I got an 18 for initiative.
During the surprise round, I'm drinking a potion of Mage Armor and keeping an eye on what the 2 ogre-sized lizardfolk and the Dracotaur are doing.
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"Aldren, do you think you could take that Dracotaur thing in a fight? With the primitive culture the lizardfolk usually have, they might respect us if you challenge it to a duel.""Well," the sentinel began, "knowing nothing of the creature's abilities or prowess, I can't say for certain if I could best it in combat. I do feel confident, however, that I could remain locked in battle with it long enough for the rest of you to gain a tactical advantage over the others. Assuming, of course, that they're willing to permit the challenge in the first place." "I can use the power of Orien to Dimension Door myself and one or two others (2 medium or 1 large) to the front of the temple. You and myself, and Shinus can fly in his eagle form. Hathir & Mender can move up and provide support from a distance?" "In any case, I'm confident that the two of us could take the dracotaur and those ogre-sized lizardfolk." I don't actually know, I'm just cocky ;-) "Is everyone agreed with this plan?"
"Aldren, do you think you could take that Dracotaur thing in a fight? With the primitive culture the lizardfolk usually have, they might respect us if you challenge it to a duel." "Or, if Hathir wants to drop an Enlarge on me, I'll dimension leap in and challenge it. Meanwhile, the rest of you can get in there and keep everyone else busy if they don't respect the 1 on 1 challenge"
"That works well for me. Shinus, do you think that furred creature is something trained as a guardian beast? Or maybe if we let it loose, it would run amok and help create chaos for us to slip in and grab what we came for?"
As suggested, he could always have a face like this... have people react badly to his hideous scars.
Kaezen will wait for Shinus to report back with his scouting. I'm assuming Shinus will share everything "We don't need to fight everything here, we just need to get inside the temple, right? And it looks like one of those half-dragon things there in front... Hathir, do you have magic that could get us close undetected? Or at least you, Mender and Aldren; Shinus and I have other ways of travelling if necessary." "If we can sneak inside, great. If not, I don't think the lizardfolk would be a factor if we can quickly defeat that half-dragon beast. Its probably their totem or something, and they should scatter or be cowed if we can defeat it." "What do you think?"
"Probably more Lizardmen, although I haven't seen any come or go since I've been watching." "What do you think? Should we scout it out, or just go in fast and hard? Either way we need to get inside that temple..."
Kaezen is going to continue holding his position and observing.
Kaezen will take the four small clay bottles, the onyx amulet adn the hollow reed back to Mender. "Mender, their leader had these, along with some other weaprony. Would you care to examine them, while I scout down the trail?" Kaezen will then move up the trail, moving stealthily and keeping an eye out for more lizardmen.
I'll take 1 vial
"He looks around at the party, and throws a wry grin at Hathir. "Is your mission clear, or must I explain it some more?" "Explore. Loot. Return." "Sounds like a standard Acquisition's Directorate mission to me.:
"I'm fine with Mender being the expedition leader. As I said, I prefer to judge based on ability and accomplishments, and everyone here must be capable to be chosen."
"Sevvin, do you have a preference for who is in charge on the mission?"I know who Hathir thinks should be in charge, lol
"Sevvin, I can only assume there is a reason you summoned us all. What would you like us to do?"
"As can your abundant humility." Kaezen smirks. "Kaezen d'Orien at your service. And I don't regard those without marks as lessers in the social hierarchy. I prefer to judge on ability instead, and if you are here, you must be capable."
Kaezen continues to pummel the Lizardman in front of him mercilessly, seeking to end the fight so he can aid his companions.
Spoiler: AoO Trip attempt Touch Attack = 1d20+6+4*Prone =24 Trip Check = 1d20+7 = 13 Free Attack = 1d20+6+4*Prone =28 Damage 1d8+3 = 11
Kaezen unleashes a flurry of blows against the pendant wearing lizardman that he knocked down early. "Not so fun when someone sucker punches you, is it?"
Kaezen circles as he pummels his foe, moving to block the path to the north, thereby trapping the lizardmen between himself and the rest of the party. If the Lizardfolk attempts to stand
Spoiler: Trip attack: 1d20+4+4* = 16 Touch Trip Check: 1d20+7 = 21 Free attack if Trip Sucessful = 1d20+4+4* = 15
*vs prone target
The lizardfolk's legs are swept out from under him, and he falls face-first into the dirt.
Kaezen swiftly surges out of the undergrowth and kicks at the amulet-wearing lizardfolk as it runs past, attempting to knock it down.
DM Questions: Spoiler:
Kaezen made rolled high to see all three lizardfolk. The one with the onyx pendant was 60' north of Aldren along the path, and then moved 10' northwest after casting a spell?
