How long has it been since the last fight? I’m trying to figure out if Barkskin is still active. If possible, Moon and Histya will wait to attack until after Emerald starts doing her bard thing. I’m including IC in my rolls.
Moon and Histya close on the worg and attack it from two sides.
HP: 46 / 46 | AC:20 / T:15 / FF:16 | CMD:24/20
Arrows (45): xxxxx x
Blunts (45): xxxxx x
Iron Arrows (3):
Lead Blades (1):
Feather Step (1):
CMW (1):
CLW (1):
Magic Fang (1):
Hero Points (3):
Kassen Battle Boon: 1x
Kassen Death Boon: 1x
Barkskin – 50 mins – +2 AC! Lead Blades – Rnd x of 20 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger. Feather Step – 20 Mins – ignores adverse movement effects and can take 5’ steps in difficult terrain
Perception vs DC25:1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 12 + 2 = 34(+2 vs Undead, +4 vs Human ; +2 in forests)
Grob wrote:
"Hey, the bottom of this gully is filled with a frozen over stream..." The half-orc observes.
Moon stops. "That explains the cracking I hear. I think we're putting too much weight on the ice. Spread out and move to the sides. We need to find a way out of this before the ice breaks."
Moon Reflex Save vs DC17:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11fail
Histya Reflex Save vs DC17:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16 fail
Again, Moon can’t escape the arctic blast or protect her companion… but she can make the wolf pay for it. Willing her nearly frozen muscles into action, she steps into the winter wolf again and hews into its neck with a savage blow.
Through clenched teeth, to prevent them chattering, Moon barks a command at Histya. ”Kill the stragglers!”
Clutch heal, Grob! I think you cast it successfully, in which case I’m at 14 HP. If not, I’m at 3 HP.
Moon Status:
HP: 14 / 46 | AC:22 / T:15 / FF:18 | CMD:24/20 <- w/ Barkskin
Arrows (45): xxxxx x
Blunts (45): xxxxx x
Iron Arrows (3):
Lead Blades (1):
Feather Step (1):
CMW (1):
CLW (1):
Magic Fang (1):
Hero Points (3):
Kassen Battle Boon: 1x
Kassen Death Boon: 1x
Barkskin – 50 mins – +2 AC!
Lead Blades – Rnd x of 20 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger. Feather Step – 20 Mins – ignores adverse movement effects and can take 5’ steps in difficult terrain
Shoot! I missed the blue text about it being my turn. Sorry about that.
Moon takes all of the icy blast, somewhat shielding her companion. There was not to do but follow her own advice and kill quickly. She drops her bow, pulls her elf-blade as she steps into the maw of the monster and swings with all her might.
HP: 20 / 46 | AC:22 / T:15 / FF:18 | CMD:24/20 <- w/ Barkskin
Arrows (45): xxxxx x
Blunts (45): xxxxx x
Iron Arrows (3):
Lead Blades (1):
Feather Step (1):
CMW (1):
CLW (1):
Magic Fang (1):
Hero Points (3):
Kassen Battle Boon: 1x
Kassen Death Boon: 1x
Barkskin – 50 mins – +2 AC!
Lead Blades – Rnd x of 20 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger. Feather Step – 20 Mins – ignores adverse movement effects and can take 5’ steps in difficult terrain
HP: 46 / 46 | AC:22 / T:15 / FF:18 | CMD:24/20 <- w/ Barkskin
Arrows (45): xxxxx x
Blunts (45): xxxxx x
Iron Arrows (3):
Lead Blades (1):
Feather Step (1):
CMW (1):
CLW (1):
Magic Fang (1):
Hero Points (3):
Kassen Battle Boon: 1x
Kassen Death Boon: 1x
Barkskin – 50 mins – +2 AC!
Lead Blades – Rnd x of 20 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger. Feather Step – 20 Mins – ignores adverse movement effects and can take 5’ steps in difficult terrain
”Possibly a warg, a dire wolf, or a werewolf that can control its curse… In any case, I don’t like being stalked. Let’s proceed a bit then double-back and set an ambush.”
I’m thinking we move along the trail looking reasonably good (for hiding) thicketed area. We continue past it for about 20 yards then move off trail and double-back to the thicket. Then we hunker down and wait to see if we can catch the baddies. I’d rather fight these guys here, not as a surprise at our backs when we get to the enemy camp. Alternatively, we can try to track them right now and fight them where we find them.
If we go with the ambush plan… Stealth:1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 10 + 2 = 26(+2 in forests) Perception:1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 12 + 2 = 29(+2 vs Undead, +4 vs Human ; +2 in forests)
If we decide to track these guys… Survival (Track):1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 12 + 2 = 26(+2 vs Undead, +4 vs Human ; +2 in forests)
If one of these guys is a human, that’s another +4 to PER and Tracking
Lead Blades – Rnd x of 20 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger. Feather Step – 20 Mins – ignores adverse movement effects and can take 5’ steps in difficult terrain
”A captive would only live long enough to answer questions. These creatures are cursed and, I expect, unremittingly evil. Their blight must spread no further. As I would with undead, I offer them the sword’s redemption – nothing else. If we find Meep with them – and afflicted – I’ll try to save her. But for the rest…” she shakes her head decisively, ”I give no quarter, so don’t ask for it.”
