Tess continues to creep towards the archers, while one of them fires back out across the water at Thereus.
Attack v Thereus:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 20 = 39 for Piercing:1d8 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 Attack v Thereus:1d20 + 20 - 5 ⇒ (20) + 20 - 5 = 35 for Piercing:1d8 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16 Attack v Thereus:1d20 + 20 - 10 ⇒ (6) + 20 - 10 = 16 for Piercing:1d8 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 And with some hot dice too
Initiative
Tess 36/98 HP, invisible
Yellow wight, 122 damage Drogo 127/158 HP, invisible, Daphnaie invisible, need Reflex save
Thereus 80/148 HP, need two DC 24 Fort saves vs Drained Green 15 damage, Purple 54 damage
Zac 165/173 HP
Fyn, invisible
Dranald 60*/99* HP, Drained 1
Red wight 80 damage
Thereus shakes off thae sapping effects of the arrows piercing him and returns fire. His first shot is finally enough for the wight to fall! and the second would miss regardless of whihc target its redirected to.
Red Reflex:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (9) + 18 = 27 Green Reflex:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28
The remaingin archers but get shocked by Drogo's electricity. As the gnome moves away from his position, Daphnaie pursues her target and slashes him. The cut proves enough for that archer too...but not before it too triggers its snare in a final spiteful eruption.
Red's down, but Daphanie needs a DC 25 Basic Relfex vs Piercing:4d8 ⇒ (7, 8, 6, 1) = 22
Seeing its partner felled by an invisible force, the last archer standing looks to the south east and, barely making out the fey's position, manages to strike her with one fo the two arrows it fires in her direction.
Meanwhile the now very isolated other wight turns around and makes one last charge towards Thereus, feinting and then slicing at the figure who just took down one of its allies.
Feint v Thereus:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (7) + 19 = 26 Strike v Thereus:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (8) + 20 = 28 for Slahsing:2d4 + 6 ⇒ (4, 4) + 6 = 14 plus Precision damage:2d6 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5 With that feint just barely succeeding that looks like it will just slip past your off-guard AC.
Initiative
Tess 36/98 HP, invisible
Drogo 107/158 HP, invisible, Daphnaie invisible, Daphnaie need DC 25 Reflex and DC 22 Fort
Thereus 61/148 HP, need Fort save Green 33 damage (some temp hp), Purple 54 damage (some temp HP) Zac 165/173 HP
Fyn, invisible
Dranald 60*/99* HP, Drained 1
N F Human (Half-Elf) Rogue 9 | HP 98 | AC 27 | F +16 R +20 (Evasion) W +16 | Perc +18, Low-Light Vision | Speed 25 ft | Active Conditions: None
Seeing the archers fall one by one in front of her, Tess spins around and reverses direction. Carefully she slips between Thereus and Zac, plants her dagger in the neck of the wight, cuts again at the tendons holding its arms in place before stepping back.
The one-two strike of lance and sword cuts down Dranald’s foe who’s not next to anyone to Final Spite
Across the way the last wight attempts to regain its stance but is cut down by Daphnaie’s waiting strike. It erupts in one final snare-rigged explosion, but then the field stands still.
Pierincg:4d8 ⇒ (6, 7, 2, 8) = 23 Daph Ref bot:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (10) + 20 = 30
COMBAT OVER!!!
Tess 36/98 HP
Drogo 85/158 HP
Thereus 61/148 HP
Zac 165/173 HP
Dranald 60*/99* HP, Drained 1
As you catch your breath, you can take a moment to poke through the re-slain wights' remains. In addition to their own gear two +1 striking daggers and four +1 composite longbows one of the wights bore a sack that is much larger on the inside bag of holding type II. Inside are a series of grisly trophies - fingers, teeth, hands - some of which still bear signet rings of various families who once lived in Lastwall.
Not long after the fighting stops Mahja Firehair herself makes it to the scene, along with several other orc fighters. We heard there was a strike. she says looking around at the scene and at you. Several medics move along the bridge and its far side to check to see if any of the fallen townsfolk are still alive while the orc chieftain continues: It seems the undead are eager to take this town. Bless the Rays that their full host is not yet here - and that you seven are.
Mahja gets some of her medics to treat your own wounds, but then encourages you and her other allies to finish whatever last preparations they have uickly, and then to get a good night's rest. The battle tomorrow is likely to be far more intense.
