JD's Against the Giants PbP

Game Master Jack Daniels

"Wait! Don't go alone, you foppish fool!" Aradesh calls after Pierre as he zooms off waaaay in front with the enhanced speed of Sivi's spell.

She grumbles some orcish curse words and casts a defensive spell of her own, then begins heading after him.

mirror image: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Aradesh stays behind the dwarves. With haste, she moves up to 120 feet over the first two rounds chasing Pierre and them.

Apologies for the delay. Aradesh's flight hex takes a standard action to activate so prior to Round 1, Aradesh cast the blessing and walked 30' toward the door and is still in the inn, 10' from the entrance. Round 1 - Aradesh casts Mirror Image and moves another 30': 10' to get outside and 20' south. So Aradesh at the end of Round 1 is 280' from the giants.

Round 1: Initiative 17: Giants

Seeing the speedy cavalier rushing toward them, the hill giants launch their rock salvos at him! "Puny human! You will die with all the humans in town!"

Rock: 1d20 ⇒ 1
Rock: 1d20 ⇒ 14
Rock: 1d20 ⇒ 15

The first rock hits the water, while the other two are easily dodged by the agile cavalier. The giants grunt in frustration.

Dolgrym and Hanna are up to end Round 1 and then Aradesh, Sivi, and Pierre to start Round 2.

Dolgrym runs forward towards the giants trying to catch up to the fool running headlong into them.

How far away will Hanna be if she moves as fast as she can? Also, would she be able to throw her hammer at the end of her move? The hammer has a 30' range increment.

Okay, with round 2 starting now, Aradesh does her Mirror Image as posted above and keeps moving. Her round one action was Hunter's Blessing + move, the second round is Mirror Image + move. Since at least the second move action has the haste benefit from Sivi, she should be about 90 feet from where she started assuming everyone kept moving straight for the giants.

Aradesh glances at the gnomish Illusionist during the run and grins as they cast the exact same magic to protect themselves. "You have good taste in spells, Sivi. Do you also have something to stop them from throwing those rocks, by any chance? Even if they miss, they damage the town."

"Haha, so do you! Illusions are great, aren't they?" Sivi runs for all she's worth. But even with haste, it's going to take some time for her to get into crossbow or spellcasting range of the giants. "Yeah, I have a few options. Need to get closer though. How about you?"

Double move toward the giants.

The blurry images of the sprinting shaman all shake their head solemnly. "I'm afraid not. If it was just us, I could summon a large cloud to hide us from view. But that doesn't quite protect the villagers or their town. ...I suppose we'll just have to kill them. I won't let them take this town as well!"

I am 100' away and have 60' movement so am within charging range. Is there a giant I can charge?

Yes, Pierre, you can charge one of the giants, if you wish. You will risk AoO.

Bring it on!

Round 2:
Pierre uses a swift action to challenge the giant and then charges! "By the Order of the Cockatrice, I condemn you to a swift death, giant!"
Attack+charge+Hunter's blessing+haste: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 43
Damage+Hunter's Blessing+Challenge: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 = 36
AC+charge+haste: 29-2+1=28 (26 vs. other hill giants)

Distance from Giants - mid Round 2!
Aradesh: 210' from giants with HB and Mirror Image
Silvi: 180' from giants with HB and Mirror Image
Pierre: right on top of Giant #1 (wounded giant)
Dolgrym: Prior to Round 2 action: 180' (if double move: will be 100' at end of Round)
Hanna: Prior to Round 2 action: 180' (if double move: will be 100' at end of Round)

AoO on Pierre: 1d20 ⇒ 13 - miss! Pierre charges across the bridge, sidesteps the giant's blows and pierces the giant's shin, causing it great harm!

Round 2 - Giants - Init 17:

Wounded Giant #1:
The wounded giant tosses his bag of rocks to the side and grips his greatclub with both hands to bring down on the cavalier's head! Unfortunately, its attacks are pathetic, with Pierre easily dodging them.

Attack rolls:
1d20 ⇒ 3 - miss
1d20 ⇒ 8 - miss

The other two giants are blocked off from the bridge by the wounded giant. so they target the two dwarves running toward them. The rocks fly at the dwarves and had they not been dwarves would have been pounded by them, but they're both familiar with giant tactics and shrewdly use their weapon or shield to deflect the attacks harmlessly to the side. +4 dodge bonus is king!

Attack rolls:
1d20 ⇒ 17 - miss
1d20 ⇒ 17 - miss

The two dwarves to end Round 2 and then the rest of the party to start Round 3.

