"The Devil We Know, Part 1" (Inactive)

Game Master JCServant

Will Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Kyle barely stays on his feet.

He lends help to Elwyn once again.

Aid Another: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Will save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Aye, tend to her later. You want the best, b+$*@, you'll get it!

With that, Harboth takes a full-blooded, two-handed swing of his greataxe.

attack: 1d20 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 2 + 2 = 27
damage: 1d12 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 6 + 2 = 9

Elwyn braces himself as the wave of energy washes over him, tearing at the fibers of his flesh.

Fort Save: 1d20 ⇒ 8

But being so close to her there is little he can do to avoid the blast and he feels like he is being skinned alive.

In desperation now he makes one, hopefully not final attempt to bend her will with a sweeping sweep of the blunt end of his weapon, once again trying to knock her unconscious and then retreats back 5 feet to rally himself.

Attack (Non-Lethal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Will Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Rachele does not seen to be as affected as everyone else. She lets out a little magic of her own.

Casting color spray, defensively if I must. How many HD does she have?

Will Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 swing and a miss.

There's enough here for me to resolve the next round, with one missing item. While I don't like botting people, the occasional save to keep things moving is fine :D

Marisan's Save (Before bonuses): 1d20 ⇒ 11 She passed.

Round 3
Player's Turn
The woman squeels with glee watching several of the party writhe in pain as the negative energies pour over them. Unfortunately for her, the gloating left a brief opening where Harboth exacted revenge, knocking her to the ground, alive but unconscious. Note: Since she fell BEFORE Rachele casted, Rachele’s spell is not spent as there are no other targets in range during the player’s turn. That may change next round, so save it for later.

Enemy's Turn
The party breathes a collective sigh of relief as she falls. Unfortunately, it would seem their troubles are not yet over. A rough wind gusts in off the harbor, blasting the rope lines on the Prancing Prince into a whip-crack frenzy. Suddenly, a throaty male voice from down the gangplank says, “Well, what have we ’ere, boys? Come for some work, find some sport instead, eh?”

Status
FL: Rachelle(9/15),Elwyn(3/12), Kyle(1/13), Marisan( 2/8), Rhyderch*(4/10), Harboth(8/20)
60’ Away : Man 1, Man 2, Man 3 (All wearing leather armor and quarterstaffs)

Next post is at 10am EST. Please have your moves in before then. Thanks!

"Were just looking around sir. May we please head out?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Maybe we run below deck so that we can have an attack of opportunity festival like the monks did?

Oh, now c'mon...they only got 1 AoO each. LOL. Good thing they didn't have combat reflexes! That would have been insane!

Looking back you are correct..but you had both monks use Flurry of Blows (a full round action) during the surprise round where it is only legal to take a standard or move action. Wish I had caught that earlier...would have prevented the crit and changed the entire course of that fight.

Actually someone did call me about that on the phone, but I could not edit the post with the proper language as the hour time limit had expired. It should have been worded that I gave them initiative due to surprise, rather than a surprise round of combat. Anyway, I think the boards remember our rolls ...so chances are that crit would have come up again even if that played out differently

But you wouldn't have taken out one of our two damage dealers during the first action of combat which led to a chain reaction of expended resources. But since this encounter is long over & you've redefined what a surprise round is the point is moot.

To my fellow players: I'm waiting to see how you want to handle this before I post my action. If we stand and fight I'll have no choice but to channel...if we go below deck for a strategic advantage we might all need to double move.

Kyle moves up 20' (40' away from the newcomers) to intercept and tries to aid Rachele's diplomacy. "You won't find what you're looking for here. You'd be better off looking elsewhere."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Kyle casts his last spell to cure himself.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

He loosens his grip on his scimitar after realizing he was gripping it tightly again.

Wracked with the pain of their adversary's assault, Marisan struggles to stand straight without grimacing. "Kyle, I could use some help over here... Oh." She stops when she sees that the cleric is perhaps even worse off than she is.

When they hear the man's voice, Marisan stows her shortspear and holds up her hand in peace, hoping that with Rachele's words, they will have a moment or two to assess the situation before things get out of hand. It's hard enough for her to concentrate with her entire body screaming in agony.

Aid another (diplomacy): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Channel; excluding cleric & undead: 1d6 ⇒ 2 Sorry...I tried!