They'll be able to heal your injuries (though not the Drained - luckily for Dranald you're only Drained 1 and that will reduce and go away with the night's rest). But before you can sleep there's one last round of getting the town's defenses prepared. Remember: for each task only one person is the primary (though others can Aid). Please let me know when posting/rolling who will be the 'Prime' for each of the remaining 4 possible tasks.
Preparing Freedom Town: ROUND 3 Barricades - Barricades as set up as they're gonna be!
Evacuation - 2 Success (Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Performance, or Society)
Thereus and Zac head out into the wilds around Freedom Town. Extra cautious from the recent skirmish, they still venture far and wide. Over the course of a few hours the pair work in tremendous concert to get an incredible feel for the wilderness and by the end are able to move through it almost supernaturally well. Crit success, bringing to 3 'Prep points'!
Fyn and Tess work on the traps. Unforutnately, while they are able to repair and reset those that the wight advance party already triggered, the waning light and advancing night prevents them from setting any more complex booby traps. Failure due to the easier thresholds being already done - 2 points is still good though
A drained Dranald pushes through his exhaustion to layer in one last level of aburation and anti-necormantic magik upon Freed Town before he's exhausted for the night. Success
And Drogo and Daphnaie team up once more, this time to get the townsfolk moving ASAP! The remaining Freedom Towners are made to take the threat very seriously, and as they evacuate the summoner and his partner get to overhear and observe quite a bit about all of the roads, alleyways, and paths they take in and around the town as they leave towards Urgir. Success
As the seven of you re-convene, you are all quite tired. Barring some orcs and knights on overnight watch, most of the Bruning Suns are retiring, to rest up for tomorrow's fight.
Everyone should sleep up and get a full night's rest (and for casters/others can make your Daily Preparations again and can adjust your spell prep if you want to).
The next day, Mahja wakes you - and all of Freedom Town - with a loud note from a horn shortly before sunrise. Most of her fellow Burning Suns are quick to prepare for battle. Each of you have enough time to make your daily preparations while the other defenders of Freedom Town also ready themselves. As you finish and emerge ready, you find the rest of the knights, townsfolk, orcs, and Pathfinders massing in the town's center square.
Mahja Firehair makes her way up on a hastily erected dais. There is electricity in the air as warriors of all kinds stretch and prepare for the battle ahead. A wave of murmurs grows into a sea of stomps, rattling of weapons, and loud growls and yelling. Once Mahja reaches the center of the crowd, she jumps onto a wagon and raises a closed fist, which immediately silences the town.
“Brothers, sisters, family, and friends. We don’t know why the dead have chosen to rise and enter our lands once more, but I know that we will respond. Belkzen is our home and we have proven before that any undead that dare tread in our home will only meet destruction. Be they a mass of bones or the Tyrant himself, we will stand together. We will tear them down!”
A cheer erupts from the crowd. Mahja pauses long enough to allow the moment of levity before motioning for silence and continuing, “I can’t say for sure if all of us are enough to stop the armies of the dead on this day. However, I can say we will give them Hell! Whoever these undead are, or whoever sent them, all will learn that we are more dangerous than they’ve ever imagined. We will fight! Dawnflower, guide us! If I must give my life to protect Belkzen, I am ready to do so! Let’s show these shamblers that even death can’t protect them from the might of an orc!” Battle cries echo throughout Freedom Town and out through the valley as Mahja leads the march out to the wilderness around town.
And as you all march out, several explosions from the wilderness beyond Freedom Town signal the arrival of the undead forces. As dozens of zombies detonate throughout the wilderness, the nearby fields and forests catch fire, filling the sky with the light of a burning sunrise...
While most of the explosions are occuring ahead as Freedom Town’s forces meet with the undead army outside of the town, as you're about to exit the gates there is a large explosion and cries of help from a farmhouse on the eastern edge of town. Making your way over to assist, you find several zombies surrounding less-fortified buildings on Freedom Town's outskirts. Though the zombies are thin and not a major squadron or normal high priority, the smoking and exploding undead are mindlessly attacking barns and homes that still have some people in them! And their assaults risk setting even more fires that could spread rapidly!