How far away will Hanna be if she moves as fast as she can? Also, would she be able to throw her hammer at the end of her move? The hammer has a 30' range increment.

Due to persons in the streets scrambling for safety, you can't run (i.e. 4x or 5x speed). You can double move (80' per round). In 2 rounds you can throw hammer with -6 penalty. In 3 rounds you can throw hammer with no penalty.

Seeing herself fall behind compared to the others, Aradesh makes a few arcane gestures accompanied with a short incantation in the orcs' agressive tongue. The next moment, she appears to become weightless and begins taking to the sky in the middle of the group's charge!

Aradesh activates the Flight Hex - she can fly for at least the next 10 rounds. Then, she flies 90 feet closer due to Fly + haste. She will remain somewhat close to the ground for now (+/- 10 feet) so as to not make herself too obvious of a target from this far away.

Dolgrym continues to move toward the giants. Double move since I can't run.

Ah, it looks like Sivi is just about within range for a useful spell. The gnome skids to a halt, points at the two rock-throwing giants, and sings a slightly more complex incantation than the previous one. A cloud of glittering golden particles appears around the giants, almost blinding in the sun.

Giggling, Sivi begins another tune, this one a well-known battle song in Common.

At 10th level Sivi has a 200' range on glitterdust. Not sure if the 10-ft radius will cover both giants, but it's worth a shot. Starting up Inspire Courage for a nifty +2 on attack and weapon damage for the group. Bards can start a performance as a move action at 7th level.

Hanna continues to move down the street towards the giants with Dolgrym by her side.

Round 2:

Pierre laughs at the giant's pathetic attempts to hit him, "You couldn't hit the side of a barn with those swings, let alone me. My turn, big fella. Let me show you the skill and grace of a true warrior."

Hasted Attack: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 38
Damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 = 38
Regular Attack: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 35
Damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 = 34
Last attack: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 15 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 34
Damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 8 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 10 = 40
AC is now 30 vs. Giant #1 and 28 vs. other 2 giants.

Sivi, in the future, please post the DC of your spell to help me out. :) You can catch one giant in your spell.

The giant screams in frustration as it goes blind.

Will save: 1d20 ⇒ 4 - blind.

Pierre's second thrust this round pierces the giant's abdomen and kills it. It collapses to the floor in a thud, ending the cavalier's challenge.

Round 2: Giants = Init 17

The blind giant does nothing for the round other than pick the particles from its eyes.

The remaining giant grabs its club and moves forward to smash the puny human who killed its friend.

1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32
Damage: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (2, 1) + 10 = 13

The blind giant's Will save at the end of its Round: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 - successful, so it is no longer blind.

Distance from Giants - mid Round 3!
Aradesh: 120' from giants. now flying
Silvi: 180' from giants with HB and Mirror Image
Pierre: right on top of Giant #2
Dolgrym: 100' away prior to your actions this Round.
Hanna: 100' away prior to your actions this Round.

Oddly, despite the party soon overwhelming the giants' odds, they look confident. And then you see why, when they look behind you with smiles, and you hear screams from Sandpoint's citizens and defenders coming from the north. As you turn around, a majestic 30' long beast of emerald green scales and a prominent horn on its snout with wings flies over the town about 50' off the ground, breathing acid in a strafing run! The dragon is currently by the Sandpoint Cathedral.

Dragon pic in campaign tab. Party is up!

As the giant falls, Pierre mockingly calls out, "Timberrrr!" With his challenge over, his AC jumps back to 30 with haste.
He then looks down at the giant's corpse and looks at the party who is getting closer. He smiles like a little kid and screams, "Tell me you all saw that!"

When the other giant rushes in, Pierre sees the blow coming very close and about to hit him and he winks at the giant, "I don't think so!" Immediate action: Uses 1 panache to gain Dodging Panache to move 5' closer to the giant. gaining +3 AC, which brings his AC up to 33 and a miss!

When the dragon appears in the distance, Pierre narrows his eyes..that dragon horn would make a great trophy!

"Less talking, more fighting! Hah, I sound like a dwarf." Aradesh responds from the air, grinning slightly, just when a dragon, of all things, appears right behind her! "What in the- Is that thing with the giants!? Why would- No. Tyche! Quick - what is its weakness?"

Knowledge check vs dragon, arcana...? nature?: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31

Tyche shares all the information he knows about it to Aradesh, which she forwards to the party. Does it have a weakness? Does it see through illusions? What is its lowest save?

She flies up to where she's out of range of the giants' melee attacks, 30 or so feet from the ground, gets 90 feet closer to the giants and...

