Xideus chuckles at Herani's comments. "Ah... You are right Belros, let's get this other menial task over with first and then I suppose we should formulate an escape plan."
Silence weaklings the Master is coming. Maybe I get lucky and get to beat on you for his pleasure.
The odd dwarf approaches almost skipping with cheery delight Prais be to Lamshtu this morning. Are you all ready for your next step to becoming Gladiators? It is so nice to have capable warriors other than Gnolls and Calikang. I almost want you to succeed, but I fear you will not. To give you a fighting chance though, this time I have brought you suitable weapons and armor, worthy of a Gladiator. Wear them with pride and honor for Lamshtu!
A group of smaller humanoid mutants that appear orcish bring over a cart of weapons and armor.
The Gnoll Mutant lets you out of your cages to suit up and make any last minute preparations. This time we go to the pit, on the way to pit you may wear your weapons and armor down the road of a hundred screams in honor of Lamashtu, on this holy day.
Xideus bends his head down as he exits the cage, stepping into the hard sand. A dry wind brushes past him, sending his hair in many different directions. He quickly fixes his rebellious hair with his hand as he pushes it back against his head. His once trimmed goatee has grown into a full, untamed beard. The sun turned his skin to a dark brown, with dry patches on his joints. He has become hardly recognizable from the well-groomed man he had once been.
He reaches towards the cart of weapons and armor and draws a scimitar from the pile. He looks at it longingly as if it were a part of him that had been missing, an extension of his body. Taking great care, he inspects the blade. Content, he places it between his hips and a sash, creating a make-shift scabbard.
He pulls a few pieces of armor from the cart and looks them over. He had spent some time with an Eastern armor smith in Absalom where he had bought a suit of silken ceremonial armor. It was there he noticed the Haramaki, a piece of armor designed to protect the belly and organs while providing unhindered mobility. With this in mind, he continued to sift through the armor trying to find pieces he could work into a makeshift wrap around his waist.
Knowledge(religion):
Knowledge(nature):
Start getting armor to cover all the needed parts except my head.
Herani squints into the sun. It is bright, but refreshing after the dank cell. She looks at the strange dwarf.
To her companions: There is something very strange about that dwarf. His hands are too big, his gait wrong. I really do not think he is a dwarf - especially worshipping and paying homage to Lamashtu. Wonder if I could put a crossbow between his eyes by accident during the gladiator fight.
I will take a MW Light Crossbow and 20 or 40 bolts.
If magic does not work, then I will get pieces of armor leaving my left arm for holding the crossbow as my exposed limb. If magic works, then I will wear no armor.
Xara picks up a masterwork longspear (assuming she can't find a masterwork fauchard) and a masterwork spiked gauntlet. She also takes armour, leaving her right arm exposed (gauntlet is on her left).
"I would very much like to see you try," Xara comments to Herani as she fits her armour.
Knowledge (Religion):
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Ok to clearify some things. There is one MWK weapon in the pile, you Own a MWK weapon in your stash currently in possesion of the Master. There is monk weapons, remeber that if you wear armor you loose will to ac, fast movement, and furry of blows per core book.
You may fashion the armor to reduce the armor check pen, AC 4 -2 , AC 3 0 pen. If you have only AC 3, two limbs will be exsposed(really only matters for called shots, but there will be some.)
You are still in the Manawastes, no magic, or su abilities work here. Now I will post results for the checks I have recieved so far, no this is not regarding the Master, this is in regards to the holy day of Lamashtu.
Akor looks for longbow and dons armor that while protective, doesn't restrict his movements or abilities.(AC 3, 0 check armor)
As the group walks down the road, he says a silent prayer to his goddess, asking for the strength to smite these foul beasts and exact painful, bloody revenge.
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Not knowing what they will face Jazismus puts on as much armor as he can leaving only his head bear, to better see. After finishing he looks ridiculous in the mis-matched leathers, rusty chain, and pieces of plate.
"Oh dear," Jazismus says after the dwarven master's speech. "I think we have been caught during mating season."
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Don't know how much you all know about Lamashtu or gnolls. But I think that this gladiator battle is to be part of an unholy day celebration in which Lamashtu worshippers give into their base beast instincts. This day is known as the Festival of Beasts.
Also, gnolls are essentially large dogs. They prefer to fight in packs and will seek to gang up on one person and flank them. I thing that it might be wise to figure a combat alignment which will make it hard, if not impossible to be flanked. Perhaps all gather in a tight group with attacks readied so that when any gnoll approaches, we can attack first.
I am planning on using a crossbow, but if you all think that we should all have melee weapons, let me know. Just remember, I am rather weak and not really very skilled with melee weapons.
Xideus fashions a hodgepodge of armor covering his legs torso and his sword arm. He leaves his left arm and head exposed.
Looking to Herani he nods, "Indeed."
They look more like hyenas to me and cowardly as well as I grumble and mumble curses I can see why our armor is kind of bestial in some way, but I wont have a furry butt so I won't be that appealing if it is mating season laughing at his own joke Cover my back with your crossbow I got the front Herani with a small wink towards her Well I'm as ready as I will ever be for this damnable thing as he does some practice swings with his weapons of choice.