Not sure what kind of K check (if any) let’s you know about Lycanthropy. I’m hoping that roll is good enough to get the basics.
The ranger debates the options. If they were Bloodmoon, it’d be worth it to see how tough they are as opponents before attacking their main force. And finding out what message they carried for the Manylegs could be helpful. Of course, if it was a verbal message, they’d want to leave one of them alive. She motions to the battle cat and points to one of the gobbos.
Moon lets the goblins draw a little closer before she races forward to attack the gobbos that aren't Histya's prey.
MOVE: into range. If I can’t do it in 30’, switch to a charge.
STAND: Slash Gobbo #1 and (if adjacent) Cleave Gobbo #2
HP: 46 / 46 | AC:20 / T:15 / FF:16 | CMD:24/20 <- AC:18 due to Cleave
Arrows (45): xxxxx
Blunts (45): xxxxx x
Iron Arrows (3):
Lead Blades (1):
Feather Step (1):
CMW (1):
CLW (1):
Magic Fang (1):
Hero Points (3):
Kassen Battle Boon: 1x
Kassen Death Boon: 1x
Lead Blades – Rnd x of 20 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger. Feather Step – 20 Mins – ignores adverse movement effects and can take 5’ steps in difficult terrain
Unaware of the reverberations from their previous choices in the larger war... Moon also opts to take a bath and wheedle one of the arcane casters to prestidigitate the gore from her clothing and equipment.
Moon makes a mental note to learn orcish, if only to understand what Grob mutters to himself.
Grob wrote:
"Moon, I care about you too much, and you’re too damned dangerous for me to ever cheat on ya, you know that."
The ranger looks skeptical, not at the druid’s sentiment, but rather that he took her words seriously in the first place. ”I was playing, Grob. I know you wouldn’t do that…” She adds with an idle smile, ”…but I like hearing I’m damn dangerous. Makes me feel all...” Moon briefly fans herself.
Grob wrote:
Then he looks at Nalka "First. I don't 'own' anybody. Second, your life was spared by us all, not just me. At least so far."
The half-elf drives her derailed thoughts back on track, ”That’s what Nalka needed to hear.” She also focuses her attention on the goblin, ”We don’t have slaves and we don’t enslave prisoners. You belong to you, even now. And unless you do something incredibly stupid tonight, tomorrow you will be free to go and do whatever you want. But here is a warning – if you stand against us on another field of battle… we’ll kill you first. We slay those who attack our town, threaten our families, or who betray us when we’ve shown them mercy.”
Moon tries her best to maintain a serious face and tone, but it’s clear she finds Nalka’s statement amusing. ”GROB! Would you come here? Just how many women are you pledged to? Krosk's lifestyle isn't for everyone, mister.”
Moon’s gaze is steady. ”You aren’t the first – or even the fifth – goblin we’ve captured and let go. Krosk saw this is a useless war… and it looks like he’s chosen to do better for his tribe than Zuka will.” He looks to the others for confirmation, ”Krosk fought well, but he didn’t strike me as 'bloodthirsty'. I don’t believe he’d kill children.”
”Well, you’re right about most of that. Humans are coming for blood, no matter who wins. Lugruk’s people also attacked the elves, so they also want revenge. And Lugruk is trying to weaken the other tribes. But you may be wrong about the Manylegs tribe being dead. If we win, the Manylegs have a chance to survive because the Bugwump and Bloodmoon will be gone. You could also go back to your village and try to get your people to safety. You may even be able to make a deal with Krosk. He seems pretty reasonable. You may not be Manylegs, but your children would survive.”
Moon shrugs when the group votes to camp elsewhere.
Her questions for Nalka are brief, ”What did you hear about the Stickfoots? What do you know about the horde’s overall plans? An why didn’t Okishi trust you?”
From the loot, Moon takes a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds, a potion of Cure Light Wounds, and the potion of Magic Fang.
”Luck is with you, today. In exchange for healing and answering our questions, tomorrow you will be free to go. Tonight, we cannot risk you alerting other goblins of us.”
When the screams of the dying cease and the battlefield finally falls silent… Moon roams between the single bodies and the sporadic piles of bodies. She pulls a relatively clean piece of cloth off a corpse and uses it to thoroughly clean her sword. It’s an odd picture - a shining sword in the hands of a woman slathered, head-to-foot, in spider ichor and goblin gore. She looks more like a blood-drenched revenant than a half-elf. The faint smile on her face doesn’t make the image any less jarring.