Considering we've already had some long-running combats and you are well-familiar with the fun* of sulfer zombies, as we gloss over this optional encounter please describe how each of you is narratively thwarting this early incursion of mindless burning zombies :)
N F Human (Half-Elf) Rogue 9 | HP 98 | AC 27 | F +16 R +20 (Evasion) W +16 | Perc +18, Low-Light Vision | Speed 25 ft | Active Conditions: None
Tess adopts the role of a feeble old woman, standing atop a nearby hilltop (with a lovely bit of land below that just so happens to be clear of flammable bits) and does her best to draw the zombies to her. Shrieks, wails, gnashing of teeth, a black shawl flying wildly in a non-existent wind - she pulls out all the stops to collect the undead into a killing zone for her colleagues with bows.
LG Human Champion of Erastil 10 | HP 148/148| Fort (Jug) +20 Ref +19 Will +18 | AC 30 | Perc +15 | xxx | Focus Pt 1/2| Hero Pt 1/3| Drained 1
Thereus has no problem standing back to back with his colleagues, unleashing volleys of arrows into the undead legions. The Shining Crusade lives on...
F Fey Eidolon 10| 28AC | F+17 , R+20, W+17 | P+16 | Exploration: Scout | Conditions: +2 status Intimidate
Hearing the explosions of shamblers in the distance, Daphnaie gets really excited. Dodging bits of zombie goo is her new favorite pastime.
Drogo uses evolution surge and boost eidolon to turn Daphnaie into a zombie killing giant. Now with reach, she roams the battlefield shredding the undead with her thorn covered vines and pink sparking petals.
M Half-Elf Fighter 11: Spd:25, HP:57/173, 5 Cold Resistance, 5 fire resistance, 3 piercing resistance AC:32(34 Raised shield), Fort:22, Ref:20, Will:16, Per:17(18 involving sight)(19 for init) Darkvison, Stealth:18
Zac can easily just knock them down with his hammer and avoid all or most of the explosions given his ability to dodge or tank the damage. If worst comes to worst, he will use arrows and pin them down.
An old, wizened, defenseless lady proves an irreststible target for the mindless zombies. But as they swarm Tess your ambush is sprung! Thereus rains arrows upon the zombies while Tess and Daphnaie flense them in a flurry of cuts and slashes. Adjacent to the tornado of full-death Zac smacks down the burning foes left and right while he wades through the fray with night impunity!
With these burners down you can continue into the woods arund Freedom Town where the main battle is occuring. As ghouls, wights, and other stronger undead are mixed in amongst the baser zombie and skeletal hordes you see your preparations have already come into play. Many of the invaders bear signs of damage from traps and the strain of pushing through wards, allowing them to become easy prey for the fierce Burning Sun warriors. You notice in the distance Sir Khagrig race down a hidden path identified by your scouts to skewer a mohrg from surprise. The Ashcaller siblings cut down a pair of ghasts as they catch your eye from a distance. Nodding in recognition, the two orcs quickly move on to fight the next wave - as do you.
All of you in your own ways fight through the thicket of battle and forest. The fires that have caught everywhere continue to give the theater an omnious orange haze as smoke steadily rises and the heat begins to grow uncomfortable. Then, moving to reinforce the Burning Sun's flank, you come across a group of undead! Not mere zombies, you see two heavily-armored wights standing atop some nearby high ground. Surronded by four others the armored figures seem to be directing the undead with some authority, before spying your approach. With a raised blade towards you one speaks in a dark whisper there. more living to die! and all six turn to engage you!
R Traps:4d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 6, 2) = 13 B Traps:4d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 6, 5) = 18 G Traps:4d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 3, 2) = 11 P Traps:4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 5, 1) = 14 Y Traps:4d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 5, 1) = 11 O Traps:4d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 2, 3) = 10
All of the wights you notice seem slightly damage by battle and traps they've encountered before, and they seem slightly disoriented. The two armored wights advance, the 'blue' one raising its shield as it does, but faint glyphs surround them that appear to Slow them down for the moment. One of the other wights follows - again seeming temporarily weakened and held back by wardings - while one of the wights on the upper section nocks and looses two arrows at Zac. Both miss, though one only narrowly due to cover btw you and it
As they move, you can see the heat of the growing forest fires taking its toll on them.
Blue fire:2d6 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9 Red fire:2d6 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8 Orange fire:2d6 ⇒ (6, 4) = 10 Green fire:2d6 ⇒ (6, 3) = 9
So: lot going on here.
