
Tarren the Dungeon Master |

I'll assume Theo is Taking 10 on that Diplomacy check. It's been a long time since there was any confidence or sign of a will to fight back in this hall, so the grim determination you see is an accomplishment.
Haward answers Nissa's question, "The corpse-f@!$er approaches any way he likes. He climbs the hill after most are asleep. If you are awake, you'll hear him sniffing through the walls first. He's not afraid to come in; he's building his appetite and enjoying the smell of fear. He'll circle the building several times and smell anyone fool enough to be out there ..."

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

Nissa hazards a guess. "He's using a delay tactic. Like, to demoralize you. What difference does it make whether we fight out there or in here? I'll tell you what:
"Control.
"He circles until mead-bolsted courage turns to drowsiness. He picks one of you off, forcing the rest of us to fight in a state of mourning."
Nissa heads to the door with as much stride as her little legs can muster.
"Let's start the battle on our terms—out there, backs to the wall so he can't circle us. If he backs from the melee, I can shoot him.
"We'll make Grendel the corpse, and he can f*$! himself!"
Not exactly the pure-maidenly image Nissa was going for, but a performer must know her audience.
"I'm going out there, not as a fool—as a Valkyrie. Dead or alive, this is the day I earn my wings!"
With these words, Nissa flies to the roof as a mote, then reverts to her armored form st Verve's side.

Verve |

"No, wait there. I want to see what he does first." said Verve over the radio.
Something about this whole story bothered Verve. The Grendel was supposedly a monster, a child-killing fiend, but that was only according to the King's story, which the others had swallowed hook, line, and sinker.
She decided that she would like to hear both sides first.
Climbing down the tree, she got close enough so that they could talk without shouting, but not close enough for him to charge her and said "Excuse me. I'd like to talk to you for a moment, if you'll let me. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

Hearing Verve, she pauses by the door. "Er... that is, on Verve's signal. She just told me to hang back."
As much as Nissa would prefer to start shooting, Verve has actually worked as a sidekick. Likely, the experienced heroine's hunch—whatever it may be—is the correct one.

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

"No, wait there. I want to see what he does first." said Verve over the radio.
** spoiler omitted **

The Olympian |

The Olympian runs to stand next to Nissa. "Damn. I gotta get me one of those earbuds." Theo looks to the front door of the hall with determination, waiting for the solarian's say.

Verve |

"I don't want to fight you. My companions and I are travelers who have been told one side of the tale of your war with the Danes, and I would like to hear your side. I don't see a reason for you and me to fight, but if you attack me I will defend myself."
Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

** spoiler omitted **
Grendel, never having been asked for his side of the story before, hasn't really had time to spend much time putting it into words. He keeps it simple for you as he does for himself, "Heorot is Grendel's! Grendel take Grendel's." With that out of the way he begins to charge towards you.

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

The Olympian runs to stand next to Nissa. "Damn. I gotta get me one of those earbuds." Theo looks to the front door of the hall with determination, waiting for the solarian's say.
"Oh, right," Nissa replies. "You probably don't know about the tech from our world.
"Like my Illuminators." She holds up a gun, and tells Theo (and any interested Danes), "It shoots a beam of burning light designed to subdue."
(I plan to convert half damage to Holy Energy, which I believe is lethal.)
Her trigger finger is getting itchy. Nissa can't imagine how crazy she'd be driven if they had to wait for Grendel to open the door.
She says to Verve, "Say when."

The Olympian |

"Oh, right," Nissa replies. "You probably don't know about the tech from our world."
Theo gives the Nissa a quick sideways glance. "I AM from your world! I'm the face of PowerThirst and Nike. And I at least know who you are."

Verve |

Verve moves to position something heavy behind herself, then dives out of the way at the last moment.
Going to ready an action to move out of the way of his charge once he starts moving.
"Incoming!" says Verve over the earbud.