"I once had the opportunity to take sailing lessons. Had I known I would have been attacked three times on a boat with no opportunity for respite I would have taken advantage of those lessons...then we would be able to haul anchor and sail away from this mess. Hindsight is a cruel mistress."

Realizing that chances are the three men armed with giant sticks aren't coming aboard to parley, Rhydderch moves to stand 10 feet directly behind Kyle.

Harboth steps toward the front of our group. He will wait to see what kind of response there is to the group's efforts at Diplomacy.

If his companions' efforts appear to have failed, he will shout, No sport here, chumps. You can leave NOW or I WILL F!#&ING EAT YOUR LIVERS!!

Intimidate: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

'I'm not having any of this, there's no way diversion can work. We are bloodied and have left their allies in a pool of their own blood on the floor.' Elwyn thinks to himself. He steps back trying to find a place among the rigging and the shadows to conceal himself. He draws his bow and prepares to fire at the first sign that their ruse has failed.

Hey, I will be in a nice 3 hr meeting followed by golf, you take the good with the bad. So I will likely miss posting deadlines. Heres my plan - fire as many arrows into as many bad guys as possible. If hand to hand becomes necessary I will switch to the rapier and dive in. Trying to preserve my last 3 hp, especially since we are low on healing. If I need to use my rapier, my attack bonus is +7, +2 damage.

Round 1 Attack: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 - 4 = 16 assuming into melee penalty

Round 1 Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Round 2 Attack: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 - 4 = 15

Round 2 Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Round 3 Attack: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 - 4 = 15

Round 3 Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Whoa - not bad at all

Round 4
Player's Turn
Some of the party tries to talk their way out of the situation, but the rugged lookin’ men aren’t having any part of that. As they continue their approach, Harboth’s roar clearly fills them with some fear (Shaken condition for 3 rounds). They continue to approach, quarterstaffs raised in a defensive position. From behind a barrel, Elwyn let’s an arrow loose, and it hits one of them squarely in the sholder.

Enemy's Turn
The man looks down, where the arrow has hit. “Look at what they did to me Boamy!”. Another replies, “It’s mearly a flesh wound. C’mon boys, don’t let that orc scare you. We’ve dealt with them before. Let’s mess their faces up, shall we? They approach 30’, maintaining a defensive stance.

Status
30’Back: Rachelle(11/15),Elwyn(5/12), Marisan(4/8), Rhyderch*(6/10),
10’Back: Kyle(6/13)
FL: Harboth(10/20)
EFL in Melee range of Harboth : Man 1 (Seriously Wounded), Man 2, Man 3 (All have Shaken condition. 1/3turns)

Next post is at 2pm EST. Please have your moves in before then. Thanks!

Kyle delays his action until the rest of the party goes so they can get in unobstructed shots.

He will then attack the weakest conscious opponent defensively.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 1 - 4 = 9

Rhydderch moves back 10 feet and surrounds himself with a Shield of Faith.

This may be too greedy, but is there any chance Elwyn's shot counts as a sneak attack (+2d6 damage)?

Harboth stands firm at the front of the group (hoping that his companions will keep him from being flanked) and roars at Man 2 whilst taking a massive swing with his axe.

Hrooaaaarrr!!
attack: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 6 + 2 = 9
damage: 1d12 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 6 + 2 = 20

It's not greedy at all :) Unfortunately, Elwyn shot last round at more than 30', so he can't apply precision damage. Now that they see him clearly, he's not going to get sneak (You usually have to have a feat or rogue talent to immediately try to stealth after taking a shot IIRC).

However... since flank is more like a condition in my Pbp, I would point out that as long as he's within 30' (he is) that any enemy that has the flanked condition from two melee attempts in a round would be open to critical damage, even from ranged. It may not work quite that way in play by grid (usually you only get sneak ranged damage from within 30' and if the enemy is unaware), but this play by post has to be a bit more abstract to keep things moving smoothly.

Marisan also stands her ground, and load and fling a sling bullet at one of the thugs.

Atk: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Dam: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

When your damage roll for a sling equals your attack roll, it can only mean one thing. A... fumble!

hahahahaha! Good one. We do use the fumble deck in my home campaign...they can be a lot of fun! I've had enemies take off their own head!

With Elwyn's posted moves from earlier, we have 5/6 players reported in

Round 5
Player's Turn
As several party members attempt to attack the men, they block the blows and incoming projectiles with their quarterstaffs, including an arrow shot from the rogue. Rhydderch glows with light after casting a spell.