From your Scouting prep you know this area super well, and the wards are helping you as well as for now hindering them. Each of you has a +5 foot circumstance bonus to your speeds and a +1 circumstance bonus to your saves for this fight. You also ignore any difficult terrain.
The rocks are rocks - providing cover to and from shots from the hihger level and able to be climbed on/over with Athletics. The rocky steps are difficult terrain going up, as are the tree-filled spaces. (which you ignore, see above!)
However, this whole place is hot and getting hotter! If you end your space next to a burning tree you're taking 4d6 Fire damage, and if you enter/move through one of those squares you're taking that damage on top of needing a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire.
Additionally, at the end of each of your turns you will take 2d6 Fire damage - this is affecting both you and the dead.
Drogo tries to remember what the manual said about casting a wall. He encloses the two archers (and yellow) in a stone structure, with a 20' high and 1" thick stone wall all around. Remembering these pesky undead from before, he even adds a little roof to keep in the arrows.
Daphnaie, not happy with this approach, can only stride towards the mayhem.
◆◆◆ Act Together
- Drogo casts Wall of Stone
- Daphnaie strides
N Male Gnome Wizard (Cleric & Psychic Dedications) 9 | Drain Bonded Item 1:1/1 2:1/1 3:0/1 4:1/1 5:1/1 | HP 67/80 | AC 24 | F +16 R +16 W +17 | Perc +14 (low light)| Stealth +13 | Focus Points 2/2 | Pocket Library Used: | 35' speed | Active Conditions: | Hero Points: 2 | Staff charges ⅝ | Default Exploration: Search | ◆ ◆◆ ◆◆◆ ◇ ↺ |
Fyn hurries up the steps to see what is going on... ◆ Stride (40' speed with the bonus)
... once he sees that the undead don't appear to be too fond of all the fire around them, he grins and decides to crisp them a bit further.
◆◆ Cast a Spell - Fireball, DC 27 basic Reflex, should catch Red, Blue and Orange, but none of my allies and also, I think, none of the wights inside the stone wall prison Fire dmg:6d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 3, 2, 4, 4) = 22
Don't forget the fire damage each round! Zac:2d6 ⇒ (4, 3) = 75 of which is absorbed by your fire resistance Thereus:2d6 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3 Drogo:2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4 Fyn:2d6 ⇒ (5, 5) = 10
Zac advances and just manages to strike the over-eager wight racing towards your group, while Thereus also barely manages to land an arrow from his better position to further injure one of the archers right before Drogo seals them away for the moment. Fyn then furthers the fire and flames to burn the three approaching undead!
Initiative
Blue wight 36 damage, shield raised
Red wight 43 damage
Orange wight 58 daamge
Green wight 37 damage Tess Drogo 154/158 HP
Thereus 145/148 HP
Zac 171/173 HP Dranald Fyn 80/80 HP
Yellow wight 11 damage
Purple Wight 14 damage
Reminder: All have +5 circumstance sbonus to speeds and +1 circumstances to saves.
At end of each of your turns, taking 2d6 Fire damage from heat
N F Human (Half-Elf) Rogue 9 | HP 98 | AC 27 | F +16 R +20 (Evasion) W +16 | Perc +18, Low-Light Vision | Speed 25 ft | Active Conditions: None
Tess squeezes through a crack in two large boulders and takes a moment to hide the signs of her passing before slowly creeping through the trees with her knife held ready.
Tess and Dranald advance as well, one defensively, the other sneakily
The walled-off wights...its unclear what they're doing. Presumably they are still cooking though.
Y Fire:2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7 P Fire:2d6 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3
As both of your sides near each other, the fires around the battlefiedl continue to rage. The smoke from the bruning trees and brush is wafting all around you and beginning to slowly thicken, making the chaotic woods even harder to see in. The spreading smoke is now casuing all creatures in the combat to become Concealed to one another (unless you have methods/abilities to ignore concealment from smoke)
One of the two heavily armored wights points directly ahead of it...right towards Tess' place in the underbrush! skulking like a rat. it will not save you. death comes to all.
It strides up to the grandmother and swings down at her with its blade, delivering a terrible cut that pulls at her very soul!
Strike:1d20 + 26 ⇒ (17) + 26 = 43 for Slashing:2d8 + 13 ⇒ (6, 8) + 13 = 27 I need a DC 28 Fort save from Tess or else she becomes Drained 1
As this happens thereus' divine power absorbs some of that blow and he fires a shot that strikes back at the undead!. It snarls, and its armored partner then advances past the front line to the archer himself!