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

☀️ Ammo: 19/20
Nissa’s about to reply to Theo, but Verve’s shout prompts her into action. She tells him and the others, “Verve needs us!”
She then opens the door, steps through (5’ diagonal step) so she’s not blocking the way, and as the power of her goddess flows through her body, she fires her weapon!
Shoot!: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
2 Holy/Lethal + 1 Fire/Nonlethal

The Olympian |

Theo follows Nissa outside, charging straight toward the looming threat. "I dedicate this battle to Lord Zeus, King of Olympus, the Great Thunderer!" The Olympian chants under his breath as he runs headlong into danger.

Uncanny Valerie |

Uncanny Valerie wrote:While people are mingling, Valerie sits by the children and listens to their talk, and asks them what they think of the situation they are in.The children may not understand the situation they are in any better than the rest, but they speak more honestly about it. They know that Hrothgar is old and that those who owed him allegiance are turning away. They name specific thanes and ealdormen who have postponed coming to Heorot to give what they owe. Everyone is afraid of Grendel and the more people are afraid, the more they stay away, and the more they stay away the fewer people there are to fight Grendel. The only people brave enough to fight are too young or too old to do any good.
One boy, Hother, tells you he wants to be a scop and tell the tale of when Grendel is defeated.
Valerie nods along, listening carefully. The unfiltered information is useful. When Hother speaks, she smiles at him encouragingly. "This will one day be a great tale to tell, I think!"
When Theo mentions not having earbuds, Valerie attunes the datapad in her pocket's commlink to the same frequency and hands the Olympian hers. (Yes, this means they will hear her pocket talking.)
Telling the children to take shelter under a table or chair if Grendel enters the meadhall, she draws her static arc pistol and runs out the door with the others.
When she gets within range of the creature (50 feet) she fires.
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Electricity Damage, weapon spec: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

Okay, based on all that, let me recap ...
Verve tried to engage Grendel in conversation, and Grendel explained his motivations in as much depth as he was capable before charging towards Verve.
Verve tapped her earpiece and shouted, "Incoming..." while positioning herself between the tree and the troll.
As Grendel charges towards Verve, Nissa, Theo, and Valerie charge out of the hall. Both Valerie and Nissa surprise Grendel with something he's never seen before, blasts of light and fire coming directly from the people. Valerie hits.
Verve leaps away as the trolls slashes at her. He smashes into the tree and takes a little damage, but he also slices Verve with his claws as she tries to escape. 10 damage. Grendel's strong.
Let's wait for Charles to join the fight and then everyone can act in Round 2. Grendel's initiative sucked, so assumed you beat him.

Charles Wilde |

Sorry, I should have mentioned I'm usually not on the boards on Sundays.
Charles is a little slower on his feet than the others, having been trying (and failing, mostly) to remember his high school English class and what Beowulf had said about Grendel. For that matter, where was the titular hero? Did this alternate world not have a Beowulf?
As he followed the others outside he shook these thoughts off. Time to focus. Time... to use the 'gift' he'd been given.
He stops outside the doors and shifts to his chimera form, then gives Grendel a toothy three-headed snarl.
Moving outside and changing forms is my first round.

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

☀️☀️
Ammo: 18/20
Nissa eyes burn like a wildfire as she rushes Grendel. She gets within about fifteen feet before firing.
Shoot: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
3 Holy/Lethal + 3 Fire/Nonlethal
The wildfire in Nissa's eyes burns vermilion red. Her voice crackles, "Power is a gift. Those who abuse it deserve death!"
Though currently shield by her allies, Nissa is searching for a way into the fray.

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

Sorry, I should have mentioned I'm usually not on the boards on Sundays.
No need to apologize. I just didn't want to skip you.
So, this is Round 2. Everybody can act; Nissa just did. Any previous attacks were ranged attacks made by people who only had to get out the door. Charles and Theo used the time to close ground (for melee, I'm guessing.) They would be able to engage in melee this round. It would be hard to lose against Grendel's initiative for this combat, so we will assume everyone beat him. The Danes allowed the heroes to rush out first; if they were the type to courageously rush towards Grendel, they'd have been eaten by now.