Enemy's Turn
One of the men, with black hair and a mustache hollers out “Told ya, we gonna spank these children. Surround him!”. They surround the ranger and attack. Note, I only put this text in for flavor, as exact positioning and 5' steps aren't really used in Pbp. No actual movement was used at this point

There is no flanking bonus calculated below, as flank is not applied until after the round someone is attacked by more than mob in melee

Man 1 Quarterstaff attack: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 3 - 2 = 181d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Man 2 Quarterstaff attack: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 3 - 2 = 81d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Man 3 Quarterstaff attack: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 3 - 2 = 161d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Harboth is hit in the gut by one staff, and as he bends over, another slams down hard on his head. He falls to the ground. The men use their move action to close in on Kyle. The mustached man curls his lip looking at Kyle. One down. I guess this girly man here is next! And he doesn't look nearly as tough!

Status
20’Back: Rachelle(11/15),Elwyn(5/12), Marisan(4/8), Rhyderch*(6/10, Shield of Faith)

FL: Kyle(6/13)

EFL in 5’ step Melee range of Kyle : Man 1 (Seriously Wounded), Man 2, Man 3 (Shaken 2/3 rounds)

10’ behind EFL: Harboth(-5/20, Uncon, Bleeding, Prone – Fort Save to Stabilize needed DC 15)

Next post is at 6pm EST. Please have your moves in before then. Thanks!

Move forward...attack wounded guard.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

"You rats got lucky. Let's see if your luck strikes twice," baits Kyle.

He 5' steps forward and attacks man #2 defensively.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 1 - 4 = 8

fort save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

The dice are against us!

A gurgly ggnnnhhhhhhhhh escapes from somewhere in Harboth's face as a pool of blood begins to ooze out from his increasingly disfigured melon.

Note: In addition to any that may have been collected/distributed earlier, Harboth has a couple of CLW potions that he purchased before we began this scenario. Feel free to use as needed.

Sadly I don't think the bad guys will stand idly by while we rummage through your pack...but thanks for the offer!

Our best hope is for Rachelle to log on before 6pm and cast Color Spray...since we still have shaken bad guys that gives us a fighting chance that at least one or two of them will fail the save. Long story short...we need to take two of these guys down this round. Any one of us can be one shotted at any moment...and you've got your party healers doing the tanking!

I have a meeting this afternoon which may delay my afternoon posting

And here i am to save the day! Sorry, long day today.

Rachele walks up to the front line and lets out a burst of bright lights from her fingertips

DC 15 Will save to resist.

Unconscious blinded and stunned for 2d4 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2
Blinded and Stunned for 1d4 ⇒ 3
Then stunned for 1. I love arcane magic

Marisan cries out "Harboth!" as he drops. She considers drawing her spear and charging, but upon seeing Rachele position herself close to the enemies, Marisan rethinks her strategy. Instead, she looses another bullet, squinting as she aims for the spaces between her own companions.

Atk (w/PBS, into melee): 1d20 + 2 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 1 - 4 = 6
Dam (w/PBS): 1d3 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 = 3

Rachele...if this works I'm mailing you a great, big cookie!

Unlike Rachele, Marisan doesn't deserve a cookie, but she would sure like one!

Cookies all around then!

Sorry to be late...meeting is finally over. Here we go!

Round 6
Player's Turn

Rhydderch sees his friend go down, and feels a surge of adrenaline. He rushes forward and skewers on of the men, already wounded. He hears a satisfying down as the his spear pierces flesh and the man falls down. Kyle takes a defensive stance as he swings his weapon and misses. Rachelle move close enough to cast her spell.

As a reminder, " The primary target chosen by the caster is always considered in the AoE, therefore, a 10’r spell cast in melee will still hit one enemy. There’s just a very low chance it will hit other enemies. Eligible enemies must be within range of the AoE to have chance to be covered by spell. A D4 is rolled. A result of 4 or more means that the addition target(s) is covered). " Therefore, after the first target, you will see a d4 with modifiers, a total of 4 or more means the person is covered.

Rachelle move close enough to cast her spell.

Color Spray, Save Man 2: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Color Spray, Save Man 3: 1d4 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 - 1 = 41d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

She's able to position herself in a way that hits both men who are still standing. The first man shakes off the effects, but the other one falls unconscious, overwhelmed by the brilliant colors. Marisan misses.