The ranger uses the same rag to wipe the worst of the gore from her face then she rummages through the goods of the more important corpses for valuables and supplies – determined to deny the enemy anything useful. She also finds a bag which soon contains Okishi’s head. She notes there is room for more heads. If things go as planned, Okishi will have company soon.
Perception (lootin’) Take 10:10 + 12 + 2 = 24(+2 vs Undead; +2 in forests)
The ranger races around the turn and wades into the rear echelon of the goblin horde. She puts the elven curve blade to fell use, hewing goblins left and right. ”Goblin souls for Kassen! Okishi awaits you in HELL!”
Moon takes a moment to look around and consider the tactical situation. With the spider down and Grob having some ‘pretties’ as allies, he seemed OK. The real question was the spider-rider, the rangers, and the goblin troop. Are they fleeing or swinging around to attack from another angle? She didn’t like the idea of them fleeing. Better to finish this fight here and now. In a perfect world, the Manylegs would become the Lost tribe. Her best choice was to try and make that happen. She whistles to the big cat and points at the flailing goblin and the southern path. ”Kill it… then move on.”
The ranger races north in pursuit of the goblin horde.
MOVE: 2x Move on map
Moon Status:
HP: 35 / 35 | AC:21 / T:16 / FF:17 | CMD:24/20 <- Pro Evil bonus
Arrows (45): xxxxx
Blunts (45): xxxxx x
Iron Arrows (3):
Lead Blades (1): x
Hero Points (3):
Kassen Battle Boon: 1x
Kassen Death Boon: 1x
Protection from Evil – 4 mins – +2 Deflection AC, +2 Resist bonus on saves.
Lead Blades – Rnd 4 of 10 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger.
Adjusted numbers from the last round… since I forgot elemental attacks don’t multiply on a crit.
Moon Attacks
HIT on Okishi: 27 (crit threat) / 20 (confirm)
DAM on Okishi: 24
IF Crit: 49 (total)
Reading the narrative, it looks like Okishi got up from being prone so the crit may be a moot point. Still, I’m glad she had to waste an action getting up rather than doing something nasty. :)
HIT on Skitterfeet: 26 (crit threat) / 19 (confirm)
DAM on Skitterfeet: 23
IF Crit: 49 (total)
Histya Attack
HIT on Skitterfeet: 24
DAM on Skitterfeet: 8
Moon adds to the chaos of the fight by heading straight for the downed goblin leader and her blinded mount. There is no room for playing fair in a battle like this. She tries to slash the prone goblin and her steed.
Moon silently retraces her steps back to the team and reports. ”Found them - including their leader Goldfang. There are five spiders, three with riders, including Goldfang. There are two gobbo platoons, and a half dozen others… they look like those spellcasters and rangers we fought before. There are also three exits from their enclosure, so we can’t burn them out or cook them.” She points north, at the two paths ahead of the group. ”I think that right-hand path will meet up with an entrance to the enclosure and then we’ve got this one right over here. I was able to get pretty close without being detected. Morale is low. Some of the gobbos are nervous about fighting the ‘six of us’ and Goldfang is keeping them in line by force. If we can hit fast and very hard, we might make some of them bolt.”
”Our obvious choice is to either move in together along a single path or we split forces and try to hit them from two sides at once. Obviously, that carries risks as well as opportunities.”
It smells like a trap… but what sort? Are they concealed underground or going to come out or over the brambles? Moon points toward the center of the hoop around which they’ve walked, it was large enough area to hold a lot of troops, and why be where anyone expects?
She nods at Maidie’s suggestion. Perhaps the enemy didn’t hide their tracks as well as they expected. She moves forward quietly out of habit. The ranger anticipates the goblins already know where they are. But let them think she doesn’t know that. She scans for any sign of trouble but also signs of poor troop concealment.
Moon considers the furtive little figure. So… the weak link in an ambush? Or a goat staked out to draw us in? Either way, it didn’t really matter. Moon was going to test how this trap sprung, either way. Hitting a goblin mostly hidden behind a tent was a tough shot but not impossible, especially if it didn’t see the arrow coming.
She signals Histya to be ready for anything then draws an arrow to the bow’s full length, the fletching tickling her nose. Even if I miss, we’ll get a response. She sends the arrow down field then immediately tries to sink back into cover.
Stealth:1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 2 = 14(+2 in forests) IIRC, the rules on sniping and hiding are pretty strict but I figure I’ll give it a shot for fun.
Moon Status:
HP: 35 / 35 | AC:19 / T:14 / FF:15 | CMD:22/18
Arrows (45): xxxxx
Blunts (45): xxxxx x
Iron Arrows (3):
Lead Blades (1):
Hero Points (3):
Kassen Battle Boon: 1x
Kassen Death Boon: 1x
Lead Blades – Rnd x of 10 – all my melee weapons act as one size larger
