. Stepping to the armory, she grabs a weird implement that looks like a bone with a mummified hand stuck on the end of it, like a demented grave-robber's back-scratcher. Ignoring Jym's and Elebrin's admonitions to stay away from the windows, she points the thing at the chief and attempts to activate it:
Despite his successful save, the chief gasps in pain as ghostly wisps of force buffet him. Croaking defiantly, he shrugs off the worst of his fatigue and prepares to keep fighting. Lavinia shudders as if from the chill of the grave, but sets her will and keeps pointing the thing.
As Elebrin's Magic missile strikes the chieftain, Uro pushes his advantage. Tasting the blood in his mouth, he lets out a roar and swings his axe at the frogman leader.
"Waaaauuuuuggggh!!!!"
Ha! Uro's second blow takes away whatever resolve the chief had mustered.
He's wounded now and showing it.
Ixotl, what are you doing? The frog-men are halfway up the tree.
Ix will cling to the treetop, using some fresh sap to bind the worst of the axe cuts.
The chief's pop-eyes goggle back and forth -- it's clear he's wondering if he can drop Uro fast enough to withdraw, getting out of range of the thing that Lady Vanderboren is pointing at him. He decides to go for broke.
He fails.
Meanwhile, the four bullywug scrappers get into the tree and attack Ixlotl, who has been waiting for their arrival.
Swarmed by the bullywugs before his allies can intervene, Ixotl is cut down among the branches.
Croaking triumphant giggles, the bullywug soldiers hop down from the tree at the shaman's signal. Pointing at Uro and Bal, the shaman croaks something that is an unmistakable order to go help there. Almost casually, he follows after them, leaving the wood elf for dead. He seems almost disappointed to have killed you.
But the shaman's overconfidence (and possibly hit witnessing of two very sudden and very final deaths recently) leads him to miss an important detail. Despite being beaten unconscious by clubs, the tough little elf somehow clings to his hold on life--possibly the result of the moss? Having wedged himself into a crook between branches in hopes of getting a more stable firing platform, he's at no immediate risk of falling until rigor mortis sets in, at which point he'll plummet to the ground and die.
When the bullywug peons get within range, Jym fires off another cause fear shot at one of them with his wand. He continues his inspiration by picking up his fiddle's tune with a song.
moss? rigor mortis
Uro and Bal can try and finish off the chief, and Elebrin can go, then the bullywugs come hopping in.
Uro steps back allowing the chieftains attack to swing harmlessly past the orc. Taking advantage of the bullywugs overextension, Uros chops down with his own axe, looking to end the threat.
The chieftain feints left, then double-feints right, but Uro continues his stroke head-on, and the big bullywug, ending up in the same place he started, takes the full brunt of the blow.
With half his head gone, somehow, impossibly, he remains on his feet, tottering and obviously acting on pure brute instinct, with all of his higher mental functions shut off. You have never before witnessed an act of such sheer physical toughness, and even the mighty orc has a twinge of fear that maybe the chieftain is unkillable.
In an act of terror, Lavinia points the bone wand at the chieftain again. This time, instead of activating, it crumbles to dust in her hand.
Her eyes open wide as she stares in disbelief, but you notice that she neither screams nor faints. Instead, she drops the sooty remnants, wipes her hand fastidiously, and grabs a hand crossbow.
Bal & Elebrin up.
This is probably assumed, but Uro is flanking for Bal.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
In an act of terror, Lavinia points the bone wand at the chieftain again. This time, instead of activating, it crumbles to dust in her hand.
She should have spent the extra numen for an at-will wand, Jym thinks to himself while shaking his head in disappointment.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
In an act of terror, Lavinia points the bone wand at the chieftain again. This time, instead of activating, it crumbles to dust in her hand.She should have spent the extra numen for an at-will wand, Jym thinks to himself while shaking his head in disappointment.
Bal, finding his opportunity amidst Uros axe work, lunges forward simultaneously striking at the chieftain - the trained observer would discern both years of practice and a recent period of neglect in his adrenaline fuelled technique.
Even without Jym's inspiration and Uro's setup, the determined priest could not fail to connect with his stroke. The chieftain, near dead on his feet already, crumples under the blow without so much as changing his expression, slumping to the ground and making a large mess on the flagstones.
Elebrin fires a crossbow at one of the four bullywug warriors bounding across the lawn.
A grazing hit leaves the bullywug little worse for wear.
On arriving, the bullywug warriors clear the last 20 or 20 feat in a huge leaping bounds. It seems as if they want to divide themselves among Bal and Uro, but at a one-word shouted reminder from the shaman, they all four gang up on Uro instead:
The shaman casts another spell, enveloping the melee in roiling fog. Those in melee (Bal, Uro, and the bullywugs) can see each other, but have partial concealment (20% miss chance). Those looking out the window (Elebrin, Jym, Lady V) see only fog below.
PCs are up!
Oof, this whole time I forgot that Uros DR increased while raging.
Oh hey, also didn't realize that his AC increases while raging, ha ha. C'est la vie
RAGE:
When your rage ends, you take damage (not reduced by damage reduction) equal to your rage bonus x the number of rounds spent raging. You are also fatigued for a number of rounds equal to twice the number of rounds spent in the rage. If already fatigued, you become exhausted instead (if already exhausted, you become unconscious). You cannot enter a new rage while fatigued or exhausted unless you succeed at an Endurance check (Chapter 4) to ignore that condition. (Note that your bonus ranks in Endurance render you immune to fatigue and exhaustion at 6 and 11 ranks, respectively, however). If you fall unconscious for any reason while raging, your rage ends, and you are at risk of death when you take the damage from your rage ending.
That said, you can still act if you want.
Seeing double and on the verge of collapse, Uro swings hard at one of the bullywugs before dropping.
That's what Uro does. :-D