I will move silently to be in front of the wizard, provided he did not just go farther than 20 ft. My skill check is 16.
Initiative if it comes to that is 18. (if bless is suprise round action, then Pull out sling and sling the thing, ac 18, 6 hp dmg)
Take that beasty! Rurik, let's show this humans what dwarven axes can do!
Help! A great big blasted beast is attacking me! Telvar, what is this horrible thing!
His adreline flowing, Telvar remembers the following.
Impossible for all of you to outrun and it has scent and especially keen eyes. Combat looks inevitiable.
Avoid the full on attack of two claws and a bite--very dangerous.
Vandryl sets himself in a strong defensive stance, making quite a bit of racket as he adjusts his armor. Valic, with a quiet grace rare in most dwarves, moves in fron of Telvar.
Telvar moves to look around Valic. Craack! A loud branch snaps under his foot. He realizes the beast is just out of range and waits to blast it. Telvar quickly communicates what he knows about hippogriffs. Vandryl listens carefully.
Rurik moves away from all the clanging and cracking, readying his axe for a charge when the thing hears the gnomish bagpipe band he brought with him. He wracks his brain for anything about the beast, but all he knows is it is unlike any animal he has seen before.
Harlynd adds to the cacophony before disappearing behind a tree. The tip of what could be a javelin or a branch is all that can be seen
Valic cries out a blessing from his god, as the beast can hear half of the group.
The beast's head jerks toward Vandryl and Valic, with Telvar standing behind them. It takes off at a terrifying speed, rushing at you at a speed you can barely believe!
Borren will be with us friends, strike true!
A blast of baleful magic energy, a sling bullet, and a javelin strike the beast. Fur and blood shoot into the air.
Rather than stopping it in its tracks, the attacks pry an enraged cry out of the monster and it continues it crashing assault. Screaming a warcry, Rurik charges toward it. He doesn't hear Vandryl shouting about stances and tactics. Rurik's blood is up and his axe will taste blood!
With a terrible crash, Rurik and the beast collide in a dust cloud of roiling feathers, blood, shrieks, and battle cries.
DM--nice shooting from the gnomish bagpipe band!
Initiative starting after surprise round:
Telvar (moved up as his had to hold his surprise round action to get the beast in range)--blasted this round. I'll give him a +2 to attack if he blasts again, as he was aiming his shot carefully during the surprise round.
Vandryl--can still act this round after Rurik if he wants to. He's in a defensive stance about forty feet from where Rurik and birdfu are rumbling. I'll allow him a +2 bonus on his next d20 roll as he had time to carefully plan his action and size up the situation before committing himself.
Valic--cast the first stone this round.
Rurik--beatdown time on the birdfu. Please roll attack and damage.
Birdfu--if it survives has started a charge action.
Harlynd--is moving up to flank birdfu and help Rurik unless he changes his mind. He can attack if he charges.
I got it for round 2. Rurik, Harlynd, and maybe Vandryl may have actions on round 1 first.
Harlynd--is moving up to flank birdfu and help Rurik unless he changes his mind. He can attack if he charges.
CHARGE!!! Let Borren guide my axe!
Blast! This beast is hard to hit!
"Die you foul (yet oddly intriguing) creature!"
"ROAWRRRR, how does my steel taste foul beast."
"ROAWRRRR, how does my steel taste foul beast."
With Harlynd right behind him, Rurik smashes into the bird-horse with his waraxe at a full run. The beast, already bleeding, concussed, and burnt by brimstone takes the chop right on the beak. Blood fountains up as it crumples into a dusty heap, nearly decapitated.
And no one in the party took a single scratch.
Spilling out of the torn sack are dozens of gold coins and a set of heavy black leather gauntlets set with metal studs.
Three goblins are dead, based on the size two goblins and one hobgoblin.
Does anyone know if these things are good to eat? If so I will cut off a flank and keep it for the campfire tonight. Borren blessed us with a fine meal and I think we should enjoy it. I will also thank Borren for our victory while others collect the bounty.
Good shot! At least one of us reddened the axes of Clan Dorak.
I don't think we should have a fire tonight--it would just let the goblins know where we are. We should leave this area quickly before the corpses attract crows and other scavengers--like blasted goblins. Let's take what we can and move on. We may be able to follow the trail of the dead goblins back to their lair.
"Evil has been destroyed to the glory of Clan Dorak"
Well, If we cannot cook it tonight, I will bury it somewhere. I cut off a nice hunk of meat from a front leg. (should taste more like chicken up there)
- How were they equiped?
- Were they carrying anything other than the sack of gold?
- Do they look like Eyepopper goblins?
The goblins had leather armor, clubs, and javelins. Nothing else but some raw meat (plus the gauntlets). Not Eyepoppers. Based on the shrunken heads tied to their belts woven of hair and the blood ritually painted on their skin, they are probably from the Shrunken Head tribe.
The Shrunken Heads are primitive compared to the Eyepoppers. They may even have stolen the sack from the other tribe.
The tracks head away from the lair, which lends support to the idea that they stole the sack from the Eyepoppers. They probably lived in some wretched caves in the hills.