As you are lead down the road of a hundred screams, you actually hear at least a hundred screams, yells and howls. Today seems hotter then yesterday too. Calikang guards patrol the road keeping it clear of Gnollish mutants that have had to much to drink on this festive day.
Kill the Humans in the name of Lamashtu!! Many of the Gnollish mutants are screaming! The last one hundred yards to the pit is painted with fresh blood of an unknown origin. The pit is only 10' deep and has a single step which allows you to make it down easily. Inside the pit is a 80' wide and there is a symbol of Lamshtu painted in blood on the floor. The pit's walls are a slick stone. On the other side of the pit four Gladiators are approaching.
Standing above the pit is the Master and his dwarven slave girl. Behold I bare my gifts of Lamashtu on this holy day for all to see. The master removes his tunic and shows his deformed torso and legs. His torso has eyes and mouths in it, and his legs are slightly bowed and hairy like a goat. Let the first sacrific commence! Returning to the pit is the four horsemen themselves! Today they face six newcommers, the mysterious humans from Nex. Let Lamashtu bless this sanctified pit with all the glory of the abyss! KILL!
The Gnoll mutants jump to the pit in a single bound. One wields a great-axe, one wields two two-handed swords, one has many spikes on his armor and is the only one with a helmet he wields a shield and a polearm, the last one wields a very large and heavy tetsubo and heavy armor.
Initatives
Gnoll 1
Gnoll 2
Gnoll 3
Gnoll 4
Perception:
I will have taken as much armor as possible so long as it does not slow me down. Gonna assume this is the +6 to AC - let me know if it is less. I will leave my left leg exposed.
Well all, time to kill some more dogs.
Initiative:
"Indeed. I see what you mean by this being mating season. Clearly these four here have been mating with each other just a few minutes ago!" She projects her voice for the crowd to hear.
Perception:
Initiative:
This weapon in her hands was a foreign object not too long ago, but practice and experience has taught her the way of it. Now, she holds it expertly, tip low ready to rise sharply into the dangly bits of their attackers.
Come 'ere! I will have a gnoll carpet in my cell
Perception
Initiative
Akor surveys the battlefield looking for anything he can use to his advantage. .
Drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, the Inquisitor shouts "Come, foul beasts and taste the vengance of Calistira!!"
Xideus pulls the scimitar from his belt as he enters the pit. A drop of sweat drips down from his temple into his beard and then onto the sand in front of him. He steps in front of the others and points Belros and Xara to join him at the front. He then waves Akor, Herani, and Jazismus to follow behind them, "Fire from behind us. Let's keep our backs to the walls. Don't charge them, let them come to us."
The magus' stance widens and he puts his scimitar and armored arm before him, leaving his unprotected side facing away from the gnolls. He has put just enough space between the group and the wall so they can all fit, but not be flanked. He glances to the crowd quickly to notice any ranged threats, then back to the fighters.
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Distance to Gnolls 80' yes.
Order of initiative
Initatives
Akor - 21
Xideus -20
Herani - 18
Gnoll# 4- 17
Jazsimus- 15
Xara- 13
Gnoll#1- 10
Belros- 9+
Gnoll#3- 9-
Gnoll#2- 8
Akor you may fire your bow and start us out.
"Herani, I have a feeling that if you do wish to try your 'accident' on the Master, we might find some assistance in the crowd."
"Save that plan for later. We have enough to deal with right now."
Under Hero Points, it has a Special listing, which pretty much allows anything awesome your DM might allow. What I want to do is spend one of my Hero Points to be able to use my Judgement, which normally I can not as it's a supernatural ability negated via the Manawastes.
Two things play into my reasoning: 1) it would be freakin cool, and it's a special circumstance only allowable by my spending a very valuable and hard to regain resource and two) Gnolls are my favored foe for my Favored Judgement feat, and this is clearly a situation which my goddess might take a bit more of a direct hand in matters, as not only is this a revenge combat, but its an Unholy Day for the Mother of all Demons.
If having access to my Judgement for the whole combat is too much, maybe it only lasts for 3 rounds, which would be my Wis Mod?
Agreed Xideus, lets just put these dogs out of their misery and then have fun with the mutant midget.
Attack Gnoll #4
Attack-Crossbow:
Damage:
Also, according to your variant rules post, we actually need specific feats in order to make Called Shots, right? as opposed to the norm which is just take a penalty, but no feats needed.
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Give me a roll to attack defensivly then Xideus, and your intiative will change to that of 17- since you held action.
Akor lets his arrow fly, in his best impression of a fighter
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Jazismus charges in trying not only to finish the gnoll hurting his friends but also to try and win over the crowd which seems important to this type of combat.
Charge into current fight attacking gnoll.
Attack roll -
Damage(if needed) -
Performance check(swift action if attack hits) -
The above performance check will go towards the mandatory one for rolling a natural one I guess. That bites.
Xara brings her fauchard up at the gnoll mutant on Belros.
Attack:
Damage:
Her blade comes up beside the gnoll whistling through the air to no effect.
Do I get a performance check for drawing first blood?
Performance:
The first Gnoll howls and charges in and flanks Xideus
vs Xideus