If they are within 45 feet of eachother, she gives up one blessing of fervor to spontaneously cast a persistant slow on the two giants. DC 19, roll twice and take lower. She spends one tanglefoot bag as an alchemical component when casting it. She can pick one to be entangled by a tanglefoot bag's effect if they fail the save, and possibly against her better judgment, prefers the one already engaging Pierre.

If they are not within 45 feet of eachother, she instead approaches the giant not engaging Pierre during flight and casts Misfortune on him. DC 21 Willsave, if fails, 2 turns of all his d20 rolls are roll twice and take lower.

To be clear, Aradesh and for all players, if you look at the Sandpoint Map located in the Campaign Tab and the scale, the Sandpoint Cathedral is about 1000 feet away from your current position, so it is not right behind you.

The appropriate K. Check is arcana.
Green dragons have Darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision.
Immunity to magic sleep effects and paralysis effects.
They are born with immunity to acid and water breathing.
Dragons this size have SR and resistance to non-magical weapons.
Due to their size also, you would assume Reflex save is the worst.

Damn immediate actions! LOL.. The giant's club slams into the ground with incredible force as the cavalier dodges the giant's blow at the last second.

Thanks for the clarification, and the scale. My apologies, I assumed it was indeed quite a bit behind me or I wouldn't have continued attacking the nearby giants first. I guess 'directly behind' might not have been the best choice of words. I pictured it as coming from the blind spot in my vision behind me as we're running from the city to the outer edge atm.

Only years of practice keep Sivi singing when the dragon appears. Oh, that's just not fair! The giants are closer though, and if they turn to go after the dragon, they'll be dodging boulders the whole way. So she resumes running toward the giants, singing her song of courage as she goes.

Maintain performance and double move.

I was holding off until the dwarves went but going to go ahead and post my action.

Round 3:

As the he dodges the giant's last blow, Pierre moves closer and feels inspired by Sivi's song. He yells out, "Great voice, dear!", as he pierces the giant's thigh with his sword repeatedly!

Hasted Attack w/IC and HB: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 45
Damage: 1d1d8 + 8 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 10 = 28
Regular Attack: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 37
Damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 8 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 10 = 32
Last attack: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 15 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 26
Damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 8 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 10 = 33
Critical confirmation: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 36
Additional damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 2 + 3 = 14
AC 30 against all atatcks.

If the giant dies, Pierre will bow and soak in the adulation. LOL!

Bump for our dwarves? That said, @Fire giant GM, was Aradesh able to get both of the remaining giants in a slow (45 ft spread) or did she misfortune the one attacking Pierre?

"Hmmm... At least he's not all talk." Aradesh thinks to herself, somewhat amused by Pierre's theatrics as he starts cutting into the second.

Sorry...was not too sure what turn it was!

Still, twenty feet away from the giants, Hanna cocks back her arm and throws her Warhammer at the attacking giant.

Attack: 1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 1 + 1 = 16
1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 1 + 1 = 19

Damage: 2d10 + 1d6 + 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (9, 8) + (4) + (7) + 7 = 35

Greater weapon of the chosen allows to reroll attack and take higher roll

Dolgrym moves forward again as far as he can.

Okay, let's sort this out.
Dolgrym double moves as his Round 3 action. 20' away at end of Round 3.
Hanna was 100' away at start of Round 3, moves 40', so 60' away and throws her dwarfbond hammer (20' range so she has -4 to attack). So even rolling twice, she misses 2x. 60' away at end of Round 3. The hammer returns to her hand.
Round 4:
Sivi double moves while inspiring and is 100' way mid-Round 4.
Aradesh, while flying, can rise at half speed an an angle of 45 degrees, so she sacrifices 60' of movement (1/2 speed) to rise to a height of 30' and then the other 30' to move horizontally, so she is 60' away before her action. Unfortunately, the giants are not in range of Slow, which only has a 50' range. Does she cast Misfortune or change her altitude to get in range of Slow spell? Will delay her so she can see results of Pierre's action.
Pierre full attacked the giant - confirms the first critical for 42 damage then hits for 32 damage, dropping the giant to its knees, and then jams his sword in its eye, killing it instantaneously!

Two dead giants, one fresh giant left and a huge dragon plus more giants in the distance. Aradesh needs to clarify action.

Sorry about the confusion DM...I figured out I did not activate my Holy Strike...also thought I was closer, but that is fine... she will continue to move forward and when she reaches 20' will throw again...until then will bless hammer!!