Since I dimension leaped 70' north of Aldren along the trail and then stepped into the bushes to hide, did the Lizardman: A) Appear to spot me B) Move through my threatened area and trigger an attack of opportunity? Did Shinus Fiery Burst one of the Lizardmen?
Kaezen quickly glances around Aldren, and then the Dragonmark on his chest glows through his tunic. Appearing 70' down the trail, Kaezen quickly takes a step or two off the path and crouches, hopefully concealed from the snipers by the jungle foliage. Peering up and down the trail, Kaezen tries to spot the archers ambushing his friends, while readying a shuriken from his belt pouch. Perhaps more importantly, Kaezen also attempts to see if any of the snipers are lobbing arrows at his new position.
Kaezen would most likely have been up near the front, just behind Aldren. Normally he'd take point, but in the jungle I'd let Aldren in his heavy armor cut us a path. With my spot check earlier, did I detect where the arrows are coming from?
Hey, as I'm going to be filling out the last few magic item purchases (mainly scrolls and the like, possibly a wand of cure light wounds), does anyone have any suggestions on magic items that they would find particularly useful in this party? I'm not going to complain if anyone wants to load up on healing items ;-)
So are we looking to maybe starting this weekend then?I'm hoping that we can. Got the adventure in the mail yesterday, and I've decided that, as suggested by it, it will start in medias res, so don't be alarmed at the beginning of the adventure. Everything will be explained in due time. Just make sure to tie your character's background with the Acquisitions Directorate of the Twelve in some way or another, or tie your character to one of the other characters. in medias res! Yay! Nothing like starting off in the middle of a death defying stunt or cool fight to kick off an adventure! *Plus I'm really wanting to see how this character concept of Orien Dragonmarks+Monk+Sun School+Blade of Orien works out in a fight... I came up with the concept ~18 months ago, and haven't had a chance to play it yet. ---- Shinus/Eadaro: Check your email ;-) ... its too bad we don't have a PM function on these boards...
I updated my profile to include my background, and played around a bit with the skill ranks and bought the rest of my equipment, etc Everything should be final now. If any of the Dragonmarked members of the party care to read this, Kaezen would have most likely shared his philosophy and history if we had worked together before. Spoiler: Kaezen d’Orien’s Backstory Kaezen is a rising star in House Orien. However, he has radical political views, therefore his superiors are content to have him continue to work with the Acquisition’s Directorate, rather than let Kaezen potentially build a powerbase among the two mainstream Orien guilds. Kaezen was raised in the Orien enclave in Sharn. Due to the transient nature of House Orien, Kaezen didn’t have many friends among the other Orien children, but rather made friends with many Brelish children his own age. This exposure to Brelish culture led Kaezen to feel just as much a normal (if upper class) citizen of Breland as much as a member of House Orien. Kaezen was picked at an early age as a potential member of the Acquisitions Directorate. His mentor in martial arts was Gavrin d’Orien, an innovative master who incorporated both the Passive Way and Sun School fighting styles with his Blade of Orien abilities into a devastating new discipline, Orien Fist. Gavrin disappeared on the Day of Mourning. POLITICAL BELIEFS & PHILOSOPHY Aside from Orien Fist techniques, Gavrin taught Kaezen a martial code (essentially Lawful Good), which included the core tenet: “With power comes responsibility. Siberys and Eberron have granted us great powers, and therefore we have a great responsibility to use them for the greater good.” This core tenet runs counter to the usual neutrality espoused by the Dragonmarked Houses, and helps fuel Kaezen’s more radical political beliefs. Kaezen believes that the Dragonmarked Houses were given their powers by Siberys and Eberron for a reason, and that they have a responsibility to use their power wisely. Therefore, he believes that the Dragonmarked Houses should have intervened in the Last War in favor of one of the Galifar nations, thereby negating generations of war and the Mourning. Naturally, Kaezen believes that the Dragonmarked Houses should have backed Breland. The fortunes of Cannith & Orien are fundamentally tied to Breland’s industrial model of society, and would increase if Breland had influence over the rest of Khorvaire. Medani is already based in Breland and the Medani Patriarch is friendly with the Brelish crown. Zilargo has already tied their fortunes to Breland, so Sivis gnomes would naturally be inclined to back Breland as well. It is Kaezen’s outspoken belief that even these 4 Houses, led by Orien, had backed Breland at the outset of the Last War, Breland’s industrial might would have ended the war without the need for millions of deaths. Without Cannith arms, Sivis communications, Medani counter-intelligence and Orien mass transportation, the other nations would have been severely handicapped, if not crippled. At the very least, they could have backed