Zac's responding blow manages to knock the wight's legs out from under it as it tries to pass though! (Tess' attempt to pile on less so) It then gets back to its feet and with a final strike whirls back at the fighter in revenge.
Strike:1d20 + 26 ⇒ (7) + 26 = 33 for Slashing:2d8 + 13 ⇒ (1, 7) + 13 = 21 Zac also needs a DC 28 Fort save v Drained 1
The other, scrawnier-looking undead in the thick of things glances towards the bushes but its eyes pass over Tess. Instead it strides around Zac and lashes out twice at the now-surrounded fighter. The second slice just gets through his armor as Zac's distracted.
Dagger strike v flat-footed:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25 for Slashing:2d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 4) + 4 = 10 plus Precision:2d6 ⇒ (5, 2) = 7 Dagger strike v flat-footed:1d20 + 18 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 18 - 4 = 30 for Slashing:2d4 + 4 ⇒ (3, 3) + 4 = 10 plus Precision:2d6 ⇒ (1, 3) = 4 One more Fort save from Zac, though this one just DC 22
The raging fires continue to burn at the wights, though from their stabs and swings their unholy eyes do not seem nearly as bothered by the smoke itself...
Red Fire:2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4 Blue Fire:2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4 Orange Fire:2d6 ⇒ (5, 1) = 6 Green Fire:2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7 Red Persistent Flat check:1d20 ⇒ 13
Initiative
Blue wight 84 damage, some temp hp
Red wight 64 damage, 3 persistent good
Orange wight 64 damage, some temp hp
Green wight 44 damage Tess 51/98 HP, need Fort save
Drogo 154/158 HP
Thereus 145/148 HP
Zac 136/173 HP, need 2 Fort saves (one DC 28, one DC 22
Dranald
Fyn 80/80 HP Yellow wight 18 damage
Purple Wight 17 damage
Reminder: All have +5 circumstance sbonus to speeds and +1 circumstances to saves.
At end of each of your turns, taking 2d6 Fire damage from heat.
Smoke is making all creatures Concealed.
Zac flat check 1:1d20 ⇒ 20 Zac 2:1d20 ⇒ 12 Zac 3:1d20 ⇒ 6 Dr to target O:1d20 ⇒ 8 Dr to target B:1d20 ⇒ 19
B Ref:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (18) + 18 = 36 R Ref:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (13) + 18 = 31
A flurry of attacks pierce through the cloudy conditions!
Thereus’ first shot goes wide but the second sticks into his target.
Zac manages to land three blows on the weaker wight, dropping it on the final backswing.
Drogo’s electricity shoots across the remaining undead while he and his fey advance!
Also missed rolling Dranald’s fire damage from last round Fire:2d6 ⇒ (2, 3) = 5
Initiative
Blue wight 96 damage
Red wight 71 damage, 3 persistent good
Orange wight 64 damage, some temp hp
Green wight 44 damage
Tess 51/98 HP, need Fort save
Drogo 145/158 HP
Thereus 139/148 HP
Zac 136/173 HP
Dranald 101/106 HP
Fyn 80/80 HP
Yellow wight 18 damage
Purple Wight 17 damage
Reminder: All have +5 circumstance sbonus to speeds and +1 circumstances to saves.
At end of each of your turns, taking 2d6 Fire damage from heat.
Smoke is making all creatures Concealed.
Did the wraiths need to make Concealment checks as well?
No: those wriaths seem to be very good at seeing through the smoke. Annoyingly so... (they are immune to that particular hazard - advantage to them. there are several going on they're very muhc not safe from though...)
Tess stabs twice at her target before tactically repoitioning, but the knife clangs hamrlessly agaisnt its thick plate armor.
Initiative
Blue wight 96 damage
Red wight 71 damage, 3 persistent good
Orange wight 64 damage, some temp hp
Green wight 44 damage
Tess 45/98 HP
Drogo 145/158 HP
Thereus 139/148 HP
Zac 136/173 HP Dranald 101/106 HP
Fyn 80/80 HP Yellow wight 18 damage
Purple Wight 17 damage
Reminder: All have +5 circumstance bonus to speeds and +1 circumstances to saves.
At end of each of your turns, taking 2d6 Fire damage from heat.
Smoke is making all creatures Concealed.