Ugh, Pierre will probably have killed the last giant before Sivi can get within range for her other disabling spells. Crossbow it is! Still singing, she runs far enough to get within range and stops. The bard raises her crossbow to her shoulder, aims, and fires. A bolt covered in glittering ice flies toward the giant. She quickly loads another bolt with practiced speed.

Maintain performance. Move 20' forward to get within 80' of the giant and attack. Reload as a free action thanks to Rapid Reload. +2 attack and damage enhancements from both hunter's blessing and Inspire Courage.

Attack: 1d20 + 12 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 12 + 2 + 2 = 19

Weapon Damage: 1d6 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 2 + 2 = 6

Cold Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Ah, right. Yeah, I forgot flying up slightly costed her that much movement. In that case, she will just stay at 10 feet altitude so she can reach the targets alongside the others. She would have casted Slow vs two giants but if Pierre kills target number 2 instantly and she hasn't casted it yet, she justs casts misfortune on the final giant from 30ft away. DC 21 willsave or roll twice take lower for 2 turns.

From the air slightly above the party, Aradesh begins assaulting the giant's mind with fate-bending magic, willing it to succumb to ill fortune and clumsiness!

Dolgrym charges the remaining giant trying to end the fight as quickly as possible.

+1 Giant Bane Dwarven Maulaxe Charge FE PA: 1d20 + 16 + 2 + 2 + 6 - 3 ⇒ (13) + 16 + 2 + 2 + 6 - 3 = 36 Damage: 1d6 + 5 + 2 + 2d6 + 6 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 2 + (6, 5) + 6 + 6 + 1 + 2 = 38

Current AC 24 due to charge.

Ok, people, calm down, this is not a train station! :) Sivi and Dolgrym already took your Round 3 and Round 4 actions respectively - see posted above. I was just waiting to hear back on Aradesh's Round 4 action. To avoid this confusion in the future, you should post your name and the Round when it is your turn so you know if you've acted already the way I do with the monsters.

Giant save vs. Misfortune: 1d20 ⇒ 13 - fails.

Round 4 - Giant - Init 17:

Seeing his dead buddies, the final giant, about 20' from Pierre, pulls out a potion and drinks it, becoming more muscular immediately. It then grips its club with both hands and beckons the cavalier and the rest of the party to dare and attack it!

Dolgrym is up in Round 4 and we will assume he keeps same action and charges the giant, drawing AoO and the witch's spell saves him from taking a massive hit and turning it into a clumsy miss.
Attack: 1d20 ⇒ 18
Attack: 1d20 ⇒ 2 - miss!
Dolgrym rams into the giant inflicting a severe wound!

Hanna is up to close Round 4 and then Aradesh, Sivi, and Pierre in Round 5.

Sorry about the confusion. I will mark my posts from now on. Charging does not provoke AoOs

Sorry about the confusion. I will mark my posts from now on. Charging does not provoke AoOs

The act of charging does not provoke but the movement does as the giant has reach and you do not so you move through its threatened square.

Round 4

Again the dwarven priestess throws her magic hammer at the now super buff giant.

Attack: 1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 10 + 1 + 1 = 15
1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 1 + 1 = 19

damage: 2d10 + 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (7, 8) + (7) + 7 = 29

Round 5

Aradesh golfclaps for Pierre. "Not bad. But you know there's a third one, right?"

She continues her mental assault on the giant in the meantime! Casts Evil Eye, willsave dc 21 roll twice take lower, effect = -4 ac for at least 1 turn if succesfull, more (10) if it fails. Also cackles as a move action to extend the effect by 1 turn of misfortune and evil eye.

"We should start thinking about how to handle the dragon, too. I can protect us from its breath if we huddle up, and lift someone there through the air. Anyone have any other ideas for it?"

Pierre looks around, as Aradesh's words snap him out of his reverie. "Oh, right. Be right back." The cavalier rushes at the remaining giant and stabs in the thigh with his sword.

Attack: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 42 - threat
Damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 2 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 8 + 2 + 2 + 10 = 27
Confirmation: 1d20 + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 20 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 43
Extra Damage: 1d8 + 8 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 2 + 2 = 14

Pierre bows with a smile, "Where to next?"

Seeing the flamboyant cavalier lived up to his claimed reputation - again - the shaman can't quite help but snort, amused. She wondered how many men out here displayed this type of behavior, and whether it was common. Her mind did an amusing foray into her native lands as she tried to imagine the savage to-the-death duels often fought for clan leadership, and how drastically different those would look if either fighter would preen *THAT* much every time they scored a hit. It was funny...