Borannel at the Thronehold meetings, and that might have been enough to actually force the reunification of Galifar under Brelish rule, a far better result than the tenuous ceasefire that exists today. Kaezen isn’t shy about speaking about his beliefs, but he has the commonsense not to mention it in front of non-Orien members… at least not often. He has been repeatedly censured by the Orien leadership, and threatened with excoriate status. However, Kaezen is hardly alone in the general belief that the Dragonmark Houses neutrality is an obsolete concept in the modern world. And he is, or was, considered a rising star due to his dragonmarked abilities. So the Orien leadership are content to leave Kaezen in his assignment with the Acquisitions Directorate, where he is unable to build a political powerbase within the mainstream Orien members. And if he was excoriate, they know he would naturally gravitate to working for Breland, which wouldn’t look good on House Orien if it became public. The Terminus Incident & Past Adventures Gavrin used to send Kaezen out into Sharn on patrols. This was a test of Kaezen’s observational skills & focus, as well as an opportunity to out his skills to practical use by following the tenets of his martial code. Kaezen still follows this practice today when he is in Sharn. In the beginning, these patrols used to be about looking for pickpockets, purse-snatchers and muggers. Now Kaezen also hunts down criminal and terrorist threats like Daask, the Emerald Claw or Cults of the Dragon Below. Threats that the Sharn Watch either aren’t equipped or aren’t willing to handle. If Kaezen comes across something that he can’t handle himself, he passes the information along to the King’s Citadel to deal with. On one of his early patrols, Kaezen intervened in what he thought was a mugging, and inadvertently stopped the assassination of a Citadel agent. This led to Kaezen being embroiled in whirlwind intrigue, and ended with an attempt by the Emerald Claw to disrupt the Lightning Rail station in the Terminus district by deliberately hijacking and crashing several trains into the station. This would cripple Sharn, as the rails are needed to bring in food on a daily basis. And it would have severely hampered Breland’s military, as Sharn’s factories are critical to the war effort. Kaezen managed to help foil the plot, but suffered severe scars to his face as an Emerald Claw agent triggered a premature blast disc explosion as Kaezen and the Citadel agent battled an Emerald Claw suicide squad for control of a Lightning Rail car. Kaezen managed to dimesion leap to safety, and the Lightning Rail train crashed short of the Terminus station. Foiling the Terminus Incident, which was never reported on accurately by the press, helped cement Kaezen as a rising star in House Orien. Additionally, while the Citadel agent died in the explosion, Kaezen has some contacts with the King’s Citadel in Sharn from the debriefing afterwards. At least enough that when he passes on information on threats, he is sure that he is taken seriously. Kaezen has also undertaken some tasks, mainly counter-terrorism and information gathering, for the King’s Citadel, although this in unknown to his elders in House Orien. Kaezen purchased a Hat of Disguise, ostensibly to conceal his facial scars in social situations, but in reality, he uses it to conceal his identity and dragonmarks when he is out on patrol or working for the Citadel.
Ok, so to recap... Shinus Gnome Druid 5. Follows the Gatekeeper Tradition. Uses the alternate Shapeshifting from PHB. Hathir d'Thuranni Elven Wizard 5. Illusion Specialist. Dragonmarked. Kaezen d'Orien Human Monk 4/Dragonmark Heir 1. Taking Blade of Orien PRC next level. Skirmishing-type monk who darts around the battlefield to hit soft targets or set up flanking positions. Aldren d'Deneith Human Knight 5. scott spicer Khorvaire Elf Rogue? Nameless Warforged Artificer? Did I miss anything? It looks like we have everything pretty well covered. A Divine Caster, Arcane Caster and a Rogue, with an Artificer to back up all three positions. Aldren is a tank, and Kaezen is a skirmisher who should be able to go right after the most important or soft targets on the battlefield. Plus I might be able to take Scott Spicer's Rogue with me when I Dimension Door into a nice flanking positition behind enemy lines.
Since we have a high amount of characters that either are Dragonmarked, or have ties to Dragonmark Houses... How about we tie the characters together through a shared background in the Acquisition's Directorate of the Twelve? (Explorer's Handbook) Basically the Acquisitions Directorate are adventurers (usually dragonmarked or with close ties) sent out to loot, pillage and "acquire" (legally or illegally) artifacts and knowledge for the Twelve (The Dragonmarked Houses' joint Magical Research organization). * I wasn't planning on tying my character background that closely to House Orien, in fact my hat of disguise is because some of my activities wouldn't reflect well on the neutrality of House Orien... but I think this would work well for a shared background for the party. Any opinions? DM Comments?
Here is the Orien Monk, Kaezen. I'll have to go in and fill in the background later on, but I've got some good ideas. |