Your party contins on to the box canyon that hides the underground lair of the hobgoblins. The hills have grown enough that bare broken rock breaks through the soil in many places.
The opening to the box canyon looks hewn from the ground and might be a natural fissure or crack in the earth. As soon as you approach the canyon you feel a terrible weight of darkness and horror press on you.
You find breathing more difficult and your minds wander down strange paths of murder and mayhem unless you focus on a task. The air in the canyon is hot and oppressive, wringing sweat from your pores.
In the canyon you see a rough tunnel, steeply sloped and littered with rubble. In only an hour, the little sunlight that illuminates the entrance for tens of feet will be swallowed by the dark.
DM--how to you want to proceed?
Let the Words of Borren guide us, I say a prayre and agree to continue as always.
Go slowly. Keep your eyes out for traps!
Light a torch and stay behind us. You should be far enough back that you can just make us out. That means the goblins won't be able to see our torch light before Rurik and I can spot them.
Spilling out of the torn sack are dozens of gold coins and a set of heavy black leather gauntlets set with metal studs.
Spilling out of the torn sack are dozens of gold coins and a set of heavy black leather gauntlets set with metal studs.
Currently sized for a hobgoblin.
Harlynd puts the gauntlets on. He notices the word Gern written in small letters into the leather.
--DM assumption that Harlynd says Gern.
Harlynd says, "Gern!" and he feels the gauntlets surge with a small amount of magical power. He realizes he can has 1 to 3 charges he can access.
As nothing bad has happened to Harlynd, he continues to experiment. The charges seem to flood hime with great strength, the more charges spent the greater the power.
Harlynd's bravery in trying on the gauntlets has paid off. He has learned what they are and what they do.
brute gauntlets (500 gp)
-3 charges a day, renewed at dawn
-spend 1 or more charges to gain a morale bonus on Strength checks, Strength-based skill checks, and melee weapon damage for 1 round
--1 charge: +2 morale bonus
--2 charges: +3 morale bonus
--3 charges: +4 morale bonus
Light a torch and stay behind us. You should be far enough back that you can just make us out. That means the goblins won't be able to see our torch light before Rurik and I can spot them.
DM--Scouting - Rurik, Harlynd, Vandryl, Telvar, Valic
(Combat - Vandryl, Rurik, Harlynd, Telvar, Valic)The 10-foot-wide tunnel descends inot the darkness. Timbers shore up its wall and ceiling and loose stone litters the floor. A long rope has been attached to the middle of the tunnel floor with pitons every 20 feet or so.
No stone traps are detected and the tunnel seems stoutly built.
Tracks are common, some only a few hours old. Goblins and hobgoblins moving in small groups.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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==DM: I have a non-Shattered Gates worldbuilding question for all of you. I posted it here:
Go to worldbuilding idea.
The tunnel opens into a roughly square room about the size of a small tavern with four massive wooden pillars holding up the ceiling. A torch set in a sconce to the east of a set of bronze doors set in the north wall lights the room.
Two hobgoblins, foreheads and shields marked with a dripping eye, guard the doors which depict leering demonic faces. The walls flanking the door, unlike the earth and timber of the rest of the room, are gray-green masonry. The hobgoblins are armored in half-plate and wield heavy picks. A havy is set up near the eastern wall, arrows sticking out of it.
Harlynd rounds the corner and wildly throws his javelin, which ends up sticking in the hay bale. Goblins are harder to hit in real life than in drills!
Sling in hand, Valic moves up on one side. Vandryl, gripping his flail in two hands, quickly moves up as well. As Telvar moves up to throw fire and brimstone, Valic and Vandryl have time to act.
I need initiative and first round action by Rurik please.
Valic moves quietly enough to stand by Harlynd that he startles him, but I'm sure that didn't hurt his aim much.:)
I need an attack roll for Valic, if he slings and Vandryl's standard action (he only moved so far). Then Telvar brings down diabolic hellish doom on the foes (I love the smell of brimstone in the morning). Maybe then the hobs will act or be dead.
Right now, the hobs aren't suprised, but they are flat-footed. One is leaning on his weapon, his finger up his nose. The other is scratching his backside through a chink in his armor with the tip of his pick.
Also, might as well post second round actions in case the hobs get lucky and live for a whole round (Note to self: I must roll better for initiative than Harlynd rolls to attack.:)).
For the second round, given the opportunity, Vandryl will charge (if he can reach the goblins) otherwise he will move 20 ft (standard move) and throw a second javelin.
If charging: attack roll is 5+4(melee)+2(charge)=11 (he must be blinded by his hatred)
If attacking with a javelin (post move): 5+3=8 (yeah, I expect that misses).
Oh well, at least I rolled well for the first round!
May Borrens might crush your bones!
You've met your doom goblin! How's my axe taste!
Vandryl hurls a javelin with great force, impaling the nose-picking goblin right in its third eye.
Valic hurls a sling stone and Telvar cuts loose with a brimstone blast, catching the backscratcher in the head and chest respectively. He is hurled backwards and bounces off the bronze doors with a ringing sound before slumping to the floor.