...But effective, apparently?

"A good hit. Now, let's take down that remaining giant and focus on the dragon!"

The cavalier's blades punctures the giant's femoral artery and it collapses and dies in a bloody mess!

Combat over. What's the plan now?

When the giant falls rapidly, Aradesh decides to quickly fly straight up to get a sense of the towns surroundings and the numbers and direction of attackers.

Can she see how many other giants there are, roughly? Are there other attackers than the giants and this dragon?

Hanna turns and looks around to see if there are any other threats to the town.

"Is that it? Can you see anything else up there?" she calls to the half-orc.

"There have to be more! We heard attacks from multiple directions, and that was before the Dragon appeared!" Aradesh shouts back as she surveys the area through the chaos of at least that thing still attacking the town.

Dolgrym looks to the sky and says "I think that dragon is more of a danger than the giants. We need to take it out first I think. We should head back into town as quickly as possible as a group." He emphasizes the last word.

Sivi cups her hands around her mouth and shouts up to the flying half-orc. "Hey, Aradesh! Can you carry me as you fly?" For such a small person, she has an impressive set of lungs. "There's a magic song I know that could really help against the dragon, but it takes time to sing and I can't concentrate while I'm running!" She pauses. "About how far is it from here to the dragon, can you tell?" It wouldn't do to finish the Vindictive Aria before they reach the enemy, after all.

Aradesh flies up to get a bird's eye view of the town. He can see fires in the N and NE section of the town. He sees the dragon in the distance do a strafing run of breathing acid before dropping out of line of sight by where the Sandpoint Garrison would be. The dragon's last distance is about 1500 square feet from you in a straight line. But if you travel through the town's streets, it is not a straight line, so it will take longer. Right now, you are all on the east end of the Sandpoint Bridge. You also see in the distance that the northern gate has been smashed and you see giants entering the town!

Pierre smiles and winks at Dolgrym, "Thank you for weakening the giant for me with that crazy charge, so I could land the finishing blow." He sees Aradesh fly up and looks around. "I need Francois, if I'm going to go up against a dragon, as he's got my banner. He should be in the Goblin Squash stables, next to the Rusty Dragon."

Seeing enough, Aradesh lets herself fall from the sky and skids to a halt mere feet off the ground. "There's two other groups of giants - one to the northeast and one to the north. The one up north is already moving into the city - the gate is down!" She quickly answers Hanna first.

"The dragon is pretty far away by flight, at least a thousand feet and half that again. It will take almost a minute to reach by flight with your speed magic," She continues with Sivi's latter question first, " And while I agree it is the larger threat, how do we fight it as a whole group from the ground, Dolgrym? You mean to get closer on foot through the streets, and shoot it from below? In that case, I'd suggest going around slightly and fighting through the giants on the way there," She then asks the ranger, not feeling the need to point out every second counted.

"Though If Sivi has a quicker plan to engage the dragon directly, I'd be happy to try it out. I can take one, *maybe* two others with me through the air to fight it right now. If it falls, perhaps the remaining giants would flee. That would leave the others behind to help out the townsfolk against the giants below."

@Party members I don't think Aradesh overheard Pierre requesting his mount from above in the sky so she doesn't comment on it. That aside, what should we do? I like fighting it in the air, as it's epic!, but I'm not sure what the 2-3 others should do in the meantime if one group does go through the air. What are everyone elses range or flight capacities? Or do they stay down and get Pierre's mount and/or fight off the others giants on the ground in the meantime?

@Fire Giant DM, what is your ruling on carrying people through the air with the Prehensile Hair hex? Can it carry more than one person? It's essentially an extra limb with reach 10 feet and str 22. The weight limit is 520 lb's heavy load, assuming the text about lifting heavy objects with one's hair not straining the neck or head holds for this purpose.

Dolgrym frowns for a moment and says "Giants! We take out the ones through the gate first then the other group. Hopefully we'll cause enough trouble to them that the dragon comes to us!"

The shaman takes a moment to consider, then gives a tight nod. "A good suggestion. We draw its attention by killing its allies, and when it comes close, we fight it. We just have to hope the houses provide the people enough cover against the breath in the meantime."

She glances back at the Sivi. "What do you say? We can simply fly up to it when it decides to come for us. Would your song still work?"

I'm fine with Dolgrym's idea. Looking at the map, the most realistic course of action following that plan seems to be going from the east bridge to the northeast entrance to presumably intercept the giant group there, and from there perhaps west to the north gate. We'll see when the dragon comes?