Enemy's Turn
The remaining man swears, “Damn.” He swings at the cleric.
Attack: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 3 - 2 = 96 + 2 = 8 . He misses.

Status
20’Back: Elwyn(5/12), Marisan(4/8),
FL: Kyle(6/13), Rachelle(11/15), Rhyderch*(6/10, Shield of Faith),

EFL: Man 2 (Uncon 2 rds, Prone), Man 3 (No longer shaken now)

10’ behind EFL: Harboth(-6/20, Uncon, Bleeding, Prone – Fort Save to Stabilize needed DC 16)

Next post is at 10am EST. Please have your moves in before then. Thanks!

Marisan curses, half of her attention on the fighting still going on, and half on her ranger friend, bleeding on the ship's deck. "Kyle! Can you get to Harboth?!". She looses another sling bullet, then drops her sling and draws her shortspear, ready to charge.

Atk (w/ PBS, into melee): 1d20 + 2 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 2 + 1 - 4 = 11
Dam (w/ PBS): 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Sigh.

Rhydderch stares down the remaining foe. "Lay down your arms are join your friends dying at my feet. I care not which, and will not shed a tear for you."

Intimidate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

With that Rhydderch hauls back his spear and trusts it toward his opponent.

Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

-------
Just out of curiosity...potentially inconsequential but just in case they're not:

1. Both men were still shaken when Color Spray was cast...shouldn't they have received -2 to their saves?
2. It looks like Man 2 passed the save and Man 3 didn't, and yet Man 2 is unconscious and Man 3 is up. Perhaps they have the same stats and it doesn't matter; but just in case they don't I thought I'd bring it up.

Good point....Take away two...but the results are the same, unfortunately, as 17-2=15, just enough to meet the DC. Yeah, your right about the men numbers getting a wee confused. Good call. That's what I get for multitasking. You are right, however...they have the exact same stats, and same hps at that point, so it doesn't matter. I'd edited it, but it won't let me. They really need to make it to where we can edit posts after 1 hour

fort save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Harboth's body appears to fall slightly.

Rachele pulls out her dagger just incase, steps back 5 feet and looses a bolt of energy at the last remaining enemy.
Magic Missile: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Kyle yells, "Hold on Harb, be there soon." He takes a jab at the still conscious man.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 1 + 2 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Kyle walks over to Harboth and searches for the cure light wounds potion.

Crit confirmation?

Kyle looks embarrased being seen looting Harboth.

Confirm Crit: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 1 + 2 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

That was bitter sweet

Rachele tries to help Harboth get up
Heal Untrained: 1d20 ⇒ 12

Healing is a standard action which is why I'm waiting for the next round. I can go through his pack as a move action. I'll make sure he's stable next round.

I can stabilize with Sacred Touch and I still have CLW spells I can use...it just didn't make sense to use them in combat after he was already down.

Elwyn, emboldened by the downing of their adversaries, and enraged by his fallen comrade sees this as his opportunity. He drops his short bow and charges at the remaining orc, drawing his rapier as he runs, trying to find a sweet spot between two of his ribs.

Charging Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 7 + 2 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Round 6
Player's Turn
Harboth continues to bleed out on the ground. Rachele hits the standing guy with a ball for energy, and the man grunts. Kyle, seeing his Pathfinder comrade bleeding out, says a silent prayer, and puts all of his force in a swing. The bearded man swings his staff to block, but Kyle’s thrust is too quick, and the scimitar finds it’s mark, causing blood to gush out. The bandit raises his quarter staff to slam Kyle on the head, but Elwyn spots the opening and points the sharper end of his weapon into the criminal. The man’s eyes widen upon the piercing, before he crumples to the ground.

Combat Resolved

Leet Lewt
Potion of Cure Light Wounds x2
+1 Half Plate
Masterwork Heavy Flail
183gp each

Status
Elwyn(5/12), Marisan(4/8), Kyle(6/13), Rachelle(11/15), Rhyderch*(6/10, Shield of Faith), Harboth(-7/20, Uncon, Bleeding, Prone – Fort Save to Stabilize needed DC 17)

I have a lunch meeting today. Next post will be around 1pm or 3pmEST, depending on how fast y’all can post. Please have your moves in before 3pm at the latest. Thanks!