The Olympian |

Round 2
Due to his incredible speed, The Olympian closes with Grendel in no time. In his earbud, Nissa asked the group to not stand behind the monster; she wants to do a power move. Fine by me, thinks Theo. The Olympian jumps and slashes down on Grendel, but his modern blade doesn't leave a mark.
Dueling Sword (tactical): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Uncanny Valerie |

"I suppose Charles could be seen by some as a merging of bear and wolf? Or bee and wolf?" Valerie muses as she charges her pistol and shoots again.
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
As her shot flies wide, striking a stone post, Uncanny Valerie notes probably talking and shooting at the same time is inefficient.

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

Those close enough to Grendel see that he is humanoid; he's bow-legged and hunch-backed. Now that he rears up to impress you with his height you see he stands about 14' tall. Crooked misplaced fangs poke out of his mouth, some pierce his lips in a way that should be uncomfortable.
His skin is grey and damp. He wears nothing and carries nothing to defend himself with. He seems to think his massive clawed hands and fangs will be enough.
He lets out a roar.

Charles Wilde |

Acting on instincts he didn't know he had, Charles charges toward Grendel. On some level he's glad to finally have a target he can throw his new body at, a reason to be glad for what had happened to him.
At just the perfect moment he leaps forward, claws outstretched in a deadly pounce.
Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Damage: 1d3 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

Verve still has an attack before we move on, I'm just going to post Grendel's attack now before bed.
claw 1: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 301d4 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
claw 2: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 291d4 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Melee bite if two claws both hit: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 221d6 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
crit damage: 1d4 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
critical wound location table roll: 1d20 ⇒ 12
So, Grendel hit with two claws but his bite missed (It should only have been +8 not +14). One of his claws was a crit, so it does extra damage. But, his claw crit has a feature called 'critical wound' so you need to make a DC 13 Reflex save to keep your eye.
Grendel is happy to meet someone with whom he can take the kid's gloves with and really just let go. He attacks Charles eagerly and slashes at him with both of his massive claws, raking the first one down across one of Charles' faces. I'll let you choose which one, as that one might lose an eye. The second claw is nearly as deadly.
Charles takes 32 points of damage and must make a DC 13 Reflex save to keep his eye.

Verve |

Verve channelled her telekinesis over one fist and then hit Grendel with a punch to the jaw.
Attack Roll vs. KAC: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Damage Roll: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Critical Damage Roll: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Charles Wilde |

Reflex: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21 Well, look at all the natural twenties in a row here. XD

Uncanny Valerie |

I think we are close to the next round, so this is her round 3 action
Uncanny Valerie cries, "No!" as Charles falls. Knowing she can only heal him a little--which would likely just tempt Grendel to strike him again and deal far more damage--she runs forward to cast stabilize on his body, hoping that remaining unconscious, Grendel will pick more live targets than finish off the chimera.
If she is able, she positions herself so she is interposed between Charles and Grendel.

The Olympian |
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Round 3
Grendel focuses on the rival monster before it, leaving his neck venerable to the godling's blade. With an upswing, The Olympian cuts deep into Grendel's neck muscles.
Dueling Sword (tactical): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25 Here's my contribution to the nat 20s.
Dmg.: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Crit Dmg.: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 = 12 slash damage

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

I think we are close to the next round, so this is her round 3 action
Uncanny Valerie cries, "No!" as Charles falls. Knowing she can only heal him a little--which would likely just tempt Grendel to strike him again and deal far more damage--she runs forward to cast stabilize on his body, hoping that remaining unconscious, Grendel will pick more live targets than finish off the chimera.
If she is able, she positions herself so she is interposed between Charles and Grendel.
I think Grendel took out all of Charles' Stamina Points and a couple HP. If I'm understanding Stamina Points correctly; Charles could shake most of this off with 10 minutes of rest. Grendel does intend to finish him off if he can, this round, so your decision to get between Charles and Grendel could still happen...

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

☀️☀️☀️
Ammo: 18/20
23 HP / 21 SP / 4 RP
Nissa sees Charles take a devastating blow. Her only words to Grendel are spoken coldly:
"Die."
She tumbles to get in close, preferably without Grendel's meathooks clutching her throat or raking her face—
Acro: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 9 + 2 = 22
DC15 + (CR x1.5) to avoid provoking AoO.
—and as she enters his personal bubble, fiery wings fan from her shoulder blades. Nissa's valkyrian form jets straight at her foe in kamikaze fashion, her armor compressing her to a bullet one instant—nothing the next!
Sparks scatter across the ground, unceremoniously, like a cigarette tossed onto a highway. Then, from beneath Grendel's dangling manliness—
Super Nova: 4d6 + 1 ⇒ (1, 6, 3, 5) + 1 = 16
8 Holy + 8 Fire
DC16 Reflex Save to halve damage.
—a blinding flash! A deafening rumble! Sunfire mushrooms upward, engulfing Grendel up to his armpits in holy hell!
On a battlemap, this would be a 12-square AoE, centered just behind Grendel's back so no players take damage.
Nissa herself flies out of the huge explosion, smoldering armor latching onto her body as she skids on her heels, back a few feet from where her attack began.
5ft step so Nissa has a fighterly ally (Theo?) in front of her.

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

☀️☀️☀️
Ammo: 18/20
23 HP / 21 SP / 4 RPNissa sees Charles take a devastating blow. Her only words to Grendel are spoken coldly:
"Die."
She tumbles to get in close, preferably without Grendel's meathooks clutching her throat or raking her face—
The rules read, "You can also tumble directly through an opponent’s space; the DC is 20 + 1-1/2 × the opponent’s CR. If you fail this check, you stop moving adjacent to your opponent and provoke an attack of opportunity."
You have failed this check. You stop moving in front of Grendel, surrounded with allies, and Grendel attacks you.
Grendel AoO: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 241d4 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

So far this round, ...
Charles manages to avoid losing an eye.
Nissa tries to fly through Grendel's space but gets knocked back and cut badly. With his long arms, flying around is hard to do.
And, Theo, might start to recall Haward's claim that Grendel cannot be harmed by blades. Indeed, Theo's blade slides through bloodless flesh that reforms after the blade passes through harmlessly.

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

☀️☀️☀️
Ammo: 17/20 ~ 4/6 RP
23/23 HP ~ 11/21 SP
_
Aw, man... I should have gone around back. For some reason, I thought I just had to be in front of him, but yeah, Super Nova is centered at Nissa. 15' is my max tumble distance, so I couldn't have gone through him if I wanted to. But let's use my newbieness to explain Nissa's tactical stupidity.
_
I still have a standard action, I believe...
Nissa makes a tactical error and pays dearly. She instinctively shoots Grendel in the face—
Shoot: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
3 Holy + 2 Fire/Nonlethal
—then staggers back. (5ft step)

Verve |

Supernova is a Standard Action.
Round 3:
Verve follows up her rather powerful initial attack with another Kinetic Blade infused punch to the gut.
Attack Roll: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Damage Roll: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

Oh... I meant since Nissa can't Super Nova while surrounded by allies, she instead shoots as her standard action. The Super Nova from her current position would inflict damage on the entire party. Dumb as I was just now, I won't do that.
_
When Grendel smacked me, I had only taken a move action. My understanding is the AoO stopped my move, but I can still take any remaining actions.

The Olympian |

Round 4
Theo seethes as his perfect Highlander-style sword slash is ruined by some dumb healing factor, that is dumb and stupid. "FINE!!" The Olympian barks. "Schoolyard rules, it is!" Theo hauls off and gives the grey giant a wallop to little to no effect.
Improved Unarmed Strike (punch): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

Round 4
Theo seethes as his perfect Highlander-style sword slash is ruined by some dumb healing factor, that is dumb and stupid. "FINE!!" The Olympian barks. "Schoolyard rules, it is!" Theo hauls off and gives the grey giant a wallop to little to no effect.
[dice=Improved Unarmed Strike (punch)]1d20 + 5
Theo, I think Grendel still has an attack in Round 3. He only made his AoO. Valerie ran in to protect Charles, but we're still talking about it. Charles hasn't had a Round 3 action either. We will bank that punch for the top of Round 4 when we get there. Valerie, I know Charles lost all his SP in one round, but he still has most of his HP. Is there an instadeath rule in Starfinder re: losing this much SP? I've seen such rules before. But, as far as I know, Charles doesn't need to be stabilized.

Uncanny Valerie |

Sorry for the confusion, folks--I was trying to post while I had a second and, moving too fast, wasn't thinking clearly. I'm still getting used to Stamina Points existing at all and f&~!ed up.
Retcon!
Valerie moves a little closer to the conflagration and points at Grendel, uttering a single Celestial Wordform that commands him to FALL.
Grendel must succeed at a Will save DC 15 or be forced to drop prone. He can otherwise act as he wishes on his turn.

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

Sorry for the confusion, folks--I was trying to post while I had a second and, moving too fast, wasn't thinking clearly. I'm still getting used to Stamina Points existing at all and f*$$ed up.
Retcon!
Valerie moves a little closer to the conflagration and points at Grendel, uttering a single Celestial Wordform that commands him to FALL.
Grendel must succeed at a Will save DC 15 or be forced to drop prone. He can otherwise act as he wishes on his turn.
Okay, let's see how poor Grendel fairs ...
Will save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18Grendel, apparently, is too dumb to fall.
It is around this point in the battle that Unferth and Haward arrive; Unferth carries the King's shield and a torch and is wearing chainmail far too large for him. Haward has been dressed for battle since you met him and looks like he might sleep in his armor.

Charles Wilde |

Instinctively Charles dodges to one side as Grendel's claw comes down, getting a gash along his cheek instead of a blinded eye. Desperately he snarls and snaps back, first with the teeth of his dinosaur-like head, then with the claws of his opposite forepaw.
Going for two attacks this round, we'll see how bad of an idea this ends up being. I believe being reduced to 0 HP puts you in a dying state, where you can stabalize by spending RP (and can spend more to get back up).
Bite: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 8 - 4 = 12
Damage: 1d3 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13
Claw: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 8 - 4 = 8
Damage: 1d3 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14
Guessing those are both not good.

Tarren the Dungeon Master |

That finishes the party's actions for Round 3. Grendel has had a reaction, but not an action.
Grendel rapidly retreats.
So, he can't 'withdraw' because he's in a threatened square. If he 'runs' he also provokes AoO. He can take a guarded step as his move to retreat and then take a 30' move as his standard action. This is what he does. He is heading straight down the steep hill that he came up. It's dark still.
Unferth cheers, "Run fiend, run. We fear you not!"

Nissa, the Subatomic Bombshell |

☀️☀️☀️
Ammo: 16/20 ~ RP:4/6
HP:23/23 ~ SP:11/21
Nissa wants to explode on Grendel, but seeing the battle is won, she just shoots him in the ass.
Shoot: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
3 Holy / 3 Fire-Nonlethal
She then speaks as if truly a valkyrie.
Bluff: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
"Take a coward's scar as my parting gift! And know this:
"My valkyrian sisters—Svava and all them—will circle like vultures until they find you and take your soul straight to the gods! You'll pay, like, seventy-sevenfold for your sins. Your eternal torment will...
TOTALLY SUCK!"

Uncanny Valerie |

Uncanny Valerie approaches Charles, pulling her medkit out of the side pocket of her haversack concealed under her robe. "Charles, will you let me patch that nasty gash? There may be infective bacteria in this realm you have little immunity to."
If he agrees, she will attempt to Treat Deadly Wounds.
Medicine, DC 25: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
If someone Aided Another she'd get there. If not--I now know he has only lost a few HP, and this effort would have only healed 3 HP. But she'd still do it.
Valerie follows the others, charging her pistol.

The Olympian |

"YOU LILY-LIVERED CHICKEN $#|+!!" Theo barked at the retreating behemoth, then sighed. "Damn. Well, at least the king and queen will rest well tonight."

Verve |

Verve runs after Grendel, but once she is out of earshot of the Danes, she will stop and say "We need to talk. Don't tell the Danes. There's something else going on here."

Charles Wilde |

Charles hesitates. Why was Grendel running? Had they really hurt him that badly? Or was he leading them to a trap?
But when Verve starts to run after him, he follows.
Not sure if that changes your